Bible

Jul

2022

The Only Saviour of Sinners

THE ONLY SAVIOUR OF SINNERS

When Christ was born, via a virgin birth

The skies were filled with angelic mirth

Who couldn’t give praise, or not be thrilled?

The ancient prophecies were now fulfilled

And central to redemption’s plan

The Son of God was born a man

He came from heaven, to earth to dwell

God with us – Emmanuel

Some shepherds came to see the sight

They paid their homage, that first Christmas night

And wise men too, travelled from afar

Gave gifts to the Christ – guided by His star

The Saviour was reared in a normal family

Living in Nazareth, near the Sea of Galilee

He laboured away in the carpentry trade

From stone and wood, various items He made

His divine identity was largely concealed

Until the time came, to be revealed

Then on one day, to John’s surprise

Jesus came to the Jordan, to be baptised

And the Spirit descended, like a dove

And God the Father, expressed His love

He was in the wilderness for forty days

But to Satan’s wiles, He never gave way

And then He began His public ministry

And with very many miracles, He proved His deity

He turned plain water into wine

He cast out demons – they entered the swine

With just two fish and five loaves of bread

Five thousand plus, were miraculously fed

Peter’s wife’s mother lay sick in bed

But one touch from the Saviour, and the fever fled

Lepers were cleansed, and the dead were raised

Lives were transformed, to the Saviour’s praise

With just a word, He calmed the sea

It all begged the question ‘Who could this be?’

At Caesarea Philippi, He asked this question

‘You’re the Christ of God’ was Peter’s confession

Then furthermore, on Hermon’s height

He was transfigured before them – turning dazzling white

And heaven again spoke, to the disciples’ fear

‘This is My Son – It is He you should hear’

Then some months later, the appointed time drew nigh

For the purpose of His coming – to suffer and to die

On trumped up charges, being unjustly tried

They nailed Him to a Cross: He was crucified

On Calvary’s tree, He shed His precious blood

To reconcile us sinners – to bring us back to God

He bore the sins of others, when He died on that tree

When we put our faith in Jesus, from God’s fearful wrath we’re free

At the moment when a sinner, is enabled to believe

A present, full salvation, is God’s promise to receive

For God’s own Son alone, can make us truly whole

And impart God’s salvation, to the needy, human soul

Christ died, and then His body, was laid in Joseph’s tomb

The disciples locked themselves away, in sorrow, and in gloom

Their hearts were very broken, yet, they were so very wrong

In thinking that their Greatest Friend, was now just dead and gone

For three days later, as He’d said, to them the Christ appeared!

Their sadness now was turned to joy, their souls were greatly cheered

He was alive, as prophesied – now risen from the dead

‘Come touch and handle Me, for real’ were the words to them He said

The Saviour conquered death and the grave

He arose victorious – He’s mighty to save

In Him there’s full salvation, for no money and no price

For all who realise their sin – and trust in Jesus Christ

He commissioned His disciples, He commanded proclamation

The message of salvation is for each and every nation

He ascended on a cloud to heaven – to the glory in the sky

And promised to return one day, in the future, by and by

Yes the sceptics always scoff, and the scornful have their say

But it can’t be refuted that Christ Jesus lives today

Seated there in the Glory now, enthroned at God’s right hand

He’s building up His Church on earth – the saved from every land

God’s purposes will triumph – not by force, and not by sword

But the preaching of the gospel – by the Spirit, through the Word

The church, it needs no gimmicks, it needs no special effects

Through simple gospel preaching, God will save His own elect

The Saviour’s final words to us were ‘I am coming soon’

Yes the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, to this fallen world of gloom

Our broken world needs fixing – Christ alone can make amends

And this will surely happen, when to earth He next descends

His people will dwell with Him, they’ll delight to see His face

And rehearse salvation’s story ‘I’m a sinner saved by grace’

So ensure you’re trusting Christ today, or you will be but lost

Believe in Jesus, while you may – He paid redemption’s cost

His invitation still avails – you still can hear Him say

That ‘Every one who comes to Me, I’ll never turn away.’

Timothy Cross

Jan

2022

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Review

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Timothy Cross
DayOne Publications
206 pages; £5.00
ISBN:978-1-84625-680-6

This is an excellent book which does what it says: it encourages Christians for both Christmas and the New Year. There are 30 chapters, each four to five pages long: 15 on the theme of Christ’s birth and 15 for the New Year. It is a lovely blend of solid Bible doctrine and devotional application.

Each chapter ends with three points to reflect on, which remind the reader to pause and think again rather than rush on.

The Christmas chapters cover some familiar themes under catchy headings. They are always engaging and point to Christ and the great salvation truths. For instance, we learn how Jesus is the true ‘son of my sorrow’ (Genesis 35:18 – a reference to Rachel giving birth at Bethlehem), and how Bethlehem (‘house of bread’) and Ephrathah (‘fruitful’) point to the Lord’s Supper.

The New Year chapters include headings like, ‘The unknown year ahead’, ‘One day at a time’, and ‘Peace: the lasting legacy of Jesus’. Here, again, are many truths which point to the character of God, the sufficiency of Jesus, and the promised blessing and support which all believers can know as they go forward into the New Year. These chapters will be especially helpful to those with particular problems, worries, and trials, but they are also a reminder to every Christian that our times are in God’s hands and we must trust him for the future.

In our modern pressurised world, here is an ideal book for every Christian. Try reading a chapter a day from mid-December to mid-January.
Reviewed by Paul Relf, Chatham

Nov

2019

Keeping Body and Soul Together

Physical and Spiritual Necessities

When the Apostle Paul found himself both in a Roman prison cell and approaching the end of his earthly life, he wrote the following request to my namesake Timothy: ‘When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments’ (2 Timothy 4:13). The request divides neatly into two. i. Paul requested his ‘cloak’ for his physical well-being and ii. Paul requested ‘the books and … the parchments’ for study – for his mental and spiritual well-being.

1. The Cloak

‘When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas …’ The cloak referred to here was a heavy, outer garment, made of Cicilian goats’ hair. Simple in design, it would have been sleeveless and circular in shape when laid flat, the only notable feature being a hole for the head. 2 Timothy 4:21 suggests that winter was approaching. Paul’s prison cell would have lacked our central heating! His thick cloak would have helped maintain a degree of bodily warmth and comfort.

