This communal practice resonates deeply with the Protestant theological tradition. In the writings of the Puritans, we find our contemporary practice rooted in centuries of careful reflection on how God shapes His people through prayer.

The Puritan theologian Richard Rogers noted that “God’s children are especially refreshed through public prayers” and that “we learn to pray gospel-centred, God-glorifying prayers by listening to experienced saints.” Rogers wrote these words as part of his practical guide to the Christian life (the Seven Treatises), focusing on what he called “the means^§ whereby a godly life is helped and continued”—what we now know as the Spiritual Disciplines: the preaching of the Word, the sacraments, and prayer^¶.

Rogers emphasises the importance of hearing other believers pray, particularly in the gathered assembly. As we listen and consent together in the same requests, we grow in grace. In essence, we learn to pray gospel-centred, God-glorifying, Christ-exalting prayers by listening to experienced saints. What better teachers could we have than the Apostles whose doctrine and teaching laid the foundation of the Church (Ephesians 2:20).

As the author of nearly one-third of the New Testament, Paul shaped early Christian theology and practice through his letters, his proclamation, and his intercession. His prayers, woven throughout his epistles, reveal a man whose heart was consumed with gospel concerns and whose petitions were saturated with Scripture. In Paul’s prayers, we glimpse what Spirit-empowered, gospel-centred intercession truly looks like. This is why God has graciously preserved the prayers of the apostles: so that we may learn from them and pray along with them.

In the resource that follows, we have collated the prayers of Paul, organised by theme, to serve as a guide for your meditation and spiritual growth. Read through them. Pray them for yourself and others. Meditate on them. Let them shape your understanding of what faithful intercession looks like. As you do, may you find yourself conformed to the apostolic pattern of prayer—may you discover afresh what it means to pray with biblical conviction and Spirit-empowered urgency. And may you experience the transformative grace that comes when our prayer life aligns with the Word and mirrors the example of the saints.

1. PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING

For Churches

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.” (Romans 1:8)

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you.” (1 Corinthians 1:4–6)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

“For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God… Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:12, 15)

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3–5)

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints.” (Colossians 1:3–4)

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2–3)

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

For Individuals

“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service.” (1 Timothy 1:12)

“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.” (2 Timothy 1:3)

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints… for I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.” (Philemon 4–5, 7)

2. PRAYERS FOR SPIRITUAL WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE & REVELATION

“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:17–19a)

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent.” (Philippians 1:9–10)

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” (Colossians 1:9)

“…and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” (Philemon 6)

3. PRAYERS FOR SPIRITUAL STRENGTH, MATURITY & GROWTH

Inner Strength & Fullness

“…that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16–19)

Maturity & Sanctification

“For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.” (2 Corinthians 13:9)

“…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” (Colossians 1:10–11)

“…so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ… so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:6, 10–11)

4. PRAYERS FOR LOVE, UNITY & HARMONY

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5–6)

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more.” (Philippians 1:9)

“…and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)

5. PRAYERS FOR JOY, PEACE, HOPE & ENCOURAGEMENT

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

“May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 15:33)

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17)

6. PRAYERS FOR GUIDANCE & DIRECTION

“…asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.” (Romans 1:10)

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)

7. PRAYERS FOR MINISTRY EFFECTIVENESS

“I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints.” (Romans 15:30–31)

“…and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:19–20)

“At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” (Colossians 4:3–4)

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12)

8. PRAYERS FOR SALVATION & DELIVERANCE

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” (Romans 10:1)

“…that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea.” (Romans 15:31)

9. PRAYERS FOR INDIVIDUALS

For Timothy

“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy… for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:3–4, 7)

For Onesiphorus

“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains… may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!” (2 Timothy 1:16, 18)

Notes

1. Holy Helps for a Godly Life, Richard Rogers, Edited by Brian G. Hedges, Reformation Heritage Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, pp. 26-27.
2. Systematic Theology, Charles Hodge, Oak Harbor, Wash: Logos Research Systems, 1997; 3:446.

• Charles Hodge writes, “By means of grace…the phrase is intended to indicate those institutions which God has ordained to be the ordinary channels of grace, i.e., of the supernatural influences of the Holy Spirit, to the souls of men.”

¶For a full treatment of the Spiritual Disciplines, see Donald S. Whitney’s ‘Spiritual Disciplines’, or Richard J. Foster’s ‘Celebrations of Discipline.’

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My purpose in this article is to demonstrate that much of what passes for prophetic declarations promises what God has not promised and, in fact, stands at variance with biblical Christianity.

This article is not a rejection of Christian hope, prayer, or encouragement for the year ahead. Rather, it is a critique of the practice of issuing authoritative “prophetic declarations” that promise specific outcomes God has not promised and that sit uneasily with the teaching of Scripture.

The Problem with Prosperity Prophecies

Tellingly, you rarely hear declarations that promise tribulation, suffering, or persecution in the coming year on account of one’s faith.

Consider this snippet from a megachurch’s New Year’s Eve service:

“There shall be no tears on your face all through 2026! Good news! 2026 is your year of laughter only! No breakdown for you all through 2026! 2026 is a sickness-free year for you! Your marital destiny case is open! There shall be no death in your household! All through this year, there shall be no downtime in your spiritual life!“

You may have seen or heard similar ‘declarations’ to the ones above, promising a year of uninterrupted blessings. Scripture, however, never promises a suffering-free Christian life. Jesus prepared His disciples for the opposite:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:18-21).

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

The apostles taught the same:

“When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:21-22)

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” (Phil. 1:29)

Paul writes that at one point in Asia, he and his companions were so utterly burdened beyond their strength that they despaired of life itself:

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

The context of these passages proves that suffering is part and parcel of the Christian life. In stark contrast, the import of the so-called prophetic declarations recycled each year is that if God is with you, it will always be sunny and bright. But Jesus and the Apostles disagree (see further Scriptural evidences here).

Four Fatal Flaws

First, these declarations diminish God by reducing Him to a cosmic vending machine. Biblical Christianity isn’t all about material prosperity. True biblical faith comes to God to get God, not things. Genuine saving faith says: “God is more precious to me than all the gold and silver the world can offer. He is my greatest treasure. Even if I have God and nothing else, that is more than enough” (Psalm 73:25-26). The ‘name-it-and-claim-it’ rhetoric treats God as a genie dispensing wishes. When those wishes don’t materialise, He becomes unattractive to us. This diminishes rather than glorifies God.

Second, suffering reminds us that this world is not our home. Suffering—bodily suffering in the form of sickness included— reminds us that we live in a fallen world; that this world is not our final destination. We are merely passing through, headed for “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:10, 16).

Imagine being on the Titanic after it struck the iceberg. Knowing rescue ships were en route, would you spend your remaining time hoarding luggage other passengers were discarding? We live in a world under judgment (1 John 2:17). Christ calls us to store treasures in heaven—the only treasure that endures (Matthew 6:19-21).

Third, annual declarations disregard God’s sovereignty. It may be God’s will that we suffer bodily for His glory (consider the man born blind in John 9) or remain unmarried. We may lose employment due to faithfulness, or experience seasons of material lack—all within God’s providence. While He may bless us with abundance, He may equally ordain that we glorify Him through scarcity, as Paul testified: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11-12). Even our deaths can glorify God, if He so wills it (John 21:19).

