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Daily Devotional-November 17th

November 17, 2020

The epistle to the Romans was written by the apostle Paul to the church in the capital city of Rome. The date of the letter was most likely around 56 A.D., near the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, while he was in Corinth. Paul had wanted to visit the believers in Rome for some time, however, he had not yet had the chance to do so. The letter afforded Paul the opportunity to introduce himself to the church, and to instruct them in essential truths of the gospel.

The church in Rome was probably founded by those who had come to faith in Christ on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Unlike many of the other churches that Paul wrote to, his aim was not primarily to correct wrong theology or sinful living on the part of the Roman Christians, but to further instruct the church in doctrinal truths and practical living in light of those truths.

The principal theme of Paul’s letter to the Romans is that God justifies guilty, helpless sinners by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. He dispels any notion that heaven and a relationship with God can be achieved through good works. Generally, the first eleven chapters of Romans are primarily theological while chapters 12-16 are more about practical Christian living and life in the church.

While the letter does contain some challenging passages that believers have debated, Paul addresses issues such as man’s sin and God’s wrath, justification by faith alone, the security of the believer’s salvation, sanctification, God’s sovereignty, God’s plan for Israel, the purpose of governing authorities, Christian living, and the proper use of one’s liberty in Christ.

It was while studying and teaching the book of Romans that a German Catholic priest, in the early 1500’s, came to understand Romans 1:17 in a brand new light. The words, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” led him to understand justification was by faith alone and not by works. God would so impact Martin Luther with these words that he became a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.

Romans 9

God’s Sovereign Choice

1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ⁴They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. ⁹For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁰And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— ¹²she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! ¹⁵For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. ¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

¹⁹You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²²What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵As indeed he says in Hosea,

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
²⁶“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

²⁷And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” ²⁹And as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”

Israel’s Unbelief

³⁰What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. ³²Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³³as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Reflection:

List the things that belong to Israel (vv. 4-5).
God can never be accused of having failed to fulfill his promises to Israel. Who are the true children of Abraham? Of God (vv. 6-8)?
What does Paul say about any injustice on God’s part (v. 14)?
When we may not understand or like the way God works and complain against him, what is this like according to Paul’s analogy in verses 19-22?
Paul explains that by God extending his grace and mercy to Gentiles did not negate his promises to Israel. How do the words of Hosea and Isaiah, quoted by Paul, explain this?
Reflect on 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for coming to me. For reaching out to me through the Holy Spirit. I thank you for adopting me as your child for all eternity. I praise you for you are sovereign and I can trust that you always work in the way that is right. When I do not understand the ways in which you work or the things you do, I can always trust your heart and love for me. Give me a burden for the lost and make me faithful to share your good news with those that I meet. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 16th

November 16, 2020

Romans 8

Life in the Spirit

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

¹²So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future Glory

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

²⁶Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection:

If you are in Christ, do you have to fear condemnation (v. 1)?
How amazing is it for a believer to understand this especially when we are enemies of God prior to salvation in Christ?
Even though God gave us the law (the Mosaic law), what did he do that the law could never do (vv. 3-4)? It is important to understand that this was by design.
What is the serious problem with the mind that is set on the flesh (v. 7)?
What makes a person “in the Spirit” (v. 9)?
John 14: 17, “…even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” Why are Jesus’ words so significant relating to what Paul said about a person “in the Spirit” in Romans 8:9?
Do you find any encouragement from Paul’s words about the suffering believers might experience in life compared to what awaits them in glory (v. 18)? Can you express gratitude to God right now for this amazing blessing?
When we are overcome with sadness or weakness and, perhaps, don’t even know how or what to pray, what does the Holy Spirit do (v. 26)?
According to verses 28-29, what can Christians take ultimate comfort in?
Write in your own words the truths of Romans 8:1 and 8:31.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you and praise you that there is no condemnation for me because I belong to Christ! The penalty of sin is no longer held against me. I desire to always walk by the Spirit and not according to the flesh. When I am weak, I thank you that the Spirit helps me and strengthens me. I thank you that no matter what I might face in live, you are in control and will ultimately cause all things to work together for good. I will not fear because you are for me Lord! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 15th

November 15, 2020

Romans 7

Released from the Law

1 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? ²For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. ³Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

⁴Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. ⁵For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. ⁶But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

The Law and Sin

⁷What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” ⁸But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. ⁹I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ¹⁰The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. ¹¹For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹²So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. ¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. ¹⁵For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Reflection:

