156. Galatians 2:20. The New Life. Part 3. The Presence Of God In His People 

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

In previous articles we have looked at some spiritual gems in Paul’s letter to the Galatians and especially the wonderful truths in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. However there are other passages in the New Testament which also speak of the presence of God among His people. We will consider some of them below before we move on from the Gal 2:20 passage. Indeed Paul goes on later in Galatians to spell out even more about the presence of God in human lives.

 1).   The Presence Of God In Believers Was Taught By The Apostles

Galatians 3. Receiving the Holy Spirit. In the epistle to the Galatians St Paul reminded his readers that they had received the Holy Spirit when they had responded by faith to the gospel message. He asked them, Gal 3:2 “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” They knew the answer. It was the latter. They had to go on in the Spirit rather than go back to living as they once had. Now they were meant to be relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them. So he rebuked them, 3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” The flesh had no power to bring them to maturity. Only the Holy Spirit of God within them could do so.

Galatians 5. Walking by the Spirit. In chapter 5 he exhorts them to go on in the Spirit, or to walk by the Spirit, Gal 5:16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. They had a choice to make. They could live by the lusts of their lower nature (the flesh) or they could live under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit were opposed to each other, 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. God through Paul wanted them to be guided and directed by His Spirit and not revert to legalistic living, 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The false teachers in their midst were trying to seduce them to observe the law. The time had come for the Galatians to reject the false teaching and to walk in the way God wanted them to walk, in the way of the Spirit.

 Galatians 5. The “fruit” of the Spirit. Paul now describes the contrast between the two ways of living by referring to the “works of the flesh” and “the fruit of the Spirit”. The “works” were all the nasty things not characteristic of God such as “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” 5:19-21. Those who lived in this way would not inherit the kingdom of God, 5:21. Paul then describes the “fruit of the Spirit” in Gal 5:22-23 which is to characterise the people of God. We note that “fruit” is (karpos) a singular word rather than “fruits” in the plural. The fruit is the outward evidence of the life within.

The outward evidence of God’s life and character is seen in the fruit produced in the believer’s life. The fruit consists of  “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.” The first three parts of that fruit were qualities that Jesus said He would share with His disciples. For example, Jesus had said of His love, Jn 15:9  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.  Jesus had said of His joy, Jn 15:11  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. He had said of His peace, Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. The other parts of the fruit of the Spirit were recognizable in the way in which God Himself had dealt with His people over generations.

 What a different world it would be if everyone manifested the fruit of the Spirit! Imagine everyone around you (including you) being characterised all the time by those fine characteristics. It is only possible, as Paul wrote, when those who belong to Christ “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.  If the Spirit had brought the Galatians life, then they should “keep in step with the Spirit.” 5:24-25. (“Keep in step” is from the Greek word “stoicheo” meaning to “walk in rows”. Paul also used it in Romans to remind his readers that they needed to walk in the footsteps of the faith that Abraham had walked in.) It meant that Christian living had to do with allowing God to guide them by His Spirit and also allowing Him to express Himself through the lives of His people as the outward fruit or expression of His inward presence.

Ephesians 2:21-22. God Present In His Temple. Paul wrote about the church in verses 21-22, “in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place (Gk. katoikētērion)[i] for God by the Spirit.” God dwelling in His church as He once was considered to dwell in the temple. But this temple is made up of living stones as Peter wrote of believers in 1Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The church is the body of Christ made up of individual members. What is true for the body is also true for each individual. They become part of the temple God is building and in whose presence He comes to dwell by His Spirit.

God indwells His people. He indwells every individual believer because each individual’s body is a temple and part of the temple in which Christ lives by His Spirit. (See 1 Cor 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells (Gk. oikeo) in you?”  “In” is the preposition (“en” the usual word for “in”). God’s Spirit lives in His people. See also 1 Cor 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Again the Holy Spirit is said to be “within” (Gk. “en”) the believers. They had a responsibility to glorify God through the bodies in which Christ lived by His Spirit. Even though they were indwelt by the divine presence they still had to play their part in allowing Him to express or manifest His presence through them. (It makes one wonder how much more about God would be known in the world today if His people had set out to glorify Him for every moment of their lives.)

Eph 3:16-17. The Presence Of God In The “Inner Being” And “Hearts” Of Believers. Paul prayed for Christ to dwell in the inner being of the Ephesian believers. He reminded them of the reality of the presence of God within them by telling them what he prayed for them. In Ephesians 3:16-17 he said he prayed that they might be “strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” The Spirit of God would indwell and inwardly strengthen their inner being (Gk. ésō anthrōpos = inner man), and Christ would dwell in them.

It is interesting that Paul in verse 17 uses the word (katoikéō) for “dwell”. It means to make a permanent home. He is praying that Christ might make His permanent home within them. There may be a sense here that Paul is suggesting that he wants Christ to feel at home in His home, in their hearts. They would have realised that Christ did live within them. He wasn’t going to leave them. However they needed to welcome and accommodate His presence. They also needed to understand that they had to open every area of their lives to Him so that He could manifest His presence and power in and through each part of their lives.

 Eph 3:19. To Be Filled With The Fullness Of God.  Paul told the Ephesians that he prayed for them that they might be “filled with all the fullness of God.” It is a scary thought that ordinary believers could be filled with all the fullness of God. However finite human beings cannot comprehend or contain the infinite. Even Solomon who built a house for Yahweh to dwell in had to acknowledge that the house he had built could not contain God, 1Kings 8:27, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!”

 The phrase in Eph 3:19 is “filled (eis) all the fullness of God.” (eis) is a preposition normally meaning “into” rather than “with” or “by”. Humans cannot contain the fullness of God. But they can be filled into the measure of His fullness, meaning to the capacity of their human ability to receive that fullness. It may be better to consider “fullness” not in terms of quantity, but in terms of the presence of God. To the extent that they opened to their lives to Him, He could manifest the reality of His presence through them.  

 Colossians 1:27. The Mystery. “Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory. Paul was not a mystery writer but he did expose the truth about a mystery which God Himself had revealed. It was the mystery concerning the gospel or good news for the Gentiles. As Gentile believers they belonged! To God! Through faith in Christ! As he put it in Col 1:27, To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. What an amazing truth that God had a place for the despised Gentiles in His eternal purposes. The place He had for them was to be present among them and indeed to live in their hearts. As A.T. Robertson wrote, “the idea of (en) here is “in”, not “among”. It is the personal experience and presence of Christ in the individual life of all believers that Paul has in mind, the indwelling Christ in the heart as in Eph 3:17.[ii]

 Col 2:9-10. Filled by or with Christ. “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Christ is filled with the all the fullness of God. Then comes verse 10 whose literal translation is “and you are in Him having been filled.” It is uncertain whether Paul means that Jesus is the instrument by whom they are filled or whether He is the sphere in which they are filled.  Whatever it is, they are filled to whatever capacity they are able to be filled with His presence as human disciples. Having Him in His fullness within them meant that they did not need anyone else or anything else to be made complete.

2).   The Presence Of God In Believers Was Experienced By Believers

2 Corinthians 4:10-11. The presence of Christ was seen in Christian people. They experienced His presence. Paul wrote in 2 Cor 4:10-11 about that experience, that he and other believers were “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” The more that they died to sin, the more the life of Jesus within them could be recognised in and through their lives. “Manifested” is from Gk. (phaneroo) meaning to appear or to make visible. When believers are dying to themselves, it allows Christ to manifest the reality of His presence in and through their human bodies.

What an encouraging and challenging truth for today! People today can see Jesus! In the lives of His followers! Hopefully by the grace of God, the Christ they see will be the Christ of the New Testament and not a pale reflection or a distorted image. Jesus hasn’t changed. But it behoves all believers to reflect Him faithfully as they live in the fishbowl of this world.  How wonderful it would be if newcomers to the faith were to say to us, “I was attracted to Jesus because I saw Him in you and I decided to follow Him myself!”

