Matthew Fledderjohann

Writing for the glory of God in Christ through Scripture. If these journals have helped you, consider liking and sharing them so others may benefit.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world:

1. Humanity’s Condition: All people have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). All in this context means all. 1/8

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

In our study through Acts, today’s passage reminded us that God is faithful to every promise He has made in Christ. It called us to repent and return to Him, to listen to Christ as the Prophet greater than Moses, and to see God’s blessing in Christ as the grace that turns us away from our sin. It also encouraged us that the same God who fulfilled His promise concerning Christ’s suffering can be trusted for the forgiveness of sins, times of refreshing, Christ’s return, and the future restoration of all things. These blessings are received only through repentance and faith in Christ.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

“He who was delivered over on account of our transgressions, and was raised on account of our justification.”  (Romans 4:25)

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God!
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not counted according to grace, but according to what is due.
5 But to the one who does not work, but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
And whose sins have been covered.
8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”  (Romans 4:2–8)

The “blessed man” is the person whom God justifies apart from works.

The “blessed man” is not:
-the sinless man,
-the man who earned righteousness,
-or the man justified by works.

The blessed man is the forgiven man.

The blessed man is the one:

-whose sins are not counted against him,
-to whom righteousness is counted,
-and who is justified by faith apart from works—not by any merit of his own, but by Christ alone.

The “blessed man” represents everyone united to Christ by faith, because Christ is the ground of both: forgiveness of sins, and counted righteousness. Christ alone is our merit. Christ alone.

The “blessed man” is the justified believer: the ungodly person whom God forgives and counts righteous through faith in Christ.

And this is the gospel: God does not count the blessed man’s sins against him only because Christ bore his guilt in his place. God counts righteousness to him only because Christ fulfilled righteousness for him. The forgiven man is blessed, not because he became worthy, but only because Christ is worthy.

Christ is the only one who bore his guilt.

Christ is the only one who fulfilled all righteousness.

Christ is his only merit before God.

Christ is the only peace he has with God.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

Yes. A Bible translation best serves Scripture when those handling the text are both competent in the languages and consciously submitted to Scripture’s authority.

By “serve Scripture,” I mean approaching the biblical text as something to be faithfully handled and submitted to, rather than reshaped to fit prior doctrinal commitments. We serve the Lord. It is His Word.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”  (John 20:17)

If someone assumes “having a God” means “cannot be divine,” they ignore the incarnation.

If someone denies Christ’s true humanity, the verse becomes problematic.

If someone collapses Christ’s sonship into ours, the verse loses its force.

John’s Gospel itself already established Christ’s deity repeatedly before this verse.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  (John 1:1–4)

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.  (John 5:18)

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  (John 8:58)

“I and the Father are one.”  (John 10:30)

Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”  (John 20:28)

John 20:17 does not deny Christ’s deity. False teaching often isolates phrases like ‘My God and your God’ and uses them to flatten Christ into a mere creature. But John’s Gospel already identifies Jesus as God, and this verse is speaking of Christ as the incarnate, risen Mediator in true humanity.

False teaching often depends on isolating verses or reshaping translation choices in ways that diminish what Scripture plainly teaches about Christ. John 1:1 in the New World Translation is a commonly cited example because it renders the text in a way that aligns with prior doctrinal commitments denying Christ’s full deity.

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 “You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?  (Matthew 7:15–16)

False teachers reveal themselves as bad trees by corrupt fruit, especially by distorting the truth about Christ. To deny the true identity of the Lord Jesus is corrupt fruit flowing from a corrupt tree. Yet my prayer is not merely to expose error, but to hold forth the Christ whom Scripture reveals, that sinners may repent, believe, and have life in His name.

“but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

May the Lord, if He wills, open blind eyes, soften hardened hearts, forgive the intentions of such hearts, and grant repentance leading to the full knowledge of the truth, that they may escape the lies and snare of the devil.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins.  (Isaiah 43:25)

3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.
4 And being unable to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof over where He was; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the mat where the paralytic was lying.
5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”
6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 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?
9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your mat and walk’?
10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,
11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your mat, and go to your home.”
12 And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”  (Mark 2:3–12)

Their error was not in the premise that only God can forgive sins. That premise is true and agrees with Isaiah 43:25. Their error was failing to recognize that Jesus, the Son of Man, possesses divine authority to forgive sins on earth.

