Promise Promotes Practice

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 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. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

I was raised thinking that, even though salvation was a free gift, it was something I had to work to keep. And if I didn't obey Jesus, didn't do things right, then I would lose my salvation and go to hell forever. As a teenager, this led to a very insecure view of my standing before God. I would constantly find myself begging God not to cast me away, but to have mercy on me and forgive me. I promised him all the time that next time I would do better. Next time I would try harder. Next time I would obey, if he would just give me the chance.

I didn't believe in eternal security back then. I was always told that people who believed in eternal security (or once-saved-always-saved) made lazy Christians. They would live however they wanted because they couldn't lose their salvation. I've come since to see that believing eternal security in fact promotes the opposite - because God has saved me and will not let me go, I cannot continue living how I want to. The passage above from 1 John is one of such passages that have helped me see how this works.

Our Position Before God
Verse 1 tells us that, as Christians, we are God's children. This is not so for everyone. Only those who have received Christ, who have trusted in Him alone are called children of God (John 1:12). We are children, adopted by the Spirit, who have the right to call God, "Father" (Romans 8:14-17). God has called me his child; through Jesus Christ, He has made me his son.

God's Promise to His Children
Verse 2 points us to the tremendous promise that God has made to us: we will see and be like Christ. When Christ returns in glory, we will become like him. How? John says that it will happen by our seeing him in his glory, we likewise will be transformed. This same idea is what Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 3:18 when he says that as we behold his glory, we are being transformed into the same image.

John tells his readers that we will be like him when we see him. This is God's promise to his children: we will be glorified. We will make it to the end. And though we do not know what that will look like, we can know that it is sure for us as believers. Paul tells us that all those who are justified, and therefore saved, will be glorified (Romans 8:30).

How the Promise Affects the Way I Live
This is a tremendous promise, but it's not something that John says so that I will not change. John means for this promise to impact how I live my life. John says that everyone who hopes in this should be changed by it. Now when the Bible speaks of hope, it's not an uncertain thing, like saying "I hope it doesn't rain today." The Bible speaks of hope as a confident expectation. It's something we bank on.

So, what should I do if I expect to be glorified like Christ at his return? John says that since we know that we will be made like him then, we should purify ourselves like him now. Believing in the surety of my salvation in God's hands should encourage me to continue to break free from the sin that seeks to destroy me and to pursue living a life of love towards all.

How Does This Work?
Today, I was tempted to get angry and yell at someone. But in that moment, I recalled these verses, and reminded of these truths, I turned away from anger and responded rather in a more appropriate way. The Spirit reminded me of the promise and moved me to respond with God-honoring practice.

We must strive to keep God's truth before us. When we firmly hold to his promises to us, we will be better equipped to glorify him with our beings.

In Christ, I Am

Here's a list of our identity in Christ. It's who we are now. Oh how much do we need to remind ourselves everyday! This list is not exhaustive, but it's a good foundation for understanding our true selves. Any you want to add?

• The branch (John 15:5)
• Forgiven (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7)
• Justified (Rom 3:24)
• Redeemed (Rom 3:24; Eph 1:4, 7)
• Dead to sin (Rom 6:11)
• Alive to God (Rom 6:11)
• Not condemned (Rom 8:1)
• Set free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2)
• Sanctified (1 Cor 1:2)
• Made alive (1 Cor 1:22)
• A new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
• Reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:21-22)
• Becoming the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21)
• Free (Gal 2:4)
• A son of God (John 1:12;Gal 3:26)
• One with other believers (Gal 3:28)
• A saint (Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2)
• Faithful (Eph 1:1, Col 1:2)
• Blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3)
• Chosen (Eph 1:4)
• An heir (Eph 1:11)
• Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13)
• Created for good works (Eph 2:10)
• Being built with others into a dwelling place for God (Eph 2:22)
• Filled (Col 2:10)

Are the Rocks Doing Your Job?

It was Sunday as Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem. It would be the final week before he was crucified. Two of the disciples, following Jesus' instructions, untied a colt and brought it to him. The colt had never been ridden until Jesus climbed atop and began his entry into Jerusalem. Prophecy was about to be fulfilled: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

Jerusalem's king had come. Just as promised about 500 years earlier. And so the rejoicing began. It's was a moment of celebration as the crowds laid their cloaks and palm branches across the road. Singing and shouts of joy ensued (cf Matthew 21:9; Luke 19:38):

"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

"Hosana to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest!"

But not every one was happy. Some continued to resist their king. In fact, they were the ones who would call for his crucifixion. As the crowds cheered with joy, the Pharisees told Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples" (Luke 19:39). They couldn't see it. Even in this moment of great joy, they were blind and indignant.

Jesus gave them a stern reply: "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Rocks would sing his praise if the people didn't. It was fitting for the people to sing.

Jesus turned the tables on them. He lauded those the Pharisees wanted to silence, and silenced the Pharisees who wanted to be heard. He encouraged the crowd who sang for joy at his presence, and he wept over those who would destroy him.

The question for us is: which group are we? Am I welcoming the king into my life to rule and reign with truth, justice, and mercy? Or am I shutting him out, rebelling against his authority and shunning his very presence? To be silent before this king is to go against the very thing we were made to do. And if we don't do it, creation will. So I ask you, are the rocks doing your job? Are they singing praises that should be pouring from your lips?

The Most Important Bible Passage on Homosexuality

There's several different answers that I usually hear for this question. Occasionally you hear Sodom and Gomorrah thrown in (Genesis 19). But here's some of the main ones:

Leviticus 18:22 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."

Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them."

Romans 1:26-27: "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."

Quite frankly, these miss the mark. Now before you pick up the stones to throw, let me ask you a question: Where is the hope for people who have committed homosexual sin? Seriously, from these verses alone, there is none. And that's why I don't think that these are the most important passages in the Bible on homosexuality. As Al Mohler once said: "Homosexuals are waiting to see if the Christian church has anything more to say after we declare that homosexuality is a sin."

Personally, I think 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 should be our flagship passage in addressing this topic.

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (emphasis added)

This passage sums up clearly what Christians need to communicate when talking about homosexuality.
1. Homosexuality is clearly identified as a sin, along with other sins that keep people out of the kingdom. Homosexuality is not singled out and targeted as the only sin that keeps people from God, as is often the case with our speaking about it.
2. Grace is held out to the sinner through the power of Christ to transform. It's through his blood that we are cleansed, declared righteous and made to be holy as we ought to be. Christ is the remedy for all sin, even homosexuality.

To only focus on homosexuality as a sin is harsh and judgmental. And to condemn sin without offering the remedy is just downright hateful. But verse eleven clearly says that there are those who are changed by Christ's power - not their own willpower or choice or determination. Christ transformed them. Indeed it is Christ who transforms all of us.

The bottom line: don't just talk about sin. Talk about the remedy. Because in the end just telling someone they're going to hell and are without hope is ineffective. But to point them to Christ alone as the source for healing, forgiveness, and transformation is what the gospel is all about.