Tag: Crucified With Christ

LORD, Change My Vision!

EYES WANDERING AGAIN. Going places they should not go. Places that lead to coveting, lusting, longing and despair. Coveting can cause a feeling of resentment against those who have what you want. You might develop anger, even at God, for what you perceive as lacking. I kept “noticing” every expensive car that drove by. Look at that Dodge Challenger, and it even has a hemi! Oh, wow, look at that Audi R8! There goes a Porsche 911. Oh gees, a Range Rover sport edition! It didn’t stop there. I never failed to notice “the women.” My eyes wandered to legs, breasts, everywhere but the face. Lust. Desire. It kept happening. I committed adultery in both of my marriages. I used sex as a “drug” to escape pain, loneliness, failure. I became addicted to pornography. I grew weary of my habitual sin and finally dropped to my knees and begged God to change my vision. I think we all need a vision change.

“Father God, please change my vision. Give me eyes that see beyond flashiness, lust, wantonness. Let me see people the way you see them. Amen.”

Paul identified sexual sin and other obsessions as a stronghold—a deep-seated habit or compulsion. He wrote, “…though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” The only effective way to destroy a stronghold is through prayer and the Word of God. Yes, this means seeking guidance from Scripture specific to strongholds, but it also includes hiding God’s Word in our hearts so we are prepared to make righteous decisions when tempted. David wrote, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways” (Psa. 119:1-3). Then he added that famous statement, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (119:11).

Shifting Our Focus

Andrea Lowe wrote, “Just as it is the focus and attention of our eyes that determines the direction of a car, it is the focus of our care and concern that determines the trajectory of our lives. And, just as in driving, our decisions and actions affect others for better or for worse.”(1) Our focus must also be ahead, not behind. I heard an analogy that expresses this concept quite nicely. When we get behind the wheel of a car, we notice how much larger the windshield is than the tiny rear-view mirror. This is because what lies ahead, with its possibilities and risks, is much more important than staring backward at where we’ve been. An occasional glance in the rear-view mirror lets us know if anything is coming at us from behind. In this way, it allows us to monitor whether our past is chasing us down, causing our focus to shift to what was instead of what is in front of us.

The apostle Paul wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1-2). I will unpack this passage shortly, but I want to mention another critical tenet found in Scripture. In Luke 9, we read of a man Jesus met along the road. The man felt called to serve, so he said to Jesus, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home” (Luke 6:61). Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (6:62) (emphasis mine). Jesus lived during an era where agriculture was a major source of food and wealth. Accordingly, His audience would understand the reference. For a plowman to be successful in His work, he must concentrate on the job he started. He knows that the only way is forward and not being distracted by the things left behind.

Eugene Peterson provides the following paraphrase of Colossians 3:1-3 in The Message: “So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective” (MSG).

Paul’s comment in Colossians 3:1-2 picks up the argument he began in Colossians 2:20, which says, “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of the world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules?” This is what he references in 3:1: “Since you have been raised with Christ.” But what does the resurrected life look like? What must we do to change our focus, our vision? First, we need to believe wholeheartedly in the death and resurrection of Christ. Amazingly, the crucifixion has been well documented as an actual event in history. Regardless, it must become true for us individually. Then, having decided for ourselves that Jesus is the Messiah, we must come to believe that we have been crucified with Him. Having identified with His death on our behalf, we must then identify with Him in His resurrection. We died to the old self, and we have been raised to a new life in Christ.

A New Vision Through Christ

So, how does this new life in Christ play out? Paul wrote, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5). We have to set our minds—indeed, our focus, our vision—on Christ. This involves not looking back. After all, that life is dead. It also requires seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not leave us all alone. He said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). This references the Holy Spirit, who is our counselor, our helper, our intercessor, our advocate. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to change our orientation from a side-to-side view of our earthly surroundings (a horizontal orientation) to a heavenward view of God and the things of His kingdom (a vertical orientation).

