Why Did God Make Us?

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Index of Lessons in the Westminster Shorter Catechism

Why Did God Make Us?

Watch a Video presentation of this lesson
(Westminster Shorter Catechism Q:1-2)
by Bob Burridge ©2011

There are some really big questions of life. Often they tend to loom in the back of our minds. They work their way to the surface in those challenging times, the very lonely times. That’s when people wonder why they’re here, what’s the point of it all?

To the secularist, there can’t be an answer. There is no “why”. Without an understanding that God is central in it all, we’re just part of an accidental series of events that evolved out of primal life forms. If that’s true, then there’s really no purpose in our being here, no reason beyond just surviving, and doing our best to enjoy what time we have while we’re alive.

Those who think this way, usually end up very unsatisfied and depressed. They just live to get as much pleasure as they can out of life while it lasts. They eventually discover that indulging their own pleasures never really satisfies. It just makes people hunger for more. Death in that view of things is just the end of it all, and there’s nothing else beyond the grave.

So when pleasure ends, life may as well end too. Many come to think that it’s therefore merciful to eliminate the elderly, the sick, the depressed and the handicapped. They kill unborn babies if they don’t think they can live a pleasureful life, or if they think they are an inconvenience to the parents. There’s nothing to human existence beyond getting things and enjoying them for awhile.

There is much more to live for than just trying to enjoy surviving.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism summarizes what God says in the Bible. It starts with that big question: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is simple but profound: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.”

What an astoundingly different outlook on life! There is a good reason why we’re here, why we were created and put on the earth.

The second catechism question is about how we can know how to fulfill that purpose. Question 2 asks: “What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?” The answer points us back to the writings God preserved for us to know why he put us here. It says, “The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.”

The whole creation is meant to be a constant lesson
about God’s nature, plan, and glory.

In Psalm 19:1-2 God moved King David to write,

1. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.

It’s not reasonable that God would make all things to display his nature and glory but then keep it as a closely guarded secret. If God created everything to tell about himself, he would also create us able to understand it, and to have a way to find out about it.

That’s exactly what he did. He gave us a book, written by many chosen writers throughout early human history, and kept free from error by his perfect oversight so that it exactly preserves his truths for us. That book is what we call The Bible.

Later in Romans 1:20 the Apostle Paul said, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse”

Everything in the entire universe is here to declare God’s glory, and God gave us a written document to tell us so.

From the most infinitesimal things we can see or measure, to the most vast expanses of the cosmos, and in all the mysteries of both, God’s the complex detail in all he made and his incomprehensible power amaze us.

The Bible is written for us humans in particular.
It tells us why we’re put here as part of it all.

There are many places in Scripture which summarize our importance in the Creator’s world.

When God first made humans he explained their purpose. In Genesis 1 he said he made us in his image. We are a simplified reflection of his nature. He made us to “have dominion” over all other things on the earth. We are to manage creation so that its seen for what it is, his handiwork. We’re to be the objects of his mercy and grace even in our rebellion against him.

In Colossians 1:16 Paul said, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

In John’s glimpse of heaven in Revelation 4:11 Jesus Christ is honored with these words, “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things,  And by Your will they exist and were created.”

When Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers about the dietary rules some were insisting upon, he said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

The Apostle Peter gives a warning to those who teach God’s word. In his First Epistle 4:11 he wrote, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Peter’s concern was that ministers stay true to what God had said in his word. They were to teach as God’s oracles, those called to deliver the Creator’s message.

The purpose is that God is to be glorified in all things. This is the goal of all teaching, of all living, of everything we do. Through the redemption that is ours in Jesus Christ. His is the glory and the dominion, forever.

The problem is that when mankind fell into sin,
he lost fellowship with God.

Man started to think of his own pleasure as the main purpose for being here. He re-directed all the glory to himself instead of to his Creator. Aside from the work of God’s grace to repair that twisted mind-set, we all would be this way to the extreme.

That’s what Paul said in Ephesians 4:18 about all who aren’t made alive by Grace in Christ. There God’s word says, “having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;”

This is why the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Man-centered religion might accept that there is a god of some kind or another. However, the god of those religionists is there for their own pleasure, rather than their being created for his pleasure.

The truth of God revealed in the Bible
liberates us from this tragic misconception.

We are here to glorify him and to enjoy him forever. This changes everything.

If you’re redeemed in Christ, your goals in life aren’t just to find momentary pleasure for yourself. The pleasures offered by the culture of our lost world can’t really satisfy and fulfill you. Your life was designed by God to expect more than just pleasing feelings. The best you can get aside from living for God’s glory is a temporary experience. When it fades you’re left with emptiness, and a hunger for more. Moses knew this when he decided to side with God’s oppressed people instead of enjoying the luxury of a life in Egypt’s royal palaces.

In Hebrews 11:24-26 God’s word says, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

1 John 2:16-17 warns us saying, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

In Christ you can find eternal satisfaction in glorifying God and enjoying his fellowship. That’s what was made to satisfy you. Any other goals in life are deceptive illusions.

Don’t believe the lie. You were made to enjoy honoring God in all things. Any substitute will keep you from experiencing real life-satisfying pleasure.

This means that your values aren’t found in your bank statement or in all the things you have. These things are part of the distraction from what you ought to do with what God gives you. They aren’t ends in themselves. They are your’s to manage responsibly for God’s glory.

In Matthew 16:26 Jesus said, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Real value is when you use your time, talent, income, and possessions for God’s glory. As Jesus said, by obeying God in all things, you lay up treasures in heaven. That doesn’t mean just some remote reward for after you die. It means you build up riches in God’s Kingdom, beyond just what this world offers. You fulfill your created purpose, and life takes on a whole new meaning.

It means that your entertainment isn’t just to find pleasure for the moment. Indulging your physical urges and imaginations will not honor God if it’s contrary to his morality. You can enjoy your foods, movies, romance, jokes, games, and web-browsing in ways that fully please God. Any other way just buys into the lies of hell itself. It baits you into a trap. You’re here to enjoy the created world in ways those out of fellowship with God can’t imagine.

There’s no better way to occupy yourself, than to appreciate the wonder and beauty of God’s creation and redemption. Friends and families that share those values are the best companionship.

As the writer says over and over again in Ecclesiastes, aside from fulfilling our created purpose of honoring God in all things, all is vanity — emptiness.

If you’re redeemed in Christ, Church isn’t just a nice social group, or a way to get an emotional or psychological boost. It’s the union of God’s people as a spiritual family to learn together, and to serve God together. It’s not just membership in an organization or fraternity.

Belonging to a sound church means being a living and responsible part of the gathered body of Christ on earth. Submitting to the appointed Shepherds who lead the churches, and helping it do its worship and work, brings a blessing beyond merely what you think you get out of attending or donating. It secures the promised blessing of God for obedience to the order he set up himself.

The Creator, our Redeemer, calls you to be committed to a local body that worships, learns, prays, serves, and encourages.

Our culture, influenced by the attitudes and values of a fallen world, has reduced the church to little more than a service or entertainment corporation. What Christ calls you to is radically different than that. It’s how he tells you to unite together to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

This is how you can really help those around you.

Knowing your created purpose is how you can find real peace for yourself, and meaning for all you plan for in your life. The best you can do for your children isn’t to prepare them for a career, or an envied social life, it’s to prepare them to live for God’s glory in all things.

When John wrote his Third letter, he said in verse 4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

You best help those around you, you best meet the real needs of the needy, not by feeding them, clothing them, or providing health care. While it’s good to help others in material ways, that’s not what really makes a difference. You best help when you restore them to fellowship with God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This isn’t just a formal creed. It must be your way of life. 24 hours of all seven days of every week, all year long, all life long — you need to live the way God calls you to live.

Your only hope, God’s only promise of a satisfying existence here on earth and beyond, is found when you do what you were created and redeemed to do … glorify God and enjoy him forever.

(Note: The Bible quotations in this article are from the New King James Bible unless otherwise noted.)

The Obvious God

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The Obvious God

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

When I was very young, in my early years of elementary school, my grandfather on my mother’s side took me to see New York City. Along with the Statue of Liberty and the famous subway, one of the things I wanted to see was the Empire State Building which I believe was then the tallest building in the world. We wandered around for a while looking for it. Finally we stopped a policeman on the street. When we asked where it was, he just pointed — we were right in front of it.

Sometimes we miss things not because we can’t see them, but because we just don’t recognize the obvious.

Our main duty here is to declare the glories of God.

Toward other believers in Christ, that means daily encouragement. We can help one another see and obey the revealed ways and truths we find in our Bibles. We can also remind one another about God’s amazing providence and the wonders of creation surrounding us.

However, when we declare his glory to the unbelieving world, there’s a problem. We need to remember that we are speaking to those still blinded by sin. It’s like declaring the colors of the rainbow in a society where everyone is totally blind. They have heard about colors, but have no conception of what they really are.

