Online Studies Archives - Jean E. Jones

The Glory That Awaits

(To watch or listen to “The Glory That Awaits,” click here.)

The Bible speaks of the riches of our glorious inheritance. But what is the glorious inheritance that awaits us? Is it better than sitting on clouds, strumming harps, and singing non-stop for all of eternity?

Hi, everyone! Welcome to Session 11 of Discovering Good News in John.

Early in our study, we considered the promise of the most famous verse in the Bible, 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.
John 3:16

The most famous verse in the Bible promises eternal life to those who believe in Jesus! By the way, the words “eternal life” occur 45 times in the New Testament, and 18 of those 45 occurrences are in the Gospel of John. I’ll quote one more, John 5:24:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 5:24

Eternal life awaits us. But some fear that eternal life might be boring. That’s why we need Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18. He prayed that Christians

…may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
Ephesians 1:18

Before we dive into the details of our glorious inheritance, let’s talk about something called the intermediate state.

The Intermediate State

As we saw in session 4, when we trust in Jesus Christ, God changes our hearts and makes us spiritually alive. That’s the first stage of eternal life. The second stage of eternal life happens when our physical bodies die and we enter the intermediate state. This is when the souls of those who belong to Jesus go to be in the presence of the Lord. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:6,8 explains that:

While we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord… and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:6,8

Notice that Paul “would rather be” in the intermediate state than in the physical body he then had. The intermediate state is not something to fear.

In his book, Immortal, Clay Jones describes the shedding of the physical body like this:

What happens to you the moment your body dies? Clay Jones, "Immortal"

What happens to you the moment your body dies? Notice I said the moment your body dies. I say this because the essential you, your soul—your consciousness, will absolutely positively not experience death. Remember, you’re not a body that has a soul, you’re a soul that has a body. Your body enables your soul to interact with the physical world. So even though your body dies, your soul will not be harmed. Jesus said some amazing things about death. In John 8:51 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Notice the “truly, truly.” Jesus is telling us to listen up. He’s emphasizing that what he was going to say next are words you can count on. And he said, you “will never see death.” Now, of course, Jesus isn’t talking about the death of your body. Jesus wasn’t in denial. Your body will die. But the most essential you—your consciousness, your soul—will never die.
Clay Jones, Immortal, 203

Again, this is called the intermediate state. We will not yet be in our final state. But all the aches, pains, dementias, and diseases of our physical bodies will be gone.

Today, we’ll look at four facets of our glorious inheritance. We’ll look at them in the order in which we’ll experience them. It is in the intermediate state that we encounter the first facet of our glorious inheritance: Our spirits will be perfected.

1. Perfected

In our lives now, the Holy Spirit works to change us, but we can’t attain perfection. But once free of these physical bodies that are prone to chase the lusts of this world, we’ll be able to not sin. Indeed, in the intermediate state our spirits will no longer sin, for Hebrews 12:23 describes those currently in God’s presence as “the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”

But many Christians aren’t looking forward to being made perfect because perfection gets a bad rap. Images of nit-picking perfectionists or stern preachers come to mind. But that’s not what perfection is like. We’ll be made perfect like Jesus, who loved sinners and cared for the sick. He rebuked hypocrites and rejected manmade moral codes. He cried over Lazarus’s death. His first miracle was to turn water into wine. Most of all, he died to bring us into eternal fellowship with him.

While in the intermediate state, we’ll await the resurrection. The second facet of the glorious inheritance that awaits us is that our bodies will be resurrected.

2. Resurrected

First Corinthians 15:50-53 explains what will happen when Jesus returns:

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:50–53

“We shall not all sleep” means not everyone’s physical body will die before the Lord returns. When he comes, the bodies of the dead will be resurrected and reunited with their souls. But those who are still alive will find their physical bodies changed.

Media often portray the occupants of heaven as having less than they had on earth. But that is not the teaching of Scripture. This is what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44:

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15:42–44

Our bodies are “sown in dishonor”—diseased, weakened, decaying, and mortal. But they will be “raised in glory,” imperishable and in power.

Philippians 3:20-21 tells us more:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Philippians 3:20–21

Our resurrected bodies will be like Jesus’s resurrected body. His resurrection body could be hugged and could eat food. In fact, Isaiah 25:6-7 says that in our resurrected state, we will attend “a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.”

His body was also supernatural. We saw in John 20:6-7 that Jesus passed through grave clothes and spices without disturbing them. In John 20:19, we read that Jesus entered a room with locked doors. Clay Jones writes,

Our hope based on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus

Whatever the case, our hope is to have a body like Jesus’ post resurrection body—indestructible but one that can hug and enjoy the best of foods, and apparently, go anywhere instantly! This is our hope based on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus!
Clay Jones, Immortal, 210

Think of that: our resurrected, powerful spiritual bodies will be untainted by sin or disease. During our lives on earth the Holy Spirit sanctified us. At the resurrection, the process will be completed.

So just as the priest’s trumpet call used to gather the Israelites to God’s presence, so the last trumpet will gather all people to God’s presence. But something else will happen. The third facet of our glorification is that the Lord intends to make us resplendent.

3. Resplendent

Who doesn’t want to be more beautiful? As C. S. Lewis put it,

We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory: and Other Addresses (New York: HarperOne, 1980), 42

Daniel 12:3 tells us that:

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel 12:3

In Matthew 13.43, Jesus said that:

The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Matthew 13:43

The transfiguration gives us a glimpse of what that will be like. According to Matthew 17:2, Jesus’s “face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” Moses and Elijah likewise “appeared in glory” as they spoke with him (Luke 9:31). As professor Vern Poythress put it in his book, Theophany: A Biblical Theology of God’s Appearing,

In the consummation, we ourselves will reflect the glory associated with glory theophanies, such as the appearance of glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Vern Poythress, Theophany: A Biblical Theology of God’s Appearing, 403

Precisely what that will be like we don’t know. John in 1 John 3:2 wrote,

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2

Whatever it is like, it will be glorious. In Colossians 3:4 Paul tells us,

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:4

So we will be perfected, resurrected in glory, and resplendent. But that’s not all. The fourth facet of our glorious inheritance is that we will be renowned and rewarded.

The Glory That Awaits: Renowned and Rewarded

4. Renowned and Rewarded

The Lord intends to honor us. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:5 that:

[The Lord] will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
1 Corinthians 4:5, NIV

Revelation 14:13 reads,

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
Revelation 14:13

Our faithfulness through persecution and suffering, the love we show to others, our deeds done in secret for the Lord—all these will follow us into the kingdom. Revelation 19:8 reads,

It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
Revelation 19:8

We learn from 1 Peter 1:7 that trials test us…

So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:7

In his commentary on 1 Peter, Thomas R. Schreiner wrote that:

Thomas R. Schreiner, "The New American Commentary"

The eschatological reward will be given to them because of the genuineness of their faith, which is proved by the sufferings they endure. God brings sufferings into the lives of believers to purify their faith and to demonstrate its genuineness.
Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, gen. ed. E. Ray Clendenen, New American Commentary, vol. 37, s.v. “1 Peter 1:7”

Then we will enter into the new promised land. Revelation 21:1-4 describes it:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Revelation 21:1–4

Clay Jones writes,

Clay Jones, "Immortal" and the eternal weight of glory

That God intends to glorify you for eternity is clearly taught. If these things aren’t true, then Christianity is a false religion and we should all be doing something else with our time. But if these things are true, then a glorious eternity awaits you and all those who trust in Jesus. Death is defeated and you’re going to live forever and ever!
Clay Jones, Immortal, 220

In Conclusion

In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul wrote about his imprisonments, beatings, being stoned, being shipwrecked, going hungry, facing cold and exposure, and his anxiety for the churches. Then in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Paul explained his attitude toward suffering:

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17–18

Did you catch that? He calls afflictions like being beaten and stoned “light and momentary” when compared to the “eternal weight of glory” that awaits. That’s what he looks to, and that’s what we must look to as well.

A glorious eternity awaits!

Thanks for joining me. I’m thankful for the opportunity to share these things with you!

Join The Discussion

What one thought stuck out to you in this weeks video? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter (10)? Why did it stand out?
Question 28, page 201: What does Jesus’s response to Peter teach you about God’s willingness to use our strengths despite our weaknesses?

The Four Facets of the Glory That Awaits Share on X

Books You Might Like

Discovering Good News in John by Jean E. Jones, Pam Farrel, and Karla Dornacher
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
Immortal: How the Fear of Death Drives Us and What to Do About It by Clay Jones

December 7, 2022/1 Comment/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

6 Steps to Unity

(To watch or listen to “6 Steps to Unity,” click here.)

How can we have unity with Christians who disagree with us on non-essential issues? How can we grant grace and extend charity over issues like creation and end times?

Welcome to Session 10 of Discovering Good News in John.

In this week’s chapter, we read Jesus’s prayer for us in John 17:21. He prayed:

That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
John 17:21

Jesus prayed for his followers to be one. He wants us to be united so that others will believe in him. But when we look around us, we see the Christian church divided into many denominations. And we see Christians sometimes in heated disagreements over how to interpret Scripture.

So today I want to talk about how to be united with Christians whose opinions on non-essentials differ from ours by offering charity. The first step to being charitable in non-essentials is to realize that differences over non-essentials are okay.

Step 1 to Unity: Realize That Differences Over Non-Essentials Are Okay

When I became a Christian as a teenager, many Christian pastors said the rapture would occur no later than 1981. The math was simple: Jesus spoke of his second coming and then said in Matthew 24:34 that “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Many Christians concluded that a generation was 40 years, and they considered Israel’s reestablishment in Palestine in 1948 to be the beginning of that 40-year generation. 40 years from 1948 is 1988 minus seven years for the tribulation meant the rapture needed to occur by 1981. Simple, right? Some pastors we respected taught this fervently.

The first time I really understood there were other views was when my husband attended seminary and studied eschatology. Then I began reading the works of people who held different views and discovered things weren’t quite as simple as I had thought.

And guess what? The rapture did not occur by 1981. That respected pastors could be wrong hurt the faith of some Christians who wondered what else the pastors might be wrong about.

Today, something similar still happens. Christians who have been taught only one view are stunned when they attend school or a different church and for the first time encounter different views. Christians who realize they were mistaken about a teaching suddenly wonder how many other things they could be wrong about. The fact that there are so many Christian denominations feeds their doubts further.

Therefore, it’s important to realize that differences over non-essentials are okay. It helps us grant grace to those with different opinions. This leads us to the second step toward greater unity, which is to differentiate between essentials and non-essentials.

Step 2 to Unity: Differentiate Between Essentials and Non-Essentials

The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things. Godly Christians agree on the overwhelming majority of doctrines. Scripture teaches these things plainly. But there are some things that godly Christians interpret differently. That’s why we must discern between essentials and non-essentials.

How do we do this? First, know the essentials.

What Are the Essentials?

Christians contend that to be a Christian you must agree to certain essentials. Although there are other creedal statements, the big three are the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and Chalcedonian Creed. Here’s a quick summary of some of the essentials:

The Bible is the inspired Word of God.
There is one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are co-equal and co-eternal.
Jesus died for our sins, he was raised from the dead, and he is coming back to judge the world.
People are saved from their sins by grace through faith in Jesus’s atoning work on the cross.

By the way, perhaps the very first creedal statement is found 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
1 Corinthians 15:3–8, ESV

Notice that Paul said that what he was passing on is what he received. It is a testimony that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was raised from the dead, and appeared to the disciples individually and in groups. I think it will be obvious that anyone who denies any one of these points would not be a true Christian.

How Do We Recognize Non-Essentials?

Well, some pastors teach multiple views regarding non-essential but controversial doctrines, which helps. But for me, after I discovered my pastor had been mistaken about the rapture, I decided the best way to know what’s essential and what’s not is to read study Bibles that don’t take positions on the main areas of disagreement. Instead, they summarize the differences.

That leads us to the third step toward greater unity, which is to beware partisanship.

Step 3 to Unity: Beware Partisanship

The apostle Paul warned against being doctrinally divisive in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13:

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10–13, ESV

Clay and I had a friend who would say that he himself was no expert in theology, but he considered a particular theologian to be the ultimate expert, and whatever that guy said was the truth. But do you see the arrogance in saying, “I’m not an expert but I can identify who I think is the best expert alive today and he’s the guy I listen to”? The arrogance is that this fellow thought he was an expert on experts. He thought he was qualified to say who the greatest contemporary theologian was.

Now, it’s fine to respect this or that Christian leader; there’s nothing wrong with that. But we shouldn’t turn anyone into the standard by which all Christians are measured. To do so is arrogant and partisan. It’s what Paul warns us not to do.

The fourth step toward greater unity is to grant grace by neither despising nor judging.

Step 4 to Unity: Grant Grace by Neither Despising nor Judging

Paul wrote his letter to Rome partly to bring unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Disputes about whether Christians should eat meat were destroying unity. In Romans 14:3-4, he instructs us on how to handle gray areas where Christians may disagree:

Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:3–4, ESV

Verse 10 continues:

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
Romans 14:10, ESV

Paul’s warning to neither despise nor pass judgment on non-essential areas applies wherever Bible-believing Christians legitimately disagree. We should neither despise nor pass judgment on those whose opinions differ from ours on non-essentials.

What helps us to neither despise nor judge is step 5, which is to hear all Christian views.

Step 5 to Unity: Hear All Christian Views

I don’t mean hear what those you agree with say about others’ views. I mean listen to those who hold different views. Proverbs 18:17 cautions:

The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
Proverbs 18:17, ESV

In a few cases, I’ve changed my view about this or that over the years, but even when I don’t, I’m at least more charitable toward those with whom I disagree. My favorite way is to read multi-view books in which authors state and defend their own view as well as critique the other authors’ views.

Almost everything I’ve said so far can be summed up by step 6 toward greater unity, which is to be humble.

Step 6 to Unity: Be Humble

Don’t be arrogant. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:2-11,

Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:2–11, ESV

Here, Paul tells the Philippians to be of the same mind and be in full accord. That’s about humility. He tells them to avoid conceit. He points out that even though Jesus was in the form of God, Jesus was a servant who humbled himself. We likewise need to embrace humility. And that means we need to avoid the conceit of always thinking that we’re right and others are wrong.

An up-close study of Jesus — Discovering Good News in John

Some Christians make it their life to argue about every little doctrine. My husband Clay has trained apologists for years at Talbot School of Theology. He warns them not to be like some apologists who consider it an affront if you disagree with them on any point of doctrine, no matter how small. Indeed, some Christians seem to think that it is impossible that they could be wrong about anything they believe. Don’t be like that. Instead, as Paul said, “in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” So don’t think “I’m a better Christian than you are because I hold this or that particular doctrine.” That’s despising others and not embracing humility. Don’t think, “I’m a better Christian than you are because I go to a better church than you do.” Again, that’s despising others and not being humble.

