Monthly Archives: May 2023

Reconciliación de clase mundial

Posted on by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

El Apóstol Pablo, refiriéndose a la crucifixión, declara que “Dios estaba en Cristo, reconciliando consigo al mundo, no tomándoles en cuenta a ellos los pecados de ellos; y nos ha encomendado la palabra de la reconciliación” (2 Corintios 5:19).

¿Cómo podría haber mostrado a los pecadores de manera más concluyente que Él desea su bien que imputando sus pecados a Cristo y diciéndoles que Él no les está imputando sus transgresiones? Sus transgresiones les serán imputadas, por supuesto, si rechazan la provisión de salvación de Dios por medio de Cristo, pero por el momento es un hecho maravilloso que podemos ir a cualquier pecador y decirle con la autoridad de la Palabra escrita de Dios: “Tus pecados han sido pagados; Dios no los está reteniendo en su contra. ¿Aceptarás Su amor y recibirás a Cristo como tu Salvador?”

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All Cleaned Up – I Corinthians 4:9-11

Posted on by Pastor John Fredericksen

One of our grandchildren had just been bathed, dressed in clean clothes, and readied to walk out the door. While her mother attended to another child, she promptly got all messed up again. When mom discovered what had happened she, with a frustration in her voice, called her by the first, middle and last name, saying, “…I just got you all cleaned up. Now look at yourself.”

When the Apostle Paul addresses the saints at Corinth, some of them were returning to the filth pit of sinful practices they knew prior to their salvation. He tells them: “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Sinners, such as those described above, cannot enter eternal life in the identity of sin. But when the Corinthians trusted Christ, all that guilt was taken away. They now stood in the pure identity and righteousness of Christ (II Corinthians 5:21).

For Israel, in the Old Testament, their future promises picture what we, and believers at Corinth, already possess. Jehovah promised Israel: “In the day…I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities…” (Ezekiel 36:33). God will command them: “…Take away the filthy garments from him. And…I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee…I will clothe thee with a change of raiment” (Zechariah 3:4). One day, Israel will say in rejoicing: “…for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness…” (Isaiah 61:10). When Paul tells the Corinthians they were now washed from their sin, justified in Christ, and sanctified unto God, he wanted them to realize they should live up to their new standing in Christ, not down to the depths of sinful conduct prior to salvation. This is why he explains some things are “not expedient” (meaning advantageous or profitable), that they must not be “brought under the power” of any sin, or use their body for anything “…but for the Lord” (I Corinthians 4:12-13). Instead, they were to live their lives as a “new creature” (II Corinthians 5:17), living up to their clean condition in Christ.

If old sinful practices have crept back into your life, forsake them today. Honor Christ anew.

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Start each day with short, devotional articles taken from the book Daily Transformation by Pastor John Fredericksen. As Pastor Fredericksen writes in the introduction:

"We welcome you, as you journey with us..., to not only learn information, but to benefit from examples of faith and failure, and seek to apply God’s Word to every day life. Together, let’s transition from only studying theories of doctrine, to applying God’s truths in a practical way every day. May God use these studies to help you find daily transformation."

Todo limpio – I Corintios 4:9-11

Posted on by Pastor John Fredericksen

Una de nuestras nietas acababa de bañarse, vestirse con ropa limpia, y prepararse para salir. Mientras su madre atendía a su hermano, ella se ensució de nuevo. Cuando su mamá la descubrió y con gran frustración en la voz, la llamó por su nombre completo, diciendo: “… acabo de arreglarte. ¡Mírate!”

Cuando el apóstol Pablo se dirige a los santos en Corinto, algunos de ellos habían regresado a las prácticas pecaminosas que conocían antes de su salvación. Él les dice: “No se engañen: que ni los inmorales sexuales ni los idólatras ni los adúlteros ni los afeminados ni los homosexuales ni los ladrones ni los avaros ni los borrachos ni los calumniadores ni los estafadores, heredarán el reino de Dios. Y esto eran algunos de ustedes, pero ya han sido lavados, pero ya son santificados, pero ya han sido justificados en el nombre del Señor Jesucristo…” (I Corintios 6: 9-11). Los pecadores, como los antes descritos, no pueden entrar a la vida eterna por su identidad de pecado. Pero cuando los corintios confiaron en Cristo, toda esa culpa fue quitada. Ahora estaban en la identidad pura y la justicia de Cristo (2 Corintios 5:21).

