Summer Newsletter 2024

Johann and Louise: Training Disciples to Make Disciples in the Netherlands This summer, I have have been doing quite a bit of double duty for pastors who are on leave or on Sabbaticals. This involves a lot of careful planning with regard to travelling to the different churches and then back to be in Heiloo in time for our afternoon service. Recently, I was asked to do a funeral service for a family whose pastor is currently unavailable. The only snag was they asked me to to do the whole service, barring the sermon, in Dutch! I was quite nervous as I really did not want to mess up an already emotionally charged farewell, but, not only was the family graciously thankful for my effort, one gentleman thought I was from Belgium! The Belgians speak an older form of Dutch that apparently sounds more like Afrikaans. Please pray that my accent improves!  Louise and I had a very fruitful time in Greece and I was able to add quite a bit of information to my narrative commentary on Paul's 2nd Missionary Journey. Our guide, Dr Weima, who is considered one of the leading Pauline scholars and experts on his letters to the Thessalonians, also graciously agreed to write the foreword to the commentary. Please pray with us that it will be published soon. This will be my second book in the series on Paul and his letters. Our visits to Corinth and to Ephesus were especially important as 1 Corinthians is the next book to be written! Please continue to pray for our ministry at Christ Church, Heiloo, that our members will grow in grace and effective witness. I am always struck by the difference between North Holland Province and the rest of the Netherlands...Christians are decidedly in the minority here! Please do also pray for the many encounters we have with our neighbours and with fellow dog owners every day. Our relationship with a number of these folks is deepening and we have had several opportunities to speak more about Jesus. Some now even have a copy of Breakfast on the Beach! Pray that our Lord will break up fallow ground, take out hearts of stone, prepare the soil to receive the seeds sown, and provide germination, growth, and abundant fruit. And again, pray for our Dutch! Thank you all for your love, support and especially your prayers. This ministry is your ministry and your partnership is valued and very much appreciated. Blessings and love Johann and Louise I'd like to end this newsletter with a report from our women regarding their ministry here, especially the recent Women's Retreat. "North Holland is one of the most beautiful places in the Netherlands—full of windmills, springtime tulip fields, Delft blue tiles, delicious cheese and all other things quintessentially Dutch—It is also one of the most unchurched provinces of the Netherlands. Living here is lovely, but living here as a believer is sometimes a challenge. Moreover, reaching out and sharing the gospel in a meaningful way to a post-modern secular society who think that they have ‘done’ Christianity and rightfully rejected it, is sometimes even more difficult. 1 June 2024, Christ Church Heiloo held its third Women’s Day Retreat attended by just over 100 women who were given a day of teaching, fellowship, good food and a chance to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’ The purpose of the day is two-fold. First, it is an opportunity to reach non-believers with the gospel and show them the body of Christ in action. Second, it provides a place for Christian women to be encouraged and fed so that they can return to their daily lives recharged and ready to serve Christ in their families and communities. Charlotte Kim, our speaker, spoke on the theme Planted and Rooted. The talks challenged everyone attending, both seekers and believers, outlining an eternal perspective on God’s work in the world. Her talks are available at: Charlotte Kim Rooted and Planted, Talk 1 and Charlotte Kim, Rooted and Planted, Talk 2. This year, as in the past two years, we have been amazed at God’s gracious provision of women who registered and joined us on the day, those who were called to serve, those whose generous financial gifts made it possible for us to reach out to women in North Holland and those who supported us with prayer and encouragement. Thank you to all of you who continue to support our ministry here in North Holland. Every year, God works in the hearts of those who attend. Here are a few examples:  Two women, one originally from Sri Lanka and one from Australia, have come to church regularly since attending our women’s day. One of these women has joined Louise’s home group as well.  A British colleague of mine has lived in The Netherlands for more than 20 years, but never been a part of a church community. She regularly shares truths about God that she has learned from her ‘daily reading’. After several instances of this, I asked, ‘What are you reading?’ She replied, ‘The daily devotion book from last year’s women’s day gift bag. I read it first thing every day.’ This is a testimony that God’s word never returns void.  Most of the women who attended a workshop reported back to members of the planning team, that the workshop they attended had spoken to them very specifically as though it was tailor-made for them.  Many Dutch churches in North Holland are liberal, largely empty and have lost an understanding of biblical Christianity. The Dutch church who owns the building that we rent is a struggling congregation. The women’s day has provided a bridge for reaching out to their congregation with the gospel message. Our congregation are grateful to God for your partnership in sharing the gospel here in The Netherlands. Paul’s prayer from Philippians 3:3-6 is the prayer that I pray when I think of the way that you have generously supported us as we proclaim the gospel in North Holland. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:3-6 Connie Helder Heiloo, The Netherlands Support Us Johann and Louise spent two years helping to develop the St. Frumentius Seminary in Gambella, Ethiopia. They then worked in Southern Africa, serving in seven southern African countries, while continuing to work with the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa through engaging in a disciple making movement in order to grow the body of Christ. They are now serving in Heiloo, the Netherlands. We are sent  through the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, a missionary sending community, engaging in building relationships with the worldwide church to experience the broken restored, the wounded healed, the hungry fed, and the lost found through the love and power of Jesus Christ.  Support SAMS Copyright © 2016 Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, All rights reserved. www.sams-usa.org      Our mailing address is: PO Box 399 Ambridge PA 15003 Attention to: Johann and Louise van der Bijl Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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The Gift of Peace