In their unbelief, in their blindness to the way things really are, they believe that God can be tested by their own set of rules, and measure up to their standards. They presume they are able to see things as they really are, and are able to rule out what they don’t want to believe is possible. All their theories, as improbable as they may be, are unquestionably accepted if they help them explain away the truly supernatural workings of an infinite God. It goes deeper than just their assumptions about science, philosophy, and theology. The real motive is to convince themselves that they aren’t accountable to the God who made them.

Here’s where the problem comes in. When they assume they can test God by their own man-made rules, they already presume that God isn’t what he is, and they aren’t what they are. By this circular reasoning, man puts himself, the creature, over the Creator. He makes up the test with the prejudice of his fallen heart. The test is designed with the expected outcome already in mind.

Paul shows how foolish this is in Romans 9:20, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”

How do we urge the unbeliever to believe in God?

Our duty is quite simple. We are to tell the unbeliever what God has made known, even though we know he will at first deny them because of his blindness. We can do this with confidence because God isn’t a hidden secret. Everything God made declares him to everybody all the time.

In Psalm 19:1-2 it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.”

In Romans 1:18-21 Paul says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Even the human conscience, while fallen in sin, testifies to truths fallen men neither want to see, nor to admit.

In Romans 1:22-25 Paul goes on to say, “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man —and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

It’s not that God’s word in nature and in our conscience is unclear. It’s that sin prejudices fallen humans so that they miss the obvious.

Not every believer in Christ has the knowledge to debate the philosopher, the evolutionist, the social liberal, the nihilist, or the post-modern theologian. But all have God’s truth in the Bible. Our job is to declare what’s already obvious, and to patiently pray leaving the results in the hands of God who alone can change the disposition of the heart.

We need to be careful so that the declaring of God’s truth is done well. We all have a duty to understand the Scriptures as well as we can. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to be taught well and systematically.

We need to be sure that the word is growing in our hearts, not just in our heads. If our lives contradict what we say, our message will be confused too. This doesn’t mean we need to be sinless. That attitude would directly conflict with Scripture. We need to admit our sins humbly. By example as well as by our words, we show what it is to trust Christ for forgiveness, and to be sincerely working to overcome our sins out of love for God.

This approach isn’t always going to bee well received. We shouldn’t expect it to be. Nobody likes to be told that he’s so prejudiced that he denies the obvious. What’s even worse to the unbeliever is to be told that aside from God’s grace he is unable to do anything about it. However, the facts stand out clearly on the pages of Scripture.

These ideas have been under attack for a long time. Not only from those outside the church, but also from those who manage to sneak in as wolves dressed as God’s sheep. It shouldn’t surprise us that Satan would infiltrate, promote his ideas, and battle us by trying to weaken us from within. This is what human enemies have done for ages.

In the early church there were all sorts of cults and mystical claims that attempted to distort what God had really said. The Middle Ages saw the invasion of rationalism into the church which tried to elevate man’s fallen nature so that it was only slightly damaged in the fall. The Bible says we are all dead in our trespasses and sins, not merely wounded.

As time distanced the church councils from the teachings of the Apostles, some adopted ideas that were not in the Bible. At times individuals claimed to receive visions on their own. Some have believed stories of miracles that attest to ideas completely contradictory to the Bible. In each case, information from outside the Scriptures creeps in to confuse God’s message.

When Liberalism came in, it tried to explain away all the supernatural elements in God’s word. Then came Post-Modernism that promotes the idea that it’s not even important to determine if there is real truth or not. It all becomes subjective and unimportant. Man becomes the test of what’s valuable subjectively, and God fades into being a nice but forgotten myth.

Through all this, God has kept his truth alive in his church.

A Biblical way to present God’s truth
is by what we call the Presuppositional Apologetic.

Presuppositional Apologetics is not a simple area of study, which is probably why they use those big words in it’s name. It would be impossible here to get into all the details of it. However, the basic idea is very simple.

The truth about the way things really are doesn’t begin with us and how we see things. It begins with the Creator who made everything, including us. The mistake people make is when they try to understand the world by assuming they can be neutral about everything, and can see without prejudice. The fallen heart dares to believe that it has all the information it needs to decide about what is right and real.

The lost “suppose” ahead of time, that their senses are reliable, that all they need is what their limited intellect and the findings of science tell them. The problem remains: their “supposes” are wrong. All truth has but one source, and that is God the Creator. We as creatures can only know what is true because God has told us. We can only submit to what he says when he changes us inwardly through the the Savior’s work of removing the barrier of guilt that separates us from our Maker.

All of creation declares God’s truth and glory all the time. He made us creatures with a conscience that condemns our sin and points us to God.

But there’s a problem: Sin has blinded us to truth as God presents it to us. The message is clear, but we are prejudiced against it because of sin’s effects. Since the fallen mind begins its thinking with the creature instead of the Creator, it’s bound to come up with a distorted view of everything. To the lost every beam of light, particle of matter, and wave of energy is stripped of it’s message. The truth is suppressed and the measurable facts are explained away as mere products of chance and evolution. In that blindness he believes he is capable of judging what it all means.

So when we talk about God and Creation, the world hears something different. The unredeemed think of God as a religious idea we came up with on our own. They think of him as a bigger, but not an infinite being since he couldn’t keep evil from happening. This makes God either an illusion, or mean, or incompetent, or powerless in moral matters. To the unredeemed who are religious, they think of God as great, but still in some ways limited. They believe God needs us to permit things to go his way. They imagine that the church and our permission control the redemption of individuals. This is why a humanistic or social gospel has taken the place of the message of grace and salvation in so many places.

So how can we deal with the atheist, the cynic,
the confused, and the religiously deceived?

We tell them the truth simply and honestly. We confidently assume that what God himself tells us is what really is. We don’t test the Bible by the inventions or imaginations of men. We test what we believe by the Bible since it was given to us by God himself. We pray as we tell them the truth because we know that only God can change people’s hearts by his grace.

All our evidences, arguments, proofs, and pleadings can’t change the lost heart, but all these can be effective tools when the power of Christ is at work.

Is there a God? You may as well ask if you had parents. Since we are here, we had parents. Their image is stamped all over us. It’s in our eye color, the color and texture of our hair, our bone structure and facial features, and in the skills we inherit and learn. Since the universe is here, there is a Creator – just like the one whose image is stamped all over it.

I like to say, the Bible is the sword of the Spirit. Don’t argue about how sharp it is. Stick them with it. God blesses his word and his faithful people’s use of it.

There is a God. What he’s told us about himself is there reliably in his word. We begin with him, not with ourselves making up tests for him to pass to satisfy us.

We should learn and declare by word and life what God has made known. We should encourage others to trust and obey those principles and promises. However we must remember that God alone can change the lost heart, so we pray and live in confidence of God’s power and wisdom.

Dr. Van Til wrote, “no one can see Scripture for what it is unless he is given the ability to do so by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.”

John Calvin saw this in the Bible too. Without a truly Sovereign God who changes us by grace alone, there is a different gospel that rests somehow more on the creature than the Creator.

Van Til said that for even those who don’t understand theology well. “in practice every evangelical who really loves his Lord is a Calvinist at heart. How could he really pray to God for help if he believed that there was a possibility that God could not help him?”

What could possibly be easier than to simply point out the obvious? We have the power of God and his promise, that everyone who hears our message, and those he intends to believe it, will without fail both believe and come in faith to Christ. Those who don’t come show that he hasn’t worked in them yet. In some he never will.

We are not to try to figure out who will believe or when to give up trying to deliver the truth to them. We are to keep on with the Good Message. If we obey — should the results go either way — we can’t possibly fail in our mission.

(Note: The Bible quotations in this article are from the New King James Bible unless otherwise noted.)

Learning Patience

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Learning Patience

Characteristics of the Christian
by Bob Burridge ©2000, 2011

1 Corinthians 13:4a “Love is patient … ”

Waiting doesn’t come easily for us in our fallen human nature. We become impatient so quickly and may be tempted to make that insincere prayer, “Lord teach me patience. And could you please be quick about it?”

I once found an old letter in an abandoned house in an overgrown grove not far from here. It was written by the Taylor family, one of the early pioneer families in Pinellas County, Florida. The letter spoke of a trip to Tampa from Clearwater. It was a full day’s trip by horse cart around the north side of Tampa Bay. Those early pioneers would be amazed to see people commuting daily by car over our present choice of three high speed causeways between the two sides of the Bay. We have turned that full day’s trip into a 10 minute drive. Yet, you can’t make that trip today without seeing drivers impatiently going over the speed limit, weaving in and out of traffic, and getting angry when they can’t get around a slower car.

