Proverbs Chapter 6 — Fleshing it out for My Understanding
Working through Proverbs 6 today, and I’m seeing more clearly that this is still a father speaking to his son — the kind of letter you’d hope every young man would read before he signs a loan, chooses his habits, or guards his heart.
The opening verses about becoming surety for your neighbor (6:1–5) felt confusing to me at first. I wondered if it meant, “Don’t sleep until the debt is paid.” But I think the deeper point is this:
God cares about stewardship. If I promise what I cannot reasonably cover, I may lose the very household the Lord told me to protect. Jesus taught the same spirit when He said to count the cost before you build (Luke 14:28). My kindness must never outrun wisdom.
Then the chapter points to the ant (6:6–11). That little creature preaches louder than any motivational speaker. The warning isn’t just “don’t be lazy”; it’s that sloth steals from the future God prepared for me.
Work was God’s idea first — Adam tended the garden before sin ever entered (Genesis 2:15). Paul echoes it plainly: “If a man will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
I also notice how God describes the worthless man (6:12–15) and the seven things He hates (6:16–19):
haughty eyes, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet quick to run to evil, false witness, and — the climax — one who sows discord among brothers.
And can we just pause and laugh a second? 😂
The internet today yells “6-7!” like it means absolutely nothing, but God used those numbers first. He was the original 6-7 referencer — and He used it to talk about what He despises. That’s a little comical and ironic, and honestly it made me smile at the kitchen table this morning.
The longest section returns to faithfulness in marriage (6:20–35). Culture may joke about pop lists, but God used marriage language before anyone else. Lust toward another person is painted as a trap — darker than theft. A thief can repay, but an adulterer destroys his own soul.
Jesus intensifies this truth in Matthew 5:27–28 — sin begins in the heart before it ever shows in the hands.
There’s a thread connecting all of it:
boundaries in money, diligence in work, truth in speech, and purity in marriage all protect the same sacred thing — the household and the covenant people of God.
I don’t want to be a burden on my community; I want my diligence to bless it. That idea is biblical too — 1 Timothy 5:8 calls us to provide for our own, and Galatians 6:5 reminds each of us to carry our own load so we can freely help bear another’s when real need comes.
Takeaways in My Heart
Gazelles escape snares → so should I when promises are foolish. Ants plan quietly → faithfulness needs no platform. God hates discord most → unity is sacred. Marriage mirrors covenant → lust is spiritual rebellion.
Lord, help me heed the teaching You gave us and not fall into the trap of sin and evil. Here I am, Lord — teach even my habits to walk upright.
It does not soften the reality of temptation, nor does it pretend that sin appears ugly on the front end. Instead, Scripture names what we all know to be true but often resist admitting: what is forbidden can be alluring, persuasive, and sweet for a moment. The danger is not that temptation lies to us—but that we listen.
This chapter is a father’s warning to a son, and it is plainly about adultery. The language is not symbolic at first glance. It is direct, practical, and grounded in real-life consequences. The adulterous woman is described as smooth-talking and desirable, but the end of that path is bitterness, loss, and regret. Wisdom is not abstract here; it is painfully concrete.
One of the most striking elements of Proverbs 5 is that regret is given a voice. After the damage is done, the speaker looks back and mourns not just the sin itself, but the refusal to listen when instruction was available. “I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof.” The tragedy is not ignorance—it is rejection of wisdom that was already offered.
What stands out to me is that Scripture does not condemn desire. In fact, Proverbs 5 does the opposite. It celebrates desire rightly ordered. Faithfulness within marriage is described as joyful, intoxicating, and life-giving. The problem is not passion—it is passion detached from covenant. God’s wisdom does not call us away from love or intimacy, but toward a love that is protected, exclusive, and enduring.
Marriage is treated with such gravity here because it is not merely emotional or contractual—it is covenantal. To violate that covenant is to invite destruction, not because God is withholding joy, but because He is guarding it.
Later in Scripture, we will see this covenant language deepen. The marriage relationship becomes a picture used by God to describe His faithfulness to His people and His people’s faithfulness—or unfaithfulness—to Him. Israel’s idolatry is called adultery. The Church is described as the Bride of Christ. But it is important to recognize that Proverbs 5 is not making that theological argument explicitly yet. This is wisdom literature dealing first with obedience in daily life.
