False Teachers… August 7, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.1 comment so far
The false teacher is deceptive. Verse 15 of today’s passage describes him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He appears to want people to know the “real” truth about God, but his interpretation of Scripture may contain outright lies or a distorted mix of fact and error. Since wise believers study God’s Word, they can detect a “sheepskin” starting to slip. The wolf is further exposed by his personal life, which won’t be consistent with righteousness (Matt. 7:16). A close study of his decisions, actions, and words will reveal that he does not follow the Lord’s will or biblical principles.
The false teacher’s life and message are self-indulgent. His enticing ideas appeal to his listeners’ fleshly nature. In fact, he’ll often permit activities prohibited in Scripture. Some deceivers describe God’s grace as a license to live without restraint (Jude 4). Paul clearly denounces this lie, teaching that believers have died to sin and shouldn’t live in it (Rom. 6:2).
The body of Christ is expected to use Scripture as the standard against which to measure a leader’s lifestyle and words. When we seek divine truth, we are given the discernment to know a holy message from a misleading one.
A false teacher wants to create uncertainty in his listeners. In order to gain followers, he must persuade his audience that he possesses knowledge they lack. The people who accept this misleading information as absolute truth will usually return to the false teacher for more. Having followers strokes his ego and provides “proof” that he is right.
Those who have a sound doctrine won’t be led astray. That’s why it is so important for our faith to rest on biblical truth—for example, Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind, the Holy Spirit dwells in believers, and Christians will be resurrected bodily. Defeating false teachers takes more than “my pastor says . . .”When confronted, we must defend our faith with Scripture we ourselves have studied. By regularly reading and applying God’s Word, we will be better prepared when confronted with untruth.
Building a sound doctrine protects believers from misleading messages and arms them to defend the faith. Do not be caught unprepared. If you haven’t already started, begin to study the Bible today. Should you need help, ask your pastor or a godly mentor for guidance.
The 10 Commandments…. conceptual truths July 3, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.add a comment
The ‘big 10’ offers more than just list of what to do or not to do. It reveals deeper conceptual truths that guide us in our walk with God, and a righteous path in this life. It also gives us a method of living that is beneficial, physically and spiritually.
Let us look at these commandments from God and their deeper meaning and applicability:
Exo 20:2 I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
This first contains an essential truth to spiritual/religious righteousness: There is one True God, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. This One is the Lord.
Lord is defined as one who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. One exercises authority from property rights. God is the creator; all things exist from Him and for Him. His sovereignty and authority over all things is absolute as He alone has the ‘property rights’ for that which is His by His creation.
(3) You shall have no other gods before or besides Me. (4) You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (5) You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, [Isa. 42:8; 48:11.] (6) But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
This is the commandment against idolatry. It speaks not just to worshipping little statues, but to placing ourselves under the control of anything other than the One True God.
Many things in this life gain control over us, or rather, there are many things that we place in positions of importance in our lives more so than God: Money, prestige, success, sports, drugs, relationships, etc.
God tells us that all things in this life are secondary to Him and His Lordship in our lives. This causes me to think on my own life and my struggle with alcoholism. I’ve been recovered for just over 8 years now, and I remember back to when I was deep in the bottle, it wasn’t that my life was in shambles from drinking that caused me to seek recovery, because for the most part I was an extremely functional alcoholic. But I realized that alcohol had control over my life, everything I did or thought about doing revolved around the idea of drinking. Often times when planning an outing, or going out to dinner, or visiting friends, I thought about whether or not there would be drink available, and sometimes that made the difference in what I did or did not do.
(7) You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
This isn’t about simply cursing using the name of God profanely or frivolously. It speaks to us on a deeper level of respect, love, and reverence. To train a person not to take for granted the name of that which is of paramount importance in their lives teaches that person to demonstrate respect for those things. By commanding us not to treat His name frivolously or falsely, He teaches us to learn respect by demonstrating respect.
( 8 ) [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God). (9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (10) But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates. (11) For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].
Ah, the ‘4th commandment’ – that which separates so many who would have us earn our salvation through works and religious observance…
This, in its simplest terms, is an instruction on how to care for our lives and ourselves.
Work is an unfortunate necessity. We must work to earn a living, and often times we must work hard. This commandment teaches us that all work and no rest is a bad thing. We must rest our bodies and our minds; we must take the time to let our physical and mental selves rejuvenate and recuperate.
God demonstrated this necessity for us although I would offer that He needed no rest, but chose to do so. We are not omnipotent, thus we must take the physical rest.
There is also the spiritual aspect here regarding the foreshadowing of the Gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ is our spiritual rest. It is His salvation that provides us rest from the pursuit of righteousness through works which is the law given in the OT.
(12) Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.
Respect and obedience to authority – this is something we learn as children, or do not learn depending upon how one is raised. God instructs us to honor (respect) our parents and this is the first step in teaching a person respect for authority.
In the New Testament, we are told to respect and adhere to the authority of the government, and throughout scriptures, we are admonished to respect and adhere to the authority of God. This respect begins at home, with the parents.
(13) You shall not commit murder.
Wow, so much to discuss regarding murder, what it is and what it is not, and why we should not do it….
Murder is defined as the unlawful killing of another person. It is not simply killing someone, thus government-sanctioned executions do not apply, and accidental killing does not apply, slaughtering animals for food does not apply.
There are many psychological ramifications involved here that I will not go into at this time however, but this idea of ‘not committing murder’ may make an interesting post of its own some day…
(14) You shall not commit adultery.
(15) You shall not steal. [Prov. 11:1; 16:8; 21:6; 22:16; Jer. 17:11; Mal. 3:8.]
(16) You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor. [Exod. 23:1; Prov. 19:9; 24:28.]
I am taking these three together as they all lean towards a central issue: Trust, reliability, and righteousness.
To lie, cheat or steal irreparably damages, or destroys trust. One who lies cannot be trusted, one who cheats on his/her spouse cannot be trusted. One who steals cannot be trusted.
