Young People’s Blog

“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Normally we all like the sun and its warmth, but I read about a young woman who said, “I hate the nasty sun!” She worked as a servant in a big home, and when the sun shone brightly through the windows, it showed up all the dust and dirt that she was supposed to clean up. Sometimes she did not do her job properly, and then the sun showed everyone how much dust and dirt she had left. Then she wished it would be a cloudy day, so that no one could see the dust.

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are always in the light, so that our verse could read, “Since we walk in the light.” However, if we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have the assurance that even in the full light of God’s presence, God does not see any sin. The blood of Christ has put all our sin away. The Lord Jesus suffered on the cross, and then shed His blood for us, so that we can enjoy the presence of a holy God without any sin being seen in that light. How thankful we ought to be that the Lord Jesus did all this for us!

“Through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2-3).

As we read through the Word of God, and as we observe the world around us, we often have questions that God has not answered for us. We are sometimes puzzled a little by what God chooses to allow in our lives, or in the world around us. However, we can be assured that God has given us everything to enable us to lead a godly life in this world, for His glory. There is not one thing that we need to be able to live for God’s glory in this world that He has not given us.

How has He given us this knowledge? It is through “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” We get the knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus through the Word of God, but it is not enough just to read the Word of God. I can study the Bible simply to get “head knowledge,” and this will not, in itself, enable me to live for God’s glory. No, I must have a personal relationship with the Lord. I must read the Bible as if God were speaking directly to me. I must be able to accept what He says as if it came from a good friend, for the Lord values our company. Only then will we have the wisdom to live for His glory in this world.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

This is a wonderful verse, and it summarizes everything that we learn in the chapters preceding it in the book of Romans. God shows us (in Romans 1:1-4) that the gospel is first of all about the glory of His Son Jesus Christ, but then He shows us that we are all guilty before God because of our sins.

But then God shows us how He has made a way for us to have our sins forgiven, but without giving up His holy nature. If God had simply said, “I forgive all of you,” He would not have been just, for sin must be punished. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered on the cross for sin, so that God’s holy nature could be satisfied, and we could be saved. Now, if we believe on the Lord Jesus, we can be confident that there is no condemnation (or judgment) for those who are in Christ Jesus.

There are many people in this world who do not know this precious truth, and who are still working to try and satisfy God’s claims. However, no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to do this. But the work has already been done; now we have simply to believe it, and receive it. Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?

“These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat” (Leviticus 11:9).

Here we have more instructions to the nation of Israel, as to what they should eat. To be edible, a fish had to have both fins and scales. What does this mean?

Most fish have six fins, and these allow it to have energy and direction in its movements. The fins keep it from flipping over on its back, and they allow it to propel itself through the water. They also allow it to move through the water easily. This is a picture of what we ought to do as Christians. We need spiritual energy to move forward through this world, and energy from the Lord to do so in a right way.

But scales were also needed, and they speak of protection. The scales on a fish protect it from attacks by other fish, from injury, and also from things like parasites that can attach to the fish. They are a picture to us of protection from the things of this world that can spoil our Christian walk. As we “swim” through this world, there are many things that can attack us, or injure us. Satan is out there, and unless we have on “the whole armor of God,” we may be attacked.

So, like the fish that the Israelites were permitted to eat, we need both fins and scales, in a spiritual sense.

“And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that shall ye eat” (Deuteronomy 14:6).

Why did the animal in question have to have a divided hoof, as well as having to chew the cud? The main point to be noticed here is that our outward walk (pictured by the cloven hoof) needs to correspond to what we are inwardly (pictured by chewing the cud.) It is no use to read the Word of God and meditate on it, if we do not go ahead and practice it in our walk. We may read and understand the Bible, yet fail to walk in the good of it. Likewise, we may have a good outward walk, but do so only as a matter of duty, without having the Word of God before us. For example, the Pharisees in the New Testament took great pains to have a good outward walk before men, but inwardly their hearts were not right with God. The Lord Jesus had to tell them that they made the outside of the cup and platter very clean, but that inwardly they were full of self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25 JND).

The cloven hoof speaks to us of an adequate testimony before this world, for the number two in the Bible often means this. The number two speaks of an adequate testimony, while the number three often speaks of abundant testimony. So, the cloven hoof pictures to us a walk that is a good testimony before others, but it must always be linked to a good state of soul inwardly.

“Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat” (Leviticus 11:3).

