Tag: jesus

Reprobation

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology, reformed theology

Recently I was assigned to write a paper on a topic in Romans. I picked reprobation. I decided to post a slightly edited version of my paper here for your edification. Enjoy! (I decided to take my footnotes out for the blog post and just put in the bibliography so you know what sources I’m citing.)

Introduction


Many debate about God’s justice and righteousness in regard to salvation, and many have attempted to produce solutions to this seeming “issue” in Scripture. The question throughout the ages has always been: how can a loving God send people to Hell? Therefore, people have sought to explain throughout the ages how such a thing could be. They often land on the idea that God allows people to choose their own fate by deciding whether to accept His offer of free grace and salvation through Jesus Christ or not. This is probably the most common rationalization there is of the idea that some are saved, while others are not.


The doctrine of reprobation (that is, the theological belief that God predestined some to destruction as He predestined some to eternal life) is discarded and shuddered at in today’s society. Verses such as 2 Peter 3:9 and John 3:16 are taken to mean that God loves everyone, and therefore the conclusion is that since God loves everyone, He would never willfully condemn someone to Hell. Even many of those who believe in the unconditional election of believers are extremely repulsed at the notion that God would choose some for destruction and some for eternal life.
But is this idea Scriptural? Or is it rather humanity’s attempt to “explain” or “defend” God’s ways apart from Scripture? The key to answer this question is actually largely found in Romans 9.


The Doctrine of Reprobation


Reprobation Defined


In order to fully understand and expound upon the subject at hand, it becomes necessary to define the doctrine of reprobation. The doctrine of reprobation is defined clearly in the insightful resource, Biblical Doctrine. “The decree of reprobation is the free and sovereign choice of God, made in eternity past, to pass over certain individuals, choosing not to set his saving love on them but instead determining to punish them for their sins unto the magnification of his justice.” Simply put, the doctrine of reprobation teaches that God does indeed have sovereign authority, choosing beforehand whom He will elect for eternal life, and whom He will predestine for eternal destruction. Or as Calvin put it, “God by his eternal and immutable counsel determined once for all those whom it was his pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, it was his pleasure to doom to destruction.” This is obviously a difficult doctrine, and one that many struggle to grasp. But is it taught by Scripture, or not?


Reprobation Misunderstood


Before moving to the Scriptural answers for the doctrine of reprobation, it is to be acknowledged that this doctrine has been much misunderstood. First, reprobation does not mean that God is the direct cause of evil, as this is against the teaching of Scripture. For instance, one common misunderstanding of reprobation is that God formerly saw men as unfallen and chose whether they would become evil or righteous. This is not the implication of the doctrine, however; believers in the doctrine of reprobation hold that, in eternity past, God saw all men as sinful and fallen, and chose those whom He would save and those whom He would not.
Another common misunderstanding is that God actively casts men into destruction. This seems to contrast His holy and just character. However, many if not most believers in reprobation hold that the way in which God predestines men for destruction is very different from the way in which He elects others for salvation. This will be covered further in the next section.
The two acts of God in reprobation are separate: preterition is the active willing of God to pass over some men, thus leaving them in their sinfulness, and precondemnation is the active willing of God to condemn those to destruction whom He has passed over. Thus the decree of God in reprobation is active-passive; He passes over some, thus not actively committing evil and preserving His holiness, yet actively willing that those whom He has passed over will be destroyed, thus preserving His perfect sovereignty. Romans 9:14-24 will now be examined to see how this passage determines and defines this doctrine clearly.


Reprobation in Romans 9:14-18


Romans 9:14-16


In Romans 9:14, the foundational truth underlying what Paul is speaking of and will continue to expound upon is God’s righteousness. Paul knows that the topic of reprobation is one that will likely cause many to question God’s justice, holiness and righteousness. Therefore, he clarifies in the strongest possible terms (me ginomai, strong Greek negative) that God has no unrighteousness in Him. This is important to keep in mind.


Romans 9:15 quotes from Exodus 33:19, in which the Lord declares to Moses, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” In the context of this Old Testament passage, Moses requested to see the glory of the Lord. The Lord’s response was that He would make His goodness pass before Moses, indicating that goodness of the Lord’s very nature. But sovereignty is just as intricate to His nature, as He then immediately states the sentence previously quoted. In the words of MacArthur, “…God is absolutely sovereign and does elect who will be saved without violating His other attributes. He determines who receives mercy.”
Romans 9:16 sheds even more light on this truth, stating that a merciful God is the only possible agent for salvation. One could will to be saved and attempt to save himself, but without the mercy of God, his efforts would be useless. God’s decisions whether to elect one to eternal life or eternal condemnation are solely based on His good pleasure and not on anything within man. The same truth is supported earlier in the chapter, when Paul says that God’s election is “not because of works but because of Him who calls.” (Romans 9:11)


Romans 9:17-18


The doctrine of reprobation is further developed in Romans 9:17-18. Paul examines a case in point, the Pharaoh of the Exodus, and quotes Exodus 9:16 to show us clearly that God raised up Pharaoh in order to show His power. In the account of the Exodus, it is said multiple times that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but also that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Thus while humanity is guilty for their own sin of hardening their hearts, the Lord is still in ultimate control.


