Author Archives: John Clayton

Beloved, Contend for the Faith

Jude begins his short epistle identifying himself as the “brother of James,” which means he was also the half-brother of Jesus. In humility he simply says he is a “servant of Jesus Christ,” as are we to whom he writes. In love for Christ’s church, he writes to the called with concern, with confidence yet caution….

Of All Peoples

He who said that he came to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15) did, in perfect obedience to the Law of God, not only as an adult but as an infant, as we see in our passage today. According to the law, as the firstborn male, he was to be presented to the Lord, harking back to the Egyptian captivity and God’s preservation of Israel’s firstborn sons by the blood of the lamb. Jesus’ presentation also included his mother’s ceremonial purification, following childbirth, and a required sacrifice of a lamb or “a pair of turtledoves, or two you young pigeons” (2:24), the offering of a family of meager means. It is a humble yet beautiful picture of covenant faithfulness, obedience, and the early blessings of a godly home.

Great is the Mystery of Godliness

And so, I ask you, is this your confession? If not, let it be today, and forevermore. Is this your confession? If so, then rejoice that your name is written in heaven, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Luke 10:20; Col. 3:1). Is this our confession? Indeed it is! For, it is not a mystery to be hidden but heralded to people of every tribe, tongue, and nation, a confession of salvation: “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

God and Sinners Reconciled

I think our culture is willing to openly acknowledge Christ at this time of year more than any other, don’t you? It is a time when Christian virtues, such as hope, love, joy, and peace are openly connected to Christ, whether he is known personally or not. Perhaps it is because Christ’s birth is more culturally palatable than Christ’s cross, but in our post-Christian era Christmas still carries not only its name but its significance, even if buried in secular interpretation and consumerism. In settings that would typically reject the authority of God’s Word, carols rich in Scriptural reference are still sung. In a public venue, I recently heard Charles Wesley’s hymn caroled with gusto: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,

“Glory to the newborn King:

Peace on earth and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!”[2]

Sing for Joy

So, let us sing for joy. For, he has turned his anger away from us for the sake of the cross of Christ, and he comforts us by his Spirit. Let us sing for joy, for he is our salvation and strength. Let us sing for joy, for he is the fountain of living water. Let us sing for joy that the peoples may know of his deeds and join us in worshipful exaltation. Let us sing for joy that the world may know that he who “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,” he who “upholds the universe by the word of his power,” he who after “making purification for sins … sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3) is in our midst, “the Holy One of Israel.”

The Love of God

If we would love with the love of God, then let us not accept sin in ourselves but mortify it. A righteous life tells the world of your love for God. And if we would love with the love of God, then “let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. … Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11). Amen.

The First Gospel

Throughout history, man’s bias has been of his own time, a chronological snobbery, as C.S. Lewis called it, affecting how we see both history and the future. Our self-importance seems to breed a deception of self-improvement, a myth of progress leading us to think of the culmination of time as in our purview. Given the variety of modern media, it would be easy to entertain such a view, amusing ourselves with the developing events of the day with titillating speculation. Breaking news seemingly announces more clues of history’s denouement. And yet, today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s fire-starter.

The Holy Spirit Works

We are then God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Out of all of God’s glorious creation, we are his workmanship. We who were originally made in his image yet fallen in sin are now redeemed to be conformed to the perfection of his Son, which we live out in good works. Yet, even our good works are according to the sovereign grace of God, that the world might see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16). Therefore, let the testimony of our lives show and the praises of our tongues proclaim “the immeasurable riches of [God’s] grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” I never wanted to follow Jesus, but he rescued me by his grace forever!