Be Transformed

SHINE, JESUS, SHINE

New Hope Christian Church, 1/7/24

What is your favorite kind of church songs? Older traditional, newer traditional, or contemporary—some church musicians consider contemporary to be only those that have been written within the last 5 years! Singing has always been important to God’s people, and we need to give careful thought to the choices we make. Regardless of the choices, however, we need to understand what we are singing. Today we’re going to look at one particular song that most of us enjoy singing, “Shine, Jesus, Shine.” I have often encouraged us to consider the scriptural background of the message of this relatively new song (1987).

In a world of darkness, Jesus came to shine the light of salvation upon all. The three stanzas of “Shine, Jesus, Shine” plus the refrain call us to enter and then share the Light.

“In the midst of the Darkness” (1)

We live “in the midst of the darkness,” demonstrating our need for the Light. Symbolically, darkness refers to any kind of ignorance but especially spiritual ignorance. Those who follow Jesus are living in the light, while simultaneously existing in a world that is swallowed up by darkness. (Because of the influence of the Light through the centuries, the world is not in total darkness, resulting in many people living relatively decent lives. That does not, however, mean that they are not in need of the Light for their salvation and instruction.) The apostle Paul wrote of this mixture of those in the dark and those who have seen the light:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:8-14)

(It is conjectured that the last sentence ("Wake up . . .") was part of an early Christian hymn.)The children of the light produce goodness (good works, actions that result in positive change in people’s lives), righteousness (a right relationship with God as well as living by His law), and truth (that which conforms to reality as taught in the Bible). The deeds of darkness are called “fruitless” because even at their very best they have no eternal positive outcomes. We are to expose them, demonstrating their failure to conform to God’s law. Paul also says that it is “shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” Since we are to expose them as contrary to God’s will, he must mean that we are not to speak of them in a way that arouses sinful desires. James (1:14-15) wrote that our temptations come as “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Jesus shines on us because He is the Light of the world. “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:4-5). Jesus spoke of Himself, “‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (8:12); and again, “‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world’” (9:5). Of course, Jesus is still the light of the world, but since He is no longer physically present, the world can see that light only through us. “‘You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house’” (Matthew 5:14-15). How are we the light? “‘In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven’” (5:16). “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12). Our words are essential, of course, for how could anyone know to praise God when they see our good works? Our words must be the words of Jesus and His apostles, for, “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).

Not only does the light of Jesus shine on us, but it also frees us from the grip that sin has upon us. “Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32). Although in the following verses He specifically refers to our slavery to sin, the Bible also says that we are freed from the power of sin and thus the death that sin brings upon us (Romans 7:23-8:2). In addition, we are also freed from the hold that Satan has upon us through the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).

We must not ignore the condition for this freedom: we must hold to (remain in) the teaching of Christ. It is not enough to know what He has taught us. We must live by those teachings (Matthew 7:21,24).

“From the Shadows” (2)

The second stanza of the song we are considering refers to coming out of the shadows of that darkness into God’s awesome presence and radiance. That radiance refers to His glory. The Hebrew (Old Testament) word for glory involves two concepts. First, it refers to heaviness, i.e., the feeling that comes over us when we realize how awesome God is. This heaviness leads us to bow down before Him. The second aspect of glory is brightness. The Cloud of Glory in which God traveled (symbolically, no doubt) with Israel through the wilderness appeared as a cloud by day and fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Paul refers to God as One “who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16—it is difficult to tell from the context whether Paul is referring to “God” or specifically to Jesus). God’s Son is said to be “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). “Radiance” refers to what can be seen of the glory, just as we refer to looking at the sun but in reality only seeing the light that is being emitted by the sun. The apostle Paul referred to his vision of Jesus as being within “‘a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions’” (Acts 26:13). Their response to that light? “‘We all fell to the ground’” (26:14). Some students of Scripture have suggested that Jesus occasionally may have shown a bit of His glory, resulting in those seeking to do Him harm instead backing away (in Nazareth, Luke 4:29-30) or falling back to the ground (in Gethsemane, John 18:6).

How do we come into this awesome presence of God? The song declares that it is by the blood of Jesus. “Therefore, brothers, . . . we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” (Hebrews 10:19-20). Jesus had symbolically referred to this in His discourse on the bread of life: “‘Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him’” (John 6:54-56). Elsewhere in that context He refers to the same action, indicating that we do not literally eat of His flesh and drink of His blood: “‘Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me’” (6:45). “‘I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life’” (6:47). “‘The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life’” (6:63). Of course, in actuality we come into the saving contact with the blood of Christ when we are baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4), at that time receiving the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

The second stanza of our song adds that this light is consuming our darkness. The prophet Isaiah promised, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (60:1-3). The apostle John wrote of those who believe in Christ, “Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). When we come into the light, the darkness of our sin begins to diminish, giving way to the healing powers of the rays (teachings) of the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2). Consequently, that light is passed on to the nations of the earth.

“From Glory to Glory” (3)

The third stanza builds upon Paul’s writing in 2 Corinthians 3:18. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” As we reflect on (or contemplate) His “kingly brightness” we become, in character, more like Him. The NIV’s “ever-increasing glory” is literally, “from glory to glory.” The closer we are to Him, the more others can see in us the kind of person He wants us all to become. Thus, we are being transformed (Romans 12:2) into His likeness, which is the purpose for God’s working in us: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:28-30). He wants us to be like His Son!

From the glory of being called a child of God (1 John 3:1) to the ultimate glory that will come to us at the resurrection of the dead, all happens through our relationship with the Lord of glory, Jesus the Messiah.

“Flood the Nations with Grace and Mercy”

The refrain calls for Jesus to shine so that our land might be filled with the Father’s glory. This can come only as He sets our hearts on fire for spreading the gospel. Paul urged Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:6-7). To the believers in Rome he had written, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). He urged other believers, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The first century church took these exhortations to heart, resulting in the gospel’s wildfire spread: “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1 Thessalonians 1:8). “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world” (Romans 1:8). Within that first generation, it could be said, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing” (Colossians 1:6), and “This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven” (1:23, certainly an exaggeration but nevertheless a testimony to the effectiveness of their preaching).

The song calls for Jesus to flood the nations with the word of grace and mercy. Ezekiel 47:1-10 speaks of a river flowing from God’s temple, a river that began ankle-deep but eventually becoming a “river that no one could cross” (47:5). This river, obviously symbolic of the grace of God in the Messianic era, flowed into the “Dead Sea” and transformed it into a living body of water where fishermen “will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea” (47:10). It is easy to see this as a prediction of the spread of the gospel in the first century to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. This spread of the gospel began when Jesus called His apostles to be fishers of men, eventually to include the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

Conclusion

Do you want Jesus to shine on you? How about taking up this challenge for the coming year? To  lead at least one person to Christ by year’s end. Are you walking in the Light?

(“Shine, Jesus, Shine” by Graham Kendrick, © 1987, Make Way Music [admin. by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music], CCLI #2653442)

HAPPY NEW YOU!

New Hope Christian Church, 1/14/24

Fill in the blank: “Without _______________ no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). The fact that few who call themselves Christians know that this is the essential requirement for “seeing the Lord” indicates our need to understand what God wants to do in our lives. The apostle Paul comforted us in our life struggles by assuring us that “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). A common comment on this verse is that we may not know what that “good” is. However, the next verse (29) tells us what God is doing in our lives: His plan is for us to be “conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Everything that God does or allows to happen in our lives is to remake us into the image of His Son.

Although 8:29 uses the word “conformed,” the actual process is transformation—remember the Transformers, “robots in disguise”?—or in a more recent term, reprogramming. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). The words “act of” in the NIV have been added by the editors. The expression in the original Greek refers to our “spiritual worship,” as opposed to outward actions that we normally associate with worship (singing, praying, etc.) The so-called acts of worship may and should arise out of worship, but one can do any or all of them without actually worshiping God. True worship involves the transformation of character into the character exhibited by Jesus Christ.

Transformation into the likeness of Christ is a life-long process. We began last week in this series on living the transformed life with a look at the song, “Shine, Jesus, Shine.” In this sermon we will see three areas in which we, all of us, need further transformation.

The Spiritual Disciplines

“Spiritual disciplines” are those practices that have traditionally been considered essential for spiritual growth. The apostle Paul set forth the need for such disciplines in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” Of course, the first discipline is worship. True, scriptural worship (John 4:23) is in spirit (or the Spirit) and truth (or the truth). Such worship involves two parts: (1) the attitude of bowing down in submission to God as our Lord and (2) arising to serve in obedience to Him. (Both the Old Testament and the New Testament have words that describe these two parts of worship.) To stand in such awe of God’s majesty and magnificence is at the root of worship. (Both testaments often use the word “fear” to describe this awe. Proverbs 23:17 has an intriguing view of fearing God as it urges us “always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.”)

