Note: In my opinion, Romans is the greatest book of the Bible. This writing by John Piper is based mostly out of Romans 8 which is right in the middle of the greatest book. As you read this entry, write out the sentences or thoughts that catch your attention.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:34

The great conclusion to the suffering and death of Christ is this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). To be “in Christ” means to be in relationship to him by faith. Faith in Christ unites us to Christ so that his death becomes our death and his perfection becomes our perfection. Christ becomes our punishment (which we don’t have to bear) and our perfection (which we cannot perform).

Faith is not the ground of our acceptance with God. Christ alone is. Faith unites us to Christ so that his righteousness is counted as ours. “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16). Being “justified by faith” and being “justified . . . in Christ” (Galatians 2:17) are parallel terms. We are in Christ by faith and therefore justified.

When the question is asked, “Who is to condemn?” the answer is assumed. No one! Then the basis is declared: “Christ Jesus is the one who died!” The death of Christ secures our freedom from condemnation. It is as sure that we cannot be condemned as it is sure that Christ died. There is no double jeopardy in God’s court. We will not be condemned twice for the same offenses. Christ has died once for our sins. We will not be condemned for them. Condemnation is gone not because there isn’t any, but because it has already happened.

But what about condemnation by the world? Is that not an answer to the question, “Who is to condemn?” Aren’t Christians condemned by the world? There have been many martyrs. The answer is that no one can condemn us successfully. Charges can be brought, but none will stick in the end. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). It’s the same as when the Bible asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). The answer is not that these things don’t happen to Christians. The answer is: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

The world will bring its condemnation. They may even put their sword behind it. But we know that the highest court has already ruled in our favor. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). No one successfully. If they reject us, he accepts us. If they hate us, he loves us. If they imprison us, he sets our spirits free. If they afflict us, he refines us by the fire. If they kill us, he makes it a passage to paradise. They cannot defeat us. Christ has died. Christ is risen. We are alive in him. And in him there is no condemnation. We are forgiven, and we are righteous. “And the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).

Reflection

1. Look through the sentences and phrases which caught your attention and that you wrote down. For each one, ponder further (you may want to write out your thoughts) why did it catch your attention?
2. There is a difference between condemnation and conviction. Consider these two words and in your own way define both of them.
3. How can our Lord use conviction in our lives and help us grow in holiness?

From John Piper, Fifty Reasons Christ Came To Die

You may have noticed by Thursdays are the typically a bit more weighty day of the week. In my notes they are called Theology Thursday. These entries have a bit more Scripture and tend to be subject focused. Today the attention is directed at the work of Christ and how it was applied to us. This helpful article from David B. Garner that was written in April of 2019.

Born like any other young boy (Gal. 4:4), Jesus grew “in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Despite contemporary attempts by some to paint Him as a superhero, Mary’s flesh-and-blood offspring “had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isa. 53:2). The Son of God became one of us and matured mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially.

Though never disobedient, He learned submission (Heb. 5:8)—by His steps of faith, He grew from immaturity to moral excellence. He was, in the fullest sense, a regular man with a tested and proven life: “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect” (2:17) and was made “perfect through suffering” (v. 10).

Yet as thoroughly ordinary as Jesus is, His life explodes beyond the common. The God-man undertook a divinely appointed, unrepeatable, and decisive historical role. Like the Adam of Eden, the last Adam—Jesus Christ—was a public man. In His representative calling, Jesus became the “merciful and faithful high priest . . . [who made] propitiation for the sins of the people” (v. 17). Only this one man has accomplished that extraordinary, lasting ministry.

Jesus’ human existence thus attains its value by His public function. At every moment, He acted with a look beyond Himself and to His people. The premier Prophet, He spoke to His people. The holy High Priest, He interceded for His people. The King of kings, He reigns over His people. Jesus came to live, die, and rise again for His people. He is the Shepherd; we are His sheep. He is the holy Redeemer; by Him we are wholly redeemed.

