Because the gospel is the story of Jesus, it is a story of completeness. This daily devotional looks at how that completeness is found.
Nuggets
- When we choose the gospel over the worldview philosophies, we are complete in Christ.
- We are made complete only through faith in Jesus.
- Jesus offers completeness so that we can spend eternity with Him.
Devotions in the Joy in the Gospel series
We’ve been talking about perfection for months. Perfection is about completeness. Let’s look at the concept.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
“Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ” (Col. 2: 8-9 CSB)Bible Verse
We cannot become captives of a worldview philosophy that takes us away from Christ. Instead of a worldview philosophy, the gospel is built on Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection.
God doesn’t want us to base our thinking on a temporary system of knowledge that focuses on things of this world. He wants us to base it on Him.
Being Complete in Him
“and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (Coll 2: 10 CSB)
When we choose the gospel over the worldview philosophies, we are complete in Christ.
Vaughan told us that we are made complete at the moment of salvation. He wrote, “The Holy Spirit enters a man’s mind and unites his thoughts, feelings, desires, etc., with those of Christ, and that Spirit in both is union. If there be union the completeness will follow, just as a vessel must fill itself from the fountain with which it is connected.”
- Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart. Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
Resource
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
Our thoughts and opinions become like those of Christ’s. Jones wrote, “His [Christ’s] teaching alone places you on the rock.” Jesus is called the rock or stone in several verses.
- “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 3: 11 ESV).
- “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Mt. 7: 24 ESV).
- “For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame’” (I Pet. 2: 6 ESV).
• “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2: 20 ESV).
Jesus has earned the honor of being our spiritual leader. He gave His life to pay the penalty for our sins. Jones wrote, “Divine knowledge, wisdom, power, dwell in Him, united to tenderest human sympathies.”
Resource
Even more than that, Jesus is God. Jones wrote, “Divine knowledge, wisdom, power, dwell in Him, united to tenderest human sympathies.”
That makes Jesus the Head of the church.
- “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Col. 1: 18 ESV).
- “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1: 22 ESV).
Have you been thinking like I have that the Sanctification Road is growing into God? Jones said wrong Person in the Trinity. We are growing into Christ.
This is what we jeopardize when we don’t reject the worldview philosophies. Like we said in the last devotion, Paul did not reject this philosophy. He doesn’t have a thing against knowledge.
Paul’s point was we have to choose God. We have to watch so that false teachers don’t lead us away from God’s Word.
We said in the last devotion that we need to choose a relationship with God over religious ceremony and traditions. Jones defined traditions as “… doctrine, precept, [and] custom not named in the Word of God.”
Completeness comes from nothing except faith in Jesus.
Struggling to be Complete
We are made complete only through faith in Jesus.
Vaughan made a really interesting observation. He wrote, “None of those sources of gratification with which God has furnished us ever gave entire satisfaction.”
Resource
That means relationships won’t totally satisfy us. Jobs won’t either. [Insert whatever earthly thing in which you are trying to find satisfaction.]
But that also means our worship won’t be complete, either. Vaughan put it this way, “There is not a man who has not his weak points; but above all men the Christian feels his incompleteness. The better he prays the more he feels his prayer deficient. The higher his attainments the farther off he seems from what he wants. And no Christian friend, no Church, no ordinance, no grace, is all he once expected they would be.”
Resource
While we have the Adam Chromosome of sin, we won’t be able to feel complete. That is because we won’t be complete.
We can only be complete when we are like Jesus. “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (I Jn. 3: 2 NLT).
The flip side of that is, as Tehran said, the moral standing isn’t there. Oh, the worldly morals are. The spiritual graces aren’t. Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
Resource
We can’t think that the worldly morals are enough to satisfy God. They do not. They may focus on doing good deed, but not in God’s name or to expand His kingdom.
Glossary
Some think worldly morals make them complete. They don’t.
Think of it this way. If we could feel the completeness here in this life, we would ] say we didn’t need Jesus’s saving grace. We would be able to do it ourselves.
We can’t. We need Jesus to be the propitiation for us. Propitiation means that a substitute is offered to avoid God’s wrath.
We can’t think we will be satisfied on our own.
Eternal Completeness
Jesus offers completeness so that we can spend eternity with Him.
This is one of those devotions where I love everything these guys say. I don’t think I can say it better, so I just let them say it.
Terhune wrote that our being complete in Christ is “Christ interpenetrating Christianity at every point.” Think about that.
Resource
Jesus doesn’t let us slide for a month — or even a week or a day. He is mixing our physical with His spiritual. He is working to cut out the Adam Chromosome.
Every minute of our lives with Him from conversion to perfection.
Jesus loves us that much. It is that important to Him.
Why? There is a lot at stake. Our eternity hangs in the balance.
Did we make a sincere profession of faith? Are we going to reject God’s ways?
Making the Connections
As you can tell, I really liked Jones’ sermon. He reminded us why it is so important to make Jesus our Head. He wrote, “Reject Him, and you are cast forth as a severed branch and burned; but united to Him a Divine virtue shall pass into your soul, and you shall be made ‘perfect and entire, wanting nothing.’”
Resource
We will be made perfect through Him. The perfected state indicates maturity has been reached because the combination of the spiritual graces, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness. Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
How Do We Apply This?
Since mankind was made to have a religion, we will. We won’t be satisfied in one unless it is in God. We need to choose Him. Only then will we be complete.
Resource
The worldview tries to cut God out. God won’t be cut out for much longer. Only through Him will we be complete.
Father God. It is only through Your love that we can be complete. Because of Your love, You designed the Plan of Salvation. That plan is only accomplished through the sacrifice Jesus made. We can only become complete through faith in Jesus. Amen.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
Related Links
Related Links
I have created a worksheet of the questions above. Click on the button below to access it.
Don’t know what your spiritual gifts are?
Take this Spiritual Gifts Inventory
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Job Duty #1
Be a Living Sacrifice (Romans 12: 1-2)
Job Duty #2
Work Out Our Salvation (Philippians 2: 12)
Job Duty #3
Bring Him Glory (Matthew 5: 16)
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #5
Love People (John 15: 12)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Job Duty #7
Other Duties as Assigned
(Ecclesiastes 3: 1)
It Was Enough
Vocalist: Elaine Guthals
Keyboard: Chris Vieth
What do you think?
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