Category Archives: Theology

Future Pentecost

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BIBLE ANSWERS

Terry R. Baughman

“And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).

Pentecost is more than an event in history; it is an experience of the present. Pentecost is more than a memorial; it is a spiritual movement. Pentecost was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the first century, it is the experience of spiritual renewal today, and it will be the definition of God’s purpose in the days to come. Pentecost may define our past, but it also promises a future.

The promise of the Spirit was given to the first generation church, realized throughout church history, and declared to every generation in this age. Peter’s proclamation extended from his present audience to the children of the future, from the immediate proximity to the far reaches of missionary endeavor. Christ’s intent was for the Good News to become a universal message. Jesus’ final instruction was that his followers would become witnesses of this event in the world, “… you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The commission has dimension in time and space. The phrase “to the end of the earth” has more to do with spatial location rather than the extent of time. The KJV says “unto the uttermost part of the earth,” while the NASB says “even to the remotest part of the earth.” However, the extent of time in the proclamation of the Gospel is revealed in other passages. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

The commission to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” remains as the prompting and promise of Pentecost (Mark 16:15). Everywhere the Gospel is preached, the promise will be performed. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). The promise still has power!

Until the ending of the church age, the glorious rapture of the church, and the return of Jesus, the message of deliverance will be proclaimed and His Spirit will be poured out on willing believers. Take the promise at face value. Share the Good News and let the power of Jesus be demonstrated in the outcome.

Receive it today, believe it for tomorrow!

☀

(From the forthcoming book, A Season of Passion: Seasonal Inspiration, by Terry R. Baughman)

 

What is Man?

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BIBLE ANSWERS

Terry R. Baughman

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:3-5).

In comparison with the vastness of God, the purity of His presence, His absolute righteousness … what is humanity? The New Living Translation reads, “what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” People must be pretty special to God to warrant His personal involvement in their lives!

At the core of understanding God’s affinity for humanity is acknowledging the fact that the first man and woman were created by God and in the image of God. The existence of humanity is not some cosmic accident or evolutionary biological process. We were made in the image of God. It is succinctly stated in Scripture, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

Distinguished from the other animals of spoken creation, man was molded from the dust and modeled in God’s own image. From the side of the man a rib was extracted and the woman was made to complement and fulfill the man. Together they are the image of God. Together they model the creative fulfillment of God’s plan for humanity in the earth.

Placed in a beautiful paradise of the Garden of Eden they enjoyed the beauty and diversity of all that God created. Also placed in that Garden was a tree of testing, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God endowed humanity with a free will, a voluntary choice to obey God or choose their own direction.

Given the choice, the woman took the fruit of the forbidden tree and shared it with the man. Together they chose to transgress the requirement of God and together they suffered the fate of disobedience. Sin was introduced into a perfect creation and the consequence was alienation from God and eviction from the Garden.

Sin separates from God and disobedience drives us from His presence. The prophet observed that, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

It is easy to blame God for the brokenness of our world, but it is our own choices, our own sins that have separated us from His perfection. The evil exhibited in our society and the profusion of pain are the results of the fallen nature and life in a broken world.

We are still given a choice. We can turn to the one who paid the price to redeem us from the consequence of the fall or we can stumble along in our own disobedience to His offer of salvation. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

The choice is yours today, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; …” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Make a choice of faith. Believe in God, in His Word, and in the plan He has for your life.

What is God like?

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BIBLE ANSWERS

Terry R. Baughman

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Revelation 1:8).

After we have established the existence of God, an equally important question that is often posed to the Christian concerns the character of God. What kind of God do you worship?

Many religions have multiple gods with various human like qualities. Some of them are easily angered. Others are vengeful and spiteful deities. Some of the pagan powers are an awful lot like the people who worship them!

The one true God of Scripture is quite different from other pseudo-deities. Rather than self-centered, tyrannical, and manipulative, our God is loving, self-sacrificing and giving. God is a “good” God, and His mercy endures forever; not very much like us!