Peterson paraphrases Paul’s words in Colossians 3:5-8: “That means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk” (MSG). Unfortunately, there are many so-called “carnal” Christians who routinely walk according to the flesh rather than by the Spirit. I was one of those carnal Christians. Much of my fleshly behavior continued after getting clean and sober. I was not able to enlarge my life in Christ until I became committed to walking as He walked.

Closing Remarks

My reason for choosing the title LORD, Change My Vision! comes from my crying out to God in this manner. I realized how much I looked at cars, watches, clothing, women, fine restaurants, electronic gear, and other flashy or techy stuff. It is very easy to think we need (or deserve) these kinds of things. I thought I deserved a material reward for quitting drugs and alcohol after 40 years. Recognition for a job well done. I was wrong. That type of thinking robbed me of spiritual growth. I had been craving, idolizing, or worshiping “things” over Christ; admiring the “creation” more than its Creator. Yet, it is Christ who died for my sins and broke the chains of addiction over my life. We each have our own reasons why we might feel entitled to a corporeal or fleshly reward outside of the will of God. Much of this type of thinking is spawned by rationalization: the action of attempting to explain or justify behavior or an attitude with logical reasons, even if these are not appropriate.

Shifting our focus requires a change of heart. I learned this lesson the hard way. We determine the direction of our lives by our vision. Paul said those who live according to the flesh habitually set their mind on the things of the flesh. This creates a carnal lifestyle. Ultimately, it leads to idolatry. But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit (see Rom. 8:5). John Piper writes, “…that which is begotten by the Spirit has the nature of the Spirit, is permeated by the character of the Spirit, and is animated by the Spirit.”(2)

It has been my experience that if you honestly want to begin walking by the Spirit, clean up your mind and conquer your strongholds; change what you look at and lust after; adjust your view from horizontal to vertical; seek the Spirit of God to help you accomplish these goals. It is my routine to ask the Holy Spirit throughout every day to help me think about what I am thinking about. This allows me to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ; to help me monitor emotions, hurts, hangups, resentments, temptations, triggers. Also, to avoid judging others or looking down on them. My daily prayer is also for opportunities to share Christ with others. It is no longer typical of me to isolate from others. After all, we cannot do ministry or tell others about Christ unless we get up off the couch, turn off the TV, and go out the door.

Steven Barto, B.S. Psy, M.A. Theo.

References
(1) Andrea Lowe, “Shifting our Focus, Changing our Perspective,” (in) (Aug. 15, 2018), accessed July 12, 2022. URL: https://www.incourage.me/2018/08/shifting-our-focus-changing-our-perspective.html
(2) John Piper, “Let Us Walk by the Spirit,” Desiring God (March 1, 1981), accessed July 12, 2022. URL: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/let-us-walk-by-the-spirit

Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture referenced contained herein are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).

First Principles Part Five: Living an Overcoming Life

LIVING AN OVERCOMING LIFE requires intentionality and an exercise of faith. It involves following hard after God. Specifically, it features yearning after Him in wonder; choosing a “resurrected” life in Christ. A.W. Tozer warns us that lack of holy desire leads to a stiff and wooden quality in our spirituality. “Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.”(1) The Christian church has unfortunately become a place of religious complexity, missing the stripped-down simplicity of first principles. Of paramount importance is the work of redemption, meant to undo the damage sin has done to our relationship with the Father. Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). It is only through Jesus that we can be restored to favor and become the adopted sons and daughters of the Father.

An overcoming life turns on full reconciliation; returning again to what Tozer calls conscious communion with God. Paul said, “And you, who once were alienated 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 [the Father]” (Col. 1:21-22). Paul said we must “…continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Col. 1:23). I find this passage to be a necessary reminder that we are to remain “in the faith” regardless of life’s circumstances. We must avoid falling into such ruminations as, If God really loved me, why would he allow my son to die in a motorcycle accident?! Or, God must not be real after all; look at the troubles that keep coming my way year after year!