 3).  The Presence Of Christ In His People Brings Him Honour. Php 1:20-21

Philippians 1:20-21.   as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. “Honoured” is (megalunō) meaning to magnify or exalt. Paul wanted to live in such a way that Christ would be exalted in and through his body. If death were to come, Paul wanted to honour Jesus through His death. What Paul desires is that others see Christ in him and through him, no matter what might happen to him. It makes us ask the question, “Am I living for my own glory and honour or do I want Jesus to be always honoured and glorified through my life and through my death?”

 In verse 21 we see the godly motivation behind Paul’s life. Paul declares that Christ meant everything to him. His life was centred around Christ. He was totally committed to Him. He wanted Jesus to be seen in and through him for every moment of his life. Even to the point of his death. Death for him would not be loss. It would be a gain. It would introduce him to a life in perfect union with Christ for ever. He was torn between two important desires. To remain on earth to help fellow believers or to be with Christ, Php 1:22  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith. Paul saw it as a win-win situation. His life would bring glory to God. So too would his death. For the sake of others he was willing to forego an earlier entrance into the totality of the presence of God.  On earth he could help others grow to maturity.

 We close with the words of our text from our original text in Gal 2:20-21, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul the new creature in Christ, had opened his life to God, so that Jesus might be seen to be alive in him and through him.  We too need to be so committed to Him that He may be magnified and exalted in our lives as well. 

[i]       The only other reference to this word in the New Testament is in Revelation 18:2 where Babylon is described as a “dwelling place” for demons.  What a contrast with the concept of the presence of God dwelling in human lives.

[ii]     AT Robertson, in “Word Pictures In The New Testament” article on Col 1:27.

Blog No 156. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Tuesday 29th July 2014

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

  1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 
  2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.
  3. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck
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155. Galatians 2:20. The New Life.  Part 2. Christ Lives In Me

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”   In the previous article we saw that Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20 that he had come to the end of his old life (“crucified with Christ”). As a new creation in Christ he had turned from his old life with all its privileges and sin. He had turned to Christ to receive Him as his Saviour and to enthrone Him as Lord. He expressed that difference in this verse. He described his new life in this way, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” He was now living a life in which the indwelling Christ could live His life in and through Him. Paul was then a willing human instrument in whom Christ could live and through whom He could minister, as Paul made himself available to Him.

This way of thinking about the presence of God as living in His people was not something entirely unexpected.  There were prophecies about this in the Old Testament. We will look at one of those prophecies. We will also look at similar concepts in the teaching of Jesus which describe the presence of God in His people.

The Presence Of God In Believers Was Predicted In The Old Testament

There were a number of passages in the Old Testament which predicted that a closer relationship with God was to happen. However we can sum up many of the elements of those passages as we look at one passage in particular in Ezekiel 36:26-27.  Ezekiel was describing a new covenant God was to make with His people. It would bring a deeper intimate relationship between Yahweh and His people. His Spirit would be in them and would make them more sensitive to Him. He would also motivate and empower them to walk in His ways. Ezekiel 36:26 “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. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

  (We note here how similar a concept it is to Paul’s teaching in Php 2:12-13, in which he describes God’s presence in His people motivating and empowering them to do God’s will. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”) (See my previous article for more on this verse.)

 The Presence Of God In Believers Was Foretold By Christ

  1. Christ Foretold That Believers Would Be Indwelt By The Spirit Of God  Jesus spoke of Himself in John 14:16 as praying to the Father to provide Someone to take His place when He finally departed from His disciples. He told them, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another[i] Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

We note here the different terms that are used to denote the presence of the Spirit. In verse 16, the Spirit was to “be (Gk. eimi) with” them or “remain (Gk. menō) with” them forever (both verbs are to be found in ancient manuscripts). In verse 17 the Spirit was to remain (Gk. menō, same word as in verse 16) “beside” them. “Beside” is another Greek word (para). It means to be to the side of someone or something. So the Spirit was to be located at or in their presence. Then comes another expression later in verse 17. This time the Spirit was to be “in” (Gk. en) them.

Summing up all these different terms we see that God’s presence by His Spirit was to be a permanent presence (with= meta) them forever. It would be an immanent, close by presence (para= beside). It would also be an intimate presence (en = in). One could not think of a more comprehensive description of the presence of God with His people. His presence by His Spirit would remain with them forever.  His Spirit would remain beside them. His Spirit would actually indwell them.

Christ Foretold That Believers Would Be Indwelt By His own presence. Jn 14:20  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. In stating this truth Jesus was showing the intimacy of the relationship between the Father, Himself and His disciples. In fact the same preposition (en = in) is used to describe the intimacy of these three relationships. How marvellous it is to realise that Jesus is “in” His people in the same way as He is “in” the Father, and they are “in” Him.

 A similar expression is found in John 15. Though the disciples would be .joined in union with Christ, they would still need to seek to deepen that union. How? By consciously learning to abide in Christ or to remain in close fellowship with Him. Jesus taught in John 15:4 “Abide[ii] in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

 There was no doubt that Jesus would play His part in abiding in His disciples. However they needed to play their part in maintaining a close relationship with Him. How? By abiding in Him and by abiding in His word (and obeying it as a mark of their love for Him). Such a commitment would pay great dividends in answers to prayer, John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Abiding in Christ and in His word places one within the will of God. Prayers prayed according to the will of God will be answered in His way and in His time.

 Christ Foretold That Believers Would be Indwelt By The Father And The Son. In John 14:16-17 Jesus had stated that those who obeyed His commandments would be those who loved Him. Such people would be loved also by His Father. In John 14:23 Jesus repeated, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” But He also added, “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

“We” here refers to both the Father and Jesus. The phrase “make our home with them” in verse 23 is interesting in that it uses some of the words already used in John 14:16-17. The word “home” in the Greek original was (monḗ) which is the noun form of (menō) to “remain”. In addition, the word for “with” them is the word (para) also used in 14:17 to denote the closeness of relationship. So you have this amazing comment from Jesus that both He and the Father would make their home with the disciples. It is little wonder that A.T. Robertson suggests, “If the Holy Spirit “abides” (menei, Jn14:17) in you, that heart becomes a temple (naos) of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 3:16.), and so a fit dwelling place for the Father and the Son, a glorious and uplifting reality.”[iii]

These predictions from the lips of Jesus were fulfilled after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven. There He had received the gift of the Holy Spirit. He then poured out this gift on His disciples. This happened on the day of Pentecost. As Peter declared on that day, Act 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”

Not only that but the promised gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to all those who put their trust in the risen Christ. As Peter also said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39  For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:38-39.

Praise God that those of us who were once “far off” have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13). Praise God too that we have been indwelt by His Spirit and belong to the children of God throughout the world.  PRAISE GOD!

[i]     Verse 16, “another” is “allos” meaning another of the same kind, rather than “heteros” meaning another of a different kind.  The promised comforter would be someone just like Jesus Himself.

[ii]    In John 15:4-7, the word for “abide” is the same Greek word (menō) also used in used in Jn 14:16-17.

[iii]    AT Robertson, in “Word Pictures In The New Testament” article on John 14:17.

Blog No.155. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Sunday 27th July 2014

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

  1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 
  2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.
  3. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck

 

 

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154. Galatians 2:20. The New Life.  Part 1. “Crucified with Christ”

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

Gal 2:20  “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”  Whatever did Paul mean by this statement? As you read his epistles you gather that he saw himself as being in a faith–union with Christ, so that what happened to Christ, happened to Him. It is the same for all those who are “in Christ” and who were “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:3). This includes their being crucified with Christ, dying with Him, being buried with Christ in baptism, being raised with Christ and being seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Paul meant then in Galatians 2:20, that he had come to the end of his old life (“crucified with Christ”) in which he was living his life apart from Christ. As a new creation in Christ he had turned from his old life with all its privileges and sin and had turned to Christ to embrace Him as Saviour and Lord. It was as though the old Paul had been crucified. His old life with all its angst against Jesus and his followers had come to an end and he was now a new man with new attitudes. But before we go on to explore the newness of the new life, we need to look at a bit longer at what this crucifixion with Christ means.

