Introduction: A Love Relationship with God

Have you ever pondered the significance of the simple phrase, "God loves you"? It may embody the most important truth anyone can grasp: that God has called us into a loving relationship with Himself. Our part is simply to trust and believe in the deep care and compassion God freely extends to us.

How beautiful it is to experience the freedom and joy of a love relationship with God! Yet how sad it is that there are so many who insist on relating to God in a legalistic way. Their righteousness is based on what they can do for the Lord instead of on what He has already done for them. They carry around a huge list of "do's and don'ts" to keep them bound to God.

I am no stranger to that depressing kind of negative righteousness. As I was growing up, I considered myself one of the most godly kids on the block because of what I didn't do. I didn't smoke. I didn't dance. I didn’t go to shows. I was taught that such things were utterly sinful. So not only did I avoid those things, I also believed I was far more righteous than my weaker friends who indulged in them. I thought I was much more holy than the preacher's kid, who was known to pick up old cigarette butts and smoke them on the sly. I was above all that, and I was sure God noticed.

Still, I had a big problem. Although I didn't go to shows, I longed to see Snow White, so I felt condemned. I would get saved again every Sunday night and would promise God that next week was going to be different. I was lucky if my relationship with Him made it past breakfast Monday morning.

Because my righteousness was a matter of willpower and effort, before long my relationship with God became a tremendous strain. Every summer I would attend our church youth camp. On the last evening we would build a huge bonfire and gather around to sing worship choruses such as "I Surrender All" and "I Will Follow Thee, My Lord." During this emotionally charged time we were asked to write out on paper either an area of our lives that we wanted God to change or a commitment we wanted to make. Each of us would then take a pine cone, wedge our commitment paper into it, and toss it in the fire. As I watched my pine cone burn, tears would run down my cheeks. I would tell God that I wanted my life to be consumed by His love and that I wanted to give myself completely over to serving Him.

As we left the bonfire we were directed to a little table where camp leaders had laid out a stack of cards that read, "I promise, by the grace of God, that in the coming year I will never enter a theater, I will never smoke a cigarette, I will never drink an alcoholic beverage, I will never use foul language, and I will not attend any dances." We would sign these commitment cards and carry them around with us in our wallets all year long.

I was careful to keep all my commitments - but I also ended up in a draining, legalistic relationship with God. I had very little joy in my walk with Christ because I was tied to God by a contract. I couldn't break my agreement; hadn't I signed and dated it, and didn't I carry it around with me in my back pocket? No, I was committed to keeping this agreement and I fiercely believed that God owed me something for my efforts. God had to be good to me... at least, better to me than He was to those who didn't follow through on their commitments.

Imagine my shock, then, when my friends who weren't nearly as righteous as I won the contest where we tried to guess the number of jelly beans in the jar! I would grow angry and ask, "God, why didn't You bless me? You know I deserve to win more than they do." The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Here I was keeping my end of the bargain, yet God seemed to pay no attention at all. I constantly felt let down.

Every once in a while, of course, I would get honest with myself and begin to see that I wasn't nearly as righteous as I liked to think. I knew that my attitude frequently was not what it should have been. There were moments when I knew I had thoroughly fallen short of God's will for my life. I recall a time in high school when I snuck into a show. For six months afterwards I lived in utter condemnation because I had broken my commitment. Often I would give up on the idea that God would ever see fit to bless me. There were a lot of things I wanted to pray for, but what right did I have to ask Him for anything when I had failed Him so miserably?

This heavy burden of works-righteousness carried over into my early ministry years in Tucson, Arizona. It didn't take long for me to realize that there had to be more to ministry than what I was experiencing, more to a relationship with God than what I enjoyed. To make matters worse, I would watch the meetings of some of the major evangelists of the day as they passed through the state, and see tents jammed with people being saved and others experiencing what seemed to be miraculous healings.

I longed to see that kind of power evident in my own life and ministry. Therefore I began earnestly to seek God with fasting and prayer out in the Tucson desert. I would take off alone to wait on the Lord with only a jug of water, a Bible, and a notebook for company. I begged God for His blessing, His power, and His anointing on my life. After a round of such spiritual discipline, I would work up a sense of excitement, believing that God was about to bless our church because I had fasted and prayed. I could hardly wait for the next service to see what God was going to do.

Unfortunately, I grew so weak from fasting that by Sunday I could hardly stand up behind the pulpit. My mind would wander so much that I could barely present a coherent message. The people would fall asleep and I would feel devastated. Here I had expected a tremendous move of God... and instead, a chorus of snoring broke out. I would get frustrated and angry and think, But God, haven't You seen how I have fasted and prayed? Surely You ought to bless this church - and me too, while You're at it!

I did not understand at the time that my fasting and praying were attempts to obligate God, to force Him to do what I wanted. I thought if people could just see miracles like those described in the book of Acts, they would be convinced about the reality of Jesus Christ.

But later I discovered that the ultimate witness we can offer the world is the love we have for one another, a love that flows from the very heart of God Himself. Conforming to rules and regulations simply can't produce that kind of love relationship. We can try to impose the law on our relationships, but God's love is the only way to gain the stability and security we long for. The Bible tells us that love is the fulfillment of the law. In fact, when asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied that it was to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself. Love, not the law, is the key to our relationship with God and with one another.

God wants us to experience the beauty of being drawn to Him by a cord far stronger than the obligation and guilt of the law. If we were still bound to God by a list of rules and regulations, we would soon find ourselves chomping at the bit and struggling against the restraints. There is a huge difference between being bound in relationship by the joy of love, and being tied up in obligation and guilt.

God never intended that His people be bound by an endless list of external pressures. It isn't pleasing to God to hear us moan and complain, "What a drag! I have to go to church again when there are a hundred other things I'd rather do. But if I don't go, God won't love me anymore and the preacher will give me the evil eye for missing his sermon."

If we find ourselves laboring under such burdensome attitudes, it is a sure indicator that we are not operating in a love relationship with God, but have instead fallen into legalism. God certainly wants better things for us than a drab, loveless existence!

God never made out a long contract that says, 'Abide by all my terms and I will love you and bless you; but if you violate even the smallest provision, it's all null and void and you are out of My kingdom!" Christians are not bound by any heavy contract to God. Paul declared that the only thing that constrained him was the love of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:14).

It took years of God's patient work in my life before I was able to break free of the bondage of self-righteousness. For years I had heard of others getting a tremendous blessing out of the book of Romans. Since I was always looking for a blessing, I finally decided to dig into it. And yet, try as I might, it was difficult for me to relate to. I decided to persevere anyway and see if I could discover what it was that others found so compelling.

One day as I studied this great book, God did nothing less than revolutionize my relationship with Him. It was there that He revealed to me the meaning of that simple, well-worn, but rarely understood word: grace. From that time onward I encountered such a free and loving relationship with God that I could not have cared less if I ever saw a spectacular miracle in my ministry. I discovered that even though I was prone to stumble and fall, my mistakes didn't alienate me from God. My relationship with Christ became less a roller coaster of highs and lows and more of a steady ride in His wonderful love.

Imagine how I felt when I discovered the profound truth, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). For years I had labored under the misconception that God was against me. I pictured Him waiting for me to step out of line so He could send fiery judgment crashing down on me. I finally understood that God wanted me to enjoy the peace of His unconditional love, not the fear that always accompanies legalism. I began to relate to God in a whole new way.

I learned that the law was intended to serve as a protective guide to God's people. Its restraints were to function like a parent's safety guidelines, intended only for the welfare of a child. Once we discover the wonder of God's grace, we need no longer be locked in by the law. We can approach life freely because we love God and won't want to do anything to harm the loving relationship we have with Him. When we know the joy of fellowship with God, we won't want any barriers, any blocks, to come between us.

In fact, the more we experience of God's love, the more He Himself becomes the primary desire and focus of our life. The coercive aspects of the law become unnecessary. We find ourselves longing to please God simply because we love Him.

And that is the greatest joy in life - to experience a genuine love relationship with God. To know that He is for us, that He loves us, is the greatest source of security any person will ever know. Discovering the glorious grace of God was one of the most important events in my whole spiritual experience. I learned to relate to God on an entirely new basis: not on the basis of my works, or of my righteousness, but on the basis of God's love for me through Jesus Christ.

That is grace, and that is what makes life worth living. In fact, it is what makes life - real life, abundant life, fulfilling and satisfying life - possible at all. For when our eyes are opened to the astonishing truth that our relationship with God does not depend upon the puny pebble of our own efforts but upon the massive rock of His unchanging and loving character, life opens before us in a technicolor explosion of awesome possibilities.

Grace transforms desolate and bleak plains into rich, green pastures. It changes grit-your-teeth duty into loving, enthusiastic service. It exchanges the tears and guilt of our own failed efforts for the eternal thrill and laughter of freely offered pleasures at the right hand of God. Grace changes everything!

Have you discovered the deep joy of living in God's grace? Would you welcome a reminder that our standing with God depends not on our own weak efforts but on what His almighty arm has accomplished for us? Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, I invite you now to take a few moments to consider with me the amazing grace of God poured out on our behalf.

For it's true, you know: Grace changes everything!

 

1. Forgiven!

One evening I heard a speech by former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger. He told the gathering that his first mistake is mentioned in his autobiography on page 1159. He also noted it was his last mistake.

If I were to write an autobiography, my first mistake would probably be found in the prologue to the book, if not in the table of contents itself! There is no way I would ever try to stand before God on the basis of my own goodness. It's not that I am some rotten, morally depraved individual; it's just that I am nowhere near good enough to be acceptable before an absolutely holy God.

A Dead-End Righteousness

One very common way of trying to become righteous is to define what righteousness is and isn't, to set up a code, and then live according to this code. There's only one problem: No one ever lives up to their own code, so we conjure up a great number of excuses to explain why we fail. The most common is that our failure isn't really our fault.

If I drop a glass and break it, it isn't that I am uncoordinated; it's because someone called me when he shouldn't have. Others were making too much noise in the other room, so my mistake is really their fault. "Look what you caused me to do!" I say. "You made me do it, so it isn't my fault." None of us like to accept blame.

This attitude goes all the way back to Adam. He blamed his failure on Eve. "The woman that you gave to be my wife," he told God, "it's her fault that I am the way I am" (see Genesis 3:12). Proverbs declares, "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness" (Proverbs 30:12).

If you think you are a very pure person and yet are not washed from your filthiness, righteousness has evaded you. The Bible says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us... If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (I John 1:8,10). Scripture states our problem clearly: "All the world [stands] guilty before God... all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:19,23).

Whenever we try to establish our righteousness by keeping rules, eventually we are forced to admit we operate on a sliding scale. I will always look morally better to myself than I do to you, and you will always look morally worse to me than you do to yourself. I can look at your life and see all kinds of flaws; but when I look at myself, the few flaws I notice don't seem so bad.

