What Does “Faith” Mean?

Faith!

Scripture tells us we must have faith in God:

  • In Genesis 15, God promises the childless Abram that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. And Abram “believed the LORD [had faith in Him], and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).
  • The apostle Paul tells us: “By grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).
  • The same apostle tells the Philippian jailer, “Believe in [have faith in] the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

We could cite hundreds of other examples.

But Scripture also tells us of those who have some sort of faith but are not saved. Jacob recently preached from Acts 8, which tells of a magician named Simon who believed and was baptized. But he then tries to buy from the apostles the ability to give Holy Spirit through laying on hands. Peter tells him, “You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God” (Acts 8:21).

So what is true, biblical faith? What’s the difference between the ineffective faith of Simon and the effective faith of Abram?

Hebrews 11 is sometimes called “Faith’s Hall of Fame.” The author considers numerous characters from biblical history, again and again stating what they do “by faith.” So let’s learn about faith from this great chapter.

What is Faith in Hebrews 11?  

Let’s begin by noting three ways our culture uses the word “faith” that differ from the way the word is used in this chapter.

First: Our culture uses “faith” as a synonym for “religion.”

We today speak of the “Jewish faith” or the “Christian faith” or the “Muslim faith.” But Hebrews 11 is not telling us that Abel and Abraham and Moses did these acts “by religion.”

Second: Our culture uses “faith” to mean a personal, subjective commitment.

We call someone a “person of faith,” and we speak of “faith-based organizations.” We’ll encourage someone: “Have faith!”

When we use the word in this way, the object of faith is seemingly unimportant. Rather, the commitment itself is what is vital.

Faith in this sense is never commended in Scripture. Rather: God is commended, Jesus is commended, and the true object of our faith is emphasized.

So Peter at Pentecost says the apostles are eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus (Acts 2:32); Paul writes, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only [which would be the case if we benefit solely by subjective commitment], we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Third: In some Christian circles, “faith” has become a synonym for “profession of faith.”

As if Paul had written, “By grace you are saved through profession of faith.”

But as noted above, in Acts 8 Simon professes faith and is baptized – but is not saved. Similarly, Jesus Himself says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

“Faith” in Hebrews 11 does not mean “religion,” does not mean a personal, subjective commitment, and does not mean simply “profession of faith.”

Before turning to the chapter, however, we also must note that Hebrews uses the word “faith” a bit differently from the apostle Paul. Paul emphasizes faith in Jesus as the Redeemer – the One Who died as a sacrifice for sins, whom God raised from the dead. Even when Paul speaks of an Old Testament character like Abraham, he emphasizes faith being credited to him as righteousness, based on the work of the promised Redeemer. Hebrews 11, on the other hand, describes Old Testament men and women who had faith – some of whom knew almost nothing about the coming Redeemer.

So the word “faith” is used in a broader sense in Hebrews: These believers all grasp the reality of what God has promised and hold onto that reality in the midst of distractions, temptations, and lengthy delays in the fulfillment of those promises.

With that understanding, consider Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (CSB, emphasis added).

The author emphasizes faith is based on a reality. Faith is based on objective truth. Thus, the “hope” is not a wish or desire, but a certain expectation based on God’s revelation. God reveals who He is, what He is like. He displays that in history. And He makes promises about the future consistent with that revealed character. Faith takes that revelation, those promises – and enables us to hold on to them as certain, as real, as true.

Let me emphasize that again: Faith is not trying to convince yourself of something that is doubtful. Rather, faith is you grasping what is really true and holding on to it. Others may not see that reality – but you know it by faith, you trust the Revealer, the One Who promises.

Let me use a trivial analogy to clarify the point.

Do you see a figure when you look at a full moon?

Some see nothing but dark blobs on a light background. But commonly in our culture people see the face of a man looking down, the “man in the moon.” In East Africa, people instead see the entire body of rabbit.

When at age 20 I taught school in Kenya, folks tried to convince me there was a picture of a rabbit in the moon. They would say, “Just look! It’s really there!” But my brain was conditioned to see the man, and try as I might, I couldn’t see the rabbit.

But after a few days, something clicked – the rabbit was there. And it’s actually much clearer than the man!

Just so with faith. We don’t initially see the reality of Who God is. We just close our eyes and refuse to see; or we may squint and peer and, try as we might, not see. But then God opens our eyes and we see truth, the reality, and embrace His promises. We have faith – a confidence that comes from the reality that is truly there.

Faith is a spiritual tasting, a spiritual seeing of the goodness of God, the beauty of God, the majesty of God, the grace of God: “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Psalm 34:8).

The author continues in 11:2: “For by [faith] the people of old received their commendation.” Their commendation not from one another, but from God. The chapter goes on to describe men and women who obey God. But the author’s point is not obedience in and of itself. Rather, the author emphasizes that this type of faith leads to faithfulness, which in turn leads to obedience.

So that is faith in Hebrews 11.

How Does Hebrews 11 Encourage Us to Have Faith?

The author has just said: “You need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:36 CSB).

Hebrews 11 is a series of illustrations of that point. We are to endure in faith and so worship God and delight in Him today; love our neighbors today; flee from sin today; and finally on the last day receive all God’s remaining promises.

Each character cited in the chapter endures in faith; each gives us an example to follow.

