Fight for Joy! Blog
Where Jesus Changes Everything
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God”(1 John 5:4-5). I believe the Bible is crystal clear that those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ—truly born again—will overcome the world. By world, I mean that organized system headed by Satan. It is an invisible spiritual system of evil which manifests as “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:15). One thing most people fail to realize about this satanic world system is that it is only temporary. In other words, it is passing away along with the passing pleasures of sin. All true believers—those who have been born again by grace through faith in Christ alone—will overcome the world. This is the witness of the New Testament and one way—perhaps the primary way—one can know for sure whether or not they have been born again and are on their way to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
John wrote, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world” (1 Jn. 5:4). The word, overcomes, is the Greek word nikao, from which we get the English word, Nike. In the New Testament, it is used of God, Christ, and His followers. It is used to describe true saving faith and means to conquer, prevail, and get the victory. More often than not, it always appears in the present tense and active voice, meaning it is happening right now and it is continuous. Therefore, true saving faith is a continuous abiding faith that endures, and those who possess it overcome the world. For Christians, it means we hold fast our faith even unto death. It also means we renounce and forsake sin, no matter how difficult such may be. I can remember counseling and praying with a young man, years ago, who was struggling with a particular sin. This young man had supposedly become a Christian a year earlier. I can remember him asking, “Why does this have to be so hard?” The reason following Christ is oftentimes “so hard” is because life simply is not easy, nor is it fair. Paul wrote, “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Tim. 6:12). Clearly, overcoming the world is war! This is why Peter wrote, “Abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). I was saddened to learn, nearly twenty years later, that this young man has fully embraced that sin which he previously fought to renounce and forsake. It appears Satan is winning—perhaps has won—the war against my friend’s soul. But I continue to pray for him and others of like persuasion that God would open their blind eyes that they might “see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ [so as to be saved]” (2 Cor. 4:4). After all, the Bible warns us, “The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9). It is crucial that we overcome the world. It is crucial because any moment now Jesus will return for His Church. If you are left behind, the chances of you coming to saving faith in Christ are slim and none. Therefore, you must overcome the world! How does one overcome the world? How do we gain victory over a world that continually makes it so difficult? Notice what John says: “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” First of all, we must understand who Jesus Christ is and who we are in Him. In other words, we must understand our position in Christ. The Bible says that everyone born of God overcomes the world and is therefore (and will be) victorious over sin. It may be a struggle. There may be times of failure. But in the end, we will always be victorious. And this victory comes by way of our faith. Faith is the vehicle by which we overcome the world. Faith is standing on the truth and promises of God’s Word and learning to think like God thinks. In other words, I must believe God, no matter what. “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). We must refuse to allow our struggles and particular inclinations to certain sins to defeat us. If God’s Word says some decision or lifestyle is a sin, we must believe God. I came to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord when I was eleven years old. I didn’t understand it all then (and barely do now). But as a young adult, I made a decision that I was going to believe and obey God no matter what. I think this is the attitude one must adopt in order to overcome the world. But it’s not the attitude that ensures victory. It is faith—believing God. It is a faith that looks forward to that which is not yet. In other words, this life is not all there is. Like Paul, we must “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12). The key to overcoming the world is believing God. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 Jn. 5:4). “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God…And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation”(Romans 5:1-11). A major theme of the book of Romans is righteousness from God. It appears more than 30 times in one form or another and describes the state or condition of perfectly conforming to God’s perfect law and holiness—a standard man falls woefully short of according to Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But the true Gospel of Jesus Christ reveals that on the basis of faith—and faith alone—God will give His righteousness to ungodly sinners. Furthermore, Paul argues in Romans 5:1-11 that not only does God justify sinners on the basis of faith alone, but they are eternally bound to Christ, kept by His power and not by any human effort. Churches and groups that add to salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—and there are a lot of them—are nothing more than false religious systems dispensing false hope, which is really no hope at all. According to Dr. J.C. Ryle, one of these so called churches, that boast more than a billion followers, is nothing more than “a huge organized idolatry.” Speaking of this same false religious system, Dr. John MacArthur describes it as, “a pseudo-Christianity…the best front for the kingdom of Satan.” I could not agree more!
