Free to Please Our Savior

by Eldon DeBoer

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” Galatians 5:1 (NASB)

It is not news that people love freedom. But, sadly, people often abuse their newly found freedom and end up hurting others, as we have just recently seen in the news. For those who learn the message of grace there may be the tendency to “sin that grace may abound” and flaunt freedom at the expense of others (Galatians 5:17-21; Romans 6:1ff.).

So what was Paul talking about in Galatians 5:1 where he declared, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free”? He was talking about freedom from slavery to the law. The false teaching that many of the believers of Galatia (now central Turkey) had bought into had brought them back into slavery to rules and regulations because it set forth that they had to keep on obeying certain rules and regulations to know or prove that they were secure in their eternal relationship with Christ. After presenting the illustration that compared the son of the slave woman (Hagar) with the son of the free woman (Sarah), Paul declares what God had done for them and drew attention to the freedom that He had planned for them in Galatians 5:1. God wants us to experience freedom from slavery to a set of rules that can keep us in bondage.

The apostle then explained in what follows in Galatians 5 that believers are free to walk by the Spirit and show the fruit of the Spirit in their life. Far from flaunting freedom, believers should reveal that they are of Christ Jesus by putting to death the old sin nature (5:24). They are now truly free to glorify the Lord in their life in the power of the Spirit. In another place Paul declared by the Spirit, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” Therefore, believers are free to be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Praise God! By His grace we are free to please and honor the One who has set us free, the Savior. When we know we are absolutely secure in our eternal relationship with Christ Jesus because of His promise (John 6:47), we are truly free to love others out of love for the Lord. May we keep on trusting in Him for the grace that is necessary so that our “faith [is] working through love” for the benefit of those around us that are in need.

Grace for Loving God with All Your Mind

by Eldon DeBoer

Then one of [the Pharisees], a lawyer, asked [Jesus] a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40)

What did Jesus mean when He said, “On these two commands hang all the Law and the Prophets”?

True spiritual understanding and application of the entire Word of God that is acceptable to Him hangs on or depends on whether or not you continue to love God and love your neighbor.

In addition to loving with all our heart, soul and mind, Mark 12:28-31 states that we are to love God and love our neighbor with all our “strength.” Jesus is saying that we are to love God and love our neighbor with everything we have.

How do we love God with all our mind? Three answers to this question will be addressed here; Ponder truth, concentrate on the truth that is crucial to your life right now and be alert to the doublethink problem.

I. Ponder Truth.

This is something that Jesus did so that by the time He was 12 years old His questions and answers directed at teachers in the temple brought astonishment.

[Joseph and Mary] found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. (Luke 2:46-47)

If we are going to be like Jesus, we will make it a priority in our life to ponder truth. If we claim we love God, we will ponder truth.

2 John clarifies that above all we must make it a priority to ponder and know the truth of the Person and Work of Christ Jesus. Titus 1:9 teaches that leaders of the church should know the truth as taught by the apostles of Christ to the extent that they are equipped to counter false teachings (cp. Matthew 7:15-21).

II. Concentrate on What Is Crucial to Your Life Right Now.

We love God and our neighbors with all our minds by concentrating on the truth that is especially needful and applicable in our life right now. What is the crucial truth needful for you life right now? As stated above, the truth of Christ Jesus is always crucial and is clearly applicable in your life in your relationship with God and in your relationships with others (Philippians 2:1-12; cp. 3:8-10).

Many other truths may be crucial to your life right now. What particular area of Bible study is important for you to grasp at this time? What truth is of crucial importance in your life right now in order to love God with all your mind? Maybe its the truth related to worry. Or fear. Or forgiveness. (See the related articles about these teachings.)

If we are going to love God and love our neighbor with all our mind we need to concentrate on the truth that is crucial for application in our life right now.

III. Be Alert to the Doublethink Problem

The term doublethink was coined by George Orwell in his book, 1984. According to what he wrote in his novel double thinking is “holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them . . .”

