2024-12-13
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I’m commanded to continue writing about the full armor of God from EPH 6: 11-18. This most important passage is fundamental to our understanding of what tools God has given us to fend off the attacks of the evil one. This week, we will look at the “helmet of salvation” from vs. 17. What is salvation? Before one can be saved, he must have enough faith that he believes there is an afterlife, and that Jesus keeps His promise that if we profess, He is our Savior and follow is teaching, we will eventually be glorified (which means being taken up to heaven for blissful eternal fellowship with Him and the Father). Remember: FAITH + NOTHING = SALVATION. JN 3: 16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” RO 6: 23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” EPH 2: 8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not be works, so that no one can boast.” AC 4: 12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” JN 14: 6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.” JN 3: 33, “Whoever is in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” 1 JN 5: 11, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”
Since all the above are in the NT, I wanted to look at the OT too. We must remember that the Jews of the OT never knew the name Jesus even though the latter was all over it. PR 8: 25, “For whoever finds Me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” PS 139: 23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting!” PR 19: 16, “Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises His ways will die.” PS 145: 1, “A Song of Praise. Of David, “I will extol You, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever.” PS 62: 1, To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.” HB (Habakkuk) 3: 17-18, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olives fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” If you find this interesting, you are not alone. We must remember that the Jews of Christ’s time were in four sects. The two largest ones were the Pharisees, who believed in an afterlife, and the Sadducees who denied it. The other two groups were the Essenes, who lived in a commune near Qum and the Zealots, who were fewer in number. David was amazing in his faithfulness and close relationship with God. I can’t help wondering if he knew more about the Lord Jesus than others, even if he didn’t know Him by name. Habakkuk was using the fig tree to mean Israel and he too seemed to understand what salvation is. And I often wonder if Moses had to have known the Ten Commandments were meant to align mankind with God and deal with life after physical death.
I was raised in a household where the belief was that after physical death, the body goes back into the ground, there is no afterlife, and that that is the end for everyone. One just goes back into the soil and no longer exists, whether he was good, bad, or indifferent during his life. Obviously, I didn’t stay with that outlook on life after death, or I wouldn’t have come to faith in Jesus Christ as I have. Yet, God has placed me with my immediate family who still hold the original outlook for His reasons. At this point, I respect their right to their beliefs as being the only honest way to look at this unprovable subject and ask them to respect mine. I believe God will answer this question in His own perfect time. So, what can we take away from this situation? It is that we must wait for God’s perfect time for His answer. Life doesn’t always supply answers to difficult questions right when we want them. However, God does provide us with faith in Him and does work through the Holy Spirit to teach us to trust Him.
PRAYER: O Most Holy Lord, You when the right time for us to know something is. Our time clock isn’t the same as Yours, but Your timing is perfect. So, You teach us to have faith in You by looking back at Your interactions with us and Your promises to see how they compare. We can’t deny the love and patience You for us and with us. PS 40: 1 KJV, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me and heard my cry.” NU 23: 19, “God is not like men who lie, He is not a human who changes His mind. Whatever He promises, He does; He speaks, and it is done.” These citations are meant for us to have patience and trust in Your timing and Your power to do good. Our faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ is a powerful reminder that You know what truth is and always speak it. We thank and praise You and thank You for loving us as much as You do. Without You and the truths You tell us in the Scriptures, we would have no hope. So, Dear Lord, we express our faith in You and in Your writing, in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Next week I will take up the subject of the sword of the Holy Spirit. We have a lot to learn from God about Who He is and what He makes possible for believers. JUDE writes in vs. 21, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for mercy from our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life…vs 24-25, “to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you before His gracious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God, our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” Praise and thanksgiving be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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