Words for the Wise, Romans 6 , The Believers Dead to Sin, Alive to Salvation

Romans 6

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Dead to sin, alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin – 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Slaves to righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes:

Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless

Romans 6:23 Or through

2324 Jesus Christ, as Saviour

God’s work of salvation is accomplished supremely through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through faith, the believer is able to share in all the saving benefits won by Jesus Christ through his obedience to God.

Jesus Christ is the Saviour

Jesus Christ is called Saviour Tit 1:4 See also Lk 2:11; Tit 3:6; 2Pe 1:1; 2Pe 3:2,18

Jesus Christ is the promised Saviour Ac 13:23 See also Lk 1:69-75; Lk 2:28-30

Jesus Christ’s purpose is to save Lk 19:10 See also Mt 1:21; 1Ti 1:15

Jesus Christ’s qualities as Saviour

Jesus Christ is the unique Saviour Ac 4:12 See also Jn 6:68-69; Jn 10:9; Jn 14:6; Ac 10:42-43

Jesus Christ is the complete Saviour Heb 7:25 See also Jn 19:30; Php 3:21; Col 1:19-20; Heb 5:9; Heb 9:26-28; 1Jn 1:9; Jude 24

Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world Jn 4:42 See also Lk 2:30-32; 1Ti 2:5-6; 1Ti 4:10; 1Jn 4:14

Jesus Christ saves through his grace

Ac 15:11 See also Ro 3:24; Eph 5:23-27; Tit 3:4-5

Jesus Christ saves by his mighty acts

Jesus Christ saves by his death 1Pe 1:18-19 See also Mt 20:28 pp Mk 10:45; Lk 24:45-47; Jn 1:29,36; Jn 10:15,17-18; 1Co 1:18; Rev 7:10

Jesus Christ saves by his resurrection life 1Pe 3:21 See also Ro 5:10; 2Ti 1:10

Jesus Christ saves by his coming again Php 3:20 See also Tit 2:13; Heb 9:28; 1Pe 1:5

Jesus Christ saves by defeating Satan 1Jn 3:8 See also Jn 13:31; Jn 16:11; Heb 2:14; Rev 2:10-11

Jesus Christ saves from all forms of evil

Jesus Christ saves from physical danger Mt 8:25-26 pp Mk 4:38-39 pp Lk 8:24-25; Ac 26:17; 2Co 1:10; 2Ti 4:18

Jesus Christ saves from the power of sin 1Jn 1:7 See also Ac 5:31; Ro 3:25-26; Ro 5:18-19; Ro 6:6-7; Gal 1:4; Rev 1:5-6

Jesus Christ saves from the condemnation of law Gal 3:13 See also Ac 13:38-39; Ro 8:1-4; Gal 4:4-5; Eph 2:15

Jesus Christ saves from God’s wrath 1Th 1:10 See also Ro 5:9; 1Th 5:9; Rev 11:17-18

Jesus Christ saves from the power of death 2Ti 1:10 See also 1Co 15:55-57; Heb 2:15; Rev 20:6; Rev 21:4

Jesus Christ saves from Satan’s power Ac 26:18 See also Lk 10:18-19; Lk 13:16; Col 1:13; 1Jn 3:8

Jesus Christ saves to bring people to God

Jesus Christ saves for eternal life Jn 6:40 See also Jn 3:14-16,36; Jn 5:24-25; Ro 6:23

Jesus Christ saves so that people may live for God 1Jn 4:9 See also Ro 6:8-11; Ro 7:21-25; Gal 2:20; 2Ti 1:9; Heb 9:14-15; 1Pe 2:24; 1Jn 3:5-6; 1Jn 5:18

Jesus Christ’s salvation is received through faith

Ac 16:30-31 See also Ac 2:21; Ro 10:13; Joel 2:32; Ro 1:16; Ro 10:9; 2Th 2:13; 2Ti 3:15

6028 sin, God’s deliverance from

The gospel reveals the purpose and power of God to deal with sin and all of its effects. Scripture uses a range of images to express the comprehensiveness of salvation.

