Bible Word Studies

Genesis 2 — Made in God’s Image: Adam, Eve, and Marriage

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Key Scriptures: Genesis 2:1–25; Matthew 19:4–6; Mark 10:6–9; Ephesians 5:31–32

“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 soul.” — Genesis 2:7

Genesis 1 gives us the wide-angle view of creation. We see God creating the heavens, the earth, the seas, the plants, the animals, and finally humanity.

Chapter 2 brings the camera closer.

Instead of concentrating on the whole creation, the chapter focuses primarily on God’s relationship with human beings. We meet Adam. We see the Garden of Eden and hear God’s first command to man. Then we watch as God creates Eve and establishes marriage.

Genesis 2 teaches us something important about ourselves:

We were created by God, for God, and for relationships with one another.

God Rested from His Work

Genesis 2 begins by completing the creation account:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” — Genesis 2:1

On the seventh day, God rested.

This does not mean God became tired.

Isaiah 40:28 tells us that the Creator “fainteth not, neither is weary.”

God rested because His work of creation was complete.

Nothing needed improvement, repair, or had been forgotten.

God looked upon His completed creation and declared it “very good.”

The seventh day therefore established a pattern of work and rest that would later become important in Israel’s Sabbath observance.

Human beings need both.

There is a time to work, and there is a time to stop working.

Rest reminds us that the world continues turning even when we stop.

God is God, and we are not.

God Formed Man from the Dust

Genesis 2 gives us a more detailed account of humanity’s creation.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground.” — Genesis 2:7

There is something humbling about that statement.

God made Adam from dust.

The human body contains remarkable complexity, but its origin reminds us that we are creatures.

We neither created ourselves nor sustain ourselves independently of God.

Yet Genesis immediately balances this humility with extraordinary dignity.

God:

“breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

God formed Adam and gave him life.

Chapter 1 had already told us:

“So God created man in his own image.” — Genesis 1:27

Humanity therefore occupies a unique place within God’s creation.

We come from the dust, yet we bear the image of God.

That combination should keep us both humble and grateful.

We have no reason for pride because God made us from the dust.

But we have no reason to consider human life worthless because God made us in His image.

God Planted a Garden

God prepared a home for Adam.

“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” — Genesis 2:8

The Garden of Eden was not a barren wilderness.

God filled it with trees that were “pleasant to the sight, and good for food.”

Beauty and provision surrounded Adam.

God was generous with His creation.

Adam did not have to earn his place in the garden. God placed him there.

He did not have to convince God to provide food. God already provided it.

Before Adam ever asked for anything, God knew what he needed.

That remains an encouraging truth.

Jesus later said:

“Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” — Matthew 6:32

The God who provided for Adam is still our Provider.

God Gave Adam Work

Life in Eden was not endless inactivity.

Genesis 2:15 says:

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

Work existed before sin entered the world.

That is important.

Sometimes we think of work as part of the curse, but work itself was part of God’s original good creation.

The curse would make work difficult. Genesis 3 introduces thorns, sweat, frustration, and hardship.

But meaningful work came from God.

Adam received responsibility.

He was to cultivate and care for what God entrusted to him.

The same principle applies to us.

Whether we preach sermons, build houses, teach children, repair automobiles, manage businesses, care for families, grow vegetables, or clean floors, honest work can honor God.

Our occupation may change throughout life, but the principle remains:

God created us to use what He entrusted to us faithfully.

Freedom Had a Boundary

God gave Adam tremendous freedom.

He could eat from the trees of the garden.

But there was one exception.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it.” — Genesis 2:17

God’s command established an important truth.

Adam lived in God’s world.

Therefore, God determined what was right and wrong.

True freedom does not mean living without boundaries. True freedom means living within the good purposes of our Creator.

A fish is free when it remains in water.

Remove it from the water in the name of “freedom,” and that freedom destroys it.

In the same way, God’s commands are not intended to rob us of life.

They show us how life was designed to work.

Adam could enjoy an entire garden.

God withheld one tree.

The question was simple:

Would Adam trust God enough to obey Him?

Genesis 3 will give us the answer.

It Is Not Good for Man to Be Alone

Throughout chapter 1, God repeatedly looked at His creation and declared it good.

Then Genesis 2 contains the first thing God identifies as “not good.”

“It is not good that the man should be alone.” — Genesis 2:18

Adam had food, meaningful work, and lived in a perfect environment.

Most importantly, Adam enjoyed fellowship with God.

Yet God said something was missing.

Adam needed human companionship.

God created us as relational beings.

We need other people.

That truth extends beyond marriage. We need families, friendships, churches, and communities. God did not design us to live completely isolated from one another.

But in chapter 2, God addresses Adam’s particular need by creating the woman who would become his wife.

A Help Meet for Him

God said:

“I will make him an help meet for him.” — Genesis 2:18

The expression “help meet” does not mean an inferior servant.

The idea is a helper corresponding to him—someone suitable for him.

The animals could not meet this need.

Adam named the animals, but Genesis says:

“there was not found an help meet for him.” — Genesis 2:20

Human companionship required another human being.

But God did not simply make another Adam.

He created Eve.

Man and woman were both human, both made in God’s image, both possessing equal dignity before God—yet they were not identical.

They were created to complement one another.

God Created the Woman

The creation of Eve is one of the most beautiful scenes in Genesis.

God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep.

Then:

“And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” — Genesis 2:22

Notice the final phrase.

God brought her to the man.

The first wedding ceremony did not take place in a church, courthouse, or wedding chapel.

It took place in Eden.

And God Himself brought the bride to the groom.

When Adam saw Eve, he immediately recognized their unique relationship:

“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” — Genesis 2:23

She was like him, yet different from him.

Eve was not another animal over which Adam exercised dominion.

She shared his humanity.

Matthew Henry famously observed that the woman was not made from Adam’s head to rule over him, nor from his feet to be trampled upon, but from his side to be near him.

Whether or not we press every detail of that illustration, its central point is worth remembering:

God created man and woman for companionship, partnership, and love.

God Established Marriage

Genesis 2 does more than describe the marriage of Adam and Eve.

It establishes God’s pattern for marriage.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” — Genesis 2:24

Notice three movements.

Leave.

Marriage creates a new family relationship. A husband and wife still honor their parents, but their primary earthly loyalty now belongs to one another.

Cleave.

The word communicates commitment—holding fast to one another.

Biblical marriage is more than a temporary arrangement based upon changing feelings.

It is a covenant commitment.

Become one flesh.

Marriage joins husband and wife in a unique physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual union.

Two people become one family.

Jesus Himself pointed back to this passage when teaching about marriage:

“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” — Matthew 19:6

Jesus treated Genesis 2 as the foundation for understanding marriage.

Marriage was not invented by government.

It was not invented by culture.

It was established by God.

Marriage Before the Fall

One detail is especially important.

Marriage appears in Genesis 2.

Sin enters the story in Genesis 3.

That means marriage is not God’s response to human sin.

Marriage belongs to God’s original good design for humanity.

Certainly, sin has damaged marriages.

Selfishness causes conflict.

Pride prevents apologies.

Anger wounds.

Unfaithfulness destroys trust.

But those things do not define God’s design for marriage.

Genesis 2 takes us back to the beginning and shows us what God intended.

A man and woman joined together in a faithful, loving, lifelong union.

Marriage Points Beyond Itself

The New Testament reveals an even deeper significance to marriage.

Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 in Ephesians 5 and then says:

“This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” — Ephesians 5:32

Christian marriage points beyond husband and wife.

It can become a living picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church.

Christ loves His Church.

He gave Himself for His Church.

Christ remains faithful to His Church.

For that reason, Christian marriage is about more than personal happiness.

It provides an opportunity to demonstrate sacrificial love, faithfulness, forgiveness, patience, and grace.

Naked and Not Ashamed

Genesis 2 concludes:

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” — Genesis 2:25

There was no shame because there was no sin.

No deception, lust, manipulation, fear, or hidden motives.

Adam and Eve enjoyed complete openness with one another and with God.

That final verse prepares us for the tragedy of Genesis 3.

Soon they will hide, blame, and shame will enter their relationship.

But none of that was part of God’s original design.

Genesis 2 ends with humanity enjoying fellowship with God, meaningful work, abundant provision, and loving companionship.

Everything is still good.

What Genesis 2 Means for Us

1. You Belong to God

God made Adam and gave him life.

The same Creator gave us life.

We are not self-made people. Every breath reminds us that our lives ultimately depend upon God.

That means the proper response to life is not independence from God but surrender to Him.

2. Human Life Has Dignity

Human beings are more than biological machines.

We bear God’s image.

Every person we encounter possesses a dignity that comes from the Creator.

We should therefore treat others with respect, compassion, patience, and love.

3. Work Has Meaning

Work is not merely something we endure until retirement.

God gave Adam work in Eden.

Our work provides opportunities to serve others, provide for needs, exercise our abilities, and glorify God.

Even ordinary tasks can become acts of faithfulness.

4. God’s Boundaries Are Good

God gave Adam enormous freedom but also gave him a boundary.

We should not assume that God’s commands restrict our happiness.

The Creator knows how His creation works best.

Obedience means trusting that God’s wisdom is greater than ours.

5. We Need Relationships

God said it was not good for Adam to be alone.

We were created for relationships.

Families matter.

Friendships matter.

Church fellowship matters.

Marriage matters.

We need one another.

6. Marriage Is God’s Gift

Genesis 2 calls us to treat marriage with honor.

Husbands and wives will never experience the sinless marriage of Eden in this life, but they can pursue God’s pattern through commitment, faithfulness, forgiveness, patience, and sacrificial love.

From Creation to Redemption

Genesis 2 presents a beautiful picture.

A man and woman live together in God’s garden.

They:

• know their Creator.
• have everything they need.
• experience no guilt, shame, suffering, or death.

But the innocence of Genesis 2 will not last.

A serpent will enter the story.

A command will be questioned.

Human beings will choose their own way instead of God’s way.

Sin will change everything.

But sin will not have the final word.

The God who created Adam and Eve will begin unfolding a plan to redeem Adam’s fallen children.

And ultimately, that plan will lead us to Jesus Christ.

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WIM Takeaway

Genesis 2 teaches us that God created human beings in His image, gave us meaningful work and relationships, established boundaries for our good, and created marriage as a covenant union between a man and a woman. Our lives find their proper meaning when we live according to the purposes of our Creator.

Questions for Reflection

1. What does Adam’s creation teach you about humanity’s dependence upon God?
2. How does being made in God’s image affect the way you view other people?
3. How can you view your daily work as service to God?
4. Are there any boundaries God has established that you have been tempted to view as restrictions rather than protection?
5. Why do you think God said it was not good for Adam to be alone?
6. What does Genesis 2 teach us about God’s purpose for marriage?
7. How can a Christian marriage reflect Christ’s relationship with His Church?

<<Back to the Book of Genesis

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

 

Love: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: John 3:16; John 13:34–35; 1 Corinthians 13:1–13; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:7–11, 19; Matthew 22:37–40. These passages all center around the meaning and importance of love.

Few words are used more often—and understood less clearly—than love.

We say we love our spouse, our children, our church, our country, our favorite food, and a good cup of coffee. The same word can describe everything from deep devotion to simple enjoyment.

Our culture usually treats love as a feeling. According to that understanding, we “fall in love,” and sometimes we “fall out of love.” Love lasts as long as the feelings last.

But biblical charity is much deeper.

The Bible presents love as something rooted in the very character of God.

“God is love.”
— 1 John 4:8

Love is not merely something God does.

Love is part of who God is.

If we want to understand love, therefore, we must begin with God.

And nowhere do we see God’s charity more clearly than at the cross of Jesus Christ.

God Is Love

John makes one of the simplest and most profound statements in Scripture:

“God is love.”
— 1 John 4:8

This does not mean that charity is God. It means that God’s nature is perfectly loving.

Everything God does is consistent with His holy character.

His love is not sentimental.

