Bible Teachings by Pete Beck III: Recent Episodes
Pete Beck III
I hope you will travel with me down the dusty roads of Israel with Jesus, learning from the Master Fisherman.
We will never know what it is like to lead people to Christ, watch him heal, or see him deliver people from oppression, unless we are willing to take the "risk" of using our God-given authority.
The Son of Man revelation is a fault line that divides humanity. We must choose one side or another as we wait for the great unveiling of the truth at his Second Coming.
After Adam's and Eve's rebellion and expulsion from the garden, almost from the beginning, their descendants, like Satan, were not content to remain in our assigned place.
Since the Garden of Eden, humans have been on a quest to throw off God's rule and escape the limitations of his Word.
The evangelist is a shepherd at the core, who is sent to those outside the church rather than to those who are already saved.
Even though we do not know the way, the Way knows us. He promises us that he will be with us, keep us, and guide us. The future is in his hands, and so are we.
Our ability to bind and loose is based on Christ’s victory on the cross and through his resurrection, by which he disarmed the power of Satan, sin, sickness, death, and the flesh.
In the articles that follow, I will show from the scriptures how the gospel sets us free from each of these tormenting fears that we may experience what it means to love and joyfully serve God and others from the heart.
The gospel reveals that Christ lives in us by faith now and keeps us focused on our promised heavenly reward.
With the Law, we get what we deserve - death; whereas, with the gospel of grace, we receive what Jesus earned on our behalf - forgiveness and eternal life.
The third big test we all will face at one time or another is connected to our choice to be satisfied with God and content with what he is allowing us to experience.
The post Part 3: Putting Christ to the Test – The Rebel in Us appeared first on Third Peter.
Whereas test #1 exposes any remaining idolatry in our hearts; test #2 searches our hearts to ferret out any moral infidelity so that we can confess that to the Lord and be set free.
The post Wipe Out! How to survive life’s four big tests – Part 2, Immorality – The Infidelity in Us appeared first on Third Peter.
Jesus Is the Resurrection The apostle Paul wrote that the resurrection from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your…Continue Reading
The post Chapter 79: The Resurrection appeared first on Third Peter.
There are four big tests that most of us will encounter on our discipleship journey. Each will reveal some aspect of the condition of our hearts and our devotion to God.
The post Wipe Out! How to survive life’s four big tests – Part 1, Idolatry appeared first on Third Peter.
I have decided that I am okay with being God's fool, but I am no longer willing to be the devil's.
The post A Cosmological Fool for Christ appeared first on Third Peter.
Just as it is crucial that we preach the correct gospel, it is also important to have a correct cosmology; therefore, it does matter what we believe about the shape of the earth.
The post Cosmology and the Heavenly Gospel appeared first on Third Peter.
Mea culpa for not always demonstrating a proper humility in the way I presented my recent teachings on biblical cosmology. I still hold to my convictions and interpretation of God's Word on this matter, but ask forgiveness for any exhibited arrogance and harshness.
The post Mea Culpa appeared first on Third Peter.
Following such a hermeneutic, if God's Word does not line up with accepted "science," then we must accommodate the Bible to it, which is the equivalent of making science Lord.
The post Science is NOT Lord! appeared first on Third Peter.
In order to ascribe to heliocentrism, we must believe some very crazy things.
The post A Few Crazy Things Heliocentrists Must Believe appeared first on Third Peter.
Satan, the great deceiver, has erected an enormous house of cards here on earth constructed of lies piled upon lies. The only thing that keeps it from completely falling apart is our spiritual blindness and resultant complicity. Once we see through his lies, the entire structure will come down.
The post Satan’s House of Cards appeared first on Third Peter.
As a result of the Copernican Revolution, people began to cease thinking biblically about the earth and began to conceive of it as one of the planets - a wandering star, a fallen angel.
The post What If I Told You that Planets Are Fallen Angels? appeared first on Third Peter.
Jesus will raise the dead on the “last day,” and Paul said that the resurrected dead will precede the living saints who will be caught up to heaven. Therefore, there cannot be a rapture ahead of the general resurrection which will take place at the Second Coming.
The post Chapter 76: Introduction to Knowing Jesus as Coming King and Judge appeared first on Third Peter.
If you read this series of articles, you probably already deduced my conclusion: the earth is not a globe as
we have been brainwashed into believing.
The post The Startling and Liberating Conclusion – The Earth Is a Plane appeared first on Third Peter.
Every person will eventually face a crisis that tests our loyalty to God's Word.
The post Loyalty to God’s Word appeared first on Third Peter.
Whatever route we took on our personal journey to the Lord is our testimony.
The post Chapter 75: How to Share Our Personal Testimony appeared first on Third Peter.
Understanding God's design of the world in which we live can liberate us from pervasive deception.
The post Why Understanding God’s Design for the World Is Important appeared first on Third Peter.
Since most people accept that something cannot self-generate from nothing, those who reject the Creator as the source require another "god" to account for the emergence of the universe - gravity.
The post Gravity – the god of the Big Bang Theory appeared first on Third Peter.
When we come to know the one called Truth, our souls find rest from our restless quest.
The post Chapter 73: The Gospel Satisfies Our Thirst for Truth appeared first on Third Peter.
I believe it is time for God-fearing Christians to reaffirm our allegiance to God's Word as our authority on the creation.
The post Reaffirming Our Allegiance to God’s Word appeared first on Third Peter.
When God says he will roll up or split apart the heavens like a scroll, he means he will remove the firmament to reveal the one who sits on the throne. (Isaiah 34:4 and Revelation 6:14)
The post The Amazing Firmament appeared first on Third Peter.
Just as the Passover and Exodus effective removed Israel from slavery in Egypt, the cross of Christ and his subsequent resurrection transferred us believers out of Satan’s kingdom into God’s.
The post Chapter 71: The Gospel in Relation to the Passover, Exodus, and Crossing Over into the Promised Land appeared first on Third Peter.
When engaging in this sort of syncretism, something has to give, and it always seems to be our adherence and allegiance to the written Word of God.
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When engaging in syncretism, something has to give, and it always seems to be our adherence to the written Word of God.
The post Repentance from Syncretism appeared first on Third Peter.
Once the devil can get a person to go against his or her own sense of right in favor of a convoluted lie, the mind has been captured by deception.
The post Repentance from Embracing the Deception of Evolutionary Theory appeared first on Third Peter.
Once we understand the mechanics of deception, it should make us even more determined to live within the framework God has given to us, using the map and the guide.
The post The Mechanics of Deception appeared first on Third Peter.
Once Adam and Eve poked a hole in the wall of truth that guarded their lives, it opened a flood of deception upon the earth. All of us to some degree or another have become co-conspirators in a giant assault on the truth.
The post The Entrance and Extent of Deception appeared first on Third Peter.
Both the extended time of favor and the cataclysmic day of judgment are part of the gospel message.
The post God’s Coming Judgment upon the Wicked Is Part of the Good News appeared first on Third Peter.
Understanding the covenants will greatly increase our appreciation of Jesus and his finished work on our behalf and can give us new insights into the gospel.
The post Chapter 70: The Gospel and the Covenants appeared first on Third Peter.
When we come to Jesus, the Holy Spirit removes the blindness from our eyes. He opens our deaf ears and heals our hardened hearts, enabling us to see and believe.
The post Chapter 72: The Gospel Opens Blind Eyes appeared first on Third Peter.
We simply cannot rely on human intelligence and ability if we want to be good at relational or any other kind of evangelism.
The post Chapter 73: Relational Evangelism appeared first on Third Peter.
The Bible reveals that God is a Person who is good and loving and who communicates with people.
The post Gospel in a Minute: Jesus Is Alive and Communicates with Us appeared first on Third Peter.
Jesus encouraged us to endure suffering for the gospel, not pin our hopes on a "great escape" called the rapture.
The post Don’t pin your hopes on the rapture. appeared first on Third Peter.
Come… Follow… Fish. Each of the three calls invites us into a deeper relationship with God, and each has a higher personal cost associated with it. Many are called, but few embrace all three.
The post Chapter 69: The Gospel Presented as Three Calls from God appeared first on Third Peter.
Our goal is to present the gospel in such a way that our hearers understand that Jesus is the One for whom they are searching.
The post Chapter 68: Gospel Paradigms appeared first on Third Peter.
Unity is important in the church, family, nation, or really any group, but disunity often, maybe always, accompanies any important new activity or truth coming from God.
The post Disunity Can Be a Sign that God Is at Work appeared first on Third Peter.
The Holy Spirit "blows" or "breathes" upon us when we are born again, reconnecting our dead spirits to God from whom we receive his never ending life.
The post Have You Been Born Again? appeared first on Third Peter.
Today many people are quite uncomfortable with having or exercising authority. It is commonplace for adults to ask small children to call them by their first names, choosing to be on familiar terms with the very young instead of teaching them to respect their elders. My opinion is this aversion to being in authority is directly related to a refusal to be under proper authority. We seldom wish to be what we despise.
As Christ's modern day representatives, we have the privilege of continuing Christ's ministry on the earth. This will be hindered unless we come to terms with exercising our delegated authority in Christ.
The Roman Centurion, who asked Jesus to heal his servant, grasped the nature of the authority Jesus had.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! Matthew 8:5-10 (NLT) Authority and faith are linked. Faith is able to receive and exercise God's authority; therefore, understanding the nature and extent of delegated authority is crucial.
The centurion understood that Jesus was on mission from God, and, as his representative, had been given the authority to get the job done. The one having authority is not always required to back up that authority personally. It takes power to enforce authority. The Holy Spirit is God's enforcer. When Jesus spoke in God's name, the Holy Spirit made what he said happen. The same is true for us today.
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT) Jesus was a delegated proclaimer of good news and God's kingdom. He exercised the authority of that kingdom and was backed up by the Enforcer, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the One who made Jesus' words and commands effective when it came to healing, casting out evil spirits, and raising the dead.
But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. Matthew 12:28 (NLT) We would never ask or beg an evil spirit to leave a person and to cease to oppress him or her, just as a police officer does not beg an offender to please give up. A peace officer must be comfortable using the authority given to him or her in order to be effective, and so must we.
Jesus gave his disciples specific authority, and by extension that includes us and all the disciples who would follow him through the centuries.
Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Luke 10:19-20 (NLT) Satan stole the authority God delegated to Adam by deceiving him into submitting to him instead of God. Satan still gives some measure of evil authority to those who serve him, but God's authority always overrules Satan's. The evil power released by the exercise of satanic authority is no match for the power of the one true God. (1 John 4:4)
It is our responsibility to release God's power through exercising the authority we have in Christ.
When Jesus died on the cross and subsequently rose from the dead, he completely defeated Satan and his minions.
In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NLT) After Jesus' resurrection, all authority in heaven and on earth was given to him. (Matthew 28:18) Our Lord now sits in heaven on God's throne waiting until all his enemies have been effectively subjugated by his people who operate in his authority, backed up by the Holy Spirit's power.
God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’ 36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Acts 2:32-36 (NLT) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20 (NLT) Satan has been defeated and rendered ineffective to exercise dominion over the church. Nevertheless, God left him in place in this fallen world so that the church could learn to exercise Christ's authority as representatives of the kingdom of God. We are being prepared to rule and reign with Christ for eternity.
Much of our ministry here on earth is an exercise of Christ's authority. The gospel is an announcement that all who put their faith and allegiance in Christ will be made right with God. Why do we have the right to say such things? God has given us authority to speak in his name. When we cast out evil spirits, we do so in the name or authority of our Lord. The Holy Spirit will enforce our words. Deliverance is never a power struggle between Christ's followers and evil spirits. It is an authority issue. We have to know where we stand; otherwise, demons will try to bluff their way into continuing to oppress their hosts.
The same is true when it comes to healing. I do not recall our Lord ever begging his Father to heal someone. Instead he usually commanded people to be healed or simply announced that God had healed them, using the authority he had from God. I will leave you the joy of searching out the scriptures to see if this is so. Christ is our example. His ministry is our pattern.
The early disciples exercised their authority to heal, in obedience to our Lord's command.
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions... 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:5-8 (NLT) Jesus did not instruct them to "ask me to heal the sick." He told them to heal and otherwise exercise his authority, which had been given to them.
