being saved

God’s mercy

Psalm 123 is described as “A Song of Ascents.” It is one of 15 Psalms (120-134) that are thought to have been brought together as a collection by the Jews upon their return to Jerusalem after being exiled in Babylon. Ascents refers to the physical climb to Jerusalem, a high-altitude city. The songs of ascent have both a physical and spiritual significance in that the journey to Jerusalem is representative of the life of a believer who wants to live life in a way that is pleasing to God. Psalm 123 begins with a statement of commitment to serve the Lord through humble submission. The psalmist states:

To you I lift up my eyes,
    O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
    look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
    to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    till he has mercy upon us. (Psalm 123:1-2)

Servant was “a humble way of referring to one’s self when speaking with another of equal or superior rank (Genesis 33:5). The term is also applied to those who worship God (Nehemiah 1:10), and to those who minister to serve Him (Isaiah 49:5, 6). The phrase, the servant of the Lord, is the most outstanding reference to the Messiah in the Old Testament, and its teachings are concentrated at the end of Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1, 19; 43:10; 49:3, 5-7; 52:13; 53:11), which contains four servant songs that are prophecies of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12). In that sense, a servant of God is one who wants to do God’s will above all else and seeks to please God regardless of the personal sacrifice.

The goal of the psalmist in Psalm 123 fits with that of a Jew returning from exile in Babylon. The psalmist pleads for mercy, referring to the harsh treatment he has received from “those who are at ease” (Psalm 123:4). The psalmist prays, “Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud” (Psalm 123:3-4). Contempt means that you are showing disrespect to someone (H937). The psalmist says that he has had more than enough of contempt, suggesting that disrespect has been a regular part of his daily life.

God’s mercy is characteristic of someone who feels compassion and wants to help those who are less fortunate. In the wisdom literature, including Psalms, mercy “is used primarily with human relations to denote gracious acts toward someone in need (Job 19:21; Proverbs 19:17)” (H2603). Those who were seeking Jesus’ help often asked him to have mercy on them (Matthew 15:22; 17:15; 20:30, 31). The Greek word that is translated mercy, eleeo (el-eh-ehˊ-o) means “to have compassion” and is “spoken of the mercy of God through Christ or salvation in Christ; to bestow salvation on, in the passive: to obtain salvation (Romans 11:30-32; 1 Corinthians 7:25; 2 Corinthians 4:1; 1 Peter 2:10)” (G1653).

God sent the Jews into captivity because they were unwilling to obey him. The people of Israel worshipped the gods of the nations around them and spurned the warnings of God’s prophets. God told Isaiah, “For they are a rebellious people, lying children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD, who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophecy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel…For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’ But you were unwilling, and you said ‘No! We will flee upon horses’; therefore you shall flee away; and, ‘We will ride upon swift steeds’; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill” (Isaiah, 30:9-11, 15-17).

In spite of their rebellion against him, God promised to be gracious to the Jews. After they had forsaken the idols they once worshipped and returned to the land that God had given them, the Jews would weep no more. Isaiah prophesied:

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.

For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”

God’s mercy is available to those who cry out to him because he is just and is a compassionate person by nature. Jesus told the crowds who were following him, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-29).

God’s character

“John’s gospel is the only one that begins with a discussion of the eternal existence of Jesus Christ rather than the time he appeared on earth” (note on John 1:1-17). John stated, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). Speaking of Jesus, John went on to say, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). We are told in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” The Greek word that is translated the exact imprint, charakter (khar-ak-tarˊ) is where the English word character comes from in the sense of a letter of the alphabet being engraved on a stone tablet. The idea behind this is that even though we can’t see God, we can see the mark that he made on the world through the life of his Son Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews indicated that the mark that Jesus made was “purification for sins,” after which, “he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Hebrews 1:3-4).

Jesus making purification for sins helps us to understand the nature of God with respect to his attitude toward sinners. Jesus said that he “came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). A ransom is “’loosing-money,’ i.e. price paid for redeeming captives.” It is used metaphorically in Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45, “for the ransom paid by Christ for the delivering of men from the bondage of sin and death” (G3083). Jesus said that he came to give his life as the ransom for many and told his disciples that his motivation for doing so was his love for them. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus also told a man named Nicodemus that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is equivalent to entrance into the Kingdom of God. Jesus explained, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).

The mark Jesus made on the world is still having an effect 2000 years later. People are still getting saved as they place their trust in Christ’s redeeming work on the cross. The supremacy of God’s Son is expressed in Hebrews 1:8-9 where it says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

This passage indicates that Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness during his life on earth. The Greek word that is translated righteousness here is dikaiosune (dik-ah-yos-ooˊ-nay), which means, “doing alike to all, justice, equity, impartiality.” With regard to character, dikaiosune means “being just as one should be” (G1343).

Dikaiosune is used in the expression, “to count or impute as righteousness” (Romans 4:3, 5, 6, 9, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23, all quoted from Genesis 15:6) and is “spoken of the righteousness which is of (ek [1537], out of) or through (dia [1223]) faith in Christ, i.e. where faith is counted or imputed as righteousness” (G1343). Imputing righteousness has to do with reasoning, the mental faculty or motive behind God declaring sinners innocent, free from the penalty of their sin. God is able to impute righteousness because Jesus paid the penalty for sin on behalf of everyone. Each individual who accepts Christ’s payment, the free gift of salvation that is offered to all people (Romans 5:15-18), will be saved from the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed and God will render to each one according to his works (Romans 2:5-6).