Still, the echo is there. Human covenant faithfulness matters because it reflects something greater. The way we treat covenant—with God and with one another—reveals what we believe about trust, loyalty, and love. Faithlessness in marriage and faithlessness in worship are not identical, but they grow from the same root: a refusal to trust God’s design over our own desires.
Proverbs 5 ultimately teaches us that sin promises freedom but delivers regret. Wisdom, on the other hand, may feel restrictive in the moment, but it preserves life, joy, and peace. God’s warnings are not threats; they are acts of mercy. He speaks before the fall, not after, because He loves us.
The question this chapter presses on my heart is not simply, “Will I avoid obvious sin?” but rather, “Will I listen while instruction is still being offered?” Regret speaks loudly in Proverbs 5—but wisdom was speaking first.
Obedience now is a kindness to our future selves. And correction, though uncomfortable, is one of the clearest signs of God’s love.
Proverbs 2 doesn’t treat wisdom as optional or passive.
It doesn’t say, “If wisdom happens to cross your path…”
It says receive, treasure, incline your ear, cry out, lift your voice, seek, search.
This chapter shows us the intensity with which wisdom must be pursued—with the same intention and consistency as someone mining for silver. Not a casual stroll. Not a once-a-week glance. But digging. Reaching. Returning day after day because what’s buried is worth the effort.
And Scripture is honest here:
If wisdom is not actively sought, something else will fill the gap.
The absence of wisdom doesn’t leave us neutral—it leaves us vulnerable. Vulnerable to crooked paths, distorted desires, and voices that sound convincing but lead us away from life.
Proverbs 2 also shows us something tender and reassuring: wisdom protects before it corrects.
When we seek it, wisdom guards our steps, sharpens our discernment, and keeps us from paths we don’t yet recognize as dangerous. It doesn’t just tell us what’s right—it keeps us from falling into what would cost us peace, integrity, and joy.
And here’s the promise woven through the whole chapter:
When we seek wisdom earnestly, the Lord gives it.
Not reluctantly. Not sparingly.
He delights to give understanding to those who ask—and He uses it to preserve, guide, and anchor them.
Wisdom is not merely knowledge.
It is protection.
It is clarity.
It is a kindness from God for those who are willing to dig.
📖 Why I Created This Bible Study Companion Guide — A Resource to Help You Know and Love God Through His Word
There’s a quiet joy that comes from sitting with an open Bible, heart ready, pen in hand—seeking not just knowledge, but God Himself. For years, I’ve have strived to study the Bible more deeply and faithfully, to see not just verses, but truth—God’s character, His promises, His purposes for the world and for me.
But let’s be honest: studying the Bible can feel overwhelming. Where do I begin? How do I know I’m interpreting this correctly? What does this actually mean? And how does it apply to my life?
These are the questions I’ve asked countless times. And they’re exactly why I created this printable Bible Study Companion Guide—a simple, clear set of questions and reminders that I’ve personally found helpful every time I open Scripture.
After reading two books that have deeply impacted the way I approach the Bible—
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin, which offers a clear, accessible method rooted in knowing God first,
And 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible by Robert Plummer, a seminary-level book I first encountered during my theological studies—
—I found myself wanting something concise and practical that I could return to regularly. Not just for me, but for my kids, and a few friends who had also expressed a desire to study Scripture with more confidence and depth.
I asked ChatGPT to help me take the heart and wisdom of these two resources and distill them into a brief guide—something printable, simple, and rooted in sound interpretation principles.
💡 Why This Guide Matters
Every passage of Scripture is part of a bigger story—and when we understand that story, we begin to see God more clearly. This guide is not a rigid formula but a compass—something to reorient our hearts and minds as we read.
You’ll find thoughtful questions like:
“What does this reveal about God?”
“What’s the historical or literary context here?”
“How does this passage fit into the big picture of the Bible?”
By asking these questions, we begin to slow down. We move beyond quick devotionals or isolated verses, and we step into real study. We let the Word shape us, instead of shaping it to fit us.
📄 What’s Inside the PDF
The guide is designed to be printable, shareable, and easy to use—perfect for individuals, families, and small groups. Whether you’re a seminary grad or just starting out, this tool can meet you where you are.
Inside, you’ll find:
Core principles to keep in mind before you begin
Key interpretive questions for every passage
Practical study reminders to avoid common mistakes
A short closing prayer to center your heart on God
It’s the kind of tool you can use every time you open your Bible—and one I hope my own kids will carry with them for years to come.