If we are uncomfortable exercising our God given authority, we will be hindered in representing Christ properly in the healing ministry.
It is a little strange when we first start using our authority, just as I imagine it is somewhat uncomfortable for newly graduated police officers to command offenders to submit to their commands. I remember when I first assumed responsibility as the pastor of the church plant in Burlington. I had never before had people honor me as the pastor by calling me by that title. I had to get used to my new role. Likewise, we must become acclimated to exercising Christ's authority.
Practically speaking, we must move from merely asking God to heal people to commanding them to be healed.
Does that seem like a stretch? If so, it is because we have not yet understood and embraced the authority we have as Christ's ambassadors. Why not give it a try? We might be surprised at the results. Let's be willing to take the risk. Let the Spirit be our guide. Learn from experience. Don't be afraid of making a mistake. Don't worry about looking foolish. Get out on a limb where God is able to demonstrate how remarkably powerful he is. If we do these things, we will be able to share some amazing testimonies in days to come of how God used us to bless others and glorify himself.
Those who believe that Christ paid the price for our physical healing when he was beaten by Roman soldiers are faced with a challenging question. If the Holy Spirit is still distributing spiritual gifts as the Bible indicates (1 Corinthians 12:11), why do we do not see more healings today? As was covered in the previous article, cessationists "solve" this problem by denying that God still heals. Since that is not an option for us, we must consider other possibilities. This article is dedicated to help us overcome obstacles to healing.
Overcoming IgnoranceOne big reason people do not receive more from God is because they do not even know what God has given to us. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to open our understanding through revelation.
And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NLT) If we are to overcome the obstacle of ignorance, we must apply ourselves to studying and meditating on what the Bible teaches on the subject. Being apathetic toward God's marvelous provision for us is sinful.
The Bible teaches us that it is God's will to heal. It is his very nature, as revealed in Exodus 15:26. Jesus confirmed this truth through his actions and words. When the leper asked Jesus to heal him, if he were willing, our Lord responded: "I am willing." (Luke 5:12-13) The woman with internal bleeding was healed by touching Jesus' garment, without his even consciously willing it. When our faith connects with God's provision, healing flows. Jesus already paid for our healing on the cross. Why should we not expect him to give us what he paid for?
Defeat UnbeliefThe Gospel of Matthew reveals that unbelief is a hindrance to our receiving anything from God.
And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” 58 And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:57-58 (NLT) Jesus often said, “Be it done unto you according to your faith.” In Nazareth the people limited their ability to receive from Jesus because of their unbelief.
Unbelief and pride show that our hearts are hard, which shuts down our ability to understand, believe, and receive (Mark 6:52). Conversely, repentance and humility open our hearts to God and produce fertile soil for faith.
Jesus taught that all things are possible to the person who believes (Mark 9:23).
Overcoming unbelief requires us to confront our doubt regarding God's promises.
I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. Mark 11:23-24 (NLT) James, the Lord's brother and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, wrote that a “double-minded man,” who wavers between faith and unbelief or doubt, will not receive anything from God (James 1:6-8). One way to overcome unbelief is to act as if we believe. I am not suggesting that we become hypocrites, but obedience to God is more about what we do than anything else. Sometimes we must act the part before our feelings catch up.
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. John 7:17 (NIV) I remember once the Lord spoke to my heart when I was feeling down about something. He told me, "Why don't you just act as if everything is going to be alright?" Instantly my attitude completely flipped because I thought, "Of course! Because it is going to be alright."
We must act as if we have faith in order to help our thinking change and line up with God's Word. Actions speak louder than words many times. Faith is as faith does.
The same principle applies to worship. At times we do not feel like worshiping, but if we choose to do so anyway, our feelings will often follow the lead of our actions.
We also know from Scripture that the Lord sometimes overrules our unbelief as we haltingly approach him for help, as he did in the case of the desperate father who pleaded with Jesus to heal his son. The father approached Jesus, saying...
The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24 (NLT) We must remember that when we come to God for help, we are engaging a person who deeply loves us, not a heavenly slot machine that requires a special coin of the realm to get results. God is not looking for magic formulas, incantations, or confessions to wring a healing out of him.
The Lord responds to those who come to him as spiritual paupers, expecting him to hear their cry for help (Matthew 5:3).
When we get our eyes off of ourselves and on to him, real faith automatically engages with an honesty that is refreshing. The man who pleaded with Jesus in Mark chapter nine had true faith, or else he would not have persisted in his pursuit of Jesus.
Abraham's wife Sarah conceived a miracle son in her old age after laughing in unbelief when God first announced his plan. When the Lord confronted her about it, she added to her unbelief by lying about it by saying she did not laugh. Nevertheless, her fear and unbelief did not block God's plan for her and ultimately the entire world. Neither did Gideon's initial timidity block God from using him to miraculously deliver Israel. Other examples can be given of how God was able to work in and through people who were very much works in progress regarding faith.
The good news is that when God chooses to heal someone, he is not ultimately limited by our faith level; even though faith is extremely important in the process.
Be CourageousLack of courage is a big reason we do not see more healings today.
Many of us are more concerned about looking good in front of people than we are about God's glory.
We are afraid to pray for healings because what if nothing happens? Won't I look foolish? That is a risk we must take if we are going to be effective representatives of God's kingdom. It is a good thing to climb out on a limb of faith, so to speak, where, unless God comes through, we will look foolish. When we put ourselves into a position of publicly believing for God to heal someone, we risk looking bad in front of people, but we also risk seeing a miracle.
I have never experienced a person being angry with me for praying for their healing, even when healing did not appear to take place. Almost always they show gratitude that someone cared enough to pray for them. I have also witnessed amazing healings occur when I publicly prayed for someone to be healed. If we care too much about our reputation, we will not be effective for God. Ironically, those who risk losing their reputations for God's glory may gain respect in the process. As Jesus said,
If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Matthew 10:39 (NLT) God honors faith. He will back up the confidence we have in him. Once we are sure it is God's will to heal people, nothing should hold us back from aggressively praying for people.
Follow the Leading of the Holy SpiritListening to the voice and promptings of the Holy Spirit is a big key to seeing God do more healings through his people. This is a cultivated skill that only develops by our obeying what he tells us. Hearing God speak to us in our hearts can be quite scary, especially when he tells us to do something well outside of our comfort zones.
The Holy Spirit is God's administrator here on earth. He is a liberator and healer of people and is looking for those who will let him operate through them. (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18, and Acts 10:38)
Jesus taught that his "sheep", those of us who are born again, have the ability to hear his voice. (John 10:27) It takes faith to step out in obedience to the Spirit's promptings. This can be developed by those who are willing to take the risk.
It all boils down to having courage and being willing to fail occasionally in order to succeed in the long run.
If you are not yet very accomplished at following the Spirit's promptings, ask someone who is to help you develop this skill. This is called being a disciple.
Let us not forget that healing people is God's idea, not ours. He is far more interested in setting people free than we are. We need to get in step with him.
Listening to God's voice connects us to what some people call the "rhema" word of God. The "logos" word might be considered to be the eternal promises of God, as written in the Bible.
The "rhema" word of God is when the Spirit speaks directly to our hearts.
Of course, the two must agree, but often the "rhema" word is more specific to our need. We always have the "logos" Word of scripture to rely upon. When the Spirit speaks directly to us, it ignites faith at a whole new level that God intends to do what he says.
Embrace the Mystery that Not Everyone Gets HealedBooks have been written on possible reasons for not receiving healing, the premise being that, if we remove every hindrance, healing will be sure to follow in every case. But is this correct? The Bible teaches us that there is a time to be born and a time to die. (Ecclesiastes 3:2) Elijah the prophet, a man through whom God worked miracles, eventually got sick and died. (2 Kings 13:14) My own father was a man of faith who believed God for healing, but eventually he got sick and died at the age of 93. Our pre-resurrection bodies will not live forever.
Paul, a man through whom the Spirit did many miracles and healings and who wrote some of our most important Bible verses about faith, once left behind a friend who was sick. (2 Timothy 4:20) Jesus did not heal every sick person he met either. Of all those sick and crippled people gathered at the pool of Bethesda, he singled out one man to heal (John 5:2-9). It is true, however, that Jesus healed everyone who asked. (James 4:2)
It is important for us to realize that there is a certain mystery surrounding healing and all other operations of the Spirit, who distributes spiritual gifts according to his will, not ours. (Hebrews 2:4)
The scriptures provide us with what some call the “revealed will” of God. Others call this "logos" truth, that is, what we can count on as being doctrinally true. But there is also what some call the "rhema" will or word of God, which is his specific revealed or "spoken" will for us in a given situation. God has given us his logos truth in the Bible, which is always true. We are to make our stand upon his eternal Word. How and when God fulfills the promises in his Word are up to him. Some might call this his "secret" will.
The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us... Deuteronomy 29:29 (NLT) To put this is plain English, while it is true that Jesus' suffering purchased our healing, God reserves to himself how he distributes that benefit in specific situations. Our reference point is the revealed will of God found in the Bible (“through his wounds we are healed”).
When we find ourselves confronted by the need for a miraculous healing, we should "stand" upon his written promises and also ask the Holy Spirit for insight into his specific will for that particular situation.
Let me give a practical example. Usually when I pray for a very old person who seemingly has a terminal illness, I ask for healing according to the revealed will of God in the Bible. However, I am also aware that all of us have been assigned a God-given time to die. Therefore, I listen to the voice of the Spirit in my heart for specific directions as to how to pray. I once had a dear friend who was dying of cancer. When I sought the Lord regarding her situation, I believe I clearly heard him say that she was going to die, that her long period of suffering was coming to an end. This was a person whom God had previously healed miraculously at least twice. It was someone for whom I had joined my faith with hers and her husband's for one of those big miracles. It was not as if we were lacking faith, but this time was different. As her pastor, my ministry toward her changed after hearing from God that this was her time to go be with him. Instead of holding out a false hope of experiencing physical healing once again, I did my best to prepare her to die well in faith as an example to those of us who observed how she handled things. I am happy to say that she died in faith just as she had previously lived and been healed by faith.
Faith's goal is to bring glory to God, not just to get what we want.
There is a profound mystery to healing. Some receive a miracle. Others do not, and we should not automatically assign the latter in every case to unbelief. Doing so places an intolerable burden on our shoulders to earn our own healing by exercising the required level of faith. God's often unknowable reasons and purposes are not ours to command.
There is a dynamic tension between surrender to God's mysterious will and holding on to God's revealed promises with unbreakable trust.
Perhaps the greatest biblical example of this attitude in action is found in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three brave worshipers of the true God in Daniel's day were faced with the choice of bowing down before Nebuchadnezzar's idol or being thrown into a roaring furnace. Here is their famous reply to the king.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18 (NLT) These men demonstrated great faith through their loyalty to God.
Faithfulness or loyalty to God is what trust in God produces.
The way we can apply this to our own lives with regard to healing is by coming to God with a prayer such as this.
God, I thank you that Jesus paid the price for my healing. I am absolutely convinced that it is your will to heal me and you have the power to set me free from this illness. However, I also realize that sometimes you have secret purposes of which I am unaware. I surrender myself to your loving care and will. I ask you to glorify yourself through me in this situation, either by healing me or giving me the faith and courage to joyfully endure. I am yours to command. I trust you completely.
The author of Hebrews talks about faith that continues to resolutely trust God regardless of whether it gets its desire.
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Hebrews 11:13 (NLT) I have discovered that when we entrust ourselves to God's loving will, we put ourselves in the best possible position to receive a miracle.
God is not stingy. He is not weak. He is not wishy-washy about fulfilling his promises. Rather, he paid a tremendous price to procure our healing and is predisposed to bless us beyond our wildest dreams. He delights in those who fully trust in him. When we surrender ourselves to God, our ability to hear what the Holy Spirit whispers in our ears is greatly enhanced. When we discern his "rhema" will in a given situation, we have strong confidence.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 (ESV) I remember years ago when I was facing surgery for cancer, I did exactly what I laid out above. I told the Lord that whether I lived or died, I belonged to him. (Philippians 1:20-23) I asked him to glorify himself through me. After praying that, I clearly heard God speak to me as I read the Bible that he was going to heal me. I had no difficulty believing without doubt that this was his revealed will from then on, and that is exactly what happened. At the time of this writing I have been cancer free for 15 years. Thank you, Lord!