In Orwell's work he presents Winston, one of his characters, and wrote of Winston and what he was thinking about:

[Winston's] mind slid away into the labyrinthine world of doublethink. To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully-constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which canceled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them; to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, . . .

When it comes to loving God and loving one's neighbor here is an example of doublethink:

Jesus is my friend but I don't need to be too concerned about obeying His commands. But consider what Jesus said in John 15:10-14. He clarified that you cannot conclude that you love Him or that He is your friend if you are not concerned about obeying His commands.

If we are not making it a priority to take in His teachings from His Word can we really honestly say we are His friends? Or are we guilty of double thinking?

Here is another example of doublethink:

Everlasting life is a gift from God with no strings attached but I have to do more than believe in Christ Jesus to receive it, keep it or know I have it.

It seems to me (and I may be wrong) that there is more double thinking going in this area in Christendom today than in any other area of Bible teaching. But it seems to me that even when people are guilty of doublethink in this important area of Bible teaching, if they have believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and if they love God with all their heart, soul and strength they are pleasing the Lord and may be storing up reward for eternity. Believers may unknowingly be guilty of doublethink as related to everlasting life and may not be thinking in a manner that is consistent with the biblical teaching. However, the question remains as to whether or not they can truly love God with all their mind if when they are confronted with the truth that corrects their thinking they refuse to admit they were thinking wrongly. God knows their hearts.

None of us think perfectly about truth. It is likely, if not probable, that each and everyone of us is guilty of doublethink in certain areas of our understanding of truth. But if we claim to love God with all our mind we should want to keep on growing in our understanding of the truth of His Word and the application thereof. We should want to avoid the doublethink problem as much as we possibly can.

Keep asking God to bring to your attention any doublethink problem that you may have.

If we love God with all our mind we will ponder truth, concentrate on truth that is especially needful for our life right now and will want to be alert to the doublethink problem.

Keep on crying out to the Lord for the grace to love Him more with all your mind.

Grace for Forgiving from Your Heart

by Eldon DeBoer

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?''

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22

Peter probably thought he was being very generous when he asked this question about forgiveness. Certainly forgiving “up to seven times” goes beyond what God requires of us. Louis Barbieri, Jr., notes that “the traditional Rabbinic teaching was that an offended person needed to forgive a brother only three times” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 62). In what follows in Matthew 18, Peter’s lack of understanding becomes obvious in the story that Jesus told about the king and his two servants. Apparently Peter did not realize the application of God’s forgiveness to forgiving others. It seems that he did not have much appreciation for the truth that the Lord had forgiven him a huge debt of sin. He did not apply the foundational truth that we all need to understand in order to forgive from the heart.

When Jesus told Peter that we should keep on forgiving up to 490 times, he was not saying that we should keep a ledger of the sins against us. The expression, “up to seventy times seven,” emphasizes that we should keep on forgiving and not keep track of the number of times someone sins against us.

The words of Jesus at the conclusion of the parable powerfully communicate the importance of forgiving from the heart. If we do not forgive from our hearts, we can count on being tortured. We should not be surprised when we experience emotional torture within because we have refused to forgive someone. The emotional torture from refusing to forgive can result in serious spiritual and psychological problems.

Jesus taught that refusing to forgive is itself a sin and breaks fellowship with God (Matthew 6:14-15). When a believer refuses to forgive, God will not forgive him until it is confessed as sin (1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:1-5). This is forgiveness for fellowship with God in this life. Every believer remains forgiven in Christ forever whether he or she forgives or not (Ephesians 1:7). The importance of forgiving others and the sin of refusing to forgive in Matthew 6 and 18 has to do with continuing in fellowship in a meaningful relationship with Jesus here and now in this life.

What does it mean to forgive someone?

When we forgive someone we put away the person’s sin against us. The word translated forgive (aphiemi) means to put away. When we forgive, as far as we are concerned, the person is no longer guilty of his sin against us. This is what Jesus did when He was being crucified (Luke 23:34). He put away their sin of crucifying Him and therefore they would not receive immediate judgment from God for that sin.

After Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, He told them, “Loose him and let him go” (John 11:44, NKJV). “Let . . . go” is the translation of aphiemi. This provides a fitting analogy that addresses attention to what we do for people when we forgive them. When we forgive someone we no longer keep the person in bondage to the guilt of their sin. As far as we are concerned the person is not guilty. We let him go and he thereby is set free from his guilt against us. This does not mean that an individual should never be held accountable for his sin against us. At times justice must be applied. This will be addressed at another time.

Peter’s lack of understanding concerning God’s standards for forgiving one another is not unusual among believers. Many believers do not understand the application of this truth. But what is it that believers need to grasp in order to forgive from the heart? The parable Jesus told provides the answer.

Heart-felt Forgiveness Flows from Being Forgiven a Huge Debt

In this parable the king of the servant who has incurred a huge debt is God the Father Himself. There are a number of views concerning what a talent would be worth in today’s currency, but according to one source the amount equaled about 15 years wages. If you earned an average of $30,000 a year multiplied times 15, times 10,000, your debt would be $4,500,000,000. The main point of the Lord’s illustration is that since God has forgiven us so very much, we are to forgive others from our hearts. If you appreciate the huge debt of sin that God has forgiven you, you will keep on forgiving others who sin against you. This is precisely what the servant did not do. His lack of appreciation for how much his lord had forgiven him was expressed in his refusal to forgive a fellow servant of a far lesser debt of sin. Consequently, he was handed over to the torturers (cp. Hebrews 12:4-15).

Our sins are ultimately against our holy heavenly Father.

The two servants in the story Jesus told are both representative of believers in Christ Jesus. The wicked servant who refused to forgive had incurred a debt beyond his ability to repay. When we sin against our holy God, we should understand that we are unable to pay back the debt we owe due to our sins. We do not have the ability to repay our Lord for sins committed against Him. Our sins are too great. All the Father asks is that we go to him and admit our need of His forgiveness. God always treats us in grace and forgives us because our debt has been paid through the suffering and death of Christ Jesus. The wicked servant had been forgiven by his lord. But when he refused to forgive a fellow servant, he was turned over to the torturers because of his sin of refusing to forgive. We should keep in mind that ultimately our sins are sins against our holy God and only His forgiveness removes the sin and the guilt. David understood this and expressed his indebtedness to God. After he had confessed his sin of adultery against Uriah and Bathsheba, he said to the Lord,

Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight

That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. (Psalm 51:4)

David was well aware that he was worthy of death. And he knew that God could take His Spirit from him (Psalm 51:11). (While this cannot happen to a believer today in the Church Age, it could happen to believers in the Old Testament. Believers today fully receive the Spirit when they believe in Jesus and He continues to indwell them no matter how sinful they might become.) When we sin against the Lord God we should understand that all sins, whether seemingly significant or insignificant to us, are offenses against our holy heavenly Father and are huge in His sight.

Yet some sins cause more damage than others. It could be that the wicked servant is an illustration of a believer who has received forgiveness for a sin that has caused a great deal of damage to others. Whatever the case, the teaching is clear. Believers should maintain forgiving hearts because the holy God has forgiven them a huge debt of sin.

Sins and offenses against you

When someone does something that hurts you, there are times when the person who has offended you may not even be aware of the hurt that has been caused. Then, to the other extreme, there are sins that obviously are motivated by maliciousness. There are offenses that are perceived to be damaging which may not even be sinful at all. Sometimes we can be too sensitive about what others do to us. Whatever the case, when we feel that someone has hurt us, God calls us to forgive them. When we have disagreements with others or complaints against others for whatever reason, the Lord says,

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3:12-13)

May we forgive from the heart because we appreciate that we have been forgiven a huge debt of sin by our holy God and thereby be free of the emotional torture that results from refusing to forgive.

