NT: “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:9-13‬ ‭CSB)

Earlier in Chapter 10 of Romans, Paul recognized the Jewish people’s zeal for God. In fact, Paul was at one time one of those zealous Jews who felt like he needed to persecute followers of Jesus. But their zeal was for the Law of God and not a zeal born out of a true and experiential knowledge of God. The law of God, by design, pointed people to Christ. It was never meant to be the solution itself. As Paul said, the end of the law is Christ. Because of their zeal for the things of God, the Jews didn’t think they needed saving… from sin at least. The Jews were undoubtedly sincere and devout, but sincerity and devotion to religious practices does not bring about salvation. Religious people today suffer the same misunderstanding… they believe that because they are sincere and devout to religious things, they don’t need salvation. Salvation doesn’t come from doing – it comes from confessing and believing. Salvation comes through confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and believing on His death and resurrection.

There is a belief out in Christendom that someone can be saved, but not make Jesus Lord. According to Paul, that belief is a complete lie. Salvation comes through belief AND the outward confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. You can’t be saved by just believing in Jesus… for even the demons believe who Jesus is. Salvation comes through saving faith on Christ’s death and resurrection, which compels one to surrender his life to Jesus Christ as Lord. If one does not confess Jesus as Lord, there is doubt that saving faith actually existed. The good news is that because salvation comes from confession and faith, it is available to any and all who call on Christ. Anyone and everyone that calls on the name of Jesus Christ the Lord will be saved.

Psalms: “Lord, the king finds joy in your strength. How greatly he rejoices in your victory! You have given him his heart’s desire and have not denied the request of his lips. Selah For you meet him with rich blessings; you place a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him — length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through your victory; you confer majesty and splendor on him. You give him blessings forever; you cheer him with joy in your presence. For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭21:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

This psalm was written by King David and was probably used to praise God after a victorious battle. King David called out to the Lord God and placed his faith in the Lord God, and the result was salvation from the enemy and rich blessings from God. The same could be said of our salvation from sin and death. When we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, place our faith on His finished work and call out to Him for salvation, we are saved from our enemies that held us in bondage: sin, death and the devil. As we continue to live our lives in faith under His lordship, we are delivered from the enemies that would seek to limit us and destroy us: the world, our flesh, and the devil. As we remain in Christ, we find joy in His abiding presence, we experience freedom from oppression and we live in peace… all rich blessings from God.

NT: “What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness — namely the righteousness that comes from faith. But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not achieved the righteousness of the law. Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written, Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and the one who believes on him will not be put to shame.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭9:30-33‬ ‭CSB)

Israel, over the course of their existence as a people, pursued righteousness but (as a whole) never obtained it. Gentiles, on the other hand, who were not pursuing righteousness, found it and obtained it. How could that be? The Jews were pursuing the righteousness of the law – they were striving to meet all the requirements of the law and seeking to earn righteousness through their works. The law was never given to make people righteous. The law was given to lead people to Righteousness… and when Righteousness came, the Jewish people were too fixated on the law to recognize Him. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. He was the Cornerstone upon which a righteous and holy life was to be built. Instead of recognizing Christ, accepting Him, and placing their faith on Him, the Jews rejected Him and stumbled over Him to their fall. The gentiles, on the other hand, when Christ was presented to them, placed their faith on Him and obtained His righteousness. Salvation and the righteousness of God only comes through faith in Christ the Cornerstone. Salvation doesn’t come through good behavior. It doesn’t come through birthright. It isn’t based on your spiritual lineage or the nation you are a citizen of. Salvation only comes through faith in Christ, and because of that, it is available to anyone (Jew and gentile alike) who believes on Christ. If we pursue Righteousness by faith, we will obtain it and not stumble over it to our shame.

Psalms: “Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm. Lord, give victory to the king! May he answer us on the day that we call.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭20:7-9‬ ‭CSB)

Psalm 20 was written by King David and it was a prayer to be prayed before going into battle. David knew that victory in battle was not dependent on the size of the army or the number and quality of their weapons. David knew that victory in battle was dependent on faith in the Lord God. Any nation that placed their faith in their chariots and horses and their own ability to wage war would ultimately fall to an army (no matter the size) that was led by the Lord of Hosts. Just as God delivered Israel from the horses and chariots of Egypt, God would deliver Israel in David’s day, as long as David and the people kept their faith in the Lord their Deliverance and Salvation. As we battle our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil) we can be confident in victory as we place our faith, not on our abilities and efforts, but on Christ our Righteousness and Salvation.

