Symbiosis: Our Trust/His Salvation

Thinking about Psalms 37.40 this morning where David writes: "And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; he shall deliver them from the wicked, because they trust in him." In the Hebrew literally it says: "And delivering, he will deliver them," which is a construction that means "The Lord will surely deliver his people from the wicked."

The foundation for this deliverance on the part of God's people is their trust in him; "because they trust in him." The foundation on the part of God is his own character; he will do what he says.

There is this interesting symbiosis here between our trust and God's salvation. When we trust in our God, he will surely deliver us from evil. When we do not trust in our God, then we are practically acting as if he were not our God. Why deliver people who don't trust in God as God?

The action point for us is that we work on continually and completely trusting in God at every moment, for every thing.

Appointed to Know His Will

Paul uses some interesting verbiage in Acts 22.14. He quotes Ananias, who is the first Christian to show up after Paul's encounter with Christ on the way to Damascus, as saying: "The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will," or as the KJV puts it: "Hath chosen thee, that thou shouldst know his will."

What is going on here? What did Ananias mean? We know for sure that it was God who acted and not Paul, God appointed; God chose; God was the active one here. While dramatic, Paul's conversion does not appear to be any different from the way God draws all others to himself. He acts first; He draws; He chooses. Can I fully explain this? Um...no.

I take "to know his will" as a euphemism for drawing Paul to faith in Christ. That is surely the outcome that we see from this encounter.

The question that one must ask oneself is: "What am I to do with Christ?" Am I to follow him by faith, as both Ananias and Paul did? Am I to give my life to him? Am I to respond to the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in my own heart right now?

Equation of Salvation

Reading in Isaiah 53.6 (a favorite verse) today, one finds God's equation of salvation. We = sheep. Sheep = wanderers (metaphorically - sinners). God = judge. Suffering Servant (Christ) = Punishment bearer. We = saved. Yep, seems to add up to me.

Letting Your Servant Depart in Peace

The juxtaposition of Luke 2.26 with Simeon's first recorded words in Luke 2.29, make it clear that Simeon had no doubt that he was holding the Messiah. Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word for my eyes have seen your salvation. What the Holy Spirit had promised had been accomplished, he had seen (and held) the Messiah.

One struggles with words to describe this scene. Luke (as his his wont) describes it so sparingly, just the facts, nothing more. Decide for yourself. Did Simeon think he was the Messiah? Do you think he was? What the whole Jewish nation had been waiting for, Simeon gets to acknowledge first. He is old. He has lived a long life. He can depart in peace, for what God has promised, he has accomplished. The Deliverer is here. Staggering.

Fuel for the Journey

Reading through Isaiah 35.4 this morning. The fuel that sustains God's people in difficulty—when they experience pain and suffering—is God himself; the promise that God will come and save us. The promise!

Calvin comments: That strength of which he spoke is breathed into our hearts by God through his word, as “by faith alone we stand” (2 Corinthians 1:24) and live; and therefore he adds the promise of grace yet to come.

This is our God!

The song that we will sing to our God on the day of salvation as described in Isaiah 25.9. We (saints) have waited for God and on the day of salvation, we will wait no longer. God will finally and fully save his people and we will sing with every breath that we have of his salvation. We will be glad. We will rejoice. This is our God!

Chrysostom on God's Motivation in Salvation

Pondering Eph 1.6 this morning, specifically with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Thanks to Accordance Bible Software, I pulled up the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and Chrysostom had this to say about the passage:

So that our love for him may become more fervent, he desires nothing from us except our salvation. He does not need our service or anything else but does everything for this end.

It's nice to see that John Piper's emphasis on God's being glorified is nothing new. Chrysostom (a favorite Early Church Father) believed that God's motive in salvation was so that we would praise him for salvation. Our understanding of redemption will make us praise him more for what he has done. It's that easy...and that deep.

Salvation and God's Power

What does it mean today that the Lord is not constrained to save by many or by few (1 Samuel 14.6)? Surely it means the same as in Jonathan's day—God will fight our battles and will win for us, no matter if we are many or few, if it is in his will to win—but what is the application for us? We are not part of God's army doing God's work through physical battle. Does not Paul say that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6.10)?

I think the application here is to spiritual battles, whether that be a battle on a personal level, or whether it be on a social level, in other words the battle for another person's soul, or a spiritual battle in the church. God is fully capable of using one person or many persons to bring about spiritual victory in the lives of people whom we least expect to come to faith, or to be swayed by our arguments or efforts. Jonathan had a sign from God, we have the promises of God (in the Scriptures). God is the same. He is not constrained to save by many or by few.