Category Archives: Dan’s Blog

The Good News: Part 1

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Just what is it that sets apart the revelation of Christ’s gospel entrusted to Paul? I’m sure you’ll see what’s so special when you read the following brief synopsis of what it actually encompasses. Here it is,  a seven part series presented in the first person so that you might get a better sense of its glorious impact for each of us personally:

God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, among us to bring the truth of His promise of eternal life for all those who believe (Romans 3:22). Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7). In so doing, He is able to sympathize with my weaknesses, having been tempted in all things as I am, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

He first suffered beyond what any of us can imagine at the hands of His accusers, and died an excruciating execution by crucifixion where He made propitiation (an appeasing sacrifice) for all the sins of humanity by taking the punishment for those sins upon Himself (Hebrews 2:17).

Jesus was then raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, and has given me the promise of eternal life in Him. Having received His promise by faith, I have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, and as a result also share in the likeness of His glorious resurrection (Romans 6:4-5).

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)

Pursuing Biblical Truth

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Our pursuit of biblical truth is a lot like a prospector searching for gold. Rather than blindly tunneling into any old mountain in hopes of discovering the mother lode, he first looks for evidence of the precious metal on the surface. Likewise, as we see that first glimmer of truth within the pages of God’s Word, it becomes abundantly clear that there is true treasure waiting there to be uncovered. And this provides us the motivation to dig deeper, just like the miner must do when he senses there are riches to be gained. But let’s be honest; digging is a lot of work.

We find, though, that focused effort brings immediate rewards, because there’s a purpose for boring into that mountain. The miner is following a vein and consequently pulls out gold as he goes—sometimes less and sometimes more. God’s Word is a lot like that. As we dig beneath the surface, we are immediately rewarded with truth. Yes, sometimes it goes a little slowly, but other times we hit it big—sometimes even the mother lode. Diligence and perseverance always pay off because the knowledge we gain little by little lays a solid foundation for more.

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)

Laying Aside Our Old Self

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          We’ve been given a choice, haven’t we? In laying aside the old self by an act of our will—in turn putting on the new self—our opportunities become limitless. Why? Because the new self has been created in the likeness of God. And since we are created in the likeness of God, we have within us a foundation of righteousness and holiness of the truth. The power to make positive choices is wholly dependent on one essential qualification: Christ’s indwelling presence (Romans 8:10). Walking out our faith, then, in the reality our new self comes about by making up our mind to do so, while relying totally upon what God has already provided through His overcoming power.

            God has given us an irrevocable promise: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”(13) So why aren’t Christians falling all over themselves trying to make sure His promises come to fruition in their lives? There’s a very good reason why: it all comes back to the problem of self-will. And until we really understand the implications of a heart being led by the innate presence of self-will, our chances of living in all that God has so bountifully provided are greatly hindered.

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)

Pursuing Growth in God

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If we are ever to arrive at the fullness of all God has provided through Christ Jesus, we must be about “…attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3) Still, knowledge is only of value when acted upon. And that’s why understanding our freedom from the power of sin is so vital. It provides us the basis for a more meaningful pursuit of God, in turn building the framework for unassailable spiritual growth.

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)

A Child of God? Really?

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“See how great a love the Father has for us that we would be called children of God? And such we are (1 John 3:1).” Yes, we are children of God! But saying “I am a child of God” often comes off a bit trite, doesn’t it. After all, have we stopped to consider what such a position really means?

What does being a child of God mean? To get just a glimpse, think about your own child for a moment. Do you remember holding him or her for the first time? How about the huge deposit of love and nurturing you invested as your child grew (or maybe is now growing) to maturity. Can you imagine what it would be like to lose that child to death or kidnapping? Heartbreaking doesn’t begin to convey the depth of emotion such an event would entail.

Does God actually feel this way about us? Yes–but to an even greater degree, for our love for our own is but a shadow of His love for us. His love for His children is incomprehensible to our finite mind.

So the next time you think or speak of being a child of God, stop and consider what it all really must mean. And then begin to take steps toward living it out as a reality. Begin to truly commune with Jesus each and every day, remembering how meaningful it is when our own kids make the effort to genuinely reach out to us. Let’s begin 2012 on a new foot!