God desires for us to re-become the image of Him, and God has demonstrated to us that He is ever faithful, and ever honest. We cannot become like Him if we do not demonstrate the essential qualities that He possesses.
Additionally, we cannot be the witness, the testimony of His love, wisdom, and faithfulness if we demonstrate the opposite, and if we cannot be the witness to His glory then we are not doing the job He has given us to do.
(17) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. [Luke 12:15; Col. 3:5.]
Coveting… that carnal desire to have that which belongs to someone else – it is a destroyer of souls. Scripture tells us that the root of evil is the love of money. This is an intricate part of coveting – loving something other than God.
When we covet what are we doing, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally? We are sublimating our love of our Lord with a desire for material things. We are setting the stage for idolatry.
When one becomes covetous, it leads into a downward spiral of other issues. If we want something someone else has, and we want it badly enough we easily fall into lying, stealing, yes… and adultery.
Ultimately, God’s commandments given to Moses to share with His chosen people give us the basic blueprints on how to succeed in life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Adherence to these commandments will disciple us, keep us from our own naturally carnal tendency to self-destruction, and provide us with a strong witness and ability to share the Gospel of Christ crucified and risen from the dead.
Reformed doctrine and evangelism… June 7, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Scripture.5 comments
In an earlier post I talked about the idea of ‘calvinism vs. evangelism’. Basically I wanted to explore the idea if Calvinism nullifies, or rejects, evangelism. Let us start by looking at some quotes from Chad Woodburn of Master’s Flock:
Calvinism doesn’t necessarily reduce zeal for evangelism. But it is easy to see how the abuse of the Calvinistic teaching could easily drain people of any urgency and zeal for witnessing…
But, Calvinism is easily used to reduce evangelistic fervor... There have been many young theology students who started out with a deep passion for evangelism who, when they bought into the Calvinistic beliefs (or began to misuse those teachings), lost their zeal for witnessing. They have echoed the discouraging words that were spoken to William Carey, the great pioneer missionary to India. He was told something very discouraging by a Calvinistic church leader who did not want him to go to the mission field. That leader said something like this: “Young man, when God wants to save the heathen, He will do it without your help or mine.”
One’s general theology can also produce small changes in one’s gospel message. Not only does Calvinism (or its misuse) make a difference in the level of zeal for evangelism that some people will have, but it can also make a significant difference in the message itself. For example, it is questionable whether a true Calvinist cannot honestly say to a lost person, “God loves you and wants to give you heaven as a free gift.” Instead, he has to add a footnote to that saying, “that is, if you are one of those God has already chosen to save.” Why? Because, they do not believe that God wants to give heaven as a free gift to all lost people (including the non-elect lost), just to the “elect” lost.
This snippet goes a long way to explain why there is a belief that Calvinism discourages evangelism (being a self-studied ‘calvinist’, I’ve never understood exactly why people would assert such… until now.)
Here’s the thing; apparently strict Calvinists, or Calvinist doctrine teach predestination and irresistible grace to such and extreme that the idea of spreading His Gospel seems pointless. While I now understand that point and why those assertions are made, I cannot understand how anyone would come to this conclusion particularly since it is so contrary to everything the bible teaches us about obedience and witnessing.
We are instructed to spread the Gospel. That is simply not a suggestion, or a request, it is a command. We are to spread the good news of Christ crucified and risen. Regardless of what we know, or think we know about God’s soveriegnty and the idea of ‘election’.
I’ve had a conversation with myself a time or two about this; “If God has elected people to salvation, then do I need to or not need to witness? Well of course I do! God did not hang signs around their necks saying ‘elect’, so I have no idea who is or is not ‘elect’. Nor do I know if it was God’s purpose for me to point the way for this individual or that individual, or not.”
There was more to that conversation, but I think you get the idea. Ultimately, I am reminded of operations at my work. When my company tells me that we will be doing something a certain way, or I am instructed to perform a duty, then my obligation is to do that duty, the way I am instructed, with just as much energy and enthusiasm as I should perform all of my duties. Until my name is on the sign in the front of the building, or until my company asks me for my opinion, then my job is to embrace the direction given to me and put my whole heart into doing that job, whether I understand all the whys and wherefore’s.
In looking around for some information for this post I came across some interesting commentary regarding Calvinism and Arminiansim. Some of the commentary I’ve seen touches on some difficulties I’ve had with calvinist doctrine, and the other as well. I’m going to do some research and try to hash out a few things regarding both doctrines and hopefully will gain some interpretive assistance from the Holy Spirit and report back to you regarding what I believe will be a biblically indestructible combination of two paradigmatically opposing doctrines.
Does Reformed doctrine reject/nullify evangelism? June 2, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Scripture.5 comments
This is the question I’m exploring now.
Reformed doctrine teaches the biblical principals of God’s soveriegnty, election, and predestination. This has been claimed by some to nullify the idea of evangelism, and I want to explore if that truly is the case. What I am up against though, is an argument that I have not seen fully fleshed out. The claim has been made, but the support has not been given.
Thus I am at a disadvantage when trying to work through all the ins and outs of the assertion, and I am in danger of supporting the truth that reformed doctrine does not nullify evangelism by creating strawmen and other logical fallacies.
So, the call goes out to any and everyone who believes that reformed doctrine does indeed nullify or reject the idea of evangelism to tell me why you believe this is the case. I will be honest up front and say that I doubt your arguments will sway me from the truth of scripture, but I’m sure they will provide me with a better understanding of what is not understood in scripture and the reasons it may be misunderstood.
Calvinism discussed… May 28, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.add a comment
What is Calvinism?
It is a series of theological beliefs first promoted by John Calvin (1509-1564). They were affirmed by the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619) as being the doctrine of salvation which is contained in the Bible. It laid the foundation for Reformed Theology.