Fourth, and most critically, biblical Christianity never promises instant spiritual growth. Spiritual maturity develops through daily faithfulness, not prophetic declaration. It requires consistent practice of the spiritual disciplines (Philippians 2:12-13).

This, in my opinion, may be the gravest danger of living by annual prophecies: they don’t place a premium on investment in the spiritual disciplines and simply representing Jesus well to others (Philippians 1:27). Rather than prophesying sudden spiritual growth, believers should be taught to seek God daily through His Word and prayer. This is God’s appointed means of conforming us to Christ’s image (2 Corinthians 3:18), and this is how believers throughout history have effectively witnessed (Acts 2:42-47). No amount of ‘prophetic declarations’ can produce instantaneous maturity.

Rosy Christianity is not a potent witness. Joy amid suffering and daily faithfulness is what authenticates genuine faith. Anyone can profess love for God when circumstances favour them. But if money, employment, health, and loved ones were all stripped away—would God still be enough?

Conclusion

Rather than living on declarations, resolve this year to faithfully represent Christ wherever you are, in whatever circumstances you face. Commit to daily growth through disciplined Bible study, prayer, and fellowship with believers. May Habakkuk’s confession be ours, as we face the year ahead, uncertain of what awaits us but trusting in the One who holds the future:

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive 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.“ (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

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My Soul Clings to You, Your Right Hand Upholds Me
(Psalm 63:8)

In Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortlund shares a tender moment with his two-year-old son Benjamin at a swimming pool:

When my two-year-old Benjamin begins to wade into the gentle slope of the zero-entry swimming pool near our home, he instinctively grabs hold of my hand. He holds on tight as the water gradually gets deeper. But a two-year-old’s grip is not very strong. Before long it is not him holding to me but me holding on to him. Left to his own strength, he will certainly slip out of my hand. But if I have determined that he will not fall out of my grasp, he is secure. He can’t get away from me if he tried.

This simple story beautifully illustrates the doctrine often referred to as the perseverance of the saints—the biblical truth that those whom God truly saves, He also sustains. It is not ultimately our grip on God that preserves us, but His mighty hold on us.

In Psalm 63:8, David captures this same double reality: “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” David’s clinging to God is made possible—and sustained—by God’s unwavering grip on him. The reason David can hold fast is because God first holds him fast. This is the deep assurance at the heart of the Christian faith, and it goes deeper than a ‘once saved, forever saved’ statement; it is a truth that permeates the whole of the Christian life.

 What Does it Mean to Cling to God?

What does the Psalmist mean to clinging to God? To cling is to hold fast, to embrace with deep love and trust. In Psalm 63, David speaks from a place of desperation and longing:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water (v. 1).

He describes his soul’s longing for God like a parched desert traveller thirsting for water. And then he says, “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food” (v. 5), a metaphor for deep, nourishing delight. For David, clinging to God meant treasuring Him above life itself (v. 3).

This idea is echoed elsewhere in Scripture:

You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him.²
If you will be careful to do all this commandment… loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him.³

The Might of God’s Right Hand

Your arm is endowed with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.⁴

God’s right hand refers to His power, glory, and active intervention in the lives of believers and the world. It signifies God’s authority, strength, and the place of honour from which He works.

The Bible describes God’s redeeming Israel from slavery in Egypt as a demonstration of the power of His arm:

And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.⁵

In Christ, God displays His mighty right hand in vanquishing our greatest foes: sin, the devil and the flesh.

He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.⁶

This is the power that raised us from spiritual death and breathed new life into us when we were dead in our trespasses and sins⁷. Consider the mighty power of God that opened our hearts to faith⁸, shone the light of the knowledge of His glory in our hearts so we could behold the beauty of Jesus⁹, and replaced our hearts of stone with new hearts of flesh, malleable to his hand of grace¹⁰.

How did we come to love God? We love because He first loved us¹¹. How did we come to faith in Christ? All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out¹². No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day¹³. In the very place where Jesus affirms the Father’s hand brought us to Him in faith, He adds the double assurance that anyone thus brought to Him by the Father will be raised on the last day.

Reflecting on God’s saving acts in the lives of His people, the Psalmist notes:

Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”¹⁴

The same power that raised Christ from the dead works in us daily, conforming us into the image of its creator and making us more like Christ¹⁵. Even the desire to live a holy life springs from God’s work within us: It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure¹⁶. Our sanctification—just like our justification—is rooted in God’s initiative and sustained by His power.

Practical Applications

Christian, are you worried about your love for God? Do you fear your faith is too weak to endure the trials and temptations hurled at you by the world, the flesh, and the devil? Take heart: the God who saved you is the God who upholds you. The longing in your heart to please Him—even in its weakness—is evidence of His Spirit at work in you, renewing your nature after His image^15-16. He not only calls you to live a Christ-like life. He gives you both the desire and the power to live it^16-17.

Perhaps you’re saying, “I feel I’m not living up to God’s expectations.” God says, My right hand upholds you. Trust me, and stop focusing on your performance but instead on what Christ has already done on your behalf. I love you.  “I don’t feel worthy of Your love, considering my many failings.” My right hand upholds you. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick¹⁸. I did not choose you because you were worthy—but by choosing you, I make you worth¹⁹. “My faith is so fragile, I fear I won’t endure to the end.” Trust in Me; My right hand upholds you. I will never leave you nor forsake you²⁰.

Is there a particular weakness or temptation that seems insurmountable? Ask God for strength to overcome. His right hand has ample power to uphold you. Do you feel at your wits end? ‘When we’ve reached the end of our hoarded resources, our Father’s full giving is only begun.’²¹

And how about you, my non-Christian friend? Is the arm of the Lord too short to save you? Even now, He stands ready to receive you. There is no sin so great that he cannot forgive. He is mighty to save. The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives²².

Notes

1. Phil. 1:6.
2. Deut. 10:20.
3. Deut. 11:22.
4. Ps. 89:13.
5. Deut. 26:8.
6. Col. 2:13-15.
7. Eph. 2:2-4.
8. Acts 16:14.
9. 2 Cor. 4:6.
10. Ezek. 36:26; Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10.
11. 1 Jn. 4:19.
12. Jn 6:37.
13. Jn 6:44.
14. Ps. 118:15-16.
15. Col. 3:10.
16. Phil. 2:13.
17. Col. 1:29.
18. Mk. 2:17.
19. Thomas Watson.
20. Heb. 13:5 and Deuteronomy 31:6.
21. Annie Johnson Flint (1941).
22. Fanny Crosby (1875).

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³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

These opening verses form part of Paul’s heartfelt introduction to his second letter to the Corinthian church. Second Corinthians is Paul’s most personal and emotionally charged letter, providing profound insights into his apostolic ministry. Two primary themes emerge: divine comfort amid suffering (Chapters 1-7) and God’s power demonstrated through human weakness (Chapters 10-13). Supporting themes include Paul’s integrity and blameless conduct¹, his perseverance amid severe suffering for the sake of Christ², his deep pastoral love³, and his unwavering commitment to spiritual rather than worldly standards⁴.

Commentators widely recognise 2 Corinthians as Paul’s most vigorous defence of his apostolic calling. Certain false apostles in Corinth were promoting “a different gospel” and “another Jesus” (2 Cor. 11:4). One of the issues in contention between Paul and these false teachers related to their view of suffering. These false teachers criticised Paul for his frequent sufferings, viewing them as signs of failure or divine displeasure. Paul countered that these very sufferings validated his apostleship and illustrated God’s power working profoundly through human weakness⁵. Throughout 2 Corinthians, the Apostle repudiates the lies and damaging teachings being peddled by these false teachers, proving their falsehood and expunging them from the Corinthian church.

