David Bahn - Reflections

The devil is not the only one relentlessly pursuing us. God is too. In the words of the song, Wreckless Love,

There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me

https://youtu.be/Sc6SSHuZvQE?si=_T5PGgupoUhwJoMv

The most convenient time for us to yield to God's call, repent of our sins, and trust in God is now. Today. Now is the acceptable time. Now is the time of salvation. Now is the time to listen when God is speaking to us. For his words are grace and truth. Life and salvation are found in faith in his words. Now.

What if you never had to defend your actions, justify your words, or prove we are right in our beliefs? What if the pressure is off. We will be publically vindicated on the Great Last Day for our faith in Jesus. Every time we've been ridiculed, suffered for righteousness sake, sacrificed for the benefit of another, and gone the extra mile for love's sake, we will be shown to be right. Good. Holy. Just. And when we've failed and repented and returned to Jesus we will be vindicated before God. That's God's gift: we are declared righteous by grace through faith. Thanks be to God.

By faith we will stand on the Great Last Day. By faith we resist temptation and exercise self-control, knowing that such exercise is far better for us here and now and in The End. By faith we look again and again to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame and now sits at the right hand of God.

Let’s not kid ourselves about what it means to believe in Jesus. The fullness of faith involves constant repentance and a commitment to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves. It’s a challenging battle, and sometimes we will fail. But our faith in Jesus will call us back to it daily. Whenever the final judgment comes, we can stand on his promises of life and salvation. That’s where I’m standing. How about you?

We all need to hear about “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment.” For those who believe in Jesus, he is our righteousness. For those who struggle with self-control and fear the judgment, it is far better that we not send God’s messengers away. Listen carefully to what they say, and come to Jesus Christ and hold to faith in him. No matter how the world turns, he will never send you away.

Jesus has won the victory over sin, death, and the devil. We’re just waiting to get back home to celebrate the victory together.

But wait we must. Not all is well here on this earth. Whether it’s air conditioners having to be replaced, or car trouble in rush hour traffic, illness, financial ruin, or job loss, we are constantly reminded that we live in a broken world. This makes hope all the more precious and important. Hope looks beyond today. It waits for God’s deliverance. It trusts in God’s goodness, promises, and grace. Hope, when properly placed, is a marvelous thing!

Grace and truth are beautiful together. One without the other can be a sham of justice, or a hopeless search for self-justification. When we face the truth of our brokenness and sin, and turn to the grace of Jesus’ mercy, love, and forgiveness, we can have a truly clear conscience. We will then surely want to live in such a way that we honor God’s grace and truth, and serve our neighbor in love.

When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we pray, "Forgive us our tresspasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Did Paul need to pray that prayer? Is it true that, "we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment?" Such was the conviction of Martin Luther. Paul would write of himself, "O wretched man that I am..." (Romans 7:24). Yet Paul says that he "always takes pains to have a clear conscience toward God and man." The only way that is possible is through the forgiveness of Christ and the gracious attitude of men.

There’s form and then there’s substance. Think of a beautifully-wrapped gift box that contains garbage. Form: Good. Substance: Stinky! Or the other way: treasures wrapped in dirty clothes buried deep in a banged-up suitcase. Good stuff. Garbage in a garbage bag: No surprise here, but still stinky. It’s best when form and substance align.

 Paul will offer a substantive defense. He will anchor it in God's truth and the hope of the resurrection.