What Is the New Birth?

On September 14, 2023September 14, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

David Wilkerson was an evangelist who followed God’s call to preach the gospel to the inner-city gangs of New York City. When Wilkerson first arrived, he was troubled by what he saw. These gang members—most of them still practically youths—were immersed in drug addiction, orgies, and hate-filled violence. When he first began to preach the gospel, many rejected his message. He told them that what they were seeking in drugs and sex could only be found ultimately in Jesus Christ.

He would preach “Jesus loves you” from John 3:16 and many would sneer at him. There were others, however, who said “You’re coming through, Preach,” which meant his words were starting to pierce their hearts. He was getting through to them.

But Nicky Cruz, the notorious Puerto Rican leader of the Mau Maus (one of the gangs Wilkerson evangelized), got fed up with Wilkerson’s preaching. When Wilkerson urged Cruz to receive Jesus, he pulled out his switchblade and yelled, “You come near me and I’ll kill you!” Wilkerson replied, “Yeah, you could do that. You could cut me up into a thousand pieces and lay them in the street, and every piece will still love you.”[1]

Later, Nicky Cruz went forward at one of Wilkerson’s altar calls and surrendered his life to Jesus. Cruz would eventually become an evangelist alongside Wilkerson and later the director of Teen Challenge.

A Pharisee Sits Down with Jesus

What can explain the change in Cruz? According to the Bible, the answer is the new birth. The new birth can also be called regeneration; it speaks to the inward renewal of the spirit caused by the Spirit of God when someone comes to saving faith in Jesus. Regeneration is not something that only “varsity Christians” experience; it is the experience by which we become Christians. In other words, the commonly used phrase “born again Christian” is as redundant as “unmarried bachelor” or “unexpected surprise.”

The Apostle Peter tells his fellow believers, “[Y]ou have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23, ESV). The Spirit of God takes the message about Jesus and His salvation and uses that to bring forth new life.

One night, a religious ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus came to see Jesus. He came at night because he didn’t really want his colleagues to know he was seeking an audience with Jesus. After all, what could the religious elite possibly learn from this upstart rabbi out of Nazareth? Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher of the law, born of nobility, and a sage among his people.[2] Nevertheless, he recognized there is something unique about this Jesus.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2, ESV)

Nicodemus was accustomed to being the man with all the answers. He went to seminary and law school. He was a “ruler of the Jews,” not a follower. He was a sitting member of the Sanhedrin, the governing body who ruled over Israel with the consent of the higher authority, Rome. Thus, Nicodemus wasn’t used to seeking wisdom from someone who lacked all the requisite credentials.

Seeing the Kingdom

Nicodemus says, “We know who you are Jesus. Your miracles indicate God’s blessing on your ministry. But we’ve got you figured out. You’re a teacher come from God.” Like many today, Nicodemus was happy to say Jesus was a great man or prophet, but not a Savior.

Nicodemus thought he had Jesus figured out, but it was actually Jesus that knew everything about Nicodemus. He knew what was in this Pharisee’s heart (2:25). He knew about the deep void within. And despite Nicodemus’s devout life, Jesus knew he still struggled to know if he could ever truly please God. He had no assurance of eternal life.

That explains why Jesus cuts right to the chase.

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, ESV)

From the first day of His public ministry, Jesus had been announcing the arrival of God’s kingdom, and He made it clear that the people must respond with repentance and faith.

Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15, ESV)

But what did Jesus mean by saying “unless one is born again” he cannot even see the kingdom of God? Jesus was not talking about physical vision, but spiritual vision. Jesus was teaching that unless one experiences the new birth (regeneration), you will remain blinded by sin and trapped in spiritual darkness. Very often in Scripture, sight and blindness are ways of speaking about the condition of one’s heart.

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4, ESV)

Here, unbelievers are described as blind to “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” The gospel is like a bright lantern carried into a darkened room. To see the kingdom is to see the King as the all-glorious One that He is. Writing to many who never saw Jesus on earth, John wrote, “No one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him” (1 John 3:6). This is the sight of faith that sees the glory of Jesus as the all-sufficient Savior that He is.

To Nicodemus’s ears, this all sounds impossible. He had lived a moral life, honored his parents, paid his taxes, and taught others the Law of God. What more could God ask of him? To be born again sounds like starting over, as if all his life had not moved him one inch closer to God.

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:4-6, ESV)

One cannot see nor enter the kingdom of God unless one is first “born of water and the Spirit.” The new birth is essential to entering the kingdom. This is language about conversion. It is about those who were once dead in sins being made alive to the glory of God (Ephesians 2:1-5). It’s about being delivered “from the domain of darkness and transferred… to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14, ESV).

You Must Be Born Again

But what does Jesus mean by “born of water and the Spirit”? Some have seen this as a reference to baptism. However, there are a few reasons why this cannot be.

First, baptism is nowhere mentioned in this passage. It would be odd to insert a statement about the need for baptism with the phrase “born of water,” a description never used to describe baptism elsewhere.

Second, when Nicodemus later asks how these things could be, Jesus rebukes him as a teacher who ought to know this. He can say that because the Old Testament compares the Spirit’s regenerating work to water that cleanses us (Ezekiel 36:25-27). So, Nicodemus really should know what “born of water and the Spirit” means as a teacher of God’s Word.

Third, Jesus is speaking about the supernatural work of God. That’s why He says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” In other words, flesh cannot accomplish the new birth. It is a work of the Spirit alone. Human effort, self-improvement, and works-based religion cannot do the work of the Spirit. Jesus compares the Spirit’s work to the wind.[3] The wind is something you cannot harness or control, but it clearly changes whatever it touches (3:8).

What Jesus says to Nicodemus, He says to all of us: “You must be born again” (v. 7).

Many imagine that Christianity is about cleaning ourselves up so that God will accept us, but nothing could be farther from the truth of the gospel. We could never scrub away our guilt before a holy God, but “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7, ESV). Our message is: “You must be made a new creation in Christ!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). At its heart, Christianity is not about turning over a new leaf; it’s about receiving new life. It’s not about forming new habits; it’s about receiving a new heart.

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

What gave David Wilkerson the Spirit-filled boldness to go preach the gospel to a bunch of thugs, runaways, and prostitutes was his firm conviction that when people truly encounter Jesus Christ, they are changed. Without that belief, he would have given up on guys like Nicky Cruz when he pulled a knife on him.

Have you been born again? While only the Holy Spirit can regenerate our spirits and make us new, we are called to repent and receive Jesus into our life. Yield to Him and ask the Lord to make you new on the inside. Once you do, you will not stay the same.

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9, ESV)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] This story is recounted in David Wilkerson’s book The Cross and the Switchblade.

[2] Nicodemus is a Greek name, not Aramaic. If you were born to an upper class Jewish family, it wasn’t uncommon for your parents to give you two names: a Jewish name and a Greek name. In such a family, you were well-educated in the Greek language and literature. Furthermore, the first century Jewish historian, Josephus, mentions one of his friends who was the son of a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who quite possibly was the one we are reading about here. And Josephus says that he came from a long line of Jewish nobility. So, very likely, this Nicodemus was a well-educated, cultured, and wealthy man.

[3] The same word for “Spirit” (pneuma) is used for “wind.”

Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs

On August 30, 2023August 31, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

In his book, Christian Living in the Home, Christian psychologist Jay Adams describes a time a marriage counselor sat down with a couple. Throughout their discussion, the counselor noticed how the husband shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The wife, on the other hand, sat with arms crossed in defiance. She slapped down a sheet of paper on the counselor’s desk. “There is why I’m getting an ulcer.”

Listed on the sheet was every wrong the husband had committed in the last 13 years, complete with supporting details. The counselor was taken aback, and the husband seemed to shrink in his seat. The counselor’s eyes rose to meet the woman’s. “It’s been a long time,” he said, “since I have met anyone as resentful as you.” The wife was speechless, and the husband sat up a little.

The counselor continued, “This is not only a record of what your husband has done to you [incidentally, subsequent sessions showed that it was a very accurate record], it is also a record of what you have done about it. This is a record of your sin against him, your sin against God, and your sin against your own body.”

This woman was directly opposing what we read in 1 Corinthians 13:

“Love… keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, NIV)

Every relationship requires good communication to remain healthy, but in many cases, a husband and wife can’t communicate well because an icy wall of resentment has been built up between them. Until they deal with harbored resentment, the relationship will continue to suffer.

Every time you recount the wrongs of another, you are violating the principle of love.

We do this in various ways. We may not vocalize all the ways we’ve been wronged, but whenever a certain person pops into our mind, we silently rehearse all the ways they’ve let us down. We are experts at nursing grudges. We remind ourselves why we have the moral high ground and why certain people don’t deserve our kindness or affection.

God tells us to “not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26), because He knows about the destructive tendency of being dominated by anger and resentment. And, yes, it can even cause ulcers when we allow rage to seethe beneath the surface.

Greeting with a Holy Kiss

Many have wondered about the contemporary significance of Paul’s plea to the churches to “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (1 Corinthians 16:20). In the first century context, it was a perfectly normal practice to plant a kiss on the cheek of a family member or close friend. Because the church is truly a family,[1] it only made sense for Christians to greet each other in this warm and accepting way. Many cultures still practice this today.

In my American context, a handshake or warm embrace conveys the same message: “You are welcome here.” If this was a normal practice, why did Paul have to urge the churches to do this? Because he knew how hostility can grow even between followers of Jesus, and he saw how out of place this was.

When you are holding a grudge against someone, it’s very hard to want to go up and hug them. The wall between two bitter people might be invisible, but you can sense the tension through their body language, physical distance, and avoidance of eye contact. The rift in the relationship makes physical contact—especially a warm embrace—seem impossible.