With so much deception in the world today, one might rightfully wonder how to determine a false religious system from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). The Corinthian believers faced the same danger many face today—falling prey to satanic lies, thus abandoning simple devotion to Jesus Christ in favor of the sophisticated errors of false teachers and religious systems. A church that departs from the simplicity of the Gospel is no church at all but a false religious system that enslaves its followers, leading them straight down the “broad road that leads to destruction” (Matt. 7:13). Dr. Loraine Boettner, speaking of this same so called church that boasts more than a billion followers says, “The [miserable] evidence of [this church’s] steadily increasing departure from the simplicity of the Gospel, a departure so radical and far-reaching at the present time (1965) that it has produced a drastically anti-evangelical church. It is clear beyond possibility of doubt that [this religion] as now practiced is the outgrowth of centuries of error. Human inventions have been substituted for Bible truth and practice, [so that now, a false gospel is preached].” It is no wonder Paul wrote, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really no gospel at all” (Gal. 1:6-7). In other words, a false hope is no hope at all! So the question is this: Are you trusting in Christ alone for your salvation or are you trusting in your church membership, your participation in your church, your confirmation, your baptism, communion, anything other than grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? Any church or religious system that goes beyond the simplicity of the Gospel message—grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—is so far from what Scripture teaches that it is garbage, or to use the Greek word Paul uses in Philippians 3:7, it is “dung”. So my appeal to you is simple. If you are in a church that teaches you must do something in addition to believing, don’t just walk, but run as quickly as you can away from that church. It is a false religious system that will leave you eternally lost. Only by believing the true Gospel can one be saved and have the assurance of eternal life with Christ. Only faith alone in Christ Jesus yields true hope. Anything else is a false hope that will never satisfy. Paul wrote, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). This is not a simple acknowledgment that He is God but a deep personal conviction, without reservation, that Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). This “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” is that which results in justification by faith (Rom. 5:1)—a one-time legal declaration by God with continuing results. In other words, God declares the sinner no longer guilty but now righteous in His sight. This is the essence of reconciliation (Rom. 5:11) between God and sinners. So again, are you trusting in Christ alone for your salvation? If the answer is no, then you are still lost and facing an eternity separated from Christ and the joys of heaven—no matter what church you attend. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us”(Hebrews 6:19-20). Life is full of difficulty and suffering. This is true for believers and unbelievers alike. No one is exempt. Everyone, both young and old, has been or will be affected by the fallen world in which we live. Abuse, sickness, emotional and spiritual distress, loss, depression, death—all this and more are the things humanity must deal with as they pass through this thing called life. It can all be summed up in one word—suffering—and none of us, if we are honest, really cares too much for it. But as believers, we need not worry or become overwhelmed. We can always say, “Even so, it is well with my soul.” The writer of Hebrews describes this “even so” as hope. “This hope,” he writes, “we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us.” This hope is a living hope, embodied in Christ Himself. He is right now, this very moment, in the Father’s presence in the heavenly Holy of Holies on our behalf. This hope is a hope for the fulfillment of God’s salvation promises—eternal life with Christ—and is the “anchor of the soul” that keeps you and me secure during times of difficulty and suffering. I am a living testimony to this awesome truth!
