The Ransom

For even the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 (NLT)

As we approach the Easter season, let us not forget the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for our sins. God sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ into the world as a humble and selfless servant – indeed, the Servant – to suffer and die for our redemption (see also Isaiah 52:13-53:12; see also Luke 22:27; John 13:5). Jesus Christ willingly gave His life as a ransom to give us salvation (life) and release us from the bondage of sin and death (see also 1 Peter 1:18-20). In other words, Jesus Christ redeems us through faith from a bad situation (e.g., sin and eternal death) and endured our punishment for sin at the cost of His own blood on Calvary’s Cross (see Romans 3:24; Titus 2:14, 19; Revelation 5:9). Through a marvelous exchange, the result is our “forgiveness of sins,” righteousness, and reconciliation to God (Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:14). God redeemed us from the slavery of sin, not with money, but with His one and only Son’s precious blood on Calvary’s Cross (Romans 6:6-7; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 9:12). Jesus Christ's sacrificial death for our sins was not an afterthought by God, but predicted by God because of the great fall of Adam and Eve (1 Peter 1:20; see Genesis 3:15) as an expression of His love for humanity (John 3:16). Everyone who accept and believe in Jesus Christ will be saved from their sin and eternal judgment (John 3:16-18).

For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. John 3:16-18 (NLT)

Theologians call Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross atonement. The word “atonement” or “make atonement” is frequently used in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, but is rare in the rest of the Holy Scriptures. Yet, the basic idea of atonement is widespread throughout the Holy Scriptures. As mentioned earlier, the need for atonement arrives from the sinfulness of humanity (Genesis 3). Throughout the Holy Scriptures, sin was serious and sin would be punished unless atonement was sought in the way God provided. In the Old Testament, atonement was sometimes made separately from sacrifice by paying money (Exodus 30:12-16) or offering life (2 Samuel 21:3-6). In each case, to make atonement means to prevent divine punishment and anger by the payment of a ransom, which may be money or which may be of life. The Old Testament sacrifices were types (foreshadowing) of Jesus Christ, depicting the ultimate and only sacrifice for human sin.

In the Old Testament, the word atonement is often found in Leviticus, particularly Leviticus 16, which describes the most important day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Sin was dealt with by the offering of a sacrifice. Thus, the burnt offering would be accepted “to make atonement” (Leviticus 1:4), as also the sin offering and the guilt offering (Leviticus 4:20; Leviticus 7:7), and especially the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Many times the Old Testament prophets criticized the offerings of sacrifice as merely external action by the people. Instead, the prophets encouraged the people to offer sacrifice as the expression of their repentant and trustful heart to find atonement.

This truth of atonement is repeated and enlarged upon in the New Testament. The New Testament makes clear that all are sinners (Romans 3:23) and that hell waits any unrepentant sinners. Yet, the New Testament also makes clear that our loving God wants to bring salvation from hell to everyone. God has brought that salvation in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Even more amazing of God’s love is that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19, RSV), a reconciliation brought about by the death of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:10). God in Jesus Christ took our sins within His sinless body and died our death for sin (Mark 10:45; 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21). Thus, Jesus Christ became the last and God’s perfect sacrifice for human sin (Hebrews 9:26, Hebrews 10:4-10). In other words, Jesus Christ paid sin’s due penalty – a ransom (Romans 3:25-26; Romans 6:23; Galatians 3:13) to redeem sinful humans (Ephesians 1:7) and set us free (1 Corinthians 6:20; Galatians 5:1). Thus, Jesus Christ is the sinless and holy Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Even more, He has made a new covenant (Hebrews 9:14-15). Jesus paid it all! As believing Christians in Jesus Christ’s death, our part is simply to respond in repentance, faith, and selfless living.  

Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He (Christ) died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NLT)

References

King James Version Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1988.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

New Student Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Book House Company, 2001.

Holiness

Apostle Peter:  But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because He raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 1 Peter 1:15-23 (NLT)

God is holy and His Name is also holy (Leviticus 19:2; Psalm 99:3, 5, 9; 1 Peter 15-16).  Holiness is the very foundation of God’s very being, as God is absolutely pure and separated from evil (Isaiah 6:3; see also Habakkuk 1:13; Revelation 4:8). “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3, NIV). Because God is holy, all sin and disobedience is offensive to Him (Psalm 51:4). God’s holiness is also seen in the Trinity. The God of love and grace is our Holy Father (John 17:11), Jesus Christ is the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24; John 6:69), and the Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit. Our primary response to God’s holiness is our respect, reverence, and worship, which is the basis for all godly living (Exodus 3:5; Psalm 96:9; Proverbs 1:7).

For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. . . . Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44-45, NLT).

Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I am God, your God. Do what I tell you; live the way I tell you. I am the God who makes you holy. . . .  Live holy lives before Me because I, God, am holy. I have distinguished you from the nations to be My very own. Leviticus 20:7-8, 26 (MSG)

Since God is absolutely holy, His concern is that His people likewise become holy (Leviticus 11:44-45). God’s people are called to be holy (Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 7:6; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 3:17; 1 Peter 1:16). Holiness means being completely devoted to God and set aside for His special use and purpose – separated from sin and impurity and set apart or dedicated for God (see also Romans 6:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:2). There is no eternal life without holiness (Hebrews 12:14) – turning from sin and wholeheartedly obeying God (see Psalm 24:3-4). Since the Old Testament, God’s fundamental calling for His people was to be a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). God wanted a people dedicated and devoted to Him as King, and completely set apart to do His will and service (see also 1 Peter 2:5-9). Thus for God’s people, holiness contains the negative sense of separation from sin and evil and the positive sense of consecration or sanctification for good.

David:  Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where He lives? Who may stand before the Lord? Only those with pure hands and hearts, who do not practice dishonesty and lying. They will receive God’s own goodness as their blessing from Him, planted in their lives by God Himself, their Savior. These are the ones who are allowed to stand before the Lord and worship the God of Jacob. Psalms 24:3-6 (TLB)

We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:10 (NIV)

All believing Christians have been made holy through faith and acceptance in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection on the Cross (Acts 26:18; Hebrews 10:10, 14). Jesus Christ has made all believing Christians holy in God's sight through faith. The New Testament makes clear that Jesus Christ came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31-35). Jesus Christ redeems and saves all believers (Romans 3:-23-24) at the cost of His blood (Ephesians 1:7; Titus 2:14; Revelation 5:9). The result is the “forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14) and justification (Romans 3:24). Thus, God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ’s death saves us from the sin (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 2:11-12). Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross sanctifies and cleanses us from the old ways of sin and sets us apart for God’s special sacred purpose (Hebrews 13:12). Believing Christians’ holiness through faith in Jesus Christ is preserved through their clean, moral, and peaceful living. Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death saved us from guilt and judgment (Romans 3:24) and produced in believing Christians moral purity and helpful services to others (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? . . . But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9, 11 (NIV)

Our faith in Jesus Christ declares us righteous, holy, wise, and redeemed (Mark 10:45; 1 Corinthians 1:30; see also Colossians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27, NIV). We cannot escape from sin on our own; only faith in the life of Jesus Christ frees us and then following Jesus Christ in loving faith and obedience by God’s Holy Spirit keeps us from sinning (Romans 8:13; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 19-20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 13:20-21). God’s Holy Spirit helps us to live according to God's purpose and “work out your salvation” (Philippians 2:12-13). Holiness is an ongoing cooperative process in which believing Christians, alive to God and freed from sin (Romans 6:11, 14-18), are required to actively love and obey God and flee sin and wickedness with the help of God’s Holy Spirit and continually abiding or walking with Jesus Christ (John 15:1-17; Colossians 1:11; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Timothy 2:1). Thus, holiness is neither a self-reliant activity nor God-reliant inaction, but a daily God-dependent effort (2 Corinthians 7:1; Philippians 3:10-14; Hebrews 12:14).

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God. 1 Peter 2:9-12 (NIV)

Being sanctified, or made holy, is a work of God’s Holy Spirit on the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning death on the Cross (Titus 2:14, Titus 3:4-5). Through our faith in Jesus Christ, God sends us His Holy Spirit to cleanse us from our sins (John 15:26-27; Acts 5:32). God’s Holy Spirit is the agent of holiness for God’s people (John 3:5; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42). The Holy Spirit keeps the church pure (Acts 5:1-11) and promotes holiness in God’s people through our obedience to God (1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). God’s Holy Spirit living within believing Christians give us the ability to obey God’s holy standards as He controls every aspect of our lives.

Our faith in Jesus Christ does not mean ignoring God’s righteousness. Instead as believing Christians, we willingly exchange a sinful way of living for God’s righteous way of life (Romans 6:15-23; see also 1 John 3:3, 6).  Obedience to God produces holiness (Romans 6:22) and the end of the process is eternal life. There is no eternal life without holiness (Hebrews 12:14). Participation in God’s divine blessings is conditioned on obedience added to faith. Genuine faith in Jesus Christ will express itself in obedience to God (see James 2:14-26). Thus, worshipping God has a horizontal aspect -- that is, God is honored by our lives as we wholeheartedly obey Him and flee sin and evil. A central teaching of the Old Testament and the New Testament is that God desires obedience and a right heart, not empty compliance to rituals or hypocrisy (see e.g. 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Psalm 40:6-8; Psalm 51:16-19; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 9:13).