Emotional Torture: A Result of Refusing to Forgive

Matthew 18:35; Ephesians 4:29-5:2; Colossians 3:1-16

Jesus warned those who do not forgive from the heart that they would be turned over to the torturers (Matthew 18:35). The heavenly Father will bring severe discipline upon those who refuse to forgive (Hebrews 12:3-15). Often this discipline from the Father includes emotional torture.

The Lord calls us to forgive as He has forgiven us in Christ.

Since God has forgiven us a huge debt of sin we are to forgive others. This is an important part of the Spirit of the Lord’s concern as He moved the Apostle Paul to write Ephesians. Having proclaimed the truth of the everlasting spiritual blessing of our forgiveness in Christ (Ephesians 1:7), Paul emphasizes the importance of forgiving one another:

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Forgiving one another is what accompanies being kind and tenderhearted. If believers prominently keep in mind the forgiveness that was bought and paid for by Jesus (Ephesians 5:1-2), they should keep on maintaining a forgiving heart. Notice that Paul points to God’s forgiveness as the basis for our forgiveness. The word translated forgive in this passage emphasizes grace in forgiveness (charizomai). We communicate kindness and tenderheartedness as we keep on forgiving others.

Our emotional vulnerability when angry

The fact that we should guard against not letting go of justified anger or righteous wrath before we go to bed is clear from what we are told in Ephesians 4:26-27:

"'Be angry (orgizo) and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath (parorgismos) nor give place to the devil" (note the root word orge found in parorgismos).

We should never go to sleep filled with anger, even though our anger may be justified because of the hurt and injury that someone caused. May we look to the Lord for the grace to put our righteous wrath to rest against those who have sinned against us or, possibly, others as well. This warning is accompanied by the real danger that even righteous wrath might turn to bitterness and sinful anger and that this may be used by the devil and his cohorts to bring us into spiritual bondage.

We understand from personal experience that often our emotions cause us to lose the ability to think clearly. When sinful emotions take over we are “in the dark” spiritually. God tells us we should be alert to this and we must draw upon His grace to overcome these harmful emotions.

Put away the emotions that torture you because you refuse to forgive.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Ephesians 4:31

At times, when we are reminded of the hurt that someone caused, bitterness and sinful anger apparently may overcome us. These emotions are often the torture that comes to us when we refuse to forgive. They are a huge part of the torture designed by God to get our attention. What are we to do about these sinful emotions? We are told to put them away or put them off (cf. Colossians 3:8). In Ephesians 4:31 “put away” translates airo which is also used in another place to explain how Christ Jesus came to taken away our sins (1 John 3:5).

When we do not put away someone’s sin against us by forgiving them, the Spirit of God is grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The fact that we are commanded to “put away” these sinful emotions tells us that by God’s grace, by the ministry of the Spirit through the new man, we can do something about them. We need not be enslaved to them. With God’s enabling grace, we can put a stop to these evil feelings.

Bitterness (pikria, Acts 8:23; Romans 3:14: Hebrews 12:15)) is the emotion that results when we dwell on how someone has hurt us and begin to think about revenge. We become self-centered and filled with self-pity. We can only think about ourselves or how we might vindicate ourselves. Wrath (thumos, Luke 4:28; Acts 19:28) and anger (orge, 1 Timothy 2:8; James 1:19-20) are expressed as we “clamor” for attention and speak evil of the offender. We begin to plan malicious acts against our offenders.

This was not true of Stephen (Acts 7). Stephen demonstrated the grace of God as he was being stoned to death. His final words were words of forgiveness and love for those who took his life. It seems that this left a marked impression on a young man named Saul. Saul came to faith in Jesus as his Messiah and Savior a short time later and became the Apostle Paul who wrote the letter to the Ephesians. Paul knew about forgiveness and deeply appreciated the forgiveness of God. He had experienced the grace of God’s forgiveness. As the “chief of sinners” who had persecuted believers in Christ, Paul became well aware of his need for God’s forgiveness (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

How do we put away the sinful emotions that torture us?

