Keeping Your Wits When Others Are Insane- Psalm 130

We only have 5 devotions left in this series. I'm not sure what I will do after we finish next Tuesday. I'm trying to work through a consistent schedule and a varied task list everyday including prayer, exercise, professional tasks, personal tasks, and scheduled off time activities.
Please send me an email: jayopsis@gmail.com
and let me know how I can pray for you! This has been such an unprecedented time!






PSALM 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand? 

But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared. 

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope; 

my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning. 

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption. 

And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

I made this into a song- you can hear it here:

Deep Depths (Song of Ascent 130)

There was an old Steve Camp song that began, "Looks like the boy's in trouble again, living much to close to the edge of sin."

No matter how hard our intentions, no matter how surely we say we have learned our lesson- we often find ourselves sliding back on our climb up.

My own experience in this process we call 'sanctification' seems like 1 step forward, 2 steps back, 3 steps forward, 1 step back, 1 step forward, 3 steps back- and it can grow exceedingly frustrating and demoralizing.

Remember where we started this climb? Way back in Psalm 120.... 11 Devotions ago. And it seems like we can't shake the shadow of sin. I have been anemically trying to walk with Jesus for almost 40 years and I still find those times where I have simply blown it.

But the beauty of this Psalm is hope in the midst of despair!

If God counted sin.....  who would pass? NO ONE
But with God there is forgiveness.

So we wait and we hope- eager to see the break of dawn.

 Dostoevsky had this hope:

“I believe like a child that suffering will be healed and made up for, that all
the humiliating absurdity of human contradictions will vanish like a ‘painful’
pitiful mirage….that in the world's finale, at the moment of eternal harmony,
something so precious will come to pass that it will suffice for all hearts, for
the comforting of all resentments, for the atonement of all the crimes of
humanity, for all the blood that they've shed; that it will make it not only
possible to forgive but to justify all that has happened.” 

My question is- how do we keep waiting and hoping when it seems the relentless attack of the enemy is raging or we are constantly floundering?

All of these things are easy to say and impossible to do. But here are some tools that do help me hold on when all hell seems to be breaking loose and I am in a free fall.

#1 Returning over and over and over to the gospel of grace- Notice the words here in the Psalm: mercy, forgiveness, steadfast love, redemption- these words are rooted in the story of God's redeeming love and His offer of forgiveness based on the sacrifice of His son. I don't know how people live life without knowing this message. Our salvation is a gift. It cannot be earned; it is not deserved. It is not an excuse to fail, but I am free to fail and free to begin again and again.

#2 Reading God's Word- "in his word I hope". The Psalms have become my camping ground when I am in a downward spiral. Here is real/raw human emotion. But God is also here.

#3 Serve, support, and encourage others- I know of no better healing balm than to help others when you are hurting. Something about sharing in the suffering of others and staying positive is supernatural. A lot of times it helps me to walk around and say meaningful words of encouragement to others. I love sharing the gospel to those who are weighed down by life. The last few weeks I have been able to pray for others just over the phone and hearing them being lifted up helps! Seeing human beings in small Zoom conferences has been encouraging!

#4 Cling to your family- My wife and children are solid and sturdy supports in the storms of life. Yesterday, Lisa and I shared our 32nd wedding anniversary... Oh Lord, where would I be without her!

#5 Worship- Going into God's house and worshiping the Lord is always a hope and help. I am looking forward to a day where we can return and cry out in corporate worship!

But none of this alleviates the fact that it is a wearying process to hang on as we wait for help. Hope is sometimes hard, but it never pays off for us to give up.

Pastor Rick Warren:

"People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a Nutshell, life is
preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, And God wants us to be
with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--But not
the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend
trillions of years in eternity.  This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.
God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.  We were
made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make
sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of
one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.  The reason for this is that
God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life
happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life.
The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, With
my wife, Kay, getting cancer, I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go
through a dark time, Then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't
believe that anymore. 

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a
railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in
your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that
needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is
always something good you can thank God for.  You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. 

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my
problem, my issues, my pain."
But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and
onto God and others. 

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of
people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry
of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to
people.  

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?  Am I
going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism?  Or am I going
to be driven by God's purposes?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't
get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better.
God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I
am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
In:
Happy moments,
Difficult moments,
Quiet moments,
Painful moments,
Every moment, THANK GOD. "

The Psalmist's Desperation

As I read the Psalm, something jumped out that I has never noticed before. All of the 'Oh Lord' and the repetition regarding 'the watchmen' has a pace and rhythm of someone really desperate. This man is CRYING out to God and pleading for mercy. He is so overwhelmed by his sin.

I think back at his anger in Psalm 20- eyes at all of the world's wickedness. But now he has a different view- at all  of his wickedness.

And he does the right thing. He cries out to the Lord.

There is a point in redemption where we stop counting everyone else's failures and we start seeing our own. It is the problem that Jesus spoke of... specks and planks in Matthew 7.

When we speak of other's faults, we are justifying ourself by way of comparison.
When we cry out to God because of our sin, we are seeking mercy and forgiveness from the One we have offended.

And it is then we discover justification through Christ.

And then our song changes... you can see it in this Psalm.

The Psalmist ends with a hope for salvation to all.

That is why we plead to all we can.....

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. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16–17 ESV)

The Waiting Game

This will be a quick and general update on where I am and what is happening. Sorry, no details yet.

On Dec 9, God allowed one of those  'knock you to the ground kicks to your teeth' that  left me in the dust. One day I will try to detail what I think happened- it is too soon to unravel now- and would require a lot of speculation at this point.

The bottom line is this- I woke up that Thursday morning with full confidence about where I will live, where I will work, and was routinely doing my daily tasks of getting better, teaching, and planning for the future. I went to bed on Thursday night not knowing anything about the next day, week, month, or year.

When life slaps you to the ground like that- there are a number of complex things going on- deep things. And it is not just about you- this effects an entire family and group of people- it impacts close friends- it creates a stir in the community.

