God's Wrath Versus Man's

"Will you be angry with us forever?"  (Psalm 85:5, NIV).
"Restore us to yourself, LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure"  (Lam. 5:21-22, NIV).
"Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt [restrain]"  (Psalm 76:10, ESV).
"Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has he in anger shut up his compassion?"  (Psalm 77:9, ESV).

"God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day" (Psalm 7:11, NIV). It's a good thing He "has not appointed us to wrath" (cf. 1 Thess. 5:9).   In the KJV it says "God is angry with the wicked every day."  Yes, God is not only a God of mercy but of justice and its consequence, wrath at the evil that must be judged, because God is holy.  The fortunate thing is that He is not angry at us, but that wrath was diverted at the cross.  We can also know that God's delights to show mercy and doesn't stay angry forever (cf. Micah 7:18). Also:  "For His anger is but for a moment..." (Psalm 30:5, NASB). And God tempers His wrath with mercy (cf. Heb. 3:2). 

We are warned in Romans 11:22 to "behold the goodness and severity of God" and realize that God means business!  When He chastises us, it isn't because He's angry at us, but about us, and we must suffer from our sins, not for them.  Man's anger doesn't achieve the righteousness of God and we are admonished to cease from anger and forsake wrath in Scripture.  The unbeliever suffers because "the wrath of God abides on him."  We are delivered from the wrath to come, according to 1 Thess. 1:10.  Proverbs advise: We are to avoid a man of quick temper, lest we learn his ways, and yet we are to fear God, for "His wrath is quickly kindled" (cf. Psalm 2:12).

One word of encouragement is that "the Lord is slow to anger" and "His patience means our salvation!"  Don't ask God to judge someone hastily, because He had so much patience with you.  God will someday mete out His justice and meet its demands, and we will no longer suffer indirectly from His wrath, which glorifies Him, even from the wrath of man (cf. Psalm 76:10)--"Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise and the survivors of your wrath are restrained"  (Psalm 76:10, NIV).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Let's Make Friends

"Therefore, 'Come out from them, and be separate, says the Lord, Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you'" (2 Cor. 6:17, NIV, italics mine). 
"The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of wicked leads them astray"  (Prov. 12: 26, NIV, italics mine).  "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother"  (Proverbs 18:24, NIV, italics mine).
"A friend loves at all times,.." (Prov. 17:17, NIV).
"Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts"  (Prov. 19:6, NIV, italics mine).
"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm"  (Prov. 13:20, ESV).

It is commonplace knowledge that we are known by the company we keep, and only a fool has no discretion in choosing friends.  Reading Proverbs gives one plenty of warnings to avoid the evildoer and not to befriend them.  "Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company"  (Prov. 24:1, NIV).  We must be careful, lest we become like our friends, for our "buddies" influence us more than anyone else.

However, we must be friendly, and there is a difference, but keep our distance, make borders, and draw the line where we don't have the confidence to go with the Lord.  "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared"  (Prov. 22:24-25, NIV, italics mine).  The rich have many friends and everyone wants to be their friend (and it's hard for them to know their true friends), but even the friends of the poor despise them according to Proverbs.

Jesus was indeed the friend of sinners (as His enemies saw it) in reaching out to them but he did draw the line, the Pharisees had no desire to get to know Him or had any love in their hearts.  However, Jesus made it plain to the disciples that they were His friends; only those who obey Him are His friends.  Jesus had the Spirit without measure and was perfect and unspoiled by sinners, He wasn't able to be corrupted by them, as we are if we are not careful.

Now, I know this from experience and have come across sinners who've had no restraint, and the military, for example, is certainly not the place to send an innocent young person unless they are prepared to battle Satan on his turf.  In theory, you could say that a sinner cannot harm you and God protects you from being touched by the evil one (cf. John 17:5) but we are to know our limits and not tempt or test the Lord either.

The conclusion of the matter is:  If God is with me and God sends me somewhere I know that God will see me through and protect me--but that's the key--God with me in it.  A word to the wise is sufficient:  "Do not be deceived:  'Bad company corrupts good morals'"  (1 Cor. 15:33, ESV).  Take my sound advice:  Don't hang around the wrong crowd!  Becoming a Christian entails making new friends.   Soli Deo Gloria!

