While the new millennium is still a year away, this year is full of exciting
possibilities and
opportunities. It will be a year of many new beginnings, including The
Carpenter's Apprentice!
For most of my adult life, people have told me off and on that I should write
and, I must
admit, it has long been something that appeals to me.
I should have done it when I was younger and knew everything. Embarking on a
such a
venture now brings considerable trepidation since my thoughts and observations
may reach a wider audience and I know much less than I used to know!
That thought is, at the same time, exciting and humbling. Exciting because I
love to share the treasure that I find in God's Word. Humbling, because I am just a man and
subject to
misunderstanding God's truth as readily as anyone else.
There is not nearly enough dialog in regard to the issues confronting the church in our culture today and one goal of this newsletter is to provoke discussion and further study.
It is my desire to allow the treasures of God's Word which have blessed me to enrich your life as well. Take what is useful and sift out what is not.
Above all, may the Holy Spirit guard my words and your minds from anything
that is not of
God.
This issue will provide you with an idea of what I have in mind for this
publication and the
format that it will follow in the beginning. Your comments, criticisms,
questions, suggestions,
etc. are all welcome and coveted. I hope to put up a web site in the near future
that will archive
the information found here.
Wishing you a blessed New Year! Jim Wade
In earlier days, I did a good bit of woodworking as a hobby, worked in a
cabinet shop, and
even helped build a couple of houses. Those experiences gave me a better grasp
of how Christ's
training as a carpenter provided some rather significant spiritual
illustrations.
As followers of Christ, we are all apprentices of the Carpenter of Galilee. Our challenge is to learn the trade well. We are all building a spiritual house and we want to do a good job.
This image comes from 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 and I encourage you to turn there as you read this.
Paul tells us first that we are fellow workers with God. That is important to
know. We are
not in this alone! At the same time, we have to know how to work together.
Unless we get on
the same page we are going to have difficulty trying to work with God!
Paul says that the most important part of the work has been done. The foundation is already laid. We remember the parable Jesus told of the wise man and the foolish man and the importance of having the right foundation.
We will look at that in greater detail in a future edition. For now, just
understand that our
foundation is firmly established in Jesus Christ. Our instructions are to build
upon that foundation
a spiritual house that is pleasing to God.
Paul says we are to be careful how we build. The Greek here means to pay close attention to our work. It should not be careless or sloppy.
We are to use the choicest materials (gold silver, and precious stones).
Wood, hay and
stubble are certainly more abundant and a lot cheaper, but if we understand our
house will be tried
with fire, we understand the importance of using the right methods and
materials.
That is what The Carpenter's Apprentice is about. We will look through God's
Building
Supply (the Bible) and glean what we can about building so that we do not suffer
loss.
In my early Christian training, I was taught to equate the Christian's reward
with salvation.
Paul makes it clear here that they are two different things.
A careless builder may lose the reward he could have had, but Paul says he is still saved. His hair may be singed and he may smell a bit of fire, but his faith in Christ will save him nonetheless.
Of course that raises an interesting question, with an enlightening answer.
If all our needs
will be supplied in eternity, what use will there be for rewards?
Consider, the incredible scene in eternity as the hosts of heaven and the saints of all the ages are assembled to worship before the Lamb of God. Awesome!
The scene is one of great adoration with crowns of gold being cast at His feet. Our rewards are treasure we lay up to give to Jesus when we see Him. You do not want to go to this celebration empty handed!
When we see Him in the fullness of His glory, all of us will wish for more to
lay at His feet in
adoration. Unless we build well now, we will have nothing to give Him.
I have dear Christian friends who tell me they are content just to get in the
door. To me, the
thought of showing up in heaven with no treasure for my Lord is more than I can
bear.
That Christians are willing to avail themselves of God's grace but feel no compulsion to build further in their lives is a sign of serious spiritual illness.
Let us build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, lives that are a testimony to the greatness of our God. Lives that glorify Him now. Lives that exalt His Name. Lives that unashamedly proclaim, Jesus Christ is Lord!
I don't intend to get locked into a rigid pattern here, but initially the material will be presented in a simple format.
The first section will be titled, The Architect's Plan and will address God's eternal plan and purpose as seen in some passage of scripture.
Before beginning work, every diligent worker wants to know what the Architect
expects.
Passing inspection is a lot more fun than tearing out starting over!
The Carpenter's Corner will focus on the teaching of Christ regarding our
walk of faith. As
our example, His life and teaching are rich with instructions we should heed if
we want to be
workmen who are well-pleasing to God.
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of
Himself, unless it is
something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things
the Son also does
in like manner." (John 5:19)
As God incarnate, Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. That is our challenge in our daily walk. Jesus shows us how.
In 1 Corinthians 3:10 Paul says, "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it."
The Foreman's Forum will take a look at Paul's teaching in regard to our
spiritual house. His
letters are full of instruction and serious workers will study them diligently.
Of course, Paul is not the only author of scripture who provides valuable
lessons for us. In
The Carpenter's Toolbox we will draw from the lives of other biblical figures
and writers, as well
as more contemporary sources.
Finally, in The Apprentice's Journal I will share from my heart some lesson, encouragement, testimony, etc. for your prayerful consideration. I would be pleased to include entries from your journal as well!
This newsletter is intended for those who have accepted Christ as Savior and chosen to make Him Lord of their life. This is an essential first step.
Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, knowing, understanding and following God's plan is impossible. If you are reading this and have not taken these first steps, you are not equipped to go further.
If your heart is ready to receive the things of God, there is no time like the present to begin!