Zechariah 9:9-10                       1 Corinthians 15:3-8                  John 14:25-31

The Gift of Peace

How should we, as followers of a sovereign and omnipotent God, react to any impending crisis, whether global or local or personal? In our Gospel passage for today, Jesus addressed this question directly. Remember what he had just announced to his disciples. He was about to leave them. One of them would betray him. Peter would deny knowing him. But what they did not know yet is that they would soon see the one they had confessed as Messiah, the Son of the Living God, arrested, mocked, beaten, sentenced, and put to death as a common criminal, while never once raising a finger to defend himself. Everything they had believed…every dream, aspiration, hope…everything would be challenged, leaving them dumbfounded, perplexed, confused, dazed, and directionless…

A crisis such as they had never experienced before was about to engulf them. So, what did Jesus say would carry them through the storm? We have already heard him tell them not to be overly anxious as their position in the Father’s house was secure, that he would return to take them with him to where he would be, that he would not leave them alone but send them another helper like himself who would take up residence within them, that he and the Father would make their home with them…but in the passage we read from today he offered even more. The helper, the Holy Spirit, would not only live in them, but he would bring to remembrance and clarify everything Jesus had taught them. He would help them understand what at that moment they could neither contemplate nor comprehend. 

Now, before we move on, you need to remember that at this stage none of what we call the New Testament had been written yet. That would be for the disciples and other believers to record after the climax of all that had been written before had taken place. Many of the New Testament authors were eyewitnesses of the events they described and at some point they documented what they had heard Jesus preach and teach and what they had seen him do…being enabled (and this is important) to recall the works and the words accurately through the inspiration of the same Spirit who had previously moved the Old Testament authors to write what they had written as the very Word of God. 

For this reason, Jesus emphasized that the Holy Spirit would only bring to their minds what he had taught…the Holy Spirit is not, nor ever will be, an independent witness, and neither are we. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 

Witnesses…they were all witnesses to the great salvation event…and all of them testified to how that event was a culmination of all that had been written before. As Peter said in Acts 5:32, “…we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” As such they reported what they had seen and heard…nothing more, nothing less. Like the Old Testament authors, the New Testament authors spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Nothing was open to their own interpretation or invention. Paul felt so strongly about this that he said in Galatians 1:8, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” 

So, when Jesus said in verse 26 that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things and bring to their remembrance all that he had said to them, he was telling them that he would help them regain perspective once they had emerged from the crisis that was about to consume them. 

