There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
For the great encouragement Christ gave to poor sinners to come to him.
I bless you that Jesus Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners (such as myself) to repentance, Matthew 9:13(ESV) and had power on earth to forgive sins; Matthew 9:6(ESV) that he came to save his people from their sins, Matthew 1:21(ESV) and is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; John 1:29(ESV) and that he is (to his honor, not to his reproach) a friend to tax collectors and sinners. Matthew 11:19(ESV)
I thank you for the gracious invitation he gave to those who are weary and heavy laden to come to him for rest: Matthew 11:28(ESV) And for the assurance he has given that whoever comes to him, he will never cast out. John 6:37(ESV)
That he made a gracious offer: that if anyone thirsts they might come to him and drink. John 7:37(ESV)
Psalm 1 In these lessons we see that our growth in holiness is dependent upon our being grounded in the Word of God, which points us to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only source of salvation and sanctification.
Theme
The Way of the Righteous
Over against the way of the ungodly, the psalmist sets the way of the righteous. And everything that is said to be lacking in the case of the one is present in the other. Is it true that the wicked will not stand in God’s judgment? Yes. Then, the righteous will stand; he will be justified by the work of Jesus Christ. Is it true that the wicked will be like chaff that the wind blows away? Yes. Then, the righteous will not be like chaff, but rather like grain.
Moreover, he will be “like a tree, planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (v. 3). The difference here is the difference between life and death. Chaff is dead, dried out, worthless. The tree that is planted by the rivers of living water is alive and brings forth fruit in its season. It prospers. The psalmist says that the righteous man is like that.
This brings us to the big question of the psalm: How do we prosper? Obviously, we have to have the right relationship to God, but how do we establish that right relationship? What makes the difference between the two ways? The answer is no mystery. It is found in the center of the psalm. “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (v. 2). That is the stream of living water beside which the fruitful tree is planted. That is the source of life. The man who prospers is the man who meditates on the Word of God. For him the Bible has become a way of life.
You may say, “Well, I have known some Christian people who have not prospered in material things.” That is true. But that is not the kind of prosperity about which this psalm is speaking. Sometimes God leads the righteous through difficult times. But there is a prosperity that flourishes even in difficult times. It is the prosperity of the soul. The soul that is nurtured on the Word of God is life, joy, and beauty to all around it.
Have you ever thought of what the Word of God provides in our lives if we allow it to do what God intends it to do?
The first thing is the administration of life itself because it is through the Word that we are born again. I think of 1 Peter 1:23 where Peter says, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.” When we think of the word “seed,” we think of seeds in the ground, the kind we plant. That is not what Peter had in mind. Peter is using sexual imagery. He is using the word “semen.” He is saying that the Word of God is the spiritual seed of God, which enters our hearts through the preaching of the Word and brings forth life. That new life is the life of God. I believe one can say that nobody ever came to faith apart from the ministry of the Word, for it is through the Word that we find life.
Second, the Word of God is responsible for our sanctification or growth in holiness. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke about it Himself in John 17:17 when he said, “Sanctify them by the truth.” Then, lest we misunderstand what He was referring to, He continued, “Your Word is truth.” In other words, “make them holy by your Word.”
How do you become holy? The psalmist asked that question. He asked, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” He answered, “By living according to your word” (Ps. 119:9). When we read the Word of God, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts to show us the sin that is there and then brings us to the point of confessing the sin. Then He sets the way of blessing before us.
Study Questions
What are the streams of water in this psalm?
What does it mean for the Christian to yield fruit in its season?
From the study, how does the Christian prosper?
What are the first two things the Word of God provides?
Application
Reflection: What things do you struggle with that keep you from delighting in the Word of God?
Application: How will you try to cultivate a delighting in the law of the Lord?
Key Point: When we read the Word of God, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts to show us the sin that is there and then brings us to the point of confessing the sin. Then He sets the way of blessing before us.
For Further Study: To learn more about the Bible’s teaching on the two ways, download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “Two Ways Only.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
J. Warner Wallace interviews Steven Kingsley, author of “The Easter Answer”. As a layperson, Kingsley provides a response to atheist Dan Barker’s “Easter Challenge”. Are there inherent internal contradictions in the Easter accounts found in the Gospels? Are these contradictions a proof that the Christian claims related to the Resurrection are false? We’ll examine the “Easter Challenge” and Steven Kinsley’s “Easter Answer” in this edition of the show. For more information about the case for the Resurrection of Jesus from the perspective of a detective, see J. Warner’s Easter tract, CASE CLOSED.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Thankfulness is our attempt as believers to express the inexpressible—the amazing gratitude we feel for the amazing grace bestowed upon us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He not only saved us from our sins (1 John 2:2), He promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We are also assured that He who began “a good work” in us will be faithful to “perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
A day for Thanksgiving was set aside as a holiday so that we, as a nation, could collectively give thanks to God for all of His blessings—to express our gratitude for His love and protection and provision. In years past, hymns like Come Ye Thankful People Come were commonly sung in churches and classrooms as Thanksgiving day approached—young and old alike openly giving thanks to God for His abundant supply and bounty:
Come, ye thankful people come; Raise the song of harvest home, All is safely gathered in, Ere the winter storms begin. God, our Maker, doth provide, For our wants to be supplied; Come to God’s own temple come; Raise the song of harvest home.
God’s people are called to be a thankful people because we have so much to be thankful for. Another hymn of gratitude, Now Thank We All Our God, expresses our thanks for all the “wondrous things” God has done and for His “countless gifts of love”:
Now thank we all our God, With hearts and hands and voices, Who, wondrous things hath done, In whom this world rejoices; Who, from our mothers’ arms, Hath blessed us on our way, With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today.
135 References in the KJV Bible
In the King James Bible, for example, there are 135 separate verses that refer to the act of giving thanks. Scripture makes it clear that thankfulness is pleasing to God and is part of the way we praise and worship Him (Psalm 116:12-19). We should never take things for granted because we know that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).
Jesus stressed the importance of thankfulness when He singled out the only one of the ten healed lepers who glorified God and gave thanks for his healing:
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:15-19)
Jonah was released from the fish’s belly after praying and giving thanks to the Lord:
When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. (Jonah 2:7-10)
King David, though continually attacked by his enemies, was always thanking God for His goodness and mercy and deliverance:
He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. (Psalm 18:48-50)
Daniel’s response to the King Darius’ edict forbidding prayer to anyone other than the King was to continue his practice of openly praying and giving thanks to his God. Scripture records that Daniel was delivered from certain death in the lion’s den because he unashamedly “believed in his God” (Daniel 6:10;23). His refusal to compromise served as a witness not only to the King but to all those who have read this account in the Bible:
Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:9-10)
Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. (Daniel 6:23)
As already referenced, Scripture is replete with verses pertaining to giving thanks to God for His abiding presence in our lives. Much too frequently we neglect to give thanks to the One True God to Whom we have so much to be grateful for. The Bible is very specific about the many whys and wherefores of giving thanks to God.
Why We Give Thanks
Because God Gives Us Our Daily Bread
Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God. (2 Corinthians 9:10-12)
And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. (Matthew 15:36-38)
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1Timothy 4:4-5)
Because God is Good
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. (1Chronicles 16:34)
And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. (Ezra 3:11)
Because Thankfulness is Good
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. (Psalm 92:1)
Because Thankfulness is the Will of God
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1Thessalonians 5:18)
Because God is Holy
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. (Psalm 30:4)
Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. (Psalm 97:12)
Because God’s Name is Holy
Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. (Psalm 106:47)
And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. (1Chronicles 16:35)
Because God’s Word is Holy
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. (1Thessalonians 2:13)
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
Because of God’s Grace
Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:14-15)
Because God Gave Us the Gift of Jesus Christ
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15)
Because Jesus Christ Shed His Blood For Our Sins
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)
Because God Lifts Us Above our Enemies
It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me, And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. (2 Samuel 22:48-50)
He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. (Psalm 18:48-49)
Because God Delivered Us From the Powers of Darkness
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:10-14)
Because God Causes Us to Triumph in Christ
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Because God Gives Us the Victory Through Jesus Christ
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:55-58)
Because God’s Mercy Endures Forever
Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 106:1)
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:2)
O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:3)
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:26)
How We Give Thanks
Through Jesus Christ
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. (Romans 1:8)
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1Timothy 2:5-6)
With the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. (Psalm 107:21-22)
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. (Psalm 116:17)
By Praising and Giving Thanks to His Name
Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. (Hebrews 13:13-16)
Through Prayer
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)
Through Song
Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God. (Psalm 147:7)
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:30)
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD. (2 Chronicles 5:13)
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Psalm 95:1-3)
By Walking In Love and Thankfulness
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. (Ephesians 5:1-4)
By Declaring His Works
That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. (Psalm 26:7)
Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. (1 Chronicles 16:8-9)
By Thanking God For Fellow Believers
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. (Colossians 1:1-3)
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15)
By Thanking God For All Men
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:1-4)
By Giving Thanks in Everything
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1Thessalonians 5:18)
By Giving Thanks in Whatever We Do
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:15-17)
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)
Who Gives Thanks
The Angels
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 7:11-12)
The 24 Elders in Heaven
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. (Revelation 11:16-17)
All His People
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5)
When We Give Thanks
When We Eat or Don’t Eat
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. (Romans 14:6)
When We Take Communion
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:17-19)
When We Have Suffered Wrongfully
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. (1 Peter 2:19-20)
Before Trouble
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:14-15)
After God Intervenes
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15-16)
Morning and Evening
And to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at even. (1 Chronicles 23:30)
At Midnight
At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. (Psalm 119:62)
While We Live
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? (Psalm 6:5)
Always
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)
Forever
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. (Psalm 30:10-12)
So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations. (Psalm 79:13)
We Praise God With Our Thankfulness
The Bible says that by offering the sacrifice of praise to God we give thanks to Him (Hebrews 13:13-16). Thus by praising God, we thank Him for his love, protection, presence, and provision. Paul and Silas gave thanks to God by praising Him—even after they were beaten and thrown in the jail (Acts 16:23-25). Pursuant to their thankful praise, the prison walls confining them were shaken. Free to escape, they witnessed to the jailer and his whole household who were all saved and baptized that same day (Acts 16:30-34).
With God’s help we can learn to give thanks in everything. There is a saying that wherever you go, there you are. The Bible tells believers that wherever they go, God is there with them. Because God is always with us, He will help us and enable us to do things that we otherwise could not do on our own—like giving thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and thanking Him for all things (Ephesians 5:20).
Prayer
Lord, I want to be thankful “in everything” because Scripture tells me that is your will for my life. But I am often unable to be thankful due to forgetfulness, selfishness, and my own shortcomings. May Your Holy Spirit remind me to be thankful in everything, now, always, and for evermore. Please help me to remember that all things work together for good to them who are called according to your purpose. Thank You for all that you have done and will continue to do in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 1 Chronicles 16:34
Thanksgiving is upon us. It’s my favorite holiday. I get “time off” from my job (although as a stay at home mom, my “time off” looks a lot like my “time on”!); I get to visit with family; there’s no mad rush of gift shopping; and, the whole holiday is centered around eating. What could be better?
There’s only one thing I don’t look forward to about the holiday I love best. I’m not happy with the way Christmas has begun to overshadow Thanksgiving. The radio stations started playing Christmas carols before Halloween. The stores put out Christmas decorations earlier and earlier every year. The commercials for Christmas gifts and sales have been prolific since October. You almost get a sense that, aside from the good people at Butterball, retailers consider Thanksgiving to be in the way. They know that Thanksgiving is the “Gentlemen, start your engines!” rallying point for most shoppers, and without it, they could probably push Black Friday back to September and combine it with their Labor Day sales.
But more than my own personal annoyance and my desire to gather up all the retail CEOs and the media in one place and shout at them, “Nobody puts Thanksgiving in a corner!” I’m concerned for all of us as a national community. With everything that’s going on in our country and the world right now, do we really need to skip over being thankful?