We live in a very fast world. We have come to expect our hamburgers to be served fast, and restaurant servers to be quick in taking care of us. We want our news to be up-to-date: to see it live on TV, or up-to-the-minute on the Internet. When I get the newspaper in the morning, it’s last night’s news and is no longer relevant. Magazines are a week or more old when we get them. Often the stories have changed dramatically. We want traffic to move fast. If it doesn’t, people get restless and sometimes irritated. We expect check-out lines to move fast, never getting bogged down with slow customers, lazy checkers, price errors, or lagging computers.

People complain when they have to wait around for vacation trips or special events. They don’t like to wait for people to see things their way, or to get over a dispute. They want immediate feedback when they try something new.

Learning patience is hard. But it is an important lesson.

Patience is the first attribute of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4a “Love is patient … ” The Greek word in the original text is makrothumei (μακροθuμει). It is made up of two root words:
1. “macro” (μακρο-) means something large. Macro-economics is when we look at the larger effects on the economy in a society. Macro-evolution is the theory that all things evolve from lower life forms. (Micro-evolution refers to the little changes in races and breeds within created forms.) A macro in computer programming is a group of commands that do some larger job.
2. “thumei” (-θuμει) is from the word that means “passions, emotion, anger”.

Together these roots combine to mean “the ability to keep our passions under control for a long time.” So literally this verse means, “Love puts up with things for a long time” (KJV uses “longsuffering”)

Though we might be faced with indifference, annoyances, selfishness, or even opposition, love doesn’t give up. It doesn’t try to hurt back. It endures the annoyances and selfishness of others.

Longsuffering is the 4th element in the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

It is the 5th item in Colossians 3:12-13 of those things we should put on as the elect of God, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

Patience teaches us about God
because he is perfectly longsuffering.

He brings about his plan according to a large cosmic time schedule. He lets sin show itself so that his justice and power over evil can be displayed. He does all things in his own good time.

During this present period between Adam’s fall and the final day of judgment, God dramatically, but slowly, unfolds his plan of grace and wrath. He does it at the pace that best displays it for us finite creatures to observe it.

Those who don’t know the Lord misread the situation. They see God’s patience as inaction, or even worse as approval of their sin. If they aren’t judged right then and there when they do wrong, they expect they have gotten away with something.

God tells us that he often lets sin go unrestrained for very good reasons. He may not always show us what those reasons are in each case. However, we know that in his longsuffering with sinners, he brings about his perfect plan. God’s longsuffering should not be construed as inaction or approval. There is always a wise and good intent in those times when God seems to be silent about human sin and rebellion.

Acts 14:16, “who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.”
Acts 17:30, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,”

To the believer, God’s long endurance is a great blessing. When we do wrong, and the consequences don’t come along right away, he lets us see what we would be without his work in our hearts, and his longsuffering brings us humbly before him in repentance and grateful faith.

Peter described the slow execution of God’s wrath in the time of the great flood. 1 Peter 3:20 speaks of those, “who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

The same word used here for the patience of God, is the one found in our text for this study:
1 Corinthians 13:4a “Love is patient … .” God gave time for the wicked to show how much they deserved his wrath, and for those marked by grace to repent and show his work upon their hearts.

There is also a time, after God’s patience fulfills its purpose, when his wrath is justly displayed. Jesus put up with much. However, there were times when he exercised his authority as Judge. He drove the money-changers out of God’s temple which they were desecrating. He will come one day to judge the living and the dead.

Even in showing his wrath, our Lord did not act out of impatience, but in his proper authority as a Priest, having been set aside by the Spirit’s baptism to be Lord of God’s Temple, and as the Divine Judge over all that he created. He was patient until the best time to show his wrath. He didn’t lose his temper when provoked so many times in conversations, and during his trial.

It’s sad how some have been confused by the forged book called the Gospel of Thomas. There, Jesus as a little boy is shown impatiently striking playmates dead for disturbing his play, or those who accidentally bumped into him in public places. The Jesus of these myths is not the Jesus of the Bible. That was a false Christ injected into our literature by Satan’s hatred for the truth.

God acts only at the right time, when his plan reaches the point where it is best to judge. He waits until the better time has come, even putting up with sin and evil for his greater glory. God’s perfect longsuffering is our ultimate model.

We have good human examples in Scripture to help us as well:

Hebrews 6:12 points us to those who have gone before us saying, “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

James 5:10 also points us to the heroes of Scripture, “My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.”

Paul tried to be a good example himself:

1 Timothy 1:16, “However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”

2 Timothy 3:10, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance”

2 Timothy 4:2. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching”

When we learn Patience,
it fits us for a more peaceful life in God’s world.

Our attitude toward events and time should conform to God’s holy ways both to show his handiwork in us, and to obediently follow the unfolding of his plan.

As with our Lord, this doesn’t mean we never take decisive action against wrongs. It is not a lack of patience with a murderer that we finally execute him. It is not a lack of patience when we lovingly discipline our children. God commanded those things, but only within given authority to do so. These things are only to be done in love and in obedience to God’s prescribed methods. They must not be an unauthorized reaction, or done without careful deliberation.

Patience does not mean putting off exerting rightful responsibility. However, to act out of an unjustified passion is wrong. It is not our prerogative to show wrath when someone is slow on the highway, or rudely serves us our fries or burger. Impatience in those cases obscures the attributes of Christ which ought to be growing in us and diminishes the display of God’s kingship over our lives. We should learn to be examples of patience toward our children, friends, spouses and neighbors.

Patience means being willing not to get all the things we want when we want them. We learned in our study of Living Optimistically, how we need to see the larger picture. God is at work. As children we need to submit to the undisclosed plans of God as they unfold.

Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (KJV)

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

This not only makes us optimistic, it helps us endure trials patiently. God is pleased with our patience, and blesses us for it. 1 Peter 2:20 says, “For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.”

Patience teaches us about God, and trains us to live as lights in God’s world.

Patience only comes to fallen hearts when redeemed by Christ and strengthened by the power of God. Colossians 1:11 tells us, “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;”

God’s word encourages us to be patient, optimistic, and persistent as we live for him. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Patience brings wonderful honor to God and blessings for all his kingdom. When we learn to be patient …

  • we honor God by displaying his attributes restored in us by grace
  • we honor Christ by whose power we are restored
  • we make life easier for our loved ones and everyone else we deal with, when we aren’t impatient toward them.
  • we help ourselves spiritually by being obedient to the requirements of God.
  • and from our studies of science, it appears there are direct physical benefits: Learning sincere patience can lower a person’s blood pressure. It can ease stress on the various systems of the body. It appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks, and strokes, and may even improve the workings of our immune system in fighting diseases.

This then is how we improve our patience:

We need to …

  • make our salvation sure, so that the Spirit’s fruit can grow in us.
  • be mindful of God’s Sovereign rule working all things together for good.
  • pray for patience, because it is only by God’s power that we can grow in it.
  • think on the examples given to us in Scripture so they can be our model for living.
  • turn our attention to what we are doing, instead of what we are not yet able to do.

So often impatience flares up when something keeps us from what we planned, when we don’t get something fast enough, or when something isn’t done the way we prefer. The proper response to those things is to ask yourself, “What is my duty in this circumstance right now?”. As we are strengthened by our Savior, and assured by our confidence in his power as revealed in his word, we disable the impatient agonizing over circumstances over which we have no control.

This reminds us of Paul’s mature attitude while held in a Roman prison where he wrote in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:”

Note: The verses in this lesson are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Optimistic Living

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Optomistic Living

Philippians 4:6-7
by Bob Burridge ©2024

Living in this world, we regularly face things that trouble us.
Sin’s at the root of all the adversities we struggle with. When Adam sinned in Eden, we all became infected with death, both physical and spiritual. Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-”

God first summarized the corruption that sin would bring, when he pronounced the curses. God told Eve there would be a struggle between her offspring and Satan. Then God said to her in Genesis 3:16 … “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

Then God said to Adam in Genesis 3:17-19, “… cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

These far reaching effects of sin, both in our world and in our hearts, is why we constantly struggle against temptations and become morally confused. There’s crime in our society. Even believers sometimes find it easy to justify breaking the law, or lying in circumstances they think are minor or unimportant. Justice is often perverted into injustice, and immorality becomes the ethic of fallen societies. We find it hard to cope with natural calamities (such as disasters, disease, and death itself).

God never promised that believers can escape these things in this life. He’s given us a way of rising above the agony and discouragement of these things. Those who have a negative outlook are often called pessimists. Those who have a positive outlook are usually called optimists. This study is just an overview to help us along to more optimistic living.

There are lots of standard jokes, stories, and classic sayings about the two ways of looking at things. I once did a quick search of the internet about optimism and pessimism using the Google search engine. In less than half of a second it returned 21,900 web sites.

