Foundations 6: What is Sin? Exodus 19-20

1. Background:

God has recused the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.  He wants to meet with them personally.  

Students of the Bible should ask why whenever God takes the initiative to do something.  Without help from a friend or book, the “why” question may be answered as one continues the Bible story.  In our passage we should ask, “why does God want to come near to them?”

 Here are some answers from the following verses to consider:

-They are His covenanted people. v5

-He wants them to act as a kingdom of priests in the world. v6

-God wants the people to recognize Moses is chosen to lead. V9 

As God prepares the people for His visit He instructs Moses what they must do:

-use three days to prepare for His coming v11

-stern warnings for the people not to come too close. v12

-If they venture too close out of curiosity or rebellion, they will die. V13 

Again we might ask, “Why can’t the people come near to Him?”

-God reiterates, they will die. V21 

-God Himself will slay them. 24

Someone reading for the first time might say, “Isn’t this a contradiction?  God wants to be close to them, but He will slay them if they get too close?”  Verses 21 and 24 say the obvious, but the implied answer is what we’re looking for though it isn’t clearly stated, yet.

2. What Can We Observe About God?

God is angry over our sin.

What we see happening is a struggle between God and His chosen people.  The fault and contradiction is not with God, but with the people who are ignorant of how they offended Him.  The covenant with them began with Abraham, and for four hundred years the people remained ignorant of who God really is.   They unknowingly broke the covenant with their sin and unfaithfulness. 

Imagine a married couple who has been through an adultery.  Perhaps the fault lies with the wife, but the husband wishes to reconcile.  Even though, it may have been the wife fault, still the husband attempts to honor their marriage covenant and reconcile.  But still, the husband is dealing with hurt and betrayal.  He is angry and knows that if his wife doesn’t have a true change of heart, then their marriage is doomed.  

So that is why we see a display of God’s anger and wrath on the mountain: 

“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”

Chapter 20:18-20

If their is going to be reconciliation, at some point, there will have to be a first meeting to talk about where the offenses lie in their relationship.  It may not be a particularly joyous meeting, but a necessary one none-the-less.

God wants His people to acknowledge their sin.

The meeting between God and His covenanted people is about to begin and God is going to lay out where their most offensive behaviors lie.  In that first meeting, there is all the things one might expect between a feuding married couple.  There is fire, lighting, and smoke!  There is anger and wrath.   God warns them to stay off the mountain and gives them three days to prepare.  On the third day, God speaks audible so the whole nation hears His thundering voice lay out His complaints against them.

He says, I am your God, the one who saved for for my own people: (20:1)

1. No other God’s before me. V3
2. No images or idols to represent me. V4
3. Do not use my name vainly. V7 
4. Honor me on my rest day. v8
5. Honor your parents. V12 
6. Do not commit murder. V13 
7. Do not commit adultery. v14
8. Do not steal. v15
9. Do not lie. v16
10. Do not covet your neighbors things. V17

This is the first short list of grievances God had with His people.  This is where the people were ignorant of their sin and they were guilty of these things.  God is pointing out where their sin is so they would at least acknowledge it.  

If there is going to be any reconciliation, they at least must start with acknowledging their offenses! There would be much more for them to learn about God, but this was their first meeting with God.  God wanted them to acknowledge their transgression and realize they are in a covenant with a Holy God.

God reiterates this truth all through out His Word:

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

psalm 32:5

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

proverbs 28:13

 If we say that 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.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 john 1:8-10

Even though this is what God clearly wanted people to do. Still, people tried to make their own righteousness and hide their sin.  Like Adam hiding his shame with fig leaves, humanity came up with clever ways to hide sin or explain it away.

Even the Jewish people of the Old Testament attempted to use God’s law to make their own righteousness rather than submit and confess:

³ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 

romans 10:3

3. How Does this Passage Point to Jesus and the Gospel?

God poured His wrath on His Son so he would not have to pour it out on us.