My visual was of a big, red dragon that had just landed what he thought was a death blow and I was laying in the dust of debris- and he was bowed up and hovering over me, sneering, and challenging me - "What you going to do now? What you going to do now?"

The pain is real- the shame hangs like a banner- and the weariness and emptiness of life is so thick you taste it. The nights are lonely, even the sweetest wife a man has ever known eventually falls asleep- and all you have is the darkness there to accuse. I cried out for sleep and I yearned for mornings- but each tick of the clock was spent in despair.

Now the cool part- God shows up. He shows up in a real way. He shows up in a sincere way. But He does it His way. He is not there to rescue me from the immediate pain- He wants me to hurt for a little bit, He doesn't desert me, but He is no quick fixer on purpose.

The medicine is there - the comfort is there- the Spirit is there. But the purpose of the medicine is to allow the pain to go deep and settle for a bit. It has now been 39 days- and I am doing so much better- but the pain is still present- I just know how to live with it- I don't have to hide from it- and I no longer fear the nights- and I no longer fear the dreams- and I have very little fear of the future.

What helps? God does- but here are some of the details.

First, my family rushed to my side and hugged me and loved me and we embraced God's plan with confidence and courage. Part of the fruit of walking with Christ is that He gives us others. In my case it was my amazing wife and children. It was also genuine friends- God's on-earth ministers.

Second, was God's Word- I can't say enough of what a Spirit-breathed Word of comfort does to a wounded soul. God's Word has the right amount of anger, cries, pain, and promises for His people to successfully navigate these waters.

Third, the testimony of God's people. It wasn't long before I began to hear the stories. It seems like that between the ages of 30-50 God allows men especially to be kicked down by life- it may be cancer, divorce, bankruptcy, addiction, problem with children, joblessness- and the purposes of this is manifold. I heard great stories of how men would say' the best thing that ever happened to me' and I saw the sincerity in their eyes and heard the echo of pain in their voice. These were not men saying cliche's - these were men who saw my cracked heart and remembered. It wasn't "I told you so" it was "I know". And it all helped me.

I made a list of these men who rushed to me and supported me in words and deed. I will pray God's blessings for them for the rest of my life. I want to do the same for others in the future.

So, slowly, day by day- I got up. I exercised. I read the Word. I prayed. I listened to praise songs and good Christian music. I sent out my resume. I made phone calls. And Jesus never left me.

Going back to worship was also important, though we needed a new venue for a myriad of reasons. God allowed Brentwood Baptist to be there. The sermons were God directed and Spirit enforced. The ministry of the Word and music were fresh breeze in tattered sails.

Now the summary of all of this: through the music, sermons, Bible study, prayer, testimonies, I heard a clear and strong message from God....WAIT.

It was hammered home again today:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40: 28-31

Ray Ortlund comments on this: "To wait for the Lord means to live in confident, eager suspense. It means to live with the tension of promises revealed but not yet fulfilled. This waiting is not killing time. It isn't sitting around, drumming your fingers. It is waiting on tip-toe, waiting with eager longing. It is forgetting what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead, and pressing on toward the goal (Philippians 3:13,14). It isn't erratic bursts of hyperactivity within a general pattern of boredom. It is steady, rugged progress, sustained by the conviction that the display of God's glory in Christ is yours."

So this is where I am. Learning how to sit still and wait yet remain in motion. A good friend gave me another visual... I am a running back and I have just received the hand-off- I am in slow motion and the line is blocking in front of me. I have to wait for the hole to open- but I have to be ready to hit that hole with all the explosion that I can muster.

My next post (in a few days?) will be about the decision grid I will be using to choose from the options I have before me. I am very grateful to have options.

When my enemy was hovering over me, baiting me, laughing at me, and accusing me "What are you going to do now?" I slowly stood up and replied, "I will trust my King. He is my Father and He loves me." And that dragon cursed and shrunk back in the darkness waiting on his next strike.

And so I wait.......God is good......

A Goal of the Gospel

Ephesians 2:8-10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

I want to throw out an idea that has been stirring in my little pea brain for a good while. Faith and works. We all wrestle with this. What is my relationship to the Law of God? What is my commitment to the moral law? How can the ceremonial and civil law of the Old Testament serve me?

Church history is full of ideas and experiments. The Monastic orders where men of God mortified the flesh in hoping to save their souls. We also see examples of antinomian (anti-law) philosophy where men drank deeply of grace and adopted an almost anything goes mentality. Go to the far right of them and see the Theonomists wanting to adopt the Civil codes of the Old Testament in society and drawing tough stances in honoring the Holy nature of God.

I even see this in current trends in the church. I don't know how familiar you are with the terms 'emergent church' or the 'new perspective of Paul' trends- but each in some ways wrestle with grace and works.

When I read N.T. Wright's commentary on Romans, I felt like the Bishop was just tired of licentious living among Christians and this 'new perspective' was an effort to push believers into thinking that they do need to add to their salvation by accomplishing righteous deeds. (Please believe me when I say that I could be dead wrong on that one- but it was a strong impression I had while reading him.)

And don't we feel that pressure ourselves? As a Bible teacher, I would love somehow to inspire my students to Holy living and a desire to honor God in our choices. A purer, more disciplined church would be more distinctive.

And yet, time and time again, Scripture calls me back to a very clear reality. The ONLY thing I add to my salvation is my hideous sin. To try and justify my record to God actually dishonors the sacrifice of Christ. To think I can compete and improve my sin trends to make God love me more is the religion that all idols demand.

So over and over, and over again. This is a gift. It is from God. I simply receive it and take Him at His word. My only claim on justification and adoption is Jesus.

And that is so clear in the above passage.

And then comes verse 10. Arrrrggggghh- there's that work again 'works'. God prepared works. I am a work. I am created in Christ for good works. And I should 'walk in them'.
No different from James... 'Faith without works is dead'.

Can someone help me?

