"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God."
Romans 5:1-2
This post is long overdue but I wanted to share what I learned at my church's Romans Bible Academy. Over the summer we studied the first half of the book of Romans. I led the Bible study on chapter 5, which we titled "Fruits of Righteousness". I just wanted to write some key points that I learned from leading that Bible study.
If you have never read Romans before, or just need a refresher, the first chapters focus primarily on the doctrine of justification by grace through faith. Paul explains the idea that everyone is a sinner, whether Jew or Gentile. As a result of our sinfulness, we are all under God's righteous judgement. We all deserve death. Thankfully, Paul also writes that we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who have faith in Jesus are declared righteous in God's sight.
I went over the doctrine of justification fairly quickly, so I recommend that you read the first four chapters of Romans if you want to understand it more deeply. The focus of chapter five is a little different. Instead of dealing with the idea of justification directly, Paul talks about the result of our justification. This chapter is so powerful because it gives us practical results of our justification.
The first result, or fruit, of justification is peace. I shared the story of how one day my parents were working with a ladder in the backyard of our house. They had it set up in the backyard, and went off to do something else. They told me not to play on the ladder, knowing that I was eager to climb the ladder and play on it. Of course I didn't listen, and started playing with the ladder. I fell off the ladder, banging my head on one of the bars. When my parents rushed over to me, I felt a huge sense of guilt and shame. I clearly disobeyed my parents, and I paid the consequences of my disobedience.
The ladder story is a silly one, but it illustrates how guilt and shame can enter our lives because of sin. When we disobey God, we suffer the consequences of our sin and we feel guilt and shame. Even worse still, we can feel the wrath of God on our lives. However, when we know that we are justified by faith, we can experience peace with God. We no longer have to worry about the consequences of our sin, because Jesus took the punishment of our sin. We don't have to experience guilt and shame because Jesus took our guilt and shame on the cross.
The second fruit of justification is hope. Without justification, we are condemned to death. There is no hope for eternal life with God because our sin separates us from Him. Only one who is justified can have access to the glory of God. Since we are justified through faith, we can have hope that one day we will share the glory of God.
Peace and hope are two things that we each need desperately in our lives, whether we think so or not. Our hearts and constantly filled with guilt, shame and despair because of our sin. Justification allows us to have peace and hope. Justification by grace through faith is not just a theological term that has no practical meaning in our lives. It should change our lives everyday. Our lives are meant to be filled with peace and hope because of justification. So ask yourself- do I experience peace and hope in my everyday life?
-Smart
Good Gifts
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"
-Matthew 7:11
Matthew 7:7-12 talks about asking God for things. The passage has the famed verse "ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)." I've heard this verse many times, but I never really put too much thought into it. What would be the point of prayer if God never answered them? That was always my mindset when I read this passage. However, recently I've had a new insight into God's character through this passage.
In my sophomore year of college I got my first car as a gift from my grandfather, who unfortunately was very sick and passed away not too long after that time. The car was a really old green Ford Focus, which had a lot of problems over the years. My brother and I shared the car, not daring to drive it on long trips for fear of being stranded. The car served us well, but it clearly was not going to last very long.
Two and a half years later, which was this spring, I graduated from college. I also received a job that I will start soon. One random day in the summer, my dad asked me if I wanted a car as a graduation gift. I said yes, but I didn't really think too much of it. I already had the Focus, so I didn't feel an urgent need to get a new car at the time. Despite me never really thinking about it, my dad would constantly ask me week after week when I wanted to get a new car. After a couple weeks, we finally went to CarMax and purchased a car.
I absolutely love my new car. It drives so much better than the Focus I used to own. I can play music from my phone using Bluetooth, which I could never do before. The car is extremely roomy and just has a great feel. The car accelerates much faster than I would even attempt on the Focus. I'm so grateful for my dad who helped me purchase my new car.
The point of this story is not that I got a new car. Getting a new car is great, but the message I want you to get from this story is that it wasn't me who was responsible for getting the car. It's not like I pestered my dad to buy a new car. In fact, it was my dad who pestered me. My dad was excited when he thought about getting a new car. The car wasn't even for him, but it brought him joy to buy a car. He delighted in giving me a good gift.
That's the principle that I learned from this experience. Often times when I read Matthew 7, I think that I have to somehow earn God's favor. I think that if I just ask hard enough, seek hard enough, or knock hard enough, maybe God will answer my prayer. That mindset completely goes against God's character. Look again at verse 11, posted above. If even my earthly dad delights in giving me good gifts, how much more does God delight in giving us good gifts? God wants to give you good gifts. He doesn't reluctantly give us what we ask for. He is excited at the thought of giving us good things. He's waiting for us to simply ask.
If God delights so much in giving us good gifts, why don't I receive good gifts from Him? You may be thinking, "I ask God for things all the time, why don't I get anything from Him?" Let me ask you this, "what if the good gifts you need are already given to you?" What if what you think you need isn't what you actually need? Or what if what you think you want isn't what you really want? I think we forget to be thankful for what God has already given to us. How can we expect God to give us good things if we can't even appreciate what we already have?
One song that I really like these days is "Good Good Father". One of the lines in that song says "You know just what we need before we say a word". God knows what you need. He knows what I need. He even knows what we want. He wants to give us good gifts. He delights in giving us good things because He delights in us.
-Smart
-Matthew 7:11
Matthew 7:7-12 talks about asking God for things. The passage has the famed verse "ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)." I've heard this verse many times, but I never really put too much thought into it. What would be the point of prayer if God never answered them? That was always my mindset when I read this passage. However, recently I've had a new insight into God's character through this passage.
In my sophomore year of college I got my first car as a gift from my grandfather, who unfortunately was very sick and passed away not too long after that time. The car was a really old green Ford Focus, which had a lot of problems over the years. My brother and I shared the car, not daring to drive it on long trips for fear of being stranded. The car served us well, but it clearly was not going to last very long.
Two and a half years later, which was this spring, I graduated from college. I also received a job that I will start soon. One random day in the summer, my dad asked me if I wanted a car as a graduation gift. I said yes, but I didn't really think too much of it. I already had the Focus, so I didn't feel an urgent need to get a new car at the time. Despite me never really thinking about it, my dad would constantly ask me week after week when I wanted to get a new car. After a couple weeks, we finally went to CarMax and purchased a car.
I absolutely love my new car. It drives so much better than the Focus I used to own. I can play music from my phone using Bluetooth, which I could never do before. The car is extremely roomy and just has a great feel. The car accelerates much faster than I would even attempt on the Focus. I'm so grateful for my dad who helped me purchase my new car.
The point of this story is not that I got a new car. Getting a new car is great, but the message I want you to get from this story is that it wasn't me who was responsible for getting the car. It's not like I pestered my dad to buy a new car. In fact, it was my dad who pestered me. My dad was excited when he thought about getting a new car. The car wasn't even for him, but it brought him joy to buy a car. He delighted in giving me a good gift.
That's the principle that I learned from this experience. Often times when I read Matthew 7, I think that I have to somehow earn God's favor. I think that if I just ask hard enough, seek hard enough, or knock hard enough, maybe God will answer my prayer. That mindset completely goes against God's character. Look again at verse 11, posted above. If even my earthly dad delights in giving me good gifts, how much more does God delight in giving us good gifts? God wants to give you good gifts. He doesn't reluctantly give us what we ask for. He is excited at the thought of giving us good things. He's waiting for us to simply ask.
If God delights so much in giving us good gifts, why don't I receive good gifts from Him? You may be thinking, "I ask God for things all the time, why don't I get anything from Him?" Let me ask you this, "what if the good gifts you need are already given to you?" What if what you think you need isn't what you actually need? Or what if what you think you want isn't what you really want? I think we forget to be thankful for what God has already given to us. How can we expect God to give us good things if we can't even appreciate what we already have?
