Remaining Obedient To The Heavenly Vision...

Paul was really despised and disparaged in Corinth and had to defend his ministry and authenticity as an apostle.  He reminded them of the signs of an apostle: signs, miracles, wonders!  He even entreated them to accept his authority, even begging for their ears and was frank even blunt.  But this seemed to fall on deaf ears and they were spiritually hard of hearing!   This was done by literary techniques of restatement and repetition of his points to drive them home and strike a chord to resonate with them on their "home page" and get on the same page finding common ground and commonality, not points of disagreement, especially of opinions. It was obvious to the Corinthians that Paul could be quite articulate and authoritarian in letters but not in person.  This did not qualify him as timid or as a gifted speaker, and this in no way reflected on his knowledge, expertise, or experience, and especially his authority as the appointed apostle of Jesus. 

He used this as an excuse to teach and instruct them and he did not rely on a human playbook or means but used "divine power" to demolish the strongholds of Satan and the world. Not to rely on human authority but depending on the power of the Spirit so that their faith does not rest in the power or authority of men but in God alone! The divine weapon of choice was the Word of God and not opinion, oratory skill, education, or biblical or world savvy. But Paul knew how to get their attention! This is encouraging to us who are unlearned and have handicaps to overcome.  

Paul wasn't one to lord it over them either but shared the ministry of the Spirit that we all take part in the work of God according to the gifts of the same Spirit.  Paul knew that you could not argue someone into the kingdom or win one over by the art of persuasion techniques alone. He didn't try to rationalize nor appeal to logic alone.   Our faith must be in the power of God in the gospel ("for it is the power of God unto salvation..."). Paul believed in living the gospel message out and his life showed more suffering for Christ than anyone who ever lived.  But in all this Paul never had a martyr's complex thinking the more you suffer the better Christian. 

He was humble and thought of himself as the chief of sinners. He said that this is a way of becoming all things to all people and reaching out to the lost and those unreachable by other means such as the church.  This is to say that if we are not hypocrites and practice our faith and prove our faith by good works and fruit, then people will be drawn to Christ  God fills the vacuum in the soul and draws people to Christ.  In sum, to be obedient to the heavenly vision, we must see the light and depend upon God's armor and power of the Spirit not ourselves.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

What Is Saving Faith? ...

"... [A]nd a large number of priest became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7, NIV).

"Through him we have received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from or his Name's sake" (Romans 1:5, NKV).
"... [S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith" (Rom. 16:26,NIV).

You gotta have faith! How big is your God, not how big is your faith? It depends on the strength of our God, not our faith. Without faith, you cannot please God! (Cf. Heb. 11:6). A real, genuine faith is one that grows and is not static or going nowhere. True faith consists of right knowledge (you cannot subscribe to heresy), assent or agreement, and trust or reliance on it. We don't have blind faith, for we have sound reasons to believe and don't believe in spite of the evidence. We don't believe something we know isn't true--there is ample and compelling circumstantial evidence for the open-minded and willing person--no one can say there is lack of evidence.


We don't have faith in faith, but in the object of Christ (the object saves not the faith). Faith is a verb and entails action: "By faith Abraham obeyed ..." and so forth. It is a matter of the will--it is volitional. We choose to believe of our own ("If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know..." (cf. John 7:17, ESV), but God quickens faith in us and makes us alive--dead people cannot believe!

We must take the leap of faith from the seed planted. Faith is not a work (if it were we would have merit before God, but we are not saved by works). If it were a work, we would foul it up somehow! The faith you have is the faith you show: Paul says, "I'll show you my works by my faith," while James says, "I'll show you my faith by my works." We are saved by faith alone, according to the Reformation doctrine, but not by a faith that is alone. Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it, as we are saved unto works, not by works.

The theological axiom applies: "Only he who is obedient believes, only he who believes is obedient." Obedience is the only true test of faith and they are correlated in Hebrews 3:18 and John 3:36. The obedience of faith separates the bogus profession of faith and the reality of faith as seen in Acts 6:7 ("... [M]any of the priests became obedient to the faith") and Romans 1:5. You must trust and obey! (Mark 10:9 says, "What God has joined together let not man put asunder.")

Faith is given, not achieved--it is the gift of God and we do not conjure it up. It is the work of God as His gift, but we must use it and take the leap. "... [H]e greatly helped those who through grace had believed" (Acts 18:27, ESV). But there is a difference between head belief and heart belief: the demons also believe and tremble! The first step to faith is a positive attitude expressed in listening, then understanding with the mind, then believing with the heart, and finally trusting and relying on will or volition. The result: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13, ESV).

What is the progression of faith? Openness to the truth (unbelievers reject the truth), acceptance of the gospel message, willingness to obey God's will in relinquishment, surrender to the Lordship of Christ, and self-denial and willingness to follow Jesus. We must give up, surrender, and commit to what we know is true. The elements of faith in progression are: Knowing, reckoning, yielding, obeying, trusting, delighting, committing, waiting, and anticipating.

Its logical conclusion is a relationship with Jesus with a love for Him--"Though you have not seen him, you love him (cf. 1 Pet. 1:8, ESV). Faith begets fruit and works, no fruit, no faith! "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15, ESV). Note that no one has perfect faith: God requires only sincere, unfeigned faith according to 1 Tim. 1:5 says: "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (ESV). Final Caveat: Beware of easy-believism whereby one thinks he is saved by merely believing without submitting to His lordship.


Everyone has faith; in what is the question. We are a religious creature made to worship and will worship someone or something if not God, which is idolatry. Dostoevsky said that "man cannot live without worshiping something." We are made for God and can only find our fulfillment in living for Him. But why is man opposed to God when He offers Himself to them? Man is a slave to sin and doesn't want to change his way of life, doing his own thing his way. He doesn't want to submit to authority and grant the ownership of his life to the One who made it. A person of no organized religion may have their faith in the scientific method, that science can solve all our problems--but he is nevertheless a person of faith. And so everyone is a person of faith! We have sound reasons to believe and need not commit intellectual suicide.

Real faith in God is when we go a step beyond so-called story-book faith or head belief and it registers in the heart and we desire to live it out in trust and commitment. We must be obedient to the gospel and to the faith. Saving faith is always accompanied by genuine repentance--they go hand in hand! And we must never divorce faith and faithfulness, for we live by faith and it must grow, not being dead. Dead faith produces no works and that kind of faith cannot save. Good soil produces fruit and saving faith produces the fruit of good works. As the Reformers said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." If we have no works, our faith is suspect. James says that faith without works is dead! James 2:18 also says, "I'll show you my faith by my works!" But we are not saved by works, but not without them either. We don't have faith in ourselves or our ability in trying to save ourselves, because it's the object that matters. We must realize that genuine faith expresses itself!

God opens our eyes to have faith, for we are blinded by Satan. He quickens or kindles faith within us by grace and it's not a meritorious work as Rome would have you believe--for then we would be saved by merit or works. We will have nothing to boast of in God's presence. Faith is the work of God but our act. We must put our faith in the right object to be saved, for we don't have faith in faith, but faith in Christ--faith doesn't save, Christ does! But this faith must be penitent as we turn from sin to God and believe in Christ. That's why it may be termed penitent faith or believing repentance that saves. We have believed through grace, a supernatural act of God regenerating us. God grants both repentance and faith as a privilege of being the elect (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18). He opens the door to faith and repentance (cf. Acts 14:27).

There is a profession of faith and reality of faith, whereas bogus faith is misplaced and insincere. God doesn't ask for perfect faith, only sincere, unfeigned faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5). Without faith, we cannot please God (cf. Heb. 11:6). There are people of great faith but it's misplaced (cf. Romans 10:2; Proverbs 19:2)--sincerity matters but it's not everything (you can be sincerely wrong). There are believers in name only or nominal Christians who go through the motions and have memorized the Dance of the Pious. Saving faith is obedient as Bonhoeffer says, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." (cf. Romans 16:26; Romans 1:5, Acts 6:7). They shall know we are Christians by our love--the ultimate obedience. That is the litmus test! Faith and obedience are correlated in Heb. 3:17-18, HCSB, as follows: "And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." We desire to obey, even if we fall short of perfection (cf. Matt 5:48).

