Thoughts On The Cross Of Christ

By Michele Rayburn

When I think about the cross, I think of what Christ's death on the cross accomplished. What Christ did on the cross is not "the end" or "an end in and of itself". But rather it is the beginning, and the means by which we are not only forgiven and our sins paid for, but we begin to experience eternal life right now, having received the Holy Spirit. And we are now able to "walk in the Spirit" and thereby grow and mature in our faith.

Without Christ’s crucifixion, we could not receive the Holy Spirit so as to experience His life and become ministers of the New Covenant, the gospel of our salvation to all that would believe. Because we have received the Holy Spirit, we glorify God in the earth and carry out His work as well.

When I think of Christ’s death on the cross, I think of Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

And Colossians 3:1-4 says, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God...For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

Hebrews 12:2-3 says, “...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross...consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”

The author of Hebrews reminds us to look at how Jesus was able to endure such suffering because He was forward-looking, anticipating the joy that would follow, and encourages us to be like-minded...to not become weary and discouraged in our sufferings, but to look forward to the joy that is to come after this life.

Our church had to say goodbye to one of the members of our congregation a couple of Sundays ago. He came to church to see everyone one last time because he knew that he only had a few days left to live. He was a young man with inoperable brain cancer. I was so glad to see him just one more time, because I wanted to know how he was feeling spiritually...could he say, “It is well with my soul”.

Though he was very, very weak sitting in his wheelchair, barely able to speak or hear, and very frail, I was blessed by his countenance. He had an almost imperceptible smile on his face, and a glow about him. I could see that though outwardly he was perishing, inwardly he had the joy of the Lord. That’s what I needed to see.

I thought of how he must be looking forward to his new home in Heaven, that he was ready. He was looking forward to the joy that was to come. And that’s what the author of Hebrews is encouraging us to do in our sufferings. (This young man has since gone home to be with the Lord.)

When I think of Christ’s death on the cross, I think of the acceptance and unconditional love that we have in Him. Ephesians 1:4-7 says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself...by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”

One Pastor/theologian wrote, “...other religions cannot tell us of a dying Savior.” I would have to say that other religions not only cannot tell us of a “dying Savior”, (though “many Christs will come”) but they cannot tell us of a risen Savior either.

I remember talking to my cousin about Jesus Christ years ago. She preferred to follow the teachings of Buddha. So, I finally said to her that all those other “prophets” from those other religions are dead, but Jesus Christ is alive...He has risen from the dead! I will never forget the look in her eyes. She was speechless. It was a moment I will never forget.

The gospel is not the cross, per se, as I sometimes hear people say. It is that Christ died on the cross for our sins, and that He was buried and that He rose again on the third day. (1 Cor.15:3-4)

Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (John 12:32)

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Is The Book of James Against Grace?

I have seen much confusion caused among believers because of a misunderstanding of the message of James in the Epistle of James. Some have glossed over it and made it seem as if James didn’t really say what he said, others have twisted the words of James to mean what they want it to mean, and others have outright rejected the Book of James, teaching or implying that it shouldn’t even be in the Bible.

In Martin Luther's preface to the New Testament, he wrote the famous words, "St. James' Epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to them; for it has nothing of the nature of the Gospel about it." (Actually that appeared only in the 1522 edition. In the 1545 revision it was taken out.)

Is the Book of James against grace?

After all, James uses the word “law” 12 times, and “grace” only twice. He uses the word “works” 13 times, but the name “Jesus” only twice.

He even says blatantly, in James 2:24, "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." And he gives an example in James 2:25, "In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?"

Is the Book of James against grace?

In case you’re getting a little nervous, the answer is, “No, James is not against grace." Two things are important here.

First, we need to understand that James is not just writing to believers.

He is writing to “the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad”. These were Jews who were scattered around the then-known world, some of whom were now Christians.

You can never understand James until you realize that he was addressing unbelievers as well as believers, some who professed to believe in Jesus, and some who truly did believe. And James, in some of his comments, sort of throws them all into a hopper and mixes them up, and then tells them what’s what. You may not like his method here. You may prefer a systematic Paul, who more logically progresses with his points and makes it clearer whom he is talking to. But God has used James to make some points that no other Bible writer has made.

Second, we need to see the purposes in James' writing.

He was not laying down a theological treatise on salvation, or what we call soteriology. He wasn’t, like Paul in Romans, detailing the makeup of man, the work of Christ on the Cross, and the election, calling and justification of men by grace through faith.

