He Clothed Them

Monday, August 8, 2011

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21 KJV).

The Bible says Adam and Eve “were both naked…and were not ashamed” (Genesis 1:25). How could they be naked, and yet unashamed?

In 1 Timothy 6:16 we read of Jesus Christ “dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto….” God’s righteousness and holiness emanate from His body in the form of a bright light. Originally, before the fall, Adam and Eve did not wear physical clothes, but they were clothed with something… they were clothed with the righteousness of God Himself because sin had not entered into creation yet.

God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26,27); man was originally sinless, as perfect as God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed by eating the forbidden fruit, God’s righteousness left their bodies. They were sinners now, so God’s light no longer covered them (spiritually and physically). Adam and Eve were physically and spiritually naked, so they frantically gathered itchy fig leaves and covered themselves (Genesis 3:7).

The LORD God, in His great love and grace, sought these lost souls. Adam and Eve hid, too afraid to approach our holy and righteous God. But, God in His brilliance devised a plan to restore them. Today’s Scripture says that God killed innocent animals. He used the blood to provide Adam and Eve’s spiritual clothes (forgiveness), and the skins served as their physical clothes.

Isaiah 61:10 summarizes (saved Israel speaking): “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” God did that for Adam, Eve, Israel, and us too!

If we have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been clothed with God’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). In Christ, we are just as Adam and Eve were before the fall, in perfect standing before God.

The Inward Man

Sunday, August 7, 2011

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16 KJV).

As the saint progresses in earthly years, he or she gets discouraged. Hair becomes white as snow. The skin loses its elasticity, wrinkling and sagging. Vision dims, memory fails, and hearing diminishes. That once lively body grows progressively weaker and unable to perform the tasks it once did with ease. But, be not discouraged!

God gives this interesting description of dying Moses: “his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7). Moses, age 120, had excellent vision. His body was as agile as a young man’s. Wow!

In today’s Scripture Paul alludes to the “outward man” (physical body) and its decay and ultimate death (“perishing”). Because of sin, these physical bodies have nowhere to go but to the grave. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). Even though death may kill the physical body, Christians are confident that (the second) death cannot harm the spiritual body (the “inward man”).

Furthermore, Paul explains that we need to focus on renewing the “inward man” with sound Bible study, not focusing on the perishing state of the “outward man.” We will get new physical bodies, but the souls we have are ours forever.

Short of the Lord’s coming in our lifetimes, our physical bodies will go into the ground. While it is morbid, that is reality. But, this too is reality: “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you” (2 Corinthians 4:14).

These physical bodies will be redeemed at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:53; Ephesians 4:30; Philippians 3:20,21). Romans 8:23 says: “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies.” Praise the Lord that we are not eternally confined to these weak, limited physical bodies!

* My outward man turns 23 today, saints.

Genesis is the Firm Foundation for the Righteous

Saturday, August 6, 2011

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3 KJV).

The Genesis creation account is diametrically opposed to evolutionary theory. Lest they are forced to abandon their theory, Genesis-haters simply dismiss the first two chapters of the Bible as Hebrew poetry. In order to get around the anti-evolution statements in Scripture, Bible skeptics encourage us to allegorize Genesis chapters 1 and 2, claiming “the Bible does not mean what it says, so do not believe in a literal interpretation of Genesis.”

There is nothing to indicate that Genesis chapters 1 and 2 are allegorical. In fact, there is evidence in Scripture to indicate the first two chapters of Genesis are literal.

  • Genesis 2:7 says: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground….” This is a scientific fact: the human body contains elements—potassium, oxygen, magnesium, et cetera—that are also found in earth’s crust! Why would the rest of chapter 2 not be literal?
  • The Lord Jesus said: “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6-8). Jesus Christ believed in a literal interpretation of Genesis 1:26,27 and Genesis 2:20-25.
  • The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:13,14: “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3). Paul supports a literal interpretation of Genesis 1:26,27, Genesis 2:20-25, and Genesis 3:1-13.
  • Exodus 20:8-11 is a literal commandment given to Jews. Obviously this literal commandment is based on a literal event: God really created the heaven, the earth, and all creatures in six, consecutive 24-hour periods, and that He rested on the seventh (Sabbath) day. Exodus 20:8-11 supports a literal interpretation of Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

Hebrew scholars tell us that Genesis chapters 1 and 2 do not exhibit the structure of Jewish poetry, but rather a literal account-narrative. Genesis teaches a literal account of creation, and should be believed literally. If you begin the Bible allegorically (Genesis), then we are left to wonder what is literal in Scripture, if anything at all…?

Do Good Unto the Saints

Friday, August 5, 2011

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10 KJV).

