being saved

Acceptable to God

For thousands of years, the Jews thought being the chosen people of God meant that they would be the only ones that God would save through his Messiah. Jesus himself sent out his disciples to minister to the people with the instruction, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 10:5-6). In what initially seemed like an unusually harsh encounter with a Caananite women, Jesus made it clear that anyone who puts their faith in him is acceptable to God. Matthew 15:21-28 states:

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

The Caananite woman’s humble attitude toward Jesus enabled her to gain his affection and also demonstrated her belief that he was Israel’s Messiah. The woman’s statement, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” (Matthew 15:27) revealed that she understood God’s grace, that it was an undeserved gift that she had no right to claim for herself, but something that was accessible to anyone who was willing to seek it out.

The conversion of Paul opened the door for the gospel to be spread to the Gentile nations. The Lord Jesus Christ said of Paul, “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). In spite of Paul being selected to take the gospel to the Gentiles, Peter was the one who was given the first opportunity to preach to a Gentile audience.

Peter had a vision from God that perplexed him, followed by a command from the Holy Spirit to go with three men who were looking for him (Acts 10:17-21). Peter didn’t hesitate to go with these men even though they told him they were taking him to see a leader of the Roman army (Acts 10:22). When they arrived at the centurion’s home, we are told in Acts 10:34-35, “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’” Peter’s insight into the purpose of his visit and the work that God wanted him to be a part of resulted in a major turning point for the spread of the gospel and the growth of the first century church. It was also an important first step in the launch of the Apostle Paul’s ministry.

Cornelius, the Gentile that Peter was sent to preach the gospel to, was described as “an upright and God-fearing man” (Acts 10:22). The Greek word that is translated upright, dikaios (dikˊ-ah-yos) is used “especially of those whose hearts are right with God” and is also “spoken in the highest and most perfect sense of God (Jn 17:25; Ro 3:26; 1 Jn 2:29)” (G1342). Dikaios is translated as righteous in Galatians 3:11 where it says, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” From this statement we can infer that Cornelius was a man who lived by faith. Cornelius was also a God-fearing man. This meant that Cornelius worshipped God. Cornelius had an adoration of God that caused him to show God reverence, to stand in awe of him as a person (G5399).

Cornelius’ reputation as an upright and God-fearing man made him a likely candidate to receive the kingdom of God, but it wasn’t enough to save him. Cornelius still had to go through the process of being saved in order for him to have eternal life. Peter told Cornelius about who Jesus was and what he did on the cross so that Cornelius could believe and be saved. Peter concluded with the statement, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (10:43). We are told in Acts 10:44, “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” The Holy Spirit’s presence in Cornelius and the others who heard Peter’s message was tangible evidence that they were not only acceptable to God but had become members of his family. “Many believers received the Holy Spirit at the same time, which is similar to what had happened previously at Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4) and Samaria (Acts 8:14-17)…The special manifestation of the Holy Spirit that allowed these Gentiles to speak in tongues proved that God had given them the same ‘gift’ (Acts 10:45) as the Jews” (note on Acts 10:44-48).

Living Water

Ezekiel’s prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem encouraged the Jewish exiles because it included details about God’s future blessing on Israel. One of the prominent aspects of God’s future blessing was a new temple and the restoration of daily sacrifices. The reason Ezekiel’s prophecy was likely misunderstood was because the temple in his vision was intended for the millennial reign of Christ, a future event that will take place after God’s judgment of the world during the great tribulation.

The new temple that Ezekiel saw in his vision had many of the same characteristics as the old temple except for the presence of a person referred to as the prince (Ezekiel 44:3) and water flowing from the temple that became a river that could not be passed through (Ezekiel 47:5). There is no additional information about the prince associated with the temple anywhere else in Scripture, so it makes sense that there would be confusion about his role and the timing of his entry on the scene. As for the river that flowed from the temple, it is referred to as the river of the water of life in Revelation 22:1 and Jesus told John, “To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:6-7).

Jesus talked about the spring of the water of life during his ministry on earth. In a conversation he had with a woman of Samaria, Jesus said anyone who drank living water would never be thirsty again (John 4:13). Jesus met the Samaritan woman at a well where she was drawing water. John 4:7 tells us the conversation started with Jesus asking the woman for a drink. John 4:9-14 states:

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that if she would have asked him, he would have given her living water (John 4:10). The connection Jesus made between the spring of water and eternal life (John 4:14) indicated that he was offering the Samaritan woman the gift of salvation, to be born again (The Samaritan Woman at the Well, The Spiritual Growth Bible, p. 1202).