With everything that’s going on in our country and the world right now, do we really need to skip over being thankful?Tweet
We Americans are so blessed we’ve become numb and ungrateful. What a slap in the face to people all over the world for whom simply surviving another day is an almost insurmountable task. How often do we have to worry about having water to drink that’s clean enough not to make us sick? How many of us are starving to death because we have no access to food? How often do we have warring factions marching through our front yards? When was the last time we secretly huddled together to worship, afraid that at any moment we could be arrested, tortured, killed?
In the mad rush of all that is going on in our day to day lives, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to slow down and give Thanksgiving its due.
In the mad rush of all that is going on in our day to day lives, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to slow down and give Thanksgiving its due.Tweet
Thank you, Lord… …that I can see, hear, move, think clearly, and attend to my own needs. …that I live in a country that protects my freedoms. …for the family with which You’ve blessed me. …for the roof over my head. …for enough to eat. …for saving me.
Don’t skip Thanksgiving this year. Don’t push it over in a corner and treat it as though it’s an interruption of your Christmas plans. Relish it. Wallow in it. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
17 also receive THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Legacy Standard Bible (Eph 6:17). (2022). Three Sixteen Publishing.
THE HELMET OF SALVATION
And take the helmet of salvation, (6:17a)
The fifth piece of God’s armor is represented by the Roman soldier’s helmet, without which he would never enter battle. Some of the helmets were made of thick leather covered with metal plates, and others were of heavy molded or beaten metal. They usually had cheek pieces to protect the face. The purpose of the helmet, of course, was to protect the head from injury, particularly from the dangerous broadsword commonly used in the warfare of that day. That was not the much smaller sword mentioned later in this verse, but was a large two-handed, double-edged sword (rhomphaia, see Rev. 1:16; 2:12; 6:8) that measured three to four feet in length. It was often carried by cavalrymen, who would swing at the heads of enemy soldiers to split their skulls or decapitate them. The fact that the helmet is related to salvation indicates that Satan’s blows are directed at the believer’s security and assurance in Christ. The two dangerous edges of Satan’s spiritual broadsword are discouragement and doubt. To discourage us he points to our failures, our sins, our unresolved problems, our poor health, or to whatever else seems negative in our lives in order to make us lose confidence in the love and care of our heavenly Father. As Elijah discovered, we are sometimes most vulnerable to discouragement just after we have experienced success. By calling down fire to consume the sacrifices on a Mount Carmel altar drenched with water, the prophet had demonstrated that the Lord of Israel was the true God. He then killed the 450 false prophets of Baal and reported to King Ahab that rain would at last return to Israel. But when Queen Jezebel, who had brought the false prophets to Israel, heard of their slaughter, she sent word to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” Then the prophet who had stood fearlessly before the hundreds of false prophets became frightened for his life at the threat of this one woman. Although he was perhaps eighty years old at that time, Elijah “was afraid and arose and ran for his life” down to Beersheba and on into the wilderness. There he “sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.’ ” But instead of letting his prophet die, the Lord twice sent an angel to him with food and water, and in the strength of that food Elijah travelled forty days and nights farther to Mount Horeb, where the Lord twice asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” After Elijah twice replied, in effect, that everything was hopeless and that he was the only faithful Israelite left alive, the Lord assured him in a gentle voice that He was still in control. He then gave His prophet his next assignment and assured him that 7,000 of his fellow countrymen had not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 18:27–19:18). We learn from Elijah’s experience that we need the Lord’s strength and provision after a victory as well as during the battle. For Satan, the battle is never over, and he loves to attack us with discouragement the moment we think we are safe. The Lord told the disciples the parable of the importunate widow “to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1). When the coal truck delivered a ton of coal on the sidewalk in front of her house, a little London girl took her small shovel and began carrying the coal into the basement. When a neighbor man who was watching told her, “You’ll never be able to get it all in,” she replied, “Oh, I will sir, if I work long enough.” The test of a person’s character is what it takes to stop him. Some people retreat as soon as the first shot is fired, while others fight through battle after battle with no thought of giving up. Satan will try every means to discourage and deter us, reminding us of defeats and dangers and setting every possible object in our way to destroy our assurance in Christ. The Lord allowed Satan to strip Job of every good thing he possessed except his life, yet that man of God declared, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). The book of Job demonstrates the character of true saving faith in revealing that it is not connected to what benefits and blessings a person has or loses. Job’s helmet deflected every blow against him, and he maintained his faith in God’s love and care. When God first called Jeremiah, He told the prophet that no one would listen to him and that he would be rejected and afflicted; yet he testified, “Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16). Satan also tempts us to become discouraged when we see other believers going through times of trial. Realizing the Ephesians’ deep concern about his imprisonment, Paul told them, “I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory” (Eph. 3:13). He tempts us to give up when we cannot see results from our service to the Lord. When the Galatian believers faced that problem, Paul told them, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal. 6:9). Because the adversary will never lay down his sword against us as long as we are on earth, God’s armor is a constant necessity until we leave this earth forever. Only when our work on earth is finished can we say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). In His brief letter to the Ephesian church recorded in the book of Revelation, the Lord wrote these words of encouragement: “You have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary” (Rev. 2:3). Discouragement in praying for an unsaved husband who continues to reject the gospel or a child who refuses to follow the ways of the Lord he has been taught is common. The temptation is to lose heart when, like Paul, we repeatedly pray for a physical healing that does not come. God answered the apostle’s prayer in words that apply to every believer in every circumstance: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” We need to respond as Paul did: “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor. 12:9). It is also helpful to remember with him that “now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed” (Rom. 13:11). As my dedicated grandfather, who had preached the gospel faithfully all through his ministry, lay dying of cancer, he told my father, “I wish I could just preach this one last sermon I’ve prepared.” He was never personally able to preach that sermon from a pulpit, but my father had it printed and distributed to the congregation at the funeral. Even from his deathbed he longed to serve, never losing heart or giving up. As Isaiah tells us, the Lord “gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isa. 40:29–31). In the name of grace, some Christians insist that a believer’s only responsibility is to “let go and let God.” The statement made to King Jehoshaphat, “The battle is not yours but God’s,” has been taken to mean that believers have only to sit back and watch God work. That ever-present philosophy was held by the Quakers and Quietists of past centuries, who emphasized surrender and passivity above commitment and self-discipline. Abiding in Jesus does not mean we are to do nothing ourselves. In the same passage in which He tells us to abide in Him, He explains that this abiding involves keeping His commandments (John 15:4–10; cf. 1 John 3:24). The truly surrendered life is the life committed to aggressive, confrontive, and unreserved obedience to all of God’s commands. Some advocates of that truncated view of the surrendered life have taught that the person who is fully surrendered will never experience temptation, because Christ intercepts every effort of Satan to tempt us. This philosophy is perhaps most clearly and popularly presented in Hannah Whithall Smith’s The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life. In that book she says,
What can be said about man’s part in this great work but that he must continually surrender himself and continually trust? But when we come to God’s side of the question, what is there that may not be said as to the manifold and wonderful ways in which He accomplishes the work entrusted to Him? It is here that the growing comes in. The lump of clay could never grow to a beautiful vessel if it stayed in the clay pit for thousands of years; but when it is put into the hands of a skillful potter it grows rapidly, under his fashioning, into the vessel he intends it to be. And in the same way the soul, abandoned to the working the Heavenly Potter, is made into a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use. ([Westwood, N.J.: Revell, 1952], p. 32)
One of the problems with that view is that it makes no allowance for sin. John says unequivocally that “if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Does such a surrendered believer occasionally jump out of the divine Potter’s hand into sin? If so, what does that say about the Potter, who, according to this view, has complete control over the clay? Even more importantly, that view is not supported by Scripture. Surrender and submission to the Lord are cardinal and oft-repeated New Testament truths, but they do not stand apart from—much less opposed to—the many other New Testament commands for Christians to be actively involved in the Lord’s work. To “depend on God for everything” and then not use His provision to do the other things He commands is not dependence but presumption. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is replete with commands for Christians to do things other than simply submit to God. As soon as he has finished saying, “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,” the apostle goes on to say, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (2:8–10). Later he entreats us “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which [we] have been called” (4:1); to “walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk” (4:17); to “be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you” (5:1–2); and to “be filled with the Spirit” and “be subject to one another” (5:18, 21). He commands wives to be subject to their husbands, husbands to love their wives, children to obey their parents, and slaves to be obedient to their masters (5:22, 25; 6:1, 5). In the passage about the Christian’s armor (6:10–17) he commands believers to “be strong,” to “put on the full armor of God,” “to stand firm” (three times), and, as they struggle against the devil and his forces, to “take up the full armor of God,” to “resist in the evil day,” to gird their loins, “put on the breastplate of righteousness,” take up “the shield of faith,” and “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.” Paul says nothing here about surrender, but a great deal about fighting, commitment, and disciplined living. The faithful believer must always be submissive to the Lord, but submission to Him is the furthest thing from passivity. Christians are not onlookers to God’s work. They are called runners (1 Cor. 9:24; Heb. 12:1), fighters (1 Cor. 9:26), soldiers (2 Tim. 2:3), doers of good deeds (Titus 3:8), opponents of Satan (1 Pet. 5:8–9), seekers after holiness (2 Cor. 7:1), and countless other names that denote active obedience. Spiritual resources given by God are for His children to use, not simply to keep. Peter declared, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” But then he admonished, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.… For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Pet. 1:3, 5–8, 10). The Lord gives us commands to obey and equipment to use. In Philippians 2 Paul presents the two sides of God’s provision and man’s obedience. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (vv. 12–13). Again, in Colossians he gives the balance: “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (1:29). The faithful servant of Jesus Christ does not simply look on as His Master works, but continually toils in the Master’s work in the Master’s power. When he does that, he not only receives God’s strength and blessings but also, like Paul, finds himself involved in such things as afflictions, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, labors, sleeplessness, hunger, glory and dishonor, evil report and good report, punishment, sorrow, and poverty (2 Cor. 6:4–10; cf. 4:8–18; 11:23–28). Those things came as a direct result of Paul’s diligent ministry for the Lord, and he wore them gladly as badges of faithfulness. Christians do not grow and earn reward by minimum effort, much less by no effort, but by maximum effort. And it is the active, working, striving believer who is most tempted by Satan’s sword of discouragement. The person who never attempts anything has little to be discouraged about. The other, and closely related, edge of Satan’s two-edged sword is the doubt that often brings discouragement. Doubts about the truths of God, including doubt about one’s salvation, are the worst discouragements for a believer. If a believer doubts God’s goodness or dependability, or if his relation to God seems uncertain, he has no ground for hope and therefore no protection from discouragement. The person who thinks he has nothing worthwhile to look forward to has no reason to fight, work, or live responsibly. If our often unpleasant and disappointing earthly life is all we can be certain of, then Christians are indeed “of all men most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19). Satan’s most disturbing attack against believers is in tempting them to believe they have lost, or could lose, their salvation. Few things are more paralyzing, unproductive, or miserable than insecurity. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace” (16:33). But how can a doubting heart have peace? How can a person who lives in continual uncertainty about his salvation be comforted by such promises—when he is not sure that they apply to him or that they will always apply to him? If he loses his salvation, he obviously loses those promises as well. How could such a person not have a troubled and fearful heart? Those promises would be a mockery to him. One of the central truths of John’s first epistle is that of the certainty of the believer’s spiritual knowledge—“By this we know that we have come to know Him” (2:3); “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him … to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one … to you, children, because you know the Father” (2:13); “We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is” (3:2); “We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him” (3:19); and so on. John’s specific purposes in writing the letter were “that our joy may be made complete” (1:4) and “that you may know that you have eternal life” (5:13). Satan’s purposes for believers are the opposite. His plan is to cause them to doubt God’s promises, His power, His goodness, His truth, and, above all, His willingness or ability to keep them saved. If he succeeds in those he also succeeds in robbing believers of joy. Knowing Satan’s strategy, Jesus assures us that “all that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.