But what about during the time of crisis? What would help them weather the storm while they were being battered and bruised by it? Hindsight is great, but how do you get to that point where you can look back? 

In verse 27 Jesus told them and us that what carries believers through times of calamity is his peace. “Peace I leave with you,” he said, “MY peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. (So) let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

Now, that sounds marvellous, but what does that mean?  The answer to that question, I believe, will help us know how to react during times of distress and disaster.

The key to understanding this peace that Jesus gives is to realise that it is not something the world can give us. This peace is not a cessation of hostility or catastrophe. That would be a flimsy and fleeting peace. Jesus said this was a personal peace…HIS PEACE… that he would give to them…a peace that would override anxiety or fear even in the midst of calamity. A peace that would be experienced in any given situation, good or bad. And as this is a personal peace – as this is Jesus’ peace – it is a peace that can only come from a real, vibrant, and growing relationship between the one giving the peace and the one receiving that peace. 

This is a peace that has carried innumerable believers through great difficulties and agonizing suffering because it is founded not on the circumstance or the situation but on the unchanging character of God as revealed to us in his Word. It is a peace that is grounded on the trustworthy track record of a God who repeatedly accomplished what he promised…despite the sometimes perilous predicaments faced by his people and, indeed that was faced by his own Son. As such, believing him and trusting him is central to experiencing his peace. Standing firmly on the Word of God guarantees a peace that nothing in all creation can shake or break.

Of course, this peace was secured through the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Because of sin, from Genesis 3 onward, there was no peace between God and humankind. Indeed, as this peace is founded on a proper relationship with God, there can be no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22, 57:21). The peace Jesus gives is primarily peace with God…a removal of the separating barrier erected by sin. So, there is only peace for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus. However, glorious as this may be, the peace of Jesus is still greater than this. 

In verse 28 Jesus told his disciples that he was going to the Father because the Father was greater than him. Now, obviously he was not referring to a superior versus inferior position within the Trinity as he had already declared himself one with and therefore equal to the Father (see also Philippians 2:6). 

So, what exactly did he mean? Well, I believe Jesus was referring to his current incarnate state prior to the cross…remember, it was because of his submission to the will of the Father and his subsequent obedient death on the cross that he was highly exalted and seated at the right hand of power (See Philippians 2:9). Once he had fulfilled the divine plan for the reconciliation of the world, dying as a man for humankind, Jesus would return to his former place in glory to rule and reign over all the world. And once he was seated on his throne, he would send his Holy Spirit to indwell all his people so that he could continue to exercise his rule on earth through his Church by the power of his Spirit. 

As such he would ensure that the peace he established through the cross would become an eternal legacy for all his heirs. His peace did not only come to his disciples in the first century, but through their faithful witness and the witness of countless believers down through the ages, that peace has come to us. Indeed, this peace is one of the signs that we live in the Messianic era. 

As the Lord spoke through the prophet Zechariah, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Now, notice how Jesus himself dealt with the impending crisis in verses 30-31. He said, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” There are two important points here. The first has to do with Jesus’ relationship with the Father. It was a relationship based squarely on love demonstrated through humble submission and obedience. Because he knew the character of the Father, he could submit to his will even though he knew that that will would lead him to the cross. There was a trust and a conviction based on a proper relationship. The peace of the Son was founded on his knowledge of the nature of the Father. 

The second point has to do with Jesus’ relationship with the devil. When Jesus said that the “ruler of this world” was coming but he “had nothing” in him, or that he had “no claim” on him, what did he mean? Well, there are several things we need to understand about the nature of the devil. 

Firstly, as a flawed and fallen created being, the devil cannot be placed on the same level as God. He is neither omnipotent nor omniscient…he may be powerful, but he is finite. Secondly, he is only the “ruler of this world” because the first “ruler” relinquished his position of authority by submitting to the word of the devil instead of the word of God. When Adam rebelled against God, Satan ruled over him through disobedience…a rule broken through the obedient submission of the second Adam. 