But the chapter is more than a series of examples. The author arranges the material chronologically, thereby highlighting God’s plan, with each individual story providing one more step in the movement of history towards the fulfillment of all God’s promises.

So the author is saying more than, “Have faith like Abel, like Enoch, like Noah, like Abraham!” He is also saying, “See God’s plan being worked out in all these lives! He continues to work it out today, bringing about all His promises!”

After telling the stories of ten individuals who take part in God’s plan, in Hebrews 11:32-40 the author steps back, speaking of two categories of people: Those who had great success in this world through faith in God, and those who lost everything in this world through faith in God. God commends those in both categories for their faith. But none receive all God’s promises. That is reserved until we too become part of God’s faithful people.

Then at the beginning chapter 12 the author exhorts us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the ultimate person of faith. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him of seeing all God’s promises fulfilled. We are to endure in faith like Him.

So: Don’t let our culture’s use of the word “faith” obscure the biblical meaning. God has revealed Himself as He truly is. God has privileged us by giving us a summary of His plan for this creation, and by including us beneficiaries of that great plan. Let us then have an enduring faith in that reality, and so lead faithful lives, delighting to obey Him and to display Him, thereby hastening the coming of that final Day when He fulfills every promise, summing up all things in Christ.

[This devotion is based on part of a sermon on Hebrews 11:1-4 preached October 11, 2020. The audio of that sermon is available via this link.]

The Glory of God to Forgive Sins

God’s glory should embolden us to seek out his forgiveness.

In Psalm 25:7, David makes a request of the Lord he says,

 

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions

 

David asks the Lord to look past his former sins. To forget them. Let’s not rush the absolute boldness of this prayer. How can a perfectly holy and perfectly just God simply forget about unholy offenses against him and man? Where does David get such boldness? I think his boldness comes from him being consumed with desire for God’s glory. I think David has a particular scene in mind when he prays this prayer.

 

God’s Glory Descending as Goodness and Steadfast to Forgive on Mount Sinai
In Exodus 33, Moses is on Mount Sinai meeting with God. And there Moses also makes a bold request of God. In verse 18 Moses says, “Please show me your glory.” And God responds by saying, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord’” (Exodus 33:19). God tells Moses he will show him his goodness. And God makes clear that his goodness is bound up in his name.

So a few verses later, we see this unfold. God indeed passes by Moses and declares his name. And what does he say? We see the answer in Exodus 34:6–7,

 

The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,

 

It’s like we’ve descended a ladder. God’s glory descends, manifesting as God’s goodness, which manifests as God proclaiming his name. And the essence of God’s name is his steadfast love to forgive sins and transgressions. This is who God is. This is the glory of God, the goodness of God revealed to us as steadfast love to forgive.

 

David’s Boldness and God’s Glory
So when David prays the bold prayer, “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions,” he does not boldly pray this because of who he is. He deserves judgment. He boldly prays this because he is thinking of who God revealed himself to be on Mount Sinai. If we look to see what surrounds David’s prayer in Psalm 25, we see this is indeed the case. Consider what hems in David’s bold request before it and behind it.

First, before he ever makes his bold request in verse 7, David makes a prior request in verse 6,

 

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

 

David says, “God! Remember who you revealed yourself to be all those years ago on Mount Sinai! You revealed yourself to be the LORD of steadfast love, who forgives sins and transgressions!” The foundation for David’s boldness is God and his steadfast love to forgive.

And after David makes his bold request in verse 7, what does he follow it up with? Read on,

 

according to your steadfast love remember me,

 

David boldly requests God to not remember him according to his sins that would demand judgment. Rather, David requests God to remember him according to his [God’s] steadfast love that forgives. David hems his request in before and behind with the steel doors of God’s steadfast love to forgive and preserve his covenant people.

But why should God do this? David supports his bold request with one final reason,

 

for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

 

David sinks his bold request to rest in the unshakeable foundation, the bedrock of the goodness of God. The goodness of God, which David knows passed before Moses as the glory of God.

Let’s climb back up the ladder. David boldly requests forgiveness by grabbing hold of the rung of God’s steadfast love. And David uses the rung of God’s steadfast love to reach and grab tightly to the rung of the goodness of God. And David climbs this ladder boldly, because he wants to see what awaits at the top. He wants to see God’s glory. David is emboldened to make such an audacious request of God because he desires the glory of God.

 

Jesus, the Glory of God to Forgive
The only way we can ascend the ladder to God’s glory, is because God descended from his glory to us first in order to offer us forgiveness in Jesus. God by the pattern set on Sinai, by the faith displayed in David’s, and by words of OT prophecy pointed to the day of fulfilment in Christ, when his glory and goodness would provide forgiveness. Jeremiah 31:14 anticipated the day of Christ,

 

“I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord.”

 

God promised to satisfy his people with his goodness, that is, his glory. And how did that glory and goodness come to satisfy? Jesus tells us,

 

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

 

In Jesus we find steadfast love to forgive every sin. Thus, in Jesus we see and are satisfied with the goodness of God. Thus, in Jesus we see and are satisfied with the glory of God. If you desire to see the glory of God, boldly seek forgiveness in Jesus, the glory of God to forgive.

We Need Mercy. And God Is a God of Mercy.