Apostle Paul:  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

Because of all that God has done for us through Jesus Christ, we should strive to be His holy people (Romans 12:1-2). As mentioned earlier, holiness is a twofold action: turning away from sin, and wholeheartedly turning toward God (2 Corinthians 7:1; see also Acts 20:21). We must devote every area of our life to God with absolute love and obedience in motives as well as practices (Matthew 22:37; Romans 12:1-2). God wants His people to imitate Him by following His high moral standards of love, truth, grace, mercy, and forgiveness (Exodus 34:6-7; Ephesians 5:1-2; see also Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 23:23). Jesus Christ, as God in human flesh, revealed to the whole world God’s love, humility, and mercy (Philippians 2:5-11) for a Christ-like life and attitude are part of what obedience and law-keeping means. As the Lord God passed in front of Moses, He declared “I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who does not become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people” (Exodus 34:6-7, NCV). The prophet Micah proclaimed “the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NLT).

God’s Scriptures gives us guidelines to help us remain separate —both socially and spiritually — from evil and wickedness. We can pray to God to give us strength to live holy lives and God is faithful to help us (see Psalms 99:6). We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us His Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin and evil. Call on God's Holy Spirit power to help you live holy and free from sin.

Apostle Paul:  Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:15-23 (NLT)

References

King James Version Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1988.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. New York: Zondervan, 2008.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Book House Company, 2001.

Butler, Trent. Holman Bible Dictionary. Broadman & Holman Pub., 1991.

Packer, J.I. Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. Carol Stream, IL:  Tyndale House Pub., 1993.

From Our Hearts

One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They noticed that some of His disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. . . . So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” Then He said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” He said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and His disciples asked Him what He meant by the parable He had just used. “Don’t you understand either?” He asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, He declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.) And then He added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:1-2, 5-23 (NLT) see parallel reference at Matthew 15:1-20 and Old Testament reference at Isaiah 29:13.

The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day were often hostile towards Him and His ministry. In fact, some religious leaders would follow Jesus from place to place simply to watch for something to criticize. The religious leaders had created many man-made traditions. The Jews called their traditions “the fence of the Law.” These man-made traditions and teachings were often considered as authoritative and important as the Word of God—even though they contradicted living Word of God. Sadly, these traditions were external religious rituals and empty words to the lips (Isaiah 29:13). These traditions and rituals were not motivated by love and mercy, but by a desire to appear holy and to increase their status with people (see also Matthew 23:23-28). The religious people went through the outward forms of worship, but these rituals and traditions were not true worship of God because their hearts were far from Him (Matthew 15:1-9). 

Even today, people will follow routine religious patterns yet neglect to give God their first love and devotion (Matthew 6:33). Jesus proclaimed that God wanted our genuine and wholehearted love, alliance, and devotion to Him and not our empty, dishonest, and half-hearted worship (Jeremiah 4:4; see also Isaiah 1:10-20; Isaiah 66:3; Jeremiah 6:20; Jeremiah 7:22-23; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 22:37). God wants everyone to love, obey, and worship Him from their whole hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37). In fact, the Great Prophet – Jesus Christ – quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 when He gave the most important commandment as “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (see Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30).

Jesus taught that true holiness is a matter of inward affection and attitude and not just outward actions and rituals (see also Matthew 5:1-12; Luke 6:17-26). True worship of God comes from the heart and directed by God's truth, not man-made rituals and traditions. Jesus stated that the source of holy living is from within, not from without. Since the Old Testament, true holiness has always been a matter of the heart, a right relationship with God by faith and worship of Him alone (see also Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 6:4-6, 16; Psalm 51:6, 10, 16-17). Moses made it clear in Deuteronomy that God wanted love and obedience to come from our hearts, and not be merely outward obedience to rules and rituals (see also Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 30:6, 20). The Holy Scriptures clearly teaches that God wants our wholehearted love, worship, and devotion to Him, and not just our lip service. It is not enough to act religious, but what is in our hearts is even more important to God. No wonder David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God!” (Psalm 51:10).

Sin begins in the heart. The human heart is sinful and produces all kinds of evil desires, thoughts, and actions, everything from murder to envy (Jeremiah 17:9). Sin produces defilement and death. Jesus declared boldly that sin comes from the heart. He pointed out that sin actually begins in the attitudes and intentions of the inner person (Luke 6:45). It is what comes out of the mouth and what we think that defiles us and makes us unclean. What comes out of the mouth begins in the heart, and these things defile a person. Allowing our minds and thoughts to dwell on lust, envy, hatred, or revenge will lead to sin. That is why the Apostle Paul encourages everyone to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8, NLT). What we allow to occupy our minds and thoughts will eventually determine our speech and actions.

Jesus realized that all humans are sinners and unable to control or change their hearts. That is why Jesus came to earth—to die for lost sinners. The heart can be cleansed and changed only by faith in Jesus and His saving work for our sins on the Cross (Acts 15:8-9, 11). When we place our wholehearted faith in God found in Jesus Christ, God makes us clean from within and gives us a new heart. We are not holy because of outward acts — we become holy on the inside as Jesus renews our minds and transforms us into His image through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 11).

References:

King James Version Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1988.

KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1994.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

New Student Bible. New York: Zondervan, 1992.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.