Calvinism is often summarized by The Five Points of Calvinism, which are easy to recall by using the acrostic “TULIP:“
T: This usually stands for “Total depravity:” This is often mistaken to mean that humans are all hopelessly, intensely sinful. Actually, it means something quite different: as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God — the Fall of Man — sin has extended to all parts of every person’s being: “his thinking, his emotions and his will.”
Sometimes, this has been called “Total inability.” This is the concept that it is impossible for the ordinary “natural” human to understand the Gospel’s message. They are spiritually helpless. First, God must first decide to intervene in the form of the third personality within the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, the person is lost forever.
Rom 5:12 Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.
Mar 4:11 And He said to them, To you has been entrusted the mystery of the kingdom of God [that is, the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly]; but for those outside [of our circle] everything becomes a parable,
U: This stands for “Unconditional Election.” This is the concept of predestination: that God has divided humanity into two groups. One group is “the elected.” It includes all those whom God has chosen to make knowledgeable about himself. The rest will remain ignorant of God, and the Gospel. They are damned and will spend eternity in hell without any hope of mercy or cessation of the extreme tortures (I must point out that currently I have no firm belief system on the subject of hell other than that it is an eternity separated from the Glory of God - which to my mind would indeed be tortuous). God made this selection before the universe was created, and thus before any humans existed. The ground or grounds that God uses to select the lucky few is unknown. What is known is that it is not through any good works on the part of the individual. It is not that he extends knowledge to some in order to find out who will accept salvation and who will not.
There is a degree of tension within the Bible concerning precise division of responsibility between God and humans on this matter. The Bible does not resolve this issue.
Hyper-Calvinists believe that a person has zero responsibility for their own salvation; it is all up to God.
Arminians teach that humans have free will and thus can accept or resist the call of God
Rom 9:15 For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion. [Exod. 33:19.]
Rom 9:21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?
L: This stands for “Limited atonement” or “Particular Redemption.” This is the belief that Jesus did not die to save (justify) all humans. He only died for the sake of specific sins of those sinners who are saved. This idea is often misunderstood because scripture tells us that God desires that all men be saved. The truthful description of this doctrine is “unlimited atonement with limited application”:
Mat 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. [Exod. 24:6-8.]
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
I: This stands for “Irresistible Grace:” This is the belief that every human whom God has elected will inevitably come to a knowledge of God. The elect cannot resist the call.
Joh 6:44 No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day.
Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
1Pe 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
P: This stands for “Perseverance of the saints:” This is the “Once saved, always saved” belief — that everyone who has been saved (justified) will remain in that state. God will begin and continue a process of sanctification which will continue until they reach heaven. None are lost; it is impossible for them to lose their salvation.
Php 1:6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
Rom 8:28-39 We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. (29) For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. (30) And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. (31) What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] [Ps. 118:6.] (32) He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things? (33) Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?] (34) Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us? (35) Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword? (36) Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter. [Ps. 44:22.] (37) Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. (38) For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, (39) Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day.
Objections to Calvinism:
Universalism: This term has many meanings. Today’s most common meaning is that all individuals will eventually attain Heaven. None will be lost forever in Hell. Whether or not they have been saved during their lifetime is unimportant; the number and degree of sins that they have committed is also of no consequence. This belief system is so outrageously contradictory to so much of scripture it is a wonder anyone believing it can even say they’ve read or understood the Word of God.
Arminiansm: This is comprised of a series of beliefs which were first advocated by a break-away group of Dutch Calvinists. They teach beliefs that differ significantly from each of The Five Points of Calvinism:
- That each person is not spiritually helpless. She/he has free will and can choose to be saved
- God selected the Elect on the basis of his foreknowledge of who would respond and be saved.
- Jesus died so that everyone had a chance to be saved. But first, the person must choose to accept salvation.
- Man has free will and thus can resist the call of God.
Now then; I was raised understanding the belief (false belief) of man having free will and being able to accept or reject the salvation provided by Christ’s sacrificial atonement upon the cross, and it wasn’t until much later in my life after a complete rejection of all I was raised to believe and then through serious consideration of His Word and what it really said, that I understood those beliefs to be completely contrary to scripture its teachings of an omnipotent and soveriegn God.
Basically this belief system teaches us that God is dependent upon us. That He remains at our beck and call to be accepted or rejected as we see fit. It teaches that the best our Sovereign Lord could do was to look into the future and see who would or would not accept Him and then ‘elect’ those He foresaw as accepting Him. This belief system has at its foundation man’s utter arrogance and carnal need to be above his Creator…
Complete and utter hogwash.
One last detraction of Calvinism, or more directly; the doctrine of predestination and election, is that it somehow destroys evangelism. Once again, man placing his ability and input over that of the Sovereign God. Somehow, God is dependent upon us to spread His Word and ‘win souls’. I think however, that I will carry over the refutation of this nonsense to another post…
The Series: Romans 14 broken down May 15, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Scripture.2 comments
Rom 14:1-6 AS FOR the man who is a weak believer, welcome him [into your fellowship], but not to criticize his opinions or pass judgment on his scruples or perplex him with discussions. (2) One [man's faith permits him to] believe he may eat anything, while a weaker one [limits his] eating to vegetables. (3) Let not him who eats look down on or despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains criticize and pass judgment on him who eats; for God has accepted and welcomed him. (4) Who are you to pass judgment on and censure another’s household servant? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he shall stand and be upheld, for the Master (the Lord) is mighty to support him and make him stand. (5) One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike [sacred]. Let everyone be fully convinced (satisfied) in his own mind. (6) He who observes the day observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
It is apparent that differences of opinion existed with Christians even among the immediate followers of Christ Jesus, just as it is today. Paul used much of this chapter to discuss this idea, but he did not attempt to put an end to those differences of opinion yet chose to try to find a balance.
Paul makes distinction between those strong in the faith and those weak in the faith, and many scholars debate still as to who is who exactly. The most common understanding is that Paul referred to the converted Jews as those weak in the faith, but I would offer that he more so referred to those who take a legalistic view of faith, obedience, and doctrine as those who were weak. In that the view of ‘must do’ and ‘must not do’ in terms of Christianity offers a crutch to those who cannot release themselves to the truth of the Gospel given to us repeatedly as; salvation by Grace through faith, and not of works, or self-effort:
Rom 3:28 For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.]