God’s removal of sin

Atonement for sin Isa 6:7 See also Ex 32:30; Lev 4:27-31; Pr 16:6; Ro 3:25; Heb 2:17

Forgiveness of sin Mic 7:18; Ac 13:38 See also 1Ki 8:35-36; 2Ch 30:18-20; Ps 103:2-3; Isa 33:24; Isa 55:7; Joel 3:21; Mt 26:27-28; Lk 24:46-47; Eph 1:7; 1Jn 1:9

Cancellation of a debt Mt 6:12 See also Mt 18:21-35; Lk 7:41-50

A covering over of sin 1Pe 4:8 There is a close relation between “covering over sin” and “atoning for sin”. See also Ps 32:1; Ps 85:2; Jas 5:20

The taking away of sin Ps 103:12 See also 2Sa 12:13; Isa 6:6-7; Zec 3:4; Jn 1:29; Heb 9:28; 1Jn 3:5

Remembering sin no more Isa 43:25 See also Ps 25:7; Jer 31:33-34; 2Co 5:19

God’s deliverance for the sinner

The salvation of the sinner 1Ti 1:15 See also Ps 28:8-9; Mt 1:21; Lk 19:9-10; Jn 3:17; Heb 7:25

The image of healing Lk 5:31-32 pp Mt 9:12 pp Mk 2:17 See also 2Ch 7:14; Isa 53:5; Isa 57:18-19; Hos 14:4; 1Pe 2:24

The image of cleansing Ps 51:2 See also Lev 16:30; Eze 36:25; Jn 13:1-11; Ac 22:16; Heb 10:22; 1Jn 1:9

Redemption by God Ps 130:8 See also Isa 44:22; Tit 2:14; 1Pe 1:18-19

Justification before God Gal 2:16 See also Isa 53:11; Ro 3:24-26; Ro 4:5,25; Ro 5:16-19; Ro 8:33

Freedom from condemnation Ro 8:1 See also Jn 3:18; Jn 8:3-11; Ro 8:34

Peace with God Ro 5:1 See also Isa 53:5; Lk 2:14; Eph 2:17

Reconciliation with God 2Co 5:18 See also Ro 5:9-11; Col 1:19-20

Sanctification to God Heb 10:10 See also 1Co 6:11; Eph 5:25-26; Col 1:22

Freedom from sin and the sinful nature Ro 7:24; 1Pe 2:24 See also Ro 6:1-18; Ro 8:1-9; Gal 5:24

A transition from death to life Col 2:13 See also Lk 15:22-24; Eph 2:4-5

Receiving eternal life Ro 6:23 See also Jn 3:16,36; Jn 5:24

The Bible Panorama

Romans 6

V 1–4: CONTINUE SINNING? Paul picks on the objections of some by asking if we are already justified, shall we sin more to show how great that justification is? He exclaims dogmatically, ‘Certainly not!’ Spiritually we were buried into Christ in His death. His resurrection life has become ours. If we are truly born again, we will want to walk in newness of life. Baptism echoes that meaning.

# V 5–7: CRUCIFIED SELF Just as we share in Christ’s resurrection, we share in His crucifixion. Our position, as those risen with Christ, is therefore that our ‘old man’ (our unsaved self) is crucified with Christ. I cannot claim the one without the other.

 V 8–14: CALCULATED SEQUENCE We are to reckon ourselves to be ‘dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord’. That reckoning is based upon the knowledge that we are both crucified with Christ and also risen with Him in our status before God. God never asks us to make false calculations! This reckoning results in the sequence of logic and holiness that if we are dead to sin and alive to Christ we must not let sin reign in our bodies, but we must present our bodies as alive from the dead to be instruments of righteousness to God. We are no longer under the dominion of sin and death caused by the law, but we are under God’s grace.

V 15–19: CONSECRATED SLAVES We are not now the slaves of the broken law, fearing judgement and death, but we present ourselves as slaves of ‘righteousness for holiness’ having been set free from one tyrannical master, and become the willing slaves of another Master who is gracious.

 V 20–23: CHRIST’S SALVATION Previously, we faced death and produced fruit of which we were ashamed. Now we have God’s gift of ‘eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ and, as joyfully consecrated slaves, seek to produce holy fruit for our loving Master who has saved us.

The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.

Yours by His Grace

Blair Humphreys

Southport

8^th January 2014 

'Haunting film that made me see Dad was a hero - not just a cruel drunk I despised': How seeing The Railway Man healed a lifelong rift between father and daughter, Daily Mail

By BRYHER SCUDAMORE

PUBLISHED: 23:53, 7 January 2014 | UPDATED: 00:07, 8 January 2014

 
 
 

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My father was an angry, troubled man who was deaf in one ear — the result, my mother confided to me one day, of a vicious beating by a Japanese soldier. 

Daddy, who was called Douglas Mitchell, was also an alcoholic who lived entirely for the moment. Not once did he concern himself with the future. Indeed, our household finances were irrelevant to him. 

My mother, Peggy, who died in 1999, had to manage all the bills so we weren’t thrown out of our home in South London, or plunged into cold and darkness when the electricity was cut off. 

Bryher Scudamore, pictured with her father Douglas Mitchell. She said a new film, The Railway Man, which is released nationwide this Friday, made her realise her father was a hero, not a cruel drunk

Many memories of my father still sting me to this day. The sheer mortification I felt when I was a child and he would turn up drunk at school open days. 