We need mercy. And God is a God of mercy. This is the lesson that God aims to teach Jonah. Like Jonah, we often admire the idea of the second half of the lesson: God is a God of mercy. This is a good attribute of God, especially for any person who may need mercy. However, we often, like Jonah, stumble at the first half of the lesson. We don’t stumble at the fact that humanity in general needs mercy. Rather, we stumble when it becomes personal: I need mercy. Our hearts protest to this because it implies that we’re in the wrong and there is nothing we can do to right ourselves. So instead, our legalistic flesh works for mercy in order to get to a place where we wrongly think of it this way: I deserve mercy. And when we find ourselves thinking of mercy in this wrongheaded way, we often, like Jonah, project it negatively onto others: They don’t deserve mercy. But if we are to stand a chance spiritually, we must swallow this truth: We, I, you need mercy, and there is nothing we can do to deserve it.

 

Mercy in Jonah: The Pagan Sailors
This is a truth, our need for mercy, that the pagan sailors, who desperately—as a last resort—hurled Jonah into a raging sea, recognized as their words attest,

 

Therefore [the pagan sailors] called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you” (Jonah 1:14).

 

First, notice the final clause, “for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” This tells us that these pagans recognize that God is sovereign over their situation as Creator of all things (i.e. Jonah 1:9) and rightfully does all that he pleases. Second, the sailors recognize that, in light of who God is, they are completely at his mercy. They plead no merit. They have done nothing to deserve mercy as pagans who have never worshiped him. These pagan sailors recognize they need mercy that they don’t deserve. So what do they do? They bank their lives on God being merciful.

These pagans stake everything on God being merciful to them. They cast themselves upon his mercy simply based on who he is. And they learn that God delights to give mercy to those who trust him for it,

 

So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows (Jonah 1:15–16).

 

We need mercy. And God is a God of mercy.

 

Mercy in Jonah: The Ninevites
This is a truth that the Ninevites recognized as the king’s words attest,

 

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “…let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish” (Jonah 3:6–9).

 

Notice the king of Nineveh does not imply that any of their actions will necessarily merit their preservation. Rather, their actions rest on God’s mercy alone, “Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish” (Jonah 3:9). The Ninevites recognize they need mercy. They recognize that only God can give it. And they bank on him being merciful to them, despite their rebellion. And God has mercy on them (Jonah 3:10).

 

We need mercy. And God is a God of mercy.

 

Mercy in Jonah: Jonah
What about Jonah? Jonah too is a recipient of God’s mercy, and he seems to recognize that as his prayer attests (e.g. Jonah 2). So what’s the hole in Jonah’s theology that God tries to point out and correct? Jonah’s response to God’s mercy on Nineveh in 4:1–2 offers a clue. There we read,

 

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster (Jonah 4:1–2).

 

God’s mercy displeased Jonah or, more literally, was evil to Jonah. And, Jonah became angry. And Jonah confesses the reason he was a resentful, unwilling prophet was because of the merciful character of God. Why does Jonah begrudge God’s mercy on Nineveh? Well, the answer cannot be that Jonah begrudges God’s mercy. Why? Because Jonah just availed himself of that mercy two chapters earlier. What gives? What upsets Jonah? The only variable here is the recipient of God’s mercy—Nineveh. Jonah did not want God to give mercy to Nineveh. Why? Well, they are Israel’s enemies to be sure, but there is more to the story. God offers Jonah one more object lesson on top of the great fish to reveal the heart of Jonah.

While Jonah sits outside of Nineveh to hate watch what happens to them, God causes a shady plant to spring up in order to give Jonah a reprieve from the hot sun. Jonah loves it. But the next day, God sends a worm to destroy it. No more shade. Then God sends a heat wave upon Jonah. And once again we find Jonah furious. And God says to Jonah,

 

“You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:10–11).

 

Why does Jonah pity the plant? Because it benefited him. Jonah likes God’s mercy when it benefits him. He doesn’t like it when it benefits Nineveh. Why? What’s the difference in Jonah’s mind between God showing mercy to him and God showing mercy to Nineveh? There’s only one possible answer. Jonah has a fundamental misunderstanding of mercy. Jonah thinks Nineveh doesn’t deserve the benefit of God’s mercy. And he’s right. They don’t. That’s not Jonah’s mistake. Jonah’s mistake is how he thinks about God’s mercy as it applies to himself. Just as with the shady plant, Jonah believes he deserves the benefit of God’s mercy. But the entire point of mercy is that no one actually deserves the benefit of it. In fact, the benefit of mercy is that it doesn’t give us what we actually deserve, the full wrath of God. Jonah has failed to recognize the fundamental lesson: he personally needs God’s mercy, a mercy he does not deserve just like the pagan sailors and just like wicked Nineveh. God is teaching Jonah that all important lesson: We need mercy, and there is nothing we can do to deserve it. And God is a God of mercy.

 

Mercy in Jesus
What secures such mercy for us? The greater Jonah (Matthew 12:38–41). John Stocker sums up God’s mercy for us in Jesus well in his hymn “They Mercy, My God” (1776).

 

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.

 

The God of mercies gives us mercy in his crucified Son. Through God’s mercy in Jesus we are sealed as God’s own where once we were his enemies, pardoned as innocent where once we were guilty, and made righteous forever where once we were once sinful. Let’s learn the lesson that God taught Jonah. We need mercy—a mercy we don’t deserve. And God is a God of mercy, who delights to give us mercy in Jesus.