It is:

• Holy.
• Truthful.
• Faithful.
• Righteous.
• Sacrificial.

God never has to choose between being loving and being holy. His love is always holy, and His holiness is never separated from His love.

This is important because our culture sometimes defines compassion as approving everything another person wants.

Biblical charity does not work that way.

A loving parent does not allow a child to play in traffic simply because the child wants to.

Sometimes love:

• comforts.
• encourages.
• gives.
• warns.
• says yes.
• must say no.

True charity always seeks what is genuinely good for the other person.

God Loved Us First

Christian love does not begin with our love for God.

It begins with God’s compassion for us.

John writes:

“We love him, because he first loved us.”
— 1 John 4:19

God did not wait for us to become lovable.

He loved us while we were sinners.

Paul writes:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8

That little phrase “while we were yet sinners” is important.

Christ did not die for good people who needed a little help.

He died for sinners.

We had rebelled against God, His commands, and had chosen our own way.

Yet God loved us.

That does not mean God ignored our sin.

His love did something about it.

The Cross Defines Love

If someone asks, “What does compassion look like?” the Christian can point to the cross.

John writes:

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”
— 1 John 3:16

Jesus did more than talk about compassion.

He:

• demonstrated it.
• left the glory of heaven.
• became human.
• served.
• touched lepers.
• welcomed sinners.
• fed the hungry.
• forgave His enemies.
• And ultimately, He gave His life.

Jesus said:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
— John 15:13

Biblical compassion gives.

That is why John 3:16 begins:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”

God loved, so God gave.

Compassion that never gives anything, sacrifices anything, or costs anything is a poor imitation of biblical love.

The cross teaches us that real love is willing to sacrifice for the good of another.

Charity Is More Than a Feeling

Feelings are important.

God created us with emotions. Affection, compassion, tenderness, and joy are wonderful parts of loving relationships.

But feelings alone cannot sustain biblical love.

Feelings change.

Some mornings you wake up feeling wonderful.

Other mornings you do not want to talk to anybody until after your second cup of coffee.

If love depended entirely upon feelings, marriages, families, friendships, and churches would constantly collapse.

Biblical charity includes commitment.

It chooses to seek another person’s good even when doing so is difficult.

That is why Scripture can command us to love.

Jesus said:

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
— Matthew 22:39

You cannot command someone to have a particular emotion on demand.

But you can command someone to act lovingly.

Charity becomes visible through our choices.

Charity Is Patient

Perhaps the best-known biblical description of compassion appears in 1 Corinthians 13.

Paul begins:

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4

“Charity” in the King James Version refers to love.

Charity is patient.

That sounds beautiful until God gives us someone with whom we need to practice patience.

It is easy to love people who never inconvenience us, disagree with us, irritate us, disappoint us, or hurt us.

But those people are difficult to find.

Biblical charity becomes visible precisely when relationships become difficult.

Charity gives people room to grow.

It does not explode at every irritation.

It remembers how patient God has been with us.

Charity Is Kind

Paul immediately adds:

“And is kind.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4

Kindness is charity in work clothes.

It:

• notices.
• helps.
• speaks gently.
• encourages.
• serves.
• sees someone carrying a burden and asks, “Can I help?”

We sometimes imagine that serving God requires doing something spectacular.

Often the most Christlike thing we can do is something very ordinary.

Make the phone call.

Visit the lonely person.

Prepare the meal.

Send the note.

Listen to someone who needs to talk.

Forgive.

Encourage.

Help.

Charity often looks remarkably ordinary.

But God sees it.

Charity Is Not Self-Centered

Paul continues:

“Charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4

Sin naturally turns our attention inward.

What do I want?

How does this affect me?

Why didn’t they recognize me?

Why does that person have something I don’t have?

Charity:

• turns our attention outward.
• rejoices when someone else succeeds.
• does not need to be the center of attention.
• does not constantly keep score.
• does not manipulate people to get its own way.

Paul says charity:

“Seeketh not her own.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:5

Jesus modeled this perfectly.

He said:

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.”
— Mark 10:45

Compassion asks:

How can I serve?

Charity Does Not Keep a Record of Wrongs

First Corinthians 13:5 says love:

“Thinketh no evil.”

The idea includes refusing to keep a running account of wrongs committed against us.

Some people have excellent memories when it comes to other people’s failures.

They can remember what someone said seventeen years ago, where they were standing, what they were wearing, and possibly what the weather was that day.

Charity does not maintain a spiritual filing cabinet filled with ammunition for the next argument.

This does not mean pretending that sin never happened.

Forgiveness does not make evil good.

Trust may need to be rebuilt.

Consequences may remain.

But charity refuses to make bitterness a permanent residence in the heart.

Why?

Because Christians live by forgiveness.

God has forgiven us in Christ.

And forgiven people should become forgiving people.

Love Rejoices in Truth

Biblical charity never requires abandoning truth.

Paul writes that charity:

“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:6

Our culture often separates love from truth.

We are told that loving someone means affirming whatever that person believes, desires, or chooses.

But Scripture joins love and truth together.

Truth without charity can become harsh.

Charity without truth becomes sentimental.

Jesus perfectly demonstrated both.

John describes Him as:

“Full of grace and truth.”
— John 1:14

Christians should strive for the same balance.

We should never use “truth” as an excuse for cruelty.

Neither should we use “love” as an excuse for avoiding truth.

Real love cares enough to tell the truth—and loves enough to tell it graciously.

Charity Bears, Believes, Hopes, and Endures

Paul gives four beautiful descriptions:

“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:7

Charity:

• does not give up easily.
• bears burdens.
• hopes for restoration.
• believes God can change people.
• remains faithful during difficult seasons.

This does not mean allowing abuse, enabling destructive behavior, or pretending serious problems do not exist.

Biblical charity can:

• establish boundaries.
• confront sin.
• seek help.

But compassion does not delight in another person’s failure.

It hopes for redemption.

Love Your Neighbor

Jesus was once asked which commandment was greatest.

He answered:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
— Matthew 22:37

Then He added:

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
— Matthew 22:39

Love for God and compassion for people belong together.

We cannot separate them.

John makes the point very strongly:

“He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
— 1 John 4:20

Our Christianity becomes visible in the way we treat people.

Not merely people:

• we like.
• who agree with us.
• who can do something for us.

Our neighbor is whoever God places within reach of our compassion.

Love Your Enemies

Then Jesus goes even further.

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.” — Matthew 5:44

That may be one of the hardest commands Jesus ever gave.

Loving our friends is natural.

Loving our enemies requires grace.

Jesus demonstrated this from the cross.

As His enemies crucified Him, He prayed:

“Father, forgive them.”
— Luke 23:34

Christians do not love enemies because enemies deserve compassion.

We love because we received love when we did not deserve it either.

Grace received becomes grace extended.

Charity Identifies Christ’s Disciples

Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment:

“That ye love one another; as I have loved you.”
— John 13:34

Then He said:

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
— John 13:35

Notice what Jesus did not say.

He did not say the world would recognize His disciples primarily by their buildings, programs, music, traditions, denominational labels, or theological vocabulary.

Those things may have their place.

But Jesus said the identifying mark of His followers should be compassion.

Imagine the testimony of a church where people genuinely love one another.

Where:

• the strong help the weak.
• older believers encourage younger believers.
• disagreements do not become warfare.
• forgiveness is practiced.
• lonely people find family.
• hurting people find compassion.
• sinners hear both truth and grace.

That kind of church makes the Gospel visible.

Charity Must Be Demonstrated

John writes:

“Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
— 1 John 3:18

It is easy to say, “I love you.”

The real question is:

What does my life demonstrate?

Charity:

• visits.
• listens.
• gives.
• forgives.
• encourages.
• serves.
• protects.
• tells the truth.
• prays.
• sacrifices.
• stays faithful.
• is not merely something Christians talk about.

It is something Christians do.

Charity Never Fails

Paul eventually says:

“Charity never faileth.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:8

Many things we consider important today will eventually disappear.

Our:

• possessions will pass to someone else.
• accomplishments will fade from memory.
• bodies will return to the dust.

Even spiritual gifts belong to this present age.

But love continues.

Paul concludes 1 Corinthians 13:

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13

Why is love the greatest?

Because charity belongs to eternity.

Faith will become sight.

Hope will become reality.

But love will continue forever.

What Does Love Mean for the Christian?

Love means looking at the cross and seeing how God has loved us.

Then it means allowing that compassion to flow through us toward others.

Charity is not primarily asking:

How do I feel about this person?

It asks:

How can I seek this person’s good?

Charity is patient when patience is difficult.

Kind when kindness costs something.

Forgiving when we have been wounded.

Generous when we could keep everything for ourselves.

Truthful when silence would be easier.

Faithful when walking away would be more convenient.

Jesus did not merely tell us to love.

He showed us how.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do I define love according to Scripture or according to the culture around me?
2. Is there someone with whom God is asking me to practice greater patience?
3. Am I holding onto a record of someone’s past wrongs?
4. Do I speak truth with love, or do I tend toward harshness or avoidance?
5. How am I practically demonstrating love to my family, church, and neighbors?
6. Is there someone I consider an enemy whom I need to begin praying for?
7. Would people recognize that I follow Jesus by the way I love others?

Final Thought

If you want to know what love looks like, do not begin with a dictionary.

Look at Jesus:

• washing His disciples’ feet.
• touching the leper.
• welcoming sinners.
• weeping beside Lazarus’s tomb.
• forgiving His enemies.

And finally, look at the cross.

There God demonstrated compassion in its clearest form.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son.”
— 1 John 4:10

We love because He:

• first loved us.
• forgave us.
• He served us.
• gave Himself for us.

And when the world sees that kind of love among God’s people, it catches a glimpse of Jesus.

That is love.

<<Back to the Teaching Library

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

New Creation: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: Isaiah 65:17; Romans 8:18–23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1–5; Revelation 22:1–5

The Christian story begins with creation.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
— Genesis 1:1

God looked upon everything He had made and declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no sin, suffering, disease, death, sorrow, or separation from God.

Then sin entered the world.

Adam and Eve rebelled against God, and creation came under the curse. Sin damaged our relationship with God, with one another, and even with the created world itself. Pain, suffering, decay, and death became part of human experience.

But the Bible does not end with a ruined creation.

It ends with a new creation.

John writes:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.”
— Revelation 21:1

God’s plan of redemption is larger than rescuing individual souls from judgment. Through Jesus Christ, God is restoring what sin has broken.

The Bible begins with creation.

It ends with new creation.

And Jesus Christ stands at the center of it all.

First, What Is the New Creation?

The phrase “new creation” describes God’s work of making all things new through Jesus Christ.

It has both a present and a future meaning.

Something happens now when a person trusts Christ.

Paul writes:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Salvation is not simply God improving the old person.

God gives us new life.

We receive a new relationship with God, a new heart, a new purpose, and a new identity in Christ.

But that work has not yet reached its final completion.

We still:

• live in bodies that grow old.
• struggle with sin.
• attend funerals.
• experience sickness, disappointment, grief, and pain.

The new creation has begun, but it has not yet been completed.

One day it will be.

Second, Creation Is Waiting

Human beings are not the only ones affected by sin.

Creation itself suffers under the curse.

Paul writes:

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
— Romans 8:22

That is a remarkable picture.

Creation groans.

Disease, disasters, decay, suffering, and death remind us that the world we know is not the world as God originally intended it to be.

But creation’s groaning is not hopeless.

Paul compares it to childbirth.

Childbirth involves pain, but the pain is leading toward something wonderful.

Creation is waiting for redemption.

Paul continues:

“And not only they, but ourselves also… groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
— Romans 8:23

Christians groan too.

We:

• feel the weakness of these bodies.
• experience temptation.
• watch people we love suffer.
• bury friends and family members.

Something inside us says:

This is not the way things are supposed to be.

And Scripture answers:

You are right.

Something better is coming.