To see these purposes of James, let’s do a very brief review of the Book of James, and comment on some of the issues James was dealing with. There are 5 chapters, and we’ll give each one a title, reflecting the main theme of each chapter. These 5 titles will begin with letters which spell out the word Works. W-o-r-k-s.

Chapter 1 “With Trials Comes Growth”

Chapter 2 “Only Works Show Faith”

Chapter 3 “Rudder-Tongue Steers Ship”

Chapter 4 “Keep Humble, Get Grace”

Chapter 5 “Suffer Patiently, But Pray”

So James is not against grace. But he wants true grace to be in evidence. Not a false or spurious grace. He wants to emphasize that when you become a New Creation, there will be fruit that comes from that. When you are born again, something happens. You are given a new spirit, which is the true you, the essence of your being, your very nature…a new nature which loves Jesus and hates sin. And when that new true nature of yours expresses itself, there will be good works. And when we walk by the Spirit, some of those works will be seen. And it’s all by Grace!

If We Love, We Will Forgive

We need to understand that Love, as a fruit of the Spirit, has its own fruits.

Some of the fruits of Love are named or implied in the 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians, the so-called "Love" chapter.

And one of these fruits of Love is "...does not take into account a wrong suffered." In other words, Forgiveness.

We must not fool ourselves by saying, "I am loving," when we aren't also forgiving. If we hold something against someone, we are merely manifesting the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). Unforgiveness and lack of Love go hand in hand.

How quickly should we forgive? The simple answer is, "Immediately as the offense occurs." But, of course, it's not that simple, is it? Why not?

Well, because forgiveness, like Love, is a fruit of the Spirit, and if we're not walking by the Spirit, to that degree we won't be loving, and we won't be forgiving.

So, as always, we need to be being filled with the Spirit, to commune closely with Jesus Christ, to live in surrender to Him and His will, to bask in His grace and love, reckoning ourselves dead to sin, and allowing Him to live His Life through us.

Then we will be loving, and forgiving. But we won't be one without the other, and we won't be either without Jesus.

Side Note: Acting loving or forgiving isn't enough, is it? That's not the fruit of the Spirit.

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Legalism In The News - Re-Baptism

Make no mistake about it. Men often love to make rules that are not in the Bible and call them Biblical.

The new President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Frank Page, "...affirmed that he believes re-baptism is necessary in the case of a person who was baptized by immersion following salvation in a church with 'incorrect theology,' including one which rejected eternal security of the believer."

Now I certainly believe in the eternal security of the believer, but the issue for baptism Biblically is not the fine points of theology, but the professed regeneration of the candidate. In other words, are you born again? Are you a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

But in an echo of the Pharisees, man sometimes likes to make his own rules, call them Biblical, then parse them to the "enth" degree to cover all situations that might arise, forgetting that the Holy Spirit will be leading.

What's interesting is that President Page has a controversial background of promoting women Pastors, which he has since recanted as "incorrect theology".

Does that mean that those who were baptized in his church during those years when he held his former view should now be re-baptized? He would, of course, say, "Certainly not." There again, because one not only makes his extra-biblical rules, but then refines them according to his own sub-rules, legalism remains a slippery fish to get a hold on.

He also has written a book against Calvinism. Does that mean someone baptized in an SBC church that teaches what he would call the "incorrect doctrine" of Calvinism should be re-baptized. And on it goes.

Side Note: By the way, when Page says re-baptism is "necessary", necessary for what? Salvation? He would say, "Of course not." What then? Well, it's for putting your name on the rolls for "membership" (dare I say, another extra-biblical teaching?).

And that's "Legalism In The News" for today, folks.

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The Rest of the Gospel

I've found that to most Christians the Gospel is something that is told to unbelievers to get them to believe in Jesus Christ, so that they can be saved from Hell and go to Heaven.

If someone is more theology oriented, they may get into more details about how that unbeliever is saved, how God chose them before the foundation of the world, how Jesus died to pay the penalty for their sins, how Jesus imputed His righteousness to them in order to justify them, or declare them righteous, how He regenerates them so they're born again, how He seals them with His Holy Spirit, and how He keeps them in His hand until they die, so they can tell other unbelievers how to be saved from Hell and go to Heaven.

But whether a simple untrained Christian, or the most trained Theologian with several Theological Seminary degrees, there is a tendency to see the Gospel as related pretty much only to initial salvation. In fact the field of study is called Soteriology, the study of salvation.

But I want to call attention to what may be called "The Rest of the Gospel", or the Gospel for the Christian, or the Gospel for the Already Saved.

