How Can We Tell A Christian?

 Jesus clearly said that we would known them by their fruits. (Matt. 7:16).   Jesus also said they will know that you are My disciples, that you love one another!   (John 13:35)   That means we love our neighbors, practice the Golden Rule, and are good Samaritans.  This is manifest in charity, alms, rescue missions, food shelves, mission work, disaster relief, humanitarian crises and more where Christians can outshine the world and show what Christian love is all about. 

There are many Christians in name only or nominal believers but their faith doesn't stand the test of fire. All faith must be tested and proven. If faith were easy, it wouldn't  be worth much. Anyone can claim to be a Christian; for instance, they can sincerely believe they were born one because their parents are, but no one gets in automatically because salvation is a turnstile--one at a time! We all must personally make our decision to follow Christ at all costs and deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him.  

It is commonly believed that belonging to a church makes one a believer or should I say disciple, but many in the church are just attendees and not worshipers--they are consumers and not producers!  We are not just customers of God but followers, nor fans or admirers but worshipers and followers. Some erroneously believe they were born Christians because the live in a Christian nation! Christ in only interested in wholehearted disciples who have counted the cost and willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the Name. 

What kind of fruit should we look for? A Christian proves his faith by good works. James said that he would show his faith by his works!  (James 2:18) We are to become a people zealous of good works!  (Titus 1:16) Faith without works is dead (James 2:22) and that kind of faith cannot save. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Without works, our faith is suspect. We are not saved by them, but not without them either!  We have a faith not as one we can live with but one we would die for!  We must live out our faith and prove it to others; it is not a given and we cannot expect people to believe our confession if we have no fruits!  Our lifestyles tell a lot and reveal what we really believe and speak louder than our words and our testimony speaks volumes.  

The true Christian ought to be engaged in spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, worshipping, fellowship, and good deeds. This all are taught in the local church of which he is obliged to join and not forsake.  Note: there can be no solitary saints or spiritual hermits or Lone Rangers!  For God has foreordained certain good works we are meant to do.  We should walk in them faithfully. Christians walk by faith and not by sight, they see things from God's perspective and not as the world sees them. Christians also are people of the book and love love the spoken and written Word of God preached and in the Bible.  We also walk in the Spirit and have overcome the power of the flesh. 

We do sin but Jesus always disciplines us or brings us to confession and back on track when we go astray. Christians overflow with thanksgiving and have the right attitude in serving and being servants; a non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms. Christians find their spiritual gift by serving and are given a ministry to fulfill as stewards of God's blessings. 

"...Set an example of good works yourself..." (Tit. 2:7).

SO, ARE WORKS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION THEN?

There is a grand distinction between religion and Christianity: works out of a pure motive and not for applause versus to ingratiate oneself, or to get brownie points with a deity. Religion says, "Do!" while Christ says, "Done!" Christians are not "do-gooders" per se but do good deeds because they want to, not because they have to. The key is not "in order to," but "therefore." Good works logically follow a changed life, through which Christ lives. Changing lives is Jesus' business and the point of salvation. In a works religion, you never know how much is enough!

Since salvation is a gift only in Christianity, the person is free to do good out of gratitude. We don't have to, but want to! Many Americans have fallen prey to the misconception that achieving the "American dream" or "living the good life" is all that is necessary to accomplish salvation; that they have "made it." God requires perfection and any effort to earn one's way is in vain. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone (a living one), in the person and work of Christ alone according to the Reformers.

Some misguided souls subscribe to the credo that since salvation is by grace alone, works aren't necessary or don't follow (but we say grace is necessary and sufficient). The Reformed doctrine is that salvation is "by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." Works equaling salvation is the essence of religion; combining works and faith for salvation is legalism. Faith that produces no works is antinomians, being against the law or lawless. The prevalent view that faith alone without any evidence (some will say gifts of the Spirit like speaking in tongues) will suffice is erroneous, being initial evidence validates salvation or the filling of the Spirit. This is known as antinomianism or "no-lordship salvation."

Note: if you don't have good works to "work out" (cf. Phil. 2:12) your salvation is suspect. The kind of works I am referring to is good deeds not works of the law. We are not saved by works; but not without them either--but unto works! Works (or righteousness) prove faith to self others and God, as well as yourself (cf. Isa. 32:17); but are not the substitute for it. We must put our faith into action--as James would say, "The faith you have is the faith you show" (cf. James 2:18).

There is no irreconcilable difference between Paul and James; they come from two vantage points: Paul was dealing with those who couldn't do enough and thought the Law of Moses was necessary; James was dealing with "do-nothing" libertines. Paul would say, "I'll show you my works." James would counter, "I'll show you my faith." Paul talked about being "rich in faith" (1 Tim. 6:18). James talked about being "rich in deeds" (James 2:5). James says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith, I have deeds,' Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18).

Faith doesn't have a dormant or inert stage; it can't be left in mothballs! It goes places! Faith and works are distinguished, but cannot be separated. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26).

Our works will be judged (for reward) not our faith per Romans 2:6; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:1 (our faith is a gift according to Rom. 12:3, Acts 14:27; 2 Pet. 1:1, et al.)! "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (1 Cor. 3:15; 2 Cor. 5:10). "God will repay each person according to what he has done'" (Rom. 2:6). Our works have to do with our testimony (Matt. 5:16; Tit. 1:16, 2:14)--"By their works they deny Him." We are to be a people "zealous of good works" (Tit. 1:16). We are to be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works" and "are created unto good works" (2 Tim. 3:17; Eph. 2:10). The faith we have is the faith we have is the faith we show! Faith must be authenticated by works or it's suspect.

It is important that we give the glory to God (Soli Deo Gloria). "I venture not to boast of anything but what Christ has accomplished through me" (cf. Rom. 15:18; Amos 6:13). Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." Isa. 26:12 reads, "All that we have accomplished you have done for us." The reason God blesses us is so that we can bear fruit (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8). We are commanded to do good works (Gal. 6:10; Phil. 2:12). Most of all the importance of it all is summed up: "Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 2:10)--note how they are correlated. Soli Deo Gloria! 

Paul's Confession Of Sin...