According to the Bible, we are ‘bi-partite’ beings. That is, we are constituted of body and soul. Almighty God made us this way. ‘The LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being’ (Genesis 2:7). We should take care of our bodies, as they are the vehicle in which we glorify God our maker. This will always be so, for the ultimate Christian hope – that is, our confident expectation based on the sure promises of God – is not the salvation of the soul, but the resurrection of the body. Even now though, we should be good stewards of the bodies God has given us. They are actually – if we belong to Jesus – the temple of God Himself. ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? … (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Food and clothing are basic requirements for our body well-being. The Lord Jesus – God’s own Son – assures us that God our Father will ensure that His adopted children will never lack either whilst their earthly life lasts. Jesus said ‘Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? … Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?’ (Matthew 6:26,28-30).

2. The Books and the Parchments

‘When you come, bring … the books and above all the parchments …’ The consensus is that Paul was here requesting the Holy Scriptures that were extant in his day – our Old Testament which foretold the coming of Christ, and perhaps the sayings of the Saviour which had been written down, similar to the kind utilised by Luke when he researched and compiled his Gospel (Luke 1:1-4). ‘The books’ refer to papyrus scrolls. ‘The parchments’ refer to the more expensive animal skins on which the scribes carefully and reverently copied the sacred Scriptures.

It is evident from our verse and its context that the Apostle Paul prized the Scriptures very highly. He knew that they were no ordinary writings but the very Word of God written. He had stated to Timothy a little earlier ‘All Scripture is inspired by God (that is ‘God-breathed’) and profitable …’ (2 Timothy 3:16). Paul was aware that his remaining time on earth was short. Nevertheless, he wished to use the time had had left profitably – and nothing was more profitable to Paul than the Scriptures. He was a life-long disciple of Christ – and the name ‘disciple’ means ‘learner.’ Thus Paul, vastly experienced in the ways of God though he was, never lost the desire to learn in the school of Christ. Paul loved the Saviour. Paul longed to know the Saviour better and make Him better known. The means by which he did this were the Scriptures – ‘the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’ (2 Timothy 3:15). The inspired Word and the incarnate Word are, of course, distinct. Yet in our Christian experience they co-alesce and are less distinguishable. Jesus Himself said that ‘the Scriptures (are) they that bear witness to Me’ (John 5:39).

So one of Paul’s final requests on earth was for i. A cloak for his bodily warmth and ii. The Scriptures for the warmth of his soul. His desire for the Word of God surely finds an echo in every believer. A desire for and love for the Bible is one evidence that we have been truly born again. A new life has to be fed and sustained. Hence Peter – Paul’s colleague in the Faith – could write to believers ‘As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby’ (1 Peter 2:2, KJV). If we love the Saviour, we will love the Book which draws us closer to Him. As clothing is essential for our physical well-being, so the Bible is indispensable for our spiritual well-being. It will be so until we see the Saviour fact to face, and the Word in Person renders the Word in print obsolete. It is only when we see Jesus that we will need our Bibles no more.

Timothy Cross

Apr

2019

The Sons of Joseph

I recently read through the chequered life of Joseph in the Old Testament, and was struck by the fact that, when he lived in Egypt, he had two sons, namely Manasseh and Ephraim. In the Bible, names are often highly significant. They are more akin to our nicknames rather than our birth names. The name Manasseh means ‘making to forget’, and the name Ephraim means ‘to be fruitful.’ A meditation on these two names yields spiritual dividends.

Manasseh

‘Joseph called the name of his first-born Manasseh, ‘For’, he said, ‘God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.’’

Memory can be both a blessing and a bane. If you are like me, you will have memories of both happy and painful episodes from the past. It would be nice to be able to blot out our painful memories – but occasionally they seem to bubble up from nowhere and haunt us without asking.

Joseph had lived through some painful times. He was rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery. He was exiled to a foreign land, and there was unjustly thrown into prison. Now though, under the providence of God, he found himself in an exalted position. He had been made the second most powerful person in Egypt after Pharaoh himself. He was married, and God gave him children. ‘He called the name of his first-born Manasseh, ‘For’, he said ‘God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.’

We can apply this to the Christian’s promised future blessedness. The bliss of heaven will surely drown out all the sorrow we have experienced on earth. The joy of being in the nearer presence of God will surely put all of our earthly losses and crosses into perspective. They will be a non-issue. We will have no difficulty in forgetting them, occupied and preoccupied with the service of God as we will be. ‘I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.’

Yet has not the name ‘Manasseh – making to forget’ also got an earthly application? Sore trials are not necessarily permanent, as God is able to intervene. He is able to hear and answer the prayers of His children. ‘The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial’ (2 Peter 2:9). Which Christian cannot look back and see the gracious, sustaining hand of God on their life? He withheld something from us to give us something better. He gave us His enabling, sustaining grace in a difficult time. He brought healing into our lives. He gave us a little token of His favour which reassured us of His control, good and guiding hand … God Himself has affirmed ‘Behold, I am the LORD the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me?’ (Jeremiah 32:27). No difficulty is too great for omnipotence. No problem is beyond Almighty God’s solution. Joseph had his painful trials, but God brought him through them. Beyond a frowning providence, He hid a smiling face. So Joseph could eventually testify ‘God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.’ Such is our God. He can say ‘I will restore to you the years … the locust has eaten’ (Joel 2:25).

Ephraim

‘The name of the second he called Ephraim. ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction’’ (Genesis 41:52).

By this time, God had indeed caused Joseph to be fruitful. Gone were the days of slavery. Gone was the prison food. ‘Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck; and he made him ride in his second chariot; and they cried before him ‘Bow the knee!’’.

God caused Joseph to prosper – so Joseph named his second son ‘Ephraim – fruitful.’ We recall some words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said to His disciples ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5).

According to the Bible, true prosperity is spiritual, not material. True prosperity is not the accumulation of wealth and status, but knowing the presence of God in our lives – the God who is the fount of all blessing, and ‘hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness in and of Himself’ (Westminster Confession). The abundant life results from a faith-union with the Christ who said ‘I came that they might have life and have it abundant’ (John 10:10).

The Shorter Catechism famously begins ‘What is the chief end of man?’ ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever.’ True and eternal prosperity is fellowship with God our Maker – nothing more, nothing less and nothing else – and fellowship with God is gained through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning death on the cross for our sins. Jesus said ‘This is eternal life that they know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent’ (John 17:3). True prosperity and fruitfulness cannot be divorced from knowing God through the Lord Jesus Christ – rejoicing in His salvation; trusting His Fatherly care; being assured of His providential control of the universe in general and our lives in particular and anticipating a glorious future – being with Christ for evermore, saved and safe, abounding in His goodness and grace.

So Joseph had two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph was a godly man. He saw the hand of God in His life. He knew from tested experience that God is well able to make us forget our sorrows. He knew also that God is able to make us truly abound. If Joseph knew that, how much more do we, living this side of Calvary and the empty tomb as we do.