Jesus humbled himself and God highly exalted him. Jesus said in Matthew 23:12:

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12, ESV

So, let’s be humble because if we are humble, God will exalt us.

In Conclusion

Let’s realize that differences over non-essentials are okay, strive to differentiate between essentials and non-essentials, beware partisanship, grant grace by neither despising nor judging those with different opinions, hear all Christian views, and be humble.

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 10: Jesus Is the Messiah. We’ll answer the question, What evidence does John give that Jesus is the Messiah? See you next time.

6 steps to unity with Christians who disagree with us on non-essential issues. Share on X

Books You Might Like

Discovering Good News in John:* This session accompanies this book
Biblical Theology Study Bible:* Traces theological concepts through the Bible
NIV Study Bible:* Excellent notes, maps, charts

*Affiliate link for which I receive a small commission at no cost to you.

3 Mistakes People Make about God (session 1 of this series)
The Apostles’ Creed
The Nicene Creed
The Chalcedonian Creed

Join the Discussion

Please answer these questions in the comments below.

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 33, page 183: How can you imitate Jesus’s response to a betrayal you’ve experienced?

#gospelofjohn #DiscoveringGoodNewsinJohn #goodnews #unity

December 1, 2022/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

Godliness: God’s Provision and Our Response

(To watch “Godliness: God’s Provision and Our Response” instead of reading, click here.)

What is sanctification? Is it important to live a life of godliness, and if so, how do we do it? Will God give up on us if we can’t be good enough?

Hi, everyone! Welcome to Session 9 of Discovering Good News in John.

You’ve read in Discovering Good News in John how God used the Gospel of John to lead me to trust in Jesus as Savior. At first, I was overjoyed.

My understanding of what that meant was fuzzy, however. I thought being saved meant God wiped my past sins away so I could start over and be a good Christian who didn’t sin anymore.

But I kept failing. As the months went on, I grew sure that God was disappointed he had given me a chance to be a Christian. Depression seeped in. On the following Christmas Eve, I was so discouraged that I told God I had to give up on being a Christian because I would never be good enough.

Here’s What Was Wrong.

I had false beliefs about God, others, and me, including that God would give up on me if I couldn’t be good enough. I didn’t understand how to draw near to God. And I didn’t understand the extent of God’s grace.

But God doesn’t let us go that easily. As I prayed that I was giving up, I remembered a verse I’d read about God knowing the future. Suddenly I realized that when I’d accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, God knew all my sins: past, present, and future. He wasn’t disappointed or surprised: Only I was. Joy flooded into my heart.

Justification Versus Sanctification

It turns out what confused me confuses many new Christians. We learn that conversion is repenting of our sins and trusting God for salvation through Jesus, the Son of God. We might learn that justification is a legal standing that means our sins are forgiven because Jesus paid the penalty for them by dying in our place. But then we’re confused over what comes next, which is sanctification.

Sanctification is two things. First, it is being set apart as belonging to God. But second, it is the process by which God makes us holy. We sin less and less, and we become more and more like Jesus. We take on godly character. Our lives become more and more set apart for God.

While justification is instantaneous, sanctification is a process. It’s not an instantaneous change upon conversion (like justification), but a work of the Holy Spirit over time. The work won’t be finished in this lifetime, where we face temptations and deal with weaknesses. But that should not discourage us, because it’s a work God promises the Holy Spirit will do in us.

Our Passage: 2 Peter 1:3-11

According to 2 Peter 1:3-11, sanctification involves both God’s provision and our response. Let’s read the passage now and then dive into the details:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:3–11

The passage begins with God’s provision for a life of godliness.

God’s Provision for a Life of Godliness (1:3-4)

We’ll look at four provisions found in verses 3-4.

1) The Lord Provides Us All Things That Pertain to Life and Godliness

Verse 3 reads,

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.
2 Peter 1:3

God’s power has granted to us all things that pertain to life. The word life refers to the eternal life that has already begun in us and which we are now living. We are not dead in sin but alive in Christ, and we will continue to live on forever.

God’s power has also granted to us all things that pertain to godliness. This is a powerful promise. Too many Christians think, “I’ll never be holy so why try?” While we won’t achieve perfection in this life, we can live largely holy lives here. I’ve been a Christian for decades now and I’m leading a much more holy life than at first. That is because God’s power grants to us what we need for godliness, and God’s Word tells us how to respond so that we grow in godliness.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36

Our transformation is a work of God, as 2 Corinthians 3:18 assures us:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

Likewise, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 reads,

God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:13

2) God’s Provision Is Possible Through Knowing Him

Verse 3 continues:

Through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.
2 Peter 1:3

Although it often doesn’t seem like it, especially to younger Christians, Christians don’t have to live ungodly lives. The Lord has provided for us in such a way that we can be holy and not filled with lusts for things of this world.

3) God’s Promises Provide Us an Escape from Earthly Passions

Verse 4 tells us that God’s promises do two things for us. We’ll look at the second of these first:

He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
2 Peter 1:4

The word translated sinful desire is epithumia. It means passion or desire. The ESV, like other translations, is letting us know that Peter means sinful desires, but the Greek word simply means desire. God made us as creatures with strong desires. Therefore, everyone in the world is going to lust after people, positions, possessions, or pleasures of this world, or they’re going to lust after something better; namely, God and his kingdom and the Lord’s promises for us that we will have eternal life and be inheritors of his kingdom.

If we do not have a robust view of eternal life in Jesus, then we will set our desires on things of the world. We will take on symbolic immortality projects—projects that we hope will in some way enable us to transcend our deaths so that our fame—our symbolic immortality—will continue after our deaths. To escape from lusting after the things of this world, we need to have something better to lust after, and God’s promises foot the bill. We’re going to be resurrected, perfected, resplendent, and renowned inheritors of God’s kingdom who will reign with Jesus forever and ever. We’ll return to this topic in Session 11.

4) God’s Promises Provide for Us to Partake of the Divine Nature

Let’s return to verse 4 to see what else God’s promises do for us:

He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.
2 Peter 1:4

God’s “precious and very great promises” are what we hold onto so that “through them” we take on “the divine nature.” Through God’s promises we are sanctified.

Again, we are either going to lust after people, possessions, positions, and pleasures or we’re going to lust after God and his kingdom. The former leads to death. Lusting after God and his kingdom made available to us allows us to escape the corruption in the world and become like him. When we grasp God’s promises about our eternity with him, when we set our desires on that eternity rather than on the things of the world, then we partake of the divine nature.

So God has provided all we need for godliness. How then does he want us to respond? What is our response to God’s provision?

Our Response to God’s Provision (1:5-11)

That is found in verses 5-11. Our response is to pursue godly character.

Pursue Godly Character

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
2 Peter 1:5–7

Because God has provided everything we need for godliness, “we make every effort” to add these godly qualities to our lives. The Christian life isn’t about God doing everything while we sit back and let it happen. It’s not, “Don’t try to resist sin by your own power; let God do it.” We work in concert with the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

Pursuing godly character is our response to God’s provision. If we forget God’s provision, either we become proud, thinking godly character is our own doing, or we become discouraged, thinking we’ll never grow based on our own lack of ability. But when we remember God’s provision, then we pursue godly character with joy, knowing he is working in us. Indeed, Philippians 2:12-13 encourages us:

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12–13

Here again, because God is working in us to make us both willing and able to do his will, we work out our salvation in our everyday lives.

The Scripture gives us many ways to do this.

Jesus explained that we should get rid of things that stumble us. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 reads,

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:7–8

We can train ourselves for godliness, and in time, we’ll see results. For example, periodically I do a 24-hour complaining fast. Philippians 2:14 says to do all things without grumbling or complaining, which was a hard habit to break. However, setting aside a day to consciously refrain from all complaining (whether the complaint is legitimate or not) helps me break the habit whenever it starts taking hold.

It’s worthwhile studying each of the qualities in 2 Peter 5-7. But for now, I’ll point out that one of the things we need to do is pursue knowledge. This includes knowledge of God’s commands and knowledge of the ways Scripture tells us to pursue godliness, of course. But it also includes knowledge of the many promises of God—like the fact that we are going to reign over God’s kingdom forever. They tell us who we are in Christ and where we are going. Setting our hope on God’s promises is essential for growing in godliness.

Reasons to Pursue Godly Character

2 Peter 1:8 tells us why we should pursue godliness; namely…

Pursuing Godly Character Makes Us Effective and Fruitful

Verse 8 reads,

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:8

As these qualities increase, the more effective we’ll be in our relationships, ministries, and businesses. We’ll also bear the fruit God wants to see in our lives, the fruit Jesus talked about in John 15.

Verse 9 explains why some true Christians aren’t growing in godly character. That is…

Forgetting His Promised Forgiveness Obstructs Godly Character

Verse 9 reads,

For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
2 Peter 1:9

In other words, beating yourself up over past sins you’ve committed doesn’t help you become godlier. Rather, true Christians who lack godly qualities have forgotten one of God’s promises: He has forgiven their sins. The Babylon Bee had a headline that read, “‘I Know God Forgives Me, But I Can’t Forgive Myself,’ Says Woman Whose Moral Compass Is More Developed Than God’s.” That’s a tongue-in-cheek way to make an excellent point. Those who fail to accept God’s promised forgiveness are saying Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was not enough.

Beating ourselves up over past sins hurts our walks with Jesus. It does not help us grow in godliness.

Verse 10 has another benefit.

Pursuing Godly Character Confirms Your Election

The passage reads,

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
2 Peter 1:10

Growth over time in the qualities listed in verses 5-7 confirms our calling. When we suffer and still honor God, we confirm our calling. When we choose to obey God even though it costs us, we confirm our calling. In all these cases, we not only make it plain to all who see us that we’re true Christians, we also assure our hearts if doubts assail us.

If you’re a Christian who is dismayed over failings and fearful that you might not be saved, take heart. Your dismay and fear are both evidence of your calling. Confess your sins and repent, then thank God for forgiving you. Live like you’re forgiven, remember God’s promises, and pursue godly character.

Second Peter has one more benefit that comes from pursing godly character:

You Will Receive a Rich Welcome into His Eternal Kingdom

Verse 11 reads,

And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:11, NIV

That is a promise to hold onto. That is what we set our hearts on. Instead of setting your desires on the people, possessions, positions, and pleasures of this world, set them on receiving “a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

In Conclusion

Today, we’ve seen God’s provision for a life of godliness and our response. God is sanctifying us and making us more like Jesus. So we should respond by holding onto his promises and pursuing godly character, knowing he is helping us every step of the way.

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 9: Consecrated for a Mission. We’ll answer the question, Why did Jesus go forward knowing he faced betrayal? See you next time.

Join the Discussion

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 25, page 144: Describe a time when Jesus answered a prayer you asked for in his name in order to glorify God.

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What Is God Like? Part 1 (the first in this series)
What Is Salvation?
Work Out Your Salvation?

November 29, 2022/2 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

What Is God Like? Part 2

To watch “What God Is Like? Part 2” instead of reading, click here.

What in this world is God doing?

Welcome to Session 8 of Discovering Good News in John.

Today we’ll look at six more of God’s attributes, this time those related to creation. These attributes will help us understand what God is doing in this world. The first attribute is…

1) God Is Independent

Independent means that God did not create heavenly creatures, people, and animals because he was lonely or in any way needed us. Paul in Acts 17:24-25 explains,

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Acts 17:24–25

God does not need creation, but creation is entirely dependent on God. God is not created, which makes him not dependent on anything or any being. Rather, he has always existed and will always exist, as Psalm 90:2 declares:

Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:2

Romans 11:36 tells us that all of creation is from him:

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36

God takes joy in people, as he says in Zephaniah 3:17:

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

That God rejoices over those who belong to him with singing is pretty amazing.

A second attribute is that…

2) God Is Personal

God is not an impersonal force, like “the Force” in Star Wars. He is personal and alive. Millard Erickson writes,

He is an individual being, with self-consciousness and will, capable of feeling, choosing, and having a reciprocal relationship with other personal and social beings.
Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 83

He identifies himself in Exodus 3.14 as: “I am who I am.” We see him throughout Scripture interacting with people. The temple and sacrificial system taught the Israelites how they could draw near to him for fellowship. Jesus’s atoning sacrifice is for the purpose of bringing those who love God into his presence for eternity.

3) God Is Truthful

This attribute means that God is genuine, tells the truth, and is faithful. “Genuine” means he is the true God, not a god made up by people. Jeremiah 10:10 says,

But the LORD is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
and the nations cannot endure his indignation.
Jeremiah 10:10

Jesus prayed this to the Father in John 17:3:

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
John 17:3

God always tells the truth. In 1 Samuel 15:29, God says:

He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.
1 Samuel 15:29, NIV

Hebrews 6:18 claims that “it is impossible for God to lie.” Notice here that lying is “impossible” for God.

God is also faithful. He keeps his promises. In Numbers 23:19, he says:

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Numbers 23:19, NIV

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:24:

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24, NIV

The Bible is filled with narratives showing his faithfulness to his promises. One of the most amazing is his promises to Abraham of a child through Sarah. She bore the child of promise after a lifetime of barrenness when she was well past menopause.

4) God Is Holy

Psalm 99:9 calls for us to

Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.
Psalm 99:9, NIV

“Holy” means he is separated from all that is sinful, and he is completely pure. James 1:13 explains:

God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.
James 1:13, NIV

Sin can neither stain nor defile him. In the OLD TESTAMENT, if something unclean touched something clean, the unclean object defiled the clean object, making it unclean. Likewise, someone with a contagious disease such as leprosy could pass the contagion to others. But when Jesus walked the earth, he could touch the leper and make him clean, as Matthew 8:2-3 shows:

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
Matthew 8:2–3, NIV

Everyone else was warned not to touch the leper lest they become unclean, but Jesus touched the leper and made the leper clean.

People Are Not Holy

People ae not holy, though, and being in the presence of a holy God makes them aware of their unholy state, as the prophet Isaiah experienced:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings… And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:1–7, NIV

God’s holiness made Isaiah aware of his unholy state and he feared he would die. He confesses his sinfulness and need for cleansing. Then a seraph acted to remove his guilt and atone for his sins.