Rom 4:5 But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God).
Eph 2:8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
Gal 2:16 Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). [Therefore] even we [ourselves] have believed on Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law [for we cannot be justified by any observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals and by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with God). [Ps. 143:2.]
The difficulty here is that this legalism, this weakness of faith, compels one to assent to doctrine or practices which one does not fully embrace. This hypocrisy avails the believer no benefit and leads unconstrained to self-righteousness.
I also believe that Paul understood that any attempts for producing absolute oneness of mind among Christians would be useless; but he desired instead to push the idea that Christian fellowship should not be disturbed with the ‘striving of words’. It would be wise for us to ask ourselves, when tempted to disdain and blame our brothers in Christ; “Does not God own them?” and if He does own them, dare I disown them?
Paul’s admonitions here are twofold: Let not the Christian who uses his liberty, despise his weak brother as ignorant and superstitious, and let not the scrupulous believer find fault with his liberated brother, for God accepted him, without regarding the distinctions of meats, days, etc. If we do so, we usurp the place of God, and take upon us the responsibility to judge the thoughts and intentions of others, which are out of our view.
Rom 14:7-13 None of us lives to himself [but to the Lord], and none of us dies to himself [but to the Lord, for] (8) If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord. (9) For Christ died and lived again for this very purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (10) Why do you criticize and pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon or despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. (11) For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise]. [Isa. 45:23.] (12) And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God. (13) Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavor never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother.
Although some are weak, and others are strong, all must agree not to live to themselves. No one who has given up his name to Christ is, or can be, a self-seeker; that is against true Christianity. The business of our lives is not to please ourselves, but to please God. That is true Christianity, which makes Christ all in all. Though Christians are of different strength, capacities, and practices in lesser things, they are all the Lord’s; all are looking and serving, and approving themselves to Christ.
Christians should not judge, in the spirit of condemnation, or despise one another, because both will have to give an account to the Lord. Every one of us should search his own heart and life; those of use who are strict in judging and humbling ourselves, will not be so ready to judge and despise his brother. Nor should we say or do things which may cause a brother to stumble or to fall, and nothing creates a more prominent stumbling block than judgment and condemnation.
Rom 14:14-18 I know and am convinced (persuaded) as one in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is [forbidden as] essentially unclean (defiled and unholy in itself). But [none the less] it is unclean (defiled and unholy) to anyone who thinks it is unclean. (15) But if your brother is being pained or his feelings hurt or if he is being injured by what you eat, [then] you are no longer walking in love. [You have ceased to be living and conducting yourself by the standard of love toward him.] Do not let what you eat hurt or cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died! (16) Do not therefore let what seems good to you be considered an evil thing [by someone else]. [In other words, do not give occasion for others to criticize that which is justifiable for you.] (17) [After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (18) He who serves Christ in this way is acceptable and pleasing to God and is approved by men.
Paul expresses his absolute certainty that nothing is essentially unclean for those who abide in the Lord – nothing in and of itself that is. He tells us though that if one views something as ‘unclean’, then it is; and because of that truth, we are not to engage in those things that pains our brothers. We should not give others an occasion to criticize us for our actions – regardless if we feel justified in those actions spiritually. Because the truth of the matter is that the Kingdom of God is not about getting or doing the things we like but in living in righteousness, peace, love and joy.
Basically, if we are in fellowship, and I view the use of foul language as unclean or improper and you do not view it as such and so continue to use such language in my presence, then you are no longer walking in love. I take the time here to remind us Christ Jesus’ command to us all:
Mat 22:36-40 Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light--which are heavy?] (37) And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). [Deut. 6:5.] (38) This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. (39) And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. [Lev. 19:18.] (40) These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.
Rom 14:19-23 So let us then definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual upbuilding (edification and development) of one another. (20) You must not, for the sake of food, undo and break down and destroy the work of God! Everything is indeed [ceremonially] clean and pure, but it is wrong for anyone to hurt the conscience of others or to make them fall by what he eats. (21) The right thing is to eat no meat or drink no wine [at all], or [do anything else] if it makes your brother stumble or hurts his conscience or offends or weakens him. (22) Your personal convictions [on such matters]–exercise [them] as in God’s presence, keeping them to yourself [striving only to know the truth and obey His will]. Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves [who does not convict himself by what he chooses to do]. (23) But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith. For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].
This then is the culmination of the concept of Christian liberty, and the truth concerning what we can do, cannot do, and more importantly what we should do or should not do.
We are admonished to eagerly work for harmony and the building up of each other, which is the foundation of a Body working together as detailed in Romans 12. We cannot edify one another, work together for the good of God’s purposes when we are quarreling about things that have no bearing on the truth of the Gospel; that of salvation by grace through faith and the glory of a Christ sacrificed on our behalf and raised again into eternal life.
Personal convictions on what is right, or wrong, are simply that: personal convictions. We must endeavor not to lead another brother (or sister) to participate in that which they feel is wrong, nor should we offend those brethren by subjecting them to our participating in those things.
Let me reiterate verse 21:
Rom 14:21 The right thing is to eat no meat or drink no wine [at all], or [do anything else] if it makes your brother stumble or hurts his conscience or offends or weakens him.
Certainly Paul refers specifically to eating and drinking in this verse, as the contention regarding the consumption of ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ foods was the specific quarrel he was addressing. However, that does not deter from the fact that Paul is clear in the concept he was presenting as a much broader concern. It is the right thing to not do something if it makes your brother stumble, if it causes him offense, or if it weakens his faith. That applies to everything in our lives be it eating pork, drinking wine, smoking, cussing, et al.
Some have taken the concepts in this chapter, particularly the first half, and have flipped the meaning in order to fly in the face of the sensibilities of other Christians and the spiritual leadership of their particular congregation. Basically they use this chapter to tell other Christians to ‘talk to the hand’ when they are approached regarding their behavior and their conformity to the ways of the world. This is simply wrong.
