He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
2 Timothy 1:9-10
Sometimes the inspired letters of Paul the apostle contain sentences which just blow my mind. I read this excerpt several times this morning to try to comprehend the profundity and extent of the truth contained in these few lines.
I could fill pages by merely considering the first word He. Who is this He? Paul does not need to convince the recipient of his letter that Christ actually lived, died and rose again, because Timothy well knows it. Timothy's mother, Eunice, was Jewish and his father Greek (Acts 16:1), but yet his grandmother, Lois and his mother have both accepted the Christian faith. Timothy has been nurtured in this genuine faith (2 Timothy 1:5) at a time when Christians were persecuted and martyred for not paying allegiance to the emperor. He is well acquainted with the He, the Christ of this narrative.
Paul reminds Timothy that we, Christians, have been saved. Christians are people who have acknowledged that they are in a 'lost' condition according to God's definition and thus require saving. People who do not realize that they are in danger of perishing will never be saved. This is the central theme of the Bible; God wants to save us through Christ's death on the cross.
Very often the word 'holy' puts us off God and Christianity. 'Holy' conjures up being dressed in black with long-drawn faces and no laughter or fun whatsoever. Far from it! A holy God made this world with all its resplendent beauty and colour. It appears to me that holiness and light are very close concepts in the Bible. Who is not drawn to light? 'God is light and in Him is no darkness at all', claims the apostle John. When we examine the behaviour of the living creatures in Revelation 4 and 5, these creatures are right in the presence of holiness and what are they doing? They are worshipping and singing with joy. A holy life then is one full of joy and rejoicing. There are guidelines for Christian behaviour which are not burdensome (Matthew 11:29-30), but written by our Creator for our benefit and protection. This is the holy life to which Paul is referring.
God, in His providence has a purpose in revealing Christ and saving us. Christians have not merited salvation in any way. Christianity is the only faith which portrays God taking an active measure to save people. In all other religions, the person has to save themselves through their own efforts and labour. Unfortunately, some streams of Christianity have added this preposterous notion of 'doing their bit' in the saving of their souls. It is very clear that it is all about grace in the New Testament. Grace denotes unmerited mercy and is the antinomy to works in this context.
God had planned before the beginning of time to reveal this grace in Christ when He would appear. But not only that, this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. Here Paul asserts that Christ existed before time, contrary to the belief of some. Before the beginning of time he is Christ Jesus, but now He has become our Saviour, Christ Jesus. The defining words of this extract, which resonate like an orchestral crescendo in my mind, are: who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! I mean, think of what our Saviour has done! Oh joy! Death, the very curse and plague of life which no one can conquer, has been annihilated. Death has been replaced by life and immortality and the channel of this revelation is the message of the gospel. When our Saviour gives life, it is eternal. That seed of eternal life, which is planted in us the moment we trust Christ, yields immortality. As Blaise Pascal commented: The immortality of the soul is a matter which is of so great consequence to us and which touches us so profoundly that we must have lost all feeling to be indifferent about it. Indifference about this matter is probably the greatest tragedy on earth.
2 Timothy 1:9-10
Sometimes the inspired letters of Paul the apostle contain sentences which just blow my mind. I read this excerpt several times this morning to try to comprehend the profundity and extent of the truth contained in these few lines.
I could fill pages by merely considering the first word He. Who is this He? Paul does not need to convince the recipient of his letter that Christ actually lived, died and rose again, because Timothy well knows it. Timothy's mother, Eunice, was Jewish and his father Greek (Acts 16:1), but yet his grandmother, Lois and his mother have both accepted the Christian faith. Timothy has been nurtured in this genuine faith (2 Timothy 1:5) at a time when Christians were persecuted and martyred for not paying allegiance to the emperor. He is well acquainted with the He, the Christ of this narrative.
Paul reminds Timothy that we, Christians, have been saved. Christians are people who have acknowledged that they are in a 'lost' condition according to God's definition and thus require saving. People who do not realize that they are in danger of perishing will never be saved. This is the central theme of the Bible; God wants to save us through Christ's death on the cross.
Very often the word 'holy' puts us off God and Christianity. 'Holy' conjures up being dressed in black with long-drawn faces and no laughter or fun whatsoever. Far from it! A holy God made this world with all its resplendent beauty and colour. It appears to me that holiness and light are very close concepts in the Bible. Who is not drawn to light? 'God is light and in Him is no darkness at all', claims the apostle John. When we examine the behaviour of the living creatures in Revelation 4 and 5, these creatures are right in the presence of holiness and what are they doing? They are worshipping and singing with joy. A holy life then is one full of joy and rejoicing. There are guidelines for Christian behaviour which are not burdensome (Matthew 11:29-30), but written by our Creator for our benefit and protection. This is the holy life to which Paul is referring.
God, in His providence has a purpose in revealing Christ and saving us. Christians have not merited salvation in any way. Christianity is the only faith which portrays God taking an active measure to save people. In all other religions, the person has to save themselves through their own efforts and labour. Unfortunately, some streams of Christianity have added this preposterous notion of 'doing their bit' in the saving of their souls. It is very clear that it is all about grace in the New Testament. Grace denotes unmerited mercy and is the antinomy to works in this context.
God had planned before the beginning of time to reveal this grace in Christ when He would appear. But not only that, this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. Here Paul asserts that Christ existed before time, contrary to the belief of some. Before the beginning of time he is Christ Jesus, but now He has become our Saviour, Christ Jesus. The defining words of this extract, which resonate like an orchestral crescendo in my mind, are: who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! I mean, think of what our Saviour has done! Oh joy! Death, the very curse and plague of life which no one can conquer, has been annihilated. Death has been replaced by life and immortality and the channel of this revelation is the message of the gospel. When our Saviour gives life, it is eternal. That seed of eternal life, which is planted in us the moment we trust Christ, yields immortality. As Blaise Pascal commented: The immortality of the soul is a matter which is of so great consequence to us and which touches us so profoundly that we must have lost all feeling to be indifferent about it. Indifference about this matter is probably the greatest tragedy on earth.
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