🤝 A Gift
I created this because I needed it. I still need it. And I wanted to share it because the Word of God is for all of us—not just pastors, not just scholars, but every single follower of Jesus.
If it helps you or someone you love see God more clearly, love Him more deeply, and obey Him more joyfully, then it’s done its job.
So feel free to print it. Share it. Use it with your small group, your kids, your journal, your church. Let it serve you the way it’s served me.
May we be people who study the Word not to master it, but to be mastered by the God who speaks through it.
As a firearms instructor and shooting sports enthusiast, I was excited to incorporate the use of lasers into my shooting. I mean laser focus is a great thing right? I quickly discovered lasers are a great addition, but can’t replace the knowledge and understanding of my iron sights, additionally, the laser doesn’t make up for a poor grip, stance or any of the other fundamentals that I practice which include the seemingly simple task of knowing how to load the magazine and insert it as well as rack a round in the chamber, etc.
You can’t just throw all of the other fundamentals out the window and point and shoot where the laser is pointing and expect to attain the precision that focus on ALL of those fundamentals together at the same time achieves.
It’s the same way with studying the Bible. We can’t just read this or that book ABOUT the Bible or a study about a particular topic and bring in some random amalgamation of Scriptures and expect to know all of God or the whole picture.
We need to study the actual Word of God in its entirety! This is not to say that those Bible studies are bad. In the same way that the integration of a laser into my shooting isn’t a replacement for my iron sights, they are not a replacement for reading the whole word of God in context and looking at the different literary elements of the word of God and taking into account the whys of why they were written that way.
exp. Historical books, wisdom books, prophecy, poetry, law etc…additionally each book contains different figures of speech that we sometimes lose in translation because we are not from the same culture.
We say, “it’s raining cats and dogs,” in the US to indicate that its raining really hard. Everyone everywhere doesn’t always understand that idiom. There are cultural sayings like this in the Bible that we need to dig into the history of to understand. There are also hyperbole, similes, metaphors, analogies, irony, personification, anthropomorphisms, litotes, idioms(like the one above), euphemisms, synecdoche, and more!
You really can mine the scriptures like digging in a mine for precious gems or other resources! Just remember above all, the Bible is about God, He should always be the main character overall, ask yourself what is this passage teaching me about God? Study should bring deeper knowledge, how can you love what you don’t know?
Please tell me you pronounced that title like it was said on “The Princess Bride”!? In all actuality I was wanting to stay in my horse world with horse thoughts, but I’m doing a zoom Bible study with a group of women about combatting lies we have believed with the truth found in the Word of God. This week was about???? You guessed it MAWAGE, or in case you haven’t seen “The Princess Bride”, (shame on you! LOL) marriage.
Coming from a broken home in a society where divorce is the norm I really never understood the symbolism of marriage. I understood that it was an important commitment to be taken seriously and except in cases of extreme exceptions, marriage is lifelong. I didn’t start to truly grasp the Biblical imagery of marriage until well over a decade into my marriage. Additionally, I carried and still catch myself carrying some unhealthy or incorrect thoughts, fears, and ideas about marriage. It is always when I come to the Word of God that I am able to see those imperfections and allow His Word to correct them and then act on them.
We understand the concepts of monogamy, and faithfulness that are true of a marriage, in Genesis 2:24 “husband and wife are joined together and become one flesh.” We even see the Old Testament prophets (specifically Hosea)compare God’s people to a wife cheating on her husband, God.
Often, we incorrectly think marriage means one or the other spouse loses their individuality. This was especially true in my case when well-intentioned people taught me what is required of me to be a Godly wife and explained the expectation of submissiveness citing Ephesians 5:22. Under their tutelage my life would now revolve around my husband and I would care for his every need, clean the house, wash the clothes, raise the children, make myself available to him and serve him. Under instruction like that, I was basically walking rebellion looking for a place to happen. If you look at that entire passage and unpack the rest of it and back up to Ephesians 4:15-16 as well, you understand that “as husbands are to be the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything,” we are really talking about leadership and so much more. Unpack that whole passage from Eph 5:22 down to verse 33 and sprinkle in Eph 4!
Ephesians 5:22-33New American Standard Bible 1995
Marriage Like Christ and the Church
22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church [a]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she [b]respects her husband.