That is why the ruler of this world had nothing in Jesus…Jesus had no sin. As the incarnate Son of God who took upon himself the form of a human, yet without sin, he was free from the dominion and power of the devil. The devil had no claim on him. And so, Jesus could bravely enter the crisis with a peace that transcends comprehension because he knew both the infiniteness of God as well as the finiteness of Satan. Even though the ruler of this world was coming, seeking to harm Jesus, his evil intentions would come to nothing because in the absence of sin he was powerless. Remember, he wanted Jesus to go to the cross. It was the devil that drove Judas to betray Jesus…but in his deluded arrogance, he failed to realise that at the cross his power would be nullified…at the cross he would be disarmed and defeated because he had no hold and no claim on Jesus.

And therein lies our peace. Through cancelling the effects of the disobedient actions of our first ancestors through his obedience, Jesus effectively became the new head of humanity…the 2nd Adam…and through his victory over sin, death, and the devil, he released us from spiritual slavery. Those who are in Jesus, stand cleared before the accuser of the brethren. Because of what Jesus did on our behalf on the cross, the ruler of this world has nothing in us either. So, Jesus’ peace is our peace. 

Jesus could face his crisis because he knew his position before God as well as his position before Satan. Despite appearances, the devil was never in control of any of the events surrounding the death of Jesus. God used the evil deeds of evil people to fulfil his righteous purposes (See Acts 4:27-28). For this reason, Jesus did not look at the circumstances performed by the wicked but at the certain outcome deliberately designed and devised and planned by God himself…a certain outcome that was thus solidly founded upon the Word of God. That is why he had peace…and that is why we who are in him can have peace too.

For us to face whatever crisis may come our way, we must believe what God says rather than what the devil would want us to believe. That is in essence the same choice presented to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Has God really said? It is for us to know his Word well enough that we can answer as clearly as Jesus did when he was tempted to compromise in the wilderness…or even when he was tempted to give in to fear in the Garden of Gethsemane. Remember Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Elsewhere he asked, “Why call me Lord if you refuse to do what I tell you to do?” 

We can face an uncertain future by relying on the one who has our future in his hands. If we are to have the peace Jesus has promised us, we must know and trust and have faith in what he has revealed about himself in his Word. 

We will not find peace in possessions. We will not find peace in plans. We will not find peace in people. Peace can only come through obedient trust in God’s Word…believing that he is who he said he is…believing that he will do what he promised to do…believing that he is with us through thick and through thin as he has assured us he is. That is central to receiving his gift of peace.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2024

Treachery and Triumph

Romans 5                                              Luke 15:11-24

Treachery and Triumph

In August 480 BC, during the second Persian invasion of Greece, a small Greek force led by the Spartan king Leonidas stood valiantly against the advancing Persian army under Xerxes, the same king mentioned in the Book of Esther. As the Greek fleets clashed with the Persian navy at Cape Artemesium, Leonidas and his men defended the narrow pass at Thermopylae. 

For three days, they held their ground until a Greek traitor, Ephialtes, revealed a hidden path that allowed the Persians to outflank them. Realizing the situation, Leonidas sent most of his troops to safety while he, together with 300 Spartans and about a thousand other soldiers, chose to remain to delay the Persian advance. Their courageous stand, though ultimately ending in their deaths, inflicted significant losses on the Persians, gave the Athenians time to retreat to safety, and allowed the Athenian navy to regroup.

Although the Persians triumphed at Thermopylae and temporarily conquered central Greece, the heavy losses they suffered and the delay they encountered were pivotal. By September in the same year, the Athenian navy leveraged these advantages to defeat the Persians decisively at the Battle of Salamis, leading to the Persian retreat. So, Leonidas’ sacrifice, while not halting the immediate Persian advance, ultimately led to victory. 

Now, you may be wondering why I told you that story. Well, because I think it’s a good story and I wanted to use it in a sermon and so I thought this would be as a good a time as any. 