So, to urge believers to “Greet one another with a holy kiss” was a reminder to lay aside differences, forgive those who have wronged you, and reconcile when possible.

I have sometimes thought about the first time the letter to the Philippians was read aloud as the whole church gathered. In that letter, Paul suddenly calls out two women by name: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2, NIV). This may have been a church of around 100 people where everyone knows each other. These two women apparently had a disagreement, and it was such a disagreement that even Paul heard about it while in jail over 600 miles away. I imagine them sheepishly looking up at each other as their names are mentioned.

Frankly, it’s a little comforting to know that Christians had disputes and disagreements even in Paul’s day. I don’t know if Euodia and Syntyche’s disagreement was over the color of the carpet or the size of the baptistry or the type of music that was sung. Who knows? Christians can get caught up in disagreements about all kinds of things! Paul, like a gentle father, reminds them both to work for the unity they share in the gospel.

Paul is not belittling them by calling them out here. More likely, these are a couple of very prominent women in the church who hold a lot of influence, and he wants them—in fact, he’s pleading with them—to not let their argument get blown out of proportion. He also mentions they are counted among those “whose names are in the book of life” (v. 3). He’s saying, “Remember, ladies, you are daughters of the King, and your names are written with permanent ink in the Book of Life.”

According to Revelation 21:7, the Book of Life is the massive book that will be opened for all to see on the Day of Judgment listing the names of everyone who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Seeing disagreements through the lens of eternity helps to put things in perspective. Never forget that the very Christian you are now resenting will be with you in Heaven, too.

Complacent about Conflict?

Have you ever been part of an argument that seemed to take on a life of its own? By the end of the debate, both you and whoever you were sparring with are left huffing and puffing and neither of you can remember why you were fighting in the first place. Sadly, many marriages end or are damaged over pointless arguments that get out of hand. God calls husbands and wives to reconcile when there is a difference. Again, Scripture says, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26) because Satan will try to use any and every dispute to split Christians apart. And he especially comes after marriage because it’s the most intimate human relationship. Perhaps you’ve heard this old poem:

To live above with the saints we love,
Oh, that will be glory,
But to live below with the saints we know,
Well, that’s another story.

We should not be complacent when we have conflict with other Christians. It’s not something to just “be okay” with or just ignore. Relational conflicts are like a slow leak in a dam that can drain the life out of you if you try to ignore them. God wants us to be honest with one another, and to reconcile and forgive when we have differences. I’ve spoken with some people who had a conflict with someone in a church, and because of that single conflict they’ve been bitterly holding a grudge for years. That’s not healthy for anyone—not for the church and not for yourself.

But the most important reason we must seek reconciliation is that it glorifies God. Bitterness should have no place among believers, because when we hold a grudge, our actions preach an anti-gospel. How can a church proclaim a message of reconciliation that would attract the world, if such a church is marred by bitterness, hostility, and division?

If you have a conflict with someone, don’t let it fester. Make every effort to reconcile with that person.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18, ESV)

Paul knows that many times, we find ourselves in pointless arguments and disputes when we are under stress. If we are fretting and anxious about the future or things that aren’t going well, it doesn’t take much for us to snap. Even the branches of a mighty oak will snap under enough pressure.

So, Paul says what we need to do: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Now, we’ve got to remember where Paul was writing this . He wasn’t sitting in a Roman bath or sipping on an espresso at Café Roma. He was writing by candlelight in a dark jail cell in Rome. He was not writing this as someone unfamiliar with stressful and difficult situations. The best way to deal with relational conflict is to remember how Jesus dealt with our record of wrongs.

What Jesus Did with Our Record

For the follower of Christ, the gospel informs every relationship. We can’t understand love without considering how Jesus has loved us. We won’t be motivated to reconcile with others until we recognize that the gospel is a message of reconciliation. We can’t begin to forgive those who have wronged us until we remember how much we have been forgiven.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14, NIV)

Every single one of us has wronged Jesus more times than we could possibly remember. As God, our sin is first and foremost against Him. But did Jesus hold our sin over us? Did He stand afar with arms crossed, or did He draw near with arms extended? Relish these words:

“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 3:13-14, NIV)

Jesus held that record of wrongs and, instead of hitting us over the head with it, He lovingly allowed the nails to be driven through that record and into His hands. Let’s remember how much we have been forgiven. And then go and do likewise. Reconciliation between believers should be priority number one, because love keeps no record of wrongs.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] God is our Father, and we are called brothers and sisters.

The Purpose of God’s Law

On August 23, 2023August 27, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life4 Comments

A cartoon depicts Moses standing on top of God’s mountain, holding the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. With a big grin spread across his face, he says, “Hey, these are great! From now on, nobody will have trouble distinguishing right from wrong.”

What makes the cartoon funny is that we obviously do still struggle distinguishing right from wrong. In many ways, this is the problem of our age. It isn’t just a problem today; it’s the perennial problem of the human race. We were created to be good, but we’re not.

Despite having the actual tablets the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God, the nation of Israel still struggled with moral degeneracy and idolatry.

The Ten Commandments tell us in very plain and straightforward language moral truths that should be painfully obvious already. Don’t we already know it’s wrong to lie? Isn’t it obvious that it’s wrong to commit adultery?

But because of sin, we all have a tendency toward self-deception. Yes, we know certain things are right and wrong, but sin has a way of muddling what should be crystal clear. The simple fact is that, as fallen people, we don’t like the idea of a God telling us what to do.

“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” (Romans 8:7, NIV)

We’d much rather have our own ideas about right and wrong. That’s what sin is—rebellion against the kingly authority of God. So, we desperately need a word from God. We need God to put His moral law in bold, clear writing because so often we try to avoid what should be obvious.

The Law Expresses God’s Righteous Character

Modern people might scoff at the Ten Commandments, but God knows better. Paul wrote:

“So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” (Romans 7:12, ESV)

The philosopher Plato once posed the problem called Euthyphro’s Dilemma. The question he asked was “Is something good simply because God commands it, or does God command it because it’s already good?” But what Plato missed is Option C. When God commands something, He is not just giving us some standard outside of Himself. No, He is expressing His own goodness. God is perfectly good in every way. His moral character is matchless. So, His Law simply expresses what He is like.

That the law of God is a reflection of God’s character has tremendous implications. For example, as you study the Ten Commandments, you are glimpsing the glory and holiness of God. Telling lies is wrong, but it’s ultimately wrong because God is the God of truth. God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18). Adultery is wrong first and foremost because God is the faithful one who keeps covenant with His own (Deuteronomy 7:9).

So, when we talk about keeping the Ten Commandments, we’re really talking about living like Jesus. He kept them perfectly.

Knowledge of right and wrong is inescapable. The Bible even says that the moral law is written on our heart, even before we read the Ten Commandments.

“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.” (Romans 2:14-15, ESV)

The Ten Commandments make explicit the moral truths God has wired into our hearts. And this self-evident knowledge that some things are really and truly right (showing kindness to a loved one) and some things are really and truly wrong (torturing children for fun) is powerful evidence for a Creator.

Why? Because if there is a moral law that I, an American, am obligated to keep and Pharaoh, an ancient Egyptian, is obligated to keep and everyone from all times is obligated to keep, then it must come from a transcendent Source above all of us.

Unlawful Use of the Law

“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully…” (1 Timothy 1:8, ESV)

When Paul says that the law is a good thing so long as “one uses it lawfully,” the clear implication is that there is an unlawful use of the law. What is a wrong way to use the law? In context, Paul was addressing false teachers who misused the law by misapplying it to Christians. Very likely, he was describing legalistic Judaizers, a sect with whom Paul frequently clashed. These Judaizers taught that Christians were still under the law in the sense of being legally bound to the Old Covenant.[1]

Elsewhere, Paul tells the Romans, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14, BSB). When we live as if we are still under the condemnation and covenantal obligations of the law, sin will inevitably master us. It’s only when we experience the free grace of God and the removal of condemnation through the cross of Christ that we can present our bodies to God “as instruments of righteousness” (Romans 6:13).

The Judaizers told new believers that they couldn’t eat any of the foods that were off limits in the laws given to Israel (1 Timothy 4:3). The laws of the Old Testament are wrapped up in God’s covenant He made with Israel, “the Old Covenant.” So, the laws that you find in Exodus and Leviticus, for instance, are all part of the Old Covenant that God established with the nation of Israel. It’s essential to understand that the Old Covenant was never intended to last forever. God planned on replacing it with a new covenant from the beginning.

“In speaking of a new covenant, he [God] makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13, ESV)

This is an important issue, because a lot of Christians today still treat the Old Covenant laws as if the Old Covenant was still in force today. But the Book of Hebrews teaches that the whole system of laws was fulfilled by Christ. What does that mean? It means we—as followers of Jesus—are no longer bound to the Old Covenant, but to the New Covenant. In this sense, we are not under law, but under the grace and blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Christ fulfilled the law for us, and our identity is in Him.

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6, ESV)

We can’t afford to be wrong on this. You as a Christian are no longer bound to the Old Covenant. The laws of sacrificing animals each year in Leviticus are now “obsolete.” You can put the knives away! You are no longer bound to that. The food laws—like not eating pig—are no longer a covenantal obligation for God’s people, whether you are Jew or Gentile. That’s why Paul can say to Timothy (a half-Jew) that those who forbid the eating of certain foods are following the “doctrine of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Paul says such people “require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:3-5, ESV).

Thus, Christians are permitted to eat bacon! Of course, the issue is much bigger than that.

The system of animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant given to Israel never truly took away sin. Such sacrifices were always meant to be temporary, reminding the people that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Ever since Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly and died the death that the law required in our place, the Old Covenant has been replaced by the New Covenant. The cross was the great turning point. Jesus said in the upper room, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20). His death established the New Covenant as a new way for God to relate to His people.

