One Bread, One Body

1 Corinthians 10:16:17

This verse by Paul to the Corinthian church is a lead-in to the instructions on communion to be found in the next chapter. Here, we see that Paul calls the taking of the body and the blood of Jesus “communion”, which by its very definition denotes a deep communication between the giver of the bread and the eater.

By partaking of the cup and the bread, we are communing with what Christ did for us upon the cross. We drink of the wine which is the blood, shed for the remission of our sins. This blood provides our redemption from sin; our justification in God’s eyes; our sanctification for the service of the Lord and it protects our heart from the curses of this world, much like the blood on the houses of the Israelites protected them from the angel of death.

When we break the bread, we are symbolically showing the brokenness of Jesus on the cross, where His body was torn apart so that ours could be whole. He suffered all cancers and tumors and diseases in Him so that we would never have to suffer them in us. We eat the bread, not partaking of death, but eating His wholeness; His health and His perfect body.

Paul is also using the idea of communion to portray an important fact about the church of Jesus Christ. He says, “For we being many are one bread, one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17). The word used for “bread” implies a “loaf”, meaning that we are one entire piece, not fragmented segments of bread. One particular offering of the Old Testament had the priest bring a loaf of bread before the Lord, mingled with leaven, meaning that the loaf was to rise. This loaf was a type of the church, mingled together and unified.

At Pentecost, this “loaf” was mobilized. Born at Calvary, the church took her shape on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on those assembled at Jerusalem. From that day forward, the fragmented, individual lives of those present were molded into one cohesive unit called the church. Though we are not all the same, we share one common passion and that is to be a part of the body of Christ. Each ingredient brings a unique perspective to the loaf, none more important than the other.

The great unifier of the church; that which jumps across denominational and cultural boundaries is that we are all partakers of “that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17). Our constant consumption of the finished work of Christ is what makes the church a true body. When we major on minors and put our focus on the inessentials we take the beautiful taste out of the loaf. As long as our hearts “look unto Jesus”, we remain the unbreakable body of Christ.

Go in the grace and favor of the head of the church. You are His body; thus you are His hands and feet; His mouth and His voice. Say what He would say, and spread His love to those around you.

Wages and Gifts

Romans 6:23

There is a payment that is attached to a life of sin, but there is no payment attached to salvation. Sin works you, exhausts you and then leaves you empty. When the “work-week” of sin is finished, your paycheck is death. Salvation never pays you; for there is no work of your own that brings salvation or keeps it. For those in the church that wish to work for all they have, Paul said that their reward is not of grace but of debt (Romans 4:4).

To believe that you work for your blessings or work for your goodness is to think that God owes you for your lifestyle. This makes the Creator of heaven and earth a debtor; to you! This cannot be, for God owes none of us anything, especially considering the price that He paid for our redemption on the cross.

The paycheck of a life of sin (notice the text says “sin”, not “sins”) is spiritual death. Physical death is not our payment for sin, for even believers die a physical death, but separation from God for eternity is the doom of sin’s end. To live a life without Christ will tax and burden you and ultimately end with your demise. This fulfills the thief’s desire to “steal, kill and to destroy” (John 10:10).

For the saint, there is a gift attached to salvation that can never be earned; the gift of eternal life. If someone gives you a gift, it is yours with no strings attached. You are not expected to get your checkbook out and pay them back for the gift, for this takes away the beauty of it being a gift. How insulting would it be for you to give someone a gift at Christmas only to have them follow you around the rest of the day begging you to let them pay you back? You would take it as a personal affront to the spirit of your gift. Imagine the heart of God upon seeing so many Christians trying to pay God back for the wonderful gift of salvation.

How do we know if we are guilty of such actions? One easy way is to look at how you view the cross of Christ. When you see Jesus suffering and dying in your mind’s eye, do you think, “Oh my, He did all of that for me, the least that I could do is live for Him”? If this is your view, then there is a hint of payback in your Christianity. If you view the cross as “God did this to Jesus so He will never do it to me!” then you understand that salvation is a gift, never to be paid back.

God’s gifts are without repentance (Romans 11:29) meaning that God never takes a gift back once He gives it. If God has gifted you in life in a particular area, that gift will not be taken back because you don’t use it properly. He wants glory for your gift, but whether He receives it or not has nothing to do with your ability to use it. His gifts are given to never be returned. Open the gift, it is yours!

