Staying Near the Cross

Reconciliation is the act of God whereby He draws His enemies to Himself and makes them His ambassadors. It is an act of grace where God restores rebels to a right relationship with Himself.

These are the passages we will study: Rom. 5:9-11; 2 Cor. 5:18-19; Eph. 2:13-16; Col. 1:19-22

Things to Consider:
1) Why is this needed? What does this display about my natural condition?

2) What are the purposes of God’s reconciling act?

3) What does this show about the heart of God toward me?

4) What does this reveal about my present position in Jesus?

5) What specific sins would be attacked if I continually rehearse this truth?

Tags: gospel, reconciliation

Forgiveness is the act of God whereby He expiates our sin and removes it from our account. He cancels the guilt and washes us clean from the stain of our sin. He chooses to remember our sin no more forever as He casts it behind His back and focuses His eternal pleasure on blood-bought rebels. It is a display of immense grace as God fully reconciles His creatures to Himself

These are the passages we will study. Please post what God shows you through this study.
Ex. 34:6-7
Psalm 103:10-12
Is. 43:25
Heb. 9:22
1 John 1:9
1 John 2:1-2
Things to Consider:
1) Why is this needed? What does this display about my natural condition?

2) What is the primary thing that happens in forgiveness?

3) What does this show about the heart of God toward me?

4) What does this reveal about my present position in Jesus?

5) What specific sins would be attacked if I continually rehearse this truth?

Additional References: Psa. 32:1-2; 51:1-2, 16-17; 86:5; 130:4; Is. 1:18; 44:22; 55:6-7; Jer. 31:34; 33:8; Mic. 7:18-19; Matt. 1:21; 6:14-15; 26:28; Luke 24:47; Eph. 1:7; Col. 3:13; 1 Jn. 1:7-2:2

Tags: forgiveness, gospel

Adoption is the ushering of former rebels into the family of God. It is a change of identity, relationship, and standing. All fear has been banished as I stand accepted before the highest throne, a son of God with the Son of God. This position automatically procures an everlasting and abundant inheritance through the merits of Jesus Christ.

John 1:12-13
Romans 8:14-17
Galatians 4:4-7
Eph. 1:5-6
1 John 3:1-3

Things to Consider:
1) Why is this needed? What does this display about my natural condition?

2) What is the primary result of our adoption?

3) What does this show about the heart of God toward me?

4) What does this reveal about my present position in Jesus?

5) What specific sins would be attacked if I continually rehearse this truth?

Additional references: Deut. 26:18; Is. 43:6-7; 63:16; Ezek. 16:3-6; Rom. 8:19-21, 29; 9:8, 24-26; 2 Cor. 6:17-18; Gal. 3:26, 29; Eph. 2:19; Phil. 2:15; Heb. 2:10-15; 12:5-12; 1 Pet. 1:14; 1 Jn. 3:10

Redemption is the work of Christ in which He bought us from the slave market of sin. The purchase price was His own blood, and He bought us to be His own!

“Christ saves us neither by the mere exercise of power, nor by his doctrine, nor by his example, nor by the moral influence which he exerted, nor by any subjective influence on his people, whether natural or mystical, but as a satisfaction to divine justice, as an expiation for sin, and as a ransom from the curse and authority of the law, thus reconciling us to God by making it consistent with his perfection to exercise mercy toward sinners” (Hodge’s Systematic Theology)

Here are the verses we will study. Please post comments so we can rejoice together at the gospel!

Is. 44:22
Gal. 3:13
Tit. 2:14
Heb. 9:12
1 Pet. 1:18-19
Rev. 5:9-10

Things to Consider:
1) Why is this needed? What does this display about my natural condition?

2) What is the means of God’s redemptive work?

3) What are we redeemed from and to?

4) What does this reveal about my present position in Jesus?

5) What specific sins would be attacked if I continually rehearse this truth?

Other References: Ps. 130:7; Is. 44:22; Matt. 20:28; Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30; 6:19-20; Gal. 3:13; 4:4-5; Eph. 1:7; 5:2; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 9:12; I Pet. 1:18-19; Rev. 5:9-10

Tags: blood, gospel, redemption

“The Christian’s present taste of reality in fellowship with God and his people is but an anticipation of the substantial realities which are reserved for the future, ‘laid up’ in heaven for us. Therefore, we are not to think of ourselves as largely enjoying the fruits of Christ’s victory now, with heaven as some glorious consummation, a kind of finishing touch. Rather we are to recognize that heaven holds most of the great things won for us by Christ, and that our present experience is no more than a precious foretaste of what is to come.”

—R.C. Lucas, The Message of Colossians and Philemon (Downers Grove, Ill: IVP, 1980)

That is truly awesome!! Our greatest joys await us in heaven, if only we endure suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Infinite joy awaits us; let us press on in the painful process of mortifying our flesh. This is not the end. It is just the beginning!

(I get these gospel centered quotes everyday in my email from a place called http://firstimportance.org/. I would encourage you to sign up for the email

Tags: heaven

Regeneration is the new birth of the soul. It is God’s work of giving life to a dead heart through the resurrection of Jesus. It is accomplished by the Spirit as He circumcises the heart and plants new desires in it. It is God’s work of grace in rescuing rebels from deserved wrath and giving them life!