In an attempt to be even more confusing, I wanted to write about some of the things I have experienced over the last couple of years and some thoughts. But none of this violates the gospel message: "I am a sinner, saved by God alone through Christ alone by faith alone."

Stage 1- The Ping Pong Ball. A lot of my early experience with grace was a back and forth bounce between the ditches of license and legalism. I play the role of the sinner and the pharisee, the addicted younger brother of the prodigal story and the cynical elder brother. My personal experience is one of fast jumping between the two and then finding longer periods in both (but also more stability in the sweet middle). I may write more on this one later, but there are amazing lessons and consequences in this teetering wobble. The freedom offered to the pharisee is pure joy and the grace offered to the sinner is pure hope. But this is a rather immature stage. A lot of excuse making, hiding, comparing to others, rationalization, compartmentalization, and pathetic pride.

Stage 2- The Shepherd's Tool. I was reading a new book by Timothy Witmer, entitled 'The Shepherd Leader', when I ran across a neat concept.
He visited the Nix Besser farm and asked Mrs. Herr, "What is the Shepherd's most important tool?". Witmer thought it might be the rod or staff or dog or voice. But Mrs Herr without hesitation said, "The fence".

And this describes a second stage in this concept. At some point I began to see that God's law is not obstructive or fun robbing rules. Not at all, time and experience begins to show God's law as a beautiful boundary of protection and peace. I am hemmed in for my good. Part of growing in the trust of my Father is believing that His ways are the best ways. It creates some internal motivation for improving in my ability to follow Him.

The funny thing about this stage is that I begin digging in to what the Word really says. The more I trust the fence, the more precise information I want to know. And the more precise, the more beautiful it becomes. This is a fine tuned balance that we always miss. And I laugh because I actually have way more freedom than my fears ever believed. I have missed out on no fun or pleasure that this life affords. But the boundaries keep these from sending shoots of idolatry into my heart on so many levels.

Stage 3: The Ideal Standard, the Good Gospel, and the Heart of Flesh. Lately, the fence has been less of a boundary and now becoming Standards to pursue. But the cool thing is that I see these mostly as unachievable. Something like going into every football game with the mindset of 'no turnovers'- but rarely achieving this crucial goal.
The neat thing is this- this is where the gospel serves me so well. My family, my marriage, my self discipline, my worship, my unselfishness, my giving, my prayer life is NOT what it needs to be. But I am under the precious atoning sacrifice of Christ. This gap does not discourage me- I am loved and forgiven. So I get up and run a little better tomorrow. And when I do make progress it is all due to the Spirit and the ministry of the Word, and His gift.
I am not what I need to be... but I am not what I used to be. And I am not arrogant about that, I am so thankful. All praise and credit goes to Him!
The Rule is good. It is worth pursuing. It hurts so good to sweat toward that prize. There are great examples to follow.
But here is the neat little secret.... all of this has a heart beat now called love.
The most amazing gift I have been given in these stages is the ability to love someone other than myself. When I gush at my wife and melt with my girls. When I have warm thoughts of friends and cry over their pain. When my insides smile at the lofty thoughts of my heavenly Father, all I can do is say is 'amazing'. And this honors my Father and gives proper credit to the work of the Son.

Last thing- even this blog post is an ideal that I fall short of. You may catch me tomorrow sulking over what someone said or did. I may be licking the wounds of defeat and hiding from the fray. But the Father of the glorious gospel says, "Come on, my Son, and let's get going." And I say, 'Wow, I wonder what's gonna happen next?' The old hymn says 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word'. I say "This is just too cool!"

Love to get your thoughts........

I'm Still Here- What is This All About?

Call me a joker, call me a fool
Right at this moment I'm totally cool
Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife
I feel like I'm in the prime of my life
Sometimes it feels like I'm going too fast
I don't know how long this feeling will last
Maybe it's only tonight

CHORUS
Darling I don't know why I go to extremes
Too high or too low there ain't no in-betweens
And if I stand or I fall
It's all or nothing at all
Darling I don't know why I go to extremes

“I Go to Extremes” Billy Joel


Questions: What is your life about? If you are a believer in Christ, why are you still on the planet? Why didn’t God just catapult you straight to the heavens upon conversion?

Part of the answer is that we are in an amazing and miraculous period referred to as ‘sanctification” that is- we are being molded and set apart as a vessel of service to the glory of God.

There are many Biblical passages we can look at to investigate the process by which we are putting off (actually putting to death) the Old man of sin and putting on the righteousness of Christ.

There are two passages I want to use as a foundation for information to share with you what Christ is doing in my life and an outline of what we all can do to “walk in the light as He is in the light”.

The first passage is an introductory reminder in Psalms 119:1-10
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments! Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!

We live in a “How to America”- How to win a million dollars, How to install surround sound. In our quest for How to we often miss the instruction book- We cannot neglect the Bible- Christian books, magazines, programs, music are all great- but don’t allow them to substitute the pure refined milk of God’s word.- The Holy Spirit will only be enabled to produce gospel fruit in your life with the tools available to Him by scripture- Holy Revelation. God’s word is fine tuned to steer us down the road of sanctification.
Michael Horton wrote a recent article called “The American Religion” I wanted to read a small section of that as food for thought.

Just imagine a first-century Christian hearing an average "testimony" in a modern church. Here's someone who has lost his job and has been imprisoned for believing that Jesus Christ is the only Savior and King. He may also be fed to lions or turned into a lamp for Nero's garden. And this first-century believer is sitting in one of our meetings listening to a well-meaning brother or sister saying something along these lines: "Since Jesus came into my heart, it's been one blessing after another. I got a new job and I've claimed prosperity and healing in all areas of my life. It fixed my marriage and made me feel good about myself for the first time in my life. So what do you have to lose? Try God! Give Jesus a chance! He'll turn your scars into stars and your sorrows into stepping stones." How do you think your first-century Christian friend would react to such a display of uniquely American religious pragmatism?