In Paul’s analogy of a married woman no longer being under the law (Mosaic law) of marriage when her husband dies is simply to illustrate that the law is only in force when a person is living. However, in verse 4, Paul says that when a person places their faith in Jesus Christ, they have died to the old law of the flesh and are now in a new covenant relationship with Christ. It is important to understand the principle of new life in the Spirit and being dead to the law of sin, rather than viewing Paul’s illustration as a point by point comparison. Reflect on the time when you placed your faith in Christ and was made alive in the Spirit and dead to the law.
The law itself is not sinful. It shows us our sin and creates a sense of helplessness within us to be able to free ourselves from sin. Paul says, for instance, that he would not know coveting was a sin unless the law told him that it was sin. The law does a good thing by pointing out what you and I will be held accountable for apart from forgiveness in Christ (vv. 12-13).
The law shows us our sin but cannot deliver us from that sin. We must be made alive in Christ. This is what Jesus was speaking to in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures (law) because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”
In verses 13-25, it has been debated among scholars whether Paul was speaking about the struggle within Christians or unbelievers. In other words, was Paul referring to himself in Christ when he said, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want,” or was he speaking of the struggle he had before he came to faith in Christ? It would seem that he was speaking of the struggle within believers and the war between the flesh and the Spirit. Regardless of which way one interprets this section, all believers understand the daily struggle with sin and the desire to be obedient to Christ.
Consider what Paul says about the struggle in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whateveryou want.”
1 John 1:8-9 speaks to the remedy for our struggle with the flesh, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Holy Spirit within believers moves us to grow in sanctification, which is a life-long process.
What victories has the Holy Spirit given you over selfishness and sinful desires lately?

Prayer: Thank you Lord for forgiving me for my sin and justifying me as far as the penalty of sin and death. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for continuing to work in my life and continuing to sanctify

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 14th

November 14, 2020

Romans 6

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. ¹⁴For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

¹⁵What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection:

Paul says that we were not just lost in our sin before coming to faith in Christ, but that we were dead in our sins. We have been made alive in Christ. If we have been made alive in Christ, how should we view continuing in sin?
If we have died and been made alive in Christ, what does this mean regarding sin (v. 7)?
What is so important about how we see ourselves according to verse 11?
What does Paul say about sin having power over us in verse 14?
How can you daily present yourself as a slave to righteousness leading to sanctification (v. 19)?
Romans 6:23 presents the entire gospel in a nutshell. If you have not already done so, memorize this verse and use it to share the gospel with those who are lost. Even with this one verse, you can point people to the word of God for answers about eternity and how to know him.

Prayer: Lord, I was once a slave to sin and dead in my trespasses. But you have made me alive in Jesus, and according to your word, I am no longer a slave to sin. Help me to not make myself a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness. Help me to obey you today and live in your righteousness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 13th

November 13, 2020

Romans 5

Peace with God Through Faith

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ²Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

¹²Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— ¹³for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

¹⁸Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reflection:

In addition to justification by faith in Jesus Christ, what else do we have (v. 1)?
In Colossians 1:21-22, Paul says, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” Before you came to faith in Jesus Christ, you were an enemy of God’s. What are your thoughts about the peace you now have with God (v. 2)?
According to Paul, is there anything positive about suffering (v. 3)? Can you see any good that has come out of times when you have suffered but continued to have faith in God?
Does God wait until we get our lives straightened out or become better people before he offers us grace, mercy, and forgiveness (vv. 6-8).
When was the last time you thanked God for sparing you from his wrath against all ungodliness? Paul is explaining the terrible place human beings find ourselves apart from God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
How significant was Adam’s sin (v. 18)?
How significant and far reaching was Jesus’ obedience and death on the cross (v. 19)?
Write a short paragraph summarizing what you have read in Romans 5, and its significance in your life.

Prayer: I give thanks to you Lord, for you are good, and your steadfast love endures forever. I give thanks to you the God of gods, for your steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-2). I was once your enemy but now I have peace in you because while I was yet a sinner, you died for me and offered me forgiveness, salvation, and hope! Blessed be the name of the Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 12th

November 12, 2020

Romans 4

Abraham Justified by Faith

1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? ²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” ⁴Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

⁷“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
⁸blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

⁹Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. ¹⁰How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. ¹¹He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, ¹²and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

¹³For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, ¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. ¹⁸In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²²That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” ²³But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Reflection:

Paul holds up the example of Abraham as one who considered as righteous by God. He said that Abraham probably had some things to boast about by his good works but not before God. What did Paul say brought Abraham’s righteousness (v. 3)?
According to Paul, was Abraham considered righteous by God before or after he had been circumcised, the sign of the covenant with God (v. 10)?
Paul said that Abraham was the heir of the world (v. 13). What did this mean?
According to Paul, are you an offspring of Abraham (vv. 16-17)?
Even though Abraham lived centuries before Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, his faith was a saving faith because he believed God and left a legacy of belief for you and me. What does Paul say is the determining factor for our being counted as “righteous” (vv. 24-25)?

