Put On the New Self

 

In the month of January we focused as a church on our identity as images of God. We learned that we are not simply bearing the image of God we are the image of God. It’s part of our core identity, and in Christ that image is perfected. Because we are his image, he commands our life and how we live, and particularly how we show his love. We are either light-shining, life-giving images of God or we are darkness spreading takers—agents of deaths. Those who shine God’s light do so by spreading the eternal gospel to all nations, tribes, and tongues which overcomes ethnic, socio-economic, and gender barriers. This work is not without opposition. As the father of lies Satan would have us believe that God’s wisdom cannot be trusted but rather we should trust in our own feelings to decide how to live and express ourselves rather than trusting God’s word for us.

“Put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”

– Colossians 3:10

As we reflect on this, we may be tempted to see these things as a laundry list of commands we must obey. We must be spreaders of light by sharing the gospel to all nations, we must fight against the lies of Satan, we must show God’s love by conforming to his perfect image. Thinking of these as imperatives that we must complete can make us feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of God’s call or make us feel guilt and shame from our own sins that have spread darkness instead of light to others. Alternatively, we can become filled with pride as we reflect on how we have accomplished great things for God. Don’t let this be so. Our fight is not primarily to use our will to perform these acts or judge our own performance of commands but to walk in what God has already performed for us. Colossians 3 helps us to see this clearly.  Paul instructs the church in Colossae to do away with their darkness (Colossians 3: 5-9) and become spreaders of light (Colossians 3:12-17).  A life that was once marked by slander, sexual immorality, and selfish desires is replaced with truth and compassion, using our words to teach and encourage. How exactly are they (and we) to do this? Not by relying on our own power but by putting on the new life God has created for us after his own image (Colossians 3:10).

“God does not establish our new identity then leave us on our own to live it out, but he becomes the constant source of this new life.”

We cannot defeat the lies of Satan or be commanded by God’s love using our own authority. This is only done by being empowered by God himself. This new self was bought by the blood of Christ at the cross and empowered by his resurrection (1Corinthians 6:20; Colossians 3:1). The encouragement does not end there. Not only is this new self established by Christ, but it is being “renewed in knowledge.” God does not establish our new identity then leave us on our own to live it out, but he becomes the constant source of this new life. He is like a loving parent who urges their child to live a life worthy of the great name they have been given then walks with them to ensure they complete their calling with joy. By walking in the power their guardian gives, the child will not only be assured that they will accomplish their task (being an agent of light) but they will be protected from any prideful feeling that they are accomplishing this under their own power.

So do not fret at these imperatives but rather be encouraged that God has created this new life for you. So simply put it on. Walk in it, and Let the Father guide you as he did his beloved son.

Look at Christ to Look Like Christ

The Christian life is the Christlike life in the present. And the divinely ordained destiny of all Christians is Christlikeness.

 

Imitation Game

I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” To imitate someone is to acknowledge their uniqueness, their superiority, their greatness, their beauty. Well, interestingly enough this familiar saying actually applies quite readily to the Christian life. Paul has this to say in 1 Corinthians 11:1,

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Notice Paul isn’t telling the Corinthians to imitate him because he himself is so great. No. Rather, he too is a fellow imitator. He is an imitator of Christ. Christ is the only one ultimately worth imitating. This theme pops up throughout Scripture.

I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church (1 Corinthians 4:16–17).

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1–2).

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews (1 Thessalonians 2:14).

 

The Christian Life is the Christlike Life

The Christian life is the Christlike life. As saints, we imitate Christ’s ways (1 Corinthians 4:16–17). We imitate Christ’s sacrificial love (Ephesians 5:1–2). We imitate Christ’s Holy Spirit empowered joy in the midst of affliction on account of the word (1 Thessalonians 1:6). We imitate Christ in our suffering (1 Thessalonians 2:14). Christlikeness is not merely peripheral to the Christian life. The Christian life is the Christlike life here and now, in the present. But Christlikeness is also in our future.

Christlikeness is the divine destiny for all saints. God predestined us to look like Christ.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29)

Through Christ we are conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29). Through Christ we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Through Christ we are being transformed into the same image of him (2 Corinthians 3:17–18). Through Christ we are being renewed in knowledge after his image (Colossians 3:10; cf. 1:15). Indeed, through Christ, we will be like Christ (1 John 3:2–3).