A second spiritual discipline is prayer, both individual and corporate (together with others). As we read the Bible, we should notice the prayers recorded there and learn from them. Prayer does not need to be complicated or flowery—just open your heart to God and tell Him what’s on your mind—but rather often, throughout the day.

The third discipline is the one that is most often neglected: immersion in the word of God, the Bible. We need to read daily. Set aside special times, according to your own schedule. Read it, study it (individually and in groups), and apply it. Admittedly, in this hurried life, it is difficult to find time for God’s word, but it will be worth the sacrifice.

Some people stop there, but two more spiritual disciplines are important. Ministry or service in the name of Christ is not only serving others. The experience we get as we serve others for His sake (2 Corinthians 4:5) enables us to grow spiritually as we deal with our successes and failures. Ministry is not always a positive experience; but whether the outcomes are good or bad, we have many opportunities to grow closer to Jesus our Lord.

One other discipline is the intentional partnership we have with other Christians. This partnership is often called fellowship in the New Testament. Fellowship is not just meeting with our brothers and sisters, although it does include that, but it includes all that we do as we share in God’s blessings and service for Him.

This brings us to the second area in which we need further transformation.

Church Involvement

Beginning on the first day of the church (Pentecost of the year in which Christ died and arose from the grave), those who were saved became involved in the lives of one another: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). As a result, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (2:47). Except when it was not possible to be involved in church, there was no such thing as Christians who were not actively involved in a congregation.

Of course, the first aspect of church involvement is attendance at the Lord’s Supper assemblies each first day of the week (implied in Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; 16:2; and verified in early Christian writings). They met primarily to eat the Lord’s Supper in memory of Christ’s death and resurrection, in anticipation of His return from Heaven, and in recognition of their common brotherhood; and their meetings often, if not always, included teaching, prayers, singing, and offerings for the spread of the gospel and for meeting the material needs of the poor among them.

Hebrews 10:24-25 mentions an important need for these assemblies: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The next verses imply that these meetings were needed to help them to stay loyal to Christ.

Attendance, however, was not the only involvement in church. Participation in the ministry of the church was also important. Christ gave specially gifted leaders to “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).

As mentioned above, the followers of Christ were to participate in church through their giving financially to the work of the church. 2 Corinthians 8-9 lists several principles regarding the kind and amount of giving that was acceptable to God. There was no set amount (such as the tithe, l0%) under the Old Testament law, but the examples given indicate that Christians should not ask, how much must I give, but rather, how much can I give and still be responsible to the needs of my own family?

Involvement in church also requires growing in our concern for other members. Too often we think of church as something we do rather than a new family in which we are involved. The church, however, is the family of God (Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19) and the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), and as such we are to have concern for one another. “God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (12:24-26). The first church knew this: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need” (Acts 2:44-45). “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. . . . There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need” (4:32,34-35). See also Acts 11:27-30; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5.

As you can see, church is much more than attending a Sunday morning service, when it’s convenient. When we get involved, scripturally speaking, the kingdom will expand.

Knowing God

The third area in which we need further transformation is in knowing God. Now, to know God is not the same thing as knowing about God. It starts with knowing about Him, but it involves an intimate relationship with Him. In fact, the word know is the same word used in Scripture that refers to the relationship between a husband and wife (e.g., Genesis 4:1; Matthew 1:25, KJV).  Jesus prayed about His followers, “‘I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them’” (John 17:26).

As we consider our relationship with God, we need to ask at least three questions:

(1) Are you “in Christ”? Have you clothed yourself with Christ? “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).

(2) Is your love for God demonstrated in your submission to His will? “‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 7:21). “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1 John 5:3).

(3) Are you becoming more like Christ in your thoughts, attitudes, speech, and actions? “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:1-2). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. . . . Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22-24).

We know God because we are in Christ, but this knowledge must continually grow—and that requires continual transformation.

Conclusion

Are you willing to take this journey with us? It will be worth it!

By the way, the answer to the blank at the beginning is “holiness” (also known as “sanctification”).

TRANSFORMED BY THE WORD OF LIFE

New Hope Christian Church, 1/21/24

My preference for WordPerfect as a word processor presents a problem when I want to share my writings with others, for most people use Microsoft Word or more recently Google Docs. Therefore, I must transform my work into a format that others can read. Transformation of our souls is also necessary, if we wish to walk on the highway of holiness (Isaiah 35:8-9). “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. . . . But only the redeemed will walk there” (Isaiah 35:8-9). Our journey into holiness—without which “no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14)—also requires a transformation, a transformation of our life: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

Transformation through the renewing of our minds begins with the Word of life. 1 John 1:1-4 reveals three reasons that the word of life is essential in our transformation.

This Word Brings Certainty

People choose a particular lifestyle in many ways: for example, by following the current culture, traditions, personal opinions and feelings, or a charismatic leader. These usually prove to be unsatisfactory for the soul when doubts arise. The Word of life, however, brings certainty. The apostle John wrote: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1 John 1:1-2). The Word of life is a Person, not just a set of ideas or teaching. Of course, John was talking about Jesus Christ, the Son of God (see the Gospel of John, 1:1,14,17-18). John was one of many who actually saw (and gazed at), heard, and touched the resurrected Jesus. They spoke with certainty, for He “was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead” (Acts 10:41). In fact, the major requirement for being one of Jesus’ personal apostles (representatives) was having lived with Him for three plus years and then seeing Him after he arose from the dead (Acts 1:21-22).

Contrary to what many think, the gospel (message of good news) of Christ never asks people just to accept its claims by (blind) faith. (Many confuse faith with a strong feeling about the truth or reality of something.) Faith is not a feeling but rather a belief in the testimony, a belief based on the evidence for that testimony. Consider the following claims:

(1) “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4).

(2) “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

(3) “This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Hebrews 2:3-4).

(4) “‘For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead’” (Acts 17:31).

(5) Paul affirmed to the Roman governor that his testimony about the resurrected Jesus was “‘true and reasonable’”; and that it had not escaped King Agrippa’s notice, “‘because it was not done in a corner,’” i.e., in secret or in an out of the way place (Acts 26:25-26).

The crucified, buried, and raised-from-the-dead Jesus was heard, seen, gazed upon, and touched. Christ is the Word revealed in the word, for He is the revelation from God. A comparison of this testimony with the evidence regarding any fact or person of ancient history (certainly, any prior to the invention of the movable type printing press, ca. AD 1455) demonstrates the superiority of the gospel testimony. To deny the apostolic testimony is to cast doubt on everything we think we know from those times.

This Word Brings Life

Certainty is important, but the importance of the gospel depends on what it can do for us. Therefore, John assures us, “we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1 John 1:2). Eternal life is not just living forever—that might not always be a preferred outcome. “Eternal” does include the concept of everlasting, but it is more, a quality of life. John describes this eternal life in terms of fellowship with the Father and the Son (1:3). “Fellowship” refers to sharing something in common, in this case a personal relationship (like that between father and son). Jesus referred to this relationship, “‘Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’” (John 17:3). To know Christ is to know God—and that is the essence of real life.

Jesus Christ is the essence of the apostles’ proclamation. Those who would reduce Christianity to a particular way of life or even a world view, as well as those who would pick and choose only those parts they agree with, pervert it; as a consequence they are prevented from enjoying the life it brings.

This Word Brings Joy

The result of the life of certainty and fellowship is joy. (Does it not say something about us that joy is not one of the things that immediately comes to mind when people think of Christians?) “We write this to make our [some manuscripts “your”] joy complete” (1 John 1:4). His progression of thought runs like this: Accepting the apostles’ testimony brings us into fellowship with them. Fellowship with the apostles brings us into fellowship with Father and Son. Fellowship with God brings us joy” (1:3-4). Paul had written earlier, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men” (Romans 14:17-18).

What if your life is not characterized primarily by joy, with sorrows just being exceptions that punctuate your world? Then you need to work on your fellowship with God—as we all do.

Conclusion

Life in this world continually throws things at us that tend to rob us of the joy that God has for us. We must immerse ourselves in the word, following it with unconditional surrender to Christ, the Lord and giver of life. Only then can we experience the joy that He wants for us.

