Today’s reading is John 17:1-18:40.

This may be a bit of an odd thought today, but something came out of left field today and smacked me as I was reading. It was one of those V8 moments.

I know a lot of people have struggled with issues surrounding God’s knowledge and times when He asked questions like “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) or “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:11). They struggle with God’s interactions with man like Abraham’s bartering with God in Genesis 18:22-33 or Moses “convincing” God not to wipe out Israel and start over with him in Deuteronomy 9:13-29. How do these interactions mesh with God knowing everything.

A verse in today’s reading brought some resolution to my mind. John 18:3-4 says:

So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”

My conclusion from this verse is not really new to me. I just hadn’t seen it so clearly demonstrated as in this verse. Look at what happens here. Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him. That means He knew exactly who they were coming to seek. They were coming to seek Him and He knew it. Why the question then? It was not because He needed information. This question was asked for the benefit of the seekers. This question was asked to make them think about who they were actually coming to get. This question was asked to set up the situation of freely giving Himself over. A situation that shocked the seekers so badly they fell back at first.

Here is the point. This passage demonstrates that when God asks questions, it is not because He needs information. He asks questions for our benefit. Adam and Eve needed to think about where they were. Adam needed to give consideration to how he knew he was naked. Even the exchanges between God and Moses and God and Abraham can be interpreted in light of this. God didn’t need convincing. These men needed to do some convincing. God’s foretold plan had been to bring the Messiah through Judah. He couldn’t possibly do that if He wiped out Israel and started with Moses. God knew that wasn’t going to happen. This exchange wasn’t really for God’s benefit. It was for Moses’ benefit. He needed to see how important it was for God to preserve the people. He needed to intercede on their behalf because there would be days when he didn’t want to. God didn’t need Abraham to barter with Him. Abraham needed to see that God would do what was right. 

Jesus knew who they were coming to seek, but asked the question anyway. God’s questions and exchanges with man aren’t for His benefit; they are for ours.

***Question: How has God benefited you?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

To be quite honest, I am often amazed how those who live on the spectrum of Calvinism believe Romans is their stronghold. To be sure, there are a few statements here or there when taken out of context that lend some credence to the view. But, when the whole is examined thoroughly, Romans is so thoroughly anti-Calvinism it isn’t funny. And I mean it is anti-Calvinism whether in its complete five point form or its watered down versions that try to accept bits and pieces without following the logic to all five points.

Take Romans 4:12 for example: “…to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised” (ESV).

Did you see that? Don’t skip over it just because Calvinistic teachers have observed the Passover with this verse. Did you notice Abraham is not the father of those who sit in the butt prints of faith doing nothing? No. Abraham is the father of those who walk in the footsteps of faith. If there aren’t any footsteps, there is no faith. If there is no walk, there is no faith. Saving faith is not a mental activity. It is an obedience activity.

Abraham was not counted righteous because he mentally assented to God’s ways. His faith was accounted for righteousness because his faith led him to act. If we want to be saved like Abraham, we must not make up unbiblical concepts saying we are saved by faith without its footsteps. Further, we must not try to get around it by saying our faith and footsteps were some how preordained by God. No, we must choose to believe and we must choose to walk in that belief. Only then are we Abraham’s offspring.

It is not enough just to believe the belief, we actually have to walk the footsteps of faith, just as Abraham did.

Keep the faith and keep reading,
ELC

I’m so excited about being able to take this trek through the New Testament with you. I hope you find it beneficial, not because you are hearing from me what I got out of it, but because it lifts you up to keep reading God’s Word.

I had a surprising, yet comforting, thought today as I read Luke 3:8–“Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (ESV)

My mind immediately jumped to Galatians 3:29–”And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (ESV).

Sometimes I struggle thinking that I can not possibly be a part of God’s family. I know too much about me and I know God knows it all also. However, it just struck me as comforting that if God could raise up offspring to Abraham from a rock, He can also make me an offspring of Abraham. He can make me an heir according to promise by the power of Christ’s blood and grace. He can do the same for you.

I was also impressed in this reading with how important what we are doing on this blog really is. Three times in Luke 4:1-13, Jesus said, “It is written.” Each was a response to Satan’s temptation. If anyone that ever lived in the world had the ability to respond to Satan with “I think…” or “I know…” or “I say…” or “I feel…” it was Jesus, God the Son in the flesh. However, that is not how He responded to Satan’s snares. Instead, He responded, “It is written.” 

If God in the flesh overcame Satan by His knowledge of God’s Word, how much more do I need to be in God’s Word constantly to overcome Satan. As Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (ESV). 

That always gets me back to the armor of God in Ephesians 6:12-18. Have you ever noticed how many pieces of the armor are actually tied to God’s Word?

• Belt of truth–God’s word is truth-John 17:17
• Breastplate of righteousness–Scripture trains us in righteousness-II Timothy 3:16
• Feet shod with gospel of peace–The Word of truth is the gospel-Colossians 1:5
• Shield of faith–Faith comes by hearing the word of God-Romans 10:17
• Helmet of salvation–The Word builds us up and saves us-Acts 20:32
• Sword of the Spirit–Well, duh, the text we’re looking at says that is the Word of God

Keep the faith today and keep reading!