Hope for the Hopeless

Think back to a day of great pain – a day of hopelessness, of despair. A day when you lost a loved one – or a loved one betrayed you. A day it seemed as if God didn’t care for you – or He didn’t even exist.

That’s the situation for the followers of Jesus after the crucifixion. They had left everything to follow Him – fathers, mothers, homes, employment. For they thought He was the long-promised Messiah, the descendant of David who would restore Israel and reign forever. They had seen His power; they had heard His words – no one had ever spoken like that! When the religious authorities tried to trap Him, time and again He turned the tables on them. So those authorities didn’t even dare to ask him anything else publicly.

Jesus had called His followers out of their simple, normal lives. He had raised their hopes in the inevitable advance of the Kingdom of God. And He told them they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel! Simple fishermen, a tax collector!

But now, they have seen this almighty King stripped, scourged, and scorned. They have heard the soldiers mock Him as King of the Jews. They saw Him hanging on the cross. They saw Him die. They saw His lifeless corpse.

This dashes all their hopes. All their dreams. Now they just look like fools for leaving everything and following an itinerant preacher – indeed, a madman.

So they despair – as you may well have despaired on your day of greatest pain.

That’s the women’s state of mind as they come to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning. In the midst of their despair, they intend to do what they can – to honor Jesus’ lifeless body.

But they find the tomb open! And Jesus’ body is not there!

Luke tells us two men – presumably angels – then speak:

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you … that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (From Luke 24:5-7)

The women return to the apostles, reporting what they’ve seen. But Luke tells us, “These words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11).

Peter goes to the tomb and finds it empty – but does not see Jesus.

Later that day two followers are walking away from Jerusalem. The risen Jesus overtakes them, but they do not recognize Him. Still very much in despair, they describe to Him what has happened and then summarize their present state of mind: “We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). The implication: They no longer have that hope. The empty tomb has not raised them out of despair.

They go on to say that others went to the tomb and verified the women’s report, but conclude, “Him they did not see.”

What does Jesus then say?

He says what He says to us on our hardest days, when we lose all hope: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25)

Foolish! Why?

We all are foolish for at least three reasons when we despair:

  • First, because we have the prophets. Over many centuries the prophets tell us that God has advanced His great plan, overcoming human sin and human opposition, culminating in the descendant of David who lives a righteous life, suffers and dies for the people, rises from the dead, and promises to return to usher in His eternal Kingdom when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). Nothing can keep Him from fulfilling that plan.
  • Second, because we have Jesus. The two followers are in despair because those who went to the tomb did not see Jesus. And they are looking at Jesus when they say that! They see Jesus! Yet they are completely ignorant of His presence.
  • Third, because of what Jesus Himself said. The angels tell the women, “Remember how He told you.” He had said that a disciple would betray Him. He had said He would mocked, beaten, and killed. And He had said that He would rise from the dead. He told them all this ahead of time.

So, friends: In our times of great pain, we must hold on to these same three truths.

We too have the Scriptures and the evidence from biblical history that nothing derails God’s plan. Furthermore, we today have the privilege of seeing more clearly than those disciples how God is working out His great plan through church history and through missions.

We too have the presence of Jesus via His Holy Spirit. The night He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, … he dwells with you and will be in you” (From John 14:16-17). So when we feel abandoned – He is right there with us. We too must recognize Him, like those disciples in Luke 24.

Finally, we too have the words, the promises of Jesus.

Think about this: Suppose I promise to give you a million dollars on Monday, and then a thousand dollars Tuesday.  You would have reason to be skeptical about that promise! But suppose somehow I fulfill the first half of the promise – I give you a million dollars Monday!

What then do you expect to happen on Tuesday? If I fulfill the promise to give you a million dollars on Monday, surely I’ll give you the thousand dollars on Tuesday – you will have no doubt! I’ve kept the hard promise – surely I’ll keep the easy one!

Think, now: Isn’t the promise to rise from the dead the hardest promise to keep anyone has ever made? Jesus kept the hard promise. He lived up to His word. Shouldn’t we then believe the rest of His words, and trust Him to be speaking truthfully? He’s fulfilled the million-dollar promise – surely He’ll fulfill all the thousand dollar promises He made.

Jesus’ resurrection verifies all God’s promises.

These include:

  • “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
  • “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3).
  • “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, Joshua 1:5).
  • Via the Apostle Paul: Nothing in all creation “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (From Romans 8:39).

So this Resurrection Sunday: Commit yourself not to be foolish and slow of heart to believe:

  • Remember the story of the Bible, God’s great plan;
  • Remember that if you are in Jesus, you have the downpayment of your inheritance, the Holy Spirit within you;
  • Remember Jesus has fulfilled the most difficult promise; He will surely fulfill all the others.

We experience many sorrows and sins in this world. There are times for weeping, times for mourning. Jesus’ followers were right to weep at the crucifixion.

But Jesus is risen, just as He said! Therefore, we should never despair, for we have a certain, living Hope. Trust in His plan. Trust in His presence. And trust in His promises.

[This devotion was preached at the sunrise service of Desiring God Community Church on April 20, 2025]

 

The Cross of Jesus Is “the Spring of Our Happiness”

In my sermon preparation for our upcoming outdoor service this Sunday, I have been reflecting on this strange, staggering, and sublime truth: Jesus suffered on the cross for our joy. In God’s kindness, in my reading I stumbled upon this wonderfully worded sentence from 17th century Puritan Stephen Charnock (1628–1680) that captures that sentiment much more beautifully:

 

“[Jesus’ death on the cross is] the spring of our happiness.”