God commands us to put away the sinful emotions that torture us. By the grace of God through the ministry of the Spirit working through the new man we can put away our sinful emotions. When the Holy Spirit convicts you about your sinful emotions confess them as sin. Then prayerfully consider the question, “Have I committed some sin that caused these sinful emotions?” Oftentimes it is the sin of refusing to forgive that has caused these emotions to surface. When the Spirit brings to your attention that refusing to forgive is the sin that is at the root of these emotional responses, then that sin must be confessed as well. Receive the forgiveness granted to you by God through Christ by admitting you have sinned (1 John 1:7, 9). Then remind yourself of the huge debt of sin that God has forgiven you in Christ. Ponder the wonder of His love and grace that He has expressed to you.

Putting these sinful emotions away is not easy. We may find that it is very difficult to completely let go of the offense against us. We forgive and let go and then we pick it up again in our thoughts. We find ourselves hanging on to it and we rework it in our minds over and over again. Very soon afterwards we are filled with bitterness and sinful anger. Hopefully we do not descend to the point of clamoring for attention by talking about it with others. May we stop short of seeking revenge. May we not carry out injurious plans for personal vindication (cf. Romans 12:14-21).

Thankfully, when we confess these sins and receive cleansing from God once again, we return to the high road of forgiveness in God’s plan for us. Our thoughts should then turn to Jesus and we should once again ponder the great debt of sin that we have been forgiven because of Jesus’ sacrifice in our place. Do we deserve to be forgiven? No. Does the person who has sinned against us deserve to be forgiven. No. Yet, God’s plan for our lives is that we forgive as He forgave. When we do forgive because we have been forgiven in Christ and maintain forgiveness from the heart, God will free us from the emotional torture of bitterness and anger. When we apply God’s Word by His Spirit, He gives us peace.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:15-16

Forgive and illustrate the grace of God.

We illustrate the grace and love of God when we forgive others. This is crucially important in the ministry of a church. By forgiving one another and putting up with each other, believers may powerfully communicate the love and grace of God shown them in Christ Jesus.

The chapter break is unfortunate at the close of Ephesians 4 because the following verses emphasize the importance of being like God in forgiveness and in the demonstration of love by Jesus Christ’s death.

Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2

When we maintain hearts of forgiveness we demonstrate to others that we truly are followers of God. When we keep on forgiving we shine forth the light of the truth of Christ and are behaving in a way that is consistent with whom we are in Christ. We have received total and complete everlasting forgiveness in Christ. We are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). When we keep on forgiving we are walking as children of light. We are behaving wisely by the power of the Spirit of God (5:15-21).

By the grace of God through the ministry of the Spirit through the new man created in the image of Christ (Colossians 3:10), we may overcome the emotional torment caused by refusing to forgive. We may express the love and grace to others that God has given us in Christ Jesus.

A summary of God’s provisions for maintaining a heart of forgiveness:

1. Remember that in and through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven you a huge debt of sin. Keep in mind that no one can offend you or sin against you to the degree that you have sinned against God (Matthew 18:27).

2. Ponder and dwell on the wondrous love and forgiveness God has granted to you through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:9-2:2).

Think about the awful cost of your deliverance by the Son of God Himself. Keep your eyes on Jesus (Ephesians 4:29-5:2; Colossians 3:1-16; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Hebrews 12:1-3).

3. Recognize that you cannot maintain a heart of forgiveness for the right reasons in your own strength (John 15:5).

4. Keep in mind the Lord’s command to not take your righteous wrath to bed (Ephesians 4:25-27).

5. Be on the alert for signs of sinful anger and bitterness (Matthew 18:35). Remain sensitive to the convicting work of the Spirit from the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 4:30-31; Colossians 3:8-10; Hebrews 12:15).

6. Confess to the Lord the sin of an unforgiving spirit when the Holy Spirit causes you to realize that this is the reason for the emotional torture of bitterness and anger (1 John 1:9; cp. Matthew 6:14-15; Psalm 32:1-6).

7. Cry out to God for the grace to keep on maintaining a heart of forgiveness so that your life will be a testimony to His love and grace (John 13:35; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Your questions and comments are welcome at edeboer@tnics.com.

