The first principle of authentic Christian discipleship is that we must choose to look at and define any key words, concepts principles and ideas the way that God Himself looks at them and defines them in His Word.
This Blog Will Discuss:
- If I’m Saved by Grace, then why do I need to bother learning to obey God and Jesus Christ?
- Salvation is free, but maturity is not free
- The real goal of Christianity is not fire insurance, it's character.
- Obedience and real Grace are partners, NOT Enemies
- Some questions every believer should ask themselves
- Grace vs. Disgrace
Why Must I Learn to Obey??
It almost never fails. Whenever I talk to up and coming disciples about the need to obey God and Jesus Christ, the question almost always arises. "Aren't we saved by grace?" "If I'm saved by the grace of God, then why does it matter whether I really work to obey God and Jesus Christ, or whether I don't?" If you make us focus on what God and Jesus Christ commanded us to obey, then aren't you trying to be justified by your works? In such a case, aren't you really denying Jesus Christ and trying to become righteous by your own efforts?On the surface, that sounds like a thoroughly logical argument, but in reality it's completely backwards. We must beware (Proverbs 16:25). We have to be careful to avoid analyzing biblical truth with the carnal mind. To say that we should never consider or work on obeying God better because we are under grace, is a lot like saying, the only reason I have a job is so that I can retire. No, there are a lot of reasons you have a job. It fulfills a lot of necessary things on your way to retirement. Having a job can teach you to be productive and prevents you from being idle. It earns you money to meet your daily needs and to support your family, and it gives you the opportunity to model your Christian faith to a larger segment of the population than just your own four walls. Those are just a few of the reasons why you work.
Let's look at it another way. To say that we should never consider or work on obeying God better because we are under grace, is a lot like saying, the only reason that loving parents train a child to obey them is to cause them to become part of the family in which the child lives. To the best of my understanding, that's completely backwards. A child doesn't become part of the family because he or she obeys. He or she is trained to obey because they already are part of the family. To the best of my understanding, in most cases, a child who is either born or adopted into the family is absolutely loved, treasured and accepted into that family long before they can really obey anything at all. A newborn can barely hold its own head up without support. They even need help to belch, for pity's sake. Yet they are dearly loved, wanted accepted and highly valued in the family nonetheless. They did not do anything except to be born or adopted into the family, and yet they are loved and accepted. This is a picture of salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As cherished as they are, a child who is thoroughly loved, nurtured and cuddled, must still grow up into maturity and productive adulthood. They will need love, affection, and nurturing throughout the process. They will also need to learn to obey. They will need education, correction and even discipline when they go astray from what they are supposed to be learning. Why? We need those things so that we can develop character such as self-control, which will help us to make Godly decisions that will be a blessing to us and society in the long run.
Salvation is FREE, Maturity is NOT
We have received the gift of salvation through what Jesus Christ accomplished by virtue of His miraculous conception, birth, sinless life, His Substitutionary death on the cross for our sake, and His glorious resurrection from the dead. We are adopted into the family of God when we believe these things and ask God to save us. The goal of human life is not merely to belong to the family. That happens when you are born or adopted into it. The goal of the Christian life is not merely to be born again. That happens when you accept Jesus Christ. God has given us a free gift, free for the asking.The goal of life is not merely to be born. That is the beginning. The goal of the Christian life is not merely to be born again. This too is merely the beginning. No, the goal of the physical life is to become a healthy, productive, mature adult. Likewise, the goal of the spiritual life is to become a healthy, mature productive citizen of the kingdom of God. In order to become an adult in either the physical or supernatural realm, we must learn character and self-restraint so we can make better decisions that will be a blessing to us and others. In order to do that successfully, we must learn to live under our parents guidance and rules.
Let's say that we had an 80-year-old man who was physically and mentally healthy in almost every respect. However, let's say that the maximum he accomplished in his life was to become an adopted member of his family, but he maintained the exact same character and emotional reactions and behaviors that he had when he first arrived into the family. Would you consider this man's life a success, or a failure? Of coarse, he would have to be considered a failure who wasted his life, because he did not use the opportunities he was given to grow emotionally or to grow in character or behavior. All he accomplished in his life was that he became a member of the family that adopted him. God did not create us to merely be born, suck up oxygen, give off carbon dioxide, consume resources, give off waste and die. Such a life would be a waste. The reason that God instituted the family was to produce Godly offspring; or generations of people who would know and walk with God (Malachi 2:15). The reason that God saves us through His Son Jesus Christ is not merely that we would escape hell and gain heaven.