When the "rhema" spoken word matches the "logos" written word, our faith will be unbreakable. Faith is open to hear whatever God may speak to us, because we are not afraid of him or what he may tell us.
ConclusionWe can experience physical healing in a greater way when we overcome ignorance, unbelief, and timidity. The more we listen to the Spirit and surrender to God's glorious purposes for our lives, the greater will be our confidence in God's power to heal. All that remains for us to do is put what we believe into practice.
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40 (ESV)
In my first article in this series, I concluded that the rejection of present day healing is a form of isogesis in which we seek to conform the Word of God to our own experience, rather than allowing it to conform us to it. Those who deny that healing is for today either reject miracles in general, have little or no faith in God's ability, or embrace a position called cessationism, which holds that the nine spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 are no longer available since the completion of the New Testament.
The cessationist presupposition is that once the church had in its possession the written New Testament, we no longer need to rely upon the power of the Spirit to work alongside the verbal proclamation of the gospel message. This is a culturally Greek way of thinking that understands faith as being mostly a mental exercise rather than a holistic (spirit, soul, and body) response to the most dynamic and wonderful proclamation ever made. Cessationists are comfortable with limiting the meaning of God's Word to what we have experienced, which is a form of humanism. The proper approach is to ask God to bring our experience in line with what the Bible teaches. We should never settle for anything less. It is dangerous to discount our need for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Jesus announced in Luke 4:18 that he was in partnership with the Holy Spirit during his earthly ministry. It is impossible to imagine how he could have carried out his mission without the Spirit's power and the spiritual gifts.
If Jesus depended completely on the Spirit to fulfill his ministry, how much more must we!
Jesus later instructed his disciples to wait until they received the baptism in the Spirit before embarking on fulfilling the Great Commission. (Acts 1:8) Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica that the gospel had come to them in word and the power of the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 1:5) The first disciples had the written scriptures from the Old Testament; yet, they needed the power of the Spirit working alongside their gospel presentations to convince people of the truth of their message. Today followers of Christ, who have the written scriptures of the New Testament and Old, still need the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit, perhaps more than ever.
The deception that is upon the world has not decreased. Satan has not gone on vacation. People in general are not persuaded by a mere intellectual argument. We need God's power to work together with the verbal presentation of the gospel!
Jesus is the same today as yesterday. (Hebrews 13:8) The Holy Spirit has not changed either, nor has our need for him diminished. The gifts of the Spirit, including healing, are very much needed today and are still available to us in Christ.
To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. 8 For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NET1)Rather than deny what we have not experienced personally, we should ask God to let his gifts flow through us to other people. That is the purpose of the gifts. Healing is a demonstration of God's compassion and power. Jesus showed how much God cares about suffering people by healing and delivering them from demonic oppression.
And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT) Jesus promised that his followers would do even greater works than he. (John 14:12) Cessationists limit these greater works to helping people experience the new birth through the verbal gospel message, but where does the Bible teach us to limit our expectations?
The early church expected the Spirit to heal people as part of the gospel proclamation. Jesus did not put an expiration date on his miracle power, and neither should we.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:8 (NLT)
If you read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series of articles, hopefully you are convinced that it is God's will to heal people today. After all, Jesus is the same today (Hebrews 13:8) as he was when he walked the earth, healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). This article examines what the Bible says about God's motivation for healing people.
If we want to join our Lord in the ministry of healing, it is important for us to think as he does.
The more our hearts align with his, the better will be our understanding of his ways, and the easier it will be for us to walk in agreement with him.
And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT) The first reason why God heals people is that it is part of his essential nature to heal and restore those he loves. One of the Old Testament compound names of God was Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord who heals you.
He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.” Exodus 15:26 (NLT) God healed those who were faithful to him in the Old Testament. Under the New Covenant, blessings come to us because of the faithfulness of Christ. He is the One who earned our healing for us, and he paid a great deal for it.
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NLT) My first article in this series goes into great detail regarding the proper interpretation of this verse.
Once a bill has been paid, nothing more is owed. We do not have to earn our healing in any way. It is a gift from a very gracious God whose nature is to heal and restore those he loves.
Compassion for those who are suffering was and is a primary motivation for Jesus to heal people. Once when Jesus was tired from ministry to the crowds who thronged him, he tried to get away for some rest and recuperation. Instead, he found large numbers of people waiting for him when his boat reached the shore. Rather than being disappointed or irritable, this is what the Bible says about Jesus' attitude.
Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14 (NLT) Sickness and disease are part of the aftermath of Adam's first sin. Death entered the world, with sickness being an ever present threat to diminish or end our physical lives.
God promises that in the new heaven and earth that is coming, there will be no sickness, death, suffering, pain, or even sorrow! (Revelation 21:4) As we wait for that glorious day, when God will permanently remove the horrible consequences of sin, our Lord is not content to leave us without remedy. It is his compassionate desire to give us relief through gifts of healing. (1 Corinthians 12:9)
Jesus demonstrated God's heart in this matter very clearly during his short earthly ministry. (Acts 10:38) He instructed his disciples to operate in the same way.
Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:7-8 (NLT) After Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven, the early church continued to demonstrate God's love to people through preaching the gospel of reconciliation to God and performing compassionate healings. A reading of the Book of Acts confirms this. The disciples understood that Jesus' mission of demonstrating God's love to people was ongoing, and, since Jesus never changes, he expects us to keep it going.
This leads us to another powerful reason God continues to heal today. He uses healing and other miracles and signs to confirm the truth of his promises and the gospel.
Jesus urged his hearers to pay attention to the miracles and healings he performed, because these things testified to the truth of his words and his identity of the Messiah.
Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. 12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! John 14:11-14 (NLT) Knowing how strong our propensity to unbelief is, Jesus graciously performed signs and wonders to release people from their spiritual blindness. It still works today for many.
Notice that the latter part of the passage attests to the fact that healing is still for today. Two times while teaching a series on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in Honduras, God used significant healings to help the people believe in my message.
I believe healing is part of the God-given arsenal of spiritual weapons given to teachers.
This doesn't happen here in the USA as much because there tends to be more unbelief. There the people were open to God working through someone they did not know. As Jesus said, a prophet is not esteemed in his own country. Oh that God would release healing in a powerful way to break off the chains of unbelief!
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. Matthew 9:35 (NLT) Jesus said that certain signs, including healing, attest to the reality of the Kingdom of God in our midst.
Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ Luke 10:9 (NLT) God never expected people to believe solely based upon our words, as important as they are. The gospel was designed to come to people through preaching and the demonstration of the power of the kingdom of God.
For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (NLT) I believe it is disingenuous to claim that these signs and wonders only continued until the publication of the text of the New Testament. The early disciples also had the Scriptures, although limited to the Old Testament. Nevertheless, the gospel can be fully preached out of the Old Testament scriptures, as shown in the book of Acts.
All Scripture is inspired by God and full of power to change us on the inside (Hebrews 4:12); nevertheless, God backed up those infallible words with tangible demonstrations of the Spirit's power in the physical realm.
He does the same today. His strategy has not changed. What has changed is the way people interpret God's Word. Instead of taking it at face value, as the early church did, many try to limit the meaning of the Scriptures to what they have personally experienced or can conceive to be true. This is simply another form of humanism, in which we seek to make ourselves the measure of all things. We must allow God's word to measure and change us: not the other way around.
Jesus warned that we must know both the Word of God and the power of God in order to avoid error.
Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. Mark 12:24 (NLT) We must repent of this sin of diluting God's Word and get back to a God-centered interpretation of the Bible that includes the power of God being released through his people by means of the Holy Spirit.
In the first article in this series on healing, I showed how Isaiah 53 is the foundation of healing in the Old Testament. Four Hebrew words are very important to our having a proper understanding. The verbs that apply to how Jesus carried our sins also reveal that he carried our sickness and pain. If we believe he carried the former, we must conclude that he did the same for the latter. The logic is inescapable. The question this article addresses is whether there is any corroboration for this view in the New Testament.
The New Testament explains the Old in light of Jesus.
Jesus spent considerable time explaining to his disciples how he fulfilled Old Covenant scriptures.
Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27 (NLT)
Jesus is the focus of the entire Bible. If we miss him in the Old Covenant, we have missed the point.
It is clear that Matthew understood the implications of Isaiah 53 regarding physical healing. He clearly stated that Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 53:4 when he healed people.
Now when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down, sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve them. 16 When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. 17 In this way what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: “He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.” Matthew 8:14-17 (NET1) It is always instructive to see how the Bible interprets itself, as it does here.
Matthew leaves absolutely no room to doubt that Isaiah 53 addresses physical healing, no matter how later translators may skew the meaning because of their biases.
Let's return to the New English translation to see how it honestly renders the passage from Isaiah.
But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. 5 He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (NET1) Their notes reveal the following insight into their struggle to properly translate this passage.
17 sn Continuing to utilize the imagery of physical illness, the group acknowledges that the servant's willingness to carry their illnesses (v. 4) resulted in their being healed. Healing is a metaphor for forgiveness here. Even these honest translators feel compelled to weaken the power of physical healing contained in these verses, but Matthew rescues us from this error. These verses cover all forms of healing, to be sure, including the physical aspect.
Peter also cites Isaiah 53 in his first letter.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (NET1) Those who do not agree that physical healing is for today argue that Peter is here referencing a healing of the soul from the effects of sin and not physical healing.
Healing certainly applies to psychological and spiritual wounds, but it is not limited to them.
God did many signs and wonders through Peter, including remarkable healings. I am sure he understood that this power derived from what Christ suffered during his passion and death, just as did Matthew. They were students of the same teacher and were filled with the same Holy Spirit. God used them both to pen portions of our New Testament.
The Book of Acts reveals what the apostles believed through what they did. Actions speak louder than words. They believed that physical healing is available in Christ. So should we.
In conclusion, we owe a debt of gratitude to Matthew for clearing up this controversy of whether or not Isaiah 53 provides us with a doctrinal foundation for physical healing. Once we know where we stand, it should increase our faith that God still heals today.
Once for All For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB) How important is the phrase "once for all"? I believe it would be safe to say that EVERYTHING hinges upon it. Does that surprise you? If it does, you have not properly understood the nature of the work which Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection.
In a very real sense, the sin in the garden was a "once for all" sin. Adam's and Eve's failure to obey God was a one-time event that doomed the entire human race for all time. What some call the "original sin" resulted in the transmittal of a fallen "sin nature" to every human being who would ever be born the natural way. (Jesus is excluded from this list by reason of the virgin birth.) It set in motion a horrendous sequence of events that is still whirling seemingly out of control today. (However, God is still sovereign over his creation.) The evil we see around us, that sometimes seems to strike the most "innocent" at random, is nothing more or less than the result of that original sin reinforced by the additional sins that each of us have added to the mix and augmented by the malevolent interference of the Devil. Since salvation is God's means of overcoming the power and effects of sin, it stands to reason that what God would eventually do to rescue mankind would also be a "once for all" event.
God is "Other". By that I mean that He is very different from you and me, even though we are created in His image. He is not bound by time as we now are in many ways. He sees the end from the beginning and "calls those things which be not as though they were". (Romans 4:17) This amazing merging of history and eternity is revealed in such verses as the following.
And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made. Revelation 13:8 (NLT) If you are a believer, not only did God choose you before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), His Son was put to death before history ever began as well. There is an eternal reality to things before they ever show up in what we call "history". History is the playing out of God's wonderful plan. As Shakespeare is credited with writing:
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, (As You Like It)
That which is eternal is what is truly important. It might be said that what we do here in the present (the working out of history) is the outworking of the eternal. It also is part of determining our eternity. God is sovereign and we are responsible agents. That which from God's perspective was accomplished before the foundation of the earth had to take place at a given point in history as well. In the "fullness of time" (God's appointed time), Jesus was born, lived, was crucified, and rose again.
When Jesus hung upon the cross, some eternal things were taking place that we must acknowledge and believe if we are to fully appreciate and benefit from what God did.