In Mark 2, Jesus does not merely assert an invisible claim; He publicly confirms it through a visible miracle. The healing of the paralytic functions as evidence that His word of forgiveness is authoritative. Therefore, the passage reveals that Jesus exercises God’s own prerogative to forgive sins, revealing that He is more than a prophet or teacher. He is the Son of Man with authority on earth to forgive sins. Therefore, the question today is not whether Jesus has such authority, but whether we recognize and receive Him as the One who does. The gospel announces that the same Christ who spoke forgiveness to the paralytic has secured forgiveness through His death and resurrection. Forgiveness is grounded not in human effort or worthiness, but in the saving work of Jesus Christ: His perfect obedience under the law, His atoning death, and His bodily resurrection. To come to Him by faith is to come to Jesus Christ Himself: the only begotten Son of God, who became man, identified with us in our humanity, laid down His life as a man, rose bodily from the dead, and now reigns in glory with authority to forgive sins.

Therefore, the proper response is not merely to admire the miracle or acknowledge His authority, but to confess and trust the One whom the miracle revealed:

“…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

Scripture

God’s Sovereign Purpose and Election

(Ephesians 1:3–14; Romans 8:28–39; Romans 9:10–24; John 6:37–44; John 10:11, 26–30; Matthew 11:25–27; Acts 13:48; 2 Timothy 1:9)

Grace, Mercy, and Justice

(Exodus 33:19; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 115:3; Romans 3:21–26; Romans 6:23; Romans 9:14–24; Romans 11:5–6; Ephesians 2:1–10)

Christ’s Sinless Humanity and Obedience

(Matthew 3:15; Matthew 5:17–18; John 8:29, 46; Philippians 2:5–11; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 10:5–14; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5)

Substitution, Atonement, and Redemption

(Isaiah 53:4–12; Matthew 26:39; Mark 10:45; John 1:29; John 19:30; Romans 3:24–26; Romans 5:6–21; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 9:11–28; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18)

Imputed Righteousness and Justification

(Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1–2; Romans 4:1–8; Romans 5:17–19; Romans 10:3–4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:7–9; Jeremiah 23:5–6)

The Gospel Call: Repent and Believe

(Isaiah 55:1–7; Matthew 11:28–30; Mark 1:14–15; John 3:16–18; John 6:35–40; Acts 17:30–31; Romans 10:9–17; 1 John 3:23)

God’s Glory in Redemption

(Isaiah 43:6–7; John 17:1–5, 22–24; Romans 11:33–36; Ephesians 1:3–14; Philippians 2:9–11; Colossians 1:15–20; Revelation 5:9–14)

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

God is most glorified through redemption accomplished in His Son. He saves in a way that displays who He is: holy, righteous, merciful, sovereign, and gracious. His glory is displayed not only in creation, but in His sovereign purpose to save a people for Himself.

Before the foundation of the world, He chose His people in Christ, not because grace was owed, but according to the good pleasure of His will. Scripture does not present God as equally saving toward all without exception. He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and He hardens whom He will harden.

This is not injustice, because grace is not owed. Justice would give every sinner condemnation. Grace gives undeserved mercy. If grace were owed equally to all, it would no longer be grace. God is not measured by a standard of fairness outside Himself. There is no justice above God by which His mercy may be judged. He is just, He is good, and He does all things according to His own holy will.

Election shows that salvation begins with God’s mercy, not man’s merit. The cross then reveals how that electing grace is accomplished justly, fully, and finally in the Son. God does not save by setting justice aside, nor by answering to an abstract law above Himself.

God saves in a way that displays who He is: holy, righteous, merciful, sovereign, and gracious.