Third, God Promised a New Heaven and New Earth

The promise of new creation did not suddenly appear in Revelation.

Centuries earlier, God spoke through Isaiah:

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
— Isaiah 65:17

Peter later repeated that hope:

“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
— 2 Peter 3:13

Notice what characterizes this coming world:

Righteousness dwells there.

Today righteousness often seems like a stranger in this world.

Sin appears everywhere.

But in God’s new creation, righteousness will be completely at home.

There will be no rebellion against God.

No:

• injustice.
• corruption.
• temptation.
• evil.

God will make everything right.

Fourth, “Behold, I Make All Things New”

Near the end of the Bible, John receives a magnificent vision:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”
— Revelation 21:1

Then John sees the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven.

A voice declares:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them.”
— Revelation 21:3

This is the heart of the new creation.

God will dwell with His people.

Throughout Scripture, God continually moves toward humanity.

He walked with Adam and Eve in Eden.

He dwelt among Israel in the Tabernacle.

His glory filled the Temple.

Jesus came as Emmanuel—“God with us.”

The Holy Spirit now dwells within believers.

But in the new creation, God’s presence will be experienced in its fullness forever.

John says:

“And they shall see his face.”
— Revelation 22:4

That may be one of the greatest promises in all of Scripture.

We will see Him.

Fifth, No More Death

Revelation 21 contains words that Christians have read beside countless hospital beds and gravesides:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death.”
— Revelation 21:4

Imagine those words.

No more death.

Death has haunted humanity since Genesis 3.

Every:

• generation experiences it.
• family eventually faces it.
• cemetery testifies that something is terribly wrong with our world.

But death will not have the final word.

Jesus will.

Paul declares:

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:26

At the resurrection, Christ will completely defeat this ancient enemy.

The new creation will have no cemeteries.

There will be no funeral homes.

No graves.

No final goodbyes.

Death itself will be gone.

Sixth, No More Sorrow or Pain

John continues:

“Neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.”
— Revelation 21:4

Think about everything contained in those words.

No:

• cancer.
• dementia.
• arthritis.
• heart disease.
• depression.
• broken bodies.
• tragic accidents.
• loneliness.
• betrayal.
• grieving parents.
• suffering children.
• tears caused by sin.

God does not merely promise to help us cope with suffering forever.

He promises that suffering itself will end.

The Christian hope is not merely that tomorrow might be better.

Our hope is that Jesus Christ is making all things new.

Seventh, The Curse Will Be Gone

Revelation 22 brings us back to Genesis.

John sees the river of the water of life and the tree of life. Then he writes:

“And there shall be no more curse.”
— Revelation 22:3

That statement connects the end of the Bible with its beginning.

Genesis 3 introduced the curse.

Revelation 22 removes it.

In Genesis, humanity loses access to the tree of life.

In Revelation, the tree of life appears again.

Humanity is driven from God’s presence in Genesis.

God’s people see His face in Revelation.

In Genesis, death enters the human story.

In Revelation, death disappears forever.

What sin ruined, Christ restores.

The Bible is the story of God bringing His creation from Eden lost to something even greater—creation redeemed.

Eighth, Jesus Makes the New Creation Possible

None of this happens because humanity eventually learns to fix itself.

We cannot educate sin out of the human heart.

Technology cannot eliminate evil.

Governments cannot create paradise.

Money cannot purchase eternal life.

Human progress cannot conquer death.

The new creation comes through Jesus Christ.

At the cross, Jesus dealt with the very thing that ruined creation—sin.

Peter writes:

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.”
— 1 Peter 2:24

Then Jesus rose from the dead.

His resurrection was not merely an amazing miracle. It was the beginning of something new.

The risen Christ is the guarantee that death will not win.

Because Jesus lives, everyone who belongs to Him will live.

His resurrection points forward to our resurrection and ultimately to the renewal of creation itself.

Ninth, New Creation Begins in Us Now

Although the complete new creation awaits the future, God has already begun His work in believers.

Paul says:

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Christian life is therefore a preview of what God intends to do with the universe.

God takes sinners and makes them new.

He replaces hatred with love.

Pride with humility.

Selfishness with generosity.

Despair with hope.

Bondage with freedom.

Spiritual death with spiritual life.

We are not yet everything we will become.

But God has already begun His work.

The Holy Spirit is changing us into the likeness of Christ.

One day that transformation will be complete.

Tenth, Our Future Is Physical

Sometimes Christians speak about eternity as though we will spend forever floating among clouds as disembodied spirits.

That is not the Bible’s final picture.

The Christian hope includes resurrection.

Jesus rose bodily from the grave, and believers will also be raised.

Paul writes:

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:53

God created human beings as both physical and spiritual creatures.

His final plan does not abandon His creation.

He redeems it.

Our eternal future is resurrection life in God’s renewed creation, living forever in His presence.

That is far richer than the popular picture of simply “going to heaven.”

Eleventh, the New Creation Changes How We Live Today

Future hope should produce present faithfulness.

If God is making all things new, then our lives should already reflect His coming kingdom.

We should:

• pursue holiness because righteousness will characterize the world to come.
• love people because God’s kingdom is a kingdom of love.
• care for those who suffer because suffering does not represent God’s final purpose.
• proclaim the Gospel because people need to know the Savior who makes all things new.
• hold earthly possessions loosely because this present world is temporary.
• never surrender to despair.

Christians are people of hope.

Twelveth, Hope When Life Hurts

The doctrine of new creation becomes especially precious during difficult seasons.

When your body grows weaker, remember:

A resurrection body is coming.

When someone you love dies in Christ, remember:

Death is not the end.

When evil seems to triumph, remember:

Righteousness will dwell in God’s new creation.

When the world seems hopelessly broken, remember:

Jesus has not abandoned His world.

When tears fill your eyes, remember:

God Himself will wipe them away.

Christian hope does not pretend that suffering is painless.

It declares that suffering is temporary.

Thirthteenth, What Does New Creation Mean for the Christian?

New creation means that sin does not get the last word.

Death does not get the last word.

Cancer does not get the last word.

Sorrow does not get the last word.

Satan does not get the last word.

Jesus does.

The One seated upon the throne declares:

“Behold, I make all things new.”
— Revelation 21:5

Not some things.

All things.

Questions for Reflection

1. How does the promise of a new heaven and new earth change the way I view the troubles of this life?
2. Do I think of salvation only as going to heaven, or do I understand the biblical hope of resurrection and new creation?
3. What areas of my life is God making new right now?
4. How should the promise of future righteousness affect the way I live today?
5. Am I placing too much hope in things that belong only to this present world?
6. Who needs to hear the hope of the Gospel from me?
7. What part of Revelation 21–22 gives me the greatest hope?

Final Thought

The Bible begins with a garden where humanity enjoyed fellowship with God.

It ends with a city where redeemed humanity lives forever in His presence.

Between those two scenes stands a cross and an empty tomb.

Jesus entered our broken creation, bore our sin, defeated death, and rose again.

And because He lives, the story is moving toward a glorious conclusion.

A day is coming when there will be no more curse, no more death, no more sorrow, and no more pain.

God will dwell with His people.

We will see His face.

And the One who sits upon the throne will declare:

“Behold, I make all things new.”

That is the Christian hope.

That is the promise of New Creation.

<<Back to the Teaching Library

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

Money: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: Matthew 6:19–24; Luke 12:15; 1 Timothy 6:6–10, 17–19; 2 Corinthians 9:6–8; Proverbs 3:9–10

Money touches almost every part of life. We use it to buy food, provide shelter, care for our families, support the church, help people in need, and prepare for the future. Yet few subjects reveal the condition of the human heart as clearly as money.

The Bible has a great deal to say about possessions, wealth, generosity, greed, contentment, and stewardship. Scripture does not teach that money itself is evil. Nor does it teach that poverty automatically makes someone righteous or that wealth proves God’s blessing.

Instead, the Bible teaches us to see money from God’s perspective.

Money is a tool. It can be used wisely or foolishly, generously or selfishly, faithfully or sinfully. The real spiritual issue is not how much money we possess, but whether money possesses us.

Jesus said:

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
— Matthew 6:21

Our attitude toward money reveals what we value, what we trust, and ultimately whom we serve.

First, God Owns Everything

Biblical stewardship begins with a simple truth: Everything belongs to God.

Psalm 24:1 declares:

“The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

We may speak of “my house,” “my car,” “my savings,” or “my money,” but ultimately everything belongs to God. We are temporary managers of what He has placed into our hands.

Even our ability to earn money comes from Him.

Moses warned Israel:

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.”
— Deuteronomy 8:18

This changes the Christian’s entire perspective on finances.

Instead of asking, “What do I want to do with my money?” we begin asking, “Lord, what would You have me do with what You have entrusted to me?”

That is stewardship.

Second, Money Is Not Evil

One of the most frequently misquoted verses in Scripture concerns money.

The Bible does not say, “Money is the root of all evil.”

Paul wrote:

“For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
— 1 Timothy 6:10

The problem is not money itself. The problem is the love of money.

Money can feed a hungry family, support a missionary, build a church, purchase Bibles, care for the elderly, educate children, and provide assistance during a crisis.

But money can also become an idol.

When wealth becomes the source of our security, identity, happiness, or purpose, it begins occupying a place that belongs to God.

That is why Jesus warned:

“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
— Matthew 6:24

Jesus did not say that we cannot have money. He said we cannot serve both God and money.

One of them will become master.

Third, Money Reveals the Heart

Jesus spoke frequently about money because money reveals what is happening inside us.

Suppose someone suddenly receives an unexpected thousand dollars.

One person immediately thinks, What can I buy?

Another thinks, I need to save this.

Someone else thinks, Now I can pay that bill.

Another thinks, I know someone who needs help.

The money is the same. The difference is the heart.

Jesus told the story of a wealthy farmer whose crops produced abundantly. The man decided to tear down his barns, build larger ones, store his wealth, and spend the coming years enjoying himself.

But God said:

“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.”
— Luke 12:20

The man’s problem was not that he had a successful harvest. His problem was that his entire life had become centered on himself.

Jesus concluded:

“So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
— Luke 12:21

There is nothing wrong with planning for tomorrow. The Bible encourages wisdom and preparation. But there is something terribly wrong when we prepare financially for everything except eternity.

Fourth, Work and Money Belong Together

God normally provides for our needs through work.

Paul told the Thessalonians:

“If any would not work, neither should he eat.”
— 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Work allows us to provide for ourselves and our families, but the Christian purpose of work goes even further.

Paul wrote:

“Let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
— Ephesians 4:28

Notice the progression.

We work not merely so that we can have, but so that we can give.

That is radically different from the world’s philosophy.

The world often says:

Earn more so you can have more.

Scripture teaches:

Work faithfully, provide responsibly, live wisely, and be ready to share.

Fifth, Learn Contentment

Our culture constantly tells us that we need more.

A larger house.
A newer car.
A better phone.
>More clothes.
>More entertainment.
>More money.

The problem with “more” is that it never tells us when we have enough.

Paul discovered something far more valuable than wealth. He discovered contentment.

“For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
— Philippians 4:11

Contentment does not mean that ambition is wrong or that we should never improve our circumstances. Contentment means that our joy does not depend upon our circumstances.

Paul wrote:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
— 1 Timothy 6:6

Contentment says:

God has provided for me. He is with me. God knows what I need. My happiness does not depend upon having everything I want.

A contented person can enjoy wealth without worshiping it and endure scarcity without losing faith.

Sixth, Beware of Greed

Jesus gave a direct warning:

“Take heed, and beware of covetousness.”
— Luke 12:15

Covetousness is the uncontrolled desire for what someone else has.

It whispers:

If only I had that, I would be happy.

But once we get “that,” something else quickly takes its place.

Greed has no finish line.

That is why pursuing wealth for its own sake is spiritually dangerous. Paul warned that those who are determined to become rich can fall into temptation and destructive desires (1 Timothy 6:9).

Money makes a terrible god because it continually demands more and never provides lasting satisfaction.