We, as the Church, are the New Covenant people.

The New Covenant and the Law

It’s important to note that even though the Old Covenant has been superseded by the New Covenant, the moral principles found in the Old Covenant carry forward to the New. In other words, we should not “unhitch” from the Old Testament, as one popular pastor recommended. How do we know that? Because there are numerous examples where New Testament authors reach back to the moral principles of the law to ground their argument. Here are two examples:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Ephesians 6:1-3, ESV)

Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? (1 Corinthians 9:8-9, ESV)

Paul even tells us that the moral prohibitions still represent sound doctrine:

“We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine.” (1 Timothy 1:9-10, NIV)

Because the law was always an expression of God’s righteous character, the principles of the law have abiding relevance for New Covenant Christians, but this is not the primary purpose of the law.

The Law Is a Mirror

The law is like a mirror to show us our true moral condition. This is what theologians have often called the “first use of the law.” In other words, it is the primary purpose of the law.

Paul says the law is for the lawless (1 Timothy 1:9). It’s for sinners. It’s for those living in rebellion against God. Okay, but hang on a second. Aren’t we all sinners? Doesn’t Paul elsewhere say: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)? So, what does Paul mean here: “the law is for the sinful” (1 Timothy 1:9)? Is the law for us or not for us?

Well, right before saying we’ve all sinned in Romans, Paul says this about the law:

“Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20, ESV)

So what’s the primary purpose of the law? To show us our sin. To show that we are accountable to God. When we look at God’s moral law, where God says, “Honor your Mother and Father,” “You shall not lie,” and “You shall not steal,” we are looking both at who God is and who we are. The law shows us what God requires and prompts us to ask, “How do I measure up?”

Even a child can look at just those three commandments and recognize he’s broken God’s Law and is therefore a little lawbreaker. But although the law can show us that we’re in big trouble, what it cannot do is offer us the hope of forgiveness. That is where the gospel comes in.

The law rightfully condemns us. Most people tend to think, “I’m a pretty good person. If there is a Heaven, I’m sure I’m headed there.” But the law humbles us and shows us that we are actually not good. “There is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10).

I heard a chaplain talk about a time he was sharing the gospel with a group of college football players. They were hanging on his every word until he got to the “sin part.” Those listening were big, tough athletes. Some were popular, admired, and surrounded by girls. They had so many things going for them, and not all of them appreciated this talk about sin. One of the star players came up to the chaplain afterwards and said, “Hey, I don’t like you calling us sinners!” He stormed off without waiting for a reply.

The football player was right about one thing: the Bible’s message about our condition is not flattering. If you haven’t been offended by the Bible’s portrait of sin, then maybe you haven’t looked closely enough (see Ezekiel 16; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 1:18-3:20). If you’ve spent your whole life falling more and more in love with yourself, this message of sin is going to burst your bubble.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul warns:

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy.” (2 Timothy 3:1-2, NIV)

Baby Boomers have been called the “Me Generation,” but in reality, this could be said of every generation. An article in the Smithsonian said:

“Although selfies flood the current visual landscape, this social media phenomenon did not invent obsession with the self. In fact, a spotlight on the personality of the self is a defining element of American culture. Every generation is guilty of putting the “Me” in its ME-dia, and with each generation of media technology, the “Me” gets bigger.”[2]

We all have this innate tendency to be self-centered and self-involved. So, hearing that we are sinners is offensive because we are telling people that the self cannot be at the center; it must be crucified (Matthew 16:24). The question shouldn’t be, “Is this a flattering picture of me?” but “Is this an accurate picture of me?”

The Law Points Us to Christ

The law of God shows us our true condition because it reflects the righteousness of the God to whom we are accountable. And we can only see our desperate situation as we come into contact with the righteousness of God. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones made this profound point:

“You will never make yourself feel that you are a sinner, because there is a mechanism in you as a result of sin that will always be defending you against every accusation. We are all on very good terms with ourselves, and we can always put up a good case for ourselves. Even if we try to make ourselves feel that we are sinners, we will never do it. There is only one way to know that we are sinners, and that is to have some dim, glimmering conception of God.”[3]

The Book of James likewise says the law is like a mirror showing us what we are really like (1:23-25). But the law can never save. We can’t redeem ourselves through law-keeping. That is why Paul tells Timothy the law must be used lawfully. There is a right way and a wrong way to use the law. If the law is used to show you that you are accountable to God, that’s the right way. But if you try to keep the law to save yourself, it will only leave you worse off than before.

By showing us we are unrighteous, the law gives us a hunger for the righteousness that can only be found through faith in Jesus. As we are united to Christ by faith, we are clothed in His righteousness and justified based on Christ’s sinless life and death in our place.

At the end of the day, you can either be under the law or under grace. Under condemnation or under Christ.

So, thank God for His law today. The law is there to show us our need and point us to Christ. Ultimately, that’s what God was always aiming for by giving Israel the law. They needed it to see their need for a coming Messiah (Galatians 3:24).

Just like a mirror only shows you your appearance but cannot improve your appearance, so it is with the law. It shows us our moral condition so that we will turn to the Savior. And there is no greater and lasting happiness than the joy of knowing you are totally forgiven.

“Happy are those whose sins are forgiven,
    whose wrongs are pardoned.” (Psalm 32:1, GNT)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Biblically, a covenant is an agreement that God established for how He promised to relate to His people.

[2] Amy Henderson, Smithsonian Magazine, smithsonianmag.com, October 15, 2014.

[3] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Seeking the Face of God: Nine Reflections on the Psalms (Wheaton: Crossway, 2005), 34.

The Mission Is to Multiply

On August 9, 2023August 9, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18, ESV)

Every major company in the world today has a mission statement. Mission statements tell us the company’s purpose, the reason they exist in the world, and what they seek to accomplish. For example, Amazon’s mission statement is “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

When the Lord Jesus gave those first disciples the Great Commission, He was giving them a mission statement for the church. That mission is to multiply: to go and make disciples.

Just like every corporation has a CEO at the top calling the shots, King Jesus gets to call the shots for the church. He purchased her with His own precious blood. He is not just a shareholder; He has every right and authority over every aspect of the church’s life and mission.

And lest we forget the obvious: Jesus is alive! He’s not merely the founder from ages past. He is the alive and active Owner, Lord, and King of His church. You didn’t get to decide what the church’s mission is when you became a Christian, and neither did I. We receive our marching orders from our Lord. He tells us what the church is to be about. But the first thing we must recognize is that Jesus is reigning at the right hand of the Father and actively leading His church, even as you read this sentence.

Let’s consider the full context of Christ’s Great Commission.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20, ESV)

It’s essential for us to understand that this is the mission He gave to His whole church throughout history, not just a select few in the first century. We can know this because the mission is comprehensive. The command was to make disciples of “all nations” or people groups,[1] not just those in the Mediterranean world. This is the mission that every disciple of Jesus is called to and has been called to for the last 2,000 years.

This last week, I had the privilege of getting to know a missionary couple with three kids serving in Africa. It was encouraging to hear about their passion for reaching those who don’t yet know Christ, particularly among the Muslim population where they live. It is right for us to praise God for the miraculous work He is doing through them. At the same time, they reminded us that we are all called to this mission.

This calling will take different shapes and forms and require a variety of gifts, but the mission remains the same. As a follower of Jesus Christ, your mission is to go and make more followers of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Risen Lord of the Universe

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18, ESV)

The resurrection gives Jesus the authority to make every demand of us that He wishes.[2] If You have just conquered death itself, then it’s only right that people sit up and listen to you. And here Jesus is speaking not only as the risen Messiah, but as the eternal Son of God. And God the Father has bestowed on Him all authority. Look at how comprehensive this claim is: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

Who talks like that? Think of this from the perspective of someone who is investigating the claims of Christ for the first time. Wouldn’t this sound like the most egocentric claim you can possibly make? “All authority in the entire universe belongs to Me! I rule the entire cosmos! I am the resurrected King of all reality!” Wow. If you were one of the disciples, wouldn’t you be trembling before Him at this point? Wouldn’t you be in awe of Him? The only other option is to wholesale reject Him.

This is why C. S. Lewis made the case that no one intellectually honest can really conclude that the biblical Christ is just a good moral teacher. Why? Because “good moral teachers” don’t make claims like this. Socrates didn’t make a claim like this. Buddha never made a claim like this. Jesus says everything belongs to Him. We can either utterly reject Him and His claim, or we can fall on our faces and worship Him. Those are the only options for us.

This is the same Jesus who said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt. 24:35). The great irony with Jesus is that He makes claims that are so audacious that if uttered by anyone else would sound ridiculous. “All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Me.” Have you ever heard your boss talk like that? What about a United States president? No, because in anyone else’s mouth, it sounds ridiculous. If Napoleon or Genghis Khan had said “All authority in the universe has been given to me,” we would immediately know they have a bloated sense of self-importance.

Yet, with Jesus, when He makes these claims, somehow we believe Him. Scripture says that’s because the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to the truth that we would otherwise think ridiculous.[3] The great paradox with Jesus is that while His claims were immeasurably lofty, His character was equally humble and compassionate. This is what makes the truth that God has become a man so powerful.

One day every politician, religious leader, CEO, dictator, and citizen will have to give an account of their lives to Jesus. He will be their judge, and they will bow before Him (Philippians 2:9-11). As the risen Lord, Jesus has been given all authority to judge the world (John 5:22; Acts 17:31)

The Mission is to Make Disciples

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a, ESV)

Now that we know who is giving the mission, we come to the mission itself. Jesus says that this is what His church is to be about. This is the purpose for our existence, and this is how we bring glory to God the Father. It’s all about disciples making disciples. It’s about Spirit-empowered multiplication.