The time I discovered he’d sold my precious Christening gifts — a sapphire brooch and a beautiful antique silver spoon — to buy himself alcohol. 

My mother had always promised that these gifts would be released from their hiding place and given to me on my 21st birthday. 

On the morning of my birthday, I discovered what my father had done. 

My poor mother had to break the news that they were gone: that Daddy had sold them because he needed the money ‘for drink’.

He died in 1991 from a massive stroke. He was 75. And although I arranged his funeral, I shed no tears. After so many years of neglect, I simply had no feelings left. 

What I didn’t realise then was that my flawed father’s life was utterly defined by his experiences as a ‘railway man’ in World War  II. He was one of the many British prisoners of war put to work by their Japanese captors to build a railway — it became known as the Death Railway — from Burma to Thailand.

Some 13,000 Allied troops and 100,000 native labourers died building it, and prisoners of war were routinely starved and beaten in the most horrific manner.

But it’s only recently that I came to realise that what happened to my father had marked him — and me — for life, in the darkest and most indelible of ways. 

This revelation was down to a most remarkable film, The Railway Man, which is released nationwide this Friday. 

Douglas as a young man. He scarred by his experiences as a 'railway man' in World War¿¿II

Colin Firth plays Eric Lomax, a British Army officer sent to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in 1942, who wrote an award-winning book about his experiences, on which the film is based. 

It is a compelling story of brutality, courage and reconciliation. The prisoners’ daily work to construct the railway involved lugging huge stones, and carving through solid rock by hand — a form of torture in itself. 

During his time in the camp, Lomax is brutalised by the Japanese, suffering ferocious beatings before being almost water-boarded to death. 

Years later, and still suffering the trauma of his wartime experiences, Lomax, with the help of his wife Patti — played by Nicole Kidman — and best friend Finlay, decides to find and confront one of his captors. 

He returns to the scene of his torture and manages to track down his tormentor, intending to kill him. I won’t give away the ending — but it certainly moved me to tears when I watched a preview of The Railway Man recently. 

I entered the cinema with some considerable fear and trepidation, but also with hope that it might reveal to me something of what my father went through. I thought it might even allow me a greater understanding of the complex man he was.

For until I saw it, I simply had no idea that this was the reality of my father’s life. Daddy never talked  about his experiences. Although I knew he’d been a PoW, he simply never revealed the sheer brutality of what he had endured. 

The only time he came even close to unburdening his soul was when we watched Bridge Over The River Kwai on television one Christmas when I was a child. 

As the film showed scenes depicting the building of the very railway he had shed blood and sweat over, my father flew into a rage. He turned the TV off, shouting: ‘It wasn’t like that! You have no idea.’ 

While I may have discovered he was a ‘railway man’ — whatever that was — I was young, scared, and unwilling to explore his terrifying rages with him. I never asked him what being a railway man actually was like. It’s something I regret so much now.

But as I grew up, it was impossible to have a sensible conversation  with Daddy because of his alcoholism. 

 

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He preferred the male camaraderie he found inside a pub to conversations at home. 

And my mother rarely discussed his ordeal. Indeed, despite my closeness to her, I have no idea exactly how much she knew of his past. 

For most of my life I both feared and despised Daddy. Even now, I  live with the scars of his volatile,  angry behaviour. 

He insisted, for example, that I always cleared my plate, no matter what was on it or how much I insisted I’d had enough to eat — a legacy, no doubt, of his own starvation in the PoW camp.

If there was a disgusting piece of gristle left on my plate, he’d say: ‘I’d have been so grateful for that. 

If you don’t eat it now, you will eat it tomorrow. It will stay on your plate every day until you eat it.’

The fear his presence alone caused was palpable. Unease would ripple through the whole house the moment his key went into the lock. 

My mother and I would sit in the front room at night listening for his return, never knowing if it was Daddy the ebullient drunk, or Daddy the angry drunk who would walk through the door. 

What made his rage and self-pity all the more frustrating was that life had dealt him a good hand. He could have given me so much. 

Jeremy Irvine and Colin Firth play Eric Lomax, a British Army officer sent to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in 1942, who wrote an award-winning book about his experiences, on which the film is based

More than that, he could have been so much.

He had been brought up as an impeccably mannered, rather well-to-do young man. 

His mother, Rosa, was terribly elegant; his father owned a fine china and glass import company. 

The family lived in a pleasant home in Wallington, Surrey, and my father attended a good public school, Dulwich College, before studying at the prestigious Wye Agricultural College.

For all his myopic self-pity in later years, he was a man who had tasted some of the world’s most exotic sights and experiences. 

He had become a tea planter in the Assam hills of India when war broke out.