 

How Do We Look Like Christ?

This is a wonderful promise, but how do we take hold of it? How do we do this? How do we live in such a way now that we imitate Christ—that we look like Christ? Where do we start? Not surprisingly, we start by looking at Jesus.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18)

We are transformed by beholding the glory of the Lord. Where do we look to behold this glory?

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)

We look at Jesus. That’s how we start. We can only imitate Jesus if we are looking at Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth is the supreme revelation God has given us of himself. Well, where do we see him? In at least two places to start: (1) in Scripture and (2) in the lives of fellow, more mature saints.

 

See Jesus in the Bible

First, we see Jesus supremely in Scripture by the power of the Holy Spirit. All of the OT prophesied, pointed to, and anticipated him. And all of the NT reveals how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled in this age and will fulfill in the age to come all of God’s promises to his people (Luke 24:27; 44–45; Revelation 22:12, 16, 20). The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the truth of Christ if we will look. We see Jesus by the Holy Spirit revealing him to us supremely in the Scriptures and testifying of him to our hearts (John 15:26). Read of Jesus in the Scriptures. See him, and imitate him.

 

See Jesus in Seasoned Saints

Second, we see Jesus when we look at fellow believers who are further down the winding road of our great pilgrimage. Here, we’re back where we started in this article. Paul issued this very instruction to fellow believers, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Similarly, the author of Hebrews says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:1). Even here, the author of Hebrews runs back up the chain of faith to Jesus himself, who never changes, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

This means we can look at the lives of past saints and living saints to see Jesus. Find a saint of old, perhaps an early church father, a reformation era theologian, or a modern Christian who has passed on to glory, and spend time with them. Read their works. Find their sermons. Read their biographies. But don’t just find a saint of old. Find a living saint. Find one who isn’t far, but close. Your local church where you are a member is the ideal place. Spend time with them. Talk with them. Listen to them. Consider their way of life and imitate their faith. Look at saints of old and present. See Jesus through their lives, and imitate them.

 

Look at Christ to Look Like Christ

Looking at Christ—this is how we run this great endurance race (Hebrews 12:2). And by looking at Christ, we will look like Christ. In this present earthly life we will look like Christ imperfectly. But this is really preparation and practice for the eternal life that awaits when we will look like him perfectly. Because this is our foreordained destiny as saints, to look like Jesus (Romans 8:29). And it may not surprise you at this point to learn that what will finally bring about our perfect image-bearing of Jesus is our seeing and looking at him when he returns.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2)

We look at Jesus to imitate and look like him now. And we do this in the knowledge and unwavering hope of this promise: We will see him as he is. And when we do, we will look like him.

Look at Christ to look like Christ.

The Power of the Resurrection

[From D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, God’s Ultimate Purpose: An Exposition of Ephesians 1 (Baker, 1978), excerpted from p. 399-422. These chapters are based on three sermons on Ephesians 1:19-20 preached in 1954; audio of those sermons is available online: first, second, third.]

[The resurrection] is the proof, beyond every other proof, of the fact that every obstacle and hindrance and enemy set in our path shall be overcome. The raising of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is proof positive and absolute, that even the ‘last enemy’ has been conquered and defeated….

Whatever may be true of our experience, whatever may be true of the world and its darkness, whatever may be true of the seeds of decay and of illness and of death that are in our bodies, and howsoever great is the power of the last enemy, we can be certain and confident of this, that nothing can prevent the carrying out of God’s purpose with respect to us. There is no power that can withstand Him; there is no might or influence that can match Him, there is no possible antagonist that can equal Him. The mightiest foes, the devil, death and hell have already been vanquished, and the resurrection of Christ is the proof of it….

Do you realize the exceeding greatness of His power in you? Do you realize the energy of the strength of His might that is already working in you? And do you realize that because it has begun it will continue, and continue until you will find yourself ‘faultless and blameless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing’ in the presence of God?…

It is most important that we should realize that the Apostle is praying here, not that the Ephesians may have more power, but that they may come to know the greatness of the power of God that is already working in them…. We are not Christians and cannot be Christians apart from this mighty working of the power of God…..