What does God require of you? That is a question that will get you different
answers
depending on whom you ask.
In the following paragraphs you will read what the Bible says about the
matter. It will be up
to you what you do with this information, but what you do is of first importance
in your pursuit of
truth.
In Ephesians 2:9, we read, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."
Here and elsewhere scripture makes it plain that we are saved by grace. That is truth, but we need to be sure we understand what it means.
In our time, grace has been redefined as the operative thing that saves us. The consequence is that we have a multitude of people professing Christ whose lives give little testimony to the truth of their claim.
Christ Himself said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
It is time to rediscover the meaning of grace. Grace is God's nature or disposition toward us. Without it, there would be no opportunity for salvation. It is His unmerited favor that makes salvation possible. But the opportunity for salvation does not mean that everyone will be saved.
God is under no compulsion to save us. We each chose death instead of life
when we
ignored His law and sinned. There is absolutely nothing that compels God to
offer pardon to us. Nevertheless, He has done just that. He provided a way of escape. That is grace!
It is not God's will for anyone to perish. His grace has been extended to
everyone through
Jesus Christ. If grace alone is required, then everyone would be saved. But, we
must respond to
grace. How?
Notice that Eph. 2:9 says that faith is the instrument through which grace
may be
appropriated in our lives. Hebrews 11:6 says, " But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of
them that diligently
seek him."
Faith is God's present for those who seek Him. There is nothing you can do to
merit it, all
that is required is that you desire Him and faith is yours.
But does faith mean we have no part to play in this great transaction? Is everything just up to God's arbitrary will? No. The scripture teaches that He will not violate our will. If we do not choose Him, He will not choose us.
Regardless of the requirements necessary to appropriate grace (whether simple or laborious), without grace they will not effect our salvation.
Imagine yourself at sea and your boat sinks. You tread water and finally a ship approaches and puts a lifeboat over the side. You are thrown a line and hauled aboard. You are returned to the ship and the ship takes you safely to shore.
What saved you? Was it your ability to tread water until help arrived? Was it
the lifeboat or
its crew? Was it the line you grabbed or your ability to hold onto it? Was it
the ship?
All of these components were necessary. Depending upon your perspective, you could say that any of them saved you. But what really saved you? Stop reading now and think about it for a moment!
The apparent answer is, "all of the above." The truth is that you were saved because there is a physical law that things which are less dense float on top of things that are more dense.
None of the other components of your salvation would have counted for anything unless this underlying fact was true.
I believe that this is what scripture teaches in regard to our soul's
salvation. There are a
number of components involved in the transaction. They are all essential, yet
none are capable of
saving you outside the underlying spiritual law of God's grace.
Denominations differ regarding the requirements that are imposed on those who would come to Christ. Common requirements are hearing the gospel, believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, repenting of sin, confessing Christ before men as the Lord of one's life, and being baptized.
Space does not permit addressing each of these in this issue so I want to
focus on two
important aspects that tend to confuse people. In Romans 10:13-14, Paul writes, "For whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall
be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and
how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher?"
Some Christian groups stop here and only require a simple statement of mental assent that one believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Is such a statement enough?
Consider James 2:19, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." The hosts of Hell not only believe who Jesus is, they tremble because they know. Their belief will not save them. Why? Because simple mental assent and faith are two different things. That is the subject of James 2.
Belief which is not activated by obedience is not faith. In verse 14, James asks a rhetorical question, "Can that faith (one without works) save him?"
"Faith" without obedience isn't real faith. The first acts of obedience are doing those things the scripture reveals are required of those seeking salvation.
There is little controversy in the Christian community that one must repent
of their sin and
confess Christ as Lord before men. The controversy arises when we come to
baptism. It is
frequently argued that baptism is "work" and therefore is not a
requirement of one seeking to be
obedient to Christ.
First, understand that Jesus said, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." (Mark 16:16) Jesus associated faith and baptism. They are connected to one another. As surely as repentance and confession give life to faith, so does baptism.
*Let me address a key issue that is much overlooked in this discussion. As I noted earlier, most Christian groups believe that hearing God's word, believing it, repenting from sin, and confessing Christ as Lord are necessary for one to become a Christian. Yet baptism is frequently classified as a work and rejected as essential.
It will come as a surprise to most people that every verb used to describe
these acts of
obedience is in the active voice, except one! Hearing, believing, repenting, and
confessing are all
things we say we must DO to be saved. "Be baptized" is the only verb
found in this list which is
in the passive voice!
In baptism, we do nothing: we are passive. Baptism is done to us. We simply submit.
It perplexes me that so many who reject baptism as an essential step in
salvation, readily
accept other "works" which scripture requires. If grace means that we
do nothing, then not even
faith in Christ is required, because, according to Jesus, believing is a work!
(See John 6:29)
Why is this important?
According to Acts 2:38, those who are obedient to the gospel receive the Holy Spirit as their "birthday" present from God. The Holy Spirit is ever present with us to help us understand the things of God and to be obedient to them. He is our Teacher, Helper and Comforter as we seek to live out our new life in Christ.
If you have not taken these first steps, God wants you to! He longs to claim
you among His
children. Won't you yield to His call right now and join us in growing in the
grace and knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ?
~~~~~~~~~~
*10/22/01 - My study in eschatology has me re-examining my understanding of baptism as it is referenced in the scripture. My thoughts remain in transition, but it may well be that water baptism was a temporary measure. As I have said elsewhere on this site, my understanding is not set in concrete. I live by the best light I have and constantly look for more. I hope you are doing the same. Stay tuned!