The faith you have is the faith you show! The rallying cry of the Reformation was that we are saved by faith alone and Rome pronounced anyone anathema that adhered to this doctrine at the Council of Trent (the Counter-Reformation). We are not saved by good works, and faith is not a work, but we are saved unto good works, that we may accomplish the will of God. Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it. In fact, God foreordains good works for us to do for His purposes. We must be saved by grace, for this is the only way to have assurance. And "salvation is of the LORD," as Jonah found out (cf. Jonah 2:9) which means it's God's accomplishment, not man's achievement. We receive faith, we don't achieve it, i.e., we don't conjure it up by ourselves, but it's totally a gift of grace (cf. Acts 18:27; John 6:29; 2 Pet. 1:1). But we must put our faith to work and turn our creed into deeds, for faith is knowledge in action. Keeping the faith only works if it's in Christ!

Rome reduces faith to assent or acquiescence or acknowledgment with the church dogma. Just realizing Christ is God and rose from the dead, if one doesn't put the faith into action, will not save. Believing Christ rose from the dead is history; believing He died for you and rose for you and personalizing this is salvation. By faith Abraham obeyed! True saving faith is a surrendered, substituted, inhabited, relinquished, and even yielded life to the will of God, whereas Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit's residence--in other words, He owns us because He bought us and redeemed us! We must take a spiritual checkup or spiritual inventory to find out whether we have the Spirit or not and if Christ is living in us--if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His and he is reprobate (cf. Romans 8:9). In sum, if we love Jesus we will obey Him (cf. John 14:15) and there is a curse on anyone who doesn't love the Lord (cf. Rom. 16:22)--true faith trusts in Christ as Savior and submits to Him as Lord, as Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey My commands." Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is An Obedient Believer?

"And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him" (Acts 5:32, ESV).
"Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Matt. 28:20, ESV).
"And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal [not temporary, probationary, nor provisional!] salvation to all who obey him" (Heb. 5:9, ESV).
"For they have not all obeyed the gospel..." (Rom. 10:16, ESV).
"[I]n flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thess. 1:8, ESV).

It has been wondered among believers what the obedient Christian looks like--can we spot them? Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey His commandments (cf. John 14:21). Obedience is the only test of faith according to John MacArthur, and can be distinguished but not separated from it, as they are equated and correlated in Heb. 3:17-18; Rom. 1:5; 16:26; Acts 6:7, and John 3:36. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said eloquently: "Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes." In Acts 5:32 it says that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him.

There is no such thing as a disobedient Christian as a subclass or rank of Christian, though Christians can and do disobey God and sin both willingly and unintentionally. We never reach a point of entire sanctification or perfectionism as Wesleyans and Deeper Life or Keswick movement people like to call it, because if we deny we have sinned we make Him a liar and His word is not in us according to 1 John 1:10. Also, Proverbs 20:9 (ESV) says, "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure, I am clean from my sin?'" The psalmist said he'd seen the limit of all perfection in Psalm 119:96.

We are not fruit inspectors of each other's fruit but should examine ourselves carefully to see whether we are walking in the faith--don't break faith! In other words, we should be too busy in our walk with the Lord to wonder about our brother's walk and whether he is obedient. We should search our own hearts and examine our own fruits. The Spirit-filled life exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in increasing bounty as one matures because fruits are grown and if we abide in Christ they are a natural result.

The reason we obey God is that we are His creatures and it is fitting and proper as we owe Him this. We don't feel we have to as believers but want to or get to. God alone is worthy of our obeisance and homage. God's commandments are not burdensome (cf. 1 John 5:3) and we do them "in love." To love Him is to obey Him! The Bible was given to shed light on God's will and as believers, we naturally seek God's will in our lives as a matter of His lordship. All sin is disobedience according to Scripture, and we become more godly and less sin-prone as we mature in Christ. 

God's Word gives us instruction in righteousness. Bear in mind that it is God's Spirit living in us that gives us the power to overcome sin and obey Christ and become Christlike--we cannot do it on our own (the Christian life is not hard, it's impossible!). God's commandments are for our own good and He knows what is best for us. We must not rely on the energy of the flesh, but learn that He gives us the power in the Spirit--we don't have the freedom to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit.

The Navigators taught me a great truth: The obedient Christian is regularly involved in prayer, getting into Bible study and reading, fellowship and worship, and witness and outreach. We have both a ministry to our brothers and a mission to the unsaved in our obedience. There are Lone Ranger Christians who navigate solo and think they don't need the body--if you love Jesus, you will love His body! We must be "rooted and grounded" in the body of Christ and in the truth to have discernment and growth and move forward in our walk. It is absolutely impossible to be living in obedience apart from the discipline, nurture, discipleship, and fellowship of the body of Christ! We all need each other and no one, no matter how gifted, has all the gifts and doesn't need the other members of the body.

Furthermore, obedience not only implicates obedience to the Word per se, but to all dully delegated authority or "the powers that be" in Paul's lingo. A Christian must obey the law unless it is in clear contradiction to the Word. He is a good and upright or model citizen who not only exercises his rights but does his responsibilities. To obey authority also means parental and any authority in loco Dei or in the place of God, even an institution. The government is a God-ordained institution, just like the church and the family--but family is the premier authority and most important one to be protected. 

Another aspect of obedience is submission to one another in the name of Christ, and not lording in over others, for instance, but allowing Christ to rule in His body, the church. The final aspect of obedience that must take place is accountability because if one is a rogue all on his own and doing his own thing he is out of fellowship with Christ and disobedient to direct commands. Every believer needs accountability and is accountable, whether it is to his suiting or not.

In my personal walk, obedience is how I relate to the leading of the Holy Spirit as I walk in the Spirit and walk by faith and not by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7). Paul said, "As many as are led by the Spirit are sons of God." The goal is to know Christ through the body and, our walk and make Him known by our testimony, witness, and mission. When I read the Word I get "Aha!" moments where I feel God speaking to me or me of something convicting, which you might call an existential experience--you can experience God in the Word and He has promised to use it to speak to us. I obey Christ by submitting to authority and not trying to make up my own rules, and do my own thing, like Israel was doing in Judges 21:25 ("each man did what was right in their own eyes...").

I believe prayer is the acid or litmus test of the believer and a true gauge of his pursuit of holiness and fellowship with God. Fellowship is another test to consider: '"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another ..." (1 John 1:7, ESV). God has put me in the ministry of doing a Bible study and I am being obedient by preparing and studying for that--when God considers us faithful, He puts us into the ministry. 

I also obey God by abiding (or staying in fellowship by having no unconfessed or unjudged sin) in Christ and being sensitive to the Spirit so as not to quench or grieve the Spirit I am ready to witness of my faith in obedience and look for open doors from God at all times, and thank God for every opportunity that He gives me to share my faith in observance of the Great Commission. In short, I have heard it expressed very well: A great Christian has a great commitment to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment! There are many commandments in the Bible as well as prohibitions, but basically, we become a natural as we go on to know the Lord and walk with Him in faith and fellowship.

"... [A]nd a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7, ESV). Unbelievers are called "sons of disobedience" in Eph. 2:2 and God delights in obedience: "To obey is better than sacrifice..." (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Jesus said that you cannot love Him and be disobedient, for if we love Him we will obey Him as the proof of the pudding. Christ doesn't give suggestions, hints, or good advice, but commands! He instituted two ordinances to be done in His name and memory (baptism and communion). Jesus said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me..." (John 14:21, ESV). What are these commands that are so pivotal to our salvation being fulfilled?

Jesus did say that His yoke is easy and His burden is light in Matt. 11:30, and John said in 1 John 5:3 that His "commands are not burdensome." "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us" (1 John 3:23, ESV). Note that in the Upper Room Jesus instigated a new command: to love one another as Christ has loved us. He who loves another has fulfilled the Law! Paul says in Gal. 5:6 (NIV) that the only thing that matters is "faith expressing itself through love."

At the Bema or tribunal of Christ, our works will be judged, not our shortcomings and mistakes or sins, because they were judged at the cross, and this includes sins of omission. If Jesus commanded us to do something and we fail, it's a sin of omission. He is not going to inquire as to what school of theology or denomination we subscribed to, but will be interested in granting us rewards for the deeds done in the Spirit--the ones done in the energy of the flesh will be burned as wood, hay, and stubble in a fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-13). Sin can be defined as knowing the right thing to do and falling short or not doing it. There is a legitimate place for ignorance if it's not willful.