The most urgent practical question for every Christian is this: Are we aware of the fact that the almighty power of God is working in us? Do we realize that we are what we are solely and entirely by the grace and the power of God? Do we realize in our own personal lives and experiences that it is this exceeding great power of God that accounts for everything in the Christian life? I press these questions again because I am convinced that the main trouble with most of us is our failure to realize the greatness of the salvation into which we have been brought, and which we enjoy together.…

Somehow or another we do not grasp the idea of this mighty working of God in salvation. Far too often we think of it solely in terms of forgiveness. We think of the Christian life as just a matter of knowing that we are forgiven, and then our living the Christian life as best we can…. When we come to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, do we realize that it was the greatest manifestation of the energy of the strength of God’s might that the world has ever known. According to the Scriptures nothing but the almighty power of God could have raised Him again from the dead, and exalted Him to the high position where He is at this moment at the right hand of God. We forget that He was ‘declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead’” [Romans 1:4]….

Nothing but the power of God can make us believers. But it is also by this selfsame power that we continue in the Christian life. It takes the same power which enabled us to believe to enable us to continue at all in the Christian life. We would not be able to stand for a single hour in the Christian life were it not for this power of God that is working in us….

If you have the life of God in you, if He has started ‘a good work’ in you, He will not give it up, He will bring it to perfection. If you will not be led by Him, you will be driven; if you refuse to be enticed and attracted, you will be chastised. God wills our perfecting, and he will stop at nothing less. The work will go on, the power of God will continue to be exercised in us until we are faultless…. He wills that we should be holy and without blemish in His presence.

Is there anything more important for us than to know all this? We are in the hands of God, and He is working in us. He has given us the power to believe, He is working in us now, fashioning us, molding us, bringing us to perfection. We cannot escape it, we are in His hands and He will go on with the work. Blessed be his name!

Oh that we might know this more and more, and realize the high privilege of our calling, the marvel, the miracle of this new life which is all from God, and which is all by God. My comfort, my consolation, my strength, my assurance, is to know that God is working in me; and that He will never cease to work in me until I stand before Him in glory.

The Lies of Satan and the Word of God

Our Lord Jesus tells us:

[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

What lies does Satan tell you?

Here are seventeen that he has used against me over the years – and responses to each from God’s Word. I encourage you to make your own list, adding additional lies, and developing a list of Scriptures to use in our battle against the enemy.

(1) THE LIE: There is no such thing as Satan

THE WORD: Satan tempts (Matthew 4:10-11), can be rebuked (Zechariah 3:2) and resisted (James 4:7), fell from heaven (Luke 10:18), asks to be able to accomplish his purposes (Luke 22:31-32); our battle is neither against flesh and blood nor against an abstract force, but against rulers and authorities (Ephesians 6:12).

(2) THE LIE: “You’re so bad, you might as well never try to be good.  God will never forgive you for all that you’ve done.”

THE WORD: “Don’t you know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (emphasis added)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

(3) (Satan doesn’t aim to be consistent: Note that this third lie is virtually the opposite of the second, but he uses both against the same person, sometimes within minutes):

THE LIE: “Aren’t you becoming a wonderful Christian now!  Look at all the things you do for God!  Isn’t it too bad that all those other Christians aren’t doing so well.  And all those unbelievers . . .  Well!”

THE WORD: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9  not by works, so that no one can boast. 10  For we are God’s workmanship.” Ephesians 2:8-10a

(4) THE LIE: “Don’t even try to resist this temptation — you can’t do it!”

THE WORD: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  1 Corinthians 10:13

(5) THE LIE: “Shouldn’t a great mind like yours take an academic interest in Christianity?“

THE WORD: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things– and the things that are not– to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God– that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31

(6) THE LIE: “This is more important right now!  You can (read the Bible, pray, serve others) tomorrow.”

THE WORD: “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”  Hebrews 6:12

(7) THE LIE: “God’s way is no fun; you will miss out on life if you follow him!  My way is the way to life!”

THE WORD: “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.  What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?  Those things result in death!  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:20-23

“. . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . .” Galations 5:22

(8) THE LIE: “You’ve been good for quite a while now – come on, you deserve a little fun.”