The Human Condition

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Have you ever dwelt on the fact that Jesus was “tempted (or, tested) in all things as we are?” (Hebrews 4:15) What does it really mean for Him to have taken the form of human flesh? It means that Jesus–and by extension, the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)–came to intimately share in the rigors of the human condition.

As a resident of this world, we know that temptation and suffering are an ever-present reality. And Jesus knows it too. He suffered it as we do, both in what was just quoted above and in His physical suffering and death on the cross. Yes, He understands what you are going through, not only sympathizing but empathizing with you. There’s not a thing we as humans have suffered that Jesus did not also experience in His humanity.

This is why we can have such confidence in the midst of the turmoils of life. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say in verse 16: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” Be encouraged! God is for you, not against you.

Never Could Earn Our Way!

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              The pursuit of righteousness through obedience to law is what Paul called the “elementary principles of the world.” Man has an inbred penchant for attempting to justify himself in this way; it’s absolutely fundamental to our thinking about God. And why shouldn’t it be? Because this philosophy of life has been hammered into us since the dawn of man, it’s not easy to escape. It just seems so right! So given this fact, we can’t judge Israel too harshly for falling into this trap—they merely “stumbled over the stumbling stone.”

            Making people work for righteousness was never God’s intent for law. Even in the Old Testament, grace was the key to righteousness before God. He instituted a system of sacrifice and offerings not for the Israelites to earn their way into His good graces, but that they might experience His forgiveness as they obeyed Him. Obeying God was to be an act of faith on their part, not merely an attempt to accumulate enough points to somehow satisfy Him. God’s intention regarding His grace is nowhere more evident than in the Old Testament ritual of the Day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16.

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)


Faith is no Cake-walk

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God does not normally reveal Himself in a way that our physical senses can perceive Him, so this is why faith is required on our part. Now I’m not suggesting that God doesn’t allow us to be aware of His presence; He does. Our experience of Him, however, comes by spiritual means—not physical. But why would God keep Himself hidden at all? Wouldn’t it be much easier to simply appear to us periodically to tell us what He wants? Well, that wouldn’t require faith, would it? Our inability to grasp Him by our natural senses makes faith indispensable. Faith is at the very heart of God’s plan for us. That’s why Scripture tells us that it’s impossible for man to satisfy God without it (Hebrews 11:6). But since faith is so contrary to everything instinctive to our humanity, believing Him will never be all that easy. To be sure, it appears that He never meant it to be! (Romans 8:24-25)

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)

God’s Mystery Revealed

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Christ’s gospel holds marvelous privileges for us as God’s children, doesn’t it? But the sheer scope of the gospel can’t help but raise the question as to how Jesus applies everything He’s accomplished to our lives. Sometimes we excuse ourselves from the pursuit of the whole truth, thinking it’s just not realistic to fully comprehend it. Didn’t Paul himself say, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him?” Ah, but we tend to forget that the very next verse plainly tells us that we can: “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10)

            The fact of the matter is that the “mystery of Christ” was never meant to be undiscoverable (Colossians 2:2-3). Just as in a good novel, the mystery is always solved at the end (the Greek word for mystery in fact means that we can expect to uncover what’s hidden). And God knows that until we really get it we have little chance of emerging from what can only be described as a state of stunted growth. So what do you say? Why not go for it!

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)

It’s the Journey that’s Important

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What does godliness actually mean? The term itself sounds a little scary, doesn’t it? After all, “How could I ever be thought of as being godly?” Indeed, knowing the reality of human nature, how could any of us? But isn’t there a misunderstanding here? You see, the definition of godliness is: devotion which is characterized by an attitude toward doing that which pleases God. So we shouldn’t think of godliness only as a position we need to arrive at somewhere along life’s path, much less a final destination. Instead, it is what we are to devote ourselves toward. Godliness is a mindset of pursuit—a quest which keeps us constantly engaged in seeking God’s will, and thus living to please Him.

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)