John elaborated on Jesus’ teaching about living water in John 7:37-39. In this passage, John explained that the Holy Spirit was the living water that Jesus promised to those who believed in him. John said, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). Jesus said whoever believed in him would have a river of living water flowing out of his heart (John 7:38). In terms of receiving the Holy Spirit, that meant believing in Jesus was the only thing that was necessary for a person to be saved.

Ezekiel’s vision of the water flowing from the temple provided some insight into the intended effects of believers being filled with the Holy Spirit. In his vision, Ezekiel saw that the farther the water flowed, the deeper it became. When believers walk with the Lord, the presence of the Holy Spirit should be more and more evident over time. In Ezekiel’s vision, the water emptied into the Dead Sea and purified it. Walking with the Lord should result in areas of the believer’s life that are broken (health, finances, relationships) being restored to a healthy state. The fruit trees on the banks of the river in Ezekiel’s vision represented the fruit of the Spirit which should be a constant source of spiritual nourishment to people around us. The living water in Ezekiel’s vision not only made the waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure (Ezekiel 47:8), wherever the water of the river flowed, life flourished (Ezekiel 37:9). This is a picture of believers having a positive influence on the people around us. Not only should the believer’s life be changing for the better as she walks with the Lord, but other people’s lives should be too.

The name of Jesus

Peter and John’s arrest after healing a man who was unable to walk resulted in them being interrogated by all who were of the high-priestly family in Jerusalem. It says in Acts 4:7, “And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?” The religious leaders already knew the answer to this question (Acts 4:2). The reason why the leaders asked Peter and John what name they used to perform the miracle was to see whether or not they were willing to associate themselves with Jesus and risk being punished by them as he was. Luke tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he answered them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well” (Acts 4:8-10).

Peter’s boldness was a remarkable contrast to his earlier denial of the Lord (Luke 22:54-62). The filling of the Holy Spirit enabled Peter to say things that he might otherwise have held back because of fear. It says in Acts 4:13 that, “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” The religious leaders saw a similarity in the way Peter and John were behaving and the way Jesus behaved when he was on trial. Peter and John were uneducated, common men. The only thing that set these men apart and made them different than they were before was the filling of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence in their hearts.

Peter’s statement about Jesus was a clear-cut declaration of the religious leaders’ rejection of Israel’s Messiah. Peter said, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12). Peter indicated that the name of Jesus is connected with people being saved and that there is no other name by which we must be saved. Name is “used to imply authority, e.g., to come or to do something in or by the name of someone, meaning using his name; as his messenger, envoy, representative; by his authority, with his sanction” (G3686). When Peter said there was no other name by which we must be saved, he was saying that there was no other authority for a person’s sins to be forgiven, and eternal life to be granted to him besides the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was a very controversial and dangerous statement for Peter to make, given that Jesus had been condemned and crucified by the men he was speaking to.

The religious leaders were reluctant to challenge Peter’s declaration about them because the man who was healed was standing right in front of them. They asked themselves, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name” (Acts 4;16-17). The religious leaders thought they could control the situation by preventing Peter and John from using the name of Jesus. “But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). The reality of what had happened was too much for Peter and John to contain.

After they heard about what had happened with the religious leaders, the friends of Peter and John prayed for the same boldness that they had displayed (Acts 4:24-30). At the conclusion, Luke tells us, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). The boldness of these believers was characteristic of a frank and fearless mind (G3954). They were so confident in the name of Jesus that they spoke freely about having a relationship with Christ.

God wants everyone to be saved

God’s covenant with Abraham was intended to bring blessings to all the families of the earth. God told Abraham to leave his country and go to a land where he would make of him a great nation (Genesis 12:1-2), but that was not the ultimate goal that God was working toward. God wanted Abraham and his descendants to be a blessing to others. God said, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). “This promise to Abraham is one of the most significant passages in the entire Bible. It points ultimately to the redemption of the whole world. Abraham’s family became a divinely appointed channel through which blessing would come to all men” (note on Genesis 12:1-3).

