Salvation is Tranformation

There is a salvation that many profess, but in reality is no salvation at all. Tragically the emphasis is often placed on the forgiveness of sin, which is a key part of our salvation, to the neglect of sanctification, the process by which we are changed from sinners to saints.

At risk of sounding redundant I will put it this way. So many teach and claim a salvation from the guilt and penalty of sin, while ignoring the issue of on-going sin in one's life. I want to be clear here, as Christians we all face moments of weakness and temptations, and yes, we do sin on occasion. We can thank God that there is grace for these occasions. 

1 John 1:9 is written to believers encouraging them to confess their sin instead of concealing it, and offering them the assurance that God will forgive them if they do so. But this should be the exception not the rule.

Can there be justification without sanctification? Justification simply means to be in right standing with God. When we turn from our sin and surrender our lives to Jesus in an act of faith we are forgiven and are now considered to be right with God. That is a basic explanation of justification, just to keep it simple.

But what doctor would treat your symptoms, give you something to make you comfortable, but ignore the tumor that is killing you?

Let's look at sanctification. The word means to be set apart from the world, for God's use. It is a consecration and a purification of heart and life. Sanctification and holiness are similar words and are often used interchangeably. It goes beyond a mere declaration by God that we are "sanctified" or holiness is credited to our account. Holiness or sanctification is a lifestyle. It involves our conduct (1 Peter 1:15). It is God removing the sin out of our lives and bringing us into conformity with His will. It is impossible to claim justification while rejecting sanctification. The two are vital parts of salvation, and one cannot be saved without both of these elements working. 

I will attempt to show this from scripture. Several New Testament passages speak of this process, and I will quote them.

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB 

The term salvation means rescue or deliverance. Again, we need the sin that has separated us from God, and placed us under His wrath to be forgiven. We must be in right relationship with Him. But are we in a right relationship with God if we are still persisting in our old lifestyle of sin, the sin that was forgiven? To refer back to the medical analogy I used above, the root of sin must be removed.

This verse speaks of "salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth." This is God, through the Holy Spirit cleansing the heart of the sinner who has given Him his or her life. In his second epistle to the Thessalonians Paul makes a distinction between those who reject the truth and are destined for destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12), and those who believe the truth, and allow it to shape their lives. 

Titus speaks of this same thing and calls it the "washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" and ties it in with Justification (Titus 3:4-7). 

In 1Peter we see this concept explained again. He is writing to scattered Jewish believers who were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: may grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

1 Peter 1:2 NASB 

Again we read of the purifying work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, bringing such a one into obedience to Christ. Once we were disobedient, separated from God, but through His Spirit working in us, we are brought into a relationship of loving obedience. The thing that estranged us from God (Sin, our selfish rebellion) is not only forgiven, but removed from our lives as well. Compare this to 1 John 1:7.

But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

As we walk in obedience Christ's blood covers us. As we grow in our Christian walk we discover things in our lives that we must turn from. Our sanctification is a growing process that lasts a lifetime. A true believer will confess revealed sin and move forward in their walk with Christ. This is the opposite of someone who claims that sin doesn't matter if you have accepted Christ. But scripture refutes that claim.

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.

Hebrews 10:26

An individual who is looking for an escape from judgement that allows him or her to live in sinful pleasure is not experiencing the salvation that is described in the Bible. They are deceived. Their heart is not cleansed, their selfishness remains, excluding them from fellowship with God.

Paul, in Romans 6 makes an incredible argument refuting the idea that a Christian can remain in sin. He states, "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"  In baptism we identify with Christ's death and resurrection. We are dead to sin, crucified with Christ and raised with Him to a new life of righteousness.  We have a choice to make. We, as believers, must chose to obey Christ. We are slaves of whom or what we choose to serve. Will we be slaves of sin, or righteousness? We have been set free from sin through Jesus Christ, so why would we become enslaved to it again?

As Paul presents his argument he ties it in with sanctification.

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. 

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 

Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Most of us are familiar with this last verse but look at how this flows, especially as we consider the context of this entire passage. When we surrender our lives to Christ we are freed from enslavement to sin. The grip it has on us is broken and we are now free to live in righteousness. 

When we unite ourselves with Jesus He, through the continuous working of the Holy Spirit, sanctifies us, cleansing us from sin. The final outcome is eternal life, the opposite outcome of a life devoted to sin. 

This is what salvation is. It is a cleansing of not only the guilt of sin, but also of the heart. It is a lifelong transformation that affects our actions.

Psalm 15:1-5  declares that an individual must walk in integrity and live a righteous lifestyle if he is to dwell with God. Similarly if we are to stand in the presence of God we must have clean hands (actions) and pure hearts ( the origin of our actions) these are the ones who will be blessed by the LORD (Psalm 24:3-6). Only the pure in heart will see the Lord (Matt 5:8). 

As followers of Christ we are exhorted to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). Many Christians are puzzled by this statement. Salvation is a free gift right? But this is our salvation. The very next verse tells us that God is working in us to do His will. This is what the New Covenant does for us. It is the writing of the law upon our hearts and in our minds. The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives bringing us into obedience (Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 36:25-27). To work out our salvation is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He leads us into righteousness. We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) created for good works ( Ephesians 2:10). A life transformed is the proof of our right standing with God.

 

     

The Narrow Way

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction,  and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it."

Matthew 7:13-14 NASB 

The gospels record several "hard" statements that Jesus makes concerning the cost of following Him. This is one of them. 

In this passage Jesus contrasts the way to spiritual destruction and the way leading to spiritual life. I fear that many professed Christians today do not grasp what Jesus is actually saying in these few verses.

Growing up I considered that those who "accepted" Jesus had passed through the narrow gate, and were on the narrow path. Everyone else was traveling the broad road to destruction.  This interpretation is probably pretty common, but it really misses the point that Jesus is trying to make.

When one looks into the original Greek that our New Testament was translated from we can get a good idea of what this passage really means.

The wide gate and broad road are exactly that. The gate is wide, easily accommodating everyone who wants to enter. The way is broad and spacious, allowing for easy travel. There is room for everybody, and Jesus states that many are traveling this way.

The narrow way however, is more narrow than we might think. It is a tight squeeze to enter, and the way is compressed and difficult to travel.

The Amplified version puts it like this.

Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.

But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.

And in a similar passage we read of great conflict just to enter. 

"Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

Luke 13:24

The word "strive" speaks of strenuous effort to achieve victory in the athletic games. It is where we get our word "agonize." 