The gospel therefore comes to all men as both promise and command. God now commands all people everywhere to repent and believe in His Son. Whoever comes to Christ will not be cast out, and everyone who believes in Him has eternal life. Sinners are not saved by merit, works, or worthiness, but by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

This is why God is most glorified through redemption accomplished in His Son. In Christ, election, atonement, justification, mercy, justice, and grace meet together. This is the point at which the whole biblical story converges. The end for which God created the world is His own glory, and the highest display of that glory is the glory of His grace in Christ.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

What is above accords with what Christ says to Thomas:

“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples told him,
“We have seen the Lord.” (John 20:25)

But he said to them,
“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails… I will never believe.”

Scripture records both his refusal of testimony and what followed.

Eight days later, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27)

Thomas answered him,
“My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

In this, Scripture does not present sight as the foundation of faith, even though it records that Christ was seen and touched.

Rather, it directs attention to believing the testimony God has given (John 20:30–31; 1 John 5:9–10).

So Scripture calls us not to rest in sight as though it were sufficient in itself to produce faith, even while affirming that God truly gives testimony, signs, and witness (John 20:30–31; Acts 17:31).

What is seen here accords with the wider testimony of Scripture:

From the beginning, Scripture shows that even in a good and unfallen condition, man did not stand (Genesis 2–3).

This makes clear that the issue is not merely external evidence, but man’s condition before God.

But Christ did not fail.

He was tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
He always did what pleased the Father (John 8:29).
He fulfilled all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8).

He committed no sin (1 Peter 2:22),
and bore our sins in His body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

God raised Him up (Acts 2:24).

And Scripture teaches that through His obedience many are made righteous (Romans 5:19), and that in Him we become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

So Scripture teaches that faith does not arise from sight or evidence as self-sufficient sources, but comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ, as God, by His Spirit, grants understanding and opens the heart (Acts 16:14; Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 14).

And Scripture affirms its own sufficiency for what God intends it to accomplish:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God… that the man of God may be complete” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

It also declares that God’s Word does not return empty, but accomplishes what He purposes (Isaiah 55:11).

Therefore, where the Word is rejected, Scripture shows that even clear testimony and signs may be resisted (Luke 16:31; John 12:37); and where the Word is received, Scripture shows that it is because God has worked to make it effectual (Acts 16:14; 1 Corinthians 2:12).

And this is the Word now proclaimed:

Christ came.
Christ died.
Christ rose.
Christ is coming again.

“Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38), and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

Christ is risen (Matthew 28:6). Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).

And this promise is proclaimed to all who believe.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

“If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31)

Scripture here speaks to the seriousness of refusing what God has already spoken.

It is not a denial that God uses signs, testimony, or witness, nor a claim that such things are without value. Scripture elsewhere shows that God does use them (John 20:30–31; Acts 17:31). Rather, this passage shows that where there is a refusal to hear (where what God has already revealed is not received), additional signs—even extraordinary ones—do not in themselves overcome that refusal, but only as God works through them to make them effectual.

This accords with what Scripture teaches elsewhere about the condition of fallen man:

That what can be known about God has been made plain, because God has shown it (Romans 1:19–21), and yet the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Even when confronted with clear works of God, Scripture shows that many still refused to believe:

“Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him.” (John 12:37)

From this, Scripture teaches us that the issue is not merely the presence of sufficient external evidence, but the condition of the heart in relation to what God has revealed.

For Scripture also shows that true reception of that Word is the work of God:

“The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” (Acts 16:14)

So while God truly uses testimony, signs, and witness as means by which the truth is made known, they do not produce faith by their own power, but only as God makes them effectual. The means are real, but the efficacy belongs to God.

For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17), and the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14).

And yet, Christ has risen.

Not as something set against the Word, but as the fulfillment of what the Word has already spoken (Luke 24:27, 44).

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

As I’ve gotten older, I found I’ve also grown to find April fools more and more stupid. 😂

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

Is God’s grace merely making salvation possible, or actually bringing it about?

And:

Is the difference between belief and unbelief ultimately located in God or in man?

Some assume:

If God determines the outcome, then all human responsibility is lost.

That assumption must be demonstrated from Scripture.

Because Scripture continues to hold people accountable for their unbelief, even while affirming God’s decisive role in salvation.

Scripture attributes the cause of salvation to God, and the guilt of rejection to man, without presenting those as contradictory.