The nation of Israel did not fulfill the purpose that God intended for them after the people were given the land that was promised to Abraham. Instead of becoming a shining light that drew the nations around them to God, the people of Israel became corrupt and abandoned God, worshipping idols and following the evil practices of the surrounding nations. God told the people of Judah through the prophet Ezekiel, “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring” (Ezekiel 23:35). Jerusalem was destroyed a short while later and the people taken into captivity in Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Ezekiel 24:1-2).

After Jesus died and was resurrected, the Apostle Paul was tasked with taking the good news of salvation to the Gentiles. When he shared his testimony with the Jews who were trying to kill him in Jerusalem, Paul made it clear to them that he had been sent to the Gentiles because the Jews had rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ (Acts 22:18-21). In Acts 22:22, Luke recorded the Jews reaction to Paul’s statement that he had been sent to the Gentiles. Luke said, “Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, ‘Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”

The Jews adamant refusal to accept their responsibility for spreading the gospel to the world around them made it necessary for Paul to work independently, as well as, to rely on Gentile converts like Silas and Timothy to carry on his work after he was executed. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul talked about Christ coming to save sinners and the need for intercession on behalf of all people (1 Timothy 1:12-16; 2:1). 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” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). The Greek word that is translated all people, anthropos (anthˊ-ro-pos) refers to the human race and is spoken in reference to a person’s human nature, “a human being, a mortal” (G444).

The truth that God wanted every human being to come to the knowledge of was identified by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:5-6:

There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. (NLT)

Paul referred to this truth as “the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:6). The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus proved that God wanted everyone to be saved. The only thing that is necessary for a person to do in order to receive the gift of salvation is to believe this truth. Each person must do that at some point in his or her lifetime.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “This is what the Lord says: ‘At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you’” (Isaiah 49:8. NLT). Paul repeated this statement in his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 6:2) and added, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:3). Paul believed now is the proper time for anyone who believes that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins to receive the gift of salvation. If you have never taken that important first step of faith by placing your trust in Christ, I encourage you to follow Paul’s advice and do it now.

Jesus came to save sinners

The Apostle Paul was brutally honest whenever he shared his testimony about his conversion to Christ. Luke, a doctor who cared for Paul in the later years of his ministry, recorded many of the details of Paul’s story in the book of Acts. Luke tells us that Paul, who was formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, stood by approving of the execution of Stephen, the first martyr of the church (Acts 8:1). Luke said, “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:1-3).

Luke’s account of Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus is recorded in Acts chapter 9. Luke began by stating that Paul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples when he headed toward Damascus where he planned to round up more Christians. Luke went on to say:

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Later in the book of Acts, Luke recorded Paul sharing his testimony with some people in Jerusalem. In the later account, Luke used a different phrase to convey Jesus’ instruction to Paul. Luke said, “you will be told all that is appointed for you to do” (Luke 22:10). The word appointed refers to Paul being ordained by God for his ministry of preaching the gospel.

Paul’s pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus were intended to capture the essence of this ministry, what you might call Paul’s lessons learned for the men he expected to take over his work after he was executed. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul talked about false teachers who did not understand the gospel’s core message, which was, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul began explaining this important doctrine to Timothy using himself as an example of someone who desperately needed to be saved. Paul told Timothy, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:12-14).

Paul went on to explain that the reason Jesus saved him was so that he could make him an example for others who might think they don’t need or deserve the gift of salvation. Paul said, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Tomothy 1:15-17).

Paul described himself as the foremost of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15-16). What Paul meant by foremost was that he outranked all other sinners as an enemy of Jesus, as an opponent of Christ’s gospel. It wasn’t until he was converted on the road to Damascus that Paul realized he was completely wrong about everything that he had believed about Jesus. Paul said afterward that he had been acting “ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13). Paul was living in a state of unbelief before he embraced the gospel (G570). Paul credited the grace of our Lord overflowing for him with faith and love as being the catalyst for his miraculous transformation.