The first step we must take is surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior—our one and only source for living a victorious life. Watchman Nee wrote about “…the excellent Christ who is in us as our victory.”(2) This is the very source of living an overcoming life. The apostle John made this very clear: “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4-5). God only knows how many times I tried to quit drinking and getting high. I struggled with addiction to pornography for many years. My unbiblical relationship with money reflected my addiction to the trill of spending. Each of these strongholds had to be overcome through Christ. Until I did that, “stopping” eluded me. I could not “not.” (See my article of June 25, 2022, I Cannot “Not” Do.)

Nee believed overcoming involves living the life God has ordained for us. A life that does not thirst after the world. It includes walking apart from sin; indeed, reigning over sin. It is a holy, powerful, and victorious life that knows and follows the will of God and fellowships with Him without interruption. We begin with acknowledgment of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, and build on the fundamental truth of His atoning death and resurrection through which we are redeemed and set free. We have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us. The life we now live in the body we live by faith in Jesus, who loves us and who gave himself for us (see Gal. 2:20). Complacency and indifference will get us nowhere. We must walk with Christ in victory and submit to guidance from the Holy Spirit. Tozer said, “This contentment with inadequate and imperfect progress in the life of holiness is, I repeat, a scandal in the church of the First-born.”(3)

Victory Through Christ

Victory is likely one of the most elusive qualities of life. Ask any number of people on the streets or at your church if they regularly experience victory in their lives and you will hear a range of responses: Nope! What is victory? Yes, I live a victorious life through Christ. Unfortunately, most responses will be in the negative. And if Christians struggle with a consistent victorious life, I can only imagine how difficult is the life of the unbeliever. As human beings, we strive for victory. Misguided desires to win or conquer will always take us down any number of dubious paths that lead only to more defeat. This is true because at some point we run out of the power and resources necessary to overcome on our own. No human power can rescue us from the bondage of our sin nature. Paul wrote, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4).

Please know that I am not an “expert” on living a victorious life. Until recently, I remained powerless over several bad habits, including binge spending. I lived in active addiction for forty years. I needed a “higher power” in order to overcome. Through Jesus we are able to take every thought captive. We can say no to habitual sin. Jesus left us with the Holy Spirit through Whom we receive power and guidance. We have confidence to take a day-by-day approach and not live in constant anxiety. Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6-7). Consider the apostle John’s words, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). There is, however, a valuable lesson I had to learn which was defeating me when I asked for a job or “more money.” James hits it right on the head: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3). I had been wasting the resources I was already given. God would not give me more until I managed what I already had.

When we accept Christ as our Savior we are born-again and perfected by the Word of God. There is an amazing aggregate in this thought: the Bible (the Word of God) lays before us the thread of redemption from the moment of man’s fall in the Garden of Eden to the atoning and sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. But, more importantly, Jesus is the Word. He became flesh and dwelt among us. He was crucified for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus walked the earth as God’s will incarnate. As both fully God and fully man, He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane before being delivered up to be tried and executed and prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). Because of His resurrection, He is alive. His Word is alive. His Word is eternal. His Word is powerful. The writer of Hebrews said, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

The power in the Word of God is key to today’s first principles lesson. When we are in Christ, we become partakers of His power—a power that is creative and able of changing us to our very core. It is able to turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. This is the bedrock of transformation. We are given access to the very abilities we need for taking every thought captive to Christ. Jesus calls us out of our graves and into His glorious life. We are transformed—the “old” becomes a new creation. Not a remodeling job. A new house, a temple for the Holy Spirit. This transformation is beyond human comprehension. Watchman Nee wrote, “You believe in the death of the Lord Jesus and you believe in the death of the thieves with Him. Now what about your own death? Your crucifixion is more intimate than theirs. They were crucified at the same time as the Lord but on different crosses, whereas you were crucified on the selfsame cross as He, for you were in Him when He died.”(4)

Indeed, a “Glorious Day.”