He Has Not Given Me Over To Death

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him..." (Job 13:15, NKJV).

Not to be morbid, but the understanding of what is on the "other side" must begin early in life and one must be realistic even with children to teach biblical mindset and preparation.  Jesus Himself was the ultimate realist and He mentioned the grave and beyond, even hell more than heaven.   Being prepared for the hereafter is not a matter of making a will and paying or preparing for one's final expenses via life insurance.  Some people actually spend less time preparing for death than their annual vacation--this ought not to be so!  

We all need to be assured of our salvation and know that God won't take us till we are ready in His timing if we are in His will.  As Epictetus said, "I cannot escape death, but I can escape the fear of it."  We should be confident in our Lord (i.e., that we've made our peace with God) that we would say with Robert Louis Stevenson, that, even if we woke up in hell we'd still believe in Him.

David thanked the Lord that, though he had been chastened severely, he had not been given over to death (cf. Psalm 118:18).  There is a "sin which leads unto death," however, and John said not to pray for such a one (cf. 1 John 5:16).   Even Christians can go too far and be removed by divine discipline of the Lord, that is why they, too, must live in the fear of the Lord and behold both the goodness and severity of the Lord per Romans 11:22.

However, the death of believers is precious in the sight of God (cf. Psalm 116:15) and we ought to look forward to dying as a promotion, not an end, but a new beginning of a higher and different way of living to the full, the way we were meant to live.  Death is not a wall, but a door and D. L. Moody is quoted as saying, "This is my triumph, this is my coronation day!  It is glorious!"  Even Alfred, Lord Tennyson said, in his poem In Memoriam: "God's finger touched him, and he slept."  Death is a promotion and Paul said that "to live is Christ, but to die is gain" in Phil. 1:21.

We are only glad that God hasn't given us over to death as chastisement, but as our promotion to glory, for "we should live every day as if it were our last day" (Matthew Henry quote).  David went to be with the Lord in His timing:  "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep..." (Acts 13:36, NKJV).  In other words, when he had done what God had meant for him to do and God was done with him, God took him.  God knows when we are ready, we don't, that's why suicide isn't the answer.  God isn't in the business of taking lives prematurely:   (Ezek. 18:32 (NASB):  "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies...").  However, the day of death is better than the day of birth in God's eyes (cf. Eccl. 7:1).  David said that with the Lord, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15, ESV).  It is indeed better for the soul "to go to the house of mourning than the house of mirth" (cf. Eccl. 7:2), by the same token.

When you are confident of your coming promotion you are brave and live like David, when he told Jonathan:  "There is but a step between me and death (cf. 1 Sam. 20:3).  David lived his life on the edge and to the full!  We only want to live a long life if we are pleasing to the Lord and doing His will; otherwise, what's the use?   Is there a great reward in pursuing your own will?  We are happiest as believers only when we've learned to serve and not to live selfishly and for our own good, but for the good of others.  

David was glad God hadn't given him over to death because he then knew that he still had an opportunity to fulfill God's will; David was a man after God's own heart because he did all God's will. We should all hope and pray to go on to be with the Lord in His timing, for He makes all things beautiful in His time--i.e., we don't want to go before our time as Scripture would say.

In sum, let me quote an anecdote about Saint Francis of Assisi:  "If you had one hour left to live, what would you do?"  His answer, said while tilling his garden, was:  "I would finish this row!"  That's being prepared to die without unfinished business, unlike what God said to Hezekiah to "get his house in order" (cf. Isaiah 38:1), for he was about to die and not recover.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Buddy System

AA utilizes the "buddy system" (called sponsors) to keep its members in line and on track.  This is vital to their philosophy:  NO ONE IS AN ISLAND OR A ROCK, WE ALL NEED SOMEONE.  I learned the same mindset in the Army also called the "buddy system" and wouldn't have made it through had I not found someone I could count on through thick and thin when the chips were down he was there.  Basically, I was "discipled" by Navigators and learned that one must be accountable to ever grow.  It isn't just "Jesus and you," as some approach the Christian life. This is an opportunity to go one-on-one with a mature believer and to get intense personal mentoring.

