This year the 6th Sunday of Easter occurs on May 21, 2006 with the readings as Acts 11:19-30 (Agabus); 1 John 4:1-11 (Antichrist) and John 15:9-17 (New commandment). The verse chosen for preaching this Sunday is 1 John 4:8 which reads “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
We thought the Bible revealed that those who know God are those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior. Once more we have a passage from the Bible that appears to contradict the central message of Christianity that not by works or love but by trust in Jesus as Savior we both know God and are known by God. The first problem that arises is the notion that our love is what gets us to know God so that we are the ones who begin the process of being saved.
However, that false teaching is contradicted both by verse 10 of 1 John as well as verse 16 of the Gospel for today from John. Verse 10 reads, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” And John 15:16 quotes Jesus Himself as saying, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…”
These two verses indicate who is running the verbs in our salvation; that is, Who really gets the credit for our entire salvation. And that person is God! In fact, verse 16 of John 15 also provides insight into the role of good works including love in the life of the Christian. Not only has Jesus chosen us from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1) but He has also appointed us to bear fruit.
That reminds us of two other pasasges in which Jesus reveals that He is the Vine and we are the branches and apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5) as well as the verse after the famous revelation that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Vese 2:10 of Ephesians continues, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Note well the place of our love in the process of being saved. It never occurs prior to being fully saved in the sense of having received the full forgiveness of sins and the robe of Christ’s righteousness. The point of these passages as well as the book of James is that when that faith is really present, then good works occur by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And who does not love and know God through faith in Jesus Christ? Note well that because John encourages us to continue to love that means that our love is never perfect but increases the more we are aware of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus.
On Judgment Day God will point out thousands of fruit of the Holy Spirit of which we were unaware. For in Christ we think, say and do things that are totally contrary to the spirit of the Antichrist since we have the Spirit of God within us. However, because these fruit have almost become second nature to us, we do not realize how unique and special they are in the eyes of God Who moves in us to do what we were unable to do. We cooperate with God in not rebelling against His love for us which then translates in love for one another.
Name:Tom Baker
I am enjoying this sharpening of my spirit, soul and body here. This blog ministry and the radio ministry have helped me come to clarity of thought and act.
Regarding this area of the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, Love, Joy, Peace…, something comes to me I want to bring out. And it is this.
The Apostle Paul addresses the topic of circumcision and the Law and Gospel.
Romans 4 Rom 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
Rom 4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
Rom 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Rom 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Paul asks COMETH THIS BLESSEDNESS?
The point of Salvation has always been God’s BLESSEDNESS coming to those cut off from it because of Adam’s transgression.
I was reading Deuteronomy and Joshua the other day and came to these verses. I will quote them now and then make a point.
Deu 30:5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
Deu 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
AND
Jos 5:2 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
Jos 5:3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
Jos 5:4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
Jos 5:5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.
Jos 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD swore that he would not show them the land, which the LORD swore unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Jos 5:7 And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
Jos 5:8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.
The point is this, God is God and He has a way of doing things. His way is His way and I have found now after 30 plus years of Ministry that the Lord just doesn’t change His ways. In fact, as one man said, “when the Lord shows up in your Life, one of you is going to change his ways and IT WON’T BE HIM.”
Paul’s point and the point of these other verses of Scripture is circumcision is a AFTER GOD act showing that ACT of God upon His Elect.
The cutting of the foreskin of a man is a sign of something that happened first, a faithful acknowledgement of an Act of God to him. How many eight day old baby boys know what that Act of God was or the faithful acknowledgement circumcision signifies?
The cutting of the foreskin of one’s heart is also a sign of something that happened first.
What is more important to understand is someone other than oneself has to do the cutting!
Eight day old baby boys don’t circumcise themselves.
No man circumcises his own heart.
This truly is an Act of God.
God does it. He does the spiritual cutting while He leaves it to man to do the natural cutting. Both kinds of circumcision signify something God did.
Interestingly enough, the “spiritual” cutting is to both males and females. It is always God’s election and He continues to do so even today by the sanctification of the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ.
Again, thanks Tom for clearing up the easily misunderstood sense of Scripture. We can do nothing of ourselves either naturally or spiritually. God does it all that His Glory is ascribed to Him Alone.
We simply rejoice in what He does and continues to do.
He bears His own fruit through His creatures.
I leave off with one more quote from Paul::::>
1Co 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
1Co 16:14 Let all your things be done with charity.
Michael Burke
Eureka, Ca.