 'Daddy never talked  about his experiences. Although I knew he’d been a PoW, he simply never revealed the sheer brutality of what he had endured.'

In 1941, after Japan’s entry into the war, my father immediately enlisted while still in India. I have no idea which part of the Army he served in — his drunken rages and unpredictable silences saw to that — but he did tell me that he was captured almost straightaway. 

He then spent four years as a prisoner of war in South-East Asia.

The very fact he survived his toil on the infamous Death Railway was a miracle; nothing in his comfortable upbringing could have prepared him for the horrors that awaited him. 

As I watched the unbelievable brutality of the Japanese soldiers on the big screen, and the constant terror of the PoWs, I wept. 

Here was what my silent, angry father had endured.

History books tell us that for my father and his imprisoned comrades, starvation was the norm. 

Healthy soldiers rapidly became like skeletons. 

Some even resorted to eating maggots to survive. 

Casual cruelty and humiliation was a daily occurrence. 

The Japanese would shove ailing soldiers into latrines for fun.

Executions by sword were commonplace, and many were bayoneted to death.

Some soldiers were beheaded on a whim. 

Men like my father buried their friends in makeshift graves. 

My father’s silence about his ordeal was reflected in the film, too. 

The PoWs in the film are similarly taciturn about their experiences — a fact picked up on by Lomax’s  friend, Finlay, who says that the PoWs don’t talk about what happened because no one would believe the horrors they endured.

During his time in the camp, Lomax is brutalised by the Japanese, suffering ferocious beatings before being almost water-boarded to death. Years later, with the help of his wife Patti - played by Nicole Kidman - and best friend Finlay, decides to find and confront one of his captors

It’s a wonder, considering how silent he was, that my father ever managed to woo my mother. 

They met shortly after he was repatriated to the UK in 1946. They married and went to live in Fowey, Cornwall, where my father became an antiques dealer. I was born five years after the war ended, in 1950. 

Watching The Railway Man, I felt only too sharply how my own childhood and relationship with my father had been profoundly affected by his despair. 

So many painful memories of my own childhood were excavated in that darkened cinema, as Colin Firth acted out the story of my father’s post-war existence: his unexplained rages, for example, and his inability to show any affection. 

After dabbling unsuccessfully in antiques, my father became a motoring journalist. 

In the Sixties, when Japan started to infiltrate the car market in Britain, he found it impossible to attend launches and press conferences if any Japanese people were present. Quite simply, he just couldn’t bear to be in the same room as them. 

 '... 20 years after his death, I finally feel I have some understanding of why Daddy was as he was. He had seen the worst of humanity, living for years on a knife edge that, at any moment, could have seen him beaten to death.'

His attitude softened a little over the years, but he never forgave the Japanese for not apologising for what had happened in the war. 

And he remained furious that, unlike German children, Japanese children were not taught about their nation’s role in World War II. 

My father’s war didn’t just leave him deaf in one ear, it left lifelong scars on his psyche and his soul. He survived the experience physically, but at enormous mental cost.

I’ll never know whether my father might have found some peace in his life had he, like Eric Lomax in the film, the courage or the opportunity to meet the men who were his torturers. 

But 20 years after his death, I finally feel I have some understanding of why Daddy was as he was. 

He had seen the worst of humanity, living for years on a knife edge that, at any moment, could have seen him beaten to death. 

And he lived the rest of his life consumed with hatred for the people who had treated him so terribly. 

I don’t think anyone could survive that experience undamaged, and I see now why he turned to drink to dull the pain of his  memories. So many men like my father became forgotten soldiers, whose experiences and memories went unrecorded. 

Untold numbers of Japanese prisoners of war have disappeared from the history books, their personal stories of extraordinary bravery forgotten.

My biggest regret is not finding out more about Daddy’s life.

So, at the age of 60, I started a business helping people to write their life stories. 

From the many emails I receive, I know how much families come to treasure these unique books of memories. 

Sadly, the one book I will never read is my own father’s autobiography.

Watching The Railway Man has opened a well of grief and emotion within me. For the first time, I have wept for my father — and I have even found in my heart some compassion for what he went through. 

I have come to see him as a brave man, a war hero. 

Thanks to this film, I know I can find it in my heart to forgive him for all those years of cruelty and violence.

