Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3 ESV)

Are you any good at puzzles? I have never been good at physical jigsaw puzzles. My eye/hand coordination is not that great, which is one reason I did not do so well at playing the piano, either. But the Lord has somewhat gifted me in resolving mental puzzles, kind of like “Who done it?” And he has gifted me with a certain amount of discernment to where I am able to put pieces together, not physically, but mentally and spiritually. And the Bible is kind of like one big, gigantic puzzle with lots of pieces, and when you read it enough times you should begin to see how the pieces all fit together.

Now, when you read the Scriptures in their context it really helps to put all these pieces together. And one of the running themes, especially throughout the New Testament, is our salvation and our eternal life with God. And there are many and varied ideas on what those verses are teaching, and thus there are multiple views on what our salvation looks like. And I believe we have many different views primarily because so many people are teaching these Scriptures out of context, and thus we are not getting the whole big picture, and so the puzzle pieces are not fitting together.

Now, if you are at all familiar with the Old or New Testament Jewish marriages, and I am a novice at understanding it all, then you may understand that a Jewish marriage, at least in Bible times, was a contractual (covenant) relationship between a man and a woman, but that was more like an engagement period until the man went and prepared a place for himself and for his bride to live in, and then he came and got her and then they consummated their marriage relationship, and they lived together thereafter.

And when we can put all the puzzle pieces together with regard to our marriage relationship with Jesus Christ, I believe that we will see that our marriage to Christ is patterned after the Jewish marriage from the Old or New Testament times, I believe. And so when we then read this passage of Scripture where Jesus told his followers that he was leaving but that he was going to prepare a place for them and that he would come again and would take them to himself, that where he is we may be also, this is like the Jewish groom preparing a place for his bride and then him coming to get her and to take her to be with him, which is when their marriage is consummated.

So, how did I arrive at that conclusion? Putting the puzzle pieces together. For one, Jesus and his NT apostles taught progressive salvation. We are saved (past), we are being saved (present active), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns, but only if we have been crucified with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And only if we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience, in practice, and if we continue in that faith until the end, and if we do not walk in sin.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]  

And I would highly recommend that you take the time to read these Scriptures in their context, for I believe if you do, in seeking truth, you won’t miss it. For if we profess that we are in fellowship with God, but we are still walking in sin, making sin our practice, then we are liars. We don’t live by the truth. And if we claim that we know God, but we are not in the practice of obeying his commandments and following him in obedience to his will and purpose for our lives, then we are liars. For it is not the one who professes Jesus as Lord who has eternal life. It is the one DOING the will of God.

And all of us are going to stand before the Lord one day, and all of us are going to be judged by our works. 

“To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Romans 2:7-8). “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8). 

There is not time nor space here to cover this subject in depth, but if we read the above noted Scriptures, in context, and if we begin to put the puzzle pieces together, I believe we will begin to see the parallel between the Jewish marriage and our covenant relationship with the Lord. Right now we, as his bride, are waiting for him while he prepares a place for us, and while we wait, the grace of God is instructing us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. 

And the Scriptures are insisting upon our obedience and our lack of sinful lifestyles. And they are letting us know over and over again that how we live on this earth ultimately determines where we will spend eternity. Again, read the noted Scriptures above. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. And if sin is what we practice, it ends in us not inheriting eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. So don’t be caught off guard thinking that just because you made a profession of faith in Christ that heaven is guaranteed you. It is not! You must obey the Lord and not walk in sin.

Believe Him  

An Original Work / July 15, 2013

My heart cries: Lord, won’t You hear me

Seeking You for the answers

To my heartache and questions

I have concerning my life?

Speak, Lord, to me right now.

“Oh, dear one, why don’t you trust Me

With your life’s circumstances?

Give your all on the altar

In submission of your will

To My purpose for you.

“Surrender your life completely

To your Lord and your Savior.

He has all things planned for you

For His glory and honor.

He’ll work all things for good.

“Believe Him. He will fulfill all

Of His promises to you

For your life and your future.

Trust Him. Rest in His love.

He’ll give you peace from above.”

https://vimeo.com/115945593