Jesus provides what money never can: forgiveness, peace with God, eternal life, purpose, hope, and a treasure that cannot be taken away.

Seventh, Practice Generosity

One of the clearest signs that money does not control us is generosity.

Paul wrote:

“God loveth a cheerful giver.”
— 2 Corinthians 9:7

Christian giving should not come from manipulation, guilt, or pressure. It flows from gratitude.

We give:

• because God has given to us.</li>
• to support the work of the
• church.
• to spread the Gospel.
• to help people in need.
• because generosity reflects the character of our heavenly Father.

The greatest example of giving is Jesus Christ Himself.

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.”
— 2 Corinthians 8:9

At the cross, Jesus gave Himself for us.

Christian generosity begins there.

We do not give in order to purchase God’s favor. We give because in Christ we have already received grace beyond measure.

Eighth, Handle Money Wisely

Spirituality does not excuse financial foolishness.

The Bible repeatedly encourages wisdom, planning, diligence, honesty, and self-control.

A Christian should seek to:

• Earn money honestly.
• Spend money carefully.
• Avoid unnecessary debt.
• Provide responsibly for family.
• Save wisely when possible.
• Give generously.
• Help those in genuine need.
• Refuse dishonest financial practices.
• Remember that possessions are temporary.

Proverbs 21:20 praises the wisdom of storing resources rather than consuming everything immediately. Proverbs 22:7 warns that the borrower becomes servant to the lender.

Debt is not always presented as sinful, but Scripture clearly recognizes its danger. Debt can reduce freedom and turn tomorrow’s income into payment for yesterday’s decisions.

Financial wisdom often requires learning one simple word:

No:

• I do not need everything I want.
• I do not have to impress other people.
• I do not have to purchase something simply because credit makes it possible.

Sometimes one of the most spiritual financial decisions we can make is to live within our means.

Ninth, Wealth Is Uncertain

Money creates the illusion of security.

A healthy bank account can make us feel protected. But money cannot guarantee tomorrow.

Markets fall. Businesses fail. Jobs disappear. Houses need repairs. Cars break down. Medical bills arrive. Economies change.

Paul instructed wealthy Christians:

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God.”
— 1 Timothy 6:17

Notice the phrase “uncertain riches.”

Money is useful, but uncertain.

God is faithful.

Our savings may help us through difficult circumstances, and wise planning is good stewardship. But our ultimate confidence must never rest in a bank account.

Our security rests in God.

Tenth, You Cannot Take It With You

Eventually every earthly possession changes owners.

Solomon observed:

“As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came.”
— Ecclesiastes 5:15

No one has ever seen a hearse pulling a moving van.

Everything we accumulate during this life eventually stays behind.

Jesus therefore told His followers:

“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:20

Earthly treasure is temporary.

Heavenly treasure is eternal.

Every dollar will eventually disappear from our hands. But what we do for the glory of God has eternal significance.

Eleventh, Money and the Gospel

The Gospel transforms our relationship with money because the Gospel transforms our hearts.

Before Christ, we naturally ask:

What belongs to me?

Grace teaches us to ask:

What has God entrusted to me?

Before Christ:

How much can I accumulate?

Grace asks:

How much good can I accomplish with what God has given me?

Before Christ:

My possessions provide my security.

Faith says:

My Father provides for me.

Jesus said:

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
— Matthew 6:33

That is the Christian approach to money.

God comes first.

Twelveth, What Does Money Mean for the Christian?

Money is a tool, not a master.

It is:

• a trust, not an identity.
• a resource, not our security.
• a temporary possession that can be used for eternal purposes.

God may entrust one believer with much and another with little. The question is not whether we have been given the same amount.

The question is whether we are faithful with what we have been given.

One day we will leave every earthly possession behind. The house, car, savings account, investments, furniture, and belongings will pass to someone else.

But a life invested in the kingdom of God will never be wasted.

So earn honestly.

Spend wisely.

Save responsibly.

Give generously.

Live contentedly.

And above all, trust God completely.

Our treasure does not determine the condition of our hearts.

Our hearts determine what we treasure.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do I view my money as mine or as something God has entrusted to me?
2. Does my spending reflect my Christian priorities?
3. Am I content with what God has provided?
4. Is debt limiting my ability to serve God or help others?
5. Am I regularly practicing generosity?
6. Am I trusting money for security that only God can provide?
7. What could I change financially to become a better steward?

Final Thought

Money will always be part of earthly life, but it was never meant to become the purpose of life.

Jesus offers something infinitely greater.

The world says, “Get all you can.”

Jesus says, “Follow Me.”

The world measures wealth by what we possess.

God measures faithfulness by what we do with what He entrusts to us.

Use money. Manage money. Give money. Save money when wisdom allows.

But never worship money.

Money makes a useful servant, but only Jesus deserves to be Lord.

<<Back to the Teaching Library

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

Work: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 2:15; Proverbs 14:23; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:22–24; 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12; Ephesians 4:28. Each of these verses offers profound insight into the meaning and purpose of work in our lives.

Most of us spend a tremendous portion of our lives working.

We labor to earn a living.

We:

• do tasks around the house.
• care for children or aging parents.
• volunteer at church.
• mow grass, prepare meals, repair things, keep records, teach classes, answer phones, manage businesses, and perform thousands of other tasks.

Because work can be difficult, we sometimes think of it merely as a necessary burden—something we endure until the weekend or until retirement.

But the Bible gives work a much greater significance.

Work is part of God’s design for human life.

The important question is not merely:

“What do I do for a living?”

The better question is:

“How can I honor God through the work He has given me to do?”

First, God Is a Worker

The Bible begins with God at work.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Throughout Genesis 1, God creates, separates, forms, fills, orders, blesses, and evaluates His creation.

At the end of His creative work:

“God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Labor, therefore, is not something beneath God.

God works.

Jesus said:

“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17).

When human beings engage in honest, useful, productive work, we reflect something of the God who created us.

Second, Work Existed Before Sin

People sometimes say that work resulted from the Fall.

That is not quite correct.

Before Adam and Eve sinned, Genesis tells us:

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

Adam had a job before he had a sin problem.

God gave him responsibility.

He was to cultivate and care for the garden.

Therefore, work itself is good.

Sin did not create work.

Sin made work difficult.

After Adam sinned, God said:

“Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:17).

Now labor involves frustration.

Machines break.

Plans fail.

Crops die.

Businesses struggle.

Employees disappoint employers.

Employers disappoint employees.

Bodies become tired.

Projects do not always turn out as planned.

The frustration we experience in work reminds us that we live in a fallen world.

But the difficulty of labor does not remove the dignity of work.

Third, Work Has Dignity

Our culture often measures the importance of employment by salary, education, prestige, or authority.

God does not.

There is dignity in honest work.

A physician has valuable work.

So does the person who cleans the physician’s office.

A business owner has valuable work.

So does the employee who unloads the truck.

A pastor has valuable employment.

So does the person who cleans the church building.

The Bible does not divide honest occupations into important labor and insignificant work.

Paul says:

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).

Notice that word again:

Whatsoever.

Whatever honest task God places before us can become an act of service to Him.

Fourth, Work Is More Than a Paycheck

We obviously work because we need income.

Paul writes:

“If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

There is nothing unspiritual about working to provide for ourselves and our families.

But toil accomplishes more than earning money.

Through employment we provide useful goods and services.

We:

• help other people.
• care for God’s creation.
• develop skills.
• solve problems.
• support our families.
• contribute to our communities.
• provide resources for generosity.

Paul tells believers:

“Let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28).

That gives employment another purpose.

We work not merely so that we can have, but so that we can give.

Fifth, Christians Should Be Good Workers

A Christian’s faith should affect the quality of his work.

Christians should be known for:

• honesty.
• dependability.
• punctuality.
• integrity.
• respect.
• effort.
• keeping our word.
• doing what we agreed to do.

Paul told Christian servants:

“Obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God” (Colossians 3:22).

“Eyeservice” means working hard only when somebody is watching.

We understand that temptation.

The boss walks into the room, and suddenly everybody looks busy!

The Christian should work differently.

Why?

Because even when the supervisor is absent, God is present.

Our ultimate audience is the Lord.

Sixth, Work Can Become Worship

We normally think of worship as what happens in church.

We:

• sing hymns.
• pray.
• listen to Scripture.
• hear a sermon.

Those certainly are acts of worship.

But worship is larger than Sunday morning.

Paul writes:

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

If eating and drinking can glorify God, so can repairing a car.

So can:

• preparing a meal.
• teaching a child.
• balancing a ledger.
• mowing a lawn.
• caring for a patient.
• building a house.
• answering a telephone.

When we perform honest work faithfully and thankfully before God, ordinary work becomes an opportunity for worship.

Seventh, Work Provides Opportunities for Witness

Many Christians spend more waking hours around coworkers than around members of their church.

That makes the workplace an important mission field.

Your coworkers observe you.

They notice:

• how you handle pressure.
• whether you gossip.
• whether you cheat.
• how you respond when someone treats you unfairly.
• whether your Christianity makes any difference on Monday morning.

Jesus said:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Sometimes the strongest Christian witness at work begins with simply being a person of integrity.

Do excellent work.

Treat people well.

Keep your promises.

Refuse dishonest practices.

Show compassion.

Then, when God gives an opportunity, explain the reason for the hope that is in you.

Eighth, Work Can Become an Idol

Work is good.

But good things can become idols.

Some people find their entire identity in their occupation.

Ask, “Who are you?” and they immediately answer with their job title.

But Christians must remember:

You are not what you do.

Your deepest identity is not:

• Manager.
• Teacher.
• Mechanic.
• Pastor.
• Business owner.
• Homemaker.
• Retiree.

Your deepest identity is found in Jesus Christ.

Work becomes dangerous when it replaces God.

If our job receives all our time, affection, energy, and attention while God and family receive whatever remains, something has become disordered.

We should work diligently.

But we should never worship our job.

Ninth, Laziness Is Not a Christian Virtue

While Scripture warns against making work an idol, it also warns against laziness.

Proverbs says:

“In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury” (Proverbs 14:23).

There is a difference between talking about what we intend to do and actually doing it.

Proverbs repeatedly points us toward diligence, planning, responsibility, and perseverance.

Christians should not expect other people to carry responsibilities we are capable of carrying ourselves.

When God gives us ability and opportunity to serve, we should use them faithfully.

Tenth, But Rest Is Also Biblical

Hard work does not mean endless labor.

God built a rhythm of labor and rest into creation.

After six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day—not because He was exhausted, but to establish a pattern.

Human beings have limits.

We need:

• sleep.
• rest.
• worship.
• time with family.
• moments when we stop producing and simply enjoy God’s goodness.

Sometimes we wear exhaustion like a badge of honor.

“I’m so busy.”

“I haven’t had a day off.”

“I worked seventy hours this week.”

That may occasionally be necessary, but constant exhaustion is not necessarily evidence of faithfulness.

Rest reminds us of something important:

The world keeps turning when we stop working.

God is God.

We are not.

Eleventh, What About Retirement?

Retirement changes our employment, but does not eliminate our usefulness.

A person may retire from a career.

A Christian never retires from serving God.

Retirement may actually provide opportunities that were impossible during years of full-time employment.

You may have more time:

• to pray.
• to serve your church.
• to mentor younger people.
• to care for family.
• to volunteer.
• to study Scripture.
• to encourage someone who is lonely.

The question in retirement should not simply be:

“What do I want to do with the rest of my life?”

It can become:

“Lord, how can I use this season for You?”

Twelveth, Sometimes We Cannot Work

There are seasons when illness, disability, unemployment, age, caregiving responsibilities, or circumstances prevent a person from working in the way he would like.

We should be careful not to measure someone’s worth by his productivity.

A person’s value does not come from a paycheck.

Human beings possess dignity because God created them in His image.

A person who cannot work is no less valuable before God than the person laboring sixty hours each week.

Neither should someone going through unemployment assume that he has lost his purpose.