How good is the God we adore

Our faithful, unchangeable Friend!

His love is as great as His power

And knows neither measure nor end!

‘Tis Jesus, the First and the Last

Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home

We’ll praise Him for all that is past

And trust Him for all that’s to come.

Timothy Cross

Apr

2019

Sleeping Well

Our late, beloved cat Sally never used to have any difficulty in sleeping. We humans though are not quite like that. Insomnia is a very unpleasant experience which can afflict us all from time to time. It is as though the whole world is peacefully asleep, but we are awake, tossing and turning. The anxieties of the day – and perhaps bodily pain – can prevent our falling asleep at night.

Acts 12 relates a time when the Apostle Peter was put into prison. Peter was a leader in the infant church of Christ. It was a period of church growth, seeing many coming to saving faith in Christ. But it was also a time of anxiety. Stephen had been martyred for the Faith, as had James the brother of John. King Herod – keen to keep in with the Jews – decided to make life difficult for Christians. Hence he had Peter arrested and put into a Jerusalem jail. Acts 12:6 however has a very revealing verse. It tells us ‘The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.’ Peter’s sleep was so deep, that it took a sharp strike from an angel of God to wake him up, and eventually be miraculously released from the jail, so that he could continue the work God had set him to do.

Peter then slept soundly in jail. He had every reason to experience insomnia: concerns for the church without – how it was faring in the tumultuous times – and concerns for himself within. For all he knew, the next day he could have been executed, leaving the church bereft of a leader, and leaving his own family to have to fend for themselves without a husband and father. But Peter had no such anxious insomnia. He slept just like a baby, as though all was well with the world in general and with himself in particular. How do we explain this? The Bible gives us tow clues. These are i. Peter’s Friends and ii. Peter’s Faith.

Peter’s Friends

Acts 12:5 tells us that ‘Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.’ Peter had praying friends. They brought Peter’s plight to the ears of Almighty God. God heard their earnest supplications. He ministered His grace and peace to Peter, enabling him to sleep peacefully amidst the current storm. Then, in response to the prayers of Peter’s friends, God saw fit to release Peter from prison. Humanly, this was impossible, as the prison was a fortress. But Omnipotence was not and is not hindered by human impossibilities. Peter next made his way to the gathering of believers who were praying for him, and, to their amazement, appeared at the doorway. When the excited commotion calmed down, he related to them how God had heard and answered the prayers they had made. Peter had praying friends. Thank God for praying friends.

Peter’s Faith

Peter’s sleeping amidst the storm can also be explained by Peter’s faith. He knew God. He was a recipient of the saving grace of God in Christ. He knew that whatever his circumstances, not matter how tumultuous, he was safely under the love and care of his Almighty Father in heaven. He was the One who was actually on the throne, not wicked King Herod. The absolute sovereignty of God is, ultimately, the only comfort for the soul when times seem harsh and hard.

Some years later, Peter wrote the following exhortation in 1 Peter 5:7: ‘Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.’ The Greek can also be translated as ‘It matters to Him about you.’ Peter therefore knew no stressful anxiety because He was able to cast all His anxieties on a God who was well able to bear them all for him. And he would have every Christian do the same. ‘Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.’ There is a children’s hymn which is highly suitable for adults too. It takes up Peter’s sentiments:-

God who made the earth

The air the sky the sea

Who gave the light its birth

Careth for me

God who sent His Son

To die on Calvary

He if I lean on Him

Will care for me.

So Peter’s peaceful, prison sleep is explicable because of i. Peter’s Friends – they prayed and ii. Peter’s Faith – He trusted His God. And if we belong to Jesus, it is the same with us. Whatever our circumstances, we too may trust our Father in heaven, assured of His loving, providential care and knowing His peace in our souls. ‘He cares about you.’ The prophet Isaiah wrote ‘Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee. Trust in the LORD for ever, for the LORD God is an everlasting rock’ (Isaiah 26:3,4).

So continue to trust in God – and sleep well!

Timothy Cross

Aug

2018

Biblical Superlatives

One of the catchphrases of the late Muhammad Ali was ‘I am the greatest.’ In his prime, of course, Ali was an outstanding boxer, and as a man he transcended the sport, becoming one of the most well known men on the planet. Yet the best of men are men at best. Ali was only human, with all our human weaknesses and foibles – as his three ex-wives would no doubt testify.

In the English language, an ‘est’ on the end of an adjective is referred to as a ‘superlative.’ So we have ‘great, greater and greatest.’ Superlatives in the Bible, though, are a little different. These use the word ‘of’ in the middle instead. The greatest man would thus be described as ‘a man of men.’ The tastiest food would be described as ‘a food of foods’, and the greatest time would be ‘a time of times.’ The following four ‘Bible superlatives’ are most instructive.

The Holy of Holies

In both the ancient tabernacle and the temple in Jerusalem there stood the ‘holy of holies’, referring to the holiest place of all. In the holy of holiest stood the Ark of the Covenant – a box containing the Ten Commandments – overshadowed by two carved cherubim. The lid of the ark was known as the mercy seat.

The holy of holies was the holiest place of all, because the omnipresent God dwelt there in a particular, localised way. Entrance to the holy of holies was thus strictly forbidden. Only the high priest could go in there, and he only once a year, and only with the blood of an atoning sacrifice.

When Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, the Bible records that the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place was mysteriously and miraculously ripped up. It was God’s own way of showing that Jesus’ death achieved something. It put away our sin and gave us immediate access to God Himself. ‘Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God’ (1 Peter 3:18).

The Song of Songs

One of the poetical books within the Bible is entitled ‘The Song of Songs’, meaning, the greatest of all songs. The Song of Songs is all about human love. Marriage, that is, monogamous, heterosexual marriage, is a divine ordinance, and the Song of Songs celebrates this. Christians however have always read the book in the light of Christ’s love for the church. In the Bible, the church – that is, the redeemed community – is described as ‘the bride of Christ.’ And so Song of Solomon 2:4: ‘He brought me into the banqueting house, and His banner over me is love’:-

From heaven He came and sought her, to be His holy bride
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.

