Four
great concerns....
"Enoch WALKED with
God...." Genesis 5:24
My heart is motivated,
driven and governed by four great concerns. Here
are four things I want more than anything in this world.
I am not an ambitious
man. But I am ambitious for these four
things. For the attainment of these four things I am prepared,
by the grace of God, to sacrifice everything else. I
count all other things to be but rubbish by comparison.
1. I want to know Christ
(Phil. 3:10).
Yes, I believe that in
measure I do know him. God has revealed his
grace and glory to me in the Person of his dear Son. Still,
I want a growing, spiritual, experimental knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ. I want to
know all that he has done
for me. I want
to know him. I want to know him fully.
2. I want to be totally
committed to Christ.
I want to totally lose
my life to Christ and in Christ, so that I can
truthfully say with the Apostle Paul, "For me to
live is Christ." I
want to be committed to
Christ as he was to the Father, so that my
heart says to him in
all things, "Not
my will, thy will be done"
It is my
continual prayer that God will give me a heart--
committed to the Lord Jesus Christ,
committed to his will,
committed to his gospel,
committed to his people,
committed to the cause of
his glory in this world.
3. I want to be like Christ.
My heart longs to be
like him, conformed to him, made into his
likeness. I want to be like him in love, tenderness, and thoughtfulness,
in zeal, dedication, and devotion, purity, holiness,
and righteousness.
4. I want to live in
communion with Christ.
Like Enoch of old, I want to
walk with God.
I know these goals are
not attainable in this life. Yet, they are the
things for which my soul hungers and my heart thirsts. I cannot be
satisfied with less. "I count not myself to have apprehended: but
this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 3:13-14)."I shall be satisfied when I
awake with Christ's
likeness" (Psa. 17:15),but
not until then.
"Enoch WALKED with
God...." Genesis 5:24
SALVATION
IS CHRIST PLUS NOTHING:
Salvation
is Christ plus nothing. Sanctification is Christ plus nothing. Anything else
is a mongrel gospel or mongrel sanctification. God's truth is always
unadulterated grace. We owe our salvation to Christ and we owe our
sanctification to Him as well. Good
works do not save us nor sanctify us. They do not make us more secure in our
salvation or in our walk with the Lord. Many people feel that if they have a
good batting average with the Ten Commandments then God will accept them into
Heaven. Others believe that if they are good people in their Christian walk
then that impresses God. Both of these groups fall short of realizing that
they are poor, lost, helpless, hopeless sinners apart from the work of Christ.
Only the finished work of the sovereign Son of God can save us or sanctify us.
Sin stands between God and us. Our only plea is the cross of Christ. Anything
else is inadequate, insufficient and incomplete. Jesus died to remove the
penalty triggered by sin. The law deepens and defines our need for the Savior
but it cannot save. Human effort cannot save; only the Savior can save when we
put our trust in His finished work on the cross.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" [John 14:6].
The apostle Peter proclaimed "Nor is there salvation in any other, for
there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved" [Acts 4:12]. The apostle John wrote, "He who does not believe
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" [John
3:36]. The apostle Paul said, "For there is one God and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" [1 Timothy 2:5].
ONLY CHRIST CAN ATONE FOR SIN, AND THEREFORE ONLY CHRIST CAN PROVIDE SALVATION.
"And this is the testimony: That God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have life" [ 1 John 5:11-12].
JESUS CHRIST IS GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH AND APART FROM HIM THE TRUE GOD CAN
NEITHER BE KNOWN, WORSHIPPED, NOR ACKNOWLEDGED.
SALVATION IS BY FAITH IN THE ATONING BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, APART FROM
ALL HUMAN WORKS AND CHARACTER. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?
NOTE! JESUS NOT ONLY SAVES US FROM THE GUILT AND PENALTY OF SIN, BUT FROM THE
POWER OF SIN AS WELL. MAY I SAY THAT SURRENDER TO HIS LORDSHIP IS THE KEY, TO
EXPERIENCING VICTORY OVER SIN. LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU AS PAUL DID IN ROMANS 12;
PRESENT YOURSELF AS A LIVING SACRIFICE UNTO THE LORD. DON’T COPY THE BEHAVIOR
AND CUSTOMS OF THIS WORLD. BE TRANSFORMED BY HIS POWER. CAN YOU SAY AMEN TO
THAT?
"What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has
light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a
believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with
idols" [2Corinthians 6:14-16]?