In this verse 20 Paul used the word (sustauróō) a compound word derived from (sun = with ) and (stauroṓ = crucify) to denote this crucifixion with Christ. But it is helpful to see that it is in the perfect tense in the Greek original. That tense signifies a past action with a present abiding result. It is as though Paul is saying that his radical change in life was a permanent redirection of his life. It was as though the old Paul (or the Paul of old) had come to the end of his former way of living. He saw himself as having been crucified with Christ and would always remain crucified with Him, for ever.

Romans 6:6. We gain more insight when we see how this phrase (“crucified with’)  is used elsewhere in Paul’s writings. For example in Romans 6:6 Paul wrote, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin”.  This is a bit more specific. Paul described what was crucified as being “our old self.” The phrase is (palaios anthrōpos) which is literally, “the old man”. We might describe it as “the person I once used to be” or “what I was of old”.  Again the word is (sustauróō) for “crucified with”. This time Paul is speaking in the plural, “we”. It is in the aorist tense that denoted a past action, but it was an action that had impacted significantly on the believers.

Paul adds to this, the purpose and the result of that crucifixion with Christ. The crucifixion was to break the power of sin in believers’ lives, “that the body of sin might be brought to nothing”. The “body of sin” of course refers to human bodies capable of committing sin. The human bodies of the believers had lost the power they once had to enslave believers to sin. Why? Because a new and greater power had come upon them when they received the promised Holy Spirit into their lives.  The believers now had a choice. They could walk in their old ways or they could walk in the new way of the Spirit. Paul gives the result of that empowering, “so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin”. A new power had enabled new choices. They had been inwardly motivated to make the right choices. As they continued to live by faith in that way, it would mean that their body of sin was no longer victorious in their lives. Or as Paul wrote in the next verse, Rom 6:7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Galatians 5:24. A similar expression is used in this verse to describe the victory in believers’ lives over sin.  Paul wrote, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” The term “the flesh” is used to describe many things in Paul’s writings. However here it seems to refer to fallen human nature characteristic of all peoples, as the following words indicate, “with its passions and desires”. The flesh no longer governed the life of the believer for as Paul shows in the next verse, they could be governed by the Spirit, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”5:25. The Spirit could lead believers to walk in God’s ways and could also empower them to do so.  The Spirit enabled them to have victory over the flesh as they continued to walk in step with the Spirit.

 Galatians 6:14.  “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” In this verse there is a change in wording though the essential message is the same as in the above verses. Here the word is simply (stauroṓ = crucify). There are two crucifixions mentioned. The first crucifixion mentioned in the verse is the crucifixion of the world to Paul. The attraction of the world to Paul had been broken. It no longer had the power over him it had had in the past. The second crucifixion was the crucifixion of Paul to the world.  He had changed though the world had not. He had been strengthened through his conversion and by receiving the Spirit of God into his life to be able to resist the lure of the world.

Paul was not boastful of his new attitude to the world or of his victory over sin.  He simply boasted that the change had been wrought through what Christ had done on the cross and to his commitment to the victory attained there, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”. That has been the boast of every believer ever since! Jesus’ victory on the cross brings victories into the lives of His people as they continue to trust in Him

Blog No.154. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Friday 25th July 2014

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

  1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 
  2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.
  3. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck

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153. Galatians 2:8. God At Work.  The Secret Of Christian Ministry

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

Galatians 2:8  (for he who worked (Gk. energéō) through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked (Gk. energéō) also through me for mine to the Gentiles) (“GK” stands for the Greek word in the original Greek text of the New Testament).

It would be nice if every church could have a Noticeboard with the words printed on it, “Caution! God At Work Here!” However some folk might be a bit reticent about having such a sign. They could think that it might be hard to point to some indication of outward divine activity in their particular church life. Nevertheless it should be a true statement. God has been at work through His people over generations.  It may be that we simply fail to recognise what He is doing amongst His people. He really is at work, as He was once at work in and through Peter and Paul.

1). God At Work In And Through Peter And Paul

Galatians 2:8. “for he who worked (Gk. energéō) through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked (Gk. energéō) also through me for mine to the Gentiles).”  Paul was emphasising that it was the same God (Yahweh) who was at work in both Peter and himself.  Their ministry might be to different people (Peter to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles) but it was the same God empowering them to do what they were doing.

However this divine working in humans was not limited to Paul and Peter . Others can be and are the recipients of God’s work in them. We see that especially in Philippians 2:12-13.

2).  God At Work In And Through His People

Philippians 2:12  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out (Gk. katergázomai) your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works (Gk. energéō) in you, both to will and to work (Gk. energéō) for his good pleasure. (See my previous articles numbered 024 and 065 for more detailed discussion on these verses). We note here though that the word for “work out” in verse 12 has the meaning to bring to fruition, to accomplish, to complete a task.

God at work! In His people! But they have to work out in practice what He is inwardly working in them.

Paul certainly followed his own advice. When he reminded the Romans about his ministry he wrote, Rom 15:18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished (Gk. katergázomai) through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed. Paul had been working for God while God had been working in him.  What Paul accomplished was what God was working in him. What God was working in him Christ accomplished through Paul as Paul sought to “work out” in practice, the implications of his salvation.

 3).  God At Work Through You And Me

It is an exciting truth to discover that we are not left alone to work for God using our own resources.  He wants to accomplish His will through His people. So He works within them (as we see in Philippians 2:13) to give them the willingness and the ability to do His will. Like Paul our only boast will be in what Christ accomplishes through us as we willingly offer ourselves to Him to fulfil His purposes.

How wonderful to know that when we are motivated to live for God it means that we are responding to His working within us. Even more wonderful to know is that He empowers us to do what He has inwardly motivated us to do.

A Prayer asking God to work in and through us to His glory

Lord God, I thank You that You are at work within me as I seek to live for You. I thank You too that You motivate me and empower me to live in a way that brings You pleasure. I open every area of my life to You so that You can do in me and through me whatever You wish. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may know what it is You want me to say and to do in every circumstance of my life. I ask this so that the name of Jesus may be glorified in every moment of my life. AMEN

OR a shorter prayer

“Heavenly Father , please empower me by Your Spirit to enable me to work out in my life everything that You are working within me. Amen

Blog No. 153. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Monday 21st July 2014.

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 

2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.

Website. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck

 

 

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152. Galatians 1:3-4.  The Jesus Who Sets Us Free

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

Galatians 1:3, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”

We notice three wonderful truths in this passage.

1).        Jesus Gave Himself For Our Sins

The Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins.” What does it mean that He “gave Himself”? We may be familiar with the words described as “the gospel in a nutshell” in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. The truth in that verse is that God gave us His Son to die for us on the cross. The wording here is different. It states that Jesus “gave Himself” rather than God gave Him. He willingly came into the world with the intention of giving Himself up to death on a cross.

The Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins.” There is great significance in Paul’s use of the term “for” which is “huper” (“on behalf of” or “for the sake of” ) in the Greek New Testament. It may be helpful to see my previous articles Nos 147 and 148 showing how that word is used in the New Testament.  They will show that His giving of Himself cannot be ignored. In some way our sins necessitated His giving Himself. We now see why.

 2).    Jesus Gave Himself  … To Deliver Us From The Present Evil Age

There is a connection between “our sins” and “the present evil age.” It is because we are sinful by nature and we live in a sinful age and environment. In brief there is sin within us and all around us, always. But God has done something about it through the death of His Son. Jesus died to bring victory in two ways. Through His giving of Himself He made forgiveness of sins available to all who received it through receiving Him. So they are delivered from the penalty due to them because of their sin. But there is a dynamic element in this as well. His giving of Himself made it possible to those who embraced His death to have victories over the power of evil, even as they lived by the power of His Spirit in the present evil age.

The same expression “gave Himself” is also found in the following two verses. They express similar truths but each verse adds a little more meaning to the overall message of Jesus’ death on the cross. They add to our understanding of the meaning of the term that Jesus came to “deliver us from the present evil age”.

i).   1 Tim 2:5-6.For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6  who gave himself as a ransom  for all …. . The word for “ransom” here is (antílutron). It is the only time it is used in the New Testament.  It refers to the payment of a price to bring freedom. Jesus gave Himself to bring freedom to those who were in bondage. The prefix “anti” is seen by many to denote an element of substitution. In other words He bore the punishment that sinners should have borne for their own sins. He did it for their sake so that they might become free.