Para Israel, en el Antiguo Testamento, su futuro promete una imagen de lo que nosotros y los creyentes en Corinto ya tenemos. Jehová le prometió a Israel: “El día en que … purifique de todas tus iniquidades …” (Ezequiel 36:33). Dios dirá: “… Quítenle esas vestiduras sucias … he quitado de ti la iniquidad y te visto con ropa de gala” (Zacarías 3: 4). Un día, Israel dirá con regocijo: “… porque él me ha vestido de vestiduras de salvación y me cubrió con manto de justicia…” (Isaías 61:10). Cuando Pablo les dice a los corintios que ahora fueron lavados de sus pecados, justificados en Cristo y santificados para Dios, quería que se dieran cuenta de que debían vivir a la altura de su nueva posición en Cristo, no en las profundidades de la conducta inmoral antes de la salvación. Es por eso que él explica que algunas cosas no son convenientes, que no deben ser “sometidas al poder” de ningún pecado ni usar su cuerpo para nada “… sino para el Señor” (I Corintios 4: 12-13). En cambio, debían vivir sus vidas como una “nueva criatura” (2 Corintios 5:17), viviendo según su condición limpia en Cristo.

Si las viejas prácticas pecaminosas han regresado a tu vida, hoy olvídate de ellas. Honra a Cristo de nuevo.

Comience cada día con artículos devocionales breves tomados del libro Daily Transformation del pastor John Fredericksen. Como escribe el pastor Fredericksen en la introducción: "Le damos la bienvenida, mientras viaja con nosotros..., no sólo para aprender información, sino también para beneficiarse de ejemplos de fe y fracaso, y tratar de aplicar la Palabra de Dios a la vida diaria. Juntos , pasemos de estudiar únicamente teorías de doctrina a aplicar las verdades de Dios de manera práctica todos los días. Que Dios use estos estudios para ayudarte a encontrar la transformación diaria."

The Bible Conferences Paul Passed On

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

A defense attorney was conferring with his client one day, and told him: “I’ve got good news and bad news.” His client said, “Give me the bad news first.” His attorney replied, “They did a DNA analysis of the blood at the crime scene and it turns out it’s yours. So they are charging you with triple homicide, and recommending the death penalty.” The man nodded and said, “What’s the good news?” His lawyer said, “According to the blood at the crime scene, your cholesterol is down.”

Well, speaking of conferring with people, after the Apostle Paul got saved, he decided not to confer with anyone! He told the Galatians,

“…when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace,
“To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood” (Gal. 1:15,16).

Now I have to tell you, that’s certainly different than what I did after I got saved. I wanted to confer with as many believers as I could, to learn more about the Lord. And it seems odd that Paul didn’t.

And what seems even more odd is that Paul is giving his testimony here. Why would he make it a point to mention in his testimony that he didn’t confer with anyone after getting saved?

Well, what he’s doing here is answering the legalistic troublemakers who had persuaded the Galatians to put themselves under the law of Moses. Those legalists had accused Paul of getting his new message of grace from men, and not from God. That’s why he began this passage by writing,

“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
“For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11,12).

And that’s why, in giving his testimony, Paul mentions that he “conferred not with flesh and blood.” It’s impossible to get a message from men if you don’t confer with any men.

An Apostolic Oversight

But let me ask you: If you had gotten saved back in Paul’s day, which twelve men would you have wanted to confer with? I kind of gave it away when I said “twelve men,” didn’t I? You’d have wanted to confer with the twelve apostles, wouldn’t you?

After I was saved back in 1970, my parents took me to a Billy Graham crusade. I guess they figured that as long as their son was suddenly into all this Christianity stuff that they would take him to see the most famous Christian there was in that day.

And the most famous Christians when Paul got saved were the twelve. So you’d think that Paul would at least want to confer with them. If God was making me His new leader on earth, I know I’d want to confer with the old leaders. But after affirming that he hadn’t conferred with flesh and blood, Paul added:

“Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus” (Gal. 1:17).

That prompts another question. When you give your testimony, do you say, “I got saved, and then I didn’t go see Billy Graham?” Probably not. So why would Paul make it a point in his testimony to say he got saved and then didn’t go see the twelve?