Romans says that when Jesus died, we died. When He rose, we rose. We were placed "in Christ" so that what He experienced and accomplished is now ours. We were and are identified with Christ.
Identification is one of the most important salvation concepts in the Bible.
We were not given salvation as much as we were provided a Savior. We do not receive grace so much as we are now indwelt by the Gracious One. We have not so much been given life as we are filled with the One who is Life Himself. (John 14:6) All the blessings of God are in a Person, and His name is Jesus. (We experience all this via the indwelling Holy Spirit, God's most amazing gift.)
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)
When Jesus died on that cross, for the believer He took care of every sin that had ever been committed or would ever be committed. Does this sound too good to be true? Think about it: when the crucifixion took place, the sins of every person who would ever live and come to believe the gospel was still in the future. How could those sins be included in what Jesus did on the cross?
God, in His eternal wisdom, placed every future sin of His people on His Son. Jesus carried that heavy burden to His death. He substituted for us by taking our punishment for us. Substitution is another big concept. Jesus was our Substitute by paying the price for our sin, but we are identified with Him in that we too died.
God accomplished two things on the cross. Jesus died for us, and we died with Him.
His death for us released us from guilt and condemnation. Our death with him released us from the power of sin (Romans 6) and the Law. (Romans 7:4) When He rose again, we rose with Him, which empowers us to live a new life in the Spirit.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) But let's get back to our main topic for today, the once for all nature of what Jesus did. The Greek language has more verb forms than English. The past tense can be expressed as the imperfect, which is used for repeated past actions, and the aorist, which is used to communicate a one-time occurrence. An example of this would be: "Johnny practiced (imperfect) his driving skills every day with his instructor. Eventually he got (aorist) his license." What Jesus accomplished on the cross is always expressed in the aorist tense. It was done only once, never to be reenacted. (This is why the Catholic doctrine of the reenactment of Christ's death in the Mass is so unbiblical.) Here is how the author of Hebrews put it.
Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the earthly high priest who enters the Most Holy Place year after year to offer the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, he would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But no! He came once for all time, at the end of the age, to remove the power of sin forever by his sacrificial death for us. Hebrews 9:25-26 (NLT) In other words, what Jesus did was permanent and eternal. When we confess our sins and ask forgiveness from God, we tap into that once for all past work of grace on the cross. I hope you can see the significance of this important truth.
Since His death was "once for all" and it took care of the power of sin "forever", then our salvation is also "once for all".
Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. Hebrews 9:12 (NLT) God permanently transferred us out of the kingdom of darkness into his kingdom of light and life. (Colossians 1:13-14) He caused us to pass from death to life with the result being we will never ever come under condemnation again.
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT) Christ removed us from the treadmill of needing to "earn" our salvation or right standing with God through our performance and placed us "in Christ," where the work is finished.
The New Covenant was inaugurated with the death of the substitute covenant breaker, our Lord Jesus, who upfront paid the penalty for our failures. He actually “became” our sins, and, when he rose again, we became the righteousness of God in him.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) When he rose again, all forgiven former covenant breakers entered a right relationship with God and passed from death to life and from darkness to light. We participated in his death through identification and in his resurrection, too. It is impossible for us to go back into death and "unbecome" a born-again child of God. Christ’s death and resurrection were “once for all” and so is the resultant new birth and justification. We are now “one spirit” with God. (1 Corinthians 6:17) He lives his life in and through us. (Galatians 2:20) Now God is working in us both to “will and to do” of his good pleasure as we cooperate with his grace. (Philippians 2:12-13) This ought to make us shout for joy!
Have you ever wondered why God often chose barren women to become mothers of some of the key people in Jewish history? It cannot be mere coincidence. Our Lord is bound to be teaching us something very important. The recurring theme is for a man to marry a woman he dearly loves only to discover she cannot conceive - Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebecca, Jacob & Rachel, Elkanah & Hannah. In those days, God allowed men to have more than one wife, which is important to making my point, because it set up a situation in which frustration, jealousy, mocking, and torment came into play. Hagar mocked Sarah, Leah mocked Rachel, and Peninnah did the same to Hannah.
Satan is called the accuser of God's people. (Revelation 12:10) Our enemy's weapons against us include lies, intimidation, fear, mockery, and accusation. Since we are all very imperfect people, there is plenty of ammunition for him to use against us. He is not above making up lies to fuel his accusations, too.
In the days when the Old Testament stories were lived out, the ability to have children was supremely important and a measurement of God's blessing. Conversely, childlessness was viewed with disdain as a sign of God's judgment. Children are a blessing from the Lord in so many ways. They bring joy and fulfillment to their parents. In Old Testament times, they helped out with the enormous work load around the home and farm. In addition, children were security in old age before there were government programs for the elderly. To be childless was to miss out on all of this. It also opened a couple up to being looked down upon by family, friends, and neighbors. What's wrong? Why hasn't God blessed them? Is there sin in their lives?
What made matters worse for many barren women was the presence of another wife who was able to bear children for their husband. The fruitful wife proved the problem did not reside in the husband. It was all the "fault" of the barren wife. This would be difficult enough in itself, but, if the childbearing wife used her own fruitfulness to mock and accuse the barren wife, it could become intolerable, as in the cases of Abraham & Sarah, Jacob & Rachel, and Elkanah & Hannah. Satan is a mocker, and he is always looking for people to speak in his behalf. We should always be alert to the voice of the accuser, no matter who is doing the speaking. Sometimes we even accuse ourselves. Thankfully God is bigger than all of this. (1 John 3:20)
In every case mentioned in this article, the barren wives were dearly beloved by their husbands. This is very important, because fruitlessness is often interpreted as being a sign that God does not love us or has withdrawn his favor from us. Elkanah and Hannah provide the perfect example. Penninah was the fruitful wife. Hannah was the beloved barren wife. Here is what the Bible says about that triangular relationship.
Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the LORD at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the LORD had given her no children. 6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the LORD had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat. 8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” 1 Samuel 1:3-8 (NLT) Being her husband's beloved was not enough for Hannah. She could not say that her husband rejected her because she did not give him children. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is an important point. There any many many childless wives who are dearly loved by their husbands; nevertheless, their fruitlessness still gnaws at their souls.
There is something inside us that longs to be fruitful. This is true in the natural realm and the spiritual one.
Spiritually we bear children when we give birth to people through the gospel. Every time a person hears and believes the good news, a person is born again into God's kingdom. When God uses us to be part of that miracle by being the one to act as a sort of midwife in the birthing process, it brings us great joy and fulfillment. If we are not able to lead anyone or very many into a new life in Christ, over time it wears on us, especially if we see others having great success. We begin to ask the same questions Hannah asked. What's wrong with me? Why doesn't God help me? Has God turned his back on me? What am I doing wrong?
Peninnah made matters infinitely worse by mocking her rival, just as Hagar mocked Sarah and Leah mocked Rachel.
Those who operate by measuring their own success or failures against the failures or successes of others are called legalists.
The Bible tells us not to measure ourselves by any other standard than Christ; yet, there is an inner drive in us to compare ourselves to others in an attempt to feel better about ourselves. Sometimes it boomerangs, making us feel frustrated. Hannah fell into the trap. She was already feeling horrible, but Peninnah's mockery threw gas on the fire. It got so bad that Hannah was inconsolable. Fortunately, she knew what to do. She took her frustration to God.
After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 1 Samuel 1:9-11 (ESV) In every case mentioned earlier, either the wife or the husband used their frustration over childlessness to turn to God for help. Doing this allows us to progress from frustration to faith.
When things come easily to us, we may undervalue them. The more important a promise is to God's plan, the greater the wait and the battle.
Take, for example, Abraham, had to wait twenty-five years for God to fulfill his promise to give him a son. In the interim, he grew weary of waiting and attempted to "help" God by resorting to a man-made solution. When we do that, we may end up with an "Ishmael," an ongoing thorn in the side. For another example, consider David, who had to wait about fifteen years to become king. He went through some very dark and lonely places along the way when he was tempted to "throw in the towel". Consider Joseph, about whom the Bible says:
The LORD'S promise tested him through fiery trials until his prediction came true. Psalm 105:19 (GW)
Those who fought in the American Revolution on the patriot or rebel side also went through some very dark and trying days. When things were extremely bleak and many were ready to give up, Thomas Paine printed a pamphlet that turned the tide, entitled The American Crisis. These memorable words are found in it.
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
In Abraham's case, much more was at stake than his having an heir: a nation was being birthed. In Joseph's situation, his own destiny was not the only thing God had in mind. Rather, the preservation of his chosen people, the line of the Messiah, hung in the balance. And God was going to use Hannah's frustrated desire to have a son to birth one of the great prophets of Israel, whom God would use to install its first and second kings.
God seems to enjoy bringing his greatest blessings into the world in miraculous ways, against all odds, using very unlikely people whom the world despises and judges to be worthless.
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT)
So, if you are frustrated and discouraged that promises God made to you look as if they will never come to pass, don't listen to the mocker and the accuser. Instead, like Hannah, seek the Lord and ask him to give you what you want so much.
But, like Hannah, be prepared to hold on to the fulfillment very loosely, because God may want to use it for his kingdom. If we give away to God that for which we have waited for a long time, he will make it up to us. Hannah gave her long awaited son Samuel to God's service, and God gave her more children to call her own. Imagine how proud and fulfilled she was to know her son was such an important man!
The point of this article is that we should never give on God's promises, even if it is not our lot to experience their fulfillment for ourselves.
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Hebrews 11:13 (NLT) Sometimes God wants us to be faithful so that the next generation can experience the fulfillment. Moses got Israel through the wilderness, but Joshua led them into the Promised Land. Abraham fathered one son of promise, but that son would become the father of a multitude culminating in the Messiah. God's promise to Abraham was fulfilled through his descendants. We are in this for the long haul, which may include multiple generations.
We cannot properly measure the value or significance of our lives and ministries. Only God can do that. Ours is to be faithful, possessing a loyalty and steadfastness that comes from being full of faith.
We must not cave to discouragement, frustration, or fear. As Winston Churchill so famously said, "Never, never, never give up!" We must not give up on God's promises. He is absolutely faithful to his Word. He will never let us down. He prizes faith, especially faith that keeps going when the chips are down. Who knows? God may use us to give birth to another miracle.
Once there was a very handsome and well-respected man who married a lovely woman with great hopes of having a family. After a few years, the woman was not able to conceive, which made the husband frustrated and angry. He began to accuse his wife of being barren and a great disappointment to him, which hurt her deeply. After several years of childlessness, his frustration turned to bitterness and rage. He began to beat his wife in addition to the verbal abuse and condemnation. She became extremely discouraged and was ready to give up when Jesus paid her a visit. She poured out her heart to him as he patiently listened. When she had finished, he explained that it was not really her fault that she was not able to conceive. Her husband was to blame because he was impotent and had no ability to father a child.
Now the woman was even more distraught. What was she to do? She truly wanted children, but now it seemed that she could never have any. Jesus explained to her that the only way out was through death, since marriage is for life. But her husband was in very good health; so, now she wondered if Jesus wanted her to kill her husband! Then he explained that she was the one who had to die! Well, now she was alarmed and confused. She would rather be alive and childless than dead and childless!
In Romans Chapter 7, Paul used the analogy of marriage to shed light on our relationship with the Law.
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4 (NASB) Before our new birth, we were "married" to the Law. The Law is a demanding and cruel husband, who is always right in pointing out our fruitlessness, but who has absolutely no ability to help us do better. His continual criticisms make life frustrating and painful.
When it comes to being fruitful toward God, the Law is absolutely impotent.
Because of our inherited sin nature, the Law can never produce anything good in us. It only highlights our sinfulness and actually goads us to become more sinful, because the more we try to be "perfect" by using our own resources, the more we fail. In addition, the more the law condemns us and goads us to try harder, the more discouraged and resentful we become, which propels us in a negative direction.
For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Romans 7:5 (NASB) Our relationship with the husband called the Law can only produce frustration, discouragement, and death; yet, the Law continually condemns our fruitlessness toward God. It is like an impotent husband criticizing his wife for not bearing children to him. It simply cannot happen. That is why our heavenly Father united us with his Son in his death.