NT: “What should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! For he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then, it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy. For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth. So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden… And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction? And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory on objects of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory — on us, the ones he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭9:14-18, 22-24‬ ‭CSB)

In chapter 9 of Romans, Paul began dealing with the issue of Israel’s rejection of Christ and the gentiles’ acceptance of Christ – and whether that was right or fair. After all, wasn’t Israel God’s chosen people? Had God set that election aside to now build His church with another people? God’s election of Israel was not based on anything that Israel had done. It was not because Israel was more righteous than the other nations of the world. Israel had not earned their elected status. In fact, in spite of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God over the years, God maintained their elected status. Israel’s elected status was based on God’s sovereignty and nothing else. Sovereignty has to do with having supreme power and complete autonomy. God as Creator and Sustainer of all has supreme power and complete autonomy. He in His perfect righteousness and wisdom is free to show mercy to whom He desires and is free to have compassion on whom He desires, for no other reason than He desires to do so.

Another factor at play, along with God’s sovereignty, is human responsibility. God is sovereign, but He also gave humanity a free will. God can show mercy to whomever He desires, but man can choose to reject His mercy. Paul used the lives of Moses and Pharaoh as examples of both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Moses and Pharaoh were both sinners… both were murderers. Neither was deserving of God’s mercy. God revealed Himself to Moses and Pharaoh. Moses responded to God with fear, humility and obedience. Pharaoh responded to God with pride, arrogance and hard-heartedness. As a result, Moses was shown mercy and Pharaoh was strengthened in his hard-hearted rejection. Pharaoh could have responded in humility, and he would have been known as one of History’s greatest emancipators – but instead, he hardened his heart and God used him as an example of God’s great power. Either way, God’s purposes would be fulfilled and His name glorified.

Men and women often have their own ideas of what is fair and just, and that idea of fairness and justice is based on their limited understanding and their own unrighteous state. Yet they arrogantly believe themselves to be more fair, more just, more righteous than God and get angry with God when He doesn’t meet their standards. God is incapable of being unjust or unrighteous, and in His sovereignty, many times He endures peoples’ unrighteous and arrogant behavior in order that His glory would be more fully known and His mercy more fully displayed to those He has called and chosen. Instead of judging God’s fairness, we should be judging our response to His revelation of mercy and glory. Are we responding in humility and faith, or are we hardening our hearts in rejection?

Psalms: “The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous. They are more desirable than gold — than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. In addition, your servant is warned by them, and in keeping them there is an abundant reward. Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:7-14‬ ‭CSB)

In the first few verses of Psalm 19, David said that the wonders of creation testify to the glory of God and the works of His hands. The word that David used for God was ‘El’, a general name for God. The revelation that creation gives is without words and without specifics, but it does testify to God’s greatness. David then transitioned from general revelation to specific revelation. He transitioned from the creation and works of God to the Words of the Lord (Yehovah, the covenantal name of God). After all, it was the words of God that brought creation into existence, and it is the word of The Lord that reveals God, His will and ways. David used six words to describe the Lord’s Word.

The first word is instruction (torah in Hebrew), which is the law and doctrines of the Lord. God’s law is perfect and it renews our inner life. The second word is testimony. That was the word used to describe the Ten Commandments. We can put our trust in the Ten Commandments of the Lord – and if we trust them, they will make us wise. The third word is precepts. These are the detailed instructions and mandates of the Lord that guide our everyday affairs. The precepts of the Lord are all together right and just and if we follow them, we will find true happiness. The forth word is commandments (mitzvah in Hebrew). These are the things that the Lord warns us not to do. The commandments of the Lord are clean, sincere and for our good. When we honor them, we are kept pure and full of light and life. The fifth word is fear. This is the honor, respect and reverence for the Lord that His words instill in us. Fear, honor, respect and reverence for the Lord is holy, pure and eternal. The fear that we cultivate for the Lord in this life will carry us to the next. Finally, the sixth word is ordinances (mishpat in Hebrew), which are the judgements of the Lord – the attitudes and actions that the Lord declares to either be righteous or unrighteous. God’s judgements are true, reliable and completely righteous – and if we heed them, they will keep us true, reliable and righteous.

The words of the Lord, if we are to hear them and heed them, will warn us, keep us from making unforeseen mistakes, and steer us away from willful rebellion. David wrapped up this psalm with a prayer. He asked the Lord to allow God’s words to so mold and transform David’s heart, that David’s own words would align with and agree completely with God’s words. Jesus taught that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What we say reveals what is in our heart. If we submit our lives to the Lord’s words, we will be transformed from the inside out, and our words will be full of light and life as well. Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You… and bring You glory.