The original Greek can be translated, “Disciple as you go.” In other words, as you are going where God calls you—school, family, workplace, another country, etc.—disciple those you meet. But it’s implied that we will be going into the world, not hiding from it. It’s easy for us to want people to come to us. I sometimes think of how nice it would be if that person I’ve been wanting to share the gospel with came up to me and said, “Hey, can you tell me how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ?” Wouldn’t that be great if it worked that way? But here’s the thing. It usually doesn’t work like that. We must be willing to go.

The moment we surrender our lives to Him, Jesus recruits us for this Great Commission to reach the world for His name. We start where we are, but we’re always to be looking beyond where we are. This is a global mission that includes “all nations.”

Elsewhere Jesus tells His disciples, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Jesus is saying something like this: “This good news of great joy that I’ve been telling you about… this news that there is forgiveness of sins in My name… you are going to proclaim this to the whole world, you and believers who come after you. Together, we are going to reach every dark corner of the world with the brilliant light of hope. Before I come back and bring a final end to Satan’s rule, I’m going to see to it that this good news of a Savior reaches every nation.”

This is how Christ’s kingdom will advance. Not by mighty armies that leave a trail of blood, but by mighty, Spirit-empowered proclaimers that leave a trail of love. Jesus said that the Kingdom would grow, not like a tank that levels everything in its path, but like a little mustard seed eventually blossoming into a beautiful and vibrant tree. It’s a kingdom that will grow out of love, sacrifice, and hope. And it’s a kingdom that will eventually outgrow every kingdom and empire that came before it.

Jesus said we are commissioned for a worldwide discipleship program. Again, we are to start where we are, but we are always to be looking beyond our tiny sphere, because God is up to something much bigger in the world than just what He’s doing in your hometown.

What Is a Disciple of Jesus Christ?

Jesus said to go and make disciples, but just what is a disciple of Jesus Christ? It’s a very Christian word, and by that I mean it’s not often used in other contexts outside of Christian circles. But it’s an important word, used over 260 times in the New Testament. The basic definition of the Greek term disciple (mathetes) is “learner.” A disciple is one who learns, but not just for the sake of learning but to follow in the steps of the master they are learning from.

And we can see this when Jesus says things like, “It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master” (Matt. 10:25a).

So, the idea is that a disciple of Jesus is one who both learns from and follows after Jesus with the goal of becoming like Jesus. Therefore, when we talk about growing in discipleship, we’re talking about growing more and more like Jesus in your character, attitudes, and actions. And that’s the goal of the Christian life: to be molded and shaped by the Holy Spirit at work within you to become more and more like Jesus. To love like Him. To think like Him. To be pure like Him. To care about the things that Jesus cares about. This is all contained in that idea of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus says we disciples are to go and make disciples. We don’t just sit on our hands and wait for God to bring people to our doorstep. We are to go. Remember, Jesus didn’t stay in the comfort of heaven and wait for us to climb up to Him. He came down to us. And His going down to us set a pattern for us. We are to go out and engage with the lost world around us. We aren’t to shut them out, ignore them, and pretend they aren’t there. We aren’t called to be a holy huddle cloistered off from the big bad world. Jesus tells us we are to go and make disciples.

To become a follower of Jesus Christ is a spiritual transformation. It can only happen as one puts his faith in Jesus, asking Him to forgive him of all his sin. It’s at that point of conversion—or radical inward renewal—that one first becomes a disciple. From that point a life is transformed, but it’s not automatic. That’s just the beginning point.

“…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19)

Baptism is meant to be a public declaration that you have begun a life of following Jesus. You’re saying to the world, “I’m His. I belong to Him, and my new aim in life is to live for my Lord and Savior.”

Does baptism save? Going into the water is not what gives spiritual life, since there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves. Salvation is all by God’s grace through faith—not good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s a gift we receive, not a reward we earn. But baptism is often used as a synecdoche—a term for our union with Christ and the public confession that accompanies faith. At a wedding, the bride may say, “With this ring, I thee wed,” but everyone understands the ring to be a symbol of the commitment to love “till death do us part.” If the ring slips off later that day, the marriage is not thereby annulled because the ring was always a symbol of the marriage itself.

Baptism is that first act of obedience where you affirm on the outside what has already taken place on the inside.

When an athlete is first signed by a team, it’s official when the contract is signed. He’s a member of the team from that point on, but to celebrate that, the athlete puts on the jersey and announces to the world, “I’m with this team now.” That’s what baptism is. What God has done with you in the private of your own heart, you are taking public. You’re telling the world what has already happened, “I’m with Jesus now.”

And we are baptized in the name of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—because all three persons of the one God had a part in our salvation. The Father elects and draws you. The Son redeems you with His blood. And the Holy Spirit gives you new life in Christ, sealing you as one of His own.

“…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:20)

Since a disciple is a learner, the follower of Jesus needs to be taught. They need hear the words of God from Scripture. They need to be in the Word regularly so that they are encountering God on a consistent basis, knowing what God envisions them to be.

A follower of Jesus Christ is not a lone ranger. The best way to grow is by becoming a part of a community that lives together under the authority of the risen Lord. When Christ is confessed as the Head, the church functions as His body. That’s why it’s so important for Christians to read Scripture together, study it together, sing its truths together, and be shaped by Scripture in personal devotions. We need the Word of God to cleanse our mind of wrong thinking. We need God to speak into our situation and give us direction. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Mission is Accomplished through the Power of Christ

This is such an important point. We need to see that the risen and reigning Lord of the universe has called us to be world changers. He has called us to make a difference in the lives around us. He wants us to engage the lost, love the unlovable, and be about a higher purpose than our own self-centered desires.

Jesus wants us to have a kingdom mindset, where we look at the world as something that needs to come under Christ’s reign and authority. To be merely concerned with our own personal welfare is to live in disobedience. But—and this is essential—all of this can only be accomplished through the power of Christ.

We can only accomplish the mission that God has given us as disciples of Jesus Christ if we are living in dependence on the Holy Spirit. That’s why I love the way Jesus ends the Gospel of Matthew. He says, “And behold [i.e., now don’t forget this] I am with you always, to the end of the age” (v. 20).

Let’s be honest. We need this reminder that Jesus is with us. We can’t see Him today. We don’t have Him physically on earth. He’s in Heaven right now. But at the same time, He is truly with us. In fact, He’s closer to us now than He ever was with those twelve disciples on earth.

Jesus told His disciples in the upper room, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).

If I’m one of those disciples, I’d be thinking, “What? Jesus, how can it possibly be better that You go away? We want You here. We want You to stay with us. Don’t leave us.” Have you ever wondered why Jesus ascended into Heaven? Didn’t it seem kind of strange that just as His church was just about to really take off, Jesus, quite literally, takes off?

I can’t explain it all, but Scripture teaches us that in God’s plan, the Holy Spirit could only indwell us if Jesus first ascends to Heaven from where He could send Him. So how is Jesus with us to the end of the age? He’s with us through the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes inside, Jesus comes inside through Him. He’s present by the power of the Spirit. That’s why to depend on the Holy Spirit is to depend on Jesus. The two work in tandem.

As long as we are left on earth, our mission is to multiply. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ, and we can only do this through the power of the Spirit at work in us. That’s why we need to plead with Him to do a mighty work in us and through us. We need to plead for God to send out harvesters into the fields. So who is God calling you to pour into today? What part do you have to play in God’s global and local mission?

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] The Greek term is best translated as “ethnicities” or “people groups,” but also generally means “Gentiles” (non-Jewish peoples).

[2] In the book of Acts, Peter says, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:38).

[3] See 1 Corinthians 12:3 and 2 Corinthians 4:4-6.

The Power of the Word

On December 28, 2022December 29, 2022 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life, Why I BelieveLeave a comment

Micah Wilder is a former Mormon missionary who was powerfully transformed by Christ during his two-year mission trip in Florida. While a Mormon missionary, he was passionate to see everyone he met come to what he deemed “the one true church of Jesus Christ.” His great ambition was to convert a Baptist minister. Ironically, God used the love and patience of a Baptist minister to turn Micah’s world upside down.[1]

As Micah explains, “Much like Saul of Tarsus, I had a zeal for God, but that zeal was misplaced. I was ignorant of the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and I was seeking to establish my own righteousness by my works.”[2]

Micah thought of himself as a righteous young man, a deeply devout Elder in the LDS church. And yet, it was shortly after an encounter with a Baptist pastor named Alan Benson that his life began to radically shift. Pastor Alan lovingly challenged Micah to “read the New Testament like a child” and see that salvation is entirely the work of Christ. Determined to prove the minister wrong, Micah accepted the challenge and began reading the New Testament every day.

As Micah will tell you, it is the power of the Word of God itself that transformed his thinking, something every Christian ought to expect. Scripture claims to be God-breathed text and thus able to supernaturally work in hearts and lives.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13, ESV)

The Word of God has the power to cut right through to the heart, exposing our innermost thoughts and intentions. Micah has said, “In Christianity, it can be all too easy for us at times to focus so much on history, apologetics, and the intellectual side of the gospel that we forget the greatest tool we have: the Word of God.”[3]

Christians should never be ashamed of Scripture or think it is ineffective when sharing our faith. Many Christian apologists will encourage their fellow believers to set aside the Bible when interacting with unbelievers because they don’t accept it as divinely authoritative.[4] But the question is: Do you see the Bible as divinely authoritative? Do you believe it has the power to transform hearts that are hardened to the gospel?

A Rock-Breaking Hammer

Consider how Scripture speaks of itself:

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7, ESV)

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29, NIV)

While we cannot force people to believe through clever persuasion, the Word of God has the power to break through the hardest of hearts and humble the greatest sinners so that they see their need for Christ.

This doesn’t mean that sharing your faith should be reduced to quoting Bible verses. However, it’s important that you make clear from the beginning that your authority is the Word of God. It’s crucial that Christians challenge their unbelieving friends to get into the Word itself.

Martin Luther, the courageous Protestant Reformer, said this about Scripture:

“I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept [cf. Mark 4:26-29], or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.”[5]

This is classic Luther, making profound theological statements colored with wit and earthy humor. But Luther’s point is simple: he was not responsible for the Reformation. It was the Word of God itself that exposed the corruption in the papacy and transformed people with the truth. That is the power of the Bible; it is sufficient to regenerate souls and renovate hearts.

God’s Word never comes back void, and it always accomplishes what God intends (Isaiah 55:10-11). Not only is it like a hammer, but it is also like a well-watered seed that germinates and grows. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

God’s Law as a Mirror

In his classic passage on evangelism, Paul begins by saying how he prays for his fellow Jews, “that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). Like the former Paul, his fellow Jews are passionately religious, but are “ignorant of the righteousness of God” and so they are trying to earn a right standing with God through their own righteousness (Romans 10:3). Such efforts are always fruitless, because while we may think of ourselves as “pretty good,” Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

When we are confronted with the Law of God, we see our paltry righteousness next to the perfect and righteous standard of God. The Spirit of God uses His Law like a mirror to show us who we truly are—desperate sinners under the just wrath of a holy God (John 3:36; Romans 1:18). That’s exactly what Jesus did for the young man who asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus took this young man through the Ten Commandments:

“You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” (Mark 10:19, ESV)

The Law of God shows us our brokenness. Take the ninth commandment, for example. Have you ever lied? We all have, and yet we all know it is wrong. That’s why we like to call our lies “white lies” and try to justify why we lied when we are caught telling one. It’s for this same reason, that people are easily offended for being accused of sin—a word that speaks to how we have each violated God’s Law. We are rebels, but we are rebels in denial.

But after people have heard and understood the Law’s diagnosis, the remedy in Christ must be presented.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)

“Thy Word Is Truth”

The Bible says we are truth suppressors, because we know we aren’t everything we should be or even everything we would like to be.[6] These are all indications that something has gone terribly wrong with us. That is what the Word of God does. It shows us the error of our ways. Like a surgical scalpel, it wounds so that it can heal. And that healing can only come through the cross of Christ, where Jesus bore our sin in His body and endured the wrath of God in our place (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10; Romans 5:8-11).

Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV). He said that what will mark His followers is that they have been set apart by the Word of God.

I have spoken with atheists who refuse to even touch a Bible, but isn’t their strong allergy to Scripture just one more indicator of its inherent power? Is there any other book they so vehemently hold at arm’s length? Some are so hostile, they are not ready for such a challenge. But for those who are open, you can always challenge them to read the Bible “as a child” to see if it doesn’t prove itself to be the very Word of the living God.

Although the Old Testament is equally God’s Word, I usually encourage people to start with one of the Gospels in the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. If someone just wants a full explanation of the Christian message, I sometimes direct them to the Book of Romans. But wherever you point them, have confidence that the Word of God has the power to break through the thickest barriers of the heart.

God’s Word is powerful because it alone is His perfect self-revelation. It is the Rock on which Christ’s followers can stand.

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!”[7]

This proved true for Micah Wilder. In the Bible, Micah found that our only hope of being justified (declared in the right) before God is through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished through the cross and resurrection. When people ask what’s different about him now, since the LDS church claims to follow Christ too, Micah explains it this way:

“When I was a Mormon, I would have claimed that I believed in, trusted, and followed Jesus Christ. In reality, He was only a portion of what I believed I needed in order to be reconciled to God. As a Mormon, Jesus was just one of many pillars of my testimony. Now He is the Rock and the foundation of my faith. He’s not just part of my testimony, He is my testimony! I know that my good standing with God is independent of any religious system, denomination, man, work, ordinance, or anything of my own merit. It is, however, completely dependent on Jesus Christ. There is salvation outside of Mormonism, but there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.”[8]

To see the full testimony of Micah Wilder and other members of the band Adam’s Road, check out Unveiling Grace: The Film, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0c5nl6u48.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] See Micah’s full story in his excellent book Passport to Heaven (Harvest House Publishers: Eugene, OR, 2021).

[2] Micah Wilder, quoted in Eric Johnson and Sean McDowell, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, 111.

[3] Ibid, 112.

[4] I had a seminary professor who said if you use the Bible in evangelism, you’ll only turn people away. Micah’s story is but one example—there are countless!—of why that is simply untrue.

[5] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, 51:77.

[6] Romans 1:18.

[7] “How Firm a Foundation” is a Christian hymn written by John Rippon and published in 1787.

[8] Johnson and McDowell, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, 114.

Immanuel

On December 23, 2022December 24, 2022 By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

At the end of Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch recognizes that despite taking all the presents of Whoville, he hadn’t truly stopped Christmas from coming. The film is a ridiculous comedy, but I’m always touched as it slowly dawns on old Grinchy: “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”

As I read the New Testament, I might add my own line: “Maybe Christmas isn’t just myth and lore. Maybe Jesus came for the spiritually poor.”

“God with Us”

To grasp the true meaning of Christmas, we cannot miss the uniqueness of that baby in the manger. All our wonderful Christmas traditions are for naught if we fail to see that Jesus Christ really is God come in the flesh.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Immanuel. What a necessary word for every age, including ours. Immanuel means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). We’ll never outgrow our need to hear this word and peer deeper into its meaning. It captures the heart of Christmas.

The gods of the pagans would sometimes meddle in the affairs of men, but they were always up and out there, aloof and distant from the cares of this world. The New Testament sharply differs from every other faith and tradition by boldly declaring that the transcendent God has become one of us in Jesus Christ. Every other human being who has walked the planet emerged from history, but Jesus is totally unique. Jesus entered into history.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:9, ESV)

Not only so, but the Incarnation was permanent. Jesus chose to forever become one of us—to literally be “God with us.” This theme of Immanuel bookends Matthew’s Gospel. After His final commission to His disciples, Jesus says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is how loving God is: He looked at the human race and saw what a mess we had made of things in our rebellion against Him. And what did He do? Did He decide to move on to something bigger and better—like humanity 2.0? No! In fact, before the foundation of the world Christ had already decided to go down into this sin-stained world and be subject to all the human frailties and struggles that we experience each day (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20). No longer did God merely send prophets to herald His message—He Himself has entered the very world He created.

How can we fathom the profound depths of Immanuel? In terms of magnitude, this could be compared to you stooping so low as to become a grasshopper (see Isaiah 40:22). We are talking about the God who created every last one of the trillions of stars and galaxies. Nothing happens outside His sovereign power! And yet, this same God willingly subjected Himself to all the limitations that we humans face. He got tired, hungry, and thirsty. Jesus wasn’t like Clark Kent, invincible superhero only pretending to be mortal man. Nor was He born with a halo around His head, like we might see on Christmas cards. No, He came out as a crying baby that needed to be fed and changed and nurtured just like every one of us.

Peering Deeper Still

If we really understood the heights of glory from which Jesus came, we would not be unmoved by Christmas. Jesus chose to identify with us, the very ones who have sinned against Him.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, NLT)

“Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” (Hebrews 2:18, NLT)

Do you see what this means? Jesus knows firsthand what it’s like to suffer as we do, physically, emotionally, and mentally. He knows what it means to be lonely, rejected, and even despised by others (Isaiah 53:3).

Agnostic Bart Ehrman writes, “I came to think that there is not a God who is actively involved with this world of pain and misery—if he is, why doesn’t he do something about it?”[1] But what if God did do something about it? What if God got so involved with this world of pain and misery that He Himself experienced suffering and death in order to one day bring about full redemption of His people and His world?

I’m with John Stott:

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross… In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our suffering becomes more manageable in light of his.”[2]

In becoming a man, Jesus linked arms with us who have descended from Adam and said, “I’m with them. I know they’re sinners. I know they’ve rebelled against Me. I know they’ve spat in My face. But I choose to identify with them!” God chose to send Jesus not to destroy the human race, but to redeem all who would ever trust in His sacrifice on Calvary.

Some things lose their hold on me after I have given them enough thought. But the more I ponder the Incarnation, the more it blows my mind. But even then I realize that I’m so finite and God is so infinite that I simply cannot hold the wonder of it all in my mind. All I can do is stand back in awe and be thankful that God did not abandon us. He chose to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). He chose to become one of us. To be “God with us.”

High and Holy, with the Lowly

Consider what God said of Himself in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

Do you see what God is saying here? In His nature, He is completely unlike us! He is majestic, glorious, and holy. We are finite, small, and sinful. There is a Grand Canyon of difference between God and us. And yet, God is saying that though He is holy and far above us, in His grace, He chooses to dwell with those who are humble, contrite, and lowly. This is the incredible grace of God that we find in the gospel. We don’t work our way up to God. What could be more impossible? Instead, He comes down to dwell with us and rescue us from our sin.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, NIV).

A while back, I heard a pastor sharing about a time when he was talking with a Hindu leader, and they were trying to understand one another’s beliefs. Finally, the Christian pastor said, “Let me see if I understand what you believe. You believe something like this: God is on the top of a vast and tall mountain. And all the religions of the world are climbing this mountain, and their journey is different because they are climbing different faces of the mountain, but they all end up in the same place.”

The Hindu priest’s eyes widened and he said, “Finally, you understand what we believe.” Then the Christian pastor said, “Well, this is where our beliefs are fundamentally different. As a Christian, I believe that though men have tried to scale this mountain to God, none can ever do it. Because we are all carrying too great a weight—that’s our sin. But see, in the Gospel, we learn that this God atop this mountain has descended to us. He didn’t wait for us to try and struggle to come to Him. He knew we would never make it. Instead, He came down to us in order to take our great burden upon Himself on the cross at Calvary.”