• The Railway Man is released on Friday. Bryher Scudamore is the creator of autodotbiography.com

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2535528/Haunting-film-Dad-hero-not-just-cruel-drunk-I-despised-How-seeing-The-Railway-Man-healed-lifelong-rift-father-daughter.html#ixzz2pmhbUikM
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We dropped the ball on gambling, says Labour MP: Tom Watson believes party 'should never have licenced' fixed-odds machines, Daily Mail Story

• Former Minister said body of evidence shows terminals fuel addiction
• Lib Dems challenged to back Labour in motion to let councils undo Act
• Punters lose up to £300 a minute on computer roulette on high streets

By TIM SHIPMAN

PUBLISHED: 23:58, 7 January 2014 | UPDATED: 00:10, 8 January 2014

 
 
 

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Attack: Former Minister Tom Watson has blasted Tony Blair's Labour administration for giving rise to the betting crisis across the UK today

New Labour ‘dropped the ball’ by giving the green light to fixed odds betting terminals dubbed the ‘crack cocaine’ of the High Street, a leading Labour MP said last night.

Former Minister Tom Watson said Labour ‘should never have licensed these machines’ as his party prepares today to force a Commons vote on the issue.

Liberal Democrats - who want a crackdown on the betting machines - will be challenged to back a Labour motion calling for councils to get the right to ban the terminals if they cause problem gambling and anti-social behaviour.

But Mr Watson said fixed odds terminals, which allow punters to lose up to £300 a minute on computer roulette, should never have been licensed in the Gambling of Act of 2005.

He told the BBC’s Daily Politics show: ‘There’s a body of evidence that these particular kind of machines create in gambling addicts, and that’s something that Parliament should act on.

'Frankly we [Labour] should never really have licensed these machines in the way we did in 2005 and we should put the matter right as quickly as possible.

‘At the time all MPs let this category of machines go through almost on the nod. Our concern was supercasinos and the machines that go into supercasinos.

‘We basically dropped the ball on this one. We didn’t understand the impact this technology would have on the High Street. Now’s the time to put it right.’ 

Campaigners say there is academic evidence that the fixed odds machines are more addictive than other forms of gambling and say they are used by criminals to launder their money.

 

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But ministers have refused to act until a review into betting machines is completed this autumn - a review that critics complain has been funded by the gambling industry.

Mr Watson said waiting for the review is ‘like waiting for the polar ice caps to melt -- we’ve been waiting years for this’.

Punters lose up to £300 a minute on computer roulette games in high street betting shops like Coral

There are more than 33,000 FOBTs in Britain, with up to four in each high street betting shop. The so-called B2 machines made bookmakers £1.55billion last year - around half their annual profits -- with up to £1.2 billion of that coming from the fixed odds games.

Ed Miliband has announced that a future Labour government would give councils the power to ban high-stakes roulette machines from bookmakers’ shops if they pose problems in their communities.

Labour also plan to change the law so the time between plays is doubled from 20 to 40 seconds and put betting shops in a separate planning class so that councils can use planning powers to control the number opening in their area.

That last idea was endorsed by the Liberal Democrats at their party conference last September.

Shadow Sports Minister Clive Efford challenged the Lib Dems to back Labour’s motion in the Commons today: ‘Across the country, traditional bookies are being turned into mini-casinos, where people can gamble up to £300-a-minute.

Saturday's Mail: We went to get a first-hand view of the crippling effects of fixed-odds betting terminals

The next Labour government will give powers to local communities to ban high stakes gambling machines from high streets.

‘Over recent months, we’ve seen the Tories and Lib Dems posturing on fixed odds betting machines, but totally failing to act.

‘If the Tories and Lib Dems refuse to back Labour’s proposals they’ll have to answer why they are standing up for the large betting companies rather than communities across the country.’

But former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy made clear that his party would not back Labour’s motion because they are waiting for the review to conclude.

Charles Kennedy: ‘I just think this is pre-emptive and premature. I have every sympathy with Tom’s argument and I hope the review will endorse it up this is putting the cart before the horse. It’s procedural not principled.’

Peter Craske, of the Association of British Bookmakers, said: ‘Gaming machines in betting shops are not new, they have been enjoyed by our customers for over 12 years.

‘This motion is just playing politics with the livelihoods of 40,000 staff and the enjoyment of eight million people.

‘Our new code for responsible gambling introduces new measures that will reduce harm, letting players set their own limits on the time they play or the amount they spend.

‘Banning a product for a political punch line does nothing to help problem gambler.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2535591/We-dropped-ball-gambling-says-Labour-MP-Tom-Watson-believes-party-never-licenced-fixed-odds-machines.html#ixzz2pmeF73wZ
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Despite Backlash, Pastor Resolves to Spend 2014 as an Atheist

Despite Backlash, Pastor Resolves to Spend 2014 as an Atheist

Words for The Wise, Atonement

1 Peter 2

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The living Stone and a chosen people

4 As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

‘See, I lay a stone in Zion,

    a chosen and precious cornerstone,

and the one who trusts in him

    will never be put to shame.’[b]

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

‘The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone,’[c]

8 and,

‘A stone that causes people to stumble

    and a rock that makes them fall.’[d]

They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Living godly lives in a pagan society

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.

