Thoughts from the Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Tuesday, 16 April 2024 14:50

Behold What Great Love, Part 2
by Joey Carroll, Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

Last week I left you beholding the greatest of all spiritual truths – if you have been born again, you are a child of God. We lack the vocabulary to describe the wonder and joy of our new birth. It is totally a work of the grace and power of God, and yet we place our trust in the person and work of Christ in the moment of new birth. Some are under the false idea that salvation is our work. They think, “God has done all that He is going to do, and now the rest is up to you.” But such a notion is contrary to many passages of the Bible that describe our sinfulness. The truth is that apart from the power of God through the Holy Spirit, we would remain dead in our sins. But the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the Gospel, awakens us from spiritual death to everlasting life by causing us to be born again (Titus 3:4-7). New birth leads to repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ.

I know of no other suitable response to God’s grace toward us than the giving of one’s life in worship and service to Him. One of my favorite songs is “Jesus, Thank You” written by Sovereign Grace Music. The second verse says, “By Your perfect sacrifice, I’ve been brought near. Your enemy You’ve made your friend. Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace. Your mercy and Your kindness know no end.” What great reasons we have to spend all our days in worship to our heavenly Father!

Our new birth comes with consequences. He does not leave us as we were before salvation. What we are has changed. What we should be and what we shall be also changes. Now that we are the God’s children, our relationship to the world is different. John says “For this reason the world does not know us,” (1 John 3:1, NASB). That seems strange – the world in which we were originally born no longer knows us. The reason is “because it did not know Him,” (3:1). John is referring to the hatred that was displayed toward God’s Son. When you consider the crucifixion of our Lord, it should amaze you. He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, fed thousands and taught us to love our neighbor. And yet when He was nailed to a tree, the mass of people shouted “crucify Him, crucify Him.” Any person with a logical mind would respond in the same way Pilate did, “Why, what evil has He done?” (Matt 27:23, NASB). But the reason is simply this: He was God, the Son of God, who had come in the flesh, and since Genesis 3, man has hated God. The idea that God exercises His dominion and rule over His creation sets man’s teeth on edge. Man, since Adam, has always wanted to exercise dominion over himself, and we would go so far as killing God to do so. Since the world hates God, it hates the God’s children (John 15:18-19).

As the children of God, what we should be is changing as well. “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him,” (1 John 2:29, NASB).

John loves the word “practices.” It refers to our manner of living. As Spirit-filled, born- again children of God, our manner of living changes. We begin to live like our Lord lived on earth. This is one of John’s “signs” that we have truly been born of God. This too is simple logic. We all share the characteristics of our earthly parents. We share many of their looks, mannerisms, and ways. Once we are born of God, we begin sharing in His ways and His characteristics – like selfless love and service as well as forgiveness toward others. How can we be unwilling to forgive when we have been so lavishly forgiven?

Lastly, as God’s children, what we will be has changed. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is,” (1John 3:2, NASB). What a glorious thought! One day, we will be changed, and we will be like Him – holy, sinless, in perfect communion with God, and enjoying God forever, as we were always meant to be and do.