I don't know how many sermons I've heard over the years, or how many Christian songs, or how many messages on Christian radio, etc, that have had the basic message of "This is what's wrong with you, and this is what you need to do in order to change." Now, the exact words don't come out that way, but that's the basic message! If someone is telling you what you need to fix, they are essentially telling you that you are broken. You hear enough of this and you begin to think that the Christian life is all about the things I need to change in my life. You get up today and you need to work on this, this and that.
Have you ever heard someone tell you what is right with you? Does anyone ever take the time, an extended period of time, to lay the foundation in your life of what God has made you to be, apart from anything you've ever done? Week after week after week we're told "how to live the Christian life," but does anyone ever tell us who we are? And I don't mean a quick little verse here and there with a little nugget about what Christ has accomplished for us. I mean solid, foundational, ongoing teaching about what the Bible says we already are. We are the righteousness of God in Christ, but yet you'd think that it's something we're still trying to work for. We are holy, redeemed, justified, complete in Jesus, accepted in the Beloved, but yet you'd think that God isn't totally happy with us until we get some cobwebs cleared out and get some things done for Him.
I hope to spend some more time on this blog, getting into the nitty gritty of who we already are, apart from anything we do. Some perhaps think that this will lead to lazy lifestyles, but really, what better foundation is there to lay other than the foundation of the knowledge of who you are because of the work of the perfect Creator and author and finisher of our faith?
Grace Roots Blog
Monday, June 26, 2006
Friday, June 23, 2006
A big difference
For the past several years, I've carried a little voice recorder along with me when I'm out on the road for my job. Thoughts come, and if I think it's something I want to remember, I record it. Two or three years ago as I was recording some thoughts, I realized that there is a phrase that I use quite often. A lot of times my thoughts have to do with living by grace vs. living in legalism. I say something about Old Covenant thinking, or trying to live the New Covenant life the Old Covenant way, and then I compare it with what the Bible actually says about the New Covenant. And I say, "there's a big difference!"
There's a big difference between how I used to live my Christian life and how I live it now! I used to take just about any verse out of the Bible and try to apply it to my Christian life and to the lives of other Christians. It didn't matter where the verse was found, who was doing the writing, who the intended audience was, what the purpose of the writing was, and so on and so forth. I would say, "it's in the Bible, so it's God's Word!" Yes, I do believe it's God's word, but I eventually came to realize that context is very important, and that, among other things, there is a BIG DIFFERENCE between how man related to God under that first covenant, and how we relate to God now in the days of grace.
There is also a big difference between the purposes of the two covenants. Paul tells us that the first one had glory... but the second one has so much more glory! (2 Cor. 3:9). He even calls the first one "the ministry of death" and "the ministry of condemnation" in the same passage and surrounding verses. There was a purpose for the ministry of death and condemnation: death and condemnation! The law was given for the purpose of condemning man for sin, and pronouncing the judgment of death. Through the law, man's sin was imputed to him. Sin had been in the world, but not imputed to man (charged to his account) until the coming of the law. It left man no way out, except to understand that he fell far short of God's glory and His holy standard.
It is glorious in that this ministry of death and condemnation would lead mankind to understand their guilt. God, in His grace, first provided the charge of guilt on mankind. The sacrifice of Christ would be of no effect if our sin hadn't been first charged to us, or put on our account. Romans 5:13-14 says that even before sin had been imputed to man (by the law) DEATH reigned. But in order for Christ to "become" sin for us (2 Cor 5:21), our sin had to first be charged to us. That is the purpose of the law!
Now, in Christ, we have become DEAD TO THE LAW, that we may be joined with Christ! (Rom 7:4, Gal 2:19)
Rom 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another — to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
NKJV
Gal 2:19-21 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
NKJV
There's a big difference between how I used to live my Christian life and how I live it now! I used to take just about any verse out of the Bible and try to apply it to my Christian life and to the lives of other Christians. It didn't matter where the verse was found, who was doing the writing, who the intended audience was, what the purpose of the writing was, and so on and so forth. I would say, "it's in the Bible, so it's God's Word!" Yes, I do believe it's God's word, but I eventually came to realize that context is very important, and that, among other things, there is a BIG DIFFERENCE between how man related to God under that first covenant, and how we relate to God now in the days of grace.
There is also a big difference between the purposes of the two covenants. Paul tells us that the first one had glory... but the second one has so much more glory! (2 Cor. 3:9). He even calls the first one "the ministry of death" and "the ministry of condemnation" in the same passage and surrounding verses. There was a purpose for the ministry of death and condemnation: death and condemnation! The law was given for the purpose of condemning man for sin, and pronouncing the judgment of death. Through the law, man's sin was imputed to him. Sin had been in the world, but not imputed to man (charged to his account) until the coming of the law. It left man no way out, except to understand that he fell far short of God's glory and His holy standard.
