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Day 1: Genesis 1 & Hebrews 11:1-3

Posted on by chgruver

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Genesis 1:26 LSB “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea…”

I originally was going to do the daily reading in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), but one of the benefits of using an app like YouVersion is that you have access to multiple different translations; so I ended up doing the initial reading looking at the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB), which is a newer translation based off of the 1995 New American Standard, and for the first time I saw Genesis 1:26 in a new light where God giving man dominion, or having man rule over, creation was tied to the fact that we are created in God’s image. The other translations I looked at (NKJV, ESV, CSB, NASB 1995, & NASB 2020; all translations I will reference beyond the LSB in my daily readings) didn’t explicitly tie together these two concepts like they were in the LSB.

We often ask, “What is God’s will for my life? What is it that God wants me to do?” However, how often do we also take the time to reflect on what it means to be made in God’s image and how that relates to what we are tasked to do? I mean, for myself, usually when I reflect on being made in God’s image it is more in the theoretical and hypothetical abstract concept for how I should view and treat others and not in any way regarding to my vocation. So, it was interesting to see how God not only told to rule over the earth, but was made in God’s image so that he can rule over the earth. Where because we are made in God’s image we are to serve as His representative/ambassador/steward to His creation.

Let me leave you with this thought to ponder as we go through this next year, “Do my actions, thoughts, and speech present God in a favorable light? Do they present a God that when creating the world, called everything “precious;” or do they reflect poorly on who God is?”

December 31, 2022 – Forward to a New Year

Posted on by chgruver

I thought I would take the time to make this post describing what I hope to do through 2023 and possibly beyond, Lord willing. Starting tomorrow I am working on a Bible reading plan on YouVersion that will take me through the Bible in about 2 years. I know there are 1-year plans out there, but I often find I spend more time trying to get through the reading that I don’t try to absorb and learn from what I am reading. At least starting out I will try to use the Christian Standard Bible (CSB); my choice was between that, the New King James, English Standard Version, and New American Standard Bible (1995 a& 2020 versions). With having a NKJV, ESV, and NASB (1995) study bible close at hand I may still reference them while doing my daily reading.

So, what I will be doing is in the morning as part of my daily routine I will work on that day’s Bible reading, taking notes about what stands out to me and what I feel God revealing to me through His word. I will use these notes to create a daily blog post for the Becoming God’s Man website and try to do a short 1-minute video to go along with it for our social media accounts, if not check out at least our Facebook page and YouTube channel for the videos.

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Semper Paratus – Be Faithful

Posted on by chgruver

This week we have been looking at Colossians 2:4-15 and the concept of being prepared in regards to growing and maturing in our faith. We first saw how we need to be prepared in order to stand in our faith when we encounter false teachings so as not to be blindsided by them. Then last time we saw how we need to keep a vigilant watch over teachings so that we are not led astray by them. Today we will finish off by looking at how we need to keep focused on our faith; as Paul said in Ephesians, for it is by grace and through faith that we are saved. In Colossians 2:11-15 we see, “You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah. Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.”

No Works

The teaching Paul refutes here is that of Jewish legalism as well as those that taught the adherence to a set of strict rules as a means to become more spiritual. What Paul states here it is not the works that save us or even make us more spiritual; rather it is Christ Himself and our faith in Him. One of the main Jewish Laws that false teachers were claiming needed to be followed was that of circumcision; this was a sign of God’s covenant with the Jewish people, it was to be a physical representation of a spiritual action. Even today we have people that look at the physical representations as being the means that save them; actions such as baptism, Communion, or even saying the sinner’s prayer. The thing is if Christ is not in your heart those actions mean nothing.

Alive In Christ

Paul then next uses the illustration of baptism to show how we are now alive in Christ. Verse 12 is often one I have heard used when performing a baptism. You see as mentioned in verse 13 when we are still in our sin, we are spiritually dead; but through Christ’s work on the cross God has made us alive in Him. This was all done through faith, just as mentioned in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.” Being dead spiritually there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, that is why our salvation is not by works, only God can bring us to life.