This idea is well described by Moo.


“But it is imperative that we maintain side-by-side the complementary truths that (1) God hardens whomever he chooses; (2) human beings, because of sin, are responsible for their ultimate condemnation. Thus, God’s bestowing of mercy and his hardening are not equivalent acts. God’s mercy is given to those who do not deserve it; his hardening affects those who have already by their sin deserved condemnation.”


Exodus 9:16 also touches on the purpose for reprobation, to be discussed in further detail later. As Moo also points out, God’s purpose in this specific instance is for “the demonstration of God’s power and the wider proclamation of God’s name.”


Reprobation in the rest of Scripture


Before moving on to the implications and purpose of the doctrine through a further examination of Romans 9, a few other Scriptures on the doctrine will briefly be considered for support. While there is not time and space here to thoroughly cover all the references to this doctrine in Scripture, it is important to include a few for context.


Proverbs 16:4


This passage explicitly states that the Lord has made all things for His purposes, “even the wicked for the day of evil.” No matter how one desires to interpret it, one cannot avoid the truth that the author has conveyed to us. One might ask, if God is completely sovereign, why has He allowed evil in the first place? He could have simply made a world without sin and evil. Seeing that He did not, however, indicates that He has a specific plan and purpose in mind. Indeed, according to Proverbs 16:4, God created the wicked specifically for the day of evil.


1 Peter 2:8


“…They stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this stumbling they were also appointed.” The implication Peter makes is that those who stumble over the Stone of Christ were appointed to such condemnation. In fact, the verb for “appointed” is third-person in the Greek, indicating that these people were appointed by someone to stumble. Who could appoint such a thing but God?


Jude 4


“For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Jude describes these ungodly people as those who were “long beforehand marked out for this condemnation.” Interestingly, the Greek for this verb “marked out,” porographo, means “to write beforehand.” While the elect were written long before time in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 13:8), the damned were also written long before, as this verse clearly teaches, despite the modern sensibilities that might be offended.


Thus, this doctrine is taught not only in Romans 9, but also in other passages of Scripture, although space and time are insufficient to mention them all here. Some of the implications of the doctrine are clearly seen by examining Romans 9:19-24.


The Implications of the Doctrine


Romans 9:19-24 contains a few implications of the doctrine of reprobation, which will presently be discussed. First is a confession. Subsequently, the purpose of the doctrine will be examined.


The Confession (Romans 9:19-21)


The confession, found in Romans 9:19-21, is that reprobation is a difficult doctrine and simply cannot be fully understood by man. Admittedly, it is a hard teaching. Calvin stated in his famed Institutes of the Christian Religion,
The decree, I admit, is dreadful; and yet it is impossible to deny that God foreknew what the end of man was to be before he made him, and foreknew, because he had so ordained by his decree. Should any one here inveigh against the prescience of God, he does it rashly and unadvisedly. For why, pray, should it be made a charge against the heavenly Judge, that he was not ignorant of what was to happen?…For as it belongs to his wisdom to foreknow all future events, so it belongs to his power to rule and govern them by his hand.


Moo also speaks to this, saying, “No doctrine stimulates more negative reaction and consternation than this one. Some degree of such reaction is probably inevitable, for it flies in the face of our own common perceptions of both human freedom and God’s justice.”


Paul states in Romans 9:19 that a man might ask how God can find mankind guilty of sin when it was all ultimately foreordained and the man precondemned by Him in the first place. Instead of giving an answer, Paul shoots back a sharp reply: who is man to question God? The answer to this question, is both that man is guilty for his sin and that God has all things planned in His sovereign counsel. This seems contradictory to the questioning human mind. Yet, as said by John MacArthur, “God is not subject to fallen notions of fairness, nor will he be tried at the bar of human reason.”
God has power as a potter over the clay, and therefore has the perfect authority to create one vessel for honor (to choose one man for salvation) and to create one vessel for dishonor (to precondemn one man to destruction). For a moment look ahead to verse 22 of the ninth chapter of Romans. The vessels of wrath are described as having been “prepared” (passive) for destruction. This leads us to believe that while God does decree the condemnation of certain individuals, He does so passively. He leaves them in their sin while actively decreeing the condemnation of those so left. Thus, God’s holiness and sovereignty are both preserved.


But the inevitable question arises: how is the doctrine of reprobation fair? How is it just for God to choose one man for destruction and one man for everlasting life, appointing one to glory and one to destruction? As previously stated, the answer is: who is a man to judge the Lord? While men desire to have all the answers and to be fully aware of all things, they must humble themselves and realize that they are nothing compared to the Lord. If the great Lord Yahweh could be understood by finite man, He would be small indeed. This is a doctrine that must be accepted by faith unquestioningly by men who submit their hearts to the Word of God instead of twisting the Word of God to fit their fallen ideas of fairness and justice. Surely the Judge of all the earth shall do justice (Genesis 18:25), and surely He is far more just and fair than the fairest of judges.