 

The cross is the spring of our happiness. Without the gospel of Jesus, this would be a completely incoherent statement. A Roman device of torture and death for criminals is the well-spring of human happiness!? It makes no sense. We would not write the story this way. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor 1:18).

Charnock has more to say about the cross of Jesus and what it means for us. Consider this little excerpt for your edification from Charnock’s “A Discourse of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified” originally transcribed and posted here by Tony Reinke. As Charnock exhorts, let us with Paul determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and especially him crucified.

 

Stephen Charnock on the Cross of Jesus
Let us delight in the knowledge of Christ crucified, and be often in the thoughts and study of him. Study Christ, not only as living but dying, not as breathing in our air, but suffering in our stead; know him as a victim, which is the way to know him as a Conqueror. Christ as crucified is the great object of faith. All the passages of his life, from his nativity to his death, are passed over in the creed without reciting, because, though they are things to be believed, yet the belief of them is not sufficient without the belief of the Cross; in that alone was our redemption wrought. Had he only lived, he would have not been a Savior. If our faith stops in his life, and does not fasten upon his blood, it will not be a justifying faith. His miracles, which prepared the world for his doctrine, and his holiness, which fitted himself for his suffering, would have been insufficient for us without the addition of the Cross. Without this, we had been under the demerit of our crimes, the venom of our natures, the slavery of our sins, and the tyranny of the devil; without this, we should forever have had God for our enemy, and Satan for our executioner; without this, we had lain groaning under the punishment of our transgressions, and despaired of any smile from heaven. It was this death as a sacrifice that appeased God and as a price redeemed us. Nothing is so strong to encourage us; nothing so powerful to purify us; how can we be without thinking of it? …

This will be the foundation of all our comforts. What comfort can be wanting, when we can look upon Christ crucified as our surety, and look upon ourselves as crucified in him, when we can consider our sins as punished in him, and ourselves accepted by virtue of his Cross? It was not an angel which was crucified for us, but the Son of God; one of an equal dignity with the Father; one that shed blood enough to blot out the demerit of our crimes, were they more than could be numbered by all the angels of heaven, if all were made known to them. He was not crucified for a few, but for all sorts of offenses. When we shall see judgment in the world, what comfort can we take without a knowledge and sense of a crucified Christ? What a horror is it for a condemned man to see the preparation of the gibbets, halters and executioners? But when he shall see a propitiation made for him, the anger of the Prince atoned, the Law some other way satisfied, and his condemnation changed into remission; all his former terrors vanish, and a sweet and pleasing calm possesses him… When we tremble under a sense of our sins, the terrors of the Judge and the curses of the Law, let us look upon a crucified Christ, the remedy to all our miseries. His Cross has procured a crown. His passion [death] has expiated our transgressions. His death has disarmed the Law. His blood has washed a believers soul. This death is the destruction of our enemies, the spring of our happiness, the eternal testimony of divine love. We have good reason, as well as the apostle Paul, to determine with ourselves to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and especially him crucified.[1]

 

 

[1] Originally transcribed by Tony Reinke from “A Discourse of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified,” from The Works of Stephen Charnock, 2 vol (London: 1684) pp. 844-845. Taken from TonyReinke.com (https://tonyreinke.com/2007/03/29/cross-centered-life-puritans/) on 05/01/2025.

 

Adam and Eve’s Redemption

 

Our society in many ways is at war with failure. Failure is so painful and devastating to us mentally and emotionally that we often either try to re define our failure as success or g6o to great lengths to hide it altogether. What if this were not possible? What if you made a mistake so big that it could not be re-defined and would impact every future generation on earth. Well this is the exact circumstance that Adam and Eve find themselves in after the Fall. Because of their failure all future generations have sin as their inheritance leading to their death. Can we learn from them? In fact we can, while our sins may not be as famous as theirs the impact is all the same. And while our sins may not be known by most people it is known by the most important, God himself.

Gods response to their failure (and ours) is to give hope!

Immediately after Adam and Eve’s disobedience God begins to pronounce his judgment in a particular order first to the Serpent who as the deceiver, then to Eve who was deceived and then to Adam who the Bible makes clear was ultimately responsible. (Genesis 3:1-19). His judgment comes with a promise and provides to us a glimpse into the Gospel that would only be fully revealed in Christ. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” God will put enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. And He (the seed of the woman) will bruise you on the head and you (the serpent) will bruise his heel. Gods response to their failure (and ours) is to give hope!

God’s promise has more power than our failure. Our sins and their impact can feel big and overwhelm us but they are no match for the power of God working through his word.

They immediately respond to God. The Woman is no longer nameless because Adam names her Eve which means “life-giver” (Genesis 3:20). This is bold move by Adam, the Woman that allowed death to enter the world can be called life giver because of the promise of God that he has given. We also see a different Eve in Chapter 4 compared to Chapter 3. In Chapter 3 Eve is not exactly sure of what Gods word is (Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:3) but now she not only knows the promise of God but she is rejoicing in it during times of suffering. Her eldest son Cain kills her son young Abel which is an indirect result of her failure and now God has given her another offspring. She names him Seth which means “Gods appointed” showing that she is no longer being deceived but putting her hope in Gods promise to provide a seed that would crush the head of serpent (Genesis 4:25).