This article seeks to reinforce Paul’s message that suffering is integral to the Christian experience and that God’s strength and comfort become most evident during times of hardship.

Sadly, false teachers promising a suffering-free Christian life are still very rife in the church today. The “prosperity gospel”, which has gained popularity in many parts of the world (but really isn’t any gospel at all, but a false teaching contrary to everything the Bible teaches), falsely claims that following Christ guarantees a life without hardship, sickness, or struggle. If a believer went through tough times – for example, financial struggles, illness, job loss, singleness or unmet relational desires, childlessness (you can add to the list), they (sc. prosperity preachers) pin that down to two things: insufficient faith or unconfessed sin.

Prosperity preachers place a lot of premium on faith. To them, faith is a magic wand to compel God to grant any desire. God must do whatever you desire as long as you have enough faith. Forget that He is Sovereign and does whatever He pleases, when He pleases⁶ and that His timing and will for us are best⁷. Such teachings directly contradict the clear biblical witness, particularly the message of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

In our passage, Paul blesses God precisely because He comforts His people in all their afflictions, openly acknowledging that he, Timothy, and fellow believers experience real hardships. That means Paul was not ashamed to admit he did go through afflictions, as did all the believers to whom he wrote his letter. This is truly remarkable.

If afflictions or sufferings—including bodily suffering like sickness or other physical infirmities—only happened to believers who have unconfessed sins in their lives, as prosperity preachers claim, then Paul wouldn’t be a suitable candidate, for he was blameless in his conduct¹. And yet, he wrote in Chapter 12:7-9:

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Whatever this thorn in his flesh was, we cannot say for certain, but one thing is for sure: it was something that afflicted him, for which he petitioned the Lord three times to have it taken away. And each time, the Lord answered with a ‘no’. Could it be the health problem he wrote about in Galatians, for which reason he first preached the gospel to them? In Galatians 4:13, he [sc. Paul] wrote:

¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first. 

The truth is, we don’t know the answer. But this much is certain: even the great Apostle Paul faced afflictions—just as Timothy did, along with all those to whom this letter was written. This letter serves as an encouragement for us when we face hardships—whether afflictions, sickness, or painful loss—reminding us that we are not alone. Believers before us have endured similar trials, and even now, Christians around the world are experiencing the same kinds of suffering⁸.

Reflecting on these truths, what assurances does this passage offer us in times of suffering?

1. We have a Father of mercies and God of all comfort

Our passage reminds us that we have a Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions. Paul uses a term of affection and tenderness here when he addresses God as Father. And then he adds another term of endearment and tenderness: He is not just a Father, but a Father of mercies! We do not have a wicked Father who stands by and watches as His children suffer. Far from it!

At Easter, we remember how the Father of mercies sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth to live the life of perfect obedience we couldn’t live, suffered the punishment we deserved, and finally died the shameful death we deserved. On the cross, Father of Mercies displays his love for us. Even though He was perfect and sinless, Jesus took our punishment upon Him and died in our place. That is mercy. So, whenever we are going through suffering, and we are tempted to think God doesn’t love or has abandoned us, we ought to look at the cross and see how merciful he has already been to us.

As a result of what Jesus did on the cross, whatever suffering we go through here on this side of eternity is ‘easy’ suffering because we have been spared the greatest suffering of all, the punishment of our sins and eternal damnation, because Jesus took our place on that cross.

And so, Paul could write in Romans 8:18:

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 So, the first thing we ought to remember when we feel like giving up is that our God hasn’t forsaken us. His mercies have no end. His name is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. And he never forsakes His children. Jeremiah said in Lamentations 2:22-23:

²¹But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
²³they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

And Isaiah 49:15-16 reminds us:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
    yet I will not forget you.

2. We have a Comforter

Paul reminds us that God does comfort us when we go through difficult times. This is a present reality for all of God’s people⁹. Jesus promised to send us a Comforter, the person of the Holy Spirit¹⁰. One of the ways the Holy Spirit helps or comforts us, is to strengthen us in a special way when we go through afflictions and sufferings.

Paul experienced this when God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” As a result, he said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”¹¹

This is the special strength and comfort that we are talking about. It is because of this special power God gives His children when they go through suffering that led Paul to say:

¹⁰For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10)

Hallelujah! What comfort! What a merciful Father we have!

Notes

1. 2 Cor. 1:12, 17, 18; 6:3-10; 7:2, 3.
2. 2 Cor. 1:5-11; 4:8-12; 6:4-10; 11:23-12:9.
3. 2 Cor. 2:4; 11:2, 7-11; 12:14, 15.
4. 2 Cor. 1:12.
5. 2 Cor. 12:9; 13:4.
6. Psalm 115:3.
7. 2 Cor. 3:25-26.
8. 1 Peter 5:9.
9. Psalm 46:1.
10. John 14:26.
11. 2 Cor. 12:9b.

The post Father of Mercies and God of All Comfort appeared first on TGN.

Defining Providence

The 27^th article of the Heidelberg Catechism defines  God’s Providence as:

“…his almighty and ever present power,¹ whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures,² and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty,³ indeed, all things, come to us not by chance⁴ but by his fatherly hand.

God’s Providence is His Almighty and Ever-present Power

The Catechism opens with a statement of the Almighty and ever-present power of God—which at once unequivocally asserts His active involvement in the cosmos.

 “Am I a God at hand, declared the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.” (Jer. 23:23-24)

Restated another way, God asks in this passage, “am I not both very near and very far away? Does the fact that I am high and lifted mean I am not involved in the daily affairs of the world?” This question is, of course, rhetorical. It expects a negative answer. God is merely stating the obvious, as evidenced by the subsequent verse, where God declares, “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.” However, many today hold that God created the world and then left it to run on some ‘natural principles’. In other words, God put some laws in place after creation and retired from running things on the earth. God is more like an absentee Landlord to those who hold this erroneous view.

Still, others say man is in charge of things after God asked him to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:28)

Who do you think holds the decisive sway over what happens on earth? Is man in charge, or God?

The  Heidelberg catechism goes on to affirm, “whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures” and provides Hebrews 1:3 as proof: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Acts 17:24-25, 28 further amplifies this understanding: 

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. For “in him we live and move and have our being;”

We see from here that i) God is both Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, and ii) is in charge. He is the Sovereign ruler.

A False Understanding of Satan as the God of This World

Satan is sometimes called the ‘ruler of this world’ (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11) or ‘god of this world (2Cor 4:4), “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), a ‘cosmic power over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12). Notably, during Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, Luke records  “The [devil] took Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you then, will worship me, it will be yours.” (Luke 4:5-7)

Based on the above, many well-meaning Christians today believe that Satan holds the decisive sway over what happens on the earth. But does he? Let us scrutinise the validity of this notion against the entire Scriptural teaching. Satan’s claim to have been given the kingdoms of the world and has the power to give it to whom he wills is only partially true. Yes, he at times manoeuvres an evil person to power but he only does so only to the degree that God permits him to do so.

