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Reflection on 1 John 2:1-11

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Scripture

Dear friends, I am writing a new commandment for you, rather it is an old one you heard from the beginning. This old commandment – to love one another- is the same message you heard before.

Observation

If we sin we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, who pleads our case with the Father. We can be sure we know Him if we obey His commandments. Someone who claims to love God but disobeys His commandments is a liar.

The commandment to love is not new. It is the same message we heard from the beginning. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and those who are in fellowship with Him do so too.

If a person claims to be in the light, but they hate their brother or sister, they are still living in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother or sister is walking in the light of the Lord.

Application

The commandment to love one another is at the heart of God’s plan for us. Jesus made it clear. “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you.”

John says in this passage that a person’s attitude to other christian brothers and sisters shows whether or not they are truly in the light. If we fail to show love to any brother or sister, we are not really following Jesus.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught us that love has to be costly and extend to people beyond our normal circles, to the people we consider to be outsiders- whether that s ethnic, class or sex.

The commandment to love others is unlimited. There is no boundary placed on this.

Because Christ has loved us and all the world, we too must love everyone.

Prayer

Lord, let your love explode in my heart. Help me to love everyone with your love, and to live that out in every encounter today. Amen.

Ephesians 3:10

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:10. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:10

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

God’s intention in revealing this mystery now, after it was hidden through the ages, is to make known his wisdom to the spiritual powers.

While we often focus in on the human dimensions of God’s salvation plan, there is a more profound agenda, the spiritual or supernatural dimension.

It is the church that embodies the wisdom of God. Paul had a very high vision of the church. Even though he had to provide correction and discipline, he had very high ideals of what the church is.

When we are tempted to cynicism about the church, we need to recall that it is through the church that the wisdom of God is being revealed. Every time the church gathers for worship, encouragement, or edification, it is displaying God’s wisdom. When the church proclaims the gospel, it is displaying God’s victory over Satan. Whenever the church stands up for jjustice or for the poor, it is proclaiming God’s Kingdom. Whenever the church ministers healing or miracles it is revealing the power of God.

What we, the church, do together in the name of Christ is not insignificant or weak or boring. The world may portray it as boring, weak or irrelevant, but the powers of hell tremble..

The manifold wisdom of God is manifested through the church.

God’s wisdom operates at many levels simultaneously. People can usually act in wisdom according to their experience or expertise. It is folly to do otherwise, unless we are advised by the Holy Spirit .

Wise leaders seek out the wisdom of other people to augment their own wisdom .

God has no need for advisers and experts. He has infinite wisdom and is able to plan goals and strategies at every level right across time and space. He is not limited by a lack of knowledge because he has all knowledge about all things. He is not limited in strength because he is all powerful. He simultaneously sees the big picture and the individual hearts of billions of people. He sees the beginning and the end, and all points in between .

The wisdom of God is based in his love. He loves his creation, and so His wisdom is rooted in lifting up people, and seeing us achieve our potential as sons and daughters.

God’s love requires also an abhorrence of sin because of the way it destroys people. Therefore, all who refuse to receive his forgiveness will be condemned. There can be no tolerance of sin and evil in God’s wisdom .

God’s wisdom is to be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms .

The church is engaged in a spiritual war that started before recorded history. The rebellion of satan and his followers resulted in their expulsion from heaven and the institution of a separate kingdom, a false kingdom. Satan’s kingdom is less than God’s Kingdom in every way. It is less in numbers and it is less powerful. But it is real nonetheless .

The spiritual war revolves around the worthiness of people to participate in God’s realm. We are both physical and spiritual beings and we fall short in so many ways. While God loves people as the pinnacle of creation, higher even than the angels, satan wants only to destroy us.

The plan of salvation, the mystery, is now being revealed. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. In this act he demonstrated his love. He showed that humility is not weakness and that love is powerful. He uses the cross to draw sinful men and women to Himself.

So God reconciles the world to Himself. This is the wisdom being shown through the church to the rulers and powers in the heavenly realms .

In the end, God will be vindicated by the existence of the church, a huge number that is impossible to count, drawn from every tribe and nation on the earth.