We as humans were made in the image of God, so we do have some likeness to His identity. His sterling qualities are lifted up before us to emulate. We can aspire to be “like Him” because He is all the good qualities that we should strive to model in our lives. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus … [He] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5,7). “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus is good and worthy of worship!

God is Holy. He is absolute perfection. He is righteous. There is no sin in Him. “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).

Because of His holiness there is no possibility of sin to exist before Him! So, how can we ever come to know Him, to be near Him, to live in His presence? 

The only way we can exist in His presence is to have the righteousness of Christ cover us. Our sin must be left at the foot of His cross. His blood must cover our guilt and cleanse us from its stain. The words of the hymn “The Solid Rock” say it best, “When He shall come with trumpet sound, oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne!” 

God’s most amazing characteristic is “Love.” John simply stated, “God is love” (1 John 4:16). The one thing we all crave, the missing element in a broken world of sin, is perfect love. Only our God is capable of such. His absolute character being defined by love is demonstrated in His complete sacrifice of Himself for lost humanity. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

God is good. God is Holy. God is Love. That’s what our God is like!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 

 

Life Provided

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VICTORIOUS LIVING

Terry R. Baughman

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life.” He came. He lived. He died. He arose. He is alive forevermore! The story of the Easter season is not just the story of Christ’s death and life experience, but it is the purpose behind the miracle. Jesus came with a plan and lived with a cause. “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).

The coming of Jesus was intentional; there were no surprises or accidents in the incarnation. Everything happened with a purpose and contributed to the cause. He came to die. From the first breath in Bethlehem to the last gasp on Golgotha Jesus lived out the plan as a man, without sin, but in so doing He provides the greatest hope imaginable, the hope of life eternal.

Jesus also came to live. He lived life fully. He was God in a manger, deity in diapers, an adolescent learning to build, and a rabbi striving to teach. He made friends, dined with sinners, debated with scholars, and defended the outcast. All the while He kept the cause in view and never strayed from His ultimate objective … to die, but to live again!

Jesus lived for the resurrection. He understood the finality of death, the intense pain of crucifixion, the humiliation of rejection, yet He endured it all for the hope of resurrection. The outcome of death’s defeat was the potential to provide life to every lost one in the world!

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Because of the empty tomb and Christ’s resurrection we have hope of life everlasting. Through the promise of God and His Holy Spirit given to everyone who will believe there is a promise of life. Not only we will live the abundant life of one who has shaken off the bondage of sin, but we have the promise that we shall live again.

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

Through Christ and the indwelling Spirit we have been provided the opportunity to live … now and throughout eternity! “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

Life Promised

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VICTORIOUS LIVING

Terry R. Baughman

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The greatest thing that Christ could have promised was life! From the sin in the garden until the present, death reigned supreme except for an unforgettable moment in an empty tomb.

Death hovered like a dark cloud of depression over all humanity. All were  bound by its foreboding and doomed by its decree. Life had its limit of liberty and death claimed the final say.

When Jesus was born into this world the creator became the created, the cry of life was the first note of an eternal song of victory. The Life was born!

Jesus’ self proclamation was, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).  He promised access to the very presence of God, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus further promised “everlasting life” to those who believed in Him and received His promises. (See John 3:16; 4:14; 5:24.) Those who believe according to the Scripture will receive the living water of the Spirit flowing through their lives (John 7:38, 39).

The intent and purpose of God was to bring an end to the power of death and grant a promise of life. Through the death of Jesus on the cross, His sinless substitution for our guilt, and His powerful defeat over the bondage of death, we are granted a grand hope of glorious liberty!

The final defeat of death will come on the last day when there shall be no more tears, no more pain, no more sighing, no more dying. Christ promised that we shall rise victorious over death, hell, and the grave. “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

We are victorious in Him. The promise is now, the fulfillment is predicted, the prophecy is certain!