Now the phrase "the rest of the gospel" is kind of a play on words. It's the "rest" of the gospel, like there's more to come, or more to be understood, like the rest of the story. And then there's the "rest" of the gospel, like "resting", like we rest our heads on a pillow.

1. First, "rest" (as in pillow).

Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I find most Christians I meet either have no rest or rest on the wrong thing.

Hebrews 4:9 says, "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. And Hebrews 4:10 says, "For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His."

Have you entered that rest, where your relationship to Jesus Christ is based on His works, not yours? I'm not asking are you born again, are you saved? I'm talking about that "rest" where we don't have to earn God's love or favor anymore. That's the "rest" of the Gospel.

2. Second, "rest" as in the rest of the story.

Unbelievers are described in the Bible like this:

Condemned
Guilty
Enslaved to sin
Unrighteous
Confidence in myself (flesh)
A citizen of earth
Unholy
Blemished
Adamic
Proud
Self-centered
Defeated Sinner

Unfortunately, too many Christians think they are still that same person, only they've been forgiven. The bumper sticker that says, "Christians Are Not Perfect, Just Forgiven" is misleading.

Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

2 Cor 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Christians are not JUST forgiven. A couple of things happened there that go way beyond just being saved from Hell and eventually going to Heaven, as wonderful as that is:

1. God fulfilled the long-promised New Covenant in which He would actually come to live inside His children and His life would be entwined with our life. 1 Cor. 6:17 says, "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him." And so He is living His life through us. He is actually causing us to walk in His ways, as the promise of the New Covenant declared. He is actually working in us both to will and to do His good pleasure, Paul tells the Philippians.

2. While we're living this Christ life, we can be aware that there is nothing in the way of unrighteousness putting a wall between us. We have become the righteousness of Christ. He has made us a New Creation, and He has declared us to be righteous, or in right standing with Him. No barriers, no veils, no Wizard of Oz curtain to keep us from Him.

Remember that list of things about unbelievers, that some believers sometimes think are still true of them? It's now replaced with a new list:

Forgiven
Free in Christ
Righteous
Full confidence in Christ
A citizen of heaven
Heaven-seated
Holy
Unblemished
Christian
Humble
Christ-centered
Victorious
Saint

The more we have close fellowship with Him, the more we can see beyond the veil into the invisible Kingdom of God, and see the wonders that He is doing in our lives. We don't need to be conformed to the world, but transformed as our minds are renewed. We truly see things with wisdom. I don't mean we see with our eyes, we see with faith.

• We walk by faith, and not by sight.
• We see how to really live, and we walk by the Spirit.
• When we walk by the Spirit, we are filled with His Spirit, and we have the fruit of the Spirit, and now we can love and be loved.
• We can have joy in our lives, the joy of the Lord, and we know that the joy of the Lord is our strength.
• We can live our lives with peace in our hearts.
• We can have patience with the circumstances in our lives, and with the people in our lives.
• We can walk in kindness, and everyone around us will know the difference.
• Our goodness will be real, not put on to impress anybody.
• We reflect the faithfulness of God with our own faithfulness.
• We won't have to PROVE ourselves, but can have true biblical meekness, that doesn't have to have our rights always enforced.
• We will have true self-control, not the pull-up-your-bootstraps willpower, but the peaceable strength of "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

This is the rest of the gospel. This is the life in Christ, who is our life. This is the walk of the New Creation, the walk by faith in the unseen eternal things that have already been accomplished in us by our wonderful Lord and Savior. We're not just forgiven, friends. There is the rest of the Gospel to be proclaimed to the believer.

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The Real Antinomian

Scripture clearly teaches that the Christian is no longer under Law, but under Grace. (Rom. 6:14) And this is given as the reason why sin is no longer master over us.

As born again believers in Jesus Christ we may be certain that all our sins are forgiven, past, present and future. In fact the Scripture goes so far as to say that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. In fact the Scripture goes on to say that all things are lawful for us (though not all things are profitable, or expedient). In fact it makes the radical statement that where sin abounds, grace much more abounds! In fact it says that we are accepted fully by God in Christ, the Beloved. That there is nothing that could ever separate us from the love of God. Absolutely amazing, when you really think about it from our measuring-stick mentality.

This biblical truth is so radical that it shakes the legalists to their core, and they shout "Antinomian!" (Antinomian literally refers to "no law" or "anti-law"). Or they ask the reasonable question that Paul anticipated from his Roman readers, "Should we sin, so that grace will abound?"