I have always been drawn to Scriptures about suffering. It has always intrigued me how God takes something so seemingly painful and awful and uses it for the good of His people and His own glory (see Rom. 8:18-39). Perhaps this is because simple logic would lead one to conclude suffering could never possibly have a good outcome. But for the Christian, this simply is not so. We are told suffering results in the “testing of your faith [which] produces endurance” (James 1:3). Not only that, the Bible says this “endurance” results in our being made “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). Wait a minute! How can suffering, which almost always results in pain and loss, oftentimes tremendous pain and loss at that, result in our being made “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”? It simply does not make any sense! The key is our understanding what is meant by the words “perfect and complete.” He doesn’t mean sinless perfection here, but spiritual maturity. The testing of our faith drives us to a deeper relationship with and greater trust in God and His Word. In other words, we grow in our relationship with God thus growing in our faith. It is no wonder Paul writes, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” (Col. 1:24). He was motivated to endure suffering because it not only resulted in a deeper communion with Christ and spiritual growth, it also benefited other believers (see 2 Cor. 1:3-11). Suffering also calls us to an eternal hope. It helps us get our eyes off this world and onto eternal matters instead. This is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he referred to “hope…as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.” You and I as believers can endure whatever suffering life may bring our way because of our heavenly hope. I seldom share this but most folks have no idea my wife and I have suffered tremendous pain and loss. Our children are with the Lord. But we can both testify to the truth of God’s Word—we have grown closer to God and one other. He has and continues to strengthen our faith. He has caused us to long, not for this world, but for our eternal home with Christ (and our children). We truly have a heavenly hope that serves “as an anchor of the soul.” Like the patriarchs of old, we know that we will, if the Lord tarries, one day “die in faith, without receiving the promises” (Heb. 11:13). But we have “seen them [and therefore] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:13-16). We firmly believe that God’s approval comes through our faith and that God has “provided something better for us” (Heb. 11:39-40). Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Are you experiencing suffering? Do not be discouraged. You have something the rest of the world doesn’t have or understand—a heavenly hope that serves “as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.” Therefore, “continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I was made a minister” (Col. 1:23). And remember, you can always say, “Even so, it is well with my soul.” No amount of suffering can ever take that away from you! “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith’”(Romans 1:16-17). We live in an age of remarkable theological and biblical confusion. It amazes me the number of professing Christians I meet who cannot articulate the Gospel as presented in the Scriptures. It seems everyone has an opinion as to how one comes to be in a right relationship with God. Sadly, a majority of these folks have missed the mark when it comes to believing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice I used the words, “true Gospel.” That is because it is imperative that one believes the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. Anything less will result in eternal separation from God. I write often on the true Gospel and the exclusivity of the true Gospel. This is because, like Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” I understand and believe that it and it alone “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” So the question remains: Are you sure that you believe the true Gospel of Jesus Christ? I ask that question in the present tense because “believe,” when used of salvation, almost always occurs in the present tense, meaning that faith is not simply a one-time event, but an ongoing condition.
The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is exclusive. Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). This is an astounding statement. John MacArthur, speaking of this says, “Both the narrow gate and the wide gate are assumed to provide entrance to God’s kingdom. Two ways are offered to people. The narrow gate is by faith, only through Christ, constricted and precise. It represents true salvation in God’s way that leads to life eternal. The wide gate includes all religions of works and self-righteousness, with no single way, but it leads to hell, not heaven.” This is why the true Gospel is unique, distinct, and exclusive. The reality of this Gospel is that “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” This is why Paul was “eager to preach the gospel” (Romans 1:15). And it is why I write so often on this subject—so many are confused and deceived when it comes to matters of salvation. What a tragedy it must be for a person to live his or her entire life convinced that they are on their way to heaven because of the church they attend, the confirmation certificate they hold, the Communion they partake of, the money they give, or the so called good works they perform. I tremble when I consider the utter darkness that many are in as a result of their enslavement to any number of the false religious systems we find in the world today. Oh, that those of us who truly believe would be “eager to preach the gospel.” The Gospel, which means “good news,” refers to the good news about Jesus Christ. In the technical sense, it is “the power of God to salvation to all who believe.” But how does the Gospel save? Or to put it another way, what does it mean to believe? The Gospel does not announce that everyone will be saved because of what Jesus has done. That would be Universalism. The Gospel is only effective for those who believe it. The Bible mentions no other condition for eternal salvation other than believing the Gospel. The New Testament teaches, in more than 160 instances, that eternal life comes as a result of faith alone in Christ alone. But what precisely must one believe about the Gospel in order to be saved? The key is the content, not quality of faith. It is not believing in and of itself that saves. It is believing the right thing! Believing that Jesus