Slavery or freedom?

Today’s devotional is about overcoming the world. Some definitions help me understand what that means. “Overcoming” is a military term for defeating an enemy. It can mean uprooting something that enslaves producing freedom from bondage.

The “world” is not a geographical term in this context. It is about the things of the world that hold Christians in bondage to them and in sin. John describes the character of this “world” and how it is connected to sin:

“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:16–17)

The desires of my old nature could be physical desires such as excessive comforts, illicit sex, or any other forbidden activity. It can also be related to wanting all that my eyes can see that might make me powerful, popular, and so on. These are also related to pride, the idea that I am better, should be treated with great honor, and have everything I want. Perhaps many who seek after these things do not realized this is bondage, but I realize it. Love for the world means wanting stuff that will not last, but worse, it is sin and not from God.

However, John does not leave his readers without the way to overcome this enslavement. He says:

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1–5, italics mine)

Faith is backwards to most thinkers. From these verses, readers could assume that overcoming the world is through obedience to God’s commandments, but that is not the way it works. My weapon against the world is my faith. By trusting in Christ I know that He will take care of my needs, not those wants that the world offers, but what is vital for me. The wants are usually temporary and usually sinful, but the needs covered by Jesus are eternal and righteous. Instead of putting me in slavery to a supply that never satisfies, He releases me to a freedom where there is no need for worry about not having enough. Jesus said,

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:25–33)

He challenges me to put the pursuit of His kingdom and His righteous at the top of my priority list and He will take care of all the other stuff, the needs of my life.

I can say without a shred of hesitation that He is faithful in this promise (as in all His promises). I could fill a book with stories of God coming through when it looked like this bill would not get paid, or that problem would never be solved. He asks for my trust. Dare I worry when Almighty God promises to take care of me?

Tozer says that true faith delivers from fear by consciously putting God between our thoughts and whatever it is that threatens us. He adds that this means being aware of God’s presence, that He is so near that no enemy can approach me without first disposing of God, which is certainly impossible. He also says, “This is the victory that overcomes low spirits, a sinking heart, whispers of the devil and all the discouragements of this world — even our faith.”

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Jesus, when I keep my focus on You, all the stuff of this world loses its power and its appeal. Why would I want that which does not last when You keep blessing me with everything that endures forever! This applies to all spiritual matters, but also to the stuff of daily life. Because of You, I do not need to let anything in this world step between me and freedom.

Faith and works are not opposites

Evangelicals tend to put a huge emphasis on salvation by faith, not by works. In other words, no one can earn or deserve forgiveness, a relationship with God and eternal life. This is a gift from God by grace through faith.

Yet in this emphasis, Christianity has suffered a great loss. Tozer uses a word picture that Jesus used, that of a tree. Jesus explained that faith and lack of faith can be discerned by the results of either one in a person’s life. If faith is there, then the fruit of faith will be also, but if faith is not there, the results will show it . . .

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16–20)

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33)

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Luke 6:43)

The Pharisees were religious leaders who thought they were God’s people, but Jesus bluntly told them that their lives did not produce the results of faith . . .

“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34–37)

Jesus was not saying that the fruit from a bad tree always appears rotten. It might look good at first or from the outside, but as He told the Pharisees, the inside is rotten because the tree is rotten. No matter what it looks like to others, God looks on the heart and knows our motivations and intentions.

The tree of faith in Christ produces fruits of faith — good works. They do not grow all by themselves and then become united to the tree but are a result of the union that happens when a person is saved through faith.

Tozer says, “Faith is not a substitute for moral conduct but a means toward it.” He adds “To oppose faith to works is to make the fruit the enemy to the tree; yet that is exactly what we have managed to do. And the consequences have been disastrous.”

I see that in my own life. How easy it is to claim salvation by faith and be lazy or neglect opportunities to do good things. I cannot let poor theology be my excuse because I know better, yet without the emphasis on fruit production, bad habits are easy to form. Living for Christ and producing good fruit means total surrender.

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Dear Jesus, Tozer ends his devotional thoughts with: “If there is true faith within, there will be obedience to God without. They walk together and they go down together. When faith fails, disobedience sets in.” I don’t want this to be true of me, yet it happens, even in little things. I drop faith in God’s wisdom and sovereign power and start to worry. I stop believing He wants to hear and answer prayer and either stop praying or pray out of duty instead of having a real conversation. You know all the other weaknesses in my faith. I confess to their reality and look to You for grace and strong encouragement to be a fruit-bearer.

A sad story

We knew a woman who had three children but was without a husband. I can’t remember if she was a single mom or a widow. What I do remember was her bold Christian testimony. She claimed faith in Jesus Christ and her desire to be in church and serve God.

I remember the day she told me she was going to do those things. She was happy and excited. The only problem that I could see with all of this is that she was living with a man and boasting also of that relationship. In those days, we called it “shacking up” and the Bible still calls it adultery or fornication.

I tried not to judge her yet wondered how the church in her community would deal with her lifestyle that did not match her claim to be a child of God. It turned out they didn’t have to. She was driving somewhere one day and came over a hill in the middle of the road only to meet head-on another vehicle. She was instantly killed.

I was shocked. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of a spiritual principle: it is serious enough that unsaved sinners mock God, but believers play with fire if we do it. Was this judgment on her carelessness? I will never know, but I thought of this sad story when reading these verses from today’s devotional:

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:12–15)

God did not save me so I could go on with life doing whatever my old nature (flesh) wants. The temptations for all sorts of sinful things come but the power of the Holy Spirit is in me; I can resist, I can say no to sin which is what salvation is all about.

However, I understand the power of the flesh and its desires. That woman was lonely, insecure and felt as if her needs would be met by a man in this world. If she knew the promises of God, she ignored them. He says:

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

A few days ago God pointed out to me that He will bless and give me joy through two things that I must do. I’ve easily skimmed over that verse because it is so simple, yet I see now the profound promises God is making:

“Blessed (happy) is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” (Psalm 146:5)

I talk and sing that happiness comes when I obey God. This verse goes a bit deeper to the foundation for obedience. It is two-fold; trusting God for help — no one or nothing else, and hoping in Him — no one or nothing else.

This is the key to living by the Spirit and putting to death the deeds and desires of the flesh. Those desires will still make themselves known, but rather than seek solutions elsewhere, I will be happy when I seek and find them in Jesus Christ.

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Lord Jesus, I am sad that my sin can overtake and bring great disaster into my life, but I am overjoyed that You are my Savior. I do nothing to deserve Your grace yet You always reward trust with joy and blessing.