One song that I really like these days is "Good Good Father". One of the lines in that song says "You know just what we need before we say a word". God knows what you need. He knows what I need. He even knows what we want. He wants to give us good gifts. He delights in giving us good things because He delights in us.
-Smart
Staff Conference 2016 Testimony
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,”
-Ephesians 2:14 NIV
I attended my church's staff conference as an observer recently. I wanted to share what I learned through a testimony that I wrote at the conference. Enjoy.
-Ephesians 2:14 NIV
I attended my church's staff conference as an observer recently. I wanted to share what I learned through a testimony that I wrote at the conference. Enjoy.
The first thing I thought about after reading Ephesians 2 is who I have hostility against. The whole point of the passage is that we should not have hostility against anyone, but peace with everyone. When I think about my relationships with others, I don’t think I would describe any of them as hostile. I like to think that I am a pretty likable person, who tends to get along with most people. What application does this passage have for me?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don’t have peace with everyone. Sure, I am not hostile against anyone, but I wouldn’t say that I am at peace with everyone. There are people that I know bother me; whether it be their personality, their interests, or even their dullness. I don’t actively act hostile against these people, but I often try to avoid these people. I also sometimes express my dissatisfaction with the way someone performs their duty in church. Rather than build them up, I drag them down by my unkind words.
I am somewhat of a perfectionist, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It is good because I try my best to serve the church in music and other ways. It is bad because I place my high expectations on others. While this doesn’t always cause division and hostility in church, I know it isn’t healthy. I talk behind people’s backs about how they could have done something better, rather than approach them directly. I think that by avoiding the issue, I am making peace. However, I learned in Bible study that this is not true.
While I realized that I am not truly at peace with others, I also realized that I am not really at peace with myself. In the near future, a big transition is coming in my life. I will be moving to Dallas, Texas for work. This is extremely unsettling for me because I have so many questions and doubts. Am I able to spiritually sustain myself outside of the Washington, DC ministry? Is this really God’s will for my life? How will I feed myself? I am not only transitioning from one place to another, but from a student to a worker, a big ministry to a small ministry, and the care of my parents to living on my own.
With so much doubt and anxiety in my heart, I cannot be at peace. I believe that the source of these doubts is my lack of faith. Ephesians 2 claims that Jesus Himself is our peace. This means that Jesus Himself is my peace. If I do not experience peace in my life, do I really experience Jesus in my life? This passage seems to suggest that if I accept Jesus in my heart, I should experience peace. However, I don’t experience peace in the way described in the passage. I am not at peace with myself, and I am not at peace with others.
So how can I find peace with myself and with others? Dr. Alan Wolff said something that spoke to my heart in Bible study. He said that our problem is not really hostility with others. Our problem is hostility with God. My problem is not hostility with others or myself, but hostility against God. The Bible claims that we were God’s enemies because of our sin. Sin created hostility between me and God. If God left me as I was or waited for me to turn from my sin, I would surely be doomed. Thank God that He didn’t leave me as I was. He sent Jesus to die on the cross and to be raised to life. Through Christ I am no longer an enemy of God, but I am adopted into sonship.
When I read verse 14 for the first time, I took it in the context of Jews and Gentiles. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made the Jews and Gentiles one…”. When I meditated more on this verse, I read it in a different context. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made sinners and Christ one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” He has brought me, who was once far from God, near to God. When Jesus died on the cross, He tore the veil that separated man from the most Holy Place, where God dwelt. Jesus’ death gave us access to the Father by removing the hostility between man and God created by sin. By destroying the barrier of hostility between man and God, Jesus gave us an opportunity to experience Him as our peace.
So I ask again, how can I find peace with myself and with others? I can find peace with myself and with others by finding peace with God. Where do I find this peace? At the cross of Jesus Christ, where there is no longer any separation between sinners and the Holy God. When I truly accept the gospel in my heart, I can experience peace with God that will overflow to peace with others and myself. I pray that I can accept the cross of Christ more deeply in my life and experience the peace that it brings in my life.
One Word: I can find peace with myself, with others, and with God because Jesus Himself is my peace.
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