We do not find a single instance of conversion in the New Testament based on the usefulness of Christianity vs. other religions. Instead, the issue is always objective truth. Either Jesus did or did not rise from the dead. Either he was God incarnate saving sinners by his life and death, or he was a deluded imposter. So what if it "works" for you! Mormonism has worked for millions, as have other cults, sects and non-Christian religions. False religion is very good for people in this life, but the end thereof is death…this… falls short of St. Paul's assertion that "If Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain....If we have only been able to trust Christ in this life, we are of all men the most to be pitied" (1 Cor.15:18). The Apostle, for one, saw the validation for Christianity in the truth of the resurrection as a historical fact, not in the utility of Christianity for living a jollier and fuller life.


An example of the Bible’s ability to steer us in the walk of sanctification is found in Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What a great passage- we often leave off vs. 10 But it is a great balancing verse.

The Spiritual walk with Christ is a beautifully balanced and properly paced journey that needs to be enjoyed as much as endured.

We have an impossible time living this kind of life.

Why? Well we are sinners - the reformed idea of “total depravity”. It is a concept that is losing credence in our post everything world.
Total depravity does not mean that we are as bad as we can possible be. It means we are born in sin, it is in our very DNA, and we are comfortable with sin and are immersed in our own sin and the sin of others. Any good that man is a gift of the common grace of God and the remnant of God’s image on his life. Everything we touch is tainted by sin. Do you believe this?
We are subtly tempted to not believe this. The conventional wisdom of our day is that man is good. President Clinton was described as a good man who did a bad thing. Is this true?

C.S. Lewis described our sin as having two distinct personalities- our animal self and our diabolical self. Sometimes we join a church and clean up our animal self- we have 2 beers instead of 20. But our diabolical self so twists our thinking, motives, and imaginations that we begin to believe that we are good and pleasing to God and he is lucky to have us.

Now back to this passage:
We are not saved by our works. When we speak of sanctification, we are not putting a plan together to make God happy with us. The Great Solas of the Reformation still ring true today- Christ Alone- Grace alone- Faith alone. We never say “I am covered by Christ and I an active in men’s group”. Christ + nothing is where justification and adoption are found.

Without the redeeming blood of Jesus, we are still in our sins- dabbling with life and losing our very existence. Building up a day of wrath for not acknowledging the precious blood spilled for us and our blaspheming of God’s Holy Spirit.

Now this passage is like a beautiful highway- an expressway with day to day road signs and top down exhilarating travel.

The problem is that there are two huge ditches on either side of this road. And we often steer in them. On the right side of this road is legalism- our diabolical self comes in and says- Oh you are cleaning up so well- and you start feeling really good about yourself – and you start looking around at others- and in your desire to help them you package your rules and rituals and begin to try and help others. Before long, we find ourselves as self righteous Pharisees- looking down at sinners and trying to be everyone’s Holy Spirit.

I know the Pharisee well- I play him a lot. Our culture helps me play him very well. We have become the biggest opinionated and judgmental civilization in the history of man. We have talking heads on TV espousing one view after another and call it entertainment. I love it! I am an O’Reily junkie. The problem is that I began to love my arguments over loving people.

The worst part of my Pharisee legalistic self is my gossip and criticism of others. I am not loving- I am condemning. We point out the 10% bad and refuse to see the 90% good.

So I finally get out of the legalistic path and drink grace and liberty. Ahh! Christian freedom. It is glorious! Christ’s death frees us from the ceremonial and civil law. There is a better law- the moral law, written on my heart- the Sermon on the Mount puts it into my motives and mind- it is a beautiful thing!

But just beyond Christian liberty is license. It is a ditch as derailing as legalism. Paul wrote in Romans “How can we who died to sin, still live in it?” In this state, everything goes- all truth is relative, I do what I think and I feel- there is no suspicion of my motives or actions. I do what is right in my own eyes and put it under the blood.

I walk into a situation, run to sin, eviscerate my conscience and say “I am forgiven”. Before long, I am powerless, hardened, and my God is my comfort. The irony of the ditch of license is that we love people even less than the Pharisee. I don’t care about their eternal destination. I am afraid of confrontation. If I stand for truth, it will indict me. So I walk around and tell people all is fine when I know we are growing colder and darker by the second. Loving someone means saying no - and that includes to myself.


Out of that ditch I find this beautiful path- a balanced and tense walk with my Savior as He directs me by His Spirit and through His word in a new life- in this life I learn to love and lean on Christ- I become an admirer of people- I seek my way less and edify others more- I pour myself into relationships, especially my wife and children. I laugh- I cry- I get weary- I long for heaven- God picks me up at the right time- I fall in ditches- He cleans me off and starts me straight again- 1 step forward- 2 steps back- 3 steps- 5 back and when I lose hope- He allows the dust to settle and I look back and God’s kingdom has been built- in spite of me. To His praise and glory!

I wanted to list a few things that help me avoid these ditches:
Devotion to the Word and Prayer
Unflinching commitment to consistent worship
Education
Private fasting- hobby/TV/delicacies
Prudent feasting
Small group accountability
Loving my wife well
Pushing work down my priority list
Crying out for God’s spirit- I am powerless to do it- I need to abide in the vine of Christ.

A final note: Be patient- God’s sanctification takes TIME. It is measured in decades, not in days.

Well as we close- we do all of this to live the greatest of all the Solas- To God alone be the Glory- may we be great beacons of light to the glorious life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ-

"Yes Sir" is Hard- A Romans 'To Do' List

Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

I don't know of any more difficult 'to do' than submission to authority. The older I get, the harder it is.

I also believe that 90% of our fragmentation and lack of unity comes from this very principle.

The principle of submission is a very interesting study. I think I could write an entire book about it and this blog will not do it justice at all.

The basic premise is this: God is the sovereign King. I owe my allegiance to Him.He is in charge of my circumstances and has put His ordained authority over me. My duty is to obey, even if I don't feel like it or agree with it. In fact, I am to obey it in such a way as to make the decision successful. I serve those in authority like I am serving the Lord.