Again, MacArthur speaks to this point. “The sinner’s responsibility is not to discern the secret counsels of God’s decree but rather to heed the clear commands of Scripture to repent and believe the gospel.” One must simply receive the Word of God by faith.
The question that is asked in reply to the inquirer is as follows: “Who are you, O man, to reply against God?” Or similarly, as the Lord once said to the wayward children of Israel who accused God of unfairness, “Hear now, O house of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right?” (Ezekiel 18:25b)


The Purpose (Romans 9:22-24)


Nearing the conclusion of our present discussion, one may wonder what would be God’s purpose for electing some to damnation. Why would He do so? Romans 9:22-24 gives us the answer.
As mentioned above, Romans 9:22 implies that, while God did precondemn some, He did so passively as to not be the direct cause of evil and yet actively to retain His sovereignty. Romans 9:22 tells us that God has patiently endured these “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.” Why? As Romans 9:23 says, “…in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory…”
Thus, God elected some to damnation in order to lavish His glory all the more on His elect! While the “vessels of wrath” are prepared for destruction, the “vessels of mercy” God has specifically chosen and actively prepared for glory—eternal glory. The darkness of the doctrine of reprobation causes the diamond of the election, mercy, and grace of God to sparkle all the more brightly.
As MacArthur puts it, “God is not less glorious but more glorious because he has ordained evil, and the more he magnifies his glory, the greater is his love to his people.” Or as Jonathan Edwards said as quoted by MacArthur,
And as it [is] necessary that there should be evil, because the glory of God could not but be imperfect and incomplete without it, so it is necessary in order to the happiness of the creature, in order to the completeness of that communication of God for which he made the world; because the creature’s happiness consists in the knowledge of God and the sense of his love, and if the knowledge of him be imperfect, the happiness must be proportionably imperfect.
Therefore, the purpose, hearkening back to verse 17, of God’s reprobation of some—to show His power, proclaim His name, and display His goodness, mercy, and glory to His own elect.


The Application of the Doctrine


The application of this doctrine has multiple points. First, as has already been mentioned, this is a doctrine to be believed by faith rather than understood by human means. It is one to bring us to our knees in humility, confessing that our God is so much more infinitely wiser than we, and that we submit our theology to His Word instead of vice versa. Instead of making one resent the Lord’s wisdom or question it, it should humble one to realize that he is not infinite and has no right to question the Almighty.


Further, this doctrine should inspire praise and gratitude in the believer. He should be filled with thanksgiving to the Lord for opening his eyes instead of blinding them, for no reason of himself but merely the Lord’s good pleasure. The believer should be awestruck in worship and adoration for the Lord’s greatness and His mercy.


The final application of this doctrinal point is evangelism. While it may not seem to be the conclusion of such a hard doctrine, it very much is. The believer does not know the infinite counsel of the Lord and whom He has predestined for life or damnation. Therefore, the believer ought to be all the more passionate to share the gospel of Christ, hoping and praying that he will be the vessel ordained by God used to show His astounding grace and mercy to the lost.


Conclusion


In conclusion, Romans 9 clearly supports and teaches the doctrine of reprobation, along with other passages of Scripture. While it is offensive and even despised by many today, the believer’s theology must be shaped by the Word of God instead of being subject to his personal feelings, notions, and opinions. And God’s Word declares that God condemns some to eternal destruction—for the praise of His glory and the brightness of His mercy to the elect. Humanity is unable to question the justice and righteousness of God. And through this study, we catch a greater glimpse of the greatness and mercy of God. To close, Calvin has another powerful statement about the doctrine of reprobation:
At last, he concludes that God has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth (Rom 9:18). You see how he refers both to the mere pleasure of God. Therefore, if we cannot assign any reason for his bestowing mercy on his people, but just that it so pleases him, neither can we have any reason for his reprobating others but his will. When God is said to visit in mercy or harden whom he will, men are reminded that they are not to seek for any cause beyond his will.  

Bibliography
Calvin, Jean. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.
MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue. Biblical doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth. Crossway, 2017.
MacArthur, John F. The MacArthur Bible commentary: A Faithful, Focused Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson, 2005.
Moo, Douglas. Moo, Douglas J. The Letter to the Romans. New International Commentary, 2018.
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Hendrickson Publishers, 2007.

If the reader is interested, a few further passages to study are Isaiah 29:10, John 12:40, 1 Kings 22:20, Ezekiel 14:9, and Romans 11:8.

All Scripture is taken from the Legacy Standard Bible.

Imagine this…

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture, The Christian Walk

Imagine this…you and a large group of friends have been invited to an expensive, fancy banquet–for free! As you step into the lavish banquet hall, you immediately realize that this is no sham. This is the real deal–lavish and elegant, and the food consists not of fancy tid-bits but true, delicious, substantial dishes.

Excited, you sit down, thanking your host for preparing this amazing banquet, inviting you to this dinner, and paying for it all. The host smiles. “Please, eat up!” he announces. Eagerly, you begin digging in. It is truly the best food you have ever tasted, and it keeps coming, course after course. Then, the host announces that this banquet is more special than you ever imagined–you will never get overly full from it.