 God gave His law at Mt. Sinai to show His people where their sin was and confess it.  But instead of confessing it, they tried to keep the law and added many more rules that became a burden to the people.

After Sinai, the Bible follows the Hebrews long history of failure to remain faithful to God.  After many generations who refused to acknowledge their sin and submit to God, the Hebrews are finally exiled into Babylon.

After 70 years, the King of Persia allows some of the Jews to return to Jerusalem, but it lies in ruins.  They begin to rebuild and continue to make the same mistakes their fathers had made.  The covenant they had with God looked hopeless and it appeared that sin would always be a problem in spite of all the good things God gave them.

Finally, God sent His Son.  When John saw Him walking towards the crowd he said:

²⁹ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 

john 1:29

Jesus was the one the Old Testament prophets had been talking about.  They said He would be despised and rejected.  

Isaiah 53:3-5

He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

isaiah 53:3

They said He would take our sin on His shoulders and people would reject Him:

Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

isaiah 53:4

They said He would take our place and God would punish Him for our sin.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.

isaiah 53:5

Just like the prophet said, that’s what the people did to Him.  Just like they rejected God, they rejected Him.  The people condemned Him to the cross and God poured His wrath upon Him for our sin.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 

Romans 5:6-9

We are powerless against our sin.  We had no strength to overcome it. That’s when Christ died for us (v6).  God proves His love over us by giving us His Son when were sinners.  He did not demand that we try to perform good things to earn His love (v8). Just like we cannot earn His love, we cannot earn justification.  We can only be justified through the blood of Jesus Christ.  God poured His wrath on Jesus so He would not have to pour His wrath on us (V9).  

4. Application:

Just like the people at Mt. Sinai fear God because of His wrath, they asked Moses to be the middle man.  So we need Jesus Christ to be our middle man.  We accept the terms of His covenant when we place our faith in Jesus Christ and make Him our Lord.  His blood satisfies God’s wrath over sin and reconciles us back to God.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:9

As Christians we continue to battle against sin.  But we know that God will forgive our sin and restore our joy in Him.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

1 John 1:9

Foundations–Lesson 5 Part Two Who Is Man 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:12-58

1. Background

In a church Paul planted, he deals with a heresy that claimed Christ never truly resurrected from the dead. Paul argues for the case of a resurrected Christ. Most importantly, if Christ never resurrected, we are all taken for fools and doomed to die without hope.

2. What can we observe about God?

God wants His sovereignty to be man’s hope for the future.

God’s limitless power and faithfulness to honor His word give us the security to trust Him. These verses give four reasons why we may put our hope in Him.

i. All authority and power are subject to Him. 

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

Verse 24

Could we reasonably hope in God if there were some other forces powerful enough to resist His will? The Bible would have us believe that God is supremely sovereign. The God who created everything with the power of His word has no equal. The devils, nature, and cosmic forces all tremble at His word and obey His decrees. We have our hope in Him because all that He promises to give us cannot be taken by force.

ii. All enemies of God are already defeated. 

“For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”

Verse 25

But aren’t there those that contest His will? If God wanted a perfect world like in Genesis one, then how is it we live in a world of corruption and evil? How is it that Satan roams freely, assaulting His creation?  

We see a world whose time is running out. God has reasons why He allowed evil to continue until this day. Thank God He chose mercy rather than swift justice, or else we would all be without life or hope. In Genesis 3:15, God told us in a prophetic word that He would defeat his enemies with the same means they use to attack Him. But this method God used to defeat His enemies implies a time He will suffer them to continue. We live in that time, but we have already been given proof of assurance that God has subdued His enemies. We are merely waiting for His decree that will bring the final judgment on His enemies.

iii. God will reverse the effects of the curse and death.

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

Verse 26

Even if God is powerful enough to defeat His enemies, how does that give us hope if we are all doomed to die? That’s why God includes “death” in the list of enemies He will defeat. Death is alien to God’s created world, and He will expel it along with our sin and corruption. God has also demonstrated His power over death and given us reasonable hope in Him. It is in this hope we wait for His final victory over death.

iv. We will receive a transformed, resurrection body. 