Righteousness is a gift, given by God so that we are viewed as holy in spite of our imperfections (Romans 5:17-19). If righteousness is a gift of God, and God cannot take His gifts back, are you made unrighteous by an unrighteous deed? Impossible! You are the righteousness of God in Christ. Waking up to this knowledge will kill sin in your life (1 Corinthians 15:34).

Don’t look for payment for your goodness today; for that means you receive payment for the bad as well. Instead, open the gift of righteousness and eternal life, knowing that you neither earn it nor deserve it. It makes the gift even better when it is so awesome that you could never have gone out and bought it for yourself.

Servants to Righteousness and Holiness

Romans 6:18-22

When a person becomes a believer in Christ, having given Him their heart and accepting His love and forgiveness, they are instantly made free from sin and its dominion. Grace takes over where law had led them and they are free from the yoke of sin that had been on their life. If this be the case, why do we sin again after we have come to know Christ?

Paul uses “the manner of men” (Romans 6:19) to help describe what is happening in us after we are saved. This phrase means that he is using a fleshly example so that we can understand heavenly words. These would be “words of man’s wisdom”. Paul doesn’t down the use of wisdom words to prove a point, in fact he welcomes them. He does, however, oppose using the words of man’s wisdom in order to offer man salvation and freedom. This he says, will render the cross “of no effect” (1 Corinthians 1:17).

The wisdom words that he offer are given “because of the infirmity of your flesh” (Romans 6:19). The word “flesh” is the Greek word “sarx” meaning ‘body’. By this, we see that Paul is not talking about our nature to sin or our carnal side, but rather he is speaking of our literal body. The “infirmity” must be something more than sickness, for Paul was a firm believer that Jesus had borne our infirmities in His body on the cross.

The infirmity of our flesh is the habit of sin in us. Sin is easy for us to do because we have a lifetime of doing it. We can sin as easy as falling off a log; for sin has been in us from the moment that we were born. We don’t have to think about how to sin or find a good reason to sin, we simply live our lives and sinful actions or words or deeds find their way out of us. This phenomenon occurs because sin had become a habit for us, while we were sinners.

Just as you can tie your shoe and think of 15 other things at the same time, never once thinking about the loop that you are making or crossing the laces the correct way, you can sin without forethought. How are you so adept at tying that shoe while not even thinking about it? It is something that you have practiced for years, and you now do it by habit.

It is not your sin nature rising up inside of you that causes you to sin now that you are a believer. That sin nature was crucified with Christ at the cross when you were baptized into His death at conversion. Remember, Jesus “died unto sin once” (Romans 6:10), and you should “likewise consider yourself to be dead indeed unto sin” (Romans 6:11). Now that you are saved, you yield your body to “righteousness and holiness” because that is where your fruit leads you (Romans 6:19, 22).

As a sinner, you literally yielded your body over to doing whatever sin that made you happy. You did not fight sin, you just committed it. Now that you are a believer, you yield your spirit man over to the things of God which lead you to live out your righteousness and holiness. If your chief influences are things of this world, it becomes easier for the habits of sin to return, for you are hanging out near your former master. The old habit of sin dies out the more that you realize who you are in Christ, for you are yielding yourself over to Him. This brings “obedience” into a new light for the Christian. We do not obey to “stay saved” or “please God”, but so that we may shine as a light with His righteousness shining through us. We are “free from sin” (Romans 6:22), so let us walk like it!

Under Grace

Romans 6:14

This verse contains an iron-clad, blessed promise for those who are under the grace of God, “Sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:14). Let us shout this from the housetops; God’s grace destroys sin’s control over the believer. Only the grace of God can render sin’s power ineffective to dominate and destroy the saint.

The promise comes at the front of the verse, with the reason for the promise coming at the end. The reason that sin cannot dominate the believer is that we do not live underneath the power of the law anymore. Notice that we are not “under the law, but under grace”. This shows that the position of the saint is beneath one or the other; either beneath the load of the law or beneath the power of grace.