Understanding God’s attributes also helps us to better understand the relationship between husband and wife as we submit to the authority of God. We know that God is needless, and is not served by human hands according to Acts 17:25. We also know that according to Psalm 145:8-9 that He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and good to all. In the passage in Ephesians 5 above, we see evidence of the husband’s responsibility to exhibit characteristics of these attributes, and trust me, a man like that is easy to follow! The body of Christ has Christ as the head, the leader. So a wife should be inclined to follow the husband’s leadership. John Piper uses “the inclination to yield or a disposition to follow because no subjection to another human is absolute. The husband does not replace Christ as the woman’s supreme authority.” Humans, including our husbands, are sinful and we should never follow them into sin. This is certainly building the picture of a relationship between husband and wife that because I love and trust him, I want to follow him while understanding we are both in subjection to God as we together follow Him.
Interesting, now we’re getting somewhere I’m on board with going. This is painting a picture of God’s relationship with His people, the church, believers in Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord. Just as God allowed the use of the different individual writing styles of the men who penned the 66 books of the Bible as the Holy Spirit led, being in submission to God or our husband’s doesn’t mean we lose our individuality nor are we becoming their nanny as if they aren’t capable of doing anything for themselves. We are all members of one body, but all do not have the same function, yet all are needed for the body to be complete and effective. Just as members of the body are gifted with certain spiritual giftings to be used to serve and make the body of Christ stronger and more effective, I also have individual and specific traits that when paired with my husband make our partnership better, capable of more than we could each achieve separately. The hand may bring food to the mouth, and the mouth may chew, but the nutrients never get used in the body without the digestive system. All of these parts are needed to work in their individual ways collectively to accomplish a main goal. While I have had the great privilege of being able to stay home with our kids and start my own business while my hubby works outside the home, I do end up doing most of the housework, childcare, and a lot of the cooking, but make no mistake, my hubby is capable of doing all of those things too and does as do our kids. He doesn’t do them to “help me out,” he does them because he lives here too, and we together had children and we all collectively make the messes so we all collectively clean them up.
For years I compared myself to women I held on a pedestal of being the perfect submissive wives with their clean houses and washed folded, and put away laundry, their organizing gadgets, and their calm, gentle and quiet ways with everyone. I tend to be a little louder, and sometimes too opinionated, I don’t think mating socks should ever have been a thing, and I like tidy, but I also prefer our home look like we live there, and you can feel comfortable relaxing there too. I have always been what others previously called a tomboy, I prefer the outside to the inside and when I am inside, I like to bring the outside in with me, so it doesn’t feel quite so inside. I love so many of the things the boys love, hunting, fishing, muscle cars and tough trucks, baseball, shooting, and don’t mind competing with them to prove it, since birth ya’ll. All of these things together made me feel like I’d never be the perfect organized, decorative, clean freak, soft-spoken, timid, servant and prayer warrior of wife that I thought I had to be. All I can say now is, THANK GOD I’M NOT what I thought I was supposed to be. Those women are absolutely what THEIR husbands need, and they are slaying what God called them to do inside THEIR giftings for THEIR families.
My husband needed all of the things I thought were wrong about me as well as being a servant of Christ and prayer warrior! He’s needed an actual warrior at times to stand beside him and wield a sword and he’s needed me to stand in front and shield him when he’s needed to catch a breath. My kids, all believers, have been made Holy through the blood of Christ, but they are also a little hood! So sometimes I have to break out my hood side and set things straight! We’re a little hood and holy! I honestly think if I was less Jael and more Esther or Naomi like, that I wouldn’t have been capable of being up to the task of being Shaun’s help mate! The way God made me wasn’t a mistake and I’m not some rebellious jezebel, which I have actually been called, bless her heart, I know she meant well. I’m definitely a sinner who needed a Savior and I’m in definite need of staying in the Word of God and asking forgiveness when I realize I have behaved in a way that is contrary to God’s will, but I was uniquely made by Him for MY race and MY family so I have different strengths and talents than other women who need what God gifted THEM with for THEIR families and THEIR RACE.