Adam and Eve are not often looked to as an example to follow but we can learn from them. We learn from them the tragic consequences of our disobedience but also that we do not have to be defined by your biggest failure (or success) no matter how infamous. Instead we can be defined by what God says we are according to his word. This is salt and light in a society that tends to respond to Man’s failure with cancel culture or Man’s success with worship. This should encourage us when we fail and humble us when we succeed. We can also see that God’s promise has more power than our failure. Our sins and their impact can feel big and overwhelm us but they are no match for the power of God working through his word. God has fulfilled his promise to Adam and Eve and to us. Jesus Christ, God’s son born of a woman has crushed the serpents head and through his death and resurrection we all have a living hope in our time of failure.

A Verse for Easter: The Gospel in One Verse

If you could pick one verse that captures the significance of Easter, which one would you turn to? Might I suggest 1 Peter 3:18. Here, Peter packs into one little verse the treasure trove of our salvation that Jesus won for us in his cross and resurrection. Let’s consider it.

 

For Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God, by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18. My translation).

 

What Peter says here is essentially this: Jesus died and rose from the dead to bring his people into eternal life with God.

Let’s just consider this marvelous verse a piece at a time.

 

Christ suffered for sins once and for all…
First, consider the main action: Christ suffered for sins once and for all…

Jesus’ suffering for sins on the cross was final. No other death for sins is needed. This tells us something of sin. Sin must be punished with death. The wages of sin is death.

Why was Jesus’ death for sins so final? Because Jesus was perfectly righteous.

 

the righteous for the unrighteous…
Second, notice the next phrase which explains this: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous…

Jesus was sinless, perfectly righteous, perfectly obedient to his heavenly Father. No sin in his nature, no sin in his heart, no sin in his hand. Perfect. If he is sinless, then why must he suffer for sins? Because his suffering was substitutionary. He was the perfect sacrifice for sins. He the righteous suffered on behalf of the unrighteous. Well if Jesus is the righteous one, who are the unrighteous? You and me.

What was the purpose of this substitutionary death? To brings us to God.

 

in order that he might bring us to God…
Third, consider the next phrase which points to this purpose: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God…

Peter could have described Jesus’ purpose of the cross in a myriad of ways and yet he captures it like this: Jesus suffered for the unrighteous on the cross for the purpose of bringing us to God. This tells us something about God and our dilemma. If Jesus had to die for our unrighteousness in order for us to even be brought into God’s presence, then unrighteousness, unholiness, must not exist or be able to exist in God’s presence. This is because God is perfectly holy. God is perfectly righteous. This, here, is our dilemma. Our unrighteousness, our unholiness separated us from God. This tells us a little bit more about what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished. If Jesus died to bring us into the righteous, holy God’s presence, then that must mean that he not only eliminated our unrighteousness, but he also gave us his righteousness. Jesus died, for the dual purpose of eliminating our unrighteousness and making us righteous for the ultimate purpose of bringing us back to God.

 This final purpose unveils our purpose. If Jesus died in order to bring us to God, then we were made to be with and enjoy him. This is the greatest good for us. Alternatively, the worst place we can find ourselves is separated from him. But Jesus in his death brings us back to the greatest good for our souls, the most joyful place for you and me. He brings us back into the presence of and into relationship with our Creator God.

How can we be sure that this is ours in Jesus? Because Jesus rose from the dead.

 

by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.
Fourth, consider the last phrase which fills out what it meant for Jesus to suffer while also describing the manner in which Jesus accomplished this bringing us to God: by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.

Jesus’ suffering once for sins, as alluded to, was his death on the cross. But, he did not remain dead. Jesus dying on the cross is one half of how he brings us to God. Jesus broke the power of death through his righteousness and by the power of the Spirit, he rose to new life. Thus, the resurrected Jesus is our living guarantee that if we are in him, we too will be raised to eternal life even though we die in the flesh.

 

A Verse for Easter
So here then is the gospel in one verse: Jesus died and rose from the dead in order to bring his people into eternal life with God.

This is what Jesus did for you and me on Easter.

Pride and Plagiarism

[This devotion is lightly edited from the original, written September 10, 2004.]

It all sounds so familiar.

The senior pastor of a large Charlotte church resigned this week, admitting that over the last two years he has preached sermons from others without attribution.

Eight months ago I was approached by a member of a church in another state, asking me to listen to tapes from his pastor to discern if he was re-preaching my sermons without attribution. Such was the case – that pastor preached all 27 sermons in my series on the Gospel of Mark. Listening to this unknown man speaking my words as if they were his own was eerie – particularly when he told one of my personal stories, saying he was quoting “a missionary,” – but then, after saying “end quote”, he continued to speak my very words! I felt violated – just as if someone had broken into my house and rifled through my possessions.

Why would a pastor do such a thing? The Charlotte pastor says he felt “tired and discouraged,” “devoid of any creative ability.” The other pastor said he was burned out. Both had tried to resign prior to the plagiarism, and both had been convinced to stay by others in the church.