Vanity of Vanities

The biblical book of Ecclesiastes opens with the words ‘Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity’ (Ecclesiastes 1:2), meaning that everything seems absolutely meaningless and pointless. Hard experience taught the preacher that life does not always seem to make sense. It can seem utterly meaningless with no rhyme or reason to it. Generations come and go. Streams run into the sea. We eat, drink, work and die. What is the point and purpose of it all? The answer of the whole Bible is to bring God into the equation. He created all things. He has the answers. Our chief end is to know and love Him – ‘to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever’ (Shorter Catechism). Ecclesiastes is a somewhat pessimistic read, but it ends with a gleam of light. ‘Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man’ (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

So, we have the holy of holies, the Song of Songs and vanity of vanities. They are all Bible superlatives. Fourthly though, consider:-

The King of Kings

In Revelation 19:16 the Lord Jesus Christ is describes as the ‘King of kings and Lord of lords.’ This designates the absolute supremacy of Jesus. He is supreme. He is beyond superlative. Currently His is enthroned in heaven at God’s right hand. Scripture foretells a day when He will come back to earth in power and great glory, and reign for ever. He will put down all His enemies, and all that is incompatible with God’s kingdom, and raise His own people up to glorious immortality. Why? Because He is supreme. He is the ‘King of kings.’ ‘That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Philippians 2:9,10).

Christ executeth the office of a king in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies (Shorter Catechism).

Biblical superlatives. They are expressed differently from the way we express superlatives:

The holy of holies – refers to the holies place of all, the very presence of God.

The Song of songs – refers to the greatest song of all.

Vanity of vanities – life ‘under the sun’ apart from God is meaningless

King of kings – there is none life the Lord Jesus Christ.

And finally we note that Psalm 136:1-3 uses bible superlatives to praise God. ‘Give to our God immortal praise.’ He is incomparable in His person. ‘O give thanks to the LORD for He is good, for His steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures for over. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures for ever.’

Timothy Cross

Apr

2018

Strengthening Ourselves in God

STRENGTHENING OURSELVES IN GOD

At an especially difficult and fraught time in the life of David, all seemed lost. An enemy force had taken his family captive and rampaged the town in which he was residing. Then, to make bad matters worse, even David’s own people turned against him and threatened to stone him dead. The Bible though records that at that time, David did not give in to despair, but rather ‘David strengthened himself in the LORD, his God’ (1 Samuel 30:6). Foes, friends and fears notwithstanding, David knew that whatever his circumstances, Almighty God – ‘his God’ – was in ultimate control, and that His purposes could not be defeated and His plans could not be thwarted.

In ‘strengthening himself in the LORD his God’ David has given us an example to emulate, especially when we too find ourselves ‘up against it.’ But how exactly do we do this? We do it by applying the truth of God’s Word to ourselves and our situation. To be more specific, we take hold of at least four truths revealed in Scripture.

We are accepted with God through Christ

Ultimately, all is well with us, as the finished work of Christ at Calvary cannot be undone or rescinded. Through Christ’s merits and mediation, we are acceptable to God and will never be separated from Him. The Gospel of justification by the grace of God in Christ has great pastoral and practical implications:-

Justification is an act of God’s free grace wherein He pardoneth all our sins and accepteth us as righteous in His sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone’ (Shorter Catechism).

Truth be told, if we are united to Christ, we could not be more acceptable to God, for our acceptance with Him is not based on who we are or on what we do, but on who Christ is and what He has done. ‘A man is not justified (reckoned righteous) by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 2:16).

God’s grace keeps pace with whatever we face

The Bible reveals a God of sustaining grace, as well as saving grace. When Paul was in excruciating pain – a pain from which he prayed earnestly to God to be released – God’s promise to him was ‘My grace is sufficient for you’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). From this we may reason that if our Father in heaven does not see fit to remove our burdens from us in answer to our prayers, He will most certainly give us a stronger back to bear our burdens. If the path He has laid down for us is a stony one, He will surely provide us with protective shoes! His grace will prove to be as sufficient for us as it was for Paul:-

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater

He sendeth more strength when the labours incrase

To added affliction He addeth His mercy

To multiplied trials His multiplied peace

(Annie Johnson Flint, 1866-1932)

God promises wisdom to those who ask Him

‘Wisdom’ may be defined as ‘sound judgement in relation to life and conduct.’ How we all need wisdom in this complex world, so that we know how to act and react aright. But what do we do when we don’t know what to do? The Bible’s answer is ‘Ask God.’ God promises to give wisdom to those who humbly ask Him for it. ‘For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2:6). ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him’ (James 1:5). The Bible also states that ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom’ (Proverbs 9:10). Thus, if our sincere desire is to please the Lord and if our deepest horror is causing offence to Him, He will surely make the way ahead for us clear.

‘He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength’ (Isaiah 40:29).

When we feel impotent, it is easy to forget that our Father in heaven is omnipotent. He is almighty God! Scripture abounds in reminding us of God’s absolute, sovereign might. He has no problems. He only has plans:-

‘Is anything too hard for the LORD?’ (Genesis 18:14).

‘Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is anything too hard for me?’ (Jeremiah 32:27).

‘For with God nothing will be impossible’ (Luke 1:37).

The wonder is that this God – whose might is such that He could merely speak the universe into existence – actually puts His power at the disposal of His needy children. Hence the Psalmist could testify ‘My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth’ (Psalm 121:2) and hence Paul could conclude on the encouraging thought ‘Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think’ (Ephesians 2:20).

External appearance apart, Christians are no ordinary people. We are the adopted children of God! Yes, difficulties, disappointments, trials and traumas come our way in the will of God in this fallen world – but God’s will, will be done, for He ‘accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will’ (Ephesians 1:11). If we belong to Jesus, when we are ‘up against it’ we have the privilege of bringing our difficulties and impossibilities to the Lord. He can handle them better than we can! When you are tempted to despair of yourself and your circumstances therefore, strengthen yourself in your Faith by asking yourself the rhetorical question ‘Is anything too hard for the LORD’ (Genesis 18:14). How we need to trust Him more than we do.

Is the burden intolerable?

Is the task impossible?

Is the grief inconsolable?

Not with the Lord

Is the darkness impenetrable?

Is the sky unpierceable?

Is the tear undryable?

Not with the Lord

Is the joy irrecoverable?

Is the state irreversible?

Is the case irretrievable?

Not with the Lord.

(Anon.)

This post copyright by Timothy Cross

Aug

2017

O Timothy

Timothy

O TIMOTHY … (1 Timothy 6:20)

The Apostle Paul addressed two of his New Testament letters To Timothy, my true child in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2). The Timothy in question was a young, Christian Pastor The New Testament letters to Timothy and Titus are known as ‘The Pastoral Epistles.’ They deal primarily with matters pertaining to the ‘nitty gritties’ of local church life – I am writing these instructions to you so that … you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth (1 Timothy 3:14,15).

