by John Carpenter | Sep 27, 2026 | Devotional
“Seeing (or, “understanding”) it is One God which shall Justify – the Circumcision (i.e. the circumcised Jews) Out of Faith – and the un-Circumcision (i.e. the Gentiles) Through Faith: (31) Do we then make void the Law – through Faith? God forbid! We Establish the Law!” [Ro.3:30-31]
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded! Through what Law(?) – of works(?) – Nay – but Through the Law of Faith! (Which is the Faith of Jesus Christ) (28) Therefore we reckon a man to be Justified – Apart From – Works of Law! (29) Is God – only the God of the Jews(?) – and not also of the Gentiles? Yes – also of the Gentiles!” [Ro.3:27-29]
The topic with which we have endeavored to examine is descriptively declared as this: “The True Believer’s real relationship with what is written in God’s Holy Law.” And thus, the looming question arises: “Is our keeping the Law of God – Exactly and Perfectly – what He has Divinely Ordained and Purposed to be the “Way” through which all His True Believing Sinner/Children can be Accepted by Him & Approved by Him – in order for us to be Eternally Saved? And the simple answer is: No, it is not! And why is this so? Because it cannot be dependent upon us – in our own strength – to be accepted and approved to be in God’s family of Perfect Law Keepers. We could never do it! Therefore, does God’s Word announce unto us that Christ Jesus is the Only “Way – Truth – and Life and No man can come unto the Father but Through Him”! (see: Jn.14:-6) All Praise and Glory Unto The Lord Jesus Christ!
However, it is still true that we are all Under the Law – and where the Sin of Every Human Being is concerned – the Justice of God and His Law must be Totally and Completely Satisfied as a Strict Requirement! And, there is No Hope for any human person in this entire fallen-in-sin-world – from and through themselves – to be able to perform and meet that Strict Requirement!
Therefore – God – in His Great Love for all of His Chosen And Sinful Children – has Blessed Them with all His Spiritual Blessings — and Placed Them all – In His Christ – Before the Foundation of the World! (Read: Eph.1:3-7) According to His Holy Word – He did This Wonderful Thing – In all Eternity and From all Eternity and For all Eternity! Praise His Wonderful Name – Forevermore!
This points out to us the Gospel Truth as to Why God sent His own Son into this sinful world to be His Provision of an Eternal Savior – from all of the sins – of all of His Sinner/Children! None of them could even come close to Saving their own Immortal and hopelessly Sinful Souls. All of us in this fallen-in-sin world are declared from God’s Word to be Guilty before God (see: Ro.3:19> “Now we Know – that what things soever the Law saith – it saith to them that are under the Law: that Every Mouth May Be Stopped And All The World May Become Guilty Before God!”).
This being true – the Holy Scripture also tells us from He.9:27-28> “And as it is Appointed unto men – Once to Die – but after this The Judgment: (28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of Many! (i.e. All His Many Sinner/Children whom He Placed In His Savior/Son For Him to Eternally Save) And unto Them that Look for Him – shall He Appear The Second Time – Without Sin – Unto their Eternal Salvation.”
Lord willing – we shall delve into even more wonderful Truths that all of this implies – which are Truths that will only serve to give even more Glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ of God! Amen.
— John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Sep 27, 2026 | Camp News
Well, we hope the forecast right now is a declaration of the will and good pleasure of our Lord because the temperature is supposed to drop to a level more suitable for this time of year. We shall see what happens. We all should be in prayer for our President and our nation and the current state of affairs that we are presently experiencing. The Lord is Sovereign and in control over all our circumstances – That – we know for certain. Knowing this to be the truth should encourage us all to be diligent to press on in our seeking the Savior in His Perfect Wisdom – and Righteousness.
Please continue to pray for the contractor that we have commissioned to come out and do some much needed and lasting repairs on our roads. The next few weeks will be interesting to see how the Lord leads us in this regard.