 From Romans 7:15ff, Paul confesses his struggle with sin in the old man or sin nature that is still alive though he is saved and has a new inner man.  He prays for deliverance from this "body of death." It sounds like he may be confessing his sin before being saved, but this is a present condition that he is admitting he has not defeated sin in his life yet; this is good and an encouragement to us who struggle.  He is confused, discouraged, frustrated, and even disgusted with himself.  He concurs that the Law is good and the right thing to do and has the impulse to accomplish all the do's and avoid all the don'ts but he finds no power to do this in his own strength.  But Paul doesn't despair because he doesn't trust in himself but the finished work of Christ on the cross and knows that there is no condemnation for those in Christ.  

It is a dilemma when you feel convicted and know the right thing to do and don't do it and feel condemned or guilty. He says that nothing good dwells in him--what a confession.  By the way, he later admits he is the chief of sinners and this is not just before salvation. What is it like when you don't meet your own expectations?  You feel like a failure!  But the fact is that we are all born this way: we are not sinners because we sin, but sin because we are sinners.  Christians are not called sinners, but they are called saints.  But that doesn't mean we are not sinners at heart and in action.  Luther said we are justified sinners or at the same time just and sinners referring to Gal. 2:17. 

The point is that our struggle with sin will last till glory and we are to grow in the battle, knowing the battle is the Lord's.  He fights for us and gives us the victory one step in faith at a time. The law of sin and death no longer applies!  All whom the Lord justifies, He sanctifies and we are all holy in His sight.  The point to see here is that when we are justified, we do not become just, especially in man's eyes, but are declared just in God's eyes.  As far as He is concerned, we are just.  We are freed from the power of sin so that we do not have to sin or be enslaved by it anymore. 

Shall we continue in sin? There were two views that were both wrongs at the time of Luther.  The Antinomians thought that since they were saved, it didn't matter if they sinned: "freed from the Law, O blessed condition; now I can sin all I want and still have remission."  They saw no obligation to live holy lives of obedience or that their lives must produce fruits worthy of repentance. The other enemy idea was that of the semi-Pelagians going back to the monk Pelagius who debated Augustine about the issue that because God expects perfection and that is the goal, we must have the inherent ability to achieve perfection.  This came to be known as entire sanctification or perfectionism in Catholic or some Arminian circles. 

We must keep our eyes on the goal of holiness and confess our known and convicted sins so as to keep short accounts.  Jeus said to be perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect, meaning that perfection is the goal but direction is the test.  Which way are we going? Note that going nowhere is somewhere if you go that direction long enough you will get there.   For all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.   We continue pursuing God, though realizing we are not perfect and will not be till heaven. But we must remain assured that we are forgiven and not trust in our own achievement or performance but in the persona and work of Christ. 

Do You Sin Against God?

 

1. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (cf. Romans 3:23).
2. “For there is no one who does not sin.” (cf. 1 Kings 8:46)
3. “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin,” (cf. Psalm 51:2).
4. “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”(cf. Eccl 7:20).
5. “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure? I am clean and without sin.’” (cf. Prov, 20:9).
6. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (cf. 1 John 1:8).
7. “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and the word is not in us,”(cf. 1 John 1:10).

Christians even sin but they are forgiven. God doesn’t call us sinners but saints. Gal. 2:17 calls us justified sinners. God doesn’t make us just but declares us so, but we are a work in progress as God continues to work in us (cf. Phi. 1:6).

I sin because I have an old sin nature inherited from Adam. We are all sinners by nature, by choice, and by birth, this is called being “in Adam.” We have inherited the sin virus from Adam. Thus everyone is in solidarity with Adam until they are saved and then possess power over sin and are not its slave it servant anymore. In sum, Christians are effectively dead to sin and liberated from its power (cf Romans 6:14) and God doesn’t hold our sins against us (cf. Psalm 32:2); we need not have any sin have dominion over us (cf. Psalm 119:133; Romans 6:14).

First, Examine Your Sin...

 

SEEING OUR OWN SINFULNESS

"The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:7-8, NIV).
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9, NIV).
"... But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it" (Gen. 4:7, HCSB)
"It is no use giving us rules of conduct; we cannot keep them." --John Stott
"In Adam's fall/ We sinned all" (The New England Primer, 1727).

We all are born "in Adam" (as opposed to becoming "in Christ" upon salvation) or with "original sin" (the result of the first sin) inherited from Adam, by virtue of his being the representative head of our race and acting on our behalf when he disobeyed God. When Adam ate of the so-called "proverbial apple" it was the prototype or model sin: "He spurned God's grace; contradicted His truth; rejected His authority; disputed His wisdom; repudiated His justice, and resisted His grace" (Author unknown).

Sin is our birthright and a virus we all have inherited. It has been defined by the Westminster divines as "any want of conformity to or transgression of the law of God." By the way, it's "any thought, word, action, omission, or desire contrary to the Law of God" (Charlie Riggs of the BGEA) i.e., anything contrary to the nature of God--our Declaration of Independence from God--it's such a killjoy word for preachers but cannot be ignored without peril. It's our birthright and a virus we inherit. We must be against it!

We must see our sinfulness to be saved and come to repentance. The law was given to make us see our sin ("for by the law is the knowledge of sin," cf. Rom. 3:20). It was never given to save us but to show us we need salvation. We don't know how bad we are, till we attempt to become good, and we cannot become good without knowing how bad we are--the solution to this catch-22 is knowing Jesus as our Savior. This so-called doctrine of total depravity or more realistically, radical corruption. means our whole being--heart or emotions, mind or intellect, and will or volition--are corrupt and unable to please God--we're not utterly depraved or as bad as we can be, but as bad off as we can be!

Even our reasoning powers and conscience are corrupt--spoiled by sin (cf. Titus 1:15). We are stubborn, rebellious people whom God has to conform to do His will like a Potter working on clay. G. K. Chesterton said tongue-in-cheek that this is the only doctrine "that can be proved." "... [B]ut men loved darkness rather than light" (cf. John 3:19).

Our sinfulness becomes even more apparent to us as we get closer to God--the closer our walk, the more consciousness of sin. Peter exclaimed, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man" (cf. Luke 5:8). Samuel Rutherford said to pray for a hearty sense of sin, because "the greater sense of sin, the less sin." The point of being bad is not that we are too bad to be saved, but never good enough to be saved--Isaiah 64:6 says "Our righteousness is as filthy rags."

In fact, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (cf. Rom. 5:20). Let's not play the "let's compare game!" It doesn't matter that we may be better than our neighbor--we all look like saints compared to Saddam Hussein, because God doesn't grade on a curve--we're all in the same boat of falling short of God's glorious ideal per Rom. 3:23.