You may be feeling some of these same things too. I’ve talked with many a woman who doesn’t understand why she was made a certain way instead of like some other lady whom she clearly admires. I can assure you; I’ve been there, and comparison is a joy thief and, in this case, a great way the enemy attacks and whoops up on us or lets us whoop up on ourselves! I can also assure you that God does not make mistakes, He is perfect the Bible says so in Matthew 5:48. As long as you are following Him and yielding to His leadership your fierceness, timidity, or insert any adjective that obviously does not contradict the word of God, meaning it is not sinful. Those qualities about you are exactly the way you are supposed to be for YOUR race as you pursue Christ and use your uniqueness to help both the body of Christ be more effective as well as your marriage while you use them in your role as wife and bondservant of Christ!
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Have you ever walked around in the dark behind someone who had a flashlight but you didn’t? I remember this one time, in Texas of course, we were hog hunting. I can’t remember if Shaun and I were dating or had just gotten married but we were hog hunting with dogs with Shaun’s dad. I was new to hog hunting and had not run in and caught my first hog at that point. At that time I was the one who ran in after the dogs had caught and the guys had reached the hog and needed someone to pull the catch dogs off and secure them. Anyway, the bay dogs bayed in a pine thicket and we were fairly close, Shaun and his dad took off running with the catch dogs pausing to let them go as soon as they were close enough. You could hear the rally of hogs when they ran in. You could also hear the moment the catch dogs caught. I was not as brave, courageous, crazy at that time and didn’t run in as fast as the guys but I was headed that way. I was jogging in the pitch black of night without a flash light or a head light on my cap while hogs of various sizes were running out right past me and away! I remember being terrified but knowing I had to show up and do my part on our team. Depending on the size of the hog or if they had two separate hogs rather than one, they could use my help. I literally started saying out loud over and over, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” from Philippians 4 verse 13. Granted, I was taking it wildly out of context because I didn’t know any better at that time but in retrospect even then, in my belief I realized where strength and power came from. I realized that to go on in difficult or terrifying situations I would have to rely on God.
Fast forward 22 years, more hog hunts than I can count although now we don’t have any dogs to enjoy chasing around the woods and we do our night hunting with thermals, a whole other level of disorienting and not being able to decipher what you’re seeing with your naked eyes when switching back and forth for a while walking around. I was meeting the hubs for dinner, but needed to get diesel because I’m one of those people who likes to let it get dangerously low. In my defense the light had not even come on this time! Now that I’m in my forties I find it difficult to read things without my glasses, this is a fun little thing that is apparently gifted to you pretty much on your 40th birthday. Anyhow, I couldn’t really read the sign to tell how much diesel was from that distance but the closer I got the more clearly I could see it. I was reflecting on the fact that I can actually see long distances well and it is usually only reading and computer work I struggle with. Then I reminisced about hog hunting experiences when I didn’t have a light or a thermal and just trusted following along behind Shaun or Daddy (Shaun’s Dad).
I thought about how much that describes my faith, realizing that when Paul wrote that we “walk by faith and not by sight” in 2nd Corinthians 5:7 he was talking about believing in the gospel and works of God when we have not seen it as Jesus mentioned in John 20:29. The Old Testament Jews witnessed the power of God in mighty ways and many of the New Testament Jews and Gentiles, witnessed Jesus Himself. For me it’s always easier to trust something I’ve seen with my own eyes, but that’s not faith, you have indisputable proof and answers, you don’t have to have faith. To me, I do have indisputable proof of the truths of the Bible, both historical and experiential, but I don’t have all of the answers or understand everything, that’s why walking by faith is necessary.
Not having needed the therapy session of writing in a while I was able to dwell on what the Lord has brought me through and assured me of in this new season. If he had allowed me to see the big picture in fine detail like I can when I put my reading glasses on, I wouldn’t have learned as much, grown as much, tasted humble pie that I didn’t want to eat but definitely needed a piece of, and I wouldn’t be as grateful for the goodness and faithfulness of God as I am right now. As I drove towards those gas stations last night continuing to move forward but not knowing which one I was going to pull into until I could clearly see the prices, I thought that’s exactly what this last season looked like. We knew the direction we were supposed to walk obediently in but we couldn’t see the picture clearly. My focus is so much clearer now and God and an amazing group of Bible study ladies, have helped me to untether from needing to walk by sight and tether myself to walking by faith even when I can’t see clearly.