We currently have quite a bit of tree work to do as well. (Our featured photo above shows our friend Cameron hard at work). There is a threat right now of more storms which have continually been a big hindrance to us getting the things done that we need and in order to accomplish everything that we would like to – but God be praised – the evidence of His presence and provision continues to encourage, strengthen and comfort us. We wish to thank you all for all your loving and prayerful support! We continue to pray for all of you as well. We are all in this adverse world together – just like the Bible describes – we are like His Sheep and He is our Great Shepherd! He is ever Faithful and Eternally Loving!
by John Carpenter | Aug 27, 2026 | Devotional
“Know ye not, brethren – for I speak to them that know the Law – how that the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?” [Ro.7:1] (Because of what is accurately described from Ro.3:19)
“Seeing (or, “understanding”) it is One (or, that You are One and the same) God – which shall Justify – the Circumcision – out of Faith – and the un-Circumcision – through Faith: (31) Do we then make void the Law – through Faith? God forbid! We Establish the Law!” [Ro.3:30-31]
“Being Justified freely by His grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus – (25) whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation – through Faith in His Blood – to Declare His Righteousness for the Remission of sins that are past through the Forbearance of God; (26) to Declare – I say – at this time – His Righteousness – that He might be Just – and the Justifier – of him which believeth in Jesus.” [Ro.3:24-26]
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded! Through what Law(?) – of works(?) – Nay – but Through the Law of Faith! (28) Therefore we reckon a man to be Justified – apart from – works of Law! (29) Is God – only the God of the Jews(?) – and not also of the Gentiles? Yes – also of the Gentiles!” [Ro.3:27-29]
We are now focusing on the fourth scriptural context – which comes to us from Ro.3:27-29. Simply put – since our having been declared to be Righteous by Almighty, All Holy and All Just God – where, then, is there any cause at all for us to “Boast”? When, in fact, there is None!
And, why is that true? Even because God the Father placed us – by His Grace – “In Christ Jesus” and, therefore, “In His Perfect Righteousness” from the foundation of the world! But, we have no room to boast – because the Righteousness that we are identified with has not been accomplished by us at all. It is “The Righteousness” that has been accomplished completely by Christ our God! He gets all the Glory – because it’s a Righteousness that He has completely done! Praise His Holy, Holy, Holy Name!
When the scripture says that “boasting” is “excluded”– it literally means that it is completely cut out of the entire equation of any sinner’s Eternal Salvation by God! There is no room whatsoever as far as any sinner is concerned – for personal boasting! If a sinner’s Eternal Salvation is not all of and by Christ – it’s all Wrong! Do not be deceived about this Holy Fact! Eph.2:8-9 explicitly declares: “For by Grace are ye saved through Faith – and that not of yourselves! It is the gift of God – Not of works – lest any man should Boast”! Yes! Any and all Personal Boasting is completely excluded…or, completely cut out — of God’s whole plan of eternal salvation – for all of His Elect. They have each one been Eternally Saved – solely through the Singular Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ! Praise His Wonderful Name!
Christ Jesus is our Propitiation – our Kinsman Redeemer – our Sovereign Savior Substitute! He has – all by Himself – acted out each of these Divine descriptives on behalf of all the Divinely appointed and chosen children of the whole Kingdom of God. And, that’s everyone which Truly Believes in Him according to the Scriptures.
This means, therefore, in accordance with Gal.2:16> “Knowing that a man is not Justified by the works of the Law, but by the – Faith of Jesus Christ – even we have believed in Jesus Christ – and not by the works of the Law: For by the works of the Law shall no flesh be Justified.” True Believers ON Christ – are True Believers IN Christ – where God placed them (see Eph.1:3-5). Amen.
— John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Aug 27, 2026 | Camp News
Well, Dear Ones, we here at Del-Haven have been struggling under the affliction of the “prince of the power of the air” by virtue of the miserable heat wave along with its humidity and all the thunder storms which we have been experiencing. Two families that we did have scheduled to come out for a Day Camp Session have had to postpone their time. One of them came out anyway – but spent most of their time while here in the swimming pool! We do thank our Lord for the fact that we do have air conditioning in the chapel! The Lord did bless our time with that family in spite of the hard-to-endure weather. Praise His Name!