Key points in this verse:

  • God’s plan of salvation is not just about people, but a demonstration of God’s wisdom
  • The church is greater than we often give it credit for
  • The church shares God’s wisdom to the spiritual powers
  • God’s wisdom operates at many levels and from infinite knowledge
  • God’s wisdom is based on his love
  • We are involved in a spiritual war

Reflection on 1 John 1:1-10

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Scripture

We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you might have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son.

Observation

John has seen and heard and touched the one who existed from the beginning. He is the Word of life. John has seen the one who is life itself.

He proclaims what he has seen and heard so that we can have fellowship with him and share in his joy.

The message is that God is light. We cannot claim to be in the light and continue to do the deeds of darkness. If we confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from our sins.

Application

John is one of the first apostles, the Twelve who walked closely with Jesus and continued to carry authority, the authority of Christ, in the early church. His authority came from this close relationship. He saw and heard and touched Christ. He continues to have fellowship with the Father and the Son.

Spiritual authority does not stem from knowledge about God. You can have a dozen degrees in theology and still not know God. It is about fellowship or relationship with God.

We cannot touch or see the Word in the same way that John did. But we can have fellowship with God through the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Fellowship with God is something that we pursue over many years. It comes from humble obedience, in prayer, in listening to the Spirit, and through reading and obeying Scripture.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful privilege of fellowship with you. Come and dwell in me, fill me and direct my paths. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 16:1-27

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Scripture

All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

Observation

Paul sends greetings to many individual christians and leaders in the church at Rome.

His last appeal to them is to watch out for false teachers who teach things contrary to the gospel. They deceive everyone with their smooth talk and glowing words. The Romans, on the other hand, are faithful to Christ.

Application

This final doxology, or blessing, concludes the letter to the Romans.

All of Paul’s life was about glorifying God. He did this firstly in a zealous way fighting heretics including followers of Christ, but later just as zealous for Christ.

Paul counted even his extreme sufferings such as prison, beatings, being shipwrecked, all as nothing compared to the riches of Christ’s glory.

In comparison to Paul, I always feel somewhat inferior and lazy. We should not make comparisons, because God calls us all to live differently, but how wonderful it would be to have Paul’s zeal and boldness for Christ.

I need to learn to put aside everything that detracts from Jesus. This is not just about sin, but all the other distractions that stop me from following Jesus as I should.

I need also to get a clearer vision of Jesus- His grace and love and holiness, allowing Him to capture my heart so that nothing comes close to Him in my affections.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to see you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 15:25-33

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Scripture

Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.

Observation

Before visiting Rome, Paul has to go to Jerusalem in order to take a gift from the believers in Achaia and Macedonia to the poor believers in Jerusalem. Paul then intends to visit Rome on his way to Spain.

Paul asks for prayer for protection from people in Judea who refuse to believe the gospel. Then Paul will be able to come to Rome with a joyful heart.

Application

Paul obviously intended to go to Rome on his way to Spain, after he had been to Jerusalem. We know from Acts that he was arrested in Jerusalem. He appealed for Caesar to hear his case and so was sent to Rome.

He would have chosen other circumstances in which to fulfil his promise. God got him to Rome, using people who were hostile to the faith. We know that Paul wrote several of his epistles while imprisoned in Rome, and many people came to know Jesus through his ministry there.

We may not always have the lifestyle or the situations we might prefer, but God uses all of our life events for good.

The Lord wanted Paul in Rome. The Jewish leaders wanted Paul out of their hair. Although Paul was in chain for the gospel, he was able to travel to Rome with a joyful heart, because he knew that God was in control.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are always with me. Please help me to trust you and to rejoice in you, especially when life is difficult. Amen.

Ephesians 3:9

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:9. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:9

…and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things

Paul’s ministry is to make God’s plan clear to all people.

Paul is very clear that all people, Jews and Gentiles, are now included in God’s plan of salvation. It is given to “all men” to be a part of God’s kingdom.

This salvation, the mystery that was hidden for ages, is now revealed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In his death on the cross, he made payment for the sins of the whole world.