THE WORD: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”  1 Corinthians 10:12

(9) THE LIE: “This sin really doesn’t matter . . . It’s only a little one.”

THE WORD: “Be perfect, therefore, as your father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew  5:48

(10) THE LIE: “Everyone else is doing it, so it must be ok!”

THE WORD: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2

(11) THE LIE: “Just this once. Come on, just this once!  See what it’s like!  No harm can come from this one time!”

THE WORD: “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he  is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.”  James 1:14-15

“This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”  1 John 2:5-6

(12) THE LIE: “No one will ever know!”

THE WORD:  “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” Luke 12:2

(13) THE LIE: “You’ve already blown it — you might as well give in the rest of the way and ask God to forgive you later.”

THE WORD: “What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”  Romans 6:1-2

(14) THE LIE: “You’ve given plenty to God — keep this for yourself.  He can’t expect you to give him everything!”

THE WORD: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26 (emphasis added)

(15) THE LIE: “God doesn’t love you!” 

THE WORD: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

(16) THE LIE: “God couldn’t possibly intend for you to do that!  Here’s an easier way to accomplish the same thing!”

THE WORD: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

(17) THE LIE: “If anything looks good to you, go after it!”

THE WORD: “Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and his pride in his possessions — comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”  1 John 2:15-17

The Grace to Forgive, the Grace to be Made Holy

Someone sins against you terribly. You have a choice: Do you forgive or not?

At one level, the biblical answer is easy: Of course you forgive. When Peter asks Jesus if he should forgive the repetitious sin of his brother seven times, Jesus replies, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22). If someone hits you on the right cheek, you are to turn the other to him also (Matthew 5:39).

These and other Scriptures emphasize that we are not to take personal offense. We are not to become bitter. We are not to hold grudges. We are to forgive one another from the heart. Indeed, we are to put the interests of the other above our own.

Yet that last statement can lead to questions about how we respond to sin against us. If we really have the interests of our sinning brother or sister at heart, we want them to cease from this sin. Surely that is in their interests. If our attitude towards their sin enables further sin, aren’t we harming our brother or sister by that attitude?

Consider a common example, in biblical times as well as in our own: A spouse commits adultery. Is forgiveness the right response? Or does forgiveness enable further sin – “My spouse will always forgive me, so I might as well continue to fulfill my desires”?

In this case, we have a specific example in the book of Hosea. And the answer is rather complex.

God tells Hosea to marry Gomer, a promiscuous woman who will continue having affairs after their marriage. This violation of the marriage covenant pictures God’s people violating their covenant with Him.

Gomer’s adulteries eventually lead her to being sold in the slave market. Yet God tells Hosea once again:

“Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods.”…  So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver…. And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (From Hosea 3:1-3).

At God’s command, Hosea shows his wife great grace – buying the one who is already his, paying the price for her! This is tremendous forgiveness.

But this is not a license for her to continue in sin. Hosea is explicit: Their future relationship must be made pure; the adultery must cease. He must not respond to her sin by paying her back with his own affair; she must never return to that unfaithful life.

Just so with God and the people of Israel. God disciplines His unfaithful people (Hosea 2:5-13), eventually even destroying their country and sending them into exile. Yet all this is for redemptive purposes: He allures her, He speaks tenderly to her (Hosea 2:14), He purifies her now and forever:

I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. (Hosea 2:19-20)

So Hosea exemplifies not only God’s forgiving love, but also His cleansing, sanctifying love. The restoration of the relationship is not an invitation to further sin; it does not enable further sin; rather, it is the opportunity for the relationship to become what God always intended marriage to be: An exclusive one-flesh relationship that in love, in grace, in mercy, and in holiness pictures His relationship with His people.

And this is what we find as part of the Bride of Christ: If we see God’s forgiveness in Christ as a license to sin without consequences, we are sorely wrong. We dishonor God. We trample on the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:26-29). Indeed, if we persist in that attitude, we will receive no forgiveness. God does not forgive us so that we might continue in sin.

Rather, we are like Gomer: God forgives us so that we, His Bride, guilty of being adulteresses in the past, might return and seek Him, and so recognize and come to His goodness, thereby living to the praise of His glorious grace.

If that’s the relationship between God and His people – if that’s the reality behind every marriage, indeed, behind every marriage stained by adultery – how can we live out these truths, how can we picture these realities when we are sinned against?