We joke sometimes in Bible study, especially when studying Revelation, when we struggle with something we are reading that we always just go back to the attributes of God and think about what we KNOW about his character revealed to us plainly in His word, and then think about how what we are struggling with aligns with His attributes and the metanarrative of the Bible. If it isn’t for our good and His glory and to win people to the Lord or help them walk in obedience then it’s stinking thinking. Walking in faith means I don’t always understand, but just like my relationship with my husband…and our dogs…I trust him, even when it’s scary, or I’m hurting, I walk forward in obedience, sometimes having to drag my feelings along behind me, and just as they are now, eventually the picture becomes clearer and more of God’s amazing character is revealed and my feelings align with my obedience. I see God continuing to work on me just as He promised! If I had seen it clearly in the beginning it wouldn’t have caused me to grow or stand more in awe and worship giving God the glory and trusting Him even more. I’m so grateful He’s not finished with me yet, even if moving forward isn’t always easy!
You Lead, I’ll Follow (If you know that Jamie Grace song, you’re welcome for it now being stuck on repeat in your head!)
With all of the end of the year banquets, and graduation announcements flooding the mail and social media it’s hard not to think about the high school graduates right now. This is true for us especially as our own daughter has just graduated and started her official first year as a full-time college sophomore, but also because we were the Directors of Students at Frist Baptist Grapeland and were with our oldest son’s group since they were freshman, actually 8th graders! OH the memories! Thirteen of them graduated and saw one season of their lives change into a new exciting, and for some, possibly a scary or intimidating season, just as Grace embarks on now. Shaun and I have an anchor verse that we generally write on personalized messages to them, Proverbs 3:5-6, it will be our text for today and it’s not only applicable to graduates in this new season, but to us as well and especially to me as I have shared about entering a new season of my life.
One of my very favorite things about Scripture is that Scripture Interprets Scripture. Scripture is internally consistent, other verses can help interpret other verses, we’ve even talked some about the “big ideas” or metanarratives, and themes throughout Scripture with loads of Scriptures that tie together to bring a full understanding of the theme or metanarrative. In both of these situations, the author is God, so there’s no room for human error of interpretation. Why am I saying all of this? The previous piece on “Hinds Feet” can help us to better understand today’s “direction of our path”!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Whatever we go through in life, we are to trust in the Lord and not lean on our understanding and let God direct our path. What do we know about our understanding? It’s a tough pill to swallow, but
Proverbs 21:2 tells us “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.”
So what about our hearts?
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”
BUT GOD! I’m SO thankful for his love and mercy, for loving us while we were still sinners(Rom 5:8) and sending his Son to reconcile us to himself through his atoning sacrifice and defeat of death (2 Corinth 5:18, 1John 2:2)! When we trust God with all of our heart and we acknowledge Him in all of our ways, HE directs our paths, He’s the captain of our ship, the trail guide, the pilot, the driver! Does that change the terrain? Does that mean there won’t be potholes, storms, turbulence, or sheer rocky cliffs? We learned previously that those are some of the exact places God has already equipped us with “hinds feet” to trod, that when we trust God and are in pursuit of Him and understand that He gives us “hinds feet” to handle the terrain HE sets us on, regardless of our circumstance, we don’t have to be fearful, and we aren’t alone because He is with us wherever we go! HOW COMFORTING IS THAT!? Isn’t it awesome how all of these Scriptures connect together to help us deepen our understanding of the love of God and how He in His divine wisdom which is incomparable (Psalm 40:5, Isa 46:5) to anything, has spared no details! As we traverse these next few days, weeks, years, and for some, a new season of life, let’s be sure that we are being intentional about untethering ourselves from our way, and trusting God and acknowledging Him to direct our paths!
Long time no type. Well, it hasn’t really been that long but much longer than normal. Why? I’ve been in a funk, not a writing funk, a “what do I do with myself funk”. It’s crazy how this happens and the things that seem to pull me out of them. Almost every time, it’s digging into God’s word, and connection. This time is no different. Gracie is finishing up 2 classes before she gets a spring break and starts two more. She’s taking a theology class and one of her assignments was to write an essay on a term associated with the doctrine of salvation. She was struggling a little to understand why defining terms such as adoption, conversion, regeneration, redemption, reconciliation, justification, election, sanctification, or glorification were important if you understood the big picture. We broke it down and began to talk it out anyway.
One of the things we practiced when the kids were younger before they started dual credit classes was what we called “fast writing story starts.” Sometimes we would take a random prompt and be given 30 minutes to write a story or part of a story that started with that prompt. Other times we did a 30 minute who, what, where, when, why on a particular person or event. I usually participated in these too and we read them out loud to each other afterwards. She chose the word justification, and we worked together to dig it out of Scripture and see at what point someone is justified in Christ.