This solidarity in Adam means we have a legacy of sin as our inheritance and we cannot escape our birthright. We were born in sin, not born free! Our wills were in bondage too, not free till we were freed in Christ upon salvation (cf. John 8:36)! We cannot even save ourselves and don't even meet our own standards of good, as Ovid said, "I see better things and I approve them, but I follow the worst." But the whole point is that the greater we are forgiven, the greater our love, as William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior."

In Adam's fall, we all ceased to be good, though not ceasing to be human. We all have a dark side or are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--we all have feet of clay or a vulnerable side no one sees. The world thinks a man is basically good, but he is inherently evil and cannot please God--all he can do is sin. People think this means we are as bad as we can be, but we are as bad off as we can be. We are not as corrupt as possible, for God restrains sin, but our whole nature is corrupt.--total depravity, not utter depravity. Why? God can turn the wrath of man to praise Him (cf. Psalm 76:10). We see goodness in light of evil and evil brings opportunity for good. The good news is that no one is too bad to be saved, but grace abounds to the chief of sinners, as John Bunyan wrote (cf. Rom. 5:20).

Sin has been our downfall and we must be reminded of our old sin nature or it will dominate. "Sin wants to destroy you, but we must not let it" (cf. Gen. 4:7, CEV). We need to renounce sin in ourselves and turn from it first to have discernment. "The absurd," according to Albert Camus, "is sin without God"--we must become aware of sin to repent of it; that's why knowledge and admission of sin is the missing ingredient (Whatever Became of Sin? by Karl Menninger, MD).

We are all guilty of rebellion, independent attitudes, lawlessness, godlessness, injustice, unbelief, iniquity, and all manner of transgression and unrighteousness--these are all evil violations of God's person and nature. D. James Kennedy says the law was given to show us we don't keep it, the "law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul" (cf. Psalm 19:7). The Law doesn't convert us or save us, it measures and convicts us!

In the final analysis, we all must exclaim to God as Paul did, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Cf. Rom. 7:24). He answers his own question: "Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Cf. Rom. 7:25). The higher law Christians adhere to is the law of love, which is done willingly and gratefully. Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Confessing The Same As Repenting?...

This is also an issue for the believer because, of the Ninety-Five Theses that Martin Luther posted, the first one was that repentance was a “progressive” activity of the believer, not a one-time act. Note that repentance is a prerequisite to salvation and it was preached by Jesus: "Repent and believe in the gospel." It is required for salvation in Acts 2:38 and 3:19.. Acts 17:30 commands all men everywhere to repent.

They go hand in hand and you can distinguish them but not separate them. For instance, if, you try to repent without confession, it’s like not really admitting any wrongdoing and coming clean without owning up to your sins and confessing (which is homologeo or to say the same thing as) Now we all do sins we are not aware of and that’s why when we confess God forgives us of them too (cf. 1 John 1:9).

The Greek word metanoia for repentance is to change one’s mind, have afterthoughts, or to turn directions. Remember that Judas tried to confess without repentance and it only amounted to simple remorse and guilt. Confession is a matter of fellowship and repentance is more closely associated with salvation in the grand scheme of things though.

How can you repent of a sin without having it in mind? Like this? “I repent of my sins, but not admitting any of them!” But if you also confess without repentance you are setting yourself up for repetition and an impenitent heart that is insincere and toying with God and making light of the act. The sacrifices of God are a contrite heart (cf. Psalm 51:17). Like saying I’m sorry I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar but not sorry enough to refrain from it again. Even Judas admitted or "confessed" his sin: "I have betrayed innocent blood."

Even if one realizes or thinks he might do the sin again, is no reason to not repent of it because repentance is the gift of God and He must grant it (cf 2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 5:31;11;18). No one completely ends sinning by confessing or repenting but it’s still commanded and the ways to grow in faith and closer to God. There’s no guarantee you’ll not commit a sin again but God looks at your attitude.

Proverbs 28:13 says that he who confesses and forsakes his sin shall find mercy. Both repentance and confession are acts of faith and cannot be done without it. That’s why theologians refer to penitent faith or believing repentance The definition of confession is to say the same thing as God says about and admit it, and repentance is to make a complete turnaround, do a 180, or make an about-face and turn from your sins toward God—a radical change of heart, mind, and will (cf. Acts 20:21).

I can’t cover all the bases but here’s some more reflection: We are all personally offended by some sins more than others for sure but these may not line up with God’s Word. We must also bear in mind that the devil accuses (the accuser of the brethren) and creates a guilt complex, but the Holy Spirit convicts and brings us to repentance by the Spirit of grace.

Believers shall never “come into judgment,” (cf. John 5:24). And we can not come into condemnation (cf. Rom. 8:1). But we commit sins of omission too that we may not be aware of besides the sins of commission that we do know of. Remember that confession and repentance are progressive and don’t end at salvation We must keep short accounts with God to stay in fellowship and walk with Him by faith.

“He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall find mercy.” (cf. Prov. 28:13).

Note: Genuine repentance brings forth fruit! (cf. Acts 26:20), “…that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” (cf. Luke 3:8), “Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance.”   Soli Deo Gloria!

What About Sinning After Salvation? ...

 

1. No man can live without sin; “For there is no man that sinneth not,” (cf. Prov. 1 Kings 8:46). “There is not a just man on earth, who doeth good and sinneth not,” (cf. Eccl 7:20). “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, and I am pure from my sin?” (cf. Prov. 20:9). “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” (cf. Romans 3:23). This is known as the universality of sin.
2. Jesus is able to save us to the “uttermost” since He ever lives to make intercession for us (cf. Heb. 7:25; cf. 1 John 2;2) When we do sin, we have an Advocate to plead our case. If God marked iniquity, no one could be saved (cf. Psalm 130:2).
3. All our sins are forgiven upon salvation, past, present, and future (cf. Psalm 103:3). He throws them into the sea and deletes them: we have no permanent file! (cf. Isaiah 43:25; 44:22; Micah 7:19).
4. We are justified in God’s eyes: not made just but declared just. As God is both just and justifier and we are justified sinners (cf. Gal. 2:17). God doesn’t hold our sins against us, but does still rebuke us when we do sin to learn righteousness: “As many as I love, I chasten, be zealous therefore and repent.” (cf. Rev. 3:19). He disciplines us to learn righteousness (cf. Heb. 12:5–6).
5. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (cf. 1 John 1:9).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Admitting Our Spiritual Blindness...