God’s righteous character demands that sin be atoned for. “Paul concluded that since all men are guilty, they cannot be ‘justified’ by their own personal character or conduct (Romans 3:20). Justification is a legal term signifying that the demands of justice have been satisfied, and there is no longer a basis for condemnation (Romans 8:1). The justified transgressor no longer stands guilty or deserving of punishment” (note on Romans 3:19, 20). The writer of Hebrews warned his readers against neglecting the salvation that God offers to everyone. He said, “Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1-3). To neglect salvation means that you have no interest in eternal life and are not concerned about the spiritual consequences of your sin. If that is the case, then God’s just retribution is deserved and will be carried out at the appropriate time (Matthew 25:31-46).

Unbelief

Paul explained in his letter to the Romans how God planned to save the world by a means that was completely under his control. Paul introduced his topic by talking about God’s righteous judgment (Romans 2:1-11) and making it clear that no one can achieve righteousness on their own (Romans 3:10-11). Paul asked the questions, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” (Romans 3:3) to point out that belief is dependent on God, not the individual. Paul continued his questioning by asking, “But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” (Romans 3;1-3). God’s judgment is based on the fact that he made a way for everyone to be saved (John 3:16) and rather than turning away someone that wants to be saved, God only rejects those who have rejected his Son as the means of their salvation (John 3:17-21).

Paul used the example of Abraham to illustrate how God’s promise was realized through faith. Paul stated:

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrennessof Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:16-25)

Paul said that no unbelief made Abraham waver concerning the promise of God. The Greek word that is translated waver has to do with doubting. Abraham’s mind was set on what God said was going to happen. The fact that he was a hundred years old and Sarah was not able to conceive a child did not affect Abraham trusting in what God told him. Paul said that just as Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness, it will be counted to everyone who believes in Jesus also.

Paul then explained that God had intentionally set aside Israel so that the Gentiles could be grafted in as a wild olive shoot. Paul said of the Israelites, “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew” (Romans 11:2). Paul used the same Greek word to describe the remnant of Israel that he used in Romans 8:29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” The Greek word proginosko (prog-in-oceˊ-ko), which is translated foreknew, means “to know beforehand.” Proginosko when “used of God’s eternal counsel it includes all that He has considered and purposed to do prior to human history. In the language of Scripture, something foreknown is not simply that which God was aware of prior to a certain point. Rather, it is presented as that which God gave prior consent to, that which received His favorable or special recognition. Hence, this term is reserved for those matters which God favorably, deliberately and freely chose and ordained. Used of persons, to approve of beforehand, to make a previous choice of, as of a special people (Romans 8:29, 11:2). The salvation of every believer is known and determined in the mind of God before its realization in time. Proginosko essentially entails a gracious self-determining on God’s part from eternity to extend fellowship with Himself to undeserving sinners. It emphasizes the exercise of God’s wisdom and intelligence in regard to His eternal purpose” (G4267).

Paul’s explanation of God’s plan of salvation included a warning about being cut off from God through unbelief. Paul said that just as the Jews were cut off because of their unbelief, so could the Gentiles. Paul stated, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. Then you will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear” (Romans 11:17-20). Paul referred to the remnant of Israel as the root and said if they do not continue in their unbelief, they will be grafted in, “for God has the power to graft them in again” (Romans 11:23). The Greek term that Paul used that is translated graft in has to do with a divine impulse, what might be thought of as a pricking of the conscience. When Paul shared his testimony about his conversion on the road to Damascus, he told King Agrippa, “At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads’” (Acts 26:13-14).

Paul shared his firsthand experience about being grafted in again after having lived in unbelief. Paul was a notorious killer who stood by as Stephen was stoned to death for his faith. Before he was converted on the road to Damascus, Paul resisted the conviction of the Holy Spirit and refused to acknowledge Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. Speaking of the mystery of Israel’s salvation, Paul said, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins’” (Romans 11:25-27). Paul indicated there would come a time when Israel would be restored as a holy nation set apart for God and all Israel will be saved, meaning that everyone will believe in Jesus. The time that Paul was referring to takes place after the great tribulation during the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:4-6).

Paul explained that God’s plan of salvation required Israel to be hardened in unbelief for a period of time so that God could show mercy to everyone, but God always intended for them to eventually be saved. Paul stated:

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may nowreceive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. (Romans 11:29-32)

Paul said that God had consigned all to disobedience so that he could have mercy on all. In other words, God did not show partiality to the Jews by determining that only they would be saved. Peter said of God’s plan of salvation, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Paul concluded his explanation of God’s plan of salvation with a tribute to God’s wisdom and knowledge in crafting such a remarkable method of saving his chosen people. Paul exclaimed:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

God’s kindness is evident in his willingness to give his only Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 3:16), but the really remarkable thing about the way that God saves people is that he gives faith in Jesus to us as a gift so that it can never be repaid (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Divine Selection