Even the righteousness I can achieve by what I do is only a sham righteousness. The Bible declares, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).

If our relationship with God depended upon being righteous and good, we would never make it.

It's almost comical to see some people parade around in their rags. They saunter around with their "holier than thou," gaudy kind of religiosity, with a hyperspiritual air about them. They talk in whispered tones because they think it sounds holy and righteous. They use King James English because, as we all know, "Thees" and "Thous" are far more righteous than "yous" and "yours." We see them puffed out in their righteousness, strutting around, showing off... and God shakes His head and says, "Filthy rags."

If my relationship with God depended upon my being righteous and good, I would never make it. I have failed. I have come short of the glory of God. The best that I can manage is when I am having a good day, my biorhythms are right, and everything is going well - really flowing. I'm cool. Man, I am really something. But even on my best days God looks down and says, "Filthy rags." My best efforts simply aren't enough.

Trying to keep the law condemns me, for the true law deals with inward attitudes. Back when I labored under this standard of self-righteousness, I found I resented certain things other people were doing. I became bitter. I realized that I hated certain people and that I was jealous and covetous of the things they owned. I noticed I had violated my own code and had wiped out my relationship with God. Nothing was left to do but to start all over again.

Unfortunately, just about the time I would feel as though I were restoring a right relationship with God, something happened. I blew up and down I went again. I would be forced to start climbing the ladder of good works once more until I got to the rung where I finally felt I could relate to God. No sooner would I reach that rung, however, than somebody would pull a stupid move on the freeway and I would yell, "Where did you get your driver's license, you idiot?" And the whole process would start all over again.

What's the Standard?

Those who believe that they can be made acceptable to God without Jesus need to deal with some crucial questions. If they believe they can make it to heaven by achieving a certain level of goodness, what standard do they have to live up to? What will God require of them? So many say, "I feel that I am basically a kind and good person and am willing to stand before God on my own merit."

But these people fail to take into account that God's standards are different than ours. Jesus showed us God's requirement for those who would strive for heaven on their own power when He said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). The standard for the person who wants to be right with God is nothing short of absolute perfection - not just trying hard, or being sincere, but a flawless keeping of all God ever intended for man. Clearly, those who believe they can earn eternal life by their good works have a distorted understanding of the holiness of God and what it means to be right with God.

If we are going to set up a standard of righteous conduct, we need to use the one established by Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only person whose life prompted God to say, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). To enjoy fellowship with God, we must be as righteous as Jesus. In John 16:8,10 Jesus said, 'And when he [that is, the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of... righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more." Jesus' ascension into heaven was God's witness to the world about His Son. It is as if He were saying, "This is the righteousness that I will accept in heaven." Jesus' life is the only standard of righteousness. If I want to be accepted by God, I must be as righteous as Jesus Christ. The Scriptures show that there is only one kind of righteousness that God will accept: the very righteousness of Christ Himself. So, if we want to stand before God on the basis of our own good works, we must live a life that measures up to the goodness we see in Jesus.

But I realize that is impossible. I can't achieve that kind of righteousness. Jesus Himself said, "I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). He said, "I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment" (Matthew 5:22). He further said, "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again" (Luke 6:27-30). And He commanded us to "love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again!' (Luke 6:35).

How can anybody be that righteous? I know I can't. I've failed miserably. Does that mean, then, that I must forever be alienated from God? Is there no way I can ever enjoy fellowship with God? Do I have to go on in this emptiness, in this frustration, seeking after and reaching out for something I can never obtain?

If there is any hope for us to be forgiven by God, there must be another basis for it other than our works. As Paul declares, "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight" (Romans 3:20).

If we are ever to enjoy fellowship with God, it will have to be on some basis other than our own righteousness. The rules that God has established for righteousness are far too stringent for us to abide by. We can't do it. Our only hope is that another form of righteousness has been provided for us, a righteousness based on a totally different principle than our own works.

Thank God, there is such a principle! It's called grace.

What Is Grace?

The root meaning of the word grace is "beauty." In the New Testament, grace means "God's unmerited favor." Grace is God giving to me something that I cannot obtain on my own. Grace is being accepted by God even though I do not deserve it, even though I am not worthy of it.

The Bible teaches that I receive grace on the basis of my belief and trust in God. Hebrews 11:6 declares that without faith it is impossible to please God. We are forgiven by a holy God simply by believing in Jesus Christ and in His death on our behalf. When we place our trust in Him, our slate is wiped clean.

It is not possible for us to be forgiven by complying with any law or religious system. It was necessary that Christ go to the cross in order that He might establish the basis whereby I can approach God.

When Jesus was praying in the garden, He said, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). He was saying, "If it is possible that men can be saved by any other means than My death - if they can be saved by being religious, by somehow gaining their own righteousness - then I do not want to go to the cross. Please don't put Me through this horrible ordeal." But it was not possible, and so He went to the cross, died, was buried, and rose again. His death made it possible for God to extend His grace to you and me.

Perhaps an illustration will help to make this clear. Imagine that you were charged with a crime. You are accused of trespassing on a neighbor's property. As any defense attorney knows, there are two possible ways for you to be cleared of the charge. You may seek to prove that you didn't trespass on his property, or you may seek to prove that you had every right to be there.

Now apply this logic to our spiritual situation. God has charged us with being sinners - for rebelling against His law and His will. He has charged us with unrighteousness.

How can we be justified from those charges? We can't say that we are innocent, for we are guilty. All of us have sinned. Nor can we say that we had a right to do what we did because we had no such right. Our actions were clearly wrong. How, then, can the law be of value to us in our desire to be forgiven? The answer is, it can't. The case is open and shut. We didn't have a right to do it, we did it anyway, and thus we stand guilty.

The Great Bank Robbery

Let's change the illustration. Suppose that I robbed a bank willfully and deliberately. The law condemns me because I can't say I didn't do it or prove that I didn't do it. The video camera caught me. I can't say I had a right to do it because robbery is not included in the First Amendment. Therefore, there is no way I can be forgiven within the law.

During the trial, I might try to say, "I promise I won't rob any more banks as long as I live. I will live a good, clean life from now on. I will never take anything from anybody wrongfully again." That still doesn't justify me from what I have already done. I might try to say that I should be forgiven because I did so much good with the money. I gave some to the church and I fed my family. But my "righteous" deeds cannot counterbalance or absolve my guilt.

The judge may order that I pay back to the bank all the money that I took. As part of my sentence, he may order me to pick up tin cans along the freeway to help keep America beautiful. I may spend the rest of my life doing good things, but still I will not be absolved of what I have done. All the works of the law cannot erase my guilt. My past wrongdoings still exist. I am a robber and the verdict is clear.

Why is it, then, that in spiritual matters so many people seek to plead innocent before God by virtue of all their good works?

There are many of us who respond to our sin, guilt, and unrighteousness with regret and new resolutions. We want to make amends and turn over a new leaf. But those efforts can't win our forgiveness. Even our best efforts cannot take away the guilt of what we have already done. We can never be justified by good works. Even a whole life of good works cannot atone for a single sin.

God's basis of forgiveness is the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. All of our guilt - all of our past and future wrongdoings - have been laid to the charge of Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb, the perfect one who knew no sin. He died for us. He bore our guilt; He suffered and died for our sins. Paul wrote, "For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (II Corinthians 5:21). Jesus became sin for us that we might be pardoned through Him. In other words, He switched places with us. "Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (II Corinthians 8:9). He has taken our sin and forgiven us through our simple faith and trust in Him.

Jesus, Our Hope

When God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all, Christ received the judgment due us for our sins. He received our deserved punishment, which the Bible declares is death (see Romans 6:23). God has declared that if we will believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be forgiven of every wrong thing we have ever done. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin," says I John 1:7. This cleansing is something the law could never do; it is a provision of grace.

We can strive to make it to heaven on our own efforts or we can place our faith in Jesus.

The fact is, faith is our only hope. Our good deeds or efforts or works can never earn us forgiveness from God. Paul declared in strong words, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). To him who is not working, but simply believing, God imputes righteousness. God gives us this forgiveness because of our faith in the finished work that Jesus Christ has done for us.

The Choice Is Yours

You have a choice. You can strive to make it to heaven by your own efforts and try to be as good as Christ, or you can place your faith in Jesus and receive your right standing with God as a gift of His grace.

For me, this is no choice at all. I know there is no way that I, in my good works, would ever make it to heaven. I stand hopelessly condemned on the basis of my past sin. I have no chance of being received by God apart from His mercy.

The good news is, God has provided a way of acceptance before Him. God, who is absolutely holy and pure and so righteous that no sin can dwell in His presence, has made a way for people like us to have fellowship with Him. When we believe in this sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us - even though we didn't deserve it - the Father grants us perfect forgiveness.

That's the gospel of grace. Each one of us can relate to God, even though we are far from perfect. We can still have a beautiful relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

When we relate to the Father by faith through His Son, we have a solid relationship. We are now sons of God. Because He is our Father, we don't have to wonder if we are worthy to come to Him. We do not come on the basis of our worthiness, but on the basis of our relationship with Him.

That is what the gospel of grace is all about. God looks at us as though we never committed a single trespass against Him. Now, I have trouble looking at myself like that. I look at myself in the mirror and say, "Chuck, you are a sinner. You can't control your appetite; you have so many flaws." And yet God looks at me and says, "Forgiven." He loves me and accepts me as I am because I am in Jesus Christ. Even as He has accepted His own Son, so now He accepts me. Paul tells us that we have been accepted "in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). The Beloved one is Christ; and you, being in Christ, are accepted by God just as Christ is accepted.

That is why the gospel of grace is the best news I have ever heard. God forgives us because we believe in His Son, whom He sent to die for our sins. All our sins have been blotted out. There is no accounting of guilt. As Paul tells us, "Oh, how happy are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Oh, how happy is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin" (see Romans 4:7,8).

As sons of God, we have every right to come to our Father to ask Him for anything that we might need. We have every right to trust the wisdom of our Father to either grant or deny the request, according to His knowledge of what is best for us. We can commit ourselves to our heavenly Father, who loves us so very much. He will give us only what is best.

What a joy it is to know that God desires to bestow upon us the richness and the fullness of His love - not because we deserve it, but because He loves us. This is the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ!

 

2. The Door is Never Closed

As wonderful as it is, forgiveness is only half the story of the gospel of grace. There are many people who believe God has forgiven us in Christ. Where they have trouble is the second half of the good news: That just by believing in Jesus Christ, God accounts us righteous.

Not everybody believes that - not by a long shot. Various groups have established standards of righteousness, yet they seldom agree upon what those standards should be.

Is Gold In or Out?

Not so very long ago, some groups taught that it was unrighteous to wear buttons. They used hooks and eyes for their garments and wouldn't think of wearing buttons on anything. "You wear buttons?" they'd say. "How unrighteous can you be? Shame!" Even today there are groups who teach that wearing gold is utterly sinful; you cannot possibly be righteous if you wear gold. Throughout history people have established varying standards of righteousness - always with the idea that if they adhered to this particular standard, God would accept them.