The Bible clarifies who truly holds sovereign control: “[God] removes kings and sets up kings,” (Daniel 2:21). “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” (Daniel 4:17), and, “There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1). Furthermore, every king is subject to God’s Sovereign will: The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)

And when nations rise against God in rebellion, Psalms 2:2-4 says, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in heaven laughs; the Lord holds them in derision”. Psalm 33:10-11 further declares: “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”

We conclude from the overwhelming Scriptural evidence that while Satan exercises a limited degree of influence, as permitted by God. Satan and his demons do not operate outside the decisive providence of God. Moreover, let us not forget Satan is a liar and has been from the beginning (John 8:44). Sadly, many in the church today continue to preach Satan’s lies that he is in charge of this world.

 The Error of Thinking God Needs Man’s Permission to Act

We saw from Acts 17:28 that “[God] Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything”. This verse alone refutes the notion that ‘God cannot do anything on earth without man’s permission’ as utterly unscriptural. This misguided teaching reflects a profound misunderstanding of God’s sovereignty and an inflated view of human importance. The apostle James directly addresses this arrogance in his epistle, calling it evil:

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16).

James sharply rebukes those who talk as if they control the future. He reminds us that God holds sway over tomorrow, we don’t. His Sovereign will determines our next breath. If our very existence hangs on God’s will, how arrogant of us even to suggest that God needs our permission to act on earth? He is still God without us; we are nothing without Him!

The prophet Daniel drives this point home with profound clarity in Daniel 4:35:

‘All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”’

Daniel’s verdict is, we are not impressive (we are counted as nothing!), God is. Repeatedly in Scripture, we see that God is intent on exposing the false claim that there are ‘powers’ in His creation that can stay His hand. In Isaiah 40:11, 15, 17, 22-23 and 28, we see that God’s condescension and exaltation go together. We better not take His condescension as weakness! Isaiah 14:27 declares, “The Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (see also Isa. 46:9-10; cf. Isa. 43:13 and Eph. 1:11).

Once Job came face to face with God’s present and Almighty power, he declared, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2). 2 Chronicles 20:6 affirms conclusively, “In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.”

Response and practical implications

This doctrine calls us to savour the greatness and condescension of the God who created and sustains the entire universe yet knows us so intimately. It should give us great comfort to know that our loving Father holds the decisive sway over what happens in our lives and our world, not Satan.

This doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance but only by the arrangement of our gracious
heavenly Father, who watches over us with fatherly care, sustaining all creatures under his lordship⁶, so that not one of the hairs on our heads (for they are all numbered) nor even a little bird can fall to the ground without the will of our Father⁷. In this thought we rest, knowing that God holds in check the devils and all our enemies, who cannot hurt us without divine permission and will. For that reason we reject the damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God does not get involved in anything and leaves everything to chance. (The Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 13, ‘The Doctrine of God’s Providence’)

Notes

1. Jer 23:23, 24; Acts 17:24-28.
2. Heb 1:3.
3. Jer 5:24; Acts 14:15-17; Jn 9:3; Prov. 22:2.
4. Prov 16:33.
5. Mt 10:29.
6. Matt. 8:31; Job 1:12; 2:6
7. Matt. 10:29–30.

The post Preserved by Providence appeared first on TGN.

In this article, I would like to revisit the origins of this false doctrine and show that it is an old heretical claim wearing a different cloak. One that was dealt with and rejected by historic Christianity.

Tracing the history of this false doctrine

Essek William Kenyon is considered the ‘high priest’ of this movement. Most proponents of the ‘we are gods’ theology hold him as the one who ‘unlocked the revelation’ that we can live above sickness as a class of superhuman beings. Kenyon studied Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, an anti-Bible mesmerist who taught that one could cure illness by the right kind of thinking. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, was a patient of Quimby. Kenneth E. Hagin copiously plagiarised E. W. Kenyon and popularised many of the things Kenyon had written before him.

Contemporary students of Hagin, such as Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Frederick K. Price, Joel Osteen, Morris Cerrulo and many others, have continued to spread these false teachings. In our sub-region, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is one of the most vocal proponents of this teaching. Many young preachers who have bought into this false teaching look to him as their mentor. But there are many others like Oyakhilome. I do not intend to list every teacher who peddles this false doctrine here. You can identify them for yourself by carefully examining the gospel content of the messages they preach, using the lens of holy Scripture.

A lofty view of man at the expense of God

The glaring problem with the ‘we are gods’ theology is its low view of God and the lofty self-aggrandisement of humanity at God’s expense. Listen to depictions of this from some of the adherents:

“The believer is as much an incarnation of God as Jesus Christ… the church hasn’t realized yet that they are Christ. That’s who they are. They are Christ.” (Kenneth E. Hagin).

“Man… was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority… He made us the same class of being that He is Himself.” (ibid).

“If cattle has another cattle, they call it cattle-kind. What’s God supposed to call [us]?” (Joyce Meyer).

“God came from heaven, became a man, made man into little gods, went back to heaven as a man.” (Benny Hinn).

“I am a little god. I have His name. I am one with Him. I’m in covenant relationship. I am a little god. Critics be gone!” (Paul Franklin Crouch).

“You are gods because you came from God, and you are gods.” (Creflo Dollar).

“When I read in the Bible where He says, “I AM,” I just smile and say, yes, I Am too.” (Kenneth Copeland).

“You don’t have a god in you. You are one.” (ibid).

“You have the same creative faith and ability on the inside of you that God used when He created the heavens and the earth.” (ibid).

“Until we comprehend that we are little gods and we begin to act like little gods, we cannot manifest the Kingdom of God.” (Earl Paulk).

“The whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself. … you’re not looking at Morris Cerullo, you’re looking at God, you’re looking at Jesus.” (Morris Cerullo).

“And therefore you are gods; you have been purchased by the blood of Jesus.” (Rory Alec).

“God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. The word likeness in the original Hebrew means an exact duplication in kind. Adam was an exact duplication of God’s kind!” (Charles Capps).

“I live above the elements of this world. I live above sickness, disease, and death. I’m immune to anything that ravages the lives of men; I belong to God’s class of divine beings. I am a partaker of the divine nature; my body is sustained by a force that the ordinary man cannot perceive. My kidneys, lungs, heart, all tissues and every organ in my body function properly.” (Chris Oyakhilome).

None of these claims are true, of course. You are not a god, not even close. Neither are you above sickness, disease, or death. Not on this side of eternity. Everything on earth grows old, dies and decays. God Himself caused it to be so after the fall (Rom. 8:18-23).

An old heresy repurposed in a new cloak

The ‘we are gods’ theology smacks of the ancient heresy called the Monophysite heresy. The term Monophysite has its roots in Greek, monophysis, meaning ‘one nature or substance’. Eutyches propagated this position in the fifth century. He argued that Jesus had one nature, comprising a mixture of divine and human attributes. In other words, Jesus’ nature could be viewed as a humanised divine nature or as a deified human nature. This was rejected by a council of the church at Chalcedon in 451. The council was at pains to prove that any mixture of the two natures of Christ that would result in a deification of his human nature or a humanisation of his divine nature was a distortion of the Biblical teaching. “Jesus is truly man and truly God”, the council of Chalcedon affirmed, yet his two natures were not mixed or confused.