The Israelites, according to the law, were restricted as to which animals they were allowed to eat. Here we see that a land animal must have two characteristics in order to be suitable for food. It must have a divided hoof, and it must chew the cud. The Israelites did not know why they had to do this, but now you and I can see the spiritual meaning of it.

Animals that chew the cud eat their food (usually grass and other plants) and swallow it. But then later they lie down, bring it back up into their mouths, and chew it all over again. It probably sounds awful to most of you, but it allows the animal to digest the food completely.

For you and me, it is a picture of our reading the Word of God, but then meditating on it, and thinking about it, so that it becomes part of us. We should not simply read the Word of God, and then go away to our work and forget about what we have read. No, we should let it sink into our hearts and minds, so that our lives are formed by it.

Tomorrow we will talk about what the divided hoof means.

“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).

“And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing” (Leviticus 5:5).

Even though we have a new life in Christ and want to please the Lord, sometimes we fail, and allow a sin in our lives. Then we are told that if we confess our sins, the Lord will forgive us. This is not the same as getting saved, for we never need the blood of Christ applied to us again, but rather the Lord forgives us in order to restore us to happy fellowship with Him.

However, our second verse for today is important too, for it is easy to confess our sin in a general way without being specific about it. When we confess our sin to the Lord, He wants us to say that we have sinned “in that thing.” Of course, He already knows how we have sinned and exactly what we have done, but we need to get to the root of the problem, and not just to say that we have sinned. Naming the sin when we confess it drives the point home to our souls, and allows the Lord to cleanse us “from all unrighteousness,” so that we are not so apt to do it again.

“The kingdom of the world of our Lord and of His Christ is come, and He shall reign to the ages of ages” (Revelation 11:15 JND).

Today is the Lord’s day, and many of us will come together to remember the Lord Jesus in His death, as He has asked us to do. At that time we honor and praise Him for who He is, while thanking Him for what He has done for us on the cross. However, we do not see Him except by faith, as He has not yet taken His rightful place as King. But He is the rightful King, and this world belongs to Him, first of all as Creator, and then as Redeemer. Satan has taken over this world, but he is what we call a usurper—someone who takes over something that does not really belong to him. God is letting Satan have his way for now, for man has chosen to follow Satan instead of the Lord. However, very soon the Lord Jesus will come and take His rightful place, and then the proclamation will go out that the Lord Jesus is once again in His place as King. All will be compelled to own Him then as King, and to bow before Him.

How wonderful it is that we who know Him can bow before Him now, and own Him as the rightful King!

“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord…and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God…and they were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:12-13).

More and more it seems that people in this world are viewing their actions as if what they do matters only in this life. They look at the consequences of their actions only in the light of what may happen in this world. This is Satan’s lie, as he persuades people that after death, they will not have to face any judgment for their sins.

Our verses today show that there are rewards for those who live to please the Lord, and judgment for those whose works are evil. The first verse talks about the works of those who die in the Lord. He will remember what we have done for Him and reward us for it. But those who stand before the “great white throne,” spoken about in Revelation 20, will be the wicked dead, who have died without Christ. At that time their works will be brought out, all of them, and they will be judged according to God’s record. What a serious thought! How awful to have books opened, and all your sins brought out, including every evil thought! Then judgment will be carried out—“cast into the lake of fire.”

But if you are not saved, this does not have to happen to you. Today God is waiting for more to be saved, and you too can be saved and join those who will be rewarded rather than judged.

“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord…and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God…and they were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:12-13).

More and more it seems that people in this world are viewing their actions as if what they do matters only in this life. They look at the consequences of their actions only in the light of what may happen in this world. This is Satan’s lie, as he persuades people that after death, they will not have to face any judgment for their sins.

Our verses today show that there are rewards for those who live to please the Lord, and judgment for those whose works are evil. The first verse talks about the works of those who die in the Lord. He will remember what we have done for Him and reward us for it. But those who stand before the “great white throne,” spoken about in Revelation 20, will be the wicked dead, who have died without Christ. At that time their works will be brought out, all of them, and they will be judged according to God’s record. What a serious thought! How awful to have books opened, and all your sins brought out, including every evil thought! Then judgment will be carried out—“cast into the lake of fire.”

But if you are not saved, this does not have to happen to you. Today God is waiting for more to be saved, and you too can be saved and join those who will be rewarded rather than judged.