A job may disappear.

God does not.

Continue:

• seeking His direction.
• doing what you can.
• serving where opportunities exist.

Trust God during the uncertainty.

Thirthteenth, What About Work We Do Not Enjoy?

Not everyone has his dream job.

Sometimes work is simply labor.

Perhaps:

• the job is repetitive.
• the supervisor is difficult.
• the salary is disappointing.
• you once imagined doing something entirely different.

Ecclesiastes says:

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

There may be legitimate reasons to seek another job.

But until God opens another door, we can still honor Him where we are.

Faithfulness is not limited to ideal circumstances.

Sometimes God does some of His greatest work in us while we are doing work we would never have chosen for ourselves.

Fourteenth, Jesus Understands Work

We sometimes forget that Jesus spent most of His earthly life outside the public spotlight.

Before His public ministry, Jesus was known as:

“the carpenter” (Mark 6:3).

Think about that.

The Son of God worked with His hands.

He:

• measured.
• shaped.
• built.
• repaired.
• dealt with customers.
• experienced tired muscles.

For years, the One who created the universe performed ordinary work in an ordinary town.

That tells us something beautiful.

There is no shame in ordinary employment faithfully performed.

Jesus dignified labor by participating in it.

Fifthteenth, Our Work Will Not Last Forever

No matter how successful our career becomes, eventually someone else will occupy our office.

Someone else will:

• use our tools.
• sit at our desk.
• take our position.

That realization can either depress us or free us.

Our ultimate purpose is not to build a career that lasts forever.

It is to live faithfully before the God who does.

Paul writes:

“Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24).

That changes everything.

Your:

• employer may never recognize your effort.
• customers may never appreciate you.
• family may overlook much of what you do.

But God sees.

No faithful service offered to Christ is wasted.

Sixteenth, What’s It Mean for Me?

Work is more than earning a paycheck.

It is one of the ways we serve God and serve one another.

So when you begin your work, remember:

Work honestly and diligently.

Treat people with dignity.

Keep your word.

Provide for those God has entrusted to you.

Use what you earn generously.

Rest when you need to rest.

Never allow your occupation to become your identity.

And above all:

Do your work for Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow morning you may not walk into your dream job.

You may walk into an office, kitchen, classroom, workshop, store, hospital, construction site, church, or simply another day of household chores.

Whatever God places before you, remember Paul’s words:

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).

Your work matters.

Not because every:

• task is exciting.
•  job is prestigious.
• everyone notices.

Your work matters because you can offer it to God.

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

Calling: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: Matthew 4:18–22; Romans 8:28–30; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 2:9

When Christians hear the word calling, we often think about pastors, missionaries, evangelists, or other people whom God has called into vocational ministry.

But the Bible presents calling as something much bigger.

Every Christian has been called.

God calls us to salvation, to holiness, to service, and to a life that glorifies Jesus Christ. Within that larger calling, God gives each believer particular opportunities, abilities, responsibilities, and places of service.

The important question is not simply, “What do I want to do with my life?”

The better question is:

“Lord, what do You want to do with the life You have given me?”

First, What Is a Calling?

In Scripture, calling begins with God.

We do not first discover God. God seeks us.

Then God calls us through the Gospel to repent, believe in Jesus Christ, and follow Him.

Paul writes:

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

Christian calling, therefore, is God’s invitation and command to belong to Christ and live for His purposes.

That distinction is important.

Your calling is bigger than your occupation.

A person may retire from a career, lose a job, change professions, move to another community, or enter a new season of life without losing his calling.

Our circumstances change.

Our calling to follow Christ remains.

Second, Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him

One of the clearest pictures of calling appears beside the Sea of Galilee.

Peter and Andrew were fishermen. Jesus approached them and said:

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

Notice what came first.

Jesus did not begin by giving them a detailed explanation of everything they would accomplish.

He simply said:

“Follow me.”

That is where every Christian calling begins.

Before God calls us to a particular task, ministry, occupation, or responsibility, He calls us to Himself.

Sometimes we become so concerned about discovering God’s plan that we overlook the clearest part of His plan.

Follow Jesus today.

Obey what you already know.

Walk faithfully with Him.

Then trust Him with tomorrow.

Third, We Are Called to Salvation

The first and greatest calling is the Gospel call.

Paul writes:

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9).

God’s calling does not begin with what we can accomplish for Him.

It begins with what Christ has accomplished for us.

Jesus died for our sins.

He rose from the dead.

God calls sinners to repent and believe the Gospel.

We come to Christ not because we have earned His favor, but because He offers salvation by grace.

That means Christian calling can never become a source of pride.

Whatever God allows us to accomplish, we begin as sinners saved by grace.

Fourth, We Are Called to Holiness

God does not merely call us out of something.

He calls us into something.

Peter writes:

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15).

God calls believers away from the old life of sin and toward a life that reflects the character of Christ.

Our calling, therefore, is not merely about what we do.

It is also about who we are becoming.

A person can accomplish impressive things and still neglect his relationship with God.

We sometimes become so focused on our assignment that we forget our character.

God is interested in both.

He calls us to serve Him faithfully, but He also calls us to become more like Jesus.

Fifth, We Are Called to Serve

Ephesians 2:10 says:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

God saves us for a purpose.

Every Christian has opportunities to serve.

Some:

• preach.
• teach.
• sing.
• encourage.
• give.
• lead.
• care for children.
• visit the sick.
• prepare meals.
• repair buildings.
• serve quietly behind the scenes where few people ever notice.

The church sometimes makes the mistake of dividing Christians into two groups: ministers and everybody else.

The New Testament does not make that distinction so sharply.

Pastors have a particular calling and responsibility, but every Christian is a servant of Jesus Christ.

You may never stand behind a pulpit.

You still have a ministry.

Sixth, Calling Is Bigger Than a Career

We often ask young people:

“What are you going to be when you grow up?”

Usually, we mean, “What occupation will you choose?”

But your occupation is only one part of your life.

A Christian may be called to work as a teacher, mechanic, physician, carpenter, farmer, accountant, truck driver, homemaker, business owner, or countless other occupations.

Paul writes:

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).

The Christian does not have to work in a church building to serve God.

Your:

• workplace can become a place of ministry.
• home can become a place of ministry.
• neighborhood can become a place of ministry.
• retirement years can become a season of ministry.

The question is not simply:

“Do I have a Christian job?”

The question is:

“Am I serving Christ where He has placed me?”

Seventh, How Do I Discover My Calling?

This is where many Christians struggle.

They want God to send a letter from Heaven saying:

Here is exactly what I want you to do for the next thirty years.

Usually, God does not work that way.

He leads us step by step.

Several things can help us recognize His direction.

Start with Scripture

God will never call you to something that contradicts His Word.

The Bible already reveals much of God’s will.

You do not need:

• to pray about whether God wants you to be honest.
• a sign to determine whether you should forgive.
• a vision to know whether you should love your neighbor.

Begin with what God has already said.

Pray for Wisdom

James writes:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5).

Bring your decisions before God.

Ask Him:

• to open the right doors and close the wrong ones.
• to expose selfish motives.
• to give you wisdom rather than simply confirming what you already want.

Consider Your Gifts

God gives believers different abilities and spiritual gifts.

Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 describe a variety of gifts within the church.

What:

• has God equipped you to do?
• do other mature Christians recognize in you?
• does your service seem to bear fruit?

Your abilities do not automatically determine your calling, but they can provide important clues.

Look at the Opportunities God Provides

Sometimes God’s calling becomes clear through an opportunity.

A need appears, a door opens, someone asks for help, or a responsibility comes your way.

We can spend so much time searching for God’s mysterious plan that we miss the opportunity standing directly in front of us.

Faithfulness often begins with the next thing God has placed before us.

Eighth, Calling Does Not Mean Easy

We sometimes assume that if God calls us to something, everything will fall neatly into place.

Tell that to Moses, Jeremiah, to Paul, or to the disciples.

God’s calling may lead through opposition, disappointment, sacrifice, uncertainty, and suffering.

Paul wrote:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

A difficult road does not necessarily mean you have taken the wrong road.

Sometimes obedience is difficult precisely because it requires faith.

The question is not:

“Is this easy?”

The question is:

“Is this where God wants me to be?”

Ninth, Sometimes God Redirects Our Calling

There are seasons in life.

A person may faithfully serve God in one way for twenty years and then find that God opens another door.

That does not mean the first calling failed.

It may simply mean that one assignment ended and another began.

Acts 16 gives an interesting example. Paul intended to preach in certain areas, but God redirected him toward Macedonia.

Paul had the right mission—preaching the Gospel—but God changed the location.

Sometimes God changes our circumstances without changing our purpose.

• A job ends.
• Children leave home.
• Health changes.
• Retirement comes.
• A ministry closes.
• A new opportunity appears.

In those moments, we should not assume:

“God is finished with me.”

Instead, ask:

“Lord, how do You want me to serve You now?”

Tenth, There Is No Retirement from Following Jesus

The world often measures usefulness by productivity.

God measures faithfulness.

Age does not cancel your calling.

Retirement does not cancel your calling.

Physical limitations do not cancel your calling.

You may not be able to serve in the same ways you once did, but as long as God gives you life, there are ways to glorify Him.

You can:

• pray.
• encourage.
• teach.
• give.
• mentor younger believers.
• share what God has taught you.
• tell someone about Jesus.
• demonstrate patience, faith, gratitude, and hope.

Some of the most important ministry a Christian ever performs may happen in the later chapters of life.

Eleventh, Do Not Compare Your Calling with Someone Else’s

Peter once asked Jesus about John’s future.

Jesus essentially told Peter that John’s assignment was none of his concern.

Then Jesus said:

“Follow thou me” (John 21:22).

That is good advice.

Comparison is dangerous.

Someone else’s ministry may be larger, abilities may seem greater, or someone else’s opportunities may appear more exciting.

But God has not called you to live someone else’s life.

He has called you to be faithful with your life.

You are responsible for the opportunities, gifts, resources, relationships, and responsibilities God has entrusted to you.

Faithfulness matters more than fame.

Twelveth, Ordinary Faithfulness Is a Calling

We sometimes imagine that God’s calling must involve something dramatic.

Go overseas.

Start a ministry.

Write a book.

Preach to thousands.

Sometimes it does.

Often it looks much more ordinary.

Care for your family.

Keep your word.

Work honestly.

Help your neighbor.

Teach a Sunday school class.

Encourage someone who is discouraged.

Pray for someone who is suffering.

Share the Gospel with a friend.

Serve your church.

Do the next right thing.

Much of the Christian life consists of ordinary faithfulness performed for an extraordinary God.

Jesus said:

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10).

Never underestimate what God can accomplish through a lifetime of small acts of obedience.

Thirthteenth, What’s It Mean for Me?

You may wonder:

“What is God’s calling for my life?”

Begin with what you already know.

God calls you to:

• Jesus Christ.
• salvation.
• holiness.
• love Him and love others.
• serve.
• faithfulness.

Then, within that greater calling, He gives you particular assignments.

Some last a lifetime.

Others last a season.

You do not have to understand the entire journey before taking the next step.

When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, He did not hand them a map explaining everything ahead.

He said:

“Follow me.”

And they followed.

Perhaps that is the best way to understand calling.

You do not have to know everything God will ask you to do tomorrow.

You simply need to be faithful to what He asks you to do today.

Listen to His Word.

Walk with Christ.

Use what He has given you.

Serve where He has placed you.

Trust Him when the road changes.

And remember:

Your calling is not primarily about finding something important to do.

It is about belonging to Jesus Christ and faithfully following Him wherever He leads.

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

Christian Ethics: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: Romans 12:1–2; Micah 6:8; Matthew 22:37–40; John 14:15; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17; James 1:22

Christian ethics answers a practical question every believer faces: How should a follower of Jesus Christ live?

The Bible does more than tell us what to believe. It tells us how our faith should shape our character, choices, relationships, work, words, money, sexuality, priorities, and treatment of other people. Christian ethics takes the truth we believe and applies it to the life we live.