It is glorious in that this ministry of death and condemnation would lead mankind to understand their guilt. God, in His grace, first provided the charge of guilt on mankind. The sacrifice of Christ would be of no effect if our sin hadn't been first charged to us, or put on our account. Romans 5:13-14 says that even before sin had been imputed to man (by the law) DEATH reigned. But in order for Christ to "become" sin for us (2 Cor 5:21), our sin had to first be charged to us. That is the purpose of the law!
Now, in Christ, we have become DEAD TO THE LAW, that we may be joined with Christ! (Rom 7:4, Gal 2:19)
Rom 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another — to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
NKJV
Gal 2:19-21 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
NKJV
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Try not to think about THIS!
One day when my son was 4 years old (he's almost 8 now), he had sort of a puzzled look on his face and finally he said, “Daddy, I try to stop thinking but I can’t.”
I wasn’t exactly sure if I’d heard him right so I said, “What?”
He said, “I try to stop but it keeps doing it.”
“What keeps doing it?”
"My head."
-----
You just never know what will come out of their mouths! Another time we were watching TV and he asked, "How come, every day, Ronald McDonald doesn't change his clothes?"
I wasn’t exactly sure if I’d heard him right so I said, “What?”
He said, “I try to stop but it keeps doing it.”
“What keeps doing it?”
"My head."
-----
You just never know what will come out of their mouths! Another time we were watching TV and he asked, "How come, every day, Ronald McDonald doesn't change his clothes?"
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Identity
Yesterday I "rediscovered" a book I had started reading some time ago. It's called "Victory Over the Darkness," by Neil T. Anderson. Subtitled, "Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ." There is a wonderful list in the first chapter that I have often returned to, documenting with Bible verses "Who I am in Christ." It's a must-read.
Today I opened up to a section called "Balancing the Indicative and the Imperative. Simply put, he's talking about a balance between understanding what God has already done and what is already true about us, and how we respond to God by faith and obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. Anderson's observation is that these two things are balanced equally in scripture. "But," he says, "I have not observed that in our churches." In other words (my own words), the church teaches a lot of the "do's and don'ts" of the Christian life, and a lot of the "how to's," but the teaching of our identity in Christ is rare or altogether missing!
It's been my view for a long time that understanding our identity in Christ is crucial to "Christian living." We can hear all about what we Christians are supposed to "do." (And as Christians, we certainly don't sit on our duffs and "do nothing!") We can read Bible stories of the incredible things people of faith have done. (And we can do some of the same incredible things!) We can receive point by point instructions on "how" to live the Christian life. However... if there's not solid and constant teaching and reminders of who we have actually become as saints, as children of God, as new creations, as people with brand new identities (apart from what we do or don't do), and of the power of the life of Christ in us, then all that will become of us is that we will be people striving to fulfill God's call on our lives by the futile efforts of our flesh.
It's as if we've made "what we do" the foundation, and identity is something that comes out of our doing... rather than the other way around! We end up struggling with the daily living of the Christian life because the foundation we're building on - our own efforts - simply cannot sustain us. But we have a rock solid foundation in our identity - what God has already done and what is already true about us - apart from anything we've ever done! If we don't grow in our understanding of this, we are building on a sandy foundation.
A little while later, after reading the section of the book I mentioned above, I just happened to turn to the book's Introduction. There Anderson nails it perfectly. He says that in his years of ministry (being a pastor, seminary professor, discipler, counselor) he has "found one common denominator for all struggling Christians. They do not know who they are in Christ, nor do they understand what it means to be a child of God."
I believe we need to constantly renew our minds as to who we are in Christ, and rest in that and find peace in that, in and of itself, with nothing added. Instead, it seems like we as the church have a primary focus of renewing our minds about what we are supposed to be doing as Christians. I'll even take it a step further, and you can jump all over me all you want, but I don't even believe we need to find a "balance" between knowing who we are and knowing what we are supposed to do. When Jesus was asked, "what shall we do, that we may work the works of God?," Jesus' reply was so simple, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Elsewhere Jesus said that if you abide (rest) in Him, and His words in you, you will bear fruit!