NT: “Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:35-39‬ ‭CSB)

Challenges in life are inevitable. God doesn’t shelter us from challenges because we need challenges to grow. Challenges strengthen our faith… challenges promote endurance, patience, and maturity. As we undergo challenges, we can be assured of this: as we are in Christ, the Christ in us will never abandon us. He loves us. He loved us and loves us so much that He died for us. If He went to the grave and back again for us, then what challenge could possibly come that would cause Him to abandon us now? If anything, our trials and tribulations actually draw us closer to Christ as we grow to know Him in suffering. As we remain in Christ and He remains in us, we are not conquered by anything. Instead, through His love-compelled grace, we become super conquerors – conquering trials and tribulations again and again as we become transformed more and more into His glory. In Christ, challenges don’t weaken us, they prove His strength. Once we are Christ’s, nothing can separate us from the ever-faithful, never failing, eternal love of God that is found in Christ Jesus. What a wonderful truth for this Valentine’s Day of 2021.

Psalms: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:1-4‬a ‭CSB)

All of God’s creation – not just the worlds that call earth home – but all of the created universe declares the unimaginable and indescribable glory of Creator God. In David’s time astronomy was not nearly as advanced as it is today. All that David knew was what he could see with his naked eye – the sun, the moon, and the stars – and that blew his mind. Imagine what David would have thought if he considered the galaxies that exist beyond our own Milky Way… or if he considered the vast and complex microscopic and submicroscopic worlds of atoms, nanoparticles and DNA. Creation testifies to an amazing God without even uttering a single world – and it is that God who expresses His faithful undying love to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Proverbs: “Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous, and he will learn more. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9:9-10‬ ‭CSB)

The beginning of wisdom is to humble ourselves and recognize the complete holiness and indescribable glory of God our Creator… that the Holy and Glorious God is worthy of our honor and our respect. Understanding comes as we come to know God and realize that the Holy, Glorious and Awesome God loves us and that we can trust Him with our lives.

NT: “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:26-31‬ ‭CSB)

People love to quote Romans 8:28, but often times, they only quote the first part of the verse and don’t consider the context in which it was made. Because of that, many see Romans 8:28 as a general promise that all things are going to work out… that God will turn our bad circumstances into something good. That is not what Romans 8:28 says. Let’s take a deeper look.

Just a few verses before, Paul wrote about sufferings and groaning. In our present age, suffering is part of life… it is part of living in a fallen world. When God created the world, He said that it was good, but when man fell into sin, creation was subjected to futility and bound to decay. Ever since then, creation has been groaning and eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. We also, as redeemed believers living in corruptible bodies, groan as we await the end of this age when we can be freed from our mortal bodies to fully serve the Lord without hindrance. In the midst of the suffering and groaning, we do not lose hope because we know that the glory of the age to come will far exceed the sufferings of our day. Our hope helps us endure until the end.

In the same way our hope helps us endure, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. The word ‘helps’ means to co-labor, to lay hold of something together, to partner. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just pray for us. As we pray, the Holy Spirit comes along side us and joins us in our praying and fills in any gaps, so that our prayers combined with the Holy Spirit’s prayers become perfect prayers that are aligned with the word, will, and ways of God. Our groaning, joined with the Holy Spirit, become powerful intercession. It is in that context that Romans 8:28 has its full meaning. In the midst of our struggles… in the midst of all the wrong that goes on in the world, as the Holy Spirit comes along side us and supplements our groans and prayers, we can be confident that as we continue to love God and remain committed to His purposes, all of the struggles of this life are going to work good into us and cause good to come out of us. God has always remained faithful to those who remained faithful to Him… even through incredibly challenging times. The work that God has begun in us, He will be faithful to bring it all the way to completion as we remain faithful to His process by grace through faith. If we love God and are committed to His purposes, He is for us… and if God is for us, then no one and nothing can prevent His purposes for us from coming to pass.

Psalms: “The Lord lives — blessed be my rock! The God of my salvation is exalted. God — he grants me vengeance and subdues peoples under me. He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; you rescue me from violent men. Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about your name.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:46-49‬ ‭CSB)

God called King David from insignificant beginnings (a dirty and smelly boy who spent his days tending sheep) to become king over His chosen people. God began a work in David as David grew to know the Lord in those long and lonely days in the field. The journey from calling to completion was quite long with a lot of really tough (sometimes impossible) challenges. God called David to something that was way beyond David’s capacity to accomplish. The only way for God’s purposes for David to reach fulfillment was for David to remain faithful to God. As David remained faithful to God’s purposes, God was for David. All of the challenges that David endured through faith in God molded him and shaped him into the man who could lead a nation righteously. The Lord God was David’s Rock. As David humbled himself before the Lord, the Lord exalted David above his enemies. As God glorified David, God was glorified among the nations of the world. If God can do that through an unredeemed and flawed person like David, how much more can God do that through us who have placed our faith in Christ and have thus become redeemed and justified and filled with the Holy Spirit of God?