Law was given to bring our sins to light (Romans 5:20), and it provides the strength for sin (1 Corinthians 15:56). When set loose in someone’s life, the law will bring forth a revival of sin (Romans 7:9) and cause them to walk in anger (Romans 4:15). In short, the law will minister condemnation and death to all that fall beneath it (2 Corinthians 3:7, 9). It is a cruel taskmaster, literally keeping its adherents from walking in faith (Galatians 3:12, 23) and from having a loving relationship with God (Galatians 4:1-5).

Grace is neither a doctrine nor a substance; grace is a person, and His name is Jesus. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth (notice which side truth falls on?) came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Law is written and engraved in stone (2 Corinthians 3:7), but grace appears to us and teaches us how to live right (Titus 2:11, 12). Grace is a gift to be received in super-abundance for all that wish to reign in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17), and grace is at its best where sin is abounding (Romans 5:20).

To be under the law is to have the law above you, hearkening for you to come up higher. The law is like Jacob seeing the ladder in the wilderness with God standing at the top (Genesis 28:12, 13); no matter how good you live, you can never climb up that ladder, for if you fail in one point of the law, the weight of the whole thing falls upon you (James 2:10).

To be under grace is to have the never-ending blessings of favor flowing down on you from the finished work of grace. Grace is like Jesus saying to Nathanael, “Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51). Though Jacob lived prior to the giving of the law, the illustration still stands as his incident was before Christ. So, under law, God is at the top; with Nathanael, under grace, Jesus comes to you. Grace always comes to you!

If you know someone who is living a lifestyle of sin, and they are justifying it by saying that they are living under grace, share Romans 6:14 with them. It is impossible to live a life dominated by sin if you are truly living under grace. Only when you are living under the guilt and condemnation of the law will sin have dominion over you. This verse is NOT progressive, where someday sin will not have dominion over you, it is a present promise! Sin cannot and will not dominate the believer who trusts completely in God’s grace for their life.

For this cause we have no reason to fear the message of grace. It will never produce Christians that sin like crazy and live sloppy lives. On the contrary, true grace will produce radical saints who are intensely in love with a God that loves them more than words can say. Rejoice; sin no longer dominates you!

Dead to Sin; Alive to God

Romans 6:11, 12

Due to Christ’s death on the cross, every sinner, who places their faith in His finished work, is made dead to the old nature, and alive to God. Since Jesus is dead to sin, and we are in Jesus, we too are dead to sin. Thank God that upon salvation, we are no longer controlled by who we used to be!

Since we are made dead to sin through the death of Jesus, then we should reckon that death to be a completely finished work. The word for “reckon” is also translated “count” or “consider”. We must consider ourselves dead to sin, even if we do not feel dead to it. The Apostle is not telling the believer to go with what they feel, but rather to walk in what the Word says about them.

Whether you reckon yourself dead to sin or not, YOU ARE! Considering yourself dead brings a freedom and a victory about in your actions and deeds, but you are no less dead to sin if you fail to realize it. This is not about considering yourself dead to sin so that you will eventually be dead to sin. NO! This is about considering yourself dead to sin because Jesus is dead to sin; and you are in Jesus. Line up the way you think with the way God thinks of you and you begin to walk in the more abundant life that Jesus promised was yours (John 10:10).

You are just as alive in Christ as you are dead to sin. Again, this is not contingent on you knowing it, but if you don’t know it, you won’t walk in it. Every believer is dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus. If they count themselves that way, they walk free from the devices of sin, and they live according to the identification of the Holy Spirit within their life. When we consider ourselves as equal to whatever symptoms that we are showing, then we walk beneath the standard of living that Jesus paid for us to have. For instance, if we fail and then consider ourselves failures or sinners because of our sin, then we are powerless to stop doing what we are doing.
Proof for this is found in the next verse, “Let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Romans 6:12). Upon first glance, one might say, “See Pastor, it is my job to stop sin in my life”. Actually, within context, you counting yourself dead to sin but alive to God is the only thing that will stop sin from reigning in your mortal body. The word “therefore” is key to the understanding of this text, for it links the result of verse 12 with the action of verse 11. Realize that you are dead to sin, and sin becomes dead to you!

As long as you are trying to die out to sin on a day-to-day basis, you will find yourself in trouble. Consider the finished work of Jesus as a truly finished work, not left to be done on your part, but finished on His. Rest in the accomplishment of Christ on the cross, where He died to sin so that you will not be held under its grasp. Still struggling with an area of sin in your life? Don’t fret. Consider yourself dead to sin and then move on. With every failure, declare that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, consider His work finished in you and watch grace change you in miraculous ways. Under God’s grace, you will never get the credit for your changing, for you know you did nothing!

