"Teach me Your way, Yahweh, and I will live by Your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name. I will praise You with all my heart, Lord my God, and I will honor Your name forever" (Ps. 86:11-12, HCSB).
Do you ever feel like your mind is divided in its loyalties? Do you feel the necessity of this prayer? I find myself in constant need of instruction. It feels as if I forget a lesson nearly as quickly as I learn it. I have to be remind again and again. Do you ever feel that way?
The psalmist recognizes that he personally needs to be instructed by God if he is to live God's truth. He knows that God must give him an undivided heart. The psalmist is powerless to heal the divide within. It will take an act of God to bring his loyalties into a singular focus.
What is truly impressive in this prayer is that the psalmist wants an undivided mind so that he may fear the Lord. Before you cue the thunder sound effects, realize that when the Bible speaks of fear of the Lord, it focuses more on reverence and less on terror. Fear of the Lord means that we hate evil (Prov. 8:13). It means that we understand the God is holy, and in that holiness he hates sin.
God's very nature detests sin. If I asked you to eat a worm, you might be appalled. That feeling of revulsion gives you a slight glimmer of understanding when it comes to understanding how the Holy One views sin. In his holiness, God acts as the Righteous Judge, condemning all evil. Sin then becomes an act of treason against a holy God.
As we experience the love of God, through his gracious mercy, we come to hate sin because it offends our loving Father. In reverence, we seek to put off all sin because it is an affront to the righteous nature of God, who sent his Son to die in our place and pay our sin debt. When our allegiance is torn, so that we do not fear God as we should, we dishonor Christ's sacrifice.
As a person who struggles with sin (so that I find myself doing the evil I hate, while yearning to do good), I find this prayer necessary. Apart from the Spirit's work in my life, I would not live God's truth. If the Spirit was not working in me to will and do the work of God (see Phil. 1:13), I would not desire to do the will of God. So I pray, "Lord, give me an undivided mind to fear Your name."
Showing posts with label Sanctification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sanctification. Show all posts
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
More About Jesus
Life in a fallen world is often difficult, if not brutal. Heartache and hardship are at every turn. The very circumstances we find ourselves in lead us to question the validity of the good news. We ask, with the skeptic, "Where is this victory in Jesus we are always hear about?". We are tempted to seek another good news. However, the problem with that approach is that there is no other good news.Paul exclaims, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ" (Gal. 1:6-7, ESV). Paul's statement reminds us that non-biblical approaches to deliverance will ultimately fail. In fact, Paul states that any attempt to find favor with God apart from trust in Christ and his completed work upon the cross will result in eternal condemnation.
The greatest need fallen people living in a fallen world have is the need for Christ. We don't need Jesus and something else to rescue us; we simply need Jesus. We don't need less of Jesus, but more. As Eliza E. Hewitt put it:
More about Jesus would I know, more of his grace to others show;
More of his saving fullness see, more of his love who died for me.
More about Jesus let me learn, more of his holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me.
More about Jesus in his Word, holding communion with my Lord;
Hearing his voice in ev'ry line, making each faithful saying mine.
More about Jesus on his throne, riches in glory all his own;
More of his kingdom's sure increase, more of his coming, Prince of Peace.
Chorus:
More, more about Jesus,
More, more about Jesus;
More of his saving fullness see,
More of his love who died for me.
As Christians we need to grasp the greatness of Jesus. Although the salvation of the soul is often what we emphasis in our teaching and preaching, Jesus' work upon the cross accomplished so much more. Paul states, "And you, who once were aliens and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting for the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister" (Col. 1:21-23, ESV).
Thus, we have been reconciled to God through Christ. This reconciliation includes the forgiveness of our sin, but also includes our becoming holy, blameless, above reproach. Once we were aliens, now we are citizens. Once we were hostile in mind, now we are the friends of God. Once we were doers of evil, now we are doers of righteousness. Formerly, we were faithless and unstable, but having trusted in the gospel we have been made stable. At one time we were ignorant of the gospel, now we proclaim it to others. The gospel encompasses all of life. Salvation comes to the believer in every area sin affected: heart, mind, soul, and strength. We refer to the process of applying the gospel to every area of life as sanctification.
