What must I do to be saved?

What is love? Sometimes we think love is merely an emotion – a feeling that comes over us. Woody Allen said, “I was nauseous [sic] and tingly all over; I knew I was either in love or had the smallpox!” Is love a feeling, a bundle of nerves and energy and surging chemicals? We’ve described love as a feeling.

What is love? Is it a desire, a longing for someone or something? Mark Twain said, “Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” Sometimes when we have a strong desire for something, we say that we love that thing. If love is a strong desire, then I certainly love ice cream!

The way that we use the word love in English, we might think that it is an emotion or even a desire. How does the Bible present love? It is more than an emotion, and it’s more than a desire. It has been described as “unconditional.” Unconditional love is not an emotion, because we all know emotions can change as quickly and as often as the weather does here in central Kentucky. Unconditional love is not a desire; I may desire ice cream, but I reach a point where I’ve had my fill of it, and then I don’t desire it anymore. While unconditional love may start as an emotional desire for someone, it grows far beyond those components. Unconditional love is an active, ongoing choice to seek what’s best for someone else.

Paul describes this love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. He reminds the Corinthians of what love is and what love does.

Love is patient and kind. How many of us struggle with patience? There are certain areas of life where all of us struggle with patience. Perhaps it’s on the road with selfish drivers, or in a relationship with a difficult personality, or at school or the workplace, or perhaps it’s just waiting in line for some purpose. Love is patient. But it’s not just patient; it’s also kind. And these two go hand in hand. It’s hard to be kind when you can’t keep your cool. Love is patient and kind. This means that love does not allow circumstances to dictate behavior.

Love does the following. It rejoices with the truth, and bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. Paul sets rejoicing in the truth in contrast with rejoicing in wrongdoing. 3 John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Bearing all things sounds a lot like traditional wedding vows. Biblical love persists “in sickness and in health” and in wealth and poverty.

In saying that love believes all things, does Paul mean that when someone we love is obviously lying, we should believe them anyway? Certainly not! Paul does mean that we should trust one another. Love gives the benefit of the doubt. Biblical hope is more than a simple longing for something. It is an expectation that it will occur. In the context of 1 Corinthians 13, hoping for all things involves the expectation that God will give all that he promised through the Messiah (see vv. 8–13). Love endures all things. This is somewhat similar to bearing all things. While bearing all things involves the particular trial at hand, endurance is the extension of that over the course of a lifetime. Endurance means choosing to love someone not only in his or her situation today but also in his or her situation(s) to come. Knowing what love is and does, let’s take the opportunity to grow in our ability to exhibit it this week.

Clay Leonard

Who is Jesus to us? Meditate on what Paul says about Jesus in this text. Jesus is the image (1:15), the “icon,” of God. Whatever God might act like, do, or say if He were on earth is exactly what Jesus did when He was on earth. He is the “firstborn of all creation.” He is the heir of God’s blessings because He is the “only begotten” or “only unique” Son of the Living God.

Jesus created all things (1:16) and they were created for Him. He is before all things (which means He preexisted everything created!) and He holds all things together (1:17). He is the one who makes sure everything does what it is supposed to do in our world.

Jesus is the head of the body which is His church (1:18). He is the beginning of the church and He will see the church through to the end. He is the “firstborn from the dead” which implies there will be further resurrection to life of His followers. He is to have “first place” in everything.

It was the pleasure of the Godhead for the fullness of God to dwell in Christ (1:19; 2:9). There seems to have some early stages of Gnosticism troubling the church in Colossae. Among other things (and Gnosticism was not a coherent set of doctrines), Gnosticism taught that salvation was obtained through knowledge or wisdom and that flesh was evil. So keep those points in mind when you read from this point through especially chapter 2.

Christ reconciled all things to Himself, making peace through the blood shed on the cross (ver. 20). We were, at one time, alienated, hostile, and evil (ver. 21), but God reconciled us to Himself through the flesh body in Christ’s death, in order to present us holy, blameless, and beyond reproach (ver. 22). But, we must continue in “the faith” – the Gospel (1:23).

Paul rejoiced in his sufferings because he was able to share further the message of the Gospel with them and so complete what was lacking in Christ’s afflictions (1:24). He was, in fact, made a servant of the church through the stewardship of God’s grace (1:25).

The word he peached had been a mystery (ver. 26), but now it is revealed with is “Christ in you – the hope of glory (ver. 27). Jesus is the one whom Paul preached, admonishing and teaching every man so that he could present every man “complete in Christ” (ver. 28). Underline the phrase “every man” in that verse – it appears three times! This was the goal for which Paul labored, being strengthened by the power working in him (ver. 29).

Paul Holland

In Charles Schultz’s Peanuts, Sally took her friend, Eudora, fishing. That night, they are laying awake talking and Eudora says, “Thank you for teaching me about fishing today, Sally… I had fun!”

