Pastor’s Blog

When we speak of classic Christmas carols, God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman has to make the list. Although it was celebrated in Britain in 1833, it is thought to be hundreds of years old. It was composed to teach the mostly illiterate masses about Christian sentiments during the holiday season. It was a teaching tool and a way to spread the message of the gospel.

The lyrics are thought to date back to the 15^th century, where some of the word’s meanings are different from today. For instance, “rest” then meant “keep,” while the word “merry” would have indicated a strong individual. When we modernize the title God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, it becomes “may God keep you gentlemen strong.” You can just picture this song being sung to encourage people during the season that God was present, able, and willing to strengthen and protect them by His grace and might. It makes sense why this song has remained popular these many years.

This carol really underscores the power of Christ and what His arrival means to all who embrace Him. It is referred to in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 1843. In Dickens’ classic tale, at the first sound of – “God bless you, merry gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!” – Scrooge seized the ruler, sending the singer fleeing in terror. It is fitting that God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman would become so closely associated with Dickens’ work depicting the story of hope and redemption in the life of a hate-filled man.

The song begins with a call to remember “Christ, our Savior, was born on Christmas day” to bring salvation. The song proceeds to outline the birth of Christ and concludes with a challenge to sing praises to the Lord, “and with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace; this holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface. O tidings of comfort and joy.” The real birth of Christ ushered in His redemptive work on the cross and victorious resurrection. Those who turn to Him for salvation genuinely walk in His power.

Peter, writing of the redemptive work of Christ, proclaims:

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:17-21).

The passage calls those who acknowledge God as God and Christ as Lord to live holy lives in Him. We ought to live in awe of God, desiring to walk in His strength and leading.

Believers have been set free from Satan’s power, or the power of sin. By Christ’s blood, which is of considerably higher value than “silver or gold,” by the precious sacrifice of the “lamb without blemish or spot,” the penalty of our sins has been paid. To save all people through Christ, this plan of God was established “before the foundation of the world.” From Christ’s birth until His Second Coming, people have the opportunity to find salvation in Him. Because God began and completed the plan of salvation, our faith, and our hope of sharing in the resurrection are based on Him.

The birth of Christ offers us confident hope that we can be redeemed in Him, that we can indeed be found strong in Him, and love others as we become like Him. This is only possible by the power of Christ ushered in by our Savior’s birth allowing us to sing, “God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember, Christ, our Savior, was born of Christmas day.” Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

I love Christmas music. It is a highlight of the year for me. I still enjoy putting together a Christmas Playlist. These songs of the season help me embrace the wonderful story and precious gift of Christ’s birth. One classic that has made all my playlists is The Little Drummer Boy.

Interestingly the song we know now as The Little Drummer Boy was initially titled Carol of the Drums because of the repeated line “pa rum pum pum pum,” which imitates the sound of a drum. No one knows for sure who wrote the song, but as best as we can surmise, Katherine K. Davis wrote the song in 1941. However, others have been credited with having written the song. What is known for certain is that there have been hundreds of recordings of the song over the years, with some appearing on the Billboard’s Hot 100. Pentatonix version even hit number one.

My earliest memory of the song is from the stop-motion animation made for TV Christmas classic The Little Drummer Boy. I am not old enough to have seen it debuted in 1968, but have enjoyed it many times over the years.

The song is about the birth of Jesus Christ and the gifts presented to the newborn king on this momentous day. The part of the song that has always touched me is, “I have no gift to bring…that’s fit to bring our king.” The boy only had a drum, and with his modest gift, he offered what he had and “played his best for Him,” and we are told the Christ child “smiled at him.”

What I didn’t appreciate for years before becoming a parent is how unlikely it is that Jesus’ mom, Mary, would have desired for a drum to be played at Christ’s birth. You know, the never wake a baby, and all of that stuff. Still, my heart is stirred by the boy’s modest gift, especially when compared to the extravagant gifts offered by the Magi. The drummer boy offers what he has and does so with all his heart.

