by Christopher S. Esty on February 8, 2010
Peace
There is a kind of peace that exists as a result of catering to worldly affairs, and a kind of peace that comes from knowing God. The kind of peace that we’re going to address here is that which comes from knowing God. The Greek word for peace here is, eirene: it doesn’t necessarily constitute an absence of trouble; rather, it is peace that often makes itself known in the ability to endure hardship without making moral compromises. In other words, even when a person is going through a time of trouble they will continue to be just as faithful to Jesus Christ as they would be if they were going through a season of joy. This might be hard to imagine for some; but when we look at the condition of peace from a moral standpoint rather than merely seeing it as an emotional state it is easy to see how it could be possible. For one doesn’t have to lose hope in order to weep, that is, feelings don’t always mean what they appear to suggest to those who behold them. After all, even Jesus wept (John 11:35). Yet His tears were not a sign of weakness, but a revelation of His love for humanity. Moreover, there were times when He became angry; not for self-centered purposes, but as a result of encountering greed and injustice among His people (John 2:13-17). Yet even though Jesus wept and was angry at times, through it all He was at peace with God the Father. Continue Reading
by Christopher S. Esty on February 6, 2010
Grace
It is not uncommon for God’s grace to be defined as ‘unmerited favor’. And while I agree with this definition, I believe that there is more to it than that. For the Greek word here is, ‘charis’; and it not only speaks of what God has done out of love for humanity through Jesus Christ; it alludes to a quality of life that He expects us to conform to. In other words, not only is grace that attribute of God which overshadows our lives; it is a virtue reflective of divine beauty that is meant to be manifested in our words and actions, to make His love known through us. Jesus actually alluded to this when He had said the following words:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” — John 13:34-35 NKJV
With that said; if no trace of moral change can be seen within a person’s life who claims to be a partaker of the grace of God, should we believe that that person really knows Jesus Christ? I would have to say no. For the Bible makes it very clear that when we give our lives to Jesus we become a new creation in Christ; “old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) Moreover Jesus stated that only those who do the will of God are known by Him in the sense that they have an intimate relationship with Him (Matthew 7:21-23) Continue Reading
by Christopher S. Esty on February 4, 2010
Saints
The Greek word for saints is ‘hagios’; it means, ‘sacred’. Thus hagios constitutes a life that is both morally blameless and consecrated to God. This is where we run into a little irony. For how could a person be less than perfect in character and still be morally blameless at the same time? Were the Philippians without sin? Was Paul telling them that they had ‘arrived’ so to speak? Or was he saying something else?
Well, if they had reached the peak of success in walking uprightly with God then what sense would there have been in him telling them this: Continue Reading
by Christopher S. Esty on February 2, 2010
“Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:1-2 NKJV
Four words in the passage above disclose a profound image of the character of God and His will for His people, in that they help us to catch a glimpse of what He sees in us, while revealing how we are expected to live. The words that I am referring to are as follows:
- Bondservants
- Saints
- Grace
- Peace
Now that we know what these words are, let’s take a closer look at them so that we may discover how they all fit together to portray what God wants to reveal to us. We will begin with bondservants. Continue Reading