"The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:9, HCSB).  
"Jesus said, I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind" (John 8:39, HCSB).  

Like the blind man admitting he couldn't see clearly, we must also come clean and confess our inadequacies, sins, weaknesses, shortcomings, or in short, our sin (calling a spade a spade) to God, and not be engaged in a coverup, hypocrisy, facade, or masquerade.  Why?  "Be sure your sin will find you out" (cf. Num 32:23, KJV).  "You have set our unjust ways before your secret sins in the light of Your presence" (Psalm 90:8,, HCSB).  The primary condition of salvation also is to admit our disqualification for it--that we are wholly blind to spiritual truth without Christ in our lives.  We will never know we are blind until we try to see the light or seek sight!

Light itself doesn't heal blindness, but Christ is the Light who can.  Even believers can have spiritual myopia and not see things the way they should through the lens of the Spirit--having a Christian worldview--having mind and thinking renewed--the lense of our interpretive framework.  The point of healing is to admit we need it, and just like when Jesus healed the blind man when he saw "men as trees walking"; oh, how different his life would've been without this straightforward confession!

He didn't try to see, but had faith he could! I know Jesus had quite a reputation for healing the sick but it still was an act of faith to come to Him for it.  We must go to the Lord.  So, salvation is not trying but trusting, and its the object of our faith that matters for it to be genuine.  Faith doesn't heal or save, Christ does!  Blindness isn't just physical but spiritual--we all are that way without Jesus.  We may not know when we began to see or how we see, just that we do!  We must be like the blind man who said, "All I know is that I was blind, but now I see!" But God is interested in more than physical sight!  Then our testimony cannot be denied or refuted by scholars!  Once the light is in us and we see we have spiritual discernment and our outlook changes and it can have dramatic and radical changes in our lives and testimonies.

We all need to see men as they are in reality, as sinners and God can open our eyes to see the Big Picture with Him in the equation to be oriented to the real world or Reality 101.  The world has too high a regard for man, that he is the measure of all things, that man must be deified and God dethroned, and what they really mean is "glory to man in the highest," not to God alone be the glory--Soli Deo Gloria!  God alone deserves the glory and worship for He alone is worthy, for worship means "worth-ship."

If ever we get healed (and we must want to be healed!), and we will if we believe, we must give God the ultimate and final glory--He only uses men as His instruments and vessels of honor!  But note that spiritual healing is what is promised, not necessarily physical healing with salvation. Then we can overcome our lack of intuition or insight into God's will by following Jesus, which is the essence of ethics (orthopraxy or right conduct).  When our eyes are opened, we can then see God at work and that: when God needs to lend a helping hand He uses ours when He wants to love someone He uses our hearts when He wants to listen to a person in time of need when God listens, He uses our ears!  God is in the business of using us as vessels of honor to accomplish His will and glory.

So how is God moving in our life?  We can only know if we see and our eyes have been opened by grace and when our spirits have been quickened.  "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform!"  Now, no one sees perfectly in time but we all can use spiritual enlightenment from the Word of God, especially its preaching to illuminate us. Our blessed hope is the beatific vision or the full measure of seeing God as He is with our eyes having full restoration in glory.

CAVEAT:  WE MUST ADMIT OUR BLINDNESS TO SEE, AS JESUS TOLD THE PHARISEES THAT BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY CAN SEE, THEY ARE BLIND:  "'If you were blind,'  Jesus told them, you wouldn't have sin  But now that you say, 'We see'--your sin remains" (John 9:41, HCSB).   In sum, we could say that if we don't come clean we may remain in our sin and not be rescued, for salvation is a form of rescue or deliverance from slavery and blindness.      Soli Deo Gloria!

The Purpose Of Prayer...

In short, the purpose of prayer is prayer!  We don't pray to achieve our will, but God's will; not to incline God to our way of thinking or to get His approbation of our plans, but to seek to align our wills with His and to straighten out our thinking by seeing His side and coming around to His way of thinking.  It has been said that it's better to have a heart for prayer and to be compassionate than to be articulate in doing so without proper feeling.  We don't come to God with our plans, but seek His plan--and He has no Plan B!  God needs no backup plan.  God will achieve His will, with or without our cooperation and input.  A successful prayer doesn't change God, for He cannot change, but changes us!  Your prayer is answered when you feel transformed and make "contact" so to speak!

We are thus transformed by a personal encounter with the Almighty in the throne room of grace.  We have this awesome privilege, yet rarely fully realize the potential, though the Holy Spirit will put our feeble prayers and words into articulate ones fit for God.  Hence, we can be ourselves in prayer and shouldn't try to be what we aren't--we should pray as we feel wont to do and let the Holy Spirit aid in our weakness.  We all have flaws and need to realize our unworthiness in coming to God and how grace makes it all possible.  And so, the successful prayer reaches out to God's will and seeks it to apply to our needs as well as those of others in the neglected ministry of intercession.

We pray to engage in an ongoing fellowship with God the Father in the name of Jesus the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, but it isn't necessary to be impeccably correct in our doctrine of prayer to be effectual or heard, but if we seek the truth this is what the Bible teaches--it doesn't really matter what we think, but what is taught; however, some prayer warriors do not have a doctrine on prayer at all, but just pray!  The assumption of fellowship is no unconfessed sin:  "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have listened," (Psa. 66:18, ESV).

The best way to accomplish this is by keeping short accounts with God and not let the sin list accumulate--confess instantly upon conviction and you'll find the closer you get to God, the more conscious of sin!   Not knowing etiquette or procedure doesn't render the prayer ineffectual; however, at the most, it's ignorant but God does still hear it.  God would have us not unaware!  The whole purpose of praying constantly in the Spirit is to stay in touch with God in fellowship and open dialogue.

We ought to be so comfortable and natural in prayer that this is the first place we go, not the last resort!  As they say, when we can't stand life, we kneel!  Our trials are meant to keep us on our knees!  A noble goal is to stay in fellowship with God the Father continually no matter our activity, which is called the practice of the presence of God (per Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century Carmelite monk in a monastery). When we realize the potential of the purpose of prayer we can always know we have a friend in Jesus to talk to and someone to sympathize with our weaknesses.  All because He knows that our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak!