Indeed scripture does confirm that we have freedom in our lives that we have no condemnation, as adopted heirs to the glory of God, and Paul confirms this freedom in this chapter. However, this is not the intent of this writing by Paul. He was not telling us “Hey, as Christians we are basically free to do what we want the way we want so take your complaints and shove them.”
What he was telling us is; yes, we are free in Christ. Yes I view certain things as acceptable and I am free to participate in them, however, I understand that my participation in those things causes you offense, injures you in your faith, and subsequently I will abstain from those things in the spirit of love and unity. If I place my personal convictions of freedom over my concerns for your spiritual welfare, then I am not walking in love as commanded by Christ Jesus.
The Series… Sanctifcation May 11, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.1 comment so far
In the previous post we discussed justification as Christ’s righteousness imputed to us through God’s grace by faith (a reliance upon and trust in Him). That justification, a one time adoption as heirs to the Glory of God breeds regeneration (a new birth as new creatures in Christ) thus leading us to sanctification and continuing (progressive) sanctification:
Sanctification [positional], is to be set apart, to be made holy. A status conferred not by moral transformation but by the sacrifice of Christ:
Heb 10:10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One).
Through faith and grace, through the sacrificial atonement of Christ Jesus we are set apart, we are made holy, in the eyes of God, and thus in the eyes of the world. This is the keystone to Christianity and the failure of the idea of being able to do whatever we want to do, however we want to do it. As new creations in Him, we are to be Christ-like in our lives, our witness is not in only what we say, but how we live.
Not only have we been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) once and for all, we continue in ongoing process of sanctification that conforms us to the image of Christ:
Php 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). (13) [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
2Co 3:18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
Heb 12:14 Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!
What exactly are we being told by God’s Holy Inspired Word? We are told that we are to work on our sanctification with trust and reverence to the power of God working in us, that we are not to trust in, and be cautious of, our own ideas and to guard against those things that would discredit the name of Christ. We are told that we do this continually and to grow in His grace from now until the day we leave this earth and that without this pursuit of holiness others may not ever see the Lord.
How more plain can scripture be? We are to strive to be Christ-like in all that we do, we are to place our faith and trust in Him to cause this holiness to come to fruition for we cannot do it in and of ourselves, and that if we do not continue in this pursuit, the world will not see Him.
Since we are admonished to preach the Gospel to all peoples, and to go out to all nations making disciples it is a no-brainer to understand that the way we act, the way we live, is as important, if not more so, than what we say.
Preach the Gospel at all times; and if necessary, use words.
So, what’s the deal then? What of ‘Christian liberty’ and the freedom from condemnation if we cannot live the lives we want to live? The answer is simple:
We are set apart by the most righteous God to be His representatives to the unsaved world. We cannot represent Him if we are ‘wearing’ the ways of the world.
He is not of this world and the things of this world, and as His representatives here in this world, we cannot be of this world and the things of this world either. If your neighbor or co-worker cannot look at you on a daily basis and see the light of God shinning from you in the way you act, the things you say, or the way you say them, then that neighbor or co-worker cannot see God.
Christian liberty is not the freedom to be, or behave, in any fashion we choose. It is the freedom from death and condemnation for the sins we have committed or may commit.
This then brings us to the pragmatic issues of Christianity and the Christian life; hypocricy, self-righteousness, striving to be a ‘good Christian’, legalism, et al. These are the big issues, these are the tough issues. Do we pretend to be ‘holy’ when we want to cuss and scream? Do we risk acting as if something we do not feel in our hearts that we truly are? Do we rely on what we ‘feel’ or what we know?
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
This will be the underpinning purpose here at JP’s Mind; to address the practical issues of daily Christianity from time to time, in order to pursue my own holiness through Him as well as help others in their own pursuits.
The Series… Salvation (Justification) vs. Sanctification May 11, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.1 comment so far
“What we have here, is a failure to communicate…”
Christians and the bulk of ‘Christianity’ discuss salvation ad nauseum. You must be ’saved’, salvation is by Grace through faith, etc. etc. etc… What is at issue is the umbrella term ’salvation’ being used to discuss the entirety of a variety of meanings - justification, regeneration, sanctification, glorification, and more.
In my ‘Statement of Faith’ page, I’ve outlined the aspects of salvation, here it is again for discussion:
Salvation
Salvation is the gift of God, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins; that this salvation is the possession of those who by faith accept Christ as their personal Savior. I believe that there is no other way of salvation
In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith, a gift from God, is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.
Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Let’s look at the peices and try to determine where the bible addresses the idea of ‘Christian Liberty’ in terms of salvation;
Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
The ‘Christian’ life begins with justification by grace, through faith:
Rom 3:24-25 [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, (25) Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.
Rom 4:22-25 That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God). (23) But [the words], It was credited to him, were written not for his sake alone, (24) But [they were written] for our sakes too. [Righteousness, standing acceptable to God] will be granted and credited to us also who believe in (trust in, adhere to, and rely on) God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, (25) Who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification (our acquittal), [making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God]. Rom 5:1-2 THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (2) Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.
Rom 5:19 For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).
This justification in the eyes of God, is an adoption into the family of God:
Gal 4:4-7 But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to [the regulations of] the Law, (5) To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God's sons]. (6) And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father! (7) Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ.
This ‘adoption’ as sons and daughters of the Righteous God is the beginning. This justification is what ’saves’ us from the wrath of God - the wages of our ’sin’:
Rom 5:9 Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.