TRANSFORMED BY THE LIGHT

New Hope Christian Church, 1/28/24, 2/04/24

1 John 1:5-2:17

Jesus’ last trip to Jerusalem took Him through Jericho, where He encountered two blind men, one of whom was named Bartimaeus. When we compare the Gospel accounts, it seems that Bartimaeus came to understand that it was Jesus, as He entered the town, too late for him to get His attention. (Only Matthew mentions the second, unnamed one, and that as Jesus was leaving Jericho.) It seems that the blind men then found their way around the town in time to meet Jesus as He was leaving Jericho. They “shouted, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!’” Jesus called them to Him and asked what they wanted. “‘Lord,’ they answered, ‘we want our sight’” (Matthew 20:33). Many times when we find ourselves in the dark, we, too, call out, “‘Lord, I want to see’” (Luke 18:41).

Light is what enables us to see. Even owls (who need only the light of a candle within a mile) cannot see in total darkness. Our need for a transformed life requires the Light. Jesus identified Himself as the light of the world. Continuing our study of the transformed life, as taught in 1 John, we learn the importance of walking in the light. To walk in the light means to walk with a view that is true to reality. No guesses. No shadows. Reality. Walking in the light transforms us by enabling us to see from God’s perspective, the only perspective that is consistently and completely true to reality.

At least four attitudes are transformed when we walk in the light.

Walking in the Light Transforms Our Attitude Toward Sin

John writes (1:5-2:2):

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (6) If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (8) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (2:1) My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (2) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

In this Scripture, John affirms four points regarding sin: (1) None of us is without sin. Depending on our spiritual growth, we may go for short or even long periods without breaking one of God’s commands (3:4), but in this life we inevitably will sin. To deny this reality is to deny God’s word as well as to deceive ourselves. 

(2) Secondly, we have all sinned. That should be self-evident. However, many times we justify our past failures to keep God’s law by thinking of them as minor sins or maybe by excusing them with “everyone does it.” John mentions two consequences of denying that we have sinned: that makes God a liar, for His word says that all have sinned (Romans 3:23); and His word has no place in our lives, that is, it becomes ineffective in convicting us of our need to repent of our sin and in helping us to correct our sinful behavior (James 1:21).

(3) Even though we have sinned, and from time to time still sin, as Christians our sin is forgiven through the blood of Christ. (John is writing to people who have already clothed themselves in Christ and thus who have received salvation from sin by grace [Ephesians 2:8], through faith [Galatians 3:26], by being baptized into Christ [3:27]. See also Acts 2:38; 10:47-48; 22:16; Colossians 2:9; Titus 3:5; Romans 6:3-4; Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21). We are forgiven because we are in the light—not the reverse; for “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” All our sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven so long as we maintain our faith in Christ. We do not bounce in and out of salvation.

What about the need to confess our sins? “Confession” is a continual acknowledgment—literally, “saying the same thing” that God says—that we have sinned and that we still have sin (which we have repented of), not a step to get back into God’s grace after each sinful action. Our sins are forgiven because we are in Christ. When we sin, we have an advocate (defense attorney) who speaks up for us. He is the “atoning sacrifice” for our sins, literally, the propitiation—a sacrifice offered to turn away God’s wrath. Therefore, we do not stand guilty before God, for the penalty for our sins has been paid.

(4) Nevertheless, sin is never ok. John says that he is writing to us that we will not sin. We admit that we are not perfect; but, because of Jesus, we want to be perfect. We are never comfortable with our sinful past or the occasional sins of the present. We know what it cost Him to save us!

Walking in the Light Transforms Our Attitude Toward God’s Commands

Sin is breaking God’s law: “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Just as walking in the light transforms our attitude toward sin, the converse is true: it transforms our attitude toward God’s commands. “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (2:3-6).

Knowing Christ results in obeying His commands, for obedience is a result of God’s love for us being completed (“perfected,” KJV)  by our love for God. Think of God’s love as an electrical circuit. If there is a break in the circuit, the energy does not flow. Similarly God’s love for us must find a response in our love for Him. When that happens, then His love is completed or perfect. Why is this response on our part necessary? “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (5:3). Or, as Jesus put it, “‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’” (John 14:15). Obviously, then, love is not an emotional or sentimental feeling toward God (although it should produce such a feeling) but rather a commitment to desire what God desires, in our thoughts, our attitudes, our feelings, our speech, and our behavior.

Therefore, we cannot honestly claim to be a Christian while not following Christ’s example—walking in His steps—by submitting our will to the Father’s will. We must not justify in ourselves any violation of His commands.

Walking in the Light Transforms Our Attitude Toward Fellow Believers

The third attitude transformed by walking in the light is our attitude toward our fellow believers. I John continues (2:7-11):

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

The one command regarding other people is the one that is both old and new. It is old in two senses: (1) It has been from “the beginning.” We could surmise that God expected people to love their brothers—consider Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:8-11)—and sisters from the beginning of the world, but that is probably not what John meant. From the beginning of Israel as a nation, they were expected to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus taught that this command was second only to love for God (Mark 12:30-34). (2) But there was another sense in which the command to love one another was “old”—“And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. . . . As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love” (2 John 5-6). He was, some sixty years later, referring to Jesus’ teaching to the apostles, recorded in John 13:34-35, “‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’”

So how is this command a new one? Again, in two senses: (1) The command to love one another is new to the world: “its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3); or as Romans 1:29,31 describes the world: “They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice . . . . they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” Many in the world express the need for kindness and love toward others, but the application in reality falls far short.

(2) This command is new not only in its application but also in its definition, “‘as I have loved you.’” Later in this first letter of John he defines the kind of love called for: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (3:16). In some of the mass school shootings, teachers have been killed while attempting to disarm the shooters or stand between them and their students, but we are not often called on to apply John’s definition quite so literally. However, if that is what true love is, then certainly many lesser applications would also apply. John himself gives an example, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth” (3:17-19). Walking in the light, following in the steps of Jesus calls for a step above just loving our neighbor as ourselves. As Paul put it, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10); and again, “in humility consider others better [above, more important] than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).

Luke tells us about the earliest Christians (before they were even called Christians), “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. . . . There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need” (Acts 4:32,34-35). It’s no wonder that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (2:47).

John does not want his readers to take this command too lightly. If we don’t love our brothers, then we are not walking in the light. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). Jesus Himself set the example in the upper room just before that final Passover meal (at the end of which He instituted the Lord’s Supper). Only Jesus and His apostles were there—the usual servants of the owner of the house were not present to wash the feet of these guests as they came in for the meal. The question should have been, who will perform the foot washing? But no, “a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest” (Luke 22:24). With none of them stooping to do this menial chore, Jesus Himself “got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:4-5). Having “now showed them the full extent of his love” (13:1):

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:12-17)

Some have mistakenly thought that Jesus was talking about literal washing of feet—although when the time calls for it, it would apply literally—rather He was saying that His followers should do what they can to meet the needs of their fellow disciples

One more explanation of John’s instruction is needed. A failure to show love is equivalent to hate.  He uses Greek terms for love that have little to do with good feelings toward one another. The noun agape refers to valuing others’ needs above one’s own. The opposite of this kind of love is not hate, in the sense we usually use it, but rather indifference. In Luke 14:26-27,33 Jesus listed three requirements for being His follower (disciple), each of them being a different way of saying the same thing. The first was, “‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple’” (14:26). He certainly did not use the word hate in the sense we often do, as shown in a similar Scripture, “‘Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me’” (Matthew 10:37).

Love is an action word. We are to put our fellow-believers above ourselves. That is so hard to do, but walking in the light transforms our attitude toward them. Only a deep appreciation of God’s love for us will enable such transformation.

Walking in the Light Transforms Our Attitude Toward the World

Finally, walking in the Light transforms our attitude toward the world. But what do we mean by “the world”? The Bible speaks of “the world” with several meanings: (1) the planet Earth, (2) the planet including all the people living upon it, (3) just the people (society, civilization) who live upon it, (4) the people who still live in the darkness of sin, and (5) the attitude, worldview, and culture of the unsaved. It is in this last sense that John next speaks in regard to walking in the Light.

First, John refers to those who are walking in the Light and thus not committed to the ways and culture of the world. We who have chosen to follow Christ, to walk in the Light, are different from those who live by the godless view point of the world. We are different because our “sins have been forgiven on account of his name” (2:12). We are also different because we “have known him who is from the beginning” (2:13). Also, we are different because we “are strong, and the word of God lives in [us], and [we] have overcome the evil one” (2:14).

As a result of the Light of Jesus, we recognize the world as the domain of darkness (spiritual ignorance). Paul contrasts the Light with the darkness: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret” (Ephesians 5:8-12). The world of darkness does not offer benefits as mere rivals of the Light, for its results are “fruitless.”

Walking in the Light, we prefer the will of God to the love of the world. “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4). God’s will is preferred because “This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If [you pay] attention to my commands, your peace [will be] like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea’” (Isaiah 48:17).

