theology-christ

Enslaved to the Law

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

(Galatians 5:1, ESV)

There are some forms of salvation that say that God will only accept you if you perform some rite or ritual. Others make claims for the need to seek the favor of God through first becoming a “good person” and “cleaning up your act.” And then there are some misguided Christians who equate morality with Christianity, and preach a message of self-improvement and works righteousness in order to stay right with God–not in relationship with him, but in regards to your salvation’s security.

But the Bible warns against the dangers of this teaching because it is not the true gospel. There is nothing that man can do to prepare his heart for acceptance by God, and there is nothing that he can do after his salvation to keep him in the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39). Salvation is received and it is maintained as an unmerited gift of the grace of God. Full stop.

Anyone who is ever saved from the judgment of God is saved by the blood of Christ, whose death was on their behalf. The unregenerate sinner who simply places their faith alone in Christ’s death on their behalf will be saved. The only thing the sinner brings to the equation is their sin. Everything else they have ever done is stained by their unrighteousness and the effect of sin. Paul says this plainly in Galatians 2:16: “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16, ESV)

The pernicious lie that often wants to creep into the mind and heart of the Christian is that although we might have been saved by faith alone, we must somehow continue in righteous deeds in order to “keep” our salvation. In other words, saved by faith, but kept by good deeds. Again, Paul sheds light on the truth and thus unshackles us from this lie. He even pokes fun at the Galatians for this illogical idea when he wrote in Galatians 3: “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:2–3, ESV)

The danger is that we would somehow think that the Law is a means to gain favor with God, thereby securing our salvation. Think about that statement: securing your salvation. Didn’t Jesus already do that? How much Bible reading, evangelism, church attendance, praying, giving, or righteous living do you think you need to do in order to secure your own salvation? The idea is madness! Jesus saved us. Not Jesus began to save us, but we need to finish the job. Jesus saved you, Christian. And he has secured your salvation by his righteousness…for eternity.

Don’t put back on the shackles of legalism and the demands of the law. You couldn’t be good enough before you met Christ, and you still can’t be good enough. Jesus is a sufficient Savior and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. You can take that truth all the way to heaven.

On Christ the Solid Rock We Stand

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’ ””

(Isaiah 7:9, ESV)

As the prophet Isaiah stood before the king of Judah, the circumstances were extremely dire. War was imminent and the kings of Syria and Israel were ready to snuff out Ahaz and his people. At the news, the king and his people “shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” (Isaiah 7:2).

The man of God had come to bring a word from the Lord to King Ahaz: “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands…” (Isaiah 7:4). Just as the terror Ahaz and the people felt was real, so too was the reality of the threats from these kings. The message wasn’t that Ahaz was overreacting, because he wasn’t. The message was one of faith.

The prophet Isaiah brought a word to this king that these two kings, mighty by human standards, were nothing more to God than smoldering logs in a campfire; in other words, harmless to do any damage. Both of these kings would be dead in two years. But Ahaz didn’t know this. All the evidence that he could see pointed to defeat and death. As far as the king could see with his limited understanding, destruction was the inevitable outcome. But God…

In response, the prophet spoke words of hope to the King of Judah. The threats would not stand and would never come to pass. The heads of these nations would be cut off and the people would be shattered. God himself would eliminate the danger and would rescue his people.

The question was, would the king capitalize on these words? Would King Ahaz find a firm footing on the Word of God so that he could have the peace he and his people wanted and needed? “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

The Israelites would face many years in captivity, and they would wonder if there would ever be that peace that God promised. Many could not see it. They could not understand the coming of Immanuel and the eternal peace that he would offer through his sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection. The could not see that the final King David, of the tribe of Judah, will come and restore everything once again and establish eternal peace. But some did see it through eyes of faith, and looked forward to the coming of the Promised One. And in these promises they found hope and peace.

Today, I hear and see many Christians clamoring for hope when hope is right in front of them. They are scared–scared of a virus, scared of riots, scared of political winds changing to more radicalism, scared of losing everything. “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.“

Do you want peace? “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3–4, ESV) Put your trust in Jesus Christ–the wind and wave stiller, the sickness healer, the serpant crusher, the death destroyer, the sin forgiver, the gift giver, the life restorer, the only-wise King eternal.

Only Jesus Christ will stand. All other ground is sinking sand.

Stay on the Path!

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established.
Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
Turn your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:25–27 (NAS)

Staying on the path seems easy enough. But somehow it isn’t as easy as it seems. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian is met by Goodwill who explains to him the need to follow the narrow path:

“And therefore good Christian, come a little way with me, and I will teach thee about the way thou must go. Look before thee; dost thou see this narrow way? That is the way thou must go. It was cast up by the patriarchs, prophets, Christ, and his apostles, and it is as strait as a rule can make it; this is the way thou must go.”
“But,” said Christian, “are there no turnings nor windings, by which a stranger may lose his way?”
“Yes, there are many ways down upon this, and they are crooked and wide: but thus thou mayest distinguish the right from the wrong, the right only being strait and narrow.”

As Jesus taught, the gate and the way are narrow that lead to eternal life, and few find it. There are many obstacles and distractions that tempt the Christian to temporarily stray into the broad path.