Paul writes:

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).

Christian ethics is not merely a collection of rules about right and wrong. It is living every area of life under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

First, What Are Christian Ethics?

The word ethics refers to the principles that guide our decisions about right and wrong, good and evil, and how we ought to live.

Everyone lives by some ethical standard. The question is not whether we have one, but where our standard comes from.

Our culture often determines right and wrong according to personal preference, popular opinion, political ideology, or changing social values. The Christian begins somewhere else.

We begin with God.

God’s character defines what is good. God’s Word reveals His will. Jesus Christ shows us what righteous living looks like.

Therefore, Christian ethics asks more than:

“What do I want to do?”

It asks:

“What does God want me to do?”

Second, God Is the Foundation of Christian Ethics

Christian morality does not begin with a rulebook. It begins with the character of God.

God is holy (Isaiah 6:3).
>God is righteous (Psalm 11:7).
>God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4).
>God is truthful (Titus 1:2).
>God is loving (1 John 4:8).
>God is merciful (Ephesians 2:4).

Because God is:

• holy, holiness is good.
• is truthful, lying is wrong.
• is just, injustice is wrong.
• loving, selfish cruelty contradicts His character.

God does not invent morality arbitrarily. Goodness flows from who God is.

The Christian therefore does not ask culture to define righteousness. We look to the God who created us.

Third, Scripture Is Our Authority

Paul tells Timothy:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Scripture gives believers an objective standard.

Human opinions change. Cultural standards change. What society condemns in one generation may be celebrated in another. But God’s truth does not shift with public opinion.

That does not mean the Bible provides a specific verse for every modern situation. Scripture does not directly mention social media, artificial intelligence, modern medicine, automobiles, or thousands of other circumstances we face.

Instead, Scripture gives us commands, principles, examples, and wisdom that enable us to evaluate new situations faithfully.

The question becomes:

“What biblical truth applies to this decision?”

Fourth, Jesus Summarized Christian Ethics with Love

A lawyer once asked Jesus which commandment was greatest. Jesus answered:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

Then He added:

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39).

These two commands provide the framework for Christian ethics.

Love God. Love people.

But biblical love is not merely an emotion. Love seeks what is genuinely good for another person according to God’s truth.

Jesus said:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Love and obedience belong together.

We cannot claim that love permits us to disregard God’s commands. Neither should we use God’s commands as an excuse to treat people harshly.

Christian ethics holds truth and love together.

Fifth, the Christian Life Is More Than Rule-Keeping

One danger in discussing Christian ethics is reducing Christianity to a list of “do’s” and “don’ts.”

The Gospel is not:

Behave better so God will accept you.

The Gospel is:

God saves sinners by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that salvation produces a changed life.

Paul writes:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith… Not of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

But the next verse says:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

Good works do not produce salvation.

Good works proceed from salvation.

We do not obey God to earn His grace. We obey because we have received His grace.

Sixth, the Holy Spirit Changes Our Character

Christian ethics is impossible to separate from the work of the Holy Spirit.

God does not simply hand us commandments and tell us to try harder. He places His Spirit within believers and begins changing us from the inside.

Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Longsuffering
• Gentleness
• Goodness
• Faith
• Meekness
• Temperance

Notice that Christian morality concerns character as well as conduct.

God is not merely interested in whether we avoid:

• murder–He deals with hatred.
• adultery–He deals with lust.
• theft–He deals with greed.

Jesus consistently moved beyond outward behavior to the condition of the heart.

Christian ethics therefore asks not only:

“What did I do?”

but also:

“What kind of person am I becoming?”

Seventh, Christian Ethics Applies to Everyday Life

Sometimes Christians think of ethics only when discussing controversial subjects. But Christian ethics touches ordinary life every day.

It affects:

• how we speak to our spouse.
• whether we keep our promises.
• how honestly we conduct business.
• how we treat employees and employers.
• what we watch and read.
• how we use money.
• how we behave when nobody is watching.
• what we post online.
• whether we forgive those who hurt us.
• how we treat the poor, elderly, vulnerable, stranger, and unborn.
• how we use power and influence.

Paul gives us a wonderfully simple principle:

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

That little word whatsoever covers a great deal of territory.

There is no part of the Christian life that stands outside God’s authority.

Eighth, What About Difficult Decisions?

Not every moral decision is simple.

Sometimes two biblical principles seem to pull us in different directions. Sometimes Scripture gives us a clear principle but leaves us to determine how best to apply it.

When facing a difficult ethical decision, ask several questions:

1. What does Scripture clearly teach?
2. Does this choice honor God?
3. Does it demonstrate love toward others?
4. Would this require me to violate a biblical command?
5. What motives are driving my decision?
6. How will my choice affect other people?
7. Can I do this with a clear conscience before God?
8. Can I sincerely pray for God’s blessing upon this decision?

James reminds us:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5).

Prayer, Scripture, Christian wisdom, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit help believers navigate difficult situations.

Ninth, Christian Freedom Has Limits

Some matters are not directly commanded or forbidden in Scripture. Christians sometimes reach different conclusions about these issues.

Romans 14 addresses disagreements among sincere believers concerning matters of conscience.

Christian freedom, however, does not mean:

“I can do whatever I want.”

Instead, Christian freedom asks:

“How can I use my freedom in a way that honors Christ and helps others?”

Paul writes:

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).

Mature Christians do not constantly ask, “How much can I get away with?”

They ask, “What will best glorify God?”

Tenth, Christian Ethics and the World Around Us

Christians live in societies whose moral values may differ sharply from Scripture.

Jesus did not call us to withdraw completely from the world. Neither did He call us to imitate it.

He called us to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16).

That requires courage.

There will be times when following Christ puts believers at odds with popular opinion. Our responsibility is neither to become hostile toward the world nor to surrender biblical truth to gain its approval.

We must:

• speak truth with grace.
• oppose evil without becoming hateful.
• defend righteousness while remembering that sinners need the same grace that saved us.

The Christian’s goal is not simply to win arguments.

Our goal is to represent Christ.

Eleventh, When We Fail

No Christian perfectly lives according to God’s standards.

We sometimes speak when we should remain silent or remain silent when we should speak.

We:

• act selfishly.
• make foolish decisions.
• fail to love our neighbors.
• compromise.
• sin.

Christian ethics must always remain connected to the Gospel.

John writes:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Failure does not give us permission to lower God’s standard.

Neither should failure drive the believer into hopelessness.

We confess our sin, receive God’s forgiveness, learn from our failure, and continue walking with Christ.

Grace does not make holiness unnecessary.

Grace makes holiness possible.

Twelveth, the Goal Is Christlikeness

Romans 12:2 says:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

That is the heart of Christian ethics.

God is transforming us.

Our:

• • • thinking changes,
    • desires change,
    • priorities change,
    • relationships change, and
    • behavior changes.

Slowly, sometimes painfully, and never perfectly in this life, the Holy Spirit shapes believers into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

The ultimate question of Christian ethics is therefore not merely:

“Is this allowed?”

A better question is:

“Does this help me live like Jesus?”

Thirthteenth, What’s It Mean for Me?

Christian ethics means that following Jesus affects everything.

Faith is not something we practice only on Sunday morning. Jesus is Lord on Monday morning too.

Before making a decision, ask:

What does God’s Word say?

Will this honor Jesus Christ?

Am I acting from love or selfishness?

Will this help or harm others?

Can I thank God for this choice?

Would I be comfortable if other believers knew about it?

Does this decision reflect the character of Christ?

The world may tell us to follow our hearts.

Jesus tells us:

“Follow me” (Matthew 4:19).

That is Christian ethics in its simplest form.

We follow Jesus by trusting His Word, imitating His character, love what He loves, and reject what He calls evil.

And when we fail, we return to His grace and continue walking with Him.

Christian ethics is not merely learning the difference between right and wrong.

It is learning to live every day with Jesus Christ as Lord.

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

Spiritual Practices: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: 1 Timothy 4:7–8; John 15:4–5; Psalm 1:1–3; Matthew 6:5–18; Hebrews 10:24–25

Every Christian wants to grow spiritually. We want stronger faith, a deeper prayer life, greater knowledge of Scripture, victory over temptation, and a closer walk with Jesus Christ.

But spiritual growth does not happen accidentally.

A farmer does not scatter seed and then forget about his field. He cultivates the soil, removes weeds, provides water, and patiently waits for the harvest. In much the same way, Christians cultivate their relationship with God through regular spiritual practices.

Paul told Timothy:

“Exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7).

The word exercise gives us the picture of training. Athletes train their bodies through repeated disciplines. Christians also develop habits that help us grow in godliness.

Spiritual practices do not earn salvation. They do not make God love us more. They are simply ways we intentionally place ourselves where God can teach us, shape us, strengthen us, and draw us closer to Himself.

First, What Are Spiritual Practices?

Spiritual practices are regular biblical activities through which Christians cultivate their relationship with God and grow toward spiritual maturity.

They are sometimes called spiritual disciplines.

These practices include:

• Bible reading and study
• Prayer
• Worship
• Fasting
• Fellowship
• Service
• Giving
• Solitude and quiet reflection
• Confession
• Witnessing

None of these practices saves us.

We are saved:

“By grace…through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).

But the same grace that saves us also begins transforming us.

Spiritual practices are part of our response to that grace.

We do not practice them to become Christians.

We practice them because we are Christians.

Second, Bible Reading: Listening to God

One of the most important spiritual practices is regularly reading and studying the Bible.

God has given us His written Word so that we may know Him, understand His will, recognize truth, and learn how to live.

The psalmist wrote:

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Imagine trying to walk through a dark forest without a flashlight. You might stumble over rocks, wander off the trail, or walk directly into danger.

God’s Word provides light for the journey.

Scripture teaches us what God is like.

It shows us our sin, points us to Christ, corrects our thinking, strengthens our faith, and prepares us to face temptation.

The Christian who rarely opens the Bible should not be surprised when spiritual confusion begins creeping into life.

Jesus prayed:

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17).

We need more than occasional contact with Scripture. We need to live in it.

Third, Prayer: Talking With God

If Bible reading is listening to God, prayer is talking with God.

Jesus regularly prayed.

Before making important decisions, He prayed.

During difficult circumstances, He prayed.

Before the cross, He prayed.

If the Son of God considered prayer essential, how much more do we need it?

Jesus taught:

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father” (Matthew 6:6).

Prayer does not require impressive language.

God is not grading our vocabulary.

Prayer is simply honest conversation with our heavenly Father.

We praise Him, thank Him, confess our sins, bring Him our needs, pray for others, and seek His guidance.

And sometimes we simply sit quietly before Him.

Prayer changes circumstances, but prayer also changes us.

The more time we spend with God, the more our hearts begin to align with His.

Fourth, Worship: Giving God His Worth

Many people think worship is something that happens during the music portion of a Sunday service.

That is certainly worship—but worship is much larger than singing.

Paul wrote:

“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Worship is offering our entire lives to God.

We worship when:

• we sing His praises,
• we obey His Word,
• we give generously,
• we serve someone who cannot repay us, and
• we choose integrity even when nobody is watching.

True worship says:

“Lord, You are worthy of everything I am.”

Sunday worship should overflow into Monday morning.

Fifth, Fasting: Hungering for God

Fasting is one of the spiritual practices many modern Christians rarely consider.

Biblical fasting normally involves voluntarily going without food for a period of time in order to focus more intentionally upon God.

Jesus said:

“Moreover when ye fast…” (Matthew 6:16).

Notice that He said when, not if.

Fasting does not manipulate God into answering our prayers. It does not make us more spiritual than other believers.

Instead, fasting helps us temporarily set aside a physical appetite so that we may concentrate more fully upon a spiritual need.

The hunger we experience becomes a reminder:

I need God more than I need food.

Fasting may accompany prayer during times of important decisions, repentance, grief, spiritual concern, or an intense desire to seek God.