These are the main passages we will be studying:
Ezek. 36:25-27
John 3:3-8
2 Cor. 5:17
Eph. 2:5-6
Tit. 3:5-6
1 Peter 1:3, 23

Things to Consider:
1) Why is this needed? What does this display about my natural condition?

2) What is the means of God’s regenerative work?

3) What does this show about the heart of God toward me?

4) What does this reveal about my present position in Jesus?

5) What specific sins would be attacked if I continually rehearse this truth?

Additional References: Deut. 30:6; Ps. 87:6; Is. 32:3, 4; 44:3; Jer. 24:7; 31:31-34; 32:38-41; Ezek. 11:19-20; 36:25-29; John 3:1-8; Acts 15:9; Rom. 2:29; 8:2; 1 Cor. 6:11; 12:13; 2 Cor. 4:4-6; 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Eph. 2:5-6; Tit. 3:5-6; Heb. 10:22; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; 1 Jn. 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-5, 11-12

Tags: gospel, regeneration

I hope our study on election has thrilled your heart like it has mine! We truly have no place to stand except on His grace. I thought I would post my meditations on the questions I posed. Please post how you answered them so we can meditate together!

Things to Consider:
1) Why is this needed? What does this display about my natural condition?
Election is needed because I am totally depraved. In my sinful state, I would never have chosen God over my sin. His eternal rescue plan is the only hope I had. If he had not begun the good work, it would never have started.
2) What is the purpose of God’s choosing me?
Over and over again God associates my election with my sanctification. I am destined to be like Jesus because that is God’s purpose and plan. However, that eternal purpose does not negate my personal responsibility to give all diligence to depend on Jesus for change. I can endure through the struggle of sanctification because God guarantees the end! I will be like Him and I will be changed because of the gracious, eternal purpose of God.
3) What does this show about the heart of God toward me?
God’s choice of me reveals the depths of His grace. He loved me first and loved me in my deadness. His grace shines all the brighter when I see the foul condition of my heart and that He still set His love on me from eternity past!
4) What does this reveal about my present position in Jesus?
I stand before God with only His grace to cling to. I cannot point to anything in my life that merits such a standing or deserves such a calling. I can be confident that because God didn’t choose me based on my works, He doesn’t continue to love me based on my works either. I stand as a recipient of eternal love that knows no boundaries! Praise be to God!
5) What specific sins would be attacked if I continually rehearse this truth?
Pride: I didn’t earn my calling, and God didn’t choose me because of anything He foresaw in me. Grace is my only standing point. Fear: The eternal One made an eternal decision. My fear reveals my unbelief in the eternal purposes of my God. Laziness: He chose me to something, not just from something. I have a purpose in life and that is to be holy before my Savior.

Here’s Paul Washer:

I get really tired of people always asking and arguing about this issue. OK, yes, theology is incredibly important, and I do have strong convictions, but can’t we all just unite around the gospel? around what saves people?
I was really challenged to make regeneration the focus of my preaching and teaching.

Tags: calvinism, regeneration

Let’s start from the beginning with the very first aspect of salvation: God’s choice of some sinners to receive eternal life. This truth is clearly taught in Scripture and can be a great comfort and source of joy to every Christian. This choice was of God’s good pleasure in eternity past before creation. When all there was was God, He set His love on us in undeserved grace! Let your heart be filled with the glory of God’s amazing grace as we study election!

These are the main passages we will be studying:
John 6:37-39
Romans 8:28-30
Galatians 1:15-16
Ephesians 1:4-5
2 Thess. 2:13-14
2 Timothy 1:9
James 1:18
1 Peter 2:9-10

Things to Consider:
1) Why is this needed? What does this display about my natural condition?
2) What is the purpose of God’s choosing me?
3) What does this show about the heart of God toward me?
4) What does this reveal about my present position in Jesus?
5) What specific sins would be attacked if I continually rehearsed this truth?

Please post your thoughts and what God teaches you through this study in the comments section.

(Note: Because this topic has the potential to be controversial, any comments that promote division will be deleted. Let’s just rejoice in reality, not fight over terminology!)

Other References: Deut. 7:6-8; 10:15; Ps. 135:4; Is. 44:1-2; Jer. 1:5; Matt. 22:14; 24:22; 25:34; John 6:44-45; 15:16, 19; 17:2, 6; Acts 9:15; 13:48; Rom. 1:6; Eph. 2:10; Col 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4-5; 1 Peter 5:13; 2 Pet. 1:10

Tags: election

“The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men. … We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence.” (A. W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy. The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life. New York: Harper and Row. 1961. pg. 6).

“Whenever the method of worship becomes more important than the Person of worship, we have already prostituted our worship. There are entire congregations who worship praise and praise worship but who have not yet learned to praise and worship God in Jesus Christ.” (Cornwall, Judson, Worship As Jesus Taught It. Tulsa: Victory House Publishers. 1987. pg. 70.)