Jesus warns us that we must earnestly strive to enter, and that many who attempt will not be able. If we look at the immediate context of this verse we see that it is in response to a question that the disciples ask concerning how many people will actually be saved. According to the following verses we can gather that mere "familiarity" with Jesus is insufficient. It's not the many who succeed, but the few. This should cause us to pause and think.

Jesus is telling us that a mere profession, outward appearance, religious rituals and traditions are insufficient in and of themselves. True salvation demands an inner change of heart.  It involves repentance (Luke 13:3) and total surrender of our lives (Luke 24:27-33). The way to life is a way of holiness of life and conduct (Titus 2:11-14). Obedience is essential. I am not talking legalism here. Many individuals confuse a works based salvation with an obedience that flows from a cleansed heart. Jesus, again speaking of the many, states that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the kingdom. Only those who obediently do the Father's will may enter (Matthew 7:21-23).

The way is constricted. It is often difficult, filled with trials and temptations. Persecution naturally arises when our faith is real and evident to a lost world. Jesus assures us of that (John 15:20).  He tells us that even family will betray us, and hatred on account of His name can be expected. The one who endures all of this to the end is the one who will be saved (Matthew 10:21-22). When persecution comes do we confess Jesus before men, or deny Him (Matthew 10:32-33)? 

Are we beginning to see the picture? Yes, salvation is a free gift, graciously offered to all, but at the same time it requires our response, and will cost us everything to make it to the end. If our road is too easy, what road are we on?

Faithfulness

But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house - whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

Hebrews 3:6 NASB 

In my previous post I examined what true saving faith consists of. It is more than a head knowledge, and more than agreeing with some biblical facts about Jesus. True saving faith is a faith that moves us to obey Christ. We become those who follow Him in a loving submission to His will for our lives. 

This faith is expressed in a loyalty to Jesus. It's not a matter of doing some good things, but a faithful, ongoing lifestyle. Habakkuk 2:4 defines faith as faithfulness. To paraphrase it we could say, "The just shall live by their faithfulness." 

To continue with this topic I would like to look at a passage in Hebrews that expresses the same concept of ongoing faithfulness and how it is a vital part of saving faith.

     Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME." For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest , but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. 

Hebrews 3:12-19 NASB

The first point I would like to make is that unbelief and disobedience are used interchangeably in this passage. We read how God had led the people out of Egypt, yet they sinned and fell in the wilderness. 

The story of the exodus should give us warning. They saw the miracles and power of God. They experienced His presence with them along the way. They were at Mount Sinai when God descended in fire and the mountain quaked. They should have believed right? 

Hebrews 4:2 tells us that they had the good news preached to them, just like we have. The problem was that they did not unite faith with what they heard. Those who had heard the good news of the promised land failed to enter in because of disobedience (Hebrews 4:6).

Those who were disobedient failed to enter in because of their unbelief. This is the exact opposite of faith. Faith and obedience are two sides of the same "coin," while disobedience and unbelief are the two sides of a "coin" as well. 

My second point is this. True saving faith is ongoing. One may stumble, but he or she will get back up and press on. The text we have looked at admonishes us to hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. One well known Christian author wrote that once you have received Jesus you are eternally secure. Every sin, past present and future is now forgiven. He goes on to say that even if you fall away into a sin such as drunkenness or even apostatize and become an atheist, you are still secure in Christ. 

But look at the example we have here in Hebrews. We are to encourage one another daily so that we do not fall into unbelief as ancient Israel did. Faithfulness is a lifetime thing. Our allegiance to Jesus Christ is not something to try for a while, but we are still good if we quit. That is not faithfulness, but fickleness. 

It doesn't matter what side of the eternal security debate you fall into. A true Christian will live a consistent life of obedience to Christ. An individual who does not must question the validity of their faith.

 

Saving Faith

Salvation, God's gracious gift, comes to us through faith (Ephesians 2:8). This is something that I would assume most of us who claim to be Christians believe. John 3:16 is a verse that we hold dear. It speaks of God's love for a sinning world; a love that sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him could be set free from death, and have eternal life. 

Our definition of faith then becomes vital. If we miss this, we miss it all. And tragically I fear that a large number of Christians have indeed adhered to and propagated a faulty definition of saving faith.

Countless gospel tracts have been distributed, sermons preached, and altar calls given that instruct the sinner to only believe. The belief required involves something to the effect of believing that Jesus is the Son of God, or believing that He died on the cross and rose again. While these facts are indeed true, and belief in them is important, is that enough?

Is it sufficient to mentally assent to some facts about Jesus?

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder.

James 2:19 NASB

Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!"

Mark 1:23-24 NASB

I am quite certain that none of us would consider these "believing demons" to be Christians. But yet it leaves us with a point to grapple with. The demons believe! That is, they are very much aware of Jesus, and who He is. They believe it, they know it to be true.

There is also emphasis placed upon works. Instructions are often given to individuals seeking salvation to cease from their works and place their trust in Christ's perfect righteousness. Now there is truth to this. Any attempt to earn our salvation by our good works is futile. Christ was our perfect sacrifice, and there is no amount of good works that we can do to earn our way to heaven. Unfortunately people are led to believe that good works have nothing to do with our salvation, that although it's fine to do good things, and God desires us to do good works, an absence of good deeds has no bearing on our salvation. As a result faith and works are pitted against each other, and for many, there is no real effort put forth when it comes to living a sanctified lifestyle. 

The issue goes much deeper than a mere assent to some biblical truths about Jesus and and His death and resurrection. That kind of faith is not only inferior, it is also misplaced. What I have described is often referred to as "easy believism" or "cheap grace." It is taught by many popular pastors and Bible teachers. 

It is easy to focus on verses such as Ephesians 2:8-10 
    

      For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

This passage affirms the truth that God's salvation comes to us as an act of His grace. We don't deserve it, neither can we achieve it by our own efforts. and it also affirms that God has created us to live a righteous and obedient life for Him. But for many the emphasis is on the grace and faith without works, and the good works that should follow are an afterthought.

Compare this passage found in James with the one quoted above,

     Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

James 2:17-24

Instead of standing in opposition to each other, faith and works are part of the same process. What begins as a belief culminates in obedience. As it states in Galatians 5:6, faith expresses itself through love. Works done out of obedience to Christ are not an "afterthought," but an essential part of our faith in Him. If we love Him, we will obey Him (John 14:23-24).

Jesus calls us to follow Him. Nowhere in the Bible do we find a place where absolute submission to His will is a good idea, but optional. But that is what we so often hear taught. I remember sitting in a service once where the pastor proclaimed that you can accept Jesus as Savior, and decide later if you want Jesus to be Lord. There are those who teach that "Lordship salvation" is a heresy. They claim that it involves "works" and negates faith. 

In Romans we read about the faith we are to profess.

     But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart" - that is the word of faith which we are preaching, that is if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

Romans 10:8-11 NASB

This involves more than a mental assent to some facts about Jesus. It is a surrender from the heart to the rule of Jesus Christ over one's life. To confess something is to express our agreement with that thing. If we believe that Jesus has been vindicated, all of His claims and teachings validated by His resurrection from the dead, and He is therefore now the living Lord, we are faced with two things. Do we put it off as some nice but unnecessary step to take in our Christian journey, or do we fall to our knees in humble submission? Jesus agrees with Paul, or to properly put it, Paul is in agreement with the words of Jesus.

     And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with  the holy angels.

Mark 8:34-38 NASB

We are starting to see what true saving faith consists of. In Romans 1:17 Paul, quoting from Habakkuk 2:4 states that the righteous man shall live by faith. It is important to understand the definition of faith here. The Hebrew word translated faith in Habakkuk 2:4 speaks of fidelity, faithfulness, a loyalty to the one you have faith in. This is so much more than a mere head knowledge, or a profession to save oneself from hell, whithout a change of lifestyle. The one who puts their faith in Jesus as Lord, is faithful to Jesus as Lord. It is a submission of ourselves, a commitment of all that we have and are, to Him and His service. 

As we have seen faith finds it's fulfilment in obedience. We read this in Hebrews 5:8-10,

     Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

And again we see salvation linked with a faithful walk in holiness described in 1 John 1:5-7,

     This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin

Our faith must work itself out in our actions if it is a real saving faith. If our commitment to Jesus is not whole hearted, and we are not faithfully following Him with loving obedience, then we must question if our faith is real at all.

     

 

Presented Blameless

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6 NASB

Following my previous post, I would like to start with one more passage where we see that God, before the creation of the world, has chosen us who believe, to holiness. It is His gracious intention to take sinners and turn them into saints. When God saves an individual He transforms that individual's life (2 Corinthians 5:17). One who previously lived a wicked sinful life, now through the inner working of the Spirit of God lives an upright life, doing what is good and holy in the sight of God

This theme appears again in Paul's first letter to the Church in Thessalonica.

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. Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NASB

And Jude also refers to this as well.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen

Jude 1:24-25 NASB

The common theme is that of God's faithfulness to bring us through this life that we now live, set apart, and blameless when we stand before Him. 

To be blameless does not mean we have never sinned, or that we will never sin, but it means to be morally upright, to walk in integrity. Yes, the possibility of sin exists, even for a believer, but we can be victorious over it through Jesus Christ. And if and when we do sin, repentance and confession is the step we must take to place that sin under the blood, and have it cleansed.

Paul writes to believers in Ephesus, telling them,

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

Ephesians 5:25-27 NASB

Again, this is God's purpose for us. He desires a people whom He has taken and purified, so that they are pure in His sight, and in the sight of the world around them, so that He might be glorified in what He has done.

Just as we read above, it is Jesus, who gave His life for us, to accomplish this within us. Paul also writes this,

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Titus 2:11-14 NASB 

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life 

Titus 3:3-7 NASB

Now I would like to clarify a few things here. There are two "ditches" that we must be careful to avoid as we walk out our salvation. On one side of the road we have the ditch of "legalism", and on the other side we must avoid "antinomianism".

A legalist will try hard to follow the rules. They will depend upon their good deeds to save them. But we have just read that our righteous deeds are not the basis for our salvation, but the mercy of God.

The other extreme is antinomianism, the idea that because salvation is a free gift, not dependent on works, good works do not matter. Antinomianism is a term used to describe a "lawless" salvation. Someone who holds to this error believes that they can live however they please, and it will not affect their eternal state one way or another.

Both of these heresies are fatal to our spiritual life. Just as it is true that no one can be justified by the works of the law (Romans 3:20), it is equally true that no immoral or impure person has an inheritance in God's kingdom (Ephesians 5:5). 

God has undertaken to change us from the inside out, yet we must cooperate with what He is accomplishing in our lives. This where we must make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10), work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12), walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). We must put action to our belief. That is the definition of a faith that is legitimate (see  James 2:14-26). 

Predestined to holiness

This post will deal with the topic of  election and predestination a little bit differently than what you might think. I'm not going to get into the argument between the various views on this thorny subject for the purpose of this post. In fact, neither of the two main views on this subject completely satisfy me. I find things that I agree with on both sides, and things that I don't as well. It is a subject, in my opinion, that cannot be put in a nice theological box. I believe there is a bit of mystery to it that is suppose to be there, and I want to keep this simple.

In this post I would like to continue with the theme of sanctification in the life of the believer. And this all begins with the foreknowledge of God, and his calling and election of the individual.

1. To be conformed to the image of Christ.

In Romans chapter eight we read this,

29. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 

30. and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 8:39-30 NASB

What stands out in this passage is the fact that God, according to His foreknowledge, has elected, or predestined individuals to become like Jesus. These same individuals are called to justification as well, which causes me to ask, can one be justified but not become Christ-like?

In First John we read,

The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 2:6 NASB

We need to be consistent with verses like these. God has called the believer to be conformed to the image of Christ. Therefore, one who has been truly saved is not only justified (in right standing before God), but also becoming more and more like Christ in word and deed.

2. Predestined for obedience to Christ.

Similarly, Peter addresses scattered believers who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood (1 Peter 1:2).

Here again, as in the previous verses quoted, God has elected individuals to something that exceeds what many of us consider salvation to be.

In this verse we see the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, the blood that atones for our sin. Without the shed blood applied to our lives there is no forgiveness, and no right standing with God. But we also see that those who are chosen to be sprinkled with the blood of Christ are chosen to be obedient to Him as well. In what can be considered a trinitarian passage we read that it is the Holy Spirit who brings this about in the lives of those chosen, or elected, by God the Father.

So again, if we are not obedient to Jesus (conformed to His image), is His blood applied to our lives? Is the Holy Spirit at work in us, or have we quenched Him? 

7. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

8. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 NASB

But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7 NASB

This is sanctification, to be like Jesus in our conduct: walking in the light. Our cooperation with the Holy Spirit and resulting Christ -likeness is just as much a part of our salvation as the forgiveness we receive from Him. They cannot be separated. 

3. Salvation through sanctification.

13. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

14. It is for this that He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 NASB

Believers have been chosen for salvation according to God's foreknowledge. However this salvation, from beginning to end is brought about through the sanctification of the one who believes. God does not save us in our sin, but from our sin.

Imagine suffering from a fatal illness and going to a doctor for help. He gives you a pill to relieve your pain, but does nothing to cure the illness behind the pain. When God saves an individual He transforms that individual from the inside out. He not only forgives our past sin, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we find deliverance from sinning as well.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB

Peter refers to this in his first epistle as well,

3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4. to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.

5. who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5 NASB 

As we read in Romans 8:30 those who are called are also glorified, just as Paul states in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, which is quoted above. We are elected to a salvation that involves justification, and ultimately ends in our glorification, but here in this lifetime we must be sanctified.

When Paul exhorts us to "work out our salvation" he is speaking of this very same thing. In speaking of Christ; his humility and incarnation, Paul urges us to take on the same mindset that Christ had. One day we will all bow before Him,

12. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

13. for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13 NASB 

These three "predestination" passages that I have touched on here are all saying the same thing. Predestination and election encompass more than many understand them to mean. When God in His foreknowledge elects an individual it is an election to a transformed person, one who in word, thought and deed looks like Jesus. 

The Marks of a Christian: Obedience

In the last several posts I have discussed several different marks or characteristics that identify one as a Christian. I identified love, true repentance, and faith in Christ, as indispensable qualities found in the lives of those who are born again. In this post I would like to look at  righteous living, a life of consistent obedience. I admit there is some overlap between these individual points, but I believe it is important to turn these things around in our minds and look at them from various aspects, to gain a thorough understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

We see a relationship between repentance, submission to Christ, and a faith that finds its expression in loving obedience. All of these points are necessary parts of the whole Christian life.

     And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 

     The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 

     but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 

     the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6 NASB)

That is pretty simple to understand. If we know Christ in a salvific way, if we have a relationship with Him, we will keep His commandments. The one who abides in Christ will walk in the same way Jesus walked. This is what a disciple, or one who follows Jesus does. As it states above, one who claims to know Jesus, who says that they are a Christian, yet they live in disobedience, is a liar. That is not my statement, it is taken right out of this scripture passage. 

Again we read this,

     Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 

     And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 

     Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 

     And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 

     No one who abides in Him sins;  no one who sins has seen Him or known Him.

     Little children, let no one decieve you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

     the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

     No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in Him; and he cannot sin because He is born of God.

     By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

     For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 

(1 John 3:2-11 NASB)

As children of God, we have a hope of an eternity with Jesus. When He appears we will be transformed. The cares and burdens of this life will be over. Every tear will be wiped away. As Christians we should long to see Jesus, the one we love and follow (2 Timothy 4:8). This being the case, a true child of God purifies themselves now in this lifetime in preparation of the day we see Jesus face to face.

Like a bride dressed in beautiful white dress gets ready to meet her groom, a Christian keeps themselves from spiritual defilement. Anything that would bring shame on that day we meet Jesus must go (see 1 John 2:28). 

Jesus came to take away sins. Not only did He provide an atonement for sin, but He also destroyed the power sin holds over our lives. We don't have to sin if we are in Christ. An inner transformation has taken place in one who has been born again. The Holy Spirit abides within us, the power behind the New Covenant ( Jeremiah 31:33). He whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). This is why John can say that no one born of God sins. He is not implying some form of sinless perfection, but a consistent obedience as opposed to habitual sin. The Greek construction of these verses is speaking of an ongoing practice of either sin, or righteousness. A Christian may fail under temptation, but he will get up and confess that sin and keep moving forward with Christ. On the other hand, someone who claims to be a Christian but shows no real life change has no real assurance of their salvation at all. You are known by your fruits. The children of God and the children of the devil are known by how they live. That is the proof of whom you follow. 

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1John 2:29)

The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. (1 John 3:24)

This is not something we do to earn our salvation. No amount of obedience or righteous acts will ever tip the scales in our favor. As I have previously written, this obedience flows out of our salvation in Christ. When we turn from our sinful lives and embrace the call to follow Jesus we will, by His grace and strength, obey Him. Righteousness is much more than being right with God, it is also doing what is right as well. If our repentance is real and our commitment to follow Christ is real, then our obedience will be real as well. It will be selfless, an outflow of love for God, and our fellow man.

The Marks of a Christian: Repentance

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10 NASB)

This passage mentions two kinds of sorrow. Godly sorrow, and worldly sorrow. One leads to salvation, while the other leads to death. It is vital that we understand the difference between the two. Our salvation depends upon it. 

Jesus exhorts us to enter by the narrow gate. This is a narrow path that few find, while the majority find and travel upon the broad path to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). I'm afraid many miss the narrow gate because of an insincere repentance.

Our text above mentions the sorrow of the world. Two things come to mind when I think about this.

1. The sorrow at being caught 

2. The dread of punishment 

Many individuals who have come to "repentance" are sorry because they were caught in some type of sin. Their sin might have been hidden from everyone around them, and now it has come to light, bringing perhaps shame or embarrassment. This type of person now has a change of mind about their sin. They give it up because it has come to light, but they would never have stopped if they still could have gotten away with it. They are not really sorry, they just want to save face.

Then there are those who fear the consequences of their sin. Perhaps their sin might lead to jail time, or a divorce. Of course all sin leads to eternal separation from God, ultimately spent in torment. That should strike fear in all of our hearts. But to give up our sin to avoid prison, avoid divorce, or even avoid eternal torment in the lake of fire is a selfish repentance that does not touch upon the hurt and offence our sin has brought upon God, and the individual we have sinned against. 

Think about it. You have been caught shoplifting. It's embarrassing, you are afraid of going to jail, so you give your word that you will never do it again. Deep inside however you are not sorry about your crime, and you would still do it if you could get away with it. Is that real sorrow? Is this true repentance? 

Or you feel guilty about sin in your life. You know you are a sinner, and you know that someday you must give an account to God for your sin. You know hell awaits you and you are terrified. Understand, it is wise to know and understand that sin has consequences, and that should cause us to think about sin and our standing before God. However, if our motivation for repentance is the avoidance of punishment we fall short. How does it sound when we tell God we are sorry for our sin, and we will now obey Him, when deep inside we are not concerned as much about God's honor and our offense against Him, as we are about avoiding punishment?

A man says some mean things to his wife. She is very hurt, and now things are strained in their relationship. After a few painful days he goes out and buys some flowers and a nice necklace. He gives her these things with an abstract apology hoping that somehow things will smooth over and go back to how they were. He has only made things worse. Now his wife feels deeper pain, a wedge is driven deeper into the separation between them. 

This is worldly sorrow. Trying to fix things and patch things up between man and God without a heartfelt grief over our sin because it is sin. Worldly sorrow actually leaves God out, we only want Him for what He can do for us. There is no sorrow for what we have done to Him. This kind of repentance is selfish, it still leaves us on the throne. We might give up something sinful, and pick up some moral habits, but it is all for us and our well being, not for the honor of God.

To confess our sin (1 John 1:9) is to agree with God about our sin. Daniel confessed his sin and the national sin of Israel while they were held captive in Babylon,

     "We have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day -to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. (Daniel 9:5-7)

Daniel takes God's side in the matter. As does Ezra (Ezra 9:4-15). The Jews had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, but now it was discovered that they had began to intermarry with the foreigners living among them, in violation of God's command. Ezra was ashamed. He confesses that they had been given into captivity justly, on account of their sin, yet now God had shown them mercy in allowing a remnant to return to rebuild the temple. Now they had fallen into sin once again. He is grieved, not because they were caught, he prays, not to avoid punishment, but he confesses the unfaithfulness of his people to God because it was a grievous offense against a holy, yet gracious God.

This is what godly sorrow looks like. This sorrow at sinning against God causes us to be ashamed of ourselves, our sin, and admit we deserve the penalty due us for our sin. We must take God's side against us, and see ourselves and our sin as He does.

Repentance is a change of mind. This is not a fickle change of mind such as what may be produced by a worldly type of sorrow, but a change of mind brought about by a view of ourselves through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When we see sin for what it is we will give it up.

Repentance also carries with it the idea of restitution. A thief will return what he has taken, a wrong will be righted as far as possible. Restoration between God and man is not possible without an honest attempt at restoration between the offender and the party offended. In other words, a thief who does not restore what he has taken is a thief still. One who will not go to an offended brother with a sincere confession shows that he has not yet experienced that godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Sadly, many relationships are never truly mended because true restoration has never been attempted. Often people go on like nothing has happened, but deep inside a disconnect remains.

Repentance is a turning point. We turn from sin to obedience. It carries the idea of surrender and commitment. We give up our right to control our lives, and in an act of faith we transfer control to God. In the next post I would like to look at another mark of a Christian, which is faith.

Mastering Sin

 "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Gen 4:7NASB)

This quote is taken from the Account of Cain and Abel found in Genesis 4. Abel brings a sacrifice of the first of his flocks to the Lord. Cain also bring a sacrifice of the fruit of the ground. God was pleased with Abel's offering but did not regard the offering of Cain. 

Cain was angry, and thus this warning from God. Sin was crouching at the door, desiring to control Cain. He must master it. Sadly, Cain gave in to his anger and killed Abel his brother. How different things could have been if only he had listened to God and controlled his temper.

Likewise, we also must heed this warning. Sin also seeks to dominate our lives and we also must not let it master us, but instead master it. We read this in Romans, 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; for he who has died is freed from sin (Rom 6:6-7). Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 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. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace (Rom 6:12-14). Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness (Rom 6:16-18).

It is through our surrender to Christ that we find freedom to overcome sin and live in victory. In John 8:34-36 Jesus states that the one who commits sin is the slave of sin, but the one whom the Son sets free is free indeed. 

Freedom to Sin?

     A common misconception of Christianity is that it gives Christians a freedom to sin. The idea goes something like this. If Jesus died for my sins, and I believe in Him, and if I am totally forgiven, therefore any future sins I commit are also forgiven. If this is the case, then it does not matter how I live out my life. I can sin all I want to, as it is all forgiven, and there are no eternal consequences to worry about.

     Of course, there are people who view Christianity with contempt because of this error, mocking the whole idea of Christ's sacrifice for the pardon of sin. Then there are those who profess to know Christ but deny Him by their deeds (Titus 1:16). They have fallen into serious error as well, as the Bible points out throughout its pages.

     Jesus tells us that a good tree will bring forth good fruit, and an evil tree will bring forth evil fruit, and be cut down and cast into the fire (Matt 7:16-20). Not everyone who professes Him as Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven, only those who are obedient (Matt 7:21). What He is saying is this. One who professes to know Him will obey Him. The idea of faith goes beyond a head knowledge of historical facts and things we believe about Him. A real faith puts what we believe into practice. This agrees with what James tells us about faith and works. A faith with no works is a dead faith. Our deeds show the reality of our faith (James 2:17-26). In this passage we see the examples of Abraham, and of Rahab. They both exhibited a faith that acted upon what they believed. It may shock many of you if I stated that a man is justified by his works, and not by faith alone. However, this is what James under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit states. "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24 KJV).

     Don't misunderstand me. I am not advocating legalism or a works based salvation. The scriptures are abundantly clear that our salvation cannot be earned. However, true faith goes beyond out head knowledge and ends in our actions. If not, it is a useless, dead faith. 

     The apostle Paul was accused by his enemies of preaching a cheap grace gospel. "And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? Whose damnation is just (Romans 3:8 KJV). Paul condemns this this accusation in no uncertain terms! Romans 6 strongly refutes the idea of a freedom to sin. Romans 6:1 opens with the rhetorical question, "Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?" Paul's answer is a resounding no. He goes on to point out how a Christian is identified with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. As followers of Christ, we are dead to sin, and alive unto God. We are to no longer allow sin free course in our lives, instead, we are to live righteously unto God. Sin no longer has dominion over a believer, as he is not under law, but grace. However, grace is not a free pass to sin, We are slaves of who, or what we yield ourselves to. A professing believer who chooses to sin is a slave of sin, and under its dominion period. Grace actually teaches us to deny sin, and live godly, obedient lives (Titus 2:11-12).

     The author of Hebrews did not agree with a sinning saint theology either. He strongly exhorts his audience to persevere in godliness. "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries (Hebrews 10:26-27). I would like to make it clear, we are all prone to sin. We face temptations and sometimes fall, We may sin unintentionally, or in the heat of a moment. However, a true follower of Christ will get back up, confess his sin and turn from it and seek grace (1 John 1:9). John writes his first epistle to guard us against sin, but if find ourselves to have sinned, we have an advocate in Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). However this is not the same thing as an individual who claims the name of Jesus, but continues on in an unrepentant lifestyle. John writes that the way we know who knows Christ is by our obedience to His commands (1 John 2:3-5). This epistle is consistent in this message. 