Man chose to sin in the beginning, and death is what followed. How can we have any real hope if we do not know man will sin and invite death upon us again? Our hope is a new resurrection body God gives us. It is made after the likeness of Jesus Himself. The rest of the chapter speaks about it, but we’ll look at two verse that can summarize:

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Verse 52-53

Our earthly bodies are patterned after Adam, our ancestor who fell before God. But this heavenly body will be patterned after the Lord Himself.

“The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”

Verse 47

These are the promises all Christians hold onto for their hope. God cannot be defeated. He will reverse sin and death. And our bodies and natured will be changed to be patterned after the Lord.

Someone who hears this the first time might say, How can eternal life be good? Won’t it be Boring and exhausting?

This question has come up before on several occasions, but it only shows the one asking the question does not know God’s goodness and greatness. But to answer the question, let’s look at the future vision God gave John. This was the vision of eternal life:

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 21:27

John tells us that in the vision God gave him, he did not see sin or the effects of sin—no corruption, no lies, no death. In other words, John did not see the things that exhaust humanity today. Bible students know everything that ails and the human race is caused by sin, whether it be physical fatigue or moral corruption. God restores a world that will have none of these things because sin has been dealt with. 

Those who think this world will be boring simply have yet to discover who God is. In Genesis two, we see man and God enjoying each other and creation. When sin entered in Genesis 3, we lost our relationship with God and the contentment we possessed in Him.

But John saw in a vision that man and God are reconciled again.

“And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”

Revelation 22:4

To someone who does not know God, this verse will carry little meaning. But for those who know Him and yearn for God, this is one of the most hope-giving verses in all the Bible.

God’s greatness is unsearchable.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable.”

Psalm 145:3

His pleasures are unending.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11

For anyone who thinks God is boring, the alternative is to enter eternity without Him in hell. But why would you perish when such a wonderful God beckons you to come? 

3. How does this passage point to Christ and the Gospel?

Someone says, “This all sounds fantastical. How can we reasonably believe and hope in this? 

Indeed, in our world, speaking of people rising from the dead is bound to make some people laugh at you for believing such things. But we believe none-the-less because the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is compelling and reasonable.

In our chapter, Paul gives some fundamental reasons:

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”

Verses 3-8

Christian believe in the hope that Jesus gives through the eyewitness accounts of His death and resurrection. If one can reasonably deny the resurrection, then all of Christianity would tumble. But if several witnesses reasonably confirm the resurrection, then we are compelled to investigate further.

Finally, our investigation of the eyewitness will lead us to the conclusion in verse 22.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

This simple statement is either entirely true or entirely false. Everyone who hears the Gospel will make a decision. Paul shows us the weight of the matter in verse 17:

“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; and ye are yet in your sins.” 

Believers are those who place their eternal hopes in the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Application

For those yet to receive the gift of eternal life, all one must do is believe in Christ, and you will be placed in Him.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive”

Verse 22

For believers, this future hope changes the way we live today. Our main work is to be thankful and enjoy God.

“But thanks be to God! Which gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Vere 57

Believers live a life already in victory. Therefore our behavior and service are not done in obligation or in payment to earn eternal life. Instead, we reflect on the Gospel and God’s grace towards us. God does a work in our hearts, transforming our lives into a people that lives for Him.

Finally, we have a job to do. 

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Verse 58

The hope we receive ensures us of a future in which we do not need to worry. But some have no knowledge of God’s grace and what Jesus did for them on the cross. People need to be reconciled to a God, and they can only be reconciled in Christ alone. They must hear what God has done for them, and this is the work that we are given to do!

Foundations Lesson 5 Part One: Who Is Man Genesis 1

Genesis 1:24-31

1. Background

In the beginning, God created humanity. Man was the crowning glory of His masterpiece. God gave man a special honor and position within the created order. These passages reveal to us what God’s purpose for humanity is and how we should respond to our Creator.

