Few passages in Scripture present the doctrine of justification with the clarity and power found in Zechariah chapter 3. Zechariah prophesied in 520 BC to the returned exiles after the Babylonian captivity, at a time when the temple was being rebuilt but the people were discouraged, conscious of their sin, and uncertain of their standing before the Lord. In one of the night visions given to encourage the restoration of His people, the prophet sees Joshua the high priest before the angel of the LORD, clothed in filthy garments while Satan stands ready to accuse him.

The scene reveals a guilty man before the Lord, defiled and without defense, yet by God’s command his iniquity is removed, he is clothed in clean garments, and he is made fit to stand in the presence of the Holy One. This passage is not merely about Joshua, but presents one of the clearest pictures in all of Scripture of the gospel and the doctrine of justification.

The Problem: How Can a Sinner Stand Before God?

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.

Zechariah 3:1–3

The scene is judicial. Joshua stands before the Lord as a man on trial. Satan stands beside him as the accuser. The garments he wears are filthy, a symbol of guilt, uncleanness, and unfitness for the presence of God.

Joshua is not an ordinary man. He is the high priest. Yet even the high priest stands defiled before the LORD. This shows that no office, no religion, no effort, and no obedience can make a sinner righteous before God. This wretched condition of man is established throughout Scripture (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23; Psalm 130:3; Psalm 14:1–3, Psalm 53:1–3).

This is the question that makes justification necessary: How can a guilty sinner stand before a holy God?

The Doctrine of Justification

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

Zechariah 3:4

Here the Lord Himself gives the answer. We know from Scripture that God alone can pardon sin, as all sin is first of all against Him (Romans 8:33; Psalm 51:4) – and so we rightly conclude ‘the angel of the Lord’ referenced in this passage is none other than God himself (Genesis 31:11–13; Exodus 3:2–6; Genesis 22:1). Joshua is not told to clean himself. He is not given time to improve himself. He is not instructed to earn acceptance.

Instead, God commands that his filthy garments, representing his iniquity, be removed, and that he be clothed with pure vestments, showing that his guilt is taken away and that he is given a righteousness not his own. This same reality is taught with great clarity throughout Scripture (Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1–2; Isaiah 53:11; Isaiah 61:10; Luke 18:14; Romans 3–5; Galatians 2–3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Romans 8:33–34; Titus 3:5–7).

From this we may state the doctrine clearly:

Justification is the gracious and judicial act of God whereby He removes the guilt of sin and declares the sinner righteous in His sight, not because of anything done by him, but because of the righteousness of Christ given to him by God and received by faith alone.

Justification is not a process of becoming righteous. It is not the infusion of righteousness, but the legal declaration that the sinner stands accepted before God. Joshua did nothing yet received everything. This is the glory of justification.

The Biblical Language of Justification

The language of this vision, in Zechariah chapter 3, is courtroom language: Joshua stands before the Lord; Satan accuses; the Lord rebukes; guilt is removed; righteousness is given; and a verdict is pronounced.

This is the same language used throughout Scripture: God justifies (Romans 8:33); God condemns (Deuteronomy 25:1); God declares righteous (Proverbs 17:15); God brings charges(Romans 8:33); God gives the verdict (Romans 8:1).

Justification belongs to the courtroom, not the workshop. It is not the language of moral improvement. It is the language of judgment and verdict. When God justifies, He speaks as Judge.

The Forensic Nature of Justification

And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”

Zechariah 3:2

Joshua does nothing. He offers no defense. He presents no righteousness and no merit. The Lord speaks, and the verdict changes everything. Joshua is not first made clean and then accepted. He is accepted because God declares him righteous.

This is the forensic nature of justification. To justify means to declare righteous. It stands opposite condemnation. As Scripture says:

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?

Romans 8:33-34

The word forensic is powerful because it places justification in the courtroom, where the issue is not inward change but the legal verdict of God, and where the sinner must stand before the Judge not on the basis of what he has done, but on the basis ofwhat God declares.

Justification is a legal act of God. Sanctification changes the person. Justification changes the verdict.

The Ground of Justification: The Branch

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.

Zechariah 3:8–9

Joshua is justified in the vision, but the reason lies in the promise. Sin is not just swept under the rug. God points forward to the Branch, the coming Servant, the Messiah. The iniquity of the land will be removed in one day.

This points to the cross. Justification is not grounded in Joshua.It is not grounded in repentance. It is not grounded in obedience.It is grounded in Christ.

The righteousness that justifies is the righteousness of another.The sin that condemns is borne by another. Christ obeyed the law (Romans 5:19), bore the curse in our place (Galatians 3:13), and satisfied the justice of God by His sacrifice (Romans 3:25–26). Because of Him, the sinner can stand.

Imputation: Garments Removed, Garments Given

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

Zechariah 3:4

Two things happen. Sin is taken away. Righteousness is given.This is the heart of justification. Our sin is counted to Christ. His righteousness is counted to us. Not infused. Not earned. Not developed. But given. Scripture speaks of this as reckoning, counting, or imputing (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3–8; Psalm 32:2; 2 Corinthians 5:19).

We stand righteous before God because the righteousness of Christ is placed upon us as a garment. Joshua does not sew the garment. He receives it.

Faith Alone

Joshua stands silent. He does not argue. He does not defend himself. He does not earn the change. He simply receives. This is the picture of faith. Faith does not justify because it is worthy, but because it receives Christ.

We are not justified by works. We are not justified by effort. We are not justified by religion. We are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Faith is the empty hand that receives the garment God gives.

As Scripture declares:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Justification and Works

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.

Zechariah 3:7

The command comes after the clothing. This is the pattern of God’s grace. He justifies, then He instructs. This is the gospel order: first justification, then obedience. Works do not produce justification. Justification produces works.

The justified man walks differently, not to become accepted, but because he is accepted. Good works are the fruit of justification, never the cause.

Justification and the Resurrection of Christ

The LORD promises:

I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.

Zechariah 3:9

At the cross, sin was borne. In the resurrection, the verdict was declared. Christ was delivered for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

When Christ rose, God declared that the work was finished. The resurrection is the public vindication of the Son and the guarantee of the believer. Because Christ lives, the verdict stands.

He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 4:25

The Once-for-All Nature of Justification

Joshua’s garments are fully changed. He is not half clean. He is not partly accepted. He is not on probation. He stands clothed. Justification is complete.

God does not justify by degrees. He does not justify little by little. When God declares a sinner righteous, the verdict is final. The case is settled.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

Assurance and Peace with God

In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.

Zechariah 3:10

Peace follows justification. No accusation remains. No wrath remains. No condemnation remains. The justified man has peace with God. As Scripture says,

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1

He can stand before the Lord without fear. This is the fruit of the verdict.