Theologian Wayne Grudem defines sin as

Any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature
Wayne Grudem, Christian Beliefs, 62

Sin separates us from God and incurs the penalty of death. Yet God provided a way to release people from death because—our next attribute…

What is God Like? God Is Merciful and Gracious

5) God Is Merciful And Gracious

In an earlier session, we saw that Scripture says God is love. His love shows itself in two other attributes: God is merciful and gracious. When Moses wanted to see God, God passed before him and described who he is:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.”
Exodus 34:6–7

Mercy is not giving punishment that’s deserved. Grace is giving undeserved favor. God’s mercy shows in his tender compassion toward people even while they are far from him. God’s grace displays in he himself providing the sacrifice needed to atone for sin. Romans 5:8 says,

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

God Longs To Show Mercy And Grace

In the Old Testament, the Israelites abandoned God, robbed, oppressed the poor, murdered, and sacrificed children to demons. Therefore, God sent them into exile for 70 years, but said this in Lamentations 3:31-33:

For no one is cast off
        by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
        so great is his unfailing love.
For he does not willingly bring affliction
        or grief to anyone.
Lamentations 3:31–33, NIV

God’s heart longs to extend mercy and grace, but he will afflict when it’s the only way to end evil and bring a people back to relationship with him. God’s grace and mercy shows in his desire for all people to be saved, as 1 Timothy 2:3-4 explains.

God our Savior… desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3–4

2 Peter 3:9 says something similar:

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

6) God Is Wise

In session 2, we said God is omniscient: He knows everything, even our inmost thoughts. That God is wise means that he knows what to do with that knowledge.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
Romans 11:33, NIV

Wayne A. Grudem writes,

God is not only all-knowing but also all-wise. This means he always chooses the best possible goals and the best possible means to meet those goals. He is “the only wise God” (Rom 16:27).
Wayne Grudem, Christian Beliefs: twenty basics every Christian should know, 27]

His omniscience and wisdom are why “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” as Romans 8:28 assures.

God in wisdom created the universe. Psalm 104:24 declares,

How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24, NIV

God knew before creating angels that some of them would choose to rebel. He knew before he created the universe that Adam and Eve would disobey him. But he chose to create angels and humans anyway, and already had his plan of salvation in place, as 1 Peter 1:18-20 explains.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
1 Peter 1:18–20, NIV

The wisdom of God’s plan to save us through Jesus is displayed in three ways.

First, God’s Plan Justifies Satan’s Judgment

Apologetics professor Clay Jones writes,

If Satan rebelled because he thought he deserved better, then it’s no surprise that he would try to make the case that his impending doom is unfair. Thus he becomes the “accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10, see also Zechariah 3:1 and Job 1). In fact, Satan literally means “accuser” or “adversary.” By accusing the saints, Satan tacitly argues that he isn’t the only one who can’t meet God’s standards—no one can. Therefore, God asks too much; He sets the bar too high.
Clay Jones, Why Does God Allow Evil, 214

Jones continues:

Thus God sends Jesus. Because Jesus kept the Law perfectly, He justified Satan’s judgment. Consider Revelation 12, which tells us about the Devil’s defeat in heaven:

Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death (verses 10-11).

One thing we learn from this passage is that the accuser, Satan, couldn’t be cast down until Christ was victorious at the cross—because until then, Satan’s argument had some merit! As G.K. Beale put it: “Until the death of Christ, it could appear that the devil had a good case, since God ushered all deceased OT saints into His saving presence without exacting the penalty of their sin. Satan was allowed to lodge these complaints because there was some degree of truth in them.” But once Jesus honored God, in spite of immense suffering, He justified Satan’s judgment. Satan’s case was lost.
Clay Jones, Why Does God Allow Evil, 215

Second, God’s Plan Proved God’s Righteousness

God’s righteousness demands that sin be punished. Until Jesus paid the penalty for people’s sins, God could not be proved righteous. Wayne Grudem explains:

Paul speaks of Christ Jesus “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, through faith” (Rom. 3:25, author’s translation). Paul then explains why God put forward Jesus as a “propitiation” (that is, a sacrifice that bears the wrath of God against sin and thereby turns God’s wrath into favor): “This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins” (Rom. 3:25). Paul realizes that if Christ had not come to pay the penalty for sins, God could not be shown to be righteous. Because he had passed over sins and not punished them in the past, people could rightly accuse God of unrighteousness, the assumption

being that a God who does not punish sins is not a righteous God. Therefore, when God sent Christ to die and pay the penalty for our sins, he showed how he could still be righteous—he had stored up the punishment due to previous sins (those of Old Testament saints) and then, in perfect righteousness, he gave that penalty to Jesus on the cross. The propitiation of Calvary thereby clearly demonstrated that God is perfectly righteous: “it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 509-10

Third, God’s Plan Glorifies God Through Man

Isaiah 43:6-7 tells us that we’re created to glorify God:

Bring my sons from afar
        and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
       whom I created for my glory,
       whom I formed and made.
Isaiah 43:6–7, NIV

By justifying Satan’s judgment and proving God’s righteousness, the cross glorifies God through people who are called by the Lord’s name. The Lord displays his loving kindness and mercy while at the same time maintaining righteousness and justice. All the heavenly creatures join with earth’s grateful inhabitants to glorify God for his great wisdom.

In Conclusion

Today we looked at six more attributes of God: God is independent, personal, truthful, holy, merciful and gracious, and wise. He put his plan of salvation into place before he created the world, and now we are seeing the wisdom of his plan. It justifies Satan’s judgment, proves God’s righteousness, and glorifies God through believers. He is truly worth to be praised.

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 8: The Vine. We’ll answer the question, What did Jesus say to keep his followers from falling away? See you next time.

Join the Discussion

Please answer these questions in the comments below.

What one thought stuck out to you in this post? Why did it stick out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stick out?
Question 30b, page 146: Describe how obeying Jesus has blessed you.

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November 8, 2022/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

7 Observations on Suffering from John 11

To watch “7 Observations on Suffering from John 11” instead of reading, click here.

I’ve had times of suffering, and I would guess you have too. For example, I’ve had multiple miscarriages and was unable to have children. I have a muscle and joint condition that causes constant pain. My husband lost part of his spine to bone cancer. I’ve had loved ones pass away. And most, if not all of you, have had similar stories of suffering.

Sooner or later, we ask, Why does God allow suffering? Today we’ll look at seven observations about suffering from John 11.

Welcome to Session 7 of Discovering Good News in John.

The Passage

Let’s begin by reading John 11:1–13:

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
John 11:1–13, NIV

So what are the problems in this passage?

The Problems

Lazarus is so sick, he’s about to die, so Mary and Martha ask Jesus for help. Notice that this is, In a sense, a prayer. They ask Jesus for help.

Not only does Jesus not heal Lazarus from afar, but when he hears that Lazarus was sick, he waits two more days before starting the four-day trip to their home. He doesn’t explain his delay. It looks like Jesus isn’t answering their prayer.

In verse 14, Jesus announces that Lazarus has died and only then does he head out to see them.

Jesus allow the so-called problem of evil to exist — Observation 1 on Suffering

Observation 1: Jesus allows the so-called problem of evil to exist

What’s called the evidential problem of evil goes like this: if there is an all-good, all-powerful God, does it make sense that this God would allow all the evil and suffering that he does allow?

In this series, we’ve talked about God’s attributes, including that he is omnipotent; that is, God is all powerful. Today we’ll introduce another attribute of God: God is good—even if it doesn’t always appear that way.

Many Bible Passages Declare That God Is Good

For example,

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:5, NIV

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
Psalm 25:8

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
1 Chronicles 16:34

Notice in the narrative that (1) Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. (2) Jesus had the power to stop suffering. (3) But Jesus still allowed Lazarus to suffer and die, and he allowed the sisters to suffer the loss of a loved one who was probably their only financial support.

Again, When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he waited two more days and he didn’t explain why.

Verse 32 gives us Mary’s reaction to Jesus arriving:

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
John 11:32, NIV

The crowd’s reaction is similar:

But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
John 11:37, NIV

In other words, Didn’t Jesus know we were in need? Where were you, Jesus?

When people suffer, that’s often their question: Where’s God when I’m suffering?

But Divine Hiddenness Is Valuable

The Lord doesn’t want to interfere with our free will, so he doesn’t make his existence too obvious. God gives enough evidence of his existence that those who want to believe will have their beliefs justified but not so much evidence that those who don’t want to believe would be forced to feign loyalty. By the way, theologians and philosophers call this “divine hiddenness” or “epistemic distance.”

Observation 2: Jesus allows suffering to afflict those he loves

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
John 11:5–6, NIV

Since the fall of man in Adam and Eve, every person dies. We are all going to suffer severely. Only one thing will prevent you from watching everyone you know die from murder, accident, or disease and that is your own death from murder, accident, or disease.

Severe suffering is no indicator that God doesn’t love you dearly. It’s just the opposite. As the book of Hebrews says,

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
Hebrews 12:7, NIV

When we really understand the Kingdom of God, we’ll know that hardship works character into our lives that is valuable for eternal life

Observation 3: Jesus is sometimes misunderstood

And he’s not troubled by that! Jesus said Lazarus’s sickness would not end in death. Yet, Lazarus died.

The messenger might have returned relieved—but then he found that Lazarus was already dead! Did he say, “What?! I thought Jesus said Lazarus’s illness wasn’t going to end in death?!”

When Jesus decided after two days to go to Judea, the disciples reminded him that the Jews there wanted to kill him. How easy it would be to think that Jesus was looking out for himself. Or to think that he didn’t want to be bothered.

Now, we know that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. But the disciples, Mary, Martha, and the others didn’t know he was going to do that.

Yet Jesus wanted his disciples to learn to trust him. And that’s what we’re called to do, isn’t it? Trust Jesus. Trust his word. He’s got a plan.

Observation 4: Jesus lets us suffer for our sake

John 11:14-16 reads:

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:14–16, NIV

Notice that Jesus still hasn’t told his disciples that he’s going to raise Lazarus. He merely says that what he is doing is for their sakes, which is like saying, “It’s—it’s going to be good for you” without saying how.

People ask why God allows particular instances of suffering. Why did God let that young mother die of cancer? Why did God let that child die by being hit by a car? Now, if someone asks these questions because they’ve just suffered a loss, we grieve with them. Scripture says, “Weep with those who weep.” But later when they want answers, we can approach the subject as Clay Jones does in his article,

“Why Did God Let That Child Die?”

I’ve had this kind of conversation many times, and it typically goes like this. Someone asks whether God was unfair for letting Kaylee die from leukemia. I respond, “But it’s not just Kaylee that you’re concerned about, right? I mean, you don’t think God should let any child die of cancer, right?” They always agree to this point. After all, you’d have to be a selfish swine to say that you only cared if one child died of cancer and not others. Then I point out that it’s not just cancer, right? I mean, you don’t think children should die of other horrible diseases, right? They always agree to this too. Then I ask, but it’s not just disease, right? You don’t think God should let children drown, or be crushed by boulders, or burn in fires, or be murdered, right? They always agree. But then I point out that it isn’t just death, right? After all, you don’t think children should be maimed or raped, right? They always agree. So finally, I ask, well, if all this is true, if children shouldn’t be able to suffer being raped or maimed, or to die from murder, accident, or disease, then to what age do you think children should be indestructible?
At this most start laughing because they realize the absurdity of indestructible children. In fact, when you change the question from why God allowed a particular child to die to why God allows children to die, the question almost answers itself.
Clay Jones, “Why Did God Let That Child Die?,” https://www.equip.org/articles/god-let-child-die-2/

A Miracle-Filled World Overrules Free Will And Severs Morality

Clay continues,

But perhaps the biggest problem with indestructible children regards the mechanism required to keep these children from being seriously injured or killed. Again, God couldn’t do tens of thousands of miracles every day without causing those who don’t want to worship him to feign loyalty.
Also, a child’s actions wouldn’t mean much. For example, Johnny could be cutting his steak next to his little brother Jimmy and suddenly jam his knife into Jimmy’s side and God could make the knife turn to rubber. The whole family could laugh heartily—but that’s a cartoon world. In such a world, we could encourage our kids to go play marbles in the freeway: “You’ll just bounce around a lot.” In such a world, children wouldn’t learn morality because many of their choices would lack moral consequences.
Clay Jones, “Why Did God Let That Child Die?,” https://www.equip.org/articles/god-let-child-die-2/

In a miracle-filled world, rebels would be compelled to feign allegiance. Also, a miracle filled world would sever morality from our choices because natural laws must work in regular ways for our choices to have moral meaning. I don’t know why a specific suffering comes on a particular person. But the Christians who suffer it will in time know why.

God Uses Hardship For Our Good

God uses suffering in our lives for our good, to teach us kingdom principles. Every Christian (as it says in Hebrews 12) should endure hardship as discipline. If you’ve been a Christian for some time, and you’ve endured hardship, in time you’ve come out of that hardship seeing how God used it for your good. Again, this may take some time but sooner or later we all see how God uses hardship for our good.

For example, after my second miscarriage, which was in the second trimester, I couldn’t understand why God was letting this happen to me. But later I saw that he was working several good things in my life. For one, I needed to learn to trust him more in hardships. Two, I needed to learn not to care that some people in my church were blaming the miscarriage on my lack of faith. And three, the Lord was opening up a door of ministry for us to take in foster children that couldn’t be placed in homes that already had children.

These were all good things. Just as Mary and Martha were about to find out that God was using their current suffering for a greater good, proving that Jesus had the power to give life, so you too will find in time what God is working in your life.

We Can Trust God When Prayers Are Answered “No”

Let’s read John 11:17-27:

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
John 11:17–27, NIV

Notice that Mary expressed trust in Jesus even when Jesus hadn’t met her deepest need! Your finest hour is not a relaxing day at the beach, or getting married, or having kids, or writing a book, or becoming the president of a company. Your finest hour is when your life is falling apart, maybe you’re facing immense loss or terminal illness, but you say, “I still honor God.” That’s your finest hour!

Observation 5: Jesus sympathizes with our suffering

John 11:28-36 reads:

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
John 11:28–36, NIV

God is not emotionally distant. He is not like a cold, exalted physician—he sympathizes with our suffering

In an earlier session, we said that one of God’s attributes is that he is unchangeable. Sometimes Christians think this attribute means that God can’t be affected by us; in other words, he doesn’t feel anything about our suffering or sin. He never becomes sad over human suffering. He never becomes angry at human sinfulness. He is unmoved by what happens to us. But that comes from Plato and Greek philosophy. The Bible doesn’t teach this.

Instead, we read that “Jesus wept.” Jesus sympathizes with our suffering.

Observation 6: Jesus demonstrated his compassion, authenticity, and power, thus bringing glory to himself

His compassion we’ve already seen when we read that “Jesus wept.” In 11:37-44 we read

But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
John 11:37–44, NIV

Jesus demonstrated his authenticity by showing he is who he said he was, the one who gives life. And he proved his power over death.

Verse 45 reads:

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
John 11:45, NIV

Remember, the reason the crowd gathered for the triumphal entry in John 12 was that they heard about Lazarus being raised from the dead after four days in the grave.