Steven Barto, B.S. Psy., M.A. Theo.

References
(1) A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1948), 13.
(2) Watchman Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 24, The Overcoming Life (Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1993), v.
(3) A.W. Tozer, Man: The Dwelling Place of God (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1966), 37.
(4) Watchman Nee, “Romans 6,” Bible Faith Hope Love (n.d.), accessed July 5, 2002. URL: http://biblefaithhopelove.blogspot.com/2010/07/romans-6-watchman-nee.html

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references herein are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

The End of Me

Steven Barto, B.S., Psy., M.A. Theology

KYLE IDLEMAN’S BOOK The End of Me introduces us to the concept, “Where real life in the upside-down ways of Jesus begins.” In other words, the ways of Christ are often completely opposite of what we think might work. We think coming to the end of me means we cease to exist as an individual. It is Idleman’s belief that we need to be broken to be whole. I would add that we need to realize our brokenness—the mere presence of brokenness in our lives will mean nothing if it remains an undiscovered reason for our misery. Scripture speaks of many such dichotomies: mourn to be happy; humbled to be exalted; authentic to be accepted; helpless to be empowered; disqualified to be chosen; weak to be strong. No one knew this better than Paul.

Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20, ESV). He noted that through our own weakness we are made strong in Christ (see Phil. 4:13). He said, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Idleman quotes Colossians 3:3: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” We can only come to the end of ourselves through accepting our brokenness and our weakness. This is how Romans 8:28 operates in the lives of those who follow Christ. Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Following Jesus means striving to be like Him. He always obeyed His Father, so we must strive to do the same (see John 8:29; 15:10). To truly follow Christ means to make Him our Savior and LORD; our redeemer and Master. Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:38-39). You cannot be “half a disciple.” When we cherry pick which verses to follow, or in any way serve self or the flesh instead of Jesus, we are not in the way of Jesus. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).

“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rom. 14:8-9).

Regarding coming to the end of ourselves in order to find Christ, Idleman recalls a conversation with a church member: “I was returning a call to a man named Brian. I read [in] my notes that his eighteen-month-old son had died a few weeks earlier. I didn’t know the details, but as a father of four, I can’t imagine such a loss. I said a prayer as I dialed his number. Brian answered with a monotone Hello. Having had many conversations like this over the past twenty years, I knew there was not much I could say. So, after expressing my heartbreak for his loss, I allowed silence to settle into our conversation. After a few moments, Brian spoke four words I was not prepared for. I backed over him” (1). After describing how their son opened the door and went outside, playing in the driveway, Brian explained how he discovered Jesus in a way he never had before. He said, “I feel like I reached this point in my life when I had absolutely nothing left, and it turns out that for the first time in my life, Jesus has become real.” When he reached the end of himself, Brian discovered Jesus.

We tend to fear any program of recovery or self-improvement that requires annihilation of “self.” Alcoholics often balk at Step 3 in the Alcoholics Anonymous program, fearing a loss of identity—Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him (2). Powell says, “Why don’t more Christians, myself included, look more like Jesus? Ego. You might call it ‘the flesh.’ I believe our definition for ‘ego’ closely parallels Paul’s definition for ‘flesh’. The ego is who you think you are. It’s your false identity, your body image, education, theological knowledge, clothes, friends, social status, job, successes and accomplishments. And, as Paul says, your ego is against your Spirit. Everyone has an ego, and I believe one of the major tasks of spiritual maturity is recognizing and letting go of the ego’s lies in favor of something better” (3).

The First Step

Idleman calls the end of me “where real life in the upside-down ways of Jesus begins.” This is the real paradox: at the end of me I find real life in Him. It is the same paradox as surrendering to win. Idleman writes, “[Jesus] is saying, ‘Down with the kingdom of this world and up with the kingdom of God” (4). Admittedly, I sometimes find myself feeling good when I spend money. Typically, my purchases are on items that will make me feel good or look good. Whenever we overspend to binge on the material things of this world we are establishing “idols.” Perhaps we do not like to look vulnerable. Personally, I don’t like to look “poor.” I cannot think of a better example of putting earth’s treasures and man’s respect before God! This is something I have finally come to examine closely.