18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22 ‘He committed no sin,

    and no deceit was found in his mouth.’[e]

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ 25 For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’[f] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Footnotes:

1 Peter 2:5 Or into a temple of the Spirit

1 Peter 2:6 Isaiah 28:16

1 Peter 2:7 Psalm 118:22

1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 8:14

1 Peter 2:22 Isaiah 53:9

1 Peter 2:25 Isaiah 53:4,5,6 (see Septuagint)

Dictionary of Bible Themes

6615 atonement, necessity and nature of

Scripture stresses the seriousness and reality of human sin, and that human beings are unable to atone for their own sins. In his grace, God provides a means by which the situation can be remedied.

Atonement is necessary because of human sinfulness

Atonement is necessary because sin cuts people off from God Isa 59:2 See also Isa 64:7; Eze 39:23; Hab 1:13; Jn 9:31

Atonement is necessary because sin provokes God’s wrath Eph 2:1-3 See also Ge 6:5-7; Ex 32:30-35; Ro 1:18-20; Ro 2:8

God’s gracious nature is the basis for atonement

Atonement is grounded in God’s reluctance to punish sinners Eze 18:32 See also Eze 33:11; 1Ti 2:1-4; 2Pe 3:9

Atonement is grounded in God’s readiness to forgive sin Ex 34:6-7 The punishment of subsequent generations makes God’s abhorrence of sin quite clear, but the extension of his love and forgiveness “to thousands” puts the emphasis in these verses on God’s grace and compassion. See also Ps 145:8; Da 9:9; Jnh 4:2

Atonement is grounded in God’s covenant love Nu 14:19 The Hebrew word for “great love” means God’s loving faithfulness to those within the covenant. See also Ps 25:6-7; Ps 103:8-12; Joel 2:13

God’s provision of atonement is a means of dealing with sin

Atonement through sacrifice Lev 9:7 See also Ex 30:10; Nu 15:22-26

God’s promised new covenant of forgiveness was fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s atoning death Heb 10:16-17 See also Jer 31:33-34; Mt 26:28; Heb 9:15; Heb 12:24

Images used to portray the at-one-ment, or restored relationship, between God and humanity

Atonement as forgiveness of sins Eph 1:7-8 See also Lev 19:22; Ac 13:38; Col 2:13-14

Atonement as cleansing and purification Lev 16:30 See also Isa 6:6-7; Tit 2:14; 1Jn 1:7; Rev 7:14

Atonement as reconciliation 2Co 5:19 See also Ro 5:9-11; Eph 2:14-16

Atonement as healing 1Pe 2:24 See also 2Ch 7:14; Ps 103:2-3; Isa 53:5

Atonement as God buying people back for himself Rev 5:9 See also Mt 20:28 pp Mk 10:45; Ac 20:28; 1Pe 1:18-19

Atonement as making holy: creating a relationship of consecrated nearness to God Heb 10:10 See also Col 1:22; Heb 13:12

Dictionary of Bible Themes

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6617 atonement, in NT

In dying for the sins of the world, Jesus Christ fulfilled and replaced the OT sacrificial system, so that all who believe in him are restored to fellowship with God. Christ is the true high priest, who finally liberates his people from the guilt of sin, by offering himself as the supreme sacrifice.

The atoning purpose of Jesus Christ’s death

Jesus Christ’s death on behalf of others Jn 10:11 See also Jn 10:14-18; 2Co 5:15; Heb 2:9; 1Jn 3:16

Jesus Christ’s atoning death for sin 1Co 15:3 See also Ro 4:25; Ro 8:3; Gal 1:4; 1Pe 3:18

The atoning significance of Jesus Christ’s death is expressed by references to his blood Ro 5:9; Rev 5:9 See also Eph 2:13; 1Pe 1:18-19; 1Jn 1:7; Rev 7:14

Jesus Christ’s atoning death is commemorated in the Lord’s Supper 1Co 11:23-25 See also Mt 26:26-28 pp Mk 14:22-24 pp Lk 22:19-20

Explanations of the atonement

Jesus Christ’s death as an atoning sacrifice Ro 3:25 See also 1Co 5:7; Eph 5:2; 1Jn 4:10; Rev 5:6

Jesus Christ’s atoning death as redemption Mk 10:45 pp Mt 20:28 See also Ac 20:28; Gal 3:13-14; Eph 1:7; Col 1:13-14

The atonement is effective because of Jesus Christ’s sinlessness

2Co 5:21 See also Heb 4:15; 1Pe 2:22-24; 1Jn 3:5

Jesus Christ’s death fulfils and replaces the Day of Atonement

Jesus Christ makes atonement as the new high priest Heb 7:26-28

Jesus Christ is the mediator of the new and better covenant Heb 8:6-7; Heb 9:15

Jesus Christ has made atonement in the true heavenly sanctuary Heb 8:1-2; Heb 9:24