2. What Can We Observe About God? (Theology)

God created us in His image that we might enjoy Him and honor His work.

 As we read the account of God’s creation, we might ask the question, “What purpose does God have for creating man?” That answer is evident in chapters one and two of Genesis. In verses 26 and 27, we see that God set apart man by giving them His image.  

 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion…”

Verse 26

We have a fancy word in theology for this setting apart action, known as “sanctified.” It simply means God has chosen something, in particular, to be unique, set apart for God’s purpose.

But it also means that we have special obligations to the God who made us in His image. Our life is tied to His name as we are made to be like Him. Other scriptures tell us this truth in plain words:

“Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the Lord which hallow you.”

leveticus 22:32

“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 

1 peter 1:16

As human beings, our created purpose is to reflect God’s goodness and holiness in our daily business. In the context of chapters one and two, the work God gave man to do was not tiresome or unfulfilling. God elevated man to great honor, and their dwelling place was a garden where God met their every need without fail.

“And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food…”

genesis 2:8-9

The work and life that God gave man were not yet encumbered with the curse that sin would later introduce. Man did not know starvation, disease, conflict, or death. Man was merely unaware of the evils we are all familiar with today. Sin is the reason why that changed, however. Our ancestors, Adam and Eve, disobeyed the one prohibition God gave them.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

genesis 2:17

At the heart of this rebellion was to “be like gods” (3:5) in a way that God never intended. Essentially, the decision to disobey God was a decision to replace Him with themselves. As a result, God brought judgment on man, and death entered into the world, and man was driven away from God’s presence.

“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

Genesis 3:24

The rest of human history continued to unfold under the curse of sin. The following chapters and verses follow a short history of the first generations of humanity, all concluding with the same outcome, “and he died” (See Genesis 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31).  

Although God had given man a place of honor in creation, sin had nonetheless corrupted them and brought corruption and death into the world. The great mystery of the Bible is how God plans to deal with this sin. Will He allow sin and death to reign forever? Will the earthy always under the curse of sin? Or will God do something to rescue the world? Will He ever restore the world to the way it was?

3. How does this passage point to Jesus and the Gospel?

Let’s look at a New Testament passage the summarizes how the Gospel will transform this world and individuals.

 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

Colossians 1:12-20

“For by him were all things created (v16)”. This same Jesus is Jehovah God who made us in His image. Rather than let all humanity be swallowed up by death, He “delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son (v13).”

Jesus’ power to deliver humanity from death and sin comes from His own death that atones for our sin. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins(v14).”

Looking back at Genesis, we are reminded that sin corrupted God’s perfect world. Also, humanity was driven away from God’s presence.

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 3:24

Because of sin, our relationship and purpose were corrupted. Life without God’s blessing meant pain, toil, and finally, death, and this is how human history can be summed up even unto this present day. While we can see something of God’s beauty in nature, it is undoubtedly plagued by the same ancient curse of sin.

God’s plan was to send His Son into the world to rid the world of sin and restore it as it has been before death entered in.  

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

This restoration includes individual men and women who place their faith in Christ.

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”

Verses 13-14

4. Application:

God can redeem anyone from the corruption of Sin. Jesus accomplished that work on the cross. There is nothing left for people to do; one only needs to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:24

As God’s people, we return to our God-given purpose to enjoy Him. There is coming a day when Jesus will restore and reconcile the world to Himself. In the meantime, we find enjoyment in God and His word, fulling the work that needs to be done.  

The Gospel has restored us to God again, and we can fellowship with Him once more. We exercise that relationship and find joy in Him until the time of His return.

Appendix:

While reading the Bible’s account of how the world began, someone might ask, “How do I know this is not a mythical legend? Can I still be a Christian and not believe Genesis’ account?”

It is essential to know what the Bible records are truthful and accurate. The Bible claims to the word of God, the same God who made all, knows all, and sustains all. While the Bible was written to be a science book, it conveys certain truths about God that believers rely on to be absolutely true. If the Bible’s claims were untrue, then it would be unreliable and not worthy of belief. In short, we believe the Bible’s account of Genesis is not mythology but an actual account of how God created the universe with the power of His word.  

