Throughout my life, I have had the desire to try new things—new, unexpected jobs, and projects that I had never done before and didn’t know how to do. I’ve had a surprising number of jobs and careers, as well as many volunteer positions. I’ve worked as the program director for an early childhood center, program director of a twenty-four-hour crisis center, business owner of a contracting company, realtor, software trainer, IT staff support, teacher of young adults, Bible teacher, missionary, and school administrator. I entered all of these positions, with the exception of realtor, without any prior experience or training. So, I wasn’t surprised that I was willing to start writing a devotional blog in 2017. What does surprise me, though, is how insecure I feel every week when I study for this blog, wondering what Scripture and doctrine the Lord would have me focus on. It’s a humbling experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world as I realize more and more that I am unable to do anything on my own. But my weekly writing isn’t the most challenging thing I do. It’s even harder to live out the gospel, depending on its power to glorify Christ. Now, that’s intimating! I suppose it’s why writing about the gospel and studying it every day this year is so helpful. The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses all of God’s limitless power for eternal life, holiness in this life, faith in all circumstances, and uninterrupted unity with Christ. Why do we stray, trusting the world to satisfy our longings when only the gospel can fulfill our desire for significance through Christ’s infinite, victorious, supernatural power?
Paul’s Confidence in the Gospel
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17). “Because of their lack of size, fame, or honor in the Roman corridors of power and influence, Christians might be tempted to be ashamed of the Christian message. But Paul says it is nothing to be ashamed of, for it is in fact a message coming with the power of God that brings people to salvation…the expression [‘the righteousness of God’] in Greek…refers directly to God’s right moral character, particularly manifested in his holiness and justice, and in the way that his method of saving sinners through Christ’s death meets the just demand of his holy nature.” (1) “Although the gospel is folly to the cultured and the cross appears weak in contrast to Rome’s power, Paul sees his message as divine wisdom and power…The life-giving, life-transforming impact of the gospel message through the Holy Spirit is essential because of humanity’s bondage to sin and Satan; its culpability before God’s justice; and its utter spiritual inability on account of sin…As a just and righteous judge, God on the merit of the obedience and death of His Son alone justifies, or declares righteous, sinners through true faith in Christ and not through anything that they have done, are doing, or will do…The whole of the Christian life, from beginning to end, is lived in trust and dependence on the God who graciously justifies the sinner.” (2) The world has nothing to compare to the power of God in the gospel—the power to call and grant eternal life, sanctify us, and carry us through the trials of life as we grow stronger in our faith and walk with Christ. Our desire for fulfillment can only be found in Christ’s infinite, victorious, supernatural power, as it is described in the gospel.
The Power of the Cross
“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 Corinthians 1:18) “Paul’s preaching in Corinth focused on the saving fact of Christ’s crucifixion, a method of execution considered so crude it was not even mentioned in polite company…The Corinthians’ fascination with the rhetorical ability of the ministers rather than their message demonstrated that they were living contrary to the power of the cross.” (3) “But those who receive the gospel, and are enlightened by the Spirit of God, see more of God’s wisdom and power in the doctrine of Christ crucified, than in all his other works…The message of Christ, plainly delivered, ever has been a sure touchstone by which men may learn what road they are traveling…The [world’s] despised doctrine of salvation by faith in a crucified Savior, God in human nature, purchasing the church with his own blood, to save multitudes, even all that believe, from ignorance, delusion, and vice, has been blessed in every age.” (4) Paul wrote: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12)…[Christ] having disarmed the powers and authorities,…made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross’ (Col. 2:15). “God’s power is spoken of in a dynamic and lucid way in 2 Timothy 1:12. In this verse Paul, who knew these truths, writes of God’s power to keep his spiritual deposits. He says, ‘Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day’…the verse is telling us that when we believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation we are actually trusting that God will be able to keep our spiritual deposits, and it is asserting that he will indeed keep them.” (5) The cross represents the gospel of Christ, which is full of supernatural power for all we need in this life and the next.
Preserved By God’s Power
“People should never think, ‘Maybe I am not chosen by God, and therefore maybe Jesus will reject me when I come to him.’ Jesus promises to receive everyone who comes to him and trusts him for salvation…no true believer will ever lose his or her salvation, since everyone who believes in the Son will also have eternal life and will continue as a believer until the final judgment (the last day), when Jesus will raise him up into the fullness of eternal life.” (6) “The Son’s redemptive accomplishment and the Holy Spirit’s personal application are completely effective in securing the salvation of everyone chosen by the Father. God graciously preserves true believers, ensuring their final salvation…The doctrine of perseverance does not rest on our ability to persevere, even if we are regenerate. Rather, it rests on the promise of God to preserve us. Paul writes to the Philippians, ‘I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:6). It is by grace and grace alone that Christians persevere. God finishes what He begins. He insures that His purposes in election are not frustrated.” (7) The golden chain of Romans 8 gives further testimony to this hope. “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). Paul goes on to declare that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).” (8) As we meditate on the gospel’s infinite power for eternal life for all believers, born and unborn, we will grow in our confidence in Christ rather than the world or the world’s values to satisfy our longings.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21) “That God should have such an incredible purpose for man calls for a doxology indeed. In it Paul stresses again the limitless power at work in the saints to achieve this goal, which is infinitely more than man could ask for himself or even imagine.” (9) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5) The more I meditate on the gospel of Christ, the more I can to shift my focus, change my thinking, and rearrange my life to reflect my faith, as challenging as that is. I want to live to reflect what I think and believe, to the best of my ability. How about you?
Related Scripture: Psalm 40:9-10; Mark 8:38; Luke 2:34; John 6:51, 58; ; 10:28-29; 17:2; Romans 9:10-11, 16; 1 Corinthians 1:22-28; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 1:3–10, 19; 3:7; 1 Peter 2:9-10.
Notes:
1. English Standard Version Study Bible Notes, Romans 1:16-17, (digital edition), Crossway, 2008.
2. The Reformation Study Bible, Romans 1:16-17, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015.
3. ESV Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Ibid.
4. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:18, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhn/1-corinthians-1.html
5. oice, James, Boice Expositional Commentary Series, John 6:38-39, Baker Books, Software version, 1998.
6. ESV Study Bible, John 6:37–40, Ibid.
7. The Reformation Study Bible, “Perseverance of the Saints,” p. 1994, Ibid.
8. The Reformation Study Bible, John 6:37-40, Ibid.
9. Zondervan Bible Commentary, F. F. Bruce General Editor, Ephesians 3:12, 20-21, One-Volume Illustrated Digital Edition.
July 11, 2024
Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin 