If you like, you can think of this as a follow up to our
study on Have All Our Sins Been Forgiven.
Having shown the Lord's clear promise that once we became a believer all
the sins of our life were forgiven at the cross, we now turn to the logical
follow up question. How should a believer respond to such an incredible gift?
Paul devoted much time to describing the appropriate response
to the free gift of eternal life and it's summed up in his admonition “Only
let us live up to what we've already attained” (Phil 3:16).
By the wording he used we know this is not something we do to achieve or
maintain our salvation. He said
we've already attained that. We do
this as an expression of our heart felt gratitude for having been given a free
“get out of hell” pass. Because
there's no doubt about it, hell is where we were surely bound.
In 1 Cor. 6:9-10
Paul said, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the
sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor
homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy
nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God”
Then he differentiated the past from the present,
acknowledging the fact that since we've become new creations we no longer fit
any of those descriptions. “And
that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God” (1 Cor. 6:11)
I think the phrase “some of you” was giving us a big benefit
of the doubt. Spiritually speaking,
the sinful thought is as bad as the sinful deed and who among us has not had
such a thought at one time or another? But Paul takes pains to say that's the
way God saw us before we were washed, sanctified (set apart) and justified
(regarded as though innocent). Now, because of the cross, we're a new creation (2
Cor. 5:17), having attained the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21) by
faith in His completed work (Romans 3:21-22).
The Practice
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
spiritual act of worship. Do not
conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2).
Someone once said, “Life is what you make it.
It's not what happens but how you take it.”
Everything about the practice of Christian living is within our control.
We don't have to behave like everyone else.
We can be transformed and it begins with choosing to behave differently.
Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to
his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not
let the sun go down while you are still angry,
and do not give the devil a foothold.
He who has
been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with
his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome
talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
And do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. Get
rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every
form of malice. Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ
God forgave you (Ephes 4:25-32).
I believe Paul was in effect, the first behavioral
psychologist. He taught that while
we can't always control the circumstances of our life we can control our
response to them. We have such a glorious future awaiting us that we don't have
to worry about the gaining the approval of others by acting the way they do. Our
primary goal is pleasing the Lord.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not
condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken
together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure
you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)
Choosing to become more tolerant, forgiving and generous
will have such a remarkable effect on our life that others will want to know
what has happened to transform us. Instead of stuttering and stammering through
an embarrassing attempt to “witness” to friends and neighbors we'll find that
our very life has become a witness to what God can do, and people will be drawn
to us.
This is because the practice of Christian living is not all
don't do this or don't do that, at
least not in the negative sense. Remember Jesus said that He came so we might
have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
To that end the Bible says we shouldn't worry about how
we're going to get by, letting the Lord take care of that for us (Matt.
6:25-34). We shouldn't let what
Paul called the light and momentary troubles of this world get us down.
We should no longer fix our eyes on the temporary things we can see, but
focus on the eternal things we can't see instead (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
This is even more true for us than it was for the people of Corinth 2000
years ago because very soon we're going to step out of this world and into the
next one where the eternal things we've only been able to dream about will
suddenly become our new reality.
In the mean time, do you hate your job because of a boss
who's hard to please? Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a
reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)
Are your neighbors or associates hard to put up with? Do
not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everybody. If
it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans
12:17-18)
We who've been given everything don't have to worry about
anything.
The Privilege
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus (Phil 4:4-7).
Because we've become children of the Creator of the
Universe we can rejoice in everything that happens to us because we know that
God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans
8:28). We can always be at peace, even when our world seems to be crumbling
around us. We fear nothing, we pray about everything, and we're thankful for
anything.
Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me
you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
This world is a dark and evil place, and though we are
children of God the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John
5:19). Nowhere does the Bible
promise us a trouble free life. What
it does promise is victory over any enemy we choose to engage (Joshua 10:25).
The Lord is our over comer and because of that we are privileged to be at peace.
No matter what.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and
thankful. Let your conversation be always full of
grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians
4:2,6)
Think about it.
We can engage the Creator in conversation any time it suits us.
He's always in, we never need an appointment, and he's never too busy for
us. Whether it's asking for a
parking place on a crowded street or guidance on whether to pursue a career
opportunity, He's always available to listen and help.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able
to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all
that you need, you will abound in every good work.
As it is written:
“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his
righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to
the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed
and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
You will be made rich in every way so
that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will
result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor. 9:6-11)
God has given us the privilege of distributing His endless
resources to those in need. He so
loves a cheerful giver that every time He finds one He makes them rich in every
way so they will always have more than enough for themselves with sufficient
excess so they can be generous to others on every occasion.
Next to the gift of eternal life there's no more remarkable promise
anywhere in Scripture.
The Power
Resist the devil and he'll flee from you. (James
4:7)
Although Paul called him the God of this age (2 Cor. 4:4),
Christians needn't fear the devil because of the power we've been given.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the
world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against
the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Jesus showed us how to do this in the wilderness temptations
(Matt. 4:1-11). Using nothing
but Scripture He demolished every one of the devil's arguments and sent him
packing. This same power is
available to us. We just have to
know the Bible well enough to activate it.
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the
church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the
prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him
up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven (James 5:14-15).
As is the case with everything James wrote, this is a clear
promise without exception or equivocation.
The Bible doesn't promise we won't get sick, but it does promise we can
be healed. It's a power the Lord
died to give us.
“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,
‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes
that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
Therefore
I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours. (Mark 11:23-24)
And it's not just healing.
With sufficient faith we could literally move mountains.
But faith is like our physical muscles.
The more we exercise it the stronger it becomes. This is a case where the
American lifestyle has become our enemy.
It's been too easy to get the
things we want without the Lord's help.
It's been hard to remember that opportunity does not equal mandate.
But just because the banks will loan us more than we can repay doesn't
mean that we should buy things we don't need and can't afford. Maybe the Lord is
stripping those things away now to help us practice living by faith.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given
for the common good. To one there is
given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of
knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that
one Spirit, to
another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing
between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still
another the interpretation of tongues.
All these are the work of one and the
same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines (1 Cor.
12:7-11).
Many charismatics misuse their gifts in immature excesses
of self glorification while fundamentalists avoid theirs like the plague
refusing to acknowledge they even exist. But if the gifts of the Holy Spirit
were ever used in the manner Paul described, the world would not be able to
stand against their power.
Each of us has been gifted and could use the power our
gifts contain to have significant effect on the little corner of the world we
inhabit. Romans 12:1-8 tells us how to discover and use our gifts.
The Protection
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in
Christ. He anointed us,
set his seal of ownership on us, and put
his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2
Cor. 1:21-22).
So we come full circle.
Never let it be said that although God has the power to save us, He lacks
the power to keep us.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. I
give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out
of my hand. My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them
out of my Father’s hand.
I and the Father are one” (John
10:27-30).
A US
insurance company says we're in good hands with them, but believers enjoy the
ultimate example of being in good hands.
Our policy is paid in full and our coverage can never expire. Not even we
ourselves can snatch us out of their hands.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the
devil’s schemes. For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms (Ephes. 6:10-12).
A soldier's armor can only protect him when he wears it,
and he would never think of going into battle without being fully protected.
We're aliens behind enemy lines and as such are combatants in an ongoing
battle. We've been given
impenetrable armor, but in order for it to protect us we have to put it on and
keep it on.
The Point
All this leads to achieving the goal we all want most in
life. By combining the practice, the
privilege, the power, and the
protection of the Christian life we can finally achieve complete personal
freedom. Although we are still in the world we will no longer be of the world.
Following the instructions for Christian living frees us of all the
negative emotions that have afflicted us.
No more worry, no more stress, no more feeling out of control. We no
longer have to be concerned with having enough money, or getting ahead, or
keeping up.
The uncertainties of life that so preoccupy the thoughts of
others won't bother us any more. It
doesn't matter who gets elected to what office, or how bad the economy is
getting, or whether the government
will continue to break its promises.
We'll finally understand the full meaning of the Lord's words, “When
the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36)
Praise the Lord. Selah. 09-03-11