Jesus Christ’s atoning blood brings effective cleansing Heb 9:12-14

Jesus Christ’s single sacrifice replaces the many required under the old covenant Heb 10:11-14

Access to the heavenly sanctuary is now open Heb 10:19-20

By dying with Christ, believers are released from this age into the life of the age to come

Ro 6:1-7 See also Ro 7:4-6; Gal 2:19-20; Gal 6:14; Eph 2:6-7; Col 2:11-13

God the Father and the atoning death of his Son

God’s sending of his Son to make atonement 1Jn 4:14 See also Jn 3:16; Ro 8:32; 2Co 5:18; Gal 4:4-5

God’s grace displayed in making atonement for the ungodly Eph 2:4-5 See also Ro 5:6-8; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:4-5

The worldwide scope of Jesus Christ’s atoning death

1Jn 2:2 See also Jn 1:29; 2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:5

The appropriate response to the atonement

The response of repentance Ac 3:19 See also Ac 2:38; Ac 17:30; Ac 20:21

The response of faith Ac 10:43 See also Jn 3:14-15; Ac 16:31; Ro 3:22; Gal 2:16

The response of baptism Ac 22:16 See also Ac 2:38; 1Pe 3:21

1 Timothy 1 New International Version - UK (NIVUK), Words for the Wise, False Doctrines and False Teachers

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,

2 To Timothy my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Timothy charged to oppose false teachers

3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work – which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practising homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

The Lord’s grace to Paul

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The charge to Timothy renewed

18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme

Opposing False Teachers (1:3-5) The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

The responsibility of opposing error in the church falls mainly to Christian leaders. So in Ephesus it fell to Timothy. At the time Paul wrote, he planned to visit again (or return) soon (3:14; see introduction). He had already invested a great deal of time and effort in building this church, and he was quite concerned about recent developments there (Acts 18:19-21; 18:24—20:1). Ephesus was a city located on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). It was famed for its cult and temple dedicated to the worship of Artemis, around which a good deal of the city's commercial interests revolved. It also had a large Jewish colony. Ephesus presented the gospel with a formidable challenge in that it was a center of pagan worship. From its inception here (see Acts 19) the church was very much in the public eye.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

False Doctrine (1:3)

Paul learned that certain men within the church were teaching false doctrines. Their probable position as leaders or elders in the church (see introduction and note) called for immediate action. Timothy was to command these individuals not only to stop teaching false doctrine but also to put an end to their speculative system of interpretation.

False doctrines literally means "different doctrines" (compare 6:3), those that diverged from the accepted teaching of the Old Testament, Christ and the apostles. The little we know of the specific content of these teachers' doctrine suggests that its central feature was a misunderstanding about the resurrection of believers (2 Tim 2:18). Perhaps due to some confusion over the Pauline teaching that believers even now participate in the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom 6:4-5, 8; 2 Tim 2:11), they believed and taught that the resurrection of believers had already occurred in a spiritual sense (see further 2 Tim 1:5 and introduction).

That such a mistake could be made may seem strange to us. But the fervency of the first-generation church's hope of Christ's return and certain carryovers from the pagan religions out of which believers came (see comment on 2 Tim 1:5) could have led some to the conclusion that all of salvation's blessings were to be experienced now. A modern parallel is what we might describe as Christian triumphalism (or the "health and wealth" gospel), which tends to present the Christian message as the quick solution to all of life's problems. The same basic mistake seems to be involved. In any case, the heretics' special insight into spiritual matters, which they termed "knowledge" (6:20), also had ethical implications, as allusions to their asceticism would suggest (4:3).

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4The False Teachers (1:6-7)

As Paul's analysis of the situation continues, he uses language that expresses regret and irony to describe these disguised "wolves." There is more to false teachers than false doctrine.

First, they have lost their spiritual bearings. They have wandered (v. 6)—an image of slow but steady movement away from some point. Perhaps in the beginning these teachers only drifted aimlessly. But as they hardened in their disbelief and became argumentative in their attempts to convince others of their views, their lives came to be characterized not by love but by controversy, impure hearts and ineffective consciences. They have wandered from the faith.

Second, they speak and teach foolishness (v. 6). Having left the faith and diverged from the standard of approved teaching, their doctrines and discussions are meaningless talk, devoid of truth (6:4-5). In choosing the word he does, Paul places their doctrine into the category of idolatry and paganism (compare Acts 14:15; 1 Pet 1:18).