Real Christianity Is Not Merely Fire Insurance
The reason God adopted us into His family, and sealed our adoption in Christ's own blood is so that we could grow up "....until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. "(Ephesians 4:13-16) NASB The Goal of the Christian life is to grow up until we reflect the character, attitudes and behaviors of God and Jesus Christ. That is why we must learn to obey God and Jesus the Christ.In the blog entry dated March 9, 2011 " How Do You Know You are Truly Born Again? We discussed the seven fold evidence of being born again (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
The proof that one is truly being changed by God from the inside out, is that they obey God (Ezekiel 36:27). We do not obey God in order to get saved. On the contrary. We come under God's rules, direction, guidance, correction and discipline because we already are saved and adopted into God's family. Our obedience to God merely demonstrates the proper respect that a loving and grateful child has for their Parent
So, according to Ezekiel 36:25-27, the evidence of being truly regenerated by God and born-again into a new creation is that God cleanses us from all uncleanness, He delivers us from all forms of idolatry so that we will worship only God, He gives us a brand-new heart, and puts His Holy Spirit in us. The result of all this is that it will cause us to desire and to be able to keep God's judgments and do them. The real fruit of being born again is that we obey God. Jesus Christ essentially said the same thing:
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." (John 14:21 NKJV) 1
We MUST Ask Ourselves Some Tough Questions
The ultimate questions in light of this truth are, "Do I love God?" "Do I love His Son Jesus Christ?" Do I want to understand the truths of God? Do I want Christ to disclose Himself to me more clearly? If The answer to any of those questions is truly, "Yes," then possessing and keeping God's and Christ's' commands is going to be something that I sincerely want to learn to do correctly, because those things only happen when I possess and keep His commandments.
The second question is do you want to become a friend of God's and Jesus Christ? If your answer is yes, I want to be God's friend or I want Christ to consider me His friend, then obeying Christ's commands becomes a truly important priority for you:
John 15:14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. (John 15:14 NKJV)Some people refuse to follow God, or even refuse to consider it because they consider themselves much too intelligent for that sort of thing. They believe themselves to be much to enlightened to need and follow God. Scripture speaks directly to people who think this way:
Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. (Proverbs 3:5-7 NASB) 2
The third set of questions is do I consider myself to be an enlightened person? Do I really want to be an enlightened person? Do I want to prevent self-delusion and do I want to protect myself from deception? If the answer is yes to those questions, then obeying God and Christ's commands is absolutely essential:
Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 26:12 HCSB) 3
Jesus is the light of the world (see John 1:1-12; John 8:12). So, the plain fact is that if a person genuinely wants to be enlightened, then they will seek after and follow Jesus Christ, because He Is the source of all true enlightenment. Anybody who claims to have wisdom and enlightenment while atAt e same time they discredit, disapprove or disobey God and Jesus Christ is either self deceived, or they are purposely lying, because one cannot truly be enlightened and walk in opposition to the source of truth and light at the same time.
People who are genuinely enlightened will walk with the Light. If I claim to be enlightened, but I walk in a lifestyle of disobedience to His Words, then I am deceiving myself:
James 1:21-22 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (James 1:21-22 NASB)
1 John 1:5-10 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 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 1:5-10 NASB)
Grace And Obedience are Partners NOT Enemies
If obedience to God and His commands is the real evidence and a natural byproduct of being born again, then where does grace come into play? It's a real fair question, but some of the confusion occurs when we incorrectly define the term grace, and then we put the value of 'good works' in the wrong place.
It's important to remember that our own good works will never be sufficient to cause, increase, guarantee or secure our salvation and our entry into heaven. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God died on the cross and rose again to pay for the forgiveness of our sins and to ensure our salvation. Our good works can never cause salvation, but at the same time, if genuine salvation truly has taken place inside of us, then salvation will cause us to do good works according to what God says is pleasing to Him. That is why Jesus specifically said that only those who do the will of God will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21), because if you are truly born-again and saved in Christ Jesus, then doing the will of God, will become the way that you do life.