Canceled Debt

It was not only that we have been made alive in Christ, but through His work on the cross our debt to sin and the law has been canceled. While gentiles did not have the Ten Commandments, all of humanity has had God’s holy standards written on their hearts. This is a standard which we are unable to live up to and carries a penalty we are unable to pay. Jesus through his death on the cross paid that penalty, erased the debt incurred by all of humanity in regards to God’s holy standard.

Victory

The final aspect of our faith that Paul presents here is the victory we have obtained through Jesus. You see Jesus didn’t just deal with sin and the Law with His death on the cross, but He also dealt a crushing blow to Satan. All of this comes to us through our faith in Christ, nothing else. Just as Paul told the Colossian church that nothing else needed to be added to the Gospel, we need to remember all we need to be prepared in our Christian walk is the Gospel and our faith and trust in Christ.

Semper Paratus – Be Vigilant

Posted on by chgruver
So his week we are looking at this concept of being prepared as Paul instructed the Colossian church. Last time we saw the reason and way we are to be prepared, so that we can continue to grow spiritually and not be led away by false teachings. Today we will look at how in being prepared we also need to be vigilant. Colossians 2:8-10 reads, “Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ. For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Vigilance

Paul starts out this section with a warning, he tells the Christian to “Be careful that no one takes you captive.” There is a reason Paul uses military terms, that is because we are in the midst of a spiritual war. Paul tells us we need to be vigilant, we need to be aware and watchful of any attacks of the enemy; why so that we are not taken captive. You see Satan is looking for ways to capture believers, often by leading them astray due to them not being vigilant to his tactics. It is said that cults do not reach for the lost, rather they go for the immature Christian and lure them in, because they lack the vigilance to notice they are being taken “captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.”

So how are we to be vigilant? We need to be grounded in the Word of God, for that is the source of truth and where our faith is established. As we root ourselves in the Word of God we find ourselves able to discern when we encounter teachings that are not Christ centered and thus teachings that should be avoided.

Proper Teaching

Paul then presents the reasons why the teachings of the Gnostics and other false teachers is not beneficial to the believer. “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Paul is essentially telling the Colossian church that Christ, being God with us, had the nature and attributes of God. This was contrary to what the Gnostics taught. But it didn’t stop there, through faith we share in that fullness; by this we grow not by adding to Christ but by Christ fills us with the Holy Spirit. So in being vigilant we need to constantly ask of teachings, where does it place Christ, does it keep Christ at the center or does it say we need something other or in addition to Christ? If it takes away from who Christ is and what He did then flee from it.

Semper Paratus – Be Prepared

Posted on by chgruver

Semper Paratus the motto of the US Coast Guard means to always be ready, this concept is also one that Paul impresses on the Colossian church regarding to stay true to the faith. The first thing that Paul lets the Colossian church know is that they cannot just be stagnant, they can’t just sit around and wait for issues to come up and only react then. This is just like the Coast Guard, they do not sit around and wait for a call to action regarding a rescue at sea, but they are constantly working and keeping their skills honed so they can be the most effective when the need arises. In Colossians 2:4-7 we read, “I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments. For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.”

Why Should We Be Prepared

The first thing that Paul mentions is our need for being prepared. “I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments.” This is why as Christians we need to be prepared, we need to be constantly in the word and prayer, Satan will use extremely appealing words and arguments to draw us away from our faith and make us less effective as Christians. So you see it is not a question of if, but when we will face arguments and logic used in a way to lure us away, that is why as Christians we need to be prepared.

How Should We Be Prepared

Once Paul instructs on the need for being prepared regarding our faith he illustrates how it looks to be prepared. The first example Paul uses is that of the military. When Paul in verse 5 talks about order and strength, he is using military terms in relation to the actions of soldiers on the battle field in that they know where to be positioned and to be ready to face the enemy, as Christians we need to be prepared with similar discipline and obedience.