Prayer: Thank you Heavenly Father for salvation through faith and not works. I would have no hope to be good enough to earn my salvation. I thank you that I too am a descendant of Abraham through believing in you and not by my works. I am one Paul spoke of because I have believed in him who raised from the dead Jesus my Lord, who has delivered me up for my trespasses and raised for my justification. I am forever grateful. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 11th

November 11, 2020

Romans 3

God’s Righteousness Upheld

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ²Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? ⁴By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”

⁵But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) ⁶By no means! For then how could God judge the world? ⁷But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? ⁸And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

No One Is Righteous

⁹What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, ¹⁰as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹    no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
¹²All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
¹³“Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
¹⁴    “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶    in their paths are ruin and misery,
¹⁷and the way of peace they have not known.”
¹⁸    “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

²¹But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. ²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Reflection:

Is there an advantage to being a Jew (vv. 2-3)? Yes, they were given the oracles of God.
This was a unique advantage that was given to the people of Israel. Deuteronomy 4:8 “And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today”
Psalm 147:20, “He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the Lord!”
But God’s told Abraham that he had all the nations in the world in mind as recorded in Genesis 22:18, “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Even though the Jews have been unfaithful, God will remain faithful to them, primarily to fulfill his promise to save them.
Are Jews any better off than Gentiles (vv. 9-10)?
Who is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ available to according to verse 22?

Prayer: Thank you Heavenly Father for making salvation available to all who have faith in Jesus Christ! You do not hide from mankind, but you have shown yourself to us in so many ways so that we are without excuse. Thank you for making me understand how I could have faith in you and receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is in his name I pray, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 10th

November 10, 2020

Romans 2

God’s Righteous Judgment

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. ²We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. ³Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

⁶He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹⁰but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹For God shows no partiality.

God’s Judgment and the Law

¹²For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. ¹⁴For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ¹⁶on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

¹⁷But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God ¹⁸and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; ¹⁹and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? ²²You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. ²⁴For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

²⁵For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. ²⁶So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. ²⁸For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Reflection:

Paul is very direct about hypocrisy. He says God will judge those who are judgmental of others when they do the same evil acts and have the same evil attitudes. Do you find yourself having a judgmental towards others?
Verse 6 says God will judge people according to their works. But how does he define the good works and bad works (vv. 7-8)?
How are the words of Paul in verse 13 similar to James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”?
Jeremiah 31:33 says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” How has God expanded this promise to the Gentiles as well as the Jews (vv. 13-16)?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, never allow me to take my salvation for granted. Thank you for offering me forgiveness for my sin. Thank you for your salvation. Don’t let me ever be casual about sin and spiritual lawlessness. Help me to walk closely with you in faithfulness and obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 9th

November 9, 2020

Romans 1

Greeting

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

⁷To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Longing to Go to Rome

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. ⁹For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you ¹⁰always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. ¹¹For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— ¹²that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. ¹³I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,^[e] as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Reflection:

To what extent does Paul want to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of Jesus’ name (vv.5-6)? Do you see yourself as part of God’s plan to bring the gospel to the nations?
Who did Paul expressly address his letter to (v. 7)? What did Paul specifically desire for them?
What was Paul grateful for as far as the believers in Rome were concerned (v. 8)?
Paul said he longed to see the believers in Rome and desired for them to mutually encourage one another (v. 12). Is there someone that you know that might need encouragement? Could you do something today to encourage them?
In this day of texts, tweets, and emails, very few write letters anymore. However, perhaps you could utilize a more personal method of communication to express your gratitude to God for someone, and reach out and encourage them?
Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Do you ever find yourself embarrassed or reluctant to share the gospel? God can change your heart if you simply come to him and admit your struggle.
Is God’s wrath revealed from heaven because of mankind’s ignorance or rebellion (v. 18)?
What does Paul say God did with those who remained stubbornly rebellious and defiant (v.24).
It is not difficult to see many of the same attitudes and behavior described by Paul in our world today. Pray that God will have mercy on us and that those who practice all means of unrighteousness will repent.

Prayer: Father, thank you for your forgiveness and mercy! Thank you for coming into my life and showing me that my justification comes only through faith in Jesus and his finished work on the cross. Help me to encourage other believers as Paul did. Never let me be ashamed of you or the gospel. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I might pray for those who are drowning in sin and rebellion against you. Give me compassion for those who are blinded by the evil one. Use me for your glory! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Devotional

Daily Devotional-November 8th

November 8, 2020

The book of Exodus tells the story of the birth of the nation of Israel fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham. From the seventy descendants of Jacob, Israel was fruitful and multiplied greatly until they filled the whole land of Egypt. After four centuries of slavery, God answers the cries of His people for deliverance. God raises up Moses for this calling, to lead his people out of bondage to a land of promise and deliverance.