Citizens of Heaven

Apostle Paul:   Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine (Paul), and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the Cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He (Jesus Christ) will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control. Philippians 3:17-21 (NLT)

As believers of Jesus Christ, we are aliens and strangers in this world, because our real home is heaven where God lives. True believers of Jesus Christ are aliens in that they are fully involved in the world, yet not of the world (John 17:14-15). In other words, believers of Jesus Christ are “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8) and are “children of God” (John 1:12-13). As God’s children, our true loyalty and devotion must always be to God and our citizenship in heaven. Yet, God commands all believers of Jesus Christ to live gracious and upright lives on earth as they continue the work of Jesus Christ (John 17:18, see also Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:9-12).

Apostle Peter:  You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God . . . . 1 Peter 2:9-12 (NLT)

Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have been united with Him (Galatians 2:20). With this union, God has accepted us and raised believers from a life of death along with Jesus Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:5-6). Even more, through our union and faith in Jesus Christ, believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3). This means that in Jesus Christ, believers have all the benefits of knowing God — salvation, adoption as God’s children, forgiveness of sins, wisdom and insight, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. All believers will one day experience all the special privileges of our heavenly citizenship when Jesus Christ returns.

Apostle Paul:  Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is our life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Heaven is where God lives. In the Old Testament, heaven came to earth in the symbolism of the Jewish sanctuary (the tabernacle and temple) where God's holy presence inhabited. However, heaven came in a fuller sense through the Person of Jesus Christ, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Now, heaven fills the entire world as the Holy Spirit came to live in every true believer at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Someday, the kingdom of heaven will rule every of earth (Revelation 21:3).

While writing Philippians, the apostle Paul was heartbroken that those who professed Jesus Christ actually lived as enemies of the Cross of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:18-19). Paul encouraged all true believers to set their hearts, minds and priorities on Jesus Christ and not the earthly things (Colossians 3:1-4, 15; see also Romans 6:1-13; Galatians 6:14; Philippians 4:8-9).  In other words, believers are to live life from God's perspective and to seek what He desires (see also Colossians 3:5-17). Heavenly conduct (e.g., love, goodness, servant-hood, self-sacrifice, and worship) should mark believers of Jesus Christ. Although our good service and behavior do not earn our salvation with God, but good service and behavior are results of our salvation (see Ephesians 2:8-10). D.L. Moody disciplined Christians for being “so heavenly minded they were no earthly good.” As believers in Jesus Christ, Christians have a dual citizenship—on earth and in heaven—and our citizenship in heaven should make us better people here on earth.

Jesus Christ:  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

As citizens of heaven, the true and living God (God the Father, the Son - Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit) must be our first priority and worship in our daily lives (Matthew 6:33, see also Deuteronomy 6:13-19).  We must actively and continually seek first God and His righteousness with a singled minded commitment (see also Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Matthew 22:37). Even more, our lives should be focused on “God-reality, God-initiative, and God-provisions” (Matthew 6:33; MSG) in every area of our daily lives. The things we should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what God wants. If we put God's will and God's righteousness first in our lives, He will take care of everything else and provide through His grace (Matthew 6:33).  Jesus Christ pointed out the sad consequences of not seeking God first and seeking the world’s pleasures (see Luke 12:13-21). Even more, Jesus Christ warned against the sin of living for the world and things of this life (e.g., greed and materialism) (see also Exodus 20:17; Psalm 119:36; Mark 7:22; Luke 12:15; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5).

References

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. New York: Zondervan, 2008.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.

The Holy Spirit and the Early Church

Luke to Theophilus:   In my first book (Gospel of Luke) I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day He was taken up to heaven after giving His chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after His crucifixion (death), He appeared to the apostles from time to time, and He proved to them in many ways that He was actually alive. And He talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Once when He was eating with them, He commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:1-5 (NLT)

Forty days after Jesus’ resurrection from complete death He spent time with His apostles. Then, Jesus returned to God the Father in heaven. However, Jesus promised His apostles that God would send the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), God sent the promised gift of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, God became present in the members of the early church causing the church to grow from Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Jesus to Disciples:  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit personally directed each major advance of the early church. For instance, the Holy Spirit sent Philip into the desert to meet an Ethiopian (Acts 8:29), set apart missionaries in Antioch (Acts 13:2), guided the first big church council (Acts 15:1-28), and helped plan Paul’s missionary journeys (Acts 13:4; Acts 16:6). As the writer of the book of Acts, Luke carefully notes that every major decision of the early church was made under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The early church waited on the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem before beginning to preach (Acts 2:4). Moreover, the Holy Spirit fell on each new group of believers in Jesus Christ:  on Jews (Acts 4:31), then on the Samaritans (Acts 8:17), then the Gentiles (Acts 10:44), and finally John the Baptist’s disciples (Acts 19:6). God through His Holy Spirit used these ordinary men and women of the early church with their frailties and limitations to take the Good News “all over the world” (Acts 17:6). In essence, Luke presents the Holy Spirit as the “power source” of the early church and not the power of humans (see Zechariah 4:6). Even more, Luke revealed the Holy Spirit as a living Person who spoke, guided, and empowered the early church. Indeed, some biblical scholars have suggested that the book of Acts should be renamed “Acts of the Holy Spirit” because of the dominant role of the Holy Spirit in the early church. The early church lived dangerously, but never before has such handful of people changed the world forever through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Essentially, ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Holy Spirit’s power working in their lives.