Jesus was truly God and truly man; one person, two natures. We see this clearly articulated in Scripture. As a man, he got tired, hungry, slept, was bruised, sweated, didn’t know all things and died. As God, He knew all things, could perceive the thoughts of others before they spoke them, could raise the dead, walk on water, give sight to the blind, create new life by bringing from the dead and restoring a severed ear, etc. To be sure, Jesus’ divine nature could communicate information to his human nature, but it did not communicate attributes. Otherwise, Jesus as a man wouldn’t have needed to rest, eat or sleep (God does none of these). The Chalcedonian council stated, “Each nature retains its own attributes.” In other words, the divine nature retains divinity in every respect, while the human nature, similarly, retains its humanity in every respect.

If not even Christ, then why us?

If even our Lord’s human nature was not subsumed by his divine nature and become deified, where do the proponents of the ‘we are gods’ theology derive their so-called super-human nature? They lay claim to something that even the incarnate Christ did not possess. This is something to choke on.

To be fair, the ‘New Creature’ doctrine followers seek to be like Christ in every sense. If we are like our Lord, then we can do what he did and live like He did. They quote 1 John 4:17, which says, “As he is, so are we in this world.” At first glance, this seems like a very pious and noble thing for every Christian to do – to aspire to be like our Lord. However, careful consideration will reveal the grave errors in this line of thinking.

As we have established above, Christ had two distinct natures. We don’t. He was both God and man at one and the same time. We are not. We are human, and nowhere does the Bible teach that when we become born again, we somehow cease to be human and become divine or super-human.

Idolatry camouflaged as hyper-spiritual talk

This claim to deity by the proponents of the ‘we are gods’ theology is idolatry, plain and simple. God has always been a jealous God. He jealously guards his glory. Countless times in the Bible He declares, “I do not share my glory”, “I alone am God”, “There is none beside Me” and “Have no other gods but me” (See Isa. 42:8; Isa. 48:11; Ex. 20:2-3 & Deut. 5:7; Ex 34:14; Isa. 46:9; Isa. 45:21; Deut. 32:39; Deut 4:39; 1Kings 8:60; 1Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 7:22; and 1Chron. 17:20).

‘We are gods’ proponents know these Scriptures, yet in their case, they are willing to grant this one exception – there is no other God besides the God they serve but them. Does God contradict Himself? Would he break His own Word to make gods out of those He has saved? I do not think so. The claim to deity is quite plainly inconsistent with the entire Biblical teaching.

As He is, so are we in the world

Let us examine the verse misconstrued by Word of Faith preachers to mean we are gods. As with all scriptural interpretation, context determines meaning. Let’s look at the full verse and situate it in its proper context:

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is is so also are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17)

“By this”. By what? Clearly, this is a continuation of the previous verse, where John talks of believers abiding in God and God abiding in them. As a result of God’s love for those who have placed saving trust in Jesus, they can be confident (assured) that they will be spared condemnation in the coming judgement (cf. Rom. 8:1). In that same vein of God’s love, John goes on to say that as He is, so are we in the world, meaning, as Jesus was and is loving, so are we His followers in this world. We are to walk in love the same way Christ did, and if we did, we would not attract God’s displeasure (or judgment). Hence, the next verse says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”. If we walk in love as Jesus’ followers, we are not afraid of His condemnation. “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us.” (1John 4:18-19) Any suggestion of being deified because God abides in us is an alien concept foisted on this verse. John does not convey any such meaning.

Partakers of the divine nature

“By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (1 Peter 1:4) 

Here is another verse that proponents of ‘we are gods’ appeal to. Again, a careful examination of the verse reveals that any suggestion of deity being granted to the believer is a meaning we read into the verse that the author simply did not supply.

‘Partakers of the divine nature.’ Bold as these words are, they simply state what the rest of the New Testament teaches, i.e., Christians abide in God, and God abides in them. As Jesus illustrates in John 15, He dwells in us, and we in Him, as the branches in the vine and members of His body. His life flows in us. This is what is taught by the doctrine of regeneration, whereby the ‘life of God’ is implanted in the believer, resulting in a change in his disposition. Whereas he formerly hated God, now he loves Him and desires to obey His commands. His commandments are no longer burdensome to the regenerated believer because of this new disposition they receive at New Birth (1 John 5:3).

‘Partakers of the divine nature’ simply means we now have a new heart, a heart of flesh that God Himself creates (Jer. 31:31-34 & Ezek. 36: 21-27); one that has God’s laws written on it, and is no longer ruled by the “passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind” nor follows “the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” (Eph. 2:1-2). This is what Paul meant in 2 Cor. 5:17 when he said that those in Christ are new creatures.

‘We are gods’ false teachers pit Scripture against Scripture, forgetting that the Scriptural revelation is one whole message, and the meaning derived from one part of Scripture can never contradict what is taught in the rest of Scripture.

Grossly inconsistent with the NT

Perhaps the most audacious claim of this heretical teaching is that believers in the New Testament did not exhibit attributes of deity nor lay claim to deity because they had not yet grasped the reality of who they were as ‘super beings’. Some go as far as to say that the apostles were wrong, and the early church did not ‘catch’ this revelation till now! Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is on record to have said that when the people in Lystra (Acts 14:15) wanted to make sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas, and they refused, rejecting any homage with the claims, ‘We too are only human, like you’, they were wrong.

This is how they explain away the fact that believers in the New Testament could fall ill (2 Tim 4:20), even to the point of death (Phil. 2:2), or suffer chronic symptoms (1 Tim. 5:23). These were close associates of Paul – the same Paul who raised the dead and from whom aprons and handkerchiefs that had touched his skin could heal the sick (Acts 19:12). Paul himself said that it was because of a bodily ailment that he first preached to the Galatians (Gal. 4:13). If even an apostle like Paul could fall ill, and his close associates weren’t spared bodily ailments, isn’t that enough proof that having Christ in you does not offer immunity to sickness? ‘We are gods’ teachers will have us believe that Paul hadn’t yet ‘caught the revelation’ that he could live above sickness. We have no words to say in response to this level of pride.

Why should we care?

Why should we be concerned about the flagrant distortion of Scripture? First, if we promise what God has not, we set people up for disappointment. When the unrealistic expectations of this cancerous theology are not met, believers become disillusioned, and their trust in God and the integrity of His teachings are undermined.

Next, this kind of teaching hinders spiritual growth. Faithful Scriptural teaching, rooted in an exalted view of God, his glory and His holiness, is pivotal for spiritual growth and maturity. Misinterpretations misguide believers, hampering their spiritual growth and leading them to adopt unscriptural beliefs and practices.

Finally, such false teachings compromise outreach. The efficacy of the Christian mission in the world is grounded in the authenticity and accuracy with which Scripture is presented. Distortions detract from the church’s credibility, obscuring the gospel’s true essence and beauty for others.

The post You Are Not Super-Human (Response to the ‘We Are Gods’ Theology: Part III) appeared first on TGN.

Roark’s list is as deep as it is broad. The bulk of the books are theological, but he also includes others like biographies and fictional reads. What fascinates me the most is the sheer number of books he can cover in a year. I have always wondered how he does it. How does he get time to read all those books? Challenged by Roark, at the beginning of this year, I set myself a challenge to dedicate every free time I get to reading to see how many books I can get through by the end of the year. Here is what I found out: in three months, I have read ten books – more than I read last year! These are the books I’ve read so far. (As you may have guessed, the title of this article was suggested by one of the books I read).

I must admit, I surprised myself. Doing this has been a real eye-opener for me. Besides the many rich insights I have gleaned from the books I have read (I have enjoyed reading every one of them), I have proven to myself that I have time – valuable time that I can utilise to educate myself and develop my mind mentally and spiritually.