Keeping in step with the Spirit

“The Holy Spirit is the eternal third member of the Trinity. He is the person who convicts of sin and who indwells Christians. He regenerates believers and empowers them to live the Christian life, to understand the Scriptures, and to worship Jesus Christ. He is the sovereign God who equips believers with gifts of service to do ministry in the church” (The Doctrines of the Holy Spirit, The Standards of the Doctrine of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors). The Holy Spirit was present on earth at creation (Genesis 1:2) and was able to influence certain individuals in the Old Testament (Exodus 31:3; Numbers 24:21 Samuel 10:10; 16:13), but it wasn’t until Jesus’ ministry was completed that the Holy Spirit entered the world (Acts 2:1-4) and began to permanently indwell believers who were destined for eternal life (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach his disciples all things and remind them of the words he had spoken to them (John 14:26). Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth and said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit shows believers the way they are to go in their journey through life (G3394). Somewhat like a drill instructor who trains and commands every movement that his new recruits make, Paul tells believers in Galatians 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

Paul was concerned for the Galatians because false doctrine had influenced them to become legalistic and to think that they needed something more than to be justified by faith in order to be truly saved. Paul said, “For freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore and do not submit to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Paul referred to the Mosaic Law as slavery because it obligated a person to live a perfect life, something that was humanly impossible. Paul argued that a believer who was attempting to be justified by the law had fallen away from grace (Galatians 5:4). Paul explained, “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision not uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Galatians 5:5-6).

Paul made it clear that salvation is not something that we achieve. Salvation is a gift from God that believers in Christ do not experience the full effect of until they get to heaven. Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians that the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of the future effects or inheritance of salvation. Paul indicated that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit until we acquire possession of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). Therefore, we should be eagerly waiting for the justification we have received from God to take effect and not try to achieve righteousness on our own (Galatians 5:5).

Paul said the only thing that counts for anything in the life of a believer is faith working through love (Galatians 5:6). Paul was talking about the fact that it is possible for believers to experience some of the effects of salvation while they are still alive. The working or empowering of the Holy Spirit is the result of believer’s actions being guided by the truth of God’s word. When believers walk by the Spirit they are operating on what God says, the mind of Christ.

Paul said the reason why believers do not automatically operate on what God says is because, “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Galatians 5:17). Paul indicated the works of the flesh are evident, a person knows immediately if he or she is walking in the flesh. It is not so clear when a person is walking in the Spirit, the evidence, the fruit of the Spirit is not typically produced right away. It takes time to develop love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Paul associated the fruit of the Spirit with believers who have put to death the flesh with its passions and desires and are keeping in step with the Spirit in their daily lives.

The Greek verb that is translated keep in step, stoicheō (stoy-khehˊ-o) is in the present active subjunctive form suggesting that Paul was attempting to move his hearers to action, in a similar fashion to a drill instructor barking out an order to his recruits. The message that Paul likely wanted to convey was that keeping in step with the Spirit requires us to be alert, continually paying attention to the Spirit’s leading, and immediately responsive to the Spirit’s commands. Paul told the Corinthians, who were prone to walking in the flesh, “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning” (1 Corinthians 15:34). Jesus used a similar approach in his letter to the church in Sardis. Jesus said, “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you” (Revelation 3:2-3).

Restoration from a state of shame

Jeremiah’s numerous warnings about the destruction of Jerusalem were repeatedly ignored by the Jews and led to the prophet of God being tortured and imprisoned on multiple occasions. Jeremiah identified the problem as the Jews refusing to repent. Jeremiah asked, “O LORD, do your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent” (Jeremiah 5:3).

Jeremiah grieved for his people and expressed his concern about the spiritual condition of their hearts. Jeremiah admitted, “’The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.’ For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn and dismay has taken hold” (Jeremiah 8:20-21). The Hebrew word that is translated dismay, shammah (sham-mawˊ) was being used by Jeremiah to describe the extreme dismay he felt at seeing the destruction of Jerusalem, a horror that filled him with deep sorrow.

God’s intention was to consume the Jews completely using the military power of the Chaldean army (Jeremiah 9:16). God said, “I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them” (Jeremiah 9:16). The Hebrew verb that is translated consumed, kalah (kaw-lawˊ) describes the transitory reality of fallen human nature. God knew what it would take to awaken the Jews to their need for salvation and was committed to bringing them to that point.

The Jews preferred to worship the idols of the nations around them. They had forsaken the one true God, the living God “who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens” (Jeremiah 10:12). Jeremiah acknowledged his dependence on God and asked him to make things right. Jeremiah prayed, “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not, and on the peoples that call not on your name, for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation” (Jeremiah 10:23-25).