We must realize however, know in our minds and our hearts, that this righteousness, this justification, is imputed to us, it is given to us freely by God’s grace, that there is nothing we have done, or ever could do, to earn it or deserve it:
Php 3:9 And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith
From the point of justification by grace through faith we move into a state of repentance (I want to point out that faith is not mere ‘belief’, it is something much deeper; it is better defined as a trust in, a clinging to, a reliance on Him). True repentance represents a turning to God, a turning from evil, and an intent to serve God (1Th 1:9 For they themselves volunteer testimony concerning us, telling what an entrance we had among you, and how you turned to God from [your] idols to serve a God Who is alive and true and genuine, ). It involves the intellectual recognition of sin (Rom 3:20 For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character]), an emotional change of feeling for sin committed against a holy and just God (2Co 7:9-10 Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained, but because you were pained into repentance [and so turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that in nothing you might suffer loss through us or harm for what we did. (10) For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death]), and a willful turning away from sin (1Pe 3:11 Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!] .
Upon true repentance we move into regeneration. Regeneration is at its simplest definition: a new birth (Jn. 3:3, Tit. 3:5) that makes us new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) through the work of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:5-8).
(let me state that regeneration and repentance are not mutually exclusive, or necessarily linear, but are hand-in-hand aspects of ’salvation’, we continually repent and are continually undergoing regeneration.)
This this leads us to the real crux of the Christian life; Sanctification and progressive sanctification, which we will pursue in the next part of ‘The Series’.
The Series… Being all things to all people May 4, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Scripture.add a comment
1Co 9:19-23 For although I am free in every way from anyone’s control, I have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that I might gain the more [for Christ]. (20) To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to men under the Law, [I became] as one under the Law, though not myself being under the Law, that I might win those under the Law. (21) To those without (outside) law I became as one without law, not that I am without the law of God and lawless toward Him, but that I am [especially keeping] within and committed to the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. (22) To the weak (wanting in discernment) I have become weak (wanting in discernment) that I might win the weak and overscrupulous. I have [in short] become all things to all men, that I might by all means (at all costs and in any and every way) save some [by winning them to faith in Jesus Christ]. (23) And I do this for the sake of the good news (the Gospel), in order that I may become a participator in it and share in its [blessings along with you].
I would like to say that no other passage in all of His Holy Inspired Word was as misinterpreted and misapplied as this passage, however, that would not be accurate as we continue to come accross doctrine and belief that adheres to a particular understanding in complete ignorance of the totality of scripture (universal restoration perhaps cheif among these beliefs…).
I will say though, that being all things to all peoples is right up there among the top and is evidenced by the growing popularity of the ‘emergent’ church, and the mega-churches we see out there in the world.
Let’s break this down:
In the beginning of this passage Paul writes of being free from any man’s control. Let us understand the cultural significance of this: Paul was a free-born, a citizen of Rome. He was in bondage to none, nor depended upon any for his subsistence; yet he made himself a servant to all, that he might gain the more. He behaved as a servant; he worked for their good as a servant; he was careful to please, as a servant to his master; he acted in many cases as if he had no privileges; and this that he might gain the more, or make the more converts to Christianity. He made himself a servant, that they might be made free.
Verse 20 is fairly easy to understand; while Paul understood that the ceremonial law was a yoke taken off by Christ, in many instances he submitted to it, that he might work upon the Jews, remove their prejudices, prevail with them to hear the gospel, and win them over to Christ. These leads us to verse 21, where the trouble begins:
21) To those without (outside) law I became as one without law, not that I am without the law of God and lawless toward Him, but that I am [especially keeping] within and committed to the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.
Paul is not saying that he became lawless and depraved in order to win those people. Let us understand who those ‘without law’ truly are: Gentiles, whether converted to the Christian faith or not.
Matthew Henry writes this:
In innocent things he could comply with people’s usages or humours for their advantage. He would reason with the philosophers in their own way. And, as to converted Gentiles, he behaved among them as one that was not under the bondage of the Jewish laws, as he had asserted and maintained concerning them, though he did not act as a lawless person, but as one who was bound by the laws of Christ. He would transgress no laws of Christ to please or humour any man; but he would accommodate himself to all men, where he might do it lawfully, to gain some. Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles, and so, one would have thought, might have excused himself from complying with the Jews; and yet, to do them good, and win them over to Christ, he did, in innocent things, neglect the power he had to do otherwise, and conformed to some of their usages and laws. And though he might, by virtue of that character, have challenged authority over the Gentiles, yet he accommodated himself, as much as he innocently might, to their prejudices and ways of thinking.
The the weak he encouraged and lifted them up. He did not judge nor despise them, nor did he leave them behind in their weakness, or become a stumbling block through his use of his liberty, he refrained himself. He denied himself for their sakes, that he might insinuate into their affections, and gain their souls. Paul basically is saying:
I did not shock them. I complied with their customs. I conformed to them in my dress, habits, manner of life, and even in the services of religion. I abstained from food which they deemed it their duty to abstain from; and where, if I had partaken of it, I should have offended them.
Now comes the bane of this whole passage: I have [in short] become all things to all men, that I might by all means (at all costs and in any and every way) save some [by winning them to faith in Jesus Christ].
This is what we see in the history of Paul’s life: He did not disobey the law of God, thus we can surmise that in this passage Paul is telling us:
I became all things to all men, that I might by all, lawful, means gain some. I would not sin against God to save the soul of my neighbor, but I would very cheerfully and readily deny myself. The rights of God I could not give up, but I might resign my own, and I very often did so for the good of others.
So, where does that leave us? We have ‘Christians’ who claim that through their liberty in Christ, their freedom from the yoke of the law, that they are able to engage in any behavior of which they choose. Their language is riddled with profanity, their general behavior is nearly, or entirely, indistinguishable from any other person on the street.
There are churches that promote and attempt to justify making their ministries conformed to the ways of the world, because they seemingly ‘preach the gospel’. More often than not they use Paul’s words as justification for being no different than the world.
The problem is not in the idea that Christian liberty does indeed give us freedom in some respects, but that the ideas presented as Christian liberty and being all things to all people do not take into account the entirety of the Word of God. What is needed here is a balance between what Paul writes in 1 Cor 9:22 and what he writes in Rom 12:1-2:
Rom 12:1-2 I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. (2) Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
There is a tension here, but it can be, and must be balanced if we are to be the light:
Eph 5:8 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].