It says in Ephesians 1:4-5 that God chose who would become members of his family before the foundation of the world and that he predestined those individuals for adoption through his Son, Jesus Christ. “The verb ‘chose’ (v. 4) is the translation of the Greek work exelexatō (1586), meaning ‘chosen out of.’ In this context, it signifies that at one particular time in the past, God chose individuals for salvation (cf. Matt. 24:31; Luke 18:7; Rom. 8:33; 2 Tim. 2:10; James 2:5). ‘Predestined’ (v. 5) is the rendering of the verb proorisas (4309), ‘to determine beforehand’ (cf. Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29; 9:11; 1 Pet. 1:2, 20). God selected certain individuals to be delivered from sin and death before he had even conceived the world that we live in. Paul explained the reasoning behind God’s divine selection in his letter to the Romans. Paul said of Isaac’s sons Jacob and Esau that though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, God chose Jacob, not because of works, “but because of him who calls” (Romans 9:11). The Greek word that is translated calls, kaleo (kal-ehˊ-o) has to do with extending an invitation or giving a verbal command. God’s sovereign choice is exercised when he calls someone into his family, but the individual’s free will must also be exercised by responding to God’s invitation. “The invitation to believe in Christ and be saved is extended to all (John 3:16-18, 36; 6:37; 10:9; Acts 10:43). Everyone who hears the gospel is responsible to either accept or reject Christ. If one perishes in his sin, he is condemned as a result of his own choice (John 3:18). God’s foreknowledge and predetermination of those who will respond to the gospel is therefore a matter of his ability to limit in advance the outcome of everything that takes place on earth.

Paul asked the question, “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then he has mercy on whom he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills” (Romans 9:14-18). Paul pointed to God’s mercy as the driving force behind his divine selection. When God hardens someone’s heart, he is merely reenforcing that individual’s own moral choice. It says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Paul argued that God’s sovereign choice did not override man’s culpability and then, went on to explain that God’s intervention was necessary for individuals to be saved. Paul stated:

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

The point that Paul wanted his readers to understand was that apart from God’s mercy, we would all be destined for hell. So that people would know it was not his desire for them to be eternally separated from him, God chose to save everyone who would receive his free gift of salvation by placing their trust in Jesus Christ.

Paul contrasted God’s decision to save both Jews and Gentiles with his decision to save only a remnant of the descendants of Abraham (Romans 9:25-29). Paul attributed this to Israel’s unbelief and emphasized the importance of receiving salvation by faith. Paul said, “What shall we say, then? That the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” (Romans 9:30-33). Paul assured both Jews and Gentiles that anyone who would be willing to place their trust in Christ would not be put to shame, meaning that God would not choose to reject anyone who believed in Jesus. Jesus explained to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).

The works of God

One of the metaphors that Jesus used to describe himself was bread. Jesus told his disciples, “I am the bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:41). The bread that Jesus was referring to was the manna that the Israelites ate while they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The manna was an instrument of God’s will in that it kept God’s chosen people alive until they reached the land that he had promised to give them. In the same way, Jesus keeps believers spiritually nourished until they die and go to be with him in heaven. Jesus told his followers, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:38-40).

Jesus explained to his disciples that doing God’s will is the equivalent of work because it results in a reward or what you might consider to be payment for services. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:26-27). Jesus’ disciples understood that work was a way for them to sustain their lives, but didn’t know what spiritual work looked like, so they asked him, “’What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’” (John 6:28-29). Jesus’ disciples were confused about what they were supposed to believe in, “So they said to him, ‘Then what sign do you do, that we may believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always’” (John 6:30-34).

Believing in Jesus is not something that we can do on our own. Jesus told his disciples, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). Paul talked about this in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Paul said that we are God’s workmanship, meaning that our salvation is a product of what God did through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, not necessarily us believing that he died for our sins. Paul indicated that God did this for us so that we would want to reciprocate and do the good works that he wants us to. God wants us to use the faith that he gives us to be saved to accomplish more of the works of God.

Paul struggled with doing good works and explained in his letter to the Romans that there is a conflict that goes on inside of us after we become a Christian. Paul said that even though we have been released from the law by placing our trust in Jesus Christ, the law still produces sin in us. Paul argued:

Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. (Romans 7:7-12, NLT)

Paul indicated that humans have a sin nature that makes us want to do what we know is wrong. Paul also pointed out that there is an unregenerate part of us, the flesh, that still exists after we are saved. Paul asked:

But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7:13-20, NLT)

“Paul’s statement ‘So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.’ (v. 17) should not be taken as an abdication of the responsibility for his actions. Instead it reveals the extent of the inner conflict between his two natures. He wanted (thelō [2309], v. 15) to do that which was right but was unable to ‘carry it out’ (katergazomai [2716], v. 18). In verse 15, Paul bemoaned that he did not carry out the good that he wanted to do (poiō [4160], stressing the object of the act) but instead practiced the evil that he did not desire to do (prassō [4238]. Emphasizing the means by which an act is accomplished)” (note on Romans 7:15-19).