When Christ died, so did we, which liberated us from our marriage to the Law.
Before his death, our Lord perfectly satisfied the requirements of the Law. His death also satisfied God's righteous judgment against us for breaking the Law. Since we were included in Christ's death and resurrection, we benefit from his perfect righteousness and his perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Now that we have died with Christ, we can be spiritually "married" to Christ without violating God's righteousness.
Jesus is the perfect "husband" through whom we can now bear fruit to God. This is because his Spirit lives in and through us, causing us both to desire and to do God's will.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) If we in frustration for our apparent lack of fruit toward God turn back to our own efforts to try to make it happen, we have fallen from grace and returned to an impotent husband. How foolish!
For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:19 (NLT)
Our faith-love relationship with our Lord Jesus via the indwelling Holy Spirit is the only way we will ever bear fruit to God. As we learn to fully trust and obey him, we will see what God can do in and through us.
Most Christians who know anything about the Bible are probably familiar with the account in Genesis when Jacob stole his brother Esau's blessing by deceiving his father. (Genesis 27 - I recommend you read this chapter to familiarize yourself with the details.) Jacob has always been one of my favorite characters, not because I think he was a great guy, but because, if God can love and use him, there is hope for us all. He was a deceiver, a conniver, and a schemer. He was not overly courageous, nor a man of great faith; yet, God loved him and made him part of the chain that began with Abraham that launched a nation and ushered in the Messiah and the New Covenant.
What can we learn from Jacob's deception? Most of what happened was anything but recommended behavior. God had previously spoken to Rebecca (Genesis 25:23) that Jacob would rule over his elder brother, Esau, but Isaac loved Esau better for very human reasons and planned to give him the double portion blessing that ordinarily would go to the elder brother. Apparently Isaac did not highly regard the previous prophecy about Jacob having the rule, maybe because women were not regarded as highly then by many, or maybe Rebecca had not told him, or maybe he did not greatly fear the Lord in this matter, if he did know about it. He went with his natural instincts instead. Rebecca, however, did remember what God had said, and she preferred Jacob over Esau. Instead of quietly approaching her husband to remind him of what God had already spoken, she determined to deceive her husband instead. Perhaps she knew that Isaac would not change his mind. We left in the dark. Regardless, nowhere does the Bible suggest that Rebecca illustrated the kind of behavior we should imitate. Rather, what happened serves as a cautionary tale. The results of her actions split the family apart, but it did accomplish God's will to bless Jacob. (Romans 8:28 - God works all things together for good.)
One can feel the tension in the air as Jacob brought the delicious meal to his father that his mother had prepared. Since Isaac was blind, he had to rely on his senses of smell, touch, and hearing. Apparently he did not rely heavily on spiritual discernment. The voice was Jacob's but because he was wearing Esau's clothing, the deception worked. Despite his misgivings, Isaac gave the younger son the elder brother's blessing. When Esau found out what happened, he was enraged and determined to kill his brother. So Jacob was sent far away to find a bride and his destiny. He never saw his mother again, but his great adventure had begun. He would one day return a humbled, wealthy, and changed man. Esau got over his rage and they were later reconciled. The story ends well.
One of the basic principles for understanding Scripture is that everything points to Jesus. (Luke 24:27) Such a pivotal story as the one we just summarized tells us much about Jesus and how we receive the blessings of the New Covenant. But the beauty is hidden from plain sight. Paul tells us to "clothe" ourselves with Christ. (Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:24) Isaiah prophesied that the New Covenant would allow us to don "garments of salvation." (Isaiah 61:10) The New Covenant reveals that when we put our faith and allegiance in Christ, Father God "imputes" or gives Christ's right relationship with himself to us. This is called justification. The Spirit of the Son (the Holy Spirit) unites with our spirits, giving us the same relationship with Abba that Jesus has, minus the divinity, or course. (Romans 8:15-16)
In other words, the new birth gives us Christ's clothes, so to speak. To refer back to the Jacob story, we receive the elder brother's blessing because we are wearing his clothes. But in our case, the Father is not deceived. It was his plan all along, and Jesus is not resentful, as was Esau. He gladly distributes his never ending blessing.
So the next time you read Genesis 27, keep in mind the rest of the story. And if you have never asked the Father to clothe you with Christ's righteous clothing, do so now. Do not miss out on the blessing.
In Romans Chapter 7, Paul uses the analogy of marriage to shed light on our relationship with the Law.
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4 (NASB) Before the new birth, we were "married" to the Law. The Law is a demanding husband, who is always right in his criticisms, but who never lifts a finger to help us.
When it comes to being fruitful toward God, the Law is absolutely impotent.
Because of our inherited sin nature, the Law can never produce anything good in us. It only highlights our sinfulness and actually goads us to become more sinful because the more we try to be "perfect" by using our own resources, the more hopelessly we fail.
For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Romans 7:5 (NASB) Our relationship with the husband called the Law can only produce death; yet, the Law continually condemns our fruitlessness toward God. It is like an impotent husband criticizing his wife for not bearing children to him. It simply cannot happen. That is why our heavenly Father united us with his Son in his death.
When Christ died, so did we, which liberated us from our marriage to the Law.
Before his death, our Lord perfectly satisfied the requirements of the Law. His death satisfied God's righteous judgment against us for breaking the Law. Since we were included in his death and resurrection, we benefit from his perfect righteousness and his perfect sacrifice.
Now that we have died with Christ, we can be married to Christ without violating God's righteousness.
Jesus is the perfect husband through whom we can now bear fruit to God. This is because his Spirit lives in and through us, causing us both to will and to do God's will.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) If we in frustration for our apparent lack of fruit toward God turn back to our own efforts to try to make it happen, we have fallen from grace and returned to an impotent husband. How foolish!
For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:19 (NLT)
Our love relationship with our Lord Jesus is the only way we will ever bear fruit to God. Never abandon him in a foolish quest to find another lover (the Law) who will never be able to satisfy our deep longings to be fruitful.
The New Covenant is often misunderstood, even by those of us who call ourselves Christians. It is such a radical departure from the Old Covenant that it boggles the imagination. We are so conditioned to think in terms of our performance in relation to the Law's demands that we often fail to grasp the enormity of the shift the New Covenant brought.
An important key to understanding the New Covenant is the new birth. The New Covenant give us a new identity, which is an unseen internal change, rather than something external that is obvious to the observer and easily measurable.
When Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, he wasn't being poetic. He shared a fundamental truth related to the New Covenant.
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8 (NLT) The Old Covenant failed because it was fundamentally flawed. (Hebrews 8:7) The Law is perfect, but we are born into this world under the thumb of sin. It was impossible for humans to attain or maintain a right relationship with God through adequately keeping the Law. It always ended up condemning us before God. The best it could do was point us toward our desperate need for a Savior. (Galatians 3:22-24) God's solution to the problem of human depravity was to provide the absolutely ingenious New Covenant way to be made right with God. This is called a "new and living way." (Romans 7:6)
The first real clues about the nature of the New Covenant are found in Jeremiah.
“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the LORD. 33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NLT) Later Ezekiel added his prophetic insights.
And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, 20 so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. Ezekiel 11:19-20 (NLT) Both prophets spoke of God's doing something altogether new and different in his people that would fundamentally alter their behavior by putting a different spirit and heart within them. How could that be done? When Jesus told Nicodemus about the new birth via the Spirit's work inside a person, the mechanism for this radical change was clarified.
Paul called it a new creation.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) The new thing God has done is the fusion of our Spirit with the Holy Spirit via what Jesus called the new birth. When we are born of the Spirit, we are joined to the Holy Spirit in a radical and unprecedented move by God. (1 Corinthians 6:17) We become sons of God because the Spirit of his Son lives within us!
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Galatians 4:4-7 (NLT)
The innermost part of our being, the spirit, is born anew or recreated in the image of God, being united with God. God's own life invades ours in the new birth. This is why our hearts now want to do what is right and pleasing to God. Our deepest desires spring from God now. This is a big key to understanding the New Covenant.
At first this may sound too good to be true, and our experience often seems to contradict it. Those of us who have experienced the new birth still battle with sin. How can this be, if our spirits are united with God? Paul dealt with this issue in Romans Chapter 7. After explaining in Chapter 6 that we are now dead to sin due to being united with Christ in his death and resurrection, he goes on to recognize the ongoing problem we still have with sin in the following chapter. The essence of the problem is that, while we have recreated spirits, we also have bodies that are very much part of the sinful old order of things under Adam. These bodies of ours are condemned to die because of the judgment against Adam's (and our) sin. Jesus will one day resurrect our bodies from the dead and replace them with glorious spiritual bodies that will no longer be subject to sin and death, thus completely ending sin's reign in our lives.
Until the resurrection, however, we live in the paradox of being dead to sin yet being still pulled by sin. Paul called this the war between the flesh and the spirit.
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. Galatians 5:16-18 (NLT) Jesus acknowledged this problem when he told his disciples that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)
Paul went a little further in his explanation in Romans Chapter 7.
So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:14-17 (NLT) Even the best intentioned God-fearing believers, such as Paul, battle with sin that originates with the "flesh," that part of us that is still connected to the mortal body in which we live. Our souls are the result of the spirit being "breathed" into our bodies. (Genesis 2:7) The fusion of a born again spirit with a mortal sin-corrupted body makes us conflicted to say the least.
What Paul is saying in the above passage is that we have a decision to make: will we identify with the new creation part of us or with the "flesh"? Paul chose to say that his true identity was the new man in Christ.
Jesus said much the same thing in John Chapter 8.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:34-36 (NLT) In his typically mysterious way of speaking that requires us to unpack his words, Jesus said the following:
- Slavery to sin results from our being a child of the devil, an enslaved descendant of the first Adam.
- Slaves are not God's children, only those who are born of the Father.
- When we are born again, we are set free from slavery to sin because we become new creations whose inward motivation derives from God himself.
- Therefore, all born again children of God are no longer slaves to sin.
This agrees with Paul's teaching in Romans 6-8 and John's first letter, where he wrote the following.
Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 1 John 3:9 (NLT) In other words, if we are born again, we cannot continue to sin without suffering internal conflict of a major sort. It goes against our fundamental nature now to continue to sin. Yet, we all struggle in some area of our lives because we still live in these bodies.
Paul tells us that now we must learn to live above the downward pull of sin by "walking in the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25)
We are also able to escape the enervating power of condemnation because we realize that sin no longer defines us and the Law does not control us any longer. We have a new identity in Christ that transcends sin's power to dominate and control and we died to the Law so that it can no longer condemn us. (Romans 7:4)
We are still responsible for the sins we commit, but we are not defined or condemned by them.
God wants us to acknowledge and renounce them without allowing them to tear us down or make us doubt our true identity in Christ. We dare not become careless or flippant about sin, because we have a loving Father who knows how to discipline his wayward children.
The power to rise above the condemning power of the Law is absolutely essential in the process of learning to walk by faith in the Spirit.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2 (NLT) So the next time you fall for the same old lie and commit some besetting sin, do not beat yourself up or start doubting if you are even saved. If you know that you have put your faith and allegiance in Christ, acknowledge your sin, ask forgiveness, renounce it, and move on, trusting that the Spirit will help us live out of our new identity as God's child. Claim your God-given freedom from sin by faith. The Bible says that sin will not rule over us. (Romans 6:14) Learn to walk in the freedom and power of the Spirit. Then we will experience all that Christ died to give us, for if the Son sets us free, we are free indeed.
One of the most telling stories in the Bible takes place at the death of Jacob. The family was living in Egypt under the protection and care of Joseph, who is second in command there. The brothers, who years earlier had hated, betrayed, and sold Joseph into slavery, were afraid that, now that their father was out of the picture, Joseph would take vengeance on them. They could not imagine that their brother held nothing against them for their previous treachery.
They approached Joseph with a fabricated story begging him to spare their lives on behalf of their father. Here is how Joseph responded.
...And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:17–21 (NASB95) — Joseph's brothers imagined that he was like them and would be unable to let go of his offense. They did not understand that forgiveness is the complete and utter release of a debt. Nothing remains to be paid or collected. All motivation toward revenge is gone without a trace. The memory and knowledge of what happened remained, but not the offense or any thoughts of revenge.