There is, however, a real problem with trying to establish a righteousness by laws or by works. The fact is, we rarely live up even to our own standards!

Each of us accepts a moral standard that we consider good and right. This is what I really am, or at least what I would be were it not for outside hindrances. Psychologists call it our "superego," our ideal self. Unfortunately, no one knows the "real me." Why? Because the "real me" is perfect. In fact, I don't even know the real me because circumstances constantly keep me from being as wonderful as I really am.

Along with the superego, psychologists talk about the "ego," which is the real self, the true you. Sadly, the true you is never up to the standards of the ideal you.

Now, if there is a vast difference between your superego and your ego, you're considered a maladjusted person. On the other hand, if you know you're not perfect and you don't have such a high standard for the ideal you, then you are congratulated as a well-adjusted person.

Psychologists often seek to bring down the standards of a person's superego by telling the patient he has set impractical goals. "Nobody is that perfect; nobody is that good," they will say. "What you are doing isn't so abnormal. Everybody does it. You shouldn't be trying to set such high standards for yourself!" These therapists are constantly trying to narrow the difference between the superego and the ego so that we might enjoy more well-balanced lives. They seek a cure by bringing down the superego.

Contrast that with the work of Jesus. He doesn't try to lower the superego; He aims to bring up the ego. He wants to lift up the real you!

Even though the real me is well below the ideal me, nevertheless I am righteous before God and He looks at me as perfectly righteous because of my faith in Jesus Christ.

This is the second aspect of the gospel of grace. First, all of your sins have been taken care of, washed, and forgiven because of your faith in Jesus Christ. Second, God looks at you as righteous because of your believing in Jesus Christ. Apart from what you are doing or not doing, apart from keeping any code of ethics, God is imputing righteousness to your account because you believe upon Jesus Christ.

This is the glorious gospel, the good news. To know that God accepts me by my faith in Jesus Christ and that my righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ is good news indeed!

The Door Is Open

Why is it such good news? I never need to fear and say, "Oh, I dare not go to God, because I just told a lie. I just lost my temper. I just deceived that person. Oh, I have no right to ask God to help me now because I failed in that task." If my righteousness comes by my works, then Satan can bar the door to God practically all the time, because I am never doing as much as I feel I should. I am never as good as I know I ought to be. I haven't achieved my super-ego. I haven't lived up to my own standards of what I feel is right. Because I have failed to achieve those ideal standards, Satan will use my failure to keep me from coming to God. "You have no right to ask God to help you when you have just failed Him again. You know your action is displeasing to God, yet you did it anyhow. Now you're in trouble and now you want God to help you. You think He is going to listen to you? No way!"

Satan can always bar the door to God if he can cause me to look within myself and at myself. But if I am looking to Jesus Christ and I realize that I am accounted righteous because of my faith in Christ, Satan can never bar the door.

Oh, he still comes to me and says, "Chuck, you are a rotten wretch. You have no right to stand up in front of people and proclaim the glorious good news of Jesus Christ. You have no right to stand up there and teach the Word of God. You have failed in this area and you have failed in that area. You are a mess!"

I always start to smile whenever this happens, because I'm sure I have gotten by with a few things I know there are a few things he hasn't even brought up! I say to him, "Satan, you don't scare me with your accusations; you are not going to cause me to run off and hide someplace. In fact, I know that what you say is true. I know that I have failed. I know that I have a weakness. But you don't drive me from Jesus Christ; you are driving me to Him, because my only hope is the cross of Jesus Christ!"

And so I flee to the only place where I am safe, the only place where I have any hope at all. Surely I have no hope in my own self and in my own righteousness. But I have great hope in the work that Jesus Christ did for me and in the work God is doing in me by the power of His Holy Spirit as He is conforming me into the image of Christ.

Those things that I cannot do for myself, He is doing for me. Those areas where I was so weak, He has made me strong. I have recognized my weakness and I have cast myself helplessly upon Him. In those areas where I was once weak and constantly stumbling, now I stand strong because His strength has been made perfect in my weakness (see II Corinthians 12:9).

Certainly, I am not yet all that God wants me to be. Far from it! But thank God, I am not what I was. Even in my present state of imperfection, God looks upon me and accounts me righteous and holy. That is why I never want to be caught anywhere except in Christ Jesus. We must never see ourselves apart from Him.

No Degrees of Righteousness

If God has imputed the righteousness of Christ to us because we have believed, then it is folly for us to try to improve on that righteousness by doing works. We can't improve on God's righteousness. There is no way we can improve on the right standing that He has imputed to us. We are righteous. That is God's accounting of our life because we believe and trust in the work of Jesus Christ.

Our righteousness now and for eternity is a result of our simple faith in God's Son, Jesus.

No one in heaven will be boasting about how righteous they made themselves. We will not have to listen to Abraham or David or Paul go on and on about all the wonderful things they did to achieve a righteous standing before God. These men simply believed God, and their faith was accounted to them for righteousness.

None of us will stand in heaven comparing good works with one another because there will only be one who will receive glory before the throne of God. There will be only one shining star. There won't be some kind of spiritual caste system where some will bask in the glory of their works while others of us will stand in the corner wondering how we made it there at all. Jesus and Jesus alone will receive the glory for our salvation. lf it were not for Him, none of us would be there.

As Paul put it, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14). No matter how many good deeds we've done for Him, no matter how many people we lead to Him or how many churches we establish for Him, our only glory is in Jesus Christ, who died for us. Our righteousness is not a question of good works, human efforts, or in keeping certain rituals or dietary laws. Our righteousness - both here and now and for all eternity - is a result of our simple faith in God's Son, Jesus.

Righteousness by faith removes all distinctions between those who belong to Christ. I am no better than you, or you than me. We are all sinners, saved only by God's glorious grace. There is no other way to right standing before God. There is only one kind of righteousness that God will accept, and that is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.

If I am seeking to relate to God on the basis of my own righteousness or my own works, or if I expect to be blessed because I have been on good behavior this week or I have read so many chapters or prayed so much, then my relationship with God is always going to be tenuous. Sometimes I will feel that my relationship with God is good and at other times I will feel that it is bad. Why? Because I am trying to relate to Him on the basis of my righteousness.

Without grace, my relationship with God is never an established reality and it is impossible to enjoy peace. If my relationship with God were dependent on how I felt or how I was living or on my own righteousness, I would not be able to relate to God most of the time.

When my relationship with God is predicated upon God's grace toward me, however, the door of blessing is never closed. God's blessings are bestowed on the basis of His grace, His unmerited favor. I never deserve or earn a blessing. The blessings that come into my life are always predicated upon God's unmerited favor to me. God loves me so much, He blesses me anyway. God is so good! The truest praise is that which rises spontaneously from our hearts as we recognize God's marvelous grace toward us.

A Stubborn Tendency

We find it very difficult to get away from the concept that our righteousness is somehow related to the works we do for God. We tend to consider some believers as more holy than others because of their performance. We can even find ourselves using this standard to judge others. If someone isn't doing the same degree of works or isn't as zealous as we are, then surely this person just isn't as righteous as we are.

It is extremely difficult to remove this idea of righteousness by works from our thinking. Because this notion is so deeply ingrained, many of us face a constant struggle with guilt feelings. Even as Christians we can find ourselves getting set up for damaging guilt episodes. Because we love God we want to adopt personal standards of conduct in keeping with our identity as children of God. Now that Christ dwells within me, I want to manifest His love, which is patient, long-suffering, kind, gentle, and merciful.

And yet how fragile that love in my life can be! I can be driving along on the freeway when a driver in front of me makes a stupid move and endangers my life. Instantly, feelings of anger come rushing into my mind. I want to lay on my horn and ride his bumper and show that idiot how I really feel about his driving. But then, after doing all these mean things, I remember that my license plate says, "CALVARY." At that moment, all my old, familiar guilt feelings pour into my heart. Accusing thoughts like, What a great witness you are! flood my mind and leave me feeling totally unrighteous. I've blown it again, failing God once more, and I'm left with a sense of total alienation from Him.

Trying to relate to God on the basis of effort and works is always a struggle. We can't know the peace Of God until we experience the grace of God.

What's difficult to grasp is that although my behavior is wrong, it has nothing to do with my right standing with God. It is so hard to disassociate the concept of works and law from the idea of righteousness! My conduct and my standing before God seem to be inseparably related, and yet they are totally unrelated.

The truth is that God Himself has imputed right standing to me simply because I believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. If keeping a list of rules such as "never get angry when driving" or "never lose your temper with your children" could have brought us into a right relationship with God, then my conduct and my standing with God would be related. But there are no rules that give life, because sin has brought alienation and death. In order for us to have life, God had to establish a New Covenant based on better promises than works-righteousness. That New Covenant is the gospel of grace.

Grace and Peace

Maybe you have been a wretch. You have been irritable and miserable and you feel that God can't possibly love you. You feel utterly disgusted with the failure of your flesh. You know that all you deserve is the back side of God's hand in judgment.

Then suddenly, out of the blue, God gives you some glorious blessing. At that moment there rises from your heart spontaneous praise to God in worship. This is the truest form of praise - the kind of worship which erupts spontaneously in response to God's grace. This is the kind of praise that says, "God is so very good to me. I don't deserve a bit of it."

Because I relate to God on the basis of grace I am never, ever, cut off from His blessings. On the other hand, if I am expecting God's intervention on my behalf on the basis of my goodness or my deeds, I am cut off much of the time.

I have discovered that the lack of God's blessings on my life has nothing to do with my outward performance, but rather stems from my lack of faith in God's grace. I have learned that God's blessing is unconditional. The more I see His blessing in my life, the more I realize how totally undeserving I am. Because of this truth, I can have glorious peace. I have no need to worry.

If we are trusting in our righteousness as the basis for our relationship with God, we will never experience consistent peace. Trying to relate to God on the basis of effort and works is always a struggle, always a strain, always pressured. If we are ever to come to know the peace of God, we must realize that this amazing grace of God first flows toward us even though we're rotten and undeserving of it.

Then, after accepting this glorious grace of God, the peace of God fills our hearts and lives. We know that He loves us - even though we are far from perfect, even though we have failed. Even when it seems as if nobody else loves us (and we don't blame them, because we don't even love ourselves), still God loves us.

Have you ever heard of the Siamese twins of the New Testament? They're the two little words, "grace and peace." They are always coupled together, in that order. We might say that the elder of the twins is grace. It is always grace and peace; we never read a salutation of peace and grace. Why? Because that would be putting the cart before the horse. The proper order is always grace and peace, because we cannot know the peace of God in our own hearts until we have first experienced the grace of God in our lives.

As Pure as Jesus

The Bible says that someone who places his faith in Jesus has been "justified." What does that mean? It means that God has granted us a standing before Him just as if we had never sinned.