She continued: “I even wrote home to my dad, and told him that I caught a blue marlin…” Sally replied, “Good grief! He’ll never believe a story like that!” Eudora answered: “He’ll believe it… He wants me to be happy…”

I guess on one hand, a dad might want to believe a story told by his little girl. I suppose that if he knows that she knows his “belief” is only a part of the “pretend” of her fantasy, then there’s nothing wrong with his charade. It might not be unlike a dad pretending there is a Santa Claus. We are, after all, supposed to “please our neighbor” (Rom. 15:2).

But we take this “agreement” to an extreme when we believe what people tell us spiritually speaking, or religiously speaking, because we want to make them happy. And, quite frankly, it’s not any better when we keep our mouths closed because we want people to be happy. Happiness is not our highest good. Faithfulness to God’s word is.

We ought not to seek pleasure over God (2 Tim. 3:4). If we are following after the desires of the flesh (pleasing other people), then we cannot please God (Rom. 8:8). Christ did not seek to please Himself (Rom. 15:3). Paul cautioned Christians to seek to please God rather than man (Gal. 1:10; see also 1 Thess. 4:1). We are to please the one in whose army we are enlisted (2 Tim. 2:4).

So Paul told the elders in Ephesus that he did not shrink from declaring to them the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). That means that if someone needs to hear Truth, we are obligated to share it with them, not just to make them happy.

Paul Holland

Continental Congress, Philadelphia PA:

“We, therefore, the representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” [The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776]

Herod’s Temple,  Jerusalem, AD 32:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” [John 8:34-36]

 We all want to live in a free nation.  For this, we celebrate our freedom on the Fourth of July, and we say, “God Bless America.” However, the greatest freedom, the only true freedom, is to be free from sin and its wages of death (Ro. 6:23). The only people who are “free indeed” are those washed in the blood of the Lamb. This Fourth of July, as we celebrate the freedom we enjoy in America, let us remember who died so that we might be “free indeed!” Many have died in our wars to keep us free.  One died to ensure the hope of our Resurrection after death itself.

-Dennis Doughty

You have heard it said, “If you are further from God, who moved?” In Ephesians 2:17, Paul says Jesus “came and preached peace to you who were far off” – that is, the Gentiles – “and peace to those who were near” – meaning the Jews. By virtue of God’s revelation through His prophets (most specifically Moses), the Jews were nearer to God than the Gentiles. But the rest of the passage reveals a new nearness to God made possible only through the ministry of Jesus.

Paul uses three metaphors to describe the new relational dynamic Jesus secured through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. (This last work, the ascension, is important because it not only means Jesus now intercedes in heaven, but also that the New Testament apostles and prophets mentioned in v. 20 can fulfill their role in the growth of the infant church).

Paul first describes the Christian’s access in terms of citizenship within the kingdom of God. Unlike the physical kingdom of Israel, in which full privileges were granted only to those who could trace their lineage to one of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel (cf. Ezra 2:59–63; Nehemiah 7:61–65), through Jesus, Jews and Gentiles alike are “fellow citizens” (v. 19).

Paul also calls Christians “members of the household of God” (v. 19). The household served as an important element of society in the first century. The patriarch, or male householder, held authority and influence over his wife, children, and any household servants. The metaphor Paul uses here implies God as Father, provider, protector, and authority figure. Elsewhere, Paul speaks of Jesus as the elder brother who offers individuals the opportunity to be adopted into God’s family and share in his inheritance (cf. Romans 8:15–17).

Finally, and perhaps most consequentially, Paul describes the church, the collective of Jewish and Gentile Christians, as “the holy temple” (v. 21) – “a dwelling place for God” (v. 22). Just as he had previously done for the Corinthians, whose hometown boasted several elaborate pagan temples, Paul speaks to a congregation situated close to an ancient wonder – the temple of Diana or Artemis (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:9–17). Even so, the primary point of reference in these verses is not pagan temples, but the Jerusalem temple, patterned after the Tabernacle. Within the Holy of Holies, God’s presence dwelled above the mercy seat (the outstretched wings of the cherubim carved in the cover of the Ark of the Covenant). Only the high priest could enter, and only once a year, to make sacrifices before God’s presence (cf. Hebrews 9:7). Through Jesus, the church now knows this deep relational intimacy with the Father by means of the Holy Spirit (v. 22).

How blessed we are to experience citizenship in God’s kingdom, membership in His family, and service as the building blocks of His spiritual temple!

Clay Leonard

A Christian recently asked about the doctrine of the Godhead and its relationship to John 5:22, where Jesus says, “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.” The querist wanted to know how the Son could do something “without the Father.”