The Glory of Justification

In the vision of Zechariah, the sinner stands silent, guilty, and unclean before the Lord while Satan accuses and the law condemns. Yet the Lord Himself commands that the filthy garments be removed and that the sinner be clothed in a righteousness not his own. This is the glory of justification: the guilty are declared righteous, the condemned are accepted, and those who could not stand are made fit to stand before the Holy One.

The church has long given voice to this wonder. Augustus Toplady, in his hymn Rock of Ages (1776), captured the heart of justification in these words:

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace.

The post Ordo Salutis: Justification appeared first on TGN.

“Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — Galatians 6:14

The message of the cross is the heart of all that God has done for the salvation of mankind; and the one thing that must be preached at all times.

We bring you a compilation of articles which speaks to Christ’s death for humanity’s sins: what it means, why it matters.

We pray it blesses you.

Download your free copy here: Christ_Our_Sin_Bearer

The post Christ Our Sin Bearer appeared first on TGN.

Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

Ephesians 2:20

When Christians speak about the centrality of Scripture in the life of the church, a thoughtful question often arises:

If the earliest believers did not yet possess the New Testament as we do today, what were they devoted to? And what does that mean for Word–centered ministry today?

This question matters because it touches on the issue of authority: How Christ rules His church, and how we know His voice today. If the first generation of Christians lived and grew before the New Testament was complete, does that suggest that Scripture is secondary rather than central? Is Word–centered ministry something that developed later, or was it present from the beginning?

By Word–centered ministry, I mean the church’s intentional commitment to gather around, submit to, and be shaped by God’s revealed Word—trusting it as the sufficient and final authority through which Christ builds and governs His people.

To answer the question, we must consider what the early church had.

They Had the Old Testament

The early church did not begin without Scripture. They possessed the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings — the very Scriptures Jesus affirmed and fulfilled.

After His resurrection, Jesus explained to His disciples that Moses and the Prophets were ultimately speaking about Him (Luke 24:27). The Old Testament was not a closed story waiting to be replaced; it was a promise awaiting fulfillment.

This is exactly how the apostles preached. At Pentecost, Peter proclaimed the risen Christ from Joel and the Psalms (Acts 2:14–36). Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles reasoned from the Scriptures, demonstrating that Jesus is the promised Messiah (Acts 17:2–3). They did not set aside Israel’s Scriptures—they opened them and showed how they pointed to Christ.

The earliest believers therefore gathered as a Scripture-shaped community. They listened to the Old Testament read, explained, and applied in light of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The church was born not in the absence of Scripture, but in its fulfillment.

But they had more than the Old Testament.

They Had Living Apostolic Revelation

From the very beginning, believers devoted themselves to “the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). At that moment there was no completed New Testament. Yet the church was not without God’s Word.

Christ—the final and fullest revelation of God—had come (Hebrews 1:1–2). And the men He appointed now bore witness to Him with divine authority.

The gospel was first declared by the Lord Himself and then confirmed by those who heard Him, with God bearing witness through signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:3–4). The apostles were not religious innovators. They were eyewitnesses of the risen Christ, personally commissioned by Him, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to remember, proclaim, and explain what He had done (Acts 1:21–22).

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prepared His disciples for this very role. He promised that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things and bring to their remembrance all that He had said to them (John 14:26). He told them that the Spirit of truth would bear witness about Him, and that they also would bear witness because they had been with Him from the beginning (John 15:26–27). He further declared that there were still many things they could not yet bear, but that when the Spirit came, He would guide them into all the truth and declare to them what belonged to Christ (John 16:12–15).

These promises explain why the apostles’ teaching carried divine authority. Their witness was not the result of human reflection alone, but the fulfillment of Christ’s own promise that His words would be preserved, clarified, and proclaimed through those He had chosen.

When they preached, they did not offer speculation. They delivered what they had received. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, he handed on what was “of first importance”—the death and resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures.

This apostolic ministry was foundational and unrepeatable. Through these men, Christ Himself spoke to His church. The foundation of the church was being laid in history—once for all.

The apostles did not create a new message; they bore faithful witness to the One who had come. And as Peter later explains, their message was not produced by human will but carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20–21).

Apostolic Proclamation and Apostolic Scripture: Distinct but Foundational

Jesus Himself set the course of apostolic witness when He told His disciples they would receive power and be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

In the book of Acts, we see that witness unfold. Churches are planted, elders appointed, doctrine illuminated, and believers strengthened through living apostolic preaching (Acts 13–15; 17; 19). Through these men, Christ was speaking in history.

Scripture describes this period by saying that the church was “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). These prophets are best understood not as the Old Testament prophets, but as New Testament prophets who, together with the apostles, received divine revelation during the foundational period of the church. They worked alongside the apostles and assisted in the establishment of the church through Spirit-given revelation (Ephesians 3:5). Like the apostles, their role belonged to the founding stage of the New Covenant church, when God was giving authoritative revelation that would not need to be repeated.

Yet apostolic proclamation and apostolic writing were not identical in form or function.

The apostles preached far more than was ever written down. They addressed specific situations, answered questions, and instructed congregations in ways that were never recorded. Not every sermon was preserved. The church today is not governed by everything the apostles once said, but only by what the Holy Spirit saw fit to preserve in Scripture.

This, too, was anticipated by Christ. He told the apostles that the Spirit would guide them into all the truth and declare to them what was to come (John 16:13). Their teaching would not remain a temporary oral tradition, but would be the Spirit-guided transmission of Christ’s own words to His church.

The apostles wrote with the authority of Christ behind them. Their words did not become Scripture over time; they were Scripture by divine inspiration from the moment they were written, before the ink was dry. The church over time acknowledged and received what God had already spoken. Under the Spirit’s inspiration, the apostles committed authoritative revelation to writing for the permanent foundation of Christ’s church (2 Peter 3:15–16; 1 Timothy 5:18).

The distinction is simple but crucial: apostolic preaching was historically foundational; apostolic Scripture is permanentlyfoundational.

The church no longer gathers around living apostles, for that office has ceased. The church now gathers around the Word they wrote—the Scriptures. And that written Word now stands as the binding and sufficient authority through which Christ continues to rule His people.

This is exactly what Jesus anticipated when He prayed not only for the apostles themselves, but also for those who would believe in Him through their word (John 17:20). Future generations would know Christ through the apostolic testimony, not through new revelation, but through the faithful preservation of the witness once given.

Therefore Word-Centered Ministry Is Continuity, Not Innovation

Word–centered ministry today is not a departure from the earliest church, but its direct continuation.

As Paul exhorted the Ephesian elders:

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Acts 20:32

Notice what Paul entrusts the church to—not new apostles, not evolving revelation, not institutional authority—but “the word of his grace.” Even before the New Testament was complete, the church’s future was tied to God’s revealed Word.

