I am very well aware that it has been several months since my last post. I have certainly never thought it would take so long to write another post again! I have several 1/2 written posts in the draft section. I have even had many more ideas for posts while I am otherwise occupied, and unable to write them down, only to have them disappear into that unwritten draft section of my thoughts. However my goal for this blog has been to never waste anybodies time who would read my blog, with posts that were not at least purposeful and thought provoking and interesting. I hope I am accomplishing this goal.
Today is Easter Sunday, and while I am not writing this with a particular interest for an Easter message, it is only because of that Resurrection day that we have any Good News of the Gospel to write about at all! As Paul says in Rom. 4:25 "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." And again in I Cor. 15:14 "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain."
It is not just that Jesus died, but the fact that He rose again from the dead which is the Good News of the Gospel! If He had not risen from the dead, then there would be no Gospel, no Good News to tell, and nothing to believe; no basis for faith since the wages of sin would still be due!
But He is Risen indeed! And we have a basis for faith, and our salvation is assured! Not because of anything we have done, but all because of what He has done! We were under the penalty of sin because of another, and we are also declared righteous because of another!
Paul says in Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
I am always surprised by the number of Christians who will quote this verse in order to suggest that they are indeed not saved by their deeds, and then will list their faith as though that is something that they can brag about. But if you read the verse carefully, you will notice that it says we are saved by grace...how?...through faith... yes, but is it our faith that saves us? NO... it is the gift of God! The truth is that it is not just grace which is a gift of God, but the FAITH to believe that is the Gift of God!
This is important to understand. If it is a matter of you exercising some measure of your own faith to believe, that separates you from all of the other unbelievers, then your faith becomes not only a work in which you can boast but also something for which you are responsible to maintain! Do you not see that the only thing which separates you from any other non believer is the fact that God has placed within you a revelation of the Truth, and the faith to believe that truth, that he has not yet given to another. It is a truth that you played no part in meriting, deserving, earning, or even some act of receiving on your part to have that revelation!
If you can say "I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins, and rose again on the third day." If the reason for the celebration of Easter is something that you believe, then by all means enjoy the celebration of that fact, also knowing that were it not for the gift of that faith to believe being imparted to you, then you too would be blinded in ignorance.
"Therefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit." I Cor. 12:3 So you see that you cannot believe; you would not have even the faith to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit!
What about the others who don't believe? Well, for now, lets just say that they don't believe yet!...But they will! "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." I Cor. 15:22,23.
There are so many directions that the rest of this post can go which would distract me from my initial purpose, so having laid the basis from what is already said, I will move more towards my point.
Having seen that it is HIS faith by which we believe unto salvation, we also must not forget that it is also HIS faith by which we live out this New Creation Life we have! If you try to live by faith in your own faith, or your own efforts of trying to do all of the right things, you will fail! And failing leads to disappointment, and frustration, and self inflicted doubts!
I was reminded of an earlier time in my Christian walk where I was plagued by doubts! How do I know that what I believe is real? What if I am being deceived? Is God really real? Am I saved? I did not know that it was not my faith that sustained my Christian life, and so every time I would do something wrong, then I would question my faith, and wonder if I could ever live good enough to please God!
"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth .... Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Gal. 3:1-3
God is not waiting for you to do all of the right things, and to say all of the right things, and to believe all of the right things before He will change your life. He is already in the midst of changing your life every day! We do not see it very often, partly because some changes happen slowly, and sometimes we focus on how far we think we have to go, not how far we have come! As I said in an earlier post; we are on a journey not to a destination, but to a transformation! There is a Greek word that describes this transformation from which we get the English word Metamorphosis. The dictionary defines it in part as "change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means" The bible describes it as becoming a brand new creation in Christ and that is a change in our Spiritual being!
It is because of this change in our Spiritual being, that has such an effect on our natural man! The problem comes when we try by the best efforts of our natural man, to live the life of our Spiritual man! We try to prop up our faith based on evidence of some kind. We would judge ourselves based on our thoughts or behavior or biblical understanding, or even subjective holiness! And since it is impossible for the natural man to please God, "because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so," Rom. 8:7 ASV then we fall under self condemnation!
So then, if you recognize yourself as one who has been having a hard time TRYING to live the Christian life; as one who has tried to please God with all of your efforts and controlling your behavior; if you have been having doubts about your faith in God, or His existence, or your salvation, then STOP! Lay all of that aside! Don't try to believe just believe! Don't try to have enough faith, let Him live His faith in you! Don't try to live the Christian life based on a set of laws, and do's and don'ts. Instead let go of all of your efforts, and let Him live His Life through you, and then effortlessly, and without any fear or condemnation, you will find yourself going through the day just Living His Faith!