Walking in the Light also transforms our attitude about those who are still in the world. We are not to think of them as enemies but rather as captives of our enemy, the devil. “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). For this reason we are to love them. That attitude is one of the distinctives about the children of God: “‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous’” (Matthew 5:44-45). As children of the Light, we are on a rescue mission: “‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned’” (Mark 16:15-16). Jesus died for them, too. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Since this is so, does not our love compel us to shine the Light on them? “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Conclusion

We must constantly keep our eyes on the light—through the word of God—and not let the world throw dust in our eyes. The world’s dust looks like gold, but it is only fool’s gold.

TRANSFORMED: PERFECT LOVE

New Hope Christian Church, 2/11/24

We sing and proclaim our love for God, but do we really love Him? John tells us that we must love God with a perfect love. In his description of this perfect love, John also tells us how we can have this perfect love. First, we must understand that the word perfect in this context does not mean faultless, but rather complete. As an electrical circuit must be complete in order for the current to flow, so our love for God must be complete in order for it to be fully realized. What does it take to form this complete circuit of God’s love?

First John 4:7-8 tells us that those who are born again, into God’s family, must love each other with the love of God. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Here we will explore three stages in completing the circuit of God’s love.

Perfect Love Begins with God

The love circuit begins at the source of power, God Himself. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”* (4:9-10). God began this circuit by His love for us, His creation. In fact, He loved us before He created us (Ephesians 1:4-5). That love was supremely demonstrated through the sacrifice of His Son, that we might not have to stand guilty before Him at the Judgment.

Eternal life, however, is not the only result of God’s sacrifice. John continues, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (4:11-12). The word complete is often translated “perfect.” In other words, God’s love is truly, perfectly, experienced only when we love one another. (Why this is so will be discussed under the third stage.) This is a concept that we instinctively reject, and yet it is what John is affirming! Notice that John claims that God “living” in us is dependent on our love for one another. What could that mean? It obviously (from the teaching about how to be saved) does not mean that we are not saved before we love one another, nor does it mean that we are saved because we love one another. It does mean that God’s love for us benefits us only if it flows through us into others.

Perfect Love Drives out Fear

Next, John connects this perfect love with the Judgment, the day when the wrath of God will be unleashed upon unforgiven sinners. “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5). John makes this connection through three propositions: (1) The Holy Spirit has testified through the apostles that God sent His Son as Savior from God’s wrath. “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (4:13-14). (As you read through 1 John, notice his emphasis on what we know.) The “we” and “us” in these verses is not referring to all Christians but only the apostles. It is a reference to the fact of their inspiration. Speaking to the apostles the night He was betrayed, Jesus said, “‘But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you’” (John 14:26); “‘But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come’” (16:13). Through the apostles, the Spirit of God has assured us that Jesus is the Savior.

(2) The second proposition is this: By putting our faith in God’s Son, we rely on His love. “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (4:15-16). Of course, it takes more than a mere acknowledgment. Remember that John is writing to people who had already become Christians and thus knew what it takes to be Christ’s disciple (faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins, was buried, and arose from the dead; then repenting of one’s sins; confessing Jesus as Lord; and, upon that faith and confession, being immersed in water in Jesus’ name). In this book of John he mentions several characteristics of the children of God that differentiate them from the people of the world. Here he is saying that the child of God acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God in contrast to the people of the world who do not make such an acknowledgment. These who live in love (in contrast to those who do not) can rely on God’s love, the source of their love, resulting in this very personal relationship with God.

(3) The concluding proposition? Children of God, therefore, have no reason to fear the judgment. “In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (4:17-18). Those who have this perfect (completed-circuit) love have nothing to fear on the Day of Judgment. Their sins have been forgiven. They are God’s children. That they are God’s children is demonstrated in the closing of the circuit (discussed below in the next stage).

We may dread death, or we may have more items that we wish to accomplish before our death, as the apostle Paul expressed: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Philippians 1:21-24). However, there is no need to be afraid of dying. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). It has been this lack of fear that has enabled many disciples of Jesus to face death calmly and with confidence, whether from natural causes or martyrdom.

Perfect Love Returns to God Through Others

According to John, the circuit is closed, the love is complete or perfect, only if it is returned through others. The circuit (perfection) begins with God’s giving of His Son, then continues with our acceptance of His Son as our Savior, resulting in overcoming the fear of death, but then being completed through our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. John maintains that we cannot love God without loving one another. “We love [the word him as in KJV is not in the original Greek] because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (4:19-20). Although perfect love begins with God and comes down to us—“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us” (3:1)—it is not yet perfect, i.e., the circuit is not yet complete, until we return His love through our love (thoughts, attitudes, actions) for one another! Why is that?

We cannot love God without loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, for we cannot do anything—there may be one or two exceptions—for God’s benefit. He does not need anything we have or anything we can do for Him. He required sacrifices under the Old Covenant, and yet it was for the people’s benefit, not His: “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:9-10). Even our praise and worship are for our benefit—He has no ego to be stroked! Then, how do we show our love to Him? We prove our love to Him by showing His love to His children. “And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well” (1 John 4:21; 5:1). Or, as Jesus will say at the Judgment, “‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40).

John continues, “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1 John 5:2-3). Jesus said, “‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’” (John 14:15). Love is not just one of His commands: it is the essence of His commands. “The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:9-10). “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:13-14).

How are we to understand this connection between loving God and obeying His commands? We need to look at His commands, not as a list of do’s and don’t’s, but rather to see that His commands are descriptions of how love behaves. Thus, we love God by treating one another as He has instructed us. Perfect love, then, is not a feeling but a choice to put Him (His will) first. His commands tell us how to love.

Conclusion

Perfect love is therefore a complete love, a love that does not stop in mid-journey and does not take shortcuts. We cannot think just, “God loves me.” The journey goes from God to us, and then returns to Him only through our brothers and sisters. If we do not love them, we do not love Him!

And remember, this love is not a sentimentality, a warm and fuzzy feeling, toward others but rather actions that He wants us to take in regard to them, regardless of how we feel. (And the actions, if taken in sincerity, will lead to the feeling.)

________________________

*If you’re using a different translation, yours may have “only begotten” rather than “one and only.” The NIV is preferred since the word in the original Greek text refers to uniqueness rather than biologically one (see, e.g., Hebrews 11:17). Your version may have some other expression than “atoning sacrifice” as a translation of the Greek word more accurately translated “propitiation”—referring to an offering that turns away wrath.

TRANSFORMED: CHILDREN OF GOD

New Hope Christian Church, 2/18/24

Is every human being a child of God? Contrary to the assumption by a vast majority of believers in God, the Bible does not teach that all people are children of God. It may very well be true that everyone is born a child of God, but sin alienates us from His family. To be reconciled to Him is therefore necessary to be reinstated into His family as His child. As the father of the returning prodigal son said, “‘“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”’” (Luke 15:32). Having deserted the family, he was “dead,” and thus not, during his time away, a son. This conclusion is confirmed by Jesus’ words to those who refused to believe in Him: “‘If God were your Father,” and, “‘You belong to your father, the devil’” (John 8:42,44). With this understanding, John wrote, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12). That means those who do not receive Him do not have the right to claim to be God’s children.

We need to understand what it means to be a child of God so that we can examine ourselves: “Am I a child of God?” The Bible answers the question two ways: first, we must know what it takes to become a child of God—in summary, faith in Christ, repentance from sin, and baptism into Christ. The letter we call First John answers the question differently, how a child of God lives; that is, what are the characteristics of someone who has become a child of God? Here we will ask three additional questions that help us answer that question, “Am I living the way a child of God lives?”

Do I Appreciate My Status as a Child of God?

Do we appreciate what a wonderful privilege it is to be accorded the status of “child of God”? John expresses his appreciation, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on [literally, given or granted] us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). He adds that the world does not see us as having this special relationship because “it did not know him” (3:1). Remember what John had written in his Gospel? “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:10-11). We, however, have no excuse for failing to appreciate our status.

Being a child of God means that someday we will lay aside these failing and faltering human bodies in favor of a much more glorious one. “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (3:2). We do not know what Jesus looks like now—John’s visions of Him, described in Revelation 1:13-15 and 5:6, are certainly symbolic—but John affirms that we “shall see him as he is.” Paul wrote something similar in Philippians 3:20-21 that, upon His return to earth, Jesus “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-43,49-53, Paul writes,

And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

Are you looking forward to your new body with great anticipation?

John says more than the fact that our bodies will be like Him in the future. This promise involves an imperative on our part. We must in the present prepare ourselves to be like Him spiritually. “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (3:3). He gives the reason for such preparation: “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (2:28).

“Continuing in Him” brings us to the second question in answering, “Am I living the way a child of God lives?”