Mat 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. (16) Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
Christian Liberty; the series… April 25, 2008
Posted by JP in Bible Study/Reference, Discussion, Faith, Scripture.add a comment
Over the next few posts I will be exploring these ideas and hopefully together (me, fellows in Christ, and the Holy Spirit) we can come to some agreement on what Christian Liberty means, and what it doesn’t mean. To start this exploration I offer a sermon from John Piper entitled “I Will Not Be Enslaved By Anything” :
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two shall become one flesh.” But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Friday morning I looked out the bedroom window as I was buttoning my shirt and saw a parable of modern American life. A middle-aged man in a three-piece green suit was walking westward toward our house on the north side of 18th Street. He had something yellow in his right hand, perhaps a banana peel or potato chip bag. I couldn’t tell. As he walked along, he looked to his left across the street. Then he turned and looked behind him. And then he tossed the yellow thing over the fence by the freeway.
Two Marks of Secular American Life
In that little episode there are at least two marks of secular American life. One is practical atheism. And the other is physical hedonism.
1. Practical Atheism
The freeway fence was on his right concealing him with bushes. He could see to the front as he walked. The ground was underneath. And he covered himself to the left and behind with a glance. Why didn’t he look up? Because at that moment he was a practical atheist. There might have been someone to the left or behind that mattered. But there was no one in heaven that mattered. American life is by and large atheistic when it comes to bananas and potato chips. What people say is not what shows their practical atheism. It’s whether they look up when they think they are alone.
2. Physical Hedonism
The other mark of American life I saw was physical hedonism. Why did this fellow want to throw the yellow thing away instead of carrying it to a can? Because it was inconvenient to carry. It was annoying, unpleasant.
But why did he look over his shoulder before he tossed it? Because his conscience told him it was an action that is not good and that people would disapprove. So a minor skirmish went on in his soul. It lasted about five seconds. “Shall I opt for the pleasure of not carrying this thing? Or shall I opt for the pleasure of a clear conscience?” It clearly was not much of a battle. The physical pleasure won out. And that is another mark of our culture. Physical hedonism. If it feels good to your body, why deny yourself? The curse of our culture is that physical pleasures are desired more strongly than spiritual joy.
And of course the two things go together: practical atheism and physical hedonism. Once God is out of the picture, then my conscience has no ultimate significance as a part of God’s image, and so, “Let us eat, drink, and litter the freeway, for tomorrow we die—and that’s it.” If you can just keep God out of the bananas and potato chips of your life, then you can proceed with your indulgences.
The Goal of This Message
The point of the story is simply to help you remember what I am about to unpack from this text—that we who are not atheists, but believers in Jesus Christ, will not be the slaves of physical pleasure. When the battle begins in our own soul, we will look up, and by the power of the Spirit of God, we will be free from the desires of the body. We will not be enslaved by anything.
The goal of this message is the fulfillment of 1 Corinthians 6:20 in your lives. “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We’ve said it a thousand times, but do we sit down to the table before our food and drink and do what the word says? Do we eat to the glory of God? Do we drink to the glory of God? How can we?
Reading the Text Backwards
Let’s focus our attention on 1 Corinthians 6:12–14.
12. “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. 13. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.
To understand these verses we need to read them backward—take the last words first. At the end of verse 13 Paul says, “The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us.”
The Body Is for the Lord
The body is for the Lord! Your body has been given to you for one reason: to be an instrument for glorifying Christ (6:20). The way you use your body and the way you take care of your body should communicate that the glory of Christ is all-satisfying.
The Lord Is for the Body
Then he says that not only is the body for the Lord, “the Lord is for the body.” That is, Christ is not indifferent to the body. He cares about it. He puts a premium on how we make use of it. He makes the body his temple (6:19). He is “for the body”—not against it, and not indifferent to it.
God Will Raise Our Bodies
Finally Paul says (in verse 14), “God raised the Lord and he will raise us.” In other words the body will never lose its importance. It may decay for a season in the grave. But it will be raised and restored. God gave Jesus a resurrection body and God will give us a resurrection body. The resurrection is God’s final declaration that he is for the body.
“Food for the Stomach and the Stomach for Food”
What are we to make, then, of the first part of verse 13? “‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’—and God will destroy both one and the other.” This sounds like a view that is exactly the opposite of the one we just described. It sounds like an argument that says: the body is just going to decay in the ground anyway; so it has no real moral significance; it’s just here to process food for a while and then it’s gone.
I think that is exactly what it did mean in the mouth of some of the Corinthians. It was probably a slogan: “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food!”—pass the potatoes. Probably they used this slogan for sex and drink as well. “Sex for the body and the body for sex!” That’s probably why Paul switches from food to sexual immorality in the second part of verse 13 (where he says, “the body is not for immorality”).
Some of the Corinthians had a view of the body that made what they did with it morally indifferent. In 1 Corinthians 5:2 they actually boasted about an act of incest in the church. In 11:21 some of them even got drunk at the Lord’s Supper. They reasoned: the body and food and drink and sex are going to be destroyed in the end. There will only be free spirits. So the body does not matter. You can eat and drink and have sex any way you like because the body is morally irrelevant. It’s what you know and think that really counts (8:1–3).
Paul opposed this view with all his might. He gave them a new and radically different slogan: “The body is for the Lord and the Lord is for the body.” The body is not just going to be destroyed; it is going to be raised. The body is not morally indifferent. It is for the glory of God.
So what you have in verses 13 and 14 is a Corinthian slogan used to justify immorality and drunkenness and overeating, and then Paul’s response to it.
“All Things Are Lawful for Me”
That is also what we have in verse 12: a slogan and Paul’s responses to it.
“All things are lawful for me,”
but not all things are helpful.
“All things are lawful for me,”
but I will not be enslaved by anything.
