Author: Texas Gospel

Abraham fathers all believers through faith, not through bloodline

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Romans 4 describes Abraham as the father of all believers, a statement that raises a natural question given that Abraham is also the physical ancestor of the nation of Israel. In that sense, Abraham serves as the earthly progenitor of the Jewish people, since the nation descended directly from his family line. The fatherhood Paul describes in Romans, however, points to something different from ancestry.

Genesis 15 records that Abraham believed God, and this faith was credited to him as righteousness. This moment introduces the concept of salvation through faith and the doctrine of imputed righteousness, meaning God’s righteousness was applied to Abraham on the basis of his trust rather than his actions.

Abraham was justified by faith alone, and all who come to God through faith, regardless of ethnic background, become his spiritual children in this sense. Before this act of faith, Abraham was an idol worshipper with no claim to righteousness of his own, and his story shows us the pattern followed by everyone who has ever been saved throughout history.

Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

Galatians 3:7

Jesus confronts Peter’s return to fishing with a call back into ministry

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

After his resurrection, Jesus instructed Peter and the other disciples to go to Galilee and wait for him there. Instead, weighed down by guilt over his threefold denial of Christ, Peter returned to his former occupation of fishing rather than waiting as instructed, likely feeling unworthy to serve after his failure. Jesus finds him in that setting and asks whether Peter loves him more than “these,” a reference to the boat, nets and fishing equipment that represented Peter’s old way of life.

The question calls for a renewed commitment from Peter, asking him to choose between his former livelihood and the ministry Jesus intended for him. Each time Peter affirms his love for Jesus, he receives the same response: feed my sheep, feed my lambs. The exchange happens three times, the same number of times Peter denied Jesus.

Isn’t the point here that even Peter, who denied Jesus, can be redeemed? Peter gave three denials followed by Jesus asking him three times if he loved Him. This led to restoration of a fallen disciple, humbled his self-confidence, followed by Jesus trusting him with leadership of the early Church. Jesus offered Peter a public opportunity to reverse his failure without humiliation, shifting his focus from boastful self-reliance to profound trust in Christ.

Jesus redeemed Peter. He can redeem you.

“Feed my sheep.”

John 21:17

Sustaining grace carries believers through life’s weakest moments

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

God’s strength is most evident during the moments when a person feels weakest and uncertain.

Paul went through insult, pain, and difficulty. When I read the bible, I see that these are not meant to push believers toward giving up. Instead, God’s power, made available through sustaining grace, remains sufficient regardless of the circumstance.

2 Corinthians 12:9 comes in the context of Paul describing a “thorn in the flesh,” a persistent hardship he repeatedly asked God to remove. Instead, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul therefore learned to rely on Christ’s strength rather than his own.

Consider the lives the apostles lived and the problems they faced. They didn’t accomplish everything they wanted. Instead, they were drawn closer to God through their sufferings. In Philippians 4:13 Paul explains that he has learned to be content whether he has plenty or is suffering from hunger and need. When he says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” he means that Christ gives him the strength to endure every circumstance and remain faithful, not that he can accomplish anything he desires.

Do you turn to God when times are tough?

Paul’s warning against receiving grace in vain

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

In writing to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul urges believers not to receive the grace of God in vain. This warning can be understood in two distinct ways. The first considers the possibility that some members of the Corinthian congregation were not genuinely converted, prompting Paul’s later instruction that they examine themselves to confirm they were truly in the faith. People can sit under gospel preaching for years without the message taking root in a saving way.

The second application addresses believers who had truly received God’s grace but had drifted into legalistic living. Paul’s letter to the Galatians raises a similar concern, asking whether those who began their Christian life through the Spirit were now trying to reach maturity through their own effort. Grace can be rejected outwardly by those who never truly believed, or it can be replaced inwardly by a reliance on works among those who did believe. Both represent ways of receiving grace without letting it accomplish its intended purpose.

You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.

Galatians 5:4

The apostles hold a unique and unrepeatable place in church history

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

1Corinthians 12:28 lists apostles first among the offices God established in the church, and this order reflects historical sequence as well as importance. The apostles were the twelve men chosen by Jesus, eyewitnesses of his resurrection, with Judas eventually replaced by Matthias. They served as the first preachers of the gospel, and the doctrine they received directly from God became the foundation the early church gathered around and studied.

These twelve, along with the apostle Paul as an additional figure added later, formed a distinct group responsible for writing most of the New Testament and receiving direct revelation from God. Scripture marks them for special honour, including recognition in heaven.

Following the apostles chronologically came prophets, who delivered specific revelation concerning the life of the early church, and then teachers, a role that continues today through pastors and teachers. Ephesians also identifies evangelists, tasked with reaching those outside the faith. The office of apostle itself, however, belonged to a group of thirteen men whose foundational role cannot be repeated in any later generation.

I understand what some today mean when they call themselves an apostle. But I don’t think it’s what the writers of the Bible had in mind.

having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,

Ephesians 2:20