As Grace rightly pointed out, justification isn’t a new concept, people have been justifying their actions for centuries, usually it’s when they have done something they weren’t supposed to do and they want to rationalize it to make the actions appear, right or justified, in right alignment with something……and cue fast writing story start on justification!
It is difficult to single out one aspect of the doctrine of salvation and analyze it’s relationship to sin and to a believer’s personal life. Perhaps one of the most interesting and visually appealing aspects of salvation is that of justification. A quick google search of the word justification reveals the definition to be “the action of showing something to be right or reasonable,” “good reason that something exists or has been done”, theologically speaking, “the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God,” or when typing a document, “the action of justifying a line of type or piece of text.” The last one paints the best picture although it’s difficult to understand since the word being defined is used in the definition. Simply put, justification is to put into right or correct alignment. Sin in the lives of humanity takes humans out of correct alignment with God the Father. Similar to beginning a paper with the heading in the center of the paper and then continuing to type the body of the paper while still aligned in the center. The body of a paper belongs on the left side of the paper and is out of alignment. When the left alignment or justification tab is selected the body of the paper is put into proper alignment.
Concerning salvation, the cause of our improper alignment is sin.
Romans 3:21-26, “21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; 26 for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Romans 3:21-26 NASB
Jesus is the “control “a” (select all) control “L” (left align or justify) buttons of our life! The only thing that will align us rightly is repentance, which includes expressing sorrow over sin, turning from sin, and turning to God and faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Both of the words Savior and Lord need unpacking as well however, we will stick with justification. A wage is given as payment for sin, according to Romans 6:23, this wage is spiritual death. When repentance and faith in Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for that sin occurs, Jesus pays with His death as the only worthy, sinless sacrifice and we are then justified (aligned rightly) with God the Father because of Jesus. He pays your tab!
Galatians 2:16 states, “16 nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
Galatians 2:16 NASB
Humanity cannot align itself rightly with God the Father. Humans cannot work for their salvation. The only way to be justified is by faith in Jesus. Ephesians 2:8-9 reiterates this same theological concept that we are saved by faith through grace not of our own works.
As a believer, while I am now aligned rightly with the Father through Jesus and sealed with the deposit of the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14), I still am in need of sanctification, a process in which I become more and more like Christ throughout my life as a result of making decisions that reflect correct alignment with God. This means there are things I do and don’t participate in, things I do say and things I do not say regardless of where I am work, home, school, grocery store etc. as a result of my desire to follow Jesus’ teachings and become more Christ like. Sanctification is a process that will continue until my physical death or Jesus comes back as Philippians 1:6 indicates.
Justification is immediate when I repent and believe and occurs at the moment of Salvation “for if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10) It is at that moment a person becomes a believer and is put into correct alignment, justified, and righteous.
ANNNND TIME! I love how connection to and with others, especially studying the word of God together always aligns my thoughts rightly and untethers me from whatever funk I’m in! It’s almost as if we were created to live in relationship/community with one another (she typed sarcastically), because we were absolutely created this way!
Do you ever have days you just want to make a blanket fort and hide inside it with your coloring books and crayons? My Bestie and I joke about that a lot, although I think if I legit made a blanket fort she’d probably bring the crayons and join me! Recently, it seems there’s been no shortage of trials in our lives. It seems like just when we get through something and start to breathe and think of enjoying a moment the phone rings and BAM another wave of difficulty, or BAM something breaks down, or tragedy strikes, you get the idea.
The other night Shaun and I both woke up at 2am with 1.53 million thoughts running through our heads and couldn’t go back to sleep. He had different stressors than I did, and his brain was trying to prepare how to have difficult but intentional conversations the next day that would help rather than isolate and lead to unity and team building, among 1.52 million other things. I was laying there questioning every decision I’ve made in the last 2 years and reflecting on the will of God and praying about whether I was following Him or me. We are definitely two different people, when Shaun frets with things, he comes up with workable solutions mid fret and lets the Holy Spirit lead him. I tend to initially act like Chicken Little running around screaming that the sky is falling, and then finally manage to yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him comfort and guide me through things. It takes me a minute to capture my thoughts and beat them into submission. Shaun and I talked until 3 that night before we finally managed to drift back to sleep, I fell asleep mid prayer, this happens so much. I saw a cartoon on Facebook posted by a friend today that is the literal picture of what happens to me when I focus on my problems and stressors and when I focus on the problem solver, rather than counting sheep, focus on the Shepherd!