Accordingly, the roots of biblical salvation draw life from this glorious Christ-for-us motif. Christ is cornerstone; we are the “living stones” that make up the “spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). The great architectural project of history puts each of us in our God-appointed place—every living stone supported and sustained by the chief cornerstone. Christ is the Vine; we are the branches. Life flows in us, because we draw on Him (John 15:4). Christ is the husband; we are His bride (Rev. 21:2; see Eph. 5:18–33). The Savior lovingly clutches us covenantally, intimately, and irreversibly.

How does the work of this one man actually bless others? According to the Father’s wisdom, the Son of God sent from heaven accomplishes redemption; the Spirit of the Son applies that redemption to His people. By grace, the Spirit unites the people of God to the real Christ of history. The Son works savingly in the Spirit; the people of God participate in His saving acts by the same Spirit. By the will of the Father, the Spirit unites us to the Son.

The Holy Spirit unites us to the ordinary, extraordinary man. We are placed into Christ and He into us. We belong to Him, and He belongs to us.

No theological afterthought, this work of the Spirit possesses three distinct yet inseparable features. This grace toward us commences in the wise and gracious counsel of God before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3–6). It gains historical traction in the ministry of Christ, where the Spirit places us in Christ in His own death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation (Rom. 6:1–4; Eph. 2:6). Then when giving us faith, the Spirit effects this gracious union in us personally (Eph. 1:13–14). Summarily, union with Christ originates in divine election and covenant purpose. In the divine accomplishment of redemption, the Spirit binds us to Christ. At the moment of faith, the Spirit applies the work of Christ to us immediately, personally, and savingly.

Appreciation for this ministry of the Spirit will prevent us from conceiving of salvation as an inanimate thing. Salvation must not be viewed first as a gift to unwrap but as the personal Savior we receive. The gift of the gospel is the Giver Himself.

Jesus Christ “gave himself for us” (Titus 2:14), and we receive Him by the Holy Spirit: “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Gal. 4:6) and, “You . . . are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom. 8:9). The Holy Spirit unites us to the ordinary, extraordinary man. We are placed into Christ and He into us. We belong to Him, and He belongs to us.

This particular passage was the source of some debate during the process of gathering the material to present during this season of Lent. It does not have strong tones for a Lenten reading, however, the message presented was one we should not miss. As Christians we grow in holiness and that growth comes from several sources one of which are fellow believers. Like Peter we can be riding high of our confession that Jesus is Lord (Matthew 16:16-17) only to turn around and be in great need of correction (Matthew 16:23). Psalm 141 is a great reminder of our need of constant correction from a forgiving Savior.

O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me!
    Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
² Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
    and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

³ Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
    keep watch over the door of my lips!
⁴ Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
    to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
    and let me not eat of their delicacies!

⁵ Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
    let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
    let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
⁶ When their judges are thrown over the cliff,
    then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
⁷ As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
    so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸ But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
    in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
⁹ Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
    and from the snares of evildoers!
¹⁰ Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
    while I pass by safely.

Reflection

1. How can you “eat the delicacies of a wicked person”?
2. Meditate on 141:3 and the phrase “keep watch over the door of my lips”. Journal some of your thoughts on how this applies to you.
3. In what way is a serving of humble pie a spiritual slap in the face?
4. In the introduction above two texts from Matthew 16 (v. 16-17 & 23) were mentioned. What stands out in what was said and how close these are to each other?
5. As a believer in Christ, what is your hope in all moments be it Matthew 16:16-17 or Matthew 16:23?

Audio provided by the 1517 podcast

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Mark 14:24

I will make with them an everlasting covenant. . . . And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. Jeremiah 32:40

The Bible speaks of an “old covenant” and a “new covenant.” The term covenant refers to a solemn, binding agreement between two parties carrying obligations for both sides and enforced by an oath. In the Bible the covenants God makes with man are initiated by himself. He sets the terms. His obligations are determined by his own purposes.