There are other references to “ransom” but they come from a similar word, (lutron). Mat 20:28  even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” AND Mar 10:45  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In seeking to serve His fellow humans Jesus sacrificed His life to set them free.

The verb form of “lutron” is lutroō translated as “redeem”. It is used of Jesus in Luk 24:21  But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. The travellers on the road to Emmaus were joined by the risen Christ whom they failed to recognise. They told Him that they had hoped that Jesus was the one who had come to bring freedom to the Jewish nation, but His death had shattered their dream. It was a case of two disciples of Christ telling a living Christ about a dead Christ! Soon after they discovered that Jesus was the One who had joined them on the road. They discovered that He was alive and was indeed the Messiah who had come (as they had hoped) to redeem Israel.  

 There is no reference in Paul as to whom the ransom was paid. The emphasis is upon the freedom gained and upon the death of Jesus to accomplish that freedom. However the following verses give us some indication of the results of His death. It was to set free those under the law to enable them to become the children of God, Gal 4:5  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

 ii).        Titus 2:13-14. waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 14  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

There was a dynamic element to the redemption. Paul refers to that in verse 14. By trusting in Jesus’ death for them, believers would be enabled to change from living lives characterised by lawlessness to becoming more pure.  The dynamic would also be seen in their becoming more motivated to live for Him and to do the goods works He had for them to do.

3).        Jesus’ Gave Himself ….  According To The Will Of Our God

1:4, “…  the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins …  according to the will of our God and Father.”

There are many critics of the church today who try to argue that if there is a God, then He is immoral. In their understanding He gave up His innocent Son to die for sinful people. They consider that to be immoral. However the verse reminds us that Jesus was not an unwilling victim who was handed over to do the Father’s will. Rather He gave Himself to do the will of his Father.

We read of the decision Jesus reached in the Garden of Gethsemane as He faced His imminent death.  He abhorred the thought of becoming sin for humankind. But He was perfectly motivated to do the Father’s will. His cry in Luke 22:42 (“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done”) was not motivated by an inner struggle to choose to do His Father’s will. Rather it was the thought of the desolation He would feel from the Father as He bore the sin of the world. His pure soul shuddered at such a terrible but necessary prospect. His cry to His Father was the declaration of His committed intention to fulfil the Father’s will for Him no matter what suffering that entailed.

The writer to the Hebrews expressed what was involved in the death of Jesus on the cross. He wrote of Jesus in Heb 12:2, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus knew that He would have to endure suffering and mocking as He hung on the cross. He knew that He would be seen as a despised shameful figure as He hung there in utter weakness. But He also knew that beyond the horrific suffering on the cross there would be victory as He rose triumphant over sin and death. That victory would become available to the people of God through faith in Him. He would also return to glory with the Father. For that reason He gave Himself so that He might enter into the joy that was set before Him as He overcame evil and death and made forgiveness and eternal life available to the people of God throughout the ages.

 What incredible treasure there is for us in these words as we come to understand them, “(Jesus) … gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” Gal 1:4.

Blog No. 152. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Monday 21st July 2014.

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 

2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.

Website. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck

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151. Victorious Christian Living? (Part 3 of 3). Allowing God To Work In And Through Us

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

We need to allow God Himself to work in and through us as we live for Him in today’s world. That’s what Jesus did as the perfect human when He lived and ministered as a human on earth. He attributed the things that He did to His Father working through Him. He also attributed His teaching to His Father, saying that His words had originated with His Heavenly Father.  We look at the origin of the works and miracles He performed and also at the origin of the teaching He taught. Then we examine whether we are meant to be open in the same way to God so that He can do in and through us what He wishes.

 1).  The Works And Miracles Of Jesus

Jesus was obedient to His Heavenly Father during all His life on earth. Paul described that in his famous passage in Philippians 2. He wrote about the humility of Jesus in coming to earth as a servant to eventually die on the cross for sinners. He expressed it as being part of His obedience to His Father. Php 2:6  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So one has to say that Jesus was obedient to His Father for every moment He lived on earth.

St Paul also referred to the obedience of Jesus in Rom 5:18, 19. The obedience mentioned here is His perfect obedience to the will of God throughout His life and leading to His death. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19  For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Jesus did what the Father gave Him to do, in dying for their sins and rising for their justification and acceptance into the family of God.

 How then did Jesus describe His miracles and mighty works? Jesus explained them in John 5:19, 20  as originating with the Father. So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. Because He was in perfect union with His Father, He knew His Father’s will. His Father was thus able to show Him what to do in every situation. Jesus was perfectly committed to do the Father’s will at all times, Jn 5:30, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. He was committed to doing only the will of God for every moment of His life.

 2).  The Words Jesus Spoke. His Teaching

Jesus taught that the Father gave Him the words to say, Jn 14:10, Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. There are three important truths in this passage. Firstly, Jesus’ words came through Him from the Father with the Father’s authority.  Secondly, the Father who indwelt Jesus worked His works through Him. They were the Father’s works, not just Jesus’ works, though He did them. Thirdly, Jesus could do these things because of the intimacy of the relationship He had with the Father. The works He did were evidence of the Father working through Him and also of the close relationship they shared.

Later in the High priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus prayed to His Father saying, Joh 17:7  Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8  For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. Jesus’ authority was evident in the way He shared the words of God with His followers. It was also evident in the way He lived and ministered that He had been sent by God.

So there we have the pattern of Jesus as He lived as a human, setting us an example we are to seek to emulate. For every moment of his life as a human, Jesus sought to be in perfect communion with His Heavenly Father.  For every moment of His life He sought to be perfectly committed to doing His Father’s will. He did it perfectly. We will never do it perfectly but that is to be our aim. How then can we seek to fulfil God’s will for us?  Here is the double-barrelled good news! Firstly, He helps us to know His will. Secondly, He motivates and enables us to do it. What a relief!

GOD HELPS US TO KNOW HIS WILL FOR US

God can show us what to do by His Spirit as we present all we are to Him.  Paul wrote, Rom 12:1-2. I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.It may help us to know the deeper meaning to those words. “Spiritual worship” can also be translated as “reasonable service”. Both meanings are true. It is perfectly reasonable to seek to serve Him as the One who gave His life for us. Such service is indeed spiritual worship. The word for “transformed” comes from a Greek word we recognize in English. It comes from the verb of “metamorphosis” meaning the inner change wrought by the renewing of our minds. Such renewed minds make it possible for us to prove what is the will of God. “Prove” is from (dokimazo) which means to test, to prove, and to approve after testing. In other words we put the will of God to the test and then recognize, having done so, that it is good, acceptable and perfect.   It’s as though we are saying to the Lord, “Lord, I’m yours. I offer myself completely to You so that I can know Your will for me.”  But it’s not enough to know the will of God. We have to do it. How? Here is the second part of the double-barrelled good news.

 GOD HELPS US TO DO HIS WILL FOR US

He can motivate us and empower us by His Spirit to do His will. Paul wrote, Phil 2:12-13 work out your salvation for God is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. There’s an important point in these verses that can be a blessing to us if we act on it. When Paul writes that we are to “work out” our salvation, he uses a word (katergázomai) which means to “accomplish” or to “carry out a task until it is finished”.  We are to concentrate, to seek to  accomplish, to bring to completion, to make a concerted effort to “work out” in practice what God is working in us by His Spirit. The word he uses for God “working” in us and through us is different. It is the word (energéō) meaning to be operating within or energising us. So the passage can read “Be energised to bring to completion, to work out in practice your salvation. For God Himself is operating within you, motivating you and empowering you to do His will for His good pleasure.”

