Tag Archives: God

No Darkness In God

November 1, 2015Bible StudyGod, lie, light, no darkness, truthLuella Campbell

NO DARKNESS IN GOD

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth. (1 John 1: 6-7)

John did not mess around with theological concepts and abstract ideas. He came right to the point. He assured his readers that the one of whom he wrote was indeed the one who came from the Father, who lived on earth as a real human being and who was the living Word, representing the Father in all He said and did.

John and his fellow disciples were eyewitness of the truth that Jesus was a man and yet more than a man. They had seen, heard and touched Him and their lives had forever been changed because He came, not only because He lived and died as a perfect Son, but also because He had a message from God for them.

What was that message? Jesus reaffirmed the message of the prophets who spoke for God against the backdrop of His people’s persistent disobedience over centuries of calling them back to Himself. Their constant refrain was: God is holy! He has no part with anything that is tainted with corruption or imperfection.

Even the effects of Adam’s sin over which they had no control, like the shedding of blood during childbirth was an affront to Him because any form of bloodshed was the outcome of sin. Every hint of corruption or imperfection had to be atoned for by the shedding of blood. Death was the penalty He demanded for imperfection, the death of a perfect and innocent animal as a foreshadowing of the death of God’s perfect Lamb.

John declared that God is light. Like love, light is the essence of who He is. If God were only love, there would be no guarantee that He would act in perfect justice towards those who transgress His laws. To be love without the balance of light would leave us with a wishy-washy God who would gloss over every infringement of His perfection in the name of “love”.

That’s the way some people want Him to be, and even believe Him to be so that they can continue in their evil ways with the assurance that God will do nothing about it. But where does that leave others who suffer at the hands of the perpetrators of evil?

We do have the assurance, however, from the mouth of God Himself that His nature is in perfect balance. He is both love and light. He loved the world of sinners but He could not pass over their sin without demanding just payment for what they had done. When the time came, He sent His Son into the world to live out a life of perfect obedience to Him, and then to die as a sacrificial lamb to atone for the sins of the world.

Where does that leave us?

He calls for a response from us to what He has done, not only to deal, once for all, with our state of alienation from Him when we respond to His invitation to believe in His Son, but also to enable us to live in daily fellowship with Him. That means that we remain in oneness with Him by walking in the light of who He is and what He requires of us as His sons a daughters. There is no value in believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead if we do not follow through with a life of transparency with Him and in fellowship with Him and with our fellow human beings.

Unfortunately, so devious is the human heart that we fool ourselves into thinking that we are okay even when we have sinned. Like Adam, we blame others and make excuses for our sin. We may even acknowledge our sin but . . . taking responsibility for it is another story.

That’s where God wants us to be with Him – not just acknowledging we have done wrong when we are caught out, but coming clean with God. The Holy Spirit never, let me repeat – never – beats us over the head with our sin. Accusation is the devil’s work. Our conscience, if trained by God’s word, will point out where we have gone wrong. The Holy Spirit points us back to who we are – holy and beloved sons and daughters of God whom Jesus has made righteous by His blood.

We do ourselves a terrible injustice of we insist that our deviation from God’s way are “mistakes” or “indiscretions”. God calls it sin. If we are unwilling to acknowledge that we sinned because we chose to, not because “the devil made me do it” or “because of what my father or mother did to me” or for any other reason, we remain in the darkness of self-deception and self-denial, and forfeit the delight of fellowship with the Father.

Painful as it is to have to acknowledge that we are deliberately walking in the darkness, and come back to the way of truth, it’s the only way to keep our faces towards Jesus who is the Way, The Truth and the Life and who will take us to the Father.

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version, on www.takealot.com or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

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From And For The People

March 2, 2015Bible Studyappointed, God, high priest, sacrificesLuella Campbell

FROM AND FOR THE PEOPLE

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sin, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God just as Aaron was. (Heb. 5:1-4)

What makes the difference between a high priest and the rest of the people and what gives him the right to carry the office of high priest?

He is ‘called by God’. He is set apart by divine appointment to stand between God and the people and to offer sacrifices on their behalf – sacrifices acceptable to God because He prescribed what was to be done and how it was to be done in order to forgive their sin and to bring His people near to Him.

What qualified him to be a high priest? He was chosen from among the people. That meant that he had to be one of them. He had to be human, subject to the same sins and weaknesses as they were so that he would not consider himself better or a cut above the rest. Why was this? He needed to be gentle with his fellow sinners because he walked in their shoes. He needed to approach God with his people on his heart, not as a judge but as one of them.