(If anyone wants to discuss matters of science and faith further, let’s set aside a time to do so!)

Someone else might ask, How does Moses, the human author of Genesis, provide us with this information? Was Moses there at the beginning to eye witness what happened?

No, Moses was not an eyewitness of these events to which he is writing. Millions of people give credit to Moses’ writings because of the public appearance of God on His behalf, and finally because of the testimony of Jesus Christ. God publicly humbled the entire nation of Egypt and Pharaoh in the sight of all. Before that, the Hebrews unilaterally rejected Moses as being sent to them by God. But because He showed His mighty power through His servant Moses, the people believed him that he was a prophet of God.

Finally, Jesus Christ the Lord said this regarding Moses:

“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?”

john 5:46-47

Like with Moses, God appeared and showed His might acts through Jesus, God’s Son. Ultimately God raised Jesus from the dead and showed Himself alive to the apostles and disciples to prove God’s anointing of Jesus, and by extension, Moses. If God is indeed the God who raises the dead back to life, then it is perfectly reasonable to believe He is the God who creates and sustains the worlds with His word.

Foundations 4: the Trinity John 14

1. Background

Our chapter records Jesus’ and the disciple’s last night before the cross. The conversation is straightforward and honest, as you would expect the last conversation with a loved one would be. Jesus is preparing them for His crucifixion and subsequent absence from them. He wants to prepare them for the rough days ahead. They will be persecuted and hunted by religious leaders after Jesus is crucified, so Jesus is telling them what they will need to remember in the coming days. He tells them that God has a plan that will prepare them and comfort them.

2. What Can We Observe About God?

Jesus is our only access to the wonders of the Trinity.

When Jesus speaks of the “Father,” sometimes He speaks of them being distinct. 

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Verse 6

However, in other places, Jesus sometimes speaks of the Father and Son as one Being. View the following examples:

“Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”

Verse 11

 “I and my Father are one.” 

John 10:30

The Bible has never taught polytheism. Many religions of the world have a system of belief surrounding many gods they worship for various reasons. But the Bible has always been clear that there is only ONE God, and we should only worship Him.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

However, the Bible has also given clues that this ONE God is complex in ways other beings cannot be. 

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

Genesis 1:26

In time, God would reveal more about His character, including three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

All three persons of the Trinity can be seen in this chapter and elsewhere. 

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Verse 16-17

In verse six, Jesus explains that He Himself is the only means to know God the Father. Philips then asks a preceding question, “Show us the Father, and we’ll be satisfied!” Jesus’ response to Philip’s question explains the difference and connection between Father and Son. 

Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

Verse 8-9

Even though the Son and Father are distinct, still knowing the Son means knowing the Father because they are of the same Being. 

As for the Holy Spirit, “He” is mentioned in verse as “another Comforter” that they haven’t yet known. Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit with pronouns that suggest He too is a person with His own will that others can “know.” According to Scripture, it wouldn’t be proper to refer to the Holy Spirit as a mere force of power but rather a living person.

So why does Jesus want us to know about the Trinity? How does it affect how we live and think? To whom should we pray?

It matters because without knowing the Trinity, one does not know God. God is the Trinity. HE is a fellowship of three persons from all eternity. In this eternal fellowship, there was love and perfect harmony.

Jesus said He wants to give those who believe in Him life abundant. 

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

John 10:10

What did Jesus mean by abundant life? Many people ignore what Jesus might have meant and substitute their thoughts of what abundance means. We might think owning a house, car, nice things is the abundant life, but is that what Jesus meant?

The abundant life Jesus knows is the eternal life He has with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In this abundant life is the love that exists between them. We experience love in human relationships, but none of us have experienced it in perfection and abundance.