Truth be told, I have never seen myself as extremely gifted. I am not trying to belittle myself. It’s just that I have friends who speak, play instruments, sing. They are like the one-man-band playing all the instruments on their own. I am not envious of any of them but appreciate the breadth of what they bring to the Lord’s kingdom table. I, however, have a few gifts. We all have at least one gift given to us by God for service in His name (see: Rom 1:11, 1 Cor 12:7-11, Rom 12:3-8, & 1 Peter 4:10). It doesn’t matter how many gifts we have or what those gifts happen to be. What really makes the difference is that we use them for His glory and the benefit of others.

The founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth, is quoted to have said, “God has had better men than me, but He has had all of me.” I can’t begin to say that God has always had “all of me,” but I genuinely desire for this to be true in my life. When I think of all God has done for me, how can I want anything else. Paul states it this way in Romans 12:1: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Paul is referring back to all he has written in Romans 1-11 about the “mercies of God.” As followers of Christ, we are to give ourselves entirely to God because of His saving grace. What do you give the God who has everything? We give the one thing we have the actual power to give, ourselves.

With the gifts I have, I attempt to “play my best for Him.” You know, “pa rum pum pum pum.” My playing is not always perfect, but I believe as I play, God smiles at me. This is true for each and every one of us. He is so worthy of everything we have to offer. When we offer it up to Him, we are blessed, and others benefit from it. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

The Christmas season is here, and that means Christmas music. I can hardly wait every year to begin playing the songs of the season and of our Savior’s coming. One classic Christmas hymn that has always moved me is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Just the first words, “Oh, come, oh, come, Emanuel, and ransom captive Israel,” gives me chills.

“O Come, O Come Emanuel” is actually an 8^th and 9th century Latin hymn. It takes us back over a thousand years to monastic life, where this hymn was used, much like today, in preparation for the Christmas celebration. It was traditionally sung during the final week of Advent. This hymn is possibly the oldest Christmas carol that is still in use. It was later translated by John Mason Neale from a French draft and made its way into the Church of England’s official hymnal in 1861. It has become a very familiar song for believers worldwide that is sung in anticipation of the celebration of Christ’s birth.

The hymn serves as a guided tour of the Old Testament prophecy of Christ’s coming and messianic work. Each stanza calls up a major theme of prophecies about the Messiah. Each textual matter is a prayer to Jesus under a variety of prophetic names. The refrain is the answer to the prayer: “Rejoice, Emmanuel will surely come!”

The hymn embodies a dynamic tension between what has already passed and what is yet to come. It expresses anticipation of the birth of Christ, who has already come. It also anticipates the return of Christ, who will come again. The song presents a beautiful musical dance between Israel awaiting her Messiah and that of the Church awaiting His return.

The song actually serves generally as a running commentary of Old Testament prophecy, and its many images of Jesus found in their passages. The very first verse references Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Jesus is God-with-us; God, who comes to Earth to save His people.

In particular, one can see this hymn as specifically being a commentary of Isaiah 11. For instance, the carol in part references Isaiah 11:2-3: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear.” Jesus came and will come with wisdom to judge and to set things right.

This hymn has remained popular, I believe, because it reminds us as Christians how we long for another place, one where the coming Messiah wipes the tears of those in sorrow and those cast down under life’s weightiness. The hymn makes a request for wisdom, salvation, victory, and safety. Of course, these are only ultimately found in Christ.

As we approach Christmas, let’s do so celebrating our Savior and Lord, who has come and will return to reconcile all His people unto Himself. He will bring justice and peace. As we celebrate Christmas, let’s rejoice in Jesus Christ, who is Emmanuel, God-with-us. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

Thanksgiving is behind us, and Christmas is right around the corner. You don’t have to know me very well to know how much I love Christmas and the Christmas season. My with bemoans how early Christmas decorations appear, and I start listening to Christmas music on the first of October.