The gospel of Christ compels us to "count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet with trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:2, ESV). Speaking of our hope in Christ, Peter states, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:6-7, ESV).
In light of these truths, the solution to our difficulties is not found by pursuing something besides Jesus. The solution is to pursue Jesus with whole-hearted devotion. He invites us to pursue him. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). The more we pursue Jesus through faithful obedience to his Word, the more we will come to understand that Jesus is all we need. More about Jesus, let us learn!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Pursue Righteousness
"Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with all those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Tim 2:21-22).
In these verses, Paul is calling Timothy to actively participate in the sanctification process, rather than just being a passive recipient. However, many people approach the process of sanctification as if it is an option--as if it is the road traveled by the super saints or the "really" religious. Yet, that is not at all the picture we see in Scripture. It is God's will that we all be sanctified (1 Thes.4:3-8; John 17:17).
Some approach sanctification as if it is solely a work of God. It is true that sanctification is primarily of work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a believer, but it is a work that is accompanied by means. The Holy Spirit does not just make us holy; he causes us to work toward holiness. Even as Paul tells Timothy in this passage, "If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable," and "flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace . . . ." The expression "cleanses himself," "flee," and "pursue" all express means by which Timothy (and others) will be brought into sanctification.
Paul is not suggesting in this passage that Timothy has some natural ability to do these things. Paul wasn't asking Timothy to do the impossible, but he was asking to do what was required. If Timothy wanted holiness he would have to work for it, but not without the Spirit's enabling him to do it. As Paul reminds us elsewhere, "Work out you own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12b-13).
Do you mourn your lack of holiness? Do you desire a deeper walk with the Lord? It is probably the Spirit of God urging you to "pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace." Are you ready to answer the call? Heed the warning: "As it is said, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.' For who were those who heard and rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses . . .whose bodies fell in the wilderness? . . . So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:15-19).
Initially, we are cleansed from our unrighteousness through trust in Christ's person and work. We have perfect righteousness with the Father, because Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us. However, we do not always live in perfect righteousness. Our righteous standing is never endangered by our sinful actions (because of Christ's atoning work), but our fellowship is hindered. Joyful fellowship is restored when we continual confession of our sin and trust in Christ (see 1 John 1:9). We must also flee youthful lusts (see Gal. 5:16-21) and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, as we seek to walk in obedience to the leading of the Spirit. We learn to discern his leadership as we read, study, understand, and apply the Word of God to our hearts and lives.
Sanctification is meant for every believer, and every true believer will experience it. If we have no desire for holiness, then we have no desire for God. For he is holy, and requires us to be holy, as well. By holy, I do not mean, holier-than-thou. We must not wear our righteousness as a badge of honor, but must bear it as a gift. If we see flames of holiness kindled in the ashes of our hearts, we can be confident that it is God at work in us. And everyone who truly desires to be holy, will openly acknowledge how far they feel they are from it. True holiness and humility go hand in hand, but that is a post for another day.
In these verses, Paul is calling Timothy to actively participate in the sanctification process, rather than just being a passive recipient. However, many people approach the process of sanctification as if it is an option--as if it is the road traveled by the super saints or the "really" religious. Yet, that is not at all the picture we see in Scripture. It is God's will that we all be sanctified (1 Thes.4:3-8; John 17:17).
Some approach sanctification as if it is solely a work of God. It is true that sanctification is primarily of work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a believer, but it is a work that is accompanied by means. The Holy Spirit does not just make us holy; he causes us to work toward holiness. Even as Paul tells Timothy in this passage, "If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable," and "flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace . . . ." The expression "cleanses himself," "flee," and "pursue" all express means by which Timothy (and others) will be brought into sanctification.