And of course, Paul says "of course not", and explains the new creation, the new heart given us by God, in which we have died with Christ, been buried with Him, and risen again with Him to a new life. We have died to sin, and been made alive to Christ. "How can you," Paul asks, "who have died to sin, keep living in it?"

So Paul's radical teaching of the grace of God is not Antinomianism.

Is there then a true Antinomianism? A wrong heretical Antinomianism? Yes. I know biblically, and from my other readings that such creatures exist. Even though I have to admit I haven't actually met one.

I would take a stab at a definition of true Antinomianism this way:

An Antinomian is one who believes that because our sins are forgiven, past, present and future, there is no biblical call for good works or moral living. And therefore there is really no such thing as "sin".

That kind of Antinomian is justly criticized. And while I said I never met one who taught that way, I must admit I've seen a few who seem to live that way. These are what the Bible calls hypocrites. I don't mean the born-again believer who fails, sins, gets back up in repentance, and goes on. I mean the one who thinks there is nothing really "wrong". That's the true Antinomian.

Don't let someone label you that, just because you believe the Apostle Paul when he writes that sin shall no longer be master over you because you are no longer under Law but under Grace, or because you don't walk around in misery over your sin all the time. It is forgiven, after all. And you do love the Lord, after all. And He is working in you both to will and to do His good pleasure, after all. Rejoice, no matter what the legalists say.

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Is God Pleased With You?

Five times in the Bible the words are recorded which the Father said regarding Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; 2 Pet. 1:17)

But do you realize that your Father now has that same view of you?

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. " (2 Cor. 5:21) Not only have we been given the righteousness of God, we ourselves have become sons and daughters of God. Amazing!

And so now, as stunning as it may sound, we are brethren of Jesus Christ! "...for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren..." (Hebrews 2:11b)

Don't squirm uncomfortably because you don't feel worthy. He has done it all. He has made you His child. He has made you a new creation, born of Him, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible. And He has given you a new spirit, and made you one spirit with Him. And He delights in you, the apple of His eye.

And so now, you...

are also the Father's beloved son (or daughter), in whom He is well pleased.

Enjoy.

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The Name of Jesus

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away
But there's something about that name
(Bill Gaither)

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

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Keep Yourselves In The Love Of God

I'll bet it's been awhile since you've read the book of Jude.

It's an interesting epistle, because Jude started out to write an encouraging letter about our salvation, and changed direction under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He was led to write about "contending for the Faith", because of false teachers that were abounding.

And in the midst of this very serious letter about false teaching, Jude says something very important for us to remember as we are contending for the Faith.

In verse 21 (Jude is only one chapter), he writes, "...keep yourselves in the love of God."

Have you ever seen the optical illusion of the 3-dimensional box? If you focus your eyes one way, you see the outside surface of the box. If you focus your eyes another way, you see the inside surface of the box.

Jude 21 is like that. Does Jude refer to God's love for you...or your love for God? Well, it's both.

1. Keep yourself in His love for you.

This must come first. We love Him because He first loved us (1 Jn 4:19)

Doubting God's love comes from Law-based thinking. We know we can't measure up perfectly to our every duty, and so we think God loves us less. This is, of course, unbiblical, and Grace is the antidote. God loves us unconditionally, and we need to remember that. We need a crash course in Grace every day. Peter wrote in 2 Pet. 2:12,13,

"Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, "

We need to be reminded that we are His beloved.

Why is this important? Because if we’re not appropriating the love of God for us….if we’re not basking in His love and grace….then we will not be able to be filled with His Holy Spirit, and we won’t be able to walk by the Spirit….and that means we won’t have the fruit of the Spirit, and the primary fruit of the Spirit is love.

2. Keep yourself in your love for Him.

This requires walking by the Spirit. This requires being filled with the Spirit.

Jude precedes vs. 21 by saying in vs. 20, "But you, beloved, [see that word "beloved"? That’s us], but you beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit".
See how we can build ourselves up in the faith? We can do that, through reading the word of God, through meditation on Jesus, on God the Father and His word, through shutting out the world and it’s noises for a time, and listening to the Lord, through praying while we’re filled with the Spirit, through thirsting after God like the deer pants after the waterbrook.

We love Him because He first loved us. But we can’t let Religion choke out this love.

I love theology. I love the study of God in His word, in depth. I want to know all I can about Him and His ways. That’s theology at it’s best. And I even love a good debate. Jude even says in vs. 3 that we should contend earnestly for the faith. I love that.

