“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21 ESV)

In His High Priestly prayer before His arrest, Jesus asked the Father a request for those who would believe in Him through the gospel message communicated by His disciples (v. 20). This prayer was on our behalf.

What did Jesus pray for us? He asked the Father to make us unified: “That they may all be one.” This is not a call to unify at all costs – to throw off core beliefs and rally around the lowest common denominator. Rather, Jesus is calling us to a unity based on a common commitment to the entire gospel message. It is a holding to the complete revelation of God in Christ that has been passed down to us through the Word. We unify around the heart of our faith and a full adherence to the essentials of the gospel.

Jesus goes on to ask that this unity should be like the oneness between the Father and the Son (v. 21). God the Father and God the Son are united perfectly in love, purpose, and mission. Likewise, Jesus prayed for us as His followers to display a oneness in love, purpose, and mission. We are united to each other in Christ (“that they also may be in us”) as we are all connected to the true Vine (John 15). And so our unity should be like the unity of the Father and Son.

What was Jesus’ purpose in praying for our unity? “That the world may believe that you have sent me” (v. 21). Jesus asks that our oneness with fellow believers be a way for the world to know and believe that Jesus is the One sent from God.

Jesus intends that our unity as believers be displayed to and observed by the world. It is a means by which Jesus is showing Himself to a lost world. Our unity should be so compelling, our love for one another so sacrificial and others-first, our holding to the gospel so unrelenting, our shared mission so joyful, that the world cannot explain it by any other reason than that Jesus really must be the One from God.

The unity of believers is a significant matter to Christ. He asked the Father for it. He prayed that it would be like the oneness between Himself and His Father. And He expects that our unity will send a clear message about the gospel to the world.

Jesus prayed this for us. We should seek to unite with our fellow believers in this kind of biblical oneness. It mattered to Jesus. May it matter to us.

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV)

The distinguishing mark of genuine Christians is love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Those who experience Christ’s love by faith in His gospel are to show that Christian love to one another.

Christians are urged to display this chief characteristic: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly” (1 Peter 4:8). This is how we know we are saved: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers” (1 John 3:14).

But Jesus says it is not only Christians who will know they are His disciples when they love each other. He tells us that by loving one another “all people will know that you are my disciples.” Christ-like love witnesses to the world that we are followers of Jesus Christ. When the world observes our love for each other, they should be able to distinguish in some sense that we are Christians.

The late Francis Schaeffer says it is as if “Jesus turns to the world and says ‘I’ve something to say to you. On the basis of my authority, I give you a right: You may judge whether or not an individual is a Christian on the basis of the love he shows to all Christians.’ In other words, if people come up to us and cast in our teeth the judgment that we are not Christians because we have not shown love toward other Christians, we must understand that they are only exercising a prerogative that Jesus gave them.”

So we must take this command to love one another very seriously. For when we obey and love others as Christ loved us, we are showing the world what being a Christian is all about. And Jesus has given them the right to watch and pass judgment on our love for one another.

“And all who believed were together.” (Acts 2:44 ESV)

The picture of the first church shows us the special togetherness that should be evident in the local church community.

We see their togetherness displayed in God’s working through them. When Christians are united together, God may do great things through them. “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles” (Acts 2:43 ESV).

We see their togetherness displayed in mutual assistance. These Christians loved one another and cared for each other. They demonstrated their care both spiritually and materially – taking care of their own when there was genuine need. “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:45 ESV).

We see their togetherness displayed in regular and joyful gatherings. These Christians wanted to be together and there was a sense of gladness when they did gather. “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:46-47 ESV).

What we see happening here from the very beginning of the church is that God’s people needed to be together. Together they demonstrated unity and genuine love for one another. Together they devoted themselves to the Word, fellowship, worship, and prayer.

This special togetherness was the result of sharing in Christ. They shared a common faith and common joy in their Savior and Lord. Christ had become their life. And gathering with Christ’s people to participate in community together had become their deepest commitment.

This picture of the first church shows us why the local church community is so important. We share Christ together. We need to come together regularly to participate in this common life in Christ. We need to be committed to each other as a visible Christian community.

Christ wants His people gathered together, sharing the Christian life together, carrying out His mission together, glorifying God together.

