Are You a Worker or a Believer?

February 13, 2024

Romans chapter four is a sometimes misunderstood and sometimes neglected passage of scripture in the brotherhood.  This is very unfortunate, because the truths found in this passage help us to get a better grasp of the grace of God and how we can stand in a righteous state before Him. 

The chapter begins in this way, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…” (Romans 4:1-5 NASB95)

By looking at the life of Abraham, you and I can see how we can be justified (declared righteous) by God.  Abraham was not declared righteous by his works, but by his belief.  Because he believed God, God placed his own righteousness onto Abraham’s account.  “It was credited to him as righteousness.”  What sometimes troubles us is that Paul is contrasting “the one who works” with the one who “believes.”  This causes questions to arise in our minds.  Is Paul saying that believers don’t have to do good works?  Is he saying that obedience is not necessary to please God?  Is Paul contradicting what James said?  These are good questions that should indeed be asked.

A key to understanding this passage is to realize that Paul is not equating works with obedience.  In this passage, the one who works is the one who is attempting to earn their right standing before God.  The worker is not relying on grace but is attempting to earn God’s justification by living up to everything God has commanded.  For the one who works, justification is a matter of wages, not grace (favor).  A wage is what we earn for our work.  But to earn righteousness in the eyes of our holy and sinless God, the one who works must be flawless!  There cannot be even one sin on their account.

Standing in contrast to the worker is the one “who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly.”  The believer is one who is relying on God’s grace—not their own performance—for their justification.  The believer is not asking for wages from God, because the only thing we have earned from God is death (Romans 6:23).  The believer is “one who does not work,” but this does not mean that the believer is not obedient to God.  The believer is obedient, for true belief (faith) always strives for obedience.  This is what James tells us in James chapter two.  But the “believer”—in contrast to “the worker”—trusts in God who justifies the ungodly by His grace, rather than trusting in his own ability to earn righteousness from God as wages.

—Scott Colvin

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Rest for Our Souls

February 6, 2024

One of my favorite hymns is “Home of the Soul.”  Besides the beautiful alto lead in the chorus, there are the encouraging lyrics reminding us of what awaits us as children of God.  “If for the prize we have striven, after our labors are o’er, rest to our souls will be given, on the eternal shore1.”  Are you looking forward to finding rest for your soul?

Those who die in the Lord will find that rest in heaven.  As we read in Revelation, “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”” (Revelation 14:12-13 NAS95)

The life of a Christian should be one of hard work.  The Christian life takes perseverance—steadfast endurance for the Lord.  The life of a Christian is one of diligently keeping the commands of God and holding to our faith in Jesus.  The life of a Christian is at times filled with trouble and sorrow, temptation and trial.  In all of this, we can grow weary.  What is it that can keep us going strong?

One thing we must do is to keep our sights focused on heaven.  We need to remind ourselves often that there is coming a day of great blessing for those who die in the Lord.  There is coming a day of great rejoicing, a day of glory, and a day when we will finally lay all our burdens down and rest from our labors. 

But while we are here on this earth, “Let us be diligent to enter that rest…” (Hebrews 4:11a NAS95) Let us be eager to respond to His voice.  Let us be eager to work for the Lord.  Let us be eager to serve others.  “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” (Galatians 4:9 NAS95).  It is a wonderful thing to spend your life being busy with the work of the Lord, knowing that He has provided us with a glorious place of rest in the future.   

—Scott Colvin

1 “Home of the Soul,” Lyrics by James Rowe

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The Springs of Life

January 31, 2024

Did you know that there is a common source from which flows everything you think, every attitude you have, everything you say, every plan you make, and everything you do?  The common source of all of these things is the spiritual heart.  The heart is the innermost part of our being, and the condition of our heart will determine everything about us.  Your heart defines who you really are on the inside, and therefore determines the actions that you will take in daily life.  Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we give careful and constant consideration to the condition of our hearts.

Listen to these words of wisdom from Proverbs: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NAS95) The heart is pictured here as a bubbling spring, the source of all things that flow out from your life. If the “streams” that flow out from your life (the thoughts, the attitudes, the words, the actions) are evil, it is because the source of those streams—the heart—is defiled.  This is why we must be diligent to guard our heart and not let anything pollute it. 