When the church devotes itself to Scripture—to its public reading, prayers, faithful teaching, and careful expository preaching—it is not innovating. The church is being faithful to her Lord.

Word–centered ministry is not innovation but covenant continuity. The same God who spoke through the prophets spoke through His Son and His commissioned witnesses. The same Holy Spirit who empowered the apostles to preach also guided them in writing Scripture, and that same Spirit and Word continue to build and preserve the church today.

To be a Word–centered church today is not to move beyond the early church—it is to remain within the apostolic doctrine once for all delivered to the saints.

The post What Did the Early Church Have Before the New Testament? appeared first on TGN.

The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Proverbs 16:4

Introduction

How has God ordained the very fabric of reality? What does it truly mean for God to be God? Is He merely a distant observer, passively watching history unfold? Or is He, as Scripture declares, the sovereign Lord who upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3)?

Far from being aloof or detached, the living God is intimately involved in the moment-by-moment unfolding of time itself. Every atom, every event, every decision, and every heartbeat exist within the bounds of His sovereign decree. To be God is not simply to possess power in potential, but to exercise perfect, purposeful authority over all creation—unceasingly, wisely, and lovingly.

The doctrine of divine sovereignty—God’s absolute rule over all things—strikes at the very heart of who God is. A faithful understanding of this truth deepens our awe, cultivates humble faith, resolves false dilemmas, and offers profound comfort in trials. One of the clearest ways Scripture reveals this sovereignty is through the doctrine of Compatibilism: the teaching that God’s complete sovereignty coexists with genuine human responsibility. God ordains all that comes to pass, including voluntary human decisions, yet without violating our agency or becoming the author of sin.

Agency, in this article, refers to the capacity of a person to make meaningful choices and act according to their own will. It means that we are moral agents—thinking, willing, and acting in ways for which we are genuinely accountable.

Simply put, we act freely as we act in accordance with our desires and nature. Yet, due to the Fall, our desires and nature have been marred by sin. Left to ourselves, we willingly choose what is contrary to God, not because we are forced to, but because we desire it. Thus, we are morally responsible for our sin, even as our choices reveal our corrupted nature.

Scripture teaches that God ordains all that comes to pass—including the voluntary actions of moral agents—while at the same time holding humans genuinely responsible for their choices. Compatibilism helps us grasp how God’s exhaustive sovereignty and human responsibility are not in conflict, but mysteriously and magnificently held together in the reality of divine providence.

This article seeks to unpack this profound truth and invite worshipful reflection on God’s sovereign wisdom.

Scriptural Foundation

Several key passages consistently arise in discussions of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. One of the most profound is found in the life of Joseph, particularly in Genesis 50:20. Joseph’s brothers, driven by jealousy, sold him into slavery and left him for dead. Years later, when famine sweeps across the Middle East, those same brothers unknowingly come before Joseph—now elevated to a position of great authority in Egypt. In that moment, Joseph confronts them not with vengeance, but with theological clarity and grace. He declares:

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20)

This single verse captures the very essence of Compatibilism. Joseph acknowledges the real moral evil his brothers committed—they intended harm. Yet he simultaneously affirms that God was sovereignly at work through their evil intentions, orchestrating it all for a greater redemptive purpose. Evil and good operated simultaneously, but God’s sovereign design was not thwarted—it was fulfilled.

Another striking example appears in the Exodus narrative, particularly in the account of Pharaoh’s hardened heart. God sends Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. But for Pharaoh, releasing Israel meant losing a vast labor force essential to Egypt’s economy and power. His refusal was deeply self-interested—and yet, it became the very stage on which God’s redemptive purposes were displayed. This passage illustrates the dual agency at the heart of Compatibilism.

On the one hand, we read: “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh.” (Exodus 9:12). And yet, just prior: “When Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.” (Exodus 8:15).

Both are true: Pharaoh freely chose to resist God, and God sovereignly ordained that resistance. His will was accomplished through Pharaoh’s willful rebellion. This is not a contradiction, but a mystery. God’s sovereignty and human responsibility operate simultaneously.

The wisdom literature reinforces this same theological tension. Proverbs 21:1 declares: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” And yet human agency is not denied. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

In Pharaoh, we see a man acting freely according to his sinful desires—and a God who is neither passive nor reactive, but directing all of history to magnify His power and glory. God’s hardening of Pharaoh is a judicial act—just, purposeful, and entirely under His control. His sovereignty is exhaustive—ruling over kings and peasants, believers and unbelievers—without destroying human agency.

The Apostle Paul expands this episode’s theological significance in Romans 9:

“For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” (Romans 9:17–18)

Pharaoh’s rise and fall were not accidental but divinely ordained to display God’s glory. Yet Paul makes it clear that God’s hardening is not arbitrary or unjust. In light of Romans 1, it is better understood as a judicial handing over—God withholding restraining grace and allowing Pharaoh to fully act according to his already corrupt desires.

As Paul writes in Romans 1:

“God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts…” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28)

This shows that humanity, apart from grace, is already hostile to God (Romans 8:7). God’s act of hardening is not the injection of new evil, but the withdrawal of restraint. He gives sinners over to what they already desire.

Far from undermining divine justice, this doctrine magnifies it. God’s mercy is never owed. His justice is never compromised. Through both mercy and hardening, God displays His perfect righteousness, working all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11).

Compatibilism in Redemptive History

A powerful example of Compatibilism is found in the Book of Job, where the narrative pulls back the curtain on spiritual realities and shows that even Satan operates under divine authority. In Job 1–2, Satan challenges the integrity of Job’s faith, and the Lord responds:

“Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” (Job 1:12; cf. 2:6)

Satan then afflicts Job—destroying his possessions, killing his children, and striking him with loathsome disease. Yet the narrator leaves no room for misunderstanding: these calamities ultimately come by God’s sovereign permission and purpose. For instance, the fire that consumed Job’s flocks is described as “the fire of God” falling from heaven (Job 1:16), and the wind that crushed his children is attributed to God’s control over nature (Job 1:19). In response to these tragedies, Job does not say, “The Lord allowed Satan to take away,” but instead declares: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). The inspired author adds: “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:22).

This confirms that it was not sinful or incorrect for Job to trace his suffering to the hand of God, even though Satan was the immediate agent of harm. God’s sovereignty encompasses even the actions of evil beings, yet He remains pure and just in all His ways. For the believer, Job’s example affirms that suffering never lies outside of God’s Fatherly hand, even when its causes are invisible or painful.

This same pattern of divine governance—even over malevolent actors—appears throughout Scripture. Consider the climactic vision in Revelation 17:17, where God’s sovereign orchestration of evil is once again made explicit. Concerning the beast and the ten kings aligned with him, John writes:

“For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.”