Part of the confusion also stems from the fact that in our modern and postmodern day the concept of grace has been redefined, or rather mis-defined. When many of us think about grace, we think almost exclusively about God's undeserved or unmerited favor, or we might think of cute little acronyms like God's Righteousness at Christ's Expense. While those ideas are certainly true, if we stop there we will not have a truly complete definition of biblical grace. If we stop at those explanations, we can leave people with the idea that the grace of God is exclusively about forgiving us when we mess up, or we might misinterpret God as one who exclusively blesses us with gifts we do not deserve, and in so doing we paint a mistaken portrait of God as some divine Santa Claus. Yes God forgives us when we sin (provided we recognize our sin as sin, and confess it as sin; John 1:8-9).
At the same time, Scripture reveals a vital component of God's grace which is not often taught, and therefore it is frequently overlooked. One of the components that God includes in His Real Grace is that He gives us the desire and the ability to do what is right. Authentic Biblical Grace includes the God-given power and ability to turn away from what God says is wrong, and to agree with and obey what God says is right. Anybody who is not walking through their daily life in such a way cannot possibly be walking in God's true Biblical Grace:
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13 ESV) 4Beloved, whenever God works inside the human being to accomplish a particular result, that is the ultimate definition of Grace. According to the Scripture passage, what will happen inside the human being when God is working in a person? When God is truly working inside a person, He will cause us to "will." This means that our desire and choices will be motivated to agree with what pleases God and we will be able to choose accordingly. He doesn't stop there. It also says that when God is really working inside a person, He will also empower us to successfully accomplish and do what pleases God.
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 1 John 3:10 (NASB)
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:2-4 (NASB)
Grace vs Disgrace
So here are the real million-dollar questions:Am I noticing that I have a gradually but progressively increasing desire and willingness to agree with God, to agree with is written word and to agree with His principles?
Am I noticing that I have a gradually but progressively increasing ability to follow through, and that I am more and more able to successfully obey the Word according to what pleases God?
If I can honestly and truly say that I'm noticing that those two things are gradually and progressively increasing inside of me, then I can rightly say that I am living in the grace of God, because that is what God's grace will do inside a person.
If on the other hand I find myself frequently making excuses for my sin, or I don't feel any real desire or urgency to apply God's word in order to overcome sinful habits, or if I do not notice any sort of increasing desire or ability to do what pleases God, but instead I continually rationalize giving into my own desires, while claiming that it's okay because I'm under grace, and God will take care of it in the end; such a mindset is dangerous and deceptive. A person who adopts and remains in that mindset and lifestyle is clearly not living in God's Biblical definition of Grace. Such an attitude, mindset and lifestyle of behavior is actually a disgrace to grace, because God's true Grace simply does not function in that manner.
Prayer: Almighty God Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ Messiah, Lord Holy Spirit; have mercy upon me according to Your unfailing love. Thank You for giving me the grace to believe and receive the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank You for giving me Your precious words. Through them You provide me with everything I need for life and godliness. Thank You that through Your Grace, I can and do receive forgiveness when I realize that I'm sinning and that I am falling short of Your best desires and intentions for my life. I admit to You that I stand in constant need of those great blessings.
At The same time, as I look intently into Your Word, I also recognize that we have often misunderstood and misrepresented Your Grace in the modern church. Your Grace was never intended to disguise, to excuse, or to help us rationalize sinful self-indulgence. Your grace was never intended to be used in such a manner that would allow people to remain comfortable while they stayed defeated in sinful and destructive behaviors. Part of Your authentic Grace includes Your Divine Power working in us to desire, to choose, and to successfully do what is right and pleasing to You. Part of Your Grace includes The God-given ability to turn away from evil, and to overcome it by choosing and doing what God says is good. Anything less than this is not a true representation of Your Grace. Forgive us and help us to repent from ever misrepresenting Your grace again. Instead, please mercifully fill me and every person who is calling upon Your name with the true and biblical definition of that term. Help us to receive, to walk in, to exemplify and to declare the full definition of Your Grace, so that by believing and receiving it, we will successfully submit to God, overcome evil and do good. In Jesus Christ's name, amen
Thank you so much for joining me. God be with you. I hope to see you next time.
Brother Michel Lankford
1. Scriptures designated (NKJV) are taken from: The New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, used by permission. All rights reserved.
2. All Scriptures which are designated (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
3. All Scriptures designated (HCSB) are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible,Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.
4. All Scriptures which are designated (ESV) are taken from the The holy Bible, The English Standard Version copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved
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