When I shared my experience with a good friend, he remarked, “I need a reading anointing.” So, how did I do it? Have I acquired a special “reading anointing” that remained elusive to me before now? In the rest of the article, I will share a few practical ideas that have made an enormous difference in my life, along with a couple of reasons why I believe anyone else keen to improve their reading prowess can easily achieve and surpass my record.

Redeeming time

As a Scientist, my work already involves an awful lot of reading. However, I tend to carry on reading about Science at the slightest opportunity I get (there are too many good papers to read and so little time!). Knowing when to switch off ‘work mode’ has been a challenge. I also volunteer for a few roles at our local assembly, which means I’m engaged in service for up to three evenings a week. Add these to the long days at work, and by the time we’ve dispatched our kids off to bed, I am ready to crash.

My wife and I have, in times past, used our ‘quiet times’ when the kids are in bed to read a book together. Progress with reading together has been slow, as we need to maintain the same pace (one cannot read ahead of the other), but it has been very enriching. When we don’t feel like reading, we just chat each other to sleep, catching up on happenings during the day and planning or praying for the future. At other times, we settle down to a movie. Agreeing which movie to watch, however, usually takes about 10-15 minutes, if not longer. We will endlessly flick through Disney+ or Amazon Prime, looking for a decent, interesting film. But then the moment we start watching one, someone will begin swearing or ‘talking dirty’ or strip naked, and we’ll shut it off, disappointed. Then we will resume the search, and usually before we can pick a new movie, we both feel sleepy, abandon the idea altogether and call it a night.

This year, I have given up movies altogether – save for the odd family movie time (as part of our Sunday evening group activity – see below). What time might have been spent on movies has been repurposed for reading. Additionally, my reading times have been:

•  The 10-15 minutes between getting ready and leaving the house for the morning school run.
•  When I’m by myself during lunch break, in between munches.
•  During the commute. On the train, especially on the tube, where the internet is too patchy to do any meaningful work and seats are sometimes scarce.
•  After Lord’s Day service on Sundays. As a family tradition, we dedicate Sundays to family time – spent in worship, reading, and listening to God’s Word and being hospitable. Evenings are spent in a group activity agreed upon with the kids. Sunday afternoons have been gratifying reading times when we don’t have guests over.

As you can tell, my default mode now is to always have a book handy, and to not leave home without one!

Viewing Life in Numbers is Quite Revelatory

In an online blog article, Daily Infographic, drawing from various sources, offered a meticulous breakdown of how the average person—assuming a lifespan of 79 years—allocates their time on Earth. According to the available data, we spend 33 years of our lives in bed, segmented into 26 years of actual sleep and an astonishing seven years spent trying to fall asleep. We spend four years and six months eating, 235 days waiting in queues, six months at stop lights and a year and a half looking for lost items! When it comes to time spent at work, the average individual dedicates 13 years and two months to their profession, including one year and two months of overtime.

Astonishingly, we spend 11 years and four months looking at screens, divided between 8 years and four months of television viewing and three years navigating social media. This is only about two years less than the time we spend at work and more than 12 times the time spent in primary and secondary school. After a long day, most people ‘escape reality’ through social media or streaming movies online. This analysis suggests that the time spent on television and social media alone is substantial enough to educate ourselves several times over or even take up a second job! For most people, this might probably represent the single most significant opportunity to redeem time for reading.

A Deeper Issue

Proving that it is possible to carve out time for reading is helpful, but there is an even deeper motivation for developing a reading habit as a Christian. If you’re a Christian reading this, how do you deal with the nudity, profanity and foul language in most of the screen content out there?

It was R. Kent Hughes who pointed out in his book, ‘Disciplines of a Godly Man’, that “if we are to have Christian minds, there are things we must put out—and this extends beyond TV to what we read, listen to and laugh at.” As David avows in Psalm 101:2-3:

I will ponder the way that is blameless. … I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.

Sadly, the Christian community consumes the same content as the world does, and as research shows, at an even faster rate. In a survey by the Barna Group in 2014, practising Christians in America watched 30 minutes more TV per day than those who identified as atheists. If we are to have the mind of Christ, we must intentionally feed on Christ-exalting, God-glorifying, and gospel-centred resources. Reading Christian literature is a great help in this regard.

What If I Don’t Like Reading?

Thankfully, a lot of books now have audio formats available. Blogs like Desiring God offer audio formats for articles. Thus, one can still feast on rich Christian content by listening if reading proves challenging. The added advantage to audio formats is that one can listen and learn while completing house chores, walking the dog, going for a run, or driving to work. The opportunities to enrich the mind and soul are endless!

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, it’s clear that the potential for integrating reading into our daily routines exists for all of us. It requires a deliberate pause to recognise those ‘redeemable moments’ that, all too often, slip unnoticed in our busy lives. Embracing reading with intentionality—making it a point always to have a book within arm’s reach—and fostering a disciplined approach to our use of time can transform fleeting minutes into windows of opportunity for growth and learning.

In the end, the commitment to finding time for reading is not just about the act itself but about what it represents—an intentional choice to prioritise our development, and, importantly, our spiritual growth. The rewards of this choice, as I have discovered, are indeed inestimable.

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14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world … 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. (Galatians 6:14, 17)

Paul’s great aim in this epistle to the Galatians is the defence of the gospel. The core of this gospel, which he expounds throughout the book, is the fact that we are justified (meaning, ‘made right’ with God, or counted ‘as if we have never sinned’) through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone, apart from works (anything we ever did or will ever do).

The recipients of his letter—the Galatian church—had been led to Christ through Paul’s preaching (we see this in Gal. 4:13) and the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. As Paul recounts, they had begun their Christian journey well, having put their faith in Christ (see Gal. 3:2) and been filled with the Holy Spirit (see Gal. 4:6). They consequently walked in step with the Spirit, outworking what He worked in them at their conversion, even in the face of persecution (Gal. 3:28-29).

But then, a faction of the Jewish Christians, who regarded the Levitical laws of the Old Testament as binding on all Christians, came to the Galatian church, preaching what Paul calls ‘another gospel, which is no gospel at all’, and were leading some members of the congregation astray.

In Apostolic Astonishment, Paul retorted:

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:6-9)

What was the content of this ‘other gospel’? Essentially, these Jewish false preachers were telling the Galatian Christians that faith in Christ alone was not enough to save them; they needed to keep the Jewish laws, specifically those regarding circumcision, or else their Christianity wouldn’t be complete. To which Paul responded:

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

(Gal. 5:2-3)

Isn’t Paul being a bit too harsh? Is one small compromise such a big deal? Indeed, it is! Any attempt to add to the finished work of Christ on the cross is a slap in the face of Jesus, as it suggests he wasted his time going to the cross – we are well capable of achieving our own salvation without his help.

Paul encouraged the Galatian Christians not to allow themselves to be enslaved again under a set of rules (5:1). Faith in Christ means we are free from the ‘curse of the law’ (3:13). Practically, this means we live by faith in Christ for every aspect of our Christian lives. We no longer rely on our own strengths or abilities. We derive our strength and worth from the finished work of Christ on the cross.