The next three illustrations regard the role of faith in our lives. The first is that of a journey in which we are to walk by faith. Despite what the Gnostic teachers claimed the Christianity starts with Christ and by faith and must continue with Christ and by faith. Then there is the tree, where we as believers not only need to walk in faith but be rooted in faith. Just like a tree that has good and healthy roots will thrive so will our Christian life as long as we are rooted in our faith in Christ. Finally there is the building, when we have a solid foundation through our faith in Christ we can then grow spiritually.

The final two illustrations Paul uses are that of the school and a river. With the school we need to remain faithful to what we have been taught. As Christians we need to hold fast to the truth of the Word of God, it is through the Bible that we learn of and come to faith in Christ. Unfortunately just as the Gnostics did in Paul’s day there are those that deny the truth of God’s Word. Then with the river as we grow in our faith we find ourselves with a great desire to praise God, even to the point where it bubbles out of us much like a river overflowing its banks.

As Christians we are constantly in the midst of a spiritual battle, and we have been given the tools and the training needed to get through. The only problem is that many of us neglect to use what we have been given and wait for the bullets to start flying pas our head before we react. Rather Paul explains we need to be prepared, we are better off if we are ready for the attack rather than to be surprised by it blindsiding us.

Who Is Paul? – Spiritual Warrior

Posted on by chgruver

So this week we are wrapping up with chapter 1 of Colossians with Paul introducing himself to the Colossian church as well as his ministry. We have seen how he is and evangelist, a prisoner for the sake of the Gentiles, and now we will see that he strives for the believers. Colossians 1:28-29, “We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me.”

Instruction

The first thing Paul mentions here is that he proclaims or preaches Christ. The false teachers preached a system of teaching, a list of rules and regulations, or philosophy and empty traditions of men; Paul pointed to Christ. It was not only preaching though, Paul also warned. He warned the believers of the lies of the enemy and taught then the truth. You see it does not help to just warn of the danger one also needs to teach the way to avoid that danger, this is precisely what Paul does in each of his correspondences. He recognizes that the church needs to be warned of false teachings, but he does not just leave it at that he then goes on to tell them why the teachings are wrong while presenting them with the truth.

Intent

At the end of verse 28 we see what Paul’s intent is, “so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Some translations use perfect. In other words Paul desires every believer to grow spiritually, to become mature and complete. That is because growth is the result of a healthy body, if the body is not healthy, if it is malnourished, or if it has died, it no longer grows. Paul in his preaching, warning, and teaching desires for believers to be spiritually healthy. That was the goal of his ministry; in fact his desire and passion is so strong that he labors and strives for it. You see Paul feels so strongly for his ministry that he wrestles and works to the point of exhaustion so that he may present believers that are mature in Christ. Each of us as believers in Christ have a calling, yet can we confidently say that we labor and strive just to fulfill our calling?

Intercession

While Paul ends chapter 1 with the intent and goal of his ministry he starts out chapter 2 with his primary tool to accomplish this task. He does this by praying for them. Paul prays that they be encouraged and that they come together in love. He wants them to experience the richness that they find in Christ and come to knowledge of who God is. You see it is not enough that Paul preaches, teaches, and warns but he understands that he needs to pray that God will work on them as it is ultimately God and the Holy Spirit that will change a person and help them to grow spiritually.

Who Is Paul? – Prisoner For The Gospel

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So this week we are looking at how Paul introduces himself to the Colossian church by illustrating his three key ministries. Last time we saw him present his ministry of evangelism while also presenting the Gospel to the Colossian church. This time we will see Paul’s role as a prisoner for the Gospel. As we continue with Colossians 1:24-27, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church. I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Remember Paul right now is defending himself against the ridicule of the false teachers in Colossae, where one weapon they probably used was Paul being a prisoner of Rome. Paul uses his words to turn that weapon around.