Today, man has become masters of illusion, experts at covering pain, abusers of medication, slaves of financial debt, followers of fads, and partakers of loneliness. We don’t realize that we are broken, and that the only solution for being broken is to feel our brokenness. Another paradox: brokenness is the path to wholeness. Idleman believes real life begins at brokenness. He writes, “Broken things are precious. Broken people reveal the beauty and power of God. Flaws are openings” (5). I could not agree more. I have found my illusory life has limited my spiritual life and hindered stepping into God’s will for my life. My prayer today is simple: God, take my broken pieces and remold them into what seems best to you. We all must become willing to let the cracks in our facade show, but we find this extremely difficult. Social media posts, for example, allow us to edit our appearance, our lives, our opinions. We post for acceptance, not authenticity.

Nouwen writes, “What is our true vocation in life? Where can we find the peace of mind to listen to the calling voice of God? Who can guide us through the inner labyrinth of our thoughts, emotions, and feelings?” (6). He speaks of people who “know” the story of Christ and possess a deep desire to let this knowledge descend from their minds into their hearts. The trip from our brain to our heart—a mere eighteen inches—can be one of the longest journeys we will take in our lifetime. We all have a sense of “heart knowledge,” and we know it can give us the proper perspective on life, on love, on God, but we fail to make the leap from head to heart. The prophet Ezekiel wrote, “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 11:19). Paul said, “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rom. 10:10).

It’s a Matter of Spirituality

In his chapter “All These Other Things,” Nouwen says, “The spiritual life is not a life before, after, or beyond our everyday existence. No, the spiritual life can only be real when it is lived in the midst of pains and joys of the here and now. Therefore, we need to begin with a careful look at the way we think, speak, feel, and act from hour to hour, day to day, week to week, and year to year” (7). I learned a term in my undergraduate psychology studies: metacognition, which is an awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes. Essentially, it is “thinking about what you are thinking about.” For me, this can be the underlying source of my opinion or behavior at any given moment. In this regard, it is a lot like metadata: a set of data that describes and gives information about other data.

To become aware of what we are thinking, we must honestly and courageously confront our many self-deceptive games. For example, a mood of resignation will prevent us from actively searching for the life of the Spirit. My spiritual frustration came from deciding that I was unworthy of salvation; of God’s love. I decided He could not possibly use me. This led to a sense of being unfulfilled. I had a gnawing sense that I was useless and worthless. This caused a lot of inaction in my life, which led to boredom. Nouwen writes, “To be bored… does not mean that we have nothing to do, but that we question the value of the things we do” (8). This is a brilliant revelation! He further notes that boredom is often closely linked to resentment. Huh? When we wonder if what we do means anything to anyone, we easily feed used, manipulated, and exploited, which can lead to anger and resentment. If we remain in this state, we begin to ask, “Is my life worth living?” and depression is not far behind.

Life has a way of pouring us out. It takes away a loved one, our job, our home. It can also take away our health and our hope. We come to the point where we’re holding onto nothing. We feel empty and hopeless. But we need to be empty to be filled, and God loves to fill empty things. There are many examples of this in Scripture. Jesus filled 5,000 empty bellies (see Matt. 14:13-21); He filled the empty soul of the woman at the well (see John 4:7-26). When we surrender to Christ, we set the stage for restoration. He heals our brokenness and makes us whole in Him. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

When We Help Others

Our ability to remember even the smallest of details from a past experience is truly remarkable. The older we get, the more we have to remember. Our memory plays a significant role in our emotional well-being. Trauma, failure, grief, pains, joys, satisfaction—all are stored for our recall, whether by choice or as baggage. Most of our emotions are tied inextricably to our memory. Nouwen notes that we “…perceive our world with our memories… our memories help us to see and understand new impressions” (9). Accordingly, when we engage in helping others—whether as a professional or a lay minister—the first questions are always directed to memory. The emotional pain most commonly encountered when counseling others is a suffering of memories. It is not unusual for us to bury painful or traumatic events deep inside our being. Individuals who repress such events often come from a family who does likewise. “We’re not going to talk about this ever again!” This is prevalent in a family who lacks intimate communication.