We all need someone to fall back on in time of need and that knows us, even our faults and weaknesses--accepting us nevertheless.  One of the greatest tragedies in war is that many soldiers lose their buddy and it's like losing a family member or worse because they have so much invested in him.  Buddies laugh and cry together and go through experiences together so they can share their lives:  It is an awful fate to face life alone without anyone to share it with.

The Christian life is like that, it's not so much whom we know, but also who knows us and how well--are we aboveboard and forthright?  Galatians 4:9 says that it's not that we know God, but that He knows us; this is echoed in Psalm 139, which declares how well He knows us.  We are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made."  No one can face life's challenges and adversities alone, and most people find a mate to share life with, but those who are single they must keep on searching for someone significant to bond with.  It is a gift of God to be able to remain single (called celibacy) and still find fulfillment.

It is the hard times in life that teach us to lean on Jesus and to seek help in the body of Christ, so that we don't become self-sufficient and think too highly of ourselves, or even become independent.  In the "buddy system," nobody is superior nor inferior, but both are equals in the Lord and pull each other up by their bootstrap, depending on them in time of need.  They owe each other and see eye-to-eye, not necessarily on every issue, and they can walk hand-in-hand throughout life.

The important thing is unity, not uniformity and knowing what things are negotiable--they must keep bearing in mind that they're on the same side.  Even spouses have their disagreements, quarrels, and then eventually makeup and go on living in spite of it.  We are to prefer one another above ourselves and to fully accept one another despite their faults; for we are not perfect either and Christ has accepted us.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Not Holier Than Thou

"Consider everyone as equal, and don't think that you're better than anyone else.  Instead associate with people who have no status..."  (Romans 12:16, CEV). 
"We won't dare to place ourselves in the same league or to compare ourselves with some of those who are promoting themselves.  When they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding"  (2 Cor. 10:12, CEV).

We have no right to have a holier-than-thou attitude (cf. Isaiah 65:5) and think we've arrived (cf. Phil. 3:12), and don't need our fellow believer to encourage us or meet our needs--none of us is an island and only Christ is the Rock.  Some believers seem to become Lone Rangers or lone wolves and don't hold themselves accountable to anyone, walking with the Lord as if it were "Me and Jesus."  We are members one of another and no member of the body is self-sufficient and can stand alone.  We tend to privatize our faith especially when we are at our weakest and don't want anyone to know our faults; however, we are to accept the faults of one another and remember that we have them too. Romans 15:7 says we ought to "welcome one another" as Christ has welcomed us.   Our faith is a public matter and when stifled or muffled it cannot grow.

Remember:  We are all saints and all equally holy in God's eyes.  Martin Luther said that we are, at the same time, sinners and saints, as it says in Galatians 2:17 (ESV):  "But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?  Certainly not!"  However, note that the Bible doesn't call us sinners, though we are, we are called saints now because we are justified in His sight, though we technically do still sin.   Even Paul didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet and become perfect, though this is the command in Matt. 5:48 stating:  "You, therefore, must be perfect, as You heavenly Father is perfect."  What does this mean but that direction is the test and perfection is the standard or goal?  We are held to a higher standard as believers than the world in our witness and testimony.

Pollyanna Christianity is erroneous and we are not to buy into the theory that, if you are walking with the Lord, everything is hunky-dory.  Christians have trials, tribulations, adversities, temptations, and many kinds of sufferings that unbelievers are unaware of and cannot relate to.  If we have certain sins that we cannot overcome, it is high time we get the body of Christ involved.  James 5:16 says that we may need to confess our faults one to another and this may be why we are sickly or ill.  The AA has a good thing going for it in that they learn the "buddy system" and realize that one-on-one help is a good system to find sympathy and survival techniques because they learn to help and encourage each other.  Every one should find someone they can relate to and be honest with because true fellowship is linked to two people being in the same boat, as it were.   What we need in the body is a little more realism; God isn't looking for the ideal person, but the real person!