is the Son of God, died on a cross, rose again, is a member of the Trinity, and saves, does not necessarily result in salvation. I must understand the Gospel and the truth about Christ. This is known as knowledge. This would include the historic facts about the person and work of Christ (see Romans 10:14-17). Secondly, I must be convinced that these historic facts (knowledge) about Christ are true. I must believe that Jesus is able to do what He said he could do – forgive sins and guarantee eternal life! This is known as assent to Christ and might be described as the emotional element (see Romans 6:17). Finally, I must whole-heartedly commit myself to Jesus Christ. This is known as commitment or volition (see Romans 4:3). So, to put it another way, I must believe I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I must believe that Jesus Christ alone paid the debt of my sin by His death and resurrection. I must trust Him alone to forgive my sin and give me the free gift of eternal life. And finally, my life must give evidence that I have been saved, as genuine faith will always produce authentic obedience. In other words, I must forsake my sin. Are you sure of your salvation? “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we are saved” (Acts 4:12). “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:11-12a). In August of this year, the Southwest Believers’ Convention assembled in Forth Worth, Texas. The meeting was hosted by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and included an “all-star” lineup of various prosperity gospel preachers. Prosperity theology, also known as the word of faith movement, is a belief system that teaches that God provides material prosperity for those He favors. It is often used by its promoters to elicit donations, as was the case with the Southwest Believers’ Convention. It is not unusual for prosperity preachers to own large houses, expensive cars, airplanes, jewelry, boats, and a whole lot of other stuff. In fact, the whole system revolves around material possessions and good health. One thing you will never hear from a prosperity gospel preacher is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ—why Jesus came and what one must do to be saved.
The prosperity gospel is nothing new. Paul confronted it head-on in his first letter to Timothy: “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). Notice the Bible doesn’t condemn money. Money isn’t the problem. The problem is one of the heart—“those who want to get rich.” In other words, the desire for material wealth is far more dangerous than the wealth itself. Furthermore, the notion that God provides material prosperity for those He favors is deceptively deadly. It is deadly because having material wealth and good health doesn’t necessarily imply God’s favor. The opposite is also true. Being poor doesn’t necessarily imply godliness. There are numerous examples in the Bible of godly men who were unbelievably rich—Abraham, David, and Solomon. There are just as many, if not more, godly men who were materially poor—Lazarus from Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus, as well as most of the disciples. The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of suffering. In fact, Jesus bids us to leave all that we have and come follow Him (Mark 10:21). It is a call to a sold out faith and obedience to Christ. This is why Paul says to “flee” from the desire for riches and material possessions. Instead, we are to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” He describes this as “the good fight of faith,” and “[taking] hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” I recently witnessed this kind of faith and obedience firsthand. Allow me to introduce you to Brother Herman. Bro. Herman and his wife are from Europe. Following God’s call to missions nearly twenty years ago, they literally left all that they had—good jobs, good retirement, even medical and life insurance—and came to another land to establish Siloam, a home for orphaned, abandoned and terminally ill children. He seeks to provide a home for any needy child, no questions asked. And the amazing thing is he does it entirely on faith. He never asks anyone for anything other than prayer. When asked what donations he might need, he refuses to ask for a single item. Instead, he humbly asks, “If you have the time, pray for us—the most important gift you can give us is prayer.” There is no hint of prosperity theology here. Meeting Bro. Herman absolutely transformed my life. This guy oozes Jesus! He is fighting “the good fight of faith.” Nearly every testimony he shares about God’s faithfulness and provision is prefaced by the words, “To be very honest…” His simple faith in God is contagious. The prosperity preachers are liars, cheats, and frauds who misuse God’s Word because they think it is an avenue to riches. When the Gospel is presented in this way, it makes followers who are completely unprepared for tough times and have no idea what true Christianity is. To be very honest, we need to see Christians who are more concerned with what glorifies God than with what benefits me. So which Gospel do you choose to believe—the one that promises health, wealth and prosperity and ends in hell or the one that requires faith, promises suffering, but ends in heaven with Christ and joys immeasurable? “Test yourselves to see if you are of the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians. 13:5). My wife pointed out last week that my article, “Are You Sure of Your Salvation,” might be received in one of two ways. She suggested some might misunderstand and conclude I am teaching a works oriented salvation—nothing could be further from the truth! Then she suggested others might believe I am teaching one can be saved and then lost—a biblical impossibility. Maybe you concluded something different. But the truth is I purposely left out any application from the previous article in order to cause you to stop, think about and evaluate your own life, and determine if indeed you are counted among the redeemed. My reasoning is that there is no more as important an issue than that of one’s eternal destiny. A lot of things in this life we can get wrong—but not this. So I will ask you again, are you sure of your salvation? And I will follow up with this question—how do you know? How can you be sure of your salvation? Paul wrote, “Test yourselves to see if you are of the faith.” I believe the Bible teaches several ways we can test ourselves to see if we are of the faith. Some of these ways are objective, others subjective. I will discuss three in this article, others in future articles.