 

Life Pondered

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VICTORIOUS LIVING

Terry R. Baughman

What is Life? Philosophers and theologians, poets and skeptics have pondered our existence since the dawn of creation. No doubt, one of the greatest mysteries of life is the fact of our own existence. We look within to find our purpose hoping to discover some thread of understanding for our time on earth, yet the answer does not lie within our frame.

Failing to find the answers in introspection we turn to nature and the expanse of the universe for meaning in the grand scheme of life’s drama. Often we are overwhelmed with our own insignificance when faced with the vastness of the universe, but then why are we here? The Psalmist questioned, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him” (Psalm 8:3-4)? From the microscopic introspection to the telescopic panorama we still flounder in ambiguity, seeking a definition for our existence.

Only when we turn to the invisible, the spiritual, do we begin to find understanding for our being and purpose for our lives. No earthly measure can define us and nothing physical can contain our spirit. It is only through our faith in the invisible that we begin to see meaning in the visible. (See Hebrews 11:1.) When humans find faith in a living God there is completion to the missing element of meaning. Only when we find a cause worth dying for do we find a reason for living.

Biblical writers spoke of the brevity of life and the certainty of God’s Word. One writer said, “It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). Peter quoted the prophet Isaiah, “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:24-25; Isaiah 40:7-8).

Even with the answers given in God’s Word, His complex creation, and His Eternal Spirit, there are many who still struggle to find an answer that leaves out the Divine. They seek an explanation that does not require a deity, something material that will reveal meaning, and something practical and plausible to define our existence.

Shakespeare pondered the brevity of our lives in Macbeth, “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale …, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” Thus is the emptiness of vain philosophy, the futility of life without the spiritual, without God in it.

Find God, find purpose! Life may be pondered, but only when we acknowledge our Creator and find faith in Him alone will we begin to define the purpose of our existence.

God’s Presence in Communion

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GOD WITH US

Terry R. Baughman

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

There is a certainty of God’s presence in the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper. When we come together to celebrate the provision of His sacrifice and glory in His resurrection the presence of Jesus is always there. His own promise was “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

It was Martin Luther, the one who sparked the reformation in the 1500‘s, who believed that the body and blood of Jesus are present “in, with, and under” the elements of the communion (consubstantiation). While we do not hold to his view in a literal sense there is an assurance of Christ’s presence in this sacred observance.

Jesus spoke of His future presence with the disciples in the third person, “The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” He then reverted to the first person, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:17-18). The same one speaking was with them, but promised to be in them. The baptism of the Holy Spirit makes it possible to have Jesus “with us” and “in us” at the same time.

While Jesus was present with His disciples He hosted the first communion at the event of the Passover meal before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. He declared it to be a symbol of the New Covenant. “Take, eat; this is My body,” Jesus said. “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28).

In the remembrance of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection there is a real presence of His Spirit giving witness to this awesome reality. When we sing His praises, He is here (Psalm 22:3); when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, He is present; when we speak of His coming, He fills us with faith.

Communion is more than a sacrament of tradition. It is more than an annual (or more frequent) observance. It is more than a small cracker and a mere taste  from the cup.

The Lord’s Supper is fellowship. It is uniting with every believer who has gone before. It is standing in the company of the great cloud of witnesses from every age of faith. It is communion with all of them but more importantly, with our living Lord.

He is present. He is with us!

God in Flesh

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GOD WITH US

Terry R. Baughman

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Every Christmas season I am reminded again of the miracle of the incarnation. In fact, I’m in awe of the truth that God acquired flesh and became man!

John revealed the wonder when he established, first that the Word is God, and then proceeded to explain that that same Word became flesh and lived among us. It was deity in diapers, majesty in a manger. No wonder the angels hung out with shepherds and wise men trekked from a distant land. The celestial realm got involved by providing a bright star and history was altered forever.

The prophets predicted the event, prophesied the place, and told the time of this momentous occasion. Isaiah said, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). Literally, He is “God with us!”

