It’s a matter of fact!
Part 3
V24 n12
It’s a matter of fact, that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, as the total and perfect sacrifice in and on our behalf. He made and gave a way for any person to obtain reconciliation, which then enables them to obtain adoption into His family.
Jesus
of Nazareth, was led and guided by the Spirit of Christ throughout all of His
life, and showed us the way to be obedient to God’s authoritative prescription,
when one will receive it, use it in full accordance with the instructions
given, which are then able to lead one to eternal life and a part of His
family, if, they will continue in that authoritative prescription.
Yet,
often times one will hear people say how much they have given up for God. Or,
they will proceed to say how much they have done or accomplished for God. The
fact is, that before you or I came along, God was
sitting on His throne. After you and I are gone, He will still be on His
throne. It is His Word, His authoritative prescription, that is able to deliver
us from the power of darkness, and translate us into the kingdom of His dear
Son, which then enables us to maintain our relationship with Him by and through
His Word, which allows us to be seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
as a part of His family. (Eph 2:4-6,
For God so loved the world (mankind) that He gave His only begotten
Son. What could you give up, that would be a greater sacrifice then that
which God has done in and on our behalf? This sacrifice was made for all of
mankind; as well as available to all of mankind. This is why Paul tells us that
our sufficiency is not of ourselves. It is only in Christ, that one is able to
do all things to be pleasing to the Father. (Phil 4:13, John 8:29) This can
only be accomplished by one becoming that new creation in Christ. (2Cor
2Cor 3:4-6, 4 Such is
the confidence which we have through Christ in the presence of God; 5 not that
of ourselves we are competent to decide anything by our own reasonings,
but our competency comes from God. 6 It is He also who has made us competent to
serve Him in connexion with a new Covenant, which
is not a written code but a Spirit; for the written code
inflicts death, but the Spirit gives Life. (
Let us take a look at a few of Adam
Clarke’s comment on these verses.
[Not
that we are sufficient of ourselves] We do not arrogate to ourselves any
power to enlighten the mind or change the heart, we are only instruments in the
hand of God. Nor was it possible for us apostles to think, to invent, such
a scheme of salvation as is the Gospel; and if we even had been equal to the
invention, how could we have fulfilled such promises as this scheme of
salvation abounds with? God alone could fulfil these
promises, and he fulfills only those which he makes himself. All these promises
have been amen-- ratified and fulfilled to you who have believed on Christ
Jesus according to our preaching; therefore, ye are God's workmanship; and it
is only by God's sufficiency that we have been able to do anything. (from
Adam Clarke Commentary)
We
are ministers of the new covenant; of this new dispensation of truth, light,
and life, by Christ Jesus; a system which not only proves itself to have come
from God, but necessarily implies that God himself by his own Spirit is a
continual agent in it, ever bringing its mighty purposes to pass. (from
Adam Clarke Commentary)
[Not
of the letter, but of the Spirit] The apostle does not mean here, as some have
imagined, that he states himself to be a minister of the New Testament, in
opposition to the Old; and that it is the Old Testament that kills, and the New
that gives life; but that the New Testament gives the proper meaning of the
Old; for the old covenant had its letter and its spirit, its literal and
its spiritual meaning. The law was founded on the very supposition of the
Gospel; and all its sacrifices, types, and ceremonies refer to the Gospel. The
Jews rested in the letter, which not only afforded no means of life, but
killed, by condemning every transgressor to death. They did not look at the
spirit; did not endeavor to find out the spiritual meaning; and therefore they
rejected Christ, who was the end of the law for justification; and so for
redemption from death to everyone that believes. The new covenant set all
these spiritual things at once before their eyes, and showed them the end,
object, and design of the law; and thus the apostles who preached it were
ministers of that Spirit which gives life.
Every institution has its letter as
well as its spirit, as every word must refer to something of which it is the
sign or significator. The Gospel has both its
letter and its spirit; and multitudes of professing Christians, by resting in
the LETTER, receive not the life which it is calculated to impart. Water,
in baptism, is the letter that points out the purification of the soul; they
who rest in this letter are without this purification; and dying in that state
they die eternally. Bread and wine in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, are
the letter; the atoning efficacy of the death of Jesus, and the grace
communicated by this to the soul of a believer, are the spirit. Multitudes rest
in this letter, simply receiving these symbols, without reference to the
atonement, or to their guilt; and thus lose the benefit of the atonement and
the salvation of their souls. The whole Christian life is comprehended by our
Lord under the letter, Follow me. Does not anyone see that a man, taking up
this letter only, and following Christ through Judea, Galilee, Samaria, etc.,
to the city, temple, villages, seacoast, mountains, etc., fulfilled no part of
the spirit; and might, with all this following, lose his soul? Whereas the
SPIRIT, namely, receive my doctrine, believe my sayings, look by faith for the fulfilment of my promises, imitate my example, would
necessarily lead him to life eternal. It may be safely asserted that the
Jews, in no period of their history, ever rested more in the letter of their
law than the vast majority of Christians are doing in the letter of the Gospel.
Unto multitudes of Christians Christ may truly say: Ye will not come unto me
that ye may have life. (from Adam Clarke Commentary)
It
is always easier for a person to blame others for their own short-comings, or
failure to hear and obey His Word. So often when the Word does not work as one
thinks that it should, one will blame others, for their failure to hear, then depend on, and be obedient to His Word, His
authoritative prescription.
Jesus
Christ said to Nicodemus, that a person must be born again or born anew, to be
able to see or enter into the
John 20:31, But these are written, that ye might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye
might have life through his name. (KJV)
The
[signs] which dot the narrative of John have climaxed in the greatest of them
all, the Resurrection. Lest the reader think otherwise, the writer hastens to
note that the signs were many. Only a select few are included in this book. Yet
it is the writer's expectation that these will enable the reader to believe
that Jesus is the Christ (the object of Jewish expectation, based on OT
prophecy, when that expectation is not perverted by false views of Messiahship) and the Son of God, revealing the Father by
word and deed, culminating in obedience to the Father's will even unto death. Believe
includes the ideas of faith's initial act and of progressing in faith as well. Life through (more literally, [in]) his name, i. e., in union
with his own person. (from
Wycliffe Commentary)
All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is for our advantage, when one
will allow His Spirit to bring it to life in their life. God’s Word is a matter
of fact. God is not a man that He should lie. Whether
one believes or not, it will not leave the faith of God and His Word without
effect, for God’s Word is forever settled in heaven. It is our choice, of
whether we will come into agreement with Him, or whether we will fight against
Him. As Joshua said, it is your choice who you will serve today.
That you may know Him,
In the service of Jesus
Christ.
Larry Gazelka
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