Note that the person who doesn't pray has no advantage over the person who can't pray.  We must never feel out of our league or that our anemic prayers aren't getting through!  We all start somewhere and must grow in prayer like a muscle that needs exercise that atrophies without usage but strong as one communes with the Almighty in more and more intimacy.

We must not feel that we have to get our way all the time or our will done and that it's only a matter of faith.  God is only doing the right thing by rejecting some of our prayers because He is wise and is doing what's best for us.  If we only got our way all the time we would foul up our life! We will all thank God for Providence that knows what's best for us!  We must not lose faith that both the efficacy of prayer and the providence of God are both biblical and God has ordained the means to His will as to be accomplished through prayer.  The Greeks sages used to say that when the gods were angry they answered their prayers!

NB:  There are conditions to prayer, such as being in Christ's name, believing, and done according to God's will: God doesn't give us a blank check or carte blanche!  We can celebrate that God condescends to our level and knows our needs and cares enough to promise to meet them. What needs?   God has promised that He will give us everything we need to accomplish His will, and this is the bottom line.

Finally, prayer isn't complete and finished until we have come to the point of relinquishment or full surrender to His will. The greatest prayer is "Thy will be done!"   Even Jesus had to decide whether He was going to go according to His will or the Father's in the agony of Gethsemane.  We all must come to that point of decision, which is not a one-time venture but an ongoing commitment to live for Christ.  We are constantly renewing our relationship, fellowship, and commitment to Christ.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Prone To Wander

"Return, Israel, to the LORD your God, Your sins have been your downfall! ... 'I will heal their waywardness [backsliding] and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them" (Hosea 14:1,4, NIV). 
"Backsliders get what they deserve..." (Prov. 14:14, NLT).  
"Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself..." (Isa. 45:15, NIV).  
"But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night...[?]'" (Job 35:10, NIV).
"... God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31, ESV).  

Robert Robinson wrote the famous hymn  "Come Thou Fount" to show his struggle with the faith and how God got him through the hard times. Everyone is subject to backsliding, depression, and wandering from the faith because this is the natural inclination of our sin nature.  Robinson was indeed a man of struggles and hardship and suffered melancholy, known today as depression.  In fact, in his later years, he would've given anything to feel like he did at twenty-two writing that hymn.  It would seem it was a self-fulfilling prophecy.  The feelings come and go like a yo-yo and a weather-vane in a storm, but our faith must endure.  We must learn Reality 101 that we also must not depend upon feelings as a measure of our faith, but obedience.  Sooner or later, we must face the reality of the test of our faith.

We may wonder about the whereabouts of God as Job did ("If only I knew where to find him..." in Job 23:3, NIV) and if He is meeting His end of the deal and if we do really have faith after all.  The fact is, is that the same trials make some bitter, and some better.  We ought to rejoice in our sufferings (cf. Rom. 5:3) and that we are considered worthy to suffer for His name's sake.  There may be times when there seems no hope like Job experienced, or one may be at the end of one's rope and their hope has perished like Jeremiah's.  But we must learn to acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of the storm and if He got us to it, He'll get us through it!  We don't have to wonder where God is, but where our faith is!  God can calm all the storms of life and every stormy relationship or stressful event.  We hang in there like Job in Job 14:14, NIV:  "...All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come."

We must feel the pain to be able to relate and to and comfort others in their afflictions (cf. 2 Cor. 1:10)!  That's one reason Jesus felt our pains and was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"--to identify with us.  Even believers may wonder periodically if God is really there, and if He is aware of our situation.  But no problem is too trivial or too big for our God to be able to take care of.  But note that God didn't explain Himself to Job and doesn't need to explain Himself to us--He's too profound!  We all have a cross to bear, a crucible that comes with the territory--no cross means no crown!  It is adversity that builds character and if we had no problems our faith could never be tested--and it's more precious than silver and gold.  So, when your storm comes, learn to seek God and His presence and the comfort of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Jesus isn't asking anything of us He didn't go through Himself (He didn't exempt Himself from predicaments, adversities, and exigencies) but He was honest enough to warn us to count the cost.  No one gets through life trouble free or without any stress or trials; we need it to grow by them though.  We must not question where God is, but ask ourselves:  Where isn't God?  And we must celebrate the fact that the battle is the Lord's, and we are fighting from victory, not for victory.  This is where we find out if we have the right stuff to be disciples and what we are made of.  We cannot skate through life problem-free!  Let's echo Alfred, Lord Tennyson's words:  "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar."   In the meantime, we are to go over to the other side with Jesus at the helm and simply live a life following Him in obedience to prove our faith and love. 

Note that God is not playing cosmic hide-and-seek and He is not MIA or missing-in-action!  Next time, don't wonder about God, but where you are!  The late Francis Schaeffer said, "He is there and He is not silent."    St. Augustine of Hippo said, "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you."  Pascal, in the same vein, talked of a "God-shaped blank" or vacuum only God can fill!   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Sacrifice Of Contrition

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6, NIV).   "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17, NIV).   "... 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams'" (1 Samuel 15:22, NIV). 

 "... All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife..." (hymn by Bill Gaither--Maranatha Music: "Something Good").  

Christians offer multiple sacrifices:   of thanksgiving, of praise, of doing good and sharing, of a broken heart, and even of offering themselves as living sacrifices; however, "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).  Jesus came to be the fulfillment of all sacrifices; i.e., the law's demands.  He did this by fulfilling the law and doing everything it required on our behalf--He not only died for us but lived for us as well!  Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered (cf. Heb. 5:8) and feels our pain because He's been there; however, we are completing the suffering of Christ and living out His life in our adversities (cf. Col. 1:26).  Could you trust in a God who didn't understand suffering and couldn't identify with us and know what we are going through?

We must bear in mind that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and "this too shall pass!"   We experience brokenness so that we can be patient with others in the same boat and witness or minister to them in their pain.  We can thus comfort others with the same comfort we have known in Christ.  God knows everything about us and always did!  He is not surprised by our failings and shortcomings.  He knew of them before our salvation.  There is a reason for suffering, but God isn't obliged to explain Himself: He's too deep to understand, too wise to make a mistake, and too kind to be cruel.  We are not to think like Job's friends that we are only getting punished for our sins and aren't even getting what we deserve.  Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins, and we are not punished for our sins, but by them!  By and large, we don't break God's laws; they break us!  What we do is break God's heart and that's why He knows what hurt is and wants to heal us of our suffering.