The “old covenant” refers to the arrangement God established with Israel in the law of Moses. Its weakness was that it was not accompanied by spiritual transformation. Therefore it was not obeyed and did not bring life. It was written with letters on stone, not with the Spirit on the heart. The prophets promised a “new covenant” that would be different. It would be “not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).

The new covenant is radically more effective than the old. It is enacted on the foundation of Jesus’ suffering and death. “He is the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 9:15). Jesus said that his blood was the “blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). This means that the blood of Jesus purchased the power and the promises of the new covenant. It is supremely effective because Christ died to make it so.

What then are the terms of the covenant that he infallibly secured by his blood? The prophet Jeremiah describes some of them: “I will make a new covenant . . . this is the covenant that I will make . . . I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. . . . For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The suffering and death of Christ guarantees the inner change of his people (the law written on their hearts) and the forgiveness of their sins.

To guarantee that this covenant will not fail, Christ takes the initiative to create the faith and secure the faithfulness of his people. He brings a new-covenant people into being by writing the law not just on stone, but on the heart. In contrast with the “letter” on stone, he says “the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). “When we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). This is the spiritual life that enables us to see and believe in the glory of Christ. This miracle creates the new-covenant people. It is sure and certain because Christ bought it with his own blood.

And the miracle is not only the creation of our faith, but the securing of our faithfulness. “I will make with them an everlasting covenant. . . . I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me” (Jeremiah 32:40). When Christ died, he secured for his people not only new hearts but new security. He will not let them turn from him. He will keep them. They will persevere. The blood of the covenant guarantees it.

from John Piper: Fifty Reasons Christ Came To Die

Reflections

1. John Piper said in our text that the Old Covenant had a weakness. “Its weakness was that it was not accompanied by spiritual ___________. Therefore it was not obeyed and did not bring ______.”
2. According to 2 Corinthians 3:6, how does this differ from the New Covenant?
3. Consider the following passages: Ephesians 2:1-7, Jeremiah 31:31-34; 32:40. What great encouragement do you gain about your security in Christ?

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴ One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵ On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶ They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
⁷ They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Refelction

1. What comfort do you have that the Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love?
2. Considering Matthew 5:45 with Psalm 145:9, how is God good to all and how has he been merciful to all?
3. In what ways was God’s love aggressive?

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  Colossians 2:13-14

What a folly it is to think that our good deeds may one day outweigh our bad deeds. It is folly for two reasons. First, it is not true. Even our good deeds are defective, because we don’t honor God in the way we do them. Do we do our good deeds in joyful dependence on God with a view to making known his supreme worth? Do we fulfill the overarching command to serve people “by the strength that God supplies— in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11)?

What then shall we say in response to God’s word, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23)? I think we shall say nothing. “Whatever the law says it speaks . . . so that every mouth may be stopped” (Romans 3:19). We will say nothing. It is folly to think that our good deeds will outweigh our bad deeds before God. Without Christ-exalting faith, our deeds will signify nothing but rebellion.

The second reason it is folly to hope in good deeds is that this is not the way God saves. If we are saved from the consequences of our bad deeds, it will not be because they weighed less than our good deeds. It will be because the “record of [our] debt” in heaven has been nailed to the cross of Christ. God has a totally different way of saving sinners than by weighing their deeds. There is no hope in our deeds. There is only hope in the suffering and death of Christ.

There is no salvation by balancing the records. There is only salvation by canceling records. The record of our bad deeds (including our defective good deeds), along with the just penalties that each deserves, must be blotted out—not balanced. This is what Christ suffered and died to accomplish.

The cancellation happened when the record of our deeds was “nailed to the cross” (Colossians 2:13). How was this damning record nailed to the cross? Parchment was not nailed to the cross. Christ was. So Christ became my damning record of bad (and good) deeds. He endured my damnation. He put my salvation on a totally different footing. He is my only hope. And faith in him is my only way to God.