 So the Christian life is not someone saying, “Lord I want to do this this and that for You, so please help me to do it.” Rather it is learning to live in a close relationship with God our Heavenly Father as Jesus did as a human. It means learning to recognise what God is doing within us as we spend time with Him in reading and meditating on His word and praying to Him. That’s what Jesus meant when He encouraged His followers to abide in Him, John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  As we abide in the Lord we are brought closer to the will of God for us. So our prayer as we seek to do the will of God might be something like this, “Lord, I thank You that You are at work within me. Thank You for showing me what You want me to do. Please motivate and empower me by the power of the Holy Spirit to do what it is You have planned for me to do.”

 The exciting news is that God knows exactly what He wants us to do. He has had it all mapped out from eternity. That’s what St Paul wrote in Eph 2:10    For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  The only other use of the word “prepared beforehand” is in Rom 9:23  in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—. Again what wonderful truths. He has prepared us beforehand for glory as His followers. AND He has prepared beforehand, the works we are meant to do.

So the Christian life is not just about trying to be obedient to God’s laws. It does involve that but is more than that. It is about a deep relationship with God that leads to obedience as we come to know His will. It also means being motivated and empowered to do it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We live in a world that seems to be intent on self-destruction. It needs to be revived and indeed many people throughout the world are praying for a revival to take place. An early explorer, the Portuguese navigator Pedro De Quiros in about 1606, named this continent of Australia, “La Australia del Espiritu Santo” or literally “The Southland of the Holy Spirit”.Many in Australia are looking for a deeper move of the Holy Spirit than we have ever seen before, so that the land might become what it was prophesied to become all those centuries ago. But unless revival occurs it could follow many other nations into becoming what many are already in the  process of becoming, “Playgrounds For The Powers Of Darkness.” Australia (and every other country) needs people who are totally committed to Him, who know His will for them and who allow the Lord to motivate and empower them to always do what is pleasing to Him.

We sum up these 3 last blogs (which in reality are an adaption of a message given at a Victorious Christian Living Conference at Port Macquarie in NSW Australia on 17 May 2014) we see what needs to happen.

1). We need to get the right focus in life, Not our ourselves or on other people, but of the perfection of Jesus Himself.

2). We need to fulfil our moral and spiritual obligations to God. Jesus His Son died for us so that we might live every moment for Him.

3). We need to allow God to work within us, so that in response to His motivation and empowerment within us, we can accomplish what He wants done in and through us, to His glory.

Our simple prayer for ourselves throughout each day should be something like this, “Lord fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I might know Your good and perfect will for me, and do it in the power of Your Holy Spirit. AMEN.”

Blog No 151. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Friday 23rd  May 2014

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150. Victorious Christian Living? (Part 2 of 3). Fulfilling Our Obligation To God)  

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

God did something wonderful for us. We need to repay the debt we owe Him.  Paul wrote about this great event in 2Cor 5:15    he (Jesus) died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him, who for their sake died and was raised. The event was very public. It was a day of shame. It was for Jesus who was crucified on a cross on that day. It was also a day of shame for the whole human race whose sins had nailed Him there. Jesus died for us. It wasn’t just anybody who died for us. It was Jesus, the Son of God Himself. The creator of this universe came and allowed some of His creatures to crucify Him.  As the late Dr. Leon Morris, a former Principal of Ridley College expressed it, “Remember that you have been died for, and died for by none other, than the Son of God Himself.”

 For what purpose did Jesus die? Paul tells us, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. He died for us so that we might live for Him. We are to live for Him! For every moment of our lives! Someone who realised that truth was Jim Elliott. He became a Christian and believed that because Jesus had died for him, he should now live for God, no matter what. He expressed his philosophy on life in this challenging statement, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.” He had his whole life before Him as he entered Bible College. But he gave up everything to go to South America as a missionary to witness to the Auca Indians. They had been called “savages” who had been untouched by the gospel. Eventually they killed him but God worked through the early efforts of Jim Elliott and then through his widow and other missionaries to bring many of those native people to Christ. When news of his and his friends’ deaths became known, it led to a great impetus in young people applying for the mission field. He lived his short life for Jesus and did not die in vain.

We may never have to go through what he went through. But we do need to have the same total commitment of all we are and have, to be disciples of Christ. As someone wisely said, “No sacrifice we could ever make for Him, would ever be too great”. However the sacrifice we make is a willing sacrifice, of ourselves. As Paul wrote in Romans 12, we present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices to do His will. Rom 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  

 We notice in this verse that the appeal to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, is based on the mercies of God and not on the terrors of Hell. The mercy of God was seen in Jesus’ death on the cross for human sinners. (See a previous article 148 on the death of Jesus “for” sinners.) The sacrifice we offer is said to be “holy” and “acceptable” to God. It is “holy” (hagian from hagios = holy or set apart) because it is set apart to God.  It is “acceptable” (euarestos = well pleasing) to Him because He accepts that which is offered to Him in all humility and sincerity.  The final phrase “spiritual worship” represents the Greek phrase (logiken latreian) which can mean both “spiritual worship” and “reasonable service”. Believers in offering themselves see such action as worshipping God in spirit and as being motivated within by the Holy Spirit. They also see it as a logical or reasonable thing to do in serving God, eg., It makes sense that we should do this in response for all He has done for us in Jesus.”

 In presenting our bodies we are presenting all we are and have to Him. We want to do His will, in gratitude for all He has done for us. But how can we learn to know and to do God’s will for us? That will be the theme of the next article in Part 3.

Blog No 150. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Friday 23rd May 2014

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149. Victorious Christian Living? (Part 1 of 3). We Must Have The Right Focus In Life

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

All true believers want to have more victories in their Christian lives.  But often they are not sure what form victory should take. Victory in what areas of life? A simple definition might help as we look at this important subject. Victorious Christian Living means that we are learning to become more open to all God has for us, in every area of our lives, as we live for Him. This means more victory in the physical realm including physical healing. It means more victory in the emotional realm, including being more healed of all the damage in our lives from the past. It also means coming to know inner peace. It means more victory in the spiritual realm as we come to have peace with God through forgiveness in Jesus and as we gain more victory over the powers of darkness that have been influencing our lives.

Victory involves an understanding of two major truths. The first is that God loves the people He has made.  He wants the best for them. Verses such as John 3:16 remind us of this truth, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It means that God doesn’t want any of us to miss out on what He has for us in Jesus. But if we reject Him, ignore Him or shut Him out of our lives, we can miss out on all the blessings and healings He wants to bring into our lives. We can even miss out on the salvation He has so freely provided for us in Christ Jesus. This is shown in 2 Pet 3:9, Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Repentance means recognising our sin and confessing it to Lord and turning to Him to seek His help to live for Him.

The second truth is that God wants us all to respond to His love, willingly and wholeheartedly. It is true that the Great Commandment is a commandment to love God, Mark 12:30  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. However it is also an invitation to respond to His love by opening our hearts to love Him in every facet of our lives. When we close our hearts to Him, we close ourselves to His love, to His healing grace and to His power. The more we open our hearts to God, the more open we are to receive what He wants to give us. But how do we become more open to Him? By getting the right focus in life.

A).  WE CAN HAVE A WRONG FOCUS ON LIFE  

i). We can focus on OURSELVES

Many people are egocentric. They think that the world revolves around them. Especially young people. We saw that in our own family a couple of weeks ago. Our 5 year old grandson Charlie was running in a school cross country race. Well “running” might be too graphic a term to describe what He was doing. “Sauntering” might be a better description. Or “loitering with no intent”. However towards the end of the race he suddenly ran flat out to the finish line. His mother was amazed at the change in his pace and asked him why he had begun to run so fast. His reply showed all the egocentrism of youth. He replied, “Didn’t you hear all the people cheering for me as I ran?” (Well Charlie, sorry to disappoint you but the cheering wasn’t all for you. There were other kids in the race as well. They were being cheered on by their parents and wider family.) But for Charlie all the cheering was for him!

It’s not just children who are egocentric. We all need to be reminded that the world doesn’t revolve around us. Life isn’t just about us. There is no real joy or fulfilment in living only for ourselves and making ourselves the centre of our universe.

ii). We can focus on OTHERS. We can begin to compare or contrast ourselves with other people. But there are two dangers in focussing on other people and comparing ourselves with them.