Now Paul’s ministry is to reveal to the whole world that which was hidden. The thing that was previously a hidden thing must now be revealed to all people .

The coming of Jesus into the world is a seismic shift in the affairs of people. It is impossible to exaggerate what’s this means for humanity. Jesus brought salvation (see John 3:16), but he also brought judgement on those who refused his salvation (John 3:18). A huge chasm has opened up – but not between Jews and Gentiles. The chasm is between those who believe in Jesus and those who do not.

Jesus is the light of the world. He makes plain this mystery about salvation and judgement. If we believe in the sacrifice that he provides for us, then we are saved. If we hold on to our own ways, then we are condemned.

Paul, then, wants to make this mystery known to all people .

The phrase, “the plan of the mystery,” is itself a mystery. The New International Version translates it as “ the administration of this mystery,” while the New Living Translation renders the phrase as “ the mysterious plan.”

The word for plan is “oikonomia” from which we get the English word economy. It means to administer a household on behalf of another person. Sometimes it is translated as stewardship.

Paul is drawing our attention to the fact that God’s way of salvation was not hidden for no purpose. There was a plan in the hiddenness off the way to salvation. This may be difficult for us to understand, but it is true that Christ came into the world at the right time, the appointed time, the kairos time.

The plan of salvation, the master plan for humanity, is being administered by God to demonstrate His wisdom to the spiritual rulers and authorities (Ephesians 3 10). The way in which Christ died for the church is part of God’s plan to defeat the satanic forces seeking to overthrow him.

The mystery was hidden “in God.” Does this mean that God had a plan but He didn’t want to share it with anybody else until he was ready to activate it?

This is partly true. To say that the plan was “ hidden in God” suggests that it was hidden in the very nature of God. It was always in the heart of God that He wanted to save the people who had been alienated from Him. It is God’s love that drives Him to find a solution to sin that demonstrates to all people the depth and height of His love.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God became a human being just like us. He became the ransom, the sacrifice, and took away all of our sins.

Jesus’ death on the cross demonstrated in a very public way the dimensions of God’s love and His justice. At that moment the mystery hidden in God was revealed to all people. Everyone who witnessed the crucifixion, and those who heard it from others, can see God’s love for them and His grace in forgiving their sins.

This God who saves is the same God who created all things. There is nothing in the whole of creation, whether seen or unseen, physical or spiritual, that was not created by God.

The angels who worship God and the demons who hate God were created by Him. The people who embrace salvation and those who oppose it are likewise created by God.

Because all things are created by God, they are all accountable to Him, and all will be judged on the basis of their relationship to Jesus .

Key points in this verse:

  • The plan of salvation was a mystery hidden in God
  • Paul’s ministry is to reveal this plan to all people
  • Jesus’ coming into the world changed everything in the world and changed God’s dealing with people
  • The God who says is the same God who created all things

Reflection on Romans 15:14-23

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Scripture

Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, in my service in bringing Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.

Observation

Paul is convinced that the Roman christians already know the things he has discussed in the letter so well that they can teach each other. All he is doing is reminding them of these things.

Paul is God’s special messenger to the Gentiles. He brings them the Good News in order to present them to the Lord.

He is excited about all that Christ has done, not boasting about anything other than what Christ has done. He has always tried to preach the gospel where it has never been heard. But now he is looking forward to travelling to Rome on his way to Spain.

Application

We like to think that we are able to achieve something in life. We like to think we are above average in some ways. In fact in surveys in both the US and the UK, 70% of drivers think they are “above average” in their driving skills.

Paul says that he does not boast about anything other than what Christ has done through him.

Some christians can be guilty of exaggerating their achievements. Some years ago, I wryly observed that if we added up all the converts and attendance claimed by the pastors, we would have 120% of the town’s population in church every week, and it would be a thoroughly converted place.