Observation 7: Jesus will end all the suffering of those who believe

We read John 11:25-26 previously but let’s read it again.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25–26, NIV

Martha replied “Yes.” But what about you? Do you believe this?

Barring Jesus’s return, we’re all going to die, but Jesus will raise us to life, and we will live forever.

Thus, we have a partial answer to the problem of evil question that we began with: if there is an all-good, all-powerful God, does it make sense that this God would allow all the evil and suffering that he allows?

The answer is yes, because God will put an end to all evil—He just hasn’t done it yet because there are things he wants to teach us. But one day he will banish all evil. This is the ultimate answer to the problem of evil—the Lord is coming back and when he does, we will all inherit eternal life where there will never again be any death or mourning or crying or pain. Instead, Revelation 22:5 says we will reign with Christ forever and ever. Let’s enjoy that.

Chapter 7 of "Discovering Good News in John" — Chapter 7: The Servant King

If You’re Following in the Book

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 7: The Servant King. We’ll answer the question, What evidence did Jesus offer that his imminent death was part of God’s plan? See you next time.

Join the Discussion!

Please answer these questions in the comments below.

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 18, page 124: Describe a time when God gave you better than what you prayed for.

Buy Discovering Good News in John

#gospelofjohn #DiscoveringGoodNewsinJohn #goodnews #Bible #suffering

Clay Jones, “Why Did God Let That Child Die?,” https://www.equip.org/articles/god-let-child-die-2/
10 Scriptures About Heaven That Will Answer Your Deepest Questions
Will Heaven Be Worth It? Or Will It Be Boring?
10 Things You Want to Know About Heaven But are Embarrassed to Ask

November 1, 2022/2 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

Spiritual Beings

To watch “Spiritual Beings” instead of reading, click here.

What are angels? Do Christians become angels when they die? Do angels have wings? What are seraphim and cherubim? What are demons? Who Is Satan?

Welcome to Session 6 of Discovering Good News in John. Today we’ll talk about supernatural beings, beginning with angels.

I. What Are Angels?

Hebrews 1:14 explains that angels are “ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” So they are spiritual beings. We cannot see them unless God opens our eyes to see them or they take on a physical manifestation. Angels are intelligent, personal beings. They are not omniscient but long to see God’s plans for humans unfold. Second Peter 2:11 tells us they are stronger than people. Revelation 5:11 numbers angels at “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.”

The Hebrew and Greek words translated “angel” simply mean “messenger.” When those words are used of a being who is clearly human, they’re translated “messenger” or “ambassador.” But when they’re used of a spiritual being, they’re translated “angel.”

That points to one of their primary tasks: delivering messages from God to humans. But they have other tasks as well. Angels guard God’s people, worship God, rejoice when people turn to Christ, and watch humans (Psalm 91:11; Luke 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:9; Hebrews 12:22). We can be encouraged that God has sent powerful, invisible beings to care for his people.

Do Christians Become Angels When They Die?

In Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop, a child says to the lovely and kind orphan, Little Nell, “Why, they say… that you will be an angel, before the birds sing again.” In other words, Little Nell will die and become an angel before morning. Comic strips often portray dead people in heaven with wings and halos lounging on fluffy clouds, thus reinforcing the idea that good people become angels.

But the Bible doesn’t teach that people become angels. In fact, angels are a different type of created being than humans. In Matthew 22:30, Jesus said,

For in the resurrection they [meaning people] neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Matthew 22:30

Notice he said the resurrected will be like angels in that they won’t marry, but he did not say they would become angels.

Angels don’t marry because they don’t reproduce. God created two humans, Adam and Eve, who then bore children to generate more humans. In contrast, God created all the angels, as Psalm 148 describes:

Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
…
For he commanded and they were created.
Psalm 148:2,5

God Created Angels Before He Created Adam and Eve

In Job 38:4-7, God told Job this:

Where were you when
I laid the earth’s foundation?
…
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
Job 38:4-7 (NIV)

So God created angels before he laid earth’s foundation.

Angels and Humans Have Different Roles in the End Times

Notice too how Jesus distinguishes between people and angels in Matthew 13: 47–50:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:47–50

At the end of the age, then, angels will separate wicked humans from the righteous.

What Happens to Those Made Righteous?

The righteous do not become angels. However, something more wonderful than that is in store for God’s children.

The Lord Jesus Christ…will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.
Philippians 3:20-21

We will receive an imperishable body, raised in glory and power, a spiritual body that bears the image of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).

So godly people do not become angels when they die. Instead, we will have a resurrected body like Jesus’s glorious body.

Another question about angels is do they have wings?

Do Angels Have Wings?

It may shock you, but the Bible never describes angels as having wings. That shocked me the first time I heard it. After all, artists commonly portray angels as winged females. But when angels appear to humans, people often mistake them for male humans. For example, in Genesis 19, the residents of Sodom think that the two angels at Lot’s house are mere men. That wouldn’t have happened if they were sporting wings.

That angels can be mistaken for men is why Hebrews 13:2 instructs:

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews 13:2

Again, who could be unaware that a guest was an angel if feathery appendages were peeking out?

Now, angels are sometimes described as ascending into heaven, as at Jesus’s birth in Luke 2:15. But Jesus also ascended into heaven, and he was wingless.

Does that mean artists shouldn’t depict angels with wings? No, not at all. When we see a painting of a being that looks human except for a pair of feathered wings, we know the artist means to portray an angel. Its identity is recognizable. And we don’t really know what invisible angels would look like when God isn’t causing them to appear human-like before us.

What are seraphim, cherubim, and the living creatures?
Spiritual Beings

II. What Are Seraphim, Cherubim, and the Living Creatures?

The Bible does ascribe wings to other heavenly beings, however: seraphim, cherubim, and living creatures.

Isaiah 6 describes seraphim with six wings each who minister at the Lord God’s throne and declare God’s holiness to each other. One seraph cleanses Isaiah’s sin with coal from the altar.

Near Valentine’s Day each year, images of a chubby cherub with baby-like features and two small wings abound. But Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10 describe cherubim as having four wings, hands under their wings, feet like a calf’s foot, and four faces (human, lion or cherub, ox, and eagle). They are covered with eyes.

After Adam and Eve were exiled from the garden, cherubim blocked the way to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24). Two golden cherubim were attached to the lid of the ark of the covenant, one on each side (Exodus 25:18-20). The curtains of the tabernacle and the veil were embroidered with cherubim (Exodus 26:1,31). Solomon’s temple walls had cherubim carvings (2 Chronicles 3:7). The Most Holy Place had two giant wooden cherubim overlaid with gold (2 Chronicles 3:10); their wings extended 30 feet (verse 13).

Revelation 4:6-8 describes four living creatures with six wings and eyes all over them. One is like a lion, one like an ox, another like an eagle, and one has a human face. They may each be a type of cherub. Or they may be heavenly

“representatives of the created order.”
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, 1100

III. What Are Demons?

Just as the caricatures of angels and cherubim differ from Bible descriptions, so do the caricatures of demons. They’re usually depicted as red with two little horns, goat feet, and a long tail. They’re often shown carrying a pitchfork.

Demons are fallen angels. So that makes them created, spiritual beings. They fell some time before Satan tempted Eve. They are not omniscient, so presumably they cannot hear our thoughts; they can, however, learn much by watching us and listening to our conversations.

Demons Are Limited in Power

They are not omnipotent. God limits what they can do. 2 Peter 2:4 tells us:

God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.
2 Peter 2:4

The Greek word translated “hell” here is Tartarus, which is not the usual word for hell (Gehenna) but refers to a temporary holding place. Some think there are two classes of evil angels—those who are in chains and those who are free to do their work on earth—but others think it’s more likely that demons are bound in some way that limits what they can do.

Demons Need God’s Permission to Act Against Us

Another restraint on demons is that they cannot do anything that God does not permit. In the book of Job, Satan accused Job of being faithful only because God gave him everything that he wanted. He asked God for permission to test Job to prove whether Job was truly faithful to God or merely obedient to earn goodies. Job 1:8-12 reads:

And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Job 1:8-12

Notice two important concepts. First, Satan needed God’s permission to test Job. Second, Satan implies that if God had given him everything he wanted, he might not have rebelled.

Demons Deceive

Demons deceive humans and promote false doctrines. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:1 that

The Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.
1 Timothy 4:1

They also promote false religions, accepting worship and sacrifices from people. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:20 that

What pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.
1 Corinthians 10:20

That is why Paul warns against accepting messages from angels that contradict Scripture:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:8

Both Joseph Smith and Muhammad started new religions (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Islam), saying an angel told them to do so.

Revelation 9:20 tells us that worship of demons will continue until the Lord Jesus comes back.

Demons can cause physical ailments, though most ailments are not caused by them; rather, they are caused by the fact that we live on a fallen and cursed planet. Demons try to impede spiritual growth. They tempt people to sin.

In this discussion of demons, I’ve mentioned Satan several times. So who is Satan?

Who Is Satan?

The name Satan means adversary. He’s also called the devil, the accuser, the tempter, and Beelzebub, among other names. As we read this week, Jesus calls him the father of lies and a murderer.

Satan is the “prince of demons,” according to Matthew 12:24. Revelation 12:9 describes him as head of the fallen angels:

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:9

The main way Satan opposes God is by tempting humans. Just as he deceived Eve in the garden by telling her that God lied when he said that eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil would bring death, so he deceives people today. He disguises himself as an angel of light, according to 2 Corinthians 11:14. He also blinds the minds of non-Christians to keep them from responding to the gospel—that’s 2 Corinthians 4:4.

While God made Adam and Eve the rulers of this world, when they listened to Satan instead of to God, Satan ruled the earth, as we shall see in our reading this week in John 12:31.

Should People Fear Satan and Demons?

Only if they’re not Christians. I suspect that my mom and I flirting with witchcraft and my dad pursuing extra-sensory perception opened our household to some demonic activity. In chapter 5, I shared about how an encounter with what I now know was a demon caused me to cry out to Jesus. I had no power in me to stop him. But the instant I called out to Jesus, Jesus stopped the demon.

When we turn to Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes inside of us. Then, 1 John 4:3–4 assures us:

Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God… Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:3–4

Moreover, 1 John 5:18 reads:

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he [Jesus] who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
1 John 5:18

The word translated “touch” in this passage is the same word used in Matthew 9:21 to describe the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’s garment.

We Have Protective Armor

Ephesians 6:10-18 explains that we need the whole armor of God to stand against the devil’s schemes.

We take on the helmet of salvation at the moment we’re saved—and that’s the first step toward not needing to fear demonic activity.
Likewise, we put on the shoes of the gospel of peace when we accept the gospel as true and then believe and proclaim its message.
We take on the belt of truth when we commit to honesty with God, ourselves, and others, and when we combat lies with the truths that we learn from God’s Word.
We put on the breastplate of righteousness when we commit to obeying God’s commands and when we confess and turn from our sins.
We take up the shield of faith when we believe God’s words to us and act on those beliefs, trusting God.
And we take the sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God when we know God’s Word and use it to fight the enemies’ deceptions with the truth of God’s word.
Finally, when we pray at all times, we are calling to God to help us.

We Can Resist the Devil

James 4:7 tells us:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

First Peter 5:8–11 gives another encouragement:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:8–11

Yes, we have spiritual enemies. But they cannot take our salvation, and they can do nothing that God doesn’t permit. 1 Corinthians 6:3 tells us we will judge angels at the end of the age. Then the devil and his fallen angels with him will be thrown into the lake of fire where they can never again tempt, deceive, or torment.

Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is in us, strengthening and growing us. One day we’ll be clothed with glorious, resurrected bodies. We’ll join the Father and Jesus in the new heavens and earth. We’ll be with them forever.

Chapter 6: The Resurrection and the Life

In Conclusion

Today we saw that angels are created, spiritual beings who minister to God’s people. People do not become angels when they die but will be resurrected to live in God’s kingdom in the new heavens and earth eternally. Seraphim and cherubim are winged heavenly creatures. Demons are fallen angels who attempt to deceive humans but whose end is sure

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 6: The Resurrection and the Life. We’ll answer the question, What evidence did Jesus offer that he had power over death?

Join the Discussion

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 30, page 109: Think of someone you shepherd. How can you act as a good shepherd who puts the sheep’s needs first rather than as the faithless shepherds who seek power, control, and other’s praise?

Buy Discovering Good News in John: https://amzn.to/376cTFd (affiliate link)

For more on combatting lies, see Fight Fear with Truth and Rip Off Joy-killing False Beliefs
For more on deceptions by supernatural beings, see Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

#gospelofjohn #DiscoveringGoodNewsinJohn #goodnews #angels #demons #supernaturalbeings

October 25, 2022/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

5 Questions About Jesus

To watch “5 Questions About Jesus” instead of reading, click here.

Did Jesus ever say, “I am God”? Is Jesus fully God? Was Jesus fully man? Why didn’t Jesus appear to display all of God’s attributes? What is Jesus doing now?

Welcome to Session 5 of Discovering Good News in John.

John wrote that Jesus is God. Yet Jesus appears on earth as a man. Today we’ll look at who Jesus is: fully God and fully man. We’ll also address a question that that brings up: If Jesus was fully God, why did he appear to lack some of God’s attributes?

1. Did Jesus Ever Say, "I Am God"?
(5 Questions About Jesus)

Question 1. Did Jesus Ever Say, “I Am God”?

The Gospels don’t record Jesus saying the words, “I am God.” If he had, the Jewish leaders would have stoned him for blasphemy and even regular folks might not have listened to him.

However, Jesus said and did things that would be inappropriate if he weren’t God. For example, we read in John 5:21 that Jesus claimed to be able to give life to people. This next week, we’ll read in John 8 that Jesus applied the divine name, “I AM,” to himself. Later, we’ll read in John 10 that Jesus claimed to be one with the Father. In John 14:9, he claimed that whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father.

Jesus Also Claimed Divine Prerogatives For Himself.

For instance, in Mark 2:5, he claimed he was able to forgive sins, which incensed the Jewish leaders who believed only God could forgive sins. Then he healed the man he had forgiven to prove his ability to forgive. In Matthew 25:31-46, he said he would judge the world, another divine prerogative.

Additionally, Jesus Claimed He Will Do Things in the Future Only God Should Be Able to Do

In Matthew 13:41-42 Jesus referred to himself as “Son of Man” and said that at the end of the age

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:41–42

Notice that he said he will send “his angels.” Elsewhere he called them “angels of God” (Luke 12:8-9; 15:10). So claiming God’s angels were also his angels is significant. So is claiming that he will send them to throw rebellious beings into hell.

In Matthew 26:63, he told the Jewish leaders at his trial that they would see him “seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest interpreted that as a claim to deity, said he had uttered blasphemy, and sent him to be crucified.