THE
BLESSEDNESS OF THE GOSPEL
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,
for the Jew first and also for the Greek”. [ROMANS 1:16]
The
Greek word for salvation used by Paul literally means deliverance. In a
spiritual context, the idea is rescue from the power and dominion of sin.
Paul’s fervor for preaching the gospel was rooted in its power to free or
rescue people from the tragic consequences of their own sin.
The
Gospel of Christ is God’s absolute and unconditional promise of salvation
conditioned on Christ alone. When Paul writes that the Gospel is God’s power
unto salvation, he excludes every other instrument as a way of salvation. The
Gospel is the power unto salvation only as the Holy Spirit applies it to the
hearts [minds, affections and wills] of sinners in the new birth. The
Holy Spirit being the only Agent; The Gospel preached the only instrument. God
graciously and lovingly offers salvation to all people, but only those who
repent and trust in Jesus will experience its blessings.
What
exactly are those blessings? They include deliverance from the penalty of sin,
from the power of sin, and from the presence of sin. Theologians use the terms
justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is the divine
act of declaring the believing sinner righteous, based on the finished work of
Christ. Sanctification is the process in which God develops the new life of the
believer by gradually shaping, molding and conforming him into Christ likeness.
Glorification is the ultimate salvation of the whole person.
Salvation
is past, present and future. We have been saved, we are saved and we are being
saved. Our salvation will be completed when we receive our glorified bodies at
the rapture. Other blessings of salvation include regeneration, in which the
Spirit of God indwells a repentant sinner and imparts eternal life to his or her
spiritually dead soul.
Reconciliation
and adoption are blessings where the repentant sinner moves from being God’s
enemy to being His beloved child.
Is
it any wonder that the Apostle Paul was so excited about the gospel and its
power to save? The more we consider the great truth of salvation and God’s
amazing grace, the more eager we should be to share with others the hope that is
in us.
“But
in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this
with gentleness and respect. [1 PETER 3:15]
CHRISTIAN
LIBERTY
It
is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. [Galatians 5:1]
To
the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you
are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free.” “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. [John
8:31-32, 36]
Salvation
in Christ is liberation, and the Christian life is one of liberty. The Bible
says in Galatians 5:1 and John 8:31-36 that Christ has set us free. Just what
have we been set free from?
First,
Christians have been set free from the law as a system of salvation. Being
justified by faith in Christ, we are no longer under God’s law, but under His
grace [Rom. 3:19; 6:14-15; Gal. 3:23-25]. Our standing with God is assured
because we have been accepted and adopted in the Beloved. It does not, nor will
it ever, depend on what we do, nor will it ever depend on what we fail to do.
Christians live, not by being perfect, but by being forgiven.
The law’s work is to arouse, expose,
and condemn the sin that permeates our moral lives, making us aware of sins
reality and consequences [1 Cor. 15:56; Gal. 3:10-11]. Treating the law, as a
system of salvation, and seeking righteousness based on law; the Bible says is
impossible. “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”
[Romans 3:20] This futility of seeking salvation through law keeping is the
bondage to the law from which Christ sets us free.
Second,
Christians have been set free from sin’s dominion [John 8:34-36; Rom.
6:14-23]. We have been supernaturally regenerated and made alive to God through
union with Christ in His death and risen life [Rom. 6:3-11]. We can now walk in
the fullness of the Spirit and not after the flesh.
Third,
we have been set free from superstitions; Paul says that Christians are free to
enjoy all of God’s good gifts [1 Tim. 4:1-5], provided we do not transgress
the moral law of God, nor hinder our own spiritual well being or that of others
[1 Cor. 6:12-13; 8:7-13].
Forth,
Believers have been set free from condemnation. “There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the
flesh, but according to the Spirit”. [Romans 8:1] With no condemnation we are
free to live life in the Spirit. Note what the Word of God says; “Therefore we
were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life.” [Romans 6:4] Also in [2 Corinthians 5:17] “Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things
have become new.” May I say that whom the Son has set free, is REALLY FREE AND
FREE INDEED.
GRACE
IS NOT A LICENSE TO SIN
[Maintaining Salvation’s Joy]
(1)
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (2)
By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? [ROMANS 6:1-2]
(11)
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
(12) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its
evil desires. (13) Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of
wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought
from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of
righteousness. (14) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under
law, but under grace. [ROMANS 6: 11-14]
Paul
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit calls for the Believer to count himself
dead to sin, but alive to God; (11) to cut off all ties with his previous
lifestyle, (12) and consecrate himself to God. Offering the parts of his body [ie.
hands, month, eyes, feet, mind, ect.] to God as instruments of righteousness.