The most posted example was the old poem written by McLandburgh Wilson (with variations), “Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” There were 1,820 web sites with either that whole quote or variations of it, including a few Jewish humor sites where they substituted a bagel for the doughnut. There were 1,721 web sites telling the story of the optimist boy who was given a pile of manure instead of presents. He wasn’t upset. He started excitedly searching expecting there must be a new horse.

There’s that old tired saying about seeing the glass either half empty or half full appeared 4,390 times. There was an interesting update of that one for our computer age, “An optimist would say the hard drive is half full. A pessimist would say the hard drive is half empty. A true computer geek would upgrade regardless.”

These are good for pointing out what we see in people, and they’re good for humor, but none of them really get to the heart of the issue.

There is an optimism the world invents, which is a counterfeit of the biblical version. It’s a “head in the sand” optimism that tries to ignore negative things. It refuses to face problems or admit to things not going well. It’s nothing less than lying to self, or at least a denying of the truth to one’s self.

There is a false optimism that pretends to be Christian, but is not. It says that it expects good by faith. But by faith they mean wishful thinking. They don’t mean finding encouragement according to what God has actually said. They believe something to be so, simply because they believe it is so. Faith becomes simply a hope – rather than a gift of God by grace though the work of the Savior.

Christian optimism should not be unrealistic or trying to overlook unwelcome truth.

True Christian optimism begins by seeing things with a God-centered perspective Everything fits in with the bigger picture, as God directs his universe. The Westminster Shorter Catechism question 7 says, “The decrees of God are his eternal purpose according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass.”

There are some key parts in that answer:
1. God has an eternal purpose
2. His eternal purpose is according to what he desires, his will
3. He directs all things, without exception, for his own glory

That means that sin, disappointments, failures, defeats, crime, persecutions, and eternal judgments all fit together into the large plan of God and all promote his glory.

Therefore, as we try to understand things around us, things we like and things we dislike, we need to keep this main principle in mind: God’s sovereign power and infallible decrees move all things toward his own glory.

God in his word clearly explains his sovereignty over all things.
This is a teaching found in every section of the Bible. For example, Psalm 135:6 “Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and on earth, in the seas, and all deeps.” – Nahum 1:3 says the LORD’s way “is in whirlwind and storm” – In Matthew 10:29-30 Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” – Then in Revelation 4:11 it says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

If we knew nothing more than this, we would still have the most important encouragement. Since God is absolutely in control of all things there is no reason for discouragement.

Of course we still sometimes get discouraged. But in Christ we know it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to hide our heads in the sand and pretend nothing bad will happen to us. And we don’t have to fool ourselves with idle wishful thinking. God rules over all things and moves them toward a glorious end.

Nothing is left to chance in God’s universe. Calamities don’t blindly stumble our way. They’re part of something bigger than what’s on our schedule. God never has to change his eternal plan, though he reveals it in stages to us. There is no enemy that can force God’s hand, or derail his plans.

Even the wicked, when they strike out against God are really serving him though ignorantly. The unbelieving hands that nailed Jesus to a cross for execution, meant to silence him. Instead they became the tools in God’s hand that finished the work of Salvation. Peter explained in Acts 2:23, “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” God didn’t excuse the sin. But he turned around the diabolical scheme. Though we might not appreciate its important work, even hard times have a good purpose. Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

A few examples from the Bible can help us apply this important principle.
In the time of Habakkuk there were serious threats against God’s people. The prophet had become discouraged, so he asked God to explain. In chapter 1 he prays for understanding why there was such violence. He waited for God to explain.

God gave a different kind of answer than he expected. In 2:4 He characterized the proud, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” God pointed him to his duty instead of his obsession with the problem. The redeemed are to live by trusting what God had made known. What God has not revealed should not be our concern.

This brings us back to that verse we quote so much: Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work hard to find out all than can be known.
But it does mean that God’s reasons behind things should not be guessed at beyond what he says.

As children, there are many things we should leave up to our Father. When we worry about things we can never control or explain, we show a mistrust in our Father. We trouble ourselves unnecessarily with unfounded anxiety about God’s secret work, often to the neglect of our own revealed duties.

King David also became discouraged by the seeming success of the heathen. In Psalm 2:1-3 he asked why the heathen nations get away with being so bold and wicked? “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ ”

Then the Psalm reminds us who is in charge in verses 4-6, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.’ ”

It’s a superficial delusion to see success in wickedness. The discouraged heart doesn’t look far enough.

Part of David’s life was spent being hunted by armies of kings trying to kill him. But through it all he remembered that the kings who tried to kill him were never beyond the control of God. He wrote the so often repeated words of Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Joseph knew God’s sovereign assurances too: When his brothers conspired to kill him and sell him into slavery Joseph later said in Genesis 45:7-8, “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” Then in Genesis 50:20 he said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

So God uses even the sins and selfish attitudes of His creatures to accomplish his decrees. This doesn’t excuse the sin. It’s employed to accomplish God’s wonders.

Paul was a very optimistic prisoner! From his captivity in Rome he wrote the letter to the Philippian Church. In Philippians 4 his own words are a clear lesson, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In verses 11-13 he adds, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Christian optimism responds to negative things with confidence, peace, and resolve.
We leave the success to God, and accept the things that are beyond our own responsibility. In its place we have a sense of duty and promise. Noah was not a pessimist because he started to make an ark long before there was a flood. He expected a calamity. But knew it was not his responsibility to stop the flood. God called him to do his work of making an ark.

We need to remember this when we go about our duties too. When we explain the gospel to others or stand up for God’s truth and law. Some may not believe. Some may ridicule us or think we are foolish. Some may even persecute us. Our duty is to represent Christ and God’s truth and promises. It’s God’s work to change the hearts.

In whatever circumstances that come along we’re to rest joyfully and securely in the hand of God who uses all things for good. We might loose our jobs, see people we don’t respect elected to offices, we might get sick or hurt by a loved one, our houses may get damaged by a storm, and our cars need repairs. Through it all we need to remember that the Sovereign hand of our Loving Heavenly Lord should give us a positive attitude as we engage in our duties and appreciate his promises and blessings.

Our mindset is the key: seeing things with a God-centered perspective Everything fits in with the bigger picture as God directs his universe. His sovereign power and infallible decrees move all things toward his own glory.

This brings us back to a familiar verse. Instead of fixating on the problems or the pain, Philippians 4:8 reminds us, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

The right cosmic perspective is to see all things as the unfolding of God’s wonderful plan. Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Note: Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Learning Compassion

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Learning Compassion

Characteristics of the Christian
by Bob Burridge ©2001, 2011

In the Presidential campaign of the year 2000, George W. Bush was able to win some of the support that gave him his slim victory by calling himself a “compassionate conservative”. Voters were very hungry for a type of politics that responded with sincere concern for the people being governed. Of course all the candidates claimed to be the real “compassionate” ones, and accused each of the others of using the word compassion while they were really being oppressive and opportunistic.

In a world guided more by impressions than by God’s word, ideas like compassion are hard to define, and even harder to sort out from the self-serving motives that often lie behind people’s words and actions. Though it is often confused by our fallen hearts, it is the common testimony of all sorts of people that sincere compassion is an important quality.

Compassion is obviously an important attitude
if we are to live together in any kind of civility.

We need to be truly concerned for the well-being of others. People need encouragement, companionship, sympathy, advice, and help in times of calamity.

God created us, and redeems us, to be his earthly kingdom, his family, his flock, his church. We are called the human race. That doesn’t mean we are all racing against one another to beat one another. We are made in the image of God and justified by the death of Jesus Christ so that we can represent God’s love, mercy, and compassion among one another. This means living in community with other people. The difficulty is the sin problem we all have in common.

When our brothers and sisters in the Lord have needs, we are called by God to help them. This mandate from God is summarized in Colossians 3:12-15

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Notice that compassion is something we are told to “put on” like our clothing. It is our duty, something we are commanded to do. We don’t just assume that because we are Christians we somehow have all the compassion we need. If it’s there it has to show itself.

Compassion isn’t like a condition without symptoms! When you’ve got it, those around you ought to be able to see its evidences. It is our job to work on those evidences by making sure the cause that produces them is really there in our hearts.

Our fallen nature counterfeits compassion
with something quite its opposite.

What is mistaken for compassion is often just a concern to ease a person’s own troubled conscience. It can show itself as superficial gestures that appear to show concern, but it’s done for the benefits it brings to the person’s own reputation. That does little to really help. Insincere compassion may actually hurt the person more.

The other extreme is when someone condemns superficial gestures in others to appear superior to them. Again, it does nothing to help those in need.

We need to learn how to follow God’s mandate. False compassion doesn’t do what is really good for people. It may look good, and feel good, but in reality it may cause more harm and hurt to those we say we are helping.