This abundant life in the Trinity is the life that Jesus is leading His followers to, an invitation to an abundant life with God. The implication of this relationship with God transforms everything in a believer’s life. The love one experiences from God carries over into the marriages, family ties, friendship. We change according to the abundant life Jesus Christ gives believers.

Unbelievers or those who don’t take advantage of the Holy Spirit, try to obtain this abundance from money, success, other relationships. But created things cannot provide what only God can provide. When we attempt to get abundance life from things other than God, then we have committed the sin of idolatry.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Matthew 6:24

On whom should our faith focus? When we pray, to whom should we pray?

Jesus has already said He is the way to the Father. 

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Verse 6

The road God gave us to walk along is Jesus Christ and His direction. We focus on the road! As Jesus explained to the disciples, the road in which they walk will lead them to the Father, namely, knowing Him. Philip then asked an obvious question, “Then show us the Father!” Jesus answered Philip, saying that knowing Jesus meant knowing the Father; again, the focus is on knowing Jesus to accomplish the purpose of knowing God and having a relationship with Him.

“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Verse 9

Other Scriptures reveal the Father’s plan was for believers to know Him through the Son. We look to Jesus to understand who God is. 

“All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” 

Luke 10:22

Jesus reveals to us the Father. That is the purpose the Father sent Him to do. 

Everything the Son does is what the Father would do.   

“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…”

Hebrews 1:3a

3. How does this passage point to the Gospel?

The entire human race was separated from God when Adam and Eve sinned against God. We lost our life in Him, and death came upon all people.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Romans 5:12

But rather than allowing death to claim us, God sent His Son to fulfill a mission on the cross. His death would be a substitution for our death.

“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Romans 5:18

One may not understand the ways of God in the beginning. Hearing about sin, substitute, and atonement may sound strange or even confusing. But there is simplicity in just following and obeying Christ. He died and rose again to save you from sin and give you life. He is Lord. He is the “road” to life that reveals what we have been missing in God.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” 

Verse 6

There is no other road for the Christian, no other god, no other life than what is to be found in Christ. He invites us into fellowship with the Trinity. Anyone who believes and repents towards God is welcomed into the abundant life with the Father.

4. Application:

When we understand the love within the Trinity, we change our definitions of love according to that standard. Also, because we have the revelation of the Trinity, we understand more of what eternal life means. The abundant eternal life is not whatever we call it or imagine it to be. We are being invited to have a life with the Trinity that has already existed since eternity. We’re not bringing anything into this relationship, but we are receiving everything God wants to give us. If someone doesn’t want the life God gives, then they are not believers. Believers repent in order to make way for God.

Foundations 1: Who is God–Genesis 1

 1. Background

Our starting point with God must start with a simple statement, “In the beginning God”. No explanations–no test tubes exist to do experiments on God, just a simple message that is either accepted by the reader or not. No matter if you accept or deny this statement if you want to know any more about this God, then we must start with who He is, the God who is there.

2. What Can We Learn about God?

In the beginning, God was there, and we were not.

He created all that exists. He did not merely rearrange cosmic material but instead created all that we can sense from nothing. Our relationship to Him must reflect that He is God and we are the created. We are created beings in His world, and our very life flows from His sustaining power. Though God gave us a special place in His created order, we do have the authority to make judgments of Him, but He does have the authority to make judgments of us.

On a much smaller scale, one who develops and creates a piece of art has the sole authority to decide what to do with it once it is completed. The artist may choose to put it on display or decide to scrap the project and do something else. No other opinion has the deciding power like the author.

But someone here might object: “But what gives God the right to make judgments against me?”

Because God is Creator, He has the right to do with us as He pleases just as much as He can with non-animate objects. Our life exists because He has decreed it. Furthermore, Verse 26 and 27 explains, He especially made us in His image.

 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:26-27

This unique mark is given and the privilege to govern His creation to us emphasizes our responsibility to Him. Someone today might object to what is written in His word, but in the end, He is God, and the world’s diversity of opinions cannot alter that.