    Jesus came to take away our sin, and in Him is no sin. As His followers we are to be like Him. If we walk in darkness, yet claim to be in the light, we are found to be liars (1 John 1:5-7). In the third chapter of First John, we can plainly see that the mark of a Christian is that of obedience. Because the Christian has been transformed by Jesus and is now led by a new principle through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, he does not sin as before. The difference between the children of God, and the children of the devil is obvious. It comes down to sin. Have we been delivered from it, or are we still under its control. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and set us free from sin (1 John 3:2-10). 

     In conclusion, there is no freedom to sin found in the gospel. Salvation goes beyond forgiveness and strikes at the problem of sin itself. The gospel provides a way to deliver those who put their trust in Christ from the dominion of sin in their lives. We are not saved in our sins, but from our sins.

Jesus the Coming Lord.

           In this post I would like to examine a couple of statement that Jesus makes, and then take a look at the Old Testament passages where He draws them from, to show that Jesus did in fact claim to be God.

     In Matthew 16:27 we read,

     " For the  Son of Man is going to come in the glory of  His Father with His angels, and will then REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS."

     

     First of all, the title Son of Man was the title Jesus used more than any other when referring to Himself. This title is found more than 80 times in the gospel accounts. I looked at this in two previous posts that can be read  here and here.

     Jesus was referencing the seventh chapter of Daniel where we read of one like a Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven and approaching the Ancient of days. this Son of Man was given glory, dominion and a kingdom that will not pass away, and the worship of all people, nations, and men of every language (Daniel 7:13-14, see also Phil 2:6-11). 

     Next we read where Jesus states that when He comes He will repay every man according to his deeds. Jesus also makes a similar statement found in Revelation 22:12,

     "Behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."

     Let's take a look at two verses found in Isaiah that Jesus is referencing in these two statements He makes concerning His coming.

     Behold the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him (Isaiah 40: 10).

     Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes; behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him" (Isaiah 62:11).

     Isaiah is telling us that the Lord God (Adonai Elohim, according to strongs, used as a proper name of God only) is coming with power and to rule. He is coming to reward or repay mankind. 

     In the next verse salvation or deliverance is coming to Zion. This salvation is personified in the next part of the verse where once again we read "His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him." 

     It is of interest to note that that the meaning behind the name of Jesus is salvation (Matt 1:21). The Hebrew name for Jesus is Yehoshua meaning Jehovah saved.

     So to sum this up, Jesus is applying these verses to Himself. He is stating that salvation is coming, The Lord God is coming to repay man according to his deeds, and this Lord God is...Jesus. This is another place where Jesus is claiming to be God.

The Vindication of the Resurrection

     Concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, and was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:3-4 NASB). 

     And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory (1Timothy 3:16 NASB). 

     Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus was often assailed by the religious leaders of His day. Filled with doubt and hatred, they demanded a sign from Him to prove Himself (Matt 16:1). Jesus told them they would receive no sign but that of the sign of Jonah (Matt 16:4). 

     Today there are those who do not believe as well. They may consider Jesus as a real historical figure, a good man, a teacher, but they doubt His deity. They do not believe in His power to save. Just like the Pharisees of old, there are many who reject the claims of our Lord. 
     
     However, in spite of all of this, Jesus, who was unjustly accused and turned over to the Romans to be brutally crucified, was gloriously raised from the dead, as a stunning proof to the validity of His claims! Now if He was never raised, and was still in the tomb today, our faith is worthless (1 Cor 15:14, 17). But Jesus who took on flesh (John 1:14), emptied Himself taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7), is risen, and now is highly exalted and worthy of honor. Every knee will bow before Him, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). 

     He has conquered death, so that gives us great hope and encouragement as well. Since He is risen, we too will be resurrected and stand before Him in worship (1Cor 15:20-26, 50-58).

The Nature of Biblical Faith.

     And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
                                                              Hebrews 11:6 NASB

     For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
                                                                Ephesians 2:8 NASB

     Faith is one of the most important, yet one of the least understood elements of Christianity. If it is through faith that we obtain saving grace, and if it is impossible to please God without faith, it is of absolute necessity that we have a good working knowledge of what true faith really is. We cannot afford to be wrong in our definition of faith; there is no room for error. Our very souls depend upon our having a solid biblical understanding of what constitutes faith.
     I would like to look at some very important elements of faith as found in the scriptures; elements that are sadly overlooked, or often explained away, yet these things are found in scripture nonetheless.
     
     1. Faith is taking God at His word.
     2. Faith is active.
     3. Faith leads to obedience.
     4. Faith works by love.
     5. Faith overcomes.

     1. Faith is taking God at His word.
     We read of faith in Hebrews 11, and discover right away that one must believe that God exists, and rewards those who seek after Him. If we are to exercise faith, we must start here with the belief that God means what He says. His word is filled with warnings and promises, blessings and curses. If we have faith, we will believe what God says to us. To ignore or disregard what He says, is to lack faith. The Bible tells us that faith comes from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Many people make the mistake of thinking that faith consists in believing what they want, and God is bound to honor that faith. This is not so. True faith believes what God says, no matter how unrealistic it may seem. Take Noah for example. God told Him that He was about to destroy the world with a flood as a judgment of its sin. He told him to build an ark for the salvation of his family. As absurd as this might have seemed, Noah took God at His word, and did what he was commanded to do (Genesis 6:5-21; Hebrews 11:7). He believed the word of the Lord. We too must believe the word of the Lord as well. Imagine what it must look like to God when He fills His word with promises and commands, but we fail to believe what God says. Unbelief in effect is calling God a liar.

     2. Faith is active.
     Look at the example of Noah again. Noah believed what God told him. He believed that a flood was going to destroy the world. He also believed that God would spare him and his family if he would build an ark. this belief caused him to act. As ridiculous as it must have appeared to those around him, Noah began to build an ark, a task that took around one hundred years to complete. There was plenty of time to get discouraged, and plenty of time to decide that maybe God was going to change His mind and not send a flood. Noah believed God, and acted upon that belief. He persevered over a period of one hundred years, and at the command of God, he and his family, along with pairs of animals entered the ark, and were saved. When the multitude asked Jesus what they must do to do the works of god, Jesus responded by telling them that the work of God was to believe upon the one that He sent (John 6:28-29). If they had truly believed in Christ, that faith would have manifested itself in works. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). A man sitting in his recliner, reading the paper is suddenly interrupted by a pounding on his door, and cries of "Fire! Get out, your house is on fire!" If he has faith, he will put down the paper, get out of his chair, and escape his burning house. It is that simple. James gives us several examples of men and women who acted upon their belief, as does the book of Hebrews in the eleventh chapter. (James 2:21-26; Hebrews 11:1-40).

