Ruth Cho-Simons Message Review (IF:Gathering Series Pt.3-Teaching cont.)
Thoroughly Equipped S.2 Ep.10 Transcript
Introduction
Hello Ladies and welcome back to another episode of thoroughly equipped so happy you could join me! If you are new, welcome! We are continuing with our critique of the very popular Women’s conference the IF:Gathering. The speakers that teach at this conference are some of the most popular female speakers within Evangelical Christianity today.
This season we are taking a very in depth look at the conference, and I have planned in this season, to address it in parts. So in the beginning of this series we looked at the heart or purpose of the Conference. In part 2 we looked at the Speakers who are brought in to teach at the conference. We looked at their ministries and asked whether they willingly submitted to the clear teachings in God’s word of the role of women within the Church, who they associated with, and whether they had discernment in regards to false teaching and false teachers. In this part of the series, which is a much longer part, we are looking at the way these women handle Scripture. Whether they rightly handle God’s word, addressing the verses in context, drawing out from Scripture the teachings that the author wishes to teach. We are tackling the 2020 conference because in that conference, Jennie Allen set it up for each of the speakers to give a message on a specific section of Romans chapter 8, from which Jennie promises us Jesus Christ; that we would come to know Him better through the teachings given by the speakers in this conference. We are gonna look at session 5 today given by Ruth Cho-Simons.
Now I thought that this would only be a 3 part series, looking at the purpose, Speakers, and the way they handle Scripture. But there’s another issue that we have to address that I’m going to add to the series making it 4 parts at this point. And this 4th part is going to address the problematic analytical tools that they incorporate and promote in the conference and the false gospels that are given at this event. This is very heavy on my heart. For how many women think they are saved because they have been told that God pursued them and has a great plan for their life. A plan to use them to change the world by bringing about social justice, racial reconciliation, and relief to the poor and oppressed. These are very slippery dangerous teachings that can cause one to shipwreck their faith and lead one astray from the freedom found in Christ. This will be addressed in the upcoming 4th part of the series.
But let’s dive into today’s critique.
Now I want to remind you, especially if you have been following along, I want to remind you of the declaration and promise Jennie Allen gave in the 2020 Conference introduction. We are half way through the conference and should assess whether we have even begun to receive that promise. Here was that clip: (Play Clip 1)
So far Jesus has been conspicuously missing from the messages these teachers have been presenting. There has been a lot of talk about us and what we need to realize: such things as our greatest need has been met, how we fight the enemy who keeps us from setting our mind on the Spirit, that we should have the Spirit of Christ in us to live supernatural lives, and that we need to unwrap our inheritance as adopted children of God so we can accomplish our calling. This is a far cry from focusing, quote, “completely and entirely on the person of Jesus”. These messages have been focused on us, not HIM.
Messages and teachings like these, cater to our pride and sinful nature- drawing us to God for what He can give us, how these messages make us feel empowered, wanting the blessings of God but not knowing WHO God is, WHO Jesus is, or wanting what the Spirit really offers. Because none of this addresses our problem, that we LOVE ourselves and not God, that we LOVE our sin, and do not desire to put it to death, and that we suppress truth instead of embracing it because we love the darkness and not the light which exposes our sins. We prefer to hear how God loves us just as we are, desires to have a relationship with us, and wants to use us to change the world (cause that is how important we are).
Remember, Jennie points out that there are women in the audience who are: quote “just checking Jesus out”. These women who are slaves to their sin, and lovers of themselves, are given a Jesus who loves them to, who just wants a relationship with them, and who wants to empower them to accomplish their dreams, a savior who wants them to cherish His spirit that lives inside them, who wants to make their life supernatural.
So far this is what we have been presented with. Are the next 4 sessions going to be any different?
Session #5 is a message given by Ruth Cho-Simons who is to elaborate on Romans 8: 24-28.