    True compassion is not …

  • telling someone whatever makes them feel good even though its a lie.
  • giving a person everything he thinks he ought to have.
  • giving children all the sweets they crave.
  • helping someone ignore their conscience when they have done wrong.
  • paying others to do good in our place, and then think we’ve done our part.
  • leaving our neighbors to the care of government agencies or charities.
  • spending money on solutions that really only prolong a problem.
  • paying able people to stay unemployed when they could be helped to find work.
  • allowing babies to be aborted, when we should be helping the child’s parents deal with challenges. They need to be encouraged to love their babies, and to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
    It’s harder …

  • to tell the truth in tough situations.
  • to help a person understand that what he craves may be harmful to him.
  • to help a person face his faults when he would rather find excuses or blame others.
  • to befriend our disabled neighbors, and to help them with housework, yard work, or to get to the store.

It is not surprising that a society made up of unsanctified souls tends toward false compassion. Fallen people define compassion by what they believe it ought to be. God’s word shows us what true compassion is, and how we can put it on.

God’s method of compassion can be divided into four lessons. I will quote several portions of God’s word here. He says it much better than I can. By reading through these passages it makes it clear that this is God’s method, not one dreamed up by us fallible humans.

Lesson One: We need to understand that
true compassion is only possible in the redeemed.

In our fallen condition, no one is capable of sincere concern for others and for God’s honor.
Romans 3:12 “… There is none who does good, no, not one.”

The First Epistle of John is a detailed study of how love manifests itself in God’s children. It makes the point that true God-honoring compassion can only be found in those who are redeemed by Christ.

Showing compassionate concern for others is one of the marks of a true Christian. If there is no compassion, a person should be very concerned about the reality of his salvation.

1 John 2:10-11, “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

1 John 3:10-11, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,”

A lack of compassion weakens our own confidence that we belong to the Lord.

1 John 3:14-17, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

If a person is redeemed by Christ, then love and compassion should evidence itself.

1 John 4:7-13, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”

Our own compassion is the seal of God’s compassion upon us.

1 John 4:16-21, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”

So the first step in learning to be truly compassionate, it to make your salvation sure. Regeneration alone enables us. There is no other cause for true compassion. All else is a false compassion moved by selfish concerns, needs, and desires.

If we expect to see true compassion expand in our neighborhoods, country, and the world, we need to evangelize with the gospel of Christ.

Lesson Two: We must know how God defines compassion.

God’s word is filled with help about how we can show true care for others. When we know the truth about God and about others as his creatures, and when we remember that all the redeemed are our brothers and sisters by grace, then we will have a foundation for learning to appreciate what is really best for others.

Colossians 3:12-15 describes the elements of that compassion. It must include mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. To be compassionate we need to put up with one another, and be forgiving to each other with love, peace, and thankfulness.

2 Corinthians 1:4 explains how God’s mercies enable us. It is our Savior who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in affliction. We offer the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

1 Peter 3:8-9 puts it this way, “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

The love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, shows how this kind of compassion is part of love. In verse 4 it tells us that love is kind. In the next verse Paul continues saying that love “does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;” When self is our center, our compassion is just a means to making us, not others, to feel good.

Paul, in Philippians 2:3 writes, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

These verses show us that true compassion not only puts up with rudeness of others, it also responds with kindness. Instead of treating them the way they deserve, compassion treats them as God commands us. This means that the best thing we can do for others, is to help them live by the principles God gives us in his word, and by helping them with their needs inwardly and outwardly as they struggle along.

Lesson Three: Learn what biblical compassion looks like.

It is good to know how the Bible describes compassion. As humans, it also helps us to have examples to follow. The Bible is filled with them. We have examples of compassion and godly models for us to see.

In captivity, Daniel didn’t refrain from forbidden prayer to avoid getting people upset with him. He didn’t disobey God to show what some would think was “compassion” for his captors. He knew it would not be good for them if he hid his prayers to make the pagans feel better about him. Their only hope of real blessing was if they learned God’s ways. True compassion is to humbly and kindly remain a faithful example of godliness. He put that duty above seeking comfort for himself.

Paul didn’t tell the Thessalonians to keep giving food to those who were out of work if they were able to do their part. In sincere and godly compassion he told them in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “… if anyone will not work, neither let him eat.” It was best for them to help the habitually dependent to learn the importance of work and personal responsibility.

Aquilla and Priscilla were thanked in Romans 16:4 because they risked their lives for Paul. They could have just prayed and minded their own business. They could have just repaired tents and lived quiet lives. But that would not have been the compassionate thing to do.

Jesus is of course our greatest example. His whole life is an example of compassion. But he didn’t hide the truth to draw more followers. In John 6:65-66, Jesus said,”… ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

He knew it was best for these people to hear the truth. He cared for them so much that he knew it would not be compassionate to keep hard to accept things from them just to make them feel better about themselves.

There are many other examples that could be drawn from Christian history and from the Christian community.

One Christian writer tells of the time when he was riding a subway on a cold Chicago day. An elderly woman shuffled into the subway and took a seat. Her clothes were ragged, barely able to protect her from the bitter Chicago winds. She hunched herself against the cold gripping a worn shawl around her. He said her hands appeared to be white, cracked, and bony.

In contrast a healthy looking young man energetically got on the train. He noticed the pain of the old woman sitting in quiet misery. Three stops later the man left the train leaving his pair of brown leather gloves in her lap.

The writer then says, “He saw her need and responded with compassion while I just sat there. It never occurred to me to give her my gloves. That young man showed compassion in a way I’ll never forget.”

Lesson Four: We need to live by
what we learn about compassion.

Compassion isn’t defined by just a set of facts. It is a way of life. It is true kindness toward those God created to bear his image. It is good intentions put into practice. The Bible says that we must “put it on.” We need to slip into the clothing that honors Christ as we reach out to really help others to see the transforming power of what our Savior accomplished on the cross for his lost and otherwise hopeless people.

In practical terms here are 4 steps that might help us develop Christ-like compassion in our lives once we have been regenerated by his redeeming grace.

1. Become aware of needs in those around you. Pay attention to where they might benefit from your help and encouragement. Perhaps as you pray for each friend and family member this week, you could consider where they would benefit from your personal encouragement and support.

2. Think carefully to know how God would be honored by your help towards them. That means not just doing what they expect from you, or what will cover their pain for the moment. It’s what in the long run will encourage them to develop in love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). Your help should not be given in a judgmental or superior manner. That is arrogance not love. Look for ways that will help, not discourage (Galatians 6:1).

3. Keep studying God’s word prayerfully to fill your thoughts with godly examples. What we occupy our minds with is what we will become (Philippians 4:8).

4. Pray that God will enable you to show true compassion in your life. Once your basic needs are met, set aside your own extravagances, so that you can build up the whole kingdom of God in this world.

Note: The verses in this lesson are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Living Thankfully

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Living Thankfully

Characteristics of the Christian
by Bob Burridge ©2001, 2011

It’s encouraging when people remember to thank others for what they have done for them.

“Thank you” is a very important expression.

It can be a sincere way to show appreciation for a kindness done. Sometimes words don’t even need to be spoken. It can be said with a smile, a hug, or a shed tear of gladness. Yet it helps to say what’s on our hearts so that our gratitude won’t be missed.

Sadly, a “thank you” can also be said in a mechanical or hollow way.

We’ve seen children prodded into thanking someone when it is not in their hearts to do so. They look down at their shoes, fidget with their hands, and mumble the words quietly. Of course it is all part of the process of learning how to treat others with respect. Our hope is that our children will develop this as an important natural habit in their lives.

Sometimes the words can be said in a sarcastic way. Someone not appreciating what somebody else did may say “Well, thanks a lot!” They say it so the person knows they didn’t do good when they should have. Leave it to our sin filled hearts to turn a good expression into an insult.

As Christians we should learn another dimension to giving thanks.

A “thank you” should be an acknowledgment of a person’s part in God’s blessings toward us. Living gratefully ought to be a characteristic of every Christian’s life.

Tragically, in our fallen nature, self replaces God as the center of what concerns us most. Fallen souls pervert thankfulness into its opposite. The absence of gratitude is an attitude of presumption or entitlement.

In 1 Corinthians 4:6 Paul warned the believers that no one should become arrogant having received something. He then asked in verse 7, “… why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

People often act as if they deserve all they get. Good things are taken for granted. Warren Wiersbe once told about a ministerial student who was part of a life-saving team.

In 1860, a ship went aground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Evanston, Illinois. Edward Spencer waded again and again into the ice cold waters to rescue 17 passengers. In the process, he damaged his own health permanently. Years later at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the people he rescued ever thanked him.