The Christmas classic, “It’s beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” excites me just listening to it.  The repeated line, “It’s beginning to look a lot lie Christmas everywhere we go,” puts a smile on my face. I am into Christmas trees, tacky decorations, the giving and receiving of gifts, well, you get the picture. As much as I like the stuff of Christmas, however, it is the true reason for the season that excites me most.

When I was growing up, Christmas was a sure time I could get family to go to church with me. Christmas Eve service has always been a time to remember and celebrate my Savior’s coming. Still, it has also been a time when I have been able to get those who typically don’t give God or church a thought to consider Him and perhaps come participate in a Christmas Eve service.

The stuff of Christmas is great, but if allowed, it can distract us from the true meaning of Christmas. This causes us to drift off course from genuinely celebrating Christ.  After all, Christmas literally means the celebration of Christ.

I am challenged by these words found in Hebrews:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:1-2).

As we look at those who have completed their race (see: Hebrews 11), let’s grasp hold of the baton handed off to us.  Let’s run in the strength of the Lord and the encouragement of their witness. We are to “lay aside every weight.” Even good things, like the stuff of Christmas, can hinder us. We are also to lay aside sin. The very nature of sin is to entangle us. Sin is an obstacle, not a spur to those of us running the race for Christ. By the way, the race we run is not a sprint but a marathon. So, we need to run with Spirit enabled endurance.

How do we run? We run “looking to Jesus.” As a runner concentrates only on the finish line, we, believers, set our gaze on Jesus. Jesus has already crossed the finish line and is waiting while running with us through His Spirit, who indwells us. Christ has already done everything necessary to ensure that we, too, may cross the finish line if we continue in faith.

Let me encourage each of us this Christmas to enjoy the holiday, but even more, keep Christ the center of our celebration. Let’s not lose the reason for the season amid the stuff of the season. With that said, I am so thankful it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

As I look at the Bible as a whole and see the progress of redemption laid out from God’s creative work at the onset of humanity, the account found in Genesis, to the triumphant second coming of Christ, written in Revelation, I am blown away. There is a scarlet thread of salvation woven throughout Scripture, leading to each and every one of us. This is a beautiful reality we call the gospel, the good news.

When Paul wrote Romans 1-8, he laid out the gospel in great detail. God inspired him to write of the first facet of salvation, justification (being made right with God), in chapters 1-4. Then, in Romans 5-8, Paul writes of the second facet of salvation, sanctification (becoming more and more like Christ). In the second half of Romans 8, Paul writes of the third facet of salvation, glorification. Glorification is the final act of God in salvation. Occurring at Christ’s return, when the believer receives a glorified, imperishable body (never to wear out or become sick), glorious (beautiful, perhaps radiant), powerful (not superhuman but at full strength), and spiritual (dominated by God’s Spirit). This is a wonderful future reality for all of us in Christ. In the second half of Romans 8, Paul teaches us how to live as those being sanctified, yet to be glorified, and does so wrapped in sure hope and glory.

Paul declares in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Think about it. No suffering amounts to anything compared to the Way who is Christ (I was lost, but now I am found). No sufferings amount to anything compared to the Truth, who is Christ (I was seeking truth, but now I know the One who is the Truth). No sufferings amount to anything compared to the Life who is Christ (I was dead, but now I live) (see: John 14:6). Here is the good news. No amount of suffering can compare to what I have in Christ, or what I will have in Christ when He returns, and I leave this world of suffering behind and spend eternity with Him in Glory. How do we endure present sufferings? We do so by placing our hope in future glory. We are to live by faith right up to the gates of paradise.

We discover in Romans 8:18-21 that those in Christ place their hope on the Spirit for a future complete release. In fact, we are told in Romans 8:22-27 that those in Christ are actually helped by the Spirit to overcome our weaknesses. The Spirit who makes us holy, more and more like Christ, gives us what we need, even intercedes on our behalf, to lead us through this fallen world to the finish line, where we see Christ face-to-face. We even receive this precious promise: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).  We can be confident that nothing can hurt God’s people so deeply that God cannot turn it around for His glory and our good.

