The Benefits of Living In Covenant With God

30 May, 202011 December, 2023Marissa

In his letter to believers in Rome, Paul asked, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” He goes on to explain that God, who gave up His own son for us, will freely give us everything we need. And because God is all powerful and the One who has final say in judgement, nothing can separate us from His love even if the trials we face kill us (Rom. 8:31-39).

Is that a contradiction? One moment Paul says nothing could stand against us, then suddenly he’s talking about us being killed? It might seem odd at first, but Paul’s focus isn’t on the people of God avoiding physical trials and suffering. Physical protection and healing can (and often do!) happen, but that is not our main concern.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!
Romans 8:35-37, NET, with quotation from Ps 44:22

Paul quotes from a psalm that laments the deaths of God’s covenant people and asks God not to reject them forever (Ps. 44:17-26). It seems that Paul would tell the Psalmist, and us, that suffering does not mean God has forsaken us. In fact, we “have complete victory” even in the midst of all that.

Bold, Rational Confidence

I don’t want to deal with trouble (G2347, thlipsis, tribulation and affliction that’s external), distress (G4730, stenochoria, great distress, particularly inner distress), persecution (G1375, diogmos, pursuit, persecution), famine (G3042, limos), nakedness (G1132, gumnotes, total lack of clothing), danger (G2794, kindunos, peril), or sword (G3162, machaira, a sword for slaughter or execution). I dare say none of us do. But Paul makes it sound like it wouldn’t be a big deal. And he should know, considering all he went through (2 Cor. 11:23-28). When Paul talks about suffering as a Christian, he speaks from experience.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39, NET

Paul’s confidence isn’t just based on hear-say. It is based in faith as well as first-hand experience. To quote Adam Clarke’s commentary, “The confidence expressed by the apostle at the end of this chapter is as rational as it is bold.” This section of Romans is a brilliant piece of writing and a glorious affirmation that those who trust God have nothing to worry about. We’ve already more than won the battle through the victory of Him who loves us.

The Benefits of Living In Covenant With God | LikeAnAnchor.com — Photo credit: Who Is Like The Lord via Lightstock

Faithful To The Covenant

That kind of makes it sound like there’s nothing left for us to do, though, and that is not the overall message of Romans. Going back to the Psalm that Paul quotes from, we find a line that reads, “All this has come on us, yet we haven’t forgotten you. We haven’t been false to your covenant” (Ps. 44:17, WEB). Paul’s background was that of a Jewish rabbi, and in their writings they often quote part of an Old Testament passage and assume their readers will connect the present argument to that passage’s larger context. Paul is writing about covenants, and he expects us to understand that.

With that in mind, I think the parallel Clarke draws is a sound one. He writes, “We abide faithful in the new covenant of our God; and He is faithful who has promised to support and make us more than conquerors; i.e. to give us a complete triumph over sin, and death, and hell, not leaving one enemy unsubdued” (commentary on Rom. 8:37). It reminds me of something else Paul wrote in another letter.

This saying is trustworthy:
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
If we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we deny him, he will also deny us.
If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:11-13, NET

There’s a reciprocal aspect to our relationship with God. It’s actually connected to grace, though that’s too big a topic to dive into now (here’s a link to a great booklet on the subject). His faithfulness is a constant, but we can’t reap the benefits of it without being in covenant with Him and remaining faithful ourselves.

Remember to Ask For Help

God is eager to help His people, but we have to be willing to let Him. It seems strange that we’d ever reject God’s help, but a story from one of Judah’s kings shows that it does happen. Asa was one of the good kings who “did that which was good and right in Yahweh his God’s eyes” (2 Chr. 14:2-4, WEB). He demonstrated a reliance on God when his enemies attacked, praying for and receiving deliverance (2 Chr. 14:9-15). After this, God sent a prophet to tell him, “Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chr. 15:2, WEB). This isn’t anything so crude as a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” bargain. There’s covenant obligations in relationship, as we’ll see shortly.

The writer of Chronicles tells us “the heart of Asa was perfect all his days” (2 Chr. 15:17, WEB). We also know that he and the people of Judah “entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul” (2 Chr. 15:12, WEB). But even so, something happened. In the 36th year of Asa’s reign, he turned to the king of Syria to handle a problem with the king of Israel instead of turning to God. After this happened, God sent a seer to remind Asa where his trust should have been and explain why things didn’t work out so well (2 Chr. 16:1-7).

“Weren’t the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge army, with chariots and exceedingly many horsemen? Yet, because you relied on Yahweh, he delivered them into your hand. For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. You have done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars.”
2 Chronicles 16:8-9, WEB

Asa’s heart was perfect, and so God was eagerly looking out for opportunities to act on his behalf. He had already spotted this situation, but Asa decided not to ask for help and instead trust himself, a pattern which continued the rest of this life (2 Chr. 16:10-13). Asa lost the help available from God because he did not ask for the benefits of being in covenant with God.