The concept of the “trinity” is one of the most mystifying truths revealed in Scripture. While no one passage teaches it in its fullness, the overall witness of Scripture reveals the triune God. God is one, and there is no other. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Speaking through the prophet, God says of Himself,

I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:5–6)

The one God exists, has always existed, and will always exist as three persons in One. We know this because the Bible speaks of the Father as God (e.g. 1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son as God (e.g. John 1:1–3; 14), and the Holy Spirit as God (e.g. 1 Corinthians 2:11).

Father, Son, and Spirit share a perfect unity of being (essence) and will. This unity means there is no inequality between the persons of the Godhead, nor is there any conflict. It is this unity that probably led to the question under consideration.

It may be helpful to consider what John 5:22 does not mean. It does not mean the Son judges in a way that would disagree with the Father or the Spirit. It does not mean the Son conceals anything from the Father or the Spirit. In short, Jesus’ statement does not indicate any disunity within the Godhead.

The answer comes down to the distinction of roles among the persons of the Godhead. For example, while all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), Scripture says the Spirit is the agent of inspiration (2 Peter 1:21). Likewise, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), but the Son is the One through whom God made the world (cf. John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2).

In the case of John 5:22, Jesus indicates that He, the Son, will fill the role of Judge. Commentators disagree about whether this refers to final judgment or a judgment more immediate to the context (such as the destruction of Jerusalem). An earlier verse in John says, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,” (3:17). Some English translations say “judge the world.” The rendering in the ESV helps the reader understand the distinction between John 3:17 and 5:22. John 5:22 presents no inconsistency in the Godhead, but simply highlights one role fulfilled by the Son.

Clay Leonard

INTRODUCTION:
Christians must advance the Gospel. The word “furtherance” means: “to strike forward, advance.” John the baptizer furthered the Gospel and made way for the Lord.

1. The Gospel should be furthered because:
A. Men are lost in sin and the Gospel is God’s power to save (Rom. 1:16);
B. Men in a world of fear and frustration need the peace of God, and the Gospel brings peace (Rom. 10:15);
C. Men in a world of death, doubt, and despair need hope, and the Gospel is a message of hope (Col. 1:23).

2. There are four ways for furthering the Gospel as set forth in Philippians.
I. THE Gospel IS FURTHERED BY FELLOWSHIP – 1:5:
A. “Fellowship” means “joint-participation”
1. The word “fellowship” in the original means “a joint-participation in a common interest and activity.”
2. This fellowship in propagating the Gospel had begun in Philippi when Lydia opened her heart and home to the preaching and preachers of the Gospel (Acts 16:15).
B. How did the Philippian saints have fellowship in the Gospel? Phil. 4:15-16.
1. One who encourages a false teacher becomes a partaker of the evil deed of propagating error (2 John 9-11).
2. One who supports the preaching of the truth has fellowship in the proclamation of the truth (Phil. 1:5; 4:15-16).

C. Can some “go” while staying?
1. The Lord said “go” (Mark 16:15). Those who support those who “go” also partake of the Gospel (Phil. 1:5; 4:15-16). If some don’t “stay” and enable others to “go,” how will the Great Commission be carried out?
II. THE Gospel IS FURTHERED BY OPPOSITION – 1:12-14:
A. Paul wrote this and other letters from a Roman prison.
1. Prison did not silence the tongue nor the pen of Paul!
2. Paul’s imprisonment, which was a demonstration of his love for the Lord, caused some to redouble their efforts to preach and spread the Gospel (1:14).
B. The godly should expect persecution (2 Tim. 3:12).
C. The church in the first century had much opposition, but the church grew.
1. Apostles were threatened (Acts 4; 5:40; 6:1).
2. The church grew in Philippi, Thessalonica, in spite of opposition (Acts 16-17; 15:36-41).

III. THE Gospel IS FURTHERED BY A DEMONSTRATION – 1:27:
A. The conversation (KJV; manner of life) should be “as becometh the Gospel.”
1. The word “becometh” means “having the weight of another thing.”
2. In other words, the “manner of life” will give weight to the proclamation.

C. Paul said that one’s conduct should “adorn” (beautify) the doctrine (teaching) (Titus 2:10).

IV. THE Gospel IS FURTHERED BY A PROCLAMATION – Phil. 1:18:
A. Not everyone preached Christ from pure motive (1:15);
B. Christ is to be preached (proclaimed);
1. Paul preached Christ at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:1, 2);
2. When Paul preached Christ he proclaimed the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-3; 2:1-2).
C. The Lord wants the Gospel preached to every creature (Mark 16:15).
D. There is no God-approved substitute for the preaching of the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:21-22).
1. Entertainment is no substitute for Gospel preaching (Rom. 1:16).