He was also chosen to represent the people to God. He was the go-between, standing between his sinful compatriots and a holy God to bring blood to atone for their sin. Before he could atone for the sin of anyone else, however, he had to remember that he was also guilty before God. He also need blood to cleanse him from the guilt and pollution of his own imperfections before he could represent the nation to God.

The high priestly office was ongoing because death brought an end to the ministry of one man, and the office had to be handed on to the next and to the next as each succeeding generation passed on. It was, therefore, an interrupted function. No one was able to carry on standing before God for his people indefinitely.

How frustrating for God’s people when a kindly and sympathetic high priest died and was replaced by a man who did not carry the weaknesses of his people on his heart! The people were at the mercy of those who represented then, good or bad. This office was both a blessing and a curse for them, depending on the qualities of each man who stood before God for them.

In the same way, Christ did not take on Himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to Him, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’ And He says in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb. 5: 5-6)

What was the writer trying to prove? Jesus was fully qualified to take on the office and function of high priest for His people. He was one of them – born and raised as a Jew. He was appointed by God to be high priest, not of the tribe of Levi who had to pass the office on because of death. He was of the order of Melchizedek – a mysterious figure who appeared on the scene briefly during the time of Abraham. We shall learn more of him as the letter proceeds.

Why Melchizedek? He was both king of Jerusalem and priest of the Most High God, and Jesus was to be both king and high priest, both offices to be fulfilled in one man which was forbidden of the Levitical priests. Jesus was both the Son of God, making Him eligible to be a priest and a descendant of David, putting Him in line for the throne of David.

Why was this so important to these Jewish readers? As true Jews, they had to be sure that Jesus was no usurper. He had to have the qualifications laid down in God’s word to fulfil the offices of king and priest, of which Melchizedek was the forerunner. Did He qualify? Yes. Was He eligible? Yes. In every way Jesus was superior to the Leviticus priesthood, and fully qualified and competent to represent His people to God.

Which God?

December 11, 2014Bible StudyFather, God, Lord Jesus ChristLuella Campbell

WHICH GOD?

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the people – the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you.” Colossians 1:3-6a.

Some religions claim that we all believe in and worship the same God but just in different ways. Is this correct? How can we be sure we are worshipping the true God?

Paul gives us a simple test to check whether we are worshipping the one true God or the creation of human imagination. Apart from the Bible, where we learn the nature and ways of God through revelation, we have an infallible way of knowing that we are believing in and following the ways of the God who is who He is and will do what He said He will do. We must be sure of the truth if we stake our lives on what He says and what He has promised.

Our God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great dividing line between the truth and the lies that are spoken about Him by people who refuse to believe in Him. The Apostle John stated it like this:

“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist – denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:22, 23.

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit cannot be separated. If someone tells you that they believe in God but reject Jesus as the Son of God, no matter what he may claim, he is lying because the Father and Son are one. We cannot know God apart from the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God in the flesh. He told Philip that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the exact reflection of the Father and His purpose was to reveal the Father so that we might believe in Him and return to Him.

Without Jesus we will never be able to go home to the Father because Jesus is the only way (John 14:6). It is a lie to believe that all religions will take us to God. Although it sounds like and has been branded as hate speech and intolerant to claim that Jesus is the only true God, He said it and He is the only way.

Imagine taking a journey from your home town to the capital city of your country. You go to the train station, buy a ticket to that city and then look for the platform from which your train will leave. How confusing it would be if there was a notice on every platform saying that this train will take you to your chosen destination. You choose a platform, climb on the train and settle in, believing that you will arrive at the city of your choice only to find, when the train stops, that you have gone in the wrong direction.

Believing that every god will take you to heaven is as foolish as believing that every train will take you to the capital city and yet that is what people believe. But how can we know that Jesus is the way to the Father? We have to examine His track record to see whether He was telling the truth about other things. How did he prove that He was not a liar?

People make all kinds of promises. Gods are also said to make promises to their followers. How do you know they are telling the truth? There was one promise Jesus made that no one else has ever dared to make: He said He would be put to death by the religious leaders but, after three days He would rise again. He raised dead people to life but how could He raise Himself and in a body that could never die again? He came back to life because the Holy Spirit resurrected Him by His power.

If Jesus did that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be sure that He will do everything else He promised to do because He is the Son of God. What more do we need to know to believe that God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and that He is the one and only true God in three Persons?

Acknowledgement

Who Is In Charge?

September 2, 2014Bible StudyGod, governing authorities, judgment, rebelLuella Campbell

WHO IS IN CHARGE?

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God had instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.” Romans 13:1-4a.