… And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:37, 39). Absolutely no circumstance—no failure, shortcoming, or sin, no matter how serious—can cause either Jesus or His Father to disown a person who is saved. Nor can any other person or thing ever snatch them out of the hand of the Son or the hand of the Father (John 10:28–29). That is why Paul could declare with such confidence that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39) and that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). Since Paul is addressing believers, putting on the helmet of salvation cannot refer to receiving Christ as Savior. The only ones who can take up any piece of God’s armor, and the only ones who are involved in this supernatural struggle against Satan and his demon forces, are those who are already saved. Trusting in Jesus Christ, immediately saves from the penalty of sin. For believers, this first aspect of salvation, which is justification, is past. It was accomplished the moment we trusted in Christ, and that particular act of faith need never be repeated, because we are secure in our Father’s hands—from whom, as we have just seen, we can never be snatched (John 10:28–29). We are forever saved from condemnation (Rom. 8:1). The second aspect of salvation, which is sanctification, involves our life on earth, during which time we experience a measure of freedom from the dominating power of sin. Being now under God’s grace, sin no longer has mastery or dominion over us; we are no longer sin’s slave but God’s (Rom. 6:14, 18–22). Paul shows these first two aspects of salvation side by side in the previous chapter of Romans: “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (5:10). Christ’s death saved us once and for all from sin’s penalty, and His life within us now is saving us day to day from sin’s power and mastery. The third aspect of salvation is future, the aspect of glorification, when we shall one day be saved altogether and forever from sin’s presence. Looking forward to that glorious time, John says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). To be like God is to be without sin. We rejoice that this aspect of our salvation “is nearer than when we believed” (Rom. 13:11). It is this final aspect of salvation that is the real strength of the believer’s helmet. If we lose hope in the future promise of salvation, there can be no security in the present. This, no doubt, is why Paul calls this same piece of armor “the helmet” which is “the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:8). “Having the first fruits of the Spirit,” Paul explains in Romans, “even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved” (8:23–24). The helmet of salvation is that great hope of final salvation that gives us confidence and assurance that our present struggle with Satan will not last forever and we will be victorious in the end. We know the battle is only for this life, and even a long earthly life is no more than a split second compared to eternity with our Lord in heaven. We are not in a race we can lose. We have no purgatory to face, no uncertain hope that our own continued efforts or those of our loved ones and friends will perhaps some day finally make us acceptable to God. We know that whom God “predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). There is not the loss of a single soul from predestination to justification to sanctification to glorification. That is God’s unbroken and unbreakable chain of salvation (cf. John 6:39–40; 10:27–30). We have a certain hope, “a living hope,” as Peter calls it. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he exults in his first epistle, “who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3–5). When the helmet of that hope is in place, we can “greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, [we] have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of [our] faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though [we] have not seen Him, [we] love Him, and though [we] do not see Him now, but believe in Him, [we] greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of [our] faith the salvation of [our] souls” (vv. 6–9). That is the salvation which is our helmet. Our helmet is the certain prospect of heaven, our ultimate salvation, which “we have as an anchor of the soul” (Heb. 6:19). Often when a runner is on the home stretch of a race he suddenly “hits the wall,” as the expression goes. His legs wobble and refuse to go any farther. The only hope for the runner is to keep his mind on the goal, on the victory to be won for himself and his team. It is that hope that keeps him going when every other part of his being wants to give up. To the persecuted and discouraged believers at Thessalonica, Paul wrote words parallel to the thought here in Ephesians: “Since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Thess. 5:8–11). To the worldly, fleshly Corinthians who were self-centered, divisive, and confused about the resurrection, Paul said, “If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit Me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Cor. 15:32). If the Christian has no future element of salvation to look forward to, if, as the apostle had said a few verses earlier, “we have hoped in Christ in this life only,” then “we are of all men most to be pitied” (v. 19). Paul’s own spiritual helmet was his firm hope in the completion of his salvation. “Momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17–18). The faithful believer does not “lose heart in doing good,” because he knows that “in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal. 6:9). To the persecuted and beleaguered Christians to whom he wrote, Jude gave sobering warnings about false teachers, “ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (v. 4). But he began the letter by addressing believers as “those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” (v. 1). Tērēo (the verb behind “kept”) means to guard, keep watch over, and protect. God Himself guards, watches over, and protects every person who belongs to Him. Jude ended the letter by assuring believers that He “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (v. 24; cf. 1 Thess. 5:23). The word behind “keep” in this verse is not tērēo, as in verse 1, but phulassō, which has the basic idea of securing in the midst of an attack. No matter what our spiritual enemies may throw against us, we are secured by God’s own power. We sing of this assurance in Samuel Stone’s beloved hymn “The Church’s One Foundation”:
‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation of peace for evermore;
Till, with the vision glorious, her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (6:17b)
The sword to which Paul refers here is the machaira, which varied in length from six to eighteen inches. It was the common sword carried by Roman foot soldiers and was the principal weapon in hand-to-hand combat. Carried in a sheath or scabbard attached to their belts, it was always at hand and ready for use. It was the sword carried by the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus in the Garden (Matt. 26:47), wielded by Peter when he cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave (v. 51), and used by Herod’s executioners to put James to death (Acts 12:2). Of the Spirit can also be translated “by the Spirit” or as “spiritual,” referring to the nature of the sword rather than its source. From the context we know that it is a spiritual weapon, to be used in our struggle against spiritual enemies. The same Greek phrase (tou pneumatos) is translated “spiritual” in Ephesians 1:3 and 5:19. Although this meaning is perfectly consistent with the context of 6:10–17, the preferred rendering is as a genitive of origin, of the Spirit, indicating the Holy Spirit as the origin of the sword. As the Spirit of truth (John 14:17), the Holy Spirit is the believer’s resident truth Teacher, who teaches us all things and brings God’s Word to our remembrance (v. 26). The emphasis of the present passage is on how believers are to use the sword of the Spirit. It is not a physical weapon designed by human minds or forged by human hands (as noted in 2 Cor. 10:3–5) but the perfect spiritual weapon of divine origin and power. Like the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, it is always to be at hand, ready to be taken up (vv. 16a and 17a) and used when a battle begins. Paul explicitly states that the sword of the Spirit is Scripture, the word of God. The Scottish pastor and writer Thomas Guthrie said, “The Bible is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine of exhaustless wealth. It is a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound. Rob us of our Bible and our sky has lost its sun.” From an unknown source comes this tribute to Scripture:
There are words written by kings, by emperors, by princes, by poets, by sages, by philosophers, by fishermen, by statesmen, by men learned in the wisdom of Egypt, educated in the schools of Babylon, and trained at the feet of rabbis in Jerusalem. It was written by men in exile, in the desert, in shepherd’s tents, in green pastures, and beside still waters. Among its authors we find a tax-gatherer, a herdsman, a gatherer of sycamore fruit. We find poor men, rich men, statesmen, preachers, captains, legislators, judges, and exiles. The Bible is a library full of history, genealogy, ethnology, law, ethics, prophecy, poetry, eloquence, medicine, sanitary science, political economy, and the perfect rules for personal and social life. And behind every word is the divine author, God Himself.
Of the divine authorship of Scripture John Wesley said, “The Bible must have been written by God or good men or bad men or good angels or bad angels. But bad men and bad angels would not write it because it condemns bad men and bad angels. And good men and good angels would not deceive by lying about its authority and claiming that God wrote it. And so the Bible must have been written as it claims to have been written—by God who by His Holy Spirit inspired men to record His words using the human instrument to communicate His truth.” Scripture teaches many truths about itself. First, and most importantly, it claims God as its author. “All Scripture is inspired by God,” Paul declared (2 Tim. 3:16). “Know this first of all,” Peter said, “that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:20–21). The Bible also claims that it is inerrant and infallible, containing no errors or mistakes. It is flawless, faultless, and without blemish. As God’s own Word it could not be otherwise. David tells us that “the law of the Lord is perfect, … the testimony of the Lord is sure, … the precepts of the Lord are right, … the commandment of the Lord is pure” (Ps. 19:7–8). The proverb writer tells us, “Every word of God is tested; … Do not add to His words lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar” (Prov. 30:5–6). The Bible claims that it is complete. Echoing the words of Proverbs just quoted, as well as those of Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32, John said at the close of the last book of the Bible, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book” (Rev. 22:18–19). The Bible claims to be authoritative. Isaiah declared, “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; for the Lord speaks” (Isa. 1:2). It claims to be sufficient for our needs. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). The Bible claims to be effective. When its truths are proclaimed and applied, things happen. “So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). The Bible also claims to be determinative. What a person does with God’s Word evidences his relationship to God Himself. “He who is of God,” Jesus said, “hears the words of God” (John 8:47). Those who listen to God’s Word and heed it give evidence that they belong to God, and those who deny and contradict His Word give evidence that they do not belong to Him. As the sword of the Spirit, the Bible offers limitless resources and blessings to the believer. First of all, it is the source of truth. “Thy Word is truth,” Jesus said to His Father (John 17:17). People today look everywhere for answers to life, to try to find out what is worth believing and what is not. The source of all truth about God and man, life and death, time and eternity, men and women, right and wrong, heaven and hell, damnation and salvation, is God’s own word. The Bible is also a source of happiness. Speaking of God’s wisdom, the writer of Proverbs said, “Blessed [or happy] is the man who listens to me” (Prov. 8:34). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it” (Luke 11:28). No person can be happier than when he discovers, accepts, and obeys God’s Word. The Bible is the source of spiritual growth. “Like newborn babes,” Peter admonished, “long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2). It is the source of power, “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit” (Heb. 4:12); the source of guidance, “a lamp to [our] feet, and a light to [our] path” (Ps. 119:105); the source of comfort (Rom. 15:4); the source of perfection (2 Tim. 3:16). And the word of God is the source of victory over our great spiritual enemy, our most powerful weapon against Satan. The sword of the Spirit is first of all a defensive weapon, capable of deflecting the blows of an opponent. It is the believer’s supreme weapon of defense against the onslaughts of Satan. Unlike the shield, however, which gives broad and general protection, the sword can deflect an attack only if it is handled precisely and skillfully. It must parry the enemy weapon exactly where the thrust is made. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, His defense for each temptation was a passage of Scripture that precisely contradicted the devil’s word (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). The Christian who does not know God’s Word well cannot use it well. Satan will invariably find out where we are ignorant or confused and attack us there. Scripture is not a broadsword (rhomphaia) to be waved indiscriminately, but a dagger to be used with great precision. Christians who rely simply on their experience of salvation and their feelings to get them through are vulnerable to every sort of spiritual danger. They get into countless compromising situations and fall prey to innumerable false ideas and practices, simply because they are ignorant of the specific teachings of Scripture. The term Paul uses here for word is not logos, which refers to general statements or messages, but is rhēma, which refers to individual words or particular statements. The apostle is therefore not talking here about general knowledge of Scripture, but is emphasizing again the precision that comes by knowledge and understanding of specific truths. Like Jesus did in the wilderness, we need to use specific scriptural truths to counter specific satanic falsehoods. That is why Paul counseled Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). The faithful believers of Revelation 12 “overcame him [the accuser] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony” (v. 11). The sword of the Spirit is also an offensive weapon, capable of inflicting blows as well as deflecting those of the enemy. Scripture is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:12–13). When the word of God is preached, it brings God’s judgment to bear on lives as it infallibly sifts the evidence of sin and guilt. The word of God is so powerful it transforms men from the realm of falsehood to that of truth, from the realm of darkness to that of light, and from the realm of sin and death to that of righteousness and life. It changes sadness into joy, despair into hope, stagnation into growth, childishness into maturity, and failure into success. Every time God’s Word is used to lead a person to salvation it gives witness to its power to cut a swath through Satan’s dominion of darkness and bring the light of life to a lost soul. Testifying to His Word in our family, among our friends, at work, at school, in the classroom or pulpit, or as we travel, uses the most powerful spiritual weapon in the universe, which no power of Satan can withstand. For the very reason that God’s Word is so powerful and effective, that is where Satan’s greatest offensives are mounted. He will do anything and everything to undermine God’s Word and those who preach and teach it. As Jesus makes clear in the parable of the sower, Satan is quick to snatch God’s Word from a hearer’s heart before it has a chance to take root (Matt. 13:19). Many people gladly listen to the gospel, but before their decision is made, some intrusion distracts them and the effectiveness of the witness is lost, along with the soul of that hearer. In another person’s heart the word is accepted at first with joy, but when Satan sends “affliction or persecution … because of the word, immediately he falls away” (vv. 20–21). Many people seem to be genuine and faithful believers—until hardship, criticism, or persecution come. When the price for faithfulness becomes too high, they reveal that they never had true faith in the first place. Still another hearer also accepts the word in a superficial and temporary way, but as he trusts in his wealth the word is choked and “it becomes unfruitful” (v. 22). Because he wants the world, he forsakes the word. But when the seed of God’s Word is “sown on the good soil,” the hearer understands it and “indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty” (v. 23). It is here that the great offensive power of the sword of the Spirit is seen as it converts a soul from sin to salvation. Offensively, as well as defensively, the use of God’s Word needs to be specific in order to be effective. Romans 10:17 is more accurately and clearly translated “faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes by a word [rhēma, a particular word] of God” (emphasis added). It is not from just any part of Scripture that men come to faith, but from those parts that declare the gospel. Saving faith does not come from believing just any truth of Scripture, but from believing that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world and trusting in His death to cleanse our own sins. The Christian who misquotes and is confused about scriptural truths will not be a successful witness. The effective teacher, preacher, and witness must “be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2). The more we know and understand Scripture, the more we will be able to march through Satan’s strongholds and lead people from his kingdom to God’s. No believer has excuse for not knowing and understanding God’s Word. Every believer has God’s own Holy Spirit within Him as his own divine teacher of God’s divine Word. Our only task is to submit to His instruction by studying the Word with sincerity and commitment. We cannot plead ignorance or inability, only disinterest and neglect. H. P. Barker gives a graphic illustration that points up the need for both knowing and applying the Bible’s truths.
