An important exhortation from the Scriptures, from a precious and godly sister in Christ, Eliza at Holding Forth His Word.

Blessings through Christ Jesus

Often times I write exhortation in reaction to the flood of error that is demolishing the visible church.  It is hurtful to see the destruction and deceit promoted in the name of the Lord.  However, as believers in Jesus Christ we can not only be vigilant against the wiles of the wicked one, we can also rest and rejoice in God our Savior.  Refreshment comes to our souls as we consider the blessings bestowed upon us through our glorious Savior Jesus Christ.   After Peter warns believers to watch out for those who twist Scripture to their own destruction, he gives the antidote to the vile false teaching.  Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Hi in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation-as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.  You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever.  Amen  2 Peter 3:14-18  As we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we will be built up in our faith and furnished for every good work in Him.  We can grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ as we search the Scriptures to teach us more about Him and the blessings that we have through Him.  If our hearts are hungry to know Him, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us more about our wonderful Savior.

Paul, our beloved brother and faithful apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, exhorts us with wonderful wisdom of the Holy Spirit in Colossians chapter 2.  It is here that I want to start with the blessings that we have in Christ Jesus.  For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.  Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us which was contrary to us.  And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.  Colossians 2:1-15  As is so often the case, Paul is refuting error by pointing the Colossians to Christ, His work and His resources.  When we hold fast to our common faith our hearts are encouraged because they are knit together in love, and the divisive tactics of the enemy are overcome.  As we understand the revelation of God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son in the Scriptures our assurance about our salvation grows and our common faith is strengthened.  Jesus Christ is the fullness of the Godhead; He is our treasure source of wisdom and knowledge.  Through faith in Him, as we continue to walk with Him, rooted and built up in Him, we rejoice in our knowledge of Him with overflowing thanksgiving, and we live according to Him because we are complete in Him.  His wonderful grace overcame the filthiness of our wicked flesh when it was condemned with Him on the cross; He has removed our sins and we are alive to God through Him through His resurrection from the dead.  The commandments that told out our sin He has deleted, nailing them to the cross, and having removed that barrier between us and God, we can live for our Heavenly Father through the grace that He has supplied us through His Son Jesus Christ.  We are no longer at the mercy of the dark forces of this world.  Jesus Christ, the head of all principality and power, has triumphed over them.   This wonderful passage leads us to another that is found in 1 Corinthians.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written:  “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”  Where is the wise?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the disputer of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God has chosen the foolish tings of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:18-31    Unredeemed man always seeks to glory in his wisdom, abilities and status.  This same glorying occurs within the church when the wisdom of man is posited rather than the wisdom of God.  God’s solution is to call weak and despised sinners to repentance so that no flesh will glory in His presence.  We know our true estate apart from Christ and we glory only in Him.  We reject the worthless wisdom of man and hold fast to the wisdom of God to us through His Son Jesus Christ.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God to salvation and Jesus Christ is our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption.  Our glory is in the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessings He continuously bestows upon us through the gospel of our salvation and the ministry of His grace.

There are other passages throughout the Scriptures that teach us the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We are new creations in Him, and we have become the righteousness of God in Him.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. &  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of  God in Him.  2 Corinthians 5:17 & 21  All the promises of God are ours in Christ Jesus and we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth.  For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ ad has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.  2 Corinthians 1:20-22  We have access to God the Father. through Him by the Spirit.  For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.  Ephesians 2:18  Through faith in Jesus Christ, through His love, power and the work He did for us on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, we have eternal life!  And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.  1 John 5:11-13  We can rest in the multiple blessings that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and so remain faithful to Him.

For more excellent Bible teaching and biblical discernment, I urge you to head to Holding Forth His Word.