How did you receive the Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the Good News and believed it. You began your life in Christ by the Spirit. Now are you trying to make it complete by your own power? That is foolish. Were all your experiences (suffering) wasted? I hope not! Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you follow the law? No, He does these things because you heard the Good News and believed it. Galatians 3:2-5 (NCV)

How do we receive the Holy Spirit? The Apostle Paul reminded the early church members that they received the Holy Spirit not by keeping the law but by simply believing (faith) in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:5-9). In effect, the Holy Spirit came into the lives of the early church not by works or human efforts. These people received the Holy Spirit because they trusted and accepted Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:2-5). As mentioned earlier, when Jesus returned to heaven, He promised that God would send the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-5). God kept that promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. At Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), God freely poured out the Holy Spirit to everyone who believed in Jesus Christ. In summary, we receive the Holy Spirit (are baptized with the Holy Spirit) when we believe and accept Jesus Christ.

God sent the Holy Spirit so that He would be with and within His people after Jesus returned to heaven. The Holy Spirit would comfort, guide, teach, and empower God’s people to continue God’s work began with Jesus’ coming to earth (see John 14 — 16; see also Luke 24:49). God’s people could not belong to Jesus Christ and continue God’s work without His Spirit (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is God’s power that brings our new life. The Holy Spirit convicts the lost sinner and reveals Jesus Christ (John 16:7-11). When a person accepts and believes in Jesus Christ, that same person is then born of the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-8) and receives new life. The Holy Spirit then changes that person from the inside out into the likeness of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:3; Philippians 1:6). Even more, the Holy Spirit baptizes and seals us into the spiritual body of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:13-14) to share in His glory.

To the High Council:  But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed Him by hanging Him on a cross (tree). Then God put Him in the place of honor at His right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey Him.”. . . The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name of Jesus. And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts 5: 29-32, 41-42 (NLT)

References

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

New Student Bible. New York: Zondervan,1992.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.

The Faith of Abraham

I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV)

Starting at Genesis 12, God once again took the initiative to make a new beginning. Except for chapters 1 and 2, the first eleven chapters of Genesis record one human failure after another. First, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were cast out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Then, Cain murdered his brother Abel in a jealous rage (Genesis 4). Humanity’s sin and corruption continued with Noah’s generations until God decided to cleanse the earth with the great flood (Genesis 6 – 8). Then in prideful defiance of God, humans built a city and a tower so they would no longer have to depend on God (Genesis 11). Thus, disobedience, murder, wickedness, violence, and rebellion marked the first eleven chapters of Genesis. So starting with Genesis 12, God once again started a new and fresh beginning with humans. God chose Abraham to make this beginning. God wanted to build a people He could call His own and that would worship and trust Him as the only true God of heaven and earth. Abraham and his descendants would become the foundation of this new nation wholehearted devoted to God (Yahweh).

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep His promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. Hebrews 11:8-12 (NLT)

When God first called Abram (Abraham), God told Abram to leave his native country (Mesopotamia or modern day Iraq), his relatives, and his father’s family, and go to a land that He would show him (see also Acts 7:2). God promised Abram that “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great (make you famous), and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3, NIV). At God’s call, Abram obeyed and trusted God’s instruction. Abram departed his native country with his wife Sarai (Sarah), his nephew Lot, and all their possessions. At that time Sarai was barren (Genesis 11:30) and Abram was seventy-five years old when they all headed for God’s promised land – Canaan (Genesis 12:4). Though small in dimension, Canaan would become the focal point of Israel’s history as well as for the rise of Christianity.

Genesis 12:1-3 provides a foundational statement note only for Abram and for all humans. Not only would Abram and his descendants be blessed, but the other nations of the world would be blessed through Abram's descendants. God’s original blessings on the whole human race (Genesis 1:28) would be fulfilled in the lives of Abram and his descendants.  In various ways and degrees, God promises in Genesis 12 were reaffirmed to Abram (see Genesis 15:5-21; Genesis 17:4-8; Genesis 18:18-19; Genesis 22:17-18), to Isaac (Genesis 26:2-4), to Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15; Genesis 35:11-12; Genesis 46:3), to Moses (Exodus 3:6-8; Exodus 6:2-8), and to Abram’s physical descendant – and in Galatians 3:8 to Abram’s spiritual descendants (the Gentiles).