Paul is not suggesting in this passage that Timothy has some natural ability to do these things. Paul wasn't asking Timothy to do the impossible, but he was asking to do what was required. If Timothy wanted holiness he would have to work for it, but not without the Spirit's enabling him to do it. As Paul reminds us elsewhere, "Work out you own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12b-13).
Do you mourn your lack of holiness? Do you desire a deeper walk with the Lord? It is probably the Spirit of God urging you to "pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace." Are you ready to answer the call? Heed the warning: "As it is said, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.' For who were those who heard and rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses . . .whose bodies fell in the wilderness? . . . So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:15-19).
Initially, we are cleansed from our unrighteousness through trust in Christ's person and work. We have perfect righteousness with the Father, because Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us. However, we do not always live in perfect righteousness. Our righteous standing is never endangered by our sinful actions (because of Christ's atoning work), but our fellowship is hindered. Joyful fellowship is restored when we continual confession of our sin and trust in Christ (see 1 John 1:9). We must also flee youthful lusts (see Gal. 5:16-21) and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, as we seek to walk in obedience to the leading of the Spirit. We learn to discern his leadership as we read, study, understand, and apply the Word of God to our hearts and lives.
Sanctification is meant for every believer, and every true believer will experience it. If we have no desire for holiness, then we have no desire for God. For he is holy, and requires us to be holy, as well. By holy, I do not mean, holier-than-thou. We must not wear our righteousness as a badge of honor, but must bear it as a gift. If we see flames of holiness kindled in the ashes of our hearts, we can be confident that it is God at work in us. And everyone who truly desires to be holy, will openly acknowledge how far they feel they are from it. True holiness and humility go hand in hand, but that is a post for another day.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Have You Been to Jesus for Cleansing Power?
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, ESV)
A friend stopped by this morning to help us clean the carpets before Sophia comes home. I had know for some time that the carpets were getting dingy, but until I began moving furniture this morning I didn't realize just how dingy. I have vacuumed them a couple of times over the past week and a half and had pretreated some of the stains, but we still had to vacuum the floors twice today to get them ready for cleaning. I went through the house pretreating spots again. Then it was time to begin. As my friend began running the carpet cleaner over the carpet, I began watch the transformation. The low traffic spots (like under the couch) looked brand new after just one pass of the machine.
However, the high traffic and very dingy areas seemed unaffected by the efforts of the machine. The first pass only made them look dingy and wet. Yet, with each subsequent pass and my friend's vigilant care the grime began to fade. Our carpet, once more spotted than a leopard, began to resemble its former soft cream color. The moral to this story is: buy dark carpet-it shows less dirt.
Actually, what really hit me is the parallel between a dingy carpet and a dingy life. Living has a funny way of tracking dirt throughout the houses of our lives. The Bible calls this dirt sin. Sin is when we break God's law (see Exodus 20; Duet 5) by doing what we shouldn't or not doing what we should. Respectively, these are called sins of commission and sins of omission. These sins have separated us from God. They have made us dingy in his sight. And each day our lives accumulate more dirt. The good news is that God, who is holy (think dirt free/clean) and just (flawless/perfect) has provided a way for our sins to be cleansed. God said that all sin must be punished by death. In his great love and great justice, God sent his Son, Jesus, to be a substitute for us. Jesus lived a sinless life that pleased his Father very much and willingly offered to die in our place for our sins. So that, now if we believe that he is the eternal Son of God, who took on flesh, lived a sinless life, died in our place, and was raised to life again on the third day we will have all our sins cleansed.
