As In a Mirror

Last… month(!), we talked about being useful to the Lord, and one major point was how not many mighty or noble according to the flesh are called to the use of God (note that this describes works or positions, not people). Ironically, in Christian circles today, we seek those high, honorable, and notable works and positions. Truly, these are things important and not disregarded in the sight of God, for He does call people to these works.

But what do we think of when we think of serving God? Ministers, intercessors, preachers, authors, speakers, worship leaders, the like. But what does God think serving Him is? He looks even to the littlest things; He wants us to serve Him even without the knowledge of others, but also to proclaim Him and His mighty acts to people.

Jesus talks about “the reward” in Matthew 10:

“He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

God has called His prophets, evangelists, and apostles to their work. He has also called every righteous man to his work. But He sees when the least of us perform the most menial tasks with His heart, when we minister to the prophets, evangelists, and apostles. I recall the incident in Acts 10, when Peter was alone on the rooftop, praying. But he became hungry! The family of Simon the Tanner, who had also provided shelter for the apostle Peter, was providing his food! Think of it– all the apostles were very much occupied with the advancement of the gospel and the strengthening of the churches– somebody else had to feed them! Jesus said that whoever receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward, and that whoever so much as gives a cup of cold water to a little one shall receive his reward. He considers it a worthy, noble work to support and help those people devoted to full-time ministry of the Word.

So that’s the thought for today! This week’s WFW was obviously short and sweet, so if you haven’t got enough, check out last week’s as well if you haven’t already. We extensively covered an extremely crucial topic, that of salvation, what it is and what it means, and how you know you have it! If you’re a new visitor, I’d love to hear from you!

Today’s topic reminded me of two Christian comedy videos my sister and I got a great kick out of. They’re hilarious, with a good point! Get your Word and your laugh in for the day!

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Since the beginning, those within the church have discussed and hashed out the roles of works and faith in justification and salvation. One side asserts that works are not involved in our salvation, while another asserts that works keep us saved, and another claims we are saved by faith but thereafter we are to work. Oddly enough, each side claims to base its beliefs on Scripture. Yet, surely, just as there is one God, and one way to Him, there must be one answer to the question: just how are we justified in God’s sight, and how can we truly know we are “Christians?” This answer can most certainly be ascertained, by a thorough look at God’s word as a whole, particularly what He has revealed in the New Testament. If this work is inspired of God, it will say the same thing all the way through, regardless of the different human authors.

To begin this topic of justification, there is one place we must begin: our sin. Truly, it is undeniable that all have sinned, and thus fallen short of the glory man once had with his Maker

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Because we have broken His Holy standard, no good deeds we do could make up for this, for we are convicted as lawbreakers, worthy of condemnation.

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10).

Every human being falls into this helpless state, very literally separated from our God. Yet here is where the mercy and lovingkindness of God comes in: He sent His Son down in the form of a man to live a perfect life, never faltering into sin, ultimately to serve as the innocent sacrifice for all the sins of men. He was the ransom– the fine paid for what we owed. When Jesus died and descended to the lower parts of the earth, justice was done and our offenses were paid for. But this was only the first step; Jesus was resurrected just as it had been prophesied, and when He rose, He granted us justification. Now by faith, if we decide to throw ourselves on His grace and receive justification based on what Jesus did, not on any good thing we’ve done, we are saved. This is our salvation.

After Jesus ascended, He sent the Holy Spirit down to live in us, so that we can live clean, free from sin, just like Jesus did. You see, it was our sin that separated us from God in the first place, so it’s not good enough for us just to have a free ticket to heaven, that is, to “accept” Jesus and forget how we live. Jesus’ death gave us a new start in life– our rebirth is the time of surrender, and from then on we must accept the Holy Spirit and live in His power over sin. This is our sanctification.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

(see also Romans 8).

Now the Scripture also makes it clear that if we sin, that does not instantly rob us of our salvation, because we were not saved by our works in the first place! Rather, when we realize something wrong in our lives, we repent before God, and He forgives us and helps us to live as He wills.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Again, this does not mean that we may sin willfully, because though our works didn’t save us, now that we are made clean, we are to live clean. If a believer rebels against God by continually practicing the things that He hates, he is no longer justified.