Question 2. Is Jesus Fully God?

Let’s look at what the Gospels, the Old Testament, and the New Testament letters say about that.

First, the Gospels

John’s Gospel explained that Jesus was God in its first chapter. John 1:1 reads,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1

Verse 14 tells us,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

So we know the Word became flesh as the “only Son from the Father.” Verses 17-18 identify the Word by name:

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
John 1:17–18

In verse 18 Jesus has made the Father known and is God at the Father’s side.

The Christmas story in Luke 1 describes how the Word became flesh. The angel Gabriel came to the virgin Mary and told her she would bear a child who would be called the Son of the Most High. He would be the long-awaited Messiah who would rule forever. When Mary asked how that could be since she was a virgin, the angel Gabriel told her:

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
Luke 1:35

So the Gospels tell us that the Word became flesh through the Holy Spirit overshadowing the Virgin Mary. This taking on of flesh is called the incarnation.

Now let’s look at what the Old Testament says.

Second, the Old Testament

Here’s what Isaiah 9:6-7 prophesied about the future king who would reign forever:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6–7

Notice the king would be called “Mighty God.”

When the Jewish leaders asked John the Baptist who he was, he replied:

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
John 1:23

Here the Baptist quoted Isaiah 40:3, which is part of a prophecy where a herald announces that streets must be made ready for a visit on earth from God. The herald brings “good news”: He says, “Here is your God!” (verses 8-9).

Finally, let’s see what we learn from the New Testament letters.

Third, the New Testament Letters

Colossians explains:

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Colossians 1:19

And,

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.
Colossians 2:9

Hebrews 1:1-4 reads,

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Hebrews 1:1–4

From these passages and more we discover that Jesus was fully God. He took on flesh when the Holy Spirit overshadowed the virgin Mary. Then the fullness of God dwelled in his flesh.

Question 3. Was Jesus Fully Man?

We read in Luke how Jesus was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb. Mary gave birth to him as any mother would give birth, showing he was human. He grew and increased in wisdom, according to Luke 2:52. He learned to walk, talk, and eat, just like ordinary children.

John 4:6 tells us his body could become weary, Matthew 4:2 that he became hungry, and John 19:28 that he became thirsty. He experienced human emotions, such as marveling and sorrow, according to Matthew 8:10 and 25:38.

Philippians 2:5-8 describes how he as God took on human form:

… Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5–8

Although Jesus took on flesh and was born as a man, he remained sinless:

Second Corinthians 5:21 reads,

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

First John 3:5 reads, “

You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
1 John 3:5

So Why Did Jesus Become Fully Man?

1) To Sympathize

One of the reasons he took on human form was to sympathize with us, as Hebrews 4:15 explains:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15

Also,

2) To Full Atone for Human Sin as a Merciful High Priest

Hebrews 2:17-18 explains that Jesus had to be fully human to atone for human sin.

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:17–18

Another reason is,

3) To Make Humans Righteous

By appearing in the flesh, Jesus was able to make the descendants of Adam righteous:

For as by the one man’s [that’s Adam’s] disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s [that’s Jesus’s] obedience the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:19

And also,

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

4) To Be the Necessary Ransom from Death

Jesus had to come in the flesh and lead a sinless life so that he could be the ransom that brings eternal life. Psalm 49:7-9 reads:

Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
Psalm 49:7–9

Here the psalmist realizes an imperfect human cannot pay a ransom for his own life, let alone another’s, such that anyone can live forever. But the psalmist is not worried and continues in verse 15:

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.
Psalm 49:15

Though no mere human can ransom human souls from death, the psalmist knows that God will somehow provide the ransom. This God did by the Son taking on flesh and living a sinless life so that death had no hold on him.

Now that we know why Jesus had to become fully man, let’s consider a heresy called Gnosticism.

Gnosticism

An early church heresy called Gnosticism stated that Jesus was God but not fully man. The apostle John addressed this in two of his letters. In 2 John verse 7, John writes:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.
2 John 7

And in 1 John 4:2, John wrote

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
1 John 4:2

Because Jesus is both fully God and fully man, he is the perfect mediator between people and the Father, as 1 Timothy 2:5-6 states:

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
1 Timothy 2:5–6

Question 4. Why Didn’t Jesus Display All of God’s Attributes?

In Sessions 1 and 2, we saw that Scripture teaches that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. But that presents a difficulty. If Jesus is God, why did he appear to lack those characteristics when he came to earth?

Theologian Millard J. Erickson explains that

The incarnation was more a gaining of human attributes than a giving up of divine attributes…
As an incarnate being, he was limited in the exercise of that power by possession of a human body. This should not be considered a reduction of the power and capacities of the Second Person of the Trinity, but rather a circumstance-induced limitation on the exercise of his power and capacities.
Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 228,229

Erickson gives an example of a three-legged race. He writes,

The world’s fastest sprinter is entered in a three-legged race, where he must run with one of his legs tied to a leg of a partner. Although his physical capacity is not diminished, the conditions under which he exercises it are severely circumscribed. Even if this partner in the race is the world’s second fastest sprinter, their time will be much slower than if they competed separately.
This is like the situation of the incarnate Christ. Just as the runner could unloose the tie, but chooses to restrict himself for the duration of the event, so Christ’s incarnation was a voluntary, self-chosen limitation. He did not have to take on humanity, but he chose to do so for the period of the incarnation.
Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 229

So,

Question 5. What Is Jesus Doing Now?

Let’s look at three vital things that Jesus is doing now, beginning with, one,

Upholding the Universe

Hebrews 1:3 tells us that

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:3

So Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God upholding the universe.

A second thing Jesus is doing is

Interceding

Jesus is also interceding for us, as Hebrews 7:25 explains:

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:25

Why does Jesus intercede for us when justification is already accomplished? Dane C. Ortlund in his book, Gentle and Lowly, explains:

The answer is that intercession applies what the atonement accomplished. Christ’s present heavenly intercession on our behalf is a reflection of the fullness and victory and completeness of his earthly work, not a reflection of anything lacking in his earthly work. The atonement accomplished our salvation; intercession is the moment-by-moment application of that atoning work. In the past, Jesus did what he now talks about; in the present, Jesus talks about what he then did. This is why the New Testament weds justification and intercession, such as in Romans 8:33–34: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Dane C. Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly, 79-80

Ortlund explains the wonder of this further:

The atoning work of the Son was something the Father and the Son delightedly agreed to together in eternity past. The Son’s intercession does not reflect the coolness of the Father but the sheer warmth of the Son. Christ does not intercede because the Father’s heart is tepid toward us but because the Son’s heart is so full toward us. But the Father’s own deepest delight is to say yes to the Son’s pleading on our behalf.
Dane C. Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly, 80

A third thing Jesus is doing now is

Advocating

Jesus is advocating for us, as 1 John 2:1 explains:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 2:1

Jesus always lives to intercede for us, but he advocates for us when we sin. John Bunyan wrote,

Christ, as Priest, goes before, and Christ, as an Advocate, comes after. Christ, as Priest, continually intercedes; Christ, as Advocate, in case of great transgressions, pleads. Christ, as Priest, has need to act always, but Christ, as Advocate, sometimes only. Christ, as Priest, acts in time of peace; but Christ, as Advocate, in times of broils, turmoils, and sharp contentions; wherefore, Christ, as Advocate, is, as I may call him, a reserve, and his time is then to arise, to stand up and plead, when his own are clothed with some filthy sin that of late they have fallen into.
John Bunyan, The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate, in The Works of John Bunya, 1:169

So Jesus right now is upholding the universe, interceding for us, and advocating for us.

In Conclusion

In this video, I answered five questions about Jesus. If you have more questions, please post them and I may address them in the future.

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 5: The Good Shepherd. We’ll answer the question, What causes spiritual blindness? See you next time.

Join the Discussion

Please answer these questions in the comments below:

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 43, page 90: Describe a way that abiding in Jesus’s words resulted in your knowing the truth and being set free.

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October 17, 2022/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

What Is Salvation?

(To watch or listen to “What Is Salvation?” instead of reading, click here.)

What exactly is salvation? What do people mean when they say Jesus died to save us?

Hi, everyone! Welcome to Session 4 of Discovering Good News in John. Today we’ll answer the question, What is Salvation?

When I started reading through the New Testament for the first time, I also began attending a Bible study that met during lunch at my high school. I read and heard words that I didn’t fully understand, such as salvation, justification, conversion, and born again, as well as regeneration. I also didn’t understand Scriptures that talked about people being dead while they were alive.

It was confusing! I had thought that “salvation” meant being saved from hell so you could go to heaven. But it turned out that salvation as it’s used in the Bible involves much more than a change of eternal residence. So today I’m going to define these terms and more, and I’ll explain what they all have to do with salvation.

The first concept that we need to know is that…

1) We Are All Born Spiritually Dead and Enslaved to Sin

The first human couple, Adam and Eve, were able to not sin. But they spiritually died when they sinned. Consequently, all of their descendants are born spiritually dead. We’re born unable to not sin. Indeed, we are slaves to sin and separated from God. Ephesians 2:1-3 reads:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind. and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:1-3

So even though we’re physically alive at birth, we’re spiritually dead because of sin. When Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they not only died spiritually, but they became able to die physically.

2) But God Revealed His Plan to Reverse the Fall’s Consequences

Before God created the earth, he already had his plan in place to reverse the fall’s consequences and bring people who love him into eternal fellowship with him. He revealed elements of that plan throughout the ages, beginning with a promise to Eve of a descendant who would crush the serpent who deceived her. He also let the first couple know that the possibility of eternal life still existed, but cherubim blocked the way.

God revealed much more of the plan through Moses. He showed that sin defiled people, separated them from God, and brought death. But an animal’s life could substitute for a person’s life so they could fellowship with him. Still, a curtain embroidered with cherubim blocked the way to the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and temple, showing people that the way to eternal life remained blocked.

God revealed through various prophets that animal sacrifices could not bring eternal life, but he would provide a ransom to deliver those who love him from death. Indeed, a suffering, righteous servant would die to bear others’ sins so they could be counted as righteous. The Lord also revealed that one day all the dead would rise to either everlasting life or everlasting contempt. We’ll see the Gospel of John reveal all these things.

Now, let’s look again at John 3:17-18:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:17–18

So those who believe in Jesus are saved from the condemnation that sin brings. How does this happen?

3) First, God Calls People to Himself

First Corinthians 1:9 tells us:

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:9

First Peter 2:9 reads:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9

Jesus explains why God calls people to himself in John 6:44:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:44

God draws us to him by giving us insight or understanding as we read Scripture or hear someone sharing the gospel message.

The Gospel Message

The gospel message includes three elements found in three verses:

1) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23

2) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

3) But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

So God calls people to himself through the good news that although all have sinned and deserve the penalty of death, Jesus died while they were still sinners to pay that penalty for us.

The next concept we need to know is that…

4) God’s Call Produces Conversion and Regeneration

There’s no time to get into where theologians differ as to whether conversion or regeneration comes first, but here’s where they agree.

Conversion

Conversion is putting our trust in Jesus to save us. It includes both repentance from sins and faith in Jesus. It is not merely an intellectual agreement. Rather, it’s our response to God’s call. It’s described in Acts 16:31:

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
Acts 16:31

Regeneration

Regeneration refers to God changing our hearts. Ezekiel 36:26 explains:

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

Regeneration is what Jesus called being born again in John 3:3:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:3

When we’re born again, we’re made spiritually alive, as Ephesians 2:4-5describes:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
Ephesians 2:4-5

This spiritual life is the beginning of eternal life. We are new creatures, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 proclaims:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

We are now able to not sin, but our physical body is still in its old state. Romans 8:10 reads:

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Romans 8:10 (NASB)

So God’s call produces conversion and regeneration. We’re born again and made spiritually alive. But that’s not all.

5) God Justifies Us

Justification is a change in legal standing. Theologian Wayne Grudem explains justification as a “legal declaration by God.” He writes,

When someone responds to God’s call in repentance and faith, God responds to that faith by thinking of that person’s sins as forgiven and by thinking of Christ’s righteousness as belonging to that person. At that very moment God also declares that person to be righteous in his sight. This act of God is called “justification.” Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and thinks of Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us and therefore (2) declares us to be “just” or morally righteous in his sight.
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, first edition, p. 95

People often describe being justified as being “just as if I’d” never sinned. God justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

God Is Just in Justifying

Romans 3:26 explains:

It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:26

God is just because the penalty for sin has been paid. Justification is not something that we earn by good works after coming to faith. It’s a gift, as Galatians 2:16 explains:

Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 2:16

So justification is a legal standing that means all our sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven because Jesus paid the penalty for them. Justification means we will not condemned at the final judgment.

So salvation is being saved from the death penalty due us for our sins.

This Salvation Is by Grace

Let’s look at a particularly comforting verse that’s often misunderstood by English speakers: Ephesians 2:8-9:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

In English, the verse sounds as if the word “that” in “that not of yourselves” points to “faith” because “that” follows closely after the word “faith.” But in Greek, “faith” is feminine while “that” is neuter, so “that” cannot refer to “faith.” Theologian Albert Barnes in his commentary on Ephesians explains the phrase:

And that not of yourselves. That is, salvation does not proceed from yourselves. The word rendered that…is in the neuter gender, and the word faith…is in the feminine. The word “that,” therefore, does not refer particularly to faith, as being the gift of God, but to the salvation by grace of which he had been speaking… So Calvin understands it.
Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 42.

He means that Calvin taught exactly the same about the word that.

So salvation by grace is God’s free gift. It is not something we must earn. Thank God for that! But there’s still more good news.

6) God Adopts Us into His Family

While Adam is called the “son of God” because God created him, we—Adam’s descendants—do not start out as God’s children. But John 1:12–13 tells us good news:

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12–13

Galatians 4:4–5 tells us we become God’s children through adoption:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Galatians 4:4–5

Ephesians 1:5 is similar:

He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.
Ephesians 1:5

Adoption Is a Two-part Process

We receive some of the privileges of being God’s children now. We can pray to God as our Father, and he blesses us. However, the full blessings await the hour that Jesus resurrects us, as Romans 8:23 explains:

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:23

Nonetheless, 1 John 3:2 assures us:

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2

So once we’re saved we are also adopted into God’s family. In fact, the Holy Spirit indwells us and we are under new management. We are also able to not sin.

But that brings up a question.

Why Do We Still Sin?