These Scriptures lead to four clear principles – even though the outworking of the principles in specific cases is challenging:

First: Offer complete personal forgiveness. This does not downplay the severity of the sin against you; rather, this magnifies the extent of your much greater sin against God, for which He has forgiven you in Christ (Matthew 18:21-35).

Second: The sin should not remain secret, only known to the two of you. The adulteries of Gomer, the spiritual adultery of the people of Israel, are made public. How many people should know about this sin will vary from case to case. If the couple is part of a grace-oriented church that effectively practices church discipline, discussing the sin before the church body can be an important part of the healing process. But in every case, bring in wise Christians who are biblically sound and desire both your good and the glory of God – even if, especially if, the erring spouse does not want that to happen. Covering up the sin may seem to be good for the sinner, but it is that very cover-up that enables and makes more likely future sin. And that is the worst that can happen to the sinner.

Third: Work to restore unity and trust. Both have been violated terribly. Yet God has made the two one, even though we have worked to destroy that unity. Nevertheless, what God has joined together, man must not separate (Matthew 19:6). The restoration of unity and trust will take time; a period of physical separation may be part of the process of restoration. Once again, including others at this stage is necessary. Form a plan on how to go forward together with a wise Christian couple, and build in accountability for both spouses to that plan.

Finally: Christ perfects His Bride, making her holy (Ephesians 5:25-27). We see one way that happens in Hosea 2:14, where God says to His unfaithful Bride: “I will allure her … and speak tenderly to her.” Love the errant spouse. Woo him or her. Not in a grasping, needy sense – “I can’t live without you, please come back to me!” – but out of confidence in God, out of trust in His sovereign kindness, knowing you are forgiven such great sin, and knowing that He can take a heart of stone and turn it into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), He can grant repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth and escape from the trap of the devil (2 Timothy 2:25-26). Love – and pray for God to act.

By God’s grace, your errant spouse – and anyone who sins terribly against you – can be a living example of God’s forgiving, redeeming, perfecting love. You can be His agent in bringing that about. The pain is real. The sin is great. Justice must be done. But if you are in Christ, justice was implemented at the cross; you are forgiven a much greater sin. So forgive from the heart. And may God be pleased to work through you and other Christians to glorify His Name even through such a terrible sin.

What a Gospel!

Consider what Peter says about the recipients of his first letter:

He writes to those chosen “in accordance with the foreknowledge of God, through the setting apart [for God] of the [Holy] Spirit, unto obedience to Jesus Christ and [unto] sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:2, own translation).

If you are in Christ, how did you get there? “In accordance with the foreknowledge of God.” That is, God the Father knew it and planned it long ago. He orchestrated all that happened in history – from the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to the migrations of your ancestors and the meeting of your parents – to bring it about. And He orchestrated all that happened in your life to bring it about – from your siblings, friends, and schools to your encounters with believers and the Word. You are in Christ “in accordance with the foreknowledge of God.”

And you are in Christ “through the setting apart for God of the Holy Spirit.” That is, at exactly the right time, when all had been prepared, including your hearing the Word of Truth, the Gospel, the Holy Spirit picked you out of the mass of humanity headed for destruction, setting you apart for God. He opened your eyes to the hopelessness of the path you were on, to the empty promises of sin, to the beauty of Jesus, and to the joy of following Him. He surgically removed your heart of stone and transplanted a new heart of flesh. By His grace, you joyfully chose to repent of your sin, to take up your cross, and to follow Jesus. And that same Spirit continues to conform you to the image of Jesus.

What was the purpose of all this work by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit? It is all “unto obedience to Jesus Christ.” That is, all this took place so that you could glorify God by obeying all that Jesus commands, just as He obeyed all the Father commands. So our obedience is not optional, an extra add-on that might be good to do if we are saved, but is not essential. No! We are saved “unto obedience”! Our obedience is of central importance.

