Being transformed to what I already am!

I’m glad that salvation means i am justified. That is, because of Christ, God looks on me ‘just as if’ I had never sinned. That is my standing before Him — not guilty, free from condemnation. However, I’m also glad that even though justified and loved just as I am, His love refuses to leave me that way!

A huge hindrance to the process of spiritual growth is self-condemnation. The voices in my head say, “You are so stupid” or “How can God bother with a sinner like you?” When any person, or the devil (who is called the ‘accusor’) or even my negative outlook begin to accuse me with charges of falling short, I stop trusting the Lord, stop bearing spiritual fruit, and start looking at poor me. With that, I stop growing because I’ve turned from a foundational truth — in Christ I am justified!

Romans 5 begins with a statement of fact about who I am and what God has done in Christ for me:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2)

These and the verses following are clear; I do not have to take accusations seriously, at least those regarding my salvation. It was accomplished by Jesus Christ and does not depend on me, on what I do or don’t do, either in the past, now, or in the future:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly  . . . but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6; 8–11)

Jesus, my substitute, satisfied the law’s requirements and its penalty. Only because of Jesus can God, in perfect consistency with his justice and holiness, declare me forgiven of all sin and justified. Jesus Christ died for all that I could ever be accused of and was raised again for my justification. Because of Him, by faith I have peace with God. By faith, I can rest alone in Jesus Christ.

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” (Romans 8:33)

However, relying on ‘no condemnation’ does not exclude the Holy Spirit from convicting me about my flaws. If I am to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, He needs to expose and remove all that does not look like Jesus. God’s Spirit tells me what needs to change, not that I can change it, but so I can confess it and He will change it!

 

Therefore, when those gentle yet firm accusations come at me, I must acknowledge that He speaks the truth about my selfish, sinful, ungodly thoughts, words, and deeds. When I do, God forgives me and cleanse these from my life.

Certainly discernment is required. Do I know the difference between truth and false guilt. Can I detect Satan’s accusations when he tries to stop me from growing? Do I know the nudgings of the Holy Spirit who is working to transform my life?

^^^^^^^

Jesus, I’m so glad that I know Your voice. I’m also grateful that my sins are forgiven and I am justified in the estimation of God and at peace with Him. I’m also joyful that faith in You includes Your work to change me, and let me know what needs changing so I will cooperate with the transformation. Grant me wisdom and grace to always recognize who is doing what — so I can joyfully submit to what You are doing and refuse to accept what Satan tries to do. Thank You for the peace that comes with knowing and trusting You, both in being justified and being transformed.

Spiritual Warfare

I cannot relate to Chambers’ devotional today because I do not spend much time with ‘amiable’ religious people who do not understand why Jesus died. Our church family is well aware of the vital importance of the Cross and how much we need it.

However, the context of the verse this author chose speaks to my current thoughts. God asked Jesus to die and in His death, He and the name of God are glorified; the ruler of this world is cast out; and Jesus is lifted up to draw all people to Himself. This is wonderful, yet in the midst of those truths, Jesus says, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also” (verse 26).

Here is the larger context of what Jesus said . . .

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:23–33)

Jesus is glorified but He must first die. When I read this, I knew right away how this must be applied because as He spoke of this reality He also described another reality; to bear eternal fruit, I must also die to all my plans, desires, and human hopes and follow Him in His death.

This is not literal (although it could be) since death is often simply a great separation. In this case, Jesus talks about my priorities. His words and His life show me that what matters the most means being willing to give up everything else.

In the death of Jesus, the world is judged; the ‘ruler of this world’ who is Satan is cast out; and all people are drawn to Jesus. I get the implication. In my ‘death to self’ I am passing judgment on this world and all it offers by putting it aside to follow Him. I am also casting out the Liar and refusing his temptations because I only want Jesus who is the Truth. By yielding all to Him, I am lifting Jesus up and somehow others will be drawn to Him.

This is true about my salvation experience, but this time it is true about a deeper walk, about sanctification, about realizing there is more of me that must be given over to His loving rule. It is about dying to selfishness, to doing some things my own way and in my own strength.

I consider the alternative and it is not pretty. If I hang on to my way, then I am embracing the ways of the world, listening to the lies of the devil, and exalting myself instead of Jesus. The problems are obvious and that last one is particularly of note. When I try to lift up me instead of Jesus, no one is drawn to Him or to me either. None of this works.