Now the last message was delivered by Jo Saxton on Romans 8:14-17, and you’ll notice that several verses are left out. And again, I’ll mention that this is a conference and not a church, so I’m not looking for in-depth study or teaching verse-by-verse. But these verses are important to the context of the passages. And it is the context that helps us understand the verses, helps us understand what Paul means in those sentences. So let’s read these verses in their context and look at what the Holy Spirit wants to teach us through it.
Remember what we’ve learned already? Paul has explained very clearly that every man who was born of Adam, is born with a sinful nature, a slave to his flesh. And because of this no man can please God, meaning that we are all unrighteous and will one day stand before God guilty of transgressing His law. But …
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
(Rom.8:1-4)
And because we are dead to sin and alive to Christ we are no longer debtors to the flesh, but instead, by the power of the Spirit we are to put to death the deeds of the flesh. We put them to death, not because we fear the wrath of God like before, but now, because of Christ we are reconciled to God who now is our heavenly Father. And he has sent his Spirit to testify to our spirit that He is our Father, making us heirs with Christ provided that like Him we suffer. With this in mind let’s go to the text and start from verse 14.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Rom. 8:14-17
Now before we continue reading, I want to bring to your attention that these next couple of verses are completely kept out of the conference sessions just like verses 12 & 13 were left out of Jo Saxton’s message. Again this is a conference and not a church by which the pastor or teacher could go verse by verse to teach and train up the listeners. But these verses are crucial to the context of what the Holy Spirit is teaching through Paul. So let’s look at them:
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Rom.8:18-23
So God is a good and loving Father who has provided everything we need to reconcile us to him, gives us all we need to accomplish his will, AND will one day deliver us from the corruption that is in this world and in our bodies provided we suffer with Christ. By this Paul means the suffering that we all deal with since we live in perishable, sinful bodies and a corrupted, evil world. Christ, truly God and truly man, subjected Himself to the sufferings of this sinful world, receiving the wrath of man (Acts 2:22-23; 5:30) and the wrath of God (Isa. 53:4-6; Rom.5:8-9) and though innocent, submitted to these sufferings brought on by sin for our salvation. We, though not innocent like Jesus, live in a sinful world and will be subjected to suffering in this sinful world. Suffering that comes about from our own sin, suffering that comes about from others sin, and suffering from an earth that has been cursed by sin. But these sufferings are nothing compared to what God has in store for us, and we, along with creation, LONG to be set free from the suffering and corruption of sin.
Ok, now With that context, let’s read the passage Ruth is supposed to teach on:
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Rom.8 24-28
So Paul is telling us that our hope is in the promise of the new heavens, new earth and new imperishable bodies that God will one day give us.
This is our great hope, THIS is God’s great promise, and THIS is what we wait for with all patience. And just like creation groans, the Spirit within us groans and waits eagerly for this redemption, for a sinless body. In this hope we were saved. We were saved so God might glorify Himself through the redemption of sinful people who will one day be glorified with Christ. We will one day put on the imperishable. We will one day be set free from sin, death and the devil.
In the same way that the Spirit groans within us, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness. See in these fleshly bodies we do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit does and so He intercedes for us. Christ, knowing the mind of God, knows the groanings of the Spirit that intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. The Spirit within us even prays for the will of God. For God causes all things to work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose.
These are just wonderful, wonderful truths, really. They are basically proclaiming how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have accomplished and are accomplishing all God’s will in and through us. ALL of it is His work. All of it done for His glory. Even in our weakness, ladies, when we don’t know how to pray or what to pray, the Spirit prays for us. And this is why Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 has no qualms about boasting in his weaknesses. Even being content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. Because he rightly understands that God works all these things out for Paul’s good and God’s glory. For when Paul is weak, then he is strong. Why? Because Christ’s grace is sufficient for him, Christ’s power is made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Paul wants Christ to receive all the glory.
This is a very different mindset than what gets taught in American Christianity today. It’s a very different mindset than what we are given even in the IF:Gathering. Will Ruth Cho-Simons talk about this hope we have, the Spirit’s intercession, and the work of God for our good in all things? Let’s find out.