(13) The bottom line is this. The Christian is to become in experience what he
already is in position: Dead to sin, alive to God.
The
word count in the context of verse 11 means to reckon, consider, understand,
keep in mind, know who you are in Christ Jesus [being what God has declared you
to be in Christ]. It calls for a spiritual exercise in faith. Paul is not
playing word games, nor is he teaching positive thinking, but calling for the
conforming and renewing of one’s mind [Romans 12] to the truth from God’s
perspective. It is a matter of believing and coming to understand experientially
that when God speaks truth, because His words are alive they bear fruit and
produce results.
God’s
word changes things. So when God says that the Believer in Christ is dead to sin
as a result of identification with the death and resurrection of Christ, that
person has in fact been changed from one being alive to sin to one being dead to
sin. This truth must become the abiding conviction of the Believer’s heart and
mind, the take off point for all of his thinking, speaking and doing. The best
commentary on this is found in Colossians 3:1-4.
Since,
then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not
on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in
glory [Colossians 3:1-4]
In
verses 12-14 Paul calls for Believers to cut all ties to sin and be at
God’s disposal for the purposes of righteousness.
This is accomplished through an act of the Believer’s free will in the
power of the Spirit. Grace teaches the Believer to say no to unrighteousness and
worldly passions and to live a Spirit controlled up-right, godly life. Notice,
the Believer is called to consecrate his life to God, because he is not under
law but under grace and sin is no longer his master. To be under law is to be
damned and under the power of sin. To be under grace is to have God’s
unmerited favor and be free from the power of sin.
Question:
Why would any child of God who has died to sin in Christ, submit him or herself
to a master they had died to and who would only lead them to destruction and
death? May I say salvation in sin is as much a contradiction as happiness would
be in misery. Those who receive Christ are freed from the guilt, penalty and
power of sin, that they might walk in the fullness of the Spirit in obedient
faith. This is the normal Christian lifestyle.
As
for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to
live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of
the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us
also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature
and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects
of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace
you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in
the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might
show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in
Christ Jesus. [Ephesians 2:1-7]
For
through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could
be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! [Galatians 2:19-21]
Child
of God, our only hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone. As Believers
we dare not submit ourselves to a master who is a corpse. Our commitment is to
the only true and living God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly we are dead to sin
and alive unto God. His word says so.
HEAVENLY
TREASURES
“Don’t collect for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and
steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also. What
are these heavenly treasures and how do we gather them?
Treasures in heaven; refers to
everything Christians will have with them in heaven. Believers will receive
crowns (1Cor. 9:25; 2Tim. 4:8). Paul considered those whom he had lead to
Christ, and those whom he had taught the Word of God, to be his crown (Phil.
4:1). Selfless service done in advancing God’s kingdom and helping people
will endure now and throughout eternity. A Christ-like character will remain
forever also. The neat thing about it all; is that Christ produces the fruit
within and through us, with relation to our obedience, that becomes the wealth
(gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 1 Cor. 3:11-15) for our
treasure chest in heaven. Is that not great? It’s not by my might, but by
His strength. Praise God.
Show
me a person’s checkbook, reading material, the programs they watch and
listen to on television and radio, their leisure activities and even their
political views; and I will show you that person’s priorities. May I ask to
what degree is Jesus the King of these areas of your life? What are your
priorities? When you have a problem, do you look to Jesus for help? As
children of God, we must yield our priorities to Him.
Our society measures greatness
according to economic status rather than according to inward character,
placing more emphasis on Wall Street rather than the golden streets of heaven.
There are only two things that will last forever: God’s Word and people.
Where are your investments (treasures)? Are your investments eternal or
earthly? Earthly treasures can be lost but spiritual treasures are
invulnerable to loss and death. Note! If you are laying up treasures on earth
you are walking away from them; if you are laying up treasures in heaven you
are walking toward them. Each day as you get closer to death, you are walking
away from your earthly treasures (you cannot take it with you). By the same
reasoning each day, as you get closer to death, you are walking toward your
heavenly treasures (there in heaven waiting for you). Heavenly treasures pay
eternal dividends; earthly treasures pay nothing and are worthless. In (1 John
2:17) we read “the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does
God’s will remains forever.” Jesus said in (Luke 12:15) “Watch out and
be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of
his possessions.” May I say our priorities determine our treasures. We are
to look up, not at the world around us.