There is a danger in sectarian pride and bias, such as feeling you're right and everyone else is wrong or disobedient to the Word of Truth. Churches aren't saved en masse, but members individually as if going through a turnstile one at a time. A good believing and faithful Lutheran has the edge over a disobedient Baptist because churches don't save and aren't necessary for salvation, as Roman Catholics espouse, Christ alone is the Savior. However, it is important to remain faithful to the faith you were taught and to abide in the truth without apostasy or heresy. A church is a cult when they get exclusive and think they have a monopoly on the truth, or think they are superior to other churches or denominations.

The real reason we get baptized is that we are disciples who desire to follow our Lord and His example in baptism to inaugurate or make our testimony official and public. We should never feel that it is just a hurdle to jump over or test to pass to get accepted and that we "have to do it for salvation." Grace-oriented believers never feel they "have to" but that the "get to" or "want to" obey their Lord and do as He did, following in His steps. Baptism is a chance in a lifetime to get on track and give your testimony in public in order to be welcomed with "the right hand of fellowship" per Gal. 2:9 (ESV).

There are many measures and standards of obedience, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes: "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him" (Acts 5:32, ESV). Whether we pray regularly and walk in the Spirit, abide in the Word, witness and fellowship and worship through association with the body of Christ are also crucial factors to weigh and consider.

You cannot say that Baptists are the obedient believers because they are correct in this ordinance (i.e., baptism), while Lutherans are disobedient. There are way too many aspects of obedience to just label believers like that due to sectarian bias. As Paul says in Rom. 1:5 that he wants to "bring about the obedience of the faith," he is primarily concerned with the entirety of the person's walk--the whole package, net effect, or sum total and result.

The church needs to fulfill the Great Commission to be obedient as a body, though individuals can do it, it's usually a joint and cooperative effort to evangelize, preach, teach, baptize, and disciple. As Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much is required." But teachers are especially responsible for disseminating sound doctrine and being good examples to the flock. Soli Deo Gloria!

The Obedient Believer Part I

The Obedient Believer Part II

 "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him"  (Acts 5:32, ESV).

"[T]eaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Matt. 28:20, ESV). 
"And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal [not temporary, probationary, nor provisional!] salvation to all who obey him" (Heb. 5:9, ESV).  
"For they have not all obeyed the gospel..." (Rom. 10:16, ESV).
"[I]n flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus"  (2 Thess. 1:8, ESV).

"... [A]nd a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith"  (Acts 6:7, ESV).  Unbelievers are called "sons of disobedience" in Eph. 2:2 and God delights in obedience:  "To obey is better than sacrifice..." (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).  Jesus said that you cannot love Him and be disobedient, for if we love Him we will obey Him as the proof of the pudding.  Christ doesn't give suggestions, hints, or good advice, but commands!  He instituted two ordinances to be done in His name and memory (baptism and communion).  Jesus said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me..."  (John 14:21, ESV).  What are these commands that are so pivotal to our salvation being fulfilled?

Jesus did say that His yoke is easy and His burden is light in Matt. 11:30, and John said in 1 John 5:3 that His "commands are not burdensome."  "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us"  (1 John 3:23, ESV). Note that in the Upper Room Jesus instigated a new command:  to love one another as Christ has loved us.  He who loves another has fulfilled the Law!  Paul says in Gal. 5:6 (NIV) that the only thing that matters is "faith expressing itself through love."

At the Bema or tribunal of Christ, our works will be judged, not our shortcomings and mistakes or sins, because they were judged at the cross, and this includes sins of omission.  If Jesus commanded us to do something and we fail, it's a sin of omission.  He is not going to inquire as to what school of theology or denomination we subscribed to, but will be interested in granting us rewards for the deeds done in the Spirit--the ones done in the energy of the flesh will be burned as wood, hay, and stubble in a fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-13).  Sin can be defined as knowing the right thing to do and falling short or not doing it.  There is a legitimate place for ignorance if it's not willful.

There is a danger in sectarian pride and bias, such as feeling you're right and everyone else is wrong or disobedient to the Word of Truth.  Churches aren't saved en masse, but members individually as if going through a turnstile one at a time.  A good believing and faithful Lutheran has the edge over a disobedient Baptist because churches don't save and aren't necessary for salvation, as Roman Catholics espouse, Christ alone is the Savior.  However, it is important to remain faithful to the faith you were taught and to abide in the truth without apostasy or heresy.  A church is a cult when they get exclusive and think they have a monopoly on the truth, or think they are superior to other churches or denominations.

The real reason we get baptized is that we are disciples who desire to follow our Lord and His example in baptism to inaugurate or make our testimony official and public.  We should never feel that it is just a hurdle to jump over or test to pass to get accepted and that we "have to do it for salvation."  Grace-oriented believers never feel they "have to" but that they "get to" or "want to" obey their Lord and do as He did, following in His steps.  Baptism is a chance in a lifetime to get on track and give your testimony in public in order to be welcomed with "the right hand of fellowship" per Gal. 2:9 (ESV).

There are many measures and standards of obedience, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes: "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him"  (Acts 5:32, ESV).   Whether we pray regularly and walk in the Spirit, abide in the Word, witness and fellowship and worship through association with the body of Christ are also crucial factors to weigh and consider.

You cannot say that Baptists are the obedient believers because they are correct in this ordinance (i.e., baptism), while Lutherans are disobedient.   There are way too many aspects of obedience to just label believers like that due to sectarian bias.  As Paul says in Rom. 1:5 that he wants to "bring about the obedience of the faith," he is primarily concerned with the entirety of the person's walk--the whole package, net effect, or sum total and result.

The church needs to fulfill the Great Commission to be obedient as a body, though individuals can do it, it's usually a joint and cooperative effort to evangelize, preach, teach, baptize, and disciple.   As Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much is required."    But teachers are especially responsible for disseminating sound doctrine and being good examples to the flock.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are Christians Obliged To Obey The Law?

Jesus not only was obliged as a Jew to keep the Mosaic Law, but He also fulfilled it. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” (cf. Gal. 3:24–25). “For the law is fulfilled in one word, even this: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (cf. Gal. 5:14). Love is the fulfillment of the Law (cf. Romans 13:10). Jesus summed up the whole law in loving God and our neighbor (cf. Mark 12:30–31).

We are not under the Law but under grace (cf. Romans 6:14). Jesus told us to obey His commandments and they are not burdensome, but His yoke is easy and burden light (cf Matt. 11:30). As Christians, the early church debated as to whether we were obligated to obey the Law like circumcision in Acts 15 and decided it was too heavy a yoke that even the Jews didn't and couldn’t keep. Jesus gave a new commandment, to love another as He loves us.

As Christians, our faith is a new religion from Judaism and whatever is not repeated in the New Testament holds no authority over us. We are not the continuation of Judaism but its fulfillment. “They cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the Law, (cf. Romans 10:4). The Formula of Concord in 1577 outlined the purpose of the Law and did not oblige us. Note, I’m not speaking of the moral code which is timeless and never changes: what God considered wrong is still wrong as to what sin is considering the Decalogue. The Ten Commandments have not been rescinded, expect the case that the Sabbath was not reinstated in the New Testament, and are not obliged to be Sabbatarians anymore (cf. Col. 2;16; Romans 14:5) Let no man judge you on your Sabbath-keeping!

Sin is many things, unbelief for one. (cf Romans 14:23) The law was never given to save us or to be our master but to measure us and convict us. Christians are not lawless but need no law for they are under the law of love. We do naturally what is right because we have the Spirit, not because we are educated in the Law of Moses and try to keep it. “Cursed is anyone who depends on the Law unto righteousness, (cf. Gal 3:10).

You've Come To The Right Man!...

In our time of need we need to know the source of all blessing and comfort, the only One able to heal us of our infirmity or disability and we all have some deficiency that makes us imperfect--we all need improvement and have flaws and can get worse off.  Jesus gave a few commands that illustrate the abundant life in Him:  come to Him, follow Him, obey Him, serve Him, abide in Him, know Him, and even love Him.  These are interconnected or linked to the successful walk with Christ by faith in fellowship, obedience, and good works.  

