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It’s Hard to Make Friends Every now and then, I’ll be talking with a newer member at Trinity Church, and they’ll express disappointment that they’ve been attending for several months but have only a few friendships developing. I want to respond, “That’s a great start. It will take about a decade.” Why? Because we have so many factors working against our ability to cultivate deep relationships at church. In brief, (1) we are isolated from the relationships we most need; (2) we are lonelier than we realize; (3) and as a result, we feel busy, overwhelmed, and disconnected; (4) and it’s harder than it should be to form meaningful friendships and non-superficial relationships. Friends, you have a lot working against you. You’re not crazy. There’s not something wrong with you. It’s hard to make and keep friends in a society like this—even in the church. But the answer is not to lower your expectations and prepare for heartbreak. The answer is to move toward the challenge, reject the isolation and division of our times, and embrace authentic, vulnerable, face-to-face relationships together. We can do this. Consider these seven tips for cultivating deeper relationships at church. 1. Embrace your need for others. All human beings are creatures of need. While we might use the phrase “needy people” as a slight, the truth is that we are all needy people. We have biological needs: air, food, water, and sleep. We have emotional needs: affirmation, a place to belong. And of course, we have relational needs: friendships, family, and spiritual community. As relational beings made in the image of the triune God, we need one another. And to be spiritually healthy and whole, we need friends that share our love for God and our convictions around faith and church. Quite simply, we need church friends. Our need for others is not something to be ashamed of, and it’s not a result of sin. When Adam was alone with God in the garden, he still lacked genuine human companionship. The world’s first problem was loneliness. So God gave Eve to him, and he celebrated. Of course, our greatest need is to know and be known by God. But to be human is to also need friendship and community. 2. Discover God’s heart for your belonging. Belonging has deep roots in the biblical story and Christian theology. There are three expressions of belonging in the Scriptures: (1) We belong to God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; (2) we no longer belong to ourselves or the world; and (3) we belong to one another in the church. Belonging is much deeper than fitting in and it’s much more satisfying than merely having other people around. To belong is one of our deepest human needs. Apart from belonging to God and one another, we’ll continually be tempted to seek our identity in our performance, popularity, and social status. But putting our identity in such earthly things has tragic effects. As Tim Keller has said, “Anything except Jesus will desert you in the end and disappoint you along the way.” What is true belonging? True belonging is being fully known and fully loved—by God and by your community. Indeed, only belonging to God—and through him, to one another in the church—can offer this secure position. When we are secure in Christ, we will be established and rooted in how he has made us, and we will belong to him and each other in the church. Given the challenges in relationship-building in the church, we must remember God’s heart for our belonging. 3. Remember your community needs you (to have friends). But we also need church friends to become kinder, more selfless people. Harvard researcher Robert Putnam, author of the landmark book Bowling Alone, has studied why religious people are kinder and better neighbors in their communities than non-religious people. After sorting through a number of factors that don’t relate to more selfless behavior, including denominational tradition and intensity of beliefs, Putnam settled on one factor—friendships within the church. His research shows that people with the strongest relationships within their own faith community are the kindest, most selfless people toward those outside their faith community. Putnam writes that of all relationships that correlate with well-being and selfless behavior toward others, “church friends seem super-charged. . . . The power of church friends, our data show, is more than the sum of being religious and having friends.” While many social groups these days are identified by what they’re against, healthy Christian communities share a connection around what we’re here for. We exist to glorify and enjoy God, to be formed in the image of Christ, and to grow in Christ through the presence of others. Without church friends, we’ll languish in our Christlikeness and struggle to love those outside the church. 4. Reorient your schedule for relationships. Our entire society draws us away from biblical community and toward social isolation, radical individualism, and self-centeredness. To push back on this constant force, we’re going to have to live remarkably different lives from our non-Christian peers and neighbors. We must reorient our lives around community. To cultivate deep relationships at church, we will have to slow down and resist the culture of hurry around us. We may not be able to work late into the evening or on weekends. We need to plan to make time for friends, to participate in a weekly small group or Bible study, or serve with others in the community. A deep, connected life with others requires a new set of a priorities and a new set of life rhythms. But it is so worth it. In fact, that’s exactly what Jesus did in his earthly life and ministry. His life demonstrates a radical orientation around relationships. He was absolutely devoted to his closest friends, his disciples. He went to weddings, funerals, and cultural events. He spent his time around dinner tables with friends, seekers, and skeptics. He intentionally pursued the most isolated and disconnected community members. He engaged people of other cultures with generosity and patience. If this is how the Son of God ordered his life on this earth, what would it look like for us to follow in his ways? To not only play the host, but join people where they are? To pursue those outside the fold? To attend gatherings and events with intentionality and a sense of mission? 5. Create space for those on the outside. I’ve heard countless people over my years of ministry say that they don’t feel connected or that people haven’t reached out to them. I always begin by lamenting that and grieving with them. But I also remind them that those with the deepest connections are typically those who take the initiative and create space for others. It’s perhaps counter-intuitive, but if you take initiative and create space for others, over time, your relationships will be overflowing. Hospitality is the distinctively Christian practice of creating space for others. It is not just opening our homes; it’s the Christ-like pattern of opening our hearts and lives as well. Hospitality, in a biblical sense, includes creating space in our homes for our brothers and sisters in Christ, creating space in our schedules and hearts for those who don’t know the Lord, creating space in our groups for our neighbors and co-workers, and creating space in our lives for the poor and marginalized. Just as Christ came to us and welcomed us who were once outsiders, so the church can open its heart and doors to welcome those who don’t know him (Rom. 15:7). In Paul’s instructions for the church to embrace self-giving love for each other, he includes a strong exhortation to “show hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). Although this is a timeless practice for every generation of believers, hospitality is uniquely important in an isolated society. Every one of us has been the recipient of the hospitality of others, and now we extend that same hospitable spirit to the next generation of church visitors—and to our own neighbors, co-workers, and friends. This vision of hospitality is more than mere entertaining of course. Entertaining includes setting out our best food, showing off our home, and inviting our most attractive guests; it puts the focus on us. Hospitality, on the other hand, puts the focus on the other. Our role as Christians is to create space for those on the outside, demonstrating the welcoming embrace of Jesus himself. 6. Pray together. This may seem simple, even assumed, but to cultivate true Christian community, we will be wise to prioritize prayer together. If we are to be a truly spiritual community, and not just another social club or friend clique, we must pursue and enjoy God’s presence together. In the past two decades, nearly every Christian book on community I’ve read has used the phrase “do life together.” And I’m one of them. I’ve said this countless times. “It’s not enough to just go to church and community group; we can and should be doing life together.” And I do believe that. But I also believe that doing life together is not enough. Anyone can do life together and be unchanged by it—still just as impatient, unfriendly, greedy, or angry as before. Our goal as Christians is to glorify God through our conformity to Christ, to be gradually formed toward his character, love for others, and way of life. Thus, our relationships can and should do spiritual life together. As a result, praying together is an essential habit of Christlike relationships. If you want to grow closer to another believer, pray with them. Pray together in formal settings (a prayer meeting or small group) or in informal times. It might seem odd at first to be talking to a friend and stop and say, “Can I actually just pray with you right now?” But I can guarantee you that very rarely will they say no, and very rarely will you regret taking a few minutes to slow down and pray with a friend. 7. Stay, even when it’s hard. One of the sneaky challenges in our current age is the transience of our work culture. I’m not against an upward mobility that elevates individuals and families out of poverty, but when we commit ourselves to upward mobility, no matter the cost, something significant is lost again and again. If we are moving cities and communities every two to four years, it will be almost impossible to develop and maintain deep relationships. Similarly, if we are remaining in the same city but changing church communities every few years, the same loss may be felt. Early church scholar Joseph Hellerman puts it well in When the Church Was a Family: Spiritual formation occurs primarily in the context of community. People who remain connected with their brothers and sisters in the local church almost invariably grow in self-understanding. . . . Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay grow. Indeed, I have found this observation to be remarkably true: Those who stay grow. Sure, it will be harder and require seasons of patience and struggle. It may involve working through conflict with friends and others in your community. It might even mean passing up a promotion or raise. But it will be worth it in the long run. Stability is one of the most important elements in a growing, thriving spiritual life. Resisting Isolation As a pastor, I attend and officiate funerals on a semi-regular basis. Although every memorial service is a time of deep sadness, they also serve as rare moments of clarity. They remind us of what’s really important in life. I’ve been to memorial services where there were no more than eight people, and few had anything significant to say about the deceased person. It was brief and awkward. It was tragic. And I’ve been to memorial services with hundreds, even thousands, of people. I’ve seen person after person stand up and say, “This person was my best friend. She loved God and she loved me.” These funerals are incredible. The grief of the loss is joined by the celebration of a life well lived—with others, in powerful relationships. The memorial service of a Christian man or woman with hundreds of friends is a remarkable testimony to the power of the gospel in a lonely age. We don’t have to give in to the isolation and loneliness of our world. Another kind of life is available. Christ has welcomed us to himself, and he now invites us to welcome one another into deep, meaningful, non-superficial relationships. These relationships are possible, but they will take time and intentional effort. One day we’ll be able to look back on our life and see a vast family of people who know us and love us—and who feel known and loved by us. In Christ, true belonging is available. Through intentional pursuit and prayer, deep relationship is possible. Of course, our greatest need is to know and be known by God. But to be human is to also need friendship and community. Jeremy Linneman is the author of Why Do We Feel Lonely at Church?