When you look over at your friends, though, you see that they are not eating. Although they are in the banquet hall, they are not even gazing at the wonders around them. They are gazing out the window, distracted, not paying any attention to the meal that is set before them. Perhaps they have taken a few small bites but are not enjoying the food or the lavish surroundings. That’s crazy! you might think. They’re missing out on so much–looking at the street outside, and not noticing or acknowledging the feast. How rude to our host.

This is a simple, silly, and insufficient story, but the truth behind it is very real. It illustrates the problem that many believers have today. Ephesians 1:3 reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” (emphasis mine). God has blessed us with every single spiritual blessing there is! He has given us His Word, His Spirit, Himself in all His fullness, His presence, “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). As Romans 8:32 says, if He did not spare His own Son, how would He not give us all things? In Christ there is all sufficiency and all fullness. We can continually seek and search after the Godhead and never attain to all His depths. He will never run out or run dry. There are endless, eternal riches in Him.

But although we have such a feast before us, so lavishly paid for by the blood of the Lamb, are we really taking advantage of its multitudes of blessing? Are we drinking of the unending depths of the ocean of God’s love? Are we drinking freely of the bottomless Water of Life? Are we feasting continually on the precious Bread of Life? Are we using all the benefits and enjoying all the blessings of Christ Jesus, given to us so freely and so graciously?

Unfortunately, I think most of us would honestly say no. Perhaps we find time to squeeze in a little bit of Bible reading or studying here and there, but it is not vital to our lives–we are just too busy. Maybe we pray occasionally or when life circumstances seem to demand it but it is not the abundant prayer and communion with our Lord that He desires. He has bought and prepared the feast for us but now He watches it go to waste as we stare at the things of the world and ignore His gentle and loving invitation to come and partake.

Friend, you may have life eternal, but on this earth, what fullness of life awaits you if you turn from distractions and turn to the Lord! Don’t just “make time” for Him; make HIM your everything–your all-in-all. In the everyday, in the regular patterns of life, seek Him. Place Him at the center and forefront of your life. Chase after Him. Pursue Him. Say to Him “One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4) Do not ungratefully spurn the amazing gifts and spiritual blessings He has not hesitated to pour out on you. Say to Him “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ My heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.'” Accept His invitation and do not wait for Heaven to begin constant fellowship and communication with Him. Start now!

Seeking the Lord does not mean secluding oneself in a monastery. It means that the Lord is the center of your life, and everything you do and say is for His glory. It means so much more than checking “Bible reading” off your list for the day. It means that Scripture and prayer infuse who you are–the very fabric of your daily life, whatever you may be doing. It means that He is your deepest desire and your everything.

Don’t miss out on the abundant spiritual blessings the Lord has given you!

Hesed

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Praise and Worship, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Hesed (חסד) . Perhaps one of the most beautiful, life-giving, astounding, and utterly incomprehensible words in Scripture.

To my knowledge, there is no word in the English language that quite captures the meaning of the Hebrew word hesed. I’ve seen it translated as “mercy” or “steadfast love,” but perhaps the best translation for hesed is “lovingkindness.”

Since there is no word in English that captures the full essence of the word hesed, possibly the best way to begin to grasp it is to find it in Scripture and read it in context. However, we can never fully comprehend God’s hesed toward us. As John Bunyan writes in All Loves Excelling about Ephesians 3:18-19: “Were it all [all knowledge] put together, we, we all, and every one, did we each of us contribute [knowledge] for the manifesting of this love, what it is, the whole of what we know, it would amount but to a broken knowledge; we know but in part, we see darkly (1 Cor. 13:9-12)…were all the saints on earth, and all the saints in heaven to contribute all that they know of this love of Christ, and to put it into one sum of knowledge, they would greatly come short of knowing the utmost of this love, yet unknown by them.” In other words, Christ’s love for us is beyond comprehension (Eph. 3:18-19) and even if all the children of God combined all their knowledge about His love, it would be insufficient to scratch the surface!

However, as Bunyan clarifies later, “that which is not possible to be known to the utmost, is to be known we know not how much; and therefore they that seek to know it should never be contented or satisfied to what degree of the knowledge of it soever they attain; but still should be reaching forward, because there is more to be known of it before them.” In other words, although we can never dream of comprehending the Lord’s love and hesed lovingkindness toward us, we must learn all we can! And every little water droplet we take in from the endless ocean of Christ’s love and hesed will awe, astound, and amaze us, drawing us in to praise and worship our Savior for His undeserved favor toward us.

Here are just a few highlights from my personal Scripture study on hesed.