David Needham in his book, Birthright, has a great explanation. He writes:

The following may serve to illustrate the difficulties involved in making this adjustment. Imagine with me a great profit-making company whose essential purpose is to manufacture poisonous gas for the army. Department by department the company busies itself daily with this goal. In the chemistry lab they are absorbed in the search for newer, deadlier, more destructive gases. The bookkeepers bend over the records in pursuit of profit/loss comparisons. Salesmen thumb through well-worn synonym-finders in search of positive adjectives. Quality control inspectors rush about with clipboards and sharpened number three pencils. All busy. All geared toward that one consuming goal: producing poisonous gas for profit.
And then a remarkable thing happens to the poisonous gas company. The entire board of directors of the company changes hands. It is actually a brand new company, not only because of a change in leadership and name, but also because of a change in its essential purpose. The new company rejects the profit-making motive. It is now committed by its very nature to be a nonprofit company. Its new product? Making life-saving oxygen for hospitals. It is more than a corporate name change. More than a simple paper shuffle. It is an actual change of identity. Well, that solves everything! Everyone appreciates oxygen. This new company should work out just fine.
But it isn’t quite that simple. All of the company’s machinery and all of those varied departments are still geared-up for the same old poisonous purpose. If left to themselves, each of those departments would still measure their success as they always measured success—producing poison for profit. That’s what life was all about for many of those old career poison producers. Just because the company changes doesn’t mean all the departments automatically snap to attention. It’s tough to teach the old hands new tasks. So management has a clear-cut job to do. An intense indoctrination program has to take place, filtering from the top right on down.
“Listen chemists, you must change your concept of success in this department. Junk your poison formulas. Success is now to be measured by the quality of lifesaving oxygen you produce. Bookkeepers, from now on you will have to forego the pleasure you used to derive from being the first to know the size of the company’s profit. Forget profit. Management expects you to simply keep the books and keep them well. Understood?” Understood perhaps, but not appreciated. “Why do we have to be so different? Every other company judges its success just like we used to!” “We’ve always measured ourselves against the competition. That added some spice to life!” “You’re asking us to reject most of what we’ve learned. It may sound easy for you up there on the top floor, but not down here!”
David C. Needham, Birthright: Christian Do You Know Who You Are?, Kindle locations 4495-4516, Kindle edition

Conclusion

Today we looked at what salvation is. We saw that the Bible teaches that we all are born spiritually dead and unable to not sin. But God revealed in the Old Testament his plan to save people from sin’s penalty, which is death, by having a righteous suffering servant die in place of sinners who put their faith in him. The New Testament reveals this person as Jesus, the Son of God.

We also saw that the salvation process begins when God calls people to himself. This calling produces both conversion and regeneration. Conversion consists of repentance from sin and faith in Jesus. Regeneration is our spirits coming alive and is also called being born again. God justifies those who have turned to Jesus in faith, which means he considers the penalty owed for their sins to be paid and he considers Jesus’s righteousness to be theirs. God also adopts them into his family.

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 4: Finding Truth. We’ll answer the question, How did Jesus correct misconceptions about who he was? See you next time.

Join the Discussion

Please answer these questions in the comments below:

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 4, page 53: What mistaken notions did you initially have about Jesus? How did you discover your mistake?

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October 10, 2022/5 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

The Bible as God’s Word

(If you’d rather watch or listen to “The Bible as God’s Word,” click here. )

What does it mean that the Bible is God’s inerrant Word? How should that doctrine affect how we read the Bible?

Welcome to Session 3 of Discovering Good News in John. Today, we’ll look at another basic Christian doctrine: the Bible as God’s Inerrant Word. Then we’ll see what that means for the way we read the Bible, including three Bible practices to avoid. Let’s begin with the Bible is God’s inerrant words.

The Bible Is God’s Inerrant Words

Professor Millard J. Erickson provides a simple definition of the doctrine of inerrancy:

The Bible is fully truthful in all of its teachings.
Introducing Christian Doctrine, 60

Millard J. Erickson on the Doctrine of Inerrancy

Here’s a fuller definition that’s adapted from the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy:

God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture… and Holy Scripture, being God’s own Word… is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it affirms; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.

It goes on to say,

Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching….
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

So when we say that the Bible is inerrant, we mean that it “is fully truthful in all that it affirms” or teaches. Now, the Bible does not affirm everything it reports. For example, John 7:20 reports that people told Jesus, “You have a demon!” The Bible affirms that this is what people said, but it does not affirm that the people were correct. Quite the contrary.

Additionally, the Bible’s writers often describe things as they saw them without using technical language. We do that today too. For example, we often use the words sunrise and sunset even though we know that the sun doesn’t really rise and set. Instead, the earth rotates in a way that makes it look like the sun rises and sets. So when the Bible mentions sunrise or sunset, it is describing what things look like, not affirming that what they look like is technically what is happening.

Finally, inerrancy applies to the original manuscripts that were actually penned by the human authors of Scripture. Scholars call these autographs. Inerrancy applies to later copies and translations in so far as they reflect the originals.

On What Do We Base This Doctrine?

The books of the Bible are historical documents. As such, they make claims that we need to evaluate. For example, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

What evidence do we have that this statement is true?

If Jesus was raised from the dead, then he came from God and we should pay attention to what he said. Jesus called all of the Old Testament the “word of God” and “Scripture” that “cannot be broken” in John 10:35.

Jesus also chose certain people to be apostles whom he sent out to spread the good news that Jesus preached. He said the Holy Spirit would remind them of all his words. God gave the apostles the ability to perform signs and wonders so that people would know that he had indeed sent them.

The apostle Paul wrote that statement we read from 2 Timothy. Acts records that God gave many signs and miracles through Paul so that people would trust Paul’s message. The apostle Peter called the apostle Paul’s letters “Scripture” in 2 Peter 3:16. So the early church embraced certain writings as Scripture very early.

The New Testament was written by apostles or their close associates. Mark traveled with Peter and wrote a Gospel based on the Peter’s teachings. Luke was a physician and historian who accompanied Paul on missionary trips and who wrote Luke and Acts.

What Does Inerrancy Teach Us About How We Treat the Bible?

We read John chapters 3 and 4 this week and saw that in Jesus’s day (as today), people treated the Bible in different ways. Some practices were helpful and some were harmful. So let’s look now at three Bible practices to avoid.

Three Bible Practices to Avoid

The first person Jesus encountered in John 3 was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. The Pharisees had a long list of rules that they memorized about how to keep God’s commands. For example, the Fourth Commandment says that the Sabbath was to be a day of rest. The Pharisees had hundreds of rules about what people could and could not do on the Sabbath. What the Pharisees practiced was The Bible Plus.

1) The Bible Plus

In Jesus’s day, these rules were not written down, so they were called the “oral tradition” or the “tradition of the elders.” The Pharisees considered their oral tradition to be inspired by God just like the Old Testament books. This hindered their walk with God, however, for four reasons.

How The Bible Plus Hindered the Pharisees

a) Their Tradition Caused Them to Void Scripture

First, their tradition sometimes voided Old Testament Scripture, as Jesus points out in Matthew 15:1-9:

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
Matthew 15:1-9

So Jesus called the tradition they thought was inspired “commandments of men,” while he called the OT books “the word of God.” This angered many Pharisees.

b) Their Tradition Caused Them to Neglect Scripture

Second, the Pharisees’ focus on their tradition caused them to neglect some important things in the Word of God. We saw that in John 3 when Jesus chided Nicodemus for not knowing the Old Testament book of Ezekiel well enough. We’ll see this happen again as we go through John’s Gospel.

c) Their Tradition Caused Them to Judge Themselves Righteous

Third, their adherence to their oral tradition made many of them judge themselves as good people who did not need a Savior to have their sins forgiven. That is why Jesus kept pointing out their sins, as he did in Matthew 23:27-28:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 23:27–28

d) Their Tradition Caused Them to Reject Jesus as Messiah

Fourth, their commitment to the inspiration of their tradition caused many of them to reject Jesus as Messiah. For example, one of their rules was that people couldn’t see a doctor on the Sabbath unless their medical issue was life-threatening. As we’ll see soon in John’s Gospel, Jesus healed on the Sabbath. The Pharisees told him to stop, but Jesus instead declared their rules—their traditions—were wrong. Sadly, many Pharisees decided that Jesus could not be the Messiah if he didn’t obey their oral tradition.

So their Bible Plus tradition caused them to void Scripture, neglect Scripture, judge themselves righteous, and reject the Messiah.

Where Do We See The Bible Plus As a Practice Today?

First, 200 years after Jesus walked the earth, the oral tradition was written down in a book called the Mishnah. Many Jews today still embrace the Old Testament books along with the Mishnah and other rabbinic writings.

Second, the Book of Mormon is an example of The Bible Plus.

Third, sometimes Christians add rules to the Bible. One I read in a book was, Don’t drink apple juice in case you accidentally drink hard cider and become drunk.

How Do We Avoid The Bible Plus?

While it’s wise to avoid anything that might stumble us, we should take care not to make avoiding those things into rules for other people. Now, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t hear and read the teachings of godly people, but we don’t elevate those teachings to the same level as the Word of God.

Another Bible practice to avoid is The Basics Only.

2) The Basics Only

We saw he “Basics Only” in John 4 where Jesus met the Samaritan woman who thought only the Pentateuch was inspired. The Pentateuch is the first five books of the Bible, so she missed all the histories, wisdom literature, and prophets. She had only the basics.

Not only that, but the Samaritan version of the Pentateuch differed from the Jewish version slightly. It said that Moses built an altar on a different mountain. The Samaritans built a temple on that mountain, which the Jews destroyed. The woman brought up the point of difference to Jesus. Here’s how he responded in John 4:21-23:

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
John 4:21-23

Jesus corrected her, and she believed in him. She knew enough from the Pentateuch to expect the Prophet like Moses, whom she called Taheb (Ta-HABE).

Another religious sect—the Sadducees—also practiced The Basics Only. The Sadducees were wealthy, aristocratic priests who may have accepted the Old Testament books we have today, but believed the later writings were subordinate to the Pentateuch. They said there are no resurrections, no angels, and no spirits. They also were not looking for an anointed king (messiah). Here’s what happened when they challenged Jesus in Matthew 22:23-32:

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
Matthew 22:23-32

Jesus quoted from Exodus 3:6, which is part of the Pentateuch, to show them they didn’t know even the part of the Scriptures they claimed to uphold. And notice that he also affirmed the existence of angels, which the Pentateuch talks about. Jesus told them plainly that they knew neither the Scriptures nor God’s power. Their low view of Scripture gave them faulty expectations and less faith in God’s power than they would have had if they embraced all of the Old Testament.

Where Do We See The Basics Only As a Practice Today?

Some people are afraid of the Old Testament or think the Old Testament is too hard to understand, so they don’t read it. But understanding how Jesus fulfills Old Testament Scripture is a major faith booster. And the histories teach us much by example. Also, as mentioned a moment ago, Jesus said the Old Testament was the inspired Word of God, so we disregard it at our own peril.

Others read only the “easy” books of the Bible: Psalms, Proverbs, Gospels, and short letters. There are a few who think Christians who aren’t Jewish should read only Paul’s letters in the Bible. These are also forms of The Basics Only. Here’s what Hebrews 5:12–6:1 say about The Basic’s Only:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.
Hebrews 5:12–6:1

How Do We Avoid The Basics Only?

If not understanding some parts of the Bible is what’s holding you back from reading more, then I recommend purchasing a study Bible. Study Bibles have notes that explain cultural, historical, and theological issues. They also have cross-references so you can easily find related verses.

Sometimes Christians tell me they’ve read the Bible through every year and now they find it boring. What I recommend for that is three things.

Try a new translation.
Change the order in which you read the books. Try reading it chronologically, for example. When you finish a Bible book, put a mark next to its name in the table of content.
Third, emphasize quality time over quantity of time. Take as long as you want to read through a book, process the notes, and look up related passages.

Another Bible practice to avoid is The Blessings Only.

The Blessings Only

When Jesus left Samaria, he went to Galilee where he lived. The Galileans welcomed him as a miracle worker rather than Messiah. Matthew 13:54-58 supplies insight into the problem.

And coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:54-58

The people welcomed Jesus as a healer but weren’t ready to grant him authority. They wanted blessings only, not commands or in-depth teaching.

A similar problem happened with the kingdom of Judah. In time, they embraced God’s promises but not his commands. They thought that the temple sacrifices were a way to get away with sin. Here’s what God said in Jeremiah 7:9-11:

“Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?”
Jeremiah 7:9-11

God’s solution was to send the people into exile where they would be forced to learn self-control. The problems with clinging to promises only and ignoring the rest of the Bible are that we don’t grow and we compromise our faith.

Where Do We See The Promises Only As A Practice Today?

We see this when people pull verses out of context and quote them as promises when the Bible does not affirm them as promises. There are several ways this happens.

a) Quoting Promises Without Conditions

First, people sometimes quote promises without the conditions that go with them. For example, they may quote only “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” in John 15:7 when the whole verse reads, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Those who abide in Jesus will ask differently than those who don’t.

b) Quoting Job’s Friends

Second, people sometimes quote the words of Job’s friends as promises even though God said that Job’s friends did not speak what is true about him.

c) Reading Devotionals Only

Third, this can happen when people read devotionals instead of the Bible. For instance, one woman told me she didn’t have time to read the Bible so on her lunch break, she read from a book of short devotionals. While that’s certainly better than reading no Scripture, some short devotionals are heavy on encouragement and promises, and light on the rest of the Bible. She’d been a Christian for many years but didn’t know the Scriptures that could help her through marriage and work struggles.

Another woman in her mid-40s told me that she had believed that God would not allow a Christian spouse to die, and her faith failed when her husband died. She felt betrayed because she believed God had promised her something that the Bible didn’t promise. She could not have been taking in all of God’s Word, or it would have corrected her belief.

How Do We Avoid The Blessings Only?

First, understand that it’s not just promises that provide blessings but all of God’s instructions. Following God’s instructions blesses our lives and relationships.

Second, start to read entire books of the Bible. Look for promises, commands, and lessons.

And third, talk to God about what you’re reading as you read it. Treat the Bible as you would a birthday card. What I mean is that when someone hands you a birthday card, you read a little, comment on it, read some more, and comment some more. Since the giver is standing there, you talk to her about it as you read. Well, God is there with you when you’re reading the Bible. So talk to him. If something encourages you, give thanks. If you read a command, ask for help to follow it. If something convicts you, confess it. If something blesses you, praise God. Make your time in God’s Word a conversation.

In Conclusion

Today we saw that the doctrine of inerrancy means that the Bible is fully truthful in all its teachings. Because of that, we should avoid three practices that we saw in John chapters 3 and 4. First, we should avoid adding to God’s words, as the Pharisees did with The Bible Plus. Second, we should embrace all of the Bible rather than clinging to just the basics, as the Samaritans did with The Basics Only. Third, we should embrace the Bible’s commands and lessons, not just The Blessings Only, as some of the Galileans did with Jesus.