Many Christians are like those brothers. We have a difficult time releasing others from what they owe us and imagine God is like that, too. I remember when my youngest son, Clark, was about 5 or so. He was sitting on my lap as I explained to him that Jesus did nothing wrong but chose to die for our sins. He took our punishment upon himself so we could go free. He turned to me and asked a most insightful question: "Daddy, does he still like us?"
It is difficult, if not impossible, for us to fathom the depths of the love of God's Son, who freely laid down his life for his enemies.
We often think that surely we owe him something in return. Surely somehow we can pay back this debt we owe to him! Such thinking is a root of legalism, the attempt to gain or maintain a right relationship with God through self-effort. Legalism cannot produce life. It always ends poorly in anger, discouragement, despair, or self-righteous pride, depending on our personality and how well we think we are doing. It is impossible to be good enough for God. The sooner we give up on this, the better.
Jesus taught a parable that perfectly illustrates this way of thinking. It's found in Matthew 18:21-35. I encourage you to read it now. You can click on the linked Bible passage to easily do this.
This servant was hopelessly in debt. There was no earthly possibility that he could repay the enormous sum. He begged for more time, thinking that he could actually pull it off, but the master knew that the only way out was to release him from the debt completely, which he did. The servant, however, either did not hear or did not accept the master's mercy. He still determined to pay back the debt. The human heart dislikes receiving "charity." We want to earn our way. We want to be "self-made." That was the sin of Adam and remains the driving force much of our behavior today. Simply put, we want to be God.
It is humbling to realize that we are unable to pay back to God what we owe him.
The wages of sin is death, and unless we die, we still owe God, unless someone else takes our place. Even though the servant was totally absolved of his debt, he did not accept it and began to work hard at collecting all the debts owed to him. He mercilessly threw into prison someone who owed him a small amount, but was unable to pay it. This what we Christians sometimes do. When we don't really believe God has forgiven us for our impossible sin debt, we take it out on others.
When we are unable to receive God's mercy, we find it impossible to show the same to others.
If we think we are "pretty good" people, we deceive ourselves into thinking that our offenses are not too bad in the grand scheme of things. Our sense of needing God's forgiveness is lessened, and our appreciation for the mercy he has shown us is diminished.
Merciless people illustrate their own poverty of understanding.
If we are unable to fully receive God's mercy, we may become like that servant. He heard the master fully release him, but he could not really hear it. He could not believe it or receive it.
Jesus gave us another clear illustration of this principle.
Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner!” 40 And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”41 “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other, fifty. 42 When they were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:36–50 (NASB 2020) — Our recognition of our own poverty in relation to God sets us up to fully receive his mercy. (Matthew 5:3) When we imagine we need little or no mercy from God, our hearts are closed to his amazing offer of complete forgiveness, but when we know we are sinners without a prayer besides God's mercy, we fully receive it and share it with others.
When we doubt whether God has fully forgiven us, we reveal that we have not truly heard the good news that Jesus completely and irrevocably released us from the debt of sin.
When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, every sin that we would commit was in the future. God foresaw it all and made provision for it.
By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. 11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, 13 waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES ARE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16 “THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEARTS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR MIND,” He then says, 17 “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL NO LONGER REMEMBER.” 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required. Hebrews 10:10–18 (NASB 2020) — Many people think that Jesus simply erased our past sins, but maintaining a right relationship with God in the future is still in our hands. What we do from here on out is up to us. This kind of thinking puts us on the treadmill of trying to be good enough. People on that hopeless errand eventually collapse in discouragement, despair, or even anger against God, all because they did not understand or receive the full forgiveness of God when it was offered.
Let me share a couple of verses that have greatly impacted my own heart and helped me escape the lost cause of trying to be good enough.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:8–11 (NASB 2020) — I hope you have "ears to hear" what this passage says.
- Jesus died for us before we ever made any move toward God. We were his avowed, inveterate enemies. We were spiritually dead and actually incapable of doing anything to save ourselves. Nothing in us deserved the mercy he showed to us.
- His death not only provided forgiveness. It also transferred his right standing with God to us. Now we are justified - not guilty. In God's eyes there is nothing to make him dissatisfied with us.
- In addition, because of Jesus' resurrection, we shall be saved by his life. That means that if Jesus lives, so do we. As long as he is alive, we will never die. His well being translates into our well being. His favor with God is our favor with God. Everything he has and is has been given to us. In other words, God's own Spirit lives inside us, making us authentic children of God with complete access to the Father's heart and blessings! We have passed from death to life.
Some of us believe that there must be a "but" in there someplace. The gospel cannot possibly be this level of good news. Well, if that is you, I am glad to tell you that you are mistaken. The gospel is far better than people allow themselves to believe, just as the master's declaration of complete release from debt was too good for the servant to believe, but not too good for the woman who washed his feet with her tears.
Here is another life-changing verse, if you can hear it and receive it.
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT) — If you can believe this one verse, you will be set free. Jesus clearly confirms Paul's words. We cannot ever again be condemned for our sins. Why? Because once a debt is paid, it cannot be owed any longer. The devil and our own hearts condemn us by deceiving us into believing that God has not truly or completely or irrevocably released us from our debt of sin, but it is a lie.
Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NASB 2020) — We cannot die because we are already dead. We cannot be condemned because Jesus took our condemnation. When Jesus died, so did we. When he arose, so did we. We cannot go back and undo what he did for us on the cross. Why would we want to do that? The good news is that we have already escaped from the shadowland of legalism and death and have been transported by the Spirit into the wonderful new realm of life in the Son of God. We cannot ever die again!
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” John 11:25–26 (NLT) — Ask the Lord to help you believe this glorious truth. It will change your life.
Sonship is the last pillar in this series of articles. It follows propitiation, redemption, justification, and reconciliation.
Sonship is the impartation of all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of being a child of God.
Identity As sons we have a permanent place in the family of God.
A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. John 8:35 (NLT) We are given our heavenly Father’s spiritual “DNA,” when we are born again by the operation of the Holy Spirit.
Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. John 3:6 (NLT) It is important that we understand that we are not God's "step children." We are not limited to a legal standing as family members. We are God's children by birth.
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:12-13 (NLT)
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ himself, lives inside every born again child of God, enabling us to share Jesus' own relationship with Father God.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15 (NASB)
Access Because of our identity as God's children, we are able to come to him at any time for fellowship, encouragement, comfort, and strength.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)
Access to our heavenly Father is not based on our recent performance, emotional state, or opinion of our worthiness. It is based solely on Christ's own access to his Father. What belongs to him he gave to us as a free gift.
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. John 1:16-18 (NLT) Jesus shares his intimacy with his Abba Father with us. When we come to the Father in Christ's name, depending solely on his right standing, we are always welcome.
Privilege
Because of our identity and access, we can ask for anything we need, and Father God will provide.
At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. John 16:23-24 (NLT) Our heavenly Father does not resent when we ask for things. Instead, he is predisposed to bless us because he loves us so much. He is not stingy or limited in his means. This does not mean that he grants every request. As any good father, he gives us what is good for us and withholds anything that is destructive.
And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT) Authority Believers are privileged to use the authority associated with Christ’s name, which allows us to proclaim the gospel, prophesy, heal the sick, cast out demons, speak words of encouragement and correction, counsel, and to forgive sins.
Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:7-8 (NLT)
It is an enormous honor, privilege, and responsibility to speak in God's name and use his authority.
The Holy Spirit backs up with power Christ's authoritative word spoken by us.
Destiny Our destiny as God's children is to be in his presence and share his amazing glory, power, rule, and wealth in heaven.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)
We rule and reign with Christ now in a limited capacity, but in eternity we will co-rule with our Lord in an even greater way.
If we endure hardship, we will reign with him...2 Timothy 2:12a (NLT)
The privilege of permanent access to the presence and glory of God in heaven will be an indescribable joy.
Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! John 17:24 (NLT)
Conclusion Our destiny to be in God's presence forever starts right here on earth. Paul made it his chief goal in life to know Christ.
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ... Philippians 3:7-8 (NLT) The purpose of studying and meditating upon these five pillars of our salvation is to increase our awareness of what we have been given in Christ, to maximize our joy as God's children, and to encourage our faith and boldness to grow as we represent our Lord to the world. Knowing these things should motivate us, as it did Paul, to cast aside everything that distracts us from our grand calling as children of God and representatives of Christ because what awaits those who faithfully serve our Lord is so precious that it defies human evaluation.
May we think about these things often and continually give thanks to our Lord Jesus the Messiah, to our heavenly Father, and to the glorious Holy Spirit.
It is one thing to be forgiven and quite another to be justified. While forgiveness is the most easily understood of the five aspects of our great salvation, justification is probably the least. Many believers say they believe they are justified in God's sight, but their manner of life betrays doubt or outright unbelief. What is it about justification that lends itself to misunderstanding and unbelief?
Justification is a legal word that might be best translated "made right with God." In fact, the New Living Translation does this for us.
Therefore, since we have been [justified] made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1 (NLT)
Justification is a judicial declaration of our innocence before God at judgment, a big "not guilty!"
Through justification God the Father fully includes us in Christ's right standing with him that was earned through a life of perfect obedience all the way to death on the cross.
Justification is the result of an exchange whereby our sins and guilt fell upon Christ and his right standing with the Father was given to us.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB) The stark reality is that Jesus assumed the guilt and punishment for our sin to the degree that he actually "became" sin. For a short time, Jesus' identify changed from being the Son in whom the Father was well pleased into sin itself. That is about the best I understand this mystery.
Think of justification as a sort of witness protection program. God gives us a new identity in Christ.
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (NASB) Our old identity as a inveterate rebel was removed. Our new identify has no record of past sins, criminal activity, convictions, or punishment. Our new identity states that we have lived with unblemished obedience to God.
This is difficult for us to believe because we are well aware of our many faults, which continue to this day. We may find it believable that our past sins have been erased, but what about the ones I commit today or tomorrow? Are they too expunged? Do I have a "free pass" to sin at will from now on? This is where many people stop believing in justification and slip back into a works mentality, thinking that past sins have been erased, but not current or future ones. In fact, during the Middle Ages, people would sometimes wait until being near death to be water baptized, thinking it would give them a clean slate when they faced God.
What most people have not considered is that God is not restricted by time. All our sins were in the future when Jesus died on the cross. His "once for all" sacrifice took care of the sin problem past, present, and future.
It reached back into time to provide forgiveness for those who died in faith under the Old Covenant, such as Abraham and King David. It also reaches far into the future to provide eternal forgiveness to those not yet even born.
For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:10-14 (NLT)
We do not need a new sacrifice for our new sins. The one death on the cross solved the sin problem forever. God saw all our sins before we ever committed one of them. Nothing we do surprises God. Nothing is outside the scope of Christ's once for all time sacrifice.
Verse 14 distinguishes between justification and sanctification or transformation. Our faith in the finished work of Christ permanently justified us, but we are being transformed on a daily basis by the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, those of us who have been declared not guilty and right with God still have areas that need to be changed. Our thought life and behavior are not perfect yet, even though we have been declared perfect before God. This is part of the reason why justification is misunderstood and rejected.
Our ongoing failures to live up to our new identity in Christ through the new birth do not nullify the truth of justification. They reveal the need for God's grace to transform us on a daily basis so that we behave in alignment with our new identity.
Transformation will continue until we die or Jesus returns, at which time the sanctification process will conclude. The final installment of our great salvation will be glorification, when we receive new resurrection bodies. When that happens the old internal sin factory that fights against our spirit man will no longer exist, because nothing in us will have a link to the curse associated with Adam's sin. In the meantime...
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Romans 8:33 (ESV) Some people say that to be justified is to be “just as if I’d” never sinned. This is a helpful mnemonic device, but it is falls short because justification does not merely restore us to a place of innocence. Rather, it gives to us the righteousness of Christ, who was perfectly obedient unto death. When Abba Father looks at us, he does not see a forgiven sinner; rather, he includes us in the perfect righteousness of his Son. We are "in Christ," so whatever he has, we have.