No, seriously, I told you this story because I think it is a good illustration of the truth Paul now develops in Romans 5 by building on what he had just described in chapters 1-4 as the great equalizer…that all humans have sinned…that all humans fall short of the glory of God…that all humans are dead in trespasses…and because we are dead, being cut off from our Creator and our only source of life, we are all equally impotent and unable to do anything about our predicament as sin and death festers in every one of us because of the treacherous and traitorous act of our first ancestors. 

This, by the way, is the point of the parable of the lost sons…for too long the church has focused on just the one son…the so-called “Prodigal Son”…but the parable was designed to illustrate that both sons were lost and thus both needed to respond to the grace of the Father. So, the focus should be on the Father, not on the sons…

In like manner, here in Romans 5, Paul places the spotlight on the Father by stressing that the hope as believers we have is based on the Father’s gracious reversal of the consequences of Adam’s rebellion through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus. For Paul, Adam and Jesus are the two major formative influences on human history. All the offspring of Adam were infected with sin and therefore cut off from their only source of life. So, as we read through the Old Testament, we see the longing of the people of God for the fulfilment of the promise God made in the Garden…that one day he would set the world to rights through the Seed of the woman. But the Law repeatedly exposed the fatal flaw that prevented any human seed from achieving it…all were stained by sin. Like Ephialtes, the treachery of Adam opened the pathway for the enemy to destroy us all.

But thanks be to God, the sacrificial act of the one Paul calls the second Adam in 1 Corinthians, namely Jesus, who became like us in every way, yet without sin…his sacrifical act on our behalf – as a man for humanity – secured a decisive victory over death and the devil. 

Just as the treacherous act of Ephialtes brought about the annihilation of the Spartan forces, so Adam’s defiant rejection of God’s command brought about the death of all his offspring. 

But, just as Leonidas’ sacrifical act ultimately led to victory, so Jesus’ sacrifice of himself ultimately defeated the enemy triumphing over him in the cross. 

Now, of course, at this point the analogy breaks down because Jesus was both the one sacrificed as well as the one who won ultimately the victory, but the concept of triumph over treachery through sacrifice holds true. Triumph over treachery was achieved through sacrifice. Adam’s rebellious treachery brought in death. Jesus’ obedient submission, even unto death on the cross, brought in triumph, life, and peace.

This is the foundation upon which we build our lives as believers. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice of himself on our behalf we not only have peace with God, but also, because we live in and by grace, we have an unshakeble hope. Salvation by grace through faith gifts us a new perspective on life itself. Everything that happens to us…every circumstance whether good or bad, can now be seen through a different lens, as it were…the lens of a certain security and a certain hope. 

And this hope is not a speculative thing…it is certain because it is founded upon a love that has been demonstrated decisively through selfless sacrifice. As Paul says, while some might die for a friend or a family member or a fine upstanding citizen, very few will die for an enemy or a villian or a felon. And yet God’s love was lavished on us while we were capital offenders.

Consequently, if God demonstrated and proved his love for us while we were still sinners…reconciling us to himself when we were still his enemies…well then, we can be assured that for those who have been declared just by faith and who are at peace with him, no sin, past, present, or future, can ever overtake the graciousness of God. 

Adam’s capitulation in the garden stained all his offspring – like a comunicable virus, sin was passed on from parent to child thus rendering all humanity incapable of ever gaining victory over the consequence of sin, namely death. But the one act of obedience by one who is sinless leads to justification and life for all who quit the realm of the dead under the 1st Adam for the realm of life under the 2nd Adam. 

Now, in our contemporary context, the themes of both Romans 5 and the parable of the lost sons in Luke 15, offer us vital lessons about human nature, redemption, and the transformative power of grace. As I have already stated, just as the treachery of Ephialtes led to temporary defeat but ultimately contributed to a greater victory, so too does our story with sin and redemption unfold. 

Today, we live in a world rife with betrayal, pain, and the consequences of sin. At times it may feel like we are facing a scenario much like that faced by Leonidas and his men. Someone in our world, our nation, our social circle, our church, our family has betrayed us. 