Remember, only grace can “build you up” (Acts 20:32). Let it!

The Old Man is Dead

Romans 6:6-10

This is not the only time that Paul refers to our “old man”, meaning our old, corrupt nature of sin. He mentions it again in Ephesians 4:22, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts”. Again, he writes of the old nature in Colossians 3:9 “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds”.

In both the Ephesians and the Colossians reference, Paul is encouraging the church to put off the old ways, while his statement in Romans 6:6 shows the position of the believer, independent of his or her works. We are being encouraged to make the position that we have in Christ become evident by the lifestyle that we lead. Romans is the standing; Ephesians and Colossians are the application.

When we realize that we are dead to the old man, we see a new freedom from sin. The old man was led by his lusts and passions, and sin come second nature to him. Being dead to that old man through the finished work of Christ, we are now free from serving sin blindly. Does this insinuate that the believer will never sin again? Of course not, but it does promise us that we are free from living under the power of that sin.

Our death to sin is in Christ and His death as our substitute on Calvary. Sinners become saints by identifying with His death and accepting Him as their payment for sin. The moment that we accept this by faith, we are baptized into the same death, meaning that God now sees us exactly as He sees Jesus. Since we are dead with Him, then we have His resurrection power in us to bring life every day. Our new lives as believers are now lived with Christ leading the way; not with us trying to please God and do the right thing.

We have knowledge that Christ “dieth no more” (Romans 6:9). If we are dead in Him, and He is not going to die anymore, then we need not die every single day. There is no “re-crucifying” that needs to happen in the believer, for this cannot happen to our Savior. Our daily picking up of the cross is the knowledge that every day we stand to lose our life for the sake of the gospel, not the need to lose our spirit man in waves; a bit more tomorrow that we did today. You are completely and totally saved the moment that you accept Christ. Stop viewing the finished work as finished on His part, but unfinished on yours.

Verse 10 promises us that when Jesus died, He died to sin. He had no sin of His own, so whose sin was He dying out to? It was our sins and iniquities! Jesus had our sins condemned in His body (Romans 8:3), so that we would never have them condemned in ours. If He died to your sins once, then you need to give Him your heart once, and let His work do the rest.

The glorious final promise of this portion of scripture is that now that we are saved, we are living “unto God” (Romans 6:10). Our lives are no longer about living according to our lusts and desires, but are lived according to His perfect plan and will. Only Christ living His life through us can possibly bring about this perfection and glory, which is why the resurrection of Jesus is so vital and so awesome.

He whom the Son sets free is free indeed!

In Defense of God's Grace

Romans 6:1-3

Paul must have faced an enormous amount of opposition to his message of grace, for Romans 6:1 chronicles one of three moments in the book of Romans that Paul defends his gospel from those who feel that he has taken grace to an extreme. Look at the three moments, and notice that Paul defends both his ministry and the power of God’s grace:

“And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) ‘Let us do evil, that good may come?’ Whose damnation is just” (Romans 3:8). – It had been erroneously spread about that Paul was encouraging Christians to sin so that grace would come in. He must have been preaching a lot of grace!

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1) – Answering to his message of abundant grace only two verses prior (5:20), Paul knows that people might take his message of abundant grace and think that sin will naturally follow. “How can it?” he asks. We are dead to sin, so continuing to practice sin is not even an option.

“What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” (Romans 6:15). Why bring this issue up again if it is not being said of the Apostle Paul? He was obviously facing a day-to-day battle with those who were against his radical stand on God’s grace. In this instance, he shoots down the idea that since we are not under law, we should just go ahead and sin. Perhaps this is what the Jewish world that clung to works and law was accusing Paul of the most.

The reason that a constant defense of God’s grace was needed in Paul’s day, and is still needed today is that the enemy knows the mighty power of God’s redemptive grace. He does not care whether or not the believer fails or falls into sin, for even Satan knows the power of God’s love and favor. Instead, he wants you to believe that God is angry with you or is somehow displeased. If Satan can keep the believer working to achieve goodness and grace then they will always be bound by their flawed performance instead of freed by Jesus’ perfect performance.