This was no small feat for God to accomplish! For if we have all sinned and missed the mark, how can God look at us as if we had never sinned and still be just? If He sees our lives as they truly are and must act according to His attribute of justice, how can He treat us as though we were perfect?

This is where the power of the gospel comes in. God made the sinless Jesus to be sin for us. The Scriptures declare that God laid on the innocent Christ the iniquities of us all. Jesus literally took my place and took the punishment that was due me as a guilty sinner.

This is the glorious gospel of grace. We can have a standing of righteousness before God far superior to anything we could achieve under the law. For no matter how meticulously we try to keep the law, we always fall short. The righteousness which comes through faith in Christ, however, is imputed to us and is complete. There is nothing that can be added to it. In Christ, I have an absolutely perfect, righteous standing before God. There are no charges against me. In His eyes, I am perfect. That doesn't mean that I am a perfect man - not by a long shot! It means that Jesus Christ is perfect and I have His righteousness credited to my account because of my faith in Him.

How I praise God for the knowledge of the grace of God that He brought to my heart and for the love relationship that I have with Him! It doesn't alter. It doesn't change when I am depressed, or wrong, or angry. It is a flowing relationship that is steady and always present. He loves me when I am sweet and He loves me when I am mean. How good it is to know the grace of God and the gospel according to grace!

 

3. No Favorites in the Kingdom

Have you noticed how oftentimes the very people we have classified as impossible to save have been marked by God as the next converts?

It's not uncommon at Calvary Chapel for long-lost friends to meet unexpectedly in a hallway, look quizzically at each other, and say in unison, "What are you doing here?" Seeing each other in church with a Bible in hand and a smile on their face just wipes them out. Neither thought the other could be saved.

I don't suppose very many people in the early church were praying for Saul's salvation. They were probably saying, "Lord, wipe that guy out. He is going to kill the church. Stop him, Lord!" They were probably hoping God would lower the boom in judgment.

But God had another way of stopping him, unlike anything they anticipated. God brought Saul's life to a halt as he was on the road to Damascus and there turned him around 180 degrees. Saul was reborn as Paul and became the greatest proclaimer in history of the gospel of grace.

God is a specialist at taking the unlikeliest of candidates and turning them into trophies of His grace. He is able to make a beautiful change in each of us. He can change our value systems and make us new creatures in Christ. He calls us to be examples of what His grace can do.

No One Too Small

Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking God uses only "special" people - the strong, the intelligent, the beautiful. We don't think He has a place for the rest of us. We are so wrong!

God doesn't have "important" people. God uses ordinary people and works through plain people. That is why Paul wrote, "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (I Corinthians 1:26,27).

God loves us ordinary folk and endows us with gifts so that we might fill our place in the body of Christ. Any ability we have is a gift from His hand. Everything we have was given to us. As Paul said in I Corinthians 4:7, "What do you have that you did not receive?"

How can I glory in my ministry as though I didn't receive it, as though what I am able to share is something of my genius or brilliance? Anything worthwhile I have came from God. There is no way I can be proud and boastful, as though I were somebody independent of Him. Apart from Him, I am nothing. Apart from Him, I can do nothing.

Men often develop an inflated view of their own importance and greatness and gloat over their place in the work of God. But the truth is, God doesn't need any of us. I'm sorry if that makes you feel unimportant, but it's true. He has chosen to use us, but He doesn't have to. He could just as easily use someone else.

To me, that is thrilling. I haven't been chosen to serve because I am so wonderful. God doesn't choose us because of our greatness or abilities or potential. He chooses us because He decides to choose us. Important, proud people do not like that. They are "above" being chosen... so usually they are not. God chooses by His grace. He chose me. He chose you.

Heaven is going to be full of surprises. As we look around, the first surprise will be all the people who we thought would never make it. The next surprise will be those sitting in the front row in the places of honor. We will say, "Who are these people? I never saw them before." "Some of them went to Calvary Chapel," someone will say, "but where is Chuck?" And somewhere way out in the back of the crowd, in the peanut gallery, I will yell, "Here I am! Thank God, through His grace, I made it."

All Are Equal in the Kingdom

Prior to meeting Jesus face to face on the road to Damascus, the apostle Paul spent the majority of his life as a Pharisee. The Pharisees, you remember, were members of the strict, legalistic Jewish sect that so strongly opposed Jesus. You get a flavor for who they were by considering their prayers, a few of which have been preserved for us. Every morning the rabbis prayed, I thank you, Father, that I was not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman." No doubt this was a part of Paul's devotional life for many years.

How interesting it is, then, that in Galatians 3:28 the apostle turns all three components of this traditional prayer on their heads. He writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

Jesus has made equal access to God available to all people. God receives us as His dearly loved children - this is the beauty of the gospel.

Jesus is the great equalizer. His grace refuses to elevate one person over another. We all are one because in Christ, God accepts one sinner just as readily as He accepts another. God places tremendous value on each individual.

This gospel has made a tremendous impact wherever in the world it has gone. Consider women's rights. Prior to the arrival of Christianity in New Guinea, women were considered unworthy to worship God. A woman had only to touch a place of worship to be put to death. Such second-class citizenship created a climate of fear and shame and led to an extremely high suicide rate among women. They had very little to live for and oppression was heavy. Imagine the impact on this culture when the gospel of grace appeared on the scene. Suddenly men and women discovered that in Christ there is no distinction between male and female.

Jesus has made equal access to God available to all people regardless of their demographic group. God does not receive us as justified strangers or distant acquaintances, but as His dearly loved children. John tells us that "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12). This is the beauty of the gospel.

No matter what we have been like or what wrong we have done, if we will place our faith in Christ, we will be pardoned for all our sins. Even beyond this almost incomprehensible blessing, God also receives us as His sons. That is what Paul meant when he wrote, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). The word "children" in this passage literally means "placed as a son."

God doesn't have any important people. The objects of His grace are not only the strong, or the beautiful, or the intelligent. He calls us ordinary folk to His side and wraps His strong arms around us in a gentle embrace of love. This is the gospel of grace.

Chosen by Grace

Paul saw his whole life as the result of God's gracious choice. As he put it, "It pleased God... to reveal his Son in me" (Galatians 1:15,16). That is what God wants to do in every one of our lives. That is what God wants to do in you now. God desires to reveal His Son to the world through you.

In fact, God has been working in your life since the moment you were conceived to make you the perfect instrument to reveal His Son. That is why Paul wrote, "God... separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace" (Galatians 1:15). It is remarkable to see how God prepared Paul for his ministry long before he had one.

God knew He was going to need a special person to bring the gospel of grace to the Gentiles. This man would have to break with the ingrained tradition of the Jews, who tended to be a clannish people. They would not mix with Gentiles, even refusing to eat with them or enter their houses. In fact, when a Pharisee walked down the street, he would hold his robes very tightly around him for fear that his garment might touch a Gentile. Should a Pharisee accidentally touch a non-Jew, he would go home, take a bath, wash his robes, and stay away from the temple that day. He considered himself unclean. Yet the man God needed to proclaim the good news would have to go out and live with the Gentiles and become one with them.

How interesting it is that God chose for this special task the Jew who was most zealous for the traditions of his fathers!

As Paul looked back, he could see how God's hand had been on his life from the very beginning. Since Greek culture had saturated the world, the man God chose had to be steeped in its customs and philosophy. Because he was going to be traveling extensively throughout the Roman empire and facing all kinds of perils, he needed to have Roman citizenship.

Therefore God arranged that Saul should be born a Roman citizen. How his citizenship was attained is not known, but it would definitely serve as a big advantage to Paul, saving him from some difficult and even life-threatening circumstances (see Acts 22 and 25).

Tarsus also enjoyed a strong Greek culture. Paul had more than just a small exposure to Hellenistic custom and thought; he was part of it. This made it possible for him to deal effectively with the Gentiles and to know the nuances of Greek thought. His background allowed him to communicate the truths of Jesus Christ to the Greeks.

At the same time, God needed a person who was thoroughly Jewish. When Paul was about 12 years old, his parents sent him to Jerusalem to study at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the great Jewish scholars of the day. There Paul became absorbed in Hebrew culture and tradition, mastering the Talmud and the Hebrew Scriptures. Paul grew extremely zealous for the law and sought to become righteous by keeping it to the best of his ability. He excelled among his contemporaries. To the Philippians he wrote, "If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more" (Philippians 3:4). Peter and the other disciples, with their backgrounds as fishermen or tax collectors, weren't prepared to understand the law as thoroughly as did Paul.

When the day finally came for God to reveal His grace to Paul on the Damascus Road, the apostle could instantly fit together the Scriptures of the Old Testament with the recent appearance of Jesus Christ. He began to look at the Messiah from a new point of view. Paul was the perfect choice to preach the gospel of grace, for if anyone had sought to be righteous by the law, it was Paul. Here was a man who could say, "Concerning... the righteousness which is in the law, [I was] blameless" (Philippians 3:6). He knew the futility of trying to be righteous by the law, so when he came to the glorious knowledge of Jesus Christ, he gladly embraced the new righteousness imputed to him through his faith in Jesus Christ.

Nothing Has Changed

Paul's story is dramatic, but don't imagine for a moment that this kind of divine preparation is unique to him or other New Testament saints. I can examine my own life, for example, and see that God separated me from my mother's womb for the work He had for me to do.

I look back and see momentous events that didn't seem so momentous at the time. Now I realize these incidents were the crossroads in my life that helped to shape and determine my destiny. Looking back, I can see the hand of God in each of these situations, although at those times I didn't realize God's hand was anywhere nearby. I thought God had deserted me. But now I see how God was working in every difficult circumstance of my life to prepare me for the work He had ordained for me. It is an exciting thing to recall some of the decisions I made at critical moments and realize that God's hand was leading me all along.

We sing, "All the way my Savior leads me." In hindsight, I can testify that God's hand was upon my life from the beginning. Sometimes God supernaturally intervened to protect me. He had a special work for me to do and He was fitting me for that work.

A few weeks before I was born my cousin died of spinal meningitis. My sister also was infected with this terrible disease. One day she went into convulsions so severe that my family thought she was dead. My mother rushed out of our apartment and up the street to the parsonage of a local church, where she laid my sister's lifeless body on the carpet. The pastor and my mother began to pray that God would bring my sister back to life. Her eyes had rolled back, her jaw had set, and there was no apparent pulse.

When my dad returned home from the pool hall a while later, a nurse was waiting for him. "You had better go find your wife," she said. "Your daughter is dying. She may even be dead by now." My father raced up the street to the parsonage to beat up the minister and take my sister to the hospital. He thought it was ridiculous to pray when you needed a doctor. But when he entered the home and saw my sister's condition, he realized it was too late. He fell on his knees, broken before God.