The practical results of justification is that we are released from condemnation, shame, and guilt.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NLT)
Very few followers of Christ believe this verse, but it is corroborated by Jesus' own words.
I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT)
The reason some people do not fully accept justification is that it seems too good to be true.
Paul, who fully grasped the import of this doctrine, was accused of saying that it gave people a license to sin without fear of consequences. (Romans 3:8; 6:1,15) The idea that justification gives us a pass to commit sin is based on the false assumption that justification is not accompanied by the new birth. The new birth gives us a newly created spirit that is in perfect harmony with God's will. Justified people do not want to sin at the spirit level of their being.
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:17-24 (NLT)
The battle is between the justified spirit and the residual "flesh," which is still connected to the old creation through the unresurrected body. This is why we are in need of transformation as we await the resurrection.
While born again children of God will not be condemned for acquiescing to the old sinful man within, we can expect to be disciplined, as any good parent does to disobedient children for their own good.
This is no light thing. In addition, our future reward in heaven will be tied to how we cooperate with the Spirit in the transformation process.
Justification is the secret to walking in the Spirit. When we understand that we already live in the Spirit, it gives us the faith that we are able to walk it out as part of the transformation process.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 (ESV)
Justification releases us from the impossible task of trying to be perfect. It gives us the freedom to approach God in our current "imperfection" because we know that God sees us as being perfect in Christ.
When we sin, we know we are not condemned for it, even though we need to repent and turn away from it. Understanding and believing the truth of justification is the key to a joyful life as a Christian, and far too many people miss out on it. How about you? Do you believe it is true? Do you live as if it were true?
Prayer Father God, thank you for sending your Son to die for my sin and guilt. I accept his right standing with you as a free gift. Thank you that you love me as your child and I will never be condemned by you. Help me to live in the freedom and joy of that reality. Holy Spirit, I submit myself to you and the ongoing process you began in my life to make me more like Jesus. Help me to walk in obedience and dependence upon you every day. I thank you that your grace is sufficient for every challenge I will face. Amen.
The nature of our salvation requires us to live in the present while simultaneously looking backward to the past and forward to the future. We keep in mind the once for all finished work of Christ by which he actually completed our salvation. When he said, "It is finished," he meant it. Nothing can be added to or subtracted from what he accomplished. It simply must be believed and received by faith, a faith that includes our faithful allegiance to him as Lord. This is the basis of our ability to rest in God's grace. The immediate beneficiary of Christ's perfect work is the innermost part of us - the Spirit, where we are born again and made righteous. This is where God dwells inside us. We are united to God's Spirit through the miracle of justification.
But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:12-14 (NLT)
We are also looking to the future while waiting for the last installment of our great salvation - the resurrection of the body. The spirit was saved over 2000 years ago at Calvary, but the body still waits in eager anticipation of the glorious day when Christ will return to raise his people from the dead. At that point, we will be completely and finally saved. Nothing will remain to be done. The final link to Adam's transgression, the body, will be transformed forever. The battle with what the Bible calls the "flesh" will be over.
However, in the meantime, we live in the present in a divine tension between the past and future aspects of our salvation. The present requires that we experience a daily dose of God's grace. Our past salvation was accomplished without our participation. Christ did it for us. Our future resurrection is not something we can pull off either. God must do it. The present process of our transformation or sanctification, however, is a partnership between God's Spirit and us. He applies the benefit of Christ's finished work as we eagerly wait for what is yet to come.
Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 (NLT)
The look to the past assures us that God already has done the heavy lifting that assures the final outcome. The look forward comforts us that we will not have to struggle forever with the "flesh" and sin. This gives us the confidence to live each day by faith, drawing upon the Spirit's life and power within. Looking backward teaches us that sin, death, disease, oppression, slavery, and the devil have already been conquered. Looking forward to the resurrection and final judgment, which include the rewards Christ will dispense to those who faithfully serve him, inspires us to make the commitment and sacrifice to serve him with our whole heart.
We live in a divine tension between the past, present, and future. Those who are already made perfect in spirit are being made holy in the soul while awaiting the resurrection of the body. This is a tension between the already done bumping into that which is still in process and waiting completion.
The ongoing work of the Spirit is firmly rooted in the already finished work of Christ. God is working out in time what has been settled for eternity.
The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:14 (NLT)
In the previous article in this series, I compared walking in the Spirit to walking on water. This article shows how we can gain understanding of our union with the Spirit by examining the analogy of the pendulum action of a swing. I will show how to practically apply our union in the Spirit with Christ to everyday life. To review, walking in the Spirit describes what it is like for the Holy Spirit to live Christ’s life through us giving us the ability to rise above the downward pull of the “flesh” (our body’s connection to Adam’s sin) and sin in general and to experience God’s indwelling presence, life, and empowerment, allowing us to be effective representatives of the kingdom of God and fulfilled as people.
The Mechanics of a Swing We have a tire swing in our front yard hanging from an enormous limb on a river birch. It is a popular spot for our grand kids, church kids, and neighborhood children. The way a swing works is simple. The rope is attached to a stable base that serves as a fulcrum. The swing oscillates back and forth. It’s range is limited by the length of the rope. On our swing, we can push the kids back and forth or in a circular motion. We can give them a gentle ride or push really hard to get a wider and higher oscillation. We can learn a lot about walking in the Spirit from this.
The Anchor Point: God The most important factor in making a great swing is finding the perfect anchor point. It must be high enough, strong enough, and well located. It needs to be able to support whatever weight is put on it without breaking. There needs to be plenty of room for the swing path arc. Our anchor point in the Spirit is God.
When a person is born again by placing his or her faith-allegiance in Jesus the Lord, he or she is anchored to the Lord in the Spirit.
In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:17-20 (NASB) God is our Rock, our immovable fortress, our sure and steadfast hope. We can trust that he will never leave us or grow weary of his commitment to us.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NASB)
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NASB)
The Connection: The Spirit No matter what kind of anchor we have, if the connection is not adequate, the swing will fail. On our tire swing, a rope and some chains connect the swing seat to the tree. The connection has a couple of great knots, some bolts, and some quick links. All the components are strong enough to withstand weight well beyond what might be put on it.
We all believe that God will never fail, but what can secure our connection to him so that we will never get disconnected from Him? The answer is simple: God uses himself to connect us to himself.
The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three persons. That is as good as I can do explaining a mystery revealed in the Bible but clearly above my mental limits. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. (From Desiring God website)
The Holy Spirit becomes one with our spirit when we are born again.
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NASB)
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17 (NASB)
that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:21 (NASB)
Another way to put this is that we are securely connected to God because God now lives in us in union with us.
The New Covenant is between Jesus and the Father.
I am the LORD; I have called you [Jesus] in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. Isaiah 42:6-7 (ESV) Jesus lived the perfect life, died a sacrificial death to atone for our covenant violations, and made it possible for us to benefit from it all. When he died in our place on the cross, God included us in that death.
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. Romans 6:6-7 (NASB) When he rose again in perfect righteousness, power, and glory, God included us in his resurrection.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:8-11 (NASB) At the new birth, our spirits are joined to the Holy Spirit, allowing Christ’s resurrection life to flow through us.
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 (NASB)
As long as God remains faithful to himself, we have a secure connection to the anchor.
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (NASB)
The Seat: The Soul Here is where we get to the most practical part of our analogy. The swing seat is the fun part of the swing. It would be no fun to sit on the anchor point because it doesn’t move. The wider and higher the arc path taken by the swing seat, the more fun we have, unless we are afraid to swing high. Little kids are sometimes very timid and don’t want to go high, but the more secure they become and the more confident they are that the swing will hold, the more likely they will want to go higher. The photo on the right hilariously depicts the difference in our ride experience depending on our faith level.
Unlike the spirit where we are in constant peace and communion with God, our souls are prone to "swings" of emotion and varying degrees of confidence.
If we learn to depend on the state of our souls to inform us of our spiritual condition, we will be up and down in our assessment, shifting between elation and discouragement. Some days we may feel great about who we are in Christ. On “down” days, we may start to doubt our salvation.
God gave us our souls (minds, wills, and emotions). The soul is a good thing, but it was never meant to be our guide in life. God retains that for himself.
When Adam sinned, he became a “soulical" person.
But a natural [soulical - Greek: psychichos) man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB)
Adam ceased being led by God’s Spirit when he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and began to rely on his own soul to guide him in life. We all learn to live this way from birth onward. It is only when we are born again that we can begin to learn how to depend on the Spirit of God instead.
The Relationship between the Spirit and Our Souls
As we learn to depend on God’s Spirit for life, direction, and strength, we learn to look at what is going on in our souls from the proper perspective.
We don’t have to be afraid of, despise, or try to quench our souls. We just need to realize that they are often unreliable indicators of truth and reality. For example, I may feel afraid because of something looming on the horizon over which I have no control. God wants us to learn how to somewhat disregard this fear. Instead of caving to it, we can instead focus on God and his promises, which provide the proper perspective and peace.
And here is a big key: we must learn to go to that quiet place where we are anchored to God in the Spirit.
We can go there anytime we like. Jesus opened the door for us into God’s presence, and our heavenly Father is always delighted to commune with us.
When we spend time in God’s presence, listening to the Spirit, we are strengthened and quieted. We gain the right perspective on our situation and we are enabled to walk in the Spirit by faith, regardless of how our soul may feel about it.
Walking in the Spirit requires us to walk by faith. Faith does not get its bearings from outward things. Its focus is on Jesus and his Word, just as when Peter walked on the water.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (ESV) In the above passage, Paul wrote of his determination to walk in the union of his Spirit to God, rather than allow his fears to rule his life. His fear of the Lord outweighed his fear of the unknown and death.
His security in the Lord was stronger than the insecurities he felt in his soul. This is how God wants us to live, too.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (ESV) In fact, according to Paul, we should give thanks for the stresses that come upon our souls because they force us into a tighter reliance upon the Spirit of God who indwells us.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)
Conclusion The swing analogy tells us that our souls may experience swings of mood and varying degrees of feeling secure in God, but we can and should always drop back to our anchor point in God.
The deepest reality is that we are permanently one with God in the Spirit. This truth must rule our lives.
As Paul put it, since we actually are one with God in the Spirit, let’s act like it.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 (NASB)
In my previous article in this series, I wrote about how we must take personal responsibility for our spiritual transformation. This article will give some practical ways to get better at what the Bible calls “walking” in the Spirit.
Paul taught that when we walk in the Spirit we do the things that please God. The indwelling Spirit is always in harmony with the will of God, is always motivated to do the will of God, and is permanently available to us to enable us to live out of this motivation and harmony.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:9-12 (NASB)
Walking in the Spirit describes what it is like for the Holy Spirit to manifest through us his supernatural ability to live above the downward pull of sin and the “flesh” and experience God’s guidance and empowerment to be effective representatives of the kingdom of God.
Because most people are only familiar with living out of their own strength and resources, the idea of living above the downward pull of sin seems pretty far “out there.”
When we live out of our own strength, we are doomed to failure because we were never intended or designed to do that.
From the beginning God planned for all people to draw on his life and ability, but Adam and Eve chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil over the tree of life. The tree of life represents living out of God’s resources in the Spirit. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents living out of our own resources, knowledge, and ability. That has not worked out very well. Sin is basically the disastrous attempt to be our own boss, our own source, and our own god.
The first step in learning how to walk in the Spirit is to admit we cannot do life on our own and surrender to the Lord Jesus.
Once we take this step, he gives us his Spirit to be our Helper, the One who is called alongside and who dwells within us. At that point we begin the lifelong process of learning to “lean not on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6), but to lean on the Spirit of God.
The Law of Lift
Walking in the Spirit is as easy as flying. We all know that gravity exerts a downward pull on everything. Airplanes are no exception. How is it then that planes can fly? The answer is that, if a plane attains enough speed, the design of the wings causes the upward lift of slower moving air under the wings to push the plane upward. If properly designed and flown, a plane overcomes gravity, as long as the necessary airspeed is maintained. The law of lift temporarily overcomes the law of gravity. If airspeed drops below the critical level, so will the plane. Gravity has not been removed, but simply overcome. This is a decent picture of what it means to walk in the Spirit.