Self-righteousness is one of the worst sins, and that made the Pharisees repugnant in Jesus' eyes and we must realize we can be guilty of it too when we think we are in line and are not willing to admit our faults.  Even Job found out in the end that he was guilty of it and was forced to repent!    In the story of Luke 18 about the Pharisee and the tax collector the people looked up to the Pharisees at the time as holy people and tax collectors as common sinners, but the tax collector humbled himself before the Lord and had the right mindset that he was a sinner and in need of a Savior.   To the Pharisee, his faith had degenerated into a religion of works and performance, whereby he was just trying to impress the people--his motives were wrong and that is what only God can see.

He thought that appearances were everything and that he could impress God!  Actually, the only way to impress God is to realize that you cannot impress Him and that you are at His mercy--your unworthiness is the only ticket.  In God's economy, the way up is down and we must humble ourselves in His sight to be exalted, as John the Baptist said, "He must increase, and I must decrease" (John 3:30, ESV).   The tax collector didn't actually say, "God me merciful to me a sinner," but "the sinner," because he felt so sinful in God's eyes.  The worst attitude is to look down on our brother and to judge him when we do the same thing--he wasn't comparing himself to anyone more sinful or even feeling worthy!

When we've been forgiven, we are merciful to others in their sin and don't feel so self-righteous that we are holier than everyone.  We forgive as the Lord forgave us (cf. Col. 3:13).  If we are not doing this, we have forgotten that we have been saved and that God was merciful to us.  Are our sins more easily forgiven than theirs?  That is the epitome of self-righteousness, to believe it's okay for us to be that way, but not anyone else.  The Pharisee was sure glad he wasn't like the so-called tax collectors and sinners, who were beyond redemption in his eyes.

We are all bad and as bad off as we can possibly be, but not too bad to be saved if we plead with God for mercy and realize our status as utterly sinful.  "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God," (Rom. 8:7, ESV):  Even our righteousness is as filthy rags in God's eyes (cf. Isaiah 64:6) and there is nothing we can do in our natural self to prepare for salvation or to make ourselves worthy; God must do a work of grace in our heart and make believers out of us (cf. Acts 18:27).  Apart from the Holy Spirit's wooing none of us would believe and without the Father's granting of it none of us would come to Him (cf. John 6:44, 65).

The biggest obstacle to overcoming sin is to admit it freely and to come clean; this is called repentance whereby we make a U-turn, or about-face and turn from it to believe in Christ.  We simultaneously turn from our sins toward God in faith:  "and they must change their hearts and lives as they turn to God and have faith in our Lord Jesus"  (Acts 20:21, CEV); and Acts 26:20 (ESV) says clearly "that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance."  Peter says in Acts 3:19 (ESV):  "Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out."  No one can convince us we are sinners and need repentance but the Holy Spirit, whose domain is the conviction, not our domain to convict.  We should never think that our sins are unforgivable because God can forgive any confessed sin.

But it is worse when we think other people are unredeemable and they have gone too far and are beyond salvation or grace.  We're all in the same boat as far as God is concerned, just like we all drowned, some of us in six feet of water and some in six hundred feet, but the fact is that we all drowned in sin.  If sin were yellow, we'd all be all yellow with no exceptions.  We must realize this before we can have the right mindset to repent.  We shouldn't be ashamed of our sins, because we are all sinners and have different areas of weakness, but the point is that we are all sinners, some just more refined or cultivated than others.

Personal faith becomes merely "religion" when it isn't authentic and only performance or degenerated into keeping the rules or even a philosophy instead of a relationship.  Christianity isn't a catalog of rules or a list of dos and don'ts!  Religion can never save anyone and is, in effect, an attempt to reach up to God, while Christianity is God reaching down to man in grace.  Religion is merely a do-it-yourself proposition or trying to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps, while Christianity is when God changes your heart from the inside out and gives you a new life and spirit.  We don't turn over a new leaf, make a New Year's resolution, or make an AA-like pledge, but we give our hearts to Jesus and start over with Him in charge of our new life.   Faith can degenerate into religion when one is merely worried about appearances and isn't accountable to anyone so that it becomes highly subjective.