So
this raises a question: Is it wrong to accumulate things? No, but we should
never allow things to control us. We must remember that we are stewards of
what God has allows us to have because everything we have belongs to Him.
Where we spend time, talents, money, and energy is where we will find our
treasures. Only what we spend on Christ will last for eternity. Are you
willing to invest in the things that will last; God’s Word and people’s
souls? Are you faithful to advance the spread of the Gospel when opportunity
avails its self? Are you faithful to God’s call on your life? Are you
reaching out to a lost and dying world with the love of Christ? These are
questions only you can answer. I must confess I would be hard pressed to give
an affirmative answer to these questions myself. God knows I fall way short of
being who I really am in Christ. But thanks be to God I’m a work in
progress.
FALSE
PROPHETS & FALSE TEACHERS
Beware
of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are
ravaging wolves. (Matthew
7:15) HCSB.
But
there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false
teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even
denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And
many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will
be blasphemed. (2
Peter 2:1-2) NKJV.
Question;
How do you determine who is a false prophet, or false teacher? Let me give you
three ways to spot a false prophet, or false teacher. Number one; In
(Matt. 7:16) Jesus said “you’ll recognize them by their fruit.” Their
fruit is in their character, their conduct, and their conversation. Do they seek
God’s glory and kingdom? Is their character Christ-like, manifesting the fruit
of the Sprit (Gal. 5:22-23)? Is their conduct worthy of the gospel (Phil. 1:27)?
Does their conversation encourage others? False prophets and false teachers
magnify themselves, not the Lord Jesus Christ. Their purpose is to exploit and
manipulate people, not to edify them. The Bible says in (2 Pet. 2:3) By
covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words.
Number
two; false prophets and false teachers deny the Lordship of Christ. We read
in (2 Pet. 2:10) They are presumptuous, self-willed. In other words, they
despise authority with their bold arrogant behavior. Their sinful lifestyles are
evident by the bad fruit they bare. Having eyes full of adultery and cannot
cease from sin (verse 14). They themselves are slaves of corruption (verse 19).
Denying the Lord who bought them (verse 1). Not everyone who says to Me, Lord,
Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My
Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21). Notice, they will not submit to the Sovereign
rule of Christ over their lives.
Number
three; false prophets and false teachers are motivated by greed. The Bible
says in (2 Pet. 2:3) By covetousness [greed] they will exploit you. They have a
heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children (verse 14). May I
say they are always looking for ways to advance their bank account? These are
the three primary characteristics, which all false prophets and teachers have in
common.
Second
question,
how do they, (false prophets and teachers) infiltrate the church? The Bible says
that they creep in unnoticed, turning the grace of God into licentiousness and
deny our Master (Jude 4). Not only do they creep in unnoticed, but also they
often pull many away from God and His church, by giving a false sense of
security, a false value system, and a false picture of who God is through their
false teaching. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, and swift
destruction on themselves, the Bible says in (2 Pet. 2:1). In addition, they
blaspheme the truth with their deceptive words (vv. 2-3). Such people are not
going to identify themselves as false teachers. Child of God you need to be
alert and discerning, not only for your own protection, but also for the
protection of your brothers and sisters in Christ, who may not be as spiritually
mature as you are.
Observation:
The greatest danger to the evangelical church in America today, is not from
false teaching outside the church, but from false teaching within. Many of the
leaders of evangelical churches have embraced a man-centered theology. A
theology that adds works to grace denies the Sovereignty of God and rejects the
Lordship of Christ. They preach a feel good, meet my needs, follow these 12
steps, name it and claim it gospel. Their heresies lead many into apostasy.
Having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:5). We see very
little if any change in the lives of those under their teaching. That is because
the gospel is not being proclaimed. I say again child of God; “BEWARE” check
out all who claim to speak for God, including this Bible teacher. Now the
Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received
the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if
what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11) NIV.
JUSTIFIED
PRAISE GOD
“Knowing that a man is
not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even
we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ,
and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh
be justified”. [GALATIANS 2:16]
No
amount of law keeping can make a person righteous, because the root of
sinfulness is imbedded in the heart of fallen man. Man’s basic problem is in
what he is, not in what he does. Sinful acts are but the outward expression of
a depraved nature. Consequently, no amount of works of the Law can save a
person, because even the best of human works cannot change the nature of a
person.