Well, here Paul is addressing the legalists’ charge that he’d gotten his message from the twelve in particular. You and I know the twelve couldn’t have given Paul his new message of grace, for the Lord told them to “observe” the law of Moses (Matt. 23:1-3), and then told them to teach the nations of the Gentiles to “observe” the law that He’d told them to observe (28:19,20).

But the legalists were at the Jerusalem council, and heard Peter remind the rest of the twelve that they’d always known they were ultimately saved by grace (Acts 15:11), because the law was a yoke no man could bear. The legalists misconstrued him to say that they’d always believed men were saved by grace without the law, something that wasn’t so. But it was easy for the legalists to conclude from what Peter said that the twelve were the ones who gave Paul his message of salvation by grace without the  law. No wonder Paul is making it a point to deny that he went to see the twelve after he got saved, that he went into Arabia instead.

An Apostolic Redaction?

But if I was one of the legalists who were accusing Paul of getting his gospel from men, I’d have read that and said, “Wait a minute, Paul! You’re leaving out part of the story here. You didn’t go to Arabia right away.” And it’s true, he didn’t. After he got saved, he asked the Lord,

“…Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? And the Lord said…go into the city….And Saul arose… and…they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus” (Acts 9:6-8).

So the first thing Paul did after getting saved was to continue down the road to Damascus to the city of Damascus—not Arabia. And if I were one of the troublemakers, I’d have suggested that Paul conferred with some of those flesh and blood men in Damascus at that time.

But we know he didn’t, because the Lord told Ananias,

“…Ananias…go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth” (Acts 9:10,11).

Paul wasn’t conferring with anyone during those three days. He’d been blinded by the light of the Lord’s glory, so he was praying, not conferring.

We know Ananias didn’t give Paul his message, because of what Ananias told him in Acts 9:17:

“Ananias…said…Brother Saul, the Lord…hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight….”

The Lord sent Ananias to Saul to give him his sight, not his message. The only message he gave Paul was the kingdom message of salvation by water baptism (cf. Acts 22:16), and Paul later learned that the Lord had not sent him to baptize (1 Cor. 1:17). So what happened then?

“Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus” (Acts 9:19).

But we know he didn’t get his message from those disciples either, for in Galatians 1:16 Paul says he didn’t confer with flesh and blood. One of the meanings of the word confer is to give. It’s usually used that way when someone says something like: “I confer upon you the title of The Duke of Earl.”

But if “confer” means to give, then when you confer with someone, you’re doing more than just shooting the breeze. The dictionary says “confer” means to give someone your ideas and opinions. That’s why when a bunch of people get together to confer, they call it a conference.

But Paul insists he didn’t confer with those disciples in Damascus after he got saved. He passed on that Bible conference, and on any other conferences he might have attended in Arabia or anywhere else. He passed on any and all opportunities for men to
confer a message upon him.

Apostolic Bad News

If you think it through, the only message that any apostle, or any flesh and blood kingdom saint, could have given Paul would have to include what the Lord told them in Matthew 12:31:

“…blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”

If Paul conferred with any of those disciples at Damascus, they would have had to say, “Don’t look at us to tell you what message to preach. As far as we know, you shouldn’t even be saved after you blasphemed the Spirit by consenting unto the death of Stephen, a man filled with the Spirit. If we gave you a message to preach, it’d be that blasphemers like you can’t be saved.”

And that is not the message Paul preached! He knew that the Lord said “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven… in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matt. 12:31,32). And he knew the world to come started at Pentecost when men “were made partakers of the Holy Ghost…and the powers of the world to come” (Heb. 6:4,5). And he also knew that the coming of that world had been interrupted by the dispensation of the mystery! That’s how God could save Paul and all other blasphemers during “this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4).

Now we’re not told how long Paul stayed in Damascus, but we know what he did there, for Acts 9:20 says,

“…straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”

While Paul was in Damascus, he wasn’t conferring with men to learn what to preach—he was preaching what he’d already learned on Damascus Road. He began by preaching the first thing that Jews like himself need to hear, that Jesus was the Son of God. If you don’t believe that, it won’t do you any good to believe He died for your sins. For if he wasn’t the Son of God He was just another sinful son of man, who had sins of His own to die for, and couldn’t die for yours.

Then,

“…after that many days were fulfilled…when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him…But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles…” (Acts 9:23-27).

When it says Paul went to Jerusalem and saw the apostles after many days, we’re not told how many days, but we find out as we read on in Galatians 1:

“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days” (Gal. 1:18).