“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…” (Hebrews 3:12-14)

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-29)

Philippians 2:12-13 tell us, “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Thus we see that our faith, which led to salvation, is evident by what we do, and we must be careful to keep in step with the Spirit who dwells in us, so we don’t fall back to destruction. Throughout the whole New Testament it is clear that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and that we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit living in us.

Now I also know that some have asserted that two books of the Bible, James and Romans, speak of justification in two different senses– that Romans tells of justification before God and James tells of justification before man. Yet truly this is absurd, for starters, because what good is justification before man? Was our problem that we were not justified in man’s sight?

The reason for this belief seems to be that James covers the topic of works, of the things that man does on the outside, while Romans speaks extensively on faith. The reason for this: Romans is a thorough explanation of the gospel, showing that all men have broken God’s law, that God offers a righteousness that comes by faith alone, and that believers are enabled to live in righteousness. For if we have been made righteous (justification), we live righteously (sanctification) until we see the Lord and we shall be made like Him (perfection).

James covers for the most part the topic of sanctification; it seems to me that he is refuting a pervasive idea that we are saved by faith and therefore don’t have to do anything afterward. James shows that faith is not faith if it is not accompanied by action, for whatever is truly in the heart comes out. To hear and not do is to not believe; faith is evident by works, just as a tree is evident by its fruit. It doesn’t do the demons any good to merely believe that God exists, for they do not obey Him! James shows us the fruit of righteousness– belief in God evident by our obedience to His ways (not works unto salvation, as some have supposed). There is no difference between the God of Romans and the God of James, nor between the faith explained in both epistles.

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26)

“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” (Romans 6:22)

I believe that one thing is important to remember while we are in this discussion: that salvation comes through Jesus Christ only. To inherit your place in heaven, you must enter through the narrow gate, and walk on the narrow path. There are many in the Christian church today who are just living the culture. They try to start living the Christian life, and as they go along, try to understand the ways of God and get their theology straight.

They mentally assent that Jesus truly did live, that He died for our sins (though inwardly are a little unsure as to what that means), that He rose again, that He sent the Holy Spirit, and that He wrote the Bible. But they have not entered through the narrow gate! They have not realized the heinous crime they’ve committed by breaking God’s law, been filled with the shame of being responsible for the punishment of God’s blameless, Holy Lamb. They have not let go of everything that would hold them back from surrendering to the awesome love and power of the mercy of God through Jesus Christ. They have not, in a time and place, repented and trusted in Jesus for their own salvation; they have not been born of God, nor been regenerated upon receiving the Holy Spirit.

Today, people who try to walk the walk without first coming to that place of repentance will answer the question, “Have you been born again?” with something like, “Um, yeah…”, “Well…” or even “A few times.” Those who have been truly born again will answer with something akin to “Oh, yes! Do you want to talk about it?” This is because it is the biggest thing that has ever happened to them; they realize how lost they were without the grace of God, and are more than grateful to finally be alive.

Ultimately, the source of confusion on this topic is a misunderstanding of the differences between salvation and sanctification as revealed in the New Testament. The beginning factor must never be disregarded: because we have sinned, we could not do any works to get us right with God. So it is obvious that only Jesus Christ’s sacrifice grants us justification. But the greatest thing about grace is that we do not just get a free ticket to heaven; we receive a new nature, a clean slate, just as if we had never sinned. Even better, we don’t have to do it on our own, because by receiving the Holy Spirit we are empowered to live in communication with God, as He planned for us in the beginning. Just as there is a narrow gate, there is a narrow way that leads to life; no one can be reconciled to the Father but by Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

If we stray, we have the chance to repent and come back, but if we keep going off to the path which leads to death, we will surely meet it in the end. Through this temporary life on earth– just the beginning of our eternal life– we believers learn to say with the apostle Paul,

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Philippians 3:8-12)

Salvation is a once-in-a-lifetime event, just as is physical birth, and I believe and know that every person, even those already in Christianity, must seek salvation. What’s different about salvation is that that one can only receive it. Jesus said, that unless one has been born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God, no matter how well he lived, no matter if he worked miracles, no matter how much he believed he was a Christian. There must be a point when the person is convicted deeply of sin, empties himself of all he takes pride in, comes before Jesus Christ, humbles himself, and simply receives God’s work of faith in him. Henceforth, sanctification is the lifelong process of conforming more and more to Him; thus the believer shall live until He calls us to the place He dwells, with no corruption, and he shall be perfected at last!