First of all, does the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit that you belong to God? In other words, do you experience the internal work of the Holy Spirit? Paul wrote, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16). John wrote, “We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1 John 3:24). He later wrote, “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). The first thing that happens to us at salvation is the Holy Spirit indwells us, forever sealing us as children of God (see Eph. 1:13-14). Elsewhere, the Bible refers to this indwelling, occurring at the moment of salvation, as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 11:16; 1 Cor. 12:13). This baptism of the Holy Spirit is not some “second blessing” that comes later but is something that occurs at the very moment of salvation, when one believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling them gives evidence of salvation. So, does the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit that you belong to God? Paul wrote, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12). Secondly, do you believe and obey God’s Word? I do not know how many professing Christians I have met that express doubt in God’s Word or only give it lip service. One of the primary identifying marks that you are a true born again believer in Christ Jesus is that you believe God’s Word and obey it. John wrote, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected” (1 John 2:3-5). I cannot help but think about some people I know who believe because they walked a church aisle and prayed the “sinner’s prayer” they are saved—never mind they do not believe and obey God’s Word. Notice John said, “By this we know Him.” It is by our faith in and obedience to God’s Word that we know we belong to God. A third way of testing yourself to see if you are of the faith is that of being sensitive to your sin. Do you have a continual sensitivity to the sin in your life or do you just live any way you want to live, assuming you will go to heaven when you die? A true believer is sensitive to the sin in his or her life. John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). If you are able to sin against God in a continual, habitual way then it is highly possible and quite probable you do not know Him—or worse, He does not know you. This is the case with many so called believers who think they are right with God because they walked a church aisle or prayed the “sinner’s prayer”, were baptized or had some charismatic experience but do not give evidence of a changed life. About these, John wrote, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). “Test yourselves to see if you are of the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Romans 5:15; 14:7-9). What is the primary motive for Christian obedience? I posed this question to everyone who receives Thoughts to Ponder. Several responded. The answers given were interesting. However, none were surprising. The reasons given included fear, blessings, self-preservation, answered prayer, avoiding guilt, and gratitude. In fact, in one way or another, almost everyone reported gratitude to God for all He had done for them, as the primary motive for obedience.