If you doubt that the Bible would call three years “many days,” we know it would, for after Elijah told King Ahab it wouldn’t rain for three years,

“…it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying…I will send rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 18:1).

But even though it had been three years since Paul persecuted the apostles, they were still afraid to confer with him, until Barnabas convinced them he was now on their side.

Apostolic Chopped Liver

But we know Barnabas didn’t take Paul to see all the apostles, for right after saying he saw Peter in Galatians 1:18, he wrote,

“But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother” (Gal. 1:19).

Here we learn Paul only saw two apostles. And for some reason, Paul only wanted to confer with Peter. Why wouldn’t he want to see all the apostles?

I think it was because Peter was the only apostle who could give Paul the only information he wanted to confer about—that sheet vision that God gave Peter in Acts 10, when the Lord showed him that unclean animals were no longer unclean. How did Peter interpret that vision? A little later, he said:

“…God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28).

Peter rightly interpreted that vision to mean that the Gentiles were no longer unclean. Now that’s something “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13) would want to confer with Peter about!

But when Paul says he visited with Peter for 15 days, you’d think that at some point Peter would have invited the other eleven apostles over to meet the new apostle. But Paul says the only other apostle he saw was James, and while James was an apostle, he wasn’t one of the twelve apostles.

So why would Paul snub the other eleven? We know they all still lived in Jerusalem, for the Lord told them to stay in Jerusalem until the city was converted, so they would not have left. So how come Paul didn’t say to Peter, “What do you say we have a fish fry with the rest of the apostles, like the one you guys had on the beach with the Lord after He rose from the dead?” Wasn’t it a little rude not to invite them over?

If I were one of the other eleven, I’d be thinking: “What am I, chopped liver? Does the new apostle think he’s too good for us?” But the Lord knew that men would say Paul got his message from the twelve, so He likely told Paul to steer clear of them.

You say, “But couldn’t he have gotten his message from Peter?”

The answer to that question is, no, he couldn’t, for the Lord had told Peter,

“…Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven… if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:18-20).

That’s not a prayer promise, as so many Christians mistakenly believe. That was the Lord telling them that after He ascended into heaven, they could make official decisions in His absence if there was a quorum of two of the twelve present to make them.

An Apostolic Quorum

That means there is simply no way that the twelve would do anything official—like loose their commission to the Gentiles, and bind themselves to minister to saved Jews (Gal. 2:9)—unless two or three of them agreed to do it. So no, Paul could not have gotten his message from Peter alone, the only member of the twelve with whom he met.

And there’s no way the legalizers could suggest Paul got his message from James the Lord’s brother either, even though Paul admitted to seeing him, for 23 years later

“Paul went…unto James…and all the elders….And…they…said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law” (Acts 21:18,20).

That means James had been preaching the law for 23 years! So nobody would believe it if the legalizers said Paul got his message of grace from a man who never stopped preaching the law. The grace message given to Paul is conspicuous by its absence in the epistle written by James, and the epistles written by Peter and John and Jude as well. That gives us further evidence that Paul didn’t get his message from the apostles, for they too never stopped teaching the law and the kingdom.

Now if you’re thinking that none of this is very important, I can assure you that Paul thought it was extremely important. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have said what he said in the next verse of Galatians 1:

“Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not” (Gal. 1:20).

Paul thought that all this was important enough to lift his hand and swear an oath to God Almighty that he was telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And the reason God included his oath in the Bible is that God knew there would always be Christians who think Paul preached the same thing as the twelve. I hear from them all the time here at BBS.

If you don’t think it’s important to know that Paul didn’t preach what the twelve preached, talk to the people who lost loved ones because they thought they could drink poison or handle serpents like the Lord told the twelve they could do. Talk to the ones who stopped believing in God because He doesn’t answer all their prayers like the Lord promised the twelve (Matt. 21:22). Talk to the ones who are literally haunted by the thought that they’ve committed the unpardonable sin, or that God let their baby die because of their sins (like He did with David under the law)—the law that the twelve preached!

That’s why Paul swore an oath that he didn’t get his message from the twelve, and that’s why God recorded his oath in the Bible, so we would know how crucially important it is to proclaim the gospel given to the Apostle Paul.

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¿Fue Pablo salvo bajo el programa del Reino?

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

“¿Fue Pablo salvo bajo el programa del reino?”