  1. We may think we are SUPERIOR. Pride and arrogance can enter in when we compare ourselves favourably with others. That was the point of Jesus’ story in the Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  You can recall what took place, Luke 18:11    The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers … .’ He wasn’t praying. He was talking to himself. He was reminding himself how good and dedicated he was to God. But his focus wasn’t on God. His focus came on the tax collector as he remarked, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

By contrast the tax-collector went into the temple to pray to God for God’s mercy on him. Luke 18:13  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ What was the reality as Jesus saw it? Jesus applied the parable by saying, Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man (the tax-collector) went down to his house justified, rather than the other. The tax collector had the right focus, on God.

 b. We may think we are INFERIOR.  That was a temptation that could have come to the apostle Paul. He had established the church in Corinth but later on some false teachers had come in who suggested they were superior to Paul. He called them “Super apostles”. He declared that he was not at all inferior to them, 2 Cor 12:11  … For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. His humble attitude is seen in 1 Cor 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Paul wasn’t going to be made to feel inferior. He knew that God’s grace had been given to him to be an apostle and to minister faithfully among them. He had already done so.

Someone might say, But didn’t Paul encourage others to look sideways to him as an example to follow. It is true that he did write to the Corinthians, 1Cor 11:1  Imitate me. (ie, look at me and follow my example.) But he added, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” He was saying that the only true pattern to follow in Christian living is Christ Himself. If Paul was imitating Christ, then he could be a pattern to follow. But if Paul wasn’t a good pattern, then people should not follow him. The standard to aim at is Perfection.

But how can you seek to live a perfect life? By focussing on Jesus as the Perfect Pattern for living, and striving to live in the same way He did.

B).  The RIGHT FOCUS. FOCUSSING ON JESUS. Aiming At God’s Perfection 

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 5:48  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Some folk have a difficulty with the word “perfect” and prefer another possible meaning, “mature”.  They are much happier with a command to be “mature” than to be “perfect.” However to translate the word as “mature” in this passage leads to a nonsensical statement, You therefore must be (mature), as your heavenly Father is (mature).  God is not “mature”. He is “perfect”. Jesus’ command here was certainly to a greater maturity but it was to be based on nothing less than the perfection of GodHimself.

That was the pattern Jesus lived by as a human.  He sought at all times to be in perfect communion with His Heavenly Father. He sought to perfectly fulfil His Father’s will for Him. That is to be our aim or goal in life as well. To be as perfect as we can be, by the grace of God.  Even though we know we can never reach perfection! The apostle John reminded us of our imperfections in 1Jn 1:8, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Those who think they are perfect are deceived. Everyone needs forgiveness and cleansing. St Paul said of himself, that though he aimed at perfection he knew he wasn’t perfect. Phil 3:12.  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  As we saw in 1 Cor 11:1, Paul was seeking to imitate Christ and he encouraged his fellow believers to do the same. Jesus aimed at being perfect, not just more mature. Thus the goal we aim at is perfection, even though we know we will never achieve it.

 There have been those who mistakenly thought they were perfect. I read the stories of two individuals who felt they had arrived at sinless perfection. The first was a student at a theological college. He was very sincere and very devout. One day he approached the Principal of the theological college and told him, “Sir, I believe that I have arrived at a state of sinless perfection! The Principal was a very wise man. He simply replied, “That’s wonderful to hear! But I am surprised that none of the staff and none of the other students have noticed it yet!” The student had to reassess his own life.

The second story is told of a minister who used to go around the country preaching. In his presentation he would try to get people to understand that no one is perfect and everyone needs to be forgiven by God. To show this graphically he would say to the congregations, “Stand up if you think you have reached a stage of sinless perfection”. No one had ever stood up as he asked that question in various congregations.  But on this occasion a man stood up. There was a stunned silence. The preacher and the congregation stared at him. What sort of person was he to be perfect or think he was perfect? Suddenly his wife began giggling and then burst out laughing. Loudly! Very loudly! Others joined in! He sat down highly embarrassed. He too would have to reassess his life if people did not recognise his perfection (as he saw it).

What does it mean to try to be perfect in every area of life? To be the perfect husband? To be the perfect father? To be the perfect neighbour? To preach the perfect sermon? To be the perfect servant of God? (Remembering that none of us will ever achieve perfection in any area of life.)

It means:-

  • Asking the Lord to help us to be the best that we can be, in every situation. Then we do the very best we can, with His help.
  • Thanking Him for the grace He gave us, to do what we did in that situation.
  • Asking Him to forgive us for not being more open to receive more of His grace and help.
  • Asking Him for His ongoing grace to do better in future situations.

It also means not compromising in any area of life,  but giving Him all of what we are and have, to His glory. (That’s what Jesus did for us on the cross! He gave His life so that we might have life!) In the next article we will look at the implications of His perfect death for us. But in the meantime, it’s time to adjust our focus from the horizontal to the vertical; from the imperfect to the Only perfect One, Jesus Himself.

Blog No 149. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Thursday 22nd May 2014

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148. The Inescapability Of Good Friday For Humans (Part 2 Of 2)

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

Good Friday. Jesus died on a cross. A long time ago. So what! This is probably how many people regard Good Friday in today’s world. How could someone’s death so long ago have any relevance to the modern man or woman? They might be surprised to know that they were in fact involved in the events of the first Good Friday. They might be even more surprised to know that their eternal destiny depends on how they respond to the news of the events on that day.

In the previous article we looked at how the preposition (huper) meaning “for” or “on behalf of” was used in the Gospels to portray the death of Jesus on a cross “for” sinners. We now look to see how the word (for = huper) was used in the rest of the New Testament in helping ascertain the meaning of Good Friday.

The Use Of The Word (Huper = “For” Or “For The Sake Of”) In The New Testament (Not Including The Gospels which are covered in the previous article No.147)

 1). What St Paul Wrote About The Death Of Jesus (Huper) For Us

The preposition (huper) means “for” or “for the sake of” as well as meaning “above” or “beyond”. In this article we will look at who or what the death of Jesus was “for”. (Pardon the bad English). For what purpose did He die on a cross on that first Good Friday? We will identify the word (huper) by bracketing in bold letters the word used to translate it in each passage. My prayer is that as we read through these verses the Holy Spirit who inspired each and every one of them would make them come alive to us. Only then can we see the relevance of Good Friday. Only then can we see that it was our sins that nailed Him to the tree. Only then can we realise that His blood was shed for us. Only then can we really thank Him with real understanding for His amazing love in sending Jesus. May He bless you as you read through these verses showing what Jesus did for you and me on the cross on that first Good Friday.

Romans 5:7. For one will scarcely die (for) a righteous person–though perhaps (for) a good person one would dare even to die– 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died (for) us. Here is the gospel message in a nutshell. God in His grace and love sent Jesus to die for us (on our behalf). He didn’t wait until we were better people before He came. It was while we were still sinners He came to die for us. Good Friday brought the demonstration of the love and mercy of God in the death of Jesus towards those who didn’t deserve His love.

 Rom 8:32. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up (for) us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Paul is making an important point. If God gave His Son to die for us, (the greatest gift He could ever give) then of course He is motivated to bring us the lesser gifts (by comparison) we need in life. Paul had already in Romans shown that Jesus’ death (described by the same word paradidomi = give up or deliver) was for human sin, Rom 4:25  who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

 Rom 14:15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one (for) whom Christ died. Sometimes there are those who are strong in faith who are not affected by the scruples of others. But Paul reminds such people that they have to take into account the weaker brethren. Why? Because Christ loved them enough to die for them. If He was willing to love them unto death, then those strong in the faith had to consider the scruples and feelings of those who were weaker but also loved by Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified (for) you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Paul had to deal with divisions in the church in Corinth. Some were forming parties like the Paul party and the Cephas party. Paul would have none of it. Christ could not be divided. It was Jesus Himself who had been crucified for them, not Paul or Cephas.