The more one understands the key terms the apostle Paul chose to explain the gospel and its power for our lives, the deeper one’s experience will be with the gospel. Paul uses these terms throughout the book of Romans to describe the free gift of salvation and the resulting eternal transformation that is available to all who will believe and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sin. Atonement (Romans 3:25) This term speaks to the satisfaction of God’s holy wrath against sin. As God is purely holy, the sin that is present in all of our lives needs to be dealt with. It is an affront to our holy God. God is the Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25); we in our sin have broken his law. Because all people sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20), the consequence of human sin is the righteous judgment that God must exercise on unrepentant sinners. But punishment is not the end of the story: God sent his own Son, Jesus, to take that punishment on himself. By dying in our place and taking our sins on himself, Jesus has made “atonement,” once and for all time (Romans 6:10), for our sin: he satisfies God’s righteous anger against all who believe, making us “at one” with our Creator. Faith (Romans 1:17) Meaning “belief” or “trust,” faith is the means by which sinful people come into right standing with God. It is a complete and active trust in Jesus alone for salvation. When a person decides to accept the story of Jesus and the free gift of salvation for themselves, they take that first step of faith. As they live their lives and understand that the benefits of salvation bring life and joy and peace and perspective to their lives, their faith changes and grows. How does one take that first step? Paul tells us very succinctly when he writes, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). It is literally that simple. After we make that declaration, we can ask the Holy Spirit to work in our lives to change us to become more and more like Christ (see “Sanctification” below). Forgiveness (“forgiven,” Romans 4:7) Forgiveness is not a difficult term for most of us to understand. What we do understand, however, is how difficult it can be for us to forgive, in both small and large ways. Paul’s message to his readers in the book of Romans is that forgiveness of our sins—as impossible as this is to believe—is attainable through a simple act of submitting our minds and wills to God and accepting his free gift of salvation. When that happens, this becomes true of us and our sins: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he [God] removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). We’ve been forgiven much. So then why is it so hard to forgive others for the things that they’ve done, or not done, to us in our lives? Jesus comments on this when he says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:37-38). Paul adds, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). Hard to do? It can be. But as God chose to do a hard thing when he offered up his Son Jesus as a way for us to find forgiveness, so also, we can do hard things and forgive others. And once we do, we’ll see that forgiveness is more about finding our own freedom than it is somehow mystically bestowing it on to someone else. Gospel (Romans 1:16) Literally meaning “good news,” this is the word Paul uses to refer to the message of forgiveness, eternal life and the lordship of Christ. From the earliest beginnings of the Old Testament, the gospel’s message has always pointed to the coming of Jesus Christ. (For a summary of this message, see the martyr Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7:1-53.) Jesus highlighted these points when, after his resurrection, he was walking with two individuals on the road to Emmaus. As they walked and talked, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). This gospel message is the one that Paul and the apostles of Jesus risked, and very often lost, their lives to proclaim. This is the message that has been proclaimed through the centuries, giving the hope of eternal life to billions of people who have heard it and have chosen to believe it. Grace (Romans 6:14) “The unmerited favor of God.” This refers to God’s inexplicable and unwarranted giving of good things (especially salvation) to those who could never earn it. The concept of grace can be difficult to accept, but when an individual accepts that God is a loving Father who longs to give good gifts to his children (see Matthew 7:11), they start to understand the implications of God’s grace. The message of grace is simple: since we are steeped in sin, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. God graciously offers us the free gift of salvation as long as we are willing to humbly accept the reality that Christ’s death on the cross covers our sin. And while the concept is simple, trying to live every day in the reality of grace can be difficult. However, there is power for holy living in the grace of God. Through the internal work of his Holy Spirit, we have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Seriously. Paul declares this to be true of believers in Jesus: ”And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11). It’s that power—power that allows us to gratefully change our attitudes and actions and live a life that is pleasing to God and shows love toward others—that gives us new life both here on earth and after we die. Justification (Romans 5:18) This is a legal term that means “the act of being declared righteous.” This exchange happens at salvation when God the Judge declares righteous those who trust in Christ and his work at the cross. Our holy God, because of his purity, has to stand in judgment of sin. But rather than condemning every human who ever lived for their sin, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take on the punishment for the sins of those who believe. Imagine a courtroom scene in which you’re standing in front of the judge. He has you dead to rights—you know you committed the crime; there are many witnesses to that fact. You’ve been caught red-handed, and you know you’ve earned the punishment you have coming to you. This is true of all of us in the face of God’s holiness, but as the apostle John writes, “If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). This is the literal truth of the gospel message: Jesus’ blood, shed once for all time on the cross, has the capability to remove the punishment for all of human sin. All we need to do as individuals is to humble ourselves and believe that this is true, and we are forgiven. The profound implications of this have eternal ramifications. Law (Romans 13:8) The Law refers to the commandments given by God. This refers to the teachings of the Old Testament, in particular the Ten Commandments that Moses brought down the mountain, straight from the hand of God (read the story of this account in Exodus 19:1—20:21). The law that came from God is good, yet sinful people are incapable of fully keeping it. The law, then, is like a spotlight that serves to fully expose our sin. In that light, we see that we fall short of God’s requirements for our lives as humans. That’s why Paul emphasizes the law in comparison with God’s grace (Romans 5:20; 6:14–15). When we come to understand that God’s law, his rules for living, serve to emphasize the immense nature of his grace toward us in Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection, then we can move away from the idea that God is a vengeful deity who just wants to make our lives miserable. When we realize the enormous sin of which God has willingly forgiven us, we can continue to live our lives in a way that pleases him—not out of obligation because we “owe him” anything (again, we can’t earn our salvation); but rather out of thanksgiving for the free gift of salvation that he has offered to us through his one and only Son, Jesus. Reconciliation (“reconciled,” Romans 4:10) This word carries the idea of restoring a relationship with someone. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, uses this term many times to describe the way that God loves us and wants to restore a relationship between himself and the people who will accept his invitation. Romans 5 is a powerhouse chapter on this idea. In it Paul writes, You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (vv. 6-11). Please take some time to study and meditate on this term and on the passage above. This is the whole message of the Bible—that God wants to restore a relationship with those who will accept his gracious invitation. Redemption (Romans 3:23-24) What we experience when we are saved. This is “the act of freeing someone by paying a price,” an economic term Paul employed to show how God buys us back with the blood of his own Son. God, needing to find a way to pay for the sins of humanity, purchased our redemption—our forgiveness of sin—by sending his only Son Jesus to come and live on this earth, teach us how to live, be betrayed by one who was close to him, be unjustly accused and condemned and be nailed to a cross to die a horrific death. He willingly sent His Son to earth, knowing that Jesus would experience the very worst rejection and punishment imaginable. Again, in economic terms, God wanted to purchase our salvation because he loves us and wants to be in a relationship with each one of us. There was a high price associated with that purchase—one that each of us individually owed to God because of our willfulness and sin. And even though God knew that we would persist in our rebellion, he also knew that there were people who would accept his free offer of salvation and who would gratefully enter into a saving relationship with him through his Holy Spirit.’ That’s why he did it. That’s why he sent Jesus to pay that terrible price and defeat the power of death through his resurrection. Righteousness (Romans 1:17) As God buys us back, he gifts us with righteousness, “God’s standard of purity” or “God’s own truthfulness and faithfulness.” Amazingly, in the gospel we are not only forgiven, but we are also granted perfect purity in Christ. What does this purity give us? It puts those of us who have accepted God’s forgiveness on a par with God’s own Son. Again, we stand condemned in the face of a holy God because of our persistent sin. However, when God looks at us, all he sees is the perfect righteousness of Christ, hard-won through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The price that needed to be paid for our sin has indeed been paid, and when we accept Jesus’ work on our behalf, God sees us through Christ-colored glasses. Even more than that, he sees us as having the exact same righteousness as that of Jesus. So the question then becomes, if we have Jesus’ righteousness through Jesus’ salvation, why can’t we just go on and keep sinning? I mean, if Jesus’ blood covers one sin as well as another, doesn’t it make sense to just live like we want to and rely on Jesus’ advocacy when we finally meet our Maker? Paul comments on this exact question in Romans 6 when he writes, What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin (vv. 1-7). Let that teaching sink in. Our old self was “crucified with him,” with Jesus, up on that cross. It is dead and gone. Living a life of gratitude to God for his gracious salvation includes an understanding of that fact. The sin that has corrupted us and ruined our lives no longer has to rule our lives. We can walk away from it, experiencing the new life that Jesus offers right here, and right now. That’s incredible. Sanctification (“sanctified,” Romans 15:16) Points to a process of becoming more like Christ. When a person accepts the free gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit, when invited, works to help believers “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5), changing our attitudes and habits to reflect Jesus’ priorities as outlined in the Bible. Paul explains this process by saying that for the Christian, “sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). He goes on to write, What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:15-23). Think about these ideas as they apply to specific actions, habits, attitudes or relationships in your life that have led you into sin. Ask yourself honestly the question that Paul asks in this passage: “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” Can you think of any? Or have you experienced in your own life and body the truth that “Those things result in death”? The pursuit of a better life through the idea of a continuous process of sanctification is not evidence that God is some sort of celestial buzzkill. Rather, the offer of continually improving your life, of walking away from the sins of the past aided and assisted by the Holy Spirit of God, becomes more and more attractive the more the forgiven person spends in the presence of God and other sincere Christians. This is what recovery programs such as Celebrate Recovery are all about: God offers us a way out of our sinful habits, and he offers to help us live a better life here and now. That’s real hope in the face of the mess we can get ourselves into here on earth; that’s the benefit of sanctification. Salvation (Romans 1:16) Means “deliverance” or “healing” and is the word Paul most often uses to denote deliverance from sin and its deadly consequences. But why do we even need salvation? If our lives are going pretty well—we seem to be okay in our relationships, have been able to pay the bills lately, and we’re feeling pretty good about the way we’ve been living our lives—what’s the point of relying on someone else to save us? An excellent question, to be sure. The answer lies in many of the ideas that are outlined in this post. But there’s nothing more important to our eternal disposition—either within or outside of a relationship with the God who loves us—than grasping the reality of the next point. Whether we know it or feel it or realize it or not, we are sinners in need of salvation. Who says? God says. Keep reading. Sin (Romans 3:20) Means “missing the mark” or “disobedience to God’s law.” Sin is more than an action; it’s a condition that leads to disobedient action. Broadly defined, it’s the tendency of humans to rebel against God, which leads to any action or attitude that opposes God’s character and will. Just as judgment lies with God alone — He alone sets the standards of justice, righteousness and holiness in the universe according to his good character — so too does salvation lie with him. God alone has the power to truly save, for he saves his people from the very judgment that he will execute in the world. This salvation is accomplished through Jesus and Jesus alone; indeed, salvation was and is his mission on earth. God shows his eternal commitment to save those who trust in him through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. This is the equation to keep in mind: • We sin / God forgives. • We accept his forgiveness / God restores a relationship with us. • We try to pay for that forgiveness / God offers it freely. • We live a life that rejoices in the reality of God’s forgiveness of our sin / our lives on earth get better. • We die trusting in Christ alone for our salvation / God brings us home to live with him forever. An Invitation Through Jesus, the door is open to all who are willing to admit their need of cleansing and salvation in light of the holy standard of God. Those who submit themselves to that standard as revealed in God’s Word and come to him to accept this free gift will experience the benefits of this choice in this life (through inner peace, direction, perspective and gratitude, among many other things) as well as in the next. In coming to Jesus, we must first admit and confess our pride-filled sin of self-worship and self-lordship, accepting and owning the fact that we have rebelled against our true and right Master. Those who come to the cross with that confession on their lips will find the grace and mercy they need from him (John 1:14, 17; see also the story of the thief on the cross, Luke 23:39-43). Prayer Thank you, Jesus, for loving us and humbling yourself to come to earth. Thank you for sacrificing your life for our salvation. We accept your work on our behalf, and we gratefully look forward to one day seeing you face to face. Written by Mike Vander Klipp, a senior editor with the Zondervan Bible Group, where he’s been privileged to work for the past three decades. This article drawn and adapted from a framework that appears in The Jesus Bible, NIV.