As I looked out into the garden one day, I saw three things. First, I saw a butterfly. The butterfly was beautiful, and it would alight on a flower and then it would flutter to another flower and then to another, and only for a second or two it would sit and it would move on. It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it. Then I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. And the botanist had a big notebook under his arm and a great big magnifying glass. The botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. He was there for hours writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away. The third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. But the bee would light on a flower and it would sink down deep into the flower and it would extract all the nectar and pollen that it could carry. It went in empty every time and came out full. (A. Naismith, 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes [Chicago: Moody, 1962], p. 15.)
Some Christians, like that butterfly, flit from Bible study to Bible study, from sermon to sermon, and from commentary to commentary, while gaining little more than a nice feeling and some good ideas. Others, like the botanist, study Scripture carefully and take copious notes. They gain much information but little truth. Others, like the bee, go to the Bible to be taught by God and to grow in knowledge of Him. Also like the bee, they never go away empty. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote of Martin Luther:
Luther was held in darkness by the devil, though he was a monk. He was trying to save himself by works. He was fasting, sweating, and praying; and yet he was miserable and unhappy, and in bondage. Superstitious Roman Catholic teaching held him captive. But he was delivered by the word of Scripture—“the just shall live by faith.” From that moment he began to understand this Word as he had never understood it before, and the better he understood it the more he saw the errors taught by Rome. He saw the error of her practice, and so became more intent on the reformation of the church. He proceeded to do all in terms of exposition of the Scriptures. The great doctors in the Roman church stood against him. He sometimes had to stand alone and meet them in close combat, and invariably he took his stand upon the Scripture. He maintained that the church is not above the Scriptures. The standard by which you judge even the church, he said, is the Scripture. And though he was one man, at first standing alone, he was able to fight the papal system and twelve centuries of tradition. He did so by taking up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (The Christian Soldier [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977], p. 331.)
It was William Tyndale’s vow that every English plowman and every boy that pulled a plow would one day be able to read and understand the Scriptures, and to that end he devoted his life to translating it into the English language. It is essential for the Word of God to be known, and loved, and practiced if we are to win the battle against Satan.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (pp. 360–373). Moody Press.
Our Mighty Weapon
Ephesians 6:17
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Sinclair B. Ferguson, assistant professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, has written a book in which he discusses the Christian’s warfare against Satan. It is called Add to Your Faith, and it is particularly interesting for the way it discusses the Christian’s armor. According to Dr. Ferguson, each piece of the armor is directed to one way in which Satan attacks Christians. Our breastplate arms us against Satan as accuser. We have seen from the example of Joshua the high priest, recorded in Zechariah 3, how Satan is present to point an accusing finger at the believer and gloat over his manifold sins. “Look at that sin,” he sneers. “No one as wicked as that can serve God.” We saw that the righteousness that protects us against these accusations is of two types. First there is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us in justification, symbolized by the rich robes and clean turban given to Joshua. Then there are also those practical deeds of righteousness that are the result of the presence of Christ in our lives; they are referred to in the angel’s charge to the high priest after he had been given the new garments. The next piece of the soldier’s equipment is his boots or marching sandals. Ferguson thinks of these as protection against Satan as a serpent (Rev. 12:9). A serpent strikes out at the feet or legs of his victims. Our shield of faith arms us against Satan as tempter. He tells us that we cannot trust God, particularly to deliver us from evil and enable us to live a pure life. Faith in God overcomes these temptations. The helmet protects us against Satan as deceiver. He would confuse us, if he could. Satan would crush our heads, if it were possible. Actually, it is Satan who is to have his head crushed by Jesus, though Satan was given power to strike his heel, as he did at the cross. This brings us to the Christian’s final piece of armor, the only offensive part: his sword. These other pieces of armor have been defensive. This alone is offensive. It is our means of resisting Satan as liar, according to Ferguson. Jesus said that Satan is “a liar and the father of lies” and “there is no truth in him” (John 8:44). What is sufficient and effective against Satan’s untruths? There is only one weapon, and that is the truths of God embodied in the Bible which is God’s Word.
Every Word of God
In order to understand the nature of Paul’s teaching in this area we need to know that the word used for “word” in the phrase “the word of God” is not logos, the most common term used in such a phrase, but the word rhēma, which is quite different. Logos is the most exalted word. It was a great word in secular Greek even before it was taken over and used in a special way in the New Testament. Hundreds of years before the time of Christ there was a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus who wrestled with the question of how there could be order in a universe in which everything seemed to be changing. Heraclitus was the philosopher who said, “You can’t step into the same river twice.” He meant that the water of the river is always moving. So when you step into the river the second time it is no longer the same river. It has changed. To Heraclitus all life was like that. Nothing was stable. All things were changing. But if that is so, he asked, how is it that all things remain the same? Why is the experience of one generation the same as that of people who have gone before? Heraclitus concluded that the Word of God (he called it the logos) stood behind everything we see and governed it. God’s logos was the ordering principle of the world. This is the word the apostle John picked up and used with such effect in the opening chapter of his gospel, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1, 14). In John’s prologue logos refers to nothing less than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God’s full and final “word” to mankind. The Scriptures, which are the Word of God in a parallel sense, tell us about him. Rhēma is not like that. While logos embraces nearly everything, rhēma has a slighter weight. It really means “a saying,” in this case, a particular, specific portion of God’s written revelation. John 3:16 is a rhēma. Romans 3:23 is a rhēma, and so on for all the other specific portions of the written “Word of God.” It is important to see this, as I said, because according to Paul’s teaching we are to overcome Satan by the particular words or portions of Scripture.
“It is Written”
What Paul has in mind is modeled by the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over Satan in the wilderness. The devil approached Jesus after he had been fasting for forty days and was hungry, and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matt. 4:3). The idea behind this temptation was not that it was wrong for Jesus to use his supernatural power to make food—his very first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana just a few days after this (John 2:1–11), and later, on at least two occasions, he produced an abundance of bread and fish in Galilee (Matt. 14:13–21; 15:29–39 and parallels). Rather the problem is that it was wrong for him to use his power to test the Word of God. I think R. C. Sproul is right when he suggests that the emphasis in Satan’s query was on the word “if”: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Immediately before this, in Matthew 3:17, God the Father is recorded as having said at the baptism of Jesus, “This is my Son.” This was a direct and unambiguous statement. But now, immediately after this, Satan comes to Jesus with the subtle query, “If you are the Son of God.…” It was a temptation to doubt God’s veracity, hidden under what seemed to be a concern for Jesus’ physical hunger. Yet Jesus had no trouble answering Satan. He replied with a quotation from Deuteronomy. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3). It was as though Jesus was saying, “Satan, it does not really matter much whether I have physical bread to eat. God will preserve my life for as long as he wants, to do with it what he wants. What really matters is whether I believe God or not. If I doubt his word, all is lost.” At this point Satan got into the act, saying, “Well, I see that you are a student of Scripture, having memorized that verse from Deuteronomy. But, of course, I am something of a Bible student myself. When I’m not wandering up and down the earth tempting Job or someone, I have my own periods of Bible study, and not long ago, when I was reading in the Psalms, I came across some interesting verses. Psalm 91:11–12 says, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’ [Matt. 4:6]. Do you believe that? I believe it. In fact, I believe it so much that I am going to make this suggestion. Let’s go up to the highest point of the temple, you and me. You jump off. God will ‘bear you up,’ and the people who see the miracle will follow you immediately. It will get your ministry off to a rip-roaring start.” Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy a second time. “It is also written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’ ” (Matt. 4:7; cf. Deut. 6:16). Here Jesus used Scripture to interpret Scripture—an important hermeneutical principle—and said, in effect, “Satan, you want me to put God to the test. But you have to understand that it is not God who is to be tested. I am the one being tested. My responsibility is not to test but to trust him.” In the third temptation Satan threw off all subtlety and sued for Christ’s worship. He showed him the kingdoms of the world and their glory and promised, “All this I will give you … if you will bow down and worship me” (Matt. 4:9). Jesus replied, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’ ” (Matt. 4:10; cf. Deut. 6:13). It was another quotation from Deuteronomy. In all Scripture there is no better example of the power of specific sayings of the Word of God to turn Satan aside and preserve the one tempted. Let me put it very directly. Here is Jesus Christ—the holy Son of the almighty God, the one in whom neither Satan nor man could find any wrong or gain even the tiniest foothold, Jesus, whose eyes were always on the glory of God the Father and who always lived in the closest possible communion with him. If this Jesus, your Lord and Savior, had to know Scripture in order to resist Satan and win a victory over him, how much more do you and I need it to win a like victory! You say, “Well, I have a general idea what the Bible is about. I believe that the Bible is God’s Word.” That is good. I do not want to discount that in the slightest. But it is not enough. According to Ephesians 6:17, you must know the specific sayings of Scripture—you must have them memorized—if you are to resist and overcome Satan successfully. I have great admiration for the Navigators at this point because they, of all organizations in this country, are doing most to stress Bible memorization. Everybody stresses Bible study; that is essential. But Bible memorization is also important, maybe more so. It is because in the heat of temptation, when other external supports are lacking or have been removed by Satan’s stratagems, only those specific sayings of God’s which are fixed firmly in our minds will remain and will emerge to help us. Satan will not flee from us simply because we tell him to. He will retreat only before the power of God as he himself speaks his words into the midst of the temptation.
