No one wants to feel responsible for the suffering of Christ. Even though we know better, we still choose to think it was the fault of Judas, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. The Roman soldiers were the ones who beat him and nailed him to a cross, and they were following the commands of their leader. Real people accused, punished, and killed Jesus.

It’s difficult to think about the death of Christ and consider it necessary for our salvation. I used to reconcile the gruesome details of Jesus’ death by thinking that is what it took to cover all sins for all people. But, the truth is, Jesus died a gruesome death for my individual sins. He did the same for your sins.

Jesus carried the weight of our sins to Calvary. That weight is simply illustrated by the cross. When Jesus fell under the weight he carried, we are reminded that our sins cost him so much more than we want to think about.

Jesus modeled the burden of sin with every painful step to Calvary. Jesus provided that model because he wanted us to understand the magnitude of our sins and recognize how much they cost us. Jesus wanted us to “die to sin” and “live to righteousness.” 

Jesus thought you and I were worth saving so he suffered the horrible consequences of the cross. Our eternal confidence is because of Jesus’ condemnation. Our eternal righteousness is because Jesus cleansed us from every wrong. We aren’t saved because we earned it; we are saved because Jesus bled and suffered so he could offer us his salvation.

“By his wounds you have been healed.”

Take a moment to approach the cross of Calvary. Close your eyes and imagine his suffering. Listen to the sounds, sense the pain, and imagine the separation Jesus felt from everything and everyone, especially his Father. Then meet his eyes and see him seeing you. He thought you were worth it that day, and he still does.

Jesus is the model for our own faith and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. It is the pathway of eternal healing created because of his wounds. Look back at his cross with grateful humility and leave Calvary with full understanding. You are eternally healed because of his wounds.

Our culture defines and categorizes people in many different ways. Christians are defined by Scripture as: “all one in Christ Jesus.” Heaven is impossible to define because we don’t own the needed vocabulary and we don’t have the ability to comprehend eternity. Yet one eternal distinction clearly made in Scripture applies to every human being today.

Everyone you know is either one with Christ Jesus or living separately from him.

When it comes to interpreting Galatians 3:28, debates, laws, and attitudes have changed over the decades. We still tend to define people by their nationality, religion, social status, and gender. Those distinctions are for life on earth but will not exist in heaven. We are all one in Christ Jesus. A Christian will be defined eternally as “a child of God.”

If you are able to read and understand Hebrew, you know that some of the names and descriptions of God are male while others are female. God is Father and Mother because he is uniquely able to fill both human roles. Yet, in truth, God is neither male nor female. He is simply fully God. So is the resurrected Christ and his Holy Spirit.

Jesus walked on earth as a man yet was also fully God. To be one with Christ Jesus is to become God’s child, even though still living in our human form. Jesus is the model for our faith. He grew to be a man but eternally always saw himself as God’s child. We can know God as our Abba Father, just as Jesus did. 

Thinking of ourselves as the world classifies us is normal. But wouldn’t beginning and ending each day with an understanding of how God sees us be more helpful? We are his children. We are not yet perfected, but God already knows us as the people we will be eternally. 

Jesus walked through his earthly life with a sense of eternal purpose and we can too.

Jesus saw himself through his Father’s eyes and we should too.

Jesus was and is the model for our faith and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. The next time you pass a mirror, step away from just the appearance of things and into the reality of full knowledge. You, Christian, are a child of the Creator God, and you always will be.

Jesus lived a sinless life, the life that God would wish for all of us. Yet, no one but Jesus could model a sinless life completely. Jesus died and was raised from the dead to model for us God’s provision for the redemption of every person. You and I can’t die without sin except through faith in Christ.

When “we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord,” we are stating our belief in his sinless, perfect life sacrificially atoning for our sins. We are saying that we need Jesus to be Lord of our lives because we know we can’t be. Without Jesus, we cannot pay for our sins and be made holy. 

When we believe in our hearts that “God raised him from the dead,” we believe in our hearts that God can do the same for us. We can live with the assurance of heaven because we live with the assurance of Christ’s resurrection. 

Anyone “will be saved” who acknowledges their need for Jesus and chooses him as their Lord and Savior. Salvation is not found in the belief that Jesus died for everyone; it is found by admitting and accepting the fact that Jesus had to die for our own personal sins. We must confess we cannot be the lord of our own lives and remain holy enough to live with God. We need Jesus to be our Lord as well as our Savior. 

Our redemption and our salvation are his gift to us—from his cross. We can’t earn or deserve that gift. We can only open our mouths to confess our need and our desire to receive the blessings Jesus died to give.

Jesus is the model for our own faith and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. Jesus modeled the death and the resurrection that will belong to everyone who has become “free” from the penalty of sin. 

Have you confessed your personal need for Jesus as your Lord and Savior? 

If so, “you will be saved.”