To Christ there is no barrier to His love and outreach, we are within the boundaries of His grace and never at a distance or removed from grace.  We have all the resources we need if we know the Lord, but we must never get a big head that we are favored in some special way or that God is respecting us or showing partiality.  We all come to God under the same conditions: He has leveled the playing field.

What we need is a great God who can meet all our needs and this knowledge will give us great faith.  If your faith is small, get a bigger God! If you think of just the humanity of Jesus, your thoughts of Him are too human.   Jesus desires to get down and dirty with us to get intimate, sharing our sorrows and weaknesses.  Jesus knew how to get up close and personal with men and to see where they were coming from, identifying with them in their infirmities.  Jesus does care and we can know this by His infinite compassion towards us.  God's mercy towards us has no bounds!  We all come to Him on the same conditions of being sin-sick and beyond cure without His grace. 

God doesn't have to heal us or to have mercy, then it would be justice!  God is bound to save no one!  But no one is ever the same after encountering Christ, He has some impact, good or bad either to soften their heart or to harden it, but change will inevitably happen.  When we are transformed by grace, we cannot but talk of it: we get the "can't-help-its," like the apostles did in Acts 4:20, NIV, saying, "... we cannot help speaking of what we have seen and heard."  This was the effect on the multitudes after Christ would heal someone--though He admonished them not to spread the news, they couldn't help themselves to this wonderful event that they couldn't help but praise.

Jesus praised and recognized great faith when He saw it and would tell them that it wasn't superstition but their faith in Him that healed them.  But Christ didn't want to be known just as a miracle worker--that would not be a reputation that would change the world or save mankind.  He first came to be our Savior and His miracles were only signs of His deity and emphasized His attributes in particular, like being the resurrection and the life, so He raised Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus was the kind who believed in doing it right or not doing it at all and everything He did, He did well and it was of good report.  Anything well worth doing is worth doing well!  He was known for going about doing good.  "Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots?  Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil"  (Jer. 13:23, NIV).   But it is impossible for man to do good apart from God (cf. John 15:5; cf. Psalm 14:3; Isaiah 64:6) but we are only vessels of honor being used by God for His glory to do His works.  We are to be a godly people zealous of good works and we are saved unto good works (cf. Titus 2;14; Eph. 2:10)!  

We can only venture to speak of what Christ has accomplished through us (cf. Romans 15:18; Amos 6:13; Hosea 14:8 Isaiah 26:12).  God is not impressed with our self-righteous do-goodery.  As much as we tend to believe we can be good without God, it's impossible   The good news is that we can be ambassadors of Christ's goodness and mercy to spread the good word to the lost.  As Christ promised:  "Come unto Me all ye who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (cf. Matt. 11:28).   "Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you, I do not give as the world gives.  Your heart must no be troubled or fearful" (cf. John 14:27, HCSB).  

In sum, we must acknowledge Christ as having sole authority to make us whole, complete, and free from any spiritual malady or defect: i.e., we must defer to His power and lordship for this to be effectual, whom alone to know is eternal life!       Soli Deo Gloria! 

Christ's Bema

"...[B]ecause anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him"  (Heb. 11:6, NIV).
"... 'Fear not, Abram,  I am your shield, your reward shall be very great'"  (Gen. 15:1, NIV).
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you"  (Matt. 5:12, NIV).
BY WAY OF INTRO, SOME LAWYERS DON'T CARE SO MUCH WHAT THE LAW IS AS TO WHO THE JUDGE IS!  WE CAN REST IN PEACE THAT THE RIGHTEOUS FATHER HAS GIVEN ALL JUDGMENT TO THE SON WHO SAVED US.

The Judgment Seat of Christ, known as His bema or tribunal, is where all believers get their appraisal (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:8,10) and evaluation of their life's work done in the Lord, as to whether it deserves reward.  Some will be saved, as if by fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:14-15) and some will have a full reward.  But what are we to expect at the bema?  God isn't going to inquire as to what political party we aligned ourselves with or affiliated with, as to whether we are saved by virtue of it--for God is nonpartisan and doesn't give us brownie points for this!  He will not inquire about our denominational affiliation or positions on the issues and doctrines.  God isn't going to ask us about our highs and ecstasies in our walk, for God is more concerned with faith than feeling.

Oswald Chambers said that the "measure of a person's spiritual life is not their ecstasies, but their obedience!"  Again I quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, rephrased Martin Luther:  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes!"  They go hand in hand and must not be divorced--they can be distinguished, but not separated!   We must be obedient to the faith (cf. Rom. 1:50.   This means a penitent and willing spirit, submissive to His will as our yoke. We are not under the Law, (cf. Rom. 6:14) but under a higher standard, albeit easier, the law of love, which can never be satisfied! 

We must not expect God to give us kudos for our strong faith or our assurance--how strong our faith was--for the faith as of a mustard seed is adequate.  Faith, like our righteousness, is the gift of God for which we are held to account.  Our assurance of salvation and strong faith is a gift and for our benefit, not God's.  We're measured by our good works, not our faith (cf. Rom. 2:6)!  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our blessing or gift to God!   All our works must be tried as if by fire, to see if they are worthy--some will only be wood, hay, and stubble, while others as pure as silver and gold that is refined and found to reflect God's image--we are meant to be God's ambassadors in the world (cf. 2 Cor 5:20) and for God to see Himself in us (cf. Col. 1:27).

At Christ's bema we will be held accountable for all the resources, blessings, character, personality, gifts, talents, relationships, time, opportunities God has granted us by grace.  Everything we have is only on loan from God as we are merely stewards of His manifold blessings and provision.    Nothing we have belongs to us, for it's all His and we must make an investment in the Lord to find a return on that investment!   God's dividends are well worth it--for it is well worth the time and effort to serve the Lord, for He is a bountiful giver of rewards as our Provider (Jehovah-Jireh) to those who serve Him, and God is no man's debtor!

Paul wasn't against good works, just those done in the flesh (by the energy of the natural man, not the Holy Spirit).  Only those works foreordained by God per Ephesians 2:10 and we are led to do while filled with the Spirit and enabled to do:  "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD God"  (cf. Zech. 4:6).  If we walk after the flesh, it doesn't matter how many good deeds we do--they are not worthy (cf. Isa. 64:6). This is why the faith we have is the faith we show, and works validate faith and are evidence, not the substitute for it; also, faith without works is dead faith and cannot save (cf. James 2:17)!

We increase in the knowledge of God as we do works in the Spirit as God ordained (cf. Col. 1:10).  This is precisely why Christ said that even a cup of cold water given in His name will not remain unrewarded or lose its reward!  Many will put their confidence in their works, not in the Lord, and expect a free pass by virtue of them; however, all in all, what we should expect to hear are the words:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"  The Lord is our portion and our reward  (cf. Gen. 15:1)  and compensation is in heaven--don't get into a comfort zone in this life and feel too much at home.

In sum, we must be looking unto the heavenly city (cf. Phil. 3:20), to a heavenly reward not realized, and not realize our reward in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14)--we're only passing through as sojourners (cf. 1 Pet. 2:11) and pilgrims, as mere stewards of God's manifold bounties!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Strange Fire...

When God says, "My way or the highway, He's dead serious!"

God is really big on instructions, so it follows that He likes it when we follow them. The book of Leviticus is a "how-to" book, you could say, (or God's instruction manual--Torah, for instance, means revealed instruction) just filled with them. It is reasonable to assume that a godly person follows instructions and doesn't try to do things his way. Like some are wont to say: If all else fails read the instructions! This is a bad mentality and disastrous spiritually as Nadab and Abihu found out when God consumed them with fire for offering a sacrifice their own way and making a fire their way which God called "strange fire" and God judged immediately because He was so angry. They became examples of those who "do it their way." Frank Sinatra became famous for singing "I Did It My Way" and I'm sure that now after he has died his song led many astray and that he was dead wrong! It is a serious thing to disobey God's instructions and we are responsible for what we have the opportunity to know as David found out when he transported the Ark of the Covenant and when it tipped the person bearing was struck dead because He didn't follow protocol. What do you think the Bible stands for? "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth." Disclaimer: The Bible is more than an instruction manual, praise the Lord!