And my grade for this principle: D- at best.

There was a time I was a little better at this- and then I became head of a household and a head coach- so I love to lead, but really hate to follow. But I also know how crucial it is in my leadership positions to have loyal followers.

A couple of stories:

I was a youth pastor 'in charge' of a trip to Colorado. It was MY trip. We had done it a few times and it was successful. Our staff wanted to do a few different things and one activity in particular was, in my opinion, just dumb. They vetoed me and went with the idea anyway. My attitude went from bad to worse as I wanted the activity to fail. I wanted to be right, more than have the event succeed. So I offered no help, even when I saw a flaw in the materials and organization of this activity.

As expected, the scheme went south and we ended up with a lot of hurt feelings. I sat with my arms crossed, halfway between gloating and the worse case of 'I told you so' I had ever had. But there were tears and frustrations- and it soon was being directed at me. And it suddenly dawned on me- I was a huge part of this failure. My selfishness caused a lot of problems. I could have helped it be better, maybe even a success- but I let my team down. Fortunately, we all forgave each other and moved on.

I was even worse towards my bosses in my early days. If my boss agreed with me, I was his best friend. But if they ever went against me, they all were morons!

Are you beginning to see the drift?

A big change in that happened as I became an assistant football coach. God began to show me that it is better to submit and work to make it work. Even if I did not agree with the decision, my responsibility became to submit and obey with a great attitude.

One time our head coach made a personnel change that all the assistants hated. We thought he was doing something very foolish. But God allowed me to work hard to make his wishes work. I took a great attitude into that situation. And that player helped us win a championship. I helped make his decision work- our head coach looked like a genius- and who cared? He was right! We won!

That one change allowed me to become one heck of an assistant football coach.

But past success does not mean future success. My default pattern is to push back and complain.

I have had, within this past year, to work on this again and have had some small victories.
This principle also involves serving, loving, and lifting up those in authority over us. Have you been nice to your boss lately? Try it- it is not sucking up- it is obeying the Lord.

By the way, this does not make me a big pile of spineless jelly.

During the decision time I fight hard for what I believe in, but if the decision goes against me- I submit according to Romans 13.

But think of all the areas this means: Driving the speed limit, fulfilling all my job duties, paying attention to God's Law- even in minor things. It means supporting our nation when the government seems to be going in a wrong direction.

Two last balancing points:
Is there a time to disobey? The answer is 'yes'- but it must be done very soberly, with counsel and prayer. The disobedience should be done 'out in the open' with explanation. And, I must be willing to accept the consequences of disobedience.

And finally, the Trinity is a picture of mutual submission. The Father/Son/ and Holy Spirit all mutually give way when the other's role become prominent. It creates that bond of unity and love.

My prayer is that we would all become less abrasive, less critical, less negative and willingly submit. Build up our leaders and pray for them.

When it is time to vote- vote. When it is time to debate- debate. But when the decisions are final- see them straight from the Lord and yield. May we become great followers to our rulers in both church and state. This pleases the Lord!

Practicing Patterns in Romans- YOUR SHAPE

Romans 12:4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:

I am in the beginning stages of applying Romans 12-16- Today is #2:

2) Find my shape and use my gift. God made you good at something.. find it and use it for Him. I will talk later about this. But the happiest people in the world are those who act in accordance with their heart desires to serve others to God's glory not worrying about what others think.

I wish who I knew who to give credit to for this acronym of "S.H.A.P.E." but it is a neat idea.

We all have a shape and it is a make-up of several things:
S- Spiritual gifts
H- Heart Desires
A- Aptitude (or ability, skill)
P- Personality
E- Experiences (especially early life experiences)

These things are our shape. It is how we are wired.

My shape happens to look like a football.

But, the bottom line is this- we all have a unique pattern, it is God given, and we need to seek out the Lord in having our shape fit into His puzzle, for His kingdom, and for His glory.

As someone who has been blessed enough to know God and know myself- I can now unreservedly push my direction into what I have been called to do. I need to let the 'pressure' come from Him. Again, not squeezed by the world, but transformed by the renewing of my mind. This is the fruit of the gospel and it leads to a beautiful life. Not easy... not without disappointments and failures, not without the need for mercy, not without the dependency on the Spirit.... but true joyous freedom in Christ.

Discover your shape (it takes some time) and start utilizing it today!

A Heart of Humility: Free to Be Me- A Romans “To Do” List

This is part of an 'unpacking' of Romans 12-16. I listed 10 things to practice in response to the glorious information in Romans 1-11. In light of God's mercies, Paul paints a picture of our response. Today is humility.

1) Lower your view of yourself... I no longer have to compare and compete. I am who I am because God knows me, made me, chose me, and loves me. I do not feel shame or condemnation. I am free! I see my strengths and my weaknesses.. it is who I am. True humility is not throwing aspersions at yourself.. it is not thinking less of yourself... it is thinking of yourself less. I can get out of my little self and start living.

Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

“Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”
(I Peter 5:5,6 NKJ italics mine)