The minister told my mother, "Now, get your eyes off of your little girl. Just get your eyes upon Jesus and begin to look to the Lord." My mother - pregnant with me - lifted her face to God and said, "Lord, if You will restore to me my daughter, I will commit my life to You. I will serve You in whatever capacity You want." My sister was healed instantly. She began to cry, sat up, looked around, and wanted to go home. They took her home, completely healed.

A few weeks later I was born and the doctor announced, "You have a baby boy." My dad floated down the hall of the hospital shouting, "Praise the Lord, it's a boy!" At that time my mother prayed, "Thank You, Lord, for giving my daughter back to me. And the vow that I made to serve You, I will fulfill through my son."

From my earliest days, my mother planted the Word of God in my heart. As I was swinging out in the yard, she would help me memorize Scripture verses. When I was four years old she taught me how to read using the Bible. I spelled out the words I couldn't pronounce. She would later recount times when I didn't know all the letters and would do my best to describe them. She laughed as she remembered how I would call a "v" a "tent upside down." With patience and love, she nurtured and taught me the fear of God.

By the time I was seven years old I could name all of the books of the Bible and spell them. At bedtime, I never heard fairy tales, only Bible stories. Rather than Goldilocks and the three bears, I grew up with David and Moses. My mother taught me that when God was with you, you didn't have to fear anything or anybody. No giant could stand against you when God is with you.

I can't remember a time when I didn't know and love God. I have no kind of conversion testimony. There was a time when I made my public profession of faith and was baptized, but it seems that from my mother's womb I was separated unto God and unto the Word of God.

As I grew older, I decided on a career as a neurosurgeon and so began taking courses that would prepare me for that profession. Whenever I described my ambitions, my mother would just smile and encourage me. She never told me of the commitment she made for my life at the time of my birth.

During my teen years God changed my life at a summer camp where I made a commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ. God impressed upon my heart that men had needs far greater than the physical. Ministering to physical needs provides temporary help, but ministering to spiritual needs helps people eternally. God called me to minister His healing to the spirit of man.

I thought my mom would be greatly disappointed when she learned her son was not going to be a doctor. I expected slumped shoulders and long faces when I announced to my family the change of direction for my life. But when I told my mother that I felt God calling me to the ministry and to Bible college, she just smiled and said, "That's fine, son." It amazed me that she didn't cry or get upset.

I went to Bible college, received my training, married Kay, and together we began our ministry. A short while before my mother died, she told me the story of my sister's apparent death and her promise to God which she vowed to keep through me. She was one of the most beautiful, godly persons I have ever known, a deeply spiritual woman and a tremendous example. I can now look back and see that even from my mother's womb I was separated unto God for the ministry He had in mind for me.

Did you know the same is true of you? If through faith you have placed your eternal destiny in the loving hands of Jesus Christ, you can be sure that God is at work shaping the events and circumstances of your life into a beautiful mosaic that will reveal His Son to the men and women around you. His hand is on you, as it has been since before you were born.

Called by Grace

It is so important to remember that God's hand is on us by grace. All of us were called by grace. As Paul said, "It pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace" (Galatians 1:15, emphasis added). I don't deserve to be called to serve God. I don't deserve to be saved. I don't deserve to be in heaven. I deserve the hottest spot in hell.

Yet that is not what God has given me or the rest of us. God has graciously planned our lives and given each of us a special work to do. Some people are able to fulfill the plan of God for their life in just an hour's time; others of us are slow and plodding and it will take us a lifetime to fulfill God's ultimate purpose for us.

God has a special work for each of us to do and it is necessary that all of us be prepared for that work.

Remember Mordecai's question to Esther: "How do you know but that God brought you to the kingdom for such an hour as this?" (see Esther 4:14). The major purpose of God for Esther's existence was fulfilled in just a few days. God raised her up, brought her into the Persian court, and made her the wife of King Ahasuerus in order that He, through her intercession, might spare the Jews.

God has a special work for each of us to do and it is necessary that all of us be prepared for that work. Many of us will spend the majority of our lives in preparation before our day will come. We will fulfill the purpose of God for our life and then we will pass on. God's purposes for us will have been accomplished.

Wherever we find ourselves, God has a reason for placing us there. He has His hand upon our lives and upon each circumstance in our lives. We may be going through difficult trials, but hardships are necessary. God wants to develop in us the characteristics that will enable us to fulfill His plan for us.

God is working in each of us. We are His workmanship, His poiema or masterpiece (see Ephesians 2:10). God will work in each of us according to His grace so that we might accomplish the work He has ordained for us in His kingdom and for His glory.

Beware the Snare

Satan knows that God's hand is on us and he will try to use our weaknesses and inabilities to discourage us. The devil often puts unreasonable demands upon us, making us think God is behind them and prompting us to strive and struggle to achieve a level of perfection beyond our capacity.

As Satan harasses and burdens us, many times we fall into despair. We become extremely discouraged and we want to quit. But whenever we try to fulfill a standard that God has not set for us, our hearts grow heavy. And the results can be tragic.

A young boy with a physical handicap had been attending our church. After every service he made an effort to come up and talk to me. He had great difficulty speaking, yet I always admired his ability to express himself. I also admired his intelligence; his questions were good and insightful.

He was also extremely troubled, however, and one day he tried to throw himself in front of a car on a busy road in front of the church. He was brought into the office and we prayed with him and called the authorities. We felt for his own safety he needed to be examined by doctors. He was taken to a hospital, where he was examined and released.

It was clear he was suffering under a load of condemnation. "Chuck," he cried, "I just can't quit smoking."' I tried to tell him not to worry about it - that his smoking did not make him a second-class Christian. The following Sunday he was back at church and told me God had dealt with him. He said he had come to a place of real commitment, yet I could tell he was troubled. Clearly, Satan was accusing him about a weakness in his flesh and tormenting him about his physical handicap.

One day this burden of discouragement and condemnation cost this young man his life. He jumped to his death off a balcony at a local high-rise hotel all because he allowed the enemy to use his weaknesses to discourage him.

If only that young man had learned that we can't be more than the person God enables us to be! None of us ever achieves any value apart from the work of God's Holy Spirit in our lives. Thus, we are not to fret. We are not to condemn ourselves. We are not to berate ourselves constantly for our failures. We are only to acknowledge and recognize our weakness, to humbly say, "Lord, I know that I am weak. I need Your help. I turn this over to You and I ask You, Lord, to do for me what I can't do for myself." And He will.

All Are Welcome Here

The body of Christ is a beautiful thing. Every part of the body is vital and important. What a helpless and weird body it would be if it were all a mouth! God has made me a mouth in the body, but surely the whole body isn't a mouth. Many parts of the body are much more important than the mouth. How beautiful it is to see the body of Christ functioning as intended, with people from every walk of life and demographic group and background working together to serve God in unity!

God wants to reveal His Son in you, wherever you came from and wherever you are and in whatever you are doing. Let Jesus Christ shine forth through your life, your attitudes, your reactions, and your responses.

We used to sing a chorus in church, "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wonderful passion and purity. Oh, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me." This is more than just a beautiful chorus and a marvelous prayer. It should be the desire of each of our hearts: "Oh Lord, let Your beauty be seen in me." As David prayed, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" (Psalm 17:15).

By the Spirit, all of us - the lovely and the plain, the strong and the weak, the brilliant and the slow - are being changed into the likeness of Jesus. Together we are the objects of His grace. And together we shall all be satisfied on that glorious day when we awake in His likeness.

How could it be otherwise?

 

4. Portrait of Grace

It’s one thing to talk about grace in the abstract, but quite another to describe what it looks like. If "a picture is worth a thousand words," what kind of picture does grace make?

Perhaps the best picture of grace in the entire Bible is provided by an Old Testament character cited by several writers in the New Testament. Abraham is universally accepted as the father of those who believe. He gives us a clear picture of what grace is and does.

In both Romans and Galatians, the apostle Paul goes back to Abraham as the prime example of a man whom God accepted on the basis of his faith. In Romans 4:3, Paul wrote, "What saith the scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." The apostle uses the same example in Galatians 3:6,7, where he wrote, "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham."

Rehearsing the Story

Genesis 15 tells us that Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were unable to have children. Yet God gave them a promise that through their seed, all nations of the earth would be blessed. Despite the improbability of it all, Abraham trusted God. Genesis 15:6 says, 'And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

As year after year rolled on and no baby came, however, Abraham and Sarah began to doubt whether God was going to follow through on His promise. So one day Sarah took matters into her own hands and suggested that Abraham impregnate her handmaid, Hagar. They would then raise the child as if it were their own. (How interesting that the idea of surrogate parenthood isn't as modern a development as we'd like to think!) Hagar conceived and gave birth to a son, who they named Ishmael. Yet when this child was 13 years old, God repeated His promise to Abraham. Abraham still had a hard time believing that God would give him a son with Sarah. He told God that the idea was nice, but really, Ishmael was already there - why not just bless him?

How encouraging that Abraham, a man the Bible calls the "father of all those who believe" (Romans 4:11), struggled to believe that the promise could be fulfilled through Sarah's seed! When the Lord repeated His promise to provide a son through Sarah, it was so incredible that Sarah laughed. Years later when the promise was fulfilled and Sarah gave birth, they named their son Isaac, which means "laughter."

As Isaac grew, his older brother Ishmael came to resent the attention lavished on this child of promise. At the party given to celebrate the weaning of Isaac, Ishmael stood at a distance, mocking his brother. When Sarah observed his spiteful attitude, she demanded that Abraham send away both him and his mother Hagar. She insisted that Ishmael would not share in the inheritance destined for Isaac.

Naturally, Abraham was crushed by this turn of events, but God assured him that He would take care of Ishmael. Abraham was to listen to Sarah and cast out the bondwoman and her son. It was clear that they could not inherit the promised blessing of God.

Painting the Picture

When Paul wanted to bolster his case for righteousness by grace through faith, he pointed his readers back to Abraham. He said the story of Abraham contained an allegory that could make his point clear. Traditionally, rabbis of Paul's time held that there were primarily two interpretations for every passage of Scripture. The first, called the peshat, referred to the plain and obvious meaning of the text. They also held that there was a hidden meaning to each passage (the remez). Some rabbis held to two additional types of interpretation: the derash, which involved allegorical meanings and anything not literal; and the sod ("secret"), which yielded an allegorical meaning. The drawback to these complex and often contradictory schools of thought is that they leave the average person confused and doubtful about the message of Scripture.

I believe the best focus is the plain and obvious meaning of the text. God is entirely capable of saying exactly what He means to say. So many have strayed from the clear teaching of the Bible by pursuing spiritualized, fanciful interpretations of Scripture. Let's face it: With enough spiritualizing, we can take something as innocuous as Old Mother Hubbard and develop a tremendous sermon out of that tale. Think of the deep spiritual implications of this old woman who went to the cupboard to get her poor dog a bone. Why, we can picture her, trapped in the desolation, discouragement, and emptiness of life because the cupboard was bare. What a tragic day when all our resources are gone!

