“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” Deuteronomy 10:12-13

What does God require of you and me – what does He expect of us? God tells us: He requires us “to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?”

And note that to do this is for our own good! There is indeed blessing in obeying God’s commandments, summarized in the 10 Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and, prior to that, written upon man’s heart.

What’s the problem? We can’t! We are, by nature since the fall of Adam and Eve, stiff-necked, stubborn and rebellious – we go our own way and do our own thing rather than respecting God, loving Him and serving Him with all our heart, soul and mind. None of us loves the LORD God with all our heart, soul and mind; nor do we love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39). Even though God has been good to us and chosen us to be His own, we don’t measure up, we come short, we sin, we are guilty before God and deserving of His wrath and punishment. Instead of being blessed by God’s law, our sin brings its curse and God’s just anger upon us (cf. Gal. 3:10).

What’s the answer? Since we’ve all come short and cannot measure up under God’s good law, the answer and solution were provided by God Himself. He sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to fulfill God’s commandments for us; and Jesus Christ went to the cross to suffer the just punishment for our sins and the sins of all as our sinless sacrifice and then rose again from the dead that we might place our faith in Him and be counted just and righteous and forgiven in God’s sight (cf. Gal. 3:13; 4:4-5; Rom. 3:19-26; 4:23-25).

This is why we read in Psalm 34:18: “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” When we acknowledge and confess our sins unto Lord and look to Jesus and His cross for pardon and forgiveness, God deals with us in His grace and mercy and forgives us all our sins for the sake of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice upon the cross (1 John 1:7 – 2:2; Psalm 32:1-6).

As believers, then, in Christ, we do, as a fruit of our faith, seek to fear and honor God by loving Him with all our heart and soul and by obeying all His commandments, but we recognize that we cannot be justified and righteous before God by our own flawed obedience. Rather, we trust in Christ’s perfect obedience and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead for our righteous standing before God because only in Christ can we sinners be pardoned, forgiven and given the eternal blessings of heaven.

O gracious and merciful God, we know that Your commandments are good and right, but we are sinners and cannot measure up. We deserve Your wrath and punishment. Graciously bring us to know and trust in Christ Jesus, your Son and our Savior, for forgiveness and preserve us in that faith unto life everlasting. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

Are you in a relationship with Jesus or in fellowship with God?

We hear much talk these days about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and, while the concept is not necessarily bad, it’s not exactly Biblical. Fellowship, on the other hand, is a Biblical concept and something which believers have with God the Father through faith in the Son, Jesus Christ.

Why would I say this? Well, look for the word “relationship” in a good Bible concordance. It’s not in the King James Version, the New King James Version, Young’s Literal Translation, the American Standard Version or the English Standard Version. It is used once in reference to a sexual relationship in the New American Standard Version and several times in the New International Version but not in reference to our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. On the other hand, look up the word “fellowship” and you will find abundant usage.

What’s the difference between these two words? And, why are so many talking of having a personal relationship with Jesus when the Scriptures really don’t specifically speak of such a relationship?

If you look at what is said about having a “relationship” or “personal relationship” with Jesus Christ, the focus is on us and what we do; and that’s appealing to people because most think of their faith as something they choose or do. And, how do we establish this relationship? The usual answer is by spending time in Bible study and prayer, attending uplifting and emotionally-moving church services, listening to Christian music and immersing ourselves in everything “Christian.”

While these things are not bad, there’s a problem. I am and you are, by nature, a sinner and spiritually blind, dead and an enemy of God (cf. Ephesians 2:1ff.) and we cannot by any choice we make or anything we do make ourselves acceptable to God or establish a personal relationship with Him.

Fellowship, on the other hand, is a Biblical concept in which we sinners who are out of fellowship with God and under His wrath and condemnation for breaking His commandments are brought into fellowship with God the Father through faith in His Son and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the entire world.

St. Paul wrote to the believers at Colosse: “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he [Jesus Christ] reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven” (Colossians 1:21-23).

John writes of this fellowship in his first epistle (1 John 1:3; 1:6 – 2:2): “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ … If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

God desires that we have fellowship (koinonia) with Him, but the only way we sinners can have fellowship with the just and holy God is by acknowledging and confessing our sins against His holy law and looking to Christ Jesus the righteous and His propitiating or atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins and the sins of the whole world (cf. John 1:29; 3:14-15; 14:6). When we are brought to faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing of God’s Word and continue in that faith by the Spirit’s working through the Word and Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Romans 10:17; John 6:44,63; Titus 3:4-7; 1 Corinthians 11:23ff.; Acts 2:42), we are in God-wrought fellowship with God the Father and His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and also with all other true believers in Christ Jesus.

