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I love Pastor Prince because he teaches what
most pastors will not; what I believe to be the true gospel;
the gospel based on the Word, on Jesus’ finished work,
on grace and freedom from condemnation;
the gospel that really is good news.
My DVR is full of Joseph Prince teachings.
Every time I watch an episode, I come away mouth gaping;
feeling full and excited about Jesus,
about how much He loves me,
and how much grace God has provided for us.
It still blows my mind that GRACE is the MEAT of the Word.
One thing I love about Joseph Prince is that
I almost never catch him taking a verse out of context.
When it sounds too good to be true,
he will show you from the Hebrew/Greek
exactly what the words mean/say.
I love it!
This week I saw this verse in a new light.
(Pastor Prince’s teaching was much better/fuller than I can share here,
but I’ll try to share just a tidbit of what Holy Spirit
is helping me to understand from this one verse.)
Colossians 2:13-14 (NKJV)
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us,
which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross.
He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us,
which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross.
A. We were dead; He made us alive with Him.
B. Wiped out the “handwriting of requirements” – Whose handwriting?
His own handwriting; the law; the 10 commandments written with His finger.
C. The law was “against us”, “contrary to us”. It does not help us.
The Holy Spirit alone is our helper.
D. “He has taken it out of the way”.. The law stands in the way of our relationship with God; it condemns us (Jesus does not).
It makes us feel either guilty or prideful (when we fool ourselves into believing we are keeping it).
We run from God when we feel guilty.
God stands against us when we are prideful.
E. “Nailed to the cross,” “forgiven”.. both past tense.
We live in the present! Hallelujah! Where we are forgiven and where
there is nothing left between us and God.
We are free to draw near in boldness. The only requirement is: believe.
Part of the reason I never “saw” this verse before is because other versions
have translated it differently. True grace is so beyond our comprehension that
translators think it must mean something else than what it actually says.
I still love this verse from Galatians.
Galatians 3:1-2 (MSG)
1 You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken
leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that
you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives.
His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.
2-4Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin?
Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding
to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness?
For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts
what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough
to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through
this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss,
but it certainly will be if you keep this up!
2-4Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin?
Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding
to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness?
For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts
what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough
to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through
this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss,
but it certainly will be if you keep this up!
I am so happy to be free from the law;
from condemnation; the power of sin and death;
To have the Holy Spirit leading and directing and perfecting me;
To have the Sabbath Rest that He promised;
the rest that leans on, believes in and trust fully in Jesus and His work;
to have the true JOY of my salvation.. and so much more.
I have recently been reading Galatians. I had heard it preached from out of context so many times that I hadn't realized until this month that those verses talking about bondage were actually talking about the bondage of the law–not the bondage of sin. Very enlightening.