In Roans 8:29-30, we learn what God has done for us. We can be sure of this. If we have placed our faith in God, we have been called. If we have been called, he has predestined us for complete salvation. He has justified us. Right now, our Lord is sanctifying us, making us more and more like Christ. If God is sanctifying us, He will one day complete the work He has begun and will glorify us.

In Romans 8:30-31, Paul concludes by declaring that we in Christ are more than conquerors. We learn that those in Christ respond reasonably to God’s love. Along with the previous seven, these two verses provide a conclusion of God’s plan for His people. It is a summary of sorts of Romans 1-8. The final nine verses of Romans 8 are so wonderful that every Christian should be thoroughly familiar with them. Paul declares that God is for us and that no one can succeed against us. Paul didn’t simply ask, “Who can be against us?” The answer to this question would be many. Paul asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is for us in Christ, and we will share in His victory. Paul declares, “nothing can separate us from God’s love” (Rom 8:39).

Yes, we will face hardship. God’s people have always faced hardship. However, nothing will separate us from God’s love. Not only can no one or anything alienate us from our God, but we are actually more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. Nothing can separate us from God’s love and the ultimate victory we will share in Him!

I pray you have decided to receive Christ as your Savior and Lord. I hope you have chosen as a believer to focus on Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to make you more like Jesus. I implore you to find hope in future glory. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

My favorite chapter in all of Scripture is Romans 8. The first portion (vv. 1-17) speaks of the believer being rescued by God’s Spirit. Paul concludes Romans 7 by declaring that our battle with sin is won through Jesus Christ. Paul writes in the first half of chapter 8 that the believer can be delivered, through the Spirit, from the control of sin in this life.

Paul begins by sharing that a Christian is freed by the Spirit from sin (Rom 8:1-11). Paul shares two blessings believers have in Christ. First, there is no condemnation; the believer has been justified (saved). Then, the believer has been set free through God sending His Son. Jesus came and took upon His divinity humanity. He died in our stead on the cross. He died for our sins. In so doing, He paid the righteous requirement of the law in full, being resurrected for our salvation.

As if this work of Christ was not enough, He has gifted us with the Holy Spirit, who indwells us and whose work in the believer’s life is to make her holy. Holiness is Christlikeness. When we look back to Romans 7, Paul describes how we cannot keep the law because of our indwelling sinful nature. Then, in Romans 8:4, he explains that we can become like Christ because of the indwelling Spirit.

The Christian must surrender to the Spirit’s leading. This is often determined by our mindset (Rom 12:2). There are two predominant mindsets. One mindset is on natural desires and leads to death. The other mindset is set on the Spirit, bringing life and peace. John Stott notes: “We would more eagerly pursue holiness if we were convinced that it is the way of life and peace.

Paul does not only share that the believer is freed by the Spirit from sin (Rom 8:1-11), but is obligated to the spirit for life-giving power (Rom 8:12-17). When we allow self to lead us and strive for self-indulgence, we are alienated from God; this is spiritual death. However, when we allow the Spirit to lead us and are empowered by Him to deny self, we find real life in Christ. The Spirit enables us to live such a life as God’s children. By the way, a Christian is assured through God’s Word (the Bible), godly fruit in his life, and the witness of the Holy Spirit that we are indeed God’s children.

It is good news that we are children of God, and as such, have access to the Spirit who bears witness to this truth and empowers us to live like His children. Francis Schaffer offers this insight:

“On the day when we accepted Jesus as our Savior, wonder of wonders, we became the children of God. But if we truly became the children of God, we were at that moment indwelt by the Holy Spirit; and if we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, surely there will be some evidence of this in our lives.”