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your Shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “LORD God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless . . . . Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him (Abram) outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he (Abram) believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6 (NKJV)

Sometime later, God once again spoke to Abram. This time, God promised to be Abram’s “shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1, NIV). Abram was quite wealthy (Genesis 13:2; Genesis 14:23) but God reaffirmed to Abram that He was Abram’s greatest treasure, protection, and shield (Genesis 15:1). Abram said to God, “what can you give me since I remain childless” (Genesis 15:2, NIV). Then, God took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have! And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:5-6, NLT). In essence, God presented the impossible promise to Abram that he would have a son through whom his descendants would eventually be as numerous as the stars of heaven. Abram believed God (Genesis 15:6), and Abram’s faith proved to be an act of righteousness—faith is righteousness (see Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Romans 4:1-5, 17; Galatians 3:6, 11; Hebrews 10:37-38). This central statement about Abram’s faith is quoted three times in the New Testament (see Romans 4:3, 22-23; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23) to support the doctrine of righteousness before God comes only by faith in God. In essence, Abram revealed that faith in the true and living God is required to receive God’s blessings.

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? . . . For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” . . . .  Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. . . . So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. . . . For Abraham is the father of all who believe. . . . And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. Romans 4:1, 3, 9, 16, 22 (NLT)

Ten years after settling in Canaan, Abram and Sarai began to question God’s promises since they had no children. Sadly, Abram and Sarai decided to take matters into their own hands and did not patiently wait for God’s perfect timing and guidance. Abram and Sarai attempted to obtain the promised offspring by using human efforts and not God’s power. So, Sarai gave her Egyptian servant named Hagar to Abram to conceive a child and Abram agreed with Sarai’s arrangement (Genesis 16:1-3). Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant (Genesis 16:4). However, once Hagar became pregnant, Sarai began mistreating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away (Genesis 16:7). However, the Angel of the LORD found Hagar and told her “I will give you more descendants than you can count. . . . You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. . . .  Yes, he (Ishmael) will live in open hostility against all his relatives” (Genesis 16:9-12). So, Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born (Genesis 16:15-16). Ishmael would become the founder of the Arab nations. Thus, Abraham's descendants include not only the Jewish people, but also the Arab world (through Ishmael) and the nations listed in Genesis 25:1-4.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve Me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” Genesis 17:1-2 (NLT)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God once again appeared to him. God told Abram, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life” (Genesis 17:1, NLT). The name “El-Shaddai” emphasized God’s power and greatness Abram. Nothing is too hard for God (see Jeremiah 32:17). Even more, God appearances to Abram reaffirmed to Abram to receive God’s promises he must live out “the obedience that come from faith” (Romans 1:5; see also Genesis 22). For Abram to receive God’s power and blessing required Abram’s wholehearted obedience to God and to walk a blameless life (see also Genesis 5:22; Genesis 6:8-9; Psalm 15:2; Luke 1:6; Isaiah 33:15; Isaiah 56:1; Micah 6:8; Habakkuk 2:4; and Mark 12:29-31). God wanted Abram and his descendants’ wholehearted trust and loyalty to Him. Even more, God wanted Abram and his descendants to look to Him as their Protector and Provider of all physical and spiritual blessings (Genesis 17:7). Previously, Enoch and Noah had walked blamelessly with God (see Genesis 5:22; Genesis 6:8-9) and God required Abram to continue this lifestyle.

Who may worship in Your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever. Psalms 15:1-5 (NLT)

Then God said to Abram, “This is My covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! I will confirm My covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:3-8, NLT). Then, God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants” (Genesis 17:15-16, NLT). Both names, Sarai and Sarah, evidently mean “princess.” The renaming of Sarah also stressed that Sarah was to be the mother of nations and kings (Genesis 17:16) and thus to serve God’s purposes (Genesis 17:6).

In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. Galatians 3:6-9 (NLT)

Thus, Abram’s offspring, who like the descendants of Noah (see Genesis 10) would become many nations and spread over the earth. Abram means “Exalted Father” and Abraham means “father of many” (Genesis 17:5; see also Nehemiah 9:7). God’s promises to Abram was initially fulfilled in Egypt (see Exodus 1; Deuteronomy 1:10; Hebrews 11:12). Ultimately all who trust in and belong to Jesus Christ are Abram’s offspring (Galatians 3:29). Ultimately, Abraham’s promise finds fulfillment in his descendant, Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1). Through faith Jesus Christ, all people – Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) share in God’s blessing on Abraham (Genesis 12:3; see also Romans 4:11-25; Galatians 3:8-9, 16, 29; Revelation 7:9; Revelation 21:24).

Apostle Paul:  For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:26-29 (NLT)

References

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

New Student Bible. New York: Zondervan,1992.

NLT Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2008.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. New York: Zondervan, 2008.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989. 