For Christians, this is a special togetherness. Do not neglect it; do not forsake it. Your fellow believers at your local church are sharing the Christian life with you. They need you. You need them. Remember that all who believed were together.

“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40 ESV)

Jesus draws an analogy from the experience of Jonah to predict His own miraculous deliverance from the grave. In so doing, Jesus tells us that He will be in the grave “three days and three nights.”

There is good reason to believe that Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb on what we call Good Friday. We know He was raised on Sunday. So how does a Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection square with Jesus’ prediction of three days and three nights in the grave?

In the Jewish mind of those in Christ’s day, “three days and three nights” could mean a combination of any part of three days. It did not have to be a full 72 hours. In fact, it could refer to a period of much less time. The Jewish mind often counted a part of a day as a whole day.

Understanding that “three days and three nights” was an idiom for any portion of three days, we can square Jesus’ prediction with a Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection. Keep in mind that Jewish thought also counted their days from sundown to sundown. Thus the three days can be counted in the following way:

Jesus died and was placed in the tomb before sundown on Friday. This portion of Friday would be the first day.

Jesus was in the grave for all of Saturday from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. This would be the second day.

Jesus rose early Sunday morning. This portion of Sunday would be the third day.

Jesus said that he would be raised on the third day (Matt. 16:21). A Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection fits with His being raised on the third day and His prediction of “three days and three nights” according to Jewish understanding at that time.

“He has granted to us his precious and very great promises.” (2 Peter 1:4 ESV)

Jesus Christ has given His followers promises of precious worth. These promises are fulfilled in Him and will be fulfilled in Him. All the promises we find in Scripture are included: salvation, eternal joy, and everything we need for this life now.

Peter describes these promises as “very great”. This is the only place in the New Testament where the Greek word from which we get “very great” appears in the superlative degree. This means that Peter was striving to communicate how exceedingly great are the promises we have in Christ. They are very, very, very great promises – the very greatest.

My wife’s family has a special way of conveying their love for one another. I first noticed it when Jenny received letters from home while she was away at college. The letters, usually from her mom or a sister, would end with this expression: “I love you very much and I can’t say all the very’s.”

Likewise, Peter is telling us that the promises we have in Christ are very great and “he can’t say all the very’s.”

The promises of Jesus found in the Bible are the greatest you can possibly conceive. Run to them and trust them. For there you will find all you need for life and godliness.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29 ESV)

We usually think of God as the One who dispenses grace. But Scripture tells us that we can have a part in giving grace to others. This happens when we refrain from harmful speech and direct beneficial speech toward others so that they grow in Christ.

The purpose which motivates such edifying speech is that those who hear will be blessed by grace. In one sense, when God’s people use Christ-honoring speech their words become vessels carrying God’s grace to the ears of others. As our words reflect that which is good, true, wholesome and biblical, they serve to encourage those who hear with the grace of God. Ultimately, it is God who gives the grace; but we can be channels whereby God’s grace flows to others in the streams of spiritual-strengthening speech.

The Bible says much about the devastating effect of harmful speech. A perverse tongue “breaks the spirit” (Prov. 15:3). The tongue is “a fire, a world of unrighteousness… a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8). If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the tongue is mightier than the gun. It can kill a person in areas that reach much deeper than the physical body.

In contrast, grace-filled speech has an opposite effect that is just as powerful. “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Prov. 16:24). “A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Prov. 15:4). Uplifting words can also penetrate deeply, dispensing healing far beyond the reaches of modern medicine.

While graceless words can crush another’s spirit, grace-filled words can provide life and health to a needy spirit. The receiver of degrading speech tastes that which is sour, but the hearer of encouraging speech delights in that which is sweet to the soul.

Words matter. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). Speak grace and bring life to those who hear.

The Department of Health and Human Services would still require employers with religious objections to select an insurance company to provide contraceptives and drugs that induce abortions to its employees. The employers would pay for the drugs through higher premiums.

This mandate would require people who oppose abortion as a matter of religious conscience to be indirect participants in providing for the very act that violates their conscience. The authors demonstrate how this mandate violates both the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

The free exercise of religion is not limited to what happens in a church building or religious service. Americans have the right to follow matters of religious conscience in their everyday life. The authors state:

The refusal, for religious reasons, to provide birth-control coverage is clearly an exercise of religious freedom under the Constitution. The “exercise of religion” extends to performing, or refusing to perform, actions on religious grounds—and it is definitely not confined to religious institutions or acts of worship.