The differences in age and Christian maturity notwithstanding, Paul obviously valued young Timothy’s friendship a great deal. 2 Timothy is the last letter Paul ever wrote. At the time of writing, he was incarcerated in a Roman prison, aware that his death – his promotion to glory – was imminent. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:6,7). But Paul’s love for Timothy was such that he was adamant that he see Timothy again before he died – I long day and night to see you, that I may be filled with joy (2 Timothy 1:4). And so he pleaded Do your best to come to me soon … Do your best to come before winter … (2 Timothy 4:9,21).

Timothy’s Faith : His Conversion

We first encounter Timothy during Paul’s second missionary journey. He was from Lystra (Acts 16:1) in the province of Galatia – modern day Turkey. He was the product of a ‘mixed marriage’, as Luke relates A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek (Acts 16:1).

It is difficult to ascertain the exact moment when Timothy came to conscious, saving faith in Christ. That he belonged to Jesus there is no doubt, but it is possible that even he himself did not know the precise time of his conversion:-

In the providence of God, Timothy was blessed with a Christian mother and grandmother who surrounded him with their prayers and Christian example. In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul wrote I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you. It would seem that Timothy’s mother and grandmother nurtured Timothy in the Christian Faith, and taught him the Scriptures from his earliest days, for in 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul wrote how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).

In 1 Timothy 1:2 however, Paul refers to Timothy as my true child in the faith This suggests that, under God, it was Paul’s own influence which was instrumental in bringing Timothy to the new birth. Timothy’s conversion then was perhaps similar to many who have been brought up in a Christian family: Acquainted with Christian matters since early childhood, perhaps sometime in our teens, ‘the penny drops’ and we trust in Christ as our own personal Saviour. It is as though we have gone over in ink what has already been written in pencil.

Timothy then was a true Christian convert. He belonged to Jesus. He had entrusted his eternal welfare to the crucified, risen and reigning Saviour. His conversion though is a reminder that whilst Christ is the only Saviour, there is more than one road which leads to the Saviour. Timothy’s conversion was different from Paul’s, but no less authentic. That we are ‘in Christ’ now is more important than being able to give a dramatic Christian testimony of how we came to Christ in the first place.

Timothy’s Fidelity : His Commitment

When Paul first encountered Timothy, he immediately perceived in him enormous Christian potential as regards the service of God and the spread of the Gospel. Luke relates that Timothy was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium and Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him on his missionary travels (Acts 16:1,2). The great apostle thus chose Timothy to help and accompany him on his missionary endeavours. He saw him as both useable and useful material for Christ in relation to God’s eternal purposes of grace. And his assessment proved to be absolutely right. A little later on , when Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he praised Timothy to the hilt saying how I have no one like him, who will be genuinely anxious for your welfare. They all look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ But Timothy’s worth you know, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the Gospel (Philippians 2:20-22).

The overriding and overarching concern of Timothy’s life then was the interests … of Jesus Christ. If he had had a motto, it surely would have been:-

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Timothy’s chief concern was not his own personal glory or career, but that the Lord Jesus Christ should be glorified in the salvation of souls and the building of His church. When it came to actual practice, the welfare of Christians and the glory of Christ were somewhat blurred in his thinking and action. Serving Christ and serving His people were one and the same for him. He loved above all else to see sinners saved, and Christians better grounded, founded and established in Christian truth. Whilst initially, we could perhaps think of Timothy as Paul’s apprentice in mission, it was not long before Timothy graduated, and Paul had full confidence that he could undertake Christian work on his own. Hence Paul sent Timothy from Athens to the persecuted church at Thessalonica – we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the gospel of Christ, to establish you in your faith and to exhort you (1 Thessalonians 3:2). Hence Paul sent Timothy from Ephesus to the church at Corinth – I sent to you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church (1 Corinthians 4:17).

Eventually, Timothy settled down as a permanent Pastor in Ephesus. Paul’s letters to him are an exhortation and encouragement to press on in the work of being a pastor and preacher there – attend to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching to teaching … Practise these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress (1 Timothy 4:13,15) and Preach the Word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching … As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry (2 Timothy 4:2,5).

iii. Timothy’s Frailty : His Condition

Timothy was a walking sermon illustration on the text of 2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.

We tend to look up to our Christian leaders. We tend to think of them as being in a higher league from ourselves. It is as though they are made of ‘stronger stuff’ than we are. Timothy was a Christian leader and was ordained by God to be such. Yet the Bible reveals that Timothy was made out of the same frail flesh and spirit of which we are made. Scripture reveals that Timothy was no ‘muscular Christian.’ Yet Scripture also reveals that God used Timothy for His glory and the building of Christ’s church.

Paul addressed Timothy with the high compliment But as for you, man of God … (1 Timothy 6:11). Timothy was a man of God! Yet although this was true, Timothy was also, like Elijah – another man of God – a man of like nature with ourselves (James 5:17). Scripture reveals that Timothy battled against both physical and mental handicaps. Until he reached glory, he had to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12) against enemies both without and within.

Timothy’s Physical Constitution

Timothy was not endowed with a robust physical constitution. In 1 Timothy 5:23 Paul advises him concerning your stomach and your frequent ailments. This is a reminder that every Christian is not yet fully saved! The final Christian hope is the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). This will occur when Christ comes again in glory – we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power which enables Him even to subject all things to Himself (Philippians 3:20,21). Until that day, every Christian, no matter how godly, will be subject to sickness and pain to a greater or lesser degree, and will eventually suffer physical death. Timothy then was physically handicapped. Yet he still worked for the kingdom of heaven within the physical limitations imposed on Him by God – and the blessing of God was upon his labours in spite of his physical limitations.

Timothy’s Psychological Condition

It would seem that young Timothy was less than robust psychologically as well as physically Paul’s letters to him betray the fact that he sometimes lacked confidence and was prone to discouragement. Timothy by name and timid by nature! Paul’s letters to Timothy were letters of needed encouragement exhorting him to ‘keep on keeping on’ in the Christian ministry – looking to God Who is greater than all the opposition without and discouragement within, and can accomplish His will and purpose through us in spite of our physical and psychological handicaps Hence the many exhortations in the ‘Pastoral epistles’ which were applicable to Timothy personally and relevant to Christians and Christian leaders in all ages:-

Do not neglect the gift you have … (1 Timothy 4:14).

Rekindle the gift of God that is within you … for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self control (2 Timothy 1:6,7).

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1).

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:3).

As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry (2 Timothy 4:5).

Paul thus urged Timothy simply to be faithful to God in his particular and peculiar circumstances. We are to be the same. We are to do what we can, where we are, with what we have, and to leave the results to God. God calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful.

O Timothy!