But tiredness and a lack of creative energy are not fundamental to this problem. As I told the other pastor, if, upon reading my sermons online, he had contacted me, had told me of the problem, and had asked for permission to re-preach my sermons with attribution, I would have discouraged him from doing so, but nevertheless would have said yes. He could have preached exactly the same set of sermons, trying to restore his energies in the same way, and yet he could have been completely aboveboard with his congregation, while giving proper credit to the author. The Charlotte pastor could have done the same. But both men chose not to do so. Why?

There is only one answer, and it is an ugly one: Pride. For a pastor to admit to his congregation that he cannot compose a sermon is a statement of weakness, of inadequacy. And most church members do not want inadequate pastors.

How would you respond if your pastor were to confess, “I am burned out. I need your prayers. My time in the Word is dry. So I’m going to preach for you a fine sermon another man wrote. May God bless you through it.” Would you respond, “How unprofessional! If I acted that way in my job, I would be fired!”

Guess what? Every pastor is inadequate for the task. Every pastor is incompetent for the ministry. As Paul says, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 3:5). So how much of a pastor’s impact on his congregation comes from him? Nothing – nothing that is of any ultimate importance. We are not adequate to consider anything as coming from ourselves! But Paul continues, “But our adequacy is from God.” Pastors must be called and empowered by God to accomplish God’s work in God’s church. Then – and only then – will they be adequate, competent, sufficient for God’s task.

The 19th century British preacher Charles Spurgeon admitted, “I scarcely ever come into this pulpit without bemoaning myself that ever I should be called to a task for which I seem more unfit than any other man that ever was born. Woe is me that I should have to preach a gospel which so overmasters me, and which I feel that I am so unfit to preach!” If we preachers speak before our congregations with any other attitude, we too will be subject to the bane of pride.

So what can you do? What attitude should you have toward your pastor?

First, expect weakness from him. Expect brokenness from him. Know that he struggles with pride and many other sins, and that he needs friendship, support, and accountability before others.

Second, speak to him about this recent resignation. Tell him that if he ever feels burned out and dry, you will support him in whatever way necessary. Tell him you would much rather he openly preach another man’s sermon than to pretend he is speaking his own words. Remind him that he is personally inadequate for his task – but that God will make him adequate by His power, in part through the prayers of His people. And commit yourself to praying for him.

Finally, examine your own heart. Is your own pride wrapped up in the status of your pastor? Do you brag to others about his skills and leadership? That’s part of the problem. So many of us put our pastors on a pedestal, and then we pastors feel we must live there, pretending we are perfect, pretending that all is going well, plastering a smile on our faces, effectively lying to our congregations, thinking that if we admit our problems we will damage our peoples’ faith in God.

Fellow pastors, God has entrusted us with a magnificent ministry – but He wraps this ministry in the inadequate, weak, easily-broken jars of clay that we are. Our admitting our weakness does not diminish God’s glory – rather, “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Let the glory of God shine through your weakness, so that all might know that whatever our churches may accomplish, all results from God’s power, and not from our professionalism.

How Does Deuteronomy Help Us Rejoice in the Lord?

As our name suggests, Desiring God Church emphasizes the importance of our delighting in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We often quote verses such as Psalm 16:11 and Philippians 4:4:

In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

But consider how often we find similar commands in the book of Deuteronomy – often prescribing rejoicing during the regular feasts or when bringing tithes and offerings:

Deut. 12:7 (NET): Both you and your families must feast [at the place God designates] before the LORD your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he has blessed you.

Deut. 12:12 (NET): You shall rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God

Deut. 12:18 (NET): In that place you will rejoice before the LORD your God in all the output of your labor.

Deut. 14:26 [When the people bring their tithes to the place God designates]: You shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.

From Deut. 16:10-15: Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there…. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast…. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the LORD your God at the place that the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

Deut. 26:5-11 [When the people offer from their first harvest in the Promised Land]: You shall make response before the LORD your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God. 11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.

Deut. 27:7 [After crossing the Jordan and building an altar]: You shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God.

From these and related passages, consider four observations that help us today to rejoice in God:

First: Rejoice corporately! In our individualistic culture, we easily internalize commands such as Philippians 4:4: “I must rejoice in God in myself!” In contrast, all the quoted passages refer to rejoicing in God together with others. So today we should rejoice together in God not only in our worship services but also at our meals, at family events, at gatherings in our homes. By so doing, we help one another also to rejoice internally.

Second: Recognize that all you have is a gift from God! God owes you nothing. You have earned nothing. As the excerpt from Deuteronomy 26 emphasizes, only a handful of people went to Egypt, and God multiplied them, making them a great nation. Then He rescued them from oppression and by His power brought them into a fruitful land. Just so with us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and by His great mercy through the work of His Son He made us alive in Jesus. Every breath, every heartbeat, every morsel of food is an undeserved gift from God.

Third, and related: Recognize that even what you “earn” is a gift from God! Deuteronomy 12:7 says we are to “rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he has blessed you.” Thus, even what seems to result from our work is a blessing from God. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 elaborates on this idea: “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.” If I produce more output than others through diligent work, that doesn’t mean I am better than others, or that I deserve the additional output. Rather, the diligence and the ability to work well are gifts that others do not have. I should therefore rejoice in God all the more.