After we have our sins forgiven the Lord begins the process of transforming us. We call this process sanctification, which means being made holy (set apart/clean). Through justification (God's gracious acquittal of our sins), we receive a positional holiness. God views us, in Christ, as holy. However, our experience teaches us that we are not yet (completely) holy. Many Bible scholars refer to this tension as the already-not yet. In one sense we are already holy, but in another sense we are not yet fully holy, so we await the resurrection when our holiness is made complete. This takes me back to my carpet analogy. When we turn to Jesus, he drops into our lives and begins to the cleansing process. In the less trafficked areas we look pretty clean. But, in those areas where there was the heavy traffic of sin, the first past may leave us looking dingy and wet. However the vigilant care of our friend Jesus will continue to go over those spots until our lives are as clean as his. Much like a carpet our lives will need perpetual cleaning, because something is always getting tracked in. Unlike the carpet our lives won't eventually get discarded, because the Lord preserves them as he cleans. And one day he will finish the task (glorification) and our lives will never be stained again.
I want to thank my friend for cleaning my carpets. Your hard work and service is greatly appreciated. And I want Jesus for cleaning my my life. His gracious sacrifice has brought me to God. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
A friend stopped by this morning to help us clean the carpets before Sophia comes home. I had know for some time that the carpets were getting dingy, but until I began moving furniture this morning I didn't realize just how dingy. I have vacuumed them a couple of times over the past week and a half and had pretreated some of the stains, but we still had to vacuum the floors twice today to get them ready for cleaning. I went through the house pretreating spots again. Then it was time to begin. As my friend began running the carpet cleaner over the carpet, I began watch the transformation. The low traffic spots (like under the couch) looked brand new after just one pass of the machine.
However, the high traffic and very dingy areas seemed unaffected by the efforts of the machine. The first pass only made them look dingy and wet. Yet, with each subsequent pass and my friend's vigilant care the grime began to fade. Our carpet, once more spotted than a leopard, began to resemble its former soft cream color. The moral to this story is: buy dark carpet-it shows less dirt.
Actually, what really hit me is the parallel between a dingy carpet and a dingy life. Living has a funny way of tracking dirt throughout the houses of our lives. The Bible calls this dirt sin. Sin is when we break God's law (see Exodus 20; Duet 5) by doing what we shouldn't or not doing what we should. Respectively, these are called sins of commission and sins of omission. These sins have separated us from God. They have made us dingy in his sight. And each day our lives accumulate more dirt. The good news is that God, who is holy (think dirt free/clean) and just (flawless/perfect) has provided a way for our sins to be cleansed. God said that all sin must be punished by death. In his great love and great justice, God sent his Son, Jesus, to be a substitute for us. Jesus lived a sinless life that pleased his Father very much and willingly offered to die in our place for our sins. So that, now if we believe that he is the eternal Son of God, who took on flesh, lived a sinless life, died in our place, and was raised to life again on the third day we will have all our sins cleansed.
After we have our sins forgiven the Lord begins the process of transforming us. We call this process sanctification, which means being made holy (set apart/clean). Through justification (God's gracious acquittal of our sins), we receive a positional holiness. God views us, in Christ, as holy. However, our experience teaches us that we are not yet (completely) holy. Many Bible scholars refer to this tension as the already-not yet. In one sense we are already holy, but in another sense we are not yet fully holy, so we await the resurrection when our holiness is made complete. This takes me back to my carpet analogy. When we turn to Jesus, he drops into our lives and begins to the cleansing process. In the less trafficked areas we look pretty clean. But, in those areas where there was the heavy traffic of sin, the first past may leave us looking dingy and wet. However the vigilant care of our friend Jesus will continue to go over those spots until our lives are as clean as his. Much like a carpet our lives will need perpetual cleaning, because something is always getting tracked in. Unlike the carpet our lives won't eventually get discarded, because the Lord preserves them as he cleans. And one day he will finish the task (glorification) and our lives will never be stained again.
I want to thank my friend for cleaning my carpets. Your hard work and service is greatly appreciated. And I want Jesus for cleaning my my life. His gracious sacrifice has brought me to God. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
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