Even in the final outworking of human rebellion and satanic activity, God is not reacting—He is ruling. Every power, every ruler, every evil force is ultimately subordinate to His eternal decree and providential plan. These passages underscore a crucial truth: God is never the author of sin, but He governs even sinful actions for His righteous ends.

Another powerful demonstration of Compatibilism is seen in the lives of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel and Cyrus in Isaiah. Both kings acted freely, yet their decisions were clearly ordained by God to fulfill His purposes.

Nebuchadnezzar, though proud and self-exalting, was used by God to bring judgment on Judah. After being humbled, he confesses concerning God,

“He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; none can stay His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35)

He was held accountable for his arrogance, yet his reign unfolded precisely as God had decreed.

Cyrus, a pagan king, is called “My shepherd” and “My anointed” by God (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). Though he did not know the Lord, God raised him up to decree Israel’s return from exile:

“I name you, though you do not know Me… that people may know… there is none besides Me.” (Isaiah 45:4–6)

Both of these kings made real decisions, but their roles were appointed by God—clear illustrations that divine sovereignty and human agency coexist without contradiction. Just as Nebuchadnezzar was used in judgment, so Cyrus was raised up for restoration. In both cases, God’s purposes were accomplished through the free and voluntary actions of men.

God’s Sovereignty in Seeming Chaos

One of the most compelling—and even poetic—demonstrations of God’s absolute sovereignty is found in the account of King Ahab’s death in battle, recorded in 1 Kings 22. After hearing the true prophecy of Micaiah foretelling his demise, Ahab sought to outmaneuver God’s decree by disguising himself on the battlefield. He had King Jehoshaphat remain in royal garments, effectively turning him into a decoy to draw enemy attention. From a human perspective, it appeared that Ahab’s plan might succeed. But Scripture recounts:

“But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate.” (1 Kings 22:34)

A “random” arrow—fired without aim, without target, without knowledge—found the single vulnerable gap in the king’s armor. What seemed like chance was, in fact, divine precision. The purposes of God cannot be thwarted by human cunning, disguise, or defiance.

This moment powerfully illustrates that nothing is truly random in God’s world. What appears to be coincidence or luck is often the visible edge of God’s hidden providence. As Proverbs 16:33 declares:

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Even the roll of the dice, the drawing of lots, or the loosing of an arrow falls under the sovereign direction of God. This story reminds us not only that God’s decrees come to pass, but that they do so with a detail and precision that unveil His infinite wisdom and inescapable control. Ahab tried to avoid the word of the Lord—but the word of the Lord found him.

The Climactic Moment: The Cross of Christ

With all this said, no event captures the profound mystery and power of Compatibilism more vividly than the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the magnum opus of divine sovereignty and human responsibility—where both operate in full force, without contradiction or compromise.

Jesus Himself made clear that His suffering and death were not accidental but divinely ordained. In Mark 8:31 we read:

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He said this plainly.”

This was no unforeseen tragedy. It was the fulfilment of what had long been foretold—most strikingly in Isaiah 53, where the suffering servant is said to be “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities.” Yet even there, the prophet declares:

“It was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief.” (Isaiah 53:10)

Still, the agents of Jesus’ death—Judas, the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and the Roman soldiers—acted freely and wickedly. Their guilt is real, and yet their actions unfolded precisely as God had ordained. The apostle Peter declares this with clarity in Acts 2:23:

“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

Likewise, the early church prays in Acts 4:27–28:

“For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus… to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”

Here is Compatibilism in its most glorious and sobering form: God ordained the death of His Son for the redemption of sinners, and yet those who carried it out did so willingly—and were rightly held accountable. The cross was not a backup plan; it was the very center of God’s eternal purpose, foretold by the prophets and carried out by the hands of men.

At Calvary, Compatibilism is not a philosophical abstraction but the very heartbeat of redemption—the place where divine sovereignty and human guilt converge to magnify the mercy and wisdom of God.

What Am I Not Saying?

In theology, clarity often requires not only affirming what is true but also stating carefully what we do not mean. Boundaries are essential—especially here. And here is a crucial one: God is not the direct cause of evil. He may never be blamed for sin. As Scripture plainly declares,

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

So let me be clear: Compatibilism is not Determinism—the view that all events, including human choices, are necessitated by prior causes in such a way that true freedom is an illusion. Nor is it Fatalism—the belief that outcomes are fixed no matter what we do, rendering human choices pointless.

Many, upon hearing that “God is sovereign over all things, even our choices,” wrongly assume this must mean:

• That God causes sin directly
• That human freedom is an illusion
• That moral responsibility is meaningless
• That prayer, evangelism, and decision-making are futile

But Scripture teaches none of these things. Compatibilism affirms both God’s complete sovereignty and our genuine moral responsibility. This is not philosophical speculation—it is the plain teaching of the Word of God.

Here are some crucial clarifications:

God Is Not the Author of Sin (James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Habakkuk 1:13)

God never sins, nor does He tempt anyone to sin. His holiness is absolute and untarnished.

Human Choices Are Real and Morally Significant (Romans 2:6; Proverbs 16:9)

We make real decisions for which we are held accountable. Our motives, intentions, and actions matter deeply.

God Ordains Through Secondary Causes (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23)

God works through means—including human decisions—to accomplish His purposes, without overriding our moral agency.

Sovereignty Is Not Fatalism (1 Corinthians 15:58)

God’s control does not nullify human responsibility. Rather, it gives meaning and confidence to our efforts, knowing our labor is not in vain.

Mystery, Not Contradiction (Romans 11:33)

There is real mystery in how God’s sovereignty and human responsibility coexist—but it is not illogical. It reflects the infinite wisdom of God.

We are not puppets. We are image-bearers of the Triune God, fearfully and wonderfully made. Our thoughts, choices, and actions truly matter. And yet, our Creator and Father is enthroned above all, orchestrating all things according to His perfect will— to the praise of His glorious grace.

Why Is This So Hard?

There are several reasons why this doctrine can be difficult to accept. First, we often come to Scripture with deeply ingrained presuppositions—shaped by culture, emotion, and human reason. We expect God to operate according to our categories of logic or fairness. But Compatibilism confronts us with mystery—truths that stretch beyond our intellectual grasp and challenge our assumptions about freedom, responsibility, and divine justice.

We must recognize that we are dealing with the deep things of God. As Moses reminded Israel,

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us…” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Our hearts long for airtight explanations, but the Bible presents us with glorious truths that surpass our comprehension. As Paul exclaims,

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” (Romans 11:33)

Another major obstacle is our natural desire for autonomy. We want to be the captains of our own souls. Compatibilism humbles us by reminding us that we are not ultimately in control. Many assume that real responsibility requires total independence. But biblically, freedom is not the absence of God’s sovereignty—it is the ability to act according to our desires, even as those desires are encompassed within God’s providential plan (Proverbs 16:9).