Paul concluded his statement about his own inability to do the works of God by pointing out his and our need for continual deliverance. Paul stated:

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Romans 7:21-25)

Paul indicated that God not only delivers believers from death, but also makes it possible for us through faith in Jesus Christ to be delivered “from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:24, NLT). Paul said in Romans 6:6-7 that our old self was crucified with Christ “in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Paul stated in Romans 8:23 that this was made possible through the redemption of our bodies. The Greek word that is translated redemption in this verse, apolutrosis (ap-ol-ooˊ-tro-sis) means “deliverance on account of the ransom paid; spoken of deliverance from the power and consequences of sin which Christ procured by laying down his life as a ransom (lúton [3083]) for those who believe (Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7, 14; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:15 [cf. Matthew 20:28; Acts 20:28])” (G629).

Paul used Jesus’ death on the cross as an example of obedience that believers must follow in doing the works of God. Paul said, “Let each of you look not to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:4-7). Paul said that Jesus humbled himself in order to be obedient to God. The Greek word that is translated humbled, tapeinoo (tap-i-noˊ-o) is derived from the word tapeinos (tap-i-nosˊ) which means “depressed, i.e. (figurative) humiliated (in circumstances or disposition)” and refers to “Low, not high, particularly of attitude and social positions.” When tapeinos is spoken of the mind, its meaning is “lowly, humble, modest, including the idea of affliction, depression of mind (Romans 12:16; 2 Corinthians 10:1)” (G5011).

In the final hours of his life, Jesus encouraged his disciples by telling them that he was going away so that the Father could give them another Helper who would be with them forever (John 14:16). Jesus said, “You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). Jesus said it was to his disciples’ advantage that he go away, “for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus explained to his disciples that the Father was greater than the Son (John 14:28), but the Father had given him his authority so that he could accomplish his work on earth (Matthew 28:18), and that the Holy Spirit would speak to them based on this authority (John 16:13). Jesus asked Philip:

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:10-14)

Jesus indicated that it was the Father who was dwelling in him who was doing the works of God. Jesus added, “whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do” (John 14:12). The challenge that Jesus presented to his disciples was not doing the works of God but believing in him. Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do” (John 14:13, emphasis mine).

Paul elaborated on his instruction to the Philippians to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) in his letter to the Ephesians (4:17-24). Paul told the Ephesians that they needed to put off your old self, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self in order to do the works of God. Paul concluded his description of the new life of a believer with the statement, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Paul later indicated that the key to imitating God and walking in love was being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit not only helps us to know and believe the truth, but he also gives us the ability to act according to the truth. Jesus knew that obedience to his commands was so hard that it would be impossible for us to do it on our own. “That is why as soon as he tells us we must obey as proof of our love for him, he promises a Helper in that obedience. One of the central functions of the Holy Spirit is to assist believers to obey Jesus (cf. John 14:21, 23)” (Heath Lambert, A Theology of Biblical Counseling, p. 169). When we are being filled with the Spirit, we are depending on the Spirit to make us more and more like Christ, and as we do this, doing the works of God becomes more natural to us.

Peace with God

Jesus’ ministry on earth began when he was declared by John the Baptist to be, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). After Jesus was baptized, Matthew tells us that a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Not long before he was crucified, Jesus revealed to his disciples his purpose for coming to earth. Jesus told them, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). The Greek word that is translated ransom, Lutron (looˊ-tron) is “used metaphorically for the ransom paid by Christ for the delivering of men from the bondage of sin and death (Matthew 2);28; Mark 10:45)” (G3083). Paul explained in his first letter to Timothy that Jesus was acting as a mediator between God and man when he died for the sin of the world. Paul said we should pray for all people because, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:3-6),

Jesus compared his position as the Son of Man to that of a slave (Matthew 20:27-28). Jesus served his Father and mankind by coming to earth to reconcile all people to God. In this relationship of servitude, Jesus was one whose will was completely subject to the will of another, the lowest term in the scale of servitude. A mediator, as a go-between, is “one who intervenes between two parties” (G3316). It was necessary for Jesus to intervene between God and mankind because of the wrath of God against sin. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Romans 1:18). Paul indicated that God’s kindness is meant to lead people to repentance and then, went on to say, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:4-5). Jesus took the wrath of God upon himself through his death on the cross. It says in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Speaking of God’s eternal covenant of peace, Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus’ crucifixion states, “’For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’ says the LORD, your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:7-8).

Paul explained that God’s love for humanity was expressed by him sending his Son to die for individuals that didn’t deserve his forgiveness. Paul said:

For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11)

Paul identified reconciliation as the means by which peace with God is accomplished. The Greek word that is translated reconciliation, katallage (kat-al-lag-ayˊ) means “exchange (figurative, adjustment), i.e. restoration to (the divine) favor” (G2643). To be reconciled means that we change toward God, we are no longer considered to be his enemies (G2644). Peace with God means “metaphorically, peace of mind, tranquility, arising from reconciliation with God and a sense of divine favor (Romans 5:1; 15:13; Philippians 4:7 [cf. Isaish 53:5])” (G1515).

Paul explained that the reason why Jesus’ righteousness could be attributed to sinners was because Adam’s sin was attributed to everyone who was born after him. Paul said, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19). Paul expanded on his explanation of Christ’s work of reconciliation in his second letter to the Corinthians. Paul stated, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

Jesus concluded his ministry on earth with a statement about having overcome the world. After his disciples indicated that they believed he came from God, Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:31-33). Jesus may have made reference to his disciples deserting him because he wanted them to be aware that his work of reconciliation was still incomplete, even though he stated that he had already overcome the world. It wasn’t until his disciples were justified by faith that they obtained access into God’s grace and peace with God was possible. Regarding his death and resurrection, Jesus said, “I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe” (John 14:29). When Jesus’ disciples believed, they were justified by faith and afterward, had peace with God (Romans 5:1).