So we are chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God, through the setting apart for God of the Holy Spirit, unto obedience to Jesus Christ. Wonderful! But there’s a problem. You know what it is. In this life, our obedience is always imperfect. Chosen and saved for the purpose of obedience, we fail to live up to our purpose. We sin. We rebel. Yet God, having orchestrated all things to bring about our salvation, has dealt with this problem too. Peter says we are chosen and saved not only unto obedience but also “unto sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ.” God chose us not only to glorify all persons of the Trinity through our initial salvation, but also to glorify Himself through our being sprinkled, cleansed, covered time and again with the forgiveness that only comes through Christ’s death. In Christ, our disobedience doesn’t lead to our being excluded from Him – because God chooses us “unto sprinkling with the blood”.

Ponder that last paragraph. Realize: By the grace of God we fulfill our purpose even when we fail to live up to our purpose. Obedience is central – we are saved in order to obey! And our failure to obey is covered – Jesus’ blood is sufficient!

What grace! What mercy! What a Gospel!

Do Our Actions Please God?

How can you please God?

Can you please Him by working on His behalf?

We often think: If we would just witness more (or more effectively); if we would just give more to the church, or attend services more regularly, or pray more, or help the poor more diligently then God would be pleased with us.

Is that right?

Consider what Jesus said to His disciples after interacting with the Samaritan woman, telling her He was the longed-for Messiah: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34).

Jesus has quoted Deuteronomy previously, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus loves the word of His Father. He delights to do His will. He finds sustenance and satisfaction and fulfillment in accomplishing the Father’s plan. So, in this particular case, He found joy and sustenance from seeing this woman whose life was a wreck come to saving faith as He shared the Good News of the coming of the promised Christ.

So Jesus found joy in following God. Surely we too should find joy in following Him.

But what about the flip side of that truth? Does our activity, our accomplishment, our obedience please God?

We have to be careful here. Scripture makes some subtle but vital distinctions in this area. Consider, for example, Psalm 147:10-11:

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

We never impress God. However strong we may be, however great our accomplishments might appear, God doesn’t jump up and down, saying, “Awesome! I’m so happy you did that! Do it again! Show me what you can do!”

Instead, what gives God pleasure? He rejoices in our dependence on Him, in our acknowledgment of His power and authority, in our trusting in His love for us and commitment to us.

Furthermore, consider 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” That is, God’s will is for you to be made holy. For you to be set apart for Him. For you to be like Him, like Christ.

So putting these biblical thoughts together: We, like Jesus, delight to do God’s will and to accomplish His work. But God’s work and God’s will include not only actions on our part, but also our becoming like Jesus: Having patience, love, kindness, devotion, endurance, gentleness, piety, and self-control. So He desires us to become like Jesus – and for us to help others to become like Jesus. That never happens through our own strength, through our own will-power, through “the strength of a horse” or “the legs of a man.” No. That only happens as we devour His Word, as we depend on His grace, as we submit to His wisdom, as we rejoice in His love. Activity in and of itself does not honor Him. Becoming Christlike and acting Christlike honor Him.

So, no, in and of itself working on God’s behalf does not please Him. He takes no delight in my puny strength, my puny abilities, my puny accomplishments.

But God takes great joy in our fulfilling His purposes for us – as we become more like Jesus inside and outside, in thoughts and attitudes as well as in words and deeds.

So by all means witness – out of the overflow of your joy in Christ. Give generously – knowing all you have is a grant from God to be used for His glory. Worship corporately – in spirit and in truth. Help the poor – with the compassion of Christ for the glory of Christ. Become like Jesus – and act like Him. This is how you can please God.

 

The Call to Purity and the Fact of Sin

Do you sin?

The Apostle John tells us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

So, yes, you and I do sin.

Yet the same apostle also tells us, “You know that [Christ] appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.  No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him” (1 John 3:5-6 New American Standard, which is quite literal here).

So you and I must not sin.  

All Christians thus live in the tension between Scripture’s call to purity and its judgment of universal sinfulness. How do we resolve the tension?

Twenty years ago, D.A. Carson and John Woodbridge wrote a series of letters from a fictional seminary professor named Paul to a young man named Timothy who recently had come to faith in Christ. Letters Along the Way (Crossway, 1993, available now for free as a pdf download) intersperses those letters with Timothy’s descriptions of the occasion that prompted each.