NT: “So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs — heirs of God and coheirs with Christ — if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:12-17‬ ‭CSB)

Warren Wiersbe, in his commentary on the New Testament, wrote, “It is not enough for us to have the Spirit; the Spirit must have us!” The operative phrase in this passage is “led by God’s Spirit.” The word for led has to do with us willingly allowing God’s Spirit to lay hold of us and direct us – much like a parent will take his child’s hand to lead the child through danger to safety. According to this passage, we can “have” the Holy Spirit but not be a child of God. Jesus said in Matthew 12:50, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” The way that we are able to do the will of the Father is as we are led by God’s Spirit. It is also important to know that God’s Spirit does not force us to do things unwillingly, for in Christ we are not forced into slavery. We are adopted as son’s and daughters – so for us to experience all the rights and privileges of sons and daughters of God, we must willingly submit ourselves to the Spirit and allow Him to lead us into obedience. The Spirit doesn’t grab our hand and drag us. We have to take the Spirit’s hand and willingly go where the Spirit directs us. In Christ, we are no longer obligated to obey our flesh – but we are obligated (not forced) to obey God by grace through faith with the Holy Spirit. It is as we are willingly led by the Spirit into obedience that we become sons and daughters of God and joint-heirs with Jesus.

Psalms: “I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet. You have clothed me with strength for battle; you subdue my adversaries beneath me… You have freed me from the feuds among the people; you have appointed me the head of nations; a people I had not known serve me.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:37-39, 43‬ ‭CSB)

The reason King David was able to be victorious over all his enemies was because he allowed the Lord God to lead him into battle. If you read through 1 and 2 Samuel, you will notice that David never engaged his enemies in battle without first seeking the Lord and getting His marching orders. David gained victory over his enemies by willingly submitting to the Lord’s leadership. In the same way, we are able to experience victory over our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil) by willingly submitting to the leadership of God by His Spirit. By submitting to the Spirit, we no longer have to be subdued by our enemies, but can instead bring our enemies into submission to the authority of Christ. As we are filled with the Holy Spirit and submit to the Holy Spirit, we are filled with strength for the battle and can, by the authority of Christ, see feuding voices silenced and the enemies of God in our life brought to submission.

NT: “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:9-11‬ ‭CSB)

Humans, unlike other animals, are tripartite beings: they have a 1) physical body, 2) soul, and 3) spirit. When God created man and woman, the Bible says that He breathed the breath of life in them, giving them a spirit. Other created animals on earth only have a body and a soul. The spirit is at the core of a human’s life and can have influence and control over the soul and body. When man sinned, his spirit became dead to God and could no longer lead the soul and body in righteousness – and the soul and body were given over to depravity and perversity. In Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dried bones, God gave the bones new bodies of flesh and blood, but they weren’t fully alive until they received the breath of life. For a person to be fully alive, they must be alive spiritually. After Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). The mark of truly being saved from sin is being truly alive in the spirit by receiving the Holy Spirit upon new birth. Beyond receiving the Holy Spirit is the baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit. Both are necessary to not be overcome by the sinful penchants of the flesh, but to overcome the flesh by the Spirit. If we allow the Spirit to have rule and reign in our lives, our bodies will be made alive by the Spirit, and we will not be in the flesh.

Psalms: “Lord, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness. With you I can attack a barricade, and with my God I can leap over a wall. God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God. God — he clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me securely on the heights. He trains my hands for war; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation; your right hand upholds me, and your humility exalts me. You make a spacious place beneath me for my steps, and my ankles do not give way.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:28-36‬ ‭CSB)

During the time in David’s life when he was on the run from his enemies, God was working in him to mature him and train him up as a mighty man of God. In those dark times, David allowed God to be his light and he allowed God’s word to light his path. It was by God’s grace on his life that David grew from being a humble shepherd in the fields of Bethlehem to being a giant-slaying king ruling in the palace of Jerusalem. If this was true of David who was a man of the old covenant, how much more should this be true of a believer in Christ Jesus that is the recipient of a new and living covenant. When we come to faith in Christ and receive the life-giving Holy Spirit in our lives, then the indwelling Holy Spirit becomes our light and leads us into all truth – teaching us how to walk in righteousness and empowering us to overcome the spiritual enemies that stand in our way. It is by the Spirit that we are given life and matured into royal priests of God, called to proclaim God’s praises and multiply God’s kingdom here on earth.