In the cross:

1) We have total forgiveness for our sins (2:16). We owed a moral debt we could not pay. Christ paid the debt, and thus, our slate has been wiped clean and our sins ‘blotted out’ (Isa. 43:25, 44:22; Mic. 7:18-19; Heb. 8:12, cf. Jer. 31:34)

2) We have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven (Gal. 3:29). As an initial deposit and foretaste of what is awaiting us in heaven, God has given us His Spirit as a guarantee (Eph. 1:14)

3) We have become heirs with Christ – meaning we share His life and righteousness and have become members of God’s family. We are His royal sons and daughters (Gal. 4:7)

4) We are filled with God’s Spirit and can call God ‘Abba, Father!’ (Gal. 4:6). We are no longer slaves to sin but have become God’s children. We don’t have to prove ourselves to our Father; this is the critical distinction between a ‘son’ and a slave. Father loves us just because He loves us, in spite of us.

As Paul comes to the end of his letter, where we pick up our opening passage, he recaps everything he has been telling the Galatian Christians. He encourages them to put no confidence in the flesh but fully and only trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. His summary statement, found in Chapter 6:11-17, can be summed up in this way:

“Boast in the cross!” “That is all that matters!”

Paul makes a similar conclusion to his letter to the Philippians. In the final chapter, he writes,

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—”

Paul uses the same root word (kauxáomai) translated as ‘boast’ in our opening passage. Thus, to boast in the cross is the same as to glory in it. This is contrasted with putting confidence in the flesh, which here represents ‘works’ or our own efforts, strength, abilities or merit.

Practical implications

What does it mean to boast or glory in the cross? Strong’s Greek Concordance defines kauxáomai as “living with ‘head up high,’ i.e., boasting from a particular vantage point by having the right base of operation to deal successfully with a matter”. Strong provides the word’s etymology, as likely derived from the root, auχēn (“neck”), i.e., what holds the neck up high or upright. Thus, to boast or glory in this context refers to living with God-given confidence.

In light of Paul’s teaching in Galatians, I suggest the following practical applications of boasting in the cross.

1) Daily living at the foot of the cross

To boast in the cross means recognising that so far as my efforts didn’t save me, neither can they add or take from my salvation. It is very easy to mentally assent that we’re saved by grace through faith alone yet live as though our salvation depends on our works. Living by faith means daily living at the foot of the cross, drawing from the power of Christ already at work within us (see Ephesians 3:20) to live the Christian life.

The questions below offer a quick test as to whether we’re walking the talk so far as living by faith is concerned.

a) Do you feel the need to ‘prove yourself’ to God so He doesn’t regret saving you?

b) Do you pat yourself at the back for being a ‘good person’, e.g., ’a good giver/tither’, ‘good husband’, ‘good father’, ‘good child’, or whatever else you hold yourself to be good at? Or you reckon that you are what you are solely by the grace of God?

c) Do you find yourself thinking God’ owes’ you certain blessings because of your obedience or service to Him in one way or another?

d) What is the first thought that comes to mind when you consider people whose lives are contrary to the gospel – for example, that drunk or addict in your neighbourhood? Do you find yourself thinking, ‘I thank God I’m not like that’?

2) Treasuring Jesus more than anything in the world

Is Christ your greatest treasure? To Paul, having Christ was everything. Even if living a gospel-centric life meant he would be persecuted, he didn’t mind. He was content to ‘bear on his body the marks of Jesus’. Boasting in the cross means being able to say with Asaph, “Whom have I in heaven but you, and there is nothing on earth I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25), and with the hymnist, ‘Sɛ me wɔ Yesu a, me wɔ ade nyinara, sɛ Yesu bɔ me a, ade nyinara abɔ me” [If I have Jesus, I have everything, if I lose Jesus, I have lost everything]. Is Christ enough for you? Would you be content if God never did anything else for you after the cross?

In the same breath that Paul said he boasts in the cross, he added, “by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. In other words, nothing in the world was worth comparing to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ via the cross.

3) A life of devotion to Christ

Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47). Glorying in the cross means that we henceforth live every moment of our lives with the cross in view. To Paul, that meant being branded for Christ! He declares, “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).

Isaac Watts, in his classic hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”, writes:

When I survey the wond’rous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but Loss,
And pour contempt on all my Pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

In the final stanza, he avows:

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Watts is right. A true appreciation of the cross will culminate in only one response: a life sold to, enamoured, and entranced by the One who loved us and gave Himself for us that we might be forgiven.

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7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:7-10)

Two themes jump out of this passage. The first is the theme of our redemption, which Paul describes in superlative terms. He says we have received this out of the riches of God’s grace, and it has been lavished upon us, both terms conveying the idea of a luxurious, abundant outpour of the love and mercy of God upon us.

Second, is the theme of the mystery of God’s will, which Paul says is the purpose of God, outlined in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. We will explore these two themes in this article.

Stirring up by way of a reminder

Have you ever stopped to wonder at the vastness of God’s grace? One of the greatest tragedies we face as believers living in an age of Marvel movies and technological marvels is that we fail to be stirred by the wonders of the gospel. We are not moved when we hear terms like ‘Redemption’, ‘Forgiveness of our sins’, and ‘Riches of God’s grace’. Our emotions are not stirred. Why is this? Because we have heard them over and over to the point, they no longer stir us up. As you read the opening passage, how did you feel? Were you moved as you read about our great salvation in Christ? Were your emotions stirred? One of the reasons the Apostles wrote their letters was to stir the affection of their readers for God. This is not only true with Paul but with Peter as well. Both in 2 Peter 1:13 and 3:1, the Apostle made it clear that his goal was to stir them up by way of reminder. That is precisely my goal with this article.

Paul spent three years pastoring the church at Ephesus and instructing them in the things of God. He probably taught them all the great truths outlined in this epistle during that time. However, due to the human tendency to forget and our emotions to be consequently dulled, Paul sensed the need to write a letter of reminder and encouragement to his brothers and sisters in the faith. Most commentators agree that Paul addresses two main themes in this letter: 1) Christ has reconciled all of creation, and 2) He has united the church in Himself.

What is striking is the volcanic nature of Paul’s melodious outburst of praise as he introduces the major themes of his letter.

He declares, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. The crux of what is causing the Apostle to burst into Apostolic praise is summed up in our opening verse: the glorious truth of our redemption and the mystery of God’s will.

The glorious truth of our redemption

“In him, we have redemption through his blood...” (Ephesians 1:7). Pause for a moment and let that sink in. Redemption. A word so familiar, yet do we comprehend its staggering depth?

The Greek word for redemption means to ‘buy back’ or ‘ransom’. In a salvation context, it refers to Christ’s death on the cross that paid the price required to purchase the elect from the slave market of sin. The ESV Study Bible notes, “Forgiveness of our trespasses explains the nature of redemption. Christians are freed from slavery to sin and guilt. This was effected by Christ’s blood, which means his death was an atoning sacrifice.”

In verse 4, Paul tells us that our salvation was never an incidental plan – God planned it before the foundation of the world. This, in and of itself, is staggering! Somewhere before the beginning of time, there was a counsel between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity covenanted to do certain things in the magnificent plan of redemption. The Father thought up the plan of Salvation (Eph. 1:3-6). The Son took it upon Himself to carry out this plan, to take on human flesh and be born as a child, suffer and die a shameful death on a tree (Eph. 1:7-12). The Father, on His part, pledged to grant forgiveness to all those who would believe in the Son and the work He did on the cross (Eph. 1: 3-6). On His part, the Spirit partook to apply the work of salvation to the believer (Eph. 1:13-14).