A matter of the heart

The Bible views the heart in a much different way than we typically do. The first mention of the heart is in Genesis 6:5 where it says, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” What we think in our minds is important with regard to spiritual activity. If all we ever think about is evil, we will not be able to do what God wants us to. Jesus told his disciples, “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:18-20).

Moses instructed the people of Israel to “love the LORD your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The Hebrew word that is translated heart, lebab (lay-bawbˊ) is “a masculine noun meaning heart, mind, inner person. The primary usage of this word describes the entire disposition of the inner person that God can discern…It is also used to describe the place where the rational, thinking process occurs that allows a person to know God’s blessing (Joshua 23:14); to plan for the future (1 Kings 8:18); to communicate (2 Chronicles 9:1); and to understand God’s message (Isaiah 6:10). Like the English usage, it often refers to the seat of the emotions, whether it refers to joy (Deuteronomy 28:47); discouragement (Joshua 2:11); comfort (Judges 19:8); grief (1 Samuel 1:8); sorrow (Psalm 13:2[3]); or gladness (Isaiah 30:29)” (H3824).

Deuteronomy 10:16 talks about circumcising the foreskin of your heart. Circumcision was what distinguished the Israelites from all other people. When God established his covenant with Abraham, he said, “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:10-12). Moses later told the people of Israel, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6).

Jesus used the illustration of a tree bearing fruit to explain the connection between our hearts and what comes out of our mouths. Speaking to the Pharisees, religious leaders who were known for their religious hypocrisy, Jesus said:

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37)

The Greek word that is translated give account is logos (logˊ-os), which means “something said,” and in this instance refers to a discourse or conversation (G3056). Jesus indicated that God’s moral accounting system is based on our speech, “for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). Justification means that you have a right standing before God. You are legally free from the guilt and the penalty of sin. “As a matter of right or justice: to absolve, acquit, clear from any charge or imputation” (G1344). John identified Jesus as “the Word,” logos, indicating that he is the moral standard by which our words will be judged.

Paul talked about God’s judgment in his letter to the Romans. Paul said, “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:12-16). Paul indicated that the work of the law is written on the hearts of believers. In other words, the scriptures that reside in believers’ hearts cause them to do what the scriptures state.

Jesus said in his parable of the sower (Luke 8:5-8) that God’s word, or as Paul stated, his gospel, is sown like seed in people’s hearts. Jesus explained:

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:11-15)

Jesus said God’s word must be held fast in our heart, or more specifically, lodged in our minds, for it to bear fruit. Another way of thinking about this is that we must first comprehend God’s word before it can be translated into action.

Paul argued that circumcision was of no value to the Jews if they did not obey God’s commandments. Paul said, “For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. Being a Jew inwardly means that you are committed to living according to God’s word. This commitment is referred to as conversion and is our response to being regenerated by God or as Jesus put it, “born again” (John 3:3)

The book of Isaiah recounts God’s judgment of Israel and Judah and provides us with an example of how the whole world will be judged when Jesus returns. In Isaiah 29:13-16, the LORD said:

“Because this people draw near with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
    do wonderful things with this people,
    with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
    and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
    whose deeds are in the dark,
    and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
    “He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
    “He has no understanding”?

God said the people had turned things upside down by denying him as their Creator, and in a very little while he intended to intervene (Isaiah 29:17).

Paul rebuked the Romans because of their unrepentant hearts and said, “You are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5). Later in his letter, Paul talked about salvation being available to everyone and encouraged the Romans to confess their sin and be saved. Referring them back to Deuteronomy 30:1-14, where Moses talked about God circumcising the people’s hearts, Paul asked, “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:8-10).

A spiritual attack

The Apostle Paul talked about spiritual warfare in the context of the armor that Christians need to wear in order to overcome their enemy, the devil. Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12). The spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places that Paul was referring to were angels that rebelled against God, who will one day be cast into a lake of fire where they will spend eternity (Revelation 20:10). Until that time, God has allowed these fallen angels to remain a part of the world we live in, and sometimes he gives them permission to attack believers.

The story of Job is an example of Satan being permitted to test the faith of one of God’s servants. Satan is not free to act in the affairs of mankind; he has to ask God to remove the protection he provides and submit himself to whatever God chooses to do (note on Job 1:6-12). We are told in Job 1:6-7, “there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’” Satan’s interest in mankind has to do with his objective of disrupting God’s plan of salvation. The Apostle Peter warned Christians about their enemy, the devil. Peter told believers they need to, “Be soberminded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith, know that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Peter described the devil as an adversary. The Greek word that is translated adversary, antidikos (an-tidˊ-ee-kos) means “an opponent (in a lawsuit); specially Satan (as an arch-enemy)” (G476). Satan is the accuser of men before God. In Job’s case, Satan “challenged the motive behind Job’s reverence for God. Satan claimed that Job lived as he did because God had blessed him” (note on Job 1:9-12). Peter said the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). What I believe Peter meant by this is that Satan feeds on the negative emotions that get stirred up when people are suffering. The Hebrew word ʿatstsebeth (ats-tsehˊ-beth), which is translated suffering in Job 9:28, refers to “the grief that comes from being brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3)…or grief that causes the spirit to be broken (Proverbs 15:13)…this term clearly refers to emotional suffering and not physical pain or injury” (H 6094).