I believe that our focus should be simple faith and Christ's very life in us. As we focus on Him, I believe that His life will be expressed through us in ways that a focus on the "do's and don'ts" can never do! Paul did of course have many exhortations for the church about what to do and what not to do. It seems the church focuses a lot on the actions Paul talked about. But each time you read through Paul's letters, and his exhortations for the body of Christ, notice how he never fails to first build them up with talk of who they are (Saints, accepted in the beloved, children of God, justified, sanctified, holy, complete in Him, God's workmanship, free from condemnation, etc, all by faith and by God's own work, not their own). Perhaps if they were solidified in their understanding of their identity, they wouldn't need such exhortations! Personally, the more focused I am on who I am in Christ, and the more my understanding of who I already am grows, the less I need people (and rules and precepts and law) to tell me what to do and what not to do.
Not that we shouldn't use exhortations and sermons and fellowship to "spur one another on toward love and good works!" (Heb 10:24). We do need that! I'm just saying that we (the church) are desperately missing ongoing and steady identity teaching. Does this make sense?
Today I opened up to a section called "Balancing the Indicative and the Imperative. Simply put, he's talking about a balance between understanding what God has already done and what is already true about us, and how we respond to God by faith and obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. Anderson's observation is that these two things are balanced equally in scripture. "But," he says, "I have not observed that in our churches." In other words (my own words), the church teaches a lot of the "do's and don'ts" of the Christian life, and a lot of the "how to's," but the teaching of our identity in Christ is rare or altogether missing!
It's been my view for a long time that understanding our identity in Christ is crucial to "Christian living." We can hear all about what we Christians are supposed to "do." (And as Christians, we certainly don't sit on our duffs and "do nothing!") We can read Bible stories of the incredible things people of faith have done. (And we can do some of the same incredible things!) We can receive point by point instructions on "how" to live the Christian life. However... if there's not solid and constant teaching and reminders of who we have actually become as saints, as children of God, as new creations, as people with brand new identities (apart from what we do or don't do), and of the power of the life of Christ in us, then all that will become of us is that we will be people striving to fulfill God's call on our lives by the futile efforts of our flesh.
It's as if we've made "what we do" the foundation, and identity is something that comes out of our doing... rather than the other way around! We end up struggling with the daily living of the Christian life because the foundation we're building on - our own efforts - simply cannot sustain us. But we have a rock solid foundation in our identity - what God has already done and what is already true about us - apart from anything we've ever done! If we don't grow in our understanding of this, we are building on a sandy foundation.
A little while later, after reading the section of the book I mentioned above, I just happened to turn to the book's Introduction. There Anderson nails it perfectly. He says that in his years of ministry (being a pastor, seminary professor, discipler, counselor) he has "found one common denominator for all struggling Christians. They do not know who they are in Christ, nor do they understand what it means to be a child of God."
I believe we need to constantly renew our minds as to who we are in Christ, and rest in that and find peace in that, in and of itself, with nothing added. Instead, it seems like we as the church have a primary focus of renewing our minds about what we are supposed to be doing as Christians. I'll even take it a step further, and you can jump all over me all you want, but I don't even believe we need to find a "balance" between knowing who we are and knowing what we are supposed to do. When Jesus was asked, "what shall we do, that we may work the works of God?," Jesus' reply was so simple, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Elsewhere Jesus said that if you abide (rest) in Him, and His words in you, you will bear fruit!
I believe that our focus should be simple faith and Christ's very life in us. As we focus on Him, I believe that His life will be expressed through us in ways that a focus on the "do's and don'ts" can never do! Paul did of course have many exhortations for the church about what to do and what not to do. It seems the church focuses a lot on the actions Paul talked about. But each time you read through Paul's letters, and his exhortations for the body of Christ, notice how he never fails to first build them up with talk of who they are (Saints, accepted in the beloved, children of God, justified, sanctified, holy, complete in Him, God's workmanship, free from condemnation, etc, all by faith and by God's own work, not their own). Perhaps if they were solidified in their understanding of their identity, they wouldn't need such exhortations! Personally, the more focused I am on who I am in Christ, and the more my understanding of who I already am grows, the less I need people (and rules and precepts and law) to tell me what to do and what not to do.
Not that we shouldn't use exhortations and sermons and fellowship to "spur one another on toward love and good works!" (Heb 10:24). We do need that! I'm just saying that we (the church) are desperately missing ongoing and steady identity teaching. Does this make sense?
Monday, June 12, 2006
Let it go... Depend on Him!
I've been "growing in grace" for a long time now. I mean, trusting in God's power in me - Christ's life - to be my victory and to be my sufficiency. But still I don't do everything perfectly. "I'm not what I want to be but I'm not what I used to be."
Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus doesn't mean everything changes instantly! Growing "slowly" hurts as it is, but forcing it to happen quickly is deadly! There are certain things I wish God would change in me right now, and I've prayed for certain changes in my life. Sometimes I can see how I've changed and sometimes I can only see just how far I have to go! But the thing about resting in God's grace and sufficiency is that YOU don't control the changes in your life. The One who knows best is the one who's life is working in you according to His perfect plan. Jesus said if you rest in Him, you will bear fruit... right?
Take a deep breath. Hold it for a few seconds. Let it go..
Literally, let it go.
The only power in you to change is the perfect power of the Almighty. He may not be doing things the way you think you should be doing things. That's OK! He's got your -- WHOLE LIFE -- in His hands. You might not have come as far as you wish but you haven't slipped so far as to be out of His plan!
He has taken into account your weakness.
In fact... He has said that His strength is made perfect in your weakness. He is not depending upon YOU. Rather, you are fully dependent upon Him. And He will accomplish what He wants to accomplish in your life. Don't doubt it!
Man looks on the outside. God looks on the heart. You are a person after God's own heart - not because you have done everything perfectly, but because you trust Him.
Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus doesn't mean everything changes instantly! Growing "slowly" hurts as it is, but forcing it to happen quickly is deadly! There are certain things I wish God would change in me right now, and I've prayed for certain changes in my life. Sometimes I can see how I've changed and sometimes I can only see just how far I have to go! But the thing about resting in God's grace and sufficiency is that YOU don't control the changes in your life. The One who knows best is the one who's life is working in you according to His perfect plan. Jesus said if you rest in Him, you will bear fruit... right?
Take a deep breath. Hold it for a few seconds. Let it go..
Literally, let it go.
The only power in you to change is the perfect power of the Almighty. He may not be doing things the way you think you should be doing things. That's OK! He's got your -- WHOLE LIFE -- in His hands. You might not have come as far as you wish but you haven't slipped so far as to be out of His plan!
He has taken into account your weakness.
In fact... He has said that His strength is made perfect in your weakness. He is not depending upon YOU. Rather, you are fully dependent upon Him. And He will accomplish what He wants to accomplish in your life. Don't doubt it!
Man looks on the outside. God looks on the heart. You are a person after God's own heart - not because you have done everything perfectly, but because you trust Him.
Welcome to my graceroots blog!
Hi there! Thanks for taking some time to be here. "Grace" is what this is all about - grace that saves and grace that is the power for everything in life. If you've ever felt frustrated in your Christian walk, struggling and striving to get it right but never quite making it - and even knowing you've fallen far short of God's holy standard - then I have good news for you! God's grace certainly is what saves us, but His grace goes far beyond simple forgiveness of sins! God's grace is the power in us, that is not "us," that provides all we need for Christian living. ALL we need! Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing" and Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
So if we can do nothing apart from Jesus, and we can do all things through Him, I think that goes to show that we are completely dependent upon HIM, and not our own striving and struggling to make it all work. There is peace and rest in this! As we rest in Him (abide in Him), His very life in us is what animates us and provides the power and energy for all He has called us to do. If it's up to our own personal efforts and struggles, the work produced will amount to nothing more than wood, hay and straw. If it's His life working in and through us, we will have adundant fruit that lasts forever.
So if you're riding the up and down rollercoaster of self-sufficient Christianity, stop fooling yourself and stop being so hard on yourself! You CAN'T do it! You will never do it! Besides, "you" have died - you have been crucified with Christ. Stop trying to bring that old man back to life to work the works he could never do in the first place! Let go and let the life of Christ - which is now your life ("I no longer live but Christ lives in me) - become your sufficiency. God's grace is not added to our efforts. God's grace is not a "part" of our lives. God's grace is the complete power for Christian living, and God's grace is - sufficient!
So if we can do nothing apart from Jesus, and we can do all things through Him, I think that goes to show that we are completely dependent upon HIM, and not our own striving and struggling to make it all work. There is peace and rest in this! As we rest in Him (abide in Him), His very life in us is what animates us and provides the power and energy for all He has called us to do. If it's up to our own personal efforts and struggles, the work produced will amount to nothing more than wood, hay and straw. If it's His life working in and through us, we will have adundant fruit that lasts forever.
So if you're riding the up and down rollercoaster of self-sufficient Christianity, stop fooling yourself and stop being so hard on yourself! You CAN'T do it! You will never do it! Besides, "you" have died - you have been crucified with Christ. Stop trying to bring that old man back to life to work the works he could never do in the first place! Let go and let the life of Christ - which is now your life ("I no longer live but Christ lives in me) - become your sufficiency. God's grace is not added to our efforts. God's grace is not a "part" of our lives. God's grace is the complete power for Christian living, and God's grace is - sufficient!
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