Earth’s New Beginning and New Nation

The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with him were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. . . .  These three men were Noah’s sons, and all the people on earth came from these three sons. . . . At this time the whole world spoke one language, and everyone used the same words. As people moved from the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They said to each other, “Let’s make bricks and bake them to make them hard.” So they used bricks instead of stones, and tar instead of mortar. Then they said to each other, “Let’s build a city and a tower for ourselves, whose top will reach high into the sky. We will become famous. Then we will not be scattered over all the earth.” The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. The Lord said, “Now, these people are united, all speaking the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. They will be able to do anything they want. Come, let Us go down and confuse their language so they will not be able to understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. The place is called Babel since that is where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. So the Lord caused them to spread out from there over the whole world. This is the family history of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, his son Arphaxad was born. . . . After Terah was 70 years old, his sons Abram, Nahor, and Haran were born. This is the family history of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot. While his father, Terah, was still alive, Haran died in Ur in Babylonia, where he was born. Abram and Nahor both married. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was not able to have children. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram’s wife) and moved out of Ur of Babylonia. They had planned to go to the land of Canaan (the Promised Land of God). Genesis 9:18-19, Genesis 11:1-10, 26-31 (NCV)

After the great flood, God once again made a new beginning with humanity and that new beginning started with righteous Noah and his family (Genesis 6:8-9; see also Ezekiel 14:14, 20; Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5). Noah was the father of three sons – Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 5:32). All three sons were married (Genesis 7:13). Ham was the youngest son (Genesis 9:24) and Japheth was the eldest (Genesis 10:21).  Of Noah’s three sons, Shem was the chosen line of God (Genesis 9:26). The descendants of Shem were called Shemites (later modified to Semites).

Prior to the flood, the earth was filled with utter evil, wickedness, violence, corruption, and murder (Genesis 4:8, 23; Genesis 6:1-13). Everything the people thought or imagined in their heart was totally evil (Genesis 6:5; see also Proverbs 4:23). But Noah was different as he found favor in God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8). Noah was “the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God” (Genesis 6:9, NLT). To eliminate the total depravity and wickedness on the earth, God decided to bring a great flood to destroy all living creatures – humans and animals – to cleanse the earth of evil and wickedness (Genesis 7). With this flood, “God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days” (Genesis 7:23-24, NLT). Thus, only Noah, his family, and the animals with Noah were saved from the devastating flood waters (Genesis 7:13, 20-23, Genesis 8:18). “Only a few people, eight in all” (1 Peter 3:20) survived the flood waters (2 Peter 2:5).

After the flood, God blessed Noah and his three sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1, NLT). So from Noah and his three sons, God created “all the nations throughout the whole earth” (Acts 17:26, NLT). As we survey the many nations of the world today, all humans ultimately are part of the same family as we are all descended from the same righteous Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth (see Genesis 9:18; Genesis 10:1; Genesis 10:32). Noah’s three sons spread out all over the earth after God scattered them, and they became the nations of the world (Genesis 10:1-32; Genesis 11:1-9).  

Despite this new beginning, the curse of Adam and Eve was not lifted (Genesis 3:14, 16-19). The flood did not reform the human heart (Genesis 6:5; see also Jeremiah 31:31-34). Noah and his three sons were still descendants of Adam (Romans 5:12-19) and carried in their hearts the inheritance to sin (see Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Ephesians 2:3). Thus, the new beginning with Noah eventually led to one of the most arrogant and prideful revolts against God recorded anywhere in the Holy Scriptures, the Babel story (Genesis 11:1-9).

At one time, everyone on earth spoke the same language and used the same words (Genesis 11:1). As the people wandered to the east into the plains of Babylonia, they began saying to each other, “let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world” (Genesis 11:4, NLT). Thus, the people built their tower as a monument for their own greatness and to make a name for themselves rather than for God and God’s glory. The people at Babel followed the pride of this world and idolatry. The people’s plans were egotistical and proud. The tower builders sought fame and to undertake a united and godless effort to establish a gigantic enterprise by which they would dominate God’s creation in ways God never intended. Jesus warned that those who “makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great” (Matthew 23:12, NCV). The Holy Scriptures also warn that “people may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do. . . .  pride will destroy a person; a proud attitude leads to ruin” (Proverbs 16:9, 18 NCV).

Human history reveals that people are ambitious – they want to succeed. In the book of Genesis, humans were as so ambitious that they tried to compete with, rather than serve, God. The story of Babel revealed the people’s desired independence from God instead of a close, personal, and faithful relationship with God. Adam and Eve’s rebellion and sin in Eden recall humans’ first attempt at independence from God and God’s commands (Genesis 3:1-7, 22). At Babel, humans once again tried to succeed without God and God’s plans in a citywide effort. However, God frustrated humans’ plans by confusing their language. Without a common language, the humans’ joint efforts became impossible. Being the righteous Judge of the universe, God came down from heaven to look at the city and the tower the people were building and said, “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other” (Genesis 11:5-7, NLT). In that way, God scattered the people all over the earth and confused the people with different languages (Genesis 11:8-9). Even the greatest of human powers cannot defy God and long survive. Today, there are more than three thousand languages and dialects.  “People can make all kinds of plans, but only the Lord’s plan will happen” (Proverbs 19:21, NCV).