How can you and I continue to walk in a sinful lifestyle once we come into a revelation of God’s amazing grace? The answer is, “We can’t!” Paul said in verse 2, “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Through the resurrected power of Christ in us, we are dead to the drawing power of sin. Our change has come about not by our dedication or our works, but by His finished work. In other words, our transformation from darkness to light has been an effortless one.

Your knowledge of this awesome transformation is the key to your walking in victory successfully. Paul asks, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3). When you came to Christ, you did not join an organization that tries to live like Jesus; instead, you were placed into the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross, thus you receive all of the benefits that the cross paid for.

Once grace is elevated to the wonderful standard that Paul preached, it will become obvious that sin is the LAST thing that believers want to be involved in. Grace never condones failure, but it removes the guilt from failure, and it provides the means by which that failure can be avoided.

Preach it Again!

Acts 13:37-43

The Apostle Paul went into a synagogue to minister on a Saturday at Antioch. The transcript of his sermon is recorded for us in Acts 13, and it gives us remarkable insight into the preaching style and content of the great Apostle. We have no audio recordings of this great man of course, so we must rely on this nugget of gold from his ministry to see how he preached and what he emphasized.

His sermon opens with God choosing Abraham and exalting the nation of Israel; the Exodus from Egypt; the conquering of Canaan and ministries of Samuel, Saul and David, leading right into the arrival of Jesus. He then ignores the life of Christ and jumps straight to the cross and the resurrection; tying both events to the salvation of mankind and the forgiveness of sins. This is where our little devotion picks up the sermon, for it is here that he leads into his invitation.

His final thrust in the sermon is found in 13:38, 39, where he preaches “forgiveness of sins” and that all who believe “are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses”. He then concludes with a warning that appears in the prophets about men rejecting the work that God will do. Rejection of the message of grace is the final straw in a man’s rejection of God and His love.

When the Jews moved out of the synagogue, the Gentiles that were there clamored to meet Paul and “besought” or “begged” him to come back and preach the same message the next Saturday (Acts 13:42). When the next week arrived, almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God (Acts 13:44) and the Jews turned out to contradict the message that Paul preached. Not much has changed from those who cling to works and religion, for they still contradict the message of grace, always quick to try to add “balance” by pouring in law and personal responsibility. Religion is scared of relationship, for if relationship with God is possible, religion is unnecessary.

The Jews of Antioch saw that it was impossible to stop the Gentiles from believing on Jesus, so they pulled out the big guns so to speak in order to convince the townsfolk that Paul’s message of grace was wrong. To do their bidding, they call on the “devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city” (Acts 13:50). Again, not much has changed. When the church wants to come against the preaching of radical grace, they find the most shining example of the law and works that they can and they send it in a tirade against the Apostles of God’s grace and favor. Ishmael has always persecuted Isaac with his words; don’t feel that it is unusual now.

Let’s return to this type of ministry, where we tell the sinners in our lives that Jesus has died for the forgiveness of their sins. Only when the church becomes the place of refuge and hope for the unbeliever will it be appealing enough to bring them back. May we never brag when our churches seem hostile towards the unsaved, and they feel condemned and guilty when they enter our midst. Set them free by shining the light of Christ into their lives and showing them the way out. If they reject the brightness of Jesus then there is no hope for them, but are we even trying?

The Bread of Life

John 6:47-58

This sermon by Jesus did a lot to thin out the swelling crowds that were following Him. In fact, when He finished this statement, “Many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him” (John 6:66). What was so controversial about this particular sermon was that Jesus had invited people to enter into a covenant relationship with Him. By saying that He was the bread of Life, He was equating Himself with the manna in the wilderness, given by God to feed mankind. He was also offering a communion meal of bread and blood which had come to mean a permanent relationship for Israelites. As far as they were concerned, they were under an everlasting covenant with God, so to enter communion with Jesus would have been blasphemous.

The words of Jesus in John 6 were also difficult because they were so physically repulsive. “Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53), was construed as cannibalistic and sacrilegious. The Jews were to eat nothing unclean, of which human flesh would certainly qualify, and they were also forbidden from drinking blood. Was Jesus endorsing such unbelievable practices?

