Short Devotion: Definition - 1 John 4:10-11

 

1 John 4:10-11 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (ESV)

 This is one of those verses in the Bible where you have to look up the definition of a certain word. In this case, ‘propitiation’ is the word that needs to be defined and, if you do a Google search, this is what you discover:

 ‘Propitiation is the act of appeasing or making well-disposed a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding divine retribution.’

 In recent years, I’ve heard and read a lot of people and pastors who reject the theory of atonement (which is another word for ‘propitiation’). Their idea is that it would be too mean for God to actually sacrifice His Son in order to acquit us of our sins. Jesus, then, came to show us Divine love and that we should peaceably get along with another. They also say that atonement is a theology that was only developed a couple of hundred years ago, and was never a part of the original Christian message. But that is so untrue – fake news or alternative facts, if you like. Re-read the verse again – what does it tell us?

 It tells us propitiation is real and that because it was written by the Apostle John, it was and has been ever since a crucial part of the Christian message since it was first proclaimed. I would rather believe the Apostle John, who knew Jesus personally, than any modern or post-modern commentators. I may not like the aspect that God willingly sacrificed His Son for my sins, but I am very thankful for it. I can only trust that if God felt it was necessary to do this, then it must have been the right thing. It makes me love God and people even more which I think is what John was expressing in this sentence.

 So, folks, please know this: no matter what you’ve done or how many regrets over past mistakes you carry in your heart and are constantly on your mind, God totally forgives you because Jesus has perfectly paid the price and taken away the eternal consequences.

 Prayer: Lord God, we are merely human and think in limited ways. The mystery of Your love astounds us and the mercy that Jesus obtained amazes us. We know we are not worthy of such sacrificial love, but we are thankful and will be for all of eternity. In Christ’s Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

 John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

www.erinpres.org

Daily Devotions: Promise U

Our church kids put on a Christian musical yesterday called “Promise U.” It was amazing. They put a lot of practice into their performances and it was wonderful to watch them sing and act, dance and quote scripture throughout the entire show. I’ve very proud of all of them, and I just love to see them expressing their faith in beautifully creative ways.

Podcast version here

I’ve baptized most of the children, and I feel as though the congregation has fulfilled part of its commitment to bring them up in the faith and encourage them to get to know Jesus. Many people from the church, not just parents, are involved in the show. Our hope is that our kids will learn to love the Lord and pass on their faith to their own children through positive experiences and creative ways.

Not all of the kids belong to our church. Indeed, some of them have no church connection at all because their parents are not believers. When we first set up the Creative Expression teams, we felt it was important not to place any barriers upon any kids who wanted to take part in the shows. We still feel that way, and this year, for one wee girl in particular, the Sonshine Kids Company has been a godsend. Her family are not church people, but the girl is a friend of one of our own church kids. She came along to a practice one Wednesday night and has been a regular ever since. She now comes to Sunday school and loves being in church. Her folks might never make that kind of commitment, but it seems to me that the Lord really loves that wee unchurched girl.

Bible Verse of the Day

Romans 4:14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless.

If our church had been legalistic and cold hearted, we could have put up a membership boundary that would have prohibited non-church members from attending the practices. But the church belongs to Christ, and He is the One who said: “Let the children come to Me.” It’s amazing how His grace works, and it’s what Paul is emphasizing in today’s verse from Romans. If we all had to follow the rules to become heirs to the kingdom, then faith, grace, and hope would be replaced by duty, legalism, and perfection. In other words, we would have to earn our way into heaven and Christ’s work of salvation would be totally ignored and never needed. If that wee girl had to earn her way into our children’s creative program, she would have been held back by her parents’ non-commitment. Thankfully, through the grace and wisdom of God, she has found a place where she can truly belong.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have paid the price for our sins, our imperfection, and our unworthiness. We could never do enough good things to offset the sins that we continue to commit each day in our lives. Thank You for sacrificing Your Life and for going to Cross in order to pardon all of our sins and win us back for God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.