     3. Faith leads to obedience.
     Paul refers to the obedience of faith in Romans 16:26. What is this obedience of faith? Jesus asks "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) We are called to obey Jesus Christ, to follow Him, and to walk as He walked. This amounts to us living out our faith in Him with an active obedience. The true disciple hears the commands of Jesus, and believes what he hears with an active faith. It is futile to say that we are Christians, followers of Jesus, yet we balk at His commands. Just as a soldier obeys his commanding officer, or an employee obeys his boss, we are called to obey Jesus Christ, if we are going to follow Him.

     4. Faith works by love.
     We read in Galatians 5:6, that what really counts in the eyes of God is faith working by love. This is the opposite of dead works-things that we do to earn God's favor. Legalism, the keeping of commandments, observance of rituals or traditions, is based upon selfish motives. An individual who "obeys" God out of a sense of obligation or fear of punishment cannot please God, as this individual is merely serving God for reward. True faith is motivated by love for God. This is why Jesus could say that those who love Him will obey Him (John 14:23-24). Love will motivate us to what Jesus commands, not for our sake, but for His. This is the difference between a "legal" salvation, which is no salvation at all, and a salvation where the law is fulfilled in those who believe, through love (Romans 8:4, 13:9-10).

     5. Faith overcomes.
     We read in 1 John that if we love God we will keep His commandments. The passage goes on to show us that those who have faith, who believe in the Son of God, overcome the world (1 John 5:3-5).  It is impossible to love the world, and yet love God at the same time (1 John 2:15-16). The world will throw every temptation and trial at us with the intention of drawing our hearts away from Christ. Here is where the grave danger lies. If we are not overcoming, we are being overcome. Only the one who overcomes will inherit eternal life in the end (Rev 21:7). Once again, this is not legalism; trying to earn salvation by works. Jesus came to deliver us from this present evil age (Galatians 1:4). By faith in Him, we overcome. It is by faith we win the victory over sin and temptation. It is by faith that we stand strong in the face of danger and persecution. If we do not overcome by faith in Christ, we are then ensnared once again in this present evil age. Jesus came to destroy the devil's works (1 John 3:8). By faith in Him, we walk this out in our daily lives. The one who has become aware of the depths of depravity in his unregenerate heart, will by faith, cast himself at the feet of the one who will deliver him from the power of sin, and then continue to trust in the Savior moment by moment until this life is over.

     There is so much more that one could discuss concerning faith, but I hope that this will encourage you to walk in the power and victory that God intends for each one of us, as we walk by faith in Christ Jesus.

     

     

The Prosperity of the Wicked.

     But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
                                                              Psalm 73:2-3 NASB  

Read Psalm 73:1-28

     Sometimes it seems that everyone around us is prospering, while we struggle. There are those who seem to live luxuriously, never in need of life's basic necessities, who always appear to succeed at everything they put their hand to. We may feel as if the wicked are prospering in this life in spite of their wickedness, as if God does not see. It can be easy to look at our hardships and struggles in comparison with the ease of the wicked, and say as the Psalmist did, Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence" (Psalm 73:13 NASB).

     But this Psalm goes on to show us that what may appear to us as an unfair situation is not what it seems to be. While the wicked go on in their prosperity, they are actually in a very slippery place. Their life will not always go on as it has. Just like the rich man whom Jesus described in Luke 12:16-21, life is uncertain. As this man was preparing to retire in his abundance, his life was required of him. Things may go smooth for a season for those who live apart from Christ, but it will always catch up to them one way or another. Ultimately, we will all stand before God someday, and then it will be worth it all to follow Him now. 

     As for the hard times and struggles that so many Christians seem to face, these are for our good (James 1:2-3). The writer of Hebrews encourages us with the fact that God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-12). Discipline is not fun to go through, but it is the means by which God keeps us close to Him. Much like a parent who lovingly corrects and disciplines a child to keep that child safe, and to train him to grow up into a godly individual, God also uses trials and testings to keep us from straying after the things of this world. It is better to face discipline, and thereby grow in grace and holiness, than to be allowed to persist in worldliness and sin, and ultimately go lost.
Psalm 73:1-28

     

Work Out Your Salvation.

     So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
     for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
                                  Philippians 2:12-13 NASB