No, Pablo era “un blasfemo” (I Timoteo 1:13) quien, como fariseo estricto y respetuoso de la ley (Hechos 26:5), nunca blasfemaría contra el Padre, sino que estaba entre los que blasfemaban contra el Espíritu cuando apedreaban. Esteban (Hechos 7:51-8:1). Esto lo hizo inelegible para la salvación bajo el programa del reino, porque el Señor había advertido, “al que blasfemare contra el Espíritu Santo, no le será perdonado” (Lucas 12:10).

Entonces, ¿cómo podría Dios salvar a Pablo? Bueno, recuerda que el Señor había advertido: “A cualquiera que hable contra el Espíritu Santo, no le será perdonado ni en este siglo ni en el venidero” (Mateo 12:32). La nación de Israel blasfemó contra el Espíritu en el mundo del que el Señor habló como “este mundo” cuando rechazaron a Esteban, un hombre lleno del Espíritu (Hechos 7:55). “El mundo venidero” se define en Hebreos 2:5 como el reino, el “mundo” que Dios “sujetará” bajo Cristo, donde la gente conocerá plenamente “los poderes del mundo venidero” (Heb. 6). :5) que sólo probaron en Pentecostés.

Dado que la blasfemia contra el Espíritu era imperdonable en ambos mundos, sabemos que Saulo fue salvo bajo el programa de un mundo completamente nuevo, la dispensación de la gracia, “este mundo” en el que vivimos (Efesios 1:21), “este mundo presente” en el cual debemos andar y agradar a Dios (Tito 2:12).

"Dos Minutos con la Biblia" le permite comenzar el día con artículos de estudio bíblicos breves pero potentes de la Sociedad Bíblica Berea. Regístrate ahora para recibir Dos Minutos con la Biblia todos los días en tu bandeja de entrada de correo electrónico. Nunca compartiremos tu información personal y puedes cancelar tu suscripción en cualquier momento.


Viernes Santo

Posted on by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Ha habido mucho debate entre los teólogos en cuanto a si el Señor Jesucristo fue realmente crucificado el miércoles, jueves o viernes. Tradicionalmente, por supuesto, se suponía que tenía lugar el viernes, pero este escritor nunca ha podido emocionarse mucho con tales detalles. Lo que importa es que Cristo, el Creador, Dios hecho carne, murió en vergüenza, desgracia y agonía por los pecados que nunca había cometido, por los pecados de ustedes y los míos.

Pero, ¿alguna vez has considerado que esto en sí mismo no es necesariamente una buena noticia? Muchas personas inocentes han muerto en lugar de algún criminal culpable que ha quedado libre por algún error judicial. No vimos nada bueno en esto. Cuando San Pedro se dirigió a sus parientes, los culpó por la crucifixión de Cristo, diciendo: “Jesús de Nazaret, varón aprobado por Dios entre vosotros… como también vosotros sabéis… habéis tomado, y por manos de inicuos habéis crucificado y matado” (Hechos 2:22, 23), y luego se enfrentó a la Corte Suprema de su nación y los acusó de Su muerte (Hechos 4:5-11).

Entonces, ¿qué fue lo “bueno” de la muerte de Cristo? Bueno, llegamos a esto cuando llegamos a las Epístolas de Pablo en nuestras Biblias. Allí el primero de los pecadores, salvado por gracia (ITim.1:15), exclama: “Él se entregó a sí mismo por mí” (Gál.2:20). Él dice: “Dios lo hizo pecado por nosotros… para que nosotros fuésemos hechos justicia de Dios en él” (II Cor.5:21). Él no nos culpa por la muerte de Cristo, aunque nuestros pecados ayudaron a clavarlo en esa cruz, sino que proclama las buenas nuevas de que “tenemos redención por su sangre, el perdón de pecados según las riquezas de su gracia” (Ef. 1:7). ¿Y por qué hizo esto por nosotros? “Para mostrar en los siglos venideros las abundantes riquezas de su gracia en su bondad para con nosotros en Cristo Jesús” (Efesios 2:7).

Entonces, para nosotros que hemos confiado en Cristo como nuestro Salvador, la muerte de Cristo en el Calvario es una buena noticia. Nos regocijamos en él, cantamos sobre él, predicamos sobre él y todo lo que ha logrado por una humanidad perdida. No es de extrañar que Pablo declarara:

“Lejos esté de mí gloriarme”, excepto en una cosa: “la cruz de nuestro Señor Jesucristo” (Gálatas 6:14).