A good deed is often spoiled by seeing its flaws instead of its intended good. One devotional booklet tells the story of an old man who approached a young stranger in the post office and asked, “Sir, would you address this postcard for me?” The young man gladly did just as he was asked, then offered to write a short note for the old man. Finally the stranger asked, “Now, is there anything else I can do for you?” The old man thought a moment and said, “Yes, at the end could you add, ‘Please excuse the sloppy handwriting.’ ”

Fred De Witt Van Amburgh once wrote: “None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”

Henry Ward Beecher said, “Pride slays thanksgiving, but an humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.– ”

Thankfulness begins with knowing what we have to be thankful for. It is an appreciative acknowledgment of a benefit received from another

Originally the English word “thank” come from “a think” it was “a thought”. It was a consideration of a kindness received.

In Old Testament Hebrew, ‘thanks” is todah (תודה). It comes from yadah (ידה) meaning “to throw, to cast”. It is the casting of praise or gratitude toward someone.

In New Testament Greek, it is eukharisteo (ευχαριστεω) meaning a good favor or grace offered to someone.

Our first thankfulness ought to be for what we receive from God

This is the most obvious, and foremost duty of gratitude. Ultimately every good thing we receive is from God.

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Paul pointed out to the ungodly pagans at Athens that God deserves the thanks of all men;

Acts 14:17, “… He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

Therefore, we should always thank God for all good things we receive.

  • for his amazing and beautiful creation,
  • for his merciful and full preservation of all that he made, including us,
  • for a gracious salvation (forgiveness from our sin and guilt, and the promise of eternal blessing)
  • for our daily provisions and the abundance we enjoy beyond our basic needs.
  • for our opportunities, and our ability to take advantage of them.

The Bible is filled with the giving of thanks to God. For example …

Psalm 116:17, “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD.”

But, while not detracting from God as the cause of the goodness done by others …

we need to remember to thank the people God uses
as his means by which we are blessed.

There are many biblical examples showing that it is right and good to thank people for the kindnesses they show to us …

There was that one leper in ten who returned to Jesus to thank him for healing him.

Luke 17:11-19, “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’ ”

Notice that the first direction of gratitude was toward God. But the thankful leper also wanted to thank the means God used, the person of Jesus. So rather than being satisfied with just a private thanks to God in prayer, he was commended for turning back, going out of his way, to thank the agent of his blessing.

The Apostle Paul remembered to thank those who had helped him. He sent his thanks to his friends in Rome whom he had known when they were in Corinth and Ephesus. He thanked them for their help in risking their lives for him. He saw them as true, responsible agents in the hand of God.

Romans 16:3-4, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”

He showed his appreciation for their goodness to the church in Philippi.

Philippians 1:3-6, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”

When Paul was teaching the believers in Colossae about Christian character he said in Colossians 3:12-15 …

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Paul listed these 7 important attitudes and behaviors they should develop. Beyond all the specifics he mentioned, they should put on love, the sum of the other attributes. He told them in verse 15 to let the peace of God rule in their hearts, then he ended by telling them to … “be thankful.”

These examples show us how important it is
for us to thank others for their goodness.

When neighbors, family members, or friends act as God’s agent to do something good for you, even the smallest kindness, you ought to show gratitude, and not take it for granted. It is important to let them know you appreciate what they did, and that you recognize them as God’s honored means.

We need to notice the good that others do and how God uses them. Not just thanking them for gifts or cards they give us on birthdays and holidays. But for their daily kindnesses, encouragements, and fellowship. Learn to treasure these little things, and build others up in the Lord because of them.

This is something we can do everywhere:

  • In the home: between husbands and wives, children and their parents, brothers and sisters.
  • In the extended family: including the parents of parents, cousins, uncles, and aunts.
  • In the church: all who are both members, and leaders of our spiritual family.
  • In the community: all who work together, support one another, and do business with one another.

In our imperfections we often do more complaining when we should be appreciative and thankful.

Years ago a magazine told the story of a young man named Ben. He was a complainer. He grumbled about the weather, found fault with his family and friends, and let the littlest things upset him. But his life was changed by a little rhyme he read:

“When you have truly thanked the Lord for every blessing sent,
then you’ll have very little time to murmur or lament.”

He realized that in his discontent he had overlooked the gifts God showered on him daily. Ben determined to overcome his habit of complaining, with God’s help. Whenever he became irritated or started to complain, he would stop and thank God for the many good things he was enjoying. Soon, by centering his attention on praising rather than pouting, he found it much easier to avoid his grouchy mood. He found thankfulness by following the principle of Philippians 4:8.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”

I like this simpler rhyme which might help:

“The humble don’t grumble, they think on the good.
They thank for each kindness, because God says they should.”

Our thanks as children of God should not be vain flattery or mechanical thanks . They should be real attempts to honor God, and to encourage those who are God’s instruments by the good he does through them.

In situations this week …


Look for good things that others do. Make sure you appreciate it, and tell them so. Learn to see others as agents of God in bringing his blessings into your life.

While you direct all the glory to Christ, remember to thank the person God has used, and encourage them in their good. Help them understand the honor they have in being used by God to do good.

Note: The verses in this lesson are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Living Lovingly

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Living Lovingly

Characteristics of the Christian
by Bob Burridge ©2001, 2011

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

There are specific characteristics that should be seen in the life of every Christian. Our interest isn’t just to define them, but to learn to do two things:

1. to develop these attributes in our own lives
2. to encourage them in those around us.

A good way to begin is to look at
what it means to love one another.

Love is the first item in the list of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22. Jesus himself said that love was the summary of all the law and prophets. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus was asked what was the foremost of all the commandments. His answer, quoting the Law of Moses in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, was this …

“Jesus said to him, ” ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love is so important in Scripture, it would require a whole series of studies to do it justice. Love is the word the Bible uses to summarize the way believers should live. We we need to look at what exercises will strengthen the love Christ put in us by his grace.

There is a divine command that God’s children should learn to love.

Jesus said that loving one another was a mark of discipleship. John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If all men know we are Christ’s disciples by our love, then we need to know what it means to love, and what love looks like when we do it.

Love has many meanings the way we use it generally. We should define it the way God uses the word love in his word. I suggest this definition:

“Love is a disposition implanted into needful human hearts by the prevailing grace of God whereby we are enabled joyfully to obey the revealed desires of our Creator; both toward the Lord himself, and toward others.” (Pastor Bob Burridge)

Obeying God’s desires as to how we should behave toward him and toward others involves a lot. We need to know how to be loving at home, at school, at work, at play, in worship, socially, shopping, and while we are fixing things. We need to know what it means to love in every situation. It needs to become a part of what we are, and of what we do all the time.

Love is described in some depth in 1 Corinthians 13 (we will use the New King James translation). The old KJV uses the word “charity” instead of “love.” In 1611 AD charity meant love at its noblest.

This chapter doesn’t tell us everything about love, but it is a good summary of what our lives should be like when we love.

If love is a fruit produce by the Holy Spirit working in us, we should know how to nurture this fruit. We need to know the seed that begins the growth of love in us, the labor needed to cultivate it to its fullest yield, and the good harvest our labor can reap from this important seed.

What is the seed that makes love begin to grow in us?

Biblical love as a disposition is alien to our fallen human nature. Left to our inclination at birth, human love lacks an essential quality. It does good to others so that it can improve it’s own situation.

The self-centeredness of fallen human love is obvious. It wants companionship, help, sex, and opportunity. For those reasons it focuses on what it can do for others to get these things for itself.

It loves other people as long as it gets what it wants. When hurt comes along, or when the companionship is strained, what the world calls love produces accusations, arguments, and fightings. Sometimes it leads to infidelity, gossip, divorces, law-suits, and defamation. In extreme situations it even leads to perjury and violence. This kind of love isn’t just artificial, it is a cruel costume for selfish evil.

Biblical love begins when the seed of spiritual life is implanted in regeneration. Only when the fallen creature is restored by grace through Christ can anyone begin to realize love as the Creator intended it to be.

The Bible says, “we love because He first loved us.” If God hadn’t first sent his Son to redeem us, love as God reveals it would be completely unknown in our world.

Love is an essential evidence of our belonging to Christ. That is why Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

When you grow a plant, its life is in the seed. But to make it grow to its fullest, there are things you need to do. It needs water, soil, nutrients, proper lighting, and protection from disease, insects and hungry animals. When God implants this love in us there are things we are called upon to do.

What labor is needed to cultivate love to its fullest yield?

The Bible speaks of love as an action. It is a command. God says you should love your neighbor as yourself. He tells husbands to love their wives, and he commands us all to love one another. So when people say “I just can’t love that person”, they imply that God makes unreasonable demands of us. Love is first an obedience before it becomes a feeling. This is good news. It means there is something we can do when love doesn’t seem to be there.

God doesn’t say, feel love for your neighbor, or husbands feel love for your wives. He doesn’t say fall in love with others. He tells us to love them. It’s a direct command. Do you have trouble loving others? Then here is a message of hope. You can do something about it.