It is a contemplation of this great plan of salvation — planned way back in eternity, even before the fall, that led Paul to burst out in uncontrollable praise.

John the Apostle is another person who was deeply stirred as he contemplated our salvation. In 1 John 3:1, he declared:

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

You can tell the Apostolic astonishment reverberating in John’s voice. That we should be God’s children? Amazing love, how can it be! Considering that we were enemies of God who hated Him in our minds (Colossians 1:21), isn’t it amazing that He would send His Son to die in our place? Romans 5:7-8 argues that it is rare for someone to die for a righteous person, how much less for one to give up his life for his enemies? That is how staggering it is that Christ should die in our stead.

And not only that, having blotted out our wrongdoings via Christ’s blood, He welcomed us into His family as His children. And that is not all. As His children, God has poured His Spirit into our hearts as a deposit and guarantee of an even greater inheritance awaiting us in heaven (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:22).

The mystery of His will

In the New Testament, the word mystery means a heretofore unrevealed truth, now made plain. This definition is supplied by Paul himself. In 3:4-6, he says:

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Another place where he uses this term is 5:32, where he says, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”

Putting the two together, the marvellous truth being conveyed here is that all believers are equal before the Lord as His children and citizens of His eternal kingdom. We are His earthly body, of which Christ is the head. The Holy Spirit, the lifeblood of this body, fills us with unique, powerful gifts for the whole body’s benefit so that we can go on doing the things Jesus did while he was on earth, namely, to expand His kingdom here on earth.

Paul further explains that God wants to extend His kingdom until such a time that all the cosmos is once again united under the headship of Christ. His goal is for a day when people of all nationalities, tongues, and nations will sit with Him at a banquet table as members of His family – the people who have been redeemed with His blood.

And He desires not just the Apostles but you and I to be ambassadors to carry this message to those who have not heard it yet. In this letter to the Ephesians, Paul’s words nearly leap off the page with enthusiasm and awe as he reflects on his calling to such a profound purpose (Ephesians 3: 1-2, 7-9, 6:19-20), as he does in his other letters (2 Corinthians 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 2:16).However, the New Testament teaching is that all believers have been called to a ministry of reconciliation, i.e., we are all God’s ambassadors on a mission to reconcile the whole world to God via the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). Consider the magnitude of this honour – You and I, ambassadors of Christ!

Conclusion

Charles Spurgeon, the nineteenth-century preacher, once told of a minister who called on a poor woman wanting to help her out of her financial straits. Money in hand, he knocked on the door repeatedly, but she did not answer. Eventually, he left. Later, as he related the incident to her at church, she said: “Oh dear!’, ‘I heard you, sir, and I’m so sorry I did not answer. I thought you were the man calling for the rent.’

Like this woman, most believers fail to grasp and, therefore, miss out on the riches we have in Christ. A lack of appreciation of the meaning of our redemption, as discussed above, means that we deprive ourselves spiritually and are consequently malnourished and impoverished. We are not able to exclaim with Paul, “Blessed be God!”. Our worship and passion for missions are stifled.

The questions lingering for us now are: Are we stirred by the reality of our redemption? Will we stand as vigorous ambassadors of Christ, awed by His love and propelled to proclaim His marvellous grace to those who don’t yet know Him?

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“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12.

At first glance, the opening verse may lead some to believe that Paul is emphasising salvation through works. If taken at face value, this interpretation could seem at odds with the historic orthodox Christian belief of salvation through grace alone. (Ephesians 2:8). But is that truly what Paul is conveying?

A critical rule of biblical interpretation is that the context determines the meaning. Another helpful thing is to consider the different genres of the biblical text which guide the interpretive approach. For example, we don’t read a letter (or,say, an email) the same way we read a newspaper.

In the case of the text in question, Paul is writing a letter to the Philippians, and just like when we get a letter in real life, we would have to read the whole thing to grasp the full import of the author’s meaning/intent, we must interpret each verse in light of the entire letter. This is what we mean by context: What came before the text and what is stated after.

So, let’s examine what Paul means by ‘working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.’

Here’s the full verse:

Verse 12 reads, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13.  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

I have added verse 13 because, as you can see, the sentence doesn’t end with verse 12, so it will be incomplete, i.e., we will do an injustice to the text to leave out the next verse. It is important to note that these verse divisions are artificial and do not form part of the original text.

The first thing to observe is that the Philippians’ have always obeyed.’ This gives us an insight into the fact that these are Believers in Jesus, fellow saints, Paul is talking about. He has already said this in the first chapter. In 1:1, he said these are Saints in Christ Jesus. Throughout the NT, this description is given to people who have already placed faith in Jesus for their salvation. Then, in v5-6, he again mentions that they have a partnership in the gospel, and then the Apostle affirms his belief that God, who has begun a good work in them, will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. So, God has already begun a good work in these folk – which is another way of saying God has saved them and is living in them.

So, we can rule out the fact that Paul is now asking these guys to do certain things so that they can gain salvation. The context does not support such a conclusion. That would deplete the finished work of Christ Jesus.

Another reason we cannot take the verse to mean that Paul is asking the Philippians to do something to earn their salvation is that, in the broader context, specifically, Chapter 3:2-11, Paul rejects any teaching of salvation by works in no uncertain terms. In 3:9, he says this:

“and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— “.

So, it would be contradictory to Paul’s own teaching in the rest of the same epistle to take his admonition here to mean that the Philippians should try to gain salvation by doing some work on their own.

So, what does Paul mean by working out their salvation?

Simply, Paul is saying that they should demonstrate their faith in how they live their daily lives. In other words, their continued obedience is a form of ‘working out’ (or living out) what God has already ‘worked into’ their hearts. This is why the text says to ‘work out’ instead of ‘work for’. Notice that he goes on to say, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

So, even the obedience that he demands of them, he says, flows from God (so they can’t take credit for it, just like the grace that saved them). The will to obey and the energy to do are both a result of God’s work within His people. They have been made new creations with new desires and affections as a result of God’s work.

Another way in which people sometimes capture this is with the phrase ‘we are saved for good works’. Martin Luther, the German Reformer, put it like this: “We are saved by grace alone, but the grace that saved us is not alone – it is accompanied by good works.” In other words, the proof that we are genuinely saved is in the fruit of obedience that flows from our lives. Because, as Ephesians 2:10 says, God creates the new creature (the believer) to walk in good works. He gives every believer the will and what it takes to do good works. So, if one claims to have been saved but we don’t see any evidence of progressive obedience, their claim to faith is suspect. This is precisely what Paul is saying to the Philippians here.

The context further sheds light on what the ‘working out of their salvation’ he is talking about looks like:

•  Do all things without grumbling or disputing (v14)
•  That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world(v15)
•  Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain(v16).

In conclusion, wresting a verse of Scripture from its contextcan lead to erroneous interpretation. Paul’s epistle to the Philippians exemplifies this, underscoring that salvation is not a reward for deeds but a grace-driven transformation from within, evidenced by our actions and conduct. The believer, indwelt and inspired by God, is called to live out this salvation in daily life, not to earn it, but to reflect the life-altering power that faith produces. As Paul illustrates, believers must illuminate the world with righteous deeds, standing as testaments to the profound work of God in their hearts. By understanding and embracing the holistic context of the Scriptures, we can appreciate the depth of its teachings and apply them with wisdom and clarity in our walk with Jesus.

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