OT: “When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests were not able to enter the Lord’s temple because the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the Lord came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord: For he is good, for his faithful love endures forever… Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifice. If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” (‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:1-3, 12-14‬ ‭CSB)

In 2 Chronicles 6, Solomon prayed an eloquent prayer asking God to recognize the temple, to hear the prayers offered toward the temple, and allow the temple to stand as a representation for all the world of God’s glory. After Solomon finished praying, God visually responded to and accepted Solomon’s prayer by sending fire from heaven to consume the offering that was placed on the altar. Later that night, when Solomon was alone and away from all the pomp and ceremony of the day, God responded to Solomon’s prayer personally. God would recognize the temple and allow His name to dwell there, but what He really desired was for His name to be upon and His glory to fill a consecrated people. He would hear prayers directed to the temple, but what He really desired was a consecrated people, who bore His name, to humble themselves and seek Him. If His people didn’t humble themselves and seek Him… if Solomon didn’t humble himself and seek the Lord, then the opulent temple that was just dedicated would serve no purpose and would just as soon be abandoned and destroyed. God doesn’t desire temples made by hand – God desires to inhabit and dwell among a holy and consecrated people. If the people truly wanted their prayers heard by God, then they would humble themselves, repent from sin, and seek God’s face.

NT: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death…. For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1-2, 5-8‬ ‭CSB)

In the Gospel of John, just before Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples that when He went to be with the Father, He would send a helper like Him to lead us into all truth and empower us to live the way He lived. That helper that Jesus sent was the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that empowered Jesus and enabled Him to overcome every temptation has been given to us, if we will receive Him. If we, by faith, allow Jesus to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, then we are filled with God’s empowerment to overcome our corrupted flesh. If we try to live a holy life through our own efforts, we will experience condemnation because of our inability to overcome our flesh. However, if we through faith in Christ Jesus are filled with the Spirit and then walk according to the Spirit, there will be no condemnation for the Spirit of God in us will work in us to will and do what is pleasing to God. It is impossible to live a holy and consecrated life unto God without the Holy Spirit. Filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit and walking according to the Holy Spirit, living a holy and consecrated life that is full of God’s glory is most definitely possible.

NT: “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭7:14-25‬ ‭CSB)

God’s law is spiritual, and being spiritual, it speaks to and convicts the “inner man,” but has no effect on our flesh. Before a person places their faith in Christ, their inner man is bound to sin and their flesh is ruled by and bent toward sin. When a person comes to faith in Christ, their sinful self is put to death and their inner man – their desires, understanding, etc. – comes alive to God. However, their flesh that was once ruled by sin is still alive. Now this new creature in Christ has a desire to honor God’s law and be holy, but he has a flesh that is still bent toward sin. One might think, “what a cruel way to live… why would God give us a desire to do good, but then not do anything about our flesh that constantly stands in our way preventing us from living the life we are called to live?” This “law” or established principle is probably the reason many believers are resigned to the belief that they are still sinners – they are just saved by grace – and must do their best to get by and live as good a life as they can until they die and go to heaven. You can even see the frustration in Paul’s writing when he wrote, “What a wretched man I am? Is there any way out of the predicament… can anyone rescue from this body of flesh that is bent toward sin and full of death?” Though we, in and of ourselves, do not have any ability to overcome our flesh, God did not stop short in His plan to redeem us. Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, a way has been provided to overcome the flesh and live the life of holiness we now desire to live. That way is described in Chapter 8.

Psalms: “The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:4-6‬ ‭CSB)

The introduction to psalm 18 states that David wrote this psalm after the Lord rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies. That means that at one point in time, David was helplessly surrounded by enemies, without and within, and God delivered him… from all of them. In this section of the psalm, David described his desperate situation. He was hopelessly surrounded and entangled in his enemies schemes to destroy him – but he called out to the Lord God for help… and God helped him. If you read the rest of this section of Psalm 18, David then goes on to describe the convincing power and intentionality that God showed as He saved him from certain death. In this psalm, David primarily wrote about physical enemies. As we read this psalm with a new covenant understanding, we can be assured that God didn’t just deliver us from some of our enemies. He didn’t just save us from our sinfulness, but leave us frustratingly and hopelessly entangled in sinful flesh. No – God has powerfully and completely delivered us from all of our enemies – flesh included. We just need to hear, understand, believe and appropriate the full gospel – not just the being saved from hell part.