What is buried cannot be healed. By cutting off the past, we paralyze our future actions. I read a passage from a book on Buddhism years ago that provided the following warning: If we fail to deal with emotional hurts of the past, they will impact our future, wherein our actions will not so much be undertaken by us than driven by our memories. Scheler says, “Remembering is the beginning of freedom from the covert power of the remembered thing or occurrence” (10). Nouwen believes when our memories remain covered with fear, anxiety, or suspicion, the Word of God cannot bear fruit in our lives. He further makes a remarkable comparison: “The strategy of the principalities and powers is to disconnect us, to cut us off from the memory of God” (11). Paul said, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12) (italics added).

Ferguson says, “We have seen through union with Christ… all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith… when we are joined to him there is also a sense in which his life and power become available to us to transform our lives” (12). Jesus has paid for our past, and He has sanctified our present, so that our past may not dominate our present Christian life. This is a key factor in making sure the power of our past experiences do not destroy us in the present. Indeed, we are more than conquerors through Christ (see Rom. 8:37). As we grope for direction, meaning, and purpose, our quest must not be hampered by the hurts and sins of our past. Unresolved trauma and anger color what we see in others. It is not ideal to see our lives as a long list of randomly chained incidents and accidents. This has no place in the ministry of reconciliation.

A man walks down the street, he says, ‘Why am I soft in the middle, now? The rest of my life is so hard I need a photo-opportunity, I want a shot at redemption. Don’t want to end up in a cartoon graveyard… there were incidents and accidents, there were hints and allegations—Paul Simon.

Nouwen compares revolution (on a societal level) to transformation (on a personal level), and he turns to Christ for further comparison. He writes, “The liberals and progressives are fooling themselves by trying to make an intolerable [world] a little more tolerable” (13). Revolutionaries do not want a better human being, but a new human being. Revolutionaries must face self-reflection; in their quest to improve society they are also fighting their own reactions, fears, and ambitions. Radical activism must begin with radical self-examination. If, as we’ve discussed above, life means breaking down the barriers to our painful past, conversion and social change both derive power from a source above and beyond the corporeal. Nouwen says Jesus has taught us that changing the human heart and society are not separate endeavors, but are “…as interconnected as the two beams of the cross” (14).

Concluding Remarks

Kyle Idleman tells us that when we come to the end of our ropes, “real life” begins in the upside-down ways of Jesus Christ. People believe there is “something out there” that might give meaning and purpose to their lives, but they can’t seem to discovery what it is. The Bible tells us life’s real prize is hidden, and we have to know where to look. Scripture is our treasure map. Paul writes, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Idleman says “the end of me” is where real life begins. Jesus told the disciples, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many [but] the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13-14). In other words, we can expect a tough path when we choose the road less traveled. It crosses through death, but it leads to life.

When Christ calls someone, he bids them come and die. He told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Of course, Jesus is not telling us physical death leads to life; He is talking about dying to ourselves. Today’s post-Christian culture wants nothing to do with this “nonsense,” because for them life is all about celebrating ourselves, finding more for ourselves. But you cannot get there from here. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:24-25). He sums up this heavenly principle by adding, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (16:26).

References

*True Christianity requires a commitment to follow Christ; to be “in the way of” Christ; to live according to the Christian worldview in all circumstances. It involves a denial of self.