In summation:  We are not to play the "let's compare" game and think we are better than others or thank God we are not like others:  As George Whitefield said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I," when he saw a man going to the gallows!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Is God Angry?

"O LORD, do not rebuke me n Your anger, Nor chasten me in your wrath"  (Psalm 6:1, NASB).
"But now you also, put them all aside:  anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth"   (Col. 3:8, NASB).

Sometimes it seems that God is angry at us, but He is only angry because of our actions because He must discipline us and teach us right and wrong the hard way--the school of hard knocks.  God is slow to anger, unlike men, and "doesn't harbor his anger forever" according to Psalm 103:9 (NIV).  We, ourselves, have a temper to deal with, and even when we are temperamental, it's ninety percent temper and ten percent mental!

We must learn to control our anger because the anger of man doesn't achieve the righteousness of God.  We must learn to be slow to anger and watch our mood swings.  Remember, "God is angry at the wicked every day" (cf. Psalm 7:11). We cannot bear the anger of God's wrath and will be delivered on the last day.  God knows we are but dust!

We are not to let the sun go down on our anger and not to let it be easily kindled.  God's anger lasts but for a moment and God will love us freely, for His anger is turned away from us (cf. Hos. 14:4).  Jesus warned us not to be angry at our brother and not to stir up strife (cf. Matt. 5:22; Prov. 29:22).  Don't test the LORD's anger:  "Do homage to the Son, that He does not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled..."  (Psalm 2:12, NASB).  James 1:19 says to be slow to anger!  Paul says, "Be angry, but do not sin"  (Eph. 4:26, NASB).   Jeremiah wondered if God was angry in Lam. 5:22 (NASB):  "Unless You have utterly rejected us And are exceedingly angry with us."  God told Moses (Lev. 26:44) that, no matter what we've done, God will still receive us.  We can be thankful for God's patience, which means our salvation.

Words to the wise:  Do not befriend a man given to anger, lest you pick up his ways (cf. Prov. 22:24).  A man who is slow to anger and rules his spirit, is mightier than one who rules a city, according to Solomon.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Vetting Christians

We shouldn't be so quick to accept folks into the fellowship without any verification of salvation; just because they show an interest in church attendance (they may be legalistic) is no guarantee of spirituality.  Before extending the right hand of fellowship one ought to be proven in his testimony and gone through the right channels, for the wolf tries to get in by some other door.  There will always be those who refuse to follow the rules and make up their own because they are anti-establishment or turned off to organized religion.

But the Spirit should bear witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  In other words, there must be fruit to be faith, (no fruit--no faith, period).  Just because someone claims to be Christian is not the right way to accept him.  Some believers and there are unsaved believers too, actually think a Christian is someone who goes to church or inherits his faith from his forefathers.  "My dad was a Baptist, my grandpa was a Baptist, and therefore, I am a Baptist."  Too many are born into the church family and don't ever reckon a time of wandering or prodigality.

The issue facing Jude was that heretics had crept in unawares and they went unnoticed and influenced the flock.  There is usually a lot of investigation that goes on before one is accepted as a deacon, but a new member ought to give his testimony and witness before men to show that he is unashamed to own his Lord.  Jesus always called people publicly and there are no secret, Lone Ranger believers or lone wolves.

The true believer fits in and finds his niche in the body and feels right at home, not a stranger amongst God's children and Christ's family known as the organism called the church or called out ones (ekklesia in Greek)--he is in his own skin because he's family!   Still, no matter how much we test the spirit of the believer or seeker, there will be mistakes and the devil may still plant his seed in the church to uproot the faithful.