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 3: Expectations Meet Reality. We’ll see the Pharisees again practice The Bible Plus and we’ll see the Jewish crowds embrace The Blessings Only. We’ll also answer the question, Why do people reject the good news? See you next time.

Join the Discussion!

Please answer these questions in the comments below.

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s post? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 41, page 48: Describe a time God answered a prayer request differently from the way you asked him to answer. What benefits did God’s way have over your way?

Buy Discovering Good News in John

#gospelofjohn #DiscoveringGoodNewsinJohn #goodnews #Bible

October 3, 2022/2 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

What Is God Like? Part 1

(To watch What Is God Like? Part 1 instead of reading, click here.)

What is God like? How could the Word be God and Jesus? Does the Old Testament say the Messiah will be God? How could Jesus have been involved in creation when he was born 2000 years ago? Why did anyone have to die for sin to be forgiven?

Welcome to Session 2 of Discovering Good News in John. Today we’ll discuss, What is God like?

We read the first two chapters of John this week, and they contained some deep theology. The first time I read John’s Gospel, its first chapter left me with many questions like the ones with which I began this session.

To answer these questions, we’ll look at more attributes of God. First, let’s review the seven attributes of God we discovered in our first session. God is

Knowable
Love
Righteous and just
Unchangeable
Perfect
A unity
Omniscient

Today we’ll look at seven more attributes that are related to John 1.

Seven Attributes of God Related to John 1

God Exists

Indeed, the first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 reads:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

Romans 1:19-23 reads:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Romans 1:19–23

So God exists.

God Is Eternal

That means he has no beginning or end. Psalm 90:2 reads,

Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:2

Jude verse 25 declares that God existed “before all time” and “now and forever.”

God Is Omnipotent

Omnipotent means he is all powerful. Jeremiah 32:17 reads,

Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Jeremiah 32:17

In Matthew 19:26, Jesus said,

With God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26

Omnipotence does not mean that God can do what is logically impossible, such as making a square triangle or creating a rock so big he can’t pick it up. Nor can he do things against his character. For example, James 1:13 says God cannot be tempted with evil; therefore, God will never do evil.

God Is Spirit

In John 4:24, Jesus said that “God is spirit.” He is not made of matter, like creation is. Theologian Wayne Grudem writes,

He has no parts, no size, and no dimensions.
Wayne Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty basics every Christian should know, 26

God Is Omnipresent

Since God is not made of matter, he can be everywhere in his creation at once. In Jeremiah 23:23–24, God says:

Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:23–24

David in Psalm 139:7–12 wrote,

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
        Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
        If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
        and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
        and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
        and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
        the night is bright as the day,
        for darkness is as light with you.
Psalm 139:7–12

God Is Invisible

We read in John 1:18 that “no one has ever seen God.” Of course, we see what God does, such as creating the universe. But God has chosen not to make himself visible. Since he is spirit, we cannot see all of his being with our physical eyes unless God manifests himself in ways that humans can perceive him. In the past, he manifested his presence in clouds and even in a human-like form. These manifestations are called theophanies. He has also spoken to and shown visions to people

Of course, the greatest manifestation of himself is when the Son took on flesh and dwelt on earth.

God Is Triune

The doctrine of the Trinity is that within the nature of the one God are three eternal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent.

The word “trinity” is not in the Bible. Rather, it is a word we use to describe what the Bible teaches. But neither, for that matter, is the word “Bible” found in the Bible. Further, we use other terms that aren’t found in the Bible, like omniscient and omnipotent.

The first book of the Bible hints at the complexity of God’s nature. Genesis 1:26 reads,

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
Genesis 1:26

By “us” he can’t mean angels or other celestial beings because he didn’t make humans in their image. He made us in his own image.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Matthew 3:16–17 describes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all active in Jesus’s baptism:

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16–17

The Son went up from the water, the Holy Spirit descended visibly on him, and the Father spoke.

Matthew 28:19 tells us that after his resurrection, Jesus commanded his followers to

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19

Jesus treats the three as distinct persons. The Bible also shows they have distinct roles. And the Bible refers to all of them as God. But there is no time to further develop these teachings now.

Since there is nothing in creation exactly like the Trinity, it’s difficult to fully grasp the concept. The nearest analogy is marriage. Ephesians 5:31 tells us that when two persons are married, they become “one flesh.” Yet they are still distinct persons with distinct roles.

The Questions

Now that we know more of God’s attributes and more about what God is like, we can answer the other questions with which we began.

How Could the Word Be God and Jesus?

John 1:14 describes how it happened like this:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
John 1:14

As I mentioned in Discovering Good News in John on page 18, biblical scholar D.A. Carson, writes that the words translated “dwelt among us” are more literally, “pitched his tabernacle, or lived in his tent, amongst us” (The Gospel According to John, 127). Just as Moses built a tent as a place where God could dwell among his people in a special way, so Jesus came in a tent of flesh to dwell among people. God the Son took on human flesh as a tent.

Luke 1:35 describes the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the taking on of flesh at Jesus’s conception in his mother Mary:

And the angel answered her [Mary], “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”
Luke 1:35

So the Son of God who was with God and was God took on flesh.

Does the Old Testament Say the Messiah Will Be God?

As we read this week, John 1:1 tells us, “The Word was God” and John 1:14-18 identify the Word as the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament doesn’t state this as directly as the New Testament, but it does point to the Messiah’s divinity in several ways.

Genesis Hints at God’s Complex Nature

First, Genesis 1:26 gives us a glimpse of God’s complex nature when he says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Isaiah Prophesies God Will Visit the Earth

Second, Isaiah prophesies about things God will do when he visits the earth, such as open blind eyes and shepherd God’s people. Both “shepherd” and “messiah” are titles for kings. See the sidebar on page 97 of Discovering Good News in John for more details.

Daniel Describes the Messiah in Divine Ways

Third, Daniel 7:13-14 describes a vision of a king who rules forever (as the Messiah is prophesied to do) who appears in the “clouds of heaven,” which suggests divinity:

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
         there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
        and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
        and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
       should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
        which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
        that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13–14

Isaiah Calls the Messiah “Mighty God”

Fourth, Isaiah 9:6-7 states the future righteous ruler (Messiah) will be called “Mighty God”:

For to us a child is born,
        to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
        and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
         there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
        to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
        from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

How Could Jesus Have Been Involved in Creation When He Was Born 2000 Years Ago?

The Son of God existed eternally. But he took on flesh 2000 years ago. Even so, he still is active in sustaining creation, as Hebrews 1:3 attests:

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:3

Why Did Someone Have to Die for Sin to Be Forgiven?

In our last session, I said that sin brought death to humans, but the Lord showed in the sacrificial system that a perfect sacrificial death could substitute for the sinner’s life. But why didn’t he just forgive? This is a question that many have asked.

It helps to relate questions like these to recent events. On a night in 2015 at Stanford University, two students came across a man having sex with a young woman who appeared to be unconscious. They tackled him and held him until the police came. The police took photos of the girl’s disrobed body and then she was taken to the hospital. There she awoke and discovered she’d been raped after passing out from drinking too much at a party.

The man was tried. The woman watched aghast as the photos of her naked body were shown to the jury. A jury convicted the man of three felony counts of sexual misconduct.

The Sentence

But the judge said a prison sentence would have a severe impact on the young man and sentenced him to only six months out of a maximum sentence of 14 years. He served only three months.

The young woman, Chanel Miller, wrote that at the sentencing,

I burned inside, couldn’t speak. I was humiliated, wished no one had come.
Chanel Miller, Know My Name: A Memoir, 237

The public was furious. Voters recalled the judge and California mandated tougher sentences for sexually assaulting unconscious victims.

Just forgiving with little or no penalty trivializes guilt and tells victims that they don’t count. It tells victims that their pain, suffering, loss, and humiliation don’t matter. Just forgiving tells victims they will have no justice.

The reason someone had to die was to tell victims they matter and to tell everyone that their sin matters. If the Lord just forgave our sin, sort of just waived it, then we wouldn’t understand the horror of sin. Additionally, he can’t give the unrepentant eternal life in his kingdom because they would continue to oppress, abuse, and harm.

In Conclusion

In this session, we discovered seven more of God’s attributes that tell us what God is like. God:

Exists
Is eternal
Is omnipotent
Is spirit
Is omnipresent
Is invisible
Is triune

From those attributes, we answered common questions about God.

This week, in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 2: The Good News. We’ll answer the question, What Is the Good News? See you next time.

Join the Discussion!

Please answer these questions in the comments below.

What one thought stuck out to you in this week’s video? Why did it stand out?
What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stand out?
Question 29, page 24: Share one doubt you had about Jesus before coming to Christ and how God helped you past that. Or, if you’re not a Christian, write one question you have about who Jesus is.

September 26, 2022/2 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Online Studies

3 Mistakes People Make About God

(To watch 3 Mistakes People Make About God instead of reading, click here.)

How do we come to know God? What mistakes do people make when wanting to know God?

An up-close study of Jesus: Discovering Good News in John. — Discovering Good News in John

Welcome to Session 1 of Discovering Good News in John.

You can read or watch this 11-session video/blog series, which is a companion to the Bible study, Discovering Good News in John. The book, John’s Gospel, and this video/blog series together will show you the hope of eternal life, assure you of God’s deep love, bolster your faith, and confirm your confidence that you can have eternal life.

I became a Christian through reading the Gospel of John. I tell the story in the book. And since that time, I’ve met others who also became Christians through reading John’s Gospel. That’s why I was so excited to write Discovering Good News in John with Pam Farrel and Karla Dornacher.

When I started reading John for the first time at age 14, I had a lot of mistaken notions about God and Jesus. For example, I pictured God as a mostly bald man who peeked through clouds periodically to see what people were doing. I didn’t think he knew my thoughts unless I was silently praying. I thought Jesus was a shepherd who liked children but couldn’t get along with adults, so the adults killed him. And I certainly didn’t think he was God.

John’s Gospel changed all that. It tells us much about who God and Jesus are and what they’re like. So to prepare us for that, today I’ll describe 3 Mistakes People Make About God.

Each mistake hurts people’s faith and keeps them from fully knowing God. That’s why it’s important to discard those mistakes. Each mistake also denies an attribute of God that the Bible teaches, so we’ll also look at a total of seven of God’s attributes and what the Bible says about them.

The first mistake about God is that feelings are the best way to know God.

Mistake #1: Feelings are the best way to know God

Mistakes About God: 1) Feelings Are the Best Way to Know God

This mistake about God denies that God has revealed himself in a way that is knowable.

Once when I was leading a group Bible study, two new Christians started chatting about what they thought God was like. The first woman said, “I feel that God is like this…” and she continued with some thoughts that clearly contradicted Scripture. The second woman said, “I think the same thing.”

I explained that we don’t look to our feelings to know what God is like but rather to what God has revealed about himself in Scripture. The second woman nodded and said that made sense. But the first pressed her lips together in a way that made it plain she disagreed. Indeed, she soon abandoned our Bible study, church, and Christianity.

Believing this mistake—that feelings are the best way to know God—hurts faith because one’s faith is not in the true God but in an imaginary one.

The gal who thought that her feelings were the best guide was a huge fan of Oprah Winfrey, and I suspect that she got much of her theology from Oprah. Oprah has said things like:

“There are millions of ways to be a human being, and many paths to what you call God.”

And also:

“Well, I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity.”
https://christianpodcastcentral.com/wwutt-oprah-said-there-are-many-ways-to-god/ (accessed 7/14/2022)

What People Say

Here are two things people say when they believe their feelings are the best way to know God.

1) “I don’t think this is wrong, so God must not either.” In other words, my feelings about morality are a better guide than the Bible. This stunts spiritual growth because God’s commands help us grow spiritually.

2) “God wants me to be happy so he doesn’t care whether I obey the Bible’s commands.” Actually, God wants to bless us through our obedience, and he promises to eternally reward obedience. Believing God wants our happiness more than our obedience results in unhappiness because God’s commands are designed to bless us. It can eventually result in falling away from God when things happen that cause unhappiness.

When we believe our feelings are the best way to know God, in our minds we create…

A God in Our Own Image

When we think, “This is what I think is best; therefore, this is what God thinks is best,” we’ve created a god in our own image.

Let’s look at two Scriptures in which God responds to people who think God is like what they imagine him to be.

“You Thought I Was Exactly Like You”

The first is Psalm 50:21. It reads,

When you did these things [theft, adultery, deceit, slander]
   and I kept silent,
   you thought I was exactly like you.
But I now arraign you
   and set my accusations before you.
Psalm 50:21 (NIV)

Here, God tells people that when they thought he was just like them, they were just plain wrong. Actually, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think that God is like whatever people think he should be. After all, people think contradictory things about God, and they can’t all be right.

“My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts”

The second Scripture is Isaiah 55:7–9.

Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
   and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:7-9 (NIV)

“He Makes a God”

Creating a god in our own image is not new. The Bible calls it idolatry. But instead of fashioning an idol from wood and silver, we fashion it from our imaginations.

Isaiah 44:17 addresses idol making:

From the rest [of the wood] he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me! You are my god!”
Isaiah 44:17 (NIV)

And here’s what the Apostle Paul said in Acts 17:29-31:

We should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.
Acts 17:29-31 (NIV)

Paul here is sharing the gospel with Gentiles (that is, non-Jews) and he says that the resurrection is evidence that the God of the Bible exists and that Jesus will judge the world. John’s Gospel will argue that the resurrection is evidence that God sent Jesus and that we can trust Jesus’s words. In John 10:35, Jesus called Scripture the “word of God” that “cannot be broken.” If Jesus calls Scripture God’s Word, then we should pay attention to what it says.

The mistake that feelings are the best way to know God denies an attribute of God that the Bible teaches; namely, that God is knowable.

Mistakes about God deny that God is knowable

Mistakes about God Deny God Is Knowable

Jeremiah 9:23-24 reads:

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)

Notice that God here reveals through the prophet Jeremiah what he is like and says that knowing him is better than intelligence, strength, and wealth.

Here’s what Jesus said about knowing God in John 1:18 and 17:3:

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 1:18 (NIV)

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
John 17:3 (ESV)

In other words, God is knowable through Jesus.

Now, Scripture also says that some things about God are beyond our full grasp. For example, Psalm 145:3 reads:

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:3 (ESV)

But the key point here is that one of God’s attributes is that he is knowable through what he has revealed about himself in Scripture. Knowing God is too important to leave to fickle feelings.

Another mistake about God is that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament.

Mistake #2: The God of the Old Testament differs from the God of the New Testament

Mistakes about God: 2) The God of the Old Testament Differs From the God of the New Testament

This denies at least five of God’s attributes: that he is love, just, unchangeable, perfect, and a unity.