Now this is a really tough one! Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul insisted that believers obey the government. What! Paul, you can’t be serious! Obey Nero’s government? Submit to Nero’s authority? But he was murdering Christians just because they refused to call him “Lord”. How right was that?

But that is not what Paul said. He wrote that believers must submit to governing authorities, not because they were right but because God put them there. But what if they were wrong? Submit! What if they were cruel? Submit! What if they were unjust? Submit! What if they were downright evil? Submit! But why? They were harming Christians.

There are some very important reasons why God calls us to obey the government, whether it is good or evil.

1. In a fallen world it is necessary to have recognised authority structures. Since we are sinful and selfish, it is not natural for us to govern our own hearts. Unity has been destroyed and it’s everyone for himself. Without God’s delegated authority, society would destroy itself in a heartbeat. Where mob rule replaces authority and submission, a community or a country descends into chaos.

2. Wrongdoers must be removed from society because they not only prey on people but they also infect the whole community for evil. One rotten apple in a box will destroy the whole box in the end.

3. The safety of an entire community is at stake. When a serial killer or some other criminal is on the loose, for example, fear reigns until he is apprehended and removed to a place where he can no longer prey on the unsuspecting. This is only possible where people have the authority to do so.

But, you ask, what about those who suffer unjustly at the hands of God’s delegated authority, like the believers were experiencing even as Paul wrote? Why does God allow the righteous to suffer? Once again, God’s word gives us clear answers:

“Dear friends,” Peter wrote, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice, inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? “ 1 Peter 4:12-13; 15-17.

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should submit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” 1 Peter 4:19.

There are at least two outcomes of unjust suffering:

1. The faith of God’s people is purified of selfishness and self-seeking and is anchored in God alone and for His glory.

2. Those who inflict suffering are being ripened for judgment.

More of this tomorrow…

Acknowledgement

Is God Finished With Israel?

August 21, 2014Bible StudyGod, grace, Israel, reject, remnantLuella Campbell

IS GOD FINISHED WITH ISRAEL?

“I ask then: Did God reject His people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject His people whom He foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah – how he appealed to God against Israel. ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me’? And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So, too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” Romans 11:1-6.

There is a stream of teaching in the church today that says that God has washed His hands of the Jews. If Paul were here, he would vehemently defend the argument of Scripture that God still has a plan for them in spite of their mass rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. ‘If not,’ says Paul, ‘then why is it that I, who am an Israelite and a descendant of Abraham, am also one of his spiritual sons, by faith in Jesus?’

The Bible teaches that there are two “Israels” – natural Israel, those who are the physical descendants of Abraham, and spiritual Israel, those who follow Abraham’s example of faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

Not all natural Israel are God’s children because they have rejected Jesus, set up their own standard of righteousness and fallen short of God’s requirement, perfection. On the other hand, Gentiles who have no claim to Abrahamic descent, have been welcomed into the family of God because they did what Abraham did; they believed God’s promise and received His righteousness as a free gift. And this when they were not even actively seeking Him!

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule – to the Israel of God.” Galatians 6:14-16.

What Paul is clearly teaching is that God has established a new covenant with Israel, not based on the law but based on the one who perfectly fulfilled the law. Only those who receive and participate in this new covenant are the true people of God. Jews and Gentiles are included in the New Covenant, sealed in the blood of Jesus.

This covenant was not an afterthought. It is the central message of the Bible and the fulfilment of God’s covenant with Abraham. The Mosaic covenant was an interim agreement by which God set up His holy standards to show His people what was needed to be accepted and which was intended to show them just how far short they fell and how impossible it was to achieve the righteousness acceptable to God by their own efforts.

No, God did not reject the Jews, but He did show them that they are no different from the Gentiles. They have to come to God in exactly the same way as any non-Jew – through the one whom God appointed to be the mediator – His Son, whom He sent to be the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the whole world.

But, at the same time, does that mean that He has no further use for the Jews as a nation? Does He treat them as He does any other nation on earth? He chose Abraham and promised that He would make of him a great nation and through him all the nations on earth would be blessed. Did God cancel His promise to Abraham? Did He go back on what He had said simply because Israel failed to keep their side of the agreement? Does that make God’s sovereign plans subject to human failure?

Some argue that God is finished with the Jews; that He wiped His hands of them when they crucified their Messiah. That’s why the Romans came in and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD and scattered the Jews. That’s why Hitler exterminated millions during WW2. That’s why the world is against Israel today and the Arab nations are bent on wiping the Jews from the face of the earth – so they say.

But is that what God’s Word says? We shall have to read on to find out what God has to say about Israel…