Jesus modeled wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, but he also modeled suffering. Jesus told his disciples that we would be persecuted in this world just as he was. It isn’t a popular or comforting thought, but it is the truth of God’s word.

Revelation 17 describes the attack on God’s people from the forces of the Evil One. The attacks will take many forms, but all unmistakably belong to the spiritual forces of evil. Satan cannot claim the soul of someone who is saved, so he will do his best to claim a person’s witness. 

Believers, especially those who are dedicated to their faith, experience spiritual attacks from the Evil One. Many things in our culture draw us away from God’s holiness. One of the signs revealed in the book of Revelation is the increase of the persecution that will exist in the last days. The increase of “lawlessness” and hearts that grow cold, or weak, in the faith.

We should never underestimate the power and influence of “the beast” (Revelation 17:13). At the same time, we should always remember the victory that is ours in Christ. Even though the powers of evil “make war on the Lamb,” the “Lamb will conquer them” (Revelation 17:14). We know that Jesus is the “Lord of lords and King of kings.”

The rest of verse 14 speaks to those who have chosen to use Jesus as the model for the way we walk this life. We are “called and chosen and faithful.” We are called to model the way Jesus lived. We are also called to model the way Jesus suffered. 

Are you experiencing persecution for your faith? Have you been tempted by the evil and sinful things in our world? Remember that “you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Jesus is the model for our own faith and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. Jesus battled evil and suffered persecution in order to live faithfully for God. 

Are we willing to do the same?

“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” —1 Corinthians 1:30

One of the best descriptions of Jesus is to see him as God, in human form. It is difficult to understand how Jesus could be fully God, yet fully man. Jesus is the only One in human history who will ever carry that distinction.

When Jesus spoke, he spoke with the wisdom of God. Jesus lived each day of his life in a righteous or right relationship with God. Jesus led a life of holiness, sanctified by God and set apart to serve him. And Jesus was born to be the Messiah and provide for our redemption. 

Paul described Jesus as the One who became wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. When we received Christ as our Lord and Savior, Jesus became the source of God’s character in us, through his Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our relationship with God as our Father.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” —Isaiah 7:14

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah and assigned him the name Immanuel, meaning the character of God—with us. Jesus lived on earth as God incarnate. He was and is God with us.

Immanuel, God with us, was redefined in the days that followed Pentecost. Forty days after Christ ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came to indwell those gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus, through his Holy Spirit, is God with us.

God has given us a “sign” of his reality. Anyone who has the Holy Spirit has the continual presence of Jesus in their life. Just as people sought the presence of Jesus when he walked in this world, we should seek his Presence today through the Holy Spirit. God, three-in-one, is with us now and has made certain we could be with him eternally. 

Jesus is the model for our own faith and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. 

Can you sense the presence of Immanuel right now?

Paul probably wrote his letter to the prosperous Roman colony of Philippi while under house arrest in Rome. He had intended to go to Rome, but not as a prisoner of the government. Yet, while under house arrest he wrote several letters that are now part of our Bibles. Paul had no idea that people would be reading his words to Philippi thousands of years later. 

Paul had been a successful, acclaimed Pharisee. His salvation cost him everything he had worked to have. The Apostle had been hunted, slandered, imprisoned, and arrested. He also lived with a condition he called his “thorn in the flesh,” which brought him a great deal of pain. Now, he was chained and a prisoner of the Roman government. 

Yet, the Apostle could say, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Paul had learned that his ministry was not limited to human effort; it was only bound by the will of God. Paul worked tirelessly for the sake of the gospel and endured great hardship. But Paul trusted God to use his work and bless the outcome, regardless of his earthly challenges. 

The word content in the Bible means accepting the circumstances God has allowed, knowing that God is always and abundantly sufficient for whatever needs we have. The key to contentment is accepting our limitations and understanding that our God has none. 

If Paul could be content to write from his prison, we can learn to be content with our circumstances. Our limitations cannot limit God. His will and his word will succeed. When you feel discouraged, just consider Paul’s words and his circumstances. If the Apostle learned to be content, so can we.  

Allow the words of Christ to dwell in you richly, knowing that contentment is our choice because of our salvation.

God doesn’t want to be our governor; he wants to be our King. God doesn’t ask his children to work for him from nine to five. He asks us to serve him 24/7. Why do God’s demands require our complete commitment? 

The Sermon on the Mount was the foundation of truth for Christ’s entire ministry. It's found in Matthew 5–7. Jesus was preaching what it would mean for a child of God to walk in obedience under the New Covenant. To sum it up, God’s children would need to make him their King. 

Jesus taught his disciples that the relationship the Lord wanted to have with them was that of a sovereign authority with a subject. Why is that the relationship God wants to have with each of us? 