Mrs. Cho-Simons starts her message talking about how she encourages her family to open up their heart to talk about things, and that is done at their house during meal prep. She wants the audience to know that discipleship happens during the day to day activities. With that in mind she offers an invitation to come into her studio while she works on a painting. On the stage is a table with paint brushes, paint sets and paint canvases. And it’s in this setting that she invites us to sit and have a “chat”.
As she sets up her station and begins to paint, she tells the audience that she quote-unquote “sees” them. That she understands that many of them are dealing with hard times in their lives. This is the starting point of her message: (Play clip 2)
Ok, so she is worried about how we might feel about our calling. This is right at the beginning of her message but I’m wondering how that ties into the passage of Romans 8:24-27. What might a calling have to do with the hope that we have in the promises given by God to deliver us from sin and corruption, and the promise to help us in our weakness and work all things out for our good? But let’s see where she goes with this…(Play clip 3)
Ok, so she’s talking about feeling lost at times when we feel like we are not being who God called us to be or not doing what we think God called us to do. Now, for a Christian who understands their sin nature and wrestles with their flesh, there is definitely a feeling of frustration, an eager desire to be set free of it. Knowing that God has called us to be like Christ, but not feeling like we are making much progress in that area. And that is kind of what Paul is talking about here. The Spirit within us grains to be set free from the incorruptible, the perishable. But is that what Ruth is talking about here? Here’s a note I want to bring to your attention before we proceed with her message. This portion of Romans is dealing with eternal and spiritual things. A longing for something and a hope for something that is NOT temporal, something that is NOT of this world.
Purpose driven- theology makes God’s promises very temporal and of this world. It’s about God’s work through you and I to bring change to this world. Heaven, Hell, and eternity are not addressed in their messages. But Paul’s teachings here are centered on eternity, our great hope, the end result of our salvation, our glorification.
Now Mrs. Cho-Simons sympathizes with us and then tells to turn to Roman 8 and proceeds to read the text. I’m going to let her read and get right to her point: (Play clip 4)
Ok, So I want to show you something that Speakers or Teachers commonly do that twists Scripture. Ruth has just done that here.
She starts her message setting us up with a topic. The topic or problem she wants to address. In this message it’s the topic of feeling lost when we think we are not accomplishing God’s calling for our life. And usually, Speakers bring up the topic first and want to teach that the passage or verse that they bring up will help us in some way solve or address that problem. This tends to place into a text a teaching that is not found in the text when we read it in context. And that is exactly what is going on here. Ruth wants to talk about hope. Paul too wants to talk about hope. But what that hope is placed in, the object of the hope in the text and the object of hope in Ruth’s message are two entirely different things. Paul wants to remind us of our hope in an incorruptible world, free of sin, death, and the devil. And Ruth wants to remind you of hope in God’s calling for our lives and the resources He will provide to accomplish it. Paul wants to point you to eternity, Ruth points you to this world. Paul wants you to hope in the promises that God will make things right. Ruth wants you to hope in what God gives you to make things right.
And in this twist she wants to warn us to not to count up our resources because if we are doing that we are not counting on Christ.
Now if she was talking about counting up resources that we think would earn us salvation, Like Paul addresses in the earlier chapters of Romans, she would have a point. But she is talking about accomplishing our calling. To not count up our resources- what we have been given, what our current situation looks like, and judge by these what God’s calling might be. And did you notice that the situations she states are what COULD be what God has for us at a time of feeling lost? Listen to this part of the clip again. (Play clip 5)
I don’t think she realizes it but she has just questioned God’s word and its authority in our lives as women. God is not a God of confusion. God has laid out for us very clearly in Scripture what He wants his women to do. This type of talk is the fruit of not believing that Scripture is sufficient to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us in righteousness SO THAT we may be THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). IT teaches us what God calls us to do. If you ever feel lost in regards to what you think God is calling you to do GO TO SCRIPTURE. Let’s look at just a few passages that talk about what God wants of us.