"Dos Minutos con la Biblia" le permite comenzar el día con artículos de estudio bíblicos breves pero potentes de la Sociedad Bíblica Berea. Regístrate ahora para recibir Dos Minutos con la Biblia todos los días en tu bandeja de entrada de correo electrónico. Nunca compartiremos tu información personal y puedes cancelar tu suscripción en cualquier momento.


Enemigos reconciliados con Dios

Posted on by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

“Cuando éramos enemigos” (Romanos 5:10).

¡Piénsalo! ¡Dios tiene buenas noticias para nosotros incluso en nuestra obstinación, nuestra enemistad contra Él! “Porque si siendo enemigos”, dice Pablo, “fuimos reconciliados con Dios por la muerte de su Hijo”.

Aquí casi podemos escuchar a algún lector objetar: “De todas las cosas, no me acuses de ser enemigo de Dios. Soy una persona religiosa, voy a la iglesia regularmente, incluso doy a la iglesia”. Ah, pero Dios no dice que los no salvos no sean religiosos. Quizás 999 de cada 1.000 son religiosos. El punto es que por tu vida impía y pecaminosa, y ciertamente por rechazar el regalo de Dios de la salvación, te has hecho enemigo de Dios. Puede que no seas un enemigo contra el “Dios” que has evocado en tu propia mente, pero ciertamente eres un enemigo contra Dios, el Dios de la Biblia.

Pero a pesar de todo esto, Dios aún envía a Sus embajadores para ofrecer reconciliación a todos Sus enemigos en todas partes, “por la muerte de Su Hijo”. ¡Piénsalo! Los que creemos somos reconciliados con Dios, no por algún esfuerzo o pago ofrecido por nosotros para aplacar a Dios, sino “por la muerte de SU Hijo”. Soportó la enemistad mientras sus propias criaturas se burlaban de él, le escupían en la cara y lo clavaban a un madero. ¡Esto sí que es gracia! Y esto no es todo, porque todo el pasaje dice:

“Porque si siendo enemigos, fuimos reconciliados con Dios por la muerte de su Hijo, mucho más, estando reconciliados, seremos salvos por su vida.

“Y no sólo esto, sino que también nos gloriamos en Dios por el Señor nuestro Jesucristo, por quien hemos recibido ahora la expiación [Lit., reconciliación]” (Rom.5: 10,11).

El argumento de este pasaje es que si, como sus enemigos, fuimos reconciliados con Dios por la muerte de su Hijo, mucho más “siendo reconciliados”, podemos estar seguros de que nuestro Salvador viviente nos mantendrá a salvo. Y no sólo los creyentes están seguros en Cristo, sino que mientras nos “gozamos en Dios por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, por quien ahora hemos recibido”, no sólo la ayuda en nuestra impotencia, o el perdón de nuestros pecados, sino la reconciliación, por el cual nos acercamos a Dios y experimentamos su amor hacia nosotros.

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Nobody Will Ever Know – I Corinthians 4:5

Posted on by Pastor John Fredericksen

On February 24th, 2002, eight-month pregnant Laci Peterson, of Modesto, California, went missing. Investigators learned her husband, Scott, had been carrying on affairs and that he had made several incriminating statements to his mistress fourteen days prior to Laci’s disappearance. Prosecutors believe Scott killed Laci and dumped her body in the ocean weighed down by chains. In mid-April, 2003, the partial bodies of Laci and her unborn son washed ashore. Apparently, Scott thought nobody would ever know about his affairs, discover the bodies of his family, or learn of his attempt to flee the country. But, Scott was arrested, his actions made public, and he was convicted of murdering his family.

Scott Peterson is admittedly an extreme example of a sinful person thinking no one will ever find out. However, most people who sin probably think their sin and motives will not be discovered. But such a notion is just not realistic. God always knows exactly what we do. When King Asa “… relied not on the Lord…” he learned, “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth…” (II Chronicles 16:7-9). The message was that God saw what he did. King David acknowledged the Lord “…knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off…for there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether…” (Psalm 139:1-10). Solomon learned “…God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Not only does God know our sin, it appears the sin of believers will be revealed when judged in eternity. Paul wrote that when Christ comes for us He “…will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart…” (I Corinthians 4:5). Paul is implying the sins of believers will be public at the Bema Seat when he wrote, ”Some men’s sins are open beforehand going into judgment; and some they follow after” (I Timothy 5:24; compare II Corinthians 5:8-11; Luke 12:2-3).