Perhaps the greatest struggle comes when we try to reconcile God’s sovereignty with personal suffering and the existence of evil. It can feel emotionally impossible to believe that God is in control when pain seems purposeless. And yet the Bible does not shy away from this tension. It gently, but firmly, calls us to trust in God’s redemptive purposes—even when they are hidden. As Joseph declared to his brothers,

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Further Reading

• Augustine of Hippo – On the Free Choice of the Will, The City of God, Enchiridion
• Martin Luther – The Bondage of the Will
• John Calvin – Institutes of the Christian Religion
• Westminster Confession of Faith
• Jonathan Edwards – Freedom of the Will
• R.C. Sproul – Chosen by God, What is Reformed Theology?
• D.A. Carson – Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
• J.I. Packer – Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
• John Piper – The Pleasures of God, Providence

The post Sovereign and Free: Understanding Compatibilism appeared first on TGN.

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.

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There is no shortage of arguments against Christmas–the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The constant charge: It is a pagan festival. However, that assertion has long been refuted. “It’s commonly thought Christians took over the pagan holiday of Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun”), which was on December 25. But there’s little evidence to back this up.”¹

Now, the most crucial reason for Christians to celebrate Christmas is the birth of Christ. It is an actual historical event. Jesus Christ is a real historical figure. He was announced and anticipated in the Old Testament. He arrived in the New Testament. Granted, the pagan assertions are correct (and they are not), but the celebration of Christmas is still about Jesus Christ. Despite the commercialisation and secularisation of the season, Jesus is still the centre of it. Answering critics of Christmas, Donald Macleod, in his book ‘From Glory To Golgotha’, gave us a reason to celebrate the birth of Christ and raised a complaint about Christians not taking advantage of the season:

“It would be easy to be critical. Yet, in a day of small things, the festive season so-called, has one advantage: it reminds the public of at least the name and the fact of Jesus Christ. The pity is that men seldom go beyond that and that the church itself appears content to leave the supreme mystery of its faith only vaguely hinted at in the glitter and gaiety of what it calls its greatest festival. Christmas is a lost opportunity, a time when the world invites the Church to speak and she blushes, smiles and mutters a few banalities with which the world is already perfectly familiar from its own stock of cliches and nursery rhymes.”² 

His Announcement

In our everyday life, we don’t just show up in people’s homes to visit. There is always a prior arrangement. Apart from people being unprepared, and perhaps you may not receive the hospitality due to you, you may not meet them at home, and you will have travelled in vain.

The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t just show up in the world. He was not an unannounced guest or visitor. Long before his birth, word had gone ahead of him announcing his coming into the world. In Genesis 3:15, when God pronounced judgment after Adam and Eve had disobeyed him, theologians indicate the first gospel—Protoevangelium was preached: “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15 ESV). Biblical scholarship indicates the offspring of the woman can be used in the singular to refer to an individual or collectively to the people of God (Gen12:7,22:17-18, Gal 3:16). ³ In it’s singular usage, the ‘offspring of the woman’ points to Jesus. For it is in Christ that Satan was defeated. When Paul addressed the offspring promised Abraham (Genesis 22:18), he pointed out that offspring referred to Christ: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16). In Genesis 3:15 then, we see the person and ministry of Christ announced.

The curse on the serpent in Genesis 3:14–15 sets the stage for the subsequent course of redemptive history. Obvious New Testament allusions to this passage occur in places such as Luke 10:19, Romans 16:20, and Revelation 12:17. Yet from this point in the book of Genesis, the theme of “enmity between offspring/seed” characterises the biblical narrative. This passage is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the consummate “seed of the woman” who crushes the head of the serpent.⁴

The Birth of Christ was unique. Certainly, he wasn’t the only one born on that day. But his birth was unlike theirs. His birth was miraculous (vv. 18-20). Notice how Matthew is careful to tell us of the uniqueness of Jesus’ birth: “before they came together [that is before the marriage was [consumated]  she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” This is the Christian doctrine of the virgin conception of Jesus. The second line of the Apostles Creed captures this clearly:

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary

This is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. We believe in Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary, for the salvation of sinners. As verse 21 says, he was born, ‘to save his people from their sins’. This is the message of Christmas. That God took upon himself human flesh to deal with our sin problem, and before his birth, the Scriptures announced it. Observe how Matthew says the birth of Christ fulfilled Scripture in vv.22-23.  Matthew here quotes Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. Many centuries before his birth, he was spoken of. In the first three chapters of Matthew, we see Matthew constantly pointing to the birth of Jesus as the fulfilment of prophecy (vv. 1:23; 2:3-6;2:13-15; 2:16-18; 2:23). All these from various places in the Old Testament are all considered as referring to the birth of Christ and events surrounding it.

Christmas is the fulfillment of the promise of the son of God, who was announced to come and deal with the problem of sin.

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Ris’n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die;

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth

~Hark The Herald Angels Sing, Charles Wesley & George Whitefield

God is faithful to his word. Every promise of God in his word will be fulfilled. No word of God will be left unattended to. This has great encouragement for those of us who have come to faith in Christ. Our life is a part of God’s Redemptive History, and as Paul tells us in Romans 8:28, “We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

His Anticipation

Serving as a bi-vocational Pastor, I have felt exhausted these past weeks. Because the year is ending, my brain is anticipating rest. I look forward to the Christmas break, when I will get some rest, hopefully. Anticipation is a part of life. We all have things we look forward to. In Genesis Chapter 4, right after the promise of an offspring of the woman who will deal a blow to the serpent, a sense of anticipation sets in for Eve. If we pay careful attention to the narrative, we will see the anticipation of the offspring of the woman, more particularly in the birth of Cain and Seth.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord” (Genesis 4:1) And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him (Genesis 4:25)

The anticipation for the fulfilment of the promise of the offspring kicked in when Cain was born. Perhaps Eve thought this was the moment. But her hope will soon fly away. Then again, another child was born. In the same spirit of anticipation, she exclaimed. “God has appointed for me another offspring.” Anticipation for the birth of this offspring runs through the whole Scripture. The apostle Peter aptly tells us of this anticipation

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time[a] the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look (1Peter 1:10-12).

His Arrival

Jesus Christ was Announced. He was Anticipated. And he arrived on Christmas. Look at the latter part of Matthew 1:23: “which means God with us”. In Jesus’ birth, God condescended to live among his people bodily. Throughout the Old Testament, God has lived among his people in various symbols and manifested himself in different ways. We can speak about the Ark in the Tabernacle, for example. We can talk about the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. But never in the history of humanity has God come to dwell among his people bodily but in the birth of Christ.