Paul, the Apostle, brought this truth to bear on the Athenians whose religion contradicted only one Creator God. Instead, they held that there are many gods who all have their distinct realm of power. Today there are many polytheist religions in the world. But when Paul traveled to Athens, he explained that God affects everything in our lives, but nothing we possess could ever change or reduce Him. (Acts 17:24-25)

If wisdom were the only factor in our decision to fear God’s word or not, then it would be more than enough reason to what God expects from whom He has created in His image. Very early, just after the creation narrative, God reveals in His word that if we do nothing worthy of judgment, then we will be accepted of Him; there would be no need for His judgment against us.

 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

Genesis 4:7

If we do right, then there is no need for judgment. If there is judgment today, that only can point to the guilt of the judged one. In the beginning, God created a good world that functioned without disorder. There is no judgment to be seen in the first two chapters of the Bible because there was no transgression–no death, no decay, no disease, no sin.

3. How does this Passage Point to Jesus?

Judgment at the cross.

Our world is no longer the world of Genesis 1 and 2. If you haven’t taken to time yet to read chapter two, please do so now and observe the harmony and delight between God and man. They enjoyed each other’s company without a guilt present and with no sin to hide.

But once sin has entered in by chapter three, humankind lost their intimacy with their Creator, having rebelled against Him. They knew shame and now had something to hide. The guilt of sin left them without access to God, who is Holy and is without sin. God drove them from the garden and His presence without a way back to the relationship with Him they once enjoyed. But before they left, God clothed with the skins of an animal, the first sacrifice. This sacrifice did not remove their sin but was a sign that God did not immediately enact judgment upon them. A plan of God was set into motion, but a sacrifice nevertheless had to be made for sinners.

By Genesis 6, the entire world was thoroughly corrupted by sin.

 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Genesis 6:5-7

God is a God who will judge sin. His willingness to show mercy in no way takes from His sense of justice and righteousness. As the Creator-Judge of His creation, He will condemn all that sits in rebellion against His created order. If death should come onto all sinners, then it is right and just. It isn’t shocking that a judge would judge when a crime has been committed. But it would be arguably wrong for a judge to forgo judgment when justice demands it. Therefore, God’s mercy is the more shocking event between God’s judgment and compassion in the Bible.

God shockingly finds favor in one man, Noah, and his family. God’s plan of mercy will rest on Him and continue to rescue sinners from judgment. God’s redemptive plan ultimately leads us to God’s own Son, who chose to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin. This sacrifice, unlike the one made in the garden, actually does remove sin.

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Romans 3:24-25

There is redemption in Christ. The reason why there is redemption no other is because no one besides God can call you “back, to redeem. What I mean is, the action of redemption implies something was lost but is now being bought back. Can another god call you “back”? When did you ever belong to the “gods.” Where human beings made in the image of Zeus or Buddha or some other being? Is not humanity stamped with His mark since the beginning? Being sold under sin is a condition only God can purchase us back from.

The resurrection is the ultimate sign of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus alone. What other means do you have that can rescue you from the grave? Will you trust your strength or your dilapidated sense of goodness? He alone is the means of rescue and return of sinners back to God.

God’s motivation behind all this is the goodness of His heart. His love is unfathomable and is the reason we should all be wood into His presence. When anyone grasps the magnitude of God’s love and what He is willing to do for His enemies, let alone His children, how can there remain any more skepticism of His character?

Yes, God is fiercely angry over our sin. But Christ was the propitiation supplied by God. If we were somehow able to propitiate God’s wrath with our sacrifice, then God could now say that we are saved freely by His grace. In the end, God satisfies His wrath through His own sacrifice–His plan, His Lamb, His Righteousness!

Even the faith that is required to be saved is all of Him.

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Romans 3:22

But what isn’t faith something I do? Isn’t it something I produce? No, even faith is a gift. Roman’s 10:17 explains how faith is produced, and it isn’t by anything we do, but God delivers the word to you in the form of the Gospel. (So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.) Hearing the Gospel message provides the grace and means to faith needed to receive God’s righteousness. The end result is that no one can boast on their own works, logic, or intelligence. If it weren’t for God giving the Gospel message, there would be no salvation!