  • God in His hesed grants us family (Gen. 24:12, 14)
  • We are unworthy of God’s hesed (Gen. 32:10)
  • God’s hesed uplifts us and grants us favor in this life (Gen. 39:21, Ruth 2:20, 1 Kings 3:6, etc.)
  • God shows hesed toward His people (Ex. 15:13, etc.)
  • God is abundant in hesed (Neh. 9:17, etc.)
  • God’s hesed is unfailing and endures forever (Deut. 7:9, 1 Chr. 16:34, Ps. 136, 103:17, etc.)
  • We can trust in God’s hesed (Psalm 13:5, 52:8, etc.)
  • God’s hesed pursues us continually (Ps. 23:6)
  • God’s hesed surrounds those who trust Him (Ps. 32:10)
  • God’s hesed is precious and better than life (Ps. 36:7, 63:3)
  • In God’s hesed He forgives our sins (Ps. 51:1)
  • In God’s hesed He hears our prayers (Ps. 69:13)
  • God crowns us with hesed (Ps. 103:4)
  • We glorify God because of His hesed (Ps. 115:1, 138:2)
  • The earth is full of God’s hesed (Ps. 119:64)
  • The Lord takes pleasure in those who hope in His hesed (Ps. 147:11)

And so much more!! I would encourage you to do a word study on this verse in the Old Testament (even if you don’t know Hebrew, blueletterbible.com is an amazing resource for original language and very easy to do a word study on) and meditate on the richness of the amazing hesed of our precious Savior.

Psalm 25:10

All the paths of the LORD are mercy [hesed] and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Psalm 90:14

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy [hesed],
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!

Psalm 145:8
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy [hesed].

Lam. 3:22

Through the LORD’s mercies [hesed] we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.

Hos. 2:19

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness [hesed] and mercy;


Micah 7:18

Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy. [hesed]

The Path to Degeneracy

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Romans 1:20-23

20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

While reading this passage, I was struck by something interesting. The latter half of Romans 1 describes the path to degeneracy–the downward spiral of inherently depraved humankind as people fall deeper into sin and further from our holy God. It goes from idolatry to gross sexual sin, to an extensive list of sinful practices and attitudes.

But what is the beginning of this dark, awful spiral? “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful.” The root of all these atrocious wicked behaviors? Knowing God, but not glorifying Him, and being unthankful.

That is a sharp rebuke. How many of us as believers in Christ know God but do not glorify Him as such, and further, are unthankful for all His many blessings and benefits that He so graciously bestows on us every day? It is so easy to say “Oh, well those people who are in all that sin act that way.” But from my experience, these are common failings for Christians as well, myself included. If that is the case, we must truly guard against these two sins from which spring a whole multitude and host of evils.

I truly believe that those whom God has sovereignly elected as His children will never be cast out of His presence–that He will keep them safe in the palm of His hand forever. However, as believers, we must, with the help of His Holy Spirit, follow His ways and obey His Word. Let’s dive into the two issues at the root of all other sins that Paul describes in Romans 1.

—although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God… It is fully possible for one to know God and not glorify Him as such. A person can grow up learning all about God, and even reading and studying the Bible, and yet not glorify Him as God in their life. What does it mean to glorify God? It means, for one thing, to honor Him as Lord and God in every single area of our lives, honoring Him as God and King in our hearts, and surrendering control entirely to Him. According to the Strong’s definition of δοξάζω (doxazo–the Greek word used for glorify in the original language of this sentence), glorify means “to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate…to honour, do honour to, hold in honour…to make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendour…to impart glory to something, render it excellent…to make renowned, render illustrious…to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged.” We do this by praising God, obeying His Word, exalting Him before others…and most of all, by extoling Him as Lord over every aspect and area of our lives. Not doing so is pride, humanism, and in fact, self-exaltation, and the first stronghold of degeneracy in a person’s life.

—…nor were thankful. This one is hard. How many of us struggle to be thankful? Yet Scripture clearly tells us, “in everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18). In fact, how can we struggle to be grateful to the One who “daily loads us with benefits” (Ps. 68:18)? Our amazing God has saved and redeemed us…has sacrificed His own Son, God very God, for our sins…has given us, undeserving sinners, eternal life…He provides for our needs and withholds nothing good from us (Ps. 84:11, Ps. 34:10)…He is good, faithful, trustworthy, gentle, kind, longsuffering, and so much more! He gives us every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Who are we to be discontented and unthankful? Truly, unthankfulness is an insult to our loving Father God.

What happens when people do not glorify God and are unthankful? They become “futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened…and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man…” Those two issues are the first stop on the path to degeneracy–sinners, already depraved from birth, succumbing to sin deeper and darker. If one does not acknowledge, thank, and glorify God, one is close to replacing God with self-worship or other forms of idolatry.

Perhaps this post is not a cheery New Year’s greeting, but I think it is very appropriate to examine our hearts as a new year dawns. Perhaps we should resolve this year to renew our commitments to glorify our amazing, Triune God and practice thankfulness and gratitude to Him. He is so good and so worthy of all our praise! May the Lord bless you this new year, and may you draw closer to Him!

Our Purpose Revealed

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.“

What is our purpose? Why are we as believers here on this earth? More specifically, FOR WHAT PURPOSE did God choose us in particular among all people–to redeem us by His blood and sanctify us to Himself?

A look at the book of Ephesians, particularly chapter 1, answers this question. Let’s look at the two specific and clearly laid out reasons God chose us to be His.