There are churches that don't vet their members and welcome all in the name of charity and universal brotherhood.  If you attend, you're a member here, they say.  They don't think it's our business to pry into personal lives, but the church is meant to be the body of believers, not a social club or event--it's an organism of the faithful and it's purpose is to further the growth of the body of Christ, to the work of ministry (i.e., fulfilling the Great Commission).  There are some churches so lax and undisciplined that the true body of Christ has become barely visible and is restrained in the process.  We are to receive seekers into the church service and to reach out to them evangelically and to bring them into the fold and help them find their way.

The sermon ought to have an evangelical message and element to appeal to the lost, which is inherent so that they can respond to the gospel message--no response is a "no" response or rejection.  True preaching challenges and jerks people out of their comfort zones, it is known for making seekers feel uneasy and uncomfortable.  We are to "comfort" God's people, as Isaiah 40:1 says, but the unbeliever needs to be awakened from the death of his spiritual slumber.

We are to be friendly and cordial in greeting them, but remember that the church is not a home for the unsaved and sin is not welcome there, it's a hospital for those sick with sin and in need of the Great Physician Himself in the person of Christ, the divine Healer.  Christ didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, and this means people that think they're all right to have nothing to gain from the gospel message because they don't realize they're lost--you have to get them lost first before saving them!

I'm not saying we must get "pedigreed" believers or someone cannot be accepted if not vouched for by known Christians, but no one gets in automatically to God's church, it's a turnstile and we all enter through our own faith, not our parents, or whosoever it may be.   Whole families can be saved, but we are not to vet them all on the virtue of one influential member who has pull or rank.  In God's family and in His economy there is "no respecter of persons" and God "shows no partiality," and neither should we.  We treat one and all the same, for there is neither Greek nor Jew in Christ, neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ and on equal ground without rank or caste system (cf. Gal. 3:28).   Soli Deo Gloria!

You Shall Be As Gods

"I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God (Isaiah 45:5, NIV).
"Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god (Isaiah 45:14, NIV).
"There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me (Isaiah 45:21, NIV).
"Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:22, NIV).
"... Before me no god was formed, or will there be one after me" (Isaiah 43:10, NIV).

(Note that Erich Fromm, noted psychologist, wrote the book, You Shall Be As Gods, to downplay the validity and meaning of sin, and claimed that if we get rid of that notion we will be free to be our own gods, as it were, quoting Satan from Genesis 3:5.

God reveals His Son in us (cf. Gal. 1:16), and through us as ambassadors of reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20), and we are thus able to share in His divine nature (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4), but upon becoming sons of God, we do not become gods in the process! We are only "gods" in the sense that we rule over nature and are in the image of God.   We represent God to the lost:  "And whatever you do or say, do I as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father"  (Col. 3:17, NLT).

These are the famous words and rationale of Satan to Eve (cf. Gen. 3:5), that her eyes would be opened, knowing good and evil; this would make her as one of the gods (or like God).  We are not ever meant to be gods as the Mormons believe in their dogmatic theological axiom:  "As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become."  This is the lie that has been perpetrated upon mankind since the beginning.  God isn't looking for men who want to be gods, but who desire godliness (cf. 2 Pet. 1:6-7) and to share in His divine nature (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4).  Jesus quoted from Psalm 82:6 (NASB):  "I said, 'You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.'"  He did this to show their unreasonableness in begrudging Him to assume the title "Son of God."

He did this to make them realize that it wasn't farfetched that He claimed to be the Son of God, which was clarified in Psalm 2 as follows:  "... He said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You" (cf. Psalm 2:7).  We are born from above or again from God and inherit the right to be called the children of God according to John 1:12.  We are truly "children of God" by adoption and can claim as our privilege of God as our Father, but Jesus enjoys a unique Sonship that we don't, which is because of His deity.  It would be hard to believe that man can become God, but our gospel tells us that God became man, this is easier to believe.

Our privilege entitles us to unique authority in prayer as we approach the throne of grace with confidence and boldness (cf. Heb. 4:16) and represent Christ in the world as His emissaries and missionaries.  The problem with sinners is that they won't give up their authority over their lives (or others') to God in lordship.  We have to stop being our own gods and controlling our own destiny and start trusting in God's providence to make it happen for us.  It is never our prerogative to play God in someone's life or to lord it over God's sheep--we all answer to the same Chief Shepherd.  As Christians, we do have spiritual authority from God to be used in our gifts in their rightful domain, but this doesn't come with the right to lord it over others; we are to commend them to the Lord's care.