We very much covet your prayers for us – to get us through this season of repair of our roads and buildings. As is par for the course due to where we are and what we need done – the degree of difficulty in getting the needed workers out here can be great. We trust our Lord and Sovereign Leader all through every worldly ordeal that we face. Please pray with us regarding these things. The unseen and necessarily unanticipated battles (at least by us anyway – but never by our God) continue to hinder and harass the progress that we would like to see accomplished. This keeps us leaning on the Lord and His omnipresence with us every step along the way that we go. We must remember the wonderful words of our Lord Jesus from Jn.16:33> “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have Peace. In the world – ye shall have Tribulation: But be of good cheer – I Have Overcome The World.”
The scripture says there is nothing new under the sun [see Ecc.1:9]. Therefore, all the hardship that we face in this fallen-in-sin world will prove to be nothing but another building block for that which our Lord has in store for us when He says> “Behold – I make all things New!” [see Revelation 21:5-7]
So, dear Faithful friends and Family of God, please continue praying for us – and please continue believing in that which only God can – and will – do where our whole worldly experience is leading us into His heavenly glory!
by John Carpenter | Jul 26, 2026 | Devotional
“Know ye not, brethren – for I speak to them that know the Law – how that the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?” [Ro.7:1] (Because of what is accurately described from Ro.3:19)
“Seeing (or, “understanding”) it is One (or, that You are One and the same) God – which shall Justify – the Circumcision – out of Faith – and the un-Circumcision – through Faith: (31) Do we then make void the Law – through Faith? God forbid! We Establish the Law!” [Ro.3:30-31]
“Being Justified freely by His grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus – (25) whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation – through Faith in His Blood – to Declare His Righteousness for the Remission of sins that are past through the Forbearance of God; (26) to Declare – I say – at this time – His Righteousness – that He might be Just – and the Justifier – of him which believeth in Jesus.” [Ro.3:24-26]
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded! Through what Law(?) – of works(?) – Nay – but through the Law of Faith! (28) Therefore we reckon a man to be Justified – apart from – works of Law! (29) Is God – only the God of the Jews(?) – and not also of the Gentiles? Yes – also of the Gentiles!” [Ro.3:27-29]
We are ready to examine – even further – the True Believing Sinner Child of God’s Relationship to the “Holy, Just and Good Law of God” [see Ro.7:12]. This is relevant unto all of us who have been awakened and quickened by the Holy Spirit in our having being Born from Above! This has happened – and yet we are still making our journey – our pilgrimage – through this present sinful age – right into the heavenly Holy Presence of our Lord and Savior — the Lord Jesus Christ! What a paradox this truly is!
We are still in our sinful and fallen bodies – and yet we are Saved-by-Grace sinners who have Received from the Holy Spirit of God an understanding that we are His Elect – His Chosen Ones unto His Eternal Salvation. And, we have been Justified (or, made to be clothed with the – Righteousness of Christ Jesus) – and right now – while we are still walking every day that we are in this fallen-in-sin world – in the bodies that we presently exist in – we travel through this sinful world proclaiming the Truth of the Gospel of the Glory – ONLY – of the Lord Jesus Christ! It is He who is the Only Sovereign Savior Substitute that there ever Was – or Is – or Ever Will Be! Praise His Wonderful Saving Name!
The third set of texts from Ro.3:24-26 – above — communicates this Truth quite plainly. It says that we are in a state of “Being Justified” (i.e. being declared Righteous – by Holy God, Himself).
While we are still existing – in our flesh – as we go through this world – we are still nothing but sinners! This is true even though we have been awakened by the Spirit of God to know and believe and understand this Gospel Truth!
How in the world did this reality come to pass?!
The Scriptures go on to explain that this reality came to pass – NOT by Our Receiving and Keeping the “Holy, Just and Good Law of God” the best way that we can. No way! Our Perfect Holy God requires His same Perfection – from us as well! After all – We are His children! Ro.3:24 simply and accurately says “Being Justified Freely by His Grace – through the Redemption – that is — In Christ Jesus”. So then, it is NOT by Anything that we do – But – it is by Everything that the Lord Jesus Christ has already Done – that brings to pass the reality of our Eternal Salvation! Praise His wholly wonderful – Holy, Holy, Holy Name!!
— John Carpenter