Sixth, Solitude: Getting Quiet Before God

We live in a noisy world.

Television.

Phones.

Social media.

News.

Music.

Notifications.

Conversations.

There is almost always something competing for our attention.

Jesus occasionally withdrew from the crowds.

Luke tells us:

“And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

There are times when Christians need to turn off the noise.

Solitude does not mean becoming isolated from people. It means intentionally stepping away from distractions for a time so that we can focus upon God.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is sit quietly with an open Bible and say:

“Lord, I am listening.”

Seventh, Fellowship: Growing Together

Christianity was never intended to be practiced alone.

The writer of Hebrews tells us:

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25).

We need:

• other Christians,
• people who encourage us when we are discouraged,
• people who pray for us when we are struggling,
• teachers who help us understand Scripture, and
• fellow believers who sometimes lovingly correct us.

And other Christians need us.

Church fellowship is not simply attending a weekly meeting. It is sharing life together as members of the body of Christ.

The Christian life includes both a personal relationship with Christ and a shared relationship with His people.

Eighth, Giving: Trusting God With What We Have

Giving is another important spiritual practice because money has tremendous power over the human heart.

Jesus warned:

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Giving teaches us that everything we possess ultimately belongs to God.

Our money, possessions, abilities, opportunities, and our time.

Giving loosens the grip that material possessions can have upon us.

When we give to support God’s work and help others, we declare:

“God is my provider. Money is not my master.”

Generosity becomes an act of worship and trust.

Ninth, Service: Putting Faith Into Action

Jesus did not come merely to be served.

He came to serve.

He said:

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Mark 10:45).

Christian service takes many forms.

Teaching a Sunday school class.

Visiting someone who is lonely.

Preparing a meal for a grieving family.

Helping a neighbor.

Encouraging someone who is discouraged.

Cleaning the church.

Caring for children.

Praying with someone who is hurting.

Some acts of service are visible. Most are not.

But God sees them all.

Serving others reminds us that Christianity is not merely about what we receive from God. It also involves allowing God to use us to bless others.

Tenth, Confession: Keeping Short Accounts With God

Christians still sin.

That does not mean we lose our salvation every time we fail. It means that we must continually bring our sins honestly before God.

John wrote:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).

Confession means agreeing with God about our sin.

We stop making excuses, stop blaming other people, and stop pretending.

We simply say:

“Lord, I was wrong.”

Confession keeps our hearts tender toward God.

The longer we defend sin, the harder our hearts become. The quicker we confess it, the quicker fellowship can be restored.

Eleventh, Witnessing: Sharing What Christ Has Done

Spiritual growth should eventually overflow into concern for people who do not know Christ.

Jesus told His disciples:

“Ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8).

A witness simply tells what he knows.

You do not need a seminary degree to tell someone about Jesus.

You can:

• tell them what Christ has done for you,
• can explain the Gospel,
• can invite them to church,
• can share Scripture, and
• can answer questions.

And when you do not know the answer, you can simply say, “I don’t know, but I’ll try to find out.”

Sharing our faith reminds us that the Gospel is not something God intended us to keep to ourselves.

In Contrast, Spiritual Practices Can Become Empty Rituals

There is an important warning.

Good spiritual practices can become bad substitutes for a genuine relationship with God.

The Pharisees prayed, fasted, gave, and knew Scripture.

Yet Jesus repeatedly confronted them because outward religious activity had replaced inward devotion to God.

Jesus warned:

“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).

We can:

• read three chapters of the Bible every morning and never listen to what God is saying,
• can pray without thinking,
• can attend church without worshiping, and
• can give while secretly wanting recognition.

The practice itself is not the goal.

Knowing God is the goal.

Spiritual practices are tools that help us pursue Him.

Remember, Grace Comes Before Discipline

This distinction is essential.

Christianity is not:

Practice spiritual disciplines → become good enough → God accepts you.

The Gospel says:

Christ saves you by grace → God accepts you in Christ → you begin growing in Him.

Discipline follows grace.

Paul wrote:

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you” (Philippians 2:12–13).

Notice both sides.

We work.

God works within us.

Christian growth involves effort, but it is never independent effort. God gives us His Holy Spirit, His Word, His church, and His grace.

We cooperate with what God is doing in us.

Finally, Start Small and Be Consistent

Sometimes Christians become discouraged because they create unrealistic spiritual goals.

“I am going to read ten chapters of the Bible every morning.”

“I am going to pray for two hours every day.”

Three days later, the plan disappears.

It is usually better to begin small and remain consistent.

Read one chapter carefully.

Spend ten focused minutes in prayer.

Memorize one verse.

Attend worship faithfully.

Look for one opportunity to serve someone.

Then build upon those habits.

A tree does not become mature overnight.

Neither does a Christian.

Spiritual maturity develops through thousands of ordinary decisions to walk with God.

Abide in Christ

Ultimately, spiritual practices have one central purpose:

To help us abide in Christ.

Jesus said:

“Abide in me, and I in you” (John 15:4).

Then He added:

“For without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

That is the heart of spiritual growth.

Christianity is not primarily about checking religious activities off a list.

Bible reading—done.

Prayer—done.

Church—done.

Giving—done.

Christianity is about living every day in fellowship with Jesus Christ.

The spiritual practices simply help us cultivate that relationship.

What’s It Mean?

Spiritual practices are intentional biblical habits that help Christians grow in their relationship with God.

Read Scripture because you want to hear from God.

Pray because you want to talk with God.

Worship because God is worthy.

Fast because you hunger for God.

Practice solitude because you need to hear His voice above the noise.

Enjoy fellowship because you need God’s people.

Give because God owns everything.

Serve because Jesus served us.

Confess because you want nothing standing between our hearts and God.

Witness because others need to know Jesus.

But remember this:

The goal is not mastering the practices.

The goal is knowing Christ.

Spiritual practices cannot save us, and they cannot replace God’s grace. They simply help us develop the habits of a life centered upon Jesus.

Paul told Timothy:

“Exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7).

So open your Bible.

Spend time in prayer.

Worship faithfully.

Serve somebody.

Find some quiet time with God.

And keep walking with Jesus.

One day at a time.

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

The Lord’s Supper: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: Matthew 26:26–29; Luke 22:14–20; 1 Corinthians 10:16–17; 1 Corinthians 11:23–29. These passages are central to understanding the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Supper.

Few moments in Christian worship are as simple—and as meaningful—as the Lord’s Supper. A small piece of bread. A cup containing the fruit of the vine. Two ordinary elements placed before believers to remind us of an extraordinary Savior.

Jesus gave the Lord’s Supper to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. He knew what awaited Him. Judas would betray Him. Peter would deny Him. The disciples would scatter. Before the next day ended, Jesus would hang on a Roman cross.

Yet during that final meal, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples. Then He took the cup and gave it to them. Through these simple actions, Jesus gave His church a continuing reminder of His sacrifice and a proclamation of the Gospel.

The Lord’s Supper calls us to remember Christ’s sacrifice, examine our hearts, celebrate our fellowship, proclaim the Gospel, and anticipate Christ’s return.

First, What Is the Lord’s Supper?

The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance Jesus gave to His church as a visible reminder of His death for our sins.

Paul wrote:

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you” (1 Corinthians 11:23).

The Lord’s Supper did not originate with church tradition. Jesus Himself established it.

On the night of His betrayal, Jesus took bread and said:

“This is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).

Then He took the cup and said:

“This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25).

The bread represents Christ’s body given for us. The cup represents His blood shed for us.

The elements do not save us. They point us to the One who does.

The Lord’s Supper is not another sacrifice of Christ. Jesus completed His sacrifice on the cross. The Supper directs our attention back to that finished work.

Second, The Lord’s Supper Helps Us Remember

Jesus said:

“This do in remembrance of me.”

That simple command tells us the central purpose of the Lord’s Supper.

Remember Jesus.

We are prone to forget. We become distracted by work, bills, responsibilities, disappointments, illnesses, politics, entertainment, and the ordinary pressures of life. Even Christians can become so occupied with living that we lose sight of the One who gave us life.

The Lord’s Supper brings us back to the cross.

When we see the bread, we remember the body of Jesus given for us.

When we see the cup, we remember His blood shed for the forgiveness of sins.

We remember:

• Gethsemane,
• the crown of thorns,
• the nails,
• the cross,
• His words:

“It is finished” (John 19:30).

The Lord’s Supper does not ask us merely to remember that Jesus died. It asks us to remember why He died.

He died for us.

Peter explained:

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24).

Every observance of the Lord’s Supper quietly declares, Jesus died for sinners, and I am one of the sinners for whom He died.

Third, The Lord’s Supper Proclaims the Gospel

The Lord’s Supper looks backward to Calvary, but it also speaks to the present.

Paul wrote:

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

The word shew means to proclaim or announce.

Every time the church observes the Lord’s Supper, we preach a sermon without standing behind a pulpit.

The bread says, His body was given for us.

The cup says, His blood was shed for us.

Together they proclaim:

Christ died for our sins.

The Gospel is not primarily about what we can do for God. It is the good news of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Paul summarized it plainly:

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

The Lord’s Supper keeps that Gospel at the center of the church.

Programs may change. Music styles may change. Buildings may change. Cultures may change.

But the message must never change:

Jesus Christ died for sinners and rose again.

Fourth, The Lord’s Supper Reminds Us of the New Covenant

When Jesus gave the cup to His disciples, He said:

“This cup is the new testament in my blood” (Luke 22:20).

The word testament can also be translated covenant.

Under the Old Covenant, animal sacrifices repeatedly reminded Israel of sin and the need for atonement. Those sacrifices pointed forward to something greater.

They pointed to Christ.

John the Baptist saw Jesus and declared:

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus became the final and sufficient sacrifice for sin.

The writer of Hebrews says:

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).

Jesus does not need to be sacrificed again.

Jesus’ sacrifice was enough.

The Lord’s blood was enough.

Christ’s grace is enough.

The Lord’s Supper reminds believers that our relationship with God rests upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Fifth, The Lord’s Supper Calls Us to Examine Ourselves

The Lord’s Supper is a celebration, but it is also a serious moment of worship.

Paul instructed:

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28).

Notice that Paul does not say, “Examine everyone else.”

He says, examine yourself.

Before receiving the Lord’s Supper, we should ask God to search our hearts.

Is there:

• sin I need to confess?
• bitterness I refuse to release?
• someone I need to forgive?

Have I allowed something to come between the Lord and me?

Am I living in obedience to Christ?

Self-examination does not mean that we must somehow make ourselves worthy of Christ. None of us could ever accomplish that.

We come because of grace.

But grace should never make us careless about sin. The Lord’s Supper gives us an opportunity to confess our sins and renew our commitment to walk faithfully with Christ.

John gives believers this promise:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The Lord’s Table is therefore not merely a place of examination.

It is also a place of grace.

Sixth, The Lord’s Supper Reminds Us That We Are One Body

Communion is personal, but it is never merely private.

Paul wrote:

“For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17).

Look around the church during the Lord’s Supper.

You will see different ages, backgrounds, personalities, occupations, experiences, and opinions.

But every believer comes to the same table.

There is no special bread for wealthy Christians; no different cup for educated Christians; no superior place for important Christians.

We all come the same way.

We are sinners saved by grace.

At the foot of the cross, human pride disappears.

The Lord’s Supper reminds us that Christ did not merely save individuals. He made us members of His body.

That means division, bitterness, jealousy, gossip, and unforgiveness have no proper place among God’s people.

The cross reconciles us to God and calls us to reconciliation with one another.

Seventh, The Lord’s Supper Looks Forward

The Lord’s Supper looks backward to the cross, but it also looks forward to the future.

Paul said we proclaim the Lord’s death:

“Till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Those three words are filled with hope.

He is coming again.

Jesus also told His disciples:

“I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).

Every observance of the Lord’s Supper therefore points in two directions.

We look backward and remember:

Jesus died.