     Many people become confused when they read the words of the Apostle Paul in this passage of scripture. They view salvation as something that cannot be earned or worked for, which is true. Paul states in Ephesians, that salvation is the gift of God and not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). He states in Romans that one who works earns his wage. It is not a favor, but what is due. However, the one who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, is made righteous by faith (Romans 4:4-5). Salvation is the gift of God received by faith.
     To understand what it means to work out your salvation, it is helpful to have a good understanding of salvation; what it means and what it entails. Many of us understand the aspect of salvation that deals with the guilt of sin. We understand and believe that Christ has paid the penalty for our sin, and canceled the debt against us. We understand that we are justified in His sight, and freely forgiven, for Christ's sake.
     There is more to salvation however. The concept of salvation is that of deliverance. It includes deliverance from the guilt of sin, but goes beyond that to the deliverance from sin itself. Paul writes that Christ "Gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age" (Gal 1:4).  He also writes that we were dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and the spirit that is at work in the sons of disobedience. We indulged in the desires of the flesh and mind, and were by nature children of wrath. God who is rich in mercy, in love, has made us alive in Christ; raising us up, and seating us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ (Eph 2:1-7).  In Colossians He proclaims that we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness, to the kingdom of His Son (Col 1:13-14).  This is salvation; to be delivered from our sinful, rebellious lives. It is to be delivered from the lusts and desires that at one time controlled us, and to be set free to live for Christ. We were at one time slaves of sin, but we are now to present ourselves to God as slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:12-13, 15-18). Our lives will be filled with works and deeds of some kind. Either we will live selfishly, fulfilling the lusts of our flesh and mind, or we will live soberly and righteously. We are controlled by our nature; the old man with his deeds, or the new man with his deeds (Eph 4:22-24). 
     The new birth is a change of nature. It is referred to as the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). The man who is born again is a new creation. The old is gone, and all things are made new (2 Cor 5:17). Again, this means that we no longer live the way we once did. We now have a new set of principles written upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This is the promise made under the new covenant (Hebrews 8:10). We are His workmanship, prepared to do good works (Eph 2:10). We read above that it is God who is at work in us to will and to do His good pleasure. This is what we must work out. We are to walk in this deliverance by faith. We are to follow Christ. We are to be led by the Spirit. This is what it means to work out our salvation. It is nothing less than living for the glory of God, surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
     We are admonished to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The idea of fear seems foreign to many of us. It is easy to focus on God's love and mercy, which is central to our salvation. If God did not love us, why would He show us mercy? We are also concerned that we do not slip into legalism; driven by a slavish fear of punishment. Many people live motivated by this kind of fear. They do things to earn God's favor; they avoid other things to escape His wrath. These individuals are only motivated by self preservation. They have no real regard for the will of God. This is not the fear of the Lord that we are called to by the scriptures.
     The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy one is understanding (Proverbs 9:10 NASB). To properly fear God, we must have a right understanding of Him. If we focus only on wrath and judgment, we will be driven by slavish fear. The opposite of this is to view God as love, while neglecting the fact that He is holy and just as well. The danger here is that we begin to presume upon grace, and fail to live in obedience to His word. "After all", we think, "God is love, and understands our weakness."
     We need to understand, deep within our hearts, that not only is God love, but He is also righteous and just in all His ways. As the Holy God, He cannot tolerate sin. We do not always like to hear this, but His wrath flows from His justice. It is misrepresenting the character of God to declare that a loving God would never send anyone to hell. His holiness, righteousness, and justice, are just as real as His grace and mercy.
     When we look at God, and ponder the fact that He has existed from eternity, that He is everywhere present, that He is all knowing, we should be overcome by a sense of awe. There is not a thought in our minds that God does not know. He sees all; nothing is done in secret, that He is not aware of. In fact, from eternity past, God all ready knows the end from the beginning. The thought of this should make us feel very small in comparison to God, the maker of heaven and earth. When you look at the creation, you cannot help but know that there is a God who made all of this. In fact the Bible records that His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature, are clearly seen in His creation (Romans 1:20).
     To fear the Lord is to understand who we are in relation to Him. We are His creation, made for His purpose and pleasure. We are not our own, but owe our lives in allegiance to God. It is only right and fitting that we yield ourselves to Him for His use. The proper fear of the Lord requires that we would stand in a holy awe of Him, to be deeply struck by His majesty and splendor; to understand that while this God loves us, and desires our love in return, yet in His holiness, He cannot look upon our sin. It is the dark stain of sin that separates us from this majestic God, and places us under His just wrath.
     Knowing this, we should have a dread, even a hatred for sin itself. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverted mouth I hate (Proverbs 8:13 NASB). This hatred goes beyond the fear of punishment, to actually hate sin for what it is: rebellion against God. Sin grieves the heart of God, and breaks our fellowship with Him, and one who fears the Lord, will learn to hate sin, even dread it, lest they grieve the Savior who gave Himself for them. By the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil (Prov 16:6)!
     Working out our salvation is to walk in the ways of the Lord. Psalm 128:1 declares that those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways are blessed. We are to offer God an acceptable service with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29).
     
    

The Foundation of God's Throne.

     For I proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
                        Deuteronomy 32:3-4 NASB

     As the above text shows, God is upright in all of His dealings with mankind. There is no injustice found in Him. Everything He does is perfect and right.
     As the sovereign ruler of the universe, it is of the utmost importance that He be perfectly just in all of His ways. What would we think of a ruler who created laws that were unfair, oppressive, and impossible to obey? Furthermore, what would we think of a ruler who did not enforce the laws of His kingdom, laws that were just and fair, laws that were in the best interests of His kingdom and it's subjects?
     We see examples of this in human governments. There have been ruthless dictators who have ruled with an iron fist, men who have oppressed and killed millions of their subjects.
     Then we see those who fail to uphold the laws of their countries. They let criminals go free, or get by with a sentence that falls far below that which the crime deserves.
     We all understand that this is wrong. That men who rule in this way are unjust, and unfit to rule! We can see that the lenient judge, is just as wrong, as the ruthless dictator. Both of them have built their kingdom and rule upon a throne of injustice and evil.
     This is not so with God. His rule is founded upon the principles of righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14, 97:2). The law of God is perfect, righteous in every respect. He upholds it in truth and justice. There is no wavering with Him, no partiality is found in His character. He is bound by His very character to uphold His law in truth and justice. If it is broken, the penalty that is required must be fulfilled, or God is no longer just. The implications of this astound one's mind! Can God still be God, if He denies in any measure, one or more of His divine attributes? Would He then cease to be good, and become evil?
     You see, God is perfectly just, and cannot sway from this for even an instant, no matter who he is dealing with. We can depend on Him to render a just verdict every time. There is no partiality with God. He has no favorites, and He will not turn a blind eye away from sin, and those who commit it.
     God also loves His rebellious creation, and does not desire their death, but that they would turn from their sin and live (Ezekiel 18:32; John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9).
     For God to pardon sin, and to still be just, He had to offer up His Son for us. Jesus Christ was pierced for us, crushed for our sin (Isaiah 53:5). Our sin was placed upon Him (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Cor 15:3; 2 Cor 5:21). There can be no other way for God to exercise pardon in the case of one who has violated His law.
     Once again, God is righteous in all His ways, and just in every decision. He must uphold His law, and execute the penalty of the law. He is bound to do this by His very character.
     Our sin cost Christ dearly. He suffered and died an agonizing death upon a Roman cross on our behalf. What was even more agonizing to Jesus, was that moment when God the Father forsook His Son, because of our sin, placed upon Him (Matt 27:46). To have the intimate closeness He shared with His Father broken was more devastating to Him then the pain of crucifixion. This separation is what we experience ourselves, when we choose to go our own way in sin, rather than obey God.
     God has made a way to justify the sinner, and yet be just in His action (Romans 3:23-26). By the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf, He has upheld the righteousness of His law, and executed it's penalty in a way suitable to allow Him to pardon a repenting sinner.
     I say repenting, because to merely pardon one who has no desire to change, but still persist in rebellion against God, would still dishonor the righteousness of His law, and bring into question the very righteous and just character of God. It would be an act of injustice still.
     Jesus did not die so that we could go to heaven, and enjoy eternal life in fellowship with God. He died to set us free from sin. He died so that we could be made holy in our conduct (Romans 6:22; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:1-2).
     The repentant sinner receives mercy as he places his trust in Christ, but he has been called by God to be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus (Romans 8:29). It is through this union with Christ that we find ourselves now actively fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law we once cast aside (Romans 8:4). Instead of being lawbreakers, we now obey God's law from the heart!
     It is safe, and wise, for God to forgive the sinner, and make a new creation out of him (2 Cor 5:17). His law is still upheld in all it's glory, as Christ honored it's penalty by His death and resurrection. Now by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within the pardoned sinner, the law is upheld once again as it is lived out in reality through the life of the one whom God saved.