Under the umbrella of Christian love is the pursuit of Biblical humility. It is a commitment to submit to God, and in doing so, eliminates self-promotion or selfish ambition. This attitude of humility lays a beautiful foundation for developing and fostering relationships that the world indeed marvels. A humble person is approachable, calm in stressful situations, and contributes to a positive environment.
Humility cuts across the very core of sinful human nature- pride. A proud person is hard to love and is incapable of loving anyone other than self. Biblical history is full of God’s wrath against man’s pride. We see it dealt with in individuals and nations. Pride promotes factions and dissentions along with it fueling bitterness and isolation.
What are some of the benefits of humility when modeled by followers of Christ? First, humility generates a spirit of unity and cooperation. Truly humble people seek a common good that exists outside of personal desires. When people care more about improving a situation than whether their personal agendas are being met, it creates a great sense of community and cooperation. People are more willing to volunteer and sacrifice when the Spirit has given them a heart of humility. I have observed in our school a teacher who always checks to see if our detention hall has a teacher there to monitor it. Occasionally, one of our faculty members forgets that it is their turn to monitor this hour before school. I have seen this teacher fulfill the duty willingly and never mention to the other teacher that they did this for them. Only a heart of humility allows for such a service to be made without strife or dissention. When Christians seek Biblical humility, there is enormous unity within the entire body.
Secondly, Biblical humility promotes honesty in communication. Truly humble people speak the truth in love, and listen to truth in love. When receiving admonition, a humble person remains patient and demonstrates great forbearance. I know of a faculty member who was confronted by an explosive parent. I watched with admiration as this teacher accepted the criticism in sincerity and love. This gentle spirit turned the wrath of this parent in a useful discourse of the situation. By the end of ten minutes, it was the parent who was apologizing for having incorrect information and an ungodly attitude. In the same way, humble people can show great courage to speak truth when it may not be politically expedient to do so. A humble person is not afraid of men, but has a quiet confidence in the protection of the Lord. A humble person will say what he feels is the truth, and suffer consequences in doing so. These types of people eliminate political environments that so easily enslave us.
Thirdly, Biblical humility provides a framework for forgiveness and understanding. I think this is the winning edge among Christian relationships. All successful, long term relationships depend on an understanding of Biblical forgiveness. We forgive because Christ has forgiven us. I know of a teacher who practiced Biblical forgiveness toward a man who murdered his brother, and another faculty member experienced the peace and victory of forgiving someone who killed her father. These are extreme circumstances, only accomplished by a supernatural outpouring of God’s spirit. They serve, however, as a model for us to forgive when wronged.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32)

If Christian communities practice this kind of forgiveness, supported by a heart of humility, they will see dramatic impact on the atmosphere of any church, school, or nation. This humility also allows us to understand a situation with great love and compassion.

False Humility

Part of the problem in developing a heart of humility is the deception of the flesh. The Bible warns believers to search out and eliminate false humility, which is an appearance of spirituality, but with no true inward power. Ironically, these people actually take pride in their humble appearance.

“ Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels…These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” (Col. 2:18,23)

Biblical humility is not self-deprecation, the so-called “aw-shucks” false humility that resonates so emptily in relationships. You know that person. He is the one who can never take a compliment and always understates an achievement or accomplishment. “Aw shucks, I am so poor and lowly, and I am absolutely worthless.”
I think the Biblical model of humility is selfless. It seeks to build God and others up, but not bring yourself or your institution down. True humility is not afraid of proper, Biblical boasting. Biblical boasting is an active desire to point out the Excellencies of the Father. It is a decision to give up a right or entitlement for the glory of God and service of others. “Thank-you for that compliment, but I couldn’t do it without the Lord, isn’t He great!” or “I am so thankful to be the teacher of the year, this award deserves to be shared with all my fellow colleagues. They give me inspiration daily to pursue excellence, as unto the Lord.”
A telling sign of false humility is how one responds to questions of concern or criticism. A truly humble person is not reactionary, but patient and loving in conflict. A person of false humility cannot keep a gentle spirit in these circumstances. A person of false humility is generally negative, and leads complaints or dissentions. A person filled with false humility does not have very many deep or loving relationships.

The Great Model of Humility

Our model of course is Jesus. The glorious passage in Philippians Chapter 2 teaches us that Christ willingly let go of His rights for us. A test for this humility is found only in by searching the inner man. How do you feel when a fellow teacher gets a reward or a break? How quickly do you defend a colleague if a student or a parent is criticizing him? How often do you get upset if it seems that you are not being noticed or you have to give up a privilege? How quickly do you volunteer to help a need, knowing it may cost you some time and effort? May the Lord grant to all of us through His spirit the attitude of submission and humble service to the Lord. If we do that, we are promised His blessings and grace. He will honor the effort “in due time”.
Today, make a commitment to build others up and worry less about yourself. Ask the Lord for a heart full of true, Biblical humility. The only one that will notice is your Savior, but, in reality, He is the only one who needs to know.

Practicing Patterns- Romans 12

In Romans 12 - after recognition of our sin and shortcomings, the futility of moral righteousness, the gospel, conversion, and the gift of God's spirit - we see an amazing verse. It is a strong imperative.

²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When a Christian is converted, there is an abrupt invasion of God's spirit into his spirit. It is many times a 'rude awakening'... a realization 'what am I doing?', 'where am I going?'.

It also presents a line of demarcation- which kingdom are you going to declare?

If US citizens have a child in another country, that child actually has dual citizenship until he is 18 years old. At 18, there has to be a declaration about his citizenship. This is a similar picture here, we are citizens in heaven but live on the earth. At some point there has to a declaration.... What is your home? Who is your king?

Now the Spirit helps to make it real clear... there is only one good choice. It isn't easy. It many times means sacrifice.God's people have a history of being pushed down, ignored, counted out, passed over, persecuted, mocked and ridiculed. The fact that I live in the US has been a great blessing because of the free environment and large number of common believers. But I feel the air changing... ever so slightly.

The key now is to use a renewed mind to produce new choices that reflect my actual citizenship.

The moment by moment choices I make everyday are creating patterns in my life. The patterns are producing my character. My brother Jerry Harwood loved to quote his coach, "Practice does not produce perfection... practice makes permanent."

I'd like to show you the world's pattern from a Biblical perspective. This is where the pressure is on... to squeeze us into a certain mold. But this pattern is seen as far as its fruit is concerned. Read what Paul says is II Tim. 3.

3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

When I get in front of my players or my students, I want them to see this as the people they do not want to be. Because of sin, though, this is our default mode.

It's in me. I love self.. I am materialistic and lust for luxury..I am proud...my arrogance just bursts out of me from time to time.... I can be verbally abusive.. I disobey authority all the time.. do I have to go on? One day just sitting in my car at a red light the realization hit me "I have violated every commandment of God" and my life wants to always get pulled in that direction.