Worship is a dominant theme from Genesis to Revelation because the God who created all things and redeemed us in Christ is worthy to receive all honor, praise, service, and respect (e.g., Exodus 15:1 – 18, Revelation 4:11). However, since certain expressions of worship are unacceptable to God (Genesis 4:3 – 5, Revelation 9:20 – 21), it is important for us to know what pleases God and how he wants us to respond to him. What he has revealed in Scripture should control and direct our worship. Three groups of words throughout the Bible convey aspects of what we commonly call “worship.” New Testament writers use these and related terms in a transformed way to show how Jesus has fulfilled for us the pattern of worship given to Israel. Worship as Homage or Grateful Submission to God The most common word for “worship” literally means “bend over” or “bow down.” It describes a gesture of respect or submission to human beings, to God, or to idols (e.g., Genesis 18:2, Exodus 20:4 – 6). Combined with other gesture-words, this term came to be used for the attitude of homage that the gesture represented. Sometimes people expressed homage to God with prayer or praise (Exodus 34:8 – 9) and sometimes with silent acceptance or submission (Judges 7:15). The book of Psalms contains many different expressions of worship, including lament, repentance, prayers for vindication, songs of thanksgiving, and praise. Bending over before the Lord as a gesture of homage or grateful submission became associated with sacrifice and public praise in Israel. In such contexts it could be a formal way of expressing devotion to or dependence on God (2 Chronicles 7:3 – 4, Nehemiah 8:6). But the gesture was meaningful only if it was motivated by a genuine desire to acknowledge God’s majesty and holiness and to live under his rule. The New Testament uses this terminology to show that Jesus Christ is worthy of the homage and devotion due to the Lord God of Israel (Matthew 14:33, Revelation 5:8 – 14). “Bending over to the Lord” now means responding with repentance and faith to the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9 – 13). Such worship involves praying to him, calling on his name, and obeying him. In John 4:20 – 24, a Samaritan woman inquires about the appropriate place to worship God, leading Jesus to speak more fundamentally about the way to worship acceptably. The Father is seeking “true worshipers” who “will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.” This fulfills the pattern of worship that God gave Israel under the Mosaic law. New covenant worship involves acknowledging Jesus as the one who finally and fully reveals the truth about the Father and his purpose for Israel and the nations (John 14:6). It also involves responding to the Spirit he gives to transform hearts and lives (John 3:5 – 8). Worship as Service to God Another group of biblical terms often translated “worship” literally means “serve” or “service.” The people of Israel were saved from slavery in Egypt so that they could serve the Lord (Exodus 8:1). The parallel expressions “offer sacrifices to the Lord”(Exodus 5:3) and “hold a festival” (Exodus 5:1) indicate that some form of ritual service was immediately in view. God later instituted through Moses a complex system of sacrifices and ceremonies so that Israel could serve God as his holy people (Exodus 19:5 – 6). For example, the Passover was a particular “service” to be observed in remembrance of the Lord’s saving work at the time of the exodus (Exodus 12:25 – 27). The ministry of priests and Levites was a specialized form of service to God. But God required a lifestyle of total allegiance from his people as a whole: service was meant to be expressed in everyday obedience (Deuteronomy 10:12 – 13). God strictly forbade bowing down and serving aspects of the creation or other gods; every temptation to idolatry and unfaithfulness was to be removed (Deuteronomy 5:8 – 9). The sacrificial system was given to Israel to enable cleansing from sin, consecration to God’s service, and expressions of gratitude to God (Leviticus 1 – 7). The New Testament describes Jesus’ death as “a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received through faith.” Only by this sacrifice can the wrath of God be averted (Romans 2:5). Christ’s unique sacrifice secures for believers all the blessings of the new covenant and enables them to serve him wholeheartedly with consciences cleansed from sin (Hebrews 10:11 – 22). In response to what God has done for us in Christ, we are to present our bodies to him as “a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). Christ’s obedience makes possible a new obedience for the people of God. Those who have been brought from death to life belong to God as a “living sacrifice.” This is “your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1), or as an alternate translation, “your understanding service.” Acceptable worship is the service rendered by those who truly understand the gospel and want to live out its implications in every sphere of life (Romans 12:2 – 21). The service rendered to God in everyday obedience is also the focus of Hebrews 12:28 – 29. The motivation and power for such service is the cleansing that comes from the finished work of Christ and the hope that his work sets before us. Gratitude expressed in service is evidence that people grasp and appreciate the grace of God. However, acceptable worship should also be characterized by “reverence and awe” because of the holiness and righteousness of God. In particular, Christians are to offer to God through Jesus “a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15). This could involve celebrating Christ as Savior and Lord in personal or corporate acts of praise, but the immediate context exhorts believers to acknowledge Christ in the world in the face of opposition and suffering. In its widest sense, this sacrifice of praise will be rendered by those who confess Jesus “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:13) in various forms of public testimony or evangelism. Allied to this, we are not to forget to do good and to share with others, “for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). Worship as Reverence or Respect for God A third group of terms sometimes describes worship – words meaning fear, reverence, or respect for God indicate the need to keep his commandments, obey his voice, walk in his ways, turn from evil, and serve him (Deuteronomy 6:13, Haggai 1:12, Deuteronomy 8:6, Proverbs 3:7, Deuteronomy 10:20). Sacrifice and other rituals expressed reverence for God, but faithfulness and obedience to the covenant demands of God in every sphere of life also distinguished true from false religion (Psalm 25:14). The New Testament indicates that humanity’s failure to fear God and show him proper respect brings his wrath (Romans 1:18 – 25). Only by being “redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ” can we be set free to serve God “in reverent fear” (1 Peter 1:17 – 21). Worship and Congregational Gatherings Worship in the Old Testament sometimes had a corporate expression, and this was meant to encourage God’s people to serve him faithfully in their individual lives (Jeremiah 7:1 – 29). The New Testament rarely applies the specific word “worship” to Christian meetings. Nevertheless, prayer, praise, and submission to God’s will were central to congregational gatherings (Acts 2:42 – 47, Colossians 3:16 – 17). Moreover, the link between ministry to others and service to God is clear in the way Paul uses worship terminology in a transformed way (Romans 15:16, 2 Corinthians 9:12 – 13). The New Testament is not prescriptive about the way we conduct our meetings, but it certainly provides guidelines and examples of Christians engaging with God together. Paul regularly uses the terminology of edification, rather than worship, to indicate the purpose and function of Christian gatherings (1 Corinthians 14:26). This imagery portrays the founding, maintaining, and advancing of the church as God’s “building” or holy “temple” (1 Corinthians 3:10 – 17). While all ministry responds to God’s grace and does not in any sense cultivate his favor, serving others is an aspect of our service or self-giving to God. Moreover, edification is the exalted Christ’s work in our midst through the gifts and ministries that he empowers and directs by his Spirit (Ephesians 2:20 – 22). Our task is to apply the truth of God in love to one another. It may be best to speak of congregational worship as a particular expression of the total life-response that is the worship described in the new covenant. In the giving and receiving of various ministries, we may encounter God and submit ourselves to him afresh in praise and obedience, repentance, and faith (Hebrews 10:24 – 25). Singing to God is an important aspect of corporate worship, but it is not the supreme or only way of expressing devotion to God. Ministry exercised for the building up of the body of Christ in teaching, exhorting, and praying is a significant way of worshiping and glorifying God. By David G. Peterson from an article in the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible.

1. Ephesians 2:8–9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Read More By grace refers to God’s favor upon those who have transgressed his law and sinned against him. But grace may also be understood as a “power” in these verses. God’s grace not only offers salvation but also secures it. Saved refers to deliverance from God’s wrath at the final judgment (Rom. 5:9); “by grace you have been saved” is repeated from Eph. 2:5 for emphasis. The verb form for “have been saved” (Gk. sesōsmenoi, perfect tense) communicates that the Christian’s salvation is fully secured. through faith. Faith is a confident trust and reliance upon Christ Jesus and is the only means by which one can obtain salvation. this. The Greek pronoun is neuter, while “grace” and “faith” are feminine. Accordingly, “this” points to the whole process of “salvation by grace through faith” as being the gift of God and not something that we can accomplish ourselves. This use of the neuter pronoun to take in the whole of a complex idea is quite common in Greek (e.g., 6:1); its use here makes it clear that faith, no less than grace, is a gift of God. Salvation, therefore, in every respect, is not your own doing. 2. Romans 5:20–21 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The typical Jewish view in Paul’s day was that God gave the law to counteract the sinful human impulse. In Judaism there was the proverb, “The more Torah the more life” (Mishnah, Aboth 2.7). But Paul points out that the law came in to increase the trespass, probably in the sense that once people had written laws from God, they committed not just “sins” against God’s law in their conscience, but, even more seriously, willful “trespasses” (Gk. paraptōma), like Adam’s first “trespass” against a clear spoken command directly from God. Hence, the surpassing excellence of Christ’s salvation is shown in that grace abounded even more than these increasing sins. 3. 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. My grace is sufficient. Paul says that God’s grace “is sufficient” (in the present tense), underscoring the ever-present availability and sufficiency of God’s grace, for Paul and for every believer, regardless of how critical one’s circumstances may be (cf. Rom. 8:31–39). my power is made perfect in weakness. Paul was not allowed to speak about his heavenly revelations (2 Cor. 12:4, 6) but he quotes Christ’s declaration (“My grace is sufficient”) to underscore that his earthly weaknesses (not his revelations) would be the platform for perfecting and demonstrating the Lord’s power . This is the main point of vv. 1–13 and the foundation of Paul’s self-defense throughout 2 Corinthians. 4. Hebrews 4:15–16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. sympathize. Jesus is able to identify with his people (cf. Heb.10:34) because of his human experience and the sufferings he endured while being tempted (Heb.2:10–18, esp. Heb. 2:17–18). tempted. The Greek (peirazō) can refer either to temptation intended to bring one down or to testing designed to build one up; both connotations probably apply here (cf. Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 22:28). without sin*. Though Jesus was tempted in every respect, that is, in every area of personal life, he (unlike every other human) remained sinless, and thus he is truly the holy high priest (Heb. 7:26–28; cf. 5:2–3). In their temptations, Christians can be comforted with the truth that nothing that entices them is foreign to their Lord. He too has felt the tug of sin, and yet he never gave in to such temptations. 5. John 1:16–17 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Grace indicates God’s (unmerited) favor that brings blessing and joy. Grace and truth most likely recalls the Hebrew behind the phrase “steadfast love [Hb. hesed] and faithfulness [Hb. ’emet]” in Ex. 34:6 (cf. Ex. 33:18–19), where the expression refers to God’s covenant faithfulness to his people Israel. According to John, God’s covenant faithfulness found ultimate expression in his sending of his one-of-a-kind Son, Jesus Christ. The contrast is not that the Mosaic law was bad and Jesus is good. Rather, both the giving of the law and the coming of Jesus Christ mark decisive events in the history of salvation. In the law, God graciously revealed his character and righteous requirements to the nation of Israel. Jesus, however, marked the final, definitive revelation of God’s grace and truth. He was superior to Abraham (John 8:53), Jacob (John 4:12), and Moses (John 5:46–47; cf. John 9:28). 6. Acts 15:10–11 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. The rabbis often used the metaphor of a yoke with reference to the law, and Peter’s reference to “yoke” here refers not just to circumcision but to the whole of the Mosaic law. By speaking of the law as an unbearable yoke, Peter was not denying that the law was God’s gift to Israel. Rather, he was arguing that Israel was unable to fulfill it perfectly and that salvation could not be obtained through the law (cf. Rom. 2:17–24). Only one means of salvation exists for both Jew and Gentile: God’s “grace” (Acts 15:11) in Jesus Christ. Paul also refers to any requirement to keep the OT laws as “a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). By contrast, Jesus calls people to take his new “yoke” upon them, a yoke that is easy (see note on Matt. 11:29). 