Then we look forward and rejoice:

Jesus is coming again.

The cross is behind us.

The Kingdom is ahead of us.

Between the two, the church remembers, worships, witnesses, and waits.

Eighth, The Lord’s Table Is a Table of Grace

Perhaps one of the most beautiful truths about the Lord’s Supper is found in the people who first received it.

Think about those disciples sitting around the table with Jesus.

Within hours, they would fail Him.

Peter would deny Him.

The others would flee.

Jesus knew all of this.

Yet He gave them the bread.

He gave them the cup.

That is grace.

We do not come to the Lord’s Table because we have lived perfect lives and proclaiming our goodness.

We come:

• because Jesus gave His perfect life for imperfect people.
• proclaiming His goodness.
• celebrating our faithfulness.
• celebrating His faithfulness.

The Lord’s Supper tells the story of grace:

We were sinners.
>Christ loved us.
>Christ died for us.
>Christ saved us.
>Christ keeps us.
And Christ is coming for us.

Ninth, What Should I Do When I Receive the Lord’s Supper?

When your church observes the Lord’s Supper, do not allow the moment to become routine.

Remember. Think about what Jesus endured to save you.

Repent. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin that needs to be confessed.

Give thanks. Thank Jesus for His body given and His blood shed for you.

Forgive. Release bitterness toward others as you remember how completely Christ has forgiven you.

Rejoice. Your salvation rests upon Christ’s finished work, not your ability to earn God’s favor.

Look forward. Remember that the Savior who died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and promised to return.

What’s It Mean?

The Lord’s Supper is far more than bread and a cup.

It is:

• remembrance—Jesus died for us,
• proclamation—the Gospel is still our message,
• examination—we search our hearts before God,
• fellowship—we belong to one body in Christ,
• thanksgiving—our salvation is entirely the result of God’s grace, and
• hope—Jesus Christ is coming again.

The next time you hold the bread and the cup, remember that you are holding symbols of the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever known.

Jesus said:

“This do in remembrance of me.”

So remember the cross, the blood, the empty tomb, His grace, and His promise:

He is coming again.

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.

Glorification: What’s It Mean?

Key Scriptures: Romans 8:18–30; 1 Corinthians 15:42–57; Philippians 3:20–21; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 John 3:2–3; Revelation 21:1–5

The Christian life begins with salvation, continues through sanctification, and reaches its glorious completion in glorification.

God does not merely save us from the penalty of sin. He is preparing us for the day when we will be completely free from sin and perfectly transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

The Bible calls this final stage of salvation glorification.

Paul writes:

“Whom he justified, them he also glorified.” — Romans 8:30

Glorification is God’s final work in the salvation of the believer. When Christ returns, God will raise believers who have died, transform believers who remain alive, give us glorified bodies, remove every trace of sin, and bring us into everlasting fellowship with Him.

What God began when He saved us, He will finish.

What Is Glorification?

Glorification is the final and complete transformation of believers into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Today, Christians live between two realities.

We have:

• been saved, but we still live in a fallen world.
• eternal life, but our bodies still grow old.
• been forgiven, but we still struggle against sin.
• the Holy Spirit, but we still experience sorrow, sickness, temptation, disappointment, and death.

Glorification brings all of that incompleteness to an end.

John writes:

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” — 1 John 3:2

Notice those words: “We shall be like him.”

God will completely transform us so that we perfectly reflect the holy character of Christ.

That is glorification.

Salvation Has a Past, Present, and Future

Understanding glorification becomes easier when we see the complete work of salvation.

We can describe salvation in three great biblical truths:

Justification — we have been saved from the penalty of sin.

Sanctification — we are being saved from the power of sin.

Glorification — we will be saved from the presence of sin.

Justification happens when we trust Christ, and God declares us righteous.

Sanctification continues throughout the Christian life, and God increasingly makes our lives reflect that righteousness.

Glorification occurs when God’s saving work reaches its completion, and God completes the work and makes us perfectly like Christ.

Salvation is God’s work from beginning to end.

Glorification Is Certain

Romans 8 contains one of the strongest promises concerning the believer’s future.</span>

Paul writes:

“Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” — Romans 8:30

Something interesting appears in that verse.

Paul speaks of glorification in the past tense.

From our perspective, glorification is still future. Yet Paul describes it as though it has already happened.

Why?

Because God’s promise is so certain that Scripture can speak of the believer’s future glory as an accomplished fact.

God does not begin saving someone and then forget to finish the job.

If God has justified us through Christ, He will one day glorify us with Christ.

Our Bodies Will Be Changed

Christianity does not teach that the body is unimportant.

God created the human body. Sin brought corruption and death into God’s creation, but redemption includes the body.

Paul explains:

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” — Philippians 3:20–21

Our present bodies wear out.

They become tired, hurt, become sick, and grow old.

Eventually, unless Christ returns first, they die.

But death does not have the final word.

Jesus does.

At the resurrection, God will give His people glorified bodies.

What Will a Glorified Body Be Like?

Paul gives us a wonderful description in 1 Corinthians 15.

“It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.” — 1 Corinthians 15:42

Our present bodies are corruptible. They deteriorate.

Our glorified bodies will be incorruptible.

Paul continues:

“It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.” — 1 Corinthians 15:43

Think about those contrasts:

Corruption becomes incorruption.

Dishonor becomes glory.

Weakness becomes power.

Mortality becomes immortality.

The body that:

• struggles today will not struggle forever.
• hurts today will not hurt forever.
• grows old today will not grow old forever.

The grave is not God’s final destination for the Christian.

Resurrection is coming.

Glorification Happens When Christ Returns

The believer’s great hope centers on the return of Jesus Christ.

Paul describes that day:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Then:

“The dead in Christ shall rise first.”

And believers who are alive at Christ’s coming will also be changed.

Paul describes the same event in 1 Corinthians:

“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” — 1 Corinthians 15:51

Then he tells us how quickly:

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.” — 1 Corinthians 15:52

The transformation will not take years.

It will not require rehabilitation.

It will happen in a moment.

God will finish instantly what He has been preparing throughout our lives.

Death Will Finally Be Defeated

Death has followed humanity since Genesis 3.

Every generation has buried its loved ones.

Every cemetery reminds us that something is terribly wrong with this world.

Death was never part of God’s original declaration that creation was “very good.” Death entered because of sin.

But Christ conquered death through His resurrection.

Because Jesus lives, death cannot keep those who belong to Him.

Paul triumphantly declares:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” — 1 Corinthians 15:54

Then he almost seems to taunt death:

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” — 1 Corinthians 15:55

For the Christian, death is a defeated enemy.

It may still frighten us, hurt us, and temporarily separate us from people we love.

But it cannot win.

Jesus Christ has the final word.

We Will Be Free From Sin

Perhaps the greatest blessing of glorification will not be freedom from sickness or even freedom from death.

It will be freedom from sin.

Imagine never again: 

• having a sinful thought.
• speaking an unkind word.
• feeling jealousy.
• struggling with temptation.
• carrying bitterness.
• disappointing God.
• needing to confess sin.
• experiencing the conflict between what we know is right and what our sinful nature wants.

Today we struggle.

Paul understood that struggle well.

But glorification ends the battle.

Sanctification gradually makes us more like Jesus.

Glorification completes the process.

We Will See Jesus

The greatest promise of heaven is not streets of gold.

It is not gates of pearl.

It is not reunion with loved ones, wonderful as that will be.

The greatest promise is Jesus Himself.

John writes:

“We shall see him as he is.” — 1 John 3:2

For centuries, Christians have prayed to Someone they have never physically seen.

We have trusted Him.

Loved Him.

Worshiped Him.

Served Him.

Preached about Him.

Sung about Him.

And one day, faith will become sight.

We will see Jesus Who:

• died for us.
• rose for us.
• interceded for us.
• never abandoned us.
• carried us through every trial.

We will see Him face to face.

Creation Will Also Be Renewed

Glorification is part of something even greater that God is doing.

God intends to renew His creation.

Paul writes that creation itself waits for deliverance from “the bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21).

Revelation shows us the fulfillment:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” — Revelation 21:1

Then comes one of Scripture’s greatest promises:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them.” — Revelation 21:3

God does not simply rescue us from creation.

He redeems creation.

The Bible begins with God dwelling with humanity in a perfect creation, and it ends with God dwelling with redeemed humanity in a renewed creation.

God restores what sin destroyed.

No More Tears

Some verses become more precious the longer we live.

Revelation 21:4 is one of them:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Why were those tears there?

Some came from:

• grief.
• disappointment.
• sickness.
• loneliness.
• broken relationships.
• watching loved ones suffer.
• from our own failures.

Some came when nobody else knew we were crying.

God knew.

And one day:

“There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.”

Notice that God does not merely promise to help us endure these things forever.

He promises to end them.

Present Suffering Cannot Compare With Future Glory

Paul suffered tremendously for Christ.

He experienced beatings, imprisonment, rejection, hunger, danger, persecution, and eventually martyrdom.

Yet Paul wrote:

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” — Romans 8:18

Paul was not saying suffering doesn’t hurt.

It does.

He was saying that future glory will be so overwhelming that today’s suffering cannot compare with what God has prepared.

The Christian does not deny suffering.

The Christian puts suffering in the light of eternity.

Our pain has an expiration date.

Our glory does not.

Glorification Gives Us Hope Today

Glorification is not merely a doctrine for funerals.

It should change how we live today.

When your body hurts, remember: this body will be changed.

Whenever temptation seems relentless, remember: the battle will end.

When you stand beside the grave of a believer, remember: resurrection is coming.

Whenever the world seems hopeless, remember: Christ is returning.

When you become discouraged by your spiritual failures, remember: God has not finished with you.

Whenever age begins taking things away, remember: God is preparing something better.

The Christian always has a reason for hope.

Future Glory Should Produce Present Holiness

The promise of glorification does not give us permission to live carelessly.

It produces exactly the opposite response.

After telling us that we will be like Christ when He appears, John writes:

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” — 1 John 3:3

If Jesus could return at any moment, how should we live?

Faithfully.

Purely.

Prayerfully.

Lovingly.

Expectantly.

We are preparing to meet our King.

God Will Finish What He Started

Sometimes we look at ourselves and wonder whether we will ever become what God wants us to be.

We see weaknesses, failures, and areas where growth seems painfully slow.

But salvation does not depend upon our ability to complete ourselves.

God finishes what He begins.

Paul writes:

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6

God began the work, continues the work, and will complete the work.

That is the hope of glorification.

What’s It Mean?

Glorification is God’s final work of salvation in which He completely transforms believers into the likeness of Christ, gives them immortal and incorruptible bodies, removes every trace of sin, and brings them into everlasting fellowship with Him.

We have been justified, are being sanctified, and will be glorified.

Today we live by faith.

One day we will live by sight.

Today we battle sin.

One day the battle will be over.

Today our bodies grow weak.

One day they will be raised in power.

Today we say goodbye to people we love.

One day God’s people will gather before Christ and never say goodbye again.

Today we sometimes weep.

One day God will wipe away every tear.

The Christian’s best days are not behind him.

They are ahead.

Jesus is coming.

Resurrection is coming.

Glory is coming.

And when God finishes His work, we will finally be what He saved us to become.

Reflection Questions

1. What is the difference between justification, sanctification, and glorification?
2. How does the promise of a glorified body affect the way you think about aging, sickness, and death?
3. Why is seeing Jesus the greatest hope of eternity?
4. How should the promise of Christ’s return affect the way we live today?
5. What present difficulty looks different when viewed in the light of Romans 8:18?
6. How does the certainty of glorification give us assurance about our salvation?
7. Who in your life needs to hear the Christian message of resurrection and hope?

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Dr. Alan Holden has served in pastoral ministry for more than 35 years, preaching and teaching the Bible in churches across the United States. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through What’s It Mean?, he seeks to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture and grow in their walk with Christ. He is currently the pastor of Lake Saunders Baptist Church in Tavares, FL.