Freedom of religion is an American right that we, as Christian citizens, should cherish and defend. It is a freedom that even precedes the First Amendment. When Roger Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island, he laid the foundation for complete religious freedom. In 1663, he obtained a charter from the king of England which became an important document in American history. This document read:

No person… shall be in any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any difference in opinion in matters of religion… but that all, may freely and fully have and enjoy his and their own judgments and consciences in matters of religious concernments.” (quoted by Paul Johnson in A History of the American People, p. 50)

Practicing our beliefs regarding abortion in areas of life like health care coverage is part of our free exercise of religion. The Bible shows us that abortion violates God’s moral standard against taking another person’s life, including the lives of unborn children who are made in the image of God from conception. (For a biblical understanding of abortion, see Dr. Robert McCabe’s excellent work here.) On biblical grounds, we do not want to participate or associate with abortion in any way.

Let us pray that the holocaust of abortion will end in our land. And let us be steadfast in following the dictates of Scripture upon our conscience so that we will have no association, whether direct or indirect, with the darkness of the murder of unborn children.

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
(Ephesians 5:11 ESV)

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 ESV

Note: This is the second post in a series seeking to apply the truths of the above verse to practical Christian living. Please understand that this is not intended to be formulaic. We encounter many different scenarios in which we must incorporate biblical principles with great discernment. Following a rigid formula does not guarantee success. Hopefully, the general biblical truths applied below will be a helpful encouragement to living a Christ-centered life.

Scripture: Galatians 2:20 tells Christians four important truths. 1) I am a new person in Christ. My old self was crucified with Him when I was united to Him by faith. 2) Christ now lives in me. I have the power and presence of God in my life. 3) I live my life now by faith in Christ. I keep trusting in His past work and future promises and keep applying His Word to my life. 4) Christ loved me and died for me. What motivates me to live for Jesus is the great love and grace He showed me.

Scenario: A Christian is overwhelmed by troubles, busy schedules, family matters, and work pressures. It feels like life is too much to handle, but this believer knows that quitting is not an option. How can the truth of Gal. 2:20 help a Christian persevere in life’s responsibilities?

1) I am a new person in Christ. If I am this Christian, I must remember again the change that Christ has brought in my life. My old self has been crucified with Christ. This means that the power of old, sinful responses to life’s circumstances has been broken. Sinful responses to difficult situations include: 1) escape – running away from troubles or just simply giving up; 2) neglect – ignoring some problems or people because involvement takes too much effort; or 3) releasing pressure – turning to addictions or blowing off steam at the expense of others. A new person in Christ does not have to respond in any of these ways.

2) Christ now lives in me. Since the old master (self) is gone, a new Master now controls me. Christ’s presence in my life provides practical power for practical problems. His Spirit is producing fruit in my life like peace, patience, and faithfulness. Therefore, Christ gives me a peace which prevails under pressures, a patience which endures troubles, and a faithfulness which remains trustworthy in life’s responsibilities. God is faithful to carry me through any temptation and provide proper escape so that I can endure (1 Cor. 10:13).

3) I live by faith in Christ. As a new person who knows Christ is living in me, I can walk by faith through life’s troubles and pressures. I trust in God’s purposes for me and His promises to me. I pray for His will to be done, and I believe that He is working all things for my good. I hold firm to His promise to never leave me nor forsake me, and I depend upon His grace which is always sufficient for any situation.

4) Christ loved me and died for me. Ultimately, the greatest way to persevere in life’s responsibilities is to focus on what Jesus did for me in the gospel. His loving death for me paid for my sins, won my acceptance with God, and guaranteed my final deliverance from all the difficulties of this life. I can look to Jesus and see the way to persevere with joy to the very end: “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross… Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:2-3 ESV).

Don’t give up. Don’t give in to doubt or despair. Jesus provides the power to endure in life’s responsibilities and the promise to bring you through them and all the way home. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10 ESV).

“Love is not irritable or resentful.” 1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV

How easily we are offended in our world today.