7. James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” God’s grace will be extended to those who are humble before him; cf. Prov. 3:34 (cf. also James 4:10; 1 Pet. 5:5). God opposes means he resists and sends judgment, for the proud have chosen the praise and the methods of the world and are acting as God’s enemies (James 4:4). 8. Romans 6:14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. sin will have no dominion over you. This is not a command but a promise that sin will not triumph in the lives of Christians. Because they live in the new era of fulfillment, they are no longer under the old era of redemptive history; that is, they are no longer under law, where the Mosaic law and sin ruled over God’s people. By contrast, under grace means living under the new covenant in Christ, in an era characterized by grace (cf. Rom.3:24; Rom.4:16; Rom.5:2, 15–21). 9. 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. grace of God. Paul considered his conversion from “persecutor” to “apostle to the Gentiles” to be a free and wholly undeserved gift of God (Rom. 15:15–16; Gal. 1:15; 2:9; Eph. 3:7–8; Phil. 1:9; 1 Tim. 1:14). God’s grace did not lead to passivity, however, for it prompted hard work on Paul’s part. 10. Titus 2:11–14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Gospel Basis. Paul gives the theological basis for the lifestyles he has described in Titus 2:1–10. Christians should live this way because (“for”) the grace of God that saves also instructs its recipients to live in a new way. One cannot truly claim to be a recipient of saving grace without also being a pupil of “training grace.” This change in lifestyle is rooted in the atonement (Titus 2:14) and the expectation of Christ’s return (Titus 2:13). Bringing salvation for all people is sometimes misunderstood as meaning that all people will be saved. However, such a reading is not necessary here and flatly contradicts other Scripture. It means, rather, that salvation has been offered to all people (including all ethnic groups), not just to some. Saving grace teaches its recipients to say no to sin and yes to godliness. In the present age stresses that this godliness is to be lived out in the here and now. It also sets up the reference to the future return of Christ (Titus 2:13). Certainty about the future enables constancy in the present. The Greek for waiting (prosdechomai) often carries a connotation of eagerness. Eagerly expecting the return of Christ is the way grace trains Christians to renounce sin and live in a godly way (Titus 2: 11–12). Setting one’s mind on the truth of Christ’s return impels a person to holiness (see 1 John 3:2–3). Our blessed hope means Christ’s second coming, which Paul calls the appearing of … our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. It may seem unclear whether Paul refers here to two persons of the Godhead (God the Father and Jesus Christ) or whether he describes Jesus as God and Savior. The Greek grammar, however, is well reflected in this translation and indicates that Jesus is being identified as “our great God and Savior” (cf. John 1:1; 20:28; etc.). Paul anchors his call for godliness in the fact that one purpose of Jesus’ death was to make his people holy. To forsake godliness is to despise the sacrifice of Christ. Paul roots this in the OT with the phrase to redeem us from all lawlessness, which in Greek closely resembles the Septuagint of Ps. 130:8. A people for his own possession translates an unusual phrase (Gk. laon periousion) with intentional echoes from the OT (see esp. Ex. 19:5; Mal. 3:17). It has the sense of “prized, treasured possession.” These people are to be zealous for good works, so again redemption is tied specifically to living in a godly manner. There is no room for claiming to be redeemed while providing no evidence of practical transformation (see James 2:14–26). This article is part of the Key Bible Verses series.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 - 7. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. The Affliction of the Thorn Here Paul introduces the thorn in the flesh that afflicted him in the wake of his heavenly experience. We today might picture a small rosebush thorn, but the term used (Gk. skolops) could designate objects as large as a stake on which one might be impaled. The thorn generated more than mere annoyance; it generated agony corresponding to the glory of what Paul had seen in the highest heaven. Though the thorn was (presumably) introduced into Paul’s life fourteen years prior, verses 8–10 give every indication that it is still a present reality and thus represents a prolonged, sustained pain. But what was the thorn? Speculation does us no good. We do not know. And that is just as well, lest those whose afflictions are of a different nature than Paul’s feel disqualified from applying his teaching to their own hearts. Probably Paul was intentionally vague, not only for maximal application but also to prevent spotlighting his own life any more than necessary. Paul’s point is not the content of the thorn but its intent. And what is that intent? Paul’s humility: “to keep me from becoming conceited.” The verb here (Gk. hyperairōmai) means to be lifted up. The thorn’s purpose is to deflate the certainty that Paul would quietly become puffed up over his indescribable experience of heaven. And who would not, without a thorn to burst that bubble? And so the Lord lovingly, gently, sovereignly afflicts his dear apostle. Or was it the Lord? Does the text not ascribe the thorn to Satan or one of his emissaries? Indeed. The thorn was given to “harass” Paul — surely the work of the Devil. Yet surrounding this desire to harass is a purpose to humble Paul, mentioned twice, once at the beginning of the verse and once at the end. Satan’s purpose is sandwiched within God’s. In a mysterious overlay of divine sovereignty and evil, even satanic activity falls within the scope of God’s sovereign purposes. God is not the author of evil in such a way that renders him morally culpable. He is incapable of doing anything that is morally tainted. Yet even the evilest act of human history was ordained by God (Acts 2:23; 4:27–28). So too with lesser evils. Pleading with the Lord So Paul did in 2 Corinthians, 12:8 what any of us would do: he asked for the thorn to be removed. Just as the “third” heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) likely refers to the heaven of heavens, the heart of heaven, so “three times” likely means Paul pleaded with the Lord to exhaustion. He did not make the request more than twice but fewer than four times. Rather, it was a complete, comprehensive, full request. He did not ask timidly or passingly. The very verb he uses, “I pleaded” (using parakaleō), not simply “I asked,” already makes this clear. That Paul pled with the Lord to have the thorn removed is further proof that the Lord was the one providentially behind the giving of the thorn. Paul saw two ways forward. The Lord could (1) remove the thorn, and Paul could get on with life and ministry, or (2) leave the thorn, and Paul would be forever crippled and slowed in life and ministry. The Lord responded with yet a third option: leave the thorn, but give Paul grace. And for Paul’s life and ministry, this would net out as taking Paul places in terms of divine power he could never have attained otherwise. This is God’s secret strategy for his people. This is the surprising way into power from on high. God’s “grace” here is not primarily objective, forgiving grace (as in, say, Rom. 3:24). Rather, Paul is using “grace” more broadly as shorthand for the presence of God—sustaining, empowering, calming, supporting, comforting, emboldening, satisfying. “My grace is sufficient for you” means “I am sufficient for you.” Why, then, use the word “grace”? Because the Lord sought to reassure Paul that he need not earn or deserve God’s presence. It is of grace. This grace is further clarified by the next clause: “for my power is made perfect in weakness.” It is a grace that channels divine power. The presence of God will sustain Paul; the power of God will strengthen him. What we must not miss is that it is not Paul’s strength but God’s. Paul’s contribution is weakness. But this is not a concession; it is precisely what God needs. This is the mystery, the wonder, the glory, of apostolic Christianity: our weakness attracts, not repels, God’s own power. Our lowness and incapacities, which we naturally fear and flee, are precisely where God loves to dwell. A Renewed Understanding of Weakness As a result, Paul’s pursuits are flipped upside down. He had been given a revelation of heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:1–6. But he has been given a revelation of how heaven intersects with fallen sinners in verses 7–10, namely, through human weakness. The first revelation brought him way up high; the second, way down low (perhaps Paul had his heavenly vision and his thorn in the flesh in mind when he said in Romans 8:39 that neither “height nor depth” can “separate us from the love of God in Christ”). And this second revelation has inverted his source of boasting. Instead of building his identity on his areas of strength, he builds his identity on the very weakness the world and the flesh eschew. Competence is not where God’s power lies. Frailty is. Feebleness. For there God’s grace ignites. There God himself dwells. Indeed, Paul uses ancient language to speak of God’s power as resting upon him. The verb for “rest” (Gk. episkēnoō) is built on the root word for tabernacle, the portable temple in which alone God’s presence dwelt in times of old. But while God’s power was once cordoned off from all weak and defiled sinners, now it is precisely the weakness of sinners that draws in the power of God. Once more we see Paul quietly indicating that the new age has dawned in Christ. And in this new age, God’s power does not operate the way we expect. In 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul comes to his triumphant conclusion to his thorn experience. This is also probably the high point of the entire letter. This verse crystallizes and illuminates Paul’s entire argument in 2 Corinthians. Having seen now the secret to the power of Christ tabernacling upon him, Paul fills out what he means in verse 9 by “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses.” What kind of weaknesses? Paul answers with a list of five categories of increasing intensity of difficulty: (1) Weaknesses (Gk. astheneiai; also 2 Cor. 11:30; 12:9 [2x]): the general, summarizing category, denoting all fallen human incapacities (2) Insults (Gk. hybreis): mistreatment by others, whether with words or actions (3) Hardships (Gk. anankai): experiences that squeeze Paul, forcing him to uncomfortable limits (4) Persecutions (Gk. diōgmoi): afflictions at the hands of hostile enemies (5) Calamities (Gk. stenochōriai): truly overwhelming experiences, devastating circumstances Paul says that he is “content with” (Gk. eudokeō) these things, but the Greek verb is stronger than that. It means to “be well pleased with” or to “delight in” something and is used, for example, of the Father’s being “well pleased” with the Son in Matthew 3:17. Paul is not saying he is merely “content” with every mortal weakness that renders him frail and seemingly vulnerable. He steps into them. He embraces them. This is a tone not of resignation but of eagerness. To be clear, this is not masochism. Paul does not delight in the weaknesses in themselves. This is clarified by his addition of “for the sake of Christ.” Paul delights in weakness because it opens him up to heaven’s blessings and strength. His spiritual power surges forward. And so, to sum up: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul refers not simply to isolated and occasional experiences of weakness, in which case strength ignites. The Greek word here rendered “when” (hotan) suggests that he has in mind a perpetual state of weakness, and thus a perpetual state of receiving divine strength. Paul saw now that his weakness was not an obstacle to but the gateway for God’s strength. God’s Power in Us Ability, strength, and success feel safe. But they are deadly dangerous, creating conceit. Inability, weakness, and failure feel dangerous. But they are safe ground, creating humility. Beyond this, our lowly weakness physically, psychologically, intellectually, educationally, and even spiritually is precisely the catalyst for divine power. Power for what? For calm, for growth, for joy, for communion with God, for evangelistic unction, for our preaching to sing. In short, for fruitfulness in the Christian life. Jesus himself taught, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Do we long for our lives to make a difference for Christ? We ought not be discouraged by our smallness, our foibles, our past, our stumbling. We can take these things and offer them to God. He can do far more with these than with our areas of strength. This does not mean we are consciously to avoid exercising the areas where we are strong (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4–11). It means that as we exercise our areas of gifting or strength, we do so in a conscious awareness of our spiritual impotence to bring any lasting fruit out of our own strength or cleverness. More than this, it means that when life goes into meltdown, when our feet are swept out from under us with the perplexing surprises of life, we do not throw in the towel. We return afresh to God. That moment of life implosion, taken to Christ, is where we will finally get traction and power in our Christian lives. Our agony is where God himself lives. Would we rather have the mountaintop experience without God or the valley experience with him? This article is by Dane C. Ortlund and is adapted from ESV Expository Commentary: Romans–Galatians (Volume 10).