It is extremely sobering to think that when we stand before the Savior for Him to judge our life after salvation, that our sins will be exposed. That is exactly the point. The Lord informs us of this concept to motivate us toward a more pure walk with Him. Don’t be paralyzed by this future scene. Be motivated to live in such a way that you will be richly rewarded and highly praised at this time.

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Start each day with short, devotional articles taken from the book Daily Transformation by Pastor John Fredericksen. As Pastor Fredericksen writes in the introduction:

"We welcome you, as you journey with us..., to not only learn information, but to benefit from examples of faith and failure, and seek to apply God’s Word to every day life. Together, let’s transition from only studying theories of doctrine, to applying God’s truths in a practical way every day. May God use these studies to help you find daily transformation."


Nadie nunca lo sabrá – I Corintios 4:5

Posted on by Pastor John Fredericksen

El 24 de febrero de 2002, desapareció Laci Peterson con ocho meses de embarazo, de Modesto, California. Los investigadores se enteraron de que su esposo, Scott, estaba involucrado en algunos negocios y catorce días antes de la desaparición de Laci había hecho varias declaraciones incriminatorias a su amante. Los fiscales dedujeron que Scott mató a Laci y arrojó al océano su cuerpo envuelto en cadenas. A mediados de abril de 2003, parte de los cuerpos de Laci y su hijo por nacer llegaron a la costa. Aparentemente, Scott pensó que nadie sabría nada, que no descubrirían los cuerpos y tampoco se conocería de su intento de huir del país. Pero, Scott fue arrestado, sus acciones se hicieron públicas, y fue declarado culpable de asesinar a su familia.

Scott Peterson es, sin duda, un ejemplo extremo de una persona pecadora que piensa que jamás será descubierta. La mayoría de las personas que pecan probablemente piensen que su pecado o sus motivos no serán descubiertos. Pero tal noción simplemente no es realista. Dios siempre sabe exactamente lo que hacemos. Cuando el Rey Asa “… no se apoyó en el Señor …” aprendió que, “los ojos del Señor recorren toda la tierra …” (II Crónicas 16: 7-9). El mensaje es que Dios vio lo que hizo. El Rey David reconoció al Señor “… conoces cuando me siento y cuando me levanto, desde lejos entiendes mi pensamiento… pues aún no está la palabra en mi lengua, y tú, oh Señor, ya la sabes toda …” (Salmo 139: 1-10). Salomón aprendió “… Dios traerá a juicio toda acción junto con todo lo escondido, sea bueno o sea malo” (Eclesiastés 12:14). Dios no solo conoce nuestros pecados, el pecado de los creyentes se revelará cuando se les juzgue en la eternidad. Pablo escribió que cuando Cristo venga por nosotros, Él “… sacará a la luz las cosas ocultas de las tinieblas, y hará evidentes las intenciones de los corazones…” (I Corintios 4: 5). Pablo está dando a entender que los pecados de los creyentes serán públicos en el Asiento de Bema cuando escribió: “Los pecados de algunos hombres se hacen patentes antes de comparecer en juicio; pero a otros los alcanza después” (I Timoteo 5:24, comparar con II Corintios 5: 8-11 y Lucas 12: 2-3).

Es muy aleccionador pensar que cuando estemos ante el Salvador para que juzgue nuestra vida después de la salvación, nuestros pecados serán expuestos. Ese es el punto. El Señor nos lo dice para motivarnos a un caminar más puro con él. No te paralices por esta escena futura. Motívate a vivir de manera que seas ampliamente recompensado y altamente elogiado en este momento.

Comience cada día con artículos devocionales breves tomados del libro Daily Transformation del pastor John Fredericksen. Como escribe el pastor Fredericksen en la introducción: "Le damos la bienvenida, mientras viaja con nosotros..., no sólo para aprender información, sino también para beneficiarse de ejemplos de fe y fracaso, y tratar de aplicar la Palabra de Dios a la vida diaria. Juntos , pasemos de estudiar únicamente teorías de doctrina a aplicar las verdades de Dios de manera práctica todos los días. Que Dios use estos estudios para ayudarte a encontrar la transformación diaria."

Berean Searchlight – May 2023

Posted on by kevin

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