  • To be holy and without blame before Him in love. Many times, in our modern day, people overemphasize “making a decision for Christ.” “Pray the prayer and you’re saved” is the mentality. But the truth is that the first moment the Holy Spirit leads us to put faith in Christ is only the beginning. WHY did God choose us to be His children? Why did He choose us “in Him before the foundation of the world”? To be holy and blameless in Him. Becoming a Christian means dying. It means dying to our sinful nature and the old man. It means crucifying the flesh and dying with Christ. It means leaving our past and sinful nature. A prayer does not save us. Christ Himself saves us by grace through faith, NOT of ourselves (Eph. 2:8). Faith without works is dead (James 2)! God gives us faith in Him, and He redeems us. Faith is not a one-and-done thing! Faith is living and active! We must LIVE OUT our faith, bearing fruit for Jesus. He saves us not so we can just keep living however we want to. Our old selves have DIED, and we no longer have anything to do with them. The first purpose for our salvation is HOLINESS. We are to be set apart from the world, spotless and blameless, pure and holy, consecrated to His use alone. The Greek word for without blame (ἄμωμος) is translated as a sacrifice without blemish. Going to Romans 12:1-2, we discover what the sacrifice is. It is ourselves–a holy, living sacrifice to the Lord. This is what He chose us for–in Him–before the foundation of the world! He predestined us for HOLINESS and BLAMELESSNESS. We have no place mingling with darkness and the world. We must be completely set apart and consecrated for His service.

  • To the praise of the glory of His grace. The phrase “to the praise of His glory” is repeated three times in Ephesians chapter 1, as relating to the purpose for which God chose us to be His children, predestining us before the foundation of the world to adopt us as His own. The second purpose God has for us in Christ is for His praise and to His glory! All things are of Him and through Him and to Him. He is worthy, always entirely worthy of all our worship and adoration. All that we do should always be for His glory alone. When we praise Him, we bring Him glory. When we live in holiness, fulfilling our purpose, we bring Him glory. When we endure suffering with patience, we bring Him glory. He has called us to bring Him glory. He has saved us for the sake of His glory. Everything He does is for the glory of His name. Strong’s concordance describes the Greek word for glory (δόξα) as a “most glorious condition, most exalted state.” The glory of God should be our end purpose, our chief goal in life. And as we pursue holiness in Christ Jesus, who has purchased us with His precious blood for this very reason, we bring glory, honor, and praise to His name.

Now that we know our purpose in Christ, are we living it out? Let us reevaluate our lives. In what ways do we need to be separate from the world–set apart and consecrated in holiness to our Master? In what ways do we need to rededicate our lives to solely seeking after His glory and praise in all things? This is our calling. This is the reason our Lord and Master chose us to be saved. This is the reason He purchased us on the cross, suffering the ultimate penalty for our sins. He has done so much for us. Can we not fulfill the purpose to which He has called us?

Lamentations 3:40

Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD.

Ephesians 1:4-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…

7 Key Reasons American Christians Should Support Israel

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

“I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

  1. The Bible tells us to. In Genesis chapter 12, God promised Abraham that those who blessed his descendants would be blessed, and vice versa. This was never a conditional promise, and God never set a time limit for the “expiration” of this verse.
  2. Jesus Christ came to the earth as a Jew. Jesus Christ was born of the seed of David according to the Law (Gal. 4:4, Matthew 1). He came as a Jew, and His main earthly ministry was to the Jews. (Matthew 15:24) Salvation is of the Jews since the Savior came from the Jews. (John 4:22)
  3. Israel is God’s special people. We are to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1-2). God has numerous times declared that Israel is His special chosen nation. Scripture clearly states that even in New Testament times, God has not cast away His people. (Romans 11:1-2: “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.”) Even though the Jewish people as a whole have rejected their Messiah, God has not rejected them, and the nation of Israel still plays an essential role in God’s plan for history.
  4. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, loves Israel. As previously mentioned, Christ’s earthly ministry was nearly entirely focused on the Jewish people. Salvation came first to the Jews who spread the Gospel to the Gentiles.
  5. Israel will play a key role in God’s plan for the future of the world. There are many prophecies in Scripture concerning Israel’s future salvation and her role in end-time events. In fact, these events will center around Israel.

Even if you take these most important factors out of the equation, there are significant practical reasons for the US to support Israel.

  1. Israel is America’s strong ally. Historically, Israel and America have worked side by side. This is no different from the present! The leaders of both countries have great relationships and work closely together.
  2. Israel is very smart and up-to-date on technology, making them a valuable country to have a good relationship with.
  3. Israel’s location in the Middle East gives the US an ally in that turbulent area of the world.

God has made it abundantly clear that His children in Christ must support and bless His chosen nation, Israel. That fact alone ought to convince us that we must do so and stand boldly for the Jewish people.

I hope this post equips you to better understand and defend your position on Israel!

Psalms 122:6 (NKJV)
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.” For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

Or in Hebrew: Shaalu Shlom Yerushalayim! (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!)

Humble Yourself

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Literature, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

A little booklet by John MacArthur, Found: God’s Peace, casts these famous verses in an entirely new light. As Christians, we’ve probably all heard them a time or two, and thus, they can easily be overlooked due to how well we know them. But the question stands: how often do we actually put these verses into practice?