With a little imagination we can create doctrinal mountains out of the smallest molehill. The best rule of thumb, then, is to avoid allegorical interpretations unless Scripture itself gives us the basis for the allegory. In this case, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul draws an allegorical implication from the life of Abraham which can be trusted:

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free-woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the free-woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free (Galatians 4:22-31).

The Significance of the Story

Paul tells us that these events are not only significant in a purely historical sense, but that they also illustrate the plight of those who try to inherit the blessings of God through works. Hagar and her son are a picture of those who try to be righteous before God by fulfilling the law. When Abraham and Sarah despaired of seeing the promise fulfilled, they turned to their own efforts, which brought only heartache and frustration. Since Ishmael was a product of the flesh, he serves as a type of those who are seeking to be blessed by human works. Isaac, on the other hand, is the child of promise, representing those who will inherit God's blessing through faith.

Interestingly, just as Ishmael mocked Isaac, those who live under the law today continue to deride those who choose to live by faith. Paul suggests that the pressure tactics of the Judaizers; were prefigured in the conflict between these brothers. In like manner, those in his day who insisted on adherence to the law for righteousness were to be cast out. In A.D. 70 this allegory was fulfilled as Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman legions under Titus. Those who persecuted men and women of faith were literally sent into exile.

The freedom, the promise, and the blessings of God belong to all who seek right standing with God through Jesus Christ.

Paul contrasts the sad end of the legalists with the wonderful future of the children of faith. Quoting Isaiah, he writes, "Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband" (verse 27). He means that these believers, gathered into the kingdom as a result of faith, were going to vastly outnumber all those who tried to reach God by their own works.

Just here the allegory comes into focus: "So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free" (verse 31). All those who belong to Christ will inherit the blessings of God and are the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

We have been blessed through the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. The freedom, the promise, and the blessings of God belong to all those who seek right standing with God through faith in Jesus Christ. As children of the promise and recipients of the unconditional love of God, we can now enjoy a wonderful consistency in our walk with Christ.

As the hymn so eloquently puts it, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." When we appear before the throne of God, we will stand in awe of all Christ has done for us. As we see the power of the promises of God, none of us will say, "Through my own faithful and determined efforts, I have attained this glory." Instead we will bow our heads, overflowing with joy, and say, "Thank You, Jesus; You did it all! I knew You could save me. I knew that by my good works I could never save myself. Thank You, Lord."

A Key Question

Such was Abraham's faith. But the key question is, When did God proclaim this man righteous when he was circumcised or before he was circumcised? The false teachers at Galatia were saying, "You can't be righteous unless you are circumcised." They insisted that a ritual was essential for salvation.

So when did God impute Abraham's faith for righteousness? Was it before or after he had received the rite of circumcision? It was before, not after! Abraham was accounted righteous before he knew a thing about this ritual. The declaration of his imputed righteousness is found in Genesis 15, while the rite of circumcision is not introduced until two chapters later. Righteousness was imputed to Abraham the moment he believed and trusted in God.

The same is true for you and me. At the moment we believe and trust in Jesus Christ, God imputes to our account righteousness - not on the basis of what we have done or what we are going to do, but simply on the basis of our belief in Jesus Christ.

As Christ is the Lord of heaven, the Son of God, and my own personal Savior, I will trust in Him. When I do, God says of me, "Righteous!" One day Jesus was asked, "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" Jesus replied, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him who he hath sent" (John 6:28,29). If you want to do the work of God, believe on Jesus Christ. That is the work of God. That is what God requires of you.

But What is Real Faith?

It is interesting that James - who writes an epistle to kick some Christians in the pants to get them off of their duffs and get them moving - also uses Abraham as a picture of faith. His particular concern is to show that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). James says that Abraham's faith led him to do certain things, and therefore God recognized his faith: "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God" (James 2:22,23).

Our actions must be in harmony with what we believe. Belief isn't merely what we say; belief is demonstrated by what we do.

In other words, true faith is more than a verbalization. True faith leads to appropriate actions. If I truly believe a certain thing, then my actions will be in keeping with what I believe. I may vehemently protest a belief in something, but if my actions are inconsistent with my professed belief, then my belief must be called into question.

For example, I may say that I believe there is going to be a great stock market crash on Monday and that money is no longer going to be any good. The banks are all going to be closed, the savings and loans are going to shut their doors, and you will not be able to get your money out. Yet if I don't go down to the bank immediately and withdraw all of my deposits, you could rightfully say that I really didn't believe what I had said.

Our actions must be in harmony with what we believe or our belief can be called into question. Because Abraham truly believed that through Isaac his seed would be called, he was able to take his son up to the mountain, place him on the altar, and raise the knife. He was ready to bring the knife down because he believed that God had promised that through Isaac his seed would be called (Isaac did not at that point have any children) and he was willing to obey God in offering Isaac as a sacrifice. He knew that God would, if necessary, raise Isaac from the dead to fulfill his promise (see Hebrews 11:19). That is how much he believed the promises of God.

How much do we believe the promises of God? Many years ago I heard of a fellow who ran out of fuel in the middle of a blizzard and needed to ask a neighbor for some oil. The river that separated his house from his neighbor's was frozen over, so he got down on his hands and knees and reached out as far as he could on the ice, rapping with his knuckles to determine the ice's thickness. In this way he inched his way across the river, reaching out and tapping. Soon his knuckles were bloody. Just about the time he reached the far bank of the river, he heard a rumbling behind him... and saw a team of horses thundering across the river.

Some of us say, "I believe the promise of God," yet we are knocking to see if His promise will hold us up. We inch out so carefully. "I know God said He was going to supply all of my needs," we say, "but I'm not sure He will. That bill is due - and I am knocking to see if He is going to hold me. I sure hope His promise holds up!" In contrast, others venture right out on the promises of God. ' They have learned that God always keeps His promises, no matter how bad the circumstances appear. At one time, they may have been ice-tappers, too - but time after time they discovered that God is faithful. Eventually their belief was strengthened, and they began to act on their belief All of us act out our true beliefs; they are demonstrated in our life.

Abraham's belief was demonstrated by his actions. Had he sat there and argued with God, he would not have truly believed. Imagine if he had said, "God, I can't offer Isaac. What do you mean, Lord? He is my son. You have promised that through him the nations of the world will be blessed. Lord, I can't do that." A lot of people think that merely saying something makes it a belief. But belief isn't merely what you say; belief takes action. It is demonstrated by what you do.

That is why James, citing the same passage from the Old Testament as did Paul, seeks to prove that faith without works is dead. To say you believe something and yet fail to live out that belief proves that you don't have real faith. True faith demonstrates itself in actions which are in harmony with the faith that is declared. Abraham believed God, and his belief worked itself out in actions that were in harmony with his belief. Therefore, God considered his faith as righteousness.

Abraham was not righteous because of what he did. He was righteous because of what he believed. What he did was in harmony with what he believed. God took the belief and imputed righteousness to Abraham for his belief.

Get the Picture?

None of this means, of course, that our actions are always going to be perfect. As children of God who believe in Jesus Christ, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Though our spirits are renewed in Christ Jesus, we are still living in these old corrupt houses, our bodies. My corrupted house makes strong demands upon me. I find at times that I am battling my flesh so that I do not do the things I really want to do. Sometimes my activities and actions are opposed to my faith in Jesus Christ.

But I can't live in that condition. I may stumble and fall, as does everyone, but I don't lie there. The Spirit won't let me lie there. He prompts me and helps me to stand up again. When I stumble or fall, God doesn't get out the eraser and blot out my name from the book of life. When you are trying to teach your son or daughter to walk, their stumbling doesn't prompt you to shout, "Get out of here, you brat. You are not my child, falling like that! I disown you." No, you pick up your child and say, "You're all right. Try it again. Come to daddy, now. Come on! Come on!" You encourage your child to try again and again.

You are God's child. He is trying to help you to develop a walk with Him. It is comforting to know that when we stumble and fall, He doesn't kick us out. He doesn't disown us. He doesn't say, "You are not My child anymore because you have stumbled!" Instead, He picks us up and dusts us off. He says, 'All right now, try again."

Anyone who is born of God cannot live in sin. We cannot be practicing a life of sin. If we are, we are proving that we do not believe what we say we do. Abraham believed God and his actions followed his belief.

Of course, that doesn't mean that once Abraham committed his life to God in faith he never wavered in belief again. Far from it! Sandwiched around the Bible's declaration of Abraham's faith in Genesis 15:6 are two incidents that describe great lapses in his faith. Chapters 12 and 20 of Genesis describe how Abraham concocted lies designed to save his own skin rather than relying on God to keep him safe. Abraham could be an ice-tapper, too - but that wasn’t the dominant characteristic of his life. He suffered occasional lapses, as we all do, but he didn't live in those lapses. He lived out his faith to such an extent that the Bible calls him a man of faith. Abraham's faith led him to act out his faith.

And yet, it was not his actions by which God determined his righteousness; his righteousness was determined by his believing. It is the same with us. Our faith must necessarily lead to a life of obedience and right actions, but it is not those right actions or our obedience that earn us right standing before God. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is imparted to us by faith.

By virtue of the fact that I believe in God and am trusting in Jesus Christ, I become a son of Abraham. I become a descendant, and thus the promises and covenant blessings that God gave to Abraham are mine as well.

This gospel of grace was preached long ago in Abraham. His life is a glorious picture of what grace is and does. It is far more beautiful than any painting hanging in the Louvre or in the Prado or in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is a stunning portrait of God's love for a sinner who places his complete trust in Him - and the best thing of all about the picture is that we're right there in the background, with the word "blessed" emblazoned on our foreheads.

 

5. One Step at a Time

Years ago a close friend operated a delivery business to grocery stores. During his rounds he met the wife of a man who owned a small market. They began to kid around with one another and, before long, they were meeting regularly to drink coffee and to talk. They soon fancied themselves in love, left their families, and moved in together. That's when this man's wife, also a dear friend, called us and asked if we would pray for him.

Meanwhile, the minister of the church where our friends had been attending paid a visit to the man. The pastor told him that he had a vision of a black hearse and if the man didn't leave this woman and go back to his wife, they were going to carry him out of that room feetfirst. This heavy-handed approach only made the man more angry and entrenched him in his immoral decision. His wife then called me and asked if I would talk to him.

I agreed to go and found my friend living in a shabby garage apartment on the bad side of town. When I saw his filthy little home, I was struck by how much he had lost. His wife and daughters were beautiful people. His home was in a wonderful area. This man had sold his soul for a crust of bread. As he came to the door, a look of shame covered his face. He was very polite and invited me to come in and sit down. As I looked around at my friend's new life I thought, Oh, God! How could he give up so much for so little?

