Tag: grace

Romans 3:21-31

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            It would be an understatement to say that how we view the whole of Holy Scripture is important.  For Christians, the Bible is God’s Word to humanity.  Some believers approach the Bible as a law book and see the essence of Christianity as obedience to specific commands.  Yet, today’s epistle lesson affirms that we are justified by faith apart from works of the law.
 
            Therefore, I tend to see the Bible more as a beautiful story of grace in which God goes out of his way across the millennia to redeem his lost creatures from sin, death, and hell.  Our relationship to God will not stand up under the burden of a perpetually angry army sergeant-type God who is trying to drill truth and salvation into his stupid raw recruits.  Rather, we come to God as a loving heavenly Father who, along with the Son and the Spirit, went to the greatest lengths to make redemption possible.  God did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
 
            The only proper response to this grace is faith – not effort, not trying harder, not by self-flagellation or extreme guilty feelings.  None of us has anything to stand upon, except the grace of God in Christ.  The wrath of God against sin and evil has been satisfied through the death of Jesus.  We do not need to try and please God through working more and harder because we already possess his pleasure.
            Loving God, who sent Jesus as my substitute on the cross, give me the gift of faith so that I might always trust you for my salvation and for everything in my life every day.  Amen.

Jeremiah 19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            There is a prophetic rhythm in the Old Testament between judgment and grace, wrath and mercy.  This chapter in Jeremiah is clearly in the groove of judgment:  “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘Listen!  I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’”
 
            Judah and Jerusalem had the Temple, the covenant, the promises.  The problem was not that they had forgotten these realities because they continued to offer their sacrifices and attended much of their religious practice.  The issue was that they sacrificed to other gods and practiced the ways of religions other than the worship of Yahweh.  The ancient Jews used the worship of the one true God as a sort of rabbit’s foot to do whatever they wanted.  They believed that since they offered worship to the LORD, the rest of their time and money was theirs to do with however they chose.  They were wrong.
 
            Jeremiah prophesied judgment on them for not giving their whole selves to God and for not listening to God when he repeatedly called them to repent from such proclivities.  What we must continually grasp is that God is the Lord over all our lives, not just part of them.  God cares deeply about everything we do and say.  It is a travesty and offense to God when we have an attitude that we put in our time going to church and give a portion of money in the offering plate, and the rest of our lives is for us to with as we please.  Everything belongs to God, not just the “religious” parts.  This is a message not just for ancient people, but for all of us today who claim the name of God. 
            O God Almighty, all things belong to you, and you deserve my exclusive praise and adoration.  I unreservedly give my life to you, body and soul, so that I will serve my faithful Redeemer, the Lord Jesus, every day in every way.  Amen.

Exodus 3:7-15

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Several years ago, when I attended seminary, I got to know several persons from around the world who came to study theology and ministry.  One of those people was a man from India whom I became good friends with.  His name was P.J.  I asked P.J. one day what the initials stood for.  He replied, “No one in the West is able to pronounce my real name, so I simply go by the initials P.J.”  
             When Moses asked God what his name is, God gave him an answer similar to my friend P.J.  He replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.”  Okay.  That was not exactly what Moses was looking for, but he did get an answer to his question.  It was as if God knew that his name was much too wonderful to ever pronounce, so he gave Moses a name that people could actually call him.  
             “Yahweh” is the name in Hebrew.  It is only one word, but is difficult to exactly translate; it certainly cannot be translated into one word in English which is why we need to have an entire phrase in order to even begin to make sense of the name “Yahweh.”  Other Bible translations (i.e. NIV) capitalize all the letters of “LORD” in order to cue the reader that the name “Yahweh” is being used.
             A phrase in vogue today to communicate something that is hard to make sense of but is nonetheless real is, “It is what it is.”  That perhaps is as close as we get to understanding “Yahweh.”  He is who he is; God will be who he will be.  The LORD is so far above us that he must communicate to us in a kind of baby language, much like a parent who simply bends down and utters coos over the crib of her infant.
             God has been gracious to stoop to us and reveal something of himself to us.  The fullest expression of this love is the sending of the Son, the Lord Jesus, to be with us so that we can know this God who is who he is.  The proper response to this grace from Yahweh is gratitude, praise, and trust.
             Yahweh, the great I AM, you have graciously entered my life especially through the person of Jesus Christ, your Son.  Guide me each day to explore and know you so that my faith will be strengthened and my path righteous, through the power of the Spirit.  Amen.

Epiphany

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
            Each year on January 6 in the Church Calendar, after the twelve days of Christmas, is the celebration of Epiphany.  Christ’s coming to this earth as a child and becoming like us is much more than a baby in a manger.  Epiphany helps to bring a vision and understanding of God’s glory to all kinds of people of the world.
 
            Epiphany means “manifestation” or “appearance.”  The event most closely associated with this season is the visit of the Magi to Jesus.  Included in this time of the year between the seasons of Christmas and Lent is a special emphasis on the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus.  The great celebration and focus of these weeks is that salvation is not limited to Israel but extends to the Gentiles, as well.
 
            Every season in the Christian Year has its particular angle of grace.  With Epiphany we see that one of the most scandalous truths of Christianity is that God graces common ordinary people who seem far from God with the gift of Jesus.  God grants repentance that leads to life for all kinds of people no matter what their race, ethnicity, class, or background.  It is a wondrous and astounding spiritual truth that God’s gracious concern is not limited to a certain type of person or a particular group of persons.
 
            Grace is and ought to be the guiding factor in how we interact with people.  Losing sight of grace leads to being critical and defensive.  Like King Herod of old, a graceless person becomes enamored with earthly power and control.  But embracing grace leads to the humility to see the image of God in people very different from ourselves.  Like the Apostle Peter, who learned in a vision to bring the gospel to non-Jews, old legalisms begin to be worn away so that people from all walks of life can have access to Jesus and his gracious saving and healing ministry.  Grace brings down barriers and causes us to do away with unnecessary distinctions between others.  Our appropriate response to such a grace is to glorify God for his marvelous and amazing work.
 
            It is a gracious and merciful reality that the Magi, or Wise Men, who were really pagan astrologers, were directed to the Messiah.  A light was provided to lead them to Jesus.  Apart from God’s care and intervention they would have remained in darkness.  And it is no less true for people today.  This old broken world is wrapped in darkness.  All kinds of people have no light at the end of the tunnel of their lives for hope and new life.  But the gospel of Jesus Christ brings that light to those walking around with no ability to see.  Jesus, in his teaching ministry in the Sermon on the Mount, exhorted his followers not to hide their light but to let it shine for all to see.
 
            Sometimes, maybe oftentimes, the best way to bring resolution to our own troubles and problems is through helping others make sense of their lives through the gracious light of Christ so that they can see an appearance, an epiphany, of what their lives can be in the gracious rule of the kingdom of God. 
 

 

            As we celebrate Epiphany and journey with Jesus through his earthly upbringing and into his gracious ministry to people, let us keep vigilance to not let our light grow dim.  Instead, let us hunger and thirst after Christ’s righteousness so that our joy is full and our light is bright.