Finally: Rejoice in the Giver rather than the gift! When they prosper, the Israelites are to rejoice in the giving of tithes and during their regular feasts as repeated reminders of the One Who is Himself good and holy and loving. The houses, the herds, the flocks, the silver, the gold, health, children, protection – all these are pointers to God. Just so with us. Every good and perfect gift is from Him (James 1:17). We must not be like the thousands in John 6 who ate the miraculous bread and simply desired more, failing to see what it signified. Rather, we can take the occasion of every delight – cardinals at the feeder, sunshine on new leaves, a whiff of Clematis flowers, a brisk early-morning walk, tasty cobbler, a toddler’s smile – and rejoice in our trinitarian God, from Whom, through Whom, and unto Whom are all these joys.

[All quotations are ESV unless otherwise indicated.]

Evangelism: Dying Men Preaching in Love to Dying Men for God’s Glory

Richard Baxter famously wrote: “I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.”[1] God has given the great privilege and work of evangelism to the church, which it has carried out since its inception. The first six chapters of Acts illustrate this quite strikingly. Not only does Luke explicitly report four gospel presentations to unbelievers in the first six chapters (Acts 2:14–41; 3:11–26; 4:8–12; 5:29–32), but we read formulas that point to ongoing evangelism like:

 

And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls (Acts 2:40–41).

 

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).

 

But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand (Acts 4:4).

 

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

 

Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles (Acts 5:12) (The Holy Spirit bears witness to the gospel through signs and wonders. Therefore, Signs and wonders in Acts go hand-in-hand with gospel proclamation. Cf. Acts 2:22; 5:32; 14:3).

 

And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women (Acts 5:14).

 

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus (Acts 5:42).

 

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7).

 

Evangelism is and has always been the work of the church. But, is there a way to go about this great work of evangelism in a wrongly? Is there a way in which we preach the gospel not as dying men and women to dying men and women for God’s glory?

 

The Right and Wrong Way to Evangelize from Paul and Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Paul says in Philippians 1:18, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” Does this mean that the ends justify the means when it comes to evangelism? Not really. When Paul rejoices that Christ is preached even when the motive of that preaching is envy and rivalry (Philippians 1:15), this is a testament to his utter dearth of selfish ambition when it comes to gospel proclamation, not an approval of motive or how to go about it. Rather, Paul himself here offers us an the right example to follow when it comes to evangelism. For Paul, evangelism is not about himself or his influence. It is about loving and glorifying God in Christ and loving the lost at the expense of oneself.

It must’ve been in this same spirit that the great Welsh pastor (and in many ways evangelist) of Wales and England Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981) (ML-J) offered these five principles for evangelism at a conference in England in 1942:

 

  1. The supreme object of this work is to glorify God…The first object of preaching the Gospel is not to save souls…Nothing else however good in itself, or however noble, must be allowed to usurp that first place.
  2. The only power that can really do this work is that of the Holy Spirit…
  3. The one and only medium through which the Holy Spirit works is the Word of God…The medium which is used by the Holy Spirit is the truth.
  4. The true urge to evanglization must come from apprehending these principles and, therefore, of a zeal for the honour and glory of God, and a love for the souls of men.
  5. There is a constant danger of error, and of heresy, even amongst the most sincere, and also the danger of a false zeal and the employment of unscriptural methods.[2]

 

ML-J’s fifth principle here makes clear the assumption of the biblical foundation of the first four. Therefore, this affords us a helpful exercise. If the first four principles define biblical evangelism, then the opposite of each should help us define unbiblical evangelism. So let’s rewrite the first four principles as the photo-negative version of themselves:

 

  1. The supreme object of this work is to glorify man…The first object of preaching the Gospel is to save souls…
  2. The only power that can really do this work is that of man and his innovation…
  3. The only mediums through which the Holy Spirit works is man’s personality, celebrity, clever words, and persuasive rhetoric.
  4. The true urge to evangelization must come from apprehending these principles and, therefore, of a zeal for the honor and glory of man and a love for self.

 

These principles define an evangelism that will err—stumble headlong into heresy, produce a false, manufactured and manipulated zeal, and employ unscriptural methods. Such evangelism is not the work of dying men seeking to rescue dying men and bring them to God for his glory and influence. This is the work of dying men seeking to rescue dying men and collect them for their own glory and influence. This type of evangelism is evangelism of self-love. But true evangelism is not about self. It is about loving God and loving the souls of lost men even at the expense of oneself.

 

Jesus: The Supreme Evangelist
Jesus is the supreme model for evangelism. In Jesus we see every principle that ML-J articulated. Jesus came evangelizing: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’ (Mark 1:14–15). And what Jesus called lost men to, he fulfilled in love for men and for God’s glory: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12–13); “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus suffered and died to bring lost souls, whom he loves, to God for God’s glory. Jesus, the living Word, the man of the Spirit, gave his life for the glory of God and in love for the lost. Jesus was the epitome of a dying man bringing the gospel to dying men in love for the glory of God.

 

A Call to Evangelize
Let us be like the founder of our faith. Let us continue his great evangelistic work that he passed on to the church, who has continued to pass on this great work down through the centuries ultimately to you and me. Let us “do the work of an evangelist” and so “fulfill (our) ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). Let us not evangelize for man’s glory and for love of self, but for God’s glory and for love of the lost. Let us “preach as a dying man to dying men.”

 

[1] Baxter’s Poetical Fragments (1st ed.; 1681), p.40, lines 7-8.

[2] Iain H. Murray, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939–1981 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2016), 2:90.