“We
know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law,
that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to
God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His
sight”. [ROMANS 3:19-20]
The
law is important as a mirror to show us our sinfulness; but it can only reveal
sin, not remove it.
“But
now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through
faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a
gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…For we
maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law”.
[ROMANS 3:21-24,28]
Only
faith in Jesus Christ alone can bring a person the gift of righteousness that
provides forgiveness and salvation. Faith in Christ is not mere intellectual
assent to the fact that Jesus died and rose again for man’s sin, but is
personal trust in His death to remove and forgive one’s own sins. Faith that
justifies is an active faith that preservers.
“Submit
yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.
[JAMES 4:7]
“For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no man can boast.
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do”. [EPHESIANS 2:8-10]
CONCERNING
LORDSHIP
Some
teach that the Lordship of Christ in a Believer’s life is optional. The fact
that there are carnal Christians they say proves this.
May I say there is no such option! There never is a time when Jesus is
not Lord. Though we have the power to ignore His Lordship, and by so doing,
live outside of reality, we do not have the right.
The Bible gives us only two
explanations for the absence of an active commitment to Jesus’ Lordship on
the part of professing Christians: either they are not true Believers and
therefore not saved, or they are out of touch with reality. The first reason
is expressed in a very clear and straightforward way in 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Examine yourselves to see whether
you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is
in you-unless, of course, you fail the test? (NIV)
The second reason [being out of touch
with reality] can happen to any true Believer whenever he loses sight of the
majesty of God and who he, the Believer is in Christ Jesus [his spiritual
identity]. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 illustrates this very well.
Do you not know that your body is
a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with
your body. (NIV)
I wonder how many Christians realize
that they no longer belong to themselves? The
Bible says in Romans 8:29 for those God foreknew He also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brothers. In Romans 12:2 the Bible also says do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind.
Commitment to the Lordship of Christ
is the normal lifestyle of the Believer; anything else is abnormal and out of
touch with reality. Don’t rob yourself of the joy, the fellowship, and all
the other benefits that comes with a consecrated life. Living any other way is
just plain insanity.
We are told in Philippians 1:6 what
God began He will finish. Being confident of this very thing, that He who
has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
Note a work in progress!
In Christ Jesus we already are holy,
righteous, sanctified and redeemed. [See 1 Corinthians 1:30]. God has called
us to live what we are in Christ, not to become what we are not yet.
The Bible teaches that it is God’s
will that His life [His attributes, character and nature] be manifested in the
lives of His children. He has given us His Spirit and empowered us for this
very reason. Philippians 2:12 states work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His
good pleasure. (NKJV)
Child of God be true to who you are
in Christ Jesus; there is no better evidence of His Lordship than a Believer
walking in the fullness of His Spirit. May God bless you.
Live
as God sees you.
Paul refers to Christians as saints (Ephesians 1:1), and then begs us
to walk worthy of this high and holy calling (Ephesians 4:1). He teaches us
that Christ be in you (Romans 8:10), then prays that you might walk worthy of
the Lord that is within you (Colossians 1:10). He tells us that we are
sanctified in Christ Jesus (1Corinthians 1:2), but later insists that every
one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor
(1Thessalonians 4:4). He flatly states that we are holy in God’s eyes
(1Thessalonians 5:27), and then challenges us to be perfecting holiness
(2Corinthians 7:1). Question; what does all this mean? It means walk worthy of
who God has made you in Christ Jesus, or to put it another way, live as God
sees you.
Paul
teaches that in the eyes of God the believer is dead to sin (Romans 6:2). He
then challenges the believer to reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin (Romans 6:11). Using the imagery of leaven as a symbol of sin and
wickedness (1Corinthians 5:8), Paul instructs us to purge out therefore the
old leaven…as ye are unleavened (1Corinthians 5:7). In short, grace simply
teaches us to recognize who we are in Christ, and then be that holy person
that God has made us to be.
May
I say as believers, there is often a difference between our eternal standing
in Christ and our current state, between our position in Christ and our
everyday practice. Our positional standing before God is one of sinless
perfection, but who can argue that our everyday state is less than perfect. We
stand before God ACCEPTED in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), and so we should
live our lives in a way that is ACCEPTABLE unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:10).
When we believed the gospel, we were made the righteousness of God in Him
(2Corinthians 5:21), and God now calls upon us to live righteously, and godly,
in this present world (Titus 2:12). God has not left us to do the impossible,
for to live righteously and godly in one’s own strength is indeed
impossible. No! God has empowered us with His Spirit, and has supplied us with
the grace necessary, to live a life worthy of our calling.