Though man may see himself as a god, he shall die like a man and be humbled in Psalm 82:7 (NASB):  "Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes."  The glory of Christ is that His deity stood out the most at his death and He didn't die like a mere man.   Great men of the past (in the world's eyes, that is) have often fancied themselves gods (just look at Augustus Caesar and his successors).  Jesus wasn't deified by men but claimed this authority and there was no discrepancy between His behavior, works, words, and His claims, which were verified by multiple witnesses.

If Jesus were not God, and this was His claim, He was the most deceived (and biggest deceiver) of men ever to walk this earth.  But He was no impostor and didn't beat around the bush with His claims.  The Pharisees knew who He was claiming to be, even though the disciples didn't figure it out till after the fact of the resurrection.  We have to commit ourselves to monotheism, and flee the sin of polytheism, which the Mormons have resorted to, and humble ourselves in the sight of God, that He may exalt us--for the way up is down in God's economy, just as John the Baptist said:  "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30, NASB).  Note that John (John 3:27, NASB) said, "... A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven."

Jesus never exalted Himself, but depended upon God the Father to give Him back the glory He gave up by becoming man for our sake.  Jesus via Scripture said in Isaiah 42:8 (NASB):  I am the LORD, that is MY name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images."  The ironic thing about John the Baptist's witness is that they thought he was the coming one and he had to bow to Jesus and His glory at His baptism or inauguration.

Now we are the icons of Christ, bearing His image to the world at large and the only Christ some will see is the one in us.  God the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work is to perfect us into that image and to make us useful for His work among the lost.  Paul summed it up well:  "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (cf. Col. 1:27).   That is, that others may see Jesus shining through you is the highest of compliments.  Now, the only authority we have is as servants of the Lord and to do His will, not to glorify ourselves or for financial gain--that is, we don't cash in on spiritual gifts, but their fruits are free and available to the body (note that I'm not referring to those supported by the church in ministry, etc.).

In summation, we must all come to the realization that there is a higher power we are accountable to besides the so-called "God-within" as New Agers will have you think, and this recognition of authority is what heals us in the final analysis, because we are not sovereign over ourselves but God is in control as Lord of all, whether we acknowledge it or not (we may find ourselves fighting God!).

This is really either the first step to recovery or the step toward a chaotic, self-defeating life.  We cannot control our own destiny but are subject to God's sovereignty, which is none the less limited because of our freedom.  We must all come to the epiphany that God is real and we are His servants, not independent gods--there is no middle ground.  Our glory is not that we are gods, but that we know God and have fellowship with Him!  Peter adds (again cf. 2 Pet. 1:6) that we should add "godliness" to our faith (not god-ness!).   Soli  Deo Gloria!

Christ In You

The mystery of the faith is "Christ in you, the hope of glory," according to Colossians 1:27.  Not only is the Father and Holy Spirit resident within our hearts, upon invitation, but Jesus' very Spirit is too, which will be glorified when we enter glory for our reward.  Then "we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (cf. 1 John 3:2).

We must periodically examine ourselves to see whether Christ is in us, unless we fail this test, according to 2 Cor. 13:5, and we will see that God is conforming us into His image as icons of Christ, as we go from glory to glory, being increasingly brought into conformity to His image (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18).  Paul wrote to the Galatians that he was waiting patiently for Christ to be formed in them (cf. Gal. 4:19), for they had reverted to legalism and spurned God's grace for another gospel, trying to perfect themselves in the flesh, not the Spirit.

Paul had been received "as Christ Himself" (cf. Gal. 4:14) and it was time to admonish the flock entrusted to his care.  Paul was the perfect witness to them and they knew Christ was speaking through him as he wrote, for the God "revealed His Son" in Paul (cf. Gal. 1:16) as verification of His gospel's authenticity.