One last word: to anyone, anywhere, whether they have been ignoring God or living in the form of Christianity, and knows they are not saved, I would implore them to drop every devotion or duty they may have been doing previously and simply start reading the Gospels through- even if it’s just a little bit every day. Do not read them to learn how you should approach God or live before men, do not read them to learn about what it means to really be saved or to really live for God. Read them simply to observe Jesus. Examine His character. Watch how He speaks, how He lives, how He relates to people. STUDY the life of Jesus as it is. If necessary, read through all four of them over a few times, until you know what “holy” is. If you see dimly, approach the Light and all will be made clear!

You cannot claim the promises of God until you are His own! But once you are His own, you will finally see Him as your Father! Anyone reading this who has been born of God knows what that means! Dear people, do this one thing, and God will take care of you! He will look after the rest. For once you get a glimpse of His holiness, the word becomes as a mirror, and one is convicted of his wretchedness, his sin, his guilt of crucifying the son of God. He realizes his desperate need for the forgiveness of God, and comes before God emptied, with a repentant heart. A heart in this state is the heart God can work with! But it can only come with the realization of sin, which follows the wonder of Holiness Incarnate. Seek Him out; He wants to be found!

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I think the greatest proof is that there is such a thing as love– selfless love.

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

This is such an awesome story!

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Wow! I’m back for Word for Wednesday! It’s been a while… not been able to post regularly.

In thinking about many things (actually) especially regarding what we are encouraged to be, who we are encouraged to look up to, how we are encouraged to live, etc., not just the world but even Christians, several points fill my heart enough for me to speak about them.

First, Americans, with their godly heritage, have always been encouraged to be “doers,” productive, constructive, building something useful. While anything can be taken to the extreme and if this perspective is it could lead to self-righteousness, I do believe that this is a good, justified stance. The Lord commanded Adam to be fruitful and multiply. Jesus spoke a parable of a master giving his servants talents to multiply while he was away. It is a good thing to work with one’s own hands, to build, to nurture, to work hard, and reap the rewards thereof. God built humans for this!

But today, Americans are no longer doers. They play games and watch TV. “Jobs” are no longer productive and constructive for the most part; they are “services.” Ever wonder why all our manufacturing and specialization is going foreign? And the “good careers” are lawyers, professors, salesmen, musicians, technicians, and the like. While all these things have their use (esp the technicians in this day and age!), with so many going into these realms there are huge spaces left. What happened to our domestic carpenters, bakers, farmers, repairmen, smiths, and craftsmen? Now I realize that some of these jobs have become “outdated” with mass production and foreign trade. But think of it this way: ever noticed the cheap design and structure of items nowadays? The beautiful, sturdy, reliable craftsmanship has gone for the most part. With the American people split between the services and the Ivory Tower, no wonder we’re having illegal immigration issues! The government realizes that somebody’s got to fill in the gaps; we need somebody to work in the factories for low pay! If Americans were doers, where would we be? Men would be what men need to be, and women would be what women need to be, instead of filling in the gap left by the men.