God is Eager To Hear From You

I wonder how often we miss out on God’s eagerness to show Himself strong on our behalf simply because we don’t think to ask. Maybe the main thing we need to do in order to have Paul’s perspective on life’s extreme challenges is to turn to God and ask Him for help. God has a different perspective on things than we do, and sometimes He sees the things that seem most overwhelming and challenging to us in a completely different way (this is a major lesson of Job).

You don’t have, because you don’t ask. You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
James 4:2-3, WEB

Just before the “If God is for us, who can be against us?” passage, Paul says that even if we don’t know what to pray the Spirit will fill in the gaps so long as we turn to God. He also assures us, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose,” and points us to focus on our future glory as children of God (Rom. 8:28-30, WEB).

Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love. Nothing can vanquish us because He has already won the pivotal battle of the war we’re fighting. We need to stick close to Him (i.e. love him with a perfect heart and stay faithful to the covenant) because it’s in Him that “we are more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37, WEB). Beyond that, all we need to do to have Paul’s confidence is to remember to always turn to God and ask Him to share His help, strength, and perspective with us. Confidence and peace, knowing that God will not abandon you, is one of the chief benefits to living in covenant with God.

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Persevere, Grow, Love: Jesus’s Message To The End-Time Believers

23 May, 202022 May, 2020Marissa

A lot of people want to know if we’re living in the end times. Is this it? Have the events of Revelation started? Will Jesus return soon? And there are plenty of people willing to answer them by setting dates, making predictions, or identifying the mark of the beast. There’s much fear, much distraction, and an eagerness — sometimes almost a desperation — to figure things out. We often overlook that the apostle John offered a simple answer to this question nearly 2,000 years ago.

Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour. (1 John 2:18, all quotes from WEB translation)

We are living in the end times, and have been for as long as there’s been a new covenant church. Whether Christ returns this year, the next, or 100 years from now the things He had to say about how His people should prepare for the end of this world do apply to us. An end will come for each of us one way or another (whether we die or Christ returns before that), and we are told to be ready.

Near the end of His human ministry, Jesus’s disciples asked, “tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3). In Matthew 24:4-41 He answered their question by describing what “the beginning of sorrows” will look like, how things will get worse, and signs that His coming is near. He also clarifies that we do not know “the day or hour” but that we can still be ready and watchful. He then expounds on how to do that through a series of parables. Read more →

Don’t Give Up! Keep Running Your Race of Faith Without Looking Back

2 May, 20202 May, 2020Marissa

Do you ever feel stuck in the past and discouraged by how hard it is to move forward? You’re a Christian and you know that’s supposed to give you hope, but somehow that just doesn’t seem to be the case.

It’s disheartening to feel as if you can’t move forward from your past or that there is no way out of your present. Especially if you feel like you’ve done something so wrong or your circumstances are so hopeless that there’s no point trying to fix things. These sorts of worries weigh us down emotionally and spiritually. They can make us feel heavy, foggy, and hopeless (and may lead to other symptoms of depression as well).

Jesus never promised that life as a Christian would be without trials. He only promised to help us through those trials, and since He has all power and authority in heaven and earth this is an incredible promise (Matt. 28:18). It can be easy, though, to lose sight of the big picture and get distracted by all sorts of nasty things that cling to us, weighing us down and making it hard to keep moving forward. We might wonder how to get unstuck, or even if it’s possible.

The Cage Door Is Open

One thing I’ve realized is that most of the things that are holding onto me are also, at least to some extent, things that I’m holding onto right back. Jesus promises to make us free and to wash us clean of any sin. If we stay in a cage or keep rolling in the dirt, then it’s not because He has failed in some way. It’s because we’re still susceptible to the attacks of the enemy and the pulls of the world.

I don’t say this to make us feel guilty or ashamed (that’s another thing that weighs us down, and shame is not a productive emotion). I want to encourage you to shift your perspective. Instead of seeing yourself as a victim trapped in a locked cage made from whatever’s holding on to you (fear, past sins, personal shortcomings, etc), you can picture yourself as someone in an open cage where God is holding the door and asking you to come out. He knows it’s hard. He knows it’s frightening. He knows there are often circumstances outside your control that keep pulling you backwards. But He isn’t giving up and He’ll be there patiently helping you for as long as it takes. Read more →

The Light From The Beginning, Part Two

21 March, 202010 January, 2022Marissa

Jesus Christ identified Himself as the light of the world. This would have been no surprise to people familiar with the scriptures, for God has always connected Himself with light. It’s a common analogy in scripture — light is found with God and whatever is not of God is in darkness. As I’ve studied this concept, I’ve been excited to realize the Light connection goes even deeper than I originally knew (and probably far deeper than I’ve yet discovered as well). To quote Paul, “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!” (Rom. 11:33, WEB)

Last week, we started with a side-by-side comparison of the opening verses from Genesis and John’s gospel. As we learned in that post, John and several Jewish rabbis identify the Light spoken of in Genesis with the Messiah. We know this Messiah is Jesus (Messiah and Christ both mean “anointed, who says He came to this earth in human form as “the light of the world”). You’ll want to make sure you’ve read last week’s post before continuing with this one. Click here to go back and read “The Light From The Beginning, Part One.”