The point is that we are all little Christ's as lights in the world, just as He is the light of the world, and that is what is meant by the term "Christian."  The only gospel message some may read is our story and the witness we give by our lives and words.  In other words:  What is the gospel according to you?

God's goal is to make us resemble Christ, and He does it by taking away everything that doesn't look like Christ!  Adversity is the primary means to the end of sanctification, and we are meant to grow Christlike by exposure to it, seeing our character become conformed to His image.

The Greek disciples said to the apostles in John 12:21, ESV:  "...Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  The writer of Hebrews says, "But we Jesus..." in Heb. 2:9, and in this sense our spiritual eyes do apprehend Him.  Peter says we love Him, though we haven't seen Him (in the flesh)!  This is the miracle, to love Him in the Spirit and to have His Spirit bear witness with our spirit.

Remember, 2 Cor. 4:4 says the lost are blind spiritually and God needs to open the eyes of our hearts to see Jesus.  The Pharisees claimed they could see, but woe to those who don't know they are blind and think they see! We can say with faith that we see Him by faith:  "Though you have not seen him you love him..." (1 Pet. 1:8, ESV).    Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Ultimate Yoke

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"   (Matt. 11:28, ESV). 
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you"  (Isaiah 43:2, ESV, italics added).

Jesus invited all to pick up His yoke, which would not become overbearing and burdensome, like the yoke of the Pharisees had been (adding hundreds of laws to the Law of Moses and even making a fetish out of the Sabbath).  Jesus did indeed announce His yoke would be easy and His burden light in Matt. 11:30.  No one could bear the yoke of the Law, which was not meant as a way of salvation in the first place, but only to prove us sinners and make us realize our need for grace, (cf. Ex. 24:7: "...All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." ) though Israel had promised to obey it despite this.  The rule-obsessed Pharisees had become legalistic and lost track of the concept of grace (for the Law came through Moses and grace and truth came through Jesus, per John 1:17).  People who make up rules always decide on ones they think they can keep!

We don't need a Law to obey but grace and mercy because we cannot keep any law!   God gave us the Law to show us we cannot keep it!  When we have a law we are always wondering if we measure up and we end up comparing ourselves to others, as to how they keep the Law.  We can be too hard on ourselves and not be merciful to others by the same token.  The whole purpose of salvation is that we need a whole new heart, and this was no new concept to Israel (cf. Ezek. 36:26), not a code to keep or credo to believe.  We need the heart to know and love the Lord, not to bind us and keep us from enjoying our freedom in Christ.  Paul warned the Galatians that they were trying to finish with the Law what Christ had begun by grace, and they had insulted the Spirit of grace in the process.

So what is our yoke?  Do we have any law to abide by ourselves, or are we antinomians (i.e., against the Law)?  No, we are not under the Law, and it has no power to condemn us nor to enslave us, yet we are free to be under the yoke of God's will as believers, which is a far easier task and can only be accomplished because we have the resident Spirit to testify His will to us.  We have a heart to delight in God's will as David did in Psalm 40:8, ESV, which says, "I desire [delight] to do your will, O my God..." In fact, if you don't have an inner supernatural yearning to do God's will, you have reason to doubt the reality of your profession, as to whether it's genuine or bogus.

God's "commands are not burdensome" (cf. 1 John 5:3) and our love for God is measured in obedience, not ecstasy, for some people can get overly emotional and sentimental, or even maudlin and all over the spectrum going overboard. We can be sure that when we go "through the fire" God will be with us (cf. Isaiah 43:2) and that He accompanies us along the way, even lifting and carrying us through the difficult trials, and we are never alone in our fight for His will in our lives:  God's best plan is not overwhelming but can be accomplished when God is with us, as He promised.

The yoke of His will is perfectly custom designed, adjusted, and fitted to our needs and abilities and God will certainly use us to His glory as instruments of grace.  In sum, it isn't some code of honor, creed, or ethic to learn, but a relationship to gain in Christ as we matriculate in the school of Christ and become learners, or students, that is, of Christ via the Word of God--His disciples at heart.  Soli Deo Gloria!