First God calls us to be saved from the wrath to come and trust in Christ. This is the calling of the God through the Gospel: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(Acts. 2:38)
Then, because we are forgiven, we are called to… present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom.12:1-2)
1Thess.4:1-12 states:
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
There are more narrow instructions given to women in Scripture that call us to submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands (Eph.5:22-23). And that we are to train and/or be trained up to ..to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:4-5).
The last Scripture passage I want to look at in regards to God’s will for us is the following passages from Romans itself, that will NOT even be mentioned in this conference and that are the verses that come directly after the passage that Ruth is to teach on- verses 29 &30. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
This is the consummation of God’s plan for our lives. That Because God foreknew us, he predestined that we be conformed to the image of his Son. That we be Christ’s disciples, having been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and learn and do all that He has commanded us. On this side of eternity we are given the fruit of our justification, which is our sanctification, and when Jesus returns we receive the outcome of our salvation, eternal life (Rom.6:22). Notice the lack of talk regarding some specific calling, one that needs supernatural power to be accomplished. No instead, Scripture speaks instead of the great supernatural power that we are given to merely love God and love neighbor, because of our faith in Jesus Christ. This supernatural power looks weak and simple to the world. It looks like one serving and loving another by making sure the laundry gets done, changing a dirty diaper, disciplining our children, loving, serving and teaching them. It looks like submitting to our husbands instructions when we think they’ve got it wrong. It looks like making a meal of oodles of noodles and praising God that he has answered prayer to give you your daily bread. It is invisible to the human eye when one does ALL things for the glory of God, Obeying the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd commandment. When and if this is done in our frail sinful flesh, it is done in the will of God, because of Christ, and with the awesome and mighty power of the Holy Spirit. It is not that quote “it COULD be what God wants” end quote. This is what he predestined for you, the beginnings of being conformed to the image of his Son, that you should walk in, and His word, Scripture, equips you for that very thing.
And she urges us to look at our trail of thoughts, look at fears and lies, look at our social feeds to identify what we might be putting our hope in, instead of Christ. (Play clip 6)
I’m all for focusing on Christ. Honestly, that’s why I do this podcast. I agree that if we know nothing but Christ and Him crucified we would have the BEST knowledge. In fact feel free to go back and listen to the episode I did reading George Whitefeild’s commentary on 1 Corin.2:2. His commentary beautifully lays out why we should Know nothing else.
But let’s look at what she says about Hope:
So Hope is: a confident perseverance toward the future based on a certainty of fulfillment. In that fulfillment we have hope because we have Jesus. Yes, this is true. Our certainty of fulfillment is because of Jesus, but in this text, our hope is not grounded in whatever we want it to be. It’s actually in something specific in this chapter- the promise of making all things right upon His return. That is why Paul says that we, on this side of eternity, will suffer with Christ, but that this suffering is not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed in us when we enter eternity. Hope in this context is on something very specific, to encourage us in our times of suffering. In this context our hope or confident perseverance towards the future- in this case, toward a new uncorrupted heavens, earth and imperishable body- is based on God whose promised it (Isa. 65:17-19; 2Pet. 3:13; Rev.21:1), Christ who is the firstborn being the first to be raised from the dead (Col.1:18), and the Holy Spirit who raised Him (Rom.8:11). Not in whether we are accomplishing our purpose or fulfilling or calling.
She goes on to talk about how we can become impatient with results. Not seeing the results of our labor. But we are to wait with patience when we hope in the unseen because patience is the perspective of one who knows that she is the created, not the creator. (Play clip 7)
And that patience is a posture of submission, waiting for God’s way not ours. And this is true in general. But in regards to this passage we are waiting patiently FOR something specific. NOT for results of our labor, or the results of accomplishing our calling, but we are waiting patiently for that which God has promised, in the context of Romans- all things being made new and incorruptible, without sin. And we greatly long for this and wait with patience, because we suffer in this evil world. That is what Paul is explaining here.
