Tag: King David

What Does it Mean That We Are God’s Workmanship?

Posted on by thechristiantechnerd

Paul wrote to God’s holy people in Ephesus who were faithful followers of Christ Jesus, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV).

Other English Bible translations use words such as “handiwork, masterpiece, accomplished, creative work, or the product of His hand” (heaven’s poetry etched on lives) instead of workmanship.

In the Oxford English Dictionary, workmanship is defined as “the degree of skill with which a product is made, or a job done” and synonymous with craftmanship, which is “the quality of design and work shown in something made by hand; creative skill or ability.”

The truth that Christ’s believers are God’s workmanship reflects His works of creation, redemption, provision, and sanctification in every believer’s life.

  1. God’s Work of Creation in His Workmanship
    All human beings are created in the image of God, regardless of whether or not they put their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:26-27). All we are the clay, and the Creator is our potter (Isaiah 64:8).

God created the universe by His word: He spoke, and things came into existence. But it was only when He created man that He did something different: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

Therefore, unlike animals and plants, every human being possesses a spirit, which means having the ability to perceive spiritual realms or matters and the things of God, who is Spirit (John 4:24).

  1. God’s Work of Redemption in His Workmanship
    Because of sin, originated by the enemy (i.e., the fallen angel or Satan), God’s image in every human being is corrupted. As a result, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

This means that we are all sinners, by nature and by choice, and no amount of good works can save us from the penalty for sin: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

We all need God’s mercy and grace for our salvation. We all need God taking the initiative to restore the relationship — and thankfully, He did! (by sending His Son, Jesus Christ) — so that we can have peace with God.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2).

This redemptive and restorative mission has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Here is the wonderful truth: God’s image in every believer is restored by Jesus Christ, the perfect, visible image (i.e., the exact representation) of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Romans 8:29), as we live in Him, and He lives in us.

  1. God’s Work of Provision in His Workmanship
    Everyone who trusts in Jesus can be sure that God is able to supply all our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

As King David declared, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).

It is for His name’s sake that God provides all our needs. We can trust Him, the Possessor of heaven and earth, for our every need, including physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Note that we are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,” having been blessed, not only with eternal life but also with a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17) and abundant life (John 10:10) in Him. Praise the Lord!

  1. God’s Work of Sanctification in His Workmanship
    As we receive and believe Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit resides in us, making our hearts His home (Romans 8:9). By the Holy Spirit alone, we can realize that Jesus is Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, of our need for God’s righteousness, and of His judgment (John 16:8), and He guides us into all truth (John 16:13).

We live in a broken world and oftentimes our faith in Christ is challenged by the temptation and values of this world. Hence, we need God’s Spirit to continue to sanctify us from the sins of this world that could “pollute” our hearts.

And as we are God’s workmanship, the Holy Spirit ultimately transforms us into Christlikeness (2 Corinthians 3:18), producing the character of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit in us (Ephesians 5:8-10; Galatians 5:22-23). This means that our sinful nature (i.e., tendency to disobey and rebel against God) is replaced with a new, godly nature that desires to please, obey, and glorify the Lord.

The Purpose of God’s Workmanship
It is amazing to see that the triune God (God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) all participate in this workmanship, which displays His divine nature — His greatness and goodness.

And now, Ephesians 2:10 tells us further that we are God’s workmanship for good works, which He ordained beforehand that we should walk in them.

The preceding verses say, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV). It is clear that we are saved by God’s grace through faith that should be manifested in good works.

In other words, God’s grace in our lives through Christ Jesus should result in good works, which, I believe, speak of our unique calling and purpose in Him. These are related to God’s original plan in creating mankind (Genesis 2:28), which is then translated into the Great Commission.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

These good works ultimately bring honor and glory to the One who creates, redeems, provides, and sanctifies us with His unchanging love. All glory to God!

What Does ‘The Earth Is the Lord’s’ Mean in Psalm 24?

Posted on by thechristiantechnerd

Hi! The Christian Tech Nerd here….My mom asked me to use this picture instead of the one I usually use…so this one is for you mom 🙂

Okay, I PROMISE that this is my last article/post of the day…..I don’t want to annoy anyone with by posting too many articles, so I PROMISE this is the last article I publish today….

What Does ‘The Earth Is the Lord’s’ Mean in Psalm 24?

The earth belongs to the Lord and the Lord alone and He created it. This statement is in every Christian’s mind and as Christians, we are expected to praise God for creating the world and also creating us. Such praising is constantly being done by King David.

In Psalm 24:1-3, David praises God the Father and acknowledges that God owns the world, and the world belongs to God. It is a beautifully crafted Psalm.

David puts emphasis on God’s ownership and spanned ownership in these verses. The verses are divided into three — with three different emphases, themes, and meanings. Let’s analyze each verse of this passage further.

  1. The Earth Is the Lord’s
    And everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:10).

The first verse pronounces God’s ownership to the world followed by the second line that supports the first statement of God’s ownership and expounds the span of God’s dominion.

The first verse is the boldest among the three verses. It is a strong statement that puts emphasis on the fact that God owns everything – the earth and every single tangible and intangible thing.

The verse has two themes: ownership and belonging. In terms of ownership, it talks about how God owns the earth, and yet in terms of belonging it talks about how we belong to God because God first loved us.

  1. For He Founded it on the Seas
    And established it on the waters (Psalm 24:2).

The second verse is more specific. David’s praise recalls God creating the heavens the earth, which we all know was the beginning of all things on Earth:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day (Genesis 1:1-2, 26-31).

David also specifies both seas and waters and emphasizes the expanse of creation. Additionally, he mentions the words “establish” and “founded,” which are the two themes of this verse.

Establishing and founding are two words that are beyond creation. Establishing means setting up a system or organization while founding means planning the beginning of something.

These two actions mean that God did not just decide in one day to create the earth, but He planned for it and also made a system of organization. That is why the Earth works as it does — it was well-designed.

God founding and establishing the Earth through such a careful degree of meticulousness is so inspiring and comforting. It reveals more about God’s passion and love for the Earth. The Earth is His masterpiece and like an artist, He crafts it and maintains His masterpiece.

  1. Who May Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place? (Psalm 24:3).

The third verse talks about the fact that no one can reach the level of the Lord. He owns the world, and no one can be like Him. Everything belongs to Him and only Him.

This last verse puts emphasis on who is worthy to be like God and concludes that no one is. It is a pressing and lucid statement that only God owns the world.

The theme of the last verse is the worth of God’s ownership of this world. It tells us that we are not worthy of Him, yet He made us and even took care of us and made us the tenants to the things that belong to Him.

It also tells us that God is so powerful and more powerful than any other being in this world. No one can surpass His power. Because He made the earth, it belongs to its power.

It also talks about assurance. We are assured that there is a God, God the Father, who is guiding us in this world that He owns.

David is bold in praising God. This reminds us that we should be bold ourselves by acknowledging that God owns the world and because He owns it, we should take care of it with all our means possible.

A Prayer for the Earth
Dear Creator God, on this Earth Day and all days, let me always be in awe of Your wonderful works of creation. I don’t want to take the details of the world You created for me for granted. Everything around me is wonderfully complex and splendid. You, Lord, are both an Engineer and an Artist that built a world to perfectly sustain life. But you didn’t stop there. You also made immense details that please all of our senses as well. There are beautiful things to see, sounds to hear, textures to feel, yummy food to taste, and even delightful aromas to bring us enjoyment. Thank you for the details of life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.