Jesus spoke the beatitudes, or blessings, to a large crowd who had gathered to hear him speak. These people had heard of the wonder-working prophet who was making his way around the countryside, and they came to see Jesus for themselves. What did the crowd look like who heard these words for the first time? Matthew 4:23–25 reads, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him” (emphasis added). People from a wide-ranging area had heard about Jesus and his miracles, so they flocked to see who this man was, what he had to say, and to discover whether he could help them. These people were hurting. They were looking for relief for their physical ailments, but they were also looking for encouragement in the midst of their social and political woes. Likely a large portion of the crowd who thronged to Jesus that day consisted of observant Jews who understood that there was coming a historical figure of whom the prophets had spoken and written about. This individual would one day restore order and rule to those who followed the one and only God. These Jewish people longed for the day when their earthly situation would be made right once again. They had learned about the glory days in Jewish history: the days during the reigns of David and Solomon, when Israel was a wealthy, self-governing political power. And they longed for these distant days to be realized again. Encouraging Words for the Oppressed When Jesus walked the earth, God’s chosen people suffered under the rule of an overwhelmingly strong occupying force. Rome was the dominant political presence in the region, and the soldiers that they saw in the streets every day treated the residents of the Holy Land like any occupying force would: they were brutally efficient in maintaining order, and they exacted a heavy toll on the population. Literally every family in Israel saw and felt the impact that foreign rule had on them. They were cowed and humbled under this harsh regime and were looking for relief. When would God put everything right again? Jesus’ words as recorded in Matthew 5 must have come to them as a puzzling but welcome announcement. Whether or not this ragged, miracle-working prophet wandering the countryside with his band of disciples was the promised Messiah, his words spoke to the hearts of an oppressed and broken population. Read these verses with this background in mind: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” — Matthew 5:3–12 Surely Jesus’ words to the crowd that day instilled hope in their hearts. His words resonated with passages that they had heard in the teachings on which they had been raised, such as the words the prophet Isaiah had spoken to the people of Israel some 700 years before: “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” — Isaiah 9:1–7 Jesus came working miracles, healing the sick, restoring the disabled, and teaching a message of hope. On hearing his teaching, the gathered masses must have wondered, could they be on the cusp of the historic reversal of their fortunes for which they had been waiting for centuries? We who have the perspective of thousands of years and the New Testament at our disposal know that there was definitely kingdom work at hand when Jesus spoke these words. Let’s take a closer look at the structure of the beatitudes. What Are the Beatitudes? This series of blessings that Jesus pronounced at the beginning of his ministry described the present and coming kingdom of God. Kingdom beatitudes also occur in Luke 6:20–22, and Jesus speaks general blessings on other occasions such as in Matthew 11:6, Luke 11:28, and John 20:29. The first and eighth beatitudes in Matthew envelop the others with the promise of the kingdom itself (Matthew 5:3,10). The first beatitude in Luke also promises the kingdom (Luke 6:20). In all four blessings in Luke and the first four in Matthew, the most unlikely of people are pronounced blessed—the poor, the hungry, the meek. They are downtrodden and tired, yet because they have lived to see the day of God’s benevolent rule being established in this world, Jesus pronounces them blessed. Jesus confirms what they have hoped for all along: as God comes to reign, he will right all wrongs, and everyone who lives to see and welcome his rule—even and especially the downtrodden—will be blessed. The second four beatitudes in Matthew 5 focus on those who join in God’s great restoration and reversal-work of mercy and justice. Jesus pronounces blessings on those who enact mercy, integrity, peace, and righteousness or justice (Matthew 5:7–10). The pronouncements or promises express reversals of expectation—those who are hungry will be satisfied, those who mourn will be comforted and laugh, and those who are meek will inherit the whole earth. As God’s reign is established in this world, its effects will be life-changing for those who most need mercy and justice and for all those who share in Jesus’ ministry. What Kind of Kingdom Were the People Looking For? In Biblical languages, the term translated into English as “kingdom” usually meant “reign,” “rule,” or “authority.” Jewish people recognized that God reigned as king over the world he created (Psalm 22:28; 145:12–13; Daniel 4:3,34). Some felt that they affirmed this when they regularly recited the Shema, acknowledging that there was just one true God: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). But while Jewish people acknowledged God’s present rule, most looked for God’s unchallenged reign in the age to come (Daniel 2:44–45; 7:14,27). Many prayed regularly for God’s future kingdom—for him to reign unopposed, to fulfill his purposes of justice and peace for the world. One familiar prayer that came to be prayed daily was the Kaddish, which in its ancient form began: “Exalted and hallowed be his great name … May he cause his kingdom to reign.” By Jesus’ day, many were familiar with Daniel’s prophecy about four kingdoms that would rise and fall, and they believed the fourth and final kingdom represented in those writings to be the current Roman Empire (Daniel 2:37–43). Daniel prophesied that in the time of that fourth kingdom, God would establish an eternal kingdom, overthrowing the other ones (Daniel 2:44). This kingdom belonged to a “son of man,” a human one, whose rule was associated with the deliverance of God’s people and contrasted with the preceding empires that were compared with beasts (Daniel 7:12–14,17–18,21–22). Daniel spoke of these truths as “mysteries” (Daniel 2:28–29; cf. 2:47). Thus, it is not surprising that the Gospels speak of the “secret” or “secrets” of the kingdom (Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10). All these things were the backdrop for the words this crowd heard Jesus speak that day. The Beatitudes for Us Today When Jesus spoke these words, he introduced these revolutionary concepts to a people who desperately needed to hear them. The oppressed people lined up with hopes and dreams, and these teachings connected to their hearts in a way that far surpassed their hopes for mere physical healing, as important as that was to all who came to Jesus. But what do the beatitudes mean for us today? Jesus’ words are no less radical to those today who read or hear them for the first time. For all of our modern conveniences and medical advances, the world is still a sin-stricken place filled with suffering brought on by dark social, political, and physical realities. What kinds of things weigh on your heart today? Are you suffering under the weight of physical disability? Of a frightening diagnosis? Of financial stress? Read Jesus’ words from Matthew 5 again with your personal struggles in mind. Jesus came to introduce the kingdom of God to all who would believe in him and accept God’s offer of eternal life. Through the work of the Holy Spirit and the community of faith, the kingdom of heaven breaks into our dark world bringing relief and encouragement for our hearts and minds today. Jesus offers life and peace and perspective that allows us to rise above our current circumstances; his words instill hope for eternity that fills our minds with anticipation for what is to come, and with real power for living our lives in the everyday hope that the Bible offers. Be encouraged. Jesus is leading the kingdom of God and directing its growth in the world today. Despite the darkness and perversity of this world, God is still very much in control and is working to establish his rule and reign in the hearts and circumstances of those who choose to follow him. Written by Mike Vander Klipp, a senior editor with the Zondervan Bible Group, where he’s been privileged to work for the past three decades. Some of the content is adapted from the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition and the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.

The following is an excerpt from “Liberty Further Extended,” a manuscript that Lemuel Haynes penned in 1776 which attacked the slave trade and upheld the liberty that is equally precious to each and every person. The essay is included in its entirety in Selected Sermons, part of the Crossway Short Classics series. Liberty as a Jewel As tyranny had its origin from the infernal regions, so it is the duty and honor of every son of freedom to repel her first motions. But while we are engaged in the important struggle, it cannot be thought impertinent for us to turn one eye into our own breast for a little moment and see whether through some inadvertency or a self-contracted spirit we do not find the monster lurking in our own bosom, that now while we are inspired with so noble a spirit and becoming zeal, we may be disposed to tear her from us. If the following would produce such an effect, the author should rejoice. It is evident, by ocular demonstration, that man by his depravity has procured many corrupt habits that are detrimental to society. And although there is a way prescribed whereby man may be reinstated into the favor of God, yet these corrupt habits are not extirpated, nor can the subject of renovation boast of perfection, till he leaps into a state of immortal existence. Yet it has pleased the majesty of heaven to exhibit his will to men and endow them with an intellect that is susceptible of speculation. Yet, as I observed before, man, in consequence of the fall, is liable to digressions. But to proceed. Liberty and freedom are innate principles that are unmovebly placed in the human species, and to see a man aspire after them is not enigmatical, seeing he acts no ways incompatible with his own nature. Consequently, he who would infringe upon a man’s liberty may reasonably expect to meet with opposition, seeing the defendant cannot comply to nonresistance unless he counteracts the very laws of nature. Liberty is a jewel that was handed down to man from the cabinet of heaven and is coequal with his existence. And as it proceeds from the supreme legislature of the universe, so it is he who has a sole right to take it away. Therefore, he that would take away a man’s liberty assumes a prerogative that belongs to another and acts out of his own domain. One man may boast a superiority above another in point of natural privilege; yet if he can produce no convincing arguments in vindication of this preeminence, his hypothesis is to be suspected. To affirm that an Englishman has a right to his liberty is a truth that has been so clearly evinced, especially of late, that to spend time in illustrating this would be but superfluous tautology. But I query whether liberty is so contracted a principle as to be confined to any nation under heaven; nay, I think it not hyperbolical to affirm that even an African has equally as good a right to his liberty in common with Englishmen. The Origin of Privilege I know that those who are concerned in the slave trade do pretend to bring arguments in vindication of their practice; yet if we give them a candid examination, we shall find them (even those of the most cogent kind) to be essentially deficient. We live in a day wherein liberty and freedom are the subjects of many millions’ concern, and the important struggle has already caused great effusion of blood. Men seem to manifest the most sanguine resolution not to let their natural rights go without their lives go with them—a resolution, one would think, everyone that has the least love for his country or future posterity would fully confide in. Yet while we are so zealous to main tain and foster our own invaded rights, it cannot be thought impertinent for us to candidly reflect on our own conduct, and I doubt not but that we shall find that subsisting in the midst of us that may with propriety be styled oppression, nay, much greater oppression than that which Englishmen seem so much to spurn at. I mean an oppression that they themselves impose upon others. It is not my business to inquire into every particular practice that is practiced in this land that may come under this odious character. But what I have in view is humbly to offer some free thoughts on the practice of slave keeping. Oppression is neither spoken of nor ranked in the sacred oracles among the least of those sins that are the procuring cause of those signal judgments that God is pleased to bring upon the children of men. Therefore let us attend. I mean to write with freedom, yet with the greatest submission. And the main proposition that I intend for some brief illustration is this, namely, that an African— or, in other terms, that a Negro—may justly challenge and has an undeniable right to his freedom and liberty. Consequently, the practice of slave keeping that so much abounds in this land is illicit. Every privilege that mankind enjoys has its origin from God, and whatever acts are passed in any earthly court that are derogatory to those edicts that are passed in the court of heaven, the act is void. If I have a particular privilege granted to me by God and the act is not revoked nor the power that granted the benefit vacated (as it is impossible but that God should ever remain immutable), then he who would infringe upon my benefit assumes an unreasonable and tyrannic power. It has pleased God to “ma[k]e of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). And as all are of one species, so there are the same laws and aspiring principles placed in all nations; and the effects that these laws will produce are similar to each other. Consequently, we may suppose that what is precious to one man is precious to another, and what is irksome or intolerable to one man is so to another, considered in a law of nature. Therefore we may reasonably conclude that liberty is equally as precious to a Black man as it is to a White one,and bondage equally as intolerable to the one as it is to the other, seeing as it affects the laws of nature equally as much in the one as it does in the other. But, as I observed before, those privileges that are granted to us by the Divine Being, no one has the least right to take from us without our consent; and there is not the least precept or practice in the sacred Scriptures that constitutes a Black man a slave any more than a White one. Shall a man’s color be the decisive criterion whereby to judge of his natural right? Or, because a man is not of the same color with his neighbor, shall he be deprived of those things that distinguish him from the beasts of the field? I would ask, whence is it that an Englishman is so far distinguished from an African in point of natural privilege? Did he receive it in his original constitution? Or by some subsequent grant? Or does he boast of some higher descent that gives him this preeminence? For my part I can find no such revelation. It is a lamentable consequence of the fall that mankind has an insatiable thirst after superiority one over another, so that however common or prevalent the practice may be, it does not amount, even to a circumstance, that the practice is warrantable. God has been pleased to distinguish some men from others as to natural abilities but not as to natural right as they came out of his hands. But sometimes men by their flagitious practice forfeit their liberty into the hands of men by becoming unfit for society. But have the African sever as a nation forfeited their liberty in this manner? Whatever individuals have done, yet, I believe, no such challenge can be made upon them as a body. As there should be some rule whereby to govern the conduct of men, so it is the duty and interest of a community to form a system of law that is calculated to promote the commercial interest of each other, and as long as it produces so blessed an effect, it should be maintained. But when, instead of contributing to the well-being of the community, it proves baneful to its subjects over whom it extends, then it is high time to call it in question. Should any ask where we shall find any system of law whereby to regulate our moral conduct, I think there is none so explicit and indefinite as that which was given by the blessed Savior of the world: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them” (see Matt. 7:12). One would think that the mention of the precept would strike conviction to the heart of these slave traders—unless an avaricious disposition governs the laws of humanity. If we strictly adhere to the rule, we shall not impose anything upon others but what we should be willing to have imposed upon us were we in their condition. I shall now go on to consider the manner in which the slave trade is carried on, by which it will plainly appear that the practice is vile and atrocious as well as the most inhuman. It is undoubtedly true that those who emigrate slaves from Africado endeavor to raise mutinies among them in order to procure slaves. Here I would make use of some extracts from a pamphlet printed in Philadelphia a few years ago, the veracity of which need not be scrupled, seeing it agrees with many other accounts. Every privilege that mankind enjoys has its origin from God . . . This article is adapted from Selected Sermons by Lemuel Haynes. Lemuel Haynes (1753–1833) was a Reformed minister and theologian from West Hartford, Connecticut. Born to an unknown White woman and African-American man, he spent the first twenty years of his life as an indentured servant. In 1785, Haynes became the first African-American preacher ordained in the United States and later received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Middlebury College.