This reminds me of the passage in Matthew 14:22-33 when Peter has the bright idea to walk to Jesus on the water while wind was causing the boat to be buffeted (beaten) by waves, and Jesus tells him to “Come”. Bro was doing fine the whole time he kept his eyes on Jesus but when he started to focus on the wind around him, he started sinking. Literally my life!
On Tuesdays I do a zoom Bible study with a group of ladies from all over, I’m new to the group, this is my first study with them, but they readily embraced me and made me feel like we’ve been doing life together for years. We are studying Revelation which can certainly make you focus on calamity, especially with the wrong perspective! Nancy Guthrie’s accompaniment book “Blessed” has been tremendously helpful in focusing on Jesus throughout all of the confusing and heavy passages. We were discussing interpretations of some of those passages yesterday and discovered it really kind of depends on where you stand eschatologically. Which is a big word that just means study of the end times. I used to be a “pan theologist” meaning Revelation is tough, just trust Jesus and it will all “pan out”, but then I listened to one pastor talk and I decided that I believed that believers would likely have to face the tribulation or at least part of it, this is known as post-tribulation, or mid-tribulation. Then I listened to another teacher who I affectionally call Professor, because he’s literally one of the smartest most humble people on this planet! Anyhow, after his class I decided I was a pre-tribulation believer. Then I went to seminary and just became more confused, I think! There are still even more viewpoints of the end times because technically those labels are just in regard to a specific event in the Bible concerning the end times. Check out this simple chart and then I’ll try not to confuse myself anymore and know that there are still scholars studying and debating and they don’t even have it all figure out yet.
So, when I say pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, I’m also stating what I believe inside one of the above categories. The trib refers to the great tribulation and the pre, post, or mid refer to the timing of all believers (the church) being raptured (gathering together of believers in clouds with Jesus and taken from Earth) 1Thessalonians 4:13-18. See why pan-theology is starting to sound nice right about now! How you view these will be impacted by your Covenant Theology (your study and belief of God’s Covenants). Cue Raychel beginning to run around like Chicken Little! Truthfully, I really have and do sort all of this out by reading Scripture and allowing it to inform and instruct me, I just do it like one would eat an elephant…one small bite at a time…Not that I encourage the eating of elephants or would eat one, it’s just a colloquial saying about doing something that seems impossible!
As we discussed a touch of this in our study our leader reminded us that the whole purpose of Nancy’s study was more of a zoomed-out view of Revelation, rather than trying to nail down every single answer to every single thing we are trying to understand (which isn’t possible), to look at it through the perspective of what it reveals about Jesus and how that impacts how we are exhorted to live our lives as it unfolds.Literally, focus on the Shepherd!We were reminded too, that what we believe about how the end times will specifically play out does not affect our salvation or the commission we all have to go and make disciples. Two believers can believe the end times and the rapture will occur differently and because they have trusted Jesus for their wage of death for their sin through His death burial and resurrection on the cross, (repentance and faith), they’ll still end up in the same place at the end! We don’t have to have all the answers, that’s not faith, and we aren’t God, that doesn’t mean we don’t study, the Bible literally tells us to do that in 2Timothy 2:15.
As we wrapped up our study and shared with each other some of the things we each have going on in our lives, I began to have the thought that adulting seems unnecessarily hard sometimes. But we could look to James chapter one and know that these trials are purposeful, and they produce perseverance which leads to maturity. Trials mean He’s still working on me and are actually a comfort because I know that I am in Him and He’s working on me (Phil 1:6), granted, some of my trials are a result of my own stupid or poor decisions, but I still learn something and grow! All of this to say that life does seem really tough sometimes, and when I focus on how hard and difficult things can be, when I focus on the problems, I get depressed and, in the dumps, and feel like it’s all unnecessary, definitely thoughts I need to Untether from. But when I tether myself to Jesus and force my eyes to look at Him and His Word, I find verses like John 16:33 and I have peace and hope in Him!
If this encouraged you at all, please consider liking, commenting, and or sharing with someone else to encourage them!
Raychel Writes 