Consider that in Romans 8:1-17, there is no mentioning of the witness of the Holy Spirit as something reserved for some Christians, nor that something more needs to be required for His indwelling a believer. Actually, the whole of the passage describes what is common and available to all believers. The Spirit’s workings may differ in degrees of intensity in a believer’s life due to surrender, but all believers are indwelt by Him and given His witness too.

The good news Paul writes in Romans 8:1-17 is that the believer is rescued by God’s Spirit. The believer is freed by the Spirit from sin (Rom 8:1-11). The believer is obligated to the Spirit for life-giving power. If you are in Christ, rejoice and surrender to the Spirit’s workings in and through your life. If you have yet to receive Christ as Savior and Lord, choose Him today. Won’t you embrace the work of the Spirit who rescues? Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone).

As believers, it is crucial to regularly get back to the basics of our faith to avoid drifting spiritually from the foundational truths of biblical Christianity. Paul lays out the basics of faith in Romans. The study of this amazing book has had a profound influence on my life. Paul’s teaching in Romans 7 has led me to walk in freedom, as well as in Christian victory.

Those who have accepted salvation through Jesus Christ have been justified and are being sanctified. Those in Christ are saints. Positionally we are 100 % righteous, but practically there is still a struggle this side of heaven. The struggle is with the law’s demands or otherwise stated temptation. Paul discusses the struggle and the basis for victory in Romans 7.

In Romans 7:1-6, Paul begins with a wedding metaphor to describe how believers have died to the law and are alive in Christ. Two things happen when people accept Christ as Savior. (1) They become dead to the law (first husband). Paul describes that the marriage vows are “until death do us part.” To be able to marry another and keep the marriage vow, there needs to be a death. The believer has died with Christ. Then, (2) They become married to Christ (second husband). The believer is united with the risen, living Savior, who gives her new life, freedom, and victory.

Then, Paul proceeds in Romans 7:7-13 to describe himself before He became a believer. Paul writes about his life before his bar mitzvah and what happened immediately after. The term “bar mitzvah” means “son of the law.” Before a Jewish boy came of age (around 13), he was not officially responsible for keeping the commandments. In a sense, Paul was “once alive apart from the law” (v. 9) before the conscience awoke, and moral responsibility came in. However, when this occurred (as a result of his bar mitzvah), the innocent stage was over. He writes I was conscious of sin, of violation of the law. Paul declares, “I was dead before, but I did not know. Now I found out that I was spiritually dead.”  The law brought Paul the knowledge of sin and the need for a savior. Therefore, the law is “holy, righteous, and good” (v. 12), certainly not to be blamed. John Stott notes: “The extreme sinfulness of sin is seen precisely in the way it exploits a good thing (the law) for an evil purpose (death).”

Paul then writes in Romans 7:14-24 that, at times, as a believer, he is trapped by being law-focused or self-focused. It is of some importance to note that Paul does not mention the Spirit in this section. The section describes a “Law-focus” or “Self-focus,” which by its very nature prevents a person from focusing on Christ and His salvific work. Therefore, I believe the Christian life described in Romans 7:13-24, although it may be described as average, certainly is not normal. In fact, it’s abnormal. If you were to go through a hospital wing, the average temperature could be 103, but we call this temperature abnormal because we know that a normal temp is around 98.6. Similarly, the passage may describe the average situation you have observed that Christians find themselves in, but this is abnormal. God has a better way, which is normal for the Christian life.

Paul is frustrated that now that he has experienced salvation and is no longer a slave to sin, he finds himself still struggling with temptation and sin. Through Christ, we have become justified before God. The Word of God informs, calls, corrects and encourages us. The problem is that we, in the flesh, are still part of the fallen world. Legally, our problem of guilt before God has been resolved – we are acquitted. However, we still await the full redemption that will occur when Christ returns. We are justified. We are being sanctified. We will be glorified. However, in our present reality, we battle with temptation. The individual described by Paul in Romans 7:14-24 is a Believer who has turned away from focusing on Christ. Instead, he is focused on self and the law, grieving or quenching the Spirit, rendering him impotent. With genuine transparency and honesty, Paul has given us an analysis of this “perspective” as he has sometimes experienced in his Christian life.  Paul cries out for relief from the struggle, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death” (v. 24)?

