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!

Losing Saltiness

"Such a high priest truly meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens"  (Heb. 7:26, NIV). 
"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!" (Psalm 1:1, NASB).

We are the "salt of the earth,' according to Jesus, and salt is not only a preservative, but it also adds flavor, zest, seasoning, and taste.  One thing it's good for is the dung heap: it makes it useful for fertilizer! But what if the salt loses its usefulness?  Is it able to be recycled and renewed, once used up?  No, it's served its purpose and must be trampled underfoot by men or thrown away with the garbage.  Salt is always salt, and never loses its genetic characteristics or chemical makeup, but once mixed in with impurities, it cannot be made pure again by normal means. The consolation is that we remain salt as our permanent status.  It is simply good for nothing, and some believers find themselves good for nothing, harassed by Satan and the world.

We are in an angelic conflict and it matters that we stay pure to fight and not lose our taste or usefulness.  Our role in the world is as witnesses and light in the dark also, and we must guard our testimony and not jeopardize it by too much casual friendship (note that friendship is hard to define) with the world--i.e., not going where you cannot invite Jesus with you, and not being contaminated by the world, for we are called to be saints (set apart ones), which implies a setting apart or of being holy in God's sight.  The issue is:  "Who is the good neighbor?  Not who is a good friend?" The Scripture says in 1 Cor. 15:33, NASB, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals.'"  We must not overestimate our spirituality and believe we are so holy and like Jesus that we don't have to be careful about the company, we keep and especially who we befriend.  Jesus said His friends were those who obeyed Him.  He was called the "friend of sinners," but He drew the line at befriending Pharisees, His enemies.

However, we must not neglect to reach out to the lost, of course, but there is a line to be drawn as to how intimate we get with the unbeliever.  There is a difference between being friendly and being friends!  If our ways please the Lord, even our enemies will be at peace with us, but they won't necessarily want our friendship.   We are opposed to the world and all it has to offer and our message to the lost is that they need to repent, not that we accept their sins and they are okay in our opinion.  Romans 1 makes it clear that approving of sin is equal to committing it.  If we don't denounce sin we are silently acquiescing and giving approbation to it.

There are many places I wish I'd never gone, and people I wish I'd never met (I've been to the dung heap and am permanently scarred as a result), but now I have learned to show discernment in whom befriend.  This doesn't mean we don't love indiscriminately and reach out to any in need, but friendship is a different matter and a friend can bring you down to his level.  It is true that, if you are so spiritual and mature that you may have a higher tolerance level and don't feel anyone can influence you, this is flaky and presumptuous, and naive ground to be on and you are not taking spiritual cautions.  If you have never been sorry about whom you rubbed elbows with, maybe you haven't been there and done that yet, or pitched your tent toward Sodom like Lot mistakenly did, "...who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked" (2 Pet. 2:7, NKJV).  One may inquire, "How do they get saved, if not by friendship?"  The answer is that only by the preaching of the gospel and our testimony, not to be jeopardized, penetrates their veneer and feet of clay.

We may find ourselves in a cesspool of human excrement and a wasteland, but we are to bloom where we are planted and realize that we are there for a reason: to plant seeds and be salt and light--sometimes the solution is MORE SALT, NOT BETTER SALT. The key, then, is to bloom where we are planted!  The Bible makes it clear that we are to show discernment and choose our associates and friends wisely, not being yoked unequally even when we are in love--to do otherwise would be presumptuous.  Friendship implies a mutual give and takes from equal partners.  Now it may be that you just happened to become friends with some sort of "untouchable" (i.e., the unrighteous who will not inherit the Kingdom of God according to 1 Cor. 6:9), and it may be your ministry to reach out to him, but it is not generally good advice to relax your standards.

How would you feel if your teenage daughter started hanging out with pimps because she thought she could convert them?  There is a place for common sense and choosing our friends and acquaintances.  Sometimes we are even distant from our own family members, much more do we need to keep our distance from sinners sometimes.  It is true that no unbeliever can "contaminate" you by his sin without your cooperation and negligence, but we are not to put the Lord to the test and see how far we can venture into sinful territory without contamination or defilement either!