Rejoicing

The first thing Paul mentions is that he rejoices in his sufferings, that seems like a contradiction, how can someone rejoice in suffering; yet Paul did. The reason he could state that he rejoices in his sufferings is because of why he was suffering. He was in prison because of the Gospel, it was because of his belief in Christ that he was suffering. It didn’t just end with his belief in Christ but his suffering also came because of his ministry to the Gentiles. It was in Jerusalem where Paul was arrested, and it was because of his calling to share the Gospel to the Gentiles that caused the Jews to call for his execution. Finally Paul rejoiced in his sufferings because it was for the sake of the church. You see in being a prisoner in Rome Paul had opportunities to minister and share the Gospel that he might not have had otherwise, all because of his suffering.

Responsibility

It is in the final aspect of Paul’s rejoicing in his suffering that Paul then expands his responsibility. In his ministry he has become a servant to the church. When dealing with the Jews Paul could have made a compromise and stopped ministering to the Gentiles. This would have prevented a good deal of suffering that Paul endured, yet because he was called by God to minister to the Gentiles he could not abandon this calling. This calling was to make God’s message fully known. Part of this message is what Paul refers to as “the mystery hidden for ages and generations,” This was that salvation is for both the Jew and the Gentile, in the Old Testament Israel was God’s chosen people and a Gentile had to become a Jew to share in the blessings of Israel. Now, however, Jews and Gentiles are both saved by faith in Christ; in other words there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. One saying I like that has multiple meanings is that “the ground is level at the foot of the cross.” It means everyone has the same chance and offer of salvation, we are all offered the same grace, it does not matter who we are, how we look, or even our ancestry; we are all the same.

Who Is Paul? – Evangelist

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In looking at Colossians we have seen how Paul presents the centrality of Christ. The only issue is that here Paul is writing to a group of believers that all they know is that he led their pastor to faith and that he is now a Roman prisoner. The false teachers in Colossae tried to use this one fact to discredit Paul and lead the Colossian believers astray. So what Paul does next is to take a break from building up who Christ is and to explain his situation, who he is, and what his ministry is. The first aspect of who he is that he mentions is his ministry to share the Gospel; he is an evangelist. We see this in Colossians 1:21-23, “Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him—if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.” Again while Paul did not personally evangelize to those in Colossae, he points out that a large part of his ministry is through the spreading of the Gospel, as he states “I, Paul, have become a servant of it.” In explaining evangelism as being a major part of his ministry, he essentially shares the Gospel with the Colossian church right there by explaining their spiritual state past, present, and future.

Past

Paul starts out by pointing out a person’s spiritual state before they come to faith in Christ. He states that we were alienated and hostile, our actions were evil. You see before we come to faith in Christ we all have an issue with pride. We view ourselves as being the most important and all our actions tend to revolve around what will best suit us. If others benefit from our actions it is because we were to also benefit from it. Essentially before Christ we are trying to be our own god, the unbeliever will do whatever they can to make themselves look good, or to better their situations. This is even seen in works based religions; no matter who they claim to worship they are basically worshiping themselves, because according to their religion they are the ones to bring about their own entrance into their concept of heaven. What I am getting at here is that you can’t live in such a way that views yourself as god and not be on hostile terms with God. This is why humility is a major part in a believer’s life, they recognize who God is and repent of the previous behavior and thoughts.

Present

The past spiritual state leads right into the present spiritual state of the believer, that being we are reconciled to God. The thing is it is not anything that the believer does that reconciles them with God, but it was God who took the initiative. This was done through the work of Christ on the cross, this was all done while we were still considered to be enemies with God. To refute the false teachers that denied Christ having a human body, Paul stresses that reconciliation came by “His physical body through His death.” Paul then mentions the purpose of the reconciliation is to make the believer holy, faultless, and blameless before God. You see it is not how we look to ourselves or others, but it is all about how God sees us, which once we accept His grace and salvation we have a perfect standing in Christ.