Finally, Paul provides the answer: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Rom 7:25). Paul describes that a believer’s deliverer is and always has been Jesus Christ. The answer to the question of “who will deliver me” (v. 24) is found only in our Lord. There must be yielding to the power of Christ. We must look away from oneself and onto Christ. This “focus” upon either the law or Christ can change from moment to moment. Therefore, it is imperative to be mindful of where your focus is centered. This life of faith allows for the fantastic sanctifying work of God to be established in our lives. For the believer, the issue is our focus. We are to be focused on Christ (NORMAL CHRISTIAN: Christ-focused). We get in trouble when we look to self or law to live rightly (ABNORMAL CHRISTIAN: Self or Law focused). The cure is to stop looking at self or law and focus once again on Christ (NORMAL CHRISTIAN: Christ-focused). Only through focusing on Jesus Christ can we find victory over temptation and a feeling of condemnation, which Paul addresses in Romand 8. Only through focusing on Christ can the believer win the battle against sin. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

Paul understood, like many of us do, the importance of going back to basics. Just like a golfer will return to the basics of a swing to improve their game, a Christian ought to regularly get back to the basics of our faith to avoid drifting spiritually from the fundamental truths of Scripture. Paul, in the Book of Romans, presents the basics of the faith. Its study benefits believer and seeker alike.

We discover in Romans 6 Paul’s foundational teaching on the practical difference, a believer’s new identity in Christ has in and through their life. This identity is the result of a Christian’s union with the Lord. This unity with Christ allows us to be sanctified, separated unto God, resulting in genuine lifestyle change as we become more and more like Christ.

Paul illustrates the believer’s life-changing relationship with Christ in two ways. The first example Paul gives is baptism. Baptism demonstrates that the believer has unity with Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom 6:1-11). Paul reminds us that Adam sinned, and humanity died; but Christ died, and because He died, we who believed in Him are alive now. This is sealed when we are baptized by the Holy Spirit. This is pictured in water baptism that signifies our identifying with the death of Christ, as the believer goes under the water, and our identifying with Christ’s resurrection (new life), as she comes up out of the water.

The believer’s identity in Christ, the Christian’s salvation, rests upon two historical points. A person’s salvation rests on the moment in space and time at which Jesus died on the cross. Their salvation rests on the moment at which they, by faith, have accepted Christ as Savior. Jesus died at a point in history. He was resurrected at a point in history. The believer accepts Christ at a point in history. The Christian will be raised from the dead at some real point in the future. So, Paul asserts, “live like it!”

The second example Paul gives is slavery. Slavery demonstrates that the believer being enslaved to God brings true freedom, not bondage (Rom 6:12-23). For Paul, the Christian life is not absolute independence from a master.  Everyone serves a master, either godlessness or God. The believer now serves God and righteousness (“doing the right thing”) with the same intensity that they used to serve sin – impurity – lawlessness. Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). The former master, sin, gives wages for service to him (death); the new master, God, gives a generous gift to His slaves (life).

There are two differences one ought to understand. There is a difference between temptation and sin. Also, there is a difference between not being perfect in this present life and letting sin rule your life. Sin no longer has power in the believer’s life. Temptation continues, but the Christian is not a slave to sin, he can live in victory (1 Cor 10:13). However, the believer is freed from the wage of sin, death, living under forgiveness and grace, being identified in Christ. This ought to make a big difference in how we live. For instance, whenever God calls us to do something, we have three options. We can say, “I won’t do it.” Or we can say, “I’ll do it on my own strength and way.” Lastly, we can say, “I will die to self and allow the Holy Spirit to enable me to do it by the Lord’s strength and in His way.” Obviously, the latter is the right choice for a believer.