Do I Obey the Father?

“If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him” (2:29). Sin is contrary to the Father’s will: “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (3:4). How do we know what sin is? “I would not have known what sin was except through the law” (Romans 7:7), that is, through the teaching of the Bible. Of course, that means we have all sinned, but John immediately turns to the remedy for this lack of righteousness: “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin” (3:5). The sinless One came to save us, the sinners.

Our relationship with Christ is described in the New Testament as living in Him, which means living a life not characterized by sin. “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (3:6). The present tense of the Greek text does not imply that we never sin but rather that we do not keep on sinning, that is, living a lifestyle characterized by unrepentant sinfulness. John continues by affirming that our lifestyle shows whose side we are on (3:7-10).

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are.

Are you a child of God or a child of the devil?

But that’s not all. There is one more question that determines whether a person is living the way a child of God lives. “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (3:10).

Do I Love the Father’s Children?

“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another” (3:11). John then flashes back to the very first brothers, Cain and Abel. “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous” (3:12). Cain’s lack of love for his brother demonstrated that he was a son of Satan rather than a son of God.

People “of the world” do not understand why God’s children are concerned about righteous behavior. “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you” (3:13; see also 1 Peter 4:3-5), for they do not understand that our behavior is a matter of life and death. Righteous living, which includes loving our Christian brothers and sisters, does not earn God’s approval, but it does indicate that we have eternal life. “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him” (3:14-15). “Hatred,” in this context, does not necessarily involve ill-feeling but rather simply a lack of love. In other words, it even includes indifference toward others.

How do we know what love is? The kind of love that John is describing is from the Greek word agape. This love describes an action, not a feeling (although the action can and often does arise from or lead to a feeling). Its object can even be a thing as well as a person, for example, “Do not love the world or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15). It is probably best understood as “caring for” or “finding value in.” That’s why we are commanded to love people that we do not like—we are to love our enemies, not because we like them, but because God values them (and therefore wants them to be saved).

So, what is this love that John is enjoining upon us? He defines it or, more accurately, describes it this way: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (3:16). Love is to lay down one’s life for others. Sometimes, we see this “laying down” in a literal fashion; for example, when people go to war to defend country and family, or when school teachers and staff put themselves between an active shooter and their students. However, most of us are never in that sort of situation. In fact, John, charging us with laying down our lives for our brothers (3:16), presents a less literal example: “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (3:17-18). Either way, this kind of love is something that is seen more than felt.

We are not only following Christ’s example when we love our brothers and sisters; we also reap a spiritual benefit for ourselves: a true love sets our consciences at rest. “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence  whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (3:19-20). Past sins, especially the greater ones, continually haunt us with regret and shame; but we can put our conscience to rest if we love one another. That is because, “if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask [so long as it is His will, 5:14], because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (3:21-22). Under the New Covenant, all of His commands fall under two general categories: “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (3:23). Therefore, those “who obey his commands live in him, and he in them” (3:24). And how do we know this? John reminds us that the apostolic teaching is from Christ Jesus Himself, through the revelation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us” (3:24).

Conclusion

So, how are you doing in your faith in Christ and your love for your fellow-believers? Do you trust Him enough to value them as He values them, in spite of your personal feelings about them? If not, you may not be able just to will yourself to love them; you may need to go back and take a refresher course on why and how you should trust Him!

TRANSFORMED: OVERCOMERS

New Hope Christian Church, 2/25/24

1 John 5:3-21

Sometimes we hear of tragic cases in which children or even adults have been kidnapped and subsequently become so used to the new situation that they do not attempt to escape even when the opportunities arise to do so. They can even develop an affinity for their captors. In a similar fashion, too often we feel “at home” in this world in spite of the fact that the world is actually our enemy and attempts to hold us captive, preventing us from becoming, in God’s sight, all we were meant to be. The apostle John wrote that “everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). Faith enables us to overcome the world. In his writing we can discover three realizations that enable us to overcome the world, so that we can indeed live for God and become what He intends us to be.

Before exploring these realizations, first we must ask, what is meant by “the world”? The world, in this context, refers to the ideas, attitudes, speech, and actions that sinful humanity has adopted in contrast to those that God intended for us. Second, what is meant by “overcoming”? It means learning to think, feel, speak, and do as God intended for us, in spite of the obstacles.

The Realization That God’s Commands Are Not Burdensome

Have you found it easy to obey God’s commands? After defining love for God as obeying His commands, John asserts, “And his commands are not burdensome” (5:3). That may not be the way that we view His commands, but it is in line with what is recorded in each section of the Bible: (1) in the Law: His commands were for the Israelites’ own good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13), (2) in the Prophets: the teaching of God was what was best for them, directing them in the way they should go (Isaiah 48:17, (3) in the wisdom literature: fearing God and keeping His commands make a man whole (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14); and (4) in the Gospels;: Jesus promised to give rest to the weary and burdened—“‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So why does it seem so hard to obey His commands? “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”! As the apostle Paul said regarding his own experience, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Romans 7:21-23). Sometimes it is hard because we are so reluctant (being deceived by the world) to give up our own ways.

The key to obedience is our love for (and gratitude to) God. We obey because we love. Love lightens the load. “He ain’t heavy; he’s my brother.” When we do things out of love, they go much more easily. That’s why we, as disciples of Christ, serve others in ways that appear difficult, even impossible, from a worldly point of view. As a result, when the recipient of our ministry offers to pay us, we may respond, “You couldn’t afford it.” We do acts of mercy out of love that we would never do just for money. We obey because we love Him, who died for us, and are grateful to Him.

When we realize that God’s commands are not burdensome, that is, that they are in our own best interest, then we can reject the world’s suggestions otherwise.

The Realization that Faith Is Based on Testimony

Overcoming the world requires love, and also faith. The second realization that enables us to overcome the world is the understanding of the true nature of faith. “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). Faith is not some mysterious intuition or gut feeling that forms the basis for our opinions. It is, rather, trust in God’s word, based on the testimony of others. Faith is not different from knowledge but rather one way to attain knowledge. Some things we know through our own experience; others are known through the experience of others. Either way can result in certainty that what we know corresponds to reality.

The same Bible that says we are saved by faith also says that this faith comes from the testimony of others: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Jesus worked miracles in order to persuade us that He is indeed the Son of God: “‘Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves’” (John 14:11). Why should we believe the accounts of His miracles? Because of the testimony of people who actually saw and heard Him: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). Luke’s account of the gospel begins: "Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught" (Luke 1:1-4).

Faith is not a hunch but rather, if founded on valid testimony, “the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

Our faith in Jesus as the Son of God motivates and empowers us. 1 John 5:4-5 says that “everyone born of God overcomes the world. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Therefore, it is not just faith per se, or even a general faith in God, but faith in Jesus as the Son of God. “‘Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:15-16). Our faith in Jesus leads us to trust His every word, including His promise to be with us (Matthew 28:20), through His Spirit (John 14:16-18). For example, when Jesus told His apostles, “‘If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, “I repent,” forgive him’”; they responded, “‘Increase our faith!’” He then assured them that even great tasks could be accomplished with a small amount of faith (Luke 17:3-6); but He added that even after they had done everything He required, their response should be, “‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (17:7-10). In other words, our faith in who Jesus is will enable us to do whatever He asks of us. Paul assured his readers that “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). The apostle Peter encouraged his readers to count on the (empowering) grace of God in their service to others: “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).

First John 5:6-10 cites the testimony of God as the source of such faith:

This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

The Spirit testified to the Sonship of Jesus through the teaching and work (miracles) of the apostles. “This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Hebrews 2:3-4). The water, probably referring to Jesus’ baptism, testified to His Sonship as the moment when “heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17). The blood, probably referring to Jesus’ crucifixion, testified through the events occurring at that time: “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened [including the words and manner of Jesus, in spite of the taunts of His enemies], they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:51-54).

Earlier in His ministry, Jesus had cited several ways in which God had testified to His Sonship: (1) through the testimony of John the Baptizer who “has testified to the truth” (John 5:33-35; also John 1:6-8,20-36); (2) “the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me” (5:36; also 14:11); and (3) the Old Testament Scriptures that testified about Him (5:37-39). At least three times, God, speaking directly from heaven, validated Jesus as His Son: at His baptism (Matthew 3:17), on the Mount of Transfiguration (17:5), and to the crowd at the Passover (John 12:28). Paul saw this verification in the resurrection: “who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:4).

When we realize that faith is based on the rock-solid testimony of those who saw and heard Jesus, then we have the confidence to reject the world’s viewpoint when it runs counter to Scripture.