God’s word tells us specific things to work on to nurture love to grow in us. It defines what we do toward God when we love him, and toward others when we love them. This seed implanted in us by grace requires these obediences as it grows. The same grace that implants love enables and moves us to grow in our obedience to God’s word. We need to do loving things while trusting in God’s promises to succeed.

Paul presents 16 qualities of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. …”

Notice that this love isn’t presented in some abstract, ideal environment. It is shown acting in the real world, a world where bad things happen. It responds to being provoked, wronged, and generally attacked. We see how love bears up in the midst of adversity and selfishness.

People who are loving in these ways, show that its seed has been planted in their heart. Love is directly defined in the Bible as doing what God has commanded toward others:

John 14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
John 15:12, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
John 15:14, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”
John 15:17, “These things I command you, that you love one another.”
1 John 5:2-3, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

This is what we need to do when there is a lack of love in our lives. We need to learn God’s moral law, and determine by Christ’s enablement to obey the biblical commandments toward God and toward our fellow humans.

When the seed of love is implanted in regeneration, and when it is cultivated by the means of obeying God’s instructions, we will enjoy the full harvest of this fruit of the Holy Spirit.

What good harvest can our labor reap from this small seed?

When we do what God commands, he blesses us with that feeling of love. The general form of his covenant promises is this: “Do and be blessed.” This does not imply that God waits for our efforts. It means that God uses the power of his word and the work of the Holy Spirit to produce our efforts. It is all by his grace. When we are made aware of the need, and of the way God has ordained for the need to be met, and when we obey lovingly with confident expectation of success, we discover the work of God active in our hearts. As we then do what we are moved to do, the full blessings of love in our marriages, homes, communities, and church family will be realized. We will feel the love God promises that we will experience.

It is this effect of love, the feeling, that the world craves. But fallen man wants the feeling without faith, without the obedience. So he becomes frustrated at the work of conjuring up a feeling. He runs from church to church, from job to job, from marriage to marriage, community to community, club to club … looking for love and finding no reward.

Our duty before God is without dispute.

First: We need to make sure we are made alive by Christ, and that we are humbly thankful for that work of grace. By faith, lay hold of the promises God makes, and trust in his enablement. If the seed is not planted, love cannot grow to what it ought to be.

Second: We need to cultivate implanted love by obedience to God’s word. We must learn to keep God’s commandments toward one another, and toward God himself. Without the evidence of obedience, there is no reason to believe the seed has been planted. Of course all of us are imperfect in our obedience. So another part of our obedience is to help others to love, and we should forgive their failures as we are forgiven by our God.

Third: We need to expect God’s blessing when we obey him, and treat others as he says we should knowing that God will give the increase.

When we are patient and kind, and are not envious, braggardly, arrogant, rude, or self-seeking, and are not easily provoked, or take wrongs into account, and we do not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rather we rejoice in truth, bear all things, believe all things, hope in all of God’s assurances, and endure all things, and when we do all this persistently, then God will bless us with all the rich feelings of love in our hearts.

Note: The verses in this lesson are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Wouldn’t Badges Be Easier?

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Wouldn’t Badges Be Easier?

Characteristics of the Christian
by Bob Burridge ©2001, 2011

We are called upon to make the glory of our Creator’s Lordship known. He is the Maker and King over all that is. He is the standard that defines what is good and holy. He is the loving Redeemer of all his people in all ages. This is good news, so we call it the gospel.

There have always been those who claim to be his, who with spiritual pride do more to exalt themselves and judge others than they do to walk humbly in God’s ways and to make his glory visible.

How can we recognize the true believers and faithful churches? How does anyone know that he is not among those who are deceiving even themselves?

a warning from Jesus

Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

Jesus warned his followers about these dangerous persons. He called them false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing. This means they won’t be easy to recognize by their claims, and by how they present themselves at first glance.

I never saw a wolf dressed up like a sheep. I think I would be able to pick him out of a flock. However, would the sheep, not being as skeptical as a human, nor as used to recognizing a costume when they saw one, be able to spot him? How can we, as the flock of Jesus Christ, identify those who under the wool have the cunning, claws, and teeth of a hungry fox?

If you asked the deceivers, they would openly claim to be one of God’s sheep. They would tell you that they know what is right and true. Like the Pharisees, they may constantly quote Scripture, but they are not honest with themselves or others. They either add to God’s word, or distort it to come up with different meanings for what it says. They use the Bible as a tool to manipulate others, and to excuse themselves from their accountability to their Maker. They don’t view Scripture as a source of absolute truth, and as an infallible guide for holy living.

but are they recognizable?

Jesus explained in Matthew 7:16-17,

“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Twice in that passage, in verses 16 and 20, Jesus said, You will know them by their fruits.

So, what are the fruits by which we can recognize those who are not the true children of God? The Bible specifically lists what should be exhibited in every believer. Galatians 5:22-23 itemizes them for us:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

The Apostle Paul expanded upon the characteristics of love as God sees it in the classic passage of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

Jesus told His followers in John 13:35,

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

is there an easier way?

We might imagine some quick thinking marketing expert or promoter coming up with a fast and easy alternative. He might have asked, “Lord, wouldn’t it be easier if we wore badges? or a uniform? or maybe we could use bumper stickers and T-shirts?”

It certainly would be a lot easier if all we needed to identify ourselves was a T-shirt, a slogan, a badge, or a well placed bumper sticker. But that’s not God’s way.

How shall men recognize true disciples of Christ? They will be the ones who show these evidences of changed behavior in their lives. This beaming testimony is what Jesus pointed to in his Sermon on the Mount when he said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

No one in this life will exhibit these characteristics perfectly, but all believers ought to treasure these attributes and be working on developing them in themselves. They should openly and humbly confess when they fall short, and point to the grace that restores them though they deeply offend our Holy Lord.

This means that true believers have the Holy Spirit at work in them to produce a love for God’s ways, and a quick repentance when they fall short. They will recognize the amazing grace that cleanses their souls from the stain that reveals what would emit from their lives if not for the Sovereign Power of a loving Savior.

It should deeply concern us to know these characteristics of the Christian life well, and to know how God says we are to exercise ourselves in them to strengthen their visibility in our lives for his Glory.

Those content to be Christians by mere profession, by the outward benefits they enjoy, or their outward dress, are in grave peril of discovering the hide of a wolf under their white coat of wool.

Love, that all encompassing word, is what Jesus said would mark out his people from the world. This is the first exercise of evangelism: to cultivate the evidences of the gospel in our own lives so that the work of grace will shine as a light upon the Father’s transforming power.

An outward show of words, claims, pragmatic reasoning, and a tendency to argue his way to a verbal conquest have always been the markings of the wolf dressed up like a lamb. Sticking out from under the costume will be unrepentant moments of anger, impatience, pride, selfishness, rudeness, bragging, and jealousy.

tragically these wolves don’t know who they are

Jesus went on to say in Matthew 7:21-23,

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “

The false prophets are ones who claim to be real spiritual believers. They cry out “Lore, Lord!” They testify that the God of Scripture is their Master. However, since they are not faithful to His ways, he is not truly their Lord.

To argue their way past the Judge, they list all the good works they believe they have done for him. They believe they have prophesied God’s word, spoken and acted in his name. They claim to have cast out demons and performed many miracles!

We should remember that even the magicians of Pharaoh’s court, and the cultists of Canaan, did things they and others believed were supernatural acts.

Today many are taken in by claims of miracles in Christ’s name. TV and radio preachers combine their wild and irresponsible notions about God with supernatural signs and wonders. They deceive many. Paul warned the Thessalonian believers about such as these in 2 Thessalonians 2:9,

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,”

Jesus will tell the self-deceivers, and deceivers of others, that he never knew them. He will tell them to depart from him. And he will expose the wolf under the costume as those who practice lawlessness. Jesus was quoting from Psalm 6:8 where David cried out to those tormenting him, to leave him alone. God is likewise offended, not impressed, with all their outward show.

The tragedy is that there are indeed false Christians who lead many astray. How are we to distinguish the true people of God? How do we become assured by the Holy Spirit that we are truly His? Not by their claims, badges, slogans, or bumper stickers. Not by their outward show, Not by their clothes, rules, or knowledge. It’s by their fruit, the evidence that the fruit of the Holy Spirit growing inside the heart, that we recognize the true sheep and the true shepherds.

The best intellectuals, the best showmen, the best looking, the most vocal, the most active, the most envied. are not always the true disciples.

The ones whose lives show evidence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, these are the ones who evidence that God is at work in their lives. These are the real evangelists who exhibit Christ’s glory and salvation to the world in which God has called them to live.

the mark of the beast

There are always people discussing the mark of the beast mentioned several times in the Book of the Revelation. Sadly many see its fulfillment in tattoos, body piercings, UPC codes, and other such physical markings. Intriguing speculations about conspiracies, hidden codes, and futuristic prophesy sells books, draws audiences to TV and Radio show (not to mention the donations they elicit), and packs huge crowds into seminars and convention halls.