This is why Scripture says, "[B]ut others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh," in Jude 23, NKJV.   If God has placed you in a dung heap, it shows His confidence in your ability to stay pure and He trusts you to know your limits and that you will show discretion.  Caveat:  Once we lose our innocence, it cannot be restored.


The conclusion of the matter is that some of us may become burdened for the lost and not afraid to befriend them (note that definitions of "friend" differ), no matter how sinful, and we may feel and think there is no danger of contamination, but we don't test the Word of God by our experience, but our experience by the Word of God, and the Bible says in 1 Cor. 15:33, NASB, "Do not be deceived:  'Bad company corrupts good morals.'"  The whole idea of being a Christian is to be one of the "called out ones" (ekklesia in Greek), and to be separate from the world:  "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and then I will welcome you"  (2 Cor. 6:17, ESV). This does not necessitate cloistered virtue or becoming recluses or hermits, but showing discretion.     Soli Deo Gloria!

To Obey Is Better

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul"  (Deut. 10:12, ESV).
"...[He] became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him"  (Heb. 5:9, ESV). 

The best measure of a spiritual life is not its ecstasies, but its obedience."  (Oswald Chambers)

Samuel reprimanded King Saul for disobeying the Law and offering a sacrifice and reminded him that "to obey is better than sacrifice...."  His commands are not burdensome according to 1 John 5:3 because He gives us the power to carry them out.  The Israelites promised to obey the letter of the Law in Ex. 24:7 when they should've been suing God for mercy at all costs, knowing full well they can't fulfill the Law.  The only true measure and standard of faith is obedience:  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  See:  they are forever equated (cf. Heb. 3:18-19) and let not man put asunder what God has joined together (cf. Mark 10:9).  Our faith is one of obedience and the Scripture speaks of being obedient to the faith in Acts 6:7; Rom. 1:5; 16:26 et al.  This entails repenting and following on to know the Lord in obedience and faith or trust.  When we go one-on-one with the Lord at the bema, He will inquire:  "Did you learn to love and trust Me?"

Our thought life is paramount to an obedient life too; we must get our thoughts in line with the Lord's viewpoint and have a Christian worldview.  We must take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ as per 2 Cor. 10:5.  We must obey the voice of the Lord, obey the Word, and obey His chief directive, which is to love one another.  This is what Christ meant when he said that if you love Him, you will obey Him.

Christ was obedient to the point of death (cf. Phil. 2:8) and learned obedience by what He suffered (cf. Heb. 5:8).  We cannot avoid or complain of our crosses, that pale in comparison to His, and we must realize that He doesn't ask us to do anything He didn't do Himself.  He earned the right to be obeyed.  Now, creatures owe inherent duty and obedience to their Creator, but Christ's demands are that of love, not the Law, and these can never be satisfied.  We must accept Christ for who He is, viz., the Lord of all, and this entails Lordship salvation, which is not easy-believism or the faith that you can live any way you choose after salvation--as long as you believe.

Pharaoh asked Moses, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him?"  God isn't just another god in a pantheon, but the Almighty Creator of the universe and is worthy of all worship and obedience.  There may come a time when you may have to choose to obey or disobey the government, due to conflict with Scripture, as the disciples did in Acts 5:29, "... We must obey God rather than man."  Civil disobedience is the result when our convictions tell us the government is wrong and should be disobeyed.

Paul said that if anyone doesn't obey his letter (cf. 2 Thess. 3:14), we should shun or avoid him; this refers to church discipline (it is one thing to be a sinner, and quite another to claim to be a Christian and be living in sin, because the believer cannot go on sinning ("No one who abides in him keeps on sinning..." says 1 John 3:6, ESV).   And in conclusion, Paul tells Titus (3:1, ESV):  "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work."  Peter writes:  "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood..." (1 Pet. 1:2, ESV).  Why must we accept Christ's obedience on our behalf?  By one man's disobedience, all were made sinful, so by one man's obedience, all are made righteous.  (Cf. Rom. 5:19).  Why is obedience the issue?   We are slaves to the one we choose to obey!  (Cf. Rom. 6:16).