Mrs. Cho-Simons then relays how our weakness can put us in the perfect posture to know the Spirit’s help. (Play clip 8)
I agree that the Spirit helps us when we are weak in all sorts of ways, even in the ways she describes here. But, again, Paul is more specific. Weakness can be centered on many things. I can be weak physically and barely lift a 10 pound bag of rice. Or I can be weak in speaking, as Paul describes the way he spoke before the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5. So depending on the context we need to see what Paul means by weakness. In what way are we weak here?
BibleRef.com’s commentary on this passage states:
Paul is acknowledging here that, even as Christians, we remain weak in and of ourselves. Physically, we remain creatures in fragile bodies with sometimes baffling emotions. Spiritually, we can become weak in our faith and/or in our resistance to sinful desires. As Paul will begin to make clear, however, God’s Spirit with us makes all the difference. He continually helps us in and even through our weakness. He steps in. He helps with the burden.
More specifically, Paul writes that we are so weak that at times we do not know what to pray for! We have been given access, in prayer, to our Father God. We feel the need, the longing, for Him, but what do we ask for? The Spirit steps in and carries those unsaid “groanings”—those thoughts and feelings we simply cannot express in human words—to God.
https://www.bibleref.com/Romans/8/Romans-8-26.html
The weakness in this passage is in connection to our flesh, our bodies affected and directed by sin. Now, it is correct to say that we are weak in being able to obey God perfectly. That is exactly what Paul has been talking about in all 8 chapters of Romans. But is that what Ruth is describing? Weakness in doing the will of God as laid out for us in Scripture or weakness in accomplishing some instruction that we receive subjectively, something we FEEL God has called us to do?
She then goes into how Paul mentioned that the Spirit prays for us in our weakness, relaying how at times we may be just too sad to speak or, like her, have too much to say that one rambles on during prayer and she reminds us of this: (Play clip 9)
I am very pleased that she would state this. Yes, and amen. She proclaims that they are sweet words. (Play clip 10)
Yes, For those who are in Christ Jesus, and know that the Father works all things out for His glory and our good, they are very very sweet words. And Christ really is our good. God is our prize. ANd Yes, we shouldn’t be distracted by other things. Life is about being with God.
But my heart is saddened. And for this reason. Those who are in the audience, or listening to this conference online, those who are just “checking Jesus out” or have been given a false Gospel, they will not know the outcome of the ultimate good that God does in our lives- that outcome being eternal life. But instead, because their faith is placed in things other than Christ and His sacrifice for their sins, they are left in their sins and the wrath of God remains on them (John 3:36).
Now she states that by this conference and going through Romans 8, they are reminding us of the redemption we have in Jesus. But there has been no talk on what that redemption entails.
These women who are in the 5th session, still have not heard the Good news. Instead we have heard that God has taken care of our greatest need, but no talk of HOW, we are just informed that God pursued us. We’ve heard that to set our minds on the Spirit we have to fight the devil who comes at us with negative thoughts. We’ve heard that we need to cherish the Spirit that lives within us so we would live supernatural lives. We’ve heard that we have been adopted as sons of God and as children we should not be slaves to our fears and open the gifts God has given so we can walk into our inheritance. And now we are being told that we are not to count on ourselves basically, but trust in Christ and the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish our calling even when we feel lost on the way.
So what might be the outcome of this type of teaching on one who hasn’t heard and trusted in the Gospel? Perhaps, a thought like this? God really must love me! He pursues me and wants my good. I want my good too. God must want me to accomplish such and such. I don’t need to feel condemned, I just need to fight off the negative thoughts, understand that the spirit of God dwells within me, that God has given me an inheritance- gifts that help me accomplish my purpose and help me live a supernatural life. And he’s promised to empower me to accomplish that if I don’t count my resources but trust in CHrist? If I just trust in Christ he will make my dreams successful? Well, I want to accomplish my purpose, I want to be successful, and live a happy fulfilled life, so I’ll trust that Jesus will help me do that. The emphasis in all the messages so far have had a focus on what God WILL do for you in THIS life, with mentions and a nod or two to what Christ HAS done. But what should be the focus? What Christ HAS DONE so that we may receive WHAT GOD WILL DO in the future. Our faith is placed on the work done by Christ, the Son of God who died and rose again to pay the penalty for our sins and gives eternal life to all who trust in him and him alone for it. Yet so many who receive these types of messages believe they are right with God because they have faith in God and will do what they can to accomplish His will.