Nothing More Powerful
There is nothing in all life more powerful than the specific words of God. You may say, “Surely that is an exaggeration. We know many things that are powerful. What about nuclear weapons?” Well, nuclear weapons are powerful. They can kill you and, if you are not saved, send your soul to hell. But the words of God can impart eternal life and take you to heaven. “What about gossip, lies, and slander? They do great damage.” True, but the truths of God are more powerful than lies, and what is more, they can transform the liar. In times of revival the words of God have transformed whole societies and cultures. Nothing in all of life is more powerful than the words of God. Think of the accomplishments of God’s words. First, the words of God are compelling. That is, they have a way of getting a hold on us and moving us as no other words do. Calvin wrote, “This power which is peculiar to Scripture is clear from the fact that of human writings, however artfully polished, there is none capable of affecting us at all comparably. Read Demosthenes or Cicero; read Plato, Aristotle, and others of that tribe. They will, I admit, allure you, delight you, move you, enrapture you in wonderful measure. But betake yourself from them to this sacred reading. Then, in spite of yourself, so deeply will it affect you, so penetrate your heart, so fix itself in your very marrow, that compared with its deep impression, such vigor as orators and philosophers have will nearly vanish. Consequently, it is easy to see that the Sacred Scriptures, which so far surpass all gifts and graces of the human endeavor, breathe something divine.” Emile Cailliet, a French philosopher who eventually settled in America and became a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, had a similar testimony. He had received a naturalistic education but had always felt that something was missing in his life. He came to think that what he really needed was “a book that would understand me.” He was highly educated, but he knew of no such book. He determined to write one for himself. As he came across particularly moving passages in his studies he would copy them over, index his anthology, and then be able to read his choice passages whenever he was despondent. The day came when Cailliet finished his production and went out of the small town in France in which he and his wife lived and sat down under a tree to read the book that would understand him. He began with high expectations. But as he read a feeling of disappointment crept over him. The book did not work, and the reason it did not work, as he then realized, was that it was of his own making. It carried no special strength of persuasion. Dejected, he returned the book to his pocket. At that very moment his wife came up to him with a Bible. He had never seen a Bible in his life, and his wife was almost afraid to give it to him—so insistent had he been about not having such a book in his house. But she had stumbled upon a small Huguenot chapel earlier that morning and had asked for one, much to her own surprise. Now she was offering it to him. Cailliet snatched up the book greedily and began to read it. Here is what happened in his own words: “I read and read and read—now aloud with an indescribable warmth surging within.… I could not find words to express my awe and wonder. And suddenly the realization dawned upon me: This was the Book that would understand me! I needed it so much, yet, unaware, I had attempted to write my own—in vain. I continued to read deeply into the night, mostly from the gospels. And lo and behold, as I looked through them, the One of whom they spoke, the One who spoke and acted in them became alive to me.… To this God I prayed that night, and the God who answered was the same God of whom it was spoken in the Book.” Second, the words of God are convicting. Anyone who has faithfully tried to preach or teach the Word of God has had the experience that after the sermon or lesson is over a person will come up and say, “What you were talking about is exactly what I have been doing. Somebody must have told you about me.” Sometimes it is difficult to convince such a person that nobody has said anything about his or her particular sin or situation. It is just that the words of God, carried home by the power of the God who spoke them, have burned into the heart. I think this is what must have happened to the Emmaus disciples when Jesus explained to them out of “Moses and all the Prophets” the things that concerned himself. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). Third, the words of God are converting. They change lives as no other power on earth can. Harry Ironside, a great preacher and evangelist from an earlier generation, was in San Francisco once taking part in a Salvation Army sidewalk meeting when he was challenged to debate the subject “Agnosticism versus Christianity” by a well-known socialist of that era. He replied like this: “I will be glad to agree to this debate on the following conditions: namely, that in order to prove that Mr. _ has something worth debating about, he will promise to bring with him to the Hall of Science next Sunday [the place and time of the proposed debate] two people whose qualifications I will give in a moment, as proof that agnosticism is of real value in changing human lives and building true character. “First, he must promise to bring with him one man who was for years what we commonly call a ‘down-and-outer’ … a man who for years was under the power of evil habits from which he could not deliver himself, but who on some occasion entered one of Mr. _’s meetings and heard his glorification of agnosticism and his denunciations of the Bible and Christianity, and whose heart and mind as he listened to such an address were so deeply stirred that he went away from that meeting saying, ‘Henceforth, I too am an agnostic!’ and as a result of imbibing that particular philosophy found that a new power had come into his life. The sins he once loved he now hates, and righteousness and goodness are now the ideals of his life. He is now an entirely new man, a credit to himself and an asset to society—all because he is an agnostic. “Secondly, I would like Mr. _ to promise to bring with him one woman … once a poor, wrecked, characterless outcast, the slave of evil passions, and the victim of man’s corrupt living [but who also] entered a hall where Mr. _ was loudly proclaiming his agnosticism and ridiculing the message of the Holy Scriptures. As she listened, hope was born in her heart and she said, ‘This is just what I need to deliver me from the slavery of sin!’ She followed the teaching and became an intelligent agnostic or infidel. As a result, her whole being revolted against the degradation of the life she had been living. She fled from the den of iniquity where she had been held captive so long; and today, rehabilitated, she has won her way back to an honored position in society and is living a clean, virtuous, happy life, all because she is an agnostic. “Now,” he said, addressing the gentleman who had presented him with his card and the challenge, “if you will promise to bring these two people with you as examples of what agnosticism can do, I will promise to meet you at the Hall of Science at four o’clock next Sunday, and I will bring with me at the very least one hundred men and women who for years lived in just such sinful degradation as I have tried to depict, but who have been gloriously saved through believing the gospel which you ridicule. I will have these men and women with me on the platform as witnesses to the miraculous saving power of Jesus Christ and as present-day proof of the truth of the Bible.” Dr. Ironside then turned to the Salvation Army captain, a girl, and asked, “Captain, have you any who could go with me to such a meeting?” She exclaimed with enthusiasm, “We can give you forty at least just from this one corps, and we will give you a brass band to lead the procession!” Apparently the man who had made the challenge had a sense of humor, for he smiled wryly and waved his hand in a deprecating kind of way as if to say, “Nothing doing!” and then he edged out of the crowd while the bystanders clapped for Harry Ironside. There is nothing on earth that convicts people and transforms lives the way the Bible does. Finally, the words of God are consoling. You and I often go through difficult times in life; times that involve sickness or the loss of a job, friends, or a close family member. The world has its way of handling such situations. It says, “Keep a stiff upper lip,” “Every cloud has a silver lining,” “Things will get better”—profound words like that. But they are not much help. Where does a person who is suffering sickness or loss or persecution or misery find comfort? Let me say it clearly: There is no comfort like that of reading or hearing the very words of God. To hear such words is to hear God himself, and it is God who ministers to the suffering soul through them.
God’s Word, My Heart
If we are to resist Satan and find the convicting, converting, and consoling words of God that we need to live and triumph as Christians, we must take the words of God into our minds and hearts. We must pick up the sword of the Spirit and wield it forcefully. I have seen many swords in my day, having visited scores of war museums, particularly in the British Isles. I have seen beautiful swords, important swords, swords that have been owned and used by kings and warriors of many earlier ages. I have enjoyed looking at them. But they have never done me one bit of good, nor will they. They are not mine. I cannot hold them. They are locked away in those great museums, and there they remain. For a sword to do me any good, I must take it up and use it. So also with the words of God. They are wonderful words, but to be useful to you they must become yours. You must learn them. This is what David was talking about when he said, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11). Only the words that we know will be useful to us.
Boice, J. M. (1988). Ephesians: an expositional commentary (pp. 250–257). Ministry Resources Library.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. (Proverbs 3:24)
Is the reader likely to be confined for a while to the bed by sickness! Let him go upstairs without distress with this promise upon his heart “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid.”
When we go to bed at night, let this word smooth our pillow. We cannot guard ourselves in sleep, but the Lord will keep us through the night. Those who lie down under the protection of the Lord are as secure as kings and queens in their palaces, and a great deal more so. If with our lying down there is a laying down of all cares and ambitions, we shall get refreshment out of our beds such as the anxious and covetous never find in theirs. Ill dreams shall be banished, or even if they come, we shall wipe out the impression of them, knowing that they are only dreams.
If we sleep thus we shall do well. How sweetly Peter slept when even the angel’s light did not wake him, and he needed a hard jog in the side to wake him up. And yet he was sentenced to die on the morrow. Thus have martyrs slept before their burning. “So he giveth his beloved sleep.” To have sweet sleep we must have sweet lives, sweet tempers, sweet meditations, and sweet love.
Thirty days of exalting Jesus through selected verses with pictures representing the prophecy, life, death, resurrection, and Second Coming of our Savior.
Adam & Eve’s fall into sin in the Garden of Eden precipitated God’s plan to redeem humanity. That plan was partially and indistinctly revealed to the pair in the subsequent discussion with God. (Genesis 3:15). And so it began.
The revelation of God’s plan to redeem humanity continued throughout the Old Testament, again, partially, hazily, for example, the prophecy above in Isaiah 7:14.
Charles Spurgeon on the prophecy of the virgin birth: “And, first, we see here, in speaking of this birth of Christ, a miraculous conception. The text says expressly, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.” This expression is unparalleled even in Sacred Writ! Of no other woman could it be said beside the Virgin Mary, and of no other man could it be written that his mother was a virgin.“
“There is the finite and the Infinite, there is the mortal and the Immortal, corruption and Incorruption, the manhood and the Godhead, time married to eternity! There is God linked with a creature, the Infinity of the august Maker come to tabernacle on this speck of earth—the vast unbounded One whom earth could not hold and the heavens cannot contain—lying in His mother’s arms! He who fastened the pillars of the universe and riveted the nails of creation, hanging on a mortal breast, depending on a creature for nourishment! Oh, marvelous birth! Oh, miraculous conception! We stand and gaze and admire. Verily, angels may wish to look into a subject too dark for us to speak of! There we leave it, a virgin has conceived and borne a Son“. A sermon, The Birth of Christ
Charles Spurgeon on Christmas: “Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise, it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle—Incarnation! There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High.” Sermon “The First Christmas Carol“, A sermon by Charles Spurgeon, Dec 20, 1857
The nineteenth century Anglican bishop J. C. Ryle once approvingly quoted an old divine who said, writing of Jesus’s upper room discourse (John 13–16) followed by his high priestly prayer (John 17), that “the best and fullest sermon ever preached was followed by the best of prayers.” That’s high praise, and many others have agreed. For 2,000 years, Jesus’s words to his followers and to his Father have strengthened and encouraged Christians. It’s worth looking more closely at this great sermon—one of the most famous and unforgettable sermons Jesus ever preached. Each of the discourses of Jesus recorded in the New Testament Gospels is powerful and precious. But there’s none quite like this one. Four stand-out features of Jesus’s farewell discourse make it distinct from all the others.
Its place in John’s Gospel
Many readers of John’s Gospel have recognized that, in addition to a prologue (John 1:1–18) and an epilogue (John 21), there are two main sections in the fourth Gospel: Jesus’s public ministry of signs in John 1:19–12:50 (the Book of Signs) and the manifestation of Jesus’s glory culminating at the cross in John 13:1–20:31 (the Book of Glory). The hinge of the entire Gospel of John, therefore, is Jesus’s farewell discourse and prayer. It transitions from public activity to private preparation of the disciples, from a ministry of signs to a ministry of dying. This pivotal section is important for all hearers and readers as they experience John’s Gospel. The action in John 1–12 has been intense, and it will pick up again in John 18–21, as Jesus is put on trial and crucified before rising from the dead. In between all that action, John 13–17 hits “pause.” It’s mostly Jesus’s words. Those words allow both Jesus’s first hearers (the disciples) and later readers (us) to assess what has happened to this point and to prepare for the events soon to follow—both Jesus’s imminent death/departure and their own subsequent mission to the world.
Its Place in Jesus’s Ministry
In addition to being pivotal in its literary context, John 13–17 is pivotal in the historical context of Jesus’s ministry. Tragically, despite the numerous and powerful signs performed by Jesus during his public ministry to the Jewish people (John 1:18–2:50), “they still did not believe in him” (John 12:37). For that reason, “[Jesus] departed and hid himself from them” (John 12:36). This dramatic withdrawal is why Jesus’s farewell discourse is delivered to the small group of his closest followers, referred to as “his own” in John 13:1. The public ministry gives way to a private one. The reference in John 13:1 to Jesus’s disciples as “his own” is highly significant. The beginning of John’s Gospel says that Jesus “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). There, “his own” clearly refers to the Jewish people, the focus of his ministry in John 1–12. The phrase is repurposed in John 13:1, now referring not to an ethnic people but to Jesus’s disciples, those who belong to him through faith. They’re the focus of his ministry in the second half of John’s Gospel. Jesus creates for himself a messianic community, a new people, a new family among both Jews and Gentiles (cf. John 1:12–13; 20:17).