Believers,
who fail to live a life worthy of their calling, oppose themselves (i.e., are
living in opposition to who they are in Christ Jesus). We sometimes say of a
friend, he’s not himself today. By this we mean he is not acting in
accordance with his personality. When a child of God sins he is not acting
like himself, he is not acting like who God has made him in Christ. Of course,
it is inevitable that the believer will sin and grieve the very Spirit of God
that seals him unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). When this happens,
we need not get saved again, nor do we need to ask God for more forgiveness.
In his letters to the churches, every time the Apostle Paul mentions
forgiveness it is always in the past tense. For the Christian, forgiveness is
a done deal, past, present and future. The believer should feel a godly sorrow
for having grieved the Holy Spirit when he sinned, and needs to express this
to God in prayer, but the believer stands in no further need for forgiveness.
When you find that you have sinned, you should confess to God that you have
sinned, thank Him for His grace, determine not to continue in the path of
disobedience to God’s Word and move on. Now you think about that.
What
happened to me when I believed?
1.
You were forgiven of all your sins, past, present, and future. God has “forgiven
you all trespasses” [Colossians 2:13]. The Apostle Paul declares
that “God for Christ sake hath forgiven you” [Ephesians 4:32], and
so in Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins” [Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14].
2.
You were justified in the sight of God. Note! The word justify in
Scripture means to make righteous, or to declare righteous. God’s Word says
that we are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus” [Romans 3:24], and that “being now justified by
His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” [Romans 5:9]. Paul
assures us that we are “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus"[1Corinthians
6:11], and “that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life” [Titus 3:7].
3.
You were given eternal and everlasting life. “The gift of God is
eternal life” [Romans 6:23], for by the righteousness of One the free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life" [Romans 5:18]. All
who believe on Christ “believe on Him to life everlasting” [1Timothy
1:16], and become “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” [Titus
3:7].
4.
You were given The Holy Spirit of God who indwells you. Speaking to
believers, Paul says that God has “sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts” [Galatians 4:6], and so now the Spirit “dwelleth in
us” [2Timothy 1:14; Romans 8:9,11]. His presence within us is the down
payment that God has made in us that shows He is as serious about redeeming
our bodies as He was about redeeming our souls. Paul declares that the Spirit
is “the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession” [Ephesians 1:14]. Note! This blessing comes with a moral and
spiritual obligation to be a godly host to the Royal Guest within us. The
Apostle Paul asked the Corinthians, who were not living in a godly manner; “What?
Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price;
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” [1Corinthians
6:19-20].
5.
You were baptized into the Body of Christ. Paul says that we were “baptized
into Christ” [Romans 6:3]. This baptism has nothing to do with water.
The word baptism in Scripture speaks of identification. Christ was identified
as the Messiah when He was baptized with water [John 1:31-33]. But He later
called His death a baptism [Luke 12:50], because on the cross He was “numbered
with the transgressors,” He was identified with sinners as He bore their
sins [Isaiah 53:12; Mark 15:27-28]. When God looked at Christ on Calvary, He
did not see His Son, He saw us in our sins, and poured out His wrath upon
them. But now our baptism into Christ identifies us with Christ. Now when God
looks at us, He does not see us in our sins, He sees Christ in His
righteousness. The Bible puts it this way: “For He hath made Him to be
sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in
Him” [2Corinthians 5:21]. So our baptism into Christ is a spiritual
baptism; “for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body” [1Corinthians
12:13]. While God required physical baptism and physical circumcision for His
people Israel, God gives members of the Body of Christ a spiritual
circumcision [Colossians 2:11 and a spiritual baptism [Colossians 2:12]. This
baptism makes us “members of His Body” [Ephesians 5:30].
6.
You were made eternally secure in Christ. “If we believe not, yet
He abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself” [2Timothy 2:13], and as
members of His body we are members of Himself. Now that we are part of His
body, nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God” [Romans
8:39], for He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the
day of Jesus Christ" [Philippians 1:6]. In the Bible, the spiritual
Ephesians and the sinful Corinthians are both called saints [1Corinthians 1:2;
Ephesians 1:1], and both are said to be “sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise” [Ephesians 1:13; 2Corinthians 1:22]. Our salvation rests not on
what we do, but on what Christ did at Calvary.
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