Yet, through Christ’s sacrificial act, a path to ultimate triumph has been laid out for us…and as we have already seen this is an act that has an impact on every aspect of our lives. If God loved us to that extent while we were not his people, how much more will he not love us now that we are his people? This puts a whole different spin on how we ought to react in the face of suffering…because of what we know about God’s love, we may view suffering in any form as a tool in the hands of a God who only always wants the very best for us…a tool that shapes and molds us and also helps to make sense of the present by gifting us a hope for the future.

As in the parable of the lost sons, both the younger and the older, despite their differing paths, were lost and both were in need of the father’s grace. This is a powerful reminder that regardless of our personal journeys…our pedigree, our ethnicity, our education, our wealth…we all require God’s redemption…and we can have it by grace through faith.

But then, as believers, we are called to live in the light of this hope and grace. The story of Leonidas and his army can also be applied to us…it can serve to remind us that our courageous acts…refusing to budge and to stand firm on what we know is true…can have a significant impact on us and those around us. 

In our daily lives, we are encouraged to emulate the obedient courage of Jesus, not necessarilly through physical battles or physical sacrifices, but by standing firm in our faith while still showing love and grace to those around us…even those who consider themselves our enemies…and by trusting in God’s ultimate victory over sin and death, past, present, and future. 

In practical terms, this means embracing a life of humility, recognizing our own inabilities and weaknesses, and always seeking reconciliation with others knowing that we are all in need of grace. But it also involves living with the assurance that our hope is secure—not in our own strength, but in the steadfast love and sacrifice of Christ. 

Therefore, as we navigate the treacheries and triumphs of our own lives, let us remember that through Jesus, the most significant victory has already been won. Let this truth empower us to live boldly, love deeply, and offer grace abundantly, knowing that regardless of the challenges we may face, our future is secure in Christ’s triumph over sin and death.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2024

The Horse and the Cart

Romans 4                     Luke 19:1-10

The Horse and the Cart

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” God asked Job. It’s a good question for us to consider personally. Where were we when God created the heavens and the earth? Did we help in any way or give him advice on how he ought to create? 

Or perhaps this question might be a little easier to consider: where were you when you were conceived in your mother’s womb? What part did you play in your formation and growth in her womb? Or what about your birth? Did you emerge from the womb by your own volition? 

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. You played no role in the creation of the universe in the same way that you played no role in your creation. You played no active role in your conception, formation, growth, or birth. In fact, neither did your parents because it is God who knit you together in your mother’s womb. 

So, since you played no role in your creation, it seems ludicrous when it comes to being reborn or recreated in Christ Jesus…from conviction to conversion…justification and sanctification…if we played no role in our physical creation, it seems ludicrous to say when it comes to matters of salvation or spiritual creation, that somehow, we need to play a major role in achieving our redemption.  

So far, in his letter to the church in Rome, Paul has addressed the one thing that unifies all of humanity. ALL, he said, ALL have sinned; ALL fall short of the glory of God; and ALL are dead in trespasses and sins. But thanks be to God there is yet another ALL. The theme that runs through chapter 3:27-31 and chapter 4 is simply this: ALL are justified the same way…the only way. ALL are justified by believing that God has faithfully fulfilled his promise through Jesus. This is the great equalizer: we are ALL dead in sin, but we can ALL be made alive by faith.

It is important to note here that Paul does not pit what we now call the Old Testament against the New Testament as some in the modern church do. By using Abraham and David as his prime examples, he demonstrates that it is not a matter of law versus grace because God’s dealing with his people has always been based on grace alone. Israel was chosen to be God’s people in the exact same way as the Church was chosen to be God’s people. By grace.

Abraham was chosen by God not only before the rite of circumcision was introduced as a sign of the covenant, but also before the law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Israel was chosen, not because they were a great people, but because God loved them. From what we read later in Scripture, the Israelite slaves practiced a form of syncretistic religion in Egypt and even in the wilderness for a while. And yet, God delivered a trapped and impotent people from Egypt, God opened a humanly impossible way for them through the Red Sea, publicly humiliating and disarming their enemies, God miraculously provided food and water in the wilderness, and God graciously gave them good, holy, and just laws by which to govern themselves as his chosen people.  