Its Place in Jesus’s Life
Scholars debate the timing of Jesus’s sermon and prayer in John 13–17. Some think they occur on the Wednesday night before Good Friday—that is, the night before the Passover meal. But the arguments for this view are ultimately unconvincing. More persuasive is the case that John 13–17 aligns with the Synoptic Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’s last supper on the Thursday night before Good Friday. And if that’s the case, it demonstrates the uniquely pivotal place of Jesus’s sermon and prayer not just in his ministry, but in his life. These chapters aren’t called “the farewell discourse” for nothing. He’ll die the next day. This sermon is the fullest final expression of his (pre-crucifixion and resurrection) life. As such, we can expect to learn from it what Jesus cares most deeply about. When read in this crucial context, it’s stunning to see how concerned Jesus is for his followers rather than for himself. He’s focused on them and on those who will come after them (including us, cf. John 17:20). It’s also striking to compare Jesus’s farewell discourse to other examples of the genre. Like other farewell discourses in Jewish literature (e.g. Jacob in Genesis 49, Moses in Deuteronomy 31–33, Joshua in Joshua 23–24), Jesus predicts his death, highlights future challenges for his followers, encourages them to moral behavior, and blesses them. But Jesus’s farewell is different, because it’s only temporary. He’ll soon rise and return to his disciples. There’s resurrection light at the end of this very dark tunnel.
Its Expression of Jesus’s Love
Perhaps the most important phrase in John 13–17 is found in the very first verse. John 13:1 says that Jesus “loved [his own] to the end.” That can mean two things—either he loved his disciples “until the end of his life” or he loved his disciples “to the uttermost.” He loved them “as long as he could” or “as much as he could.” In fact, it probably means both. Jesus’s sermon and prayer in John 13–17 is most fully understood when it’s read as an expression of the full and final love of Jesus for his followers. Jesus knows the full magnitude of suffering about to fall upon him, and yet rather than seeking the support of his disciples, he cares for them by warning, preparing, exhorting, encouraging, and praying for them. This great sermon, therefore, does more than point toward Jesus’s climactic act of love for his people at the cross (cf. John 15:13). The sermon itself (as well as the John 17 prayer that immediately follows) is a breathtaking expression of his love.
Here’s a sermon like no other. It’s the hinge of John’s Gospel and the pivot point of Jesus’s ministry. It’s spoken on the last night of Jesus’s earthly life. And it’s the final, fullest verbal expression of his love for all who follow him. This is a sermon worthy of lifelong study. Through it, we encounter the very heart of the Lord who spoke it.
Stephen Witmer (PhD, University of Cambridge) is the lead pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, Massachusetts, a council member of the Gospel Coalition, and the cofounder of Small Town Summits. He writes for Desiring God and is the author of Eternity Changes Everything; A Big Gospel in Small Places; and The Preacher’s Greek Companion to Hebrews. He and his wife, Emma, have three children.
The Bible’s covenantal storyline serves as the metanarrative to identify who Jesus is and as the background to the New Testament’s presentation of him.
Dr. Robert Jeffress shares a heartfelt message of gratitude for God’s faithfulness and provision and closes with a special prayer for the Thanksgiving season.
The Apostle Paul called his young friend Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). This same call is for all of God’s people. But how are Christians to engage in this spiritual battle?
In this devotional message, Sinclair Ferguson exhorts us to be courageous witnesses for the gospel, conducting ourselves with integrity and faithfulness to the Lord.
But the Pharisees and the scribes were constantly grumbling, saying, This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them. On a previous occasion these opponents of Jesus had found fault with his disciples for eating and drinking with publicans and sinners (5:30). Now, having grown bolder, they criticize Jesus himself for doing this. Contemptuously they refer to him as “this fellow.” Clearly they had not taken to heart the lesson Jesus had taught them (5:31, 32). They refused to believe that it was for the very purpose of seeking and saving the lost that he had come into the world (19:10).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (Vol. 11, p. 744). Baker Book House.
15:2 The point of the three parables in this chapter is the joy of God when the lost is recovered. God’s joy is to forgive and restore. The trilogy exhibits an increasing preciousness in value: a sheep, a coin lost from the headdress (a portion of the dowry) of a married woman, and a son. The vivid concept of the tragedy of lostness recurs throughout the parables, but is ultimately overshadowed by the heavenly joy which follows the finding of the precious object of devotion. Again the focus of heaven is depicted as resting upon the question of salvation above all else.
Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J., eds. (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., Lk 15:2). Thomas Nelson.
15:2 Pharisees and the scribes See note on Luke 5:17.
welcomes sinners and eats with them In response to the religious leaders’ complaint, Jesus tells parables to explain His purpose in welcoming sinners and sharing table fellowship with them. He teaches that each repentant sinner prompts a heavenly celebration (vv. 7, 10, 32).
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Lk 15:2). Lexham Press.
15:2 began to grumble. Lit. “murmured greatly”—i.e., through the crowds. Their grumbling prompted 3 parables designed to illustrate the joy of God over the repentance of sinners. This man receives sinners. This phrase is the key to the trilogy of parables that follow. Christ was not ashamed to be known as a “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (7:34).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Lk 15:2). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
2 In OT times it was taken for granted that God’s people did not consort with sinners (cf. Ps 1), but the Pharisees extended this beyond the biblical intent. To go so far as to “welcome” them and especially to “eat” with them, implying table fellowship, was unthinkable to the Pharisees. The parables that follow show that the return of “sinners” to God should be a cause for joy to the religious leaders, as it was to God. Furthermore, “Jesus makes the claim for himself that he is acting in God’s stead, that he is God’s representative” (Jeremias, Parables of Jesus, p. 132.)
Liefeld, W. L. (1984). Luke. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 981). Zondervan Publishing House.
15:2 the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. See “Scribes and Pharisees” at 5:12–26. These two groups (who for Luke effectively form a single body of religious purists) have been responsible for most of the expressed opposition to Jesus in the Gospel, even though we have noted a degree of (guarded?) openness to Jesus on the part of some Pharisees (7:36; 11:37; 13:31; 14:1). Here, as usual, they are concerned with following the rules of purity, for which they themselves were responsible, rather than with helping people. For the same group set over against tax collectors, see also 5:29–30; 7:29–30.
France, R. T. (2013). Luke (M. L. Strauss & J. H. Walton, Eds.; p. 254). Baker Books.
“It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors.” —George Washington (1789)
EDITOR’S NOTE
In observance of Thanksgiving, we take a brief leave for the rest of the week to be with our families.
As always, we will be updating our Right Opinion page every day. Our regular editions will return on Monday, December 1.
Senate poised for “Watergate-style hearings” over Arctic Frost: In a recent podcast interview, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said that the Senate will likely soon be holding “Watergate-style hearings” into Arctic Frost. Schmitt called Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation an element of the Biden administration’s weaponization of the federal government against Republicans and specifically Donald Trump. “This is a big deal,” he contended. “The fact that Jack Smith — really, what he was trying to do is create this massive nationwide show trial where people got caught up and criminally prosecuted for their political views. He thought he was going to be the hero in this story. He’s really the villain.” Schmitt was quick to note, however, that Smith wasn’t the only one involved.
“Sedition” kerfuffle continues: The Department of War is not taking the “Seditious Six” Democrats’ video urging service members to disobey orders lightly. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is under investigation for his participation in the video. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has assigned the investigation to the secretary of the Navy and given a deadline of December 10 for the results of the review. Hegseth has stressed that, while the video “may seem harmless to civilians,” inside the military, given the lack of any specifically mentioned illegal order, it sows confusion and amounts to a “politically-motivated influence operation.” President Trump has taken to social media to express his fury over the video in a brash manner —”SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!“ This story is far from over; it seems unlikely the Democrats in the video knew the trouble they were setting up for themselves.
Trump would “rather not” extend ObamaCare subsidies: In a press conference on Tuesday, President Trump opined on the soon-to-be-expiring ObamaCare subsidies over which Senate Democrats shut down the government in a failed bid to get Republicans to agree to extend them. “I’d rather not,” Trump stated. “Somebody said I want to extend them for two years. I don’t want to extend them for two years. I’d rather not extend them at all.” At issue for Republican lawmakers is a debate over ending or extending the enhanced subsidies, with those facing competitive elections seeking some temporary extension. Trump didn’t dismiss this, but he correctly blamed Democrats for creating this problem in the first place. He then touted his HSA funding plan, saying, “Don’t give any money to the insurance companies; give it to the people directly. Let them buy their own healthcare plan. And we’re looking at that.”
Swalwell sues Trump housing official over mortgage investigation: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) filed a lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte yesterday. Swalwell alleged that Pulte had violated his and other Democrats’ privacy rights in service to President Trump’s political retribution. “Pulte’s brazen practice of obtaining confidential mortgage records from Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac and then using them as a basis for referring individual homeowners to DOJ for prosecution is unprecedented and unlawful,” the lawsuit states. Pulte has referred a number of Democrats to the Justice Department for investigation into mortgage-related crimes, including Sen. Adam Schiff (CA) and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Swalwell faces a DOJ mortgage fraud investigation over a DC property he owns. He is also running for California governor amongst a crowded field of Democrats.
Leftists call for Black Friday boycott of companies with ties to Trump: When the Right boycotts a company, it’s usually because the business strayed from its core values, as with Bud Light and Cracker Barrel. When the Left boycotts a company, it’s to push it into an ideological position. So it is with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), the We Ain’t Buying It campaign, and various other leftist groups that are calling for a Black Friday through Cyber Monday boycott of Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Airbnb, AT&T, and Home Depot. The boycott is aimed at companies that have not opposed the Trump administration — or, as the Left puts it, are “collaborating with the authoritarian regime.” If Democrats won’t be shopping, perhaps they’ll need to beg a conservative for a pocket knife to whittle some handmade gifts for Christmas.
Pentagon preps to cut Scouts connection: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has noticed that Scouting America, the organization wearing the skin suit of the once-venerable Boy Scouts of America, is retaining benefits intended for the Boy Scouts and wants to put a stop to it. A leaked Pentagon memo shows that Hegseth plans to end support for Scouting America’s National Jamboree in West Virginia after a century of working closely with the Boy Scouts on the event. Scouting America would also lose the access it had previously been granted to military bases. The Pentagon’s work with the organization is congressionally mandated, but Hegseth has a loophole related to national security that he may intend to use, as he correctly points out that the organization now fosters “gender confusion.” The Eagle Scouts at your Patriot Post say Hegseth’s decision is a natural consequence of Scouting America’s betrayal of boys.
Trump goes nuclear: The future is nuclear. This reality has become increasingly clear as energy demand continues to grow exponentially in the burgeoning Artificial Intelligence industry. Recognizing that inexpensive energy is a necessity if the U.S. is to succeed in the AI race against China, the Trump administration is leaning into developing and expanding America’s nuclear energy sector. With this goal in mind, the Trump administration aims to invest billions in nuclear, including a $1 billion federal loan to Constellation Energy to restart Three Mile Island’s undamaged reactor. While the Biden administration sank billions of taxpayer dollars into costly, low-output, and inherently inconsistent renewable energy, much of which was simply a Democrat money-laundering scheme, President Trump will expand proven “green” technology that is actually capable of meeting America’s growing energy demands. The faster America builds more nuclear plants, the better.