God is a God of order, design, precision, and instruction, not chaos or confusion. We become more godly (God wants you to get organized and be orderly!) by following this pattern and God making us in this image of Christlikeness. We cannot have everybody doing their own thing as it says in the last verse of Judges: "In those days there was no king, everyone did as he saw fit [what was right in his own eyes]" (Judges 21:25). Jesus said there was a "way" and He was it. Knowing Jesus is knowing the way and the first believers were called followers of the Way. In the Army you learn that there is your way and the "Army way" and you learn this lesson pretty fast--you become a quick study! "There is a way which seems right to a man, but the ends thereof are the way of death" (Prov. 16:25). "For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray and have not known my ways." Do you know the Way? In another passage, it says: "But my people do not know the rules of the LORD" (Jer. 8:7). Jesus is the logos or logic behind the cosmos and God has a plan for everything under heaven according to Proverbs 16:4: "The LORD works out everything for his own ends--even the wicked for a day of disaster."

People who don't know God are always offering "strange fire" before the Lord and trying to please Him their own way by good works, ritual or religion, morality, philosophy, ethics, etc.,  and not by faith alone. Nothing that the unbeliever does can please God, for it is all dirty and filthy rags in His sight according to Isaiah 64:6. Do it God's way or don't do it at all because there is no reward for man's way or works. God only rewards what He does through us as His vessels of honor. Finally, the reason God gives instructions is to test our obedience and see if we are serious about being His followers: Israel repeatedly refused and failed to follow instructions--isn't this something we learn in kindergarten?

Jesus condemned the Pharisees, though they followed the instructions, for the same reason God judged Amaziah, (he followed the law, but not with his whole heart). The Pharisees were culpable for externalizing the law and going the motions, as it were, and not doing it from their heart. Today, in our churches we see many who have "memorized the Dance of the Pious" also and have no inward reality--this is exactly what Malachi rebuked Israel for in being frauds at worship. We are to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. No one achieves this perfectly in time but in eternity we will be glorified to have the capacity.

What is sin, but doing something our way instead of God's way ("We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6; cf. Judges 17:6; 21:25). It is vain and useless to fight God and do it your own way because God is never frustrated and knows what He is doing and can turn curses into blessings and make everything turn out for the good (cf. Rom. 8:28). Job 42:2 says: "I know that you can do all things, and no plan of yours can be thwarted." As William Cowper said, "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform." ("Cf. Isaiah 45:25, NLT). Soli Deo Gloria!

The Obedience Of Faith...

"We have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations on behalf of HIs name including yourselves who also belong to Jesus Christ by calling" (Rom. 1:5-6, HCSB). 
"...[T]o advance the obedience of faith among all nations" (Rom. 16:26, HCSB).
Salvation via repentance stressed: 
 "...[T]hat he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins" (Acts 5:31, NIV).  
"...'So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life'" (Acts 11:18, NIV).
"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance..." (Luke 3:8, NIV).  "... But unless you repent you too will perish" (Luke 13:5, NIV).  
"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32, HCSB).
".... Repent and believe in the good news!" (Mark 1:15, HCSB).
"... 'So God has granted repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles'" (Acts 11:18, HCSB).
"God exalted this Man to His right hand as ruler and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."  (Acts 5:31, HCSB).
"The best measure of a spiritual life is not its ecstasies but its obedience." --Oswald Chambers
NOTE:  ALL ITALICS MINE. 

The old controversy of Lordship-salvation, prevalent since days of the rise of Evangelicalism, is still unclear and unsettled in the dogma of some so-called evangelical churches.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer articulated it as far back as the Nazi era:  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Hebrews 11:8 says, "By faith Abraham  ... obeyed."  The two go hand in hand and might be considered two sides of the same coin--you can only distinguish them--they are inseparable!  Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey Him--obviously, believing in Him is to be obedient:  It is vain to serve God without faith, (cf. Heb. 11:6) for this is merely dead faith that cannot save (cf. James 2:26). 

Note that a tree is known by its fruit!  God looks for fruit, not foliage!  Good soil produces fruit!   Only faith pleases God and this must be real faith that produces works and we can do nothing apart from Christ--I repeat for emphasis:  Apart from Him, we can do nothing, not believe, not repent, not bear fruit!  (Cf. Heb. 11:6; John 15:5).

We must not only come to faith in Him but be obedient to the faith and that starts with being obedient to the gospel!  That entails a penitent faith! Repentance is a gift of God along with the faith that God grants the believer (cf. Acts 18:27, 2 Pet. 1:1; Phil. 1:29 with: 2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 5:31, 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:24-25).  Those are also two mindsets that go hand in hand.  We either are saved by penitent faith or believing repentance if you will.  The two works of grace are juxtaposed in Acts 20:21, HCSB, ("I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus" ) and used interchangeably in Scripture.  Salvation is often seen as from the point of view of repentance:  "...that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance" (Acts 26:20, HCSB).

In essence, Israel already believed in God and needed repentance concerning Christ; while the Gentiles needed to exercise faith!  But God commands all people everywhere to repent (cf. Acts 17:30).   "[A]nd repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name..." (Luke 24:47, HCSB).  And so obedient faith produces the fruit or works of repentance and good deeds as a witness!  In repentance, we are turning from our sin, and in our act of faith, we turn from self to God.

Faith and obedience are linked and juxtaposed in Scripture:  Hebrews 3:18-19 says they didn't enter His rest due to unbelief, and also due to disobedience in parallel.  Indeed, Christ is a Lord to be obeyed from servants.  He owns us as our Master and we are the slaves--we belong to Him; we don't merely serve Him.  We must not divorce faith and obedience! They can be distinguished but not separated!  God made this Jesus, who was crucified, both Lord and Christ according to Acts 2:36 and we must accept Him for who He is!

We must bow and bend the knee!  We must submit to His Lordship over us and unashamedly own Him as Lord.  The Father has granted Him all authority and He is Lord of all (cf. Matt. 28:18; Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:12).  We cannot dichotomize His offices and only accept a Savior without denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him in discipleship (cf. Mark 8:34).  We either accept Him for who He is or we have rejected Him--this is the mistake of easy-believism that seems to be in vogue, that wants to domesticate the gospel in order to make it palatable to the sinner and requiring no sacrifice or commitment whatsoever.

The thing that qualifies Him to be Savior is that He's Lord, but we don't make Him Lord, He IS LORD!  We must acknowledge His authority over our lives and we must get in line with God's will and present ourselves to His sovereignty and plan over our lives as we become "living sacrifices" (cf. Rom. 12:1). In short, to accept His Lordship over our lives is to commit to following Him in discipleship and to obey Him! As Hosea puts it:  "Let us follow on to know the Lord" (Hos. 6:3)!        Soli Deo Gloria!

Better Than Sacrifice

"... 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams'" (1 Sam. 15:22, NIV). 
"For I desire steadfast love [or mercy] and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6, ESV).

God isn't interested in what we give up for Him (like giving up something for Lent), but that we dedicate our lives to Him in full surrender to His will. It's not what you give up but that you give up yourself.  Living the Christian life costs something in the long term, but not living it costs more!  To obey is better than sacrifice  (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22)!  He desires mercy and not sacrifice (cf. Hos. 6:6; Matt. 9:13)!  When we bring our offerings to God, and our whole life is to be an offering, we are doing that which costs us something--the ownership of our lives.  The kinds of sacrifices that please God are the sacrifice of praise (cf. Heb. 13:15), the sacrifice of righteousness (Psa. 4:5) and the sacrifice of thanksgiving (cf. Psa. 107:22, 116:17)! "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice" (Prov. 21:3, NIV).  The sacrifice that pleases God is a broken spirit and contrite heart (cf. Psa. 51:17).

If we are just going through the motions of sacrifice and it becomes a matter of routine, duty, or habit, we've lost it.  Some people just memorize the Dance of the Pious and put on a show for God as they nod to God to fulfill their guilty conscience.  We can never know the joy of worship when we are not free in the Spirit of all guilt and sin.  We worship with our lives, not just in church!  We don't go to church to just to sing a worship song because the full service is worship to Him.  Sometimes it seems we don't get much out of the worship but this ought not to be so.  If we don't get anything out of worship we did it for the wrong reason and may be in a worship rut.  Worship is God-centered and we must learn to focus on Christ and get our eyes off ourselves.  We lose ourselves in worship and enjoy doing it and by not letting it become perfunctory. When all's right with God our worship will show it and we get recharged as a by-product!  We empty ourselves to get filled!  The way to entree into God's presence, actually being ushered into the throne room, is by offering thanksgiving and praising Him.  "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise...," (Psalm 100:4, NIV).