But nothing, I repeat nothing, takes the place of keeping ourselves in the love of God.

Did you know there are two letters to the Ephesians in the New Testament? The first is the epistle we call the book of Ephesians, written by Paul the Apostle. The other is the letter of Jesus to the church at Ephesus, as recorded by John in Revelation 2:1-7.

Jesus commends the Ephesian church for doing something good. That good thing they did was to contend for the faith. They recognized and fought doctrinal error in the church. But then Jesus tells them something very sad.

The Ephesian church had left their first love.

Did they apostasize? Turn against Jesus, lose their salvation? No, of course not. They merely failed to do what Jude exhorts us to do: "Keep yourselves in the love of God."

Don’t underestimate this, beloved.

Don’t be like the church at Ephesus. "Keep yourselves in the love of God."

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The Unseen Truth of Perfection

How can the Bible say, "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison...?" (2 Cor. 4:17)

Your affliction may not seem momentary. It may seem to you like it's gone on forever. And your affliction may not seem light. It may seem to you to be almost more than you can bear sometimes.

How can the Bible say, "...Momentary, light affliction...?"

I think the answer is in the next verse:

...while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:18

This means that there are realities on this earth which can be seen with our eyes, and these things are temporary. But there are realities beyond those visible realities. And sometimes God gives us a glimpse of these eternal realities, but they can't be seen with our eyes. They are true, but unseen.

Under the New Covenant, God has done many of these unseen things, which we can't see with our eyes, but which God has revealed to us. For example, God has given us a new spirit. 2 Cor. 5:17 says that we are a New Creation, but we can't see that with our eyes. He has given us eternal life, but we can't see that eternal life with our eyes, and so forth. (Though we can see the fruit of that New Creation, and the fruit of that eternal life.)

So with that in mind, let's look at a very profound verse of Scripture, and one that is very neglected by the church. The verse is Heb. 10:14, "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."

Do you know that you have been perfected for all time? Let that sink in for just a moment.

Now we don't see that perfection, and that's exactly why we need to believe this eternal truth by faith. And I'm not talking about sinless perfection, as though we don't sin. That's where an understanding of the make-up of man comes in. We need to understand that we are made up of body, soul, and spirit.

Our body is that part of us which is physical of course. Our soul we may say is made up of our mind (thinker), our emotions (feeler), and our will (chooser). Finally, our spirit is the very essence of us. Made in the image of God, we are essentially spirit. Then we have a soul, and live in a body. And it's our spirit which has been made brand new by the new birth. It's our spirit into which the Spirit of God has come to dwell, having become one spirit with us (1 Cor. 6:17).

Before we're born again, our spirit is dead to God and alive to sin. When we're born again, our spirit is dead to sin and alive to God. We now have an inclination in our spirit to love God and hate sin.

It's in our spirit that we are "made perfect". (Heb. 10:14)

When's the last time you heard that preached? It's not likely. And the reason is that we tend to take eternal realities that we can't see and set them aside for temporary realities that we can see. And we walk by sight, instead of faith.

One of the main reasons for this is that we slip into the idea that our righteousness comes from what we do. And so we focus on what we do, to the exclusion of what has already been done in us. Paul writes to the Galatians, however, that this is "another Gospel". The truth is that we are given the gift of righteousness, we are declared righteous by faith in Jesus Christ, and made righteous in our spirits. And it's all by grace. Not something we earn.

Paul makes it clear that if our righteousness came from what we do, then Christ wouldn't have had to die. But, of course, that's not the case.

Have you ever heard someone say that we are "clothed in God's righteousness"? That sounds good, but that's not what the Bible teaches about the New Covenant. Even under the Old Covenant, believers in God were "clothed with God's righteousness". Look at Isaiah 61:10 --

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness...

But something greater has been done by God under the New Covenant. We have actually been made a New Creation, our spirits have been made perfect in Christ, and the righteousness of God has been given to us, and now it is ours. Look at 2 Cor. 5:21 --

For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

That's the eternal reality. And when we realize that we have a new spirit, made righteous by God through grace, and when we realize that Christ is in us, in our spirit, we will be more inclined to walk by that spirit, and not by our flesh. That's why Romans 6:11 tells us to "reckon ourselves" or "choose to believe by faith" that we are dead to sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Or as Hebrews puts it, "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." If you are a believer, he's talking about you, what God has done in you, by grace.

Walk in that unseen eternal truth. It will change your life. And the afflictions will seem a little more "temporary" and "light".

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