This is the most significant event in human history: that God will take upon himself human flesh. This is what is called in theology the incarnation. God becoming flesh. But why was this necessary? It was necessary because God, in his love and mercy, provided a way by which sinful humanity would be reconciled to him. Christmas is God’s love displayed towards sinful humanity. A Gift was given on Christmas—the Gift of God’s Son. God has fulfilled his promise of salvation to reconcile his people unto himself, forgive our sins and save us from eternal destruction. We can be confident that those of us who have come to faith in Christ have joined the family of God. We have been gloriously reconciled to God through faith. And have a hope of eternal life.

And for those who haven’t believed in Jesus, God’s gift of salvation is still available in Christ. He was born so that he would die to pay for the penalty of sin. The penalty is yours to pay. Will you turn to him?

Notes

1 Michael J. Kruger, “Think You Know The Christmas Story? Here Are Five Common Misconception”, https://MichaelKruger.com/think -you-know-the-Christmas-Story-2

2 Donal Macleod, From Glory To Golgotha:Controversial Issues In The Life Of Christ (Christian Focus, 2002)

3 James Hamilton, “The Skull Crushing Seed of The Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15”, accessed 3rd March 2020, https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/journals/journal-of-theology/sbjt-102-summer-2006/the-skull-crushing-seed-of-the-woman-inner-biblical-interpretation-of-genesis-315/,

4.R. Andrew Compton, “The Seed of The Woman”, https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2018/12/the-seed-of-the-woman/

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While preparing for a recent Sunday School class at my church, I was deeply encouraged as I reflected on the offices that Jesus holds. This article is the fruit of that study, and I hope it brings you similar encouragement. It is the first in a three-part series exploring the Mundus Triplex—the threefold office of Christ as Priest, Prophet, and King. This article focuses on Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest.

When people think of Jesus, they often describe Him in various ways. Some of these portrayals, like Jesus the Teacher or Jesus the Friend, are true and helpful, while others, such as Jesus the Philosopher or Jesus the Revolutionary, can be incomplete or even misleading. These descriptions, though insightful in part, often fail to capture the rich theological framework that encompasses the full breadth of Jesus Christ’s redemptive work.

Jesus as the Great High Priest builds upon the foundational categories established in the Old Testament, with Him as the ultimate fulfillment of all that the priesthood pointed toward. The priestly office holds a unique place among His threefold roles, as it directly addresses the reconciliation of fallen humanity with a holy God. Viewing Jesus through this lens is especially helpful when reflecting on His actions and words in the Gospel narratives, revealing how His life and ministry culminate in this redemptive work.

Understanding Christ as Priest requires delving into biblical concepts of the priesthood, the archetypal figures who prefigure Christ’s priesthood, and how Christ uniquely fulfills and transcends these Old Testament roles. Throughout Church history, theologians have emphasized the significance of Christ’s priestly office as the foundation for Christian faith and life.

The Biblical Role of Priest

The biblical role of priest is rooted in mediation between God and humanity, a necessity following the Fall in Genesis 3, which ruptured humanity’s relationship with God. Priests offered sacrifices for the atonement of sin (Leviticus 16:15-16), interceded on behalf of the people (Exodus 28:29-30), and upheld the holiness of the temple (Numbers 18:5-7). Their role symbolized purity and separation, underscoring the need for atonement to restore fellowship with God (Leviticus 4:20). Ultimately, these functions pointed to the perfect reconciliation achieved in Christ (Hebrews 9:11-12).

Archetypal Priestly Figures and Institutions

Several Old Testament figures foreshadow the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ:

Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20): As king-priest of Salem, the mysterious figure Melchizedek is an archetype of Christ’s eternal priesthood, not bound by the Levitical order. Hebrews 7 connects his timeless priesthood to Christ’s.

Aaron and the Levitical Priesthood (Exodus 28-29): Aaron, the first high priest of Israel and brother of Moses, established the sacrificial system. While his priesthood played a crucial role in Israel’s worship, it was ultimately temporary and imperfect. The mortality of the priests themselves rendered the system inadequate, necessitating continual sacrifices to atone for the people’s sins (Hebrews 7:23-27).

The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16): The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was the annual event where the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the people. This annual event foreshadowed Christ’s final, perfect atonement as the true High Priest, offering Himself for the sins of the people (Hebrews 9:12).

Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest

Christ’s priesthood is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament sacrificial system. The Levitical priests offered sacrifices repeatedly because the blood of animals could not fully atone for human sin (Heb. 10:1-4). In contrast, Christ, the eternal High Priest, offers Himself as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice that brings ultimate atonement and reconciliation between God and humanity (Heb. 9:11-14).

The Perfect Sacrifice: Jesus did not offer an animal sacrifice, but His own sinless life. This death on the cross was the ultimate act of substitution, where He bore the sins of His people and satisfied God’s justice. Hebrews 9:12 says, “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Eternal Priesthood: Jesus, like Melchizedek, holds an eternal priesthood. His work is not confined to a single historical moment but continues forever as He intercedes for His people (Heb. 7:24-25). Jesus’ priesthood is not contingent on genealogy or the law but on the power of an indestructible life (Heb. 7:16).

Mediator of the New Covenant: As High Priest, Jesus mediates a better covenant than the old one. In the Old Covenant, the blood of animals could never fully cleanse from sin, but Christ’s sacrifice inaugurates the New Covenant, where sins are forgiven completely, and believers have direct access to God (Heb. 9:15).

Application

Assurance of Salvation and Forgiveness: One of the most significant implications of Christ’s priesthood is the assurance it provides. His perfect and sufficient sacrifice grants Christians the confidence that their sins are fully forgiven, unlike the Old Covenant, which relied on constant sacrifices that left the people feeling insecure. Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice guarantees eternal redemption (Heb. 10:14), bringing peace and security in our salvation. In times of doubt or guilt, we can trust in His finished work, knowing our sins have been atoned for. This assurance fosters confidence in prayer, worship, and daily life, relying on Christ’s intercession on our behalf (Rom. 8:34).

Direct Access to God: As the final High Priest, Christ eliminates the need for human mediators in our approach to God. In the Old Covenant, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year, but in the New Covenant, all believers have direct access to God through Him (Heb. 4:16). This transformation enhances our worship and prayer life, allowing us to enter God’s presence at any time. It emphasizes our personal relationship with Him, as we can pray directly to the Father, confident that Christ intercedes on our behalf. This profound truth informs our daily lives, reminding us that we are always in the presence of God.