Reflection

1. According to 1 Peter 4:11 who should get the glory for our good deeds?
2. Meditate and/or write your thoughts and reactions on these two sentences from above: “If we are saved from the consequences of our bad deeds, it will not be because they weighed less than our good deeds. It will be because the “record of [our] debt” in heaven has been nailed to the cross of Christ.”

John Piper: Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

G.K. Beale is one of my favorite still living theologians. He wrote this article for Tabletalk Magazine in April of 2019 and it explains in very good terms the obedience of Christ and what it accomplished.

Theologians often speak of the active and passive obedience of Christ. His active obedience consisted of His perfect keeping of the law of God throughout His life. His passive obedience consisted of His willing reception of the punishment of sinners’ breaking the law. Both are imputed to sinners who trust in Christ, so that they are seen to be perfectly righteous in Christ and without any penalty for breaking the law (see Westminster Confession of Faith 11). “Passive obedience” is somewhat of a misnomer, since Christ’s enduring the penalty of sin was an active endurance.

The passage that most strongly affirms the positive imputation of Christ’s righteousness is 1 Corinthians 1:30: “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (NASB, here and throughout). Believers’ union with Christ means that “in Christ Jesus” we are considered to have the same (perfect) “wisdom . . . , righteousness . . . sanctification, and redemption” that Christ possesses.

This does not mean that we possess these attributes in our personal existence on earth. Instead, we are represented by Christ as becoming these things because of our unity with Him (that is, we “are in Christ”). The phrase “to us” refers to our location “in Christ Jesus” and our sharing in His attributes.

Some object to this conclusion because it appears difficult to understand how Christ Himself was “redeemed” in the same manner that believers are “redeemed.” Accordingly, some contend that neither should the references to “wisdom,” “righteousness,” and “sanctification” be taken in a representative manner. The verse would refer only to believers’ becoming wise, holy, righteous, and redeemed through Christ, and the first three characteristics would be godly traits that should characterize increasingly the lives of Christians.

A simple word study alleviates this problem. The word translated “redemption” is sometimes used in the Greek Old Testament to refer to release from sin but is more often used to refer to liberation from harsh oppression. In view of this, it would appear to be a normal use of “redemption” in 1 Corinthians 1:30 to indicate liberation from oppression, particularly with respect to Christ. It would refer to His deliverance from death and liberation from bondage to the powers of Satan in the resurrection.

The first part of the verse augments the conception of Christians’ being represented by these attributes of Christ: it was by God’s “doing” that we “are in Christ Jesus,” and because we are “in” Him, we share positionally in His impeccable traits. Therefore, we are to boast not of our own abilities (vv. 29, 31) but of the benefits resulting from our representation by Christ.

Consequently, 1 Corinthians 1:30 supports the idea that believers are represented by Christ’s perfect righteousness and are, positionally, as completely righteous as He is (see Rom. 5:15–19; Phil. 3:9). In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul writes, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Paul asserts that Christ took on an alien guilt and endured a punishment that He Himself did not deserve so that the sinners for whom Christ suffered the punishment would “become the righteousness of God in Him [Christ].” This means that God would view us as “not guilty” and not deserving of the penalty though we had committed sin. But our becoming “the righteousness of God” also means being identified with “the righteousness of God” not only in the death offering of Christ but explicitly in the risen Christ, so that some positive aspect of Christ’s righteousness is credited to us.

God chose a small nation to bring a GREAT Savior!

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
² For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

Reflection

1. In what ways throughout Scripture has God used small things to do GREAT things?
2. In what ways throughout your life has God used small things to do GREAT things?
3. Read Acts 10:9-43. What is the significance of ALL nations coming to the Lord?
4. The Hebrew word for God’s love is “khesed”. Chad Bird commented that God’s love does not grow larger or lessen. How is this faithfulness of the Lord encouraging to you?