Even Christians seem to look the wrong way in this respect. Everybody wants to be the author, the scientist, the professor, the Christian statesmen, the musician, the worship leader, etc. While God calls people into these realms of service, He does not call all there. Truly these people have their place, and we need to respect these places, but we need to look to God for our standard and not others around us. If we had people after God’s own heart in the business of craftsmenship, consider what a witness they could be! People love good, reliable material. Surely they would see a content craftsmen who loves the Lord, loves his brethren, and loves others without partiality as a light. Surely such a one is GREAT proof of God’s existence! And think of how many people we have today releasing books, albums, making seminars and resources to help the church. This is a very necessary task, to edify and exhort the body of Christ, to water and nurture them in the Word of God. But when you got so many people in this in a “business” way because there’s a good market, we leave the reaching out of the body undone. The evangelism of the gospel is manifold: there must be those who preach the Word, there must be those who translate the Word into other languages, and there must be those who pave the way and support the work of the former two. There are blessed people devoted to studying and preaching the Word of God abroad, and there are those who plow the fields and the driveways. Christians need to compare themselves to the specific call of God upon them, revealed both in His Word and through His Holy Spirit, rather than to the standards and other callings they see around them.

One quick sidetrack: does it seem to anybody else that most every testimony we hear from ministries big and small is how an addict or smoker or some other generally bad person was transformed by the power of God? That is truly amazing, how God can turn a life around. But, why is this all we hear? What of the average Joe, what of the church-goers who looked good on the outside, were happy and content on the outside. How many people walk the walk and talk the talk but have never been born again? Aren’t there so many people who talk spiritually, dress spiritually, have their doctrine all cut out, memorize Scripture, faithfully attend church and tithe, sing Christian songs, read Christian books, watch Christian movies, but— their priorities are how they look to other people, not whether or not the state of their soul is acceptable to God. When they think about this and feel a little uncomfortable, they comfort themselves with the fact that they truly believe Jesus died and rose again, and that they really do try to live as the Bible says. But they have not in a time and place been born again. This is something that occurs in the sight of God. They have not gotten before God and surrendered to Him, been changed by Him for good. To me, that is a miracle! How God saved the good-looking church-going Bible-believing Average Joe. Surely we can all believe that God saved the drug addict and the drunkard. But When someone who looked like the cookie-cutter Christian in culture only surrendered and was transformed, Heaven rejoices, and that’s what counts!

We are not justified by anything we believe, anything we know, or anything we do. We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone for rescuing us from our sin– just as He died in a time and place, and rose again in a time and place, He comes to live in each individual person in a time and place. Those who have not been born again in a time and place cannot enter the kingdom of God! Those who wander from His commands and leave the narrow path following their rebirth cannot enter the kingdom of God! Do not strive to please men, but to please God!

Then here’s one last point. Christians strive to be “used by God.” Yesterday, while I was engaged in the constructive activity of scrubbing the tub, I considered this. We strive for in some way to be “used by God.” We strive for the noble and mighty “positions” and acts. But the Lord says that not many mighty or noble are called.

And in fact, anyone, even the vilest person, can be used by God. Shouldn’t we strive instead to be pleasing to God? Even if it’s behind closed doors? Surely if we are pleasing to God, we will be lights, probably when we least expect to be. So rather than being a vessel of dishonor, which does get used, we should cleanse ourselves to be the pure vessels useful to the Master at all times, for every good work!

Young people tend to be ambitious; they (we) believe we can change things. We see solutions, we have energy, we have intellects (at least most of us think we do). Paul’s advice to Timothy is good for us as well.

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:20-22)

God gave us youthful energy and the desire for purpose, and He gave it to us for Him! So we would pursue righteousness, faith, and love. And we can encourage the older folks, too. We can carry on their legacies and visions. They give us a deep heritage, great wisdom, love, and the encouragement we need to fulfill God’s purpose. Paul “passed on the baton” to Timothy in a way, and even he says in Philippians 3 that the things that were gain to him, he counted as loss, that the excellence may be Christ! Surely that’s how we can be sure of excellence! Let’s be called, chosen, faithful, useful to the Master for every good work, ready to get up and go whenever He calls, even as Abraham did, not knowing where he was going!

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“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘ Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.” (Zechariah 7:9)

“He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.” (Hebrews 5:2)

“for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.” (Hebrews 10:34)

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.” (1 Peter 3:8)

It is not necessary to understand another’s pain to have compassion on them, although sometimes we do have compassion for that reason. Even we ourselves feel a little relief when someone says of our pain, “I understand.” Yet sometimes, even though we might not understand the pain or the suffering of another, or though we might not have any emotional attachment to that person, we can show compassion.