The wise and godly watch their path, seeking to make corrections as they move forward. The Word of God is the guide, shedding light upon our way. It is when we stray from the path and go beyond the revealed will of God that we will find that we will find the most danger.

However, the narrow path does not promise that there will be no dangers or snares. As a matter of fact, the pathway can be a favored target of the evil one. But the Lord is not only our light, he is also our shield and comfort.

Where are you standing today with God? Have you strayed from the Lord and are you walking according to your own foolish counsel and wisdom? Have you found that your poor choices have produced painful consequences, and now you are thinking that it is probably time to return to Christ? What are you waiting for? Our Heavenly Father awaits you with open arms.

Are you walking with God, but are finding that the narrow road is also a hard one? In the days we are in, living for Christ is becoming more of a challenge. Be encouraged to know that many have walked this pilgrim path before you. Hebrews 11 serves as a great reminder of the hardships others have faced, but are greatly outweighed by the worth of the glory of heaven:

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:32–40 (ESV):

Fellow pilgrims, stay on the path. Whether you see victories and foes vanquished or temporary suffering for Christ, in the end, we shall receive the promises of God and the journey will be over, for we shall be home!

Little Saviors

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“Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.” (Psalm 146:3–4 (ESV))

There seems to be no end of little saviors in the world today. There is great value in heeding the reminder of the psalmist in this passage that tells us that no matter the form of our little saviors—whether they are bankers, doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, bar tenders, best friends, politicians, children, spouses, or even pastors, they will all prove to be inferior saviors who cannot even save themselves from death.

Psalm 146:5 goes on to say, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God…” Jacob, the father of the 12 tribes, is of course dead; so are his sons. But the God of Jacob is still offering aid.

The next verse describes the God of Jacob as he “who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;” This God who is our only hope for a Savior, is definitely powerful enough to save in our time of need. He made everything. What has your little savior ever made? Remember God made everything out of nothing. And the little phrase, “who keeps faith forever,” means that not only is he powerful enough to save his beloved, he is good and faithful to do so.

But will he even notice me?, you might ask. Yes, he does! In verses 7-9, the psalmist shares the heart of our mighty God and Savior. He writes, “who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” The poor, oppressed, the hungry, blind, those bowed down with cares. The foreigner and the orphan, all of those who are so often forgotten by the world, are not forgotten by God. What about those little savior we hope in so much? Do they notice the weakest and the poorest of the world? Most only pay lip service, and the best of them are powerless to do anything about their plight. But our Savior does more.

Do you have any little saviors that you are trusting in? Be assured, they will fail you—even the best of them. But God the Father sent his Son Jesus to be the Savior of the world. What greater love is there than this? He is the Lamb who died as a substitute for sinners. What greater power is there than the power that conquered sin and death? He is the soon and coming King. What greater power is there than this? Place your trust in Christ. Not just to be the Savior from your sins, but place your full trust in him for everything. He is worthy.

Living a Robust Christian Life

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1Ti 6:12, ESV)

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

(1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

One of the dangers we are told exists with the current Coronavirus is the way that it is a particular threat to those with compromised immune systems and the elderly. Because this demographic in society often lack the physical stamina to fight off a severe infection, they can succumb more easily to viruses that attack the body than a person who has a stronger body and immune system.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the church to develop a robust spiritual immunity by learning from the mistakes and sins of Israel. In many ways, Paul had heard many troubling things had taken root in this congregation, and Paul knows where this could very easily lead.

“Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:7–11, ESV)

What Paul saw happening in the church was a roadmap for destruction. He had seen it happen in the Old Testament as Israel left Egypt and indulged in sin with wanton abandon. Looking at their lives and their refusal to heed the patient and steady warnings of Moses and the Lord, the bodies of Israelites littered the wilderness for forty years.

How does sin “overtake us?” It is not because we are not equipped to handle temptation. The Israelite are described as having been fully aware of God’s presence with them when it says:

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:1–4, ESV)

Israel was led by the shekinah glory cloud, by the Lord himself. They saw the Lord protect them and fight for them when they passed through the Dead Sea on dry land. They received provision in food and water in the wilderness, and all of these showed that they were led by God. But they still rebelled. This is how sin “overtakes us” in temptation. We give ourselves over to sin little by little. A little indulgence here, and a little there. We might have all the resources of Christ before us, but we do not take advantage of them. Instead we coddle our sin, like holding a rattlesnake to our chest. We love it, but it will destroy us.

“Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:6, ESV). A robust faith is an exercised faith. It is one that fights sin. It may get knocked now, it may slip and fall, but it gets back up. It is a faith that cries out to God for mercy and help. It sees its own weakness without Christ and leans upon the salvation won by him on the cross. It looks and learns from not only the victories of others, but also the failures as well.

A robust faith is active. It isn’t like the seaweed that drifts back and forth in the tide of culture. It doesn’t wait until someone else comes to push us, but seeks to grow in faith by the study and application of the Word to self, and then seeks to go and help the weak in faith.

Temptation will always present itself. But like those that are physically healthy and strong can resist most diseases and threats to their immune system, so too will the one who is spiritually healthy be better prepared to face the temptations when they come. And even if they should succumb to the threat, they will grow wiser and stronger, even in their failure, and the next time, they will not fall as quickly or as easily.