January 16th - Grace and Truth

“...the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17) 

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)

The Law brings death because humanity is unable to obey it - we sin.

“…the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)

Only "in Christ" will anyone be deemed righteous. 

"God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them...God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

God gifts sinners abundant and everlasting life after death - that is the truth. 

"...the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

When our time comes, we will all be changed into immortals with a spiritual body, leaving our sinful flesh and blood bodies in the dust.

"So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual does not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man..." (1 Corinthians 15:42-49)

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality...The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 56)

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the law but of the Spirit; for the law kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6)

January 15th - Give to God what Belongs to Him

"...give to God what belongs to God." (Mark 12:17)

What can we give God that "belongs" to Him?

King David of Israel asked this question...and answered it.

"What can I offer the LORD for all He has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the LORD’s name for saving me." (Psalm 116:12)

King David knew his salvation was a gift from God and all he could give praise to God for His gift.  The Apostle Paul says the same thing...

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess His name."  (Hebrews 13:15)

"Give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable."

(Romans 8:1)

"For by grace are you saved..." (Ephesians 2:11)

Praise God for saving you. You don't have to go to church to give God the praise that belongs to Him.  Live your life like you appreciate His gift of salvation - a life of praise is what "He will find acceptable".

"Now thanks be to God for His indescribable grift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

“He has told you, O man, what is good...to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

"...live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” (Titus 2:11-13)

January 14th - The Destiny of Judas

"In a beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

"The world is a theater, the earth a stage which God and nature do with Actors fill" – John Heywood

“Then Jesus replied, 'Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is an adversary!' Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him." (John 6:70-71)
“Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me…Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, it is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. Then, dipping the piece of bread, He gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So, Jesus told him, what you are about to do, do quickly.” (John 13:21-28)

Jesus chose Judas knowing he would betray him. And, did not warn Judas of the consequences but gave him permission to betray Him. Judas was chosen by God for this purpose.

“The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil….” (Proverbs 16:4)

God is in control of this great drama of life, and we are simply playing our part - sinners. 

"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

And when this grand play concludes, we may be surprised when the actors gathered before him receive praise for the role they played, whether good or bad.

“Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13) 

"He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

Some of the villains in the Bible are Satan, Adam, and Judas who performed their roles as written, yet all to the eventual glory of God, the author of the drama of life on this planet.  

The Lord Jesus Christ is playing the leading role of the hero, the Savior of the world!

“It was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself..." (Colossians 1:20)

"As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…death will be abolished…so that God may be All in ALL" … "We  have seen and do testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world" ... "He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28; 1 John 4:14; Revelation 22:20)

So, it seems to me that the destiny of Judas is to be saved and reconciled to God, even though his part is a villain in the drama of life. The same is true for all sinners!

"For God locks up all together in stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all. O, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! For, who knew the mind of the Lord? or, who became His adviser? or, who gives to Him first, and it will be repaid him? seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is all: to Him be the glory for the eons! Amen!" (Romans 11:32-36)

January 13th - The Grace of God is for Everyone

"Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," says the LORD. "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34)

Long ago, God promised a new covenant of grace for His people Israel. Someday, all Israelites will turn to Messiah Jesus and realize they are recipients of His covenant of grace.

"And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." (Romans 11:26-27).

This will take place when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth.

"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10).

Grace is not exclusive to Israel. The Grace of God has appeared to all humanity and brought them salvation.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all humanity..."(Titus 2:11)

"Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Savior of all humanity, especially of believers. These things be charging and teaching." (1 Timothy 4:9-10)

"God, being rich in mercy, because of His vast love with which He loves us (we also being dead to the offenses and the lusts), vivifies us together in Christ (in grace are you saved!) and rouses us together and seats us together among the celestials, in Christ Jesus, that, in the oncoming eons, He should be displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is God's approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting." (Ephesians 2:4-9)

January 12th - The Roman Road of Salvation

"Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith, for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God." (Romans 3:21-23)

The word "sinned" means to miss the target.  All people miss - Democrats, Republicans, Jews, Christians, Muslims and everybody else. 

But Christ Jesus arrived to justify and deliver (save) sinners gratuitously (free of charge).

Being justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance (salvation) which is in Christ Jesus (Whom God purposed for a Propitiatory shelter, through faith in His blood, for a display of His righteousness because of the passing over of the penalties of sins which occurred before in the forbearance of God), toward the display of His righteousness in the current era, for Him to be just and a justifier of the one who is of the faith of Jesus. (Romans 3:24-27)

Humanity is either justified gratuitously in His grace or not at all. Again, the word "gratuitously" means free of charge.  Nobody gets to brag about earning justification - it is free.

Where, then, is boasting? It is debarred! Through what law? Of works? No! But through faith's law. For we are reckoning a man to be justified by faith apart from works of law. Or is He the god of the Jews only? Is He not of the nations also? Yes, of the nations also, if so be that God is One, Who will be justifying the Circumcision out of faith and the Uncircumcision through faith.” (Romans 3:21-30)

Being freed from Sin as a gracious gift of God enslaves us to God - and that is OK by me.

"...now, being freed from Sin, yet enslaved to God, you have your fruit for holiness. Now the consummation is life eonian. For the ration of Sin is death, yet the gracious gift of God is life eonian, in Christ Jesus, our Lord." (Romans 6:20-23)

However, people need to be told about this gracious gift in order to have faith in it.

"Near you is the declaration, in your mouth and in your heart -- that is, the declaration of faith which we are heralding that, if ever you should be avowing with your mouth the declaration that Jesus is Lord, and should be believing in your heart that God rouses Him from among the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart it is believed for justification, yet with the mouth it is avowed for salvation."  (Romans 10:8-10)

Jesus is the Lord of humanity, and everyone who invokes the name of the Lord shall be saved when they hear and believe.