Job’s suffering was linked to the hopelessness of his situation. Job explained to his friends:

“Has not man a hard service on earth,
    and are not his days like the days of a hired hand?
Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
    and like a hired hand who looks for his wages,
so I am allotted months of emptiness,
    and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
    my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
    and come to their end without hope.” (Job 7:1-6)

Job compared his circumstances to hard service because of the struggle he was having making it from day to day. Job said he had been through months of emptiness and nights of misery. The Hebrew word that is translated emptiness, shavʾ (shawv) refers to “desolating evil…The primary meaning of the word is deceit, lie, or falsehood” (H7723).

Jesus told the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). One of the key characteristics of God’s word is that it is inerrant, which means “without error.” Paul said in his letter to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). Peter also said, “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). When Jesus told the Jews that they would know the truth, he meant that they would be able to recognize that which is derived from God and that which is based on false religion or more specifically, the lies of the devil. Jesus told the Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Job described his extreme distress in his response to his friend Eliphaz. Job said:

“Oh that my vexation were weighed,
    and all my calamity laid in the balances!
For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
    therefore my words have been rash.
For the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
    my spirit drinks their poison;
    the terrors of God are arrayed against me.” (Job 6:2-4)

Job continued his complaint by stating:

“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
    that you set a guard over me?
When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
    my couch will ease my complaint,’
then you scare me with dreams
    and terrify me with visions,
so that I would choose strangling
    and death rather than my bones.
I loathe my life; I would not live forever.
    Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. (Job 7:11-16)

Job spoke out of the anguish of his spirit and the bitterness of his soul. Job’s trouble was the result of a spiritual attack by an invisible enemy that wanted to destroy his faith in God. Satan had boasted to the LORD, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse you to your face” (Job 2:4-5), but Job didn’t respond as Satan expected. Job said, “I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. I loathe my life; I would not live forever” (Job 7:15-16).

“In the midst of his misery (Job 7:13-16), Job asked some honest questions of God” (note on Job 7:17-21). Job said:

What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
visit him every morning
    and test him every moment?
How long will you not look away from me,
    nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
    Why have you made me your mark?
    Why have I become a burden to you?
Why do you not pardon my transgression
    and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
    you will seek me, but I shall not be. (Job 7:17-21)

Job’s question, “Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?” (Job 7:21) was based on his understanding of God’s plan of salvation. The Hebrew word that is translated pardon, nasa (naw-sawˊ) means “to bear or to carry and is used especially in reference to the bearing of guilt or punishment of sin (Genesis 4:13; Leviticus 5:1). This flows easily into the concept of representative or substitutionary bearing of one person’s guilt by another (Leviticus 10:17; 16:22). Job wanted God to pardon his transgression and take away his iniquity, which is exactly what Jesus did hundreds of years later when he died on the cross for the sins of the world (Matthew 20:28).

The spiritual attack against Job was possible in part because Christ had not yet redeemed mankind. Job was aware that his redemption had not yet taken place, but he still claimed it as the basis for his right standing before God. Job said, “Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser” (Job 9:20-21). Job understood that he could not be in the right before God without someone to advocate on his behalf. Job said of God, “For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together” (Job 9:32). Job, then concluded, “There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both” (Job 9:33). Job wanted an arbiter, one who could stand between him and God and decide the outcome of his case, but there was no one at that time who could do it.

Paul encouraged his spiritual son Timothy to pray for all people. Paul said, “This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:3-5). The term mediator means “a go-between” (G3316). Today, when Satan brings an accusation against someone, if the person has placed his trust in Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, Jesus testifies on his behalf and is able to forestall a spiritual attack; but this does not happen automatically, we must ask for Jesus’ help. Paul said believers must, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10), and then, he instructed believers who find themselves in the midst of a spiritual attack to rely on “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:17-18). The word of God is a powerful weapon because it contains irrefutable truth. The spiritual attack against Job eventually reached a turning point when he openly declared the truth about Jesus Christ. Job said, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:25-27; Revelation 22:4).

Restoration

God sent numerous prophets to the people of Israel to warn them about the consequences of their rejection of him. Over the course of approximately 400 years, the messages became more and more somber, but around 600 BC, a prophet named Jeremiah began preaching a message that gave the people of Israel hope for their future. Jeremiah told the people that the LORD would restore the nation of Israel by returning them to their land after their time of captivity in Babylon had been completed. Jeremiah said, “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers’” (Jeremiah 16:14-15). Later, Jeremiah was told to go down to the potter’s house where God would illustrate his plan for restoration. Jeremiah 18:1-11 states:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’”

The Hebrew word shuwb (shoob) appears three times in this passage, each time with a different context to its meaning. It says in Jeremiah 18:4, the potter reworked the clay into another vessel. Then in his explanation of the parable, God told Jeremiah, “if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it” (Jeremiah 18:8). And, finally, “Return everyone from his evil way” (Jeremiah 18:11). The basic meaning of the verb shuwb “is movement back to the point of departure,” but this word is used to describe both physical and spiritual activity, and sometimes refers to “the process called conversion or turning to God…a turning back again to Him from whom sin has separated us” (H7725).