Christ's legacy to be gained is a peace that passes all understanding and cannot be taken away. We can experience this legacy in the midst of suffering and find out it works by experience--the proof of the pudding is in the eating!  We can become seasoned believers having been trained in the trenches of the warfare of life and having had O.J.T. in battling the enemy.  Thank God, His mercies are new every morning and they never come to an end for us--He never gives upon us and we are just "works in progress" no matter how mature we are and should not assume we are always good soil or that we've arrived--even Paul didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet.  There are no hopeless believers, only those who've given up hope!

This is precisely why we must localize or tailor the gospel to the recipients. Paul was the evangelist to the Gentiles while Peter was to the Jews, but Paul strived to be all things to all men so he could, by all means, save some!   Not everyone is on the same page and God must use different strokes for different folks. Some water, some plant, some reap!  But God gives the increase!  God is only using us as honorable vessels or servants to do His will, we can only venture to boast of what He does through us, not what we do for Him, but what God does through us is what counts.

We need to know about the prowling of Satan to devour us in our weak spots because he knows our vulnerabilities.  The danger we must beware of is Satan using us for his schemes or giving us temptations and thoughts that we carry out, like when Peter was rebuked by the Lord to get behind Him.  Satan can put thoughts into our minds and can distract us from the Word.  Winning entails knowing our enemy as well as knowing ourselves.  Shakespeare (Polonius in Hamlet) said, "To thine own self be true"!  The Greeks of antiquity said, "Know thyself!" and Sun Tzu, the Chinese author of The Art of War,  said, "Know your enemy!"   But the Bible says "Know God!"  All three are necessary to mature in Christ and to engage in the angelic conflict with all the onslaught of Satan known as the Anfectung (attack in German) by Martin Luther in order that we do not succumb to the schemes of the devil.

Only when we realize our sinfulness and realize that we are no better than sinners are we grace-oriented.  George Whitefield was asked what he thought of a man going to the gallows:  "There but for the grace of God, go I."  We must come to Paul's awakening when he said, "I am what I am by the grace of God."  William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, and I have a great Savior."  We are in essence just beggars tellers other beggars where to get a meal, it's been put.  Peter realized his unworthiness and said, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinner."  It's a fact that the closer we get to God, the more we become sensitized to sin and aware of our failures.  Samuel Rutherford said we should pray for a lively sense of sin, "the greater sense of sin, the less sin!"

We must realize our sinfulness in toto and not cling to any self-righteousness, fully repentant and willing to change our ways exhibiting it by a change in behavior to be saved--believing repentance or penitent faith is necessary for salvation.  A person who feels he is righteous or has no sin cannot be saved, and Christ and His gospel have nothing to say to those unwilling to confess and repent of their sins.  If we feel no brokenness for our own sin (contrition), how can we feel brokenness for the lost and feel their pain knowing and feeling their despair?

In sum, we must be reassured and comforted in knowing that Jesus was indeed a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and was "tempted in all ways like we are, yet without sin."    Soli Deo Gloria!

Consciousness (Cognizance) Of Guilt

".. For I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:13, HCSB). 
"Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8, NASB).
"... God, turn Your wrath from me--a sinner! (Luke 18:13, HCSB).  

That (the title) is a legal term, or lawyers' parlance, for behavior such as some suspect hiding info, engaging in a cover-up, lying, etc., and is an explanation and description of their dubious demeanor.  It is evidence and can contribute to the conviction of the crime in question.  Likewise, in our faith, we don't come to repentance without cognizance of guilt! Before the good news of salvation, we must hear the bad news of sin--that we personally are guilty, not just mankind.   People are claiming they have faith without ever coming to an awareness of their own sin and how they fall short of God's ideal and standard, realizing they are lost ("I was lost but now am found!").  Repentance and conviction go together--you must not only fall short of your own standards but realize you fall short and miss the mark with God.  How can you claim to be found without realizing you were lost!  Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and the sinner--we must be cognizant of this.  We must realize the verdict:  guilty as sin (and that isn't even a strong enough word for it)!

To maintain we are righteous and need no repentance is an insult to God, for our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6). If we are righteous in man's eyes, it is a gift of God.  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God (cf. Isa. 45:24).  We don't ever have the freedom to sin or to live on in sin, but must come to a change of behavior and attitude toward our sin.  Repentance is that:  changing one's mind!  Repentance involves a matter of the volition, the emotions, and the intellect--all parts of us are affected by grace, for it's all a matter of the gift of God has penetrated our hearts and changed our minds toward our sin--He changed us from the inside out!

The only qualification for salvation is to realize one's lack of credentials!  Salvation is to the lowest bidders!  We must acknowledge our unworthiness and humble ourselves.  If we insist on our righteousness we will never be declared righteous!  Note that God doesn't make us righteous, but just declares or considers us righteous due to vicarious justification, redemption, reconciliation, and redemption.  God accepts vicarious obedience and Christ obeyed the requirements of the law of Moses perfectly on our behalf.  The yoke of the Law had become overbearing and Jesus came to bring an easy yoke of following God's will: for instance, the Pharisees had added thirty-nine forbidden activities considered as work for the Sabbath which made it a burden and not a celebration of the Lord.  What a relief to accept Christ's vicarious obedience on our behalf!

As believers, we don't have the right to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit.  Our persistent sinning doesn't show our freedom but demonstrates our slavery.  We must learn to overcome the sin that easily besets us (cf. Heb. 12:1) and not to be slaves of sin, but slaves of righteousness, in fact, we are more than overcomers!  (Cf. Rom. 8:37).  We don't want any sin to dominate us and to be our master (cf. Psalm 119:133; 1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23).  We don't want any certain sin to have dominion over us (cf. Psa. 119:133; 19:13; 18:23).  The psalmist says in Psa. 119:133, HCSB, "... Do not let any sin dominate me."  We must let go of the sin that so easily besets us or trips us up! (Cf. Heb. 12:1).  For we are slaves to whatever overcomes us (cf. Rom. 6:16).