CONCLUSION:
1. Men need the Gospel because they are lost in a world of sin, fear, frustration, and despair.
2. God’s people have the Gospel in trust (1 Thess. 2:4).
3. Stewards of the Gospel must be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2).

The Gospel is advanced or furthered by fellowship, opposition, demonstration, and proclamation.

the late Wayne Holland
from a sermon preached:
Hiawassee, GA (10/23/1983)
Roxboro, NC (5/20/1990)

Somewhere between 30 and 40% of the books of Ephesians and Colossians are duplicate verses if not ideas. It seems likely that Paul wrote both these letters from the prison in Rome when he was awaiting trial before Nero, recorded at the end of Acts. If Ephesians focuses on the “church of Christ,” then we might say that Colossians focuses on the “Christ of the Church.”

Meditate with me, if you will, on the first fourteen verses.

There are two main ideas in this paragraph, noted by the primary verbs, both of which have to do with prayer. “We give thanks to the Father, praying for you all” (ver. 3) and “We do not cease praying and asking for you all” (ver. 9). The rest of the text is subsumed under these two primary verbs.

As Paul and Timothy (1:1) pray for the saints in Colossae (ver. 2), they imply that Jesus motivates their (our) love for all the saints. Notice in verses 3-4 that Paul mentions the three primary virtues: faith, love, and hope. It is Christ who “lays up” or “reserves” for us our hope in heaven. He is the one who helps us to bear fruit and grow (fulfilling the command God gave to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28). Jesus is the one who provides us knowledge of God’s will and gives us the wisdom and spiritual understanding we need to grow.

As we continue, we note that Jesus is the one who enables our good work. The verb “strengthened” (ver. 11) is related to (the verbal form of) the word “power.” His glorious might is what enables us to be steadfast (endure) and to be patient! Jesus gives us joy and mediates our thanksgiving to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints.

Finally, Jesus is the one who redeems us, which Paul defines in this text as providing forgiveness of sins.

Oh, the supremacy of Jesus Christ! No wonder Paul calls on us to walk in a manner worthy of Him and please Him in every respect (ver. 10).

Paul Holland

I have an old college buddy, Steve Watson. He and I have been close friends for 58 years. We have traveled across the states and around the world together, preaching and enjoying our friendship. Now, in our old age, we love recalling our many adventures in life. I am so grateful for all our memories, which now bless our time together.

In the story Jesus told of the rich man who died, Abraham said to the man, “Remember that during your lifetime you received good things.” The rich man also remembered his four brothers back on earth who needed to be taught. (Luke 16:25-28).

The only thing we will take from this world, according to Jesus, is our memories. How else could we appreciate Heaven, or be rightly punished in Hell?  We are heartbroken when someone develops Alzheimer’s and loses their memory, no longer recognizing their wife or children.  How could Heaven be like that? How could God wipe our minds clean of all memories, not knowing who we are and how we got there? So Lord, thanks for the memories, both in this world and the next!

-Dennis Doughty

The worst crime we had to deal with in Romania was pickpocketing. There did not seem to be much violent crime in Romania, at least not in the big cities. But pickpocketing was widely practiced, especially on public transportation where people might stand very close to one another.

The key to picking a pocket is to know where the wallet or other valuables are kept. It is not uncommon for an experienced pickpocket to do his work in a place like a train station where a sign clearly says, “Beware of Pickpocketing.” The reason this is advantageous is because he can watch people as they go by who invariably reach for their wallet to make sure it is still there. Then the pickpocket knows where to reach!

Satan watches us to see where and how he can strike us. It is my opinion that Satan does not know us individually until, as we grow and mature, he throws everything at us. Some things do not trip us up, but some things do. When we do stumble at one of his temptations, then he knows us and he attacks that same vulnerability. He uses his schemes, his enticements, his bait to lead us where he wants us to go.

A “robber baron” – a term coined in the late 19th century – was someone who became rich by being ruthless or unscrupulous. Daniel Drew was just such a “robber baron.” He became wealthy playing the stock market. But one of his tools was to hurry through a club near Wall Street, on his way to the stock exchange, when he would pull out his bandana which would cause a piece of paper to fall to the ground. He would pretend not to notice this, and the paper would share some “inside” tip. Gossip would spread, driving the price of stocks either up or down, depending on what Drew wanted to happen. People played right into his hands.

It is like a raccoon that reaches into a hole to pick up a shiny object and then can’t get his hand back out of the hole because he can’t drop the shiny object! You and I can be like that with Satan and his traps. He leads us on, step by step, continually alluring us with what he knows has worked in the past.

But, as we know the Bible, we know that Paul says we are not ignorant of Satan’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). We do not have to be “led around by the nose” because we have God’s Word that is sure, steadfast, stable, and dependable (Eph. 4:13-14).

We do not have to get trapped by shiny objects! Just keep your eyes open.

Paul Holland