A Call to the Royal Priesthood: As a result of Christ’s priestly work, we are called to be a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), set apart to mediate the Gospel through prayer, praise, and acts of service. Empowered by His priesthood, we live holy lives and point others to Jesus, the ultimate Mediator. This calling involves offering our bodies as “living sacrifices” (Rom. 12:1) and interceding for others by praying for the salvation of the lost and addressing the needs of the world through the Gospel.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding Christ as the Great High Priest transforms our faith and practice. Through His perfect and once-for-all sacrifice, we are assured of our salvation and have direct access to God, free from the need for human mediators. This profound truth not only strengthens our relationship with God but also calls us to embody our identity as a royal priesthood, actively engaging in the ministry of the Gospel through prayer, service, and love. As we reflect on Christ’s priestly work, may we be inspired to live out our calling, interceding for others and pointing them to the ultimate Mediator, Jesus Christ, who continues to fulfill His redemptive mission in and through us to the glory of God the Father.

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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.

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This article considers three foundational Christian Doctrines that hinge on Special Revelation. It approaches its subject with both humility and ambition.

It’s essential to recognize that Jesus is described as the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), fully embodying both divine and human natures. Similarly, Christians regard the Bible as the written Word of God, containing truths revealed through human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Trinity

The God who exists has revealed Himself to us, and His nature is different from our human expectations. Indeed, without His disclosure, it would be impossible for humanity to grasp the reality of God’s nature. The Doctrine of the Trinity cannot be deduced through logical deduction alone; though many notable attempts have been made, it requires the explicit teaching of Scripture to be understood.

The Doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is one being in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Understanding how one God can exist in three distinct persons without being three separate gods is a profound mystery and a significant challenge for many.

No analogy can fully encapsulate the profound mystery of the Trinity, and many analogies, such as likening it to water existing as ice, liquid, and steam, tend to oversimplify and can even lead towards heretical misunderstandings. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid relying on such analogies, recognizing their tendency to distort or trivialize the theological depth and uniqueness of the Trinity.

What is crucial to note is that the Trinity is assumed as the default reality in the New Testament. The Apostles were experiential Trinitarians—they heard the voice of the Father from heaven, walked with the Son, and witnessed the Spirit descending from heaven (Matthew 3:13-17). As the New Testament authors wrote, they weren’t attempting to explain the Trinity systematically; rather, it formed the warp and woof of their theological framework.

In the Second Letter to the Corinthians, for instance, as Paul concludes the epistle, he greets the church using a trinitarian formula: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Christ instructs us to baptize new believers “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). These passages, among others, vividly portray the unity of God and the distinct personhood and deity of the Father, Son, and Spirit (John 1:1-3, 14; John 10:30; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; Ephesians 4:4-6).

The Incarnation

Taking it one step further, the Bible not only asserts the Triune nature of God; before the dust settles, one is immediately confronted with the claim that one of the persons of the Godhead, namely the Son, took on flesh.

This claim is historically significant; if you had lived in the Middle East approximately 2000 years ago, there would have been a genuine possibility that you could have personally encountered God. It’s a startling assertion, yet the biblical authors boldly proclaim it, many of whom later died as martyrs for their faith in this truth.

The Apostle John, in his First Epistle, emphatically states,

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist…”

This is not merely an optional belief in Christianity; it carries profound significance. To deny that God took on flesh is to oppose God Himself. It is a dividing line.

The second Person of the Trinity, who was with the Father from all eternity, entered into His own creation. He was sent according to the eternal will of the Father to unite all things in Him, both in heaven and things on earth, and His name is Jesus (Ephesians 1:7-10). It was uniquely the Son, not the Father or the Holy Spirit, who took on flesh in the Incarnation.

The Incarnation did not diminish His deity in any way; rather, humanity was added to His divine nature (Philippians 2:7). These two natures are not blended or confused, yet both are always fully present within the one person of Jesus without exception. There is no division or separation between them. The complexity of this doctrine should not be taken lightly, nor does its complexity discredit its reliability. We must embrace all that the Bible teaches, holding onto its truths while also resting in the mysteries it presents (John 1:14, Galatians 4:4-5, Hebrews 2:14-18, 1 Timothy 3:16).

The Resurrection

Considering these doctrines as foundational blocks, the Resurrection stands atop the Incarnation, which itself rests upon the doctrine of the Trinity. These truths are interconnected: God the Son, Jesus Christ, who took on flesh, died on a Roman cross—a substitutionary death prophesied in Isaiah 53:5. Then, something extraordinary occurred—something that angels long to look into: three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. This act stands as the pinnacle of the Christian faith.

This historic event was not merely symbolic; it embodies all the hope Christians share. The Apostle Paul emphasized its critical importance, stating,

“…if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). He goes on to add, “…If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Jesus’ resurrection forms the basis of our future hope: He is the firstfruit, and at His coming, those who belong to Him will also be raised (1 Corinthians 15:23).

Following Jesus’ resurrection and preceding His ascension, numerous eyewitness accounts are documented. Matthew describes the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and their encounter with the risen Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10). Mark recounts similar events, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome finding the empty tomb and encountering an angel proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection (Mark 16:1-8). Luke provides a detailed account of Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and later appearing to the eleven disciples in Jerusalem, demonstrating His resurrected body and eating with them (Luke 24:13-49). John records Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb and encountering Jesus, followed by His appearances to the disciples, including Thomas (John 20-21). Additionally, Luke writes in Acts about Jesus’ appearances over forty days, teaching about the kingdom of God and instructing His disciples before ascending into heaven (Acts 1:1-11).

Jesus, in one of His “I AM” statements in John 11:25, declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Here, Jesus asserts Himself as the very source of resurrection life—not merely someone who performs resurrections, but the essence of resurrection itself. His statement underscores that He is the ultimate source of life and hope beyond death, exemplified powerfully in His raising of Lazarus (John 11:25-26). This hope is uniquely held by Christians: Jesus’ resurrection anticipates the future resurrection of all believers, who, through Him, will experience eternal life and rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Jesus’ declaration is exclusive: He affirms that salvation and eternal life are found solely in Him, as He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Do you believe this?

Conclusion

In closing, these three doctrines are foundational to every other Christian doctrine, like threads intricately woven into a tapestry. They not only touch upon but also uphold the integrity of the entire fabric of Christian theology.

There are other doctrines that are equally significant or closely related to those mentioned above. For instance, the Doctrine of the Atonement, Predestination and Free Will, the Problem of Evil, the Sacraments, and Eschatology, to name a few, each vary in prominence but deserve individual attention and study.

The fact that God has spoken in His Word should spur us on to desire to know more. This foray is merely to whet your appetite. Understanding these doctrines ensures adherence to orthodox Christian teaching, safeguarding against heresy and doctrinal error.