Community and Mission A church is not just a truth-dispensing center but a spiritual family. As Paul explains why he’s written his first letter to Timothy, he provides this theologically concentrated definition of the church: “If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). A friend of mine was walking past a church as its service was concluding. As the people poured out of the building, he noticed that none of them were talking together. There were no conversations. Whatever this congregation had come for, they’d come for it individually, and they’d gotten it, and now they were leaving. The presence of the rest of the congregation was apparently incidental. Sadly, it appeared to be a privatized spirituality. But that’s not the spirituality of the New Testament. The church is the household of God, so we can expect relationships, interaction, and shared identity to be fundamental aspects of its life. Moreover, because this is the church of the living God, we can expect the family dynamics of this community to be energized by the life of God himself. This is relevant given the final definition of a church in these verses. Paul goes on to say that the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth. Pillars and buttresses support large buildings. On vacation last summer, I visited Palma Cathedral on the Spanish island of Mallorca. It’s one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world, and it has beautiful pillars and buttresses. They’re essential for a building of its size and dimensions, but they aren’t just functional, they’re ornate. They’re part of the beauty of the building they support. A church is to be the same for God’s truth. It is not that the truth needs a church’s stamp of approval. Nor is it simply that a church is the outlet for God’s truth in the world (though that is true). Far more, a church validates and embodies God’s truth in the world. The beauty of community in a church is meant to be a plausibility structure for the gospel, lifting its social visibility as a pillar, reinforcing its persuasive power as a buttress. A church makes the gospel known and even compelling. And it will not be a captivating voice for the truth if it is not living as a beautiful family. Jesus himself shows us this when he says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). If we didn’t already know how it ended, we might instinctively complete this sentence differently. In our heart of hearts, we sometimes believe the world will know we’re Jesus’s disciples if we’re more impressive than our surrounding culture, if we have a mic-drop answer to every skeptic’s question, if our people seem more put together than everyone else, or if our preacher is always telegenic and our music team always gives a virtuoso performance. But Jesus puts his emphasis elsewhere. What will most clearly show the presence of heaven on earth—that God is alive and well and right here—is our love for one another. Our shared love is not an afterthought, as though what really mattered were these other things and our love for one another was added as a bonus. No, the quality of our relational life in our churches is to be an apologetic for the world around us. As Francis Schaeffer once wrote, “Jesus is giving the world permission to judge whether we are true Christian disciples on the basis of whether we love one another.” Jesus expresses a similar idea in his prayer just a few hours later: The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:22–23) This is a sacred moment. We are listening in to the eternal Son as he prays to the eternal Father. He prays for us. We are the “them” to whom Jesus refers. We are those who would come to believe through his apostles’ message. And what does Jesus pray for? He prays for our unity, praying that the oneness he and the Father share will mark his people as well, that we would “become perfectly one.” What’s astonishing is the impact Jesus prays our loving unity will have. He’s not praying for our sakes alone. No, Jesus prays for our unity “so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” In our love for one another, the world around us is meant to see evidence that Jesus has been sent from heaven. They’re meant to see that something of the eternal love that the Father has for the Son now rests on us. Our love for one another is not only meant to be clearly observable by the watching world. It’s to be so strikingly Godlike that it cannot be explained except by the reality of the gospel. The gospel doctrines of the incarnation (“you sent me”) and of justification (“and loved them”) will become more visible and nonignorable through the love we show one another in Christ. The church is the household of God, so we can expect relationships, interaction, and shared identity to be fundamental aspects of its life. This article is adapted from You're Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Churches by Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry.

1. Acts 2:42–47 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 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. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Read More The Christian Community Shares a Life in Common. This is the first extensive “summary” in Acts. It depicts a number of activities characteristic of the earliest church. The early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, which would have included Jesus’ earthly teaching plus what he taught the apostles in his 40 days of resurrection appearances. Fellowship (Gk. koinōnia, “participation, sharing”) included the sharing of material goods (Acts 2:44), the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46), which likely covers both the Lord’s Supper and a larger fellowship meal, and prayers in house meetings and likely also in the temple (Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46). all things in common. Though some people have referred to this situation as “early communism,” this is clearly not the case, since (1) the giving was voluntary and not compelled by the government, and (2) people still had personal possessions, because they still met in “their homes” (v. 46) and many other Christians after this still owned homes (see 12:12; 17:5; 18:7; 20:20; 21:8, 16; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2; 2 John 10). Further, Peter told Ananias and Sapphira that they did not have any obligation to sell their property and give away the money (Acts 5:4). In contrast to communist theory, the abolition of private property is not commanded or implied here. (See 1 Tim. 6:17–19; but also 1 Tim. 6:6–10.) On the other hand, there is a voluntary generosity in sharing possessions that is seen as commendable. 2. 1 Timothy 3:14–15 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Read More In this very significant verse, Paul states his reason for writing 1 Timothy, providing one of the key NT descriptions of the church’s identity and mission. The use of household (Gk. oikos) and related words to describe the church and its ministry is common in Paul (cf. 1 Cor. 4:1; Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19; as well as 1 Tim. 3:4–5, 1 Tim. 3: 12, 1 Tim. 3: 15; 1 Tim. 5:4, 1 Tim. 5:8, 1 Tim. 5:14; cf. 1 Pet. 4:17). It describes the church as God’s family, especially with reference to authority and responsibility within the church and the home. The stress is on God’s authority over the church and the behavior of people in the church. Church of the living God highlights the church as the gathering (Gk. ekklēsia, “assembly”) where God most clearly manifests his presence. Thus, references to God as the “living God” in Scripture often refer to his reality and presence in the community of believers (cf. Num. 14:28; Josh. 3:10; Matt. 16:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; Heb. 3:12; Heb. 9:14; Heb. 10:31). Identifying the church as a pillar and buttress of the truth is a way of saying that God has entrusted to the church the task of promoting and protecting the gospel (i.e., “the truth”; see note on 1 Tim. 2:4). The architectural imagery presents the church’s responsibility of “holding up” the gospel before a watching world, probably with a view to repelling the attack of false teaching. This picture of the church is striking. The role of advancing the gospel is divinely given to the church, not (at least not in the same way) to any other body. Parachurch organizations have value, but they must support and not supplant the church. 3. Romans 12:4–5 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Read More The diversity and unity of the church is illustrated by comparison to the human body. Just as the human body is one with many members (lit., body parts, limbs), so the church is united though it is composed of many members. On the theme of the church as the body of Christ, see also 1 Corinthians 12 and Eph. 4:4, 12–16. 4. Colossians 1:17–20 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.Read More in him all things hold together. Christ continually sustains his creation, preventing it from falling into chaos or disintegrating (cf. Heb. 1:3) Christ Is Lord of Redemption. Christ is Head of the church and has accomplished reconciliation at the cross. he is the head of the body. Paul spoke elsewhere of the church as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27), but he takes the image a step further here and envisions Christ as the head of the body (see also Eph. 1:22–23; 5:25). This metaphor conveys Christ’s leadership over the body and may also suggest his role in providing sustenance for it (see notes on 1 Cor. 11:3; Col. 2:10; 2:19). For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. The “fullness” language here and throughout the letter is reminiscent of its use in the OT, where it was said that God “filled” the temple with his presence. For instance, the prophet Ezekiel exclaims, “I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple” (Ezek. 44:4). Jesus not only bears God’s glory, but all that God is also dwells in him. He possesses the wisdom, power, Spirit, and glory of God. To say that all this divine fullness dwells in Jesus is to say that he is fully God (see also Col. 2:9). to reconcile to himself all things. As the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6), Jesus will ultimately quell all rebellion against God and his purposes. For believers, this means present reconciliation to God as his friends. As for nonbelievers and the demonic powers, Christ’s universal reign of peace will be enforced on them, for their rebellion will be decisively defeated by Christ as conquering king (cf. 1 Cor. 15:24–28; Rev. 19:11–21; 20:7–10) so that they can no longer do any harm in the universe. The basis for Christ’s reign of peace is the blood of his cross. The cross truly is the pivotal point in human and cosmic history. On crucifixion, see note on Matt. 27:35. 5. Ephesians 2:19–22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Read More So then. Christians have to know and be thoroughly convinced of who they are as saints and members of the household of God if they are to live accordingly. strangers. As in Eph. 2:12 (“commonwealth”), Paul employs a term that was common to political life in ancient cities like Ephesus. Strangers (also Eph. 2:12) were complete foreigners with no rights or privileges (see Acts 16:20–23); aliens were non-citizens who dwelt in the city and were accorded customary privileges as neighbors. Only citizens had full protections and rights in the city (see Acts 21:39). joined together. Christians are the temple of God corporately; belonging to the visible church is not optional for followers of Christ. holy temple. Where God meets with his people in joyful worship and fellowship. Believers do not have to worship in Jerusalem today because they themselves have become the new temple of God (see John 4:21). 6. 1 Peter 2:4–5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Read More Peter alludes to texts in Hosea that refer to Israel (Hos. 1:6, 9, 10; 2:23) and sees them fulfilled in the church. As you come to him indicates a daily personal relationship with Christ, beginning at but not limited to the time of conversion. As believers continue in fellowship with Christ, they “are being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5). Just as his followers suffer persecution, Jesus also was rejected by men. Still, he is risen from the dead and hence is the living stone—the foundation of God’s new temple. He is God’s elect (chosen) one, and as the exalted Lord he is honored above all. Believers are living stones in God’s new temple (i.e., spiritual house). Since the components that make up the house are “living,” the house itself is also growing: you yourselves . . . are being built up. Peter sees that the OT temple anticipated the new temple where God dwells (i.e., in his people). But believers are not only God’s temple but are also a holy priesthood, which offers spiritual sacrifices (cf. Rom. 12:1; Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:15–16) by the power of the Holy Spirit. 7. 1 Corinthians 14:26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.Read More When you come together. This verse gives a fascinating glimpse into the kinds of activities that took place when the early church gathered as the body of Christ to worship the Lord. The worship included a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. In order to prevent discord and confusion (cf. 1 Cor. 14: 23, 33), Paul concludes his description of early church worship by emphasizing that all of these activities must be “done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14: 40). The goal of building up is analogous to the building of the temple (see 1 Cor. 3:16; cf. Ex. 25:8). 8. Hebrews 10:24–25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Read More let us consider. The third and final exhortation in Heb. 10: 22–25 calls for serious thinking about other Christians with a purpose to stir up (or “provoke”) them in their love and service (good works). Christian perseverance is thus also a community endeavor. meet together. Community encouragement toward perseverance requires being together. That some were neglecting this duty may have been among the motives for the author’s warnings throughout this book. encouraging. Voicing exhortation with the goal of strengthening another’s faith (see Heb.3:13; cf. Heb. 13:22). the Day drawing near. The coming day of Christ’s return and judgment (Heb. 9:28; Heb. 10:37) 9. Revelation 21:2–3 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Read More The holy city, new Jerusalem (cf. Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22–24), the church redeemed by Jesus Christ, will no longer be trampled by nations (Rev. 11:2) but rather, will be adorned as a bride He will dwell with them. The greatest blessing of heaven will be unhindered fellowship with God himself. The goal of God’s covenant, “God with us” (Isa. 7:14), foreshadowed in the OT tabernacle and temple, will be achieved. his people . . . their God. See Lev. 26:11–12; Ezek. 37:27. 10. 1 Corinthians 12:12–26 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.Read More Paul assumes the Corinthians know that the church is Christ’s body (see also 1 Cor. 12: 27; 1 Cor.6:15; 1 Cor.10:16; Rom. 12:4–8; Eph. 1:22–23; Eph. 4:4, Eph. 4:12–16; Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18, Col. 1: 24). Since the Spirit is one, he unites peoples across lines of ethnicity and social class that would otherwise divide them. (See Rom. 10:12; Gal. 3:27–28; Col. 3:11.) in one Spirit we were all baptized. The same Greek construction (the verb baptizō plus en [“in”] plus the dative of pneuma, “Spirit”) is used here as in the other six “baptism in the Holy Spirit” passages in the NT (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16), and here it seems clearly to refer to the cleansing and empowering work that the Holy Spirit does in a new convert at the point of conversion. Baptism is used metaphorically here to refer to the Spirit’s work within the believer to unite him or her to the body of Christ, which is also the corporate body of believers. Water baptism is an outward symbol of this reality (cf. Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27). made to drink. Probably not a reference to the cup of the Lord’s Supper but to the outpouring of God’s Spirit on his people (cf. John 7:37–39; Rom. 5:5). body . . . member. See Rom. 12:4–5; Eph. 1:22–23; 4:11–16. whole body . . . an eye . . . an ear. See also 1 Cor. 12:19. One problem Paul seeks to address throughout 1 Cor. 12:1–14:40 is the elevation of one gift (probably speaking in tongues) above all others. The general principle applies to an unbalanced emphasis on any particular spiritual gift at any time or place in the church. God arranged. The Corinthians’ thinking will be corrected when they consider God’s sovereignty in assigning gifts (cf. also 1 Cor. 12: 3, 11, 28). many parts, yet one body. One of the key themes in these chapters is unity in the midst of diversity. This probably reflects Paul’s assessment of how those Corinthians with the gift of tongues (and perhaps other more spectacular or “showy” gifts) were treating those with other gifts. The purpose of the gifts is to build one another up and to care for one another, not to flaunt one’s own spirituality. This article is part of the Key Bible Verses series.