Paul says that we should not boast except in what Christ has done through us and in us. Even then we need to make sure it is about Jesus and not about me. This comes back to humility, having an honest appreciation of our walk with Jesus. We don’t need to strive for recognition, but simply rest in Christ, knowing that God sees all that we do.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for the joy of walking with you and of serving you. Please help me to keep my eyes fixed on you always. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 15:1-13

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Scripture

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Observation

We who are strong in faith must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like food and special days. We must not just please ourselves, but try to lift up others.

We are to accept one another in the same way that Christ accepted us. Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God keeps His promises. He also came to the Gentiles so that we, too, can give glory to God.

Application

God is the source of our hope. Anything else that we look to for our security or significance is an idol. It is God who saves us and raises us up to eternal life.

He will fill us with joy and peace if we let Him. These things are part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. As we walk with Jesus and look to the Holy Spirit, He will cause joy and peace to grow in us.

Because I know that God loves me, I can trust that every part of my life is being redeemed and used to His glory. What joy fills my heart to know that I am loved by the Creator of the world.

Because God loves me and is in control of my life, then no matter what I am going through, I can walk in peace. His serenity, His shalom bring quietness to my heart when all around me is in turmoil.

My life is not meaningless. I have purpose and I am being trained for eternal life in heaven. I may not always understand why things are the way they are, but I have hope, a future to look forward to.

All of this is grace,a gift from the Holy Spirit. I don’t deserve any of it, but He gives it to me anyway.

Prayer

God of all hope, I thank you for loving me and overflowing me with joy and peace. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 14:13-23

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Scripture

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Observation

Instead of condemning one another for living and believing differently to us, we should act out of concern and love for our brothers and sisters in the Lord, so as not to cause them to stumble.

No food is of itself wrong, but if another believer is distressed by what I eat, then out of love for them, I should not eat it.

The kingdom of God is not about rules about what we can and cannot eat, but about living a life of goodness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

All foods are good, but if my eating them causes a believer to stumble, then I should not eat these foods. And if I have doubts about whether it is right to eat something, then it is sin for me because I am not eating from conviction.

Application

The kingdom of God is not about dietary rules, or any other rules for that matter. We have been saved by grace, not by following rules. It is our relationship with God that sets us free from religious obligations.

The kingdom of God is about living a life of goodness. We don’t try to keep rules, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, we imitate the life of Jesus. This is a life marked by love for God and for others, and by holiness.

The kingdom of God is about peace. We have been reconciled to God and set free from sin. The peace of God should not only be in my heart, but radiate to others who do not know the peace of God.

The kingdom of God is about joy. The biggest problem, the heaviest weight, in a person’s life is the burden of sin. I’ve been set free from that. Laughter should always be ready to bubble up from us in our daily celebration of life.

And all of this is in the Holy Spirit. We don’t force people to put a smile on their dial, to pretend to be something they are not. No, the Holy Spirit brings goodness, joy and peace to our hearts as a gift.

Prayer

How awesome it is to be a child of God! Thank you Father! Amen.

Reflection on Romans 14:1-12

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Scripture

So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember we will all stand before the judgement seat of God.

Observation

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue about what is right or wrong. Some believers will eat only vegetables, but other believers will eat anything. Some believers think one day is more important than other days, while others think every day is holy.

We should not judge those who think differently to us on such issues. Those who only eat vegetables and those who eat meat as well, all eat to bring glory to God. Those who worship on one particular day do so to glorify God, as do those who worship on any day.

It is not fr us to condemn the Lord’s servants. The Lord will judge all of His people.

Application

There are lots of different ways to worship the Lord. Pentecostals, Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, all seek to worship God in a way that they believe honours Him. Many worship on Sunday, some on Saturday for pragmatic reasons, some on Saturday for doctrinal reasons. Some people think a mega church is the only place to worship, while others worship in home groups.

We most not condemn our brothers and sisters who worship in a way that is different to us. We might disagree with their reasons, but we still have to love each other joyfully.

Unfortunately, there is no exemption for those who haven’t read Romans 14. The people who are convinced that they are right and I am wrong and judge me for that, are hard to take. But God’s word says that I have to love them. After all, they are God’s children too.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the huge diversity of christians in the world. Help me to love everyone who loves you, regardless of our different ways of honouring you. Amen.