In light of Israel’s coming kingdom of prosperity, Christ commanded His Jewish disciples, “Sell that ye have, and give alms” (Luke 12:31-34). In the early Acts period, this “little flock” sold their possessions and had “all things common” (Acts 2:44-47; Acts 4:32–5:2). Eventually, this pool of wealth ran dry, for the Bible speaks of “the poor saints which are at Jerusalem” (Romans 15:26).

Still, God took care of His people in Jerusalem. God’s Word motivated the Gentiles that were saved under Paul’s ministry to donate goods and money to the poor Jewish saints in Jerusalem. When Paul would travel to Jerusalem, he would take those contributions to the little flock (Romans 15:25-28; 1 Corinthians 16:1-3).

The Apostle James wrote to his Jewish readers who would experience the famine of the seven-year Tribulation (2:15,16): “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”

Notice how the Apostle John agrees with James: “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him” (1 John 3:17)? Does it make sense for a Christian to refuse to help fellow Christians in their time of need? Of course not.

Grace teaches us to do good unto all, but to do good chiefly unto our fellow Christians. When we refuse to help struggling Christian brethren, we are, in effect, refusing to help Christ Himself! When we see Christians who are in need, God’s love working in us motivates us to help them in any way that we can.

In Romans 12:13, we read of Christian service. One act of Christian service is “distributing to the necessity of the saints….”

Thou Art Beside Thyself! (To God’s Glory)

Thursday, August 4, 2011

“And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad” (Acts 26:24 KJV).

Saints, we are privileged to be called “crazy Christians.” To the world, we are “nuts.” In the context of today’s Scripture (Acts chapter 26), Paul is giving his testimony to King Agrippa. God’s wisdom is always foolishness with lost men, so Festus, Roman governor of Judaea, replies, “Paul, you are mad [crazy]!”

The world’s intelligentsia is skilled in the wisdom of men. These puffed-up individuals consider God’s Word “foolishness.” “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The natural man [the lost, unsaved man] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:”

Paul preached the wisdom of God’s Word to the “brilliant” philosophers of Athens. These lost individuals considered Paul’s preaching as nothing more than hearsay and folly, so they called Paul a “babbler” (Acts 17:16-21). Interestingly, followers of John Wycliff, who translated the first English Bible in the late 1300s, were affectionately termed “the Lollards” (“the babblers!”).

The Lord Jesus told His Jewish disciples: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11,12; cf. Luke 6:22,23).

God’s Word says in 2 Corinthians 5:13: “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.” If we are crazy for being Christians, “it is to [the glory of] God!” We must continue, and faint not when individuals call us “crazy.” In the end, the Good Book says it will be worth it (1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:9).

What is the Lord’s Day?

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” (Revelation 1:10 KJV).

In Christendom “Lord’s day” is a commonly used term. It only appears once in the King James Bible (today’s Scripture). What is the “Lord’s day?”

Church tradition (Roman Catholicism) polluted the term “Lord’s day” back during the first few centuries A.D. and distorted it to mean “Sunday.” Ha! Why would the Apostle John (or the Holy Ghost) think it necessary to be sure we know that John received his revelation on Sunday? That is downright absurd! The term “Lord’s day” in the Bible has nothing to do with Sunday.

The Bible uses the term “the day of the LORD” 29 times. The first instance is Isaiah 2:11,12: “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:” Verse 17: “…and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.”

According to these verses, during this period of the “day of the LORD” (not a literal 24-hour period), God will judge arrogant, unbelieving mankind. If you study the “day of the LORD” in other verses, you will see that the term actually refers to a period of God’s vengeance (Isaiah 61:2; Joel 1:15; et al.). Does God pour out His wrath every Sunday? Ridiculous.

The “Lord’s day” is another way of saying the “day of the LORD.” What is the Apostle John writing about in the book of the Revelation? The Tribulation period and subsequent kingdom. The “day of the LORD” is not Sunday but actually a long period of time: the future seven-year Tribulation and the following 1000-year reign of Christ in a literal, physical, visible earthly kingdom, when Christ is exalted as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Wow, without the religious gobbledygook, it is so clear!

Must You Bless the Jew for God to Bless You?

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram…And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1,3 KJV).

Many preachers use today’s Scripture to argue that as long as the United States blesses and supports Israel, then God will bless us. If we turn our backs on Israel, it is said that we will be cursed of God. Today’s Scripture does teach that, right?

Our Apostle Paul writes that national Israel is “fallen,” “cast away,” and “[spiritually] blinded” in this the Dispensation of Grace (Romans 11:11,15,25). How could God bless us for us blessing Israel when God Himself says that national Israel does not exist today? Genesis 12:3 is true, in Israel’s program.

Currently, Jews need the same salvation in Christ Jesus that we Gentiles need (Romans 3:9-20). I love Jews because God loves them, but I do not love them to receive God’s blessing. I love Jews because God died to save them just as much as He died to save me, a Gentile!