(1) Kyle Idleman, The End of Me (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook Publishing, 2015), 11.
(2) Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, 4th ed. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services), 2002.
(3) Frank Powell, “9 Ways Your Ego Prevents You From Experiencing God,” Frank Powell: Restoring Culture Through Christ. (n.d.). URL: https://frankpowell.me/ways-ego-christians-god
(4) Idleman, Ibid., 26.
(5) Ibid., 37.
(6) Henri Nouwen, The Spiritual Life: Eight Essential Titles (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2016), 5.
(7) Ibid., 7.
(8) Ibid., 10.
(9) Ibid., 224.
(10) Max Scheler, On the Eternal in Man, trans. Bernard Noble (New York, NY: Harper and Bros., 1960), 41.
(11) Nouwen, Ibid., 230.
(12) Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2009, 1981), 103.
(13) Nouwen, The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society (New York, NY: Random House, 2010, 1972), 22.
(14) Ibid., 25.

For This Very Reason

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

By Steven Barto, B.S., Psych.

THE APOSTLE PETER CONFIRMS our calling and election as members of the Body of Christ. He tells us that faith unites the weaker believer to Christ in the same manner that it does the stronger and mature believer. Every sincere believer is by his or her faith justified in the sight of God. This is the only means by which each of us are justified. There are no “favorites.” Upon belief in the life, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, we all become clothed in the righteousness of Christ. As we grow in Him, our faith must work toward godliness—if you prefer, toward becoming more like Christ.

satan-in-silhouette-e1569902468622.jpg

Satan tries daily to pull us away from Christ, dragging us back to a life of sinfulness and self-centeredness. He attachs detritus and filthiness to our spirits in an attempt to blot out the righteousness of Christ with which we have been clothed. This is theologically impossible, of course, but we must remember to choose right thinking and proper acting every day—walking in a manner that truly demonstrates our repentance and exemplifies the new creation we have become in Christ. If we’ve truly done a 180, as they say, we will be less likely to habitually practice sin and unrighteousness. We cannot willfully choose disobedience. At the very least, when we are pulled back toward our old sinful ways, we must go kicking and screaming, fighting the tide of regression. Truly, we should resist the devil at every turn. When we do, he will flee.

James 4:7-10 says, “So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet” [MSG]. I am amazed by the number of Christians who don’t seem to grasp the power we have in Christ to stand against the wiles of Satan. Our authority over the devil is established by the work done by Christ on the cross.

Ephesians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (RSV). The same power that created the universe resides within us. Accordingly, Satan has no true power over us. He cannot force us to sin, nor can he possess us. This is not to say that he cannot oppress us, deceive us, or draw us away from the presence of God. That would be remarkable, but it would fly in the face of God’s primary gift to us other than our very salvation—He has given us free will.

The Building Blocks

As my friend Wally Fry wrote in his blog Truth in Palmyra,

We add these things Peter lists to our faith. Faith is always the starting point; however, it is not the endpoint. Faith never marks the end of our Christian lives, but only the beginning. Another thing to note is that this list Peter provides is not some sequential check-off list of Christian to-dos; it is to illustrate the totality with which we are to apply ourselves to progress in maturity.

Thank you Wally for providing this very profound truth we must all grasp as believers in Jesus Christ. Peter tells us that Jesus has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. He says, “For this very reason add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. There is a necessary progression here. Each attribute on Peter’s list is fully dependent on the prerequisite quality that precedes the new one. Peter adds, “The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8, NLT).

In his commentary on 2 Peter 1:5-8, Matthew Henry (1997) writes,

Faith work[s] godliness, and produces effects which no other grace in the soul can do. In Christ all fullness dwells, and pardon, peace, grace, and knowledge, and new principles, are thus given through the Holy Spirit. The promises to those who are partakers of the Divine nature, will cause us to inquire whether we are really renewed in the spirit or our minds; let us turn all these promises into prayers for the transforming and purifying grace of the Holy Spirit (p. 1240).

The New Living Translation expresses 2 Peter 1:5-8 thusly: “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Please note, the more we grow in this fashion, the more likely we will have genuine unconditional love for everyone. Faith has to be more than mere belief—head knowledge, a mere collection of intellectual concepts or, if you prefer, mere “information.”