Our decisions are real and truly ours, and we are accountable for our unbelief; yet Scripture does not attribute the transition from death to life to our decision, but to God who works in us to will and to act.

This salvation is described not merely as a decision, but as union with Christ—being in Him, and having Him in us, or else not belonging to Him:

Consider:

“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9)

“to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

Even our being brought near to God is not attributed to ourselves, but to Christ:

“But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)

Those who were:

“alienated… having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12)

are not said to bring themselves near, but to be brought near by Christ.

But also consider:

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,” (Philippians 1:29)

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

“But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:4–5)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10)

While man is responsible for sin and unbelief, Scripture consistently attributes the cause of salvation to God alone in Christ Jesus, so that no one may boast.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

1 When He had completed all His words in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.
2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.
3 Now when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they were earnestly pleading with Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;
5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”
6 Now Jesus was going on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not good enough for You to come under my roof.
7 “For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
8 “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him. And He turned to the crowd that was following Him and said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.  (Luke 7:1–10)

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

Jesus said to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and teacher of Israel, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3; cf. 3:10). Nicodemus, despite his position and knowledge, does not understand these things. In this context, Jesus teaches that apart from new birth, one cannot see the kingdom of God.

In another context, Jesus says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Hebrews likewise says that the patriarchs “saw” the promises from a distance by faith (Hebrews 11:13). In these texts, Abraham is described as one who does “see,” and that sight is directly connected with faith.

Scripture not only describes Abraham as believing, but also shows the character of that faith. He “believed God” (Romans 4:3) and was “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:21).

Scripture also speaks to the source and nature of faith. It says that faith is granted (Philippians 1:29), that we are saved through faith and that this is “not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that Jesus is the founder and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2). It also says that “the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

The great goal of redemption is not simply the formation of the church, the blessing of believers, or even the spread of the gospel considered on their own. Those are real and necessary, but they are not ultimate. What stands at the center (and at the end) is the glory of God made known in Jesus Christ.

As we read Acts 2, that becomes increasingly difficult to miss.

When Pentecost happens, Peter does not treat it as an isolated spiritual event. He interprets it in light of Christ. The risen and exalted Jesus, having received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, has now poured Him out (Acts 2:33). What the crowd is seeing and hearing is not random; it is the direct result of Christ’s exaltation.

And what does the Spirit produce? Not spectacle for its own sake, but speech. People are declaring “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11). The moment is oriented outward, toward proclamation. At the same time, Peter anchors the entire event in what had already been spoken; this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16-21). So both the event and its meaning are governed by God’s prior Word.

That matters. It shows that God’s works are not meant to stand alone; they are meant to be understood through what He has already revealed.

Consider it this way: Pentecost is not to be defined by what they experienced; it is about God’s self-revelation. It is about the gospel of Jesus Christ. God was making Himself known through what He has done in Christ and was now doing in a public and visible way by His Spirit. This moment is unique in redemptive history, as what God had promised is now being fulfilled publicly (Acts 2:16-21). It marks the open manifestation of Christ’s saving work and the formation of a people who proclaim what God has done.

This also fits with the broader pattern of Scripture. God’s glory is not something abstract or detached; it is made known in His Son. He shines into hearts “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The glory of God is known as Christ is known.

And that revelation is inseparable from Christ’s work. Because He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, God has highly exalted Him. The result is that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that confession ultimately results in the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:8-11).

So the movement is consistent: from Christ’s work, to His exaltation, to universal acknowledgment, to the glory of God.

That helps clarify something important. The glory of God is not limited to visible manifestations, such as fire, wind, or other signs (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-12). Those may accompany it at times, but the glory itself is known most clearly in the revelation of God through Jesus Christ (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6). It is about who God is, made known in what He has done in the man Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God who became flesh and dwelt among us and was crucified.

And as that glory is seen, it does not leave people unchanged. Those who behold the glory of the Lord are “being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit works through the revelation of Christ to produce real change in those who believe.

That same pattern shows up in Acts 2. The Spirit is poured out, the Word is proclaimed, and people respond. But the responses are not neutral. By the time Peter reaches his conclusion, the call is direct: repent and be forgiven (Acts 2:38), be saved from this crooked generation (Acts 2:40). Those who receive the word are baptized (Acts 2:41), while the promise itself makes clear that salvation belongs to those who call on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21; cf. Joel 2:32).