Official Strongman Games disqualify a man dressed as a woman: Jammie Booker was named the “World’s Strongest Woman” over the weekend before officials discovered that Booker had lied about being a woman. The organization’s rules are clear that men are not allowed to compete in the women’s category regardless of self-identity; accordingly, Booker was stripped of his title on Tuesday. Runner-up Andrea Thompson, who is now the winner, stormed off the stage when Booker was given the title, calling it “bulls**t.” Other strongwomen, including previous winners, showed their moral strength by rallying around Thompson and calling her the real winner online before officials corrected their mistake.
Navy hero dies saving kids: According to a news release from the Kaua’i Police Department, Master-at-Arms 1st Class Jeffrey Diaz, 47, from Florida, died Saturday in Hawaii while saving two children struggling in the high surf. The sailor, who was stationed in Hawaii at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Barking Sands, heroically jumped into the water to rescue the two children. While the kids made it safely back to shore, unfortunately, Jeffrey ran into trouble in the water. First responders later pulled Diaz from the water. They began lifesaving efforts, but he was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. There are still heroes in our midst, and they don’t wear capes; they often wear dog tags. We are grateful to those like Jeffrey Diaz who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Headlines
Ukraine peace plan expected to be rejected by Russia (NY Post)
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser won’t seek fourth (Fox News)
DOJ to create gun rights office in civil rights division (Not the Bee)
Foreigners will have to pay extra $100 to enter most popular national parks (NY Post)
Arrest warrant for gender-confused Miss Universe co-owner issued (Fox News)
Taiwanese president pledges $40 billion in additional defense budget (CNBC)
Humor: Trump to execute all turkeys pardoned by Biden’s autopen (Babylon Bee)
Our friends at The Babylon Bee continued their incredible streak of satire-as-prophecy. Well, it was close, anyway. On Monday, the Christian humor site headlined, “Trump To Execute All Turkeys Pardoned By Biden’s Autopen.” On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that Joe Biden’s pardons of last year’s turkeys were null and void because of the autopen, but that he had “saved them in the nick of time.”
There may never be another president who’s as much of an entertainer as Trump.
The annual turkey pardon at the White House is a fun tradition that usually allows Americans to set aside political rancor in favor of some holiday cheer. Trump never sets aside political rancor, but he was also pretty doggone funny going after his opponents yesterday. After some initial welcoming comments, here’s how he began:
In a few moments, I will grant a full, absolute, and unconditional presidential pardon to two handsome Thanksgiving turkeys. And this is their lucky day. This is a lucky day for them.
But before going any further, I want to make an important announcement because you remember last year, after a thorough and very rigorous investigation by Pam Bondi and all of the people at Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, the White House Counsel’s Office, and the Department of Everything — We have a Department of Everything. You know what that is? I think it’s called the White House — into a terrible situation caused by a man named Sleepy Joe Biden. He used an autopen last year for the turkeys’ pardon. So I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid, as are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned, other than, where’s Hunter? No, Hunter’s was good. That was the one pardon, Pam, that was good, right? The rest of them are all invalid. I don’t know what the hell you’re going to do about that, but now we’re going to take a little of the joking, that is a mess. But they’re hereby null and void. The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed, in other words, to be killed. But I’ve stopped that journey, and I am officially pardoning them, and they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time.
Remember, last year’s pardon for the other turkey, Hunter Biden, was one of the precious few that Joe Biden signed by his own hand, which might tell you all you need to know about how Team Biden viewed those pardons and the autopen.
Bringing up that whole situation might have been “political rancor,” but it was hilarious and well deserved.
Trump also proceeded to pardon this year’s turkeys, Gobble and Waddle. Those weren’t necessarily the first options for names, though. “Well, I shouldn’t say this,” he joked. “I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy. Then I realized I would be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people.”
Rimshot.
He also teased about his own deportation policies, saying, “Instead of pardon, some of my more enthusiastic staffers were already drafting the paperwork to ship Gobble and Waddle straight to the terrorist confinement center in El Salvador. And even those birds don’t want to be there.”
The rest of the speech was typical Trump, talking about many things his administration has done or is doing, while throwing the occasional insult at his opponents. One other thing, though, particularly caught my attention: his comments about the economy and the specific prices that are lower now than when Biden was president.
Here, the president is treading perilous ground. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris tried the whole Jedi mind trick last year, telling Americans that everything was “cheaper” and “better” than what they could see with their own eyes and bank accounts. Ask President Harris how that worked out for her.
It’ll fall just as flat for President Trump to keep doing the same thing. The national average for gas yesterday was $3.05. One year ago, it was … $3.06. Overall inflation remains stubbornly persistent at about 3%. That’s a far cry from the Biden high of 9.1%, but cumulative inflation since Biden “rescued” America in 2021 is nearly 25%.
It simply defies reality for Trump to say that almost anything costs less now than before. He should focus on affordability, not dismiss it.
That said, I’ll offer this as my “Thanksgiving message”: Thanks to our Founders’ wisdom about securing Liberty and the economic system of capitalism, we live in what is arguably the freest and most prosperous nation in history. If you want a turkey, you can buy one. Or, if you realize that ham is superior, do that instead. Because we’re not a communist “utopia,” you can fill your table with an appetizing feast and then take a nap during a football game. Take the opportunity to actually be kind to your TDS-suffering relatives. Crowd out the anxiety with thankfulness.
We Americans have nearly countless reasons to be thankful. Don’t miss out.
Michael Swartz: A Real Russian Scandal Goes Worldwide — X recently added a location feature, exposing countless bot accounts and leading to broader questions about social media.
Emmy Griffin: Ozempic and the ‘Body Positivity’ Metamorphosis — Big-girl celebrities have slimmed down, abandoning the “body positivity” movement in a very physical and public way. Is nature finally healing?
Sophie Starkova: The Growing Pro-Life Cause — There’s good news: Last year, 2,775 pregnancy centers provided a total value of over $452 million in medical care, support, education, and material goods.
Insurrection Chic — Democrats’ Dangerous New Fad — Six Democrat lawmakers urged members of the military to openly defy their commands from President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
It Happened Again — The attack on the Blue Line Subway in Chicago was horrible. But knowing how the judges did next to nothing to stop the suspect from re-offending is worse.
Meet the Pick-Me Politician Trying to Flip Tennessee — Brett Cooper spent last week laughing about terrible candidates in New York and California — and then was slapped in the face by our own right here in Tennessee.
“Wouldn’t it be the most perfect MAGA fairy tail if [JD Vance] finally sees the light that he needs a white queen [Erika Kirk] instead of this brown Hindu?” —political pundit Joy Reid
Lack of Self-Awareness Awards
“I know that Donald Trump will probably come after me again, and my attitude is going to be the same. I’m innocent, I am not afraid, and I believe in an independent federal judiciary.” —former FBI Director James Comey
“A message has to be sent that the president of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies.” —James Comey
The BIG Lie
“It’s always a relief when a branch of government does their job! This is a win for Comey & AG James, but ALSO the American people! Sadly, in Trump’s America, it is clear that we all must now pray for the safety of the Judge. In Trump’s America, following the law is an act of courage… while breaking the law, on his behalf, is demanded.” —Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX)
Braying Jenny
“Somalis have always seen themselves as a fabric of this nation.” —Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
Eat the Rich?
“If you can’t live in a country with a 40% tax rate on your income above a half-million dollars, then go, dude; we don’t need you. Go somewhere else. … Go to Switzerland.” —Democrat strategist James Carville
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
“I want us to be able to vote by phone.” —Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Gender Cultist
“As women who can give birth — men and women who can give birth — we can maybe leverage that as collective bargaining.” —Tennessee congressional candidate Aftyn Behn (D) in 2020
Celebrating Terrorists
“[Convicted cop killer] Imam Jamil Al-Amin was a hero of the civil rights movement and a victim of injustice who passed away in a prison, jailed for a crime he did not commit. We pray that God rewards him with paradise for his good deeds and the injustices he suffered.” —CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad
Tone Down the Rhetoric
“Calling your opponents traitors and then specifically saying that it warrants the death penalty is reckless, inappropriate, irresponsible. There are a number of other ways to describe it, but it’s not something that is helping the country heal wounds.” —Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on President Trump’s recent comments
Things to Be Thankful For
“When the Pilgrims got cold, they had to chop wood and burn it. Today, you push a button on your thermostat. Going to see family? Airplanes use fossil fuels. The iPhone you use to FaceTime Grandma wouldn’t exist without the power provided by fossil fuels. … Without fossil fuels, Thanksgiving dinner and everything else in American life would look entirely different — and not in a good way.” —Victor Joecks
“Jeffrey Epstein’s reach was as wide and as potent as the Medellin drug cartel, and the poison that he administered as lethal. … Evil people have hidden in the shadows, protected by the idea that their power would keep them in those shadows forever. It’s time to shine the light so that these victims, real victims, will finally be seen. And as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, this is one very important reason to give thanks.” —Christine Flowers
Belly Laughs of the Day
“The turkeys being pardoned today go by the names of Gobble and Waddle. When I first saw their pictures … I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy — but then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people.” —Donald Trump
“Why are you getting a pardon? What did you do wrong?” —Fox News’s Peter Doocy grilling Waddle the Turkey ahead of its presidential pardon
ON THIS DAY in 1789, the United States observed “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” after President George Washington proclaimed it. In light of the blessings of “that great and glorious Being,” he called on his countrymen to “unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks” for the “signal and manifold mercies” given to our nation.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA announced Tuesday the scope of its work inside Gaza. It’s that time of year again – the busiest travel season. And this Thanksgiving, a record-breaking number of Americans are expected to hit the roads, rails, and skies. Bible sales are hitting record highs here in the U.S. Since the state of Israel was established in 1948, the Israel antiquities authority has been the center of its archeological research and preservation. Recording artist Kelontae Gavin is well known for songs such as “Higher” and “No Ordinary Worship.”
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NEWS: Mass abductions in Nigeria as armed groups kidnap hundreds of children, pushing the nation deeper into chaos. Plus, Trump orders a sweeping review of the Muslim Brotherhood, and England breaks ground on a massive monument to answered prayer.
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FOCUS: Hundreds of students kidnapped from a Catholic school as Nigeria’s security crisis worsens and global concern grows.
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MAIN THING: Pastor Jack Hibbs breaks down the end-times prophecy connections behind America’s rising wave of antisemitism.
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LAST THING: Luke 17:11–19 — the healing of the ten lepers and the importance of returning to give thanks.
Well-educated urban young adults are facing major economic problems, which have radicalized them, leading to their election of Mamdani and their embrace of socialism. Working class Trump supporters have some of the same complaints. What if these two kinds of populists formed a coalition?
The meeting between President Trump, a Republican, and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, turned into what is being described as a “love fest.”
“Some of his ideas are the same as my ideas,” the president said. “He wants to see housing go up, see a lot of housing created, apartments built… People would be shocked, but I want to see the same thing.” . . .
“There were more New Yorkers who voted for President Trump in the most recent presidential election because of that focus on cost of living,” Mamdani said, “and I’m looking forward to working together to deliver on that affordability agenda.”. . .
“A lot of my voters actually voted for him,” Trump said.
“One in 10,” Mamdani interjected.
“And I’m OK with that,” Trump responded.
Trump also noted his agreement with another democratic socialist: “Bernie Sanders and I agreed on much more than people thought.” Trump said that he thought Mamdani had the potential to be “a really great mayor” and promised to help him.
The high point of this amiable exchange came when a reporter asked Mamdani if he still considers Trump to be a fascist. Trump, who had called Mamdani a communist, interrupted and said, “That’s OK you can just say yes.” Mamdani just said, “OK,” to laughter all around.
But, setting aside whether those terms apply to these two, there is not that much difference between Fascists and Communists. Mussolini described his Fascist ideology as nationalism plus socialism. Communism is international, class-based socialism. Both were revolutionary, anti-capitalist movements. Both installed authoritarian, totalitarian governments. Both were allies of each other in the first phase of World War II, when they divided eastern Europe between them, though they then turned against each other.
