Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Mark 3:31-35.

“Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him.  A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”  Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”  Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:31-35.

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Today’s Scripture does not teach that we can ignore and not provide for our family.  “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  1 Timothy 5:8.

Instead, today’s Scripture teaches that there is a close and deep and spiritual relationship between fellow Christians that can be comparable to the relationship between family members.

And, today’s Scripture does not teach that this relationship between fellow Christians is based on the works of fellow Christians.

Instead, today’s Scripture teaches that we can identify fellow Christians, not just based on their claim to be a Christian, but we can identify fellow Christians by their fruit. 

“You will know them by their fruits.  Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?  So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  So then, you will know them by their fruits.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”  Matthew 7:16-21.

“By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”  1 John 3:10.

The relationship between fellow Christians is based on the work of the Holy Spirit.  “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”  1 Corinthians 12:13.  There is “… the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”  Ephesians 4:3-5.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;  and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”  1 John 4:7.

“We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:19.

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Ephesians 4:1-3.

Today’s devotion comes from Mark 3:20-30.

“And He *came home, and the crowd *gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.  When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him;  for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”  The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”  And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.  If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!  But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

“Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;  but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”  Mark 3:20-30.

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“But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.”  Verse 27.

“24 “Can the prey be taken from the mighty man,
Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?”

25 Surely, thus says the LORD,

“Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will save your sons.
26 “I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”  Isaiah 49:24-26.

“…  The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”  1 John 3:8.

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”  Hebrews 2:14-15.

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,”  Colossians 1:13.

“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also;  and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  Revelation 20:10.

Today’s devotion comes from Mark 2:14-17.

“As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He *said to him, “Follow Me!”  And he got up and followed Him.

And it *happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples;  for there were many of them, and they were following Him.  When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”  And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick;  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Mark 2:14-17.

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Jesus was not saying that the apparently healthy and righteous, namely, the Pharisees, scribes, and religious leaders, did not need Him.  Everyone needed Him!  But, they did not choose Him, and He did not choose them.  They trusted in their own wisdom, will, and goodness.

Likewise, there are many today who trust in their own wisdom, will, and goodness.  They may deny it, but their doctrine emphasizes man’s alleged free-will and wisdom (their choice of Christ) and/or goodness (their works) as what distinguishes them worthy of salvation.

But, Reformed Doctrine sees that Scripture classifies everyone in “Total Depravity” (the “T” of “TULIP”), in the same room as the tax collectors and sinners.  And, that the only reason why certain individuals are saved is that God elected them for salvation, “Unconditional Election” (the “U” of “TULIP”), and did everything else necessary for their salvation.

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;  but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:21-31.

Today’s devotion comes from Mark 2:1-13.

“When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home.  And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door;  and He was speaking the word to them.  And they *came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.  Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him;  and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.  And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way?  He is blaspheming;  who can forgive sins but God alone?”  Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, *said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’;  or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He *said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.”  And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

And He went out again by the seashore;  and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.”   Mark 2:1-13.

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Today’s Scripture continues the theme from the previous two days’ Scriptures.  Jesus’ healing miracles were astounding and wonderful and “earthly” life-changing, but His preaching, teaching, and forgiveness of sins were far more important.  The condition of our earthly life is important, but the condition of our spiritual life is far more important.

“If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off;  it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [WHERE THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]”  Mark 9:45-46.

And, today’s Scripture takes it a step further by Jesus first addressing the condition of paralytic spiritual life.  “And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Verse 5.

And, although Jesus certainly cared about the condition of the paralytic’s earthly body, Jesus emphasized to the extreme that the paralytic’s spiritual condition was far more important by only presenting His healing as being done so that they may know (and have faith) that He had authority to forgive sins.  Notice that Jesus said nothing about His concern about the condition of the paralytic’s earthly body.

“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He *said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.”  And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, …”  Verses 10-12.

To rise from the pallet is nothing in comparison to rise from the dead.

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;  in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”  Philippians 3:7-11.