In sum, we can praise God that He accepts vicarious obedience, and that, upon believing in Jesus, we are reckoned as righteous as Him, i.e., we are declared righteous, not made righteous upon salvation.  Indeed even Christ learned obedience from what He suffered (cf. Heb. 5:8), and when He was twelve years old "he went down to Nazareth with them [his parents] and was obedient to them"  (Luke 2:51, NIV).  He is our Exemplar and we must emulate His manner of life, of which it is an honor to share in his sufferings and witness, as we progressively learn obedience as proof of our faith.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Our Birthright

"Sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it.." (cf. Gen. 4:7). 
"... Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it"  (Gen. 4:7, ESV).

Ever since Adam, we have inherited the old man himself, known as the old sin nature.  It is a virus, and if it were yellow, we'd be all yellow!  Someone said that sin is man's declaration of independence from God; true, we try to be good without God in the picture and in our belief system.  When we fail to account for God in our reckoning we become corrupt and there is no limit to how corrupt; for "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" says Jeremiah 17:9.  It doesn't matter how bad we are but how bad off we are since all have sinned and it doesn't matter whether you drowned in six feet or six hundred feet of water, you're dead in sin!  God simply doesn't grade on a curve, though we may seem like saints compared to the likes of Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler.  A scientist extraordinaire, Albert Einstein, who instigated the Manhattan Project, said that it is "easier to denature plutonium than the evil nature of man!"

It is said that nature forms us, sin deforms us, schools inform us, prisons reform us, but only Christ can transform us--that's the wonder of the gospel message, in changing lives.  We all share solidarity in Adam and must be set free from the power of sin by the cross of Christ.  In salvation we are free from the power of sin by the living Christ, the penalty of sin by the crucified Christ, and the presence of sin by the coming Christ, it is said.  We get a new birthright in Christ as members of the family of God in salvation.  We are not as bad as we possibly can be or utterly depraved as unbelievers, but as bad off or totally depraved, meaning every part of our nature--our will, intellect, and emotions or heart--are affected by this sin virus.  We have no power over sin, except through the Holy Spirit.

What is sin? When we fail to do what is required and leave God's will undone, and do what is forbidden!  When we miss achieving the standards of God's law and fall short we sin--sin is universal--as they say, "Nobody's perfect!" or "To err is human!"   Sin is defined as a want of conformity to or transgression of the law of God.  It is further added that it is any thought, word, action, deed, or omission contrary to God's nature and incompatible with it.

Sin is lawlessness, it's faithlessness, it's trespassing, and we must call a spade a spade;  if we call it by any other name we make it more dangerous, such as labeling poison as "Essence of Peppermint!"  Paul lumps all men to together in that they are all in the same boat, as it were, and have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God (cf. Rom. 3:23).  It is because of sin that we deserve to die and the death principle is already a work in us.

It is important to understand that we are still sinners as believers per Gal. 2:17 and we are not basically good, but we are evil in our natures through and through with no vestige of good remaining from the fall.  It is assumed people are inherently good, but we are all flawed and have feet of clay.  There is no sliding scale and we are all in the same boat of condemnation, in that we are at the mercy of God and there is no hope but by His grace.  It is important to note that sin is only possible if there is a God because it is defined in terms of God:  as Albert Camus said, "The absurd is sin without God."

It is ironic that the more lively sensed of sin, the less sin, and the closer you approach God, the more aware of it you become!   C. S. Lewis observed:  You must see how bad you are to be good, and you don't know how bad you are till you've tried to be good!  It's like quitting cigs, you don't know how addicted you are till you try to quit!  The evil of sin is that it enslaves and estranges for a double whammy!  In conclusion, we must realize that we are not sinners because we sin; no we sin because we are sinners [it's our inherent nature to sin], as theologians like to say.   Soli Deo Gloria!