'salvation' Tagged Posts (Page 6)
Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians 1:3-9 “for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind…so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” vss. 5, 7 Paul begins his letter to the church at Corinth with glowing words of affirmation. From his perspective, since they live under grace, they lack nothing–there is no need for them to worry about their salvation. We should…
Daily Devotions
Romans 3:24-28 … “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” vs. 28 Martin Luther spent decades trying to gain assurance of salvation by bringing his stubborn, subversive flesh into line with the works of the law. Since he couldn’t do it he was forever wracked with guilt, and greatly damaged his health in the process. But when in the course of studying the book of Romans he realized that justification…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 46:6-11 … “The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” vss. 6-7 We don’t know exactly when the psalmist composed this hymn, but we can guess from what is said that it must have been a time of considerable unrest, perhaps in its way not too different from what we’re experiencing. We can certainly resonate with his…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 3:4b-9 … “More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…” vs. 8 When Paul, the zealous credentialed Pharisee, was encountered by the Risen Christ, the trajectory of his life changed completely. It wasn’t that he’d been a shameful sinner, he’d in fact lived a…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 2:4-13 … “Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” vs. 12 These words from Paul to the Philippians have been much debated through the centuries. If salvation is by grace and a gift from God, what might it mean for them to “work out (their) own salvation with fear and trembling?” Obviously reactions to…
Daily Devotions
Romans 13:11-14 … “The night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;” vs. 12 There are some who believe that we are drawing near to the apocalypse, that humanity is teetering on the edge of calamity and that destruction awaits. It would seem that Paul was looking toward the same end, that the day of reckoning was near. But gloom was not what he…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 51:4-6 … “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.” vs. 6 The people of the prophet’s day worried about their continuing existence and the prophet affirms their concerns. The heavens will vanish and the earth…
Daily Devotions
Romans 10:12-15 … “And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” vs. 15 Paul knew that salvation was for all without distinction. Both Jews and Gentiles were loved by God and lived under the umbrella of grace. For him this was incredible good news, and his biggest lament was that so many simply didn’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior. He believed…
Daily Devotions: August 6, 2020
August 6, 2020 Romans 10:5-11 … “For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” vs. 10 Paul contrasts the righteousness that comes from the law with the righteousness that comes from faith in his treatise to the Romans. For him it was an important distinction. He wanted the people to know that justification, being made right with God, was a gift, and not something that was earned through…
Daily Devotions: June 27, 2020
June 27, 2020 Romans 6:19-23 … “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” vs. 23 Paul’s language in this section of Romans can easily be read from a dualistic perspective. Two alternatives are offered: death or eternal life, and it’s implied that the choice is ours. If we continue in sin we will die, but if we stop sinning and submit to God we will have…
Daily Devotions: June 19, 2020
June 19, 2020 Romans 6:1b-11 … “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” vss. 1b-2 At some point it became fashionable for Christians to speak of their personal relationship to Jesus and many have become comfortable with that kind of talk. They’ve learned to recount the story of their conversion and what it is like to have Jesus come into their…
Daily Devotions: May 15, 2020
May 15, 2020 1 Peter 3:18-22 … “in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.” vss. 19-20 Peter reminds us that in the early years of the Church, believers gravitated toward the image of the ark as a metaphor for…