Third, verse 7 reveals that they claim authority for their teaching. Teachers of the law, a title given to the rabbis (Lk 5:17; Acts 5:34), were regarded as the authoritative interpreters of Scripture. These enthusiasts were not interested in simply offering their ideas for consideration. Rather, they "taught" them as God's message and expected them to be received.

Finally, Paul's description of their "confidence" implies in this context stubbornness, a refusal to be denied. We might say they are dogmatic, which (along with the claim to authority) Paul regards with irony, since they have no real understanding of the matters they teach. Error, the claim to authority and dogmatic insecurity make a deadly combination to be sure, especially if these heretics began from positions of leadership in the church, as may well have been the case.

These characteristics make a timeless portrait of the false teacher. Doctrinal subtleties, special interpretation, spurious claims to authority, controversy and dogmatism ought to make God's people suspicious. At the same time, evidence of these same tendencies in our own lives ought to cause alarms to go off. From the human perspective, it is often a deeply rooted, though sometimes well-concealed, insecurity that drives one to take the lead in a heretical movement. We would do well to ask ourselves whether stubborn dogmatism that takes us beyond discussion to argument and anger is not motivated by such a fear. No rigid doctrinal structure can dispel this fear. An awareness of God's permanent love for us is integral to the solution, though there may be other elements that only skilled counseling can help us address. Then, while a desire to learn the deep truths of God's Word is commendable, if this leads us to embrace arcane views that run counter to the main lines of biblical teaching, we are headed for trouble. The remedy is not to stop thinking, for there is much yet to be discovered. However, theological investigation must be done in dialogue with the church. The individual needs the balance and testing that discussion with other mature believers will provide.

The Testimony of a Faithful Teacher (1:12-17) 

After mentioning his reception of the gospel, Paul continues in verses 12-17 to reminisce about his calling out of sin into Christ's service. He presents himself as a model for Timothy, other church leaders and all believers to follow (see v. 16). He also presents himself as the antithesis of the false teacher, as the stress on "faithfulness" and repetition of "faith" words in verses 12-16 indicate. As this testimony unfolds, Paul reveals several essential qualities to be found in the Christian, which the leader/teacher must exemplify.

Committed to the Gospel and God's Plan of Salvation (1:15-16)

With the turn in thought that occurs at this point, Paul continues his contrast of the faithful teacher and the false teacher. In teaching false doctrine, the false teachers are diverging from the authorized gospel and God's plan of redemption (1:4). In contrast, the faithful teacher will follow Paul in fully affirming God's plan.

First, at the center of this plan is the gospel message. Paul was fully convinced of its reliability. He signals his commitment and calls others to do likewise with a formula, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, and a succinct statement of the gospel, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. As he clearly states here, the basis of salvation is the historical ministry of Christ. As he has stated elsewhere (1 Cor 1:18-31; 2 Tim 1:10), this "ministry," executed in the past (Christ came), continues in the present day to be effective in the preaching of the gospel. This is God's plan: salvation is linked solely to Christ and the message about him. Commitment to anything but the apostolic gospel is heresy.

Second, God's redemptive plan is imperturbable, as Paul's own experience taught him. It reaches to the depths of depravity. Paul's self-confessed pre-Christian history (as the worst of sinners [v. 15], a reference to his persecution of Christians [v. 13; compare Gal 1:13]) made him, ironically, the perfect illustration of the effectiveness of the gospel, the boundless grace of God and the inexhaustible patience of Christ (v. 16).

Third, the readers are reminded that salvation requires "belief" in Christ (v. 16). Furthermore, Paul's language (believe on him) indicates that he means personal faith in Christ, not simply adherence to a dogma. In order for this kind of belief to occur, the gospel must be kept pure.

Finally, the ultimate goal of the plan of salvation is eternal life (v. 16; compare 4:8; 6:12, 19; 2 Tim 1:10; Tit 1:2; 3:7). Paul's connection of ideas makes it clear that the believer's personal faith in Christ is the necessary stepping-stone to the ultimate goal of eternal life. It is this plan of salvation that Paul's life verified.

Most of us would be reluctant to do what Paul has done here. We are certainly no match for the apostle. But humility aside, each Christian's spiritual history is filled with poignant reminders of God's grace and mercy. While it will not do to live in that past, from time to time we must take our bearings from it as we move forward on a path that may not be clear. Paul's testimony of his personal encounter with Christ demonstrated the power of the approved gospel. Paul knew in his heart and was fully convinced that this message was true. And it is essential that every Christian share this conviction borne out of experience. We must remember, however, that this proof cannot be based solely on a mystical encounter with God; it must be backed up by a changed life (v. 14). Could the false teachers with their version of the gospel make the same claims as Paul? No! God's salvation plan is linked solely to the Christian gospel. It requires faith and produces a new manner of life.

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