Noticing that His own disciples were struggling with His words, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you?” (John 6:61). He then explained that it was the Spirit that does the quickening in a life, not the flesh. The words that He spoke were spiritual words, meaning that He wanted them to consume His body and drink of His blood spiritually, taking into them all that the body paid for and that the blood purchased.

This does not discount the power of the communion ceremony; but rather reinforces it. When we partake of the bread, we are partaking in what Jesus’ body accomplished for us at the cross. We see our sickness in His body and believe that when we partake, we are taking into us His perfect health and wholeness. When we drink the wine, we are partaking in what Jesus’ blood paid for at the cross. We see our sin covered by His blood, never to be held against us again and we believe that His blood provides safety and security for the believer from the curses of this world.

In John 6, Jesus does not break bread and hand it to the crowd, nor does He pour wine and drink from the cup as a visual of His body and blood. He is not preaching a physical eating and drinking, but rather an act of faith on the part of every man. Totally consume Jesus and what He accomplished. Do not leave any of Him left over. Just as Israel was to eat all of the lamb on Passover night, the saint should take all that Jesus is.

When the Master does break bread and pour wine at the Last Supper, every disciple there remembers this powerful sermon from John 6. As they partook of the bread and wine, they remembered what it stood for and no doubt began to form a doctrinal pillar in their mind regarding the communion ceremony. So important was the bread and wine to the early church that they apparently partook every single time they got together (Acts 2:42). Paul was so convinced of the observance that of all the things that Jesus did, this is the only one that he shared verbatim (1 Corinthians 11:24, 25).

Leave nothing of Jesus on the table today. Consume His love and passion; His grace and favor; His healing and wholeness. It is all available for you; do you want it?

Elevated at Transfiguration

Luke 9:28-37

Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain to pray and while there, He transformed from His physical form to His glorified nature. His countenance changed and His clothes glistened. We call this incident the Transfiguration because Jesus showed the disciples His glorified man, literally transforming before their very eyes. Paul used the same Greek phrase for transfigured (Matthew 17:2) in Romans 12:2 when he tells the Christian to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”.

Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared with Jesus and began to speak of His coming death in Jerusalem. Ever wonder what heaven talks about? In this case, they were speaking of the finished work of Jesus, which was about to be accomplished on the cross. Heaven has always been about Jesus and His beauty and the redemption of mankind.

The story of the Transfiguration gives us a remarkable look at the arrival of grace. Grace is not a doctrine; it is a person, and His name is Jesus! John said that “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17), and Paul said to Titus that “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). A doctrine does not “appear”, but a man does. This shows us that when we speak of grace, we are speaking of Jesus.

Moses speaks of the law, while Elijah is representative of the prophets. The Old Testament is full of the Law and the Prophets, while the New Testament is the ministry of Grace. On top of this mountain, the Law and the Prophets became witness to the Righteousness without the Law (Romans 3:21). When Peter expresses a desire to build 3 tabernacles; one for each person, the Lord speaks from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear Him” (Luke 9:35), and there was no one left on the mountain with them except Jesus (Mark 9:8). Peter was placing the value of the Law and the Prophets on equal footing with Grace, and God spoke emphatically that it was Jesus who was to be listened to; not Moses and Elijah. When we try to elevate the Law and the Prophets to the status of God’s Grace, the Law and the Prophets will vanish to relinquish all attention towards Jesus.

What a command of God! Whatever Jesus says, that is what we are supposed to listen to. What is the first statement from Jesus’ mouth following the powerful voice of His Father? “Arise, and be not afraid” (Matthew 17:7). Rise up in who you are and do not fear. What a mandate for the believer today!

Notice that when the Law was given on Mt. Sinai, the people ran away from Moses when he came down the mountain bearing the tables of stone (Exodus 20:18). When Jesus comes down the mountain after His transfiguration, the people run to meet Him (Luke 9:37). Where Law runs man away from the presence of the Lord, Grace runs man towards Him, for Law ministers death, while Grace always ministers life (2 Corinthians 3:7-11).

The lesson for Peter, James and John was an awesome visual, but it was also wrapped up in their names. Peter means “stone”; James is “Jacob” in Hebrew meaning “supplanter”; John is “grace” in Greek. Put them back-to-back-to-back and you have, “The stone (Law) is replaced by grace”. Transfiguration taught it, and God said, “Listen to it!” Awesome!