We were made for a person and a place. Jesus is the person. Heaven is the place. God promises that all his children — whoever places their faith in Jesus to rescue them from sin and eternal death — will live forever with him in heaven (Luke 24:23 – 24; John 1:12; 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:10). What Will Eternal Life with Jesus in Heaven Be Like? Heaven is God’s central dwelling place. God is everywhere-present, yet heaven is the special location from which he rules the universe; it’s where his throne is (1 Kings 22:19). When God’s children die, we immediately go to heaven to be with Christ (Luke 23:43). But when we carefully read Scripture, we find that one day God will permanently relocate the present heaven to the newly transformed earth, which then will become the “forever heaven.” We normally think death ushers us into heaven to live with God in his place. That’s in fact what happens when Christ-followers die (2 Corinthians 5:8). But the ultimate promise is that God will come down to live with us in our place. He says of the new earth, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). Three times in this one verse God says he will live “with” or “among” us! So the ultimate heaven, on the new earth, will not be “us with God” but “God with us.” While the throne of God is now in the present heaven, when God descends to live on the new earth, “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city” (Revelation 22:3). Where God’s throne is, that is heaven, his central dwelling place. So the new earth will literally be “heaven on earth.” A Whole New World! God created the entire physical universe for his glory and our good. But humanity rebelled and the universe fell under the weight of our sin. Yet Adam and Eve’s seduction by the serpent didn’t catch God off guard. He had a plan in place for humanity’s redemption — and the restoration of creation, forever rescuing it from sin, corruption and death. Just as he promises to make humankind new, he promises to renew earth itself. “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17). “ ‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure’ ” (Isaiah 66:22). “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1). Imagine how delighted Jesus’ disciples were when he said to them, “At the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28, italics added). Christ didn’t speak of the destruction or abandonment of all things but “the renewal of all things.” God designed humans to live on earth to his glory. Christ’s incarnation, life, death and resurrection secured the new earth’s eternal future, where life will be lived in complete fulfillment and without sin, the way God always intended. So never think Satan beat God and thwarted his plans by tempting Adam and Eve in Eden. Rather, unwittingly his attempts to sabotage God’s plans were used by the sovereign Creator as a part of his redemptive story that includes the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus, as well as the devil’s final destruction (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 20:10). Similarly, Peter preached that Christ must remain in heaven “until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21, italics added). This cosmic restoration will not consist of God bringing disembodied angel-like people to fellowship with him in a spirit realm. Rather, God will bring humankind to something greater than even his original design in Eden. The entire physical universe won’t go back to its pre-fall glory but forward to something still more magnificent. The Future Heaven Where We’ll Live Forever The exact location of the present heaven is unknown. It seems likely that it’s not in our physical universe, but it exists in another dimension that we can’t see. But we do know it is a wonderful place to live between the time the followers of Jesus die and our future resurrection. Life in the present heaven (which theologians call the “intermediate” heaven) “is better by far” than living here on earth under the curse (Philippians 1:23). But it’s not our final destination. Many understand Revelation 20:1 – 10 to teach that after we’re raised, we will live on the original earth for a thousand years. After that will come the final judgment and end of the old earth, followed by its resurrection in the form of the new earth, where we will live with God and each other forever. When the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God, it will descend to the new earth. From that time on, God’s dwelling place will be with his redeemed people on earth. This means the new earth will literally be heaven on earth! Jesus says of those who would be his disciple, “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). This is a picture of God’s ultimate plan. Think about this: God could have taken Adam and Eve up to heaven to visit with him — but he didn’t. Instead, he walked with them here in their own world (Genesis 3:8). And that’s what he will do with us forever! The idea of the new earth as a physical place isn’t an invention of shortsighted human imagination. It’s the invention of our infinitely resourceful Creator, who made physical human beings to live on a physical earth, and who chose to become a man himself on that same earth. He wanted to redeem mankind and earth. Why? In order to glorify himself and enjoy forever the company of men and women in a world he’s made for us. Jesus: The Prime Example of Our Resurrected Lives When Jesus Christ came to earth, one of his names was Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus’ ascension to heaven in his resurrected body demonstrated the permanence of the incarnation. This has great bearing on where God chooses for us to dwell together. The new earth will be heaven incarnate, just as Jesus Christ is God incarnate. It will not be strange for Jesus to live on the new earth since like all of us, he first lived on the original earth! In the forty days between Christ’s resurrection and ascension, he walked, talked, ate and drank with his disciples. They saw a preview of the resurrected life reminding us that we will be both spiritual and physical beings forever. It’s fascinating to compare the first three and last three chapters of the Bible. In both we see the “tree of life,” a great river or rivers, a bride and a bridegroom. In Genesis, paradise is lost; in Revelation, paradise is regained. In Genesis, Satan wins his first victory; in Revelation, he experiences his final defeat. In Genesis, God hides his face from sinful man; in Revelation, it’s said of God’s children “they will see his face” (Revelation 22:4). In Genesis, the curse is pronounced; in Revelation, it’s removed. In Genesis, the gates of paradise are shut; in Revelation, the heavenly city’s gates are open. In Genesis, death appears; in Revelation, death is finally destroyed. It’s the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the second Adam, who is given full credit for his sweeping victory over sin and death and his dramatic rescue of his people. By his incredible grace, those who believe in him will live forever in heaven rather than in hell. Uniting Heaven and Earth “The holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever” (Daniel 7:18). What is “the kingdom”? Earth. God’s people will reign over it not just for a thousand years but forever. God never abandoned his original plan for righteous humans to rule the earth — and through Jesus he will yet fulfill that plan in glorious ways. Earth is unique. It’s the one planet — perhaps among billions — where God chose to act out the unfolding drama of redemption and reveal the wonders of his grace. If the new Jerusalem will be capital city of the new earth, the new earth will be capital planet of the new universe. There God will establish an eternal kingdom where he will “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). “All things” is inclusive — neither animals nor trees nor flowers nor mountains nor valleys will be left out. This verse corresponds precisely to the culmination of history we see enacted in Revelation 21, the merging together of previously separate realms of heaven and earth, fully under Christ’s lordship. As God and humankind are reconciled and united in Jesus, so too the dwellings of God and humankind — heaven and earth — will be reconciled and united in Jesus. The prayer of the ages, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) will at last be fully answered! Heaven is God’s home. Earth is our home. Jesus Christ, as the God-man, forever links God and humankind, and thereby forever links heaven and earth. As Ephesians 1:10 demonstrates, this idea of earth and heaven becoming one is explicitly biblical. Just as the veil that separated God from humankind was torn in two at Christ’s death (Matthew 27:51), so the veil that separates heaven and earth will be forever split. The gulf between the spiritual and physical worlds will be removed. No divided realms or divided loyalties to different homelands. Just one cosmos, one universe united under one Lord — forever. This is the unstoppable plan of God. This is history’s destination, the culmination of the greatest story ever told, a Jesus-centered story with a happy ending that will never end. When God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, earth was heaven’s backyard. The new earth will be heaven itself. And those who know Jesus will have the privilege of living there. Heaven: Our Forever Home God paints a compelling picture of the coming world: “ ‘See, I will create new heavens and a new earth . . . But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more . . . They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit . . . The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 65:17 – 19,21,25). Although Isaiah 60 doesn’t contain the term new earth (as do nearby chapters 65 and 66), we know much of the chapter describes that place, since John applied the prophet’s words directly to the new earth in Revelation 21 – 22. This will be a time of unprecedented rejoicing: “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.” On the renewed earth, the nations will bring their greatest treasures into this glorified city: “The wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come” (Isaiah 60:5). There will be animals from various nations on the new earth: “Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah” (Isaiah 60:6). Redeemed people will travel from far places to the glorified Jerusalem: “All from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord” (v. 6). People who dwell on islands will worship God, and ships will come from “Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor” (v. 9). Most of us are unaccustomed to thinking of nations, rulers, civilizations and culture (as well as animals) in heaven, but Isaiah 60 is one of many passages demonstrating the new earth’s true earthiness. The Wonders of the Holy City John applied Isaiah 60:11 directly to the New Jerusalem: “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it” (Revelation 21:24 – 26). The references to splendor of kings and glory of nations give us biblical basis to suppose that the best history, culture, art, music, and the languages of the old earth will be redeemed, purified, and restored to the new earth. Even now in heaven there are people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). It appears God’s people will forever be multi-cultural! God promises something that has never yet been true of the present Jerusalem: “I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler. No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:17 – 18). Isaiah then describes another scene that John connects directly to the new earth in Revelation 21:23; 22:5: “The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your ever-lasting light, and your days of sorrow will end” (Isaiah 60:19 – 20). Of the new Jerusalem, we’re told, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Likewise, Isaiah uses inclusive language that could not apply to the old earth under the curse: “Then all your people will be righteous” (Isaiah 60:21). Verse 21 continues, “They will possess the land [in the Hebrew, literally earth] forever.” The earth will be theirs — not for a glorious decade or century or millennium, but forever. Anything but Boring! A pastor once told me he dreaded heaven. Why? “I can’t stand the thought of endless tedium. To float around in the clouds with nothing to do but strum a harp . . . it’s all so terribly boring. Heaven doesn’t sound much better than hell. I’d rather be annihilated than spend eternity in a place like that.” Jesus said of the devil, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Our enemy slanders three things: God’s person, God’s people and God’s place — namely, heaven. Satan need not convince us that heaven doesn’t exist, only that heaven is a place of boring, unearthly existence. What an insult to the infinitely fascinating Maker of the universe, whose creative wonders will never cease! Believing Satan’s lies robs us of our joy and anticipation. We set our minds on this life — not the next — and lose motivation to share our faith. Why should we share the “good news” that people can spend eternity in a boring, ghostly place that even we don’t look forward to? The new Jerusalem will be a new Eden, a huge garden city of startling beauty. Heaven won’t be filled with hammocks — with nothing to do but rest (though some rest will be great for a while). We’ll honor God by enjoying him through enjoying his creation. We’ll always get to do what we want to do, and we’ll always want to do what brings joy to God and to us. On the new earth, we’re told “his servants will serve him” (Revelation 22:3). Servants of a King — especially his children who are royalty themselves — have important things to do, places to go, people to see. It’s