How does God bless us today? On the basis of our efforts? No. God does not deal with us via a performance-based acceptance system like He dealt with Israel in time past. In Israel’s program, people had to perform in order to get God’s blessings—Genesis 12:3 fits in Israel’s program, not ours.

Today, Paul writes that if we have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We are blessed in Christ because of what He has done, not because we bless Israel.

God is not cursing anyone today because the Bible says that God has reconciled the world unto Himself through the cross work of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). The Bible says that God is not imputing trespasses unto anyone. Today, God’s attitude toward the world is grace and peace, not anger and judgment. By the way, if God were cursing those who hate Israel today, then why are many anti-Israel nations prospering?

To Give His Life a Ransom for Many?

Monday, August 1, 2011

“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 KJV).

Calvinists use today’s Scripture to argue “limited atonement,” the belief that Christ only died to save “many,” not “all.” Does God want “all” to be saved, or just “many” to be saved?

In Luke 1:68,69,77, the Holy Ghost speaks through Zacharias (father of John the Baptist): “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;…to give knowledge unto salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,”

Surely, the Holy Ghost is speaking of Israel here. According to the Old Testament, Israel had to be saved first, and then God would use that saved nation to bring salvation to the rest of the world (Exodus 19:5,6; Isaiah 60:1-3; Zechariah 8:20-23; et al.).

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). Jesus Christ came to Israel first because the Old Testament covenants were given to Israel’s patriarchs, not to the Gentiles. Christ came to fulfill Israel’s covenants (Romans 15:8), which explains why He restricted His earthly ministry to Jews. “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24; cf. Matthew 10:5-7; John 4:22). Salvation needed to be preached to Israel first (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:36-38; Acts 3:24-26).

When we come to Paul’s ministry, we learn: “but rather through [Israel’s] fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke [Israel] to jealousy” (Romans 11:11). Israel blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, and rejected the establishment of her kingdom. Consequently, God went to the nations, apart from Israel. Today, the Apostle Paul writes that Christ “gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:6). Thus, limited atonement is foolishness.

Today, salvation is sent to the entire world (“all”)—not just to Israel (“many”)—through Paul’s Gospel.

We Are Ambassadors for Christ

Sunday, July 31, 2011

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20 KJV).

In the context of today’s Scripture (verses 14-21), the Apostle Paul describes our “Great Commission.” Why has God (temporarily) left us saints here?

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14,15). Saints, we are alive physically. But Christ died to give us His life, so we are also spiritually alive.

We died on Calvary’s cross with Christ (Romans 6:6). We live not for our glory, but unto the glory of Christ whose life is now in us. God left us, the Body of Christ, on earth so we could be “ambassadors,” His servants in this foreign land where we do not belong (Ephesians 2:19-22; Philippians 3:20).

God is doing something amazing today in this the Dispensation of Grace. As His children in Christ Jesus we should participate in what He is doing by placing our faith in His Word to us (Paul’s epistles). It is our “reasonable service” to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1).

As we tarry in this world, waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to snatch us away, He has entrusted us with the message of His grace. God wants to utilize us to demonstrate His grace, His glory, and His life to the world. As God’s children, it is our responsibility to tell the lost world that God has reconciled them unto Himself by Jesus Christ and His finished crosswork.

We have “the ministry of reconciliation,” the Christian ambassadorship, to share the “word of reconciliation,” the gospel of grace (2 Corinthians 5:18,19): that Christ died for their sins, was buried, and raised again for their justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

In Paul’s epistles we learn the true meaning of “ambassadors for [the risen] Christ.”

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*As “ambassadors for the risen Christ Ministries” (arC Ministries) celebrates its fourth anniversary today, we want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have labored with us in the gospel. It has been a privilege, and we look forward to serving you for another year (Lord willing). Thank you for your continued prayer. –Shawn Brasseaux

Using the Law Lawfully

Saturday, July 30, 2011

“But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;” (1 Timothy 1:8 KJV).

In this the Dispensation of Grace, how does a man use the Mosaic Law “lawfully?” Paul continues in verses 9 and 10: “…the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;”

The function of the Mosaic Law is to show us we cannot measure up to God’s standard of righteousness (rightness). Galatians 2:16 says, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the law shall no flesh be justified.”

God’s Word says in Romans 3:19,20: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Galatians 3:24,25 says, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

Using the Law lawfully in this the Dispensation of Grace means to recognize our sinfulness and Jesus Christ’s sinlessness. The Mosaic Law shows us that we cannot be justified (made right before God) through our works. It points us to the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Law points us to salvation in Jesus Christ and His fulfilling the Law perfectly.

Do you use the Law lawfully?