This is interesting. It is interesting because the Bible says very little, if anything, about gratitude being the primary motive for obedience. Consider the Hebrew children in the Old Testament. More often than not, they disobeyed God, despite all the good things God had done for them. However, the Bible never cites ingratitude as the reason for their disobedience. It was always their lack of faith. In Numbers 14:11, God asks, “How long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed in their midst?” So then, if gratitude is not the primary motive for obedience, what is? Did you notice the interweaving of faith and grace in the passages from Romans at the beginning of this article? I believe the primary motive for Christian obedience, as taught in the Scriptures, is that of faith. In other words, I obey God because I believe God. Such thinking can be summed up this way: Do I really and truly believe God is who He says He is and that He will do what He has said He will do? If the answer is yes, then by His grace, I will obey. If it is anything other than yes, then I will begin to struggle with my obedience and run the risk of disobedience. No matter how grateful I am for those things God has done for me in the past, if I do not believe Him for the future, then obedience is unlikely. The writer of Hebrews says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (11:6). Paul wrote that our introduction into grace was by faith with the result that we would hope in God. What is this hope? I believe it is faith in God for the fulfillment of His promises to us in His word. It is faith in God for the future, since the life we live will be lived in the future. All this can be wrapped up in the word hope. It is the essential role of hope that sustains us in our obedience to God, particularly when obedience to God might require me to go into some very dangerous situation and ultimately lay down my life. I was working with the chapel youth group recently and posed a scenario where one might find himself or herself looking down the barrel of a gun, with a terrorist on the other end who says, “Reject Christ and live or profess Him and die.” My question was what would motivate you to profess Christ in that moment, knowing that doing so would probably result in your death? I was absolutely blown away by one young girl, who is only 14, spoke up and said, “Faith.” It was as simple as that. Not gratitude, not fear, not self-preservation, not guilt, but faith. Only one who really and truly believes that God is who He says He is and will do what He has said He will do, will be motivated by faith. Certainly there is a place for gratitude. But that gratitude should motivate us, not to obey, but to believe that the God who has shown us His grace in the past, will continue to show us His grace in the future. And that belief (faith) should motivate us to obey. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). I’m sitting here at Scott Air Force Base listening to The Cathedrals sing the awe inspiring song of hope: We Shall See Jesus. Songs like this serve to remind us of the hope we have as believers of something better to come. That something, of course, is eternity with Jesus. It will be an eternity without pain, without suffering, without sickness, without sin, and praise be to God, without death! With such an awesome future that awaits us as believers, why then do most believers fail to experience ongoing, deep abiding joy?
The pain and suffering of our lives encompasses a myriad of possibilities. Cancer. Calamity. Conflict. Sadness. Death. These are all normal aspects of our existence here. It is the things we must deal with on our way to heaven. God knows this, yet over and over again He admonishes us to have joy. This raises a legitimate question: Is it possible to experience biblical joy in the midst of pain, suffering and sadness? Numerous times throughout the scriptures we are commanded to rejoice. Even Paul, who wrote many of his letters from prison and whose own letters include an autobiographical description of his own pain and suffering, said over and over to rejoice. In Philippians 2:18, he wrote, “I urge you, rejoice.” In the next chapter he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord” (3:1). Yet again, in the next chapter (4:4) he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Obviously, this is the word of the Lord! So what’s the secret? I believe the key is found in Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, constant in prayer.” Here Paul tells us to do three things which I believe is at the very core of experiencing joy, even in the midst of pain, suffering and sadness. Notice he says, “Rejoice in hope.” Don’t miss this: Our joy is rooted in our hope! This hope is, as the writer of Hebrews says, “an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast” (6:19). In Colossians 1:27, Paul described it as, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Romans 8:18 ties it all together: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” We have the sure hope of glory. Therefore, we can have joy right now, even in the midst of suffering, because one day it will all fade into glory when Christ’s face we finally see. What a hope! Therefore, “Rejoice in hope.” Secondly, he tells us to, “be patient in tribulation.” This is possible, if I understand the hope that is mine in Jesus Christ. Even the writer of Hebrews said this is, “a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered” (6:19-20). Finally, he tells us to be, “constant in prayer.” If I am to “rejoice in hope,” and “be patient in tribulation,” then I must be a person of prayer. I must give priority to my relationship with God, even when I do not like or understand what is going on in my life. I must be a person of deep and committed prayer. There is a mystery here. When I fight for joy, through rejoicing in hope, patiently enduring tribulation and constantly praying, God does what only God can do. He brings about the joy of the Lord through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit in my life. To God be the glory! “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The greatest event in all of human history, second to none, was the two-fold event of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we would have no hope of any kind. It is no wonder then, that for Paul, like all the writers of the New Testament, the cross of Christ represented salvation itself. In his letter to the believers in Corinth, he recalled how he had preached Christ’s death: “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