I pray that you deepen your worship of our Triune God, hold firmly to orthodox beliefs, and exhibit spiritual maturity. May you grow in personal evangelism, confidently sharing the gift of salvation and adeptly defending it against objections and misunderstandings. May you also find personal assurance and comfort in knowing the hope of the Resurrection, which brings true peace. Finally, may you diligently study your Bible, becoming deeply rooted in its text and committed to biblical fidelity.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Romans 16:25-27

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This article aims to equip Christians with a Biblical understanding of God’s Will and Providence. These two concepts are intricately intertwined yet denote distinct facets of God’s engagement with His creation. If you’ve ever asked, “What is God’s will for my life?” this article is for you.

Providence

The Providence of God refers to the means by which God governs and sustains His Creation. Historically, this has been subdivided into three categories: Preservation, Concurrence, and Government. Let’s consider each briefly:

Preservation: The natural world and all living beings are sustained and maintained through God’s preservation without exception. Scripture says that our Lord Jesus Christ upholds the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). This means that every aspect of creation, from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy, is continuously upheld by God’s sustaining power (Colossians 1:17, Acts 17:28).

Concurrence: All things in heaven and on earth unfold under the direct involvement of the Triune God toward His ultimate purpose. God is not distant; rather, He actively guides and directs according to His will (Psalm 33:10-11, Proverbs 16:9, Acts 2:23). This involvement, known as concurrence, indicates that God cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to achieve His purposes.

Government: All of time belongs to God in a very personal sense. He delicately orchestrates the events of history to bring about His divine plan (Daniel 4:35, 1 Timothy 6:15, Matthew 28:18). This governance means that God is sovereign over all events, ensuring that everything aligns with His ultimate plan and purpose.

God is Sovereign in a way that we are unable to comprehend fully. This means we can truly entrust ourselves to the God of the universe as our Good Father. I urge you to grow in dependence on Him in all facets of life. Pray ceaselessly, knowing that He can accomplish far more than we can think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). This is also a call for stewardship of what God has given you. Your marriage, career and health are not your own. In times of uncertainty or difficulty, understanding God’s Providence offers hope and assurance. We can trust that God is in control, even when circumstances seem overwhelming.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

The Will of God

Understanding the Will of God can be quite intricate. You may have encountered this concept in your Bible reading and pondered its meaning. What actions should we take in response? How can we ensure alignment with it? These and similar questions may arise in your contemplation. Christians have traditionally understood the Will of God in two ways: God’s will of Decree and God’s will of Command.

God’s will of Decree refers to God’s eternal plan and purpose, which He has determined from before the foundation of the world (Isaiah 46:9-10). It encompasses everything that happens, including both good and evil events, as ultimately being within God’s sovereign control (Isaiah 45:5-7; Amos 3:6; Romans 8:28). This aspect of God’s will is often considered “hidden” because humans cannot fully understand or predict it (Deuteronomy 29:29).

God’s will of Command refers to God’s commandments and instructions given to humanity, as revealed in the Scriptures. It encompasses moral laws and teachings that God expects humans to follow (Exodus 20:1-17). Unlike the will of Decree, humans can know and understand the preceptive will, which guides their behaviour and decision-making (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

God’s will is not a target you can somehow miss. You can, or rather, you have the ability to disobey God’s will of Command. But you cannot escape his will of Decree. So, the fact that you disobeyed God at one juncture in no way means you’re confined to a life that’s only God’s second-best. Yes, there are consequences for sin and foolishness—but even they only operate within God’s great, eternal, sovereign will and plan.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Psalm 119:105

So, what am I to do with all these choices?

God is sovereign over all things and He has clearly revealed His will in Scripture. So, how are we to live in light of this reality? As Charles Spurgeon famously said, “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible. Let the Word of God dwell in you richly.”  It’s crucial to immerse ourselves in Scripture—to read, sing, see, and pray it. By understanding what God has clearly revealed in His Word, we gain insight into His will even in matters that may seem less clear.

We understand the biblical directive to marry in the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:14) and the teachings regarding female eldership (1 Timothy 2:11-12). However, the Bible may not offer specific directives regarding career choices or purchasing a car. Yet, passages on stewardship and integrity in the workplace remind us to work diligently as unto the Lord. So, how should we navigate life’s decisions in light of these principles?

First, God’s will for your life is that you obey Him. The Lord Jesus said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (John 14:21). It’s a fundamental principle that God will never lead us to decisions that contradict His Word. This principle may seem straightforward, yet it’s surprising how often Christians find themselves in challenging situations, especially in areas like dating. Despite our best intentions, it’s easy to veer off course when our desires or emotions overshadow Biblical wisdom. This underscores the importance of aligning our choices with God’s commands, particularly in matters as significant as relationships, where the temptation to compromise can be strong. Remember to pursue wisdom. Listen to Job 28:28, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” Obey God in the places you can see clearly, and he will give you the wisdom to discern obedience in places that may be less clear. Conversely, if you refuse to obey commands clearly revealed in Scripture, perhaps you shouldn’t be so surprised that God’s will seems so fuzzy and unclear in other areas that you don’t have specific commands.

Secondly, it’s clear from 1 Thessalonians 4:3 that God’s will for us is holiness: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honour…” Now, is Paul illustrating God’s will of Decree or His will of Command here? The answer is both. God commands us to pursue sanctification, aligning with His will for us to obey. However, He also decrees that those in Christ will inevitably be sanctified. Consider Philippians 2:12-13: “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” (Will of Command), “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Will of Decree). If you’re truly a Christian, holiness will be evident in your life. While this transformation may not be completed in this life, progress will undoubtedly be made. If you see no evidence of holiness in your life, it’s appropriate to question your faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Ultimately, it is God’s will that our Lord Jesus Christ is exalted in all things. In Ephesians 1:5-10 we read:

“In love, he predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ according to his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

In this passage, we understand that God’s will is manifested foremost in our adoption as sons and daughters, culminating ultimately in His grand purpose of uniting all things in Christ, both in heaven and on earth. What, then, constitutes God’s will? It is the exaltation of Christ.

Conclusion

Consider this insightful passage from Chapter 8 of Kevin DeYoung’s book “Just Do Something,”¹ which encapsulates the core ideas discussed so far,

Simply put, God’s will is your growth in Christlikeness. God promises to work all things together for our good so that we might be conformed to the image of his Son. And the degree to which this sounds like a lame promise is the degree to which we prefer the stones and scorpions of this world to the true bread from heaven. God never assures us of health, success, or ease. But He promises us something even better: To make us loving, pure and humble like Christ. In short, God’s will is that you and I get happy and holy in Jesus…The only chains God wants us to wear are the chains of righteousness—not the chains of hopeless subjectivism, not the shackles of risk-free living, not the fetters of horoscope decision making—just the chains befitting a bond servant of Christ Jesus. Die to self. Live for Christ. And then do what you want and go where you want, for God’s glory.

Notes

1. Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will

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