 1 Cor 5:7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (“[for] us” is added in some variant readings). His sacrifice on the cross on that first Good Friday for Corinthian and other sinners demanded that they respond by living lives characterised by sincerity and truth, 5:8.

 1 Cor 11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is (for) you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Paul here recalls the actions and words of Jesus at the Last Supper. He told them that He was giving His body for them. As we saw in the previous article, Peter understood that to mean that Jesus was going to bear the sins of the world in His own body on the cross. Peter expressed it in 1Peter 2:24  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. Jesus at the Last Supper told His followers that was about to die for them. He did. Peter reminded his readers what His death for sin should mean for them.

.1 Cor 15:3  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died (for) our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. In unambiguous language Paul declares that the purpose of Jesus’ death was to bear human sin. This was to fulfil Scriptural prophecies. He bore human sin as we have seen, for sinners.

2 Cor 5:15, …  he died (for) all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who (for) their sake died and was raised. It is interesting to note that Paul used the preposition “huper” twice in this verse. The first in the phrase he died for all. He saw that a human response was needed,  that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him. Jesus died for them so that they might live for Him.The second use was in the phrase, “for him who for their sake died and was raised. Paul combined here the death of Jesus for sinners with the victory of His resurrection.

Galatians 1:4.   who gave himself (for) our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. A new concept is introduced in this verse. Paul used the usual truth that Jesus died for sinners, but here Paul sees another dimension to His death. Through His death He delivered us from the present evil age. One might say that He delivered sinners from the penalty of their sins by bearing the penalty Himself on the cross. But He also delivered them from the power of sin through His death.  He gave the reason for that in stating what happened on the cross in Col 2:14  by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Forgiveness from sin and freedom from evil powers became available to the people of God through His death on the cross. Sin’s penalty was cancelled and evil powers were disarmed through His death.

 Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself (for) me. Paul explained His new life as a dying to what He once was and allowing Christ within him to express His life through him. He was now living by faith in the One who had given Himself in love for him through His death. We note here that the same word is used (paradidomi) for God the Father “handing over” or “delivering” His Son, and Jesus “handing over” or “giving” Himself.)

 Gal 3:13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse (for) us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— There is some similarity here with the previous verse above from Galatians in that Jesus’ death brought freedom. Jesus in His death bore the curse of the law. What was the curse of the law? Paul tells us in a previous verse in Galatians 3, 10  For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” The law promised life to those who obeyed it. But it pronounced a curse upon those who failed to obey it perfectly. However Jesus bore that curse in His death and so released His people from the curse. He bore the curse for (in the place of) those who deserved to bear it.

 Ephesians 5:2. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up (for) us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Again we have the combination of the love of Jesus leading to His willingness to give Himself up for sinners. Love and sacrifice – for us. The human response needed was to live in love in the same way that Jesus had loved us in His sacrificial death.

Eph 5:25. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up (for) her. As an example of the love that husbands should have for their wives, Paul paints a big picture. They are to love their wives in the same way Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Here is sacrificial love in the extreme. (Incidentally another use of “paradidomi” for Jesus handing over Himself.)

1Thessalonians 5:9.  For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10  who died (for) us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Here is another gospel in a nutshell similar to John 3:16. People were perishing but God in His love gave His Son to die for them so that they wouldn’t perish but have eternal life in His presence.

1Timothy 2:5.  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6  who gave himself as a ransom (for) all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Paul introduces another concept to explain the necessity of Jesus’ death. He gave Himself as a ransom to set people free. Ransom involves freedom coming from the payment of a price. The price that was paid was the blood of Jesus in His death. We are not told to whom any ransom was paid and it is fruitless to speculate. Paul was simply stating that people needed to be set free and Jesus did it for them by His death.

 Titus 2:14. (Jesus)gave himself (for) us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. In this passage Jesus is said to have given Himself (again didomi is used for “given”) to redeem people from lawlessness. His self-giving was obviously, as in other places, through His death for sinners. But the new word in this context is the word to “redeem”. Surprisingly this word is only found three times in the New Testament, here and in Luke 24:21 But we had hoped that he was the one to (redeem) Israel and in Gal 4:5,  to (redeem) those who were under the law. Common to all these references is the thought of liberation, being set free by Jesus’ death, to be able to live as one should.

2).  What the writer to the Hebrews said about Jesus’ death (hyper) for us

Hebrews 2:9  But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death (for) everyone. Jesus was born, to die. He became incarnate so that He might fulfil the role of the Messiah, to die for the people. To die for His fellow humans. His death was an exhibition of the grace and love of God.

 Heb 6:19  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20  where Jesus has gone as a forerunner (on our behalf), having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Thayer,defines the word “forerunner” as “one who comes in advance to a place where the rest are to follow”. Jesus has opened the way for His people to enter into the presence of God through His death. The writer to Hebrews put it like this, Heb 9:24  For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. … 9:26…  he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. But why did He sacrifice Himself? For whose benefit? The answer comes in verse 28, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. As He sacrificed Himself He was bearing the sins of humankind and not His own sins, for He had none. He died for us to enable us to enter into God’s presence.

 Heb 7:27.  He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first (for his own sins) and then for those of the people, since he did this once (for) all when he offered up himself. The first Good Friday marked the day when Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. It was a once for all offering. It meant that His death was sufficient to take away the sins of the world. Sin had been died for. Humans had been died for. No other sacrifice for sin would ever be necessary. As the writer added later, His one sacrifice secured an eternal redemption, Heb 9:12  He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

 Heb 10:12.  But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice (for) sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. As in the previous reference, the emphasis is on the once for all (single) sacrifice for sins.  But again this question arises. For whom did He die? The writer gives the answer just two verses later, Heb 10:14  For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. His death on Good Friday brought God’s plan of redemption to a close. The sacrifice to take away all sins forever had now been made. As the commentator in the Bible Knowledge Commentary put it so concisely, “The sanctified” have a status in God’s presence that is “perfect” (cf. Heb_11:40; Heb_12:23) in the sense that they approach Him with the full acceptance gained through the death of Christ (cf. Heb_10:19-22).

 3).  What St Peter wrote about the death of Jesus (huper) for us

1Peter 2:21  For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered (for) you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. In this passage Peter has been encouraging his readers to “hang on” as they endured persecution. He gave as an example of how to behave, the way Jesus faced persecution and suffering. But he reminded them that the suffering Jesus endured, was for his readers. He suffered for them, for their sake. The crucifixion on that first Good Friday was the climax of His suffering, as He bore the sin of the world and endured the mocking and spite of His enemies.

1Pet 3:18  For Christ also suffered once (for) sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. The observers of the crucifixion may not have realised the import of what was taking place on that first Good Friday. Many had seen crucifixions before. But perhaps few had any idea of the significance of Jesus crying out on the cross, John 19:30, “It is finished!” By this single offering of Himself He had fulfilled God’s plan of salvation. His work was finished. Sin had been died for. He, the righteous one, had died for the salvation of the unrighteous.

 1Pet 4:1 Since therefore Christ suffered (“[for] us” added in some variants) in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. Though “for us” is not found in some of the best manuscripts, such a reading would fit into this Epistle and indeed into the whole New Testament teaching that Jesus died for sinners.

 4).  What St John wrote about the death of Christ (for =huper) us

1John 3:16  By this we know love, that he laid down his life (for) us, and we ought to lay down our lives (for) the brothers. John as the apostle of love recognised the love of God in action in the death of Jesus. He describes Jesus’ death as the voluntary laying down of His life. As Jesus said in the Gospels about His life, John 10:18  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” John issued a challenge to his readers. Such self-giving love on the part of Jesus should be the motivation for His followers to live self-giving lives towards one another.

 SUMMING UP:-

When you put together all the scriptural references to the death of Jesus as being “for (huper) us”, we can see that there is an immense body of material that clearly shows us why Good Friday is significant in the church Calendar. It is significant in the church year because it was significant in the mind and purpose of God. He had a plan for bringing guilty sinners back into fellowship with Himself. Jesus fulfilled it by His death on that first Good Friday. Jesus, the agent of God in creation, came into the creation He had made, and died for the sins of His creatures.