Paul took great joy in proclaiming this message. He understood the secret of the cross. Earlier he wrote, “We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). What makes this so amazing is that Paul did not always hold this position. He had once been opposed to Christ and His message. To put it plainly, Paul had been an insolent, self-righteous, religious bigot. He sought to destroy anyone who believed the message of the cross. However, all this changed one day as he journeyed to Damascus. The Bible tells us that on that journey he came into direct contact with the crucified and resurrected Jesus (see Acts 9:1-18 for the full story). This encounter forever changed Paul’s life and thinking. He was converted. The one who had sought to destroy the message of the cross and all associated with it, now sought to proclaim its message! What did all this mean for Paul? For him, it was the beginning of a lifetime of suffering on behalf of the crucified and resurrected Jesus. However, like the other apostles, he rejoiced, “that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). Paul saw profound meaning in his own sufferings (see 2 Corinthians 6:4-5; 11:23-28). His own trials connected him to Christ who had suffered on the cross and who had been resurrected. He wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (3:10). He also understood that the suffering of Jesus on the cross is played out in the lives of all God’s people. In Philippians, he also wrote, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (1:29). It is an ironic message, indeed. The gospel – the good news of eternal life and spiritual glory – is based on suffering and shame. However, the message of Jesus’ shameful death should inspire us to ever greater love for Him and His Church. We should desire nothing more than to preach, both by words and deeds, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. As the writer of Hebrews told believers of his day, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2). “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). The Agnostic would say it is impossible to know the truth in matters such as God and the future life with which Christianity is concerned. The Atheist would say God does not exist. Many others would say all religions in the world lead to God. But, with Paul, I say, “For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Timothy 2:12). What have I entrusted to Him? I have entrusted my whole life, here and now, and my whole eternal future.
Let me tell you about the one the Bible speaks of. Let me tell you about the one who rescued me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of His beloved Son. His name is Jesus. His name “is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). The Bible further speaks of this Jesus in that “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). He is “the First and the Last, and the Living One. [He] was dead, but look – [He] is alive forever and ever, and [He] holds the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18). He is the one who died for my sins. He is the one who was raised from the dead never to die again. He is the God and Creator who became a man, without ceasing to be God (Hebrews 1). He is my only hope! And I believe! Do you believe? I cannot explain it. Like the blind man Jesus healed in John 9, “one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (9:25). It is a matter of faith. The Bible says I am a sinner and I deserve judgment. The Bible also says God is a God of grace and freely extends forgiveness and salvation to all who believe. But the question is, believe what. In answering that question, let’s think for a few moments about faith. It is important we understand what the Bible teaches about faith. The word itself is never plural. In other words, the Christian faith does not mean believing in a number of things. It is a single disposition of mind and heart towards Jesus Christ. This faith in the Lord Jesus Christ involves a desire for eternal life. This is what the writer of Hebrews means by “things hoped for” (11:1). It is looking for more than is on the surface. So when the Bible talks about having faith in Jesus Christ, one must understand that faith is only as good as its object. The object of faith in salvation is Jesus Christ. Therefore, one must believe in Jesus Christ. But what does it mean to believe? Saving faith in Jesus Christ produces three elements. First of all, there is knowledge of Christ. Such knowledge would include the historic facts about the person and work of Christ. This is the gospel! Peter presented the basic facts of the gospel on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Paul mentioned the basic content of the gospel in his first letter to the Corinthian believers (1 Cor. 15:1-3). However, mere knowledge is not enough. There is a second element to faith known as assent to Christ. We must be convinced that these historic facts (knowledge) about Christ are true. We must believe that Jesus is able to do what He said he could do –forgive sins and guarantee eternal life! However, just as mere knowledge is not enough, neither is mere assent. There is a third element known as commitment to Christ. By commitment I mean whole-hearted committal to Jesus Christ. In John’s Gospel, the Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Believe here means to believe “in, into,” or “upon.” You must believe in, into and upon Jesus Christ. It is a belief that brings about a change. This change is known as conversion (salvation). When a person is saved, he or she does not take three distinct steps. However, that person’s salvation does begin with knowledge of the Savior leading to assent to the Savior, which brings about commitment to the Savior. Saving faith is simply committing oneself to Jesus Christ. This is clearly expressed in Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” When we put the sum total of our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, then we pass from spiritual death to spiritual life. We experience conversion! He changed my life. He’ll change your life, too! But it all begins with faith—Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. Will you believe? The Bible says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). |
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