Jesus taught that when we seek God’s word and will, and when we live a life that is righteous (right with him), then God is able to provide his blessings, now and eternally, to our lives. Jesus had already taught the crowd the Beatitudes, the model prayer, and other lessons about living a godly life. After he said those things, he taught them to “seek first” God’s sovereign reign in their lives. Jesus wanted his disciples to seek to be righteous so that all those promised blessings in the Beatitudes and other passages could be added to their lives. 

When we make God our King, he is able to direct our choices so that we live a life he is able to fully bless. God demands our complete commitment because that is the way he is most able to reward our earthly lives, now and eternally. 

What has become a higher priority than fulfilling these words of Christ? Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly and the Lord can add blessing upon blessing to your life now and to your life eternal.  

We have a King, not a governor.

When God spoke to the prophet Isaiah, he was really telling him, “Come, argue it out with me.” God would rather our words be real and our hearts honest when we come before him. He knows our struggles and when we struggle to believe. God is big enough for every doubt, every fear, and every disappointment. 

God told the prophet to come to him and we will argue it out. It's easy for God to invite us to a debate because he already knows how to win. God wants to win because he wants his best for our lives. 

The rest of the verse is a message that even a prophet of God needs to hear. The Lord told Isaiah that even though his sins were like scarlet, they could be as white as snow. In this era of history, scarlet was among the most saturated colors that a fabric could absorb. At the same time, a pure white color was rarely seen. Newly fallen snow would be the perfect example, or pure, washed wool. 

Our sins can saturate our lives at the deepest levels, but God can forgive and redeem us to be pure and guiltless in his eyes. That’s why God wants us to argue things out with him. He wants to win the argument so that we will submit ourselves to his truth and his ability to purify our lives. 

In what areas are you angry or disappointed with what God has allowed? What sins do you accept as part of your life that God doesn’t? What have you chosen to believe that his word teaches against? 

God wants to “argue it out” with you. He wants you to come to him with your thoughts so that he can fill you with his. Imagine: the God of the universe invites us to reason things out with him. Don’t hesitate to bring him any argument.  

He wants you to allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly. That blessing is worth every discussion.

God judges our lives much differently than we judge others, even ourselves. In Psalm 139, the psalmist cries out to God because he has been misjudged and slandered by others. He doesn’t defend himself to his enemies. Instead, he goes to God and asks for God to judge his heart and his motives. 

The fact the psalmist wants God to judge his heart is his best defense. He wants to know what God thinks of his thoughts and his actions. He wants God to “search” his life and know him at his deepest, most secret levels.

It's comforting to realize that we can trust God to judge us in a way that benefits us. The psalmist wants to know God’s conclusions about his life because those are the only judgments that matter. 

How would our lives be changed if we petitioned God to search our hearts and thoughts? If we knew God’s judgment of our lives, would anyone else’s opinion carry much weight? 

We often make choices we think will bring approval from those around us. The psalmist sought the correction and approval of the best judge, God himself. He knows us, he loves us, and he wants the very best for us. At the end of the day, if we find ourselves right with God, does any other opinion truly matter? 

Allow the word of Christ to dwell in your life richly and, like the psalmist, you can eagerly ask God to search your heart and your thoughts because he will see his Son in your life. At the end of the day, his approval is all you truly need.

The Apostle John is the only apostle believed to have lived a long life and died a natural death. By the time John wrote his letter that we know as 1 John, he had watched the Christian church grow, thrive, and weaken. The Christian church offered an audience that some outside the faith wanted to influence or serve for personal gain. 

These outside speakers presented a message that appealed to many of those who were young in the faith and not strong in the teaching of the apostles. John’s heart for the people is seen in the way he addresses them as “Beloved.” They were his church, his “children” in the faith, and he didn’t want to see them lose sight of the true gospel message. 

John told the church he loved, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” It has always been important to distinguish between what sounds or seems like something God would say and submit those words to biblical truth. The culture has usually taught a message that differs from the message of Christ. 

As John said, “Many false prophets have gone out into the world.” John gives the same warning to Christians today. We don’t have to wonder if the culture is still influencing God’s people with a message that conflicts with God’s word. False prophets will always teach a false message. But John would warn that some of those false prophets will enter the church as well.

A false prophet is anyone who teaches a message contrary to the truth of God’s word. We have all heard a message like that, and, most likely at some point, we have delivered false truth as well. Many words are spoken “in the name of Christ” that aren’t authored by the “word of Christ.” 

How can you tell if someone is a false prophet? Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly. The best way to determine if a hundred-dollar bill is counterfeit is to study one that isn’t. The same is true of God’s word. When truth dwells in us “richly,” we will be able to discern more easily what is only partially true. Beloved, don’t believe every spirit. A true prophet teaches biblical truth, even when that truth is unpopular or unappreciated.  

A true prophet has allowed the word of Christ to dwell in their life and their message.