If there is something we do not like about another person, we are quick to criticize. If we perceive any hint of insult, we are quick to take offense. If another’s words or actions irritate us, we are quick to express our annoyance. We can be over sensitive, just waiting to be offended. When that offense comes, we jump like a predator hunting his prey.

But the Scriptures counter such impulses. Rather than taking offense, we are told to overlook offenses:

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 ESV

“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Proverbs 12:16 NIV

The Lord Jesus Christ showed the way in how to handle offenses:

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23 NIV

Christians are called to love people with the kind of Christ-like love that is not irritable or resentful. This love is not easily provoked to anger, nor does it hold wrongs against others. Christian love overlooks insults, irritations, and annoyances of others. Love does not file them in a mental record to bring back up later. Christians absorb those offenses which can be overlooked.

Let offenses fall into an ocean of love. As the fourth-century church leader Chrysostom said, “A wrong done against love is like a spark that falls into the sea and is quenched.”

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 ESV

This is the first post in a series seeking to apply the truths of the above verse to practical Christian living. The goal is to examine how one can practice Christ-centered living in specific situations.

Please understand that this is not intended to be formulaic. Life is messy. We encounter thousands of different scenarios in which we must incorporate biblical principles with great discernment. Following a rigid formula does not guarantee success. Hopefully the general biblical truths applied in the hypothetical scenario below will be a helpful encouragement to living a Christ-centered life in practical areas.

Scripture: Galatians 2:20 tells Christians four important truths. 1) I am a new person in Christ. My old self was crucified with Him when I was united to Him by faith. 2) Christ now lives in me. I have the power and presence of God in my life. 3) I live my life now by faith in Christ. I keep trusting in what He has done for me and what He has promised me and keep applying His Word to my life. 4) Christ loved me and died for me. What motivates me to live for Jesus is the great love and grace He showed me.

Scenario: A believer repeatedly succumbs to the sins of bitterness and anger. Knowing that these sins are inconsistent with a life that pleases Christ, the believer desires to put away these sins. How can a believer battle besetting sins like these with the truth of Galatians 2:20?

1) I am a new person in Christ. Since my old, unregenerate self was crucified with Christ when I came to Jesus by faith, the sins of the old self no longer rule in my life. So if I am the believer in the above scenario, I must realize that God has broken the power of bitterness and anger over me (Rom. 6:6). This is what God has already done for me through the gospel of Jesus Christ. United to Christ’s death and resurrection, I have likewise died and been raised to walk in the newness of life. Thus besetting sins do not have the power which I think they have because God has freed me from their power and changed me.

2) Christ now lives in me. A new power is present in my life. The Lord Jesus lives in me through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9-10). The power of sin is replaced by the power of Christ. I don’t battle bitterness and anger alone. Christ is battling those sins in and through me (Phil. 2:13). He is producing fruit in me through His Spirit – fruit like kindness, gentleness, self-control which subdue and replace bitterness and anger in my life. Jesus is greater than my sin.

3) I live by faith in Christ. I must believe what the Bible is telling me about my sins. Because I am in Christ, I no longer have to yield to their power. Christ is empowering me to fight successfully against my bitterness and anger. Since I believe these things are true of me in Christ, I must now apply these to my life by faith. This means I battle my bitterness and anger by faith. I depend upon the Spirit to help me kill these sins (Rom. 8:13). Believing that Christ is working in me, I must and can obey commands of Scripture like this: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). Therefore, by faith, I actively strive to put off bitterness and anger, and show kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness to others.

4) Christ loved me and died for me. The battle against besetting sins starts and ends with God’s great grace. The reason I can even begin to deal with bitterness and anger is because His grace in Christ has forgiven me, freed me, changed me and empowered me. And the motivating reason why I continue to battle my sin is the fact that Christ loved me and died for me. The more I remind myself of the great love and grace of Christ, the more I will desire to battle bitterness and anger. The more I center my mind on Christ and what He has done for me, the more I will center my life on Christ and what He is doing in me.

Christ is now the center of my life. Because of my union with Him, I can battle and win in the fight against besetting sins like bitterness and anger. I must prayerfully depend on His Spirit and actively obey His Word. And in all my doing I must keep believing that Christ is powerfully working in me.