I can’t establish and maintain a relationship with Jesus Christ or with God because of my sinfulness. Even my best efforts to establish a relationship with Jesus come far short of making me acceptable to God, and I am only fooling myself if I think my efforts are, of themselves, pleasing to Him.

But God has made it possible for me, a sinner to have fellowship with Him. He did that by sending His Son into the world a true man to redeem me from sin and make me acceptable in His eyes through faith in Christ Jesus (cf. Galatians 4:4-5; Colossians 1:19-23). And, working through the preaching of the Gospel, He has brought me to faith in Christ, washed away my sins in Holy Baptism and assured me of pardon and forgiveness in the Lord’s Supper. God brought me into fellowship with Him through faith in my Savior and His blood shed for me upon the cross; and God keeps me in that fellowship by preserving me in the faith through the hearing of His Word and through the promises of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (cf. Philippians 1:6).

Can I establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by my decisions and choices, by my life and works? No! But God has graciously chosen and called me to trust in His Son. He has brought me to know and trust in Christ Jesus. And, He has brought me into fellowship with Him and His Holy Christian Church made up of all believers in Christ of all time!

With that said, all who trust in Christ Jesus are in a relationship with Him. He is their Head and Savior; they are members of His Church and His bride. Cf. Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 2:1-10; Revelation 21:1ff. But the problem with most of the relationship talk these days is connected with erring views about who establishes the relationship and how. We don’t establish the relationship by our piety and devotion, God brings us into fellowship and makes us His children by God-wrought faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12; John 6:44,63).

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

“…endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3 (Read v. 1-16)

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (v. 4-6).

There is only one body of Christ, one Church – the communion of saints – made up of all who trust in Christ Jesus as Savior. There is only one Savior, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all who dwells in the hearts of His children by the Spirit.

It is the Spirit of God, working mightily through the Word of God and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, who brings us to faith in Christ Jesus and keeps us in that faith. He brings us into the family of God and unites us with Christ our Savior. Thus, when we have faith in Christ Jesus and are baptized in His name, we are united to Him and are one with all other true believers in Christ (cf. Gal. 3:26-27; Eph. 2:11ff.; 1 John 1:3ff.).

This oneness, this unity, is of the Spirit. We do not create the unity; the Spirit does, through the Word. Through the hearing of God’s Word, He brings us to faith in Christ Jesus and keeps us trusting in our Savior. The way, then, to keep and preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is to continue in the faith created in us by the mighty working of the Holy Spirit. If we are one with Christ Jesus and members of His body, the Church, we will also be united to all other true believers of all time.

And, such unity does not occur through church mergers and cooperative efforts; it occurs where the Spirit brings people to faith in Christ and keeps them in that faith through the Word of God and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

We endeavor to live in this Spirit-created unity by continuing in and holding fast to the pure teaching of God’s Word and partaking of the blessings offered and given to us through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We are long-suffering, enduring one another’s sins and shortcomings with all patience, forgiving our fellow believers as Christ has forgiven us (cf. Eph. 4:32).

We consider and remember that Christ is our Redeemer and that He has brought each and every one of us to faith. Therefore, we encourage each other to continue in that unity by encouraging each other to continue in the Word and hold fast to Christ Jesus, our Head.

O gracious Father, we thank You for bringing us into Your family and Church – for giving us unity with all other believers through Spirit-wrought faith in Christ Jesus. Grant that we continue in that unity in Christ and move us to dwell within it in patience and in the bond of peace with our brethren. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19

What is Apostle Paul’s prayer for his readers in Ephesus? What is his prayer, and mine, for you – for each of us? “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

Paul prays that the Holy Spirit, working through the Word of God (Romans 10:17), would strengthen and keep us in the true faith in Christ Jesus, that we would trust in Him and His atoning sacrifice for the remission of all our sins and that He, Himself, would take up residence in our hearts and dwell in us, as He does in His members, His Church (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Paul prays that our faith would be rooted and grounded in God’s love for us sinners in Christ Jesus and that we – together with all other believers in Christ – would be able to comprehend “what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

But do you – do we – even begin to grasp and understand the love of Christ for us? The Bible tells us of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, the only-begotten Son:

• John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

• 1 John 4:9-10 – “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

• Romans 5:5-8 – “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

But do we understand and grasp this love of God for us sinners – that God, in love unmerited by us, sent His Son into the world to redeem us from our sin and the eternal death and damnation we deserve. Do we understand and grasp the fact that God, in love for us sinners, sent His Son to be the propitiation and atoning sacrifice for our sins? Do we understand that Christ Jesus gave Himself to die on the cross in our stead, for our sins, that we might not have to die and suffer the eternal punishment we justly deserve and which God’s law demands on account of our sins? That is the apostle’s prayer for us.