My heart was breaking because I loved this man. The sight of what he had fallen into tore me apart. I found myself unable to conceal my feelings, and much to my embarrassment I began to weep. I was overcome with grief, and when his lover emerged from the kitchen all I could do was sob. I finally got so embarrassed I said, "I'm very sorry. I know I came over to see you, but I just can't talk right now." I got up, left, and went home feeling like a fool. Here my good friend's wife wanted me to visit him and make an appeal for reconciliation, and all I could do was sit there and cry.

The next morning I received a phone call with news that left me in shock. My friend had returned to his wife and family just hours after my visit.

What did God use to achieve this miraculous healing of a fractured relationship? Not a holier-than-thou attitude, to be certain. His Spirit had created in me a spirit of meekness and brokenness that led to a joyful reconciliation. I thought I had blundered terribly - but I discovered that whenever we choose to walk in the Spirit, God delights to work powerfully In stunning and unexpected ways.

Walking in the Spirit is an amazingly practical proposition. It doesn't mean that we float through life with a halo over our head and an angelic smile on our face. We can be spiritually minded and still relate to people about earthly things. Some believers react so strongly against the pervasive worldliness of our culture that they lose the ability to communicate with their friends, relatives, and neighbors. Walking in the Spirit doesn't take us out of reality; it allows us to function in reality with optimum effectiveness.

Relationship First

Somebody once said, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." How true that is in the spiritual realm! While walking in the Spirit is an incredibly practical proposition, we must bear in mind that it's not the place we begin. Relationship always precedes behavior.

A great example of this principle is found in the book of Ephesians. The first three chapters all deal with relationship. Only then does the fourth chapter begin, "Therefore... walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." The relationship comes first because it provides the foundation for everything that follows.

If we try to walk without first establishing the proper relationship, we won't make it. Walking requires that we first acquire balance. This is true even in the physical realm. Before children take their first steps, they must learn how to keep their balance while sitting. Next they master the art of standing. Then they learn to wobble a little. And only after that do they develop the ability to walk.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul tells us that by understanding what it means to be seated with Christ we will begin to experience the power of God, which in turn will allow us to walk in a manner pleasing to Him. There is a definite progression here. First we must have a balanced relationship with God; then we can learn to walk.

At one time all of us lived after our flesh, obeying the desires of our flesh and our minds, and were alienated from God. But then God's grace transformed our lives and we began to enjoy delightful fellowship with the Lord. We continue to enjoy that deep fellowship as we allow God's Spirit to exercise control over our lives.

Walking Our Talk

There are many who claim to have a relationship with God, who throw around all the right Christian buzzwords and catchphrases, but who simply aren't walking with God in any practical way. It is crucial that we learn to "walk our talk." Our lives must be consistent with the calling, the blessings, and the profession we make concerning our new relationship with God.

Our mind is the battleground where we decide whether to live after the Spirit or after our fleshly desires.

The question is, How do we manage this? How do we avoid being carried away by the allure of the world? Paul had an answer in Galatians 5:16: "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (emphasis added).

The Greek word translated "walk" in this passage is a term used to describe the dominant characteristic of a person's life. If someone were to have a reputation as a real miser, he would be known as a person who "walked" in greed. If a person characteristically was concerned and helpful, he would be known as someone who "walked" in kindness.

To walk in the Spirit means that we allow the Holy Spirit to exercise control over our lives. Every day we are presented with the option of living after the Spirit or after our own fleshly desires. Our mind is the battleground where we will decide which will have dominion.

It is helpful to remember that God has designed the human mind to work much as a computer does. A computer can only produce that which has been programmed into it. In like manner, our minds are being programmed daily. If our input comes from the flesh, our lives will be characterized by the flesh. If we begin to program our minds with the things of the Spirit, our lives will begin to reflect the priorities of the Spirit.

How easy it is to fall into the trap of making a bold profession of a vital spiritual life when our number-one priority is seeking to please the flesh! Certainly the power that our fallen nature can hold over us is one of the biggest problems we face in life. How can we be free from the seemingly unconquerable bondage to the flesh?

The simple yet profound answer is this: Don't fight the flesh, strengthen the Spirit! Don't fight against the darkness; turn on the light.

To do this, we must first recognize that we have both a spiritual and a fleshly side to our nature. If we are to walk in the Spirit, we must feed the spiritual man. We all know what it means to feed the physical side of our nature. If I miss feeding my body, it is not subtle about reminding me of its needs.

Someone once told me that after three days of fasting, the hunger goes away. I have found the opposite to be true. Three days into a fast, my mind is busy dreaming of the most luscious concoctions imaginable. This is simply my body's emphatic way of reminding me that its needs must be tended to. And so we feed our bodies. We exercise and take vitamins so that we might grow strong physically.

Becoming strong in spirit requires a similar regimen. We must regularly consume the bread of life, the Word of God.

Taking in the Word

How ironic it is that our consumption of the Word is often the last thing we get around to. "Of course, I need to spend time in God's Word," we say, "but I just don't seem to have time right now." In essence, we are fasting in the Spirit. Our spiritual side often gets fed irregularly, spasmodically, and in an unbalanced way. We neglect a regular, systematic study of the Word for a "let's flip open the Bible and see what catches our eye" approach. Often we have no consistent practice of Bible study or personal growth. We end up dutifully feeding the areas of our flesh but neglecting the needs of the spirit. As a result, the spiritual man becomes weak and the flesh begins to dominate.

If I want my spiritual man to be strong, it only stands to reason that I must sow to my spirit. I can't be sowing to the flesh and hope that I'm somehow going to produce a spiritual crop. In order to walk in the Spirit, I must begin to feed the spirit. That means I must make it a point to get more and more into the Word of God. Job said, "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (job 23:12, NKJV). It is important to see God's Word as the essential that it is. Jesus claimed that His words were spirit and life, so a regular, systematic time in God's Word is essential if we are to walk in the Spirit.

Communing with God

A high priority on prayer is another essential for experiencing the joys of walking in the Spirit. As we thrill to the excitement of communing with God, we find ourselves being strengthened in spirit. We become more and more conscious of the presence of God in all that we do and in every circumstance we encounter.

To walk in the Spirit simply means that we deliberately make God our constant companion.

Being aware of God's presence opens our understanding to a more full and developed worldview. I am convinced that one of our greatest needs is to become more and more aware of God's presence at all times. When Paul spoke to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in Athens as recounted in Acts 17, he declared that "in [God] we live, and move, and have our being" (verse 28).

Our lives can be remarkably transformed when we come to realize that God is with us continually. Losing sight of that fact can open the door to spiritual disaster. The farther God is removed from our consciousness, the more we are strongly drawn to the things that feed and please our fallen nature. When we stumble and fall we may point to many external factors to explain our behavior, but the root of our problem is a failure to keep God's presence in mind. The instruction to walk in the Spirit simply means that we are to deliberately make God our constant traveling companion as we move through the day.

When we walk in the Spirit, living in constant awareness of the presence of God, we no longer need others to nag and preach at us about living up to Christian standards. Our lives will be revolutionized as we keep the nearness and love of God in the front of our minds.

Turning Irritation into Joy

The way we think about even the most mundane things changes radically when we allow the Holy Spirit to rule our lives. Our outward circumstances may remain the same, but our attitude undergoes such a total transformation that we find joy even in things that used to irritate us.

We all have things to do that we find detestable. We go through a classic approach - avoidance conflict, knowing that while we hate to do these things, failing to do them will only worsen our situation.

I despise taking out the trash. Yet I know that if I don't do it, there will soon be a foul odor stinking up the porch. Therefore I bite the bullet and do the job. I would much rather be enjoying a bowl of chocolate-chip ice cream, but if I neglect my duty, soon the stench of decaying garbage will mix with the flavor of chocolate chips, and suddenly my desire for ice cream melts away.

Even in something as ordinary as this household chore, I have a choice. I can grumble about how much I hate hauling garbage, or I can seize the time it takes to do this job and commune with God. I can worship Him by whistling a tune of thanksgiving and love as I walk to the curb. As I draw near to God, I find myself thinking less about trash and more about His grace. I can sail through even the most distasteful task and not be perturbed by it if I set my mind on the things of the Spirit.

Consider waiting as another example. There are few things more aggravating than a red traffic light when you're in a hurry, knowing that you'll have to wait through a whole sequence of signals before you can get moving again.

But rather than getting tense, I have made it a practice to keep my Bible on the seat beside me. When I come to a red light and know I have some time, I'll start to read a portion of Scripture. The next thing I know the guy behind me is honking his horn. Time passes so quickly when I feed on the Word!

Walking in the Spirit becomes an exciting experience as we learn what it means to be in deep fellowship with God. We become more and more attuned to the things of God - from His presence within our hearts to the marvelous works of His creation.

Who's in the Lead?

Walking assumes movement. When we walk, we move from one place to another. We start out in one location and end up someplace else. Our destination depends upon the direction we take.

In a similar way, walking in the Spirit moves us from one spiritual place to another. We move from one level of maturity to the next as we listen to the Spirit and walk in the direction He instructs us to move - yet this is where we sometimes run into trouble.

When a thought or an inclination comes to our conscience, how can we discern whether the notion is from God? The Scriptures tell us that God writes His law on the fleshly tablets of our hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33; II Corinthians 3:3). God will plant an idea within my spirit, and my spirit will communicate it to my intellect. This is usually perceived as an idea, a thought, or as a sudden moment of inspiration. God will give us a desire as a means of communicating His will for our lives.

Unfortunately, I also have desires that come from my own fallen nature. My flesh has a way of injecting very strong thoughts and inclinations into my mind. At times it is difficult to discern whether a notion has come from God or from my flesh.

Some time ago I was faced with this dilemma as I was driving to a speaking engagement in Ventura, California. It was a spectacular day and the thought crossed my mind to take a detour off the more direct route and enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Coast Highway. Watching the surf and feeling the cool sea breeze is such a treat that I suspected the desire was of my own flesh, but I decided to indulge myself anyway.

As circumstances worked out, I realized that God had planned for me to take the Coast Highway. As I neared Malibu, I saw two hitchhikers standing by the road and I felt a strong inclination to pull over and give them a ride. As our trip north progressed, I had the opportunity to share Christ with this twosome.

The pair stayed in Ventura and the following night attended the church where I was speaking. That evening they made a public confession of faith in Christ and have since become strongly established in that local fellowship. After the whole experience unfolded, I was able to look back and think, Wow! That was beautiful. God directed me. The desire I had in my heart to take the Coast Highway had come from Him.

Still, it is often difficult to determine when the Lord is speaking to our hearts. We often mistakenly think that God can lead us only in mystical or dramatic ways. Surely if God speaks to me, we think, the place is going to shake, the lights will go dim, and my hair is going to stand on end. God has never spoken to me in that way. When God speaks to me, He speaks to my spirit, which in turn communicates the message to my consciousness in such a natural way that it is tough to immediately discern whether it is truly God's voice.

I wish I could provide a formula or a simple, three-point test to identify God's voice, but if such a procedure exists, I haven't discovered it. I struggle in distinguishing the voice of the Spirit from that of my flesh, just as you do. I wish I could recommend some foolproof way of being certain we are hearing from God, but unfortunately, that is beyond my ability.