Falling from Grace: Don’t Waste Your Life or the Lives of Others

by Eldon DeBoer

A prominent concern that the Apostle Paul had for the believers of Galatia is expressed in 4:8-11:

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. (NIV)

How could Paul have wasted his efforts on the Galatians? They had heard the true gospel and believed in Christ. They had received everlasting life by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (cf. Galatians 3:1-5). Yet Paul feared he had “wasted [his] efforts on” them because they apparently were buying into the same false message that Peter was approving by his behavior (2:11-12. Another article, which is available upon request (edeboer@tnics.com), “Acting in Line with the Truth of the Gospel,” addresses this in detail). They were “observing” certain laws that they thought were of God and apparently were thinking that this was necessary in order to secure their righteous eternal standing with God. Before believing in Christ for justification they had been “enslaved” by “those weak and miserable principles” and now they were returning to these rules thinking they must live by them in order to secure or remain secure in a right standing with God. Therefore Paul’s concern for such believers in these verses may be summarized this way:

Do not enslave yourself to a set of rules for fear that you will lose what cannot be taken from you. To do so is to live a wasted life.

Paul feared for the Galatians because they were in danger of living wasted lives. If his teachings of the grace message were not applied, his work with them would have been “wasted . . . efforts” because of the tragic result that their lives would remain unfruitful before God. This applies to believers through the present time. For, you see, believers in Christ will live forever with God whether or not they grasp and apply the message to the Galatians. They may live a wasted life or they may walk by faith applying the law of love because of Christ’s love for them and receive eternal rewards (Galatians 2:20; 4:10; 5:1-5). Paul indicates this in greater detail in Galatians 5 where he pointedly declares,

You have become estranged from Christ [have faded away from Christ], you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4; NKJV)

This verse sets forth the fact that those who attempt to be justified by the law have “become estranged from Christ” and “have fallen from grace.”

Some translations use words stronger than “estranged” which do not fit the larger context of this letter. The word translated “estranged” in the New King James is katargeo and may be rendered “faded away” in keeping with how it is translated in the following verses with reference to fading glory.

2 Cor 3:7 - But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,

2 Cor 3:11 - For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

2 Cor 3:13 - and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.

When a believer in Christ has fallen from grace by assuming he can secure his right standing with God by keeping a law he thinks is of God, the tragic result is that he has faded away from Christ in his experience, in his walk with Christ.

Believers in Christ who seek to secure their right standing with God or think that they can remain secure with him by obedience to the Law or a rule that they think is of God, “have faded away from Christ.” Their walk with Christ becomes that which is not compatible with grace because of their works orientation. If the people addressed had believed in Christ like Abraham did (Galatians 3:8ff.), they had not lost their eternal standing with God in Him, which is impossible (cf. Ephesians 1:13-14). But their relationship with Christ Jesus had been severely damaged. Believers in Christ who continue to try to “be justified by law” cannot have a meaningful and intimate personal relationship with Jesus. A grace oriented, meaningful relationship with the Savior in this life on earth is maintained only as a believer walks with Him by faith, obeying Him out of gratitude for having been completely justified by faith (Galatians 2:16-20; cf. Colossians 2:6-7).

By seeking to secure their right standing with God for eternity by obeying a set of rules, believers have “fallen from grace” in their experience with Christ. They no longer trust in Christ Jesus alone to provide their justification. Since they are seeking to be “justified by law” they have “fallen from grace” from the standpoint of their relationship with Christ in time. Instead of drawing strength and power from the Lord Jesus as they walk with Him by faith like Paul did (Galatians 2:20), they seek to be secure in their relationship with Him by obeying “rules and regulations” (4:9-11). Those who seek to secure a right standing with God in this way have become “burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (5:1). They have once again become enslaved to the law and know little or nothing of the freedom they could have in Christ. Therefore they have “fallen from grace” in their relationship with Christ Jesus here and now in time. Said another way, they have fallen out of favor with Christ in this life as they keep striving to be justified before Him by their obedience.