How can we guard our hearts?  Let’s look at the previous verses to see what we must do. “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body.” (Proverbs 4:20-22 NAS95) We must continue to pay close attention to words of wisdom. When we don’t, our heart is in great danger.  I have seen it happen many times; people stop taking the word of God to heart, and bad things always follow.  Why?  Because in the absence of the wisdom of God, the spring of life becomes polluted, and that pollution will flow downstream.

But just as the heart can be polluted, it can also be purified and cleansed.  God can bring continual renewal to our defiled hearts.  And when God cleanses our hearts, it is a certainty that beautiful, wonderful things will flow from our lives. If we will be diligent to let His word in, to respond in faith to it, to be led by His Spirit, then life and health will flow from our innermost being.  And not only will we find blessings in our own lives, but we will be a blessing to those around us.

—Scott Colvin

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Jesus is Not Ashamed

January 23, 2024

How does Jesus feel about you?  You and I are not always everything that we would like to be.  We’re not always living up to everything we should be, or could be, in Christ.  We are often afflicted with troubles and sorrow, even though we want to rise above it all.  We are sometimes overcome with fears and anxieties, even though we know we shouldn’t be.  We grow weary, even though we want to be strong.  We struggle with temptation, and sometimes fall into sin, even though we truly want to be pleasing to the Lord.  In all of this, how does Jesus feel about us?  Is He ashamed of us?

Listen to these words from Hebrews chapter 2: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…”(Hebrews 2:10-11 NAS95)

Not only is Jesus not ashamed of us, He is not ashamed to call us brethren!  He is not ashamed to claim us as His brothers and sisters!  Yes, even in all of our struggling and weakness, even though we sin, He still claims us.  This is because Jesus, as the One who sanctifies (makes us holy), and we who are being sanctified are all from one Father.  Note that this wonderful truth is for those who are being sanctified by Jesus.  It is not for those who stubbornly pursue the way of sin; it’s for those who are cooperating with Jesus in His sanctifying work within us.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus gladly associates with you?  Isn’t it wonderful to know that He calls you “brother” or “sister”?  And isn’t there something here that we can learn from Jesus about how we should view one another?  If Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren, then neither should we be ashamed of any brother or sister who is struggling with trials or temptation. 

—Scott Colvin

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What is the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

January 9, 2024

There is a very important promise given to those who were baptized in Acts chapter two, where we read, “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38 NAS95)But what is meant by “the gift of the Holy Spirit”?

Some have said that the gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift that the Spirit gives to the one who is baptized.  Earlier in Acts 2, the apostles, by the power of the Spirit, spoke in tongues so that all of those gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost could hear the message of the gospel in their own language.  And so, it is concluded by some, that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” is the gift of tongue speaking. This gift, it is claimed, was bestowed upon those who were baptized that day by the laying on of the apostle’s hands after they were baptized. 

Others have said that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the Spirit Himself.  In other words, God gave the Spirit as a gift to indwell the believer at the moment of their baptism.

Which of these is the correct interpretation?  Let’s look at some related passages and strive to let the Bible interpret itself.  Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9 NAS95) Note carefully from this passage that the Spirit’s indwelling makes us children of God.  If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) he is not a child of God.  Or consider this verse, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6 NAS95)Do you see here that the Spirit’s indwelling and sonship go together?  Because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.  If we did not have His Spirit in our heart, it would mean that we are not His son or daughter.

Because of this, we must conclude that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 is the Spirit Himself coming into our hearts.  If that is not the case, then those who were baptized on that day did not become children of God at the moment they were baptized.  Why?  Because no indwelling equals no sonship.  Could it be that they received the indwelling of the Spirit before they were baptized?  No, because that would indicate that they became children of God before they were baptized, and that the Spirit came to indwell them before their sins were forgiven. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit’s is the Spirit Himself who was given to dwell in our hearts.  Each one of us received Him at the moment we were baptized into Christ.  Praise God for His wonderful gift!