Some of the greatest stories of the Bible are featured in Exodus—from the Ten Plagues, and the Passover, to the crossing of the Red Sea, and the establishment of the covenant at Mount Sinai. The Passover lamb, the exodus from the land of Egypt, the seven feasts, the tabernacle, and even the high priest, are all foreshadows of the ministry of Christ.

Chapters 1-18 contains the events leading up to God’s delivering the Hebrews from their captivity in Egypt, and chapters 19-40 shares the events in the wilderness and the account of God’s instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai to direct the life and worship of the nation.

Exodus 39 & 40

Making the Priestly Garments

1 From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. ³And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design. ⁴They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges. ⁵And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁸He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. ⁹It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled. ¹⁰And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; ¹¹and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹²and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ¹³and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. ¹⁴There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. ¹⁵And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. ¹⁶And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. ¹⁷And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. ¹⁸They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. ¹⁹Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁰And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. ²¹And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²²He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue, ²³and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear. ²⁴On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. ²⁵They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates— ²⁶a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁷They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons, ²⁸and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen, ²⁹and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” ³¹And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³²Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did. ³³Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; ³⁴the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen; ³⁵the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat; ³⁶the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; ³⁷the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; ³⁸the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent; ³⁹the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand; ⁴⁰the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; ⁴¹the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests. ⁴²According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work. ⁴³And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.

Exodus 40

The Tabernacle Erected

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. ³And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. ⁴And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. ⁵And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. ⁶You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, ⁷and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ⁸And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.

⁹“Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. ¹⁰You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. ¹¹You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. ¹²Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water ¹³and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. ¹⁴You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, ¹⁵and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

¹⁶This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. ¹⁷In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. ¹⁸Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. ¹⁹And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁰He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. ²¹And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²²He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, ²³and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁴He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, ²⁵and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁶He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, ²⁷and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁸He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. ²⁹And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, ³¹with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. ³²When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. ³³And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord

³⁴Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁶Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. ³⁷But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. ³⁸For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

Reflection:

As we close out these devotionals in the book of Exodus, we end with the description of the clothing to be worn by Aaron, the High Priest, and the tabernacle being completed and erected.
Generally, the color blue would represent the sky or heavenly dwelling of God Most High. Purple signifies royalty and scarlet representing the sins covered by blood. Gold and white represents purity and holiness respectively. These colors, precious metals, and thread made of gold are components of both the tabernacle and the priestly attire. The tabernacle and the garments must have been a sight to behold with beautiful elements, craftsmanship, creativity, and artistry. It represented God as our wonderful Creator, and the result of his people working together.
The breastplate that the High Priest wore was about ten inches square and consisted of twelve stones attached to it representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The breastplate covered the heart of the High Priest as he represented the people before God.
How does Jesus represent those who belong to him before God? Consider this wonderful truth as you meditate on Hebrews 7:23-25, “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermostthose who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
The tabernacle provided for the presence of God among his people, the place of sacrifice for the sins of the people, a physical focal point for the people in their worship of God, and a practical expression of generosity and service of the people to their God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we see many symbolic foreshadows of our Savior and High Priest in the tabernacle, and it reminds us of the new covenant and means of God’s presence in our lives. And most significantly, the temporary has been replaced with the permanent.
John 1:14, “And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt (lit. tabernacled) among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Sonfrom the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Consider Jesus words concerning the passing away of the temple as recorded in Matthew 24:1-2, “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” The temple would indeed be destroyed a few years later in 70 A.D.
Jesus told the woman at the well that a time would come when the specific place of worship would no longer be the main concern. It would be a matter of the heart of worship. Consider John 4:20-21, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.”
It was God’s plan all along to not dwell in a tent or a building made by human hands, and that his presence would become even more personal and intimate. Reflect on Solomon’s words as recorded in 2 Chronicles 2:5-6, “The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?”
When Stephen was about to be stoned to death, as recorded in Acts 7:47-50, he proclaimed, “But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,“‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?’”
Paul also emphasized this fact in his address to the Areopagus in Acts 17:24-25, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
Every believer in Jesus Christ is now a temple for God’s dwelling. Reflect on 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”
Collectively, as God’s people, we are God’s temple, 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you (plural) are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you (plural)?”
Finally, praise God that, in Christ, you are a part of a royal priesthood! 1 Peter 2:4-5;9, “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…But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I praise you for you are holy, the King of kings, Most Holy God! Heaven is your throne and earth your footstool. And yet, you came to me, a sinner, and saved me by the blood of Jesus. You made your dwelling place in me and you have made me a citizen of a holy nation, of your own possession, a part of your royal priesthood. I worship you and lift my heart to you. Live your life through me today, and bring glory to yourself, and make your magnificent name renown! In Jesus’ name, amen.