As we embrace our identity with Christ, a practical difference is made in our lives as we grow in Christ, are sanctified. When we yield to the Lord, He blesses us so that we can glorify Him and benefit others. I pray all of us will make the right decision right now, by the Spirit’s power, to live the life God has provided for each of us. I hope all Christians will embrace the life God has prepared for you and me, accepting our new identity in Christ, believing we are united with Him, deciding to live as one truly enslaved to Him. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

Whether a coach, a player or a businessperson, the importance of getting back to the basics is a critical component of doing well. This, too, is true for the believer. It is essential for the Christian to regularly get back to the basics of our faith to avoid drifting spiritually from the fundamental truths of Scripture. Paul lays out the basics of the faith in his letter to the Romans.

For instance, Paul, in Romans 1-4, provides us with a thorough discussion on justification. He answers the how and why of salvation. Justification (salvation) speaks of being made right with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. In chapter 5, Paul turns his attention to another aspect of salvation, sanctification. Sanctification speaks of the continued work of salvation in a person’s life. When we are made right with God, He begins the work of making us Christlike. Specifically, in Romans 5, Paul explains what it means to have peace with God.

Paul, in Romans 5:1-5, declares that due to the believer being acquitted, they have certain hope since they have peace with God.  Acquittal is a legal term meaning a declaration that someone is in the right. Due to sin, people are in the wrong before God. They have broken His laws, and they deserve punishment. The good news is that on the cross, Christ took humanity’s place. When a person puts their trust in Christ, they are declared to be in the right, acquitted, justified, saved. We have peace with God and can live in peace.

Further, Paul explains in Romans 5:6-11 that acquittal allows the believer to experience the result of God’s love that has brought peace with God. How great is God’s love that sustains our hope? God loves us so much that Christ died for us when we were without strength to do anything good, even when we were ungodly (v. 6) and unworthy sinners (v. 8). I like what Francis Schaffer wrote: “The gospel isn’t for ideal people. Ideal people do not exist. The gospel is for people like us.” Christ died for us while we were yet sinners while we were God’s enemies. “How much more,” then, in the present life, having accepted Christ as our Savior, and having a living Savior…how much more can we expect to have everything we need for our present life!

Then, in Romans 5:12-17, we discover that acquittal allows those trapped in sin to receive the gift of life that comes as we have peace with God. The bottom line is that all people are sinners because of the historical Fall of humanity in Adam. But the good news is what we can receive in Christ. This passage presents some essential truths. Death came to all people due to sin. This is bad news since al people have sinned. The good news is all people can be saved. There were two historical acts. Adam’s historical act, where all humanity became sinners, and, parallel to this, the historical act of Jesus, who came to save those who were lost. Paul contrasts two dynasties and the result of who reigns in each of them. In Adam, death reigns. In Christ, righteousness reigns.

Finally, in Romans 5:18-21, the good news is revealed that acquittal brings about the preferred results where grace reigns and the peace of God abounds.  Paul compares and contrasts those in Adam (those under sin) with those in Christ (those who have been saved).  What are the results of a transgression and an upright act? In Adam, we are condemned. In Christ, we are justified. What are the contrasting results of disobedience and obedience? In Adam, many were made sinners. In Christ, many were made righteous. What are the effects of transgression and grace? In Adam, sin increased. In Christ, grace increased. We read in Romans 5:21: “as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  What are the contrasting results of the two reigns, sin, and grace? In Adam, death, sin reigns. In Christ, righteousness, grace reigns. In Adam, sin reigns and brings death, but in Christ, grace reigns, bringing righteousness and eternal life. The believer has peace with God. This, indeed, is good news.