We can never be too aware of our sins, for Samuel Rutherford said that the more aware of our sins we are, the less sin.  William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, and I have a great Savior!'  Also, as we grow in Christ we become more conscious of sin and of God's displeasure!  And who can forget Peter's humility in saying, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man" (cf. Luke 5:8).  Then there's the sinners' prayer in Luke 18:13, emphasis mine, saying:  "God be merciful to me, THE sinner!"  Point in fact:  if you don't realize your need for forgiveness and realize your depravity and sinfulness before the Godhead, Jesus has nothing to say to you and the good news isn't relative to you but only condemnation for disobeying the gospel and not fearing God.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Repentance And Confession

"Therefore, repent and turn from all your sins, that you may be forgiven and times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Acts 3:19

When we get saved, it's by penitent faith, or believing repentance, because they go hand in hand as the Bible says, "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" in Mark 10:9. ("[Testifying] both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ," says Acts 20:21).  The first of the Ninety-five Theses that Martin Luther made was that our penitence is a continual thing and renewed, an ongoing resolution it's not just a one-time event.  It is a mockery of repentance to confess without turning from the sin and not being sorry enough to quit.  As Job said, "... I will wait till my renewal comes" (cf. Job 14:14).  Indeed, even Job did find repentance: "[Therefore] I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes"  (Job 42:6, ESV).

Some believers are concerned that they confess the same sins over and over (this is called the "sin which easily besets [or ensnares] you" per Heb. 12:1).  "... And let no iniquity have dominion over me"  (Ps. 119:133, NKJV).  David says, "Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me...."  What do they want?  New sins?  God is able to make grace abound toward us and give us the victory over sin because we are no longer "under the law" and "sin shall have no dominion over you" per Romans 6:14.

When we become believers we do not have permission to live in the flesh or become Antinomians living as our flesh desires, but we have the power to live in the Spirit.  As David says in Psalm 18:23 that he has "kept [himself] from [his] sin." We cannot achieve sinless perfection but we can overcome our easily besetting sin and not let it hinder our walk.  "Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin [sinful nature]?'"(Cf. Prov. 20:9).   Note that the psalmist said in Psalm 119:96 that he had seen the "limit of all perfection."

We have to be on the alert, because "sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it [it's crouching at the door!]"  (cf. Gen. 4:7).  Hosea says that sin has been Israel's downfall (cf. Hos. 14:1).  Repentance was demanded of the woman caught in adultery:  "Go and sin no more!"[i.e., live in sin] (Cf. John 8:10ff).  Salvation is more than mere forgiveness at the point of salvation--it covers all sin, past, present, and future, but is not an easy believism or cheap grace that grants forgiveness without repentance.

We must confess and admit our faults and sins to God, calling a spade a spade, naming sin as God does and  calling it out, making no excuses, nor trying to justify ourselves.  "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning..." (1 John 3:6, ESV).   If we go on in our sin we will be disciplined or chastised of the Lord and we can be sure "our sin will find us out" per Numbers 32:23. Jeremiah writes:  "Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins?"  (Lam. 3:39, NKJV).   

Remember, to feel remorse or regret is only half the formula; we must have faith and accept God's forgiveness, not living in guilt. It must be matched with faith.   Peter was forgiven, Judas wasn't because Peter had penitent faith/believing repentance and Judas just felt sorry for what he'd done or had remorse but lacked faith, his missing ingredient.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Heart Of Contrition

"And this is the condemnation [verdict], that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil"  (John 3:19, NKJV). 

The sinner flatters himself too much to hate his own sin (cf. Psalm 36:2).

"... Repent!  Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall" (Ez. 18:30, NIV).  

"In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God"  (Psalm 10:4, ESV). [God is in none of his thoughts!]
"Return [repent] ... Your sins have been your downfall" (Hos. 14:1, NIV). 
"Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices"  (Ezek. 36:31, NIV).

"Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts, Let him turn to the LORDS, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon"  (Isaiah 55:7, NIV).

We must come to the end of ourselves, a spiritual wake-up call is in order, even have a mental breakdown of sorts in which we realize in a rude awakening the vileness of our own sin, and evil and stop blaming God for our problems--we are only reaping what we've sown or got what we deserve, and even less at that.  When Peter realized his sin he said, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man." And Ovid said, "I see the better things and approve them, but I follow the worst." Even Paul said, "What a wretched man that I am..." (cf. Romans 7:24).  "... [P]our out your heart like water in the presence of the LORD"  (Lam. 2:19, NIV).


Man naturally believes he can do something for his salvation, some work that is pleasing to God, but he must try to stop saving himself, as it were, and accept salvation as a free gift of grace.  He throws in the towel and upon the mercy of God:  the only qualification for salvation is to admit you're not worthy of it. We cannot clean up our act or get our house in order--only the grace of God can change us!  We are never good enough to be saved; we are bad enough to need salvation!  

We cannot work ourselves up into a spirit of repentance or do any pre-salvation work, but must just throw ourselves upon the mercy of God and realize our destiny is ultimately in His control.  We are literally "sinners in the hands of an angry God," according to Jonathan Edwards, and the Scripture says our foot shall slip in due time and our calamity is near if we don't repent (cf. Deut. 32:35).

Repentance, then, like faith, is the gift of God (cf. Acts 5:31, 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25)--for we can do nothing apart from Christ's work in us (cf. John 15:5 ).   Caveat:   "[Not] knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4, ESV).   God transforms the hardened heart, turning it from a heart of stone to flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26).  God will then cause us to walk in His ways (cf. Ezek. 36:27).  A changed life is the only evidence of salvation:  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."  (2 Cor. 5:10, ESV).

"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death"  (2 Cor. 7:10, ESV).  There is being sorry you got found out with your hand in the cookie jar and feeling sorrow and remorse enough to change your ways.  David said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps 51:17, ESV).

We must declare spiritual bankruptcy because the good news only comes after the bad news is accepted.  C. S. Lewis said this catch-22:  "We must see how bad we are to be good, and we don't know how bad we are till we've tried to be good."  Thankfully, we are bad, but not as bad as we can be by virtue of the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit; we are as bad off as we can be, though, in our total depravity.  Total depravity doesn't mean utter depravity; we are not as bad as possible.  We are as completely depraved as possible, our whole being (intellect, emotions, and will) and we cannot be a little depraved no more than a woman can be a little pregnant!

We all have an inner conscience or moral compass that either accuses or excuses us (cf. Romans 2:15).  It is good to feel bad about our sin (guilt is therapeutic) and we must realize we are bad--but not too bad to be saved.   If sin were yellow, we'd be all yellow; there is no island of righteousness in our being--our wills, minds, and emotions are all evil, corrupt and depraved.  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God!  (cf. Isaiah 45:24).   We are born sinners and in sin:  "We are not sinners because we sin, but sin because we are sinners" (theological axiom).  The Anglicans express sin in their Anglican Book of Common Prayer as follows:  "We have done those things we ought not to have done, and we have left undone those things we ought to have done."  That means they are sins of omission as well as of commission.