4. Application:

As a young child, I heard the gospel message. With my unlearned lips, I confessed what God had told me. I am a sinner in need of His son for salvation. If it weren’t for God finding me first with His Gospel message, giving me the grace to understand and repent, I would still be lost today in my sin and ignorance of God. All glory to God who saves sinners through His own counsel!

Foundations 2: God’s Character–Jeremiah 10

1. Background

God’s people held a special relationship with Him in a covenant. But when God’s people were unfaithful to Him, He would eventually allow them to be taken captive by their enemies. When Judah was invaded and captured by Babylon, the silversmiths and craftsmen began making idols in hopes their idols would save them. Jeremiah, God’s prophets, warned them that it only further aggravated God’s jealousy, bringing more judgment upon them.

2. What can we observe about God?

There is none like Him.

Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; Thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

Verse 6

Can the God who created the universe be reduced to a tree stump found in the forest? (v3) Can the God who said, “Let there be light!” be domesticated to a wooden figure that cannot speak at all? (v5) Can the God who gave men life and ability be made again by man’s imagination? (v9)

If the God of the Bible is true, then He cannot be reduced or domesticated to finally be placed on a shelf like other idols men have made. Instead, His throne sits above all nations governing them, and those who rebel against Him cannot stand against His judgment when it comes.

But the Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king: At his wrath the earth shall tremble, And the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

Verse 10

None of those idols one finds about the shelf or in the temples have made the heavens and earth. And in the end, their names will be forgotten, just like the people who made them (v10). Only one God created all that exists with the power of His word (v12-13). When men make an idol and ask its blessing, we only prove our great ignorance and further condemn ourselves to darkness (v14). Can a breathless idol provide you with life?

God is a jealous God.

What made God so jealous is His people already knew that there is another God but Him. In their nation’s constitution, it says this:

 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

So when Judah began producing idols of wood and silver, this only deepened their sin against Him. They are supposed to His special people, His unique inheritance. Still, just like a spouse who has been discovered with another lover, God’s jealousy incited His wrath against them in judgment.

Our God is a jealous God. It is also written in their constitution:

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 

EXODUS 34:14

3. How does this passage point to Jesus?

Through Jesus’ covenant, the Gospel can bring others into an intimate relationship with our one and only Creator.

God’s jealousy only exists with His people. When His people betrayed Him with idols, He became jealous because of His love for them.

Since thou wast precious in my sight, Thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, And people for thy life.

Isaiah 43:4

If it can be said that people can have an intimate relationship with God, then one can understand God’s jealousy and anger when the objects of His love are unfaithful. How then does an outsider begin a relationship with God?

If we return to Athens where (last week’s lesson) we saw Paul trying to convince idol worshippers to believe God and become a Christian, we’ll find our answer.

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  

Acts 17:29-30

First, we take what God has revealed about Himself and allow it to change our beliefs. He isn’t an idol that can be made by men. God commands all who will come to Him to repent from false gods, who are not gods at all. If we are going to begin a relationship with God, we first renounce other pretenders and false gods.

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:12-13

God has chosen a covenant through Christ’s sacrifice to bring us near to Him. His death on the cross removes our sin and the transgressions we made in ignorance, and His resurrection began the covenant that ensures our hope in knowing God. Even though we were once strangers to God, we may draw near to God through Jesus Christ, who purchased us.

The result of God’s covenant brings outsiders into a loving relationship with God. His protective jealousy also extends to you. If God used something so valuable as the blood of Christ in your redemption, then rest assured that God is infinitely invested in your relationship with Him and He will jealously defend it!

4. Application:

We give God our allegiance and take part in God’s covenant when we recognize Jesus as Lord and Savior. We believe God raised Him from the dead therefore initiated the covenant we enjoy with God!

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:9-10

If you desire to be saved, you can by repenting false gods and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ today!