Sacrifice entails that it costs us something, as David said he would not "offer to God that which cost [him] nothing."  Our salvation costs Christ His blook, subordination, and life but is freely offered to us when we trust Him as Savior and submit to Him as Lord.  It's free, but it costs everything we've got!   True holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  Christians are to be hedonists in the sense of finding their joy in the Lord!  (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV) says "... [F]or the joy of the LORD is your strength...." What is the chief end of man?  "We ought to rejoice in the Lord always and glorify God by enjoying Him forever" (paraphrase from The Westminster Shorter Catechism). God is most pleased and glorified with us when we enjoy Him and take pleasure in Him: take delight in the Lord and He will give you the delights of your heart (cf. Psa. 37:4).

Our lives are to "offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice ... this is [our] true and proper worship" (cf. Rom. 12:1) and that means salvation isn't by martyrdom or asceticism (i.e., the more we suffer, the holier we are!) but we must desire to live out our faith!  And we must offer ourselves to God's altar daily and renew our commitment regularly-it's not just a one-time event or decision!  We are to be so filled with the Spirit (cf. Eph. 5:18) that we overflow to be a blessing to others as a conduit as our cup overflows (cf. Psa. 23:5;  Zech. 8:13). Christians have the beatific vision as an eternal hope and will enter into the "joy of the Lord" in glory as a reward.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Lordship Of Christ Issues

"You are slaves to the power you choose to obey"  (cf. Rom. 6:16).
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them" (cf. 2 Pet. 2:19).  
"Through him we received grace and apostleship; to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake" (Rom. 1:5, NIV).
"[S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith--" (Rom. 16:26, NIV).  
"[A]nd every tongue [shall] acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11, NIV).   ALL EMPHASIS MINE.  

Jesus was crowned Lord of all by the Father when he was raised.  The way up is down in God's economy--what a paradox!  Jesus began in humility to increase as He entered His ministry when He was baptized by John who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  John did away with his ego and didn't let it get in the way; likewise, our egos must die and we must say "No" to self before we can say "Yes" to Christ.  It's a contradiction to reply "No, Lord!" For that would be breaking faith! That's what faith in the Lord is:  giving up, surrendering, committing, and trusting--that's much more than acquiescence or simply easy-believism."  It is said:  Faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences!  

God never grants cheap grace which justifies the sin, not the sinner.  We become Christians with our prayer of relinquishment giving over ownership of our lives to the Lord of All.   Yes, this was also Jesus' motto of life:  "Thy will be done!"  The problem is that we are all volitionally defiant and have a will of our own--even our wills are depraved and in need of salvation.   It has been said justly so that Jesus "will not barter away His right to be Lord" and "will save no one whom He cannot command," according to A. W. Tozer.  When we address Him as Lord, it implies we are His servants and subject to His authority.  We must not be control freaks or enthusiasts over our lives!

We must obey our Lord for "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).   Heb. 5:9 (cf. Acts 2:39), NIV, says, "...[H]e became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him [italics mine]."  Jesus also said that if we love Him we will obey Him.  But it's not a legalistic attitude of having to, but a new change of heart of wanting to please our Lord.  This is accepting Christ for who He is--Lord and Master!  He has been exalted with all authority granted Him.   The more in bondage we are to our Lord, the more freedom we experience!  Any other belief in Jesus is rejecting Him.   He is worthy of our submission for we are not our own and have been bought with a price (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  This is interpreted as meaning that we undergo a reorganization of our life priorities.

We must never forget that true Lordship entails the flip side of faith which is repentance--we have a believing repentance or a penitent faith, so to speak.   This radical change in our life is from the inside out--not turning over a new leaf, making a New Year's resolution, or making an AA pledge.  We must own up to our sins and come clean with God, doing a 180-degree turnaround, a U-turn, or about-face, having a complete change of heart concerning sin as well as our sins.  Christianity has nothing to say to the unrepentant.  It's not always how big your faith is but how thorough your repentance. The call to repent was the first word of the gospel from John and then Jesus and they must be made manifest by fruits worthy of them.

We must learn to "trust and obey" as the hymn says and "walk in a manner worthy of our Lord" (cf. Eph. 4:1).  He is worthy of our worship as well as our allegiance!    Remember, we have the power to live in the Spirit, not the permission to live in the flesh; that is, our sins show our slavery, they don't demonstrate our freedom.   Saving faith (not dead faith) is manifest only in obedience as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  To call Him Lord and to disobey are contradictions (cf. Isa. 1:19, Heb. 3:18-19)!  We must never dichotomize Christ's offices as Lord and Savior:  we submit to Him as Lord and trust Him as Savior, we must receive Him as Lord and Savior; i.e., the whole package!  

Gal. 2:20 sums up our new life in Christ or our walk of faith showing we live a substituted, inhabited, exchanged, and surrendered life.  Finally, do you see yourself as Jesus' sidekick or colleague to be befriended, or as the Personage you own as Lord?  In sum, acknowledging Jesus as Lord is what our faith is all about--all else pales in comparison.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Goal Of Our Christian Life

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17, NIV). 
"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." --famous proverb 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer equated belief and obedience:  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  They go hand in hand and one must not divorce faith and faithfulness either, and the result, which is obedience (cf. Heb. 3:1-19). Unbelievers are called "sons of disobedience" in Eph. 2:2. Christians are to be eager to live for the Lord and to live a life pleasing to Him.  Discipleship implies obedience because we are following on to know the Lord (cf. Hos. 6:3) in His steps. Good deeds are the fruit of salvation, not the means; if there is no fruit our salvation is suspect.

And we are not given a list of dos and don'ts and the Bible isn't a handbook on rules or catalog of regulations, but a key to personally know the Lord.  Yes, the goal is not to obey but this is a byproduct of our love, which is expressed in obedience (to love Him is to obey His commandments).  The believer yearns to obey, even if he falls short of his ideal.  The second part of the Great Commission is to teach us to obey, and it doesn't just stipulate that we obey one rule or what to obey, but the principle of obedience and to obey all things commanded by Christ.

The principle of obedience per se is to be taught, not just to authorities and the rules of the Lord (cf. Jer. 5:4; 8:7; Micah 4:12) but to the will of God.  There is no such thing as disobedient believers per Bonhoeffer--they can disobey, but all believers have surrendered to the lordship of Christ (cf. Rom. 12:1) and have obeyed the gospel, to receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 5:39).  God's commands are not burdensome, for His yoke is easy (cf. Matt. 11:29) and He grants us the strength to obey (cf. Phil. 2:13). 

But we are not just goody-goodies who appear as shallow seeking the approbation of men, but those people who know the Lord, doing the work of the Lord from the heart--for we are a people "eager to do good works" (cf. Titus 2:14).  We increase in the knowledge of the Lord by applying what we know in good works as Col. 1:10, NIV, says, "[B]earing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."  Note that 2 Pet. 3:18 commands us to grow in the knowledge of our Lord as we increase in grace.   To know Him is to love Him!  We can only boast if we know Him (cf. Jer. 9:24).

It is said that Christ didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive!  We are raised from the dead when we get saved, for Christ is still in the resurrection business.  Obedience is for our own good, for God knows what's best for us and the way to life as we are called to trust in His will.  We must realize that the Pharisees were externalists, going through the motions and memorizing the Dance of the Pious, but had no inward reality! As it says in 1 Sam. 15:22, "to obey is better than sacrifice," it follows that we must have an inward reality and not just be paying lip service (cf. Jer. 12:2).  The Pharisees were experts at the Law of Moses and were legalists' thinking that obedience without a right heart could please God (cf. Matt. 15:8).

What really pleases God is faith and we cannot please Him without it (cf. Heb. 11:6), and expressing this faith through love is all that counts (cf. Gal. 5:6), as Mother Teresa of Calcutta has said, "True holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile."  Our ultimate goal is to have a fulfilling, loving relationship with our Lord, and this is done by knowing Him and applying what we know.  Richard of Chichester's prayer was "to know Jesus Christ more clearly, to love him more dearly, and to follow him more nearly. 

