Blog Archives - Created through Him

Created Through Him

The Temple of God

4/10/2013

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (2 Corinthians 6:16).

To say that God is with us is to only begin to describe the relationship that exists between God and the believer. It is more than just God being with us, God in the person of the Holy Spirit, indwells every believer. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit sustains, comforts, and strengthens God’s people in all situations and all circumstances. The Holy Spirit is the seal of the covenant between God and His people. This is a foreshadowing of the coming time when we will all be in the presence of the God of all glory and majesty forever. He is our God, and through grace we are His people.

Walk by faith

4/9/2013

6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5: 6-8).

It is all about perspective. The perspective we have should be one of hope. We through faith have hope in that which is unseen. But though unseen, we know that the hope we have is real, tangible and eternal. We are to have no fear, even of death, because when we die we become present with the Lord. While clearly we are not hoping to die, the fact is we have an eternal hope through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Following Christ

4/8/2013

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:611).

These verses show the heart of a true believer. It is a heart of submission and a heart of hope in the midst of sometimes-difficult circumstances. God calls us to follow Him wherever He leads. We are to know that in following, at times, we will have trouble in this world, but we will never be alone. When we follow Christ we are putting our old nature and self behind us and living anew in Him.

Sufficiency

4/7/2013

5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

Our power and strength comes from God. The Holy Spirit strengthens us and guides us as we accomplish the work God desires. Doing things on our own accord and according to our own way without relying on God really limits our strength and impact. We can impact the world for the Gospel’s sake much more profoundly when we rely on the Holy Spirit to act in our lives. In fact, failing to rely on the Spirit results in unfruitful results. So, we in all things, should rely not on our sufficiency but rather on the sufficiency of the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Triumph of Christ

4/6/2013

14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14).

When we share the good news of the Gospel, God works in the hearts of people so they can hear. It is God that causes conversion and the victory of this conversion is possible through Christ’s defeat of death. The defeat of death is the defeat of the eternal consequences of sin. We are to spread the Gospel in all circumstances inorder to testify to the triumph of Christ. It is then in the triumph of Christ that humanity has its’ hope.

Promises of God in Christ

4/5/2013

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. 24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand (2 Corinthians 1:19-24).

All the promises of God are in Christ Jesus. In order for the promises of God to be realized in our lives, Christ seals us and keeps us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s actions are gracious towards us and out of this grace the gift of faith is granted. So it is by faith that we ultimately stand in proper relationship to God. Faith is very much personal, in that it is the individual that has the gift of faith. The only one with dominion over the faith is Christ Himself.

The right heart

4/4/2013

13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).

We are to do all things with the right heart. Having the right heart allows us to be good witnesses of God’s mercy. We will encounter situations and people that may be difficult, but by responding in a caring manner, we display love. In a world that is often partisan and divided, our response to circumstances with charity and love may be the response that gets people’s attention. This then is an opportunity to be messengers of God’s love to a world that desperately needs such a message.

Eyewitnesses

4/3/2013

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

The resurrection is the good news of the Gospel. There is no event since the Creation so profound and gracious as the resurrection of our Lord. Notice too that there were many eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Christ. The large number of witnesses to the resurrection of Christ is significant. God wanted to make sure that we would have ample evidence of the resurrection. Most would agree, that we as individuals can be fooled, but in this case, it is impossible that so many people would be fooled. And so we have the historic testimony, by multiple eyewitnesses, that Christ is risen. We then can be confident in the central point of human history-that Christ died and was raised for our good and God’s glory.

Purpose of gifts

4/2/2013

19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue (1 Corinthians 14:19).

Paul is writing to the church at Corinth concerning the speaking of tongues. He is reminding the church that every spiritual gift has a purpose and that they should not lose sight of that purpose. He is emphasizing the importance of good order and the edification of both believers and non-believers. So his point in this verse is not to downplay the gift of tongues but to make the point that there should be both a discernable teaching that is present and a benefit to the understanding of those in the church. There is a purpose to every gift.

Love

4/1/2013

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-2).

This passage, in my opinion, is one of the most profound in all of scripture. Paul is reminding us that no matter the gift or the knowledge that we possess, we must utilize all we have with love. To apply love to all circumstance is not easy, but it is essential. Fundamentally we are to do this because we are commanded to do so, but this should not merely be a compulsion. We should love out of the abundance of the grace we have been given, in other words, out of the abundance of love that we have received. Love should flow out of our very being because God first loved us.

Created Through Him