Belief, Faith, Behavior

Christian theology consists of three pertinent parts: belief (the cognitive decision-making that underlies our granting intellectual acceptance to its doctrines); faith (the inner state whereby we accept with complete trust and confidence—in our hearts rather than in our heads—the symbolic efficacy of those doctrines, grounded in spiritual apprehension rather than empirical evidence); and outward living or behavior (or, if you prefer, works). Religion provides us with a set of mental, symbolic, practical, and behavioral tools with which to approach the task of interpreting and living in our world according to our individual worldview. Christianity grounds this concept in the deity of Jesus Christ.

Faith Black and White Image

Our faith must be more than mere belief in a set of principles or doctrines. That’s just the jumping-off point. It must ultimately result in action; growth in Christ-likeness (character); and the practice of moral discipline—again, belief, faith, works. James 2:14-17 says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (NIV). This supports the comment that we are saved for our good works. Indeed, the world should be able to recognize Christ in us. Jesus told the disciples “by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:20, NIV) [italics mine].

Accordingly, a true life of faith leads to knowing God better, an increase in self-control, patient endurance in all things, godliness, and an abiding love of others under all circumstances. First Corinthians 13, often referred to as “the love chapter,” defines God’s unconditional love (from the Greek word agape), which we must all strive to attain:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (v. 4-8a, NIV).

We simply cannot express this depth of love without first seeking from God the power it requires to do so.

When Peter wrote for this reason, he was saying “along with this,” or “by the side of your obtaining precious faith.” His remark regarding what is added to our faith amounts to a kind of spiritual arithmetic. According to the Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, there are seven steps in spiritual mathematics. You should note from this list that we cannot have a virtue without first being well-grounded in its prerequisite:

  1. Add to your faith virtue
  2. Add to virtue knowledge
  3. Add to knowledge temperance [self-control]
  4. Add to temperance patience
  5. Add to patience godliness
  6. Add to godliness brotherly kindness
  7. Add to brotherly kindness love.

Eugene Peterson, in The Message, translates 2 Peter 1:5-8 this way, “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books” [emphasis added]. Let me repeat that last sentiment: that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books!

A closer examination of the blessings Peter speaks of in 2 Peter 1:1-4 indicate the following:

  • precious faith (Greek, isotimos), meaning equal honor purchased at a great price
  • righteousness
  • grace
  • peace
  • all things that pertain to life and godliness
  • glory
  • virtue
  • divine nature
  • escape from corruption and lust

Saved For Good Works

Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that we are saved unto good works. Eugene Peterson puts it this way: “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” [emphasis added]. The Greek word for “ordained” Paul uses in verse ten is proetoimazo, which refers to preparing us for good works through regeneration. Remember, we do not possess the capacity under our own power to love unconditionally as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. Our only hope is that through regeneration and progressive spiritual maturity we can build upon our virtue one step at a time, thereby increasing our ability—indeed, our likelihood—to begin imitating the agape love of Jesus.

It is Paul’s contention that we become Christians through God’s unmerited favor, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. We will never be able to do enough good to overcome the pervasive sin nature that dwells in our flesh. We cannot do enough penance to secure the remission of our sins. Accordingly, out of gratitude for this free gift of redemption, we must reach out to serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness—not merely to make ourselves look good. God intends for our salvation to lead to spiritual maturity, which should include acts of service. After all, we are God’s masterpiece. Our salvation is something only God can accomplish, and even then it required the death of His Son Jesus Christ. All of us, no matter who we are or what we’ve done, are God’s masterpiece. Whenever we reach out and feed the hungry, clothe those who don’t have adequate clothing, heal the sick, or visit those who are in prison, it is as if we do these things unto Jesus (see Matthew 25:35-40).

For this very reason, we are called onto good works through progressive growth in Christian virtue and love.

References

Dake, Finis. Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Publishing, Inc., 2008.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000.

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1997.