The early chapters focus on Timothy learning to live the Christian life. Letter 11 is particularly helpful for dealing with this important tension:

Read 1 John – doctrine, obedience, and love go together. Read Galatians and Romans – Christology, justification by faith, and the obedience of faith stand or fall together. Read 1 Corinthians – the gifts of the Spirit, the doctrine of the resurrection, transparent love, and moral probity stand or fall together. Jesus is Lord.

I do not for a moment want to convey the impression that Christians simply do not sin. Here, too, 1 John is of enormous help. Writing to Christians, John says that, on the one hand, if anyone claims he does not sin or has not sinned, he is a liar, self-deceived, guilty of calling God a liar (since God says we are all sinners-1 John 1:6,8,10). On the other hand, John insists that Christians do not go on sinning, that they obey Christ and love the brothers (see especially 1 John 3:7-10). How can both emphases be true?

In fact, unless you hold both emphases strongly and simultaneously, you will go seriously astray. Stress the former, and you will become lackadaisical about sin; stress the latter, and you may gravitate toward some version of Christian perfectionism where you hold you have already attained perfection when all your colleagues (and especially your family!) can see you are deluded. The fact is that until Jesus’ return, we will sin. As we grow in holiness, we will become aware of inconsistencies and taints we had not even spotted before. Most of us will sometimes stumble and drift, at times rather seriously. There will be different rates of progress, different degrees of spiritual maturity; all of us will have to return to Jesus for renewed cleansing and forgiveness. But at the same time, if we are Christians, we will insist that there is never any excuse for sin. In no case do we have to sin. Though in our lives as a whole, we may ruefully recognize we will sin, in any particular instance we do not have to sin, and that particular sin is therefore without excuse. Sinning is simply not allowed in the Christian way. No provision must be permitted to encourage it; no excuse ever justifies it.

You and I live in this tension. The only solution is not a theoretical one, but a practical one, an existential one. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

That, Tim, is God’s answer to your sin and your only hope. And it is enough. Never, never treat God’s forgiveness lightly, as if you may sin with impunity because God is there to forgive you; but never, never wallow in the guilt of some sin you have committed in the fear that God is not merciful enough or gracious enough to forgive you. Learn not to flirt with sin; and when you fall, learn to beg God’s forgiveness for Jesus’ sake and press on. That is the only way you can live with a clean conscience; it is the only way that your confession of Jesus as Lord will have any bite in your life.

I write as a fellow sinner, forgiven and pressing on.

Or put another way: Ask yourself two questions:

(1)    How do I anticipate sin in my life? Like a child of God?

(2)    How do I respond to sin in my life? Like a child of God?

May we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and thus hate and fight against the sin He hates; and may we know that, as God’s children, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who paid the penalty for our every sin.

(For more on this topic, see the sermon “No One Who Abides in Jesus Sins” on 1 John 3:4-10.)

Preach the Gospel to Yourself

[I have been reading Jerry Bridges’ book The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness (NavPress, 1994, 2006). He hits hard at the idea that we must appropriate the Gospel for ourselves every day, confessing our sins and turning to the cross. This is a necessary part of the turning to God in fasting and prayer that Fred and I have been calling us to over these last two months. Here are excerpts from chapter 3 of the book, “Preach the Gospel to Yourself.” I commend the entire book to you; for more information – and to read the preface and chapter 1 – follow this link – Coty]

The typical evangelical paradigm is that the gospel is for unbelievers and the duties of discipleship are for believers. But the gospel is for believers also, and we must pursue holiness . . . in the atmosphere of the gospel. To do that, however, we must firmly grasp what the gospel is and what it means in practical terms to preach it to ourselves every day. . . .

The single [Bible] passage . . . that most clearly and completely explains the gospel is Romans 3:19-26. A minister friend of mine calls this passage “The Heart of the Gospel.” So if we are going to preach the gospel to ourselves every day and learn to live by it, we need to understand Romans 3:19-26. . . . (more…)

What is Your Task?

What has God called you to do? What should be the aim of your life?

  • Not to have an easy life: As Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it (Luke 9:23-24).
  • Not to amass earthly wealth: As Paul says, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1 Tim 6:9).

Surely one aim of your life should be to become holy, to be sanctified, to become like Christ: “This is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

But while our sanctification, our becoming like Christ, begins with change inside us by the power of the Spirit, it does not end there. For as Paul says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

What are these good works? (more…)