"For the scripture is saying: Everyone who is believing on Him shall not be disgraced. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same One is Lord of all, being rich for all who are invoking Him. For everyone, whoever should be invoking the name of the Lord, shall be saved." ((Romans 10:8-13)

To this day Israel, as a nation, does not believe Jesus is the Messiah, nor do they believe God raised him from the dead - they are not invoking his name, so they are not saved - but Paul tells us that eventually all of them shall be saved…

“I am saying then, does not God thrust away His people? May it not be coming to that! ... in their offense is salvation to the nations …callousness, in part, on Israel has come, until the complement of the nations may be entering. And thus, all Israel shall be saved...He will be turning away irreverence from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them, whenever I should be eliminating their sins.” (Romans 11:1-27)

All people in every nation are to be saved…

"There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same One is Lord of all, being rich for all who are invoking Him.  For everyone, whoever is invoking the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” (Romans 3:29-30; 10:12-13)

Few people invoke the name of the Lord in this age.  In fact, most people have lived and died before Jesus was born.  So, when will they invoke His name? The book of Revelation tells us.

"I perceived a great white throne, and Him Who is sitting upon it...And they were judged, each according to their acts."  (Revelation 20:11, 14)

It is before the Great White Throne that all will finally invoke the name of the Lord and be saved. The Apostle Paul assures humanity that everyone will acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.

“God highly exalts Him, and graces Him with the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee will be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, and every tongue will be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)

In summary, all human beings get justified and saved the same way - as a "gracious gift of God...in Christ Jesus our Lord".

January 11th - United Humanity, a Work in Progress

"The first man was from the earth, and made of dust; the second man is from heaven. Like the man of dust, so are those who are of dust…And just as we have borne the image of the man made of dust, we will also bear the image of the heavenly man.” (1 Corinthians 15:47-49)

The Bible is perfectly rational and reasonable to me. God created the Universe and then set out to make humanity into His image. Jesus is the prototype and all humanity will eventually be made like Him…

"We all, with unveiled faces, are looking in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

This "hope of glory" for humanity was kept a secret until revealed to the Apostle Paul… 

“...the secret hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. God wanted to make known among the nations the glorious wealth of this secret, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)

Satan tries to rob humanity of its greatest man, Christ Jesus. At the present time, Jesus is the only human being who has been made into the image of God, the rest of us are a work in progress - but we will eventually be like Jesus; united, holy, faultless and blameless.

"He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.  We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins in Him. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation...and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross - whether things on earth or things in heaven...He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him.” (Colossians 1:13-15, 20-22)

"...our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself." (Philippians 3:20-21)

One day humanity we be united as a new creation with a glorious and sinless body. The eternal citizenship of humanity is destined to be in the New Heaven and New Earth - the Kingdom of God.

What God has begun, He will finish!

"Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." (Genesis 1:26)

"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

"Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2)

"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ, all will be made alive...so that God may be All in all." (1 Corinthians 15:22, 28)

January 10th - What about that person in the mirror?

"...are you not aware that the unjust shall not be enjoying the allotment of God's kingdom? Be not deceived. Neither paramours, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor catamites, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards; no revilers, no extortioners shall be enjoying an allotment in the kingdom of God. And some of you were these, but you are bathed off, but you are hallowed, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

Before you self righteous religious folks say "Amen" - consider that the Bible says there is NO ONE righteous, and that means YOU and me...

"...the Scriptures say: There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they have all done wrong; no one does right, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12)

So when you look in the mirror, remember the person you see will NOT enter the Kingdom of God.

"What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:50)

For Pete's sake Robert, who, then, can be saved?

"When the disciples heard this, they were completely amazed. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked straight at them and answered, “This is impossible for human beings, but for God everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26)

It is impossible for the person you see in the mirror to be saved from death, even His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, died. 

"Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God." (Hebrews 9:27)

However, that person in the mirror will be resurrected out of death and transformed into the immortal image of the risen Christ Jesus - as a FREE gift from God!

"For sin pays its wage, death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

"He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like His own glorious body, using the power by which He is able to bring all things under His rule." (Philippians 3:21)

Listen as the Apostle Paul explains the entire process to the Corinthians...

"But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By Him we are put right with God; we become God's holy people and are set free." (1 Corinthians 1:30)

"If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world. But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised. For just as death came by means of a man, in the same way the rising from death comes by means of a man. For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:19-22)

"This is how it will be when the dead are raised to life. When the body is buried, it is mortal; when raised, it will be immortal. When buried, it is ugly and weak; when raised, it will be beautiful and strong. When buried, it is a physical body; when raised, it will be a spiritual body. There is, of course, a physical body, so there has to be a spiritual body. For the scripture says, "The first man, Adam, was created a living being”; but the last Adam is the life-giving Spirit. It is not the spiritual that comes first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first Adam, made of earth, came from the earth; the second Adam came from heaven. Those who belong to the earth are like the one who was made of earth; those who are of heaven are like the one who came from heaven. Just as we wear the likeness of the man made of earth, so we will wear the likeness of the Man from heaven. What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:42-50)

So you see, that mortal person you see every morning in the mirror will not inherit the Kingdom of God - but will be changed so that he or she can enter and see it - all by the GRACE of God!

"...when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die. So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete!” “Where, Death, is your victory? Where, Death, is your power to hurt?” Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

This is the gospel (good news) and it just doesn't get any better than this!