We might consider that the verses we have looked at in the last two articles show that Jesus died as our substitute and suffered the death we should have died. Or we might see His death as being representative in that He died for humankind. But none of us can ignore what He did. We were involved in His death. In answer to the words of the hymn “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” we may not have been there physically on that first Good Friday but our sins were! Our sins did nail Him to the cross.  However the good news of the Gospel message is that we can receive freely His gift of forgiveness and eternal life. How? By accepting Him and all He has done for us in His death and resurrection.  Amazing love! Or in the words of Amazing Grace, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.” Praise God for the Good News about Good Friday! Praise God even more for a wonderful Saviour Who died so that we might live!

Blog No.148. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Wednesday 16th April 2014

Just a reminder: Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:  

1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 
2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.
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147. The Inescapability Of Good Friday For Every Human. (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

“You have been died for! And died for by none other than the Son of God Himself!” I still remember those words ringing out in the Chapel at Ridley (Theological) College in Melbourne, Australia. The preacher was the late Dr Leon Morris, arguably one of the finest New Testament scholars Australia has produced. He had returned to Australia at short notice from a distinguished research position in England to head up Ridley College at a time when the Principal and Vice-Principal had recently resigned. The previous Chapel had been an old Army hut converted (an appropriate word for a theological college) into a place of worship. But these words rang out in the beautiful new Chapel which he had helped design. They were words that gained one’s deepest attention and remain firmly lodged in one’s memory even now almost 50 years later. Leon Morris’ words were based on what the Bible teaches about the events on Good Friday.

In this blog we will look at many of the passages in the Gospels where the death of Jesus is described as being “for us” or “on our behalf” using the preposition “huper”. There are  many other passages elsewhere  in the New Testament where the preposition (huper) is also used to describe Jesus’ death for us. However we will look at them in a later article. As we look at all these references we need to remember that we are looking solely at verses containing the preposition (huper).

The Death Of Jesus (For = Huper) People In The Gospels

(The occurrences of “for” (huper) are bracketed in (Bold) in the following verses).

  1.  What Jesus Said About His Own Death (For = huper) His People.  During His ministry on earth He often spoke about His coming death. The following are some of the passages where this is mentioned.

John 6:51. Jesus described Himself as living bread, “ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give (for) the life of the world is my flesh.” He was replying to the question in Jn 6:28, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” He told His hearers that they needed to believe in Him. They wanted a sign from Him. They asked whether He could do a sign like the sign of bringing manna from heaven. He told them that He would do a greater sign. He would give bread from heaven that would enable those who ate it, to live forever. Jn 6:49  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. Then in words that must have shocked His hearers He added those words from our text, Jn 6:51  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give (for) the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus’ death for sinners who could not have life apart from Him, would bring His life to the world, to those who believed in Him. In brief, in words reminiscent of John 3:16, He died for sinful humans so that they might have eternal life through faith in Him.

John 10:11. Here Jesus described Himself as “the good shepherd.”  The good shepherd lays down his life (for) the sheep. He repeated this in Jn 10:15, “…  I lay down my life (for) the sheep.” His explanation of this saying followed in verses 27 to 30, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30  I and the Father are one.” His giving of His life (through His death) for lost sheep, would bring eternal life to those who entrusted their lives to Him in faith. Jesus was to die for His sheep, to bring them eternal life.

John 15:13. The same theme of Jesus laying down His life through death occurs in this verse as well. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life (for) his friends. His death would be for His friends. His friends would be those who believed in Him as shown in their willingness to obey Him, 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. Jesus’ death on the cross was not an unforeseen tragedy. Rather it was an expression of the love of God for humans as Jesus willingly died for them.

 John 17:19. And (for) their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. Though Jesus does not specifically mention His death in this verse, the context shows that it is implied. His consecrating Himself was to fulfil the will of His Father for Him. God’s will involved Him dying for His friends.  Jesus expressed His desire that those who believed in Him would be with Him in glory,  Jn 17:24  Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. His death “for their sake” would make it possible for them to be with Him in glory.

 Lk 22:19, 20. The scene is Jesus at the Last Supper.  Luke records, And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given (for) you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out (for) you is the new covenant in my blood. Jesus was referring to His imminent death. His body was to be “given” for the sake of His disciples. Peter understood that as Jesus bearing the sins of His people in His body as He was crucified, 1Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

 His blood was to be “poured out” for their sake as well. It would inaugurate a new covenant in His blood in which forgiveness would be available through His death for sinners. The writer to the Hebrews understood it in this way. He combined a derivative of the word for “pour out” (ekchéō) with the word for blood (haima) in Hebrews 9:22 to read,  Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood (haimatekchusia) there is no forgiveness of sins. Jesus was foreshadowing before His death, that His death would bring about forgiveness of sins for His people. He was to die for them and for their forgiveness.

2.  What Others Said About The Death Of Jesus (For = huper)  The People

John 11:50. Caiaphas was the High Priest at the time of Jesus’ death. We read in John 11 that Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. While some of the Jews then believed in Him, others went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council. They expressed their fear that many other people would begin to follow Jesus. Their additional fear was that if that were to happen, the Romans might deprive them of their freedom. Caiaphas addressed them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die (for) the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” Jn 11:49-50. John made the comment in writing the gospel that Caiaphas, did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die (for) the nation. 11:51. John added, and not (for) the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 11:52. It was as though Caiaphas as the High Priest had given an accurate prophecy about the death of Jesus without realising the real depth of what he was saying.

 John 18:14. John, in mentioning Caiaphas once again, recorded that, It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die (for) the people. Caiaphas may have thought he was in control of the situation and that getting rid of Jesus would solve the problem that had arisen with Jesus’ growing popularity. However his lips prophesied what was shortly to happen to Jesus in the plan and purpose of God, even though his heart was filled with evil intent towards Jesus. (God often over-rules in the pronouncements of humans.) Caiapahas was right in what he said. He was wrong in his attitude to Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus was about to die in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, and ironically of Caiaphas’ unwitting prophecy. Caiaphas saw that it was “expedient” that the one person, Jesus, should die for the people (lest the Romans destroy their freedom). He didn’t realise that it was not only expedient, but also absolutely necessary for Jesus to die if anyone was ever to be forgiven of any sin.

Good Fridays always bring back to me the memory of those words of Dr Leon Morris as they rang out across the Ridley College Chapel on that particular occasion almost 50 years ago, “You have been died for! And died for by none other than the Son of God Himself!” It is a truth that one cannot escape. It’s no use someone saying, “I’m an atheist. I don’t believe that nonsense!” Jesus’s blood was shed for such a person because no human could ever be forgiven of any sin, were it not for the shed blood of Jesus. It’s no use another person saying, “I belong to another religion so it doesn’t apply to me!” Not one sin of any person ever born could ever be forgiven apart from the death of Jesus. Continuing to reject Him as the only Saviour of the world, means being rejected by Him at the end of time. In His love He has warned us of that dire possibility. But as we live in this world, He wants us to receive Him and to receive all the blessings that are to be found in Him. Such blessings include forgiveness of all sin and a new life in Him. He doesn’t want us to miss out on all He is offering in Himself through His death for (huper) us and through His resurrection.

What an incredible privilege to “have been died for” by someone who loved us. In Australia in a few days’ time on Anzac Day we remember all those men and women who gave their lives in war to protect our freedom. We are so grateful that they were willing to die for us as they served King or Queen and country. But what a mind-blowing thought it is to realise that the Person who died for us almost 2000 years ago to enable us to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life, was “none other than the Son of God Himself.” As we will see in the next article, his death “for us” (huper), logically demands our response, as St Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:15  and he died (for) all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who (for) their sake died and was raised.

 A PRAYER

“Lord Jesus, I thank You that You came to earth to die for sinners. I confess that I am one of those sinners. Because You died for me on the cross, I see the need to live for You. I receive You into my life as my Saviour from sin and as the Lord and Master of my life from this moment on. I ask You to motivate and empower me by your Spirit, to live for You for the rest of my life. AMEN.

Blog No.147. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Monday 14th April 2014

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