This is the wonder of Immanuel. Jesus came not only to suffer with us, but to suffer for us, in our place. May we never stop peering at the meaning of Christmas.

He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21, HCSB)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Bart Ehrman, God’s Problem (New York: HarperOne, 2009), 128.

[2] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1986), 335-36.

Why We Need the Hope of Christmas

On December 8, 2022December 8, 2022 By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

One of the sure signs that the Christmas season is upon us is all the twinkling lights that suddenly adorn nearby homes and businesses. The tradition of putting up lights during the Advent season can be traced back to the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther. On a late-night hike in December, he was struck by the way the starlight beautifully danced on the boughs of a fir tree. Luther said he felt as if the hand of God had touched his soul. It was so moving, he set out to create a similar experience for his family in the home. Luther attached candle holders to the branches of their tree, and his family and friends were dazzled by the spectacle of a well-lit Christmas tree. Thus began a longstanding tradition, today replicated with the far safer set of electric lights you string around your Christmas tree.

From the beginning, light has symbolized the Christmas hope.

The World in Darkness

The first Christmas came at a time when the world felt very dark. Interestingly, the historian Luke begins his Gospel narrative by focusing not on Mary and Joseph, but on another couple that was far older, Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Zechariah is a priest chosen by lot to present the incense offering before the Lord at the altar in the Jerusalem temple. As a Jew, this was an incredible honor for Zechariah. Most priests only dreamed of being the one who got to burn the incense on the altar of God. Since a priest could only win the lottery one time, this was quite literally a once in a lifetime opportunity for Zechariah.

But as he stood in this place of great honor, Zechariah struggled to feel blessed. For one thing, he and Elizabeth had failed to conceive in a culture where children were a sign of God’s blessing. Over the years, many of Elizabeth’s peers may have looked at her with an arched eyebrow as they hurried along with their train of youngsters.

On top of their personal pain, as a nation Israel felt oppressed by the Roman Empire. Rome’s overbearing rule and hefty taxes had become a weighty burden for an already beleaguered nation. Long gone were the glory days of King David and King Solomon and the First Temple. Long gone, even, were the courageous Maccabees to lead a revolution against all the foreign oppressors.

Many wondered, Where is the Deliverer God promised through the prophets? Why has God abandoned us to become pawns in the hands of pagans? In short, it was a bleak time for Israel.

From Zechariah’s perspective, it didn’t look like God and His people were winning. The forces of darkness seemed to be having their way and showed no sign of weakening.

Hero of God

It’s in this context that old Zechariah is at the altar when an unexpected visitor shows up: the angel Gabriel. Gabriel – whose name means “hero of God” – had visited the prophet Daniel hundreds of years earlier to foretell a yet future arrival of a Messiah who would “put an end to sin” and “bring in everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24). In a sense, Gabriel’s message hadn’t changed. But he now told Zechariah that he would father this Messiah’s forerunner. This son, whose name would be John (the Baptist), would prepare the nation and “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16).

Zechariah’s initial response is to doubt. Like many skeptics today who treat the Christmas story as an outmoded myth, Zechariah’s problem was spiritual, not intellectual, in nature. After all, a glorious angel of the living God was standing before his eyes. His unbelief was not caused by a lack of evidence. You see, doubt had probably infected his heart long before Gabriel showed up.

Luke tells us Zechariah and Elizabeth had lived upright and moral lives, but Zechariah had probably struggled to trust God for some time. Why? Today, we would say he lived with the anguish of unanswered prayers. Perhaps when he was younger his prayer for a child was fervent, but in his old age, he had almost certainly given up on such a request. Like the psalmist, he had probably pleaded with God to not forget His people, to break through the heavens, come down, and set things right.[1] But time after time, the Romans had reminded him and his fellow Jews that they were the ones in charge. In his head, he knew that the God of Israel ruled over all, but most days it felt like Caesar reigned supreme.

Heaven’s Perspective

Rather than coddling Zechariah, the angel challenges his unbelief: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time” (Luke 1:19-20, ESV). It’s as if Gabriel is saying, “Zechariah, things may look dark from where you are standing, but I stand in the presence of the Almighty God Himself. And there is no darkness in Him.”

Zechariah had seen all of life’s circumstances from one angle, and to him, it looked like tragedy upon tragedy. It looked like the light of hope had all but burned out. But Gabriel brought heaven’s perspective, a perspective that is easy to lose in this broken world of suffering and death, but greatly needed.

Many think of Christianity as a nice fairytale for those who simply cannot deal with all of life’s agony, as if faith was an anesthetic that numbs us to the pain of reality. But Christianity never tries to downplay the truth of suffering. Christians have long called this world “fallen” because it no longer displays the ideal of what life was supposed to look like. Cancer, war, oppression, hunger, poverty, and death were not part of God’s original design. But Christianity announces that all this misery is ultimately rooted in humanity’s rebellion against its Maker, and our only hope is to be reconciled back to Him.

Indeed, for one to say that something is wrong implies that there is a way things ought to be. When someone gets away with murder, we don’t say, “Personally, I find murder objectionable. But who am I to judge?” No, we say, “This is evil!” That’s because deep down we recognize that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Atheism’s Problem of Suffering

People may claim that the world’s suffering shows that a good God does not exist, but the Bible says the real reason we deny God’s existence is that we don’t like being held accountable for the ways we have fallen short.[2]

If you resort to atheism, you still have to deal with the problem of suffering, but now you have a problem with no resolution. Many young atheists claim to be “scientifically minded,” as if science stood in opposition to belief in God. But when you turn to science for answers to life’s most perplexing problems (like death and our desire for lasting happiness), it doesn’t offer much help. Consider atheist Bertrand Russell’s perspective:

“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief… That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins… Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”[3]

And that was poor Russell on a good day. But isn’t Russell giving an honest appraisal that without God, we are left with “the firm foundation of unyielding despair”?

Without heaven’s perspective, the picture grows ever more hopeless and dull. But one reason we can know atheism isn’t true is that it is totally unlivable. No one can live as if there is no objective moral standard. Atheists cry out for justice when they get hit by porch pirates, too! And no one can live as if there is no meaning and purpose to life. It’s the most barren worldview imaginable, and it leaves us only in despair.

The Good News of Christmas

This world is in desperate need of hope, and Gabriel had come to announce good news. That’s why he began by telling Zechariah that his prayer was not ignored or forgotten, but had been answered. He would have a son and great joy would accompany his birth.

Later in the same chapter, Gabriel shows up again, this time with an announcement for a very young woman. The virgin Mary is told that she is highly favored and will bear a Son, Jesus. Gabriel says, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:31-32). The angels would later tell the shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

The very Messiah Gabriel had foretold to Daniel was now arriving. And once John was born, Zechariah understood the significance of his role. Holding up his newborn boy, he said, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:76-77).

Zechariah no longer doubted God’s goodness. Now, he saw afresh that God’s timing is always perfect, that He hadn’t forgotten His people, but rather that He had sent them a Redeemer. This Messiah would not only deliver them from all enemies (v. 71), but would “give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (v. 79).

Science and technology have given us many good gifts, but they could never solve our greatest problems of sin and death. God sent His own Son, the divine Messiah, to bring the light of hope where human effort only leaves us in darkness.

Martin Luther told his children the same thing I tell my boys. The lights on the house and the Christmas tree and the lit candles of the Advent wreath all signify the same truth: Jesus, the Light of the world, has come. And because of His coming, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we now have hope. The good news of Christmas is that a Savior has come to defeat humanity’s greatest enemies and grant forgiveness and new life to all who throw themselves on His mercy, by trusting in the risen Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Psalm 144.

[2] See Psalm 10:13; 94:7; Isaiah 29:15; Job 22:13-15.

[3] Bertrand Russell quoted in Timothy Keller, Hidden Christmas, 9.

Hope for Racial Reconciliation Today

On June 10, 2020October 15, 2020 By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe8 Comments

By Derek L. Jackson and Jason Smith

Our hope in this article is to set the stage for how to think about racism in our nation through a biblical and gospel lens. Racism is so deeply enmeshed in our nation that we cannot afford to ignore it for the problem that it is. We also need to look for peaceful and sustainable solutions. Each of us needs to ask, “How can I do my part in seeing racial reconciliation happen?”

It’s so easy for people of different skin color to talk past one another rather than listen carefully with the goal of understanding. That’s why we made a point of writing this article as a collaborative effort between a black man (Derek) and a white man (Jason). Both of us love Jesus dearly and pray that those in the throes of racial violence may find the hope and peace that only our Lord can give. Although we want to confront some tragic realities in our world, we are also filled with hope because the gospel of God’s grace is greater than all our sin.

Only One Race

We both believe that the Bible is emphatically opposed to any and all forms of racism, bigotry, and hatred. Some have ignorantly claimed that the Bible supports racism by misreading and distorting certain passages, but the reality is that the biblical message offers the only genuine remedy to the plague of racism.

The very first chapter in Genesis, the Bible’s first book, tells us that God created the first man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Of all the descriptions of humanity’s origin available, in both ancient and modern literature, you will not find a more magisterial description of our nature. In the Bible alone, we see the fascinating combination of humanity’s extraordinary greatness and tragic depravity. Because we bear God’s image, every person has unfathomable dignity. Because we are fallen, we are all prone to treat our fellow humans in horrendous ways.

The Bible’s teaching on the image of God condemns every form of racism. God did not create a white Adam, a black Adam, and a brown Adam, and so on, so that we might wonder if one is superior to another. Instead, the biblical argument goes like this: If we are all images of God, how can you hate another image of God (James 3:9)? How can you say you love God, whom you have never seen, but hate your brother, your neighbor, God’s image, whom you see every day (1 John 4:20-21)?