And yet, God hasn't left us in a confusing fog. He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within our hearts not only to guide us in particular circumstances but also to lead us into an understanding of the revealed truth of His Word. He will never lead us contrary to anything He has already declared in the Scriptures.

Understanding the Word

It is interesting to see how some people who have yet to receive the Lord end up incredibly discouraged when they attempt to read the Bible. They see the tremendous influence the Scriptures have had on the lives of millions and its impact on western civilization, and they want to understand what it has to say.

Invariably, these people become bogged down and exasperated and the meaning of the Bible eludes them. This should not surprise us, because the Bible itself tells us that the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (see I Corinthians 2:14). On the other hand, the spiritual man understands all things, though he is not understood by others. Because we have become rightly related to God through Christ, His Holy Spirit can now unfold truth to our hearts. The Word of God becomes alive and understandable to us.

This continuing revelatory ministry of the Spirit is vital. It is amazing how often I can read through a chapter of Scripture and get nothing out of it. I find myself coming to the end of the chapter and saying to myself, "Now, what was it that I just read?" At this point, I will often stop and pray, "Lord, surely this chapter has something to say to me. Please open my understanding and allow Your Spirit to minister to me from Your Word." Then, as I reread the chapter, I am amazed at the truth that breaks forth on my heart.

During our Sunday-morning services at Calvary we usually have a responsive reading from the Psalms. By our third service, I end up seeing things in the Scripture text that hadn't occurred to me in our first hour. One of the verses will begin to minister to me in a very special and powerful way. This experience of being led into all truth is a vivid part of what it means to walk in the Spirit.

Press On!

Between the flesh, this fallen world system, and Satan himself, we face real hindrances to spiritual growth. But the counsel of Scripture is to press on for the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 3:14). Jesus said, "Strive to enter in at the [narrow] gate" (Luke 13:24). The Greek word translated "strive" is agonizomai, from which we get our English word agonize. Make no mistake; it isn't easy or natural to walk in the Spirit. It takes genuine effort, devotion, and moment-by-moment concentration.

It can't be overemphasized that this is a choice each of us must make daily. When we choose to walk in the Spirit, the practical results can be breathtakingly beautiful. We will enjoy a wonderful depth and consistency in our fellowship with God. As the apostle John observed, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7).

What's especially exciting about fellowship with God is that the more we experience it, the more we desire it. The more we are personally touched by the peace and fulfillment of intimate communion with the Father, the harder it is to live without it. When we find ourselves out of fellowship, an inner emptiness calls us back to prayer and the Word.

As we walk in the Spirit, we begin to enjoy the tremendous benefits of a close relationship with God. We feel a conscious sense of joy welling up within our hearts. We can whistle while we face the aggravating responsibilities of life because even in the midst of a dirty job, our joy is in the Lord. There is a sense of peace, a depth of understanding, a patience, a kindness, a gentleness that comes from walking in the Spirit. There is a strength and power to cope with the persistent desires of the flesh. We suddenly are able to see the big picture and find the wisdom to deal with our fallen nature in a realistic and rational way. As Paul summed it up, "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

How could we fail to be drawn with all our hearts to the glorious new life which God freely offers to us in His grace? A life strengthened by the Spirit with joy, love, and peace flowing through us - is exactly what we passionately desire.

But in order to experience this blessing, we must choose to walk in the Spirit. We must come to God and ask Him to plant a greater desire for prayer, for time in the Word, and for fellowship with Jesus in our hearts. We must pray for the grace to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is then that we will know tremendous victory over even our most besetting sins, and it is then that the Spirit of God is able to use us in the most extraordinary ways.

Even when all we can do is blubber.

 

6. A Garden, Not a Factory

Have you ever considered the vast difference between "works" and "fruit"? "Works" suggests a factory complete with pressures, deadlines, and the constant need to produce. But "fruit" pictures a peaceful, tranquil garden, a place where we are inclined to stay and drink in the beauty while we enjoy each other's company.

It's important to realize that God doesn't come to His factory looking for products. He comes to His garden to enjoy its fruit. The gospel of grace invites us to leave behind the smog and pressure of a factory-like life of works and instead bear the fruit that God desires to see in the garden of our lives.

The Natural Result of Relationship

Galatians 3:2,3 is a critical passage for those who desire to live in a way that pleases God. Paul writes, "This only would I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

Notice the apostle is comparing two things:
• the Spirit, which is related to faith;
• works, which are related to the flesh.

Whenever we get into the realm of works, we are dealing with the flesh. Whenever we are in the realm of the Spirit, we are dealing with faith. The Spirit and faith are related, as are works and the flesh.

Someone may say, "But Chuck, we must do works for the Lord." No, we mustn't. There is not one thing that I can do in my flesh that will please God. On the other hand, faith always produces fruit.

If you are involved in works, then you are relying on the flesh. But if you are walking by faith with Jesus Christ, the Spirit is producing fruit in your life. Fruit isn't something you are generating because you think you have to; fruit is the natural result of relationship.

Look at the luscious fruit hanging on a peach tree. The peaches aren't out there struggling and working day by day trying to get ripe; all they have to do is hang in there. Ripening is the natural product of relationship. As long as they are abiding, they are going to bring forth sweet fruit.

This is true of our own experience as well. If we are truly abiding in Christ - which is a position of faith - then fruit will come forth from the relationship. If there is no fruit in my life, then the relationship must be questioned and even challenged.

That is why Paul tells us, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (II Corinthians 13:5). Jesus told us that there is such a thing as a wolf in sheep's clothing. You can look like a Christian, act like a Christian, and talk like a Christian - but grandma, what big teeth you have! You may have all the outward appearances of a sheep but in reality be a wolf.

So how are we going to know who's who? Jesus said, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20, emphasis added).

We are called to examine our lives in order to determine what kind of fruit we're bearing. If the fruit is bad, then there is something wrong with our relationship, which means there is something wrong with our faith. A vital relationship of faith in Jesus Christ will bring forth fruit - without fail.

Our Big Mistake

One of our biggest problems is that we tend to be more interested in what we do than in what we are, while God is more interested in what we are than in what we do. He looks for fruit; we try to produce works.

Sadly, through the years we have all heard things like, "You ought to be doing these works for the Lord; you ought to be doing that work for God." We are always being exhorted and pressed into works for the kingdom. So we get out and start doing a work for God because the pastor or the committee has asked us to do it.

Maybe it is calling on visitors to the church when God hasn't called us to be a caller. I know some people who are petrified by visiting the homes of strangers. When they go to a door and knock, they're fervently praying, "Lord, please don't let them be home tonight." Visitation isn't natural for them. It is a forced effort, a work of the flesh, which they soon come to resent. They hate it and begin to drag their heels. So the committee chairman calls them up and says, "We missed you last Tuesday in our calling night. We want to make sure you are there next Tuesday night." They grudgingly respond, "Okay," and the downward spiral continues.

That's how you get pushed into molds for which God did not create you. You are forced into unnatural positions and you begin to chafe under your service to God. But God does not want you to give Him anything that you are going to gripe about. God can't stand "Christian griping." It's an insult to Him. Even I hate it when people gripe about what they have done for me. It makes me feel stupid and foolish. Who asked them to do it, anyhow?

If there's something you just don't want to do, don't do it. Don't go out and do some magnanimous deed and then gripe and complain about it. You would be better off to do nothing.

Leave the calling to those who love to do it. There are people who are thrilled to talk to strangers. They get bored just sitting at home and they can't wait to strike up conversations with people they've never met. That is their nature. It's natural for them - and that is the key.

When it is natural it is in the realm of fruit; when it's pressured it is in the realm of works. God always equips us to do whatever He has called us to do, and it will be natural for us to do it.

Many people feel like second-rate Christians because they can't do what others can. They run into a believer who says, "This past week, praise the Lord, I witnessed to five people and all five of them received Jesus." Oh man, thinks the person not blessed with the gift of evangelism, I am a horrible witness to the Lord. I didn't witness to anybody. I am such a failure. He is made to feel guilty because he wasn't out collaring people and asking them if they knew the four spiritual laws.

Why are some people so effective in evangelism? Because it is natural for them. God has endowed and equipped them for the work. Not everybody in the body is the mouth, however, and the mouth couldn't operate effectively unless there was a brain behind it and feet to carry it where it needed to go. We should not feel guilty because we do not have the same ministry or effectiveness as others. The body works as a unit, and God is the one who has assigned each of us our place in the body.

God wants you to do what He has naturally endowed you to do. The fruit of the Christian life blossoms from you naturally as you abide in Jesus Christ through your faith in Him. Jesus said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8). God wants you to be extremely fruitful for Him. That fruit can come forth only as you abide in Christ - and that is a position of faith.

No Such Thing as Fleshly Faith

Matthew's Gospel tells us that one day many people will come to Jesus, telling Him of all the works they did for Him, and the Master will reply, "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23). The Lord doesn't recognize works of the flesh; He never has.

Remember when God said to Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac... and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of" (Genesis 22:2)? The Lord's comment sounds a little odd - after all, Abraham did have another son, Ishmael, who was at least 14 years older than Isaac. What did God mean, "Take now thy son, thine only son"?

The answer is, Ishmael was a work of the flesh. He was not the son of promise; he was not the son of faith. Ishmael was a product of the flesh. God refused to recognize Ishmael because he was the work of the flesh. God recognized only His work of the Spirit, Isaac, the child of faith. Therefore He said to Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac."

God never recognizes or rewards the works of our flesh. On the other hand, He jealously desires that the fruit of the Spirit be increasingly characteristic of our lives.

The fifteenth chapter of John explains how believers bear fruit. Jesus said, 'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me" (John 15:4). Jesus placed the emphasis not upon what we do, but upon what we are. What comes forth from our lives is the result of our relationship with Him. We can't have a true, right relationship with the Lord without bringing forth fruit. If there is no fruit - for "by their fruits ye shall know them" - then we had better reexamine our relationship.

Renegade Fruit Inspectors

God did a marvelous work in your fife by His Holy Spirit. When you were still a sinner, God loved you. And when by faith you called out to Him, He justified you of every wrong thing you had ever done. God wiped your slate clean. He obliterated the past so thoroughly that He made it as though it never existed. That is what the term "justified" means.

The moment you received Jesus Christ by faith - before you paid one penny tithe, before you did one thing - God took all of the black marks against you and wiped them out. Because of your simple belief in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, God justified you of all your past. Because of your belief, God imputed to your account the righteousness of Jesus. Your relationship with Him began by believing.

This is all very basic, but somehow we often forget it. Sometimes believers criticize other believers or find fault. They say, "Do you know what they are doing? This is terrible. They call themselves Christians, yet they are doing this and that. They are not living up to the standard - why, they even go down to the beach. That is horrible!"

Now, what are such believers doing? Th