Several weeks ago, on a Sunday morning before the service, I was on my way out of the restroom to get to the sanctuary and meet up with the rest of the worship team before the service. Yet, a young mother had just stepped into the stall when her little baby started to cry. The sound of babies crying is heartbreaking enough, and I was moved to start talking to the baby so she wouldn’t be sad. But even more, it was the mother I felt for– she couldn’t even go to the bathroom! And I heard her saying, “I’m coming! I’ll be right there!” (this was right after she went in) I was on my way out, but decided to stop and keep the baby happy or at least quiet so the mother could have just a moment of peace. The baby calmed down and I walked out. Two seconds later, I heard her crying again. So I turned right around and went back in, squatted down on the floor and started to smile and talk to the baby until the mother came out.

I didn’t need to understand from experience the stress and agony of always taking care of little ones, of changing diapers, feeding, cleaning, watching, entertaining the baby, and getting up at 4:00 a.m., almost never getting any sleep. I do know how it is to not be able to even get by myself, or to go an entire day without being able to go to the bathroom because everything and everyone are always calling on me, or the “fun” just never stops! I did not need to have a personal attachment to the mother to have compassion on her in her plight. I could have just walked on and gotten to where I needed to be, thinking, “She’s a mother; she does this stuff all the time; she can handle it.” Does she ever get a little bit of a break? Does she ever have 10 seconds of time to even think? I didn’t need to know to have compassion, but knowing that she is a mother, that is probably the case! For just 2 minutes, could she use the bathroom without her baby crying? I was there and I could do something about it; yes, I had things to do, but they could wait just 2 minutes for the sake of someone else who has it harder than I do.

I do understand some of the mother’s plight, though not all of it. I know what it’s like to be up very late for others even though I would rather not be, I know what it’s like to be needed at all times, or to have my hands overfull for hours on end, I know what it’s like running a house, yet I don’t know what it’s like to be completely devoted to the care of a child, 24/7. Yet I could show compassion on someone who does. It’s not that she needed my help because I am so capable or she is too weak; love does not work that way. It was that every single one of us has a point where we need a hand. That’s why there’s lots of different people on the earth. When human beings exist together within a certain perimeter (which a lot of us do!) we need to “bend” and “extend.” That is, some areas of our will or even our personality have got to be sacrificed for the sake of others. We also need to reach out to help others, sometimes through support and sometimes through correction.

So when we see someone in need or struggling, we need to extend ourselves even though we may not “feel their pain.” For instance again, the little children who are rescued through the valiant efforts of organizations such as Pearl Alliance– I might not “understand” their plight; I may not feel their pain from experience or even know the horrors that they constantly go through, yet I can have compassion on them and extend myself, and do all within my power, to help them and show them that somebody cares for real, and are not driven by their emotions. As the body of Christ, we need to extend ourselves to help the helpless, and to share with them the saving love of Jesus, regardless of whether or not we “feel their pain.” Pearl Alliance is a valiant organization that is in the front lines of a battle not many know exist.

This is the love, I think, that we as a church, as the body of Christ, need to grasp. It is not based on our emotions. Not to say that God did not give us emotions. See, even Jesus understands from experience all of our temptations and all of our pains! Isn’t it amazing? And still, he teaches us to have compassion regardless of our emotions; He teaches us to love without fear, without holding back.

In the everyday situations, and in the largescale turbulences outside of our own little world, we have to show compassion, especially to our brethren. Sometimes it’s giving a cup of cold water to a little one. Sometimes it’s visiting a brother in chains. Sometimes it’s feeding the hungry, on a small or a large scale.

“Therefore receive (be hospitable to) one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:1-8)

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-21)

In closing, I became aware just today that there is a degree of violence going on in Tarakan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia right now, after a member of the Tidung tribe was murdered. The situation is so heated, that most other Indonesians have fled the area for safety. The MAF missionaries could not make any flights, and they have to be ready to evacuate if necessary. Please pray for these people’s safety and guidance. For more information, read Tripp Flythe’s blog.

For more Word for Wednesdays, visit Yeah, Right.

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