said of God’s children “they will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). Servants work and rulers work. But on the new earth, with a totally righteous and loving Father, our work will be a privilege — refreshing work without the curse — similar to work done by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Anticipating Life on the New Earth The Westminster Shorter Catechism, completed in 1647, begins, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” What will we do forever? Enjoy God! Will we use the arts to praise God? Since the new earth will supersede and surpass the present earth, then surely the greatest books, dramas and poems have yet to be written. Just as we can use our voices and musical instruments to worship God, we can also dance to honor him. What about sports? Picture yourself enjoying your favorite sport (which may be a new one you haven’t yet played) when you live on the new earth with a perfectly healthy body. Olympic champion Eric Liddell said, “God made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure.” After our resurrection, Matthew 8:11 and several other Scriptures say we’ll enjoy feasts with Jesus “in the kingdom of heaven.” But that heavenly kingdom is depicted in a very tangible earthly way. What do people do at a feast? Eat and drink, tell stories, celebrate and laugh. God will be the host and Christ the guest of honor, and all stories and laughter will honor him. We’ll never know everything — we’re not God. But as resurrected beings, we’ll certainly be capable of learning and growing, discovering and exploring. God tells us “in the coming ages” he’ll “show the immeasurable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6 – 7). We may learn exactly how God fulfilled his promise to work all things, even the hardest things in our lives, together for our good (Romans 8:28). The Old Earth Made New and Far Better The whole creation groans and, implicitly, awaits with us the redemption of our bodies in the resurrection (Romans 8:22 – 23). This suggests that animals, which experience suffering due to our sin will likewise experience new life on the new earth. The creation that fell on our coattails will rise on our coattails. Perhaps God will bring even extinct animals back to life. Since he’s a kind Father and the giver of all good gifts, if having your pets on the new earth would please you, God might well bring them back. Though the splendor of creation that remains testifies to God’s greatness (Romans 1:20), the curse removed much of the world’s beauty. But Revelation 22:3 says “no longer will there be any curse.” God will make all his children beautiful and whole and happy. When God brings heaven down to the new earth, “he will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). What an intimate picture — God’s hands will touch the face of each individual child, removing every tear. The same verse says, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” As Thomas Moore put it, “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” There’ll be no diseases, no disabilities, no tragic accidents. No hospitals. No cemeteries. No sin. No evil. No fear. No abuse, rape, murder, drugs, drunkenness, bombs, shootings or terrorism. The disabled, liberated from ravaged bodies and minds, and the sick and elderly, free from pains and restrictions, will deeply appreciate heaven. They’ll walk and run and see and hear, some for the first time. Hymn writer Fanny Crosby said, “Don’t pity me for my blindness, for the first face I ever see will be the face of my Lord Jesus.” The promise of the resurrection means that none of God’s children will pass our peak in this life. We won’t have to look back with regret, pining away for an earlier time when we were at our best. The resurrection means not simply taking us back to the best we once were but moving us forward to a new best, beyond our wildest dreams! Our peaks are yet to come, and we will never pass them! Our Best Relationships are Ahead of Us Crowds followed Jesus because they loved him and wanted to be near him. The best part of heaven will be spending time with Jesus. While Jesus will be our best friend, God understands our need and desire for friendships to continue in heaven. He made us that way. In heaven we’ll have our old friends who know Jesus and many new friends as well. Every time we sit together at feasts we will meet new people and hear new stories! Married couples needn’t fear the words of Jesus concerning human marriage discontinuing in heaven (Matthew 22:30). Scripture does not teach there will be no marriage in heaven. Instead, there’ll be one marriage, between Christ and his bride — and we’ll all be part of it. Our marriage to Christ will be so completely satisfying that even the most wonderful earthly marriage couldn’t compete. But Christ never suggested an end to deep relationships between couples. I fully expect my wife, Nanci, and I will be closer friends than ever. We’ll remember fondly the lives we forged together on the old earth, our children and grandchildren and friends. All of us together will be part of the same unbreakable marriage to Jesus. The most ordinary moment in heaven will far surpass the best moments of this life. In that day we’ll all agree with the apostle Paul: “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Get a Head Start on Kingdom Living “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1 – 2). If we understand what “a new heaven and a new earth” means, we’ll look forward to and focus on our forever home. Knowing where we’re going and what rewards we’ll receive for serving Christ directly affects how we live today. Our choices make an indelible mark on eternity — including our choices of personal holiness and how we act toward others. After saying “we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells,” Peter immediately adds, “So then, dear friends . . . make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:13 – 14). When this is true of us, we can face death with an eternal perspective. Calvin Miller, in the Divine Symphony prayed, I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death, When it was but the end of pulse and breath, But now my eyes have seen that past the pain There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed. Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart, For living’s such a temporary art. And dying is but getting dressed for God, Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod. S. Lewis said, “I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.” If you know Jesus, we’ll live together on that resurrected world. With the Lord we love and with friends we cherish, we’ll embark together on the ultimate adventure, in a spectacular new universe. Jesus will be the center of all things, and joy will be the air we breathe. And we really will live “happily ever after.” And right when we think, “It can’t get any better than this” . . . it will! By Randy Alcorn from an article in The Jesus Bible, NIV.

Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. — Genesis 11:4 Louis Sullivan, the inventor of the modern skyscraper, said, “The tall building … should be a proud and soaring thing that makes a powerful appeal to the architectural imagination.” Today, many people embody the same spirit of pride and self-sufficiency that is represented in the lofty towers that make up our cities. We focus on personal perfection. Many seek the pinnacle of age-defying beauty through creams, procedures or surgeries. Some become obsessed with fashion or feel that they must conform to some media-driven image. Over time, it becomes easier and easier to build monuments to ourselves. After all, as the famous ad says, “I’m worth it.” The builders of the tower of Babel shared a key aspect of Sullivan’s vision of the tall building: pride. And they had one purpose: to build a name for themselves. They wanted to claim glory that rightly belonged to God—after all, they were worth it. The longing to climb higher than God didn’t begin in Babel. Before time began, Lucifer said, “I will raise my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). It didn’t end with Babel, either. The pyramids of Egypt proclaim the power of the rulers buried beneath them. Many lives were lost in the building of the pyramids, “collateral damage” to the princes who built them. Often Egyptian slaves were killed when their masters died and were buried alongside them. But just as the Egyptian kings sacrificed everything to their own legacy, many today often sacrifice the good of those around them for fleeting recognition, not to mention the humble spirit God desires. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not all-powerful—they died the deaths of mere men. Don’t be deceived; your soul will not be saved by flawless skin or the perfect career any more than the towering mountains of stone raised over the mummies of kings saved them. What do you take pride in? What keeps you from glorifying God? Has your focus become self-absorbed? Have you become self-glorifying? The solution is simple: Whatever is keeping you from God, give it to him for his glory. Let your relationship with Jesus be the source of your significance. When you humble yourself before God, you’ll be lifted up. This article drawn from a devotional in the NIV Women’s Devotional Bible.

The opening book of the Bible reveals many of God’s attributes. Gain a better understanding of His character and implications for your own walk with Him as we consider these seven attributes found in Genesis: 1. He Is Enough In Genesis 15:1, Abram rescued Lot from four marauding kings but refused to accept a reward from the king of Sodom. Rather than settling for temporal treasures, he looked to God for his reward. And God offered the gift of himself. “I am your shield, your very great reward.” To Abram, God was enough. God is a shield from the enemies of your soul: the pressures of the world, your own selfish desires and the schemes of the devil. He himself is your great reward. Don’t get so busy fighting your personal battles and seeking the world’s goods that you forget that all you need is God. He is enough. 2. He Is Always on Time In Genesis 18:14 we learn about Abraham and Sarah. They’re old—really old. Yet God still planned to keep his promise to give them a child, right on time. The Lord would come “at the appointed time” and supernaturally enable Sarah to conceive. Too hard? Not for the God who created the universe! Too late? Not God. Sometimes,, to us a few months seem like a lifetime; years feel like an eternity. But God has a divine planner that’s tailor-made for you. At just the right time, he’ll bring his perfect plan to pass. Nothing is too hard for him. You can trust him. He is always on time. 3. He Is the Bringer of Laughter In Genesis 21:6 we see that God is not a serious, stone-faced, unsmiling deity. Actually, God invented laughter, and he gives us reason to laugh. Sarah laughed in disbelief when God said she’d have a child—then she laughed with joy after giving birth to her newborn son. And she gave all the credit to God: “[He] has brought me laughter.” Perhaps you are in a season of tears. For so long you’ve been waiting for a husband, dealing with a disease or mourning a broken relationship. Take heart—he is the bringer of laughter. He can provide a way so that you can laugh—and invite others to laugh along with you. 4. He Is Watching In Genesis 28:15 Jacob left his home and family and found himself in unfamiliar territory. In those days, people believed that leaving their homeland meant leaving behind their gods. But God inhabited Jacob’s dream to remind him that he couldn’t venture anywhere without God watching over him. Are you moving into uncharted waters: a new job, city or relationship? Know that God is with you and will keep you. He is watching no matter what may happen. You may have left your comfort zone, but the Comforter goes with you night and day. 5. He Is God Almighty In Genesis 35:11 God Almighty redirected Jacob to a new home, the promised land. Jacob reacted by encouraging all in his household to purify themselves and destroy their pagan gods (see verse 2). Jacob had to change some things, but consider what he received in return—a royal heritage for his children and a place in the line of Christ. God Almighty wants you to enter the “promised land,” but that may feel like a risk to you. Step out in faith when he asks you to bury your other gods—those things that rival his rightful place in your heart. He has the power to give you better things in exchange. 6. He Is the Interpreter Genesis 41:15–16 relates the story of the ancient Egyptians who believed astrology, magic and interpretation of dreams provided the answers for their lives. But Pharaoh’s forecasters had no idea what his dream meant. Only Joseph knew the truth: God would give Pharaoh the answer. Only with God’s help could Joseph interpret the dream. Have you been looking for truth in all the wrong places? Whether it’s astrology, psychics, talk show hosts or even your friends—they can’t tell you what’s ahead. God is the interpreter, the one with all the answers. If you want life’s mysteries solved, there’s only one place to go. 7. He Is the Blesser “Blessing” is such an old-fashioned word, but it’s such a right-now need. To bless means to wish God’s care for another person. In Genesis 48:3–4, God blessed Jacob by giving him life, love and land. God is still the blesser today. God gives everyone unconditional love and offers everyone eternal life and a spiritual inheritance. May God bless you with everything you need to live a rich and full life! May the blesser give you every good thing, starting with eternal life in Jesus Christ. And because you know the blesser, may you in turn declare God’s favor on someone else. Content drawn from Flourish: The NIV Bible for Women.