According to the Apostle Paul, we all have descended from one man (Acts 17:26). Therefore, we are all blood relatives. The black man and the white man truly are brothers by blood. This doesn’t squelch the beauty of cultural diversity; rather, it affirms the dignity of every person because of our common bond as image bearers of God – a truth that transcends every culture.

The Ultimate Source and Cure for Racism

Many have spoken about the need to end “systemic racism,” and we agree that racial injustice has infected nearly every corner of our nation. However, we also believe that every sin – including racism – begins with the human heart. Our Lord Jesus put it this way, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). Therefore, it requires a solution that addresses the heart.

In other words, while new laws and policies certainly must be worked for, they ultimately lack the power to uproot all forms of racism. Each of us personally needs nothing less than a total renovation of the heart. That’s where the gospel of Christ comes in. In Christ, people of every ethnicity, background, and gender are united. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Jesus died for those of every nation and skin color, and through Him, believers are all brought into the one family of the church together.

Paul writes that Christ Himself “is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Ephesians 2:14-16, ESV).

We all have equal access to God through the one cross. All the racial injustice and prejudice that is all too prevalent in this world is rendered powerless by Christ’s bloody cross, where He absorbed all our sin and reconciled us to our Maker.

The Need to Listen Well

When we hear about racial injustice in the news, we’re often guilty of jumping too quickly to conclusions. I (Jason) know, as a white person, how easy it is to minimize the prevalence of racism in our nation. In many ways, I would like to think that we’ve moved past the racism that has plagued our nation’s history. But in reality the stain of racism has not gone away, and we need to do our part in confronting prejudice wherever we find it, beginning with our own hearts.

We need to listen to those of a different skin tone and background to try and understand and help contribute to the solution. The point of Derek sharing the stories below isn’t to undermine the necessary and noble service of good and faithful police officers, but to give a better understanding of the experience of countless black men and women in America.

There are so many things I (Derek) can say about the death of innocent and/or unarmed black people at the hands of white police officers. I could say that this a new phenomenon, but that would be a lie. It’s being recorded on camera more often, but this has been happening for years. There are television shows and movies that try to shine a light on “The Talk” black parents have with their children, but I don’t know if it is understood by non-blacks that these types of conversations are real.

As a teenager, I was sat down by my father who taught me how to react to police officers who pull you over or seek to question you. “Always make your hands visible, always be polite, always follow directions, and always repeat vocally the directions as you’re doing them.” But the lesson that has always stuck with me is when my father told me that the police will always see me as black first. Not as human, not as a man, not as a person, just black. What’s really sad is that I have now had to have the same conversation with my son, and he’s only 11.

The color of my skin comes with certain stereotypical misconceptions. To some I’m seen as a criminal, dirty, less than, worthless, unintelligent or uneducated, a thief, a murderer, and a gang member. This has been the plight of the black man and woman for centuries.

I will give one example of my run in with law enforcement. As an Oakland, California, native, I know most areas of the city. While in my early twenties, I was in the Rockridge area of Oakland near College Boulevard. It is a more astute area of Oakland. I was coming from a friend’s dance studio in the area one evening, just after dark. The crosswalk light was so fast you would not be able to walk across before it changed. So, as the light turned green, I ran across the street just as a police officer was coming down the street and stopping at the red light. I got into my Honda Accord and waited to see if the police officer would drive past, because in my experience he was going to follow me. He didn’t move after the light turned green. I knew if I could make it to the freeway about a mile away, I’d be fine. So, I started my car and began to drive. Of course, the police officer began to follow behind me.

As I drove towards the freeway, I was extra cautious to follow all traffic laws. The police officer followed me the entire mile. Just before I got to the freeway, he turned his lights on and pulled me over. I remember what my father taught me. Before the officer made it to my door, I already had my wallet out with my license and registration on my dash and my hands on the steering wheel, with window down and engine off. So, when the officer made it to my car’s driver’s side window, he didn’t ask the usual, “License or registration?” He stated, “This car has been reported stolen.”

Now, my little light blue Honda Accord wasn’t much to look at, but it was the first car I bought with my own money and it was in my name. So, how did my car get reported as stolen? The officer then asked for my license. As I gave him my driver’s license, an operator came over his radio stating the car belongs to Derek Jackson. The officer looked at my license, then at me, and reluctantly handed my driver’s license back to me and told me I was free to go as he walked back to his car.

It may not be a big thing to some, but the fear I had at that moment is something that I should not have had. This officer didn’t ask if my car had been stolen, he stated that it had been reported as stolen. I believe if I had not heard what the operator said, it would have been a different story. That, I believe, was God’s protection.

I have other stories, such as being cursed out by a cop for being young and black or another incident of being handcuffed and put in the back of a police car after being pulled over driving to school. I can’t even get into the times I’ve been followed by police or followed in a store. God has protected me because those situations could have ended with someone posting an RIP on their Instagram or Facebook page.

We (Derek and Jason) both thank God for those police officers of every skin color who have faithfully served and protected the citizens under their care with diligence, sacrifice, and justice. We need more like them now more than ever.

What Can We Do About It?

But what about those who have suffered death, beatings, false accusations, and harassment from the police or Caucasians who hate blacks because of their skin color? Neither of us had a say in our skin color, but we exult in the fact that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). You were made the way you were on purpose, and we affirm God’s joyful creativity seen in the mosaic of all our varying skin tones. With grieved hearts, we both acknowledge the hatred and racism that can be traced through every era of our nation’s history. From the unjust killings of American Indians to the unspeakable atrocities of the enslavement of African men and women.

Together, we affirm God’s denunciation of hate and racism. He tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). He doesn’t say, “Love the neighbor who shares your skin color.” He just says, “Love your neighbor.” Your neighbor is anyone you come in contact with. We’re to love as God loves, and He loved us so much He sacrificed His Son on a cross to save us from our sin. The blood of Jesus can wash away the stain of hate, the stain of racism, and the stain of bigotry and discrimination.

Scripture tells us to speak up for the rights of the hurting and the oppressed (Proverbs 31:8-9). To be silent is to be complicit in the evil happening before our eyes. At the same time, we must not take personal vengeance into our own hands. Violence only begets more violence. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” We must demand justice for those who are oppressed, but we must always do so in love. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21, NIV). Will you join us in working for racial reconciliation today?

God Cannot Be Mocked

On February 18, 2020April 7, 2020 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

I remember like it was yesterday the drive back from the coast with two of my long-time buddies, Andy and Daniel. We were seniors in high school, and we had just completed our annual trip to Lincoln City, Oregon. As we rounded the bend of the highway, the Toyota Camry I was driving suddenly lurched and sputtered. Very quickly, I realized the gas pedal was no longer responding and we rolled to an undignified stop on the highway’s shoulder.

Gulp! I told the guys I didn’t know what went wrong, but very quickly the truth began to dawn on me. The fact is, I had been putting off an oil change for several weeks now. And, as it turns out, car engines really do need oil to run well. In fact, as any mechanic will tell you, it’s a simple matter of physics: without lubrication, the metal parts of your engine are bound to overheat. And when they overheat, they begin to warp and wear down.

Because of my automotive negligence, not only did I have a hearty portion of embarrassment to swallow, but I also needed to come up with the cash for a new car.

Simply put, some things are bound to self-destruct if you don’t operate them according to their intended use. If you doubt this, just try using your smartphone as a wheel chock. This is not just true of the physical realm but the spiritual realm, too. God designed your soul for a relationship with Him. Just as cars cannot run without gasoline, human beings are dependent on the life that comes from God.

When we try to do life apart from God, we are bound to self-destruct. And yet, according to the Bible, many people don’t live as if this were true.

In Galatians 6:7-8, the Apostle Paul warns, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

Paul says, “Don’t be fooled about this,” because, honestly, a lot of us are. In fact, on our own, we all tend to fall for this lie. What lie? That God can be mocked without repercussions. Every single one of us has, at one time or another, believed that we can actually outsmart God. Don’t believe me?

Every time we knowingly disobey God, we are essentially saying to God, “I would make a better god than you.” The essence of sin is making a bid for the throne of the universe. To disregard God’s law is to choose self-sovereignty rather than live under His perfect rule.

Here’s the problem: Going down this road of self-rule never ends well. There is an unalterable law of reality that you will reap what you sow. And God created us to live under His rule, not our own. Paul says, “Don’t be deceived about this one, guys.” You can be wrong about the weather, who will win American Idol, or most of the questions on Jeopardy! But don’t be wrong about this.

One of the most popular falsehoods of our time is this idea that I can do whatever I want without ever being held accountable for my actions. But Scripture everywhere denies this.

“God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2:6-8, NIV).

God is immeasurably merciful and patient, but this remains God’s universe. Not ours.

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31, NIV).

Notice: God will judge the world, but He will do so with perfect “justice.” No one will be able to say on that day, “But I didn’t know” or “This isn’t fair.” We will all know God to be the perfectly just Judge that He is.

Let this truth be emblazoned across your heart: God cannot be mocked. If you think you can fool God, you’re only fooling yourself.

The mighty Goliath tried to test this truth when he taunted the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17). How did that work out for him? He’s forever remembered for being slain by a young shepherd boy without any real military training. Herod encouraged people to worship him as a god. How did he fare? “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12:23). Yikes! I don’t care who you are, that’s got to be one of the worst ways to go! Throughout Scripture, this same truth is repeated: You and I will reap what we sow.

What does it mean to “sow to please your flesh” (v. 8)?