—Scott Colvin

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The Consequences of the Spirit’s Indwelling

January 5, 2024

Despite the many passages of scripture that teach us that the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of God’s children, there are some today who deny this truth.  They are denying more than they realize.  The indwelling of the Spirit is intimately tied to many other spiritual truths that are absolutely critical for each of us in Christ.  Listen to the words of Paul in Romans chapter 8: “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9-11 NASB95)

Notice first of all that in this passage Paul affirms three times that the Spirit of God dwells in you.  The Spirit of God came to dwell within each one of us when we were baptized into Christ.  His indwelling presence was God’s gift to each one of us (Acts 2:38).  Notice also that because the Spirit is in us, Christ is in us.  The Spirit is a divine member of the Trinity, and so both Jesus and the Father dwell in us through the Spirit. (John 14:16-23, 1 John 3:24)

What are the consequences of this wonderful truth?  First, because the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  They have a mindset that will lead to death.  But those who are in the Spirit and who set their minds on the Spirit will find life and peace. (Romans 8:5-8) Second, the indwelling Spirit assures us that we truly do belong to God, but if we do not have His Spirit in us, then the simple truth is we do not belong to Him.  Third, the indwelling Spirit makes us alive in our inner being.  Without the Spirit’s presence, we would be spiritually dead, yet because of His indwelling presence, we have been made alive.  Finally, we see that it is the Spirit who will give life not only to our spirits, but also to our mortal bodies.  The Spirit’s ongoing work of transformation within our hearts will one day culminate in a glorious resurrection of our bodies.  But if the Spirit does not dwell within us, there will be no resurrection to life. (John 5:28-29)

The indwelling of the Spirit is a profound spiritual reality that we need to believe in and trust.  To argue that the Spirit doesn’t really dwell in us today is to argue that we cannot please God, that we do not belong to God, that we’re still dead in our sins, and that we will not be raised bodily with Jesus.  But the truth is, He does dwell within us!  And because of this, we have a great hope for life with God, both now and for all eternity.

—Scott Colvin

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The Personal Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

December 19, 2023

One of the most amazing facts about the Christian life is that the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of us individually.  The scriptures are very clear about this.  For example, consider what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  Flee immorality.  Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:17-19 NAS95) This passage shows us that, for those who are in Christ, our bodies have become a dwelling place—a temple—of the Holy Spirit. What an amazing thought!  Just as God filled the temple with His presence in Old Testament times, so now God dwells in each one of us.  Each one of us are a temple of the living God!

These words of scripture are not figurative language, but a spiritual reality.  It is a reality that some of the members of the church at Corinth did not understand, and their lack of understanding had a terribly harmful impact on their walk with the Lord.  Some at Corinth had been practicing sexual immorality.  They didn’t realize that in so doing they were being joined in one body to prostitutes.  Paul had to rebuke them and remind them of who they were.  How could they sinfully join themselves in one body with another when they were one spirit with the Lord?  The spirit of God was living within them!  How then could they so casually engage in sin?

You see, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a powerful incentive for holy living.  It is something that you and I need to understand about ourselves today.  An understanding of this reality will completely change the way we look at ourselves.  It will change the way that we live.  It will cause us to strive for holiness.  It will strengthen our walk with the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, have you come to realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you?  You are not your own.  Let us glorify God with our bodies.

—Scott Colvin

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Unhealthy Views About the Holy Spirit

December 12, 2023

There are devastating effects when we downplay the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit’s work is indispensable to the life and health of the church and each individual Christian. The list of things that the Spirit does for us is a long one, and to dismiss His work is quite dangerous.

And yet, some in the religious world go too far and ascribe things to the Spirit that are not according to the truth.  This is also quite dangerous.  For example, some groups place so much emphasis on the Spirit that Christ is overshadowed.  In such cases, worship assemblies are so Spirit-focused that Jesus and His work on the cross are almost forgotten.  This should never be the case.  Listen to the words of Jesus concerning the Spirit: “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (John 16:14 NAS95)  We see here that one of the roles of the Spirit is to glorify Jesus.  The Spirit points us to Jesus and exalts Jesus.  Worship in which Jesus is overshadowed is not Spirit-filled worship.

In a similar way, to overemphasize the gifts of the Spirit in our worship or in our personal lives is dangerous.  There are gifts of the Spirit today, and those gifts are very important for the health of the body of Christ.  These gifts should be taught about, and we should be encouraged to use them.  But there is a subtle danger here.  We can overemphasize the gifts in a self-glorifying way and end up seeking the gifts of God over the humble service of God.  We can make the teaching about spiritual gifts all about us. “Look at what the Spirit is doing in me!”  Like the church at Corinth, we can fall into the trap of pursuing spiritual gifts to promote ourselves.  We can pursue spiritual gifts to the point of failing to pursue the most excellent way, which is love. (1 Corinthians 12:31)