More to the point of comparing Trump and Mamdani, they and their supporters are both populists. Both MAGA and the DSA are anti-establishment. Both claim to represent the working class. Both are opposed to free markets, Mamdani by wanting the state to own or at least control the means of production and Trump with his tariffs and protectionism.
Yesterday we blogged about Claire Lehmann’s argument that critical theory offers a “portable” worldview that reduces issues to a “moral grammar” of oppressors vs. oppressed, and that this worldview can now be found across the the political spectrum. She also argued that the new “woke” preoccupation is being anti-capitalism.
Much has been said about how Trump has taken over the working class, which was once the Democratic base, while the new Democratic base consists of our highly-educated social elite. But while the working class has always struggled economically, today large elements of our highly-educated social elite–especially young adults–are also struggling economically.
While members of Gen Z are not impoverished in absolute terms—the average 25-year-old in the U.S. now earns more than $40,000 a year, outpacing Millennials at the same age—many feel deprived in relative terms, as social media has opened up avenues for social comparison hitherto unknown to humankind. Where previous generations compared themselves to classmates or peers in their town or city, today’s teenagers measure their worth against influencers and celebrities across the globe. . . .And despite relatively high household incomes, homeownership for those under 35 has been in decline across the Anglosphere, adding to a sense of relative deprivation. . . .In the U.S., according to the National Association of Home Builders, only 36 percent of adults under 35 currently own their own homes.
Marriage in this demographic is also way down, as is having children. Many young adults feel they can’t afford to.
Even young adults raised in wealthy families are having problems. Despite their “privileged” background, according to Rob Henderson’s Free Press article, The Revolt of the Rich Kids, “fewer than four in 10 children born into the richest fifth of households stay there; more than one in 10 fall all the way to the bottom fifth.” Such downward mobility creates bitterness, which creates radicalism.
Urban expert Joel Kotkin calls financially pressed but highly educated young adults the educated precariat. That latter term means “existing without predictability or security, affecting material or psychological welfare” and is a mashup of “precarious” and “proletariat.”
Kotkin describes the economic problems of our big cities, including high rents and an astronomical cost of living that means even high wage city-dwellers have lower disposable incomes than low wage earners in the small towns of the midwest. Despite their expensive education, they often can’t find jobs in their fields but still have big college loans to pay off. Says Kotkin,
Other economic pressures are radicalizing the hipsters. They face a job market that is getting tougher — barely half of workers under 30 have full time jobs — even for those with expensive advanced degrees. Their jobs are increasingly threatened by the rise of artificial intelligence, including in finance, business services, and even “creative” professions that historically have clustered in cities.
All of this, Kotkin says is the reason New York City voted overwhelmingly for Mamdani. And these economic problems are a formula for radicalism:
Burdened with astronomical college debt, these high-education-but-low-wage voters constitute the vanguard of the far Left in many cities. They have largely adopted radical positions hostile to Israel and are seen as threatening to Jews, especially older ones, who once played a dominant role in the city politics. Onetime rapper and Hollywood nepo baby Mamdani knows well how to appeal to this emergent class. His high-priced proposals for free childcare may seem family-friendly, but many of these voters are unliikely to have children (a majority of Manhattanites are single and have never been married). Socialist campaigners thrive in those places that have far fewer children — gentrified sectors of Queens and Brooklyn, Chicago’s near northside and trendy swaths of west LA.
So here is my thought experiment. What if the populists of the right and the populists of the left joined forces? This would have to be post-Trump, since progressives’ hatred of the man blinds them to what they have in common. But what would happen if the working class–whose lot doesn’t seem to be greatly improved by the Republican regime–went back to their earlier Democratic home and formed a coalition with disaffected urban college grads? They would need a Trump-like candidate with magnetism and the ability to whip up a crowd. The common theme would be anti-establishment, anti-business-as-usual, anti-capitalist, and pro-socialism.
As Claire Lehmann observes, “Until now, wokeness has been largely an elite project, preoccupied with identity issues of race, sexuality, and gender, as opposed to economic inequality. But if this movement mobilises the working class and the downwardly mobile middle classes, it will no longer be confined to the campus or cultural niches. On the contrary, it will ignite into a truly mass movement.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ case against President Donald Trump has officially come to an end. Judge Scott McAfee agreed to dismiss the racketeering case on Wednesday after the prosecutor who inherited Willis’ troubled effort urged him to take it off “life support.” “The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is […]
Recent online squabbles and upheavals among MAGA related influencers and politicians might lead a person to believe that the conservative base was beginning to crack. In fact, in less than a year of Trump’s return to the White House an army of web personalities have taken to social media to declare MAGA “dead.”
The latest feud between Trump and libertarian favorite Marjorie Taylor Greene has stirred the soup, but there is a reason why MTG chose to resign and the latest polls explain her decision clearly. Trump’s support among Republicans remains steadfast and MTG had little hope of remaining in office without his backing.
There are no divisions in Trump’s base. In fact, Trump has the strongest continuing support within his base compared to any president in the past 25 years with no deviation or decline in the past 6 months.
🚨 CNN: Trump’s support among Republicans remains unchanged over the last 6 months.
His support with GOP voters is higher than Obama and Bush’s support w their respective parties at this stage of their presidencies. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XsR0MmhTR0
Harry Enten’s data is derived from an aggregate of independent polling groups including Quinnipiac, AP-NORC, Marquette and Gallup. Even though he works for CNN, his analysis has been surprisingly fair and surprisingly untainted by typical far-left bias. Congressional approval ratings are another matter and remain dismally low (no one likes congress), but Trump is not suffering from the kind of plunge that commentators claim.
Critics argue that Trump’s problem going into mid-terms is not his base (even though the constant online narrative has been that his base is walking away from him). Rather, they say that disapproval among independents is going to undermine the slim MAGA majority in congress in 2026.
Trumps overall approval rating among independents dropped from 46% to 33% from January to May according to Gallup. That said, it has remained steady at 33% for the past six months with no change. None of the latest drama has had any effect. The initial drop in support among independents is predominantly blamed on economic concerns (the stagflation fight continues to be Trump’s greatest obstacle).
But the change in dynamics among independents and Trump is not as straightforward as it seems.
Democrats continue to lose a significant number of voters who are switching to independent status. Republicans changing their status to independent are negligible. In 2024 exit polls, self-identified independents made up 34% of voters (up from 26% in 2020), while Democrats fell to 31% (from higher shares pre-2020). Edison data shows 11.2 million fewer Democratic voters and 11 million more independents compared to 2020, despite overall turnout dips. The Democrat Party continues to lose its base to the independents monthly since the election.
In other words, the independent voting demographic is growing because of Democrats leaving the fold. They don’t like Trump but they don’t necessarily like the Democratic Party either. Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently switched to “independent”, highlighting the fact that independents are experiencing a surge of far-left radicals.
This doesn’t explain away the entire drop in independent support for Trump, but it needs to be taken into account. At bottom, Trump’s support has not substantially diminished, despite ongoing conflicts between his supporters over various policies.
In many cases the angst over the Administration is often due to voters demanding immediate results on the economy; a misplaced expectation given that it took decades for the current negative economic tide to develop. No political leader has the ability to change these conditions quickly (if at all).
Few if any conservative voters have changed their minds about mass deportations, the cuts to government programs like USAID and the Department of Education, nor the majority of Trump’s policies. Beyond the economy, any losses among Republicans in congress will be caused by their own actions (or lack of action), not because of any “break” within the conservative base against Trump.
Will voters forget how horrific life was not long ago under the Democrats and Joe Biden? It’s unclear if Democrats will have an edge during the midterms, but influencers continue to predict a blue wave next year. It’s important to remember, though, that the internet and social media are not necessarily real life. Trump’s election wins are a testament to that fact.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly wants to meet President Trump “as soon as possible,” possibly over Thanksgiving, to finalize a joint US–Ukrainian peace agreement. The primary gap to be bridged is apparently over territory: the current twenty-eight-point US proposal concedes additional land to Russia beyond what it already controls.
The US argument is that the current trajectory of the war suggests Ukraine would eventually lose the territory anyway. White House officials stress that Mr. Trump’s primary goal is to end the war, no matter what the peace deal ultimately looks like.
Such an approach is often termed Realpolitik, a German word meaning “politics of reality.” Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was a foremost proponent, urging the US to engage with other powerful nations in a practical manner rather than on the basis of political doctrine or ethics. He famously stated, “America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests.”
In this view, advancing these interests is the job of a nation’s leaders, whatever ethical compromises must be made along the way. As the political philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah noted, “A value is like a fax machine. It’s not much use if you’re the only one who has one.”
Aren’t you glad God doesn’t feel the same way?
Reflecting on a staggering reality
The psalmist declared, “Give thanks to the Lᴏʀᴅ, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1). He did not claim that God “does” good but that he “is” good. His “steadfast love” (translating the Hebrew hesed, meaning “unconditional and unchanging kindness”) “endures forever,” meaning that it will eternally be what it is right now.
This is because “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and God does not change (Malachi 3:6). If the Supreme Being did, he would be less than Supreme and thus less than God.
Paul similarly reminds us that “God is for us” (Romans 8:31). Max Lucado comments:
Not may be, not has been, not was, but God is! He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you [read] this, he is with you. God is for you (his emphasis).
Take a moment to reflect on the staggering reality that the King of the universe, the Creator of all the cosmos, the Lord of time and eternity “is for you” right now.
“A good that is forever giving”
No wonder the Bible commands us to continually “give thanks to the Lᴏʀᴅ,” to “offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14), to “magnify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30), and to give thanks “always and for everything to God” (Ephesians 5:20, my emphasis). No wonder those in heaven will spend eternity giving thanks to the Lord we worship (Revelation 4:9; 7:11–12; 11:17).
And no wonder we are called to “give thanks in all circumstances” on earth as well (1 Thessalonians 5:18; cf. Hebrews 13:15).
The Bible teaches that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). In response, St. Augustine asked:
What do we love? A good that words cannot describe, a good that is forever giving, a good that is the Creator of all good. Delight in him from whom you have received everything that delights you. But in that I do not include sin, for sin is the one thing that you do not receive from him. With that one exception, everything you have comes from him.
How will you respond tomorrow to those who prepare your Thanksgiving meal? What will you say to those who give you gifts this Christmas? Is thanking those who are kind to us not instinctive?
How much more should we instinctively live a lifestyle of thanksgiving with an attitude of gratitude toward our Father?
If we don’t, why don’t we?
Why I thank someone for something
I cannot speak for you, but I can be honest about my own heart.
When I thank someone for something, I am acting in response to their benevolence. I am admitting that they have offered me grace (defined theologically as “unmerited favor”). They have given me something I did not have but am glad to receive.
In that moment, they were in a sense my superior and I was their inferior. Consequently, I want to express my gratitude as a way of paying my debt and thus leveling the scales of merit.
Here’s the problem: My fallen “will to power” does not want to live in perpetual debt to anyone, even (and sometimes especially) to God. I want to be my own god (Genesis 3:5), the king of my own kingdom. I am happy to give to others and be thanked, but I am less happy to receive as a pauper before a prince, a beggar at the gate of the king.
But this is the reality of my status before an omnipotent God. The good news is, it is also just the posture required to experience his best.
“Keep your eyes open to your mercies”
Jesus paradoxically asserted, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This is the first Beatitude, the first foundation stone for the Sermon on the Mount and the Christian life it teaches. Our Lord’s words can be paraphrased, “Blessed are those who are spiritually destitute and starving in their souls, for they make God their king and experience life in his kingdom.”
As a fallen human, I submit to God to the degree that I recognize my need for what he alone can provide. But the fact is, I need his best in every dimension of my life, every day. I need his wisdom for every decision, his strength for every trial, his joy for every moment.
So, if I live a lifestyle of thanksgiving with a posture of gratitude to God, I position myself to receive all that my loving Father wants for me. And my changed life will glorify him and lead others to him.
In this sense, Robert Louis Stevenson was more right than he may have known when he advised,
“Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.”
How awake is your soul today?
Quote for the day:
“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” —Cicero
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