Do we still fear death and God’s judgment? The Bible tells us (1 John 4:16-18): “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

If we truly know God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, it will remove our fear of judgment. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:31-39. Who will condemn us on the last day? Christ will be our judge and He is the one who died for our sins and rose again and now intercedes for us before the Father (v. 34).

Can anything or anyone separate us from the love of Christ? No, no matter what happens in our lives, even if we are persecuted and suffer death, we still have God’s love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul writes: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Paul’s prayer for the believers at Ephesus – and mine for you – is that the Holy Spirit, working through God’s Word, enables you to know and grasp in faith the love of God for you which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (and in Him alone); that you see His great love for you in sending His only-begotten Son into this world as a true man to die for you; that you see that Christ Jesus so loved you, even when you were yet dead in your trespasses and sins, that He suffered your punishment and provided salvation for you in His cross; that God so loved you that He brought you to see your sinfulness and the punishment you justly deserve but also brought you to trust and believe in Christ Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world for your pardon and your salvation; and that, knowing God’s great love for you in Christ Jesus, you continue to trust in Him unto the end, knowing that you have forgiveness and will not be condemned in God’s judgment, and knowing that no matter what you face in this life, nothing will able to separate you from the love of God in Christ. God grant this to you for Jesus’ sake.

Dear Father in heaven, by the Holy Spirit, graciously open our hearts and minds and grant to us to know and grasp Your great love for us in Christ Jesus that we might trust in Him and Him alone for pardon, peace and life everlasting. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

Is the Word of God no longer efficacious? Is it ineffective when it comes to bringing people into Christ’s church made up of all who repent of their sins and trust solely in Jesus Christ and His blood shed upon the cross for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting? Looking at how churches operate, one would certainly think so.

What do I mean? Just consider all the programs and activities promoted by churches to bring people through the doors and make them members of local congregations. Churches offer everything from bingo to psychotherapy and counseling to draw people in. Instead of using sound, Scriptural music and song, churches sing the latest and most entertaining songs and seek to have the best-known “contemporary” performers so that people will come. Some build their churches around activities such as sports, horsemanship, motorcycle riding and more. Some churches meet in cathedrals and others in barns. Most, it seems, try to find programs and offerings to draw in the multitudes.

In some cases, churches practice “bait and switch” tactics by trying to draw folks in with offers of free food, fun activities, exciting music, interesting programs and projects, all the while having a hidden agenda of trying to convert them and make them church members by throwing in a little preaching and sharing of personal testimonies on the side.

Yet, all this is not what Jesus commanded His disciples to do. They were to disciple the people of this world by going out, baptizing in the name of the Triune God, and teaching all that Jesus taught and commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). They were to preach repentance and remission of sins in Jesus’ name (Luke 24:47). And that’s what they did.

If you look at the New Testament churches in the Book of Acts and in the New Testament Epistles, you won’t find a thousand different programs and activities to draw people into the church. Instead, the apostles and the believers went out into the world and proclaimed the Word of God to the people. Those who heard that Word and were moved to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus were brought into the churches where they were baptized and taught the Word of God.

And according to the Bible, the Word remains powerful and efficacious yet today. Just listen to what the Bible says of itself:

• Isaiah 55:10-11 — “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

• Psalm 119:130 — “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

• Romans 1:16-17 — “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

• Romans 10:17 — “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

• Ephesians 1:13 — “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.”

• Hebrews 4:12 — “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

And, should we be surprised at the power of God’s Word? Not at all when we remember that He created all things by His almighty Word! He said, “Let there be….” and it came into existence. So also faith in Christ is the result of God’s working through His Word. By God’s word of law, the Holy Spirit shows us our sin and guilt before God; and by His word of the gospel, He shows us the salvation God provided for us all through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Indeed, there is no other way given whereby we can be brought to faith in Jesus and be made a part of God’s everlasting kingdom. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

So why do churches neglect the preaching and teaching of God’s Word? Why do they try to bring people into the church in other ways and count the Word of God as ineffective? Perhaps they don’t believe God’s promises to work through His Word. They don’t believe it is efficacious!

And what is the result? Yes, congregational membership may increase; but, if the Word of God is not faithfully taught and Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are not administered according to Christ’s own words and institution, those brought into congregations will not be brought into and preserved in Christ’s eternal kingdom, and there will be weeping and sadness at Christ’s return!

Randy Moll is the pastor of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rogers. He may be contacted by email at pastor@goodshepherdrogers.org. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.