There is another danger of holding unbiblical views of the Spirit, and it is a grave one.  There are many in the religious world today who say things like this: “The Spirit revealed to me…” or “The Spirit said to me in a dream that…” While I do believe it is quite true that the Spirit helps us to understand the word of God more deeply, it is very important to realize that the Spirit of God does not give us additional revelation today, and the Spirit will certainly not instruct anyone in contradiction to the word of God.  It is the Spirit who gave us the word, and it was given once and for all time.  As Jude wrote, “…I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3b NAS95) God’s instructions to us were handed down once and for all through the apostles and prophets who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.  What spiritual danger we could find ourselves in if we listen to the words of someone who claims the Spirit told them this or showed them that!  No, we must hold fast to the word of God which was given by the Spirit of God!

—Scott Colvin

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The Dangers of Dismissing the Holy Spirit

December 1, 2023

There is a lot of confusion in the church about the Holy Spirit.  Many questions arise, such as:  Is the Spirit a personal being or just some impersonal force?  Is the Spirit divine?  Does the Spirit help us in some way today?  What is His function, exactly?  What about miraculous gifts?  Does the Spirit actually dwell within us?  These are all important questions that should be asked, and answers should be sought. 

The scriptures make it clear that a reliance on the Spirit is critical to the spiritual health of both the church as a whole and of each individual Christian.  Despite this fact, there are some in the church today who downplay the role of the Spirit.  Some have claimed that the Spirit is not really doing anything today.  Some have claimed that the Spirit of God does not actually dwell in us today in any real sense.  We must carefully search the word of God to form our understanding of the Spirit.  Some are not forming their views of the Spirit on a careful study of the word, but on a counterreaction to certain misguided views held by the Pentecostal/charismatic movements.  Forming our views of scripture on a reaction to what others are teaching is no way to go about finding truth!   We must let the word of God speak for itself and let it shape our thinking.  Some who downplay the role of the Spirit do so because of their desire for simple, black and white teachings that can be easily understood.  But the fact is, there are some things in scripture that are difficult to understand (2 Peter 3:15-16), and there are many, many things in the scriptures that will far exceed our ability to fully comprehend.  Afterall, we are dealing with God.  His ways are far above our ways.  Why should we think that we could ever fully understand nature of God and His Spirit?  And yet, we sometimes try to put God in a box of our own making.

The effects of downplaying the role of the Holy Spirit are devastating.  Some minimize the work of the Spirit and then wonder why there is so much spiritual weakness in the church.  But it is the Spirit who brings power into our lives (Ephesians 3:16).  It is the Spirit who brings transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Some minimize the work of the Spirit and then wonder why we’re not reaching the lost like we should.  But it is the Spirit who will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement (John 16:8).  Some have done their best to remove the Spirit’s presence from the church and then wonder why so many congregations are dying out and closing their doors.  But when the Spirit is pushed out of the temple of God (the church), what should we expect to happen?

May we always strive to hold fast to a biblical view of the Holy Spirit.  May the Lord continue to bless us, transform us, and impart life to us through the Spirit whom He has given.

—Scott Colvin

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Life Comes Through Death

November 30, 2023

Eternal life in Christ, in this life and the next, arises from death.  Think with me for a moment about all the ways in which this is true:  First, life would not be possible without the death of Jesus on our behalf.  Second, life in Him required our own death in the waters of baptism, at which point, through faith, we died with Jesus (Romans 6:5).  Third, our future life in our heavenly home will be proceeded by the death of our bodies (unless the Lord should return first).  And finally, life in Him requires an ongoing, daily death to this world.

This last death is difficult for us, but if we want to live, we must die to the world.  Thanks be to God that through the cross of Jesus, we can find the strength to do so.  Listen to the words the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia: “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14 NAS95)It is through Jesus and His cross that the world can be crucified to us, and us to the world.  The world calls to us, it entices and tempts us to its sinful ways.  How can we overcome?  We must turn to the cross!  We must survey the wonderous cross of Jesus and choose to sacrifice all the vain things of this world to His blood.  As Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NAS95) Or, as he writes in chapter five, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24 NAS95)

When you were baptized into Jesus, you were crucified with Him.  Now, if we want to continue to live in Him, we must make the daily decision to die to this world and put to death our own sinful desires.  May God help us to do so through the cross of Christ.   

—Scott Colvin

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