The Realization That We Have a New Relationship

Perhaps the greatest realization that enables overcoming the ways of the world is the fact of our new relationship, that we are indeed children of God. This relationship assures us that we have eternal life in His Son. “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13). One aspect of eternal life is its quality—it is truly life, not just existence or survival: “‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’” (John 10:10). The second aspect is its quantity—it lasts forever: “‘He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die’” (11:25-26). The first is enjoyed in this life to a great degree—for example, “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17), and even more in the life to come (Revelation 21:3-4). The second will become a reality at the general resurrection. It is this second aspect, when the life truly becomes everlasting, that Paul calls “the hope of eternal life” (Titus 1:2; 3:7).

Through this new relationship we also receive from Him all that we need. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15). Paul assured his readers, “God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

This new relationship also provides protection from the the devil. “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (5:18-19). So long as we maintain our faith in Jesus, we are protected.

Finally, this new relationship has provided us with a proper understanding of truth and reality since this understanding comes from the Son of God. “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (5:20).

This new relationship gives us all we need to overcome the sin of the world. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Conclusion

John concludes this first letter, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (5:21). We need to be vigilant that we are not led astray by those who would put forth anything (whether god or philosophy, politics or worldview) as being superior to the Way of Christ. This vigilance requires us to build our faith and stand together on the word of God.

TRANSFORMED: COMMITTED TO THE TRUTH

New Hope Christian Church, 3/3/24

1 John 2:18-27; 4:1-6

On his second missionary journey, the apostle Paul’s team won many converts in the Macedonian (northern Greek) city of Thessalonica; but the Jews were jealous and made it impossible for the team to stay, so they went to the next city, Berea. Luke tells us, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Since transformation that produces holiness is grounded in the word of God, we must also have that “noble character” that drives us to examine the Scriptures as we search for the truth rather than relying on our own opinions, those of other people, or even the church.

We must never forget that not all who claim to be preachers and teachers of the Gospel are genuine; for there are many false teachers and false prophets, as there always have been, and we must equip ourselves to keep from being led astray by them. Paul wrote regarding some of those who were trying to mislead the Corinthian believers, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). The apostle John warned his readers, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him” (2 John 9-10; “one who runs ahead” refers to a messenger). Jude, brother of James and half-brother of Jesus, urged, “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3).

None of us today is without error in what we teach and preach, for we are not Holy-Spirit-inspired. These mistaken beliefs, however, do not necessarily brand us as false teachers—otherwise there would be no true teachers! Our honest errors in doctrine, just as our errors in practice, are covered by the blood of Christ. In our preaching and teaching sometimes we misunderstand what the truth is, so the church is always in need of knowing how to distinguish that which is true from that which is false. (And, of course, genuine preachers and teachers, in addition to knowing how to make this distinction, should always be examining our own understanding, bringing it in line with Scripture.)

In his first letter to the church, John presents several contrasts between truth and error. Here we will discuss three of these contrasts, so that we can better distinguish between truth and error. (All references not otherwise designated are from 1 John.)

Consequences: Importance of Distinguishing Between Truth and Error

Error produces negative consequences. First, John says that those who make the error of rejecting Christ reject the Father as well. “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (2:22-23). He was simply repeating what Jesus had told His apostles: “‘He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me’” (Luke 10:16).

John writes of a second consequence of following those who are not teaching the truth: “I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray” (2:26). Paul had warned the elders of Ephesus, “‘Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them’” (Acts 20:30). Jude wrote, “These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit” (Jude 19). 

Of course, the greatest consequence is the ultimate destiny of those who are led astray by false teaching. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

On the other hand, the truth produces positive consequences. First, in contrast to those who reject Christ, those who acknowledge Christ’s sonship also have the Father. “No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father” (2:23-24). Jesus prayed to the Father about His followers, “‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. . . . I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them’” (John 17:17,26).

Accordingly, the truth leads to eternal life: “And this is what he promised us—even eternal life” (2:25).

Furthermore, the truth about Christ is the doorway to knowing “all things”: “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him” (2:27).

Why is there no need for anyone to teach us “about all things”? John is writing, in part, to counter a philosophy that was infiltrating the churches, claiming that Christians needed to go beyond the gospel to learn a secret knowledge, known only at a higher level. (This philosophy grew out of Greek mystery religions and eventually came to be known as gnosticism, from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis.) John is affirming that the gospel is all we need to know for salvation—there is no need for a higher and secret level. All truth relates to and is consistent with the teaching about Christ: “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him” (2:27).

Many assume that the “anointing” is the Holy Spirit. Building on that assumption, they interpret John as meaning that the Holy Spirit directly (apart from the word) teaches us all that we need to know. This interpretation is partly linked to an erroneous understanding of John 14:26—“‘But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’”—and John 16:13—“‘But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.’” A careful look at these chapters in John’s Gospel makes it clear that Jesus is talking to His apostles only, and that these promises were not intended for all of His disciples. (It’s true that some of the things He said that night also apply to all, but only the context and other Scriptures can make that determination.)

Nowhere in the New Testament does it say that we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. “Anointing,” in both Testaments, is reserved for certain special persons: OT priests and kings, and once for a prophet; and the Messiah, “the Anointed One.” Yes, Paul does say we have all been anointed, just as John asserts, but not with the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 says, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” A careful look at the passage, however, does not affirm that these three actions all refer to the Holy Spirit.

If it were true, that John is referring to anointing by or with the Spirit, with the result that everyone with the Holy Spirit (every Christian, Romans 8:9) does “not need anyone to teach you” (2:27), then why is John bothering to write this letter? Rather, the “anointing” is what was “heard from the beginning” (2:24).

That brings us to the second distinction between truth and error, its content.

Content: True Doctrine vs False Doctrines

John writes, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son” (2:22). And also, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” (4:2-3). John refers to the teachers of this Greek philosophy (some of whom were apparently in the church) as antichrists, a word meaning “substitute Christ,” because they were denying basic Bible doctrine about Christ.

The word heard implies, not the reception of the Spirit, but rather the gospel of Christ, “the Word of life,” (1:1-3) or perhaps the command to love one another (2:7—“I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard”—and 3:11— “This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another”). This interpretation (either or both options) fits well with 2:20-21, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth”; as well as 2:24, “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.”

The “all things” are thus those things needed for salvation. (Obviously, it does not refer literally to everything.)

Origin: the Ultimate Test

The ultimate test for the difference between truth and error is the origin. What is the source of any teaching? “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (4:1). “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” (4:6).

The antichrists had left the apostles’ teaching (contrast with Acts 2:42): “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (2:18-19). Verse 19 is often misunderstood by some who do not understand the background of John’s letter. These verses are not talking about backsliding but about messengers, whom John also calls false prophets (4:1). To go out from someone is to act as a messenger (see 3 John 7 and Acts 15:24). These preachers or teachers were not speaking on behalf of Christ’s apostles nor on behalf of God, for “every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God” (4:3); but rather, “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them” (4:5).

On the other hand, the gospel, the “anointing,” came from God: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (2:20). “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you” (2:27).

The apostolic word is from God: “We [the apostles of Christ] are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us” (4:6; see John 14:26; 16:13). Because we stand on and stand by the apostolic doctrine, we are therefore from God: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (4:4).

Conclusion

Are you committed to the truth revealed from God by His prophets and apostles? Jeremiah 42:1-6 tells about the remnant of Judea, who had been spared exile to Babylon. Some of their number had assassinated the Babylonian-appointed governor, and the others were afraid that they would be blamed for it. After devising a plan to escape to Egypt, they came to the prophet, seeking a word from God as to whether it was a good plan.“‘Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do’” (42:3). After Jeremiah agreed to pray, they responded, “‘Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God’” (42:6). However, when the message from the Lord came back with instructions to stay put, they replied, “‘You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, “You must not go to Egypt to settle there”’” (43:2).

Where do you stand on the truth of Scripture? With the Judean remnant or with the Berean Jews? With the Thessalonian Jews or with the apostles of Christ? Just as His anointing “has taught you, remain in him” (1 John 2:27). Faithful to Christ and every teaching of His word!

TRANSFORMED: MEMBERSHIP

New Hope Christian Church, 3/10/24

Romans 12:3-21

What does Christ expect of you, as a member of His church? The mission of the church of Christ is to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them (immersing them in water) into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded His apostles (Matthew 28:19-20). Every member of the church has a part in this mission. We need to understand our part in the mission, including how we are to deal with the inevitable hardships that accompany life itself as well as service to Him.

The church has a place for everyone who has chosen to follow Jesus. Let us consider three of the many results of our membership in the body of Christ (the church).