Jeremiah 23 contains a reference “to the Messiah using the imagery of a ‘branch,’” (note on Jeremiah 23:5), and suggests that God is the actor in the process of conversion. God told Jeremiah he would gather the remnant and “bring them back” (Jeremiah 23:3). God said:

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.”

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23:1-6)

The term saved or yashaʿ (yaw-shahˊ) in Hebrew had a different meaning in Old Testament times than it did after Jesus died for the sins of the world. “The underlying idea of this verb is bringing to a place of safety or broad pasture as opposed to a narrow strait, symbols of distress and danger. The word conveys the notion of deliverance from tribulation (Judges 10:13, 14),” but the common denominator of both Old and New Testament concepts of being saved is that it is “the salvation that only comes from God (Isaiah 33:22; Zephaniah 3:17)” (H3467).

Jeremiah 27:22 was a promise from God that he would not only sanction the deportation of the people of Judah and Jerusalem to Babylon, but he would oversee their activities there, and would at the appointed time, come to their rescue and restore them to their land. God said, “They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I visit them, declares the LORD. Then I will bring them back and restore (shuwb) them to this place.” God’s restoration of the nation of Israel was based on his intention of doing what was ultimately good for his chosen people. Jeremiah prophesied, “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

Jeremiah’s prophesies about the restoration of Israel were very specific and contained details that were intended to confirm God’s involvement in the Israelites’ situation. God told Jeremiah, “Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob, and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be” (Jeremiah 30:18). God also told Jeremiah about a New Covenant that he intended to make with Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31). God said, “I will put my law within them, and I will write in on their hearts. And I will be there God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). God explained the new type of relationship he intended to have with his chosen people in Jeremiah 32:36-44. God said, “I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away (shuwb) from doing good to them” (Jeremiah 32:39-40). God continued, “Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore (shuwb) the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first” (Jeremiah 33:6-7). God said that he would rebuild Judah and Israel as they were at first. This implies complete restoration; all of the negative consequences of the people’s sin would be reversed.

Psalm 126 depicts the result of God’s restoration of Israel after the people had returned to their homeland. The psalm begins with an emotional tribute to God’s success. Psalm 126:1-3 states:

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
    we are glad.

The psalmist said, “We were like those who dream” (Psalm 126:1) in reference to the way God had exceeded the people’s expectation and completely changed their circumstances. It was so fantastic, it seemed unreal to them.

The Apostle Peter had a similar experience when he was delivered from prison, shortly before he was going to be executed. It says in Acts 12:6-11:

Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Peter realized that his escape from prison, and ultimately death, was supernatural. The Greek word that is translated rescued, exaireo (ex-ahee-rehˊ-o) in an active sense means “to tear out” (G1807). Exaireo is derived from the words ek, which means “out of” (G1537) and aihreomai (hahee-rehˊ-om-ahee), which means, “to take for oneself, i.e. to choose, elect, prefer” (G138). Aihreomai is used in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 where it says, “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose (aihreomai) you as the firstfruits, to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”

The Israelites’ and Peter’s experience of restoration demonstrated how salvation worked in real life. The moment when Peter got saved was not necessarily the moment that he committed his life to Christ because he later denied three times that he even knew Jesus. The initial step of faith he took was important, but the process of conversion was intended to result in Peter becoming a different person, as was illustrated in Jesus changing his name from Simon to Peter (Matthew 16:18) and Jeremiah’s parable of the potter and the clay. It says in Jeremiah 18:4, “And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. The Hebrew word that is translated spoiled, shawchath (shaw-khathˊ) can mean “to destroy” or “to wipe out” (H7843). One way of thinking about the process of conversion is that in it God brings us to the end of ourselves; a point where we think all is lost. And then, God steps into the situation and rescues us. Through this, God shows us that all really is not lost, he can change our circumstances at any moment, if he chooses to.

God’s steadfast love

God’s steadfast love for the people of Israel was based on a relationship that was formed and developed over hundreds of years. Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28), was aware of God’s steadfast love toward him. When he was greatly afraid and distressed because he thought his brother Esau was on his way to kill him, Jacob prayed:

“O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”

Jacob realized that he was not worthy of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that God had shown him. The Hebrew word that is translated steadfast love, cheçed (khehˊ-sed) is translated mercies in the King James Version of the Bible. Jacob acknowledged that he had been the recipient of God’s acts of mercy throughout his life. The word cheçed “refers primarily to mutual and reciprocal rights and obligations between the parties of a relationship (especially Yahweh and Israel). But cheçed is not only a matter of obligation, it is also of generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also mercy. The weaker party seeks the protection and blessing of the patron and protector, but he may not lay absolute claim to it. The stronger party remains committed to his promise, but retains his freedom, especially with regard to the manner in which he will implement those promises. Cheçed implies personal involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the rule of law” (H2617).