All knowledge is merely a byproduct and not the end itself in our life, it is merely a means to an end of knowing Him, and we don't want our knowledge to be second-hand knowledge only but from our own experience.  It doesn't just stop at head knowledge but is to be applied to our lives (cf. Job 5:27).

Many believers pride themselves on being right and have separated from fellow Christians over nonessential issues; they are content just to be doctrinally correct and impeccable, even splitting hairs, or worse yet to be politically correct, saying "my way or the highway."  We must learn to defend the truth and stand up for the truth, but remember that our relationships are more important than our stands; at our judgment, God will not ask us if we were a Democrat or Republican, for instance, or a Calvinist or Arminian, but whether we loved our opponents.

However, we are never called to be argumentative, contentious, divisive, or judgmental, but to build bridges not make walls in relationships.  It is said that we must not be disagreeable, but learn to agree to disagree, and the Bible says that God's servants must not be quarrelsome (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24) or argue over the meaning of words (cf. 1 Tim. 6:4).  "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching they are conceited and understand nothing..." (1 Tim. 6:3-4, NIV).

In sum, we must never lose focus on the twin goals of our faith:  orthodoxy and orthopraxy, or to believe right and live right as its consequence; in other words, making disciples doesn't just mean bringing people about to our way of thinking or our school of thought, but turning our creeds into deeds and living it out as a witness to the world.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Trust And Obey!

The hymn goes to "trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." Too many believers have not learned this simple lesson and are often stubborn and recalcitrant or even rebellious against authority reminding one of the slogans to question authority. I've even heard that you should question authority, but never mother! Obeying authority was never meant to be blind and without cognizance of what we are doing, for we are responsible to be moral and legal. But we should heed authority when it is legitimate. Many youths today could never make it in the service because they insist on knowing the why behind every order and can't just follow orders. 

They wouldn't be in the service hadn't they declared allegiance to the US Consitution and to those in the chain command to obey unless it's an illegal order. I wonder if you recall poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem The Charge of the Light Brigade? It says, "Ours is not to wonder why ours is but to do and die!" If soldiers always demanded reasons for orders and explanations or more justification, they would never get anything done and you couldn't have a military. Those who are not ready to follow orders do not belong in the military, not even as officers.

However, a Christian can choose not to go into the military, but he still doesn't escape the issues of obedience in his life to follow Jesus. The idea of discipleship is to learn to be a follower and basically to simply trust and obey. Some believers actually go to jail before learning the lesson and must get rehabilitated in a correctional facility. By the way, do you remember the unjust judge that was tormented by the elderly lady and finally gave in to her request? We can be the same way and our questions may be answered, but we've only proved that we are not humble and meek, which are sure signs of the devoted, committed follower or disciple of Jesus. 

Even children trust their parents completely at first, then their faith wanes, then they start asking why, and finally, they rebel or go their own way. Part of submitting to one another and loving one another as Christ loved us is to live an obedient life. We should never lose track of our Exemplar who became "obedient unto death." We should all strive to become obedient Christians and not spiritual Lone Rangers doing only what's right in our own eyes as Israel did write in Judges 17:6; 21:25.

The old slogan "Just Do it!" is relevant in following Christ, for unbelievers are characterized as the "sons of disobedience" in Ephesians 2:2. Caveat from A. W. Tozer: "Jesus will not save those whom he cannot command." A disobedient follower is a contradiction in terms. Children have the opportunity to become our role models: they wonder, trust, forgive, obey, and ask questions with a teachable spirit. Final advice: be like Peter, not understanding the order, and while fishing without any luck, trusted Jesus and said, "Nevertheless, at thy Word, Lord, I will cast down my net." Soli Deo Gloria!

Can We Know God's Will?

"All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement:  Love your neighbor as yourself" (Gal. 5:14, CEB).
"Because of this, don't be ignorant, but understand the Lord's will" (Eph. 5:17, CEB).
"[B]ut act like slaves of Christ carrying out God's will from the heart" (Eph. 6:6, CEB).
"[He will] equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight..." (Heb. 13:21, ESV).

God promises to make His will known in Scripture as the privilege of children of God; it's our responsibility to inquire and to search it out.  No one can claim a lack of revelation!  We have no excuses because we have both the resident Spirit and the complete will of God in the living Word (cf. Acts 20:27), as well as spiritual overseers who have a word of wisdom or knowledge to discern.  Wisdom is merely knowing the best means to the best ends, and God's will is always the wise choice.  We never sacrifice anything for God's will but are always in a win-win situation. Therefore, in exchange for the awesome privilege of knowing God's will as individual priests, comes the duty to carry it out.

We must no longer insist on being in charge of our lives, but must surrender once and for all time, (cf. Rom. 12:1-2) and be constantly or daily renewed to a willingness to do His will once known.  Jesus did say that anyone willing to do His will would know it (cf. John 7:17).  This surrender to God's will is what is meant by accepting His lordship as an unconditional surrender, and another way of saying it is to follow Jesus through thick and thin, come whatever may, and let the chips fall where they may.  Our motto ought to be to do God's will, as indeed was Jesus' own philosophy of life, as He always interposed the Father's will on His own.

The Lord directs our steps and delights in us doing His will.  We exchange our life for His and substitute His will for ours, as we don't so much as an imitation, as an inhabitation.  This is also known as relinquishment.  We are not called to be stoics though, and to grin and bear it, no matter what, and just accept our "fate."  Ours is not a philosophy of the "stiff upper lip."  We make voluntary choices and are responsible for them--life is about making choices.  The biggest problem we have is stubbornness and God is able to give us a change of heart and make us willing to do His will (cf. Ezek. 36:26; Phil. 2:13).  This is when we die to ourselves and put Jesus in charge of our life as our autopilot.

The problem with Christians, though, is not finding God's will, but doing it; we are blessed by doing it, not just knowing it.  As they say:  "Good intentions, poor follow-through."  There is a constant struggle to say "Yes" to Jesus' will, but we must first say "No" to ourselves.  The more surrendered we become, the freer we are the less enslaved to sin.  We must always subordinate our wills to God's and forget about Number One as being the chief care in our life.  We will find that it is hard to kick against the goads, as Paul found out, and this means fighting God's will.  Because the essence of doing God's will is a life of obedience, sacrifice, discipline, and commitment.

We don't try to fit God into our plans, but make no plans without His guidance.  Christians have a lighter yoke to bear than the Jews (cf. Matt. 11:29), who were under the Mosaic Law; the yoke of following God's will is light when Jesus is in control and guides us, never forsaking us.  Some Christians ignore God's will, and these believers are actually practical atheists because their lives show no difference from those of the world. We don't want God to consign us to our way and say to us:  "Okay, have it according to your will!"  As is the case with everyone, our problem is not in knowing God's will, but in doing it--we don't have guidance issues, but submission ones.  Christianity, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979 and now canonized, is doing the will of God with a smile--[all else is commentary]. 

We must know God and His will if we want to know how to live, the infidel doesn't know these things.  We don't want God to say to us that we can have our own will, because God is wiser and His plan for us is best.  So get on board with God and get with the program!  David was a man after God's own heart because he fulfilled all God's will.  In the final analysis, we must ask ourselves if we are the master of our fate and the captain of our soul, or does the Lord own us?  "He will do unto me whatever he has planned, he controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).      Soli Deo Gloria!

In Control Of Your Thinking Process

"... They capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5, CEV).

Martin Luther supposedly said that you cannot control a bird from flying over your head, but you can prevent it from making a nest in your hair!  We cannot be responsible nor even control what thoughts enter our minds--they could be from the devil, just as Jesus told Peter, "Get behind Me Satan!"  However, we must rein in our thoughts and get a grip on our thought life, which can only happen by the power of the Spirit to restrain.  Our thoughts and thought life are important indicators of our obedience to Christ.

David was concerned about his thought life when he prayed:  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight..."  We can indeed control what we choose to meditate on and what words come out of our mouths, for Jesus said that which comes out of the mouth is what defiles a man (cf. Mark 7:15).  There is a correlation between our thought life and our spiritual life and obedience.  Paul says in 2 Cor. 10:5 that we capture our rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.  There is a direct connection here!