Micah prophesied, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). So the scribes in Jerusalem looked at this verse and directed the foreign emissaries to the town of Bethlehem while they remained in scholarly seclusion, unconvinced and unconcerned that the Savior was born.

The prophet Daniel predicted the time of the arrival of “Messiah, the Prince” in the cryptic construction of “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks,” which has been calculated to culminate at the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem on a young donkey. God’s calendar carefully coincided with the prophesied events. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4).

The Word was that indefinable, indiscernible entity of God that was wrapped in the womb of the Virgin Mary. On that first Christmas at the birth of the baby, humanity looked upon the first glimpse of the Divine. Before the incarnation, any view of God was fearful and temporary: a cloud, a pillar of fire, the burning bush, the appearance of an angel, a voice, a presence. All of these were symbolic signs of the existence of deity. The invisible God was without image. In fact, the commandment was that there be no making of an image for God. Only one image would be needed – the incarnation, God revealed in flesh. Jesus is the only image of God! “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us! Good news, God is with Us!

 

Chosen Girl

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GOD WITH US

Terry R. Baughman

“The angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ … ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus’” (Luke 1:28, 30-31).

Mary was a young woman, engaged to be married to an older carpenter, living in an obscure village named Nazareth. The matchmaker arranged the marriage. Everyone thought it was wonderful. He was a good man. He would provide for his wife and family. His work was dependable. Everyone needed his skills: masonry, woodwork, finishing, especially when designing additions or new structures.

Mary was happy, planning for the celebration where they would become married among the community of family and friends. This was right. Find a husband, work hard, and raise a family. Someday, God willing, she would have her own children … and grandchildren!

But God had another plan. 

God saw the virtuous purity of this young woman and chose her for a greater plan. From the beginning of time God planned a unique visit to earth. Actually, it was more than a visit … He would become a man, from birth to death experience life as one of His created beings. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

There was divine purpose in the plan of God. More than a bold experiment, this was a plan for redemption, He came “to seek and to save” the lost (Luke 19:10).

Before the fulfillment of His plan came a birth and a beginning. Before the birth there was a search for the perfect girl, and an understanding man.

Joseph was good intentioned, a law abiding, hard working man. He had never planned for the spotlight of scandal. When Mary told him of the visit of an angel and the message of a “miraculous pregnancy,” of course it was difficult for him to understand, to believe, or accept. No wonder an angel was dispatched to speak to Joseph as well. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

Young, available, and full of faith, God will use those who are surrendered to His will and purpose. God is not through with the world yet. Will you be the next one chosen for something great?

The Form of a Servant

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GOD WITH US

Terry R. Baughman

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

The idea of God coming as a baby is one thing. The thought of Him coming as a servant is quite another. God in a baby could grow to be a mighty man, a reigning monarch, or a super human tyrant. The idea that God might choose to come in poverty, in humility, and intentionally serving His created beings was beyond comprehension. His life demonstrated His lessons, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

While the disciples had disputed over who might be the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus showed them the secret of true exaltation. Some were preoccupied with position in the kingdom while Jesus drew water in a basin. Some secretly coveted the place of honor and planned to push someone else aside, but Jesus took up the towel. While Judas plotted the itinerary to identify the Christ for the detaining detail, Jesus knelt on the floor and washed his feet. “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,…” (Matthew 20:27-28).

The incarnation is more than a cute story at Christmas, more than a poor displaced family who turned a stable into a birthing room. It was the plan of God from before the dawn of creation. It was more than God sending a child on a heavenly errand. It was the demonstration of the Father’s love for the lost of the world He created, “God so loved … that He gave…” (John 3:16). He did not just “send” his Son, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). God was with us!

Emmanuel. The prophet declared He would be called, “God with us!” So it was through the incarnation that He came near. Near enough to touch us. Near enough to feel our pain and hear our cry. The incarnation made God personal and bridged the gap to glory. Jesus became the mediator of the New Covenant. He brought God to us … And us to God!

Before He went away He assured His followers, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Jesus was God, and He is with us!