From Darkness to Light

God has “called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” for a reason (1 Pet. 2:9). God longs for a relationship with us, but “God is light” and we cannot enter the relationship that He wants to have with us if we are walking in darkness.

This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7, WEB)

It is one of the central truths of the Christian faith that God loves us and wants us to be in relationship with Him. Light does not, however, fellowship with darkness (2 Cor. 6:14). Apart from the work of Jesus in us as the Light, we would not be able to draw close to God. Following Him is what takes us out of darkness to walk in Light. Read more →

The Light From The Beginning, Part One

14 March, 202010 January, 2022Marissa

Let’s start today’s post by comparing two passages of scripture:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3, WEB)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Gen. 1:1-3)

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it. (John 1:4-5)

God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Gen. 1:4-5)

Clearly, John meant us to connect the opening of his gospel with Genesis through his phrase, “in the beginning.” But that’s not the only connection. Light also links these two accounts. It’s not until later in the creation story that God makes the sun, stars, and moon, so this first Light must be something else. And it’s something powerful enough to cause Day and Night before any of the physical light sources we know of existed.

Messiah in Light

John identifies this Light at creation with the Messiah, Jesus (John 1:6-16). (Language note: Messiah is the Hebrew word for Christ. Both words mean “anointed”.) It’s not just Christians who’ve made this connection, though. Even Jewish rabbis who are still waiting for a Messiah other than Jesus recognize the Light in Genesis does refer to the Messiah.

God’s first words in the Bible are: ” ‘Let there be light!’ And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good.” When we study the creation account closely we notice that it was not until the fourth day that God created the “two great lights”, the sun and the moon. The Sages understood this too to be a Messianic allusion, and so the Midrash known as Pesikhta Rabbah, which was read from the 9th century on in connection with feast days, asks, “Whose is this light which falls upon the congregation of the Lord?” and answers, “It is the light of the Messiah” …

The Rabbis considered the Aramaic word Nehora, ‘light’, to be one of the secret names of the Messiah, since we read in the Aramaic part of the book of Daniel that, “He knows what dwells in darkness, and light dwells with him” (2.22). (from “The Messiah In The Old Testament In The Light of Rabinnical Writings” by Risto Santala)

The Yalkut, a rabbinic anthology from the medieval period, says this:

‘And God saw the light, that it was good.’ This is the light of Messiah … to teach you that God saw the generation of Messiah and His works before He created the universe, and He hid the Messiah … under His throne of glory. (quoted in “What The Rabbis Know About The Messiah” by Rachmiel Frydland)

Even without knowing who the Messiah is, these rabbis understood that the Light in Genesis points to Messiah, whom they saw as the “center of all creation”

Faces to Faces with God

7 March, 20209 October, 2020Marissa

What face do you bring to God? In the Hebrew scriptures, the word for face, panim (H6440), is always plural. “The face identifies the person and reflects the attitudes and sentiments of that person,” and of course there is no single facet to the self. Our faces are “a combination of a number of features” and so are our personalities (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, entry 1782).

God is even more complex, multi-faceted, and wonderful than us. He is the God of all our faces, and He offers to show His faces to us if/when we seek Him.

When you said, “Seek my face,” my heart said to you, “I will seek your face, Yahweh.” Don’t hide your face from me. Don’t put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation. (Psalm 27:8-9, WEB)

Our God wants to be known. He wants to let us see Him. Whether or not we can see Him partly depends on us, though, because there are things we can do that prompt Him to hide His face. So how do we get into a “faces to faces” relationship with God, and what does it mean if we do?

Faces of Friendship

In Exodus 33:11, we’re told “Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face” (panim el panim) “as a man speaks to his friend.” Being face to face with God is part of being friends with Him. If you’re wondering how to become a friend of God, Jesus gave us a succinct guide when He said, “You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). Friendship with God requires mutual interests, goals, and morality. We need to commit to following Him if we want to have a relationship with Him.

Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear. But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (Is. 59:1-2, WEB)

Sin separates us from God. There can’t be face to face relationship where there is disobedience. Thankfully, God graciously allows repentance and restoration of relationship. If you “turn away your faces from all your abominations” you can turn your faces toward Zion and “join yourselves to Yahweh in an everlasting covenant” (Ezk. 14:6; Jer. 50:5). He’s happy and eager to have us face toward Him instead of away from Him. Read more →