That is putting the horse before the cart. Deliverance, or if you will, salvation, always comes first, then come the rules to maintain that status as free people. Never in the history of God’s people has deliverance ever come through the observance of any law or ritual. God’s people obey the law because they are God’s people, not the other way round. Ever since Adam’s fall, it was and still is always God who initiates any relationship between him and his creatures.

It is the faithfulness of God that begets a faithful response. In other words, we love him because he first loved us. It is God who both began a good work in me as well as brings that good work to completion (Philippians 1:6). He is both the Author as well as the Finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:2). I am his workmanship, created (or re-created) in Christ for good works – but good works which he has prepared for me to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). He has taken out the dead heart of stone, replaced it with a heart of flesh, filled me with his Spirit who then causes me to amend my behaviour by keeping his commandments (Ezekiel 36:26-27). He orders my steps and even though I fall he upholds me (Psalm 37:23-24). My times are in his hands (Psalm 31:14). 

Everything I am…my gifts, my talents…everything is from him. In him I live and move and have my being. He has given me gifts of his Spirit and he causes me to bear the fruit of his Spirit. I am nothing without him and I can do nothing without him. 

However, I am not a mindless puppet nor am I a remote controlled machine. The fact that he has chosen me because he loves me, tells me that in his eyes, I have value…and if he values me, that gives me purpose…and because I have both value and purpose, I respond in obedience to him. As the Anglican catechism says: “As a citizen of God’s Kingdom, I am called to God’s Word and will, in loving witness and service to others, and in joyful hope of Christ’s return.” I am not a mindless puppet, but my response to God is and always will be a response. In fact, even my response to God is a result of a prior work of God in my heart. 

For instance, Lydia did not respond to the eloquence of Paul’s Gospel presentation, but rather she responded because the Lord opened her heart. (Acts 16:14) Or, in the parable of Jesus, the same seed that fails to germinate on unprepared soil, germinates and flourishes when it falls on prepared or good soil (Matthew 13:23-33). 

Indeed, if we take seriously the biblical teaching that we are dead in sin, then any response is only possible after we are given life. Only God can call into existence things that do not exist. Faith itself, Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9, is a gift from God.

Now, this is good news, dearest beloved brethren, because that is the only way God’s promise may be guaranteed for all his children. God’s promise does not rest on my adherence to a law I cannot keep as an unregenerated or dead person. Rather it rests solely on his grace. By myself, I would neither seek him nor keep him. He grants me the faith to believe and the ability to keep believing. Consequently, my response to him is simply an acknowledgement of what he has already done…a conviction that God is able to fulfil what he has promised because he has fulfilled his promise in Jesus. 

In Jesus, the impossible has been made possible. The debt and the death that is ours has been removed through the cross and the resurrection. The penalty against us has been erased and our enemy has been defeated…humiliated and disarmed (Colossians 2:11-15) We are the grateful yet passive receivers of a victory that God has achieved through the obedient acts of Jesus. 

But note that just as Paul does not pit law against grace, nowhere in his writings does he ever discard the law because of grace. What he does endeavour to do is put them in the right order. Grace first and then, still purely as an act of grace, the giving of a holy, righteous, and good law. 

This passage then addresses any form of exclusivity based on ethnicity or pedigree or wealth or culture or rank or status…even despised people like tax-collectors were not excluded because exclusion can only be based on unbelief…a rejection of what God reveals as true. However, as our inclusion in the Body of Jesus is based solely on his act of grace, any division based on merit is illegitimate. Our salvation was conceived and achieved by God alone. Just as we had no role to play in our physical conception and birth, so we had no role to play in our spiritual conception and rebirth. We were dead. No corpse can resurrect itself. Our role, like Abraham, David, and all other believers from the Fall to the present day, is to humbly receive what is graciously offered. Otherwise, grace would cease to be grace.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2024