So we have to stop... think.. and pursue a pattern that 'breaks the mold'. We repent of the direction we are going and practice righteous choices instead.

Romans 12- 16 gives us those practices. Things to do. Things to break tendencies.
The cool thing is that it is almost moment by moment and day by day. It is not a list in a notebook, it is not a sheet on the fridge.. it is living... dynamic.

"Then you will be able to test and approve.. what pleases God"

Romans To Do's:

1) Lower your view of yourself... I will cover this in more detail later. But I no longer have to compare and compete. I am who I am because God knows me, made me, chose me, and loves me. I do not feel shame or condemnation. I am free! I see my strengths and my weaknesses.. it is who I am. True humility is not throwing aspersions at yourself.. it is not thinking less of yourself... it is thinking of yourself less. I can get out of my little self and start living.

2) Find my shape and use my gift. God made you good at something.. find it and use it for Him. I will talk later about this. But the happiest people in the world are those who act in accordance with their heart desires to serve others to God's glory not worrying about what others think.

3) Love... more on this later. But this is huge and one that I am still an infant in. But this includes enemies...

4) Submit... yuck. We think only kids and teens are rebellious. Hah! When an authority tells you to do something that you don't want to do... how do you feel? What do you do?

5) Live soberly and simply, in expectancy of Christ's return. Be moderate and careful... more later.

6) Learn to choose in light of the 'weaker brother'- don't flaunt freedoms. More later...

7) Choose peace over criticism and condemnation. Seek unity with other believers.

8) Proclaim the gospel to all in word and deed.

9) Live joyous lives... have fun... embrace your circumstances and dance.

10) All of this together is........ WORSHIP

That is Romans 12-16 in a nutshell. All of it is simple... but profound. Easy... but impossible. It is a lifetime labor of love.

I will put a little more into these To Do's later... let's encourage one another to not get squeezed into the losing pattern of this world. But break the mold..... start today. It is never too late!

A New Light on an Old Problem- Romans 6

these posts are on my blog: jayopsis.blogspot.com

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Individuals have gone through some real agony throughout the history of the church to rid themselves of sin, the sting of condemnation, and the fruit of consequences that result from a life apart from God..

Some of us are familiar with the practice of mortification: The old belief that if a person mortified (destroyed) the flesh they could save the soul. This doctrine came out of a mis-application of texts like “cut off the hand”- “gouge out the eye”- or “you haven’t resisted to the point of shedding blood”.

Monastic Orders were set up to arrest sin by severe lifestyle changes and extraordinary vows of pain and discomfort. The problem is this… it doesn’t work. A man can take vows of silence and chastity and still find evil lurking in the depths of the human heart.

John Calvin comments on this practice of mortification:

There are some good and holy men who when they saw constant overindulgence wanted to curb and correct it, but thought there was no other way than to allow men only the bare necessities. This is godly advice but unnecessarily severe, because it binds our consciences in closer fetters than they are bound by God’s Word. Necessity, according to them, meant abstinence from anything desirable, so that bread and water was the rule.

We now come back to Paul’s glorious comment on gospel truth and application. He first gives the imperative ’Do not let sin reign’- this indicates an active participation by the believer in the process. We believe in a salvation by God alone (monergistic), however we also believe in a cooperative sanctification (synergistic).

This is the battle of the believer. When we are slaves to sin, we think we are free, but we are dead. We run away from becoming a ‘slave to God’- but ironically, this is where true life and liberty is found.

So how do we find success in this battle against sin?

It is not in mutilation… it is found in re-dedication.

Our society simply says to ‘Say NO- and ‘Education is the key”- but the Bible recognizes the emptiness of this message. We don’t simply say ‘NO”- we learn to say “YES’ to Christ and we need His Spirit to win.

Are you struggling with pornography? Don’t destroy your computer… re-dedicate it. Use the time to honor God. Set up accountability, of course. But use the time to seek out positive info.

Are you weighed down with an unhealthy addiction? Don’t destroy your body.. instead push your addictive nature into the things of God.

Ask yourself the obvious question in verse 21- What benefit does sin ultimately give you?

We, of course, need to address another foolish fix the world suggests- REMOVE GUILT. Some liberal sociologists and others suggest we remove the standard. They say, “We need to stop saying these things are wrong, just get rid of the guilt” Just remove the shame. Come on now! Please!.. No matter the semantics, we know how we feel when we let someone down or fail in our own pursuits.

Verse 19- When you offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity you are lead into ever increasing wickedness (this is the ‘handing over’ in Chapter 1).

So what do we do? Everyday offer yourself to Christ. Get up and say, ”Lord, take me today. Read His Word. Walk around your house and give Him everything. “Take this Lord and use it for Your glory.” Give Him your heart, your dreams, your pain- let Him be the boss for a change.

In the middle of the day, stop and pray. “Lord, show me how to give it all to You”. Share this with someone you trust. Ask them to help you in your desire to live for Him.

At the end of the day- review. You will see how you messed up. Pray “Lord, forgive me, I need You to take me, help me be dedicated to You”. Preach the gospel to yourself’ I am saved by grace” Read, watch, and pray.

Begin again tomorrow. Be patient. This change happens in fits and spurts- 1 step forward- 2 steps back- 3 steps forward- 1 step back. Spiritual change takes place in decades.. not days.

After a while, I promise, you will begin to see a change… from the inside out. Sanctification begins with a new dedication- it is a new direction.

I am confident in this “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completeness in Christ Jesus”.

Write me and let me know how you are doing: jayopsis@gmail.com

Logical Question- Passionate Answer -Romans 6

Paul asks a legitimate question in response to this gospel of salvation by grace alone.

6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

Doesn't this thought creep into our minds? Our human propensity to manipulate, twist, and justify works inside all the time.

Paul's answer contains a tone of repugnancy.