We need to do more than just get our thinking straightened out, in getting a Christian worldview--we need to get a grip on our thought life and be heavenly minded.  Proverbs 4:23 says that we should "keep [our] heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life."  Again, similarly, it is written in Prov. 23:7 (KJV) that if we "commit [our] works unto the LORD, [our] thoughts will be established."

First things first:  we dedicate our minds to Christ and commit to doing His will in an obedient life and God cleanses our minds and give us a pure heart:  "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things [including our thinking] are become new!" (2 Cor. 5:17, KJV).  "...but let God transfer you into a new person by changing the way you think..."  (Rom. 12:2, NLT).  ("Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.").

It is important to note that we are not to be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good.  We are not purely spiritual creatures, meant to live on cloud nine with our minds preoccupied and not to ever be ethical, practical, applicable, nor recreational.  We need to apply our thoughts to everyday situations and be a witness of our thoughts, not keeping them to ourselves--this is where sharing and witnessing come in.  One must conclude that if we only expose ourselves to junk we will exhale the same, just as the axiom goes: garbage in equals garbage out (GIGO).

Proverbs 1:7 says a fool despises wisdom and knowledge: The Bible emphasizes wisdom and increasing in knowledge:  "Knowledge is power"(cf. Prov. 24:5) according to Sir Francis Bacon and a fool feeds on trash, while the wise are hungry for the truth (cf. Prov. 15:14).  Why?  Because we become byproducts of what we expose ourselves to.  "A man is what he thinks about all day," said one poet.  It has also been said that "you are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are!"  We are basically the sum total of our thoughts and resultant thought life, which defines our character and personality.

We all need to take inventory of our thoughts and get regular spiritual checkups, and catch ourselves making mistakes in our thinking, like three thought wasters of time:  dwelling on the past with regret; misinterpreting the present with angst, and anticipating the future with worry.  If we are making a mistake in our thinking we ought to correct it and replace it with more therapeutic and healthy or balanced thinking--this is sound mental health!  All three (regret, angst, and worry) work together to rob us of our joy and steal time and energy and can lead to depression or melancholy--being in a depressed funk or in the doldrums, as it were.

Note that the psalmist complained to God of his mood swing in Psalms 42 and 43 and didn't even know why he was downcast and so glum. And in Psalm 143 the writer complains that his depression deepens!  Being discouraged is a form of depression as well as the blues, and everyone is vulnerable or susceptible--no one is immune, it's only being human--as the song by Neil Diamond goes, we're all subject to the blues now and then!  Thinking negative thoughts is destructive to mental health and we should always see the bright side and the silver lining behind the cloud--thinking negatively is a bad habit and there is always a positive spin on a problem--actually, earth has no ill or dilemma that heaven doesn't have the cure or answer to--it's a matter of faith and facing our problems with courage and seeing the lighter side sometimes.

In conclusion, bear in mind that the Word of God is capable of judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart and shows us what we are made of and our true selves, pulling no punches and sparing no reprimand where appropriate (cf. Heb. 4:12).  The Bible speaks to every attitude and frame of mind and addresses every issue we can face--Christ fully relates to us in every dilemma and fortunately intercedes for us.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Focus Of Relinquishment

We all must face a crisis in our faith whereby we will have our "moment of truth" regarding our faith in God's will versus our own way--we are all like sheep gone astray, each one to his own way (cf. Isaiah 53:6).  If you've never grappled with the will of God, you probably haven't surrendered; once you have made the once-and-for-all relinquishment of control and ownership of your life, it only becomes a renewed effort on a continual, progressive, ongoing basis, even with day-by-day re-commitment.

We may one day be backed by God's will that clashes with the way we see things.  Once we have made this initial surrender that Romans 12:1 mentions as "our reasonable service," it becomes a pleasure to walk in the Spirit as we desire God's will (cf. Psalm 40:8:  "I delight to do thy will..."), and actually inquire as to what it is, whereby before we never even wondered about it.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, we learn that even Jesus had a will of His own, but He interposed it with the Father's will throughout His life, coming to a climax here; even at age 12 He said, "I must be about My Father's business [doing  His will]."

We are rebellious at heart and God has to work on us to mold us in His image, someday we end up backed into a wall and will make that decision to "follow Jesus."  This is the summation of our ethics: to follow on to know the Lord (cf. Hos. 6:3), doing His will to His glory.  Even Jesus had His time of testing and trial in the Garden of Gethsemane and surrendered to the Father's will, which He knew was something He didn't want in His humanity and was actually relating to our struggle with relinquishment.  Christ never asked us to do anything He didn't do Himself; in fact, our so-called crosses pale in comparison to His and He relates completely, even sending the Comforter to guide and lead us.  Jesus surrendered voluntarily and our surrender is the same, God wants us to want His will, not to feel that we have to submit to something we don't want.  In the end, all that counts is not how much of the Spirit you have, but how much of you the Spirit has; i.e., re your surrender!

Jesus doesn't ask us to die for Him, by and large, but to live for Him, to dedicate our lives to Him as living sacrifices, which is only a reasonable service of worship (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).  We are in the serious business of seeking God's will and obeying it; a genuine sign of a believer is that he wonders about God's will and submits to it gladly.  We are not Christians at all if we have never prayed our prayer of relinquishment, like Christ did Himself, and have given over the ownership of our lives to live them for His glory and not for ourselves.  It should be noted that often our surrender occurs after a good time or even a time of anxiety or stress (there's good stress).  And we are most vulnerable to testing after a victory or a "spiritual high," just like Jesus was tempted after His baptism by Satan.

Trusting Jesus is no less daring and brave than getting married and we must not run from God or avoid the corner we are backed into, but face the dilemma with the courage of God in our hearts.  Remember that He gives the Spirit without measure and some believers don't have more of the Spirit, they are just more surrendered and walk closer with the Lord.

Jesus had a divine as well as a human side; we have a flesh as well as a spirit and we must surrender our spirit to God's to overcome our flesh.  We may be facing some pet sin or a sin that easily besets us, but we can be reassured of victory only after our surrender. This initial surrender is often accompanied by a fear of the unknown, since the seeker may wonder if God is going to make them do something they don't want to do, like go to Africa, but if we realize the love of God and how He establishes us in the faith with all the provision to do His will, we can have faith in Christ despite our fears.  We must overcome our fears and get the courage to obey by having a heart fully surrendered, holding nothing back and having no reservations--then we will be able to walk with God and live in the Spirit day by day.  That is, we face our fears head on without running from them or dodging the bullet.

It may be as easy as just starting by making confessions of all fears and reservations, and having a person-to-person or one-on-one talk with God to resolve the areas of doubt and what your fears are.  God only reveals His will to the willing believer; it's only personal fears that keep a person from surrender and God will give you the courage to obey His will if you are surrendered--those who are rebellious will never know! We must trust God to only give us crosses we can bear and that He will give us the power to do His will, as well as the provision needed per Heb. 13:21 (NASB):  "[Equip] you in every good thing to do His will...."

According to Rom. 12:2 we have to surrender to know God's will, that is the divine order of events and link.  A true believer ultimately delights to do God's will, though he may falter or fail at times, deep inside he wills or yearns to please God and live for His glory (Psalm 40:8, KJV, with emphasis added, says plainly, "I delight to do thy will...").  Paul's prayer for the Colossians was to "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding"  (Col. 1:9, NASB).  We must bear in mind that God is able to overcome our wills (cf. Rom. 9:19), and make us willing to do His will, by taking our heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26) and, according to Psalm 51:12, will give us or sustain us with a "willing spirit."  We are to imitate or emulate Christ's example and motto of His life:  Thy will be done!

You can always discern those who haven't ever made the prayer of relinquishment:  They don't know God's will or wonder about it; are apathetic about it; have reservations or something they're holding back on God with; or they aren't seeking God or walking with Him in a growing faith and relationship as they "learn to love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly, and know Him more clearly" (Richard of Chichester).  Usually, upon salvation, one is cognizant of God's will in the short term, but no one knows His will in the long- erm because it isn't rolled out for us in a life plan, but the "course of our life is in [His] hands" (Psalm 31:15, HCSB).  God makes us willing to do His will progressively per Phil. 2:13 (NASB):  "[F]or it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." In the final analysis, it's not how much of the Spirit that you have, but how much of you the Spirit has!   Soli Deo Gloria!