MacArthur explains what it means to humble ourselves under God’s hand: “The key is never to contest God’s wisdom but instead to accept humbly whatever God brings into your life as coming from His hand.”

Humbling ourselves under the hand of God equals accepting everything, even trials and pain, as coming from His perfect plan. Instead of getting angry or bitter, it means trusting and submitting. Instead of continually questioning “why?” it means saying “Lord, I do not understand what You are doing. But I trust that it is good–in fact, it is best for me–and it is for Your glory and my good, ultimately.”

Of course, we all struggle, and there are times we face doubt and questions. That is common; go to the psalms and you will find that other men of God struggled with the same things. But at the end of most lamenting psalms, you will find declarations of praise and trust. Even in the book of Lamentations, which is a declaration of mourning and sorrow, we find some of the most beautiful verses in Scripture: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

That is what truly makes a person of God–not someone who never struggles with their faith, but someone who does not stay there but always comes out victorious, humbly and joyfully submitting to God’s will in all things.

It is most certainly not an easy practice. But may we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us peacefully and joyfully submit to His will! What a God we serve, that we can trust Him wholeheartedly, for He always does what is best for us, for our good and more importantly, for His glory.

*Note: I wanted to mention that Dr. MacArthur’s recent passing is deeply sorrowful for those of us on earth who have been impacted by his life and ministry. I have been so blessed by his materials and am thankful for the man of God he was. Praise the Lord for his life and legacy, and may the Lord help his ministry to continue going strong!

Reflections

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk

Psalm 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

The events of the past few days have left me speechless. Many of us feel deep grief and pain at so much loss, from the terrorist attacks in Israel to the brutal murder of a dear young man who loved Jesus and his country–Charlie Kirk.

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to view the latter tragedy through the eyes of several different people from various walks of life. The assassination impacted each differently, yet the feelings seemed to be the same. “I never met Charlie, but I cried all day yesterday,” is the same message I heard from many. Why? Because Charlie Kirk was a young man who was passionate about his faith. Nothing impacts this dark world more than a light that shines radiantly, unashamedly, courageously. Nothing is as powerful as believers who live out their faith in all their actions, not just claiming to be Christians but bearing fruit and proving it with their deeds.

This is our generation’s 9/11. (Quite literally.) This is our wake-up call. Will we carry on Charlie’s work? Will we stand for Christ and for His truth–which is THE Truth? Will we seek righteousness?

If you are like me, you may be feeling discouraged and somewhat defeated this week. But I have good news for you–we as Christians are not defeated! Christ is not defeated–He is victorious, and we are victorious in Him! Although it may seem like darkness has prevailed at this moment, it has not. The Light of the world always overcomes the darkness. God is perfectly sovereign. His plan is perfect, and the darkness cannot thwart His purpose. He does whatever He pleases, and His ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9) Psalm 21:11 stood out to me today: “For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot which they are not able to perform.” (emphasis added)

Charlie’s work on this earth is done, but ours has just begun. We must step out and stand up. We must live for Christ wholeheartedly–the time for a lukewarm faith is past. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, another Christian martyr declared, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” In order to live fully for Christ on this earth, we must die to sin and to self. Once one becomes a Christian, he simply can no longer live the same way he always used to. Instead, we as believers must become living sacrifices for Jesus (Romans 12:1), surrendering everything to Him and committing to obey Him in whatever He calls us to do, no matter the cost. He may not call each of us to speak before millions, but He may call us to tell one family member about Jesus. And that is worth it.

It is not wrong to feel a sense of intense grief at losing Charlie, a fellow believer. We all mourn together. Jesus understands our sorrow; He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Yet, we do not mourn as those who have no hope. (1 Thess. 4:13) We know Charlie is with Jesus, and we have our marching orders to carry on his work, fearlessly speaking the truth in love and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Charlie was a Christian martyr who died for his faith. May we live fully for our Savior and be willing to lay down our lives for Him, if He calls us to. May we boldly speak out for truth and for righteousness.

And most of all, let us pray. Pray for Charlie’s family. Pray for our leaders. Pray for protection. Pray for our country. Pray for the light of Christ to shine and to mightily overwhelm the darkness.

And if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there is no time to wait! He died so that we can live with Him. He willingly shed His blood on the cross so that we can be with Him forever, in eternal life. We are all totally depraved sinners–anyone who denies that fact is thoroughly deceived–and we could never earn eternal life. BUT GOD stepped in and sent His Son to take the penalty on our behalf. He bore the wrath of God so that YOU don’t have to. Believe in Him. Jesus Christ is the Lord–God incarnate–and He is the ONLY Way to salvation. I pray you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior today! For more information, visit the Gospel tab.

John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.“

Proverbs 31:8-9

“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.“

Psalm 10:13-14

Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
“You will not require an account.”
But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
To repay it by Your hand.
The helpless commits himself to You;
You are the helper of the fatherless.

Prisoner’s Prayer

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Literature, Praise and Worship, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Recently, I read some writings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of my personal heroes. If you do not know much about him, I hardly know where to begin in describing his life to you. Rather, I will have to refer you to one of my favorite books ever: Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. Once you start digging into the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you will find yourself challenged, inspired, and encouraged in your walk with Christ.