God promised Abraham that he would give him a son with whom he would establish an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:19). After Isaac was born, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:2), but when Abraham was about to kill Isaac, God’s angel intervened, and a substitute was provided (Genesis 22:12-13). The substitution that was made was understood by Abraham to represent Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross for the sin of the world, God’s plan of salvation. When Abraham and Isaac were on their way to Mount Moriah, “Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son’” (Genesis 22:7-8). When John the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him, he announced to the people around him, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

In order to keep his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as his covenant with King David (2 Samuel 7:4-16), God had to establish a kingdom that would last forever. Although it initially provided the tangible, material presence of God’s kingdom in the world, the nation of Israel didn’t fulfill God’s intent of bringing salvation to the world. The kings of Israel and Judah forsook God, worshipping the gods of the nations around them, leading to Israel being taken into captivity and Judah’s eventual decline (2 Kings 17:6-23; 2 Chronicles 36).

The turning point for Judah was when King Manasseh “led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel (2 Chronicles 33:2-9). When King Josiah was killed in battle, it was noted that he had not listened to the words of Neco king of Egypt, which had come to him from the mouth of God (2 Chronicles 35:22). “Babylon was fighting against and defeating Assyria. As a result, in 609 BC, Assyria requested help from its ally, Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. Josiah interfered, probably thinking that any friend of Assyria was his enemy. God chose to speak through a pagan king as he had done previously with Abimelech and Abraham (Genesis 20:3-7).

The prophet Habakkuk questioned God’s steadfast love and complained about his lack of involvement in the affairs of his chosen people. “Habakkuk was deeply troubled with the injustice that prevailed in his land (Hab. 1:3, 4) and was desirous that the Lord would act against it. However, when God informed him that the Chaldeans (i.e. Babylonians, cf. Daniel 3:8) would rise up to destroy Judah (Hab. 1:5-11), Habakkuk was not pleased. He questioned why God’s people should perish at the hands of the heathen Chaldeans (Hab. 1:12-17). God’s reply was ‘wait’ consider who I am, and keep silent (Hab. 2:1-20). Habakkuk accepts this verdict and offers up a prayer that expresses his trust in God (Hab. 3:1-19)” (Introduction to Habakkuk).

God told Habakkuk, “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told” (Habakkuk 1:5). The Hebrew word that is translated believe, ʾaman (aw-manˊ) is used in Genesis 15:6 to refer to Abraham’s faith in God. “Considering something to be trustworthy is an act of full trusting or believing. This is the emphasis in the first biblical occurrence of aman: ‘And [Abram] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness’ (Gen 15:6). The meaning here is that Abram was full of trust and confidence in God, and that he did not fear Him (v. 1). It was not primarily in God’s words that he believed, but in God Himself. Nor does the text tell us that Abram believed God so as to accept what he said as ‘true’ and ‘trustworthy’ (cf. Gen 45-26), but simply that he believed in God. In other words, Abram came to experience a personal relationship to God rather than an impersonal relationship with his promises” (H539).

The work that God was doing in Habakkuk’s days involved him getting the people of Judah to put their trust in him instead of the worthless idols they had been worshipping. God told Habakkuk:

“Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.(Habakkuk 2:2-4)

God said that the soul of the unrighteous man is puffed up, meaning that he thinks he knows what is right and does not need any assistance from God. On the contrary, living by faith involves complete conformity to the truth, i.e. God’s Word.

Psalm 118 points to Israel’s Messiah and describes for us what it looks like to have a personal relationship to God. This psalm begins with a tribute to God’s steadfast love. Psalm 118:1-4 states:

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”

God’s steadfast love does not fluctuate or diminish over time because it has the quality of endurance. God’s steadfast love is not affected by what we do or don’t do. Anyone who has a personal relationship to God can expect that God will never stop loving them. Psalm 118 goes on to say, “Out of my distress I called to the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me” (Psalm 118:5-7).

At the conclusion of 2 Chronicles 36, it didn’t appear that God’s steadfast love toward Judah still existed, but it says in 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, “The LORD, the God of their fathers sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy. The phrase, no remedy meant that the people of Judah’s sin had reached a point where it was like an incurable disease. God’s steadfast love no longer had any effect on them.

Psalm 118:22 was used by Jesus to explain why the Jewish leaders rejected him (Matthew 21:42). This verse states, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The Apostle Paul “described the Jews as tripping over the ‘stumbling stone’ in not understanding the truth that righteousness is by faith, not works (Romans 9:31-33)” (note on Psalm 118:22). Paul went on to explain that the message of salvation was meant for everyone, not just the Jews. Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Paul continued his discourse, stating, “I ask then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew” (Romans 11:1-2). Paul confirmed that God’s steadfast love would not allow his people to remain distant from him forever. Paul said, “At the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5).

Paul concluded that God’s plan of salvation had two parts. God’s initial work in establishing the nation of Israel set the stage for his Messiah to be born, and then, God made it possible for everyone to be saved, so that both Jews and Gentiles could be members of his family. Paul asked about the Jews, “Did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to Gentiles” (Romans 11:11). Paul went on to explain, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in…For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all” (Romans 11:25, 29-32). God’s steadfast love was at first only given to Israel, but Paul made it clear that God intended for everyone to receive his mercy. God’s plan of salvation caused Paul to revel in this amazing accomplishment. Paul exclaimed, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33).