Future

Finally Paul points out the believer’s future spiritual condition, in that of our glorification. Paul refers to this as the “hope of the gospel.” Before Christ the Colossians were without hope, but once they came to faith in Christ they were given the promise of eternity in the presence of God. The imagery Paul uses here was to illustrate that if one’s faith is built on the solid foundation of Christ, then nothing will cause you to move away from that faith. We are not saved by continuing in our faith, but we continue in our faith because we are saved.

It Revolves Around Christ – Beloved

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To wrap up this week we have seen how Christ is the creator as well as head of the church in regards to His centrality. Today we will look at how Christ is beloved by God. In Colossians 1:19-20 we see, “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross— whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Define the Terms

When Paul wrote to the Colossian church the word he used for “all fullness” was one that the gnostic false teachers were familiar with. It was a technical term which meant “the sum total of all the divine power and attributes.” Then by dwell Paul was not just simply meaning to reside such as I dwell in a fifth wheel camper at a campground, but more along the lines of to be at home permanently. Essientially Paul was stating that Christ had the power and attributes of God and that they were an essential part of his being. This was powerful as the gnostics believed that matter was evil and thus God could not interact with it, but Paul is stating just the opposite. It is not just that Christ had the power and attributes of God but that God the Father was pleased for Christ to have the fullness of God within Him.

What He Did

The next thing Paul points out is that God was pleased with Christ through Christ’s actions, “and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross— whether things on earth or things in heaven.” God was not only pleased for Christ to posses His nature and power, but also because of Christ fulfilling His purpose. Christ came to pay the ultimate price for humanity’s sin. The only sinless person dying on the cross as punishment for the sins of the world. When sin entered the world it caused separation, separation from God, separation from man, and it basically tears everything apart. What Christ did was to remove that separation; He restored the relationship between man and God, this is what Paul means by “making peace through the blood of the cross.” You see as we become new creations through our faith in Christ these divisions that were caused by sin start to get repaired. We find it easier to love our neighbor and to pray for our enemies. We find ourselves to be more forgiving at times; although these changes never come easy or all at once. It is as we truly become followers of Christ that we start to first hand experience this making of peace and reconciliation that only Christ can offer.

It Revolves Around Christ – Head

Posted on by chgruver

This week we have been focusing on the centrality of Christ as Paul presented to the Colossian church in Colossians 1:15-20. Last time we looked at Christ as the creator, today we will look at how Paul presents Christ as the Head of the church. In Colossians 1:18 we see, “He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.” This concept of Christ being the head of the church is one Paul uses in a number of places. It is one that shows Christ’s leadership over the body of believers, but is also shows the believers’ submission and trust in Him.

When one looks at the concept of the head and the body the best way to look at it is how our own body works. When we think of doing something our heads tell the rest of our body what needs to be done and it follows. You want to walk over to your friend’s house, your head tells your body to get up off the couch and then to start taking steps to head out the door and over to your friend’s house. For the most part your head will not willingly tell your body to do something that is harmful, though there are times when you do something that may cause you pain but it is for good, like exercise. In acknowledging Christ as the head of the church, we listen to His will and follow it. We have trust that His will is not going to harm the church but help it to grow.

Another thing that Paul mentions here is that Christ was the firstborn from the dead. This also is a way of looking at Christ as the head of the church because the head also is not just leader but source or origin. The church came out of Christ, He is the one the founded the church. Firstborn again like we saw last time indicates a priority over, Christ was not the first person that was raised from the dead, but He was the most important. That is because when Christ rose from the dead it was demonstrating His power over sin and death; others may have been raised from the dead, but they later on faced death again. Jesus faced death once and overcame it, He is still alive sitting at God’s right hand interceding on the behalf of all believers.

This verse finishes off by stating the purpose of this section that is the everything is centered around Christ. He has first place in everything, other translations state Christ’s supremacy or preeminence over everything. The false teaching that the Colossian church faced, and we even hear some shout today is that Christ is one out of many ways; what Paul is stating and what Christ stated Himself is that He is the only way.