John Stott writes: “Every time we allow our mind to harbor a grudge, nurse a grievance, entertain an impure fantasy, or wallow in self-pity, we are sowing to the flesh. Every time we linger in bad company whose insidious influence we know we cannot resist, every time we lie in bed when we ought to be up and praying, every time we read pornographic literature, every time we take a risk which strains our self-control, we are sowing, sowing, sowing to the flesh. Some Christians sow to the flesh every day and wonder why they do not reap holiness. Holiness is a harvest; whether we reap it or not depends almost entirely on what and where we sow.”[1]

We may think all our sowing to the flesh won’t have consequences. We may rationalize and downplay the seriousness of the secret sins we harbor. Eventually, however, what we have sown will come to full bloom. If you take the elephant across the old wooden footbridge too many times, eventually it will collapse.

Thankfully, the Bible doesn’t just leave us with this hard truth. If it did, karma, not the gospel, would be the final rule of the universe. We would forever see God in heaven, frowning down on us with arms crossed, saying, “Well, you had it coming.”

But the gospel of Jesus Christ points us the way to find a new life and a new beginning. We don’t need to stay locked up by the shame of our past. The point of this warning about mocking God is to lead us to the foot of the cross at Calvary, where God’s love poured out for rebels like you and me. When Christ shed His blood on the cross, He was in fact reaping what we have sown. This was only possible because of grace. He died in our place and suffered the consequences we justly deserved.

Hear this promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8). To confess means to get honest before God, humbly prepared to live in a new direction.

Because of Christ’s cross, God does not rule as some kind of karmic dictator. Instead, He reigns in grace, inviting everyone who has arrogantly tried to take His throne to kneel humbly before His throne (Hebrews 4:16).

[1] John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians: Only One Way, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1968), 170.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

The Gospel We Give Our Kids

On October 22, 2019June 9, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

By Jason Smith

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2a, NIV)

Recently, my wife Whitney and I welcomed our son Ryan into the world. A newborn baby is truly a wonder to behold. Their soft hands are already grasping for another hand. Their mouth already seeking nourishment. Their eyes slowly opening and struggling to focus for the first time on the big bright world around them.

With Ryan’s arrival, we have noticed our older two boys (Logan and Weston) acting up a bit more than usual. I don’t think there’s any surprise here. Children often need time adjusting to the arrival of a new sibling. It’s a new era for them. The truth has gradually dawned on them, on a completely new level, that they are not in fact the center of the universe. I find myself wanting to teach them over and over, “It’s not all about you.” Many a parent can relate to this.

Parents rightly see the need to discipline and correct their misbehaving children. But here’s the question I want us to consider: In the midst of discipline, are we teaching our children the gospel of Jesus Christ? Is our method of correction, discipline, and instruction working to support or deny the truth of the gospel? Does the message we are conveying sound more like self-salvation or divine rescue?

No one has to teach their child to be selfish. Parents know firsthand that we all come into this world with a self-centered bent. We want what we want, and we want it now. It’s a shocking truth to learn that the world and everyone we know is not in orbit around us. Even as adults, however, we tend to live as if the story of the universe is all about us. But the gospel of Jesus Christ tells us a better story. It tells us that we were made for a much higher purpose than to live for ourselves. According to Scripture, we exist for God. To worship Him, love Him, and honor Him. It is only in living according to our God-given purpose rather than our self-made plans that we find true and lasting joy. This is precisely the goal of the gospel, the Bible’s central message.

Over and over, Scripture reminds us that we are on this planet to worship and enjoy God. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NLT). Anything less will leave us empty, beaten up, and dissatisfied. When we live for God rather than self, our actions correspond to our design.

You may remember watching the animated Disney classic Pinocchio as a child. It’s a fascinating story of a puppet that comes to life when his maker wishes upon a star that his little marionette whom he named Pinocchio might become a real boy. That night, a glowing blue fairy partially grants his wish by bringing Pinocchio to life. However, he remains a wooden puppet. Pinocchio awakes and — humorously — is shocked to be alive. The blue fairy tells Pinocchio that if he proves himself “brave, truthful, and unselfish,” Geppetto’s wish will come true. She also assigns the loyal little locust, Jiminy Cricket, to be Pinocchio’s constant companion and voice of conscience.

The tale follows Pinocchio and Jiminy on their many adventures as the puppet sets out to discover what life in the world is really like. While Pinocchio is loved by his “father,” Geppetto, he soon discovers there are many in this world who want to lead him astray. He also learns how easy it is to make wrong choices. I doubt there is another Disney movie that is so chock full of moral lessons and aphorisms, like when the blue fairy says, “You see, Pinocchio, a lie keeps growing and growing until it’s as plain as the nose on your face.”

In the film’s darkest moments, Pinocchio and a friend are lured to Pleasure Island, a place where selfish boys can live it up — smoking, drinking, gambling, and doing whatever else they want — all without the moral restraints of parental authority. Unfortunately for Pinocchio and his friend, the island is cursed so that all the naughty boys who travel there transform into donkeys and are eventually sold into slave labor. One boy-turned-donkey desperately cries out for his mother. In a menacing tone, the island’s owner says, “You boys have had your fun. Now pay for it!” Pinocchio barely escapes, but his friend does not.

In a final act of courage, Pinocchio tries to rescue Geppetto from the belly of a sperm whale that swallowed the puppet maker while he was searching for Pinocchio. While Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket survive the whole ordeal, Pinocchio is killed. At the end of the film, there is a touching moment when Geppetto weeps over his broken puppet lying on the bed. Suddenly, the fairy not only resurrects him but transforms him into a real boy. “Father, I’m a real boy!” Pinocchio shouts in amazement. Apparently, Pinocchio’s final act of bravery proved him worthy of life.

In many ways, Pinocchio is something of a parable for how the modern world understands Christianity. Many today, even in the church, see Christianity as a moral prescription for life. God’s law is a list of dos and don’ts that we are to follow. We can think that, like Pinocchio, we must prove ourselves worthy of life. This way of thinking makes sense to us, but it stems from a wrong view of God.

We can think of God as if He were like a giant fairy, watching over our every move, evaluating our lives to see whether or not we really deserve to be accepted as His child. If we know we’ve blown it — spending too much time at Pleasure Island — we can hear God demanding that we pay up for all that we’ve done. Many people today live with this view of God, persistently uncertain of whether they have done enough or are good enough to go to heaven. Even if we see God as kindhearted and encouraging like the fairy, urging us to listen to our conscience, we can think it’s ultimately about us being good enough to meet God’s expectations.

American sociologist Christian Smith called this version of Christianity “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”[1] It essentially boils down to this: God is there for us when we are in a bind, but generally lets us go through life relying on our conscience (rather than His Word). The main thing God cares about is that we try to live a good life and be decent individuals, because heaven is the reward for good people when they die. Makes sense, right? The only problem is that this is nothing like the Christianity of the Bible.

What’s wrong with the above description? Well, for starters, there’s no mention of how Christ fits into that version of Christianity! In Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, Jesus is merely an add-on to Christianity, rather than the hub and center around which everything turns. At best, such a view sees Jesus as a good example or a wise teacher. Certainly, He was the supreme example and wisest teacher ever to live, but to reduce Him to these descriptions is to try to have Christ without the cross. It turns a blind eye to the bleeding and dying man staked to the cross. It ignores the miraculous triumph of the empty tomb. It downplays Jesus’ own radical claims: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Here’s the challenge for Christian parents. It is far easier to skip the gospel and address the moral behavior of our children with rewards or threats. “If you obey, I’ll give you…” “You’d better not disobey me, or else…” Honestly, I catch myself relying on this tactic all the time. I’m certainly not saying that all our rules should be thrown out or that we should stop disciplining our kids. Both of these are essential and sadly not practiced by many parents today.

But when we discipline our kids, are we pointing them to the truth of the gospel? Are we merely addressing their outward behavior, or are we striving to address their heart? The heart is the epicenter for all our children’s thoughts and motives. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus said that all our evil thoughts and actions spring from our sin-riddled hearts (Matthew 15:19). If all we ever use is rewards or threats in our discipline, we are actually encouraging our kids to ask the self-centered question: “What’s in it for me?”

Whether we like it or not, we are teaching our kids a gospel not just with what we say but with how we act. The only question is whether the gospel we are giving is the true gospel of Jesus Christ or something else. When I discipline my son for stealing cookies or talking back to Whitney or myself (speaking hypothetically, of course), I want him to know that what he’s doing is a serious problem. And this problem has to do with the sin in his heart. He needs to know not only that his sin saddens me, but that it saddens God, too (Genesis 6:6). I also want him to understand that Jesus loved him so much that He did something about the sin in his heart. In fact, He suffered and died for it, so that God can forgive him and scrub his heart clean of all that sin (1 John 1:8-2:2). My son needs to know that no matter how good he strives to be, he can never work off his guilt. Only Jesus can do that. Beyond this, I want him to know that he’s not alone. “Daddy has sin in his heart, too, and needs Jesus just as much.”

I want my sons — even at a very young age — to recognize their great need to be reconciled to God. The Bible says, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God” (Isaiah 59:2, NLT). “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT). We need to explain to our kids that what makes sin so serious is that we were made for a relationship with a holy God. At the same time, our kids can be confident of their standing with God through faith in Jesus (Romans 8:1; Philippians 1:6).

In every generation, there is a danger of losing or distorting the gospel. Most often this drift from the gospel is well intended. After all, it’s not wrong to want to see our kids live good and moral lives. Pinocchio is a story that resonates with some of our most basic moral intuitions. But what our kids need to see is that there is a much greater story, a powerful story of redemption, that is taught in Scripture and centered around Jesus Christ. Teaching our kids to be good boys and girls is too small a goal. We need to teach them to be Christ-centered, Christ-exalting, and Christ-loving kids. We want their obedience to be rooted in love, not self-centeredness.

Above all else, Jesus-following parents need to embrace the truth that they are in the disciple-making business.

Photos Courtesy of Pixabay and Disney.com

[1] Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005).

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