The Downward Pull of the “Flesh” The pull of the flesh does not go away when we walk in the Spirit. Rather it is rendered ineffective, just as gravity is rendered ineffective by the law of lift.
We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6 (NET1) I chose the New English Translation because it is a good one and properly translates the difficult Greek word, katargeo, which means either to render inoperative or to abolish. It is clear that the “flesh” or “body of sin” still has influence in our lives after we are born again. We do not have to listen to it or obey it, but it is still there. Otherwise, Paul’s words below are nonsensical.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:16-17 (NASB) Just as surely as gravity will pull a plane to the earth; so, the “flesh” will pull us down into sin and carnality, if we do not overcome it by walking in the Spirit. God did not annihilate our “flesh.” Instead he chose to strip it of its power to rule us.
God left the "flesh" in place, so that we will learn to continually depend on him for strength to live for God.
This means that we are to be ever vigilant. Is is important for us to keep our focus on the Lord. It is helpful to devote ourselves to worship, prayer, Bible meditation, and whatever else helps us to continually draw upon the resources of the Lord rather than our own.
The Fear of the Lord A good pilot spends time inspecting his plane before takeoff because once in the air everything must be working properly or bad things can happen. God expects us to vigilantly look after the things that he has put under our responsibility, so that we can walk in the Spirit each day.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:15-21 (NASB) A good pilot understands the “gravity” of the situation when he or she is in the air. He or she knows that attention to details can spell the difference between success and failure, life and death. You might say a good pilot has a certain fear in her or his approach to flying. We likewise should maintain a proper fear of the Lord as we walk in the Spirit, realizing that this is no light thing. We have wicked spiritual enemies all around us who desire to sabotage our walk with the Lord, our own “flesh” being the most vile and untrustworthy.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Acts 9:31 (ESV) Conclusion To conclude, comparing walking in the Spirit to flying is a good analogy. When everything is working properly, there is no struggle in flying. The combination of a properly working plane and a good pilot creates a stress free experience of flight. However, we must never forget the pull of gravity and become slack in our thorough preparation and approach to flying. Likewise, spiritually speaking, even though we have been given all we need for success, we must never presume that walking in the Spirit allows us to become slack in our devotion to the Lord. Carefulness and vigilance, coupled with the fear of the Lord, must accompany our faith and reliance upon the indwelling Spirit.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 (NASB)
In the previous article in this series, I laid out as well as I could the dynamic partnership between us and the Holy Spirit, showing how, because he lives inside us, our connection with him is “seamless.” It seems at times as if we are living this life on our own, but that is never the case. Learning to believe in and lean on his presence and power is one of our greatest challenges and adventures. In this article, I will focus more on how we must take personal responsibility for our walk with God.
God Never Encourages Passivity Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) Even though the Holy Spirit, our Helper, lives in and through us, our relationship with Him is a dynamic union and partnership that requires us to be active and engaged. Paul wrote, in the above passage, that we are to actively present our bodies to God. We do this because our bodies are the part of us that is still linked to Adam, which Paul described as a “body of death” and a “body of sin.” (See this link to read more about this.) The body is not evil, but it is linked to sin and death as a result of being still under God’s judgment against Adam’s sin. The “flesh” describes its pull toward sin and independence from God. In order to counter this, we are told to actively present our bodies to God for his service.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14 (NASB)
Passivity can allow sin to master us. To defeat sin and the pull of the “flesh” on a daily basis, after reckoning that we are dead to its power through justification (Romans 6:4-7), we are instructed to partner with the Spirit to fight by adopting an aggressive posture of actively offering ourselves, our bodies, our minds, and our lives to the Lord for his service and glory.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25 (NASB) The above passage tells us to actively “walk” by the Spirit, be “led” by the Spirit, and puts on us the responsibility to “crucify” the flesh. We have already been crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6), but we must take responsibility to put the pull of the flesh to death everyday by denying ourselves the right to go our own way and by choosing to trust and rely on God’s indwelling Spirit to help us.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:12-13 (ESV) When we do this, we will discover that God’s grace comes alongside to empower us. God helps us as we seek to obey him and as we rely on God’s indwelling Spirit.
Grace never encourages us to be passive or idle when it comes to our sanctification. Rather it produces works of faith which validate the Christ life that indwells us.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)
Saved by Works? The apostle Paul clearly taught that we are saved (justified) by faith without having to keep the Law of Moses. (I hope you, the reader, are likewise convinced. If you would like to read in more depth about this important doctrine, click here.) When it comes to sanctification, the ongoing daily process of transformation into Christ’s image, however, we are saved, in a sense, by works. Remember, I wrote "in a sense," not actually. Actually God works in us what we work out in good works. Ultimately all praise and glory will go to him. Nevertheless, please follow along with my logic.
I remember playing golf with a group of pastors years ago. I did not play very often and had some significant swing flaws. I was slicing my drives terribly that day, which was frustrating because I knew I could do better. After one particularly poor drive, I blurted out, “I am not really this bad,” trying to save face with my playing partners. Suddenly I was gripped by the thought: “Yes you are. That’s why your driving so poorly!” I started laughing. I really was that bad. My driving proved it.
Jesus said that a good tree is known by its fruit. This means you can tell what is in a person by what comes out of him or her.
"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:17-21 (NASB) When we stand before the Christ’s judgment seat, we will be judged in two ways.
- First, are we written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (justified by faith)? This is by far the most important criteria.
- Secondly, we will be judged according to our deeds.
For those of us who are written in the Book of Life, our deeds will determine our reward.
It is presupposed that those written in the Book of Life will have accompanying good deeds. Who we are will be manifested in what we do and say. Christ's indwelling life will produce good fruit.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14 (ESV) For those who are not in the Book of Life, their deeds will conform to their sinful independence from God at the core of their being and will confirm their just condemnation to hell.
Some may believe that I am somehow mixing grace and legalism when I say our sanctification is related to our works, but I am not. We must properly understand how the two work in tandem.
The key to understanding the interplay of faith and works is to avoid the error of thinking that our faith can be disassociated from how we live. It cannot. According to Jesus, what we do and say clearly reveals what we believe.
James, the Lord’s brother, understood this well. He expressed how the two combine to reveal the true grace of God in our lives.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:14-18 (ESV)
Taking Responsibility for How We Live Years ago I struggled to understand how this passage from James can be harmonized with Paul’s teaching that we are saved by faith without the works (of the Law). It’s really very simple. If we are using our performance (keeping the Law) to establish or maintain a right relationship with God, which only comes by faith in the finished work of Christ (justification), we are guilty of legalism. We cannot earn our way into God’s good graces. It is a free gift.
However, that being said, if our faith relationship with Jesus and our partnership with the indwelling Holy Spirit does not actually change our character and behavior, it is counterfeit.
A good tree will produce good fruit. We can say we believe, but our actions reveal the truth of the matter more perfectly. Talk is cheap. People can and will say anything that they believe will reap a benefit for them. Actions speak louder than words.
Another way to put this is that if our doctrine about grace does not result in our being obedient to God, it is a false gospel.
The goal of the true gospel is obedience that arises from faith.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, Romans 1:1-5 (ESV) Professing Christians who show no apparent change in their lifestyle as a result of their faith in Christ should question the reality of their conversion. Those who do know the Lord should press forward in the quest of sanctification, the lifelong process of transformation carried out by the indwelling Spirit in cooperation with our faith and obedience.
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 (NASB)
Those whose faith and hope are rooted in Christ and who know the power of the indwelling Spirit are responsible to God to purify themselves, which means we cooperate with God by actively participating in the ongoing transformation process called sanctification. We do our part, and God does his. We cannot passively expect him to do everything. That would be irresponsible.
Okay, now that we have gotten the “theory” of sanctification behind us in the previous article, many of you probably are asking, “So how does this really work?” “Am I supposed to worship God all day long?” “How does this play out in the “real world”?
- Step one is to realize and consider that it is true that Christ is alive and living in and through us who believe and have declared allegiance to him. We covered this in the previous parts of this series.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:8-11 (NASB) * Step two is keep this truth in focus every day and determine to live by faith in the operation of God’s grace. This is called “walking in the Spirit” and is the focus of this article.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.Galatians 5:24-25 (NASB) For this to happen, we must deal with our inborn propensity to rely on our own mind, strength, and ability, something we inherited from Adam, which has been reinforced by our living in our sin soaked world. Living out of our own resources is the essence of sin and always leads to frustration by God's design.
"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Galatians 2:21 (NASB) Until we learn to lean on God instead of ourselves, we will live in Romans 7 and groan as did Paul.
I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:21-25 (NASB) Romans 7 becomes our experience when we rely on the “flesh” instead of the Spirit. (If you are not familiar with the meaning of the word “flesh” as Paul uses it, please read my second article in this series now.) Jesus taught us that the “flesh” does not profit us at all spiritually speaking. The only thing that helps us is what comes from and through the Spirit of God. (John 6:63)
Learning how to walk in the Spirit, which means to live daily out of the strength and power of God’s indwelling Spirit, is a lifelong endeavor. The better we get at doing it, the happier, more fulfilled, and more useful we are to God and other people. Jesus called this the “abundant life.” (John 10:10)
Partnering with God Who Lives inside Us "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18 (NASB)
Perhaps the most amazing part of the Christian life is that God chooses to live inside of us who believe forever. The Holy Spirit is called the “helper” (Greek: paracletos – one called alongside). He is our best friend, someone who will never abandon us, the Person we always wanted to be, the One we are becoming like through the process called sanctification.
Jesus told his followers, whom he called “sheep,” that we are able to “hear his voice.”
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; John 10:27 (NASB) He said we will know and recognize him; yet, many followers of Christ today have little or no experience of this. Perhaps it is because of a misunderstanding or misconception of what this is.
Since my spirit is joined to the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17) and my thoughts are connected to God’s thoughts (1 Cor. 2:16) and my desires are becoming more in line with God’s desires (Ezekiel 11:19-20), it is likely that I may not always be aware of when God is directing me.
It may seem as if it is only I directing my own life. But if we believe that God lives inside us and we are trying to live in harmony with him and we have surrendered our lives to him as best we know how, then God’s Word teaches us something that I must accept by faith.
For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:19-20 (NASB)
Paul learned that his life was Christ’s life and Christ’s life was his.
It’s not Paul; yet, it is Paul. It is Christ; yet, it is also Paul. This same idea is echoed elsewhere.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NASB) At times it may seem as if I alone am doing this thing called transformation, but the reality is that it is a joint effort, as we rely on God’s Spirit and grace. Every true work of sanctification or transformation is a work of grace, no matter how it seems. The key thing is for us to maintain an attitude of rest. We do not struggle and strive to perfect ourselves. Instead, we “labor” to enter and maintain rest.
The struggle for believers, more than anything else, is to believe and rest in God's ability to fulfill his promises and ultimately to obey God – all in dependence upon and in cooperation with the indwelling Spirit.
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 (NASB)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) God saved us and is transforming us by faith and grace for the purpose of our cooperating with him to produce good works, that is, works of grace and faith.
If we are looking for God somewhere outside us, we are still living in an Old Testament paradigm.
The Law, with its demands, is external to us and speaks to us from afar. The Spirit is internal and speaks most often from within. His voice is often so subtle that, unless we quiet our noisy minds and souls, we will miss him altogether. His voice is always in harmony with the written Word of God, the Bible, but not in a legalistic sense. The Spirit is life and makes the Word of God become life and peace to us.
But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. Romans 7:6 (NLT)
If we have learned to lean on the power of the human mind exclusively, we will have to command it to be quiet and learn how to hear and live out of our spirits, much as a baby learns to walk.
The words of Solomon come to mind at this point.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) God wants us to believe that he lives inside us, communicates with us, directs us, and empowers us, even when it seems as if it is only we who are doing it. Thankfully, however, God makes his voice and presence known to us. He does not leave us on our own. We do not always have to walk by faith only. King David knew the life-giving presence of God, and so can we.
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:11 (NLT)
Walking in the Spirit is as if we are dancing with an invisible partner. As we learn to follow his lead, those watching will think that it is only we who are dancing, but we will know his voice, his guidance, and his enabling. We will know that it is Christ who lives in and through us.