Gifted: Finding Our Place

The word “members” in the New Testament always refers to parts of the human body, literally or figuratively. Therefore, we must not think of membership in the church as being like members of a club or members of a committee. We did not become members by joining up but rather by an act of God: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). As a result, we are in a very favored position, as the apostle Paul wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). In the following twenty verses he lists many of these blessings. Ponder those words, “in the heavenly realms”! Life here on earth certainly does not often seem heavenly. In fact, too often it seems the opposite! However, too often we fail to look at our place through God’s eyes. “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

In this favored position each one of us has been given a special gift, a gift which Paul calls a “grace.” (Although related, this is not the grace by which we are saved.)  Ephesians 4:7 says, “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” In 3:7-9 Paul writes of his own “grace,” providing insight into the meaning of the word in this context. Paul’s “grace” was preaching the gospel to the Gentiles as well as making known the “mystery” (the plan) of God. In this example we see that “grace” involves a particular ministry (service to Christ), empowered by God.

Therefore, our place is not only privileged but also a position of purpose. In Romans 12:6-8 Paul lists several examples of this kind of “grace”: prophecy, “service” (perhaps helping), teaching, encouragement, (more than usual) generosity, leadership, and (more than usual deeds of) mercy. What is your grace? That depends on at least four things: (1) your skills, talents, or abilities, (2) the need or needs (physical, spiritual, emotional) of others that just grab your attention, (3) the opportunities available to use your abilities in meeting those needs, and (4) the sense of “eureka” (Greek for “I found it!”) Some people’s ministries are more church related (such as leading singing); others’ ministries are more related to needs in the world (such as being a Christian-principled lawyer).

God has not put you on this earth just to get along (or to waste what He has given you) until you die. You have a place of privilege and of purpose.

Humility: Accepting Our Place

Romans 12:3-5 refers to our willingness to accept the place in which God has put us. “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Whether or not your grace-ministry is directly related to functions within the church or service in the world, it is never to be considered separate from the ministries of others. We must not get caught up in the things that interest just us individually, nor should we ever put our own personal agendas ahead of the ministries of others. There are no Lone-Ranger Christians. We are all placed here for a common purpose: working together to make disciples for Christ. Each of us is a member (part) of the body (church) of Christ. Therefore, others in the body must come before ourselves. That is illustrated by the fact that we each have gifts to be used in ministry to one another as well as to those outside of the body. In his discussion of this very matter, Paul concluded, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Our grace-ministry is not to be compared to what others are doing, for that leads to conceit, jealousy, or a feeling of inferiority. We have been given something by which we are to measure our own ministry: faith. It is not a matter of whether we are better than others but rather, how much faith (trust in God) does it take for us to do what we are doing? The widow’s small offering (Mark 12:43-44) was less than the offerings of the wealthy, but hers took more faith: “‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’”

Do you consider your work for the Lord as separate from that of others? Does it require much faith?

Overcoming Evil: Utilizing Our Place

Too often the world presses in on us to the point that we are overtaken by evil and even get caught up in doing evil without realizing how far from God we have gone. “But he did not know that the Lord had left him” (Judges 16:20). The best way to overcome evil is not just to resist it—although that must be done—but by bringing good into our lives and the lives of others. Membership in the church is the God-ordained way of learning how to take advantage of our privileged and purposeful position in “the heavenly realms.” Together we learn how to obey God’s word as intended. In Romans 12:9-20, Paul lists several ways in which we can overcome evil with good (12:21).

• Sincere love.

• Hating evil, clinging to the good.

• Being devoted to one another in brotherly love.

• Honoring one another above ourselves. (Someone has said that it’s amazing how much good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.)

• “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

• Finding joy in hope (rather than fretting over the present).

• Being patient in difficult times. (When you find yourself going through difficult times, keep going until you get through to the other side.)

• Keep praying. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:20-22). “‘And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’” (Luke 18:7-8).

• Sharing with God’s people who are in need, including hospitality.

• Living in harmony with one another (which often requires forgiveness or just setting aside their faults). As far as it depends on you, living at peace with everyone.

• Blessing those who persecute you. Not taking revenge but leaving room for God’s wrath. “‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.’”

• Rejoicing with those who rejoice (rather than being envious of their good fortune).

• Mourning with those who mourn.

• “Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”

Conclusion

Are you too young? Are you too old? Never! By God’s grace, we can all find our place in the body of Christ, accept our place, and use our place to overcome evil with good. That’s what church membership is all about.

If you are not currently identified as a member of the church, why wait? You need us, and we need you!

TRANSFORMED: IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:25; Micah 6:8

New Hope Christian Church, 3/17/24

Have you ever been impressed with a marching band or a military parade, wandering how they keep step with one another? It’s not as easy as it looks, especially when making a right angle turn. It takes both a sense of rhythm (which not everyone has) and the training to know how to adjust the length of one’s stride while making the turn. Are you in step with God? How do you know? The mark of transformation into holiness can be summarized as walking in the Spirit, or, as the NIV phrases it, to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). We might ask, how do we keep in step with the Spirit? The New Testament mentions several ways to answer that question, for example, by being “led by the Spirit,” an expression that refers to following the Spirit-inspired teaching of the apostles of Christ. (How the Spirit might influence our thinking is a matter of conjecture, but we must never think that He overrides our will or gives us new revelation.)

Although it is in the Old Testament, Micah 6:8 also reveals to us the mind of God as to what He expects from His people. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” These three eternal requirements (in all ages) for God’s people demonstrate how well we are learning to walk in the Spirit. (These are not the requirements to be saved but rather what God requires of those who are saved.)

Acting Justly

The Lord’s first requirement is acting justly. Not just a matter of being just (or righteous), this eternal requirement involves one’s inner character as it is expressed in action. Thus it requires integrity, that is, consistency of attitude, thoughts, emotional control, speech, and behavior: you on the inside are the same person as the person seen by others. Acting justly also involves honesty. Honesty does not necessarily mean that you say everything you think or know, but what you do say is true (to the best of your knowledge). Honesty also means that you are a person of your word. You don’t need to make promises, swear an oath (unless required by law), or sign on the dotted line, for your word is your bond. As Jesus said, “‘Simply let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No,” “No'”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one’” (Matthew 5:37). Those who insist on swearing that they’re telling the truth, tend not to be! If you are acting justly, others can count on your word.

Acting justly also involves living righteously. There are two kinds of righteousness: (1) being right with God, having your sins forgiven and also (2) living righteously, that is, the way God wants you to live: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). This second aspect of righteousness means that we live the way God wants us to live, being obedient to His word. Living righteously means we sincerely desire to follow Him in all things, while recognizing that, from time to time, we fail (with regret) and count on His forgiveness (see 1 John 2:1-2).

The foundational meaning of acting justly forms the basis of integrity and honesty: being fair in all your dealings.  Jesus put it this way, “‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 7:12). Being fair means not taking advantage of others. It means, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Being fair means not jumping to conclusions about the other person’s motives. It means listening to the other side of the story before drawing conclusions—“The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him” (Proverbs 18:17)—and especially before making decisions that call for negative consequences for the perceived action. Being fair also means not spreading rumors or second-hand information about others’ bad actions.

In short, acting justly requires commitment to the truth in speech and action, being truthful to yourself, to others, and in the sight of God.

Loving Mercy

The second eternal requirement is loving mercy. Apparently mercy is not only in short supply but also esteemed too lightly, for Jesus said that we should “‘go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”’” (Matthew 9:13). Another time, when His disciples were being condemned for allegedly working on the Sabbath, He spoke up in their defense, “‘Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the innocent’” (12:3-7). Jesus drew upon these two incidents in the Old Testament regarding two of the Pharisees’ most venerable icons, King David and the Temple. They would not dare criticize David for his (as well as the priest’s) ignoring the ceremonial regulation, nor could they criticize the priests for working on the Sabbath since the Law itself required them to offer certain sacrifices on that day. Now they were criticizing the Messiah’s disciples for feeding themselves in a perfectly lawful manner, being away from their homes. They were, in fact, innocent of any moral violation. (They were also innocent of the Sabbath violation since Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, 12:8, and can change its regulations at any time.) James (2:13) may have been thinking of this teaching of Jesus when he wrote, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

Human beings are quick to judge, to criticize, and to condemn others. “Loving mercy” does not mean that we do not draw lines between good and bad, righteous and evil. Rather, it means that in spite of what we think of others we should be more concerned with their needs than with their faults. There is a place for civil (governmental) discipline (Romans 13:4) as well as corrective discipline with children (Proverbs 23:13) and with members of the church (1 Corinthians 5). However, as private individuals, we need to help those in need (whether or not they deserve it).