Why should there be any difficulty with this death to self? Such is the spiritual battle against sin. Paul describes it in Romans 7 and also in the following verses:

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:4–6)

Every bit of determination in my arsenal is useless. Instead, I need the “divine power” of God. He is the Savior. He saved me, He is saving me, and one day I will stand completely saved in His presence. This is a certain outcome, but for now the war continues.

Here but not yet . . .

In theology classes, Christians are taught that the Kingdom of God arrived with Jesus Christ, so it is here, but not yet. In other words, His rule as King has begun, but is not yet fully accomplished. It will be, and that is a certainty, but not yet.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11–14)

In the same “here and not yet here” concept, we who believe are set apart for God because we belong to Him, yet we are being set apart for God (sanctified) because we are not there yet. Parts of our lives are wholly dedicated, but I am continually being made aware of what I hold back even though I know that all of it already belongs to Jesus.

My first reaction to all of this is humility. How can it be that I love the Lord my God yet resist Him? How can it be that my sins are totally forgiven yet I continue to sin? How can it be that this life is perfected for all time, yet I am still “being sanctified”? 

God’s ways are definitely mysterious and this is one of them. Yet it works. First of all, it keeps me on my knees before Him. I’m continually asking for help, thankful for grace, and amazed at the wonder of Him.

It also keeps me in a place where I can relate to others and they can identify with me. The people around me cannot deal with me as a perfectly sinless person, even if that were possible. Look what they did to Jesus. While some believed later, they all cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him.” People around me can identify with my bumbling much easier than Christ’s perfections. I can also empathize with their sins and weaknesses. If God’s kingdom was complete in my life that would not happen.

As the above passage says, the offering of Jesus Christ for my sins was for all of them. No matter what I have done or will do in the future, His blood covers it. I am forgiven, even “perfected” — which means “without defect or blemish” in the sight of God, yet here on earth in this life, He is not done with me. He is at work that I might be fully dedicated to Him as He is to me, and that I might be totally pure in everything I think, say, or do.

Like the Kingdom, this is here for me and as sure as the promises and faithfulness of God. However, I’m not there yet. I’m on a journey with Christ to a certain destiny and because He lives in me, I will not only make it to the end, but also will be like Him when I get there.

Lest anyone think that the Christian life is restricting, boring, or without its challenges, my efforts to live up to what God has already accomplished for me is more than enough to make life exciting and challenging, but also filled with anticipation and the certainty that He will finish all that He has begun.

An instant new creation requires adjustment

I’ve heard rumors that a prominent person is a new Christian. The stories in the newspaper and on television are ambivalent. Some of this person’s actions are consistent with his old life, others show that something has changed. Is the rumor true? Or is it just a rumor?

If I judge myself, I can identify with this contradictory behavior. As I grow in my faith, my actions are more like the Word of God says they should be, but when a new Christian, the up and downs were frequent. Other people may have noted a change in me (I could see it myself), yet if they could compare then to now, the change would be much greater.

God isn’t concerned about the outer appearance so much; He looks at the heart. In my heart, Jesus Christ had arrived. In my heart, my allegiances have changed. In the flesh, my behavior was up and down, but in my heart I was a new person.

We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:12–17)

When someone becomes a Christian, the change is first and foremost in their heart. The old life passes out of existence. However, this is something like moving to a new house. The scissors used to be in the third door on the left, but now they are in a different place. The bedroom was down the hall, but now it is off the sunroom. Getting around involves an adjustment, even some confusion in trying to focus on where things are now. In time, life will run more smoothly yet this new situation requires a different mind about everything.

Actually, a new Christian has a different mind; the mind of Christ. His thoughts are in His people and stir up such changes that even the new Christian feels a bit turned up-side-down, never mind those who observe that new Christian’s new life. It takes some time for it to become more consistent.

For this reason, God tells us not to judge the salvation of others by their say-so. It is better to watch for a new life evidenced by changes of thought and by new attitudes produced by the Holy Spirit. These are known as spiritual fruit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22–26)

These verses describe the attitudes of a new creation. They also describe what needs to be done with the old ways that are now ‘passed away’ — they are to be put to death, separated from that new life. God’s people are to live according to the mind of Christ and keep in step with the Holy Spirit.

However it is possible to still live in the flesh, following old ways such as pride, picking fights, and jealousy. That does not mean a person is not a Christian; it simply means that person has some crucifying to do and some growing up.

I can defend new believers who stumble and fumble. I must also deal with old ways and former desires whenever they crop up. I’m to take all that dead stuff to the Cross in confession and repentance, and let God forgive and cleanse me.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

This is His means of saving me from sin. He knows how to remove the echoes of the old life and bring forth the resounding victory of the new!