I hope we all are found in Christ. This is available to each of us who receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. The good news is that in Christ, all of us can be acquitted and have peace with God.  This living in peace with God ought to make a real difference in our daily living, which Paul addresses more closely in Romans 6-8. For now, I ask, won’t you choose Christ and, in doing so, live in peace with God? I pray, you will. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

Getting back to the basics is stressing fundamental principles. You will hear a coach speak of getting back to the basics or a business leader. It is important because all we do build on fundamental principles. As believers, it is crucial to regularly get back to the basics of our faith to avoid drifting spiritually from the fundamental truths of biblical or orthodox Christianity. Paul lays out the basics of the faith in his letter to the Romans. Starting in Romans 3:27 through chapter four, he speaks of justification by faith and uses Abraham as an example of this blessed gift of God.

Justification speaks of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is a mighty act of God by which He declares sinful people not guilty but righteous instead. God does this by accounting the righteousness of Christ upon the believer. This acquittal and remarkable exchange of the price for our sins (death) for righteousness occurs to all who receive it by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and believing that what He has done is sufficient to make us right with God.

We discover in Romans 3:27-31 some implications of justification by faith. For instance, the believer can’t boast in their own part of salvation since they are saved by faith in Christ’s finished work. The believer is not justified by doing works, but through our Lord’s salvific work (v.27). The believer is not justified because they have fulfilled what the law requires (vv. 28-30). However, justification by faith does fulfill the law through Christ and by pointing to Him and showing how His Spirit is working in our lives, making us more and more like Jesus (v.31). We boast in Christ, not in ourselves.

Paul then uses Abraham as an example of saving faith (justification by faith). Abraham is the father of God’s people. Paul will establish that we can expect to find salvation and be justified by God the same way as Abraham.

Paul explains in Romans 4:1-5 that Abraham was not declared righteous on account of good behavior. If we could come to God on any other basis other than faith, it would mean that God owed us something. All God owes us is the wages of sin, which is death. It is through Christ we receive the gift of life. To stress this point further, Paul in Romans 4:6-8 shows that like Abraham, David (psalmist, one of the kings of Israel, and known as a man after God’s heart) enjoyed forgiveness by faith, not works. Faith is the instrument that allows the ledger sheet (wage of sin is death, but the gift of God through Christ is life) to be reconciled.

Some Jews fell into the trap of believing because they were circumcised, they were right with God. Circumcision occurs as part of the religious ceremony for a Jew. It signified the covenant relationship between God and Abraham. In Romans 4:9-12, Paul describes how Abraham was not declared righteous on account of religious ceremony. In fact, Abraham was declared righteous by faith before ever being circumcised. For the churchgoer, today, communion, baptism, church membership can be seen as somehow bringing salvation. These are religious acts that have meaning, but not the power to save. No ceremony or ritual can administer salvation to us. Only Christ offers salvation to those who place their faith in Him.

Some Jewish teachers taught that Abraham was perfect. They apparently had not read the accounts of Abraham’s life in Genesis. He was a man of faith, but certainly not perfect. So, Paul in Romans 4:13-16 shows how Abraham was not declared righteous by keeping rules. In fact, Abraham is declared righteous before the law had even been given. The law given to Moses was not given until some 500 years later. Abraham was justified by faith, plain and simple. This is a model for all of us of saving faith. Paul strongly emphasizes in Romans 4:17-22 that Abraham was a man of faith, and that made all the difference. Justifying faith is a faith that looks at the problem and believes upon God as the solution. Our faith in God releases His righteousness in our life.

Paul concludes in Romans 4:23-25: “But the words ‘it was counted to him’ (speaking of righteousness) were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” Jesus was crucified for our sins and resurrected for our salvation. This is a fantastic reality. I stress the term reality. It is real. It is authentic. We place our faith in a real God and actual work done by Jesus Christ. Like Abraham, we can be justified (saved) by believing God is real and that He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins, and Jesus was resurrected that all who receive Him in faith will be saved. I hope you have placed your faith in Christ and are saved (in a right relationship with God). If not, consider doing so right now. If you have, celebrate this gift of our Lord and share the good news with others. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!