“Loving mercy” arises out of compassion. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:31-37) illustrates this connection between compassion and mercy. The passing Levite and priest were considered (by themselves and others as well) to be religious, but they were more concerned about religious duty than compassion for others. The Samaritan did not care that the man in the ditch was a Jew—he only saw someone in need, and, filled with compassion, tended to those needs. James wrote, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” as well as “keeping oneself from being polluted by the world” (1:27).

Loving mercy also lead us to forgive others, whether they deserve it or not. Although Jesus teaches us that we must repent in order for God to forgive us, many of the New Testament teachings about forgiveness do not limit that quality of mercy to the penitent. We are told to “bear with the failings of the weak” (Romans 15:1), to “bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another” (Colossians 3:13), and to “be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). Indeed, how can we love one another without forgiving each other’s failings? We do not have the right to forgive those who have sinned against God or other people, but we do have the right, even the duty, to forgive those who have sinned against us. The person who “loves mercy” does not need the right or the duty to forgive—his concern for the other person compels forgiveness. As the apostle Peter wrote, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, that servant had been forgiven a debt he could not repay because his “master took pity on him” (Matthew 18:27).

Finally, loving mercy means going beyond fairness. We need to be fair in all our dealings with others, but often more than fairness is needed. Maybe the person is in dire straits because of his own actions or neglect, but that does not nullify the need for mercy. “Going the second mile” and “turning the other cheek” are general terms that we apply to several of Jesus’ examples of being more than fair. See Matthew 5:38-48,

Walking Humbly with Your God

A third requirement in all ages is to walk humbly with our God. Being humble does not mean that you belittle yourself. It does mean that you understand and accept your place in life and before God, not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought. For example, “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God” (1 Corinthians 8:1-3). Being more intelligent, having more knowledge, being richer, being more spiritual, or being better looking than others does not make a person superior to others. “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (4:7).

Being humble also requires us not to be so concerned with our rights that we forget how the exercise of those rights might impact others. The apostle Paul refers to a particular first century situation in  Corinth (8:9-13):

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

The situation involved the practice of participating in the eating of meat that had been sacrificed to idols, and eating that meat in the idol’s temple itself. (In 10:25-30 he refers to a different situation involving eating such meat that had been sold in the market. He handles that situation differently, because it did not involve the temple.) It seems that many first-century Gentile Christians, although having turned from idols to the living God, still had a difficult time completely accepting the teaching that these gods were not real. Perhaps some of those who realized there was nothing to the gods still participated—perhaps for the feeling of fellowship or meeting up with old friends?—in the practice of gathering at the temple and eating the meals provided. Whatever the reason, Paul says that the Christian who did know that the idols were nothing was, in eating at the idol’s temple, providing a bad example for the Christian who was not so sure. Joining in, this weaker Christian thus would be violating his conscience (which, in this case, in contrast to the example in 10:25-30, was the correct moral position to take—see 10:18-22). The knowledge of the one led to the sin (violating one’s conscience) of the other. Paul says that no one has the right to do something that “causes my brother to fall into sin.”

Humility with God goes further than humility with others, although the basics are the same: not to think less of yourself—”God doesn’t care about me” or “my sins are too great to be forgiven”—nor to think more of yourself—”I don’t need God” or “I have an arrangement with God regarding such and such behavior.” It enables us to follow Jesus’ example in the face of persecution: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). Walking humbly with God also enables us to keep a proper perspective in the face of all kinds of suffering. After he had lost nearly everything, “Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:20-22).

What underlies walking humbly with God? One simple attitude: “Not my will but yours be done.” This attitude is possible only through our faith in Him: faith in His power to do whatever He wants (Psalm 135:6), power to control all things; faith in His loving care for us; and—we must never forget—faith in His wisdom, so that He always knows what is best. When God does not act in the way we think He should, we humbly submit to His will, knowing that He has a plan, and that plan is to save as many people as will accept the way of salvation. 

Conclusion

How do we know that we are in step with the Spirit? Scripture lists many negative (works of the flesh) and positive (fruit of the Spirit) indicators. The negative indicators warn us that we are not in step with Him. Positive ones indicate that we are. Some of these indicators are found in Luke 14:25-33; Galatians 5:19-24; and Colossians 3. How about you? How is your walk with God?

LIVING THE TRANSFORMED LIFE

New Hope Christian Church, 4/7/24

Jesus made enemies of the religious leaders for several reasons: breaking the Sabbath, eating with sinners, claiming to be the Son of God, and becoming more popular than they. What was it that pushed them over the edge, something for which they just could no longer permit Him to live? Perhaps, it was His diatribe against them, labeling them as hypocrites.

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ . . . Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:2-7,27-28)

How do you appear to others? Are you different in private or in social settings than you are in church and around the preacher? Are you really concerned about being transformed into the person God wants you to be? Genuinely transformed character will be seen in our behavior, both privately and publicly. Here are three secrets to living the transformed life.

Take Your Medicine

The first of these secrets is this: take your medicine. We use this expression literally, but figuratively it refers to accepting and dealing with the unpleasant results of one’s bad behavior. The word of God refers to such results as discipline from God. We often think of discipline, especially with children, as punishment; but the word sometimes refers to any corrective action and more broadly to any learning experience. It is related to being a disciple, that is, a learner or apprentice. In college, it can refer to a specific course of study. Scripture instructs us:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. (Hebrews 12:7-13)

Does God punish us for our sins? Not usually, for Christ “bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). However, Hebrews exhorts us to “endure hardship as discipline.”  The writer does not say that all hardship is discipline but that we are to treat it as such.

Hardships occur for various reasons. Sometimes hardship is indeed a punishment for sin, not to pay for sin but rather to turn us away from it. “‘God does all these things to a man . . . to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him’” (Job 33:29-30). We do not know whether God today directly punishes us for sin, but in the first century church sometimes He did: “For anyone who eats and drinks [the Lord’s Supper] without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). One thing to keep in mind, if God is punishing you for sin, He will make the transgression known to you. He will not leave you guessing.

Many times hardship comes as a natural consequence of our behavior or someone else’s. For example, if we recklessly spend our money, we should not be surprised that we are unable to make ends meet. If we drive recklessly or take illegal drugs, then we should expect to suffer as a result. (When we escape such suffering, we should thank the Lord and change our behavior!) If you are robbed, then your suffering is a result of someone else’s behavior.

Other hardships are simply a result of living in a world in which bad things happen. Tornadoes, illness, and accidents are common in this world. God (at least, usually) is not the cause of these things. They just happen.

That being said, how are we to respond to these hardships, whatever the cause? We are to view them as occasions to learn, occasions to reflect on our lives, certainly, but especially to prove our faith in God’s power, love, and wisdom. If you’re going through hard times, keep moving. Don’t let them get you down. “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees” (Hebrews 12:12). “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:19).

Why does God allow us to go through this “discipline”? “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). James (brother of Jesus) writes that we should rejoice when we face all kinds of suffering “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (1:2-4). And Peter assures us that our trials “have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7). Never underestimate these commendations from Him!

King Asa of Judah, warned about turning from God, was assured, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Is your heart fully committed to Him, in spite of your hardships? If so, He knows.

Pay Your Debts

Jesus told His disciples, “‘Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny’” (Luke 12:57-59). What did He mean by that? The second secret to living a transformed life is to pay your debts. Which debts?

We cannot pay our debt to God, but we do not need to. Jesus paid it for us, for “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5). So what debts do we owe? “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:7). We are to “pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing” (13:6).

There is one debt that we cannot totally pay, and so we must continually be paying: “the continuing debt to love one another” (13:8). “The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (13:9-10). “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Although Jesus paid for our transgressions against the law, we, in a sense, keep our obligations to the law by loving one another. We do not obey the law of God in order to be saved; rather, as a person in the process of transformation, we demonstrate our love for God by loving His children (1 John 5:1-2): “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (5:3-4). Thus, we demonstrate our progress in transformation by our actions toward one another.

It is not enough for the person in transformation to love fellow believers, we must also love our enemies, for the Father loves them (Luke 6:27-26), proving that love by sending His Son to die for them (John 3:16).

Wake Up

The third secret to living the transformed life is to wake up (definitely not in the modern sense of being “woke”).

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:11-14)

What slumber is Paul telling us to wake up from? It is the slumber of getting so involved in the things of this world that we fail to see reality, to understand the times around us, from God’s perspective. As Jesus challenged His opponents, “‘you cannot interpret the signs of the times’” (Matthew 16:3). We must be like the men of Issachar, as David was consolidating his kingdom, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).

The light of God’s word “makes everything visible. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:14-17).

Conclusion

Where are you on the transformation scale? Your position is not so important as your direction. Are you satisfied with your position? We must keep moving forward and upward, never satisfied with where we are.  “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Hebrews 2:1).

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. (2 Peter 1:3-9)