In breaking up the unified community at Babel, God was miraculously working out His divine purposes in His world despite the plans and projects of sinful people. If the people remained united in their prideful attempt, a godless human kingdom would displace and exclude the kingdom of God. God knew that the people were united around a sinful and prideful desire to declare their independence from God and His will (Genesis 11:6). Therefore, God confused human language as an act of His grace. Humans’ inability to communicate stopped their unified sinful ambition. God was preventing humans from committing itself to self-destruction. Thus, the events described in Genesis 11:1-9 led to the scattering of nations that is reflected in the genealogies of Genesis 10:2-30.

Similarly, Adam and Eve’s punishment for disobedience and independence from God and Cain’s punishment for murder involved banishment and scattering by God (Genesis 3:23; Genesis 4:12, 14). This scattering anticipates the warning for ALL people that are enemies of God and who fail to walk in a close and obedient relationship with Him (e.g., see Leviticus 26:33; Numbers 10:35; Deuteronomy 4:27; Deuteronomy 28:64; Deuteronomy 30:3). Obedience and faithfulness to the one true and living God is the key to God’s blessings and favor (see Genesis 6:8-9; Leviticus 26:1-13; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Galatians 6:7-10; James 1:22-25).

Amazingly, many centuries later, the same God who scattered the people at Babel began to gather people together again at Pentecost. At Pentecost, God’s Holy Spirit began to create a new community unified around our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1–13; see also Ephesians 1:10; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21). In one sense, Pentecost was a reversal of Babel, for the people present in Jerusalem at Pentecost heard the praises of God in their own languages. The God-honoring unity of language on the day of Pentecost was a symbolic reversal of the Babel scattering (Acts 2:5-13). In the end, the day will come when people from every tribe and nation will worship Jesus Christ (Revelation 15:4) and the judgment of Babel will be done away as the people join in unity to worship God (Zephaniah 3:9-13; see also Psalm 86:9; Isaiah 45:22-23; Malachi 1:11; Philippians 2:9-11).

The story of Babel sets the stage for God’s call of Abram and His redemptive plan to save humanity from their sins. After the story of Babel, God decided to work through one man and his family to accomplish His purposes—the family of Abram (later renamed Abraham), a descendant of Shem (Genesis 9:26; Genesis 11:10–26). From Shem's descendant line came Abram and the entire Jewish nation (the Israelites, also called the Hebrews). God’s grace links the repopulation of the earth with the blessing placed upon righteous Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:1-2) and Abram’s family (12:1-3) as His solution to the prideful wickedness  in the Babel story (Genesis 11:1-9). From Genesis 12 forward, Abram and his family becomes the center stage in the entire Bible narrative and through which God chose to bless all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:1–3). Abram’s name means “Exalted Father.” This indicated his honored status as ancestor of God’s chosen people. Later in Genesis 17:5, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, which means “Father of a Great Multitude.”

God promised to give Abram a famous name because of his humble obedience (Genesis 12:2). Thus, while the tower of Babel was built by the human energy and the motivation of pride, the nation of Israel was built by the grace and power of God through Abram’s humble obedience. God was bringing a new humanity into being, of whom Abram was the father (Genesis 17:5). “And so a whole nation came from this one man . . . a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them” (Hebrews 11:12, NLT). In the New Testament, Abraham is presented as the outstanding example of those who live by “faith” and as the “father of all who believe” (Romans 4:11-12; Galatians 3:7, 9, 29). Like righteous Noah (Genesis 6:22, Genesis 7:5 see also Hebrews 11:7), Abraham’s faith expressed itself in obedience to God (Genesis 12:4).

Thus, four great events are recorded in Genesis 1-11: the creation of the world and its people, the fall of humankind, the great flood, God’s repopulation of earth through Noah, and the attempted construction of the Tower of Babel. These eleven chapters reveal humans’ disobedience to God and God’s judgment of sins. Yet in God’s faithfulness and grace, He makes new and restored beginnings for humans. In the New Testament, we see God’s supreme faithfulness and fulfillment of His promise when He sent Jesus Christ, “the Seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15), to defeat evil and bring salvation to all who believe (see also Genesis 9:26-27; Romans 3). God’s blessing found in Jesus Christ came through Shem and Abram (Luke 3:34-35). God’s purpose has always been to bring people into a close fellowship with Him. God fulfilled that purpose through Abraham and his wife. From Abraham and his wife, God would build a nation, and from that nation, God would bless all the nations of the earth (see Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 18:18). Ultimately, God’s purpose and blessings was fulfilled in Abraham’s descendant, Jesus Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:3–4, 7–12; Colossians 1:26–27).

And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 (NLT)

Reference

King James Version Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1988.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

New Student Bible. New York: Zondervan,1992.

NLT Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2008.

Word in Life Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. New York: Zondervan, 2008.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.