Few of those pop-theologians and marketers of religion deal with the full biblical significance of the mark on the head and hand which characterizes those who are followers and worshipers of what is called the beast.

There is an ancient warning in God’s word found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. It is found in the section instructing parents to teach God’s commandments to their covenant children. In verse 8 of that section it says,

“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”

In the context the meaning is clear. God’s word must bind our hands, and be on our minds. In binding it on our hands, the word of God directs what we do. In binding it on our forehead, the word of God directs our thoughts.

In later times some of the Pharisees made this into a physical rule. They would tie straps around their hands and hang leather pouches over their forehead with the commandments written on them. But this outward obedience didn’t help at all in sealing their actions and thoughts with the binding power of the word of God. It was to be taught, not worn as jewelry.

The word of God must bind our lives. It should always direct our deeds and thoughts. When it does, it will produces evidences in our attitudes and lives. This is the mark of the true believer, the redeemed child of God.

Every person bears one mark or another. Either he evidences the binding of God’s word on his hands and head, or he evidences that he is still separated from God with a lost and deceived soul. The lack of the godly bonds to righteousness constitute the mark of disloyalty that brands and binds every lost soul.

Those who bear the mark of being a child of God have often been the victims of persecutions, shut out of business transactions, or denied jobs. It is increasingly difficult for young believers to find work if they determine to keep the Sabbath holy and refrain from labor as the fourth commandment requires.

Those whose acts and minds, whose hands and hearts, show that they are bound to a different standard, the standard of evil, of the beast, will find a welcome camaraderie in the world that is offended by Christ.

How much easier it is when we imagine the mark of the beast to be some futuristic tattoo or embedded computer chip in our hand or forehead. But how much it cuts to our soul when we realize that many have taken on that sign already by living and thinking according to the world, rather than as God’s word instructs us.

What then is the mark of the Christian? What characteristics set us apart and assure us that the Holy Spirit is truly at work in our hearts? It is to love the brethren which includes all the characteristics of biblical love as specified in God’s word. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments”

We already saw our Lord’s words in John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If we take these words of Jesus as our starting point, we see that badges or outward claims will not satisfy the need of identifying the true children of God. It would certainly be easier if that’s all we had to do to show Christ to others. But then again, wolves can wear badges, and they do.

Note: The verses in this lesson are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Brief Biography of John Calvin

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Brief Biography of John Calvin

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

This brief outline of the life of John Calvin gives a little perspective to the life of one of history’s most noted Christian scholars.

The Early Life of John Calvin

Gerard Calvin was a lawyer. He wanted his son John to seek a career in the church. Raised among the privileged, John was educated in good private schools, and finished his degree in the classical arts at the University of Paris. John excelled as a scholar and became proficient in Latin and philosophy. Just before he started his nine years of study for his theological degree, Gerard changed his mind and told John that he should study law.

John dutifully obeyed his father. He changed his plans and worked toward getting his degree in law. During his studies as a distinguished student he learned about the Evangelical faith. He took a serious interest in biblical studies which led him to the study of Greek, and Hebrew. John Calvin’s first book, a commentary on a Latin treatise by the philosopher Seneca, was published in 1532 when John was only 22 years old.

We don’t know when or exactly how John was converted to Christ. His own account shows that it produced a distinct change in his life. He became known as a “Lutheran” because he agreed with the basic principles of the Reformation which had become identified with Martin Luther.

John became a teacher in a college in Paris where many came to learn from him about the Scriptures. When persecution intensified against the Lutherans, Calvin had to leave the country. He took refuge in Basel.

In 1536 at Basel John published the first edition of his Institutes of the Christian Religion. It was intended to be an elementary manual for general readers. It attempted to answer the many questions being asked about the biblical foundation of the Reformed Faith.

John, his brother and sister, and some friends were traveling to the “free city” of Strasbourg when armies and battles forced them to detour through what we now call Switzerland. They stopped for the night at an inn in Geneva.

Word spread quickly that the writer of the famous “Institutes” was in town. The pastor of the city, William Farel, hurried to the inn and asked John to remain in Geneva to help him with the demanding work of the church. John refused. He was headed for Strasbourg the next day and simply was not available. Farel persisted. In his frustration he swore an oath that God would curse all of Calvin’s studies if he did not remain!

John began to sense that God had a different plan for him than he had thought. He later writes, “I felt as if God from heaven had laid his mighty hand upon me to stop me in my course”. John remained in Geneva.

William Farel had persuaded John Calvin to remain with him in Geneva to help the work of the reformed church. After only eighteen months changes in Geneva caused both Calvin and Farel to be banished.

John Calvin of Geneva

For three years Calvin worked hard for the Reformation in Strasbourg as pastor of a small church of French refugees. He met such greats as Martin Buber and Philip Melanchthon, but he never met Martin Luther. He began re-writing his Institutes to deal with the growing questions about the Reformed Faith. While there he also wrote musical versions of the Psalms to be used in worship.

When the situation changed again in Geneva, Calvin was invited back. The situation was different. Calvin had become a well known and respected theologian and reformer. He also had gotten married to his chosen wife, Idelette. On this basis Calvin was able to reorganize the structure of the church and the city of Geneva to conform to biblical orders (Pastors, Teachers, Elders and Deacons). He founded an Academy for training the children in 1559.

The work load became immense. His health began to fail. Calvin suffered migraines, lung hemorrhages, gout, and bladder stones. When he couldn’t walk to his pulpit and lectures he was carried.

As the gospel became known to the general public, opposition grew. The fallen human heart finds the teachings of Scripture to be offensive. He does not want to accept that God is really the Sovereign Lord over his creation, and that man is a fallen creature redeemed by grace through Christ alone. People would set their dogs on Calvin as he walked by. They would fire guns outside the church and shout to disturb his preaching. There were even anonymous threats against his life.

Calvin continued faithfully, but due to his serious disposition it was hard for friends to comfort him or to get his mind off the work and the persecutions. In his failing years he finished a final re-writing of the Institutes (1559), and published lengthy commentaries. He continued his teaching even from his death bed. Friends warned him to take it easy, but he replied, “What! Would you have the Lord find me idle when He comes?”

John Calvin died in Geneva on May 27, 1564 just a few weeks before his 55th birthday. He left behind a very complete study of almost every verse of Scripture, and a thorough analysis of the biblical foundation for all the basic beliefs of the Christian Faith. By his own request he was buried in a simple unmarked grave somewhere in Geneva.

No More Dark Trails

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No More Dark Trails

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2011

We appreciate having some kind of light to help us see where we’re going when it’s dark. People have used many ways to get light at night or in dark places. They have used torches, candles, lanterns, flash lights, flood lights, and many kinds of each. One of the great advantages of modern police and armed forces is their night vision capabilities. While the typical the enemy is blinded by darkness, night vision equipped forces can see where he is, and move in on him.

A few years ago there was a story in the Back To God Hour’s devotional booklet Today about a missionary in the Philippines who lost use of his headlights on his way home late one night in is old Jeep. He said, “Leaning out the side doors, we made it home by the dying beams of a couple flashlights.”

God’s word often uses light to teach about seeing our way in moral darkness.

Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

God’s information and comfort are there to guide us along the right path. In our fallen condition we’re unable to see the dangers or to recognize them effectively.

God gives us a powerful light in his word. It shows us what we need to know about moral dangers and warns us about the consequences of certain things if we do them. Without the light of God’s word we would stumble around morally and take the wrong paths.

Just having the light is not helpful if it’s not used. A Bible that’s never read won’t protect you from lies, deceptions, and temptations.

God’s word needs to be read regularly
A flashlight home on the shelf won’t help when you’re out on the road or away camping. God’s word needs to be in your heart and on your mind. You need to be filling your mind with it so that it’s there when you need it. You won’t have time to look things up for the first time when problems come along.

God’s word needs to be studied so that it’s properly understood.
This is why good Bible instruction is needed. Those God has gifted, and who develop good Bible study tools are the Lord’s provisions for his family. Those who claim to be Bible teachers need to be examined and approved by a sound church. We have the authority God gives to those he calls to office to help us discern the reliability of what we are taught. There are many who teach wrong things as if they come right from Scripture. Be familiar with what the Bible says so that you recognize the counterfeit teachers.

God’s word needs to be thought about and prayed about.
This is how you gain the ability to see the path it lights up for you. The Bible needs to be applied personally and practically. Let the light shine on your path, on the things you’re doing or dealing with, and think about what the light of the word shows you.

Though it doesn’t show us everything, it shows us what we need to know to make wise and godly decisions to the best of our ability for the glory of God. That is what we are created and redeemed to do. That is why God gave us his word and opens our hearts by the power of Christ so we can live by it.

(Note: The Bible quotations in this article are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.)