Are we hearing about that Prize, Jesus Christ?
In between point Mrs. Cho-Simons has pointed out that she has mistakenly forgotten a paper towel to dry her paintbrush on, or that she has over mixed her paint with paint thinner making the paint hard to dry, and it is now at this point that she presents the painting exclaiming that it didn’t work out like she planned. Her point being that our lives can look like that too, yet God can use them to do His work. I would agree with that. Scripture continually shows us how God uses sinful men to do His work, and that God even uses persecutions, tribulations, suffering and death to accomplish His good. While her situation and experience on this stage in lack of producing an approved painting is cute, it’s not needed. She could have gone into God’s word to make that claim.
AS, quote “one in progress person to another” she appeals to us to run to the truth. (Play clip 11)
But what is the truth that Paul is talking about in Romans? Is it that God loves us so, pursues us and wants to help us accomplish our purpose? Or is it that we are sinners who are destined for Hell. Yet God so loves us that He sent his Son to obey the law perfectly for us and take our punishment upon Himself, die and rise again so that we may be reconciled to God? Which of these should we run to?
Let’s listen to the last part of her message:(Play clip 12)
Yes, Paul did spend 7 chapters explaining the truth and HOW we can be saved from the wrath to come. So why hasn’t any one of these speakers even touched upon the HOW? If this truth is so vital, why has it not been clearly taught? Especially to those in the audience who are “just checking Jesus out”?
But instead of giving us that truth that we must run to in times of feeling lost, she wants to encourage us to be faithful right where we are. I get that sentiment. But “Many a man claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?” Prov.20:6. Over and over again, Scripture points to God as being the faithful one (Deut.7:9; Lam. 3:22-23; Psalm 145:17;1 Corin. 10:13;1Thes. 5:24; 2Thess. 3:3; among many other verses). We are called to hold on to “the confession of our hope (That Jesus is our High Priest who has presented the ultimate sacrifice that cleansed us from our sins once and for all) without wavering, for he (that is God) who promised is faithful.” Heb. 10:23. I want to be faithful in all that I do and with all that God has given me, but ultimately, I fail. Yet, I hold on to the confession, and as I do, I trust in God to deliver his promises because HE IS FAITHFUL.
There has only been one faithful Man, the God/Man Jesus Christ. We are faithful in Him and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of faithfulness. But only if we have the Spirit, and we only know we have the Spirit if we are trusting/believing in Christ and His work.
So in conclusion, did Ruth handle the text correctly? Is the hope that Paul wants us to have in regards to our calling and purpose, or in regards to the promised New Heavens, Earth and our glorified bodies? Is the weakness that Ruth talks about in regards to our ability to carry out our callings? Or in regards to accomplishing the will of God which is to be conformed to the image of His Son? Does this passage tell us to not count our resources but trust in Christ to work through us and be faithful right where we are? Or does it tell us to trust God because he is faithful. That He who foreknew us, predestined us. And those he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those he justified he also glorified (rom.8:30).
And ladies, that is what I pray you are doing, trusting in His work, what He HAS DONE and WILL DO for you. I pray that you have heard, through these last couple of episodes and our exposition so far through this chapter of Romans 8, that good news, that truth, the Gospel, over and over again and grasp the hope that we have of one day seeing our Savior face to face, and being set free from the corruption that is in this world and in our bodies, for God will do it because God is faithful.
I pray.. You are in His word.
MelbaToast
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