No doubt, if you saw Timothy, and were aware of his physical ailments and nervous disposition, he would not strike you immediately as a great Christian leader. It goes to show that God’s ways are not always our ways and that the laws of the kingdom of heaven can differ from the laws of this world (see Isaiah 55:8,9). God often sees fit to use frail, redeemed sinners to accomplish His almighty purposes. In this way, His work cannot be explained rationally, or explained away with a human explanation. In this way, He Himself gets all the glory. And the goal of the universe is, after all, the overriding and overarching, unsurpassed and unsurpassable glory of the one true God – To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17).

A medical missionary of many years experience once wrote:-

God delights in using weak people, because it shows how big He is … the Lord gave me wisdom far beyond my own resource to help people medically Whatever aspect of the Lord’s service it be, I have found that my weakness is but an opportunity for the Lord to display His power. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9b).

Aug

2017

Meet Mary, the Earthly Mother of Jesus

The Virgin Mary

MEET MARY : THE EARTHLY MOTHER OF JESUS

Sadly, Mary the mother of the Jesus is something of a controversial figure. The ‘cult of Mary’ which has grown up around her has no Scriptural warrant at all. There are those who worship and pray to the ‘Blessed Virgin Mary.’ This however is misguided at best and idolatrous at worst. Only God Himself is to be worshipped, and only the omnipresent God is able to hear our prayers. Mary was not and is not God. Mary also figures much in the artwork produced by Christendom She has been variously portrayed both in painting and sculpture over the centuries Scripture however gives us no indication as to her physical features, so such art is pure speculation – a representation by the art and imagination of man (Acts 17:29).

Perhaps to avoid the above errors, Mary does not feature much in Protestant thinking at all, if at all. Yet Mary cannot be ignored totally, as she does figure in the Bible, and in the creeds and subordinate standards which seek to distil the message of the Bible. The ‘Apostles’ Creed’, for instance, reminds us that the Lord Jesus ‘was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary …’ We must then seek a Scriptural balance, and neither overplay nor underplay the significance of Mary in the saga of redemption.

What then does the Bible teach about Mary? The answer is ‘Not a great deal’, for the emphasis of the Bible is not on Mary but on Mary’s Son – that in everything He might be pre-eminent (Colossians 1:18). The following four points however give us a Scriptural perspective on Mary, the mother of Jesus:-

Mary’s Virginity

Mary’s main significance in the saga of redemption is that, of all the women in the world, Almighty God singled her out to have the honour of giving birth to His Son, the longed for Messiah and Saviour of the world. Scripture is adamant that Mary was still a virgin when Christ was conceived in her womb. At the time of Christ’s conception, Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph, but was not actually married to Joseph. Scripture is clear that whilst Christ’s birth by Mary at Bethlehem was normal, His conception in Mary at Nazareth was not normal. His birth was natural, whereas His conception was supernatural:-

Christ the Son of God became man by taking to Himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin (Shorter Catechism).

The eternal Son of God then entered the world supernaturally, just as he eventually exited from the world in a supernatural manner by ascending into heaven The only way to explain Christ’s conception is by using the explanation which the angel Gabriel gave to Mary herself. Puzzled as to how she could conceive a child without a human father, the angel Gabriel explained to Mary ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ (Luke 1:35).

The ‘virgin birth of Christ’ is one of the fundamentals of the Christian Faith. It is vital, as Mary’s virginity is bound up with Christ’s impeccability – that is, His sinlessness. Had Christ been conceived by the instrumentality of a human father, such as Joseph, He would have been born a sinner, having inherited Adam’s sinful nature. And had Christ been born a sinner, He would not have been able to offer up His life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of others. Scripture however is clear. Christ had no human father. God was His Father. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and He thus had a sinless nature. He was like us, yet paradoxically unlike us, for He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), committed no sin (1 Peter 2:23) and in Him there is no sin ((1 John 3:5). Hence He alone was qualified and able to offer up His sinless life as an eternal and saving sacrifice like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:19). The four ‘building bricks’ of Christ’s ‘virgin birth’, sinless life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection then are all apiece, and inextricably bound up with the Christian’s eternal salvation. Take one brick away, and the whole house falls down.

Mary then was a virgin when she conceived the Saviour. Her joy at being singled out by God for such an honour emitted from this godly young woman a peon of praise known as the ‘Magnificat.’ ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden …’ (Luke 1:46 ff.).

Mary’s Normality

Her conception of Jesus apart, Scripture records that Mary was not untypical of the women who lived in Israel in that day. She married one Joseph, a carpenter by trade, and had several children by him (Mark 6:3). Mary thus knew the joys and trials of motherhood and family life. 1 Timothy 2:15 states woman will be saved through bearing children. The reference here is not to salvation from sin, but more to finding one’s true role and fulfilment in God’s world. The verse – contrary to modern feminism – suggests that womankind will find true happiness and fulfilment in motherhood – in cooperating with the way in which God has designed her – by bearing, birthing and bringing up children.

Luke 2 suggests that Mary was a devout Jewess, for there we see that she was regular in her attendance at the annual feasts of the Lord in Jerusalem, as laid down in the law of Moses. In John 2 we glimpse Mary’s attendance at a wedding celebration at Cana in Galilee. There she shared in the joy of the day, and also witnessed her Son’s first miracle of turning water into wine. Otherwise, Scripture is silent as to the details concerning Mary’s life and her rearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. The suggestion is that she was widowed fairly young, as Joseph has no mention after Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem aged twelve, whereas Mary does.

The silence of Scripture apart, can we not employ sanctified imagination? In Luke 13,20,21, Jesus told a parable about a woman making bread. As a child, He surely witnessed His mother Mary doing this. In Luke 15:8 ff., Jesus told a parable about a woman who had lost a precious coin – probably the coin in question was a ‘nuptial coin’, worn as part of a headdress. The woman was almost frantic She lit a lamp, swept her house and did not give up until she had found her precious coin … The vividness of the parable suggests that the Lord Jesus was relating an incident which really happened to make His point. Was the woman in the parable based on Mary His mother?

Scripture then records Mary’s normality. She was a mother of children. She worshipped God. Her life was bound up with both divine and family obligations

iii. Mary’s Perplexity

When the infant Jesus was presented to the Lord by Mary and Joseph in the temple at Jerusalem, in obedience to the law of Moses, an aged man named Simeon was led by God’s Spirit to make a specific prophecy to Mary. Luke 2:34 ff. records Simeon … said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also … Simeon thus predicted that a sharp sword of sorrow would, in a coming day, break Mary’s heart very badly. Mary must have wondered what Simeon’s prophecy meant. Thirty three years later however she would know only too well.