In true contrition, we own up to our wrongdoing, do an about-face, a 180-degree turn, or a U-turn from our sin.  It's imperative to come clean, hiding nothing and openly admitting and confess all sin and remember that confession, or homologeo in Greek means to say the same thing as. It is progressive, in that it continues throughout the Christian experience and fellowship.  We are not just afraid of hell, or regretting the results we have reaped, but want to change our life to please God and hate sin for what it is:  an offense to God's nature.  We feel we haven't just broken God's laws, but His heart.  When we sin we don't break God's laws, they break us; and sin is only "pleasure for a season" (cf. Heb. 11:25). Contrition says goodbye to our former life without looking back, burning all the bridges to make it impossible to return.

We don't need to turn over a new leaf or make a New Year's resolution, but to repent of our sins and put Jesus in charge to change us from the inside out--i.e., make us new persons in Christ.  We will then find forgiveness from what we've done and deliverance from what we are (justification and sanctification). In sum, we must renounce sin and not just feel sorry for its consequences and ask God to change us.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Moment Of Truth

Everyone has a defining moment in their lives that decides who they are--God knows, but we don't. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane when he pleaded for another way and way out, but, nevertheless, He finally surrendered His will to the Father's plan and relinquished His life to His control completely, knowing the consequences of going to the cross on our behalf.  Jesus doesn't ask us to do anything He didn't do Himself, and carrying a cross for a crown someday was one of them.

Romans 12:1 (ESV) says that you must "present your  bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."  Surrender is an ongoing discipline though and must be renewed as each day begins and we walk with the Lord all over again. We are to go from faith to faith and increase in our knowledge of God by our good deeds (cf. Col. 1:10).  We cannot say yes to God without first saying no to self, and ultimately the devil, too. Lordship salvation entails just that--living in surrendered relationship and being obedient to His revealed or preceptive will.  We all encounter a moment of truth, as it were, and have our "Garden of Gethsemane" moment.

Galatians 2:20 says that Paul is crucified with Christ, and he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him. Our life is not so much a changed life or new life, but an exchanged, surrendered, and relinquished life conformed to His will (cf. Romans 12:2).  We all need to prove the will of God through our lives. Jesus lived His life in submission to the Father in a subordinate role, temporarily setting aside His privileges of Deity, to save mankind, so that the Father could impute Christ's righteousness to our behalf and benefit those who had been insubordinate.  Christ was the vicarious offering and sacrifice to the Father fulfilling all His will

None of us would have come to the Father without being drawn. He compels us to come in [compelle intrarre in Latin] God as our Potter is able to make us in His image as we grow in grace from faith to faith.  We are simply clay in the Potter's hands that can be used for God's glory as vessels of honor.

But before the filling, comes the emptying!  Jesus said that we must take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him (cf. Mark 8:34).   We must live our lives in His will mainly because the Father knows best, and has the best of intentions for us in a plan suited for us and our talents, time, opportunities, money, resources, and gifts.  But they cannot be used to God's glory without being surrendered to Him; God cannot pour His riches into hands already full;  we must forsake our own riches and give Christ ownership over all our blessings--we own nothing, but are just stewards of God's riches.

Romans 6 suggests three phases of faith going from knowing the truth, to reckoning on it, to yielding to it with our wills in obedience. Samuel told Saul that "to obey is better than sacrifice" and we must realize the truth that obedience and believing are correlated and interrelated (cf. Heb. 3:18-19; 4:6), as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his dictum: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Our whole lives are a complete and total living, a sacrificial offering to the Lord in obedience and surrender to His will.

James Russell Lowell wrote, "Once to every man and nation, Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth and Falsehood, For the good or evil side, Then it is the brave man chooses, While the coward stands aside."  Don't we see today's vacillating, wishy-washy, pragmatic politicians not concerned with what's right, but only what's convenient or expedient to fit their agenda?  There is no neutral ground, one must decide which side of the fence he sits on.  The most cowardly thing is to not make any stand, but to be a bystander and passively let evil takeover:  As Edmund Burke, a philosopher has said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Our relationship to the truth starts with a willingness to listen, understanding, acceptance, faith and trust, obedience, and culminates in love for the truth--a fruit of saving faith.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Seems Like Bigotry

"The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10, NASB). [Jesus came for the riffraff, the scum, the outcast, the ragamuffin, and even the flagrant public sinners!]
"This man receives sinners, and eats with them" (Luke 15:2, NASB).

Some Christians give Christ a bad rap by their homophobia and hatred of the LGBT community. They believe these people are "perverts" and their sins should be outlawed.  I do not believe in legislating morality or criminalizing people with "sin laws."  Laws are only what the general public believes is wrong and we must not forget that legality is not morality.  The big issue confronting the public today is of transgender people using the restroom of their inclination, whether it is the same as their birth sex or not.  Imposing Christian "Shari'ah law" on the unbeliever is a violation of rights as equal citizens.  This is not a "Christian" nation (it is secular) and we cannot usher in the millennium by legislation, executive order, or court order--Jesus will when He comes in glory.  We live in a multicultural nation with many religions that all have equal protection under the law to worship according to their own conscience as long as it doesn't break established law.  It is true that many of our forefathers were Christian, but the "times, they are a-changin'," according to Bob Dylan.

This type of bias affects other areas of our culture as well:  Some people refuse to accept mentally ill, handicapped, or disabled individuals.  It seems like they believe it will rub off on them, like the Pharisees wondering why Jesus ate with publicans and sinners and touched the unclean lepers. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was only allowed to minister to the "untouchables" of the Indian caste system.  We are called to reach out to people and build bridges, not tear them down.  It doesn't mean you share in their sin because you associate with them (guilt by association).

The problem with some Christians is that they are legalists:  They see sins, and not sin!  The problem is not that people drink, lie, steal, cheat, fornicate, or gamble, but that they have a sin nature that Christ can deliver them from.  We all must repent of our sins and be restored to a relationship with God so we can overcome our sins.  We all have a dark side that is exposed to no one like the moon and all our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6).   We are in no position to judge because we all have "feet of clay" and must say:  "There but for the grace of God, go I," as George Whitefield said when he saw a man go to the gallows.  Soli Deo Gloria!