2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

See his reasoning about the cost and truth of the gospel:

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Have you come to the point in your life that you discover that conflict comes after conversion? Salvation is an interesting thing: Our war with God is over, our war with the old man has just begun!

A couple of closing applications:
Paul's point is clear... the true response to the gospel results in a new life.
It is illogical and unthinkable to continue in sin. Faith begins a process of wrestling with the old nature.

We have a great gospel indicative: WE ARE UNDER GRACE AND FREE
We have a great gospel imperative: DO NOT LET SIN REIGN

This is not a 'frozen chosen life'- the new life has an active and powerful will. We should be feeding the new nature and killing the old.

Finally, how do we kill the old? It is an amazing observation for the next lesson. Not a mutilation but a re-dedication. Look for it later in Ch 6!

Calvin’s Greatest Challenge

Want to be challenged by Calvin?

Our first thought is to jump to the mysteries of predestination, the criticism of limited atonement, or tweaking the perseverance of the saints. (All of these will be looked at later)

But Calvin’s greatest admonishment has nothing to do with the TULIP acronym.

Calvin’s greatest challenge to me is grasping the concept of ‘dying to myself’.
Look at what he says in his Golden Booklet of the Christian Life:

We are not our own:
neither our reason nor our will should guide our thoughts and actions.

We are not our own:
therefore we should not seek what is expedient for the flesh.

We are not our own:
therefore, let us forget ourselves and our own interests as far as possible.

BUT WE ARE GOD’S OWN:
to Him, therefore, let us live or die.

BUT WE ARE GOD’S OWN:
therefore, let His wisdom and will dominate our actions

BUT WE ARE GOD’S OWN:
therefore let every part of our existence be directed toward Him as our only legitimate goal.

Here are some more shots:

“The object of regeneration is to manifest in the life of the believer a harmony between God’s righteousness and their obedience and thus confirm the adoption they have received as sons.” (Here, I give a shout out to Mike Graham- our obedience flows out of adoption- no pole vaulting from justification to sanctification… right?)

How about this one?
“ No one has rightly denied himself unless he has wholly resigned himself to the Lord and is willing to leave every detail to His good pleasure. IF WE PUT OURSELVES IN SUCH A MIND, THEN WHATEVER MAY HAPPEN TO US, WE SHALL NEVER FEEL MISERABLE OR ACCUSE GOD FALSELY BECAUSE OF OUR LOT”

A few more punches (hurts so good):
“We should not insist on absolute perfection of the gospel in our fellow Christians, however MUCH WE MAY STRIVE FOR IT IN OURSELVES”

This point is made so well by Jerry Bridges in the book on Calvin:
He points out that not only should we think of others before ourselves…. We should seek their advantage - Tough on ourselves and tender to others.

This is Holy Spirit empowered cross bearing.. impossible. It flows out of a confidence we have in a justification from Christ alone. We act not to merit our salvation, we act out of the fact of our salvation.

And of course, I love the Scriptural balance that Calvin always shows. He keeps us from going to unnecessary extremes.
In his writing about the ‘right use of the present life’ Calvin is quick to encourage us to live and enjoy the pleasures of life… in moderation. This is no ‘code of conduct’ it is a ‘conformity to Christ’.

In the end, he encourages me – “let us not despair because of the smallness of our accomplishment.”

Growing in Obedience as a Result of Grace

Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The question of obedience comes up a lot. “Aren’t we saved by grace, not a result of works?” YES.
And yet, I find myself being confronted on this very issue. Pastor Rick Warren in his 8 Principles based on the beatitudes lists this very idea in Principle 5.

Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires"

Paul is clear about this in Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

This is a huge part of sanctification, that part of the doctrine of grace that flows out of our justification and adoption in Christ.

I am convinced however that it is a process.

CS Lewis adds an interesting idea in that , at the beginning, we somewhat pretend or rehearse this new life.

In Book IV Chapter 7 of Mere Christianity, he says these very interesting words:

So that, in a way, this dressing up as Christ is a piece of outrageous cheek. But the odd thing is that He has ordered us to do it.
Why? What is the good of pretending to be what you are not? Well, even
on the human level, you know, there are two kinds of pretending. There is a
bad kind, where the pretense is there instead of the real thing; as when a
man pretends he is going to help you instead of really helping you. But
there is also a good kind, where the pretense leads up to the real thing.
When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the
best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave
as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes,
as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were.

In reality, of course, it is God who does everything. We, at most, allow it to
be done to us. In a sense you might even say it is God who does the
pretending. The Three-Personal God, so to speak, sees before Him in fact a
self-centered, greedy, grumbling, rebellious human animal. But He says "Let
us pretend that this is not a mere creature, but our Son. It is like Christ
in so far as it is a Man, for He became Man. Let us pretend that it is also
like Him in Spirit. Let us treat it as if it were what in fact it is not.
Let us pretend in order to make the pretense into a reality." God looks at
you as if you were a little Christ: Christ stands beside you to turn you
into one. I daresay this idea of a divine make-believe sounds rather strange
at first. But, is it so strange really? Is not that how the higher thing
always raises the lower? A mother teaches her baby to talk by talking to it
as if it understood long before it really does. We treat our dogs as if they
were "almost human": that is why they really become "almost human" in the
end.


John Frame adds these thoughts in his study of Cornelius Van Til:

"He (Van Til) calls for an increase in the soul’s resolve to do God’s will. But that resolve needs to become more and more spontaneous, fixed, and growing in momentum. What he means is that spiritual maturity brings more internal and less external constraint. Growing in Christ means that we become more and more willing to do His will; our obedience becomes more delightful, more the passion of our own heart. It becomes habitual, in a good sense. A mature servant of God does not need to be browbeaten into seeking God’s righteousness."

So here I am, a believer in Christ since the summer of 1980, and I am still wavering in this idea of obedience. I’m thankful for grace and so dependent on my Lord’s mercy. But isn’t it time I seriously consider my areas of clear disobedience?