Thirty three years later, Mary witnessed her beloved, first-born son suffer the most unimaginable cruelty possible. She witnessed cruel men taking Him, nailing Him to a plank of wood and hanging Him up to die. Crucifixion was the ultimate as regards public humiliation and personal excruciation. ‘A sword will pierce through your own soul also …’ The sword prophesied by Simeon did indeed pierce Mary’s soul without mercy, as John 19:25 records that standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother’s sister … We cannot comprehend the sorrow, pain and perplexity of Mary’s heart as she witnessed the public crucifixion of her Son. Yet with our New Testament hindsight we know that the cross was no mere act of man but an act of God Himself. It was necessary for our redemption, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).

Paradoxically, the cross of Christ – that which lies at the heart of the Christian Faith – is both terrible and wonderful, for if we belong to Jesus, we have salvation from His suffering, atonement from His agony and life by His death. Mary watched the indignity and cruelty of her Son’s death at Calvary. But Jesus was dying there to procure her salvation as much as He was dying there to procure the salvation of every one of God’s elect. Redemption was wrought at Calvary!

Jesus was slain for me – at Calvary

Crowned with thorns was He – at Calvary

There He in anguish died

There from His opened side

Poured forth the crimson tide

At Calvary

Pardoned is all my sin – at Calvary

Cleansed is my heart within – at Calvary

Now robes of praise I wear

Gone are my grief and care

Christ bore my burdens there

At Calvary.

Mary’s Christianity

Scripture records that Christ held His earthly mother in the highest esteem. The law of God commands Honour your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12). Jesus certainly did so. When He died at Calvary, all of God’s elect were on His heart. Yet this notwithstanding, He ensured that His earthly mother was well cared for, physically and emotionally. Whilst dying at Calvary, Jesus entrusted His mother to the care of the apostle John: When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home (John 19:26,27).

Go forward now three days to Easter Sunday. Witness Peter and John’s running to the tomb of Jesus. They found it was empty! The grave clothes lay there undisturbed Christ had risen. He had defeated death and conquered the grave. John went in, and he saw and believed … Then the disciples went back to their homes (John 20:8,9). John then was one of the first witnesses to the fact of Christ’s resurrection. He saw and believed and then he went back to his home. Who was now resident in his home? Mary was! Mary the mother of Jesus was now under John’s care, so John had the joyful task of telling Mary that Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified … has risen (Mark 16:6). Scripture however is as silent as to Mary’s ecstatic joy as it was to her deepest sorrow

Our final glimpse of Mary in the Bible is that of her being an ordinary – though no doubt highly valued – member of the Christian community which met together to worship their common Lord and Saviour. The early Christians in Jerusalem met in the upper room (Acts 1:13) – a place with so many sacred associations. Luke records that in that upper room, the early church with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:14). From this we see that Mary had no special prominence in the church at all. The prominence given to Mary in later Christendom can only be described as an unscriptural aberration. The early church did not worship Mary, but rather joined Mary in worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ. Mary was just an ‘ordinary’ Christian – if any recipient of God’s saving grace in Christ can be described as ‘ordinary’ – for Mary was a sinner saved by grace, and so she took her place in the Christian congregation to give thanks and praise to God for His mercy. The stress of Scripture is not on Mary but on Mary’s Son, for the Son of Mary is also the eternal Son of God. He alone is to be worshipped, trusted and adored.

Jun

2017

Meet John: Fisherman, Disciple, Gospel-Writer, Christian Elder Statesman

G.O.S.P.E.L.

Of the 31,173 verses which comprise the Bible, John 3:16 is probably the most famous single verse of them all. John 3:16 has been well described as ‘The Gospel in a nutshell.’ The description is apt, as this one verse summarises and encapsulates the message of the whole Bible when it affirms that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not Perish but have Eternal Life. Whilst all the verses of the Bible are important, if we only had John 3:16, we would have enough saving truth to gain us a place in heaven.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the human author of John 3:16 was the Apostle John. John was originally a fisherman. His father Zebedee owned a fishing business on Lake Galilee, and John worked for the ‘family firm’ with his brother James. He did so until He heard the call of Jesus to follow Him. At Jesus’ call, John left his nets and became a full-time disciple. It was the beginning of great things. In time, John was to become a Gospel writer, a Christian leader and an esteemed elder statesman of the Christian Faith. Five of John’s writings are contained in the New Testament – his Gospel, three of his letters and the book of Revelation which brings the divine volume to a close.

The John we meet in John’s Gospel was a young man, quite possibly still in his teens. In John 20:4 we read how he out ran Peter and reached the tomb first on the first Easter morning. When John wrote Revelation though, his dark hair would have turned white, and his body no doubt had lost its youthful fitness and vigour. Yet his love for Christ was, if anything, even stronger.

The Beloved Disciple

Of the thousands of men in Israel at the time of Christ, Jesus singled out just twelve to be his disciples. Of these twelve, three – Peter, James and John – were closer to the Saviour than others. And of these three, John was the closest disciple to Jesus of them all. John was truly an intimate of the Son of God. He has gone down in history as ‘the beloved disciple’ – the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23 et al.).

At the first ever Lord’s Supper, the Bible describes John lying close to the breast of Jesus (John 13:25). Interestingly, John 1:18 tells us No one has ever seen God; the only Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. So putting these verses together we may say that just as the Lord Jesus is the unsurpassed revelation of the one true God – He came from the Father’s ‘bosom’ to reveal Him – so likewise the Apostle John gives us an unsurpassed revelation of the Lord Jesus, being so close to the Saviour – lying close to the breast of Jesus – as he was. When we read John’s Gospel we meet Jesus, and through Jesus we meet God, for Jesus said ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9).

The Gospel of Christ’s Absolute Deity

John’s Gospel is pre-eminently a Gospel which emphasises the absolute deity of Christ Whilst all four Gospel writers describe the same Person, Matthew’s stress is that Jesus is the Sovereign, Mark’s stress is that Jesus is the Servant, Luke’s stress is that Jesus is the Saviour whilst John’s particular stress is that Jesus is the Son of God and God the Son.

John opens his Gospel with the explanation and affirmation In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). And John’s Gospel reaches a climax with Thomas’s wonderful confession of ‘My Lord and my God’ (John 20:28) to the Risen Christ. It is a basic, biblical axiom that only God Himself is to be worshipped. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:10). As the Lord Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for idolatry, but accepted the worship he gave, we have here a distinct pointer to the deity of Christ – though the doctrine runs right through John’s Gospel, both implicitly and explicitly, like a golden seam.