God’s response to Jeremiah’s request was harsh, but it reflected God’s commitment to bring his chosen people to the point where their relationship with him could be restored. Jeremiah recorded, “The LORD said to me: ‘Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence” (Jeremiah 14:11-12). The LORD was concerned because false prophets were prophesying lies to the people, making them think that they would not be overtaken by war and famine (Jeremiah 14:14). God told Jeremiah, “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight and let them go!” (Jeremiah 15:1).

God prepared Jeremiah for what was coming and warned him not to try to live a normal life because the devastation of war was going to permeate every aspect of the Jews’ lives. God specifically told Jeremiah “not to marry because of the horrors that families with children would endure during the siege of Jerusalem” (note on Jeremiah 16:2-5). Jeremiah recorded, “The word of the LORD came to me. ‘You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bore them and the fathers who fathered them in this land: They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth’” (Jeremiah 16:1-4).

Because he was a fallen human and had a sin nature like everyone else, “Jeremiah was subject to the wide range of emotions that are common to all men. He complained that God had deceived him (Jeremiah 20:7), sang praises to God (Jeremiah 20:13), then wished he had never been born (Jeremiah 20:14). Through it all, however, Jeremiah continued to preach God’s message (Jeremiah 20:8) because he was compelled by God’s call (Jeremiah 20:9; cf. 1 Corinthians 9:16)” (note on Jeremiah 20:7-18). At a point when he seemed to have lost all hope for the future, Jeremiah asked God, “Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?” (Jeremiah 20:18).

Near the end of his ministry, Jeremiah was threatened with death. The LORD told Jeremiah, “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth. The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, ‘You shall die!’…Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, ‘This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears’” (Jeremiah 26:4-11).

Jeremiah was also accused of lying to the Jews. After he warned the people against going to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:1-22, it says in Jeremiah 43:1-3, “When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God, with which the LORD their God had sent him to them, Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, ‘You are telling a lie. The LORD our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there,’ but Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may kill us or take us into exile in Babylon.”

The LORD made it clear that the Jews were being punished because of their idolatry (Jeremiah 44:3). “The group of Jews who had fled to Egypt were still involved in idolatry. These people somehow thought their well-being depended upon their worship of the ‘queen of heaven’ (Jeremiah 44:17, 18). It took seventy years in exile to finally cure Israel of idolatry. The Jews had problems with legalism and Pharisaism after the exile, but never again did idolatry become prevalent” (note on Jeremiah 44:8). Jeremiah told the Jews who were dwelling in the land of Egypt, “Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord GOD lives.’ Behold I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them” (Jeremiah 44:26-27).

Jeremiah wrote about the devastation that he witnessed in his book of Lamentations. Jeremiah said, “Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace the ash heaps” (Lamentations 4:5). Jeremiah went on to lament, “For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her” (Lamentations 4:6).

Jeremiah also stated, “Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field. The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people” (Lamentations 4:9-10). “The famine in the land was so severe that the people resorted to eating their own children. A similar occurrence took place during the siege of Samaria by the Assyrians (2 Kings 6:25-29).

Jeremiah’s final plea to the LORD included an acknowledgment by him that God’s people were living in a state of shame. Jeremiah prayed, “Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace!” The Hebrew word that is translated disgrace, cherpah (kher-pawˊ) is “a feminine noun meaning reproach, scorn, taunt” (H2781). Despite the desperation of their situation, Jeremiah’s prayer reflected “the hope that the people of Jerusalem would return to a proper relationship with God” (note on Lamentation 5:21). Jeremiah said, “The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!” (Lamentation 5:15-16). Jeremiah then pleaded, “Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored!” (Lamentations 5:21).

“The process called conversion or turning to God is in reality a re-turning or a turning back again to Him from whom sin has separated us, but whose we are by virtue of creation, preservation and redemption” (H7725). Jeremiah was referring to this process when he prayed, “Restore us to yourself, O LORD” (Lamentations 5:21) because regeneration is an act of God. Romans 3:23-25 tells us that “there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift. through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

God spoke of Jesus when he told Jeremiah, “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” (Jeremiah 23:5). The LORD promised to turn the Jews mourning to joy and said, “With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back…For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him” (Jeremiah 31:9, 11). God promised to “restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first” (Jeremiah 33:7). God compared the security of his promises with the constancy of day and night when he said, “If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them” (Jeremiah 33:25-26).

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).