So the revelation of God’s work in Christ does not simply inform; it also divides. It brings people either into salvation or leaves them outside of it. There is no middle ground.

The direction is unmistakable. Everything is moving away from man as the center and directing hearts and minds to God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ for all who believe. The focus is on what God has done, what God has revealed, and what God will be praised for. Even the final picture of redemption is not centered on human experience, but on a multitude giving glory to God and to the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-12).

In light of that, it is necessary to reckon with how Scripture itself frames salvation. It does include real blessings for those who believe (peace, growth, service), but it does not present those as the center. Rather, it presents God’s glory in Christ as the end toward which all of it is ordered (2 Corinthians 4:6; Philippians 2:11).

That creates a point of alignment that cannot be ignored. To the extent that our thinking treats our own experience as ultimate, it does not yet fully reflect the way Scripture speaks.

So the question that follows is not drawn from personal reflection alone, but from the text itself: do we think about salvation in a way that accords with its stated end, or do we subtly re-center it on ourselves?

And this is not abstract. When I think about salvation, do I instinctively place myself at the center, or am I reminded of the way this passage presents it: ordered toward the glory of God in Christ?

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

God is sovereign over the outcome of human actions. The armies of Ammon and Moab acted willingly, making real decisions to turn against Mount Seir and then against one another, yet their destruction is explicitly attributed to Yahweh, who “set ambushes” against them (2 Chronicles 20:22–23). This demonstrates that human actions unfold within God’s rule, not outside of it. At the same time, the text shows that God brings about His purposes through those very human decisions. Without describing the mechanism, it presents a reality in which God directs events such that the actions of these nations accomplish what He had determined to bring about in judgment.

Scripture elsewhere teaches that God works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11) and does according to His will among the inhabitants of the earth, with none able to stay His hand (Daniel 4:35). Because God is not like man and does not change (Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6), His acts are not constrained or forced upon Him by circumstances, but are the outworking of His own will. In this light, His deliverance here is not presented as something imposed upon Him, but as what He Himself has purposed to do.

At the same time, God acts in relation to the faith of His people. They are called to trust Him, and their trust is presented as the means by which they stand and see His salvation (2 Chronicles 20:15–17, 20). Yet even this does not place God under human action, for Scripture presents faith itself as granted by God (Philippians 1:29). Thus, God’s acting in relation to His people does not imply that He is determined by them, but shows the means through which He brings about and displays His salvation.

Taken together, this passage and the broader witness of Scripture show that God brings about His purposes in such a way that real human actions and real trust serve to display His power and faithfulness, all under His sovereign will.

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; and we do not know what we should do, but our eyes are on You.”
13 Now all Judah was standing before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph;
15 and he said, “Pay attention, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says Yahweh to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.
16 ‘Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 ‘You need not fight in this battle; take your stand—stand and see the salvation of Yahweh on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you.”
18 So Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh, worshiping Yahweh.
19 Then the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, rose up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, establish your faith in Yahweh your God and you will be established. Establish your faith in His prophets and succeed.”
21 When he had taken counsel with the people, he caused those who sang to Yahweh and those who praised Him to stand in holy attire, as they went out before the army, saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for His lovingkindness endures forever.”
22 When they began singing for joy and praising, Yahweh set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were defeated.
23 Indeed, the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to devote them to destruction and to utterly eradicate them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to bring one another to ruin.
24 Now Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, and they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses fallen on the ground, and no one had escaped.
25 So Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil and found much among them, including goods, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much.  (2 Chronicles 20:12–25)

[Matthew Fledderjohann @mfledd]

1 May Yahweh answer you in the day of distress!
May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
And uphold you from Zion!
3 May He remember all your meal offerings
And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah.
4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your counsel!
5 We will sing for joy over your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.
May Yahweh fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that Yahweh saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving might of His right hand.
7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of Yahweh, our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright.
9 Save, O Yahweh;
May the King answer us in the day we call.  (Psalm 20:1–9)