The Key to John’s Gospel

John hangs the key to the twenty one chapters of his Gospel near to the back door, for in John 20:31he gives us the reason why he took up his pen to write his matchless account of the words and works of Jesus. In John 20:31, John explains These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. This key verse is worthy of being unpacked a little

Note the Heavenly Being

John wrote so that You may believe that Jesus is the Christ. The Jews longed for the Messiah, and in Jesus the Messiah came. Jesus is the longed for Redeemer – the anointed one of God Who came to save His people and bestow on them eternal life – the blessing of God’s eternal salvation. John would have us know that Jesus is the Christ. In John 4:25, a somewhat disreputable woman of Samaria mused ‘I know that Messiah is coming (He Who is called Christ) … In John 4:26 we then read Jesus said to her, ‘I Who speak to you am He.’

But John also wrote his Gospel so that we might believe that Jesus is … the Son of God. The testimony of John’s Gospel is that Jesus is indeed the unique and only Son of God, the second person of the blessed Trinity It is true that believers become ‘sons of God’ by adoption, when they believe in Christ. To all who received Him, who believed in His name He gave power to become children of God (John 1:12). Christ however is and always has been the eternal Son of God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:2).

John’s testimony to Christ’s absolute deity – His divine sonship – is both emphatic and cumulative. In John’s Gospel we see attributes which only apply to deity being applied to and by Jesus. For instance, in Exodus 3:14 God revealed His name as the great I AM WHO I AM. But in John’s Gospel we read that Jesus used the title ‘I am’ of Himself. In John 8:58, for instance we read that Jesus said to them ‘Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ In 1 John 1:5 we read God is light. Similarly, the Psalmist described God as the One Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment (Psalm 104:2). But in John 8:12 Jesus affirmed of Himself ‘I am the light of the world.’ Likewise, in Psalm 23:1 we read David’s confession that The LORD is my shepherd. But in John 10:11 we read Jesus’ affirmation ‘I am the good shepherd’ Truly, Jesus is co-equal with God.

The miracles which Jesus is seen as performing in John’s Gospel – ‘signs’ – are another pointer to Christ’s absolute deity and divine sonship. Jesus performed miraculous acts which are humanly inexplicable – acts which only the omnipotent God Himself could do. Jesus Himself explained that these miracles authenticated His ministry and proved that He was Who He claimed to be: ‘the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear Me witness that the Father has sent Me’ (John 5:36). Thus in John’s Gospel we see Him turning water into wine (chapter 2); healing an official’s son and a paralysed man (chapters 4:46 ff. and chapter 5); feeding five thousand with just five loaves and two fish (chapter 6); walking on the Sea of Galilee (chapter 6); giving sight to a man blind from birth (chapter 9) and even raising a dead man – Lazarus – back to life again (chapter 11). Thus the words and works of Jesus betray Him. He is the Son of God and God the Son.

Note the Heavenly Believing

Our key verse in John 20:31 also tells us that John wrote his Gospel so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God … ‘Believe’ is a key word of John as it is a key word of the whole New Testament. According to the Bible, salvation is gained by believing. that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:15). He who believes in the Son has eternal life … (John 3:36). that you also may believe (John 19:35). Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

To ‘believe’ in Jesus means to entrust the eternal well being of our souls to His care, and to rely on His work on the cross so save us eternally Salvation is gained – according to the Bible – not by doing, but by believing – specifically, by believing in Jesus. According to the Bible, to believe in Jesus and to have faith in Jesus are one and the same. ‘Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the Gospel’ (Shorter Catechism).

iii. Note the Heavenly Blessing

Note next that John wrote his Gospel that we might enjoy eternal life by believing in Jesus – that by believing you may have life in His name.

‘Life in His name’ refers to a blessing procured by virtue of the Person of Jesus Christ and His finished work of atonement for sinners on Calvary’s cross. Eternal life is the greatest blessing we can or will ever receive. Eternal life is a synonym for salvation – the forgiveness of sins, peace with God and the certainty of a home in heaven when we die. Jesus’ Own definition of eternal life is given in John 17:3: ‘This is eternal life that they know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent.’ Eternal life then means knowing God and enjoying fellowship with Him both now and for ever. Our chief end – as the Catechism states – is ‘To glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever.’ Such a blessing may actually be attained by faith in Jesus Christ!

Paradoxically, John shows that Jesus died that we might have eternal life. The opposite of life is death. Death, in the Bible, is more than physical. Death, in the Bible also refers to separation from God. It is the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins which reconciles the believing sinner to God. John himself was right there at Calvary when Jesus died. He noted that when Jesus had given His life one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water (John 20:34). Blood speaks of propitiation – the appeasement of God’s wrath. We are now justified by His blood, much more shall we be save by Him from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9). Water speaks of purification. Jesus is able to wash our sins away and make us fit for heaven!

Let the water and the blood

From Thy riven side which flowed

Be of sin the double cure

Save me from its guilt and power.

Note the Heavenly Book : The Gospel of John

These things are written … John’s Gospel is in a category all of its own amongst human literature. John’s written portrait of the Saviour Whom he knew and loved so well is truly beyond compare. The only way of getting to know his Friend and Saviour is to read his Gospel and make its words part of our mind, thinking and very being.

It is obvious, but nevertheless true to state that John’s Gospel consists of words. Words are the audible expression or our inward thoughts. Words are thus essential for communication. It is staggering to think that that God of the Bible is a communicating God. He has revealed Himself to us in words – both the Word in print and the Word in Person. One of John’s titles for the Lord Jesus is the Word. He opens his Gospel by saying In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). The Lord Jesus is the incarnate Word of God, for in a moment of gracious condescension, John tells us The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father (John 1:14). Truly, there is none like Christ, the One we encounter in John’s wonderful book. Christ is the incomparable revelation of the one, true God. And Christ bestows the eternal salvation of the one true God on all who believe in Him. John’s Christology then can only ultimately lead to Christolatry. May Jesus Christ be praised, on earth as in heaven.

Thou art the everlasting Word

The Father’s only Son

God manifestly seen and heard

And heaven’s beloved One

In Thee most perfectly expressed

The Father’s glories shine

Of the full deity possessed

Eternally divine!

True image of the Infinite

Whose essence is concealed

Brightness of uncreated light

The heart of God revealed

Worthy, O Lamb of God art Thou

That every knee to Thee should bow.

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O Timothy

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

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1. The Cloak

2. The Books and the Parchments

The Holy of Holies

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Vanity of Vanities

The King of Kings

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Timothy’s Latest Book

Published Recently

Coming Soon

Books by Dr. Timothy Cross

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