One morning I visited a women’s small group that happened to be studying the passage in the Bible where God tells Moses he cannot enter the promised land because of a sin he committed. A woman spoke up saying, “Why was God so harsh with Moses? I don’t understand. I guess the God of the Old Testament is really different than the God of the New Testament.” Another woman replied, “Yes, I heard that too. I think that’s why we need Jesus to protect us from God’s wrath.”

Sadly, the group leader started to close the meeting down, so all I could slip in was, “God is a God of love who never changes.” Thankfully, I had the email address of the questioner and I was able to answer her questions to her satisfaction by explaining the harm Moses’s sin caused and why God holds leaders to a higher standard.

The mistake that the God of the Old Testament differs from the God of the New Testament comes from the early church heretic Marcion. Atheists frequently throw around the phrase, “God of the Old Testament” to mock God, and perhaps that’s why some Christians today are hearing the phrase and are accidentally taking on Marcion’s heresy. The heresy causes people to be afraid of God and afraid of reading the Old Testament. They think the Old Testament is all about judgment and the New Testament is all about grace. But they don’t know the Bible well enough to have seen God’s grace in the Old Testament and God’s judgment in the New Testament.

What Scripture Actually Teaches

We’ll look at three passages that show consistency between what the Old and New Testaments teach about God and judgment. The first is God’s self-description. The second is Jesus speaking. And the third is Jesus quoting the Old Testament.

Exodus 34:6-7 gives God’s self-description in the Old Testament.

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”
Exodus 34:6-7 (ESV)

So we see the Old Testament describes God as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, loving, faithful, and forgiving. Now let’s read what Jesus says about himself in John 5:27–29.

And he [God] has given him [Jesus] authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
John 5:27-29 (ESV)

Jesus said he will be the one to execute judgment. In our third passage, Mark 9:47-48, Jesus quotes Isaiah 66:24.

And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.”
Mark 9:47-48 (NIV)

So we see that God is love and God is righteous and good. That God is love doesn’t mean he’s like a grandfather who is blind to imperfections. He sees our failings and he desires to change us for the better.

When people sin against those he loves, it rightly angers him—just as we’re angry when we hear of horrific injustices. But God also offers grace to the repentant. He showed the greatness of his love through the self-sacrifice that paid sin’s penalty for us.

Earlier I said that the mistake that the God of the Old Testament differs from the God of the New Testament denies five of God’s attributes. Let’s look at them.

Mistakes about God Deny God Is Love, Just, Unchangeable, Perfect, and a Unity

Mistakes about God deny that God is love

1) God Is Love

This is clearly stated in 1 John 4:8:

God is love.
1 John 4:8 (ESV)

God has also demonstrated that he is love through his actions. 1 John 4:10 reads:

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation [or atoning sacrifice] for our sins.
1 John 4:10 (ESV)

And here’s Romans 5:8:

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (ESV)

So God is love. But part of love is desiring justice when those you love are wronged. That leads us to the next attribute of God,

Mistakes about God deny that God is righteous and just

2) God Is Righteous And Just

God’s perfect righteousness and justice is described first in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 32:4 reads:

The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV)

When we’re wronged or when we see someone wronged, our hearts long for justice. Yet we know God offers forgiveness. How can God forgive sins and still be just? God showed in the Old Testament sacrificial system that sin brought death, but another creature’s life could pay the penalty due someone. Still, the blood of animals could not suffice enough to provide eternal life, so God had to provide a surpassing ransom. Psalm 49:7-9,and then verse 15 explains this:

Truly no man can ransom another,
   or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of their life is costly
   and can never suffice,
that he should live on forever
   and never see the pit.
Psalm 49:7-9 (ESV)

Here’s the next verse, verse 15.

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me. Selah
Psalm 49:15 (ESV)

The New Testament makes clear that Jesus is that ransom. In fact, just as a shadow shows the shape of a greater reality, so the Old Testament sacrifices were a shadow of Jesus’s sacrifice, as Hebrews 10:1-5 explains:

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me.”
Hebrews 10:1-5 (ESV)

Romans 3:25–26 sums it up:

God put forward [Jesus] as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:25-26 (ESV)

The third attribute is that

Mistakes about God deny that God is unchangeable

3) God Is Unchangeable

God is unchangeable in his being, his attributes, his purposes, and his promises. Let’s look at four verses on God being unchangeable.

First, in Malachi 3:6 God says,

I the LORD do not change.
Malachi 3:6 (NIV)

Second, Psalm 33:11 reads

The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
Psalm 33:11 (ESV)

Third, Numbers 23:19 reads

God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19 (ESV)

Fourth, James 1:17 tells us this:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17 (ESV)

So God is unchangeable.

Mistakes about God deny that God is perfect

4) God Is Perfect

For the God of the Old Testament to differ from the God of the New Testament would mean at least one of them would be imperfect. But Jesus in Matthew 5:48 said,

Your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

Mistakes about God deny that God is a unity

5) God Is a Unity

This means that God is not part unchangeable, part perfect, part love, and part light. He is not one of his attributes at 1:00 PM and another of his attributes at 2:00 PM. He is at all times all of his attributes.

So mistake #1 is that feelings are the best way to know God. Mistake #2 is that the God of the Old Testament differs from the God of the New Testament.

Mistake #3: God forgets sins when we confess them

Mistakes about God: 3) God Forgets Sins When We Confess Them

This mistake denies that God is omniscient; that is, all knowing.

When I was a young Christian, I heard other Christians say if you confess your sins a second time, God says, “What sin? I didn’t know you did that.” It was a cute way of encouraging people to accept forgiveness, but it’s based on a faulty interpretation of a couple of passages.

This mistake trivializes sin and sows doubts about rewards for perseverance. For instance, when a Nazi who persecuted Corrie Ten Boom in a concentration camp turned to Christ, did God forget all the wrongs he did against Corrie and her sister, thus causing them to lose their rewards for persevering through severe persecution? No, God knows their sufferings and he will reward them.

Additionally, according to 2 Samuel 12:13, God forgave David of his adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. When a pastor preaches on David and Bathsheba, does God say, “I didn’t know David sinned”? After the sermon, does he promptly forget about it again? No, indeed, in the days of David’s great-great-grandson, God guided the hand of the writer of 1 Kings 15:5 to record this:

David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
1 Kings 15:5 (ESV)

So in the days of David’s great-great-grandson, God still knew about David’s sin, even though God had forgiven David.

Scriptures That Are Sometimes Misunderstood

The verse that’s often misunderstood is Jeremiah 31:34. It reads:

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV)

The problem is a misunderstanding of how the Bible uses the words forget and remember. When it says God “remembers sins,” it means he will act on and punish them. When it says he will “forget sins,” it means he will not act on or will no longer punish them.

We’ll look at two passages that will help make this clear. Exodus 2:23–24 reads:

During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
Exodus 2:23-24 (NIV)

Here “remembered” means he acted on his covenant with Abraham. He never forgot his covenant.

Jeremiah 14:10 reads:

Thus says the LORD concerning this people:
“They have loved to wander thus;
   they have not restrained their feet;
therefore the Lord does not accept them;
   now he will remember their iniquity
   and punish their sins.”
Jeremiah 14:10 (ESV)

Clearly God never forgot the people’s sins in the sense of not knowing they happened. But since the people ignored his calls to repent from bloodshed, child sacrifice, theft, idolatry, and oppression of the poor, he was no longer going to delay punishing their sins.

Don’t Misunderstand

Forgiveness is total and complete, so much so that it is as if sin is forgotten. 1 John 1:9 promises:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (ESV)

The attribute of God that this mistake denies is that God is omniscient.

Mistakes about God deny that God is omniscient

Mistakes about God Deny God Is Omniscient

That is, he is all knowing. Here are three passages about God’s omniscience.

God… knows everything.
1 John 3:20 (ESV)

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:13 (esv)

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar…
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
Psalm 139:1–4 (ESV)

Yes, God knows everything, even our thoughts. But out of his great love, he sent his Son to die to pay the penalty for our sins.

John 3:16 reads

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (ESV)

Mistakes about God deny these 7 attributes of God

In Conclusion

Today we looked at three common mistakes about knowing God and the seven attributes of God that these mistakes deny:

God is knowable
God is love
God is righteous and just
God is unchangeable
God is perfect
God is a unity
God is omniscient

Please answer the discussion questions below in the comments to get to know your fellow Bible study friends. This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 1: The Word Was God. We’ll answer the question, Who is Jesus?

Join the Discussion

Which of the seven attributes of God we discussed today comforts you the most? Why?
Where are you studying from and what drew you to join us for this online Bible study?

September 20, 2022/1 Comment/by Jean E. Jones

Jesus in the Old Testament, News, Old Testament, Online Studies

Online Bible Study: Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament

When times are crazy, it helps to remember God’s faithfulness to fulfill his promises about Jesus’s first coming. That’s because it assures us he’ll fulfill his promises about Jesus’s second coming. Join me in a new online Bible study of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament! Your faith will soar as you discover how the Old Testament unfolds God’s incredible plan. And your hope will rise as you grasp his promises for you when Jesus returns.

This 13-session study begins June 22. Subscribers can watch my weekly teaching videos for free. All you need is a copy of the Bible study book to follow along with the discussion and the subscriber password from my last newsletter. (Not subscribing yet? Get the password when you register).

online study Moses — Learn what Moses said about Jesus

Benefits

These are the benefits you can expect from this OT online Bible study:

Grow in faith as you see God’s eternal plan unfold.
Know God’s incredible, unchanging love for you.
Understand your place in the Bible’s big story.
Increase your joy as you learn and rejoice in the future awaiting you.

Here’s what one reader said of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament:

Amazing and mind-blowing and helped us all grow in our faith and our relationship with God.
Reader DeAnn Dinelli

How This Online Bible Study Will Work

Starting Monday, June 22, I’ll post weekly videos and discussion questions so you can interact with me and others learning from the study. When the video is up, I’ll email a link to it to those who have registered.

Each week:

Watch the video.
Answer the online questions.
Complete a chapter in the study book.

That’s it!

FAQS

What if that’s not a good date?

No worries! Begin any time from June 22 on. I’ll check in regularly.

What if I can’t complete a chapter in a week?

Go at your own pace!

Is there a fee?

The videos are free to my newsletter subscribers—you just need your subscriber specials password.

How do I get the password?

Newsletter subscribers: The password is in my latest newsletter. Not a subscriber? When you register, you’ll subscribe automatically and receive a confirmation email with the password.

Does the password unlock anything else?

Yes! There are timelines to go with the study and other materials here: Free Resources

How to Join This Online Bible Study

Here’s what to do:

Register here: Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament Online
Buy a copy of the book: Amazon

I’ll email registrants a link to the videos when I post them.

For bulk purchases and other buying options, go to the registration page: Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament Online. The Amazon link above is an affiliate link for which I receive a small commission.

More Details

online study prophets — Discover what the prophets said about Jesus

Your faith will grow as you journey in discovering all God has planned since before the foundation of the earth. You’ll see how God enfolded his plan, what Jesus fulfilled in his first coming, and what he has for you in his second coming.

You’ll never tire of studying Scripture with this fresh and engaging Bible study encounter. Through persuasive instruction and inspiring devotions, it reveals God’s redemptive plan from the beginning of creation. Explore…

timeline icons to help you track God’s plan through the Old Testament
key questions at the beginning of each section to guide your focus
opportunities for creative expression, including full-page graphics and bookmarks to color
sidebars that offer fascinating historical insights
practical application questions to guide and deepen your walk with Christ
online opportunities for connection and interactive community

As you discover new ways to engage with God’s Word through this in-depth approach to studying Scripture, you will gain wisdom and understanding about his incredible, unchanging love for you.

Join Now!

Online Bible study begins June 22 on "Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament"! Taught by Jean E. Jones…register now! Share on X

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June 9, 2020/2 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

The Intermediate State

1. Perfected

2. Resurrected

3. Resplendent

4. Renowned and Rewarded

In Conclusion

Join The Discussion

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Step 1 to Unity: Realize That Differences Over Non-Essentials Are Okay

Step 2 to Unity: Differentiate Between Essentials and Non-Essentials

What Are the Essentials?

How Do We Recognize Non-Essentials?

Step 3 to Unity: Beware Partisanship

Step 4 to Unity: Grant Grace by Neither Despising nor Judging

Step 5 to Unity: Hear All Christian Views

Step 6 to Unity: Be Humble

In Conclusion

Books You Might Like

Related Posts

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Here’s What Was Wrong.

Justification Versus Sanctification

Our Passage: 2 Peter 1:3-11

God’s Provision for a Life of Godliness (1:3-4)

1) The Lord Provides Us All Things That Pertain to Life and Godliness

2) God’s Provision Is Possible Through Knowing Him

3) God’s Promises Provide Us an Escape from Earthly Passions

4) God’s Promises Provide for Us to Partake of the Divine Nature

Our Response to God’s Provision (1:5-11)

Pursue Godly Character

The Scripture gives us many ways to do this.

Reasons to Pursue Godly Character

Pursuing Godly Character Makes Us Effective and Fruitful

Forgetting His Promised Forgiveness Obstructs Godly Character

Pursuing Godly Character Confirms Your Election

You Will Receive a Rich Welcome into His Eternal Kingdom

In Conclusion

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1) God Is Independent

2) God Is Personal

3) God Is Truthful

4) God Is Holy

People Are Not Holy

5) God Is Merciful And Gracious

God Longs To Show Mercy And Grace

6) God Is Wise

First, God’s Plan Justifies Satan’s Judgment

Second, God’s Plan Proved God’s Righteousness

Third, God’s Plan Glorifies God Through Man

In Conclusion

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The Passage

The Problems

Observation 1: Jesus allows the so-called problem of evil to exist

Many Bible Passages Declare That God Is Good

But Divine Hiddenness Is Valuable

Observation 2: Jesus allows suffering to afflict those he loves

Observation 3: Jesus is sometimes misunderstood

Observation 4: Jesus lets us suffer for our sake

“Why Did God Let That Child Die?”

A Miracle-Filled World Overrules Free Will And Severs Morality

God Uses Hardship For Our Good

We Can Trust God When Prayers Are Answered “No”

Observation 5: Jesus sympathizes with our suffering

Observation 6: Jesus demonstrated his compassion, authenticity, and power, thus bringing glory to himself

Observation 7: Jesus will end all the suffering of those who believe

If You’re Following in the Book

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Related Posts

I. What Are Angels?

Do Christians Become Angels When They Die?

God Created Angels Before He Created Adam and Eve

Angels and Humans Have Different Roles in the End Times

What Happens to Those Made Righteous?

Do Angels Have Wings?

II. What Are Seraphim, Cherubim, and the Living Creatures?