It may well be that the words, “All things are lawful for me,” come from Paul’s own teaching, because he does not deny their truth. He does not say, “No, all things are NOT lawful for me.” I think, in fact, that he agrees with the slogan. But he means something very different by it than the loose people in Corinth.
He means that when you cease to live by legal lists of dos and don’ts, you must start to live by Christian love and Christian liberty. Yes, the old law of the letter that coerces the flesh with threatenings should give way. We are no longer under law (Romans 6:14). We are under the sway of grace. Now what?
Two Guidelines for Living
Paul answers in verse 12 with two guidelines which I have called the law of love and the law of liberty.
1. The Law of Love
First, he says, “All right, all things are permitted in one sense, we should not live under external legal constraints; BUT NOT ALL THINGS ARE HELPFUL.” In other words, don’t ask, “What do I HAVE to do?” Instead ask, “What is HELPFUL to do?”
I call this the law of love because it’s love that wants to be helpful to others. Paul makes the connection between helpfulness and love in a round about way. Notice in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that being helpful is explained as building others up: “All things are lawful, but not all things are HELPFUL. All things are lawful, but not all things BUILD UP.” Helpful things are things that build others up in their faith.
But then notice in 1 Corinthians 8:1 how Paul relates the act of love to the act of building others up. “Knowledge puffs up, but LOVE BUILDS UP.” So if love is what builds up and if building up is what Paul means by being helpful, then the point of 6:12 (when it says, “not all things are helpful”) is that we should let our lives be guided by the law of love.
Surely this is the “law” Paul had in mind in Galatians 6:2 when he said, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” And in 1 Corinthians 9:21, when he said, “To those outside the law I became as one outside the law—not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ—that I might win those outside the law.” We are not under the law as a mere external constraint. We are under grace which provides an internal constraint to love, that is, to be helpful and build others up in faith.
2. The Law of Liberty
Second, Paul says in 6:12, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything.” In other words, not only let your actions be guided by the law of love, but also let them be guided by the law of liberty. Don’t ask, “Am I permitted to do this as a Christian?” Instead ask, “Am I a slave to this act? Is this food or drink or sex or hobby or work becoming my master instead of my servant?”
What is the LAW OF LIBERTY? It is simply the control of the Holy Spirit from within. Paul says in Romans 8:2, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.” In other words the working of the Spirit is a LAW OF LIBERTY. It frees from the power of sin and death. “For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!” (2 Corinthians 3:17; see James 1:25; 2:12).
So there are two laws that govern the behavior and habits of a Christian: the law of love (”Will this be helpful, will it upbuild?”), and the law of liberty (”Will this enslave me, will it addict me?”).
How These Two Laws Relate to Each Other
If we ask how these two laws relate to each other, Galatians 5:13 gives an answer, “You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.” Freedom is more foundational than love. Inner freedom is the spring; love is the water that flows out in “helpfulness” to others. The inner work of the Holy Spirit, freeing us from the enslavements of all but God, is the source of love.
So the most basic challenge 1 Corinthians 6:12–14 has to give is: preserve your freedom in Christ! Can you say with Paul, “I will not be enslaved by anything!”?
Two Biblical Motivations to Live in Freedom
I close with two biblical motivations for why you should strive to free yourself from all enslavements, whether to food or drink or lust or laziness or work. First, because slavery is so dangerous. And second, because freedom is so wonderful.
1. The Danger of Slavery
First, slavery is so dangerous. Here is what I mean. The persistent refusal to say no to an enslaving habit (like overeating) runs the risk of hardening your conscience so that you no longer feel guilty for that enslavement. And then others become more easy to justify and pretty soon it can happen that the whole biblical concept of spiritual warfare and vigilance and self-denial and self-control drops out of your life.
“Let him who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall!” Do you think you are beyond the possibility of making shipwreck of your faith? Where do you think backsliders and apostates come from? They come from people who, little by little, in things that are seemingly unimportant, ignored the voice of God in their own conscience. “Food for the body, the body for food—both will decay in the grave someday; its not important how I eat or drink.”
Why does God record for us in Hebrews 12:16–17 the tragedy of Esau with these words: “Do not be . . . like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears”?
How did Hymenaeus and Alexander fall away from the Lord? 1 Timothy 1:19 tells us: “By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith, among them Hymenaeus and Alexander.” What do you expect the spiritual consequences to be when day after day you reject the voice of conscience and yield to the enslavement of food or drink or lust?
What did Paul mean when he wrote to the Philippians, “I tell you now with tears that many live as enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction and whose god is their belly” (Philippians 3:18–19)?
Why did Paul command the Corinthians, “Run that you may obtain the prize. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:25–27)?
Why, in his first and perhaps only sermon to the governor Felix, did the apostle Paul choose for his sermon outline: “Justice, SELF-CONTROL, and future judgment” (Acts 24:25)? If you had one sermon to preach to a governor from prison, would your second point be self-control?
Why did Jesus say, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell”?
God has said all these things for our sake! They are written that we might realize that bringing the body under control is no minor matter! “All things are lawful for me, BUT I WILL NOT BE ENSLAVED BY ANYTHING!” Cast off the bondage of your body. You were not meant to be led like a dog on the leash of lust or hunger.
2. The Wonder of Freedom
The second reason we should strive to free ourselves from all enslavements is that freedom is so wonderful.
When that man in the three-piece suit chose the pleasure of an empty hand swinging at his side over the pleasure of a clear conscience, did he choose JOY?!!! “Happy is the man who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves,” says the apostle Paul (Romans 14:22). Persistent yielding to the inordinate desires of the body against the voice of conscience is a life of misery!
But to turn and do the opposite: to avail yourself of the law of the Spirit of life within, and to feel yourself bearing the fruit of self-control, and to pommel the rebel body into submission until it is no longer a master but a servant—this is victory and this is joy!
Brothers and sisters, you were bought with a price. Your bodies count. They are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Glorify God in your bodies: receive his gifts of pleasure with gratitude, and deny yourselves all excesses by the liberating addiction of his majesty.