Bonhoeffer wrote a prayer to encourage his fellow prisoners at Christmastime in 1943. It ministered to me greatly, and I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy!

MORNING PRAYERS

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray

And to concentrate my thoughts on you;

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,

But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

But you know the way for me.

O heavenly Father,

I praise and thank you

For the peace of the night;

I praise and thank you for this new day;

I paise and thank you for all your goodness

and faithfulness throughout my life.

You have granted me many blessings;

Now let me also accept what is hard

from your hand,

You will lay on me no more

than I can bear.

You make all things work together for good

for your children.

Lord Jesus Christ,

You were poor

and in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am.

You know all man’s troubles;

You abide with me

when all men fail me;

You remember and seek me;

It is your will that I should know you

and turn to you.

Lord, I hear your call and follow;

Help me.

O Holy Spirit,

Give me faith that will protect me

from despair, from passions, and from vice;

Give me such love for God and men

as will blot out all hatred and bitterness;

Give me the hope that will deliver me

from fear and faint-heartedness.

O holy and merciful God,

my Creator and Redeemer,

my Judge and Saviour,

You know me and all that I do.

You hate and punish evil without respect of persons

in this world and the next;

You forgive the sins of those

who sincerely pray for forgiveness;

You love goodness, and reward it on this earth

with a clear conscience,

and, in the world to come,

with a crown of righteousness.

I remember in your presence all my loved ones,

my fellow-prisoners, and all who in this house

perform their hard service;

Lord, have mercy.

Restore me to liberty,

and enable me so to live now

that I may answer before you and before men.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

Amen.

Extravagant Love

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk

Mark 14:3-9

3And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
6But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

While she was pouring out her extravagant, costly love on Jesus’ feet, Mary received criticism. “This fragrant oil was wasted.” “She should have sold it and given it to the poor.” These sharp words were spoken by Judas; but Mark adds the detail that “they” criticized her sharply, which indicates that others around the table, potentially even other disciples, also thought ill of her action. But Mary did not care what they thought–believers or unbelievers. She knew she was pleasing her Lord by pouring out her love on Him.

Sometimes Jesus calls us to do what may be “unpopular” or “unacceptable,” even among Christian circles. Professing believers may lift their chins and criticize us.

“How could he talk about hell? No one is going to come to Christ that way.” But “he” knows that Jesus spoke about hell, and that speaking the sometimes-hard truth, in love, is the only way to gain true converts. So “he” seeks to follow and obey Jesus alone, only caring what HE thinks. And HE is well pleased.

“Why is he preaching against abortion? These types of issues are too ‘politicized’ and divisive these days. Christians must stay out of all that. Doesn’t he know that converting the unsaved is more important?” But “he” knows that Christ calls us to stand against injustice and to speak out for the voiceless. (Isaiah 1:17, Proverbs 31:8-9) “He” knows that preaching the gospel to the unsaved alone without discipling and exhorting both new believers and the faithful in Christ is pretty much useless, for it will result in too many shallow professions of belief that shortly wither away. “He” knows that merely professing belief without living it out in both deed and action results in a dead faith. (James 2:20, 26) And “he” knows that biblical figures such as Elijah and John the Baptist, even Jesus Himself, spoke out against evil and immorality. The criticism does not bother “him” because “he” knows that what “he” is doing is right in Jesus’ eyes. So “he” seeks to follow and obey Jesus alone, only caring what HE thinks. And HE is well pleased.

“Why should they be spending money on _____ when there are homeless people who need assistance and heathens who need to hear the gospel?” Yet, “they” spend their money in whatever way God calls them to. “They” do not care what others think, as long as they know they are obeying God’s will and purpose as revealed in Scripture for their lives/ministries. So “they” seek to follow and obey Jesus alone, only caring what HE thinks. And HE is well pleased.

It does not matter what people say. What matters is that we seek GOD and HIS WILL for our personal situations. Do not listen to other people’s criticism! Go to your Savior. Listen to Him alone!

Obey Him in WHATEVER He calls you to do. You can find His standards clearly laid out in His Word. It does not matter what anyone else thinks, says, or does. Pour out your love extravagantly and abundantly on HIM, no matter the cost. Follow HIM without doubt, without reservation.

What will it matter on the last day, what others thought, said, or even did to us? When we see our Savior face-to-face, it will only matter what HE thought of our actions. And if we disobeyed Him–if we kept silent when He asked us to speak, and if we did not act when He asked us to act, or rather, acted in the manner He despises, there will be sorrow and loss of rewards.

And, on the other hand, let us not be quick to judge fellow believers (unless, of course, the matter involves a direct violation of the Word of God). But let us rather seek His will for our own lives!

Our Savior has poured out His EVERYTHING for us. How can we not do the same for Him? Let us pour our whole lives at His feet, a costly, living sacrifice for Him, ready to obey Him in all things, whatever He says, for His glory. Let us love Him far more than anything on earth.

Acts 5:29 (NKJV)
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.