A Wasted Life is a Life that Has “Fallen from Grace” Galatians 5:13-24

There are two possible tragedies presented in Galatians that result from “falling from grace.”

1. Those who have fallen from grace live in danger of having a wasted fruitless life.

2. Those who have fallen from grace live in danger of leading others into a wasted fruitless life.

Believers who “attempt to be justified by law” do not communicate the grace message by the way they live their life and certainly cause confusion by what they communicate verbally to explain their behavior. Therefore they are ineffective as true ambassadors for the clear message of God's grace in Christ Jesus.

To whom does Galatians 5:4 apply?

It applied to believers in Antioch who were buying into the message of “the party of the circumcision.”

It also applied to the believers of the churches in the region of Galatia to whom Paul was writing who also had become confused by their false teachings.

Whenever believers in Christ attempt to secure their righteous standing with God (to be “justified by law”) by their obedience to any rule or rules, they have “fallen from grace,” they have faded from Christ. This does not mean they have lost their eternal standing with God, but that their life in relationship to Christ in time here on earth is no longer grace-based. They fall from grace in practice but not from their position in Christ.

Peter had fallen from grace in practice, but not in position.

To a limited extent Galatians 5:4 may have been applied to Peter (2:11-15). The application is limited because Paul does not explicitly state that Peter actually bought into the false message of the legalistic Jews. Peter feared them and therefore he had fallen from grace by what he communicated by his behavior. He had fallen from grace in practice, while remaining in Christ positionally for all eternity.

While this letter to the Galatians does not explicitly state that Peter himself was trying to be “justified by law” it clearly is implied in chapter 2 that his behavior would have communicated that he had sided with those those who were communicating this false teaching.

Believers Who Are Free to Have a Fruitful Life by the Spirit

In contrast to those who have fallen from grace, those who are of Christ walk by the Spirit of God by faith in love and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). They also are enabled by the Spirit to have victory over sin in their life:

And those who are Christ's (who have not “become estranged” from Him as stated in 5:4) have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24).

Believers have the wonderful gift of the Spirit and are thereby able to put to death the sinful flesh and manifest the fruit of the Spirit. This is what should to be characteristic of their lives.

In contrast to those who walk by the Spirit, are those who are guilty of the sins from the sin list in Galatians 5:19-21. Believers who have faded from Christ may be found guilty of these sins:

• Contentions/enmities/antagonistic

• Jealousies/envy

• selfish ambitions/selfishness

• dissensions/party spirit

• heresies/factions/disagreements
• sexual sins

• idolatry

• sorcery

• drunkenness

• orgies/carousing

Some believers often question the eternal salvation of people guilty of sins they consider to be particularly “gross” that are included in this list. The fact of the matter is that their behavior also falls in line with living according to the sinful passions of the flesh if they are guilty of practicing any of these sins. As they themselves attempt to secure a right standing with God by keeping the Law or a law that they assume might prove that they are justified, when they might become guilty of say, "selfish ambitions," they are no better off than someone guilty of "orgies/carousing" before God.

What God desires is that believers walk by the Spirit so that they will have an inheritance in His kingdom. Believers who keep on living by the fleshly sinful nature will have little or no inheritance in Christ's kingdom. They will have lived wasted lives. This includes those who think that they must prove that they have been justified by keeping a set of standards while they themselves remain guilty of what they would consider to be lesser sins.

Conclusion

A life lived in slavery to the law to attempt to secure or retain a right standing with God is anathema (under a curse). Do not waste your life and the lives of others by enslaving yourself to laws of God for fear that you will lose what cannot be taken from you.

Believers in Christ will live forever with God whether or not they grasp and apply the message to the Galatians. They may live a wasted life by falling from grace or they may walk by faith applying the law of the love of Christ because of His love for them (Galatians 2:20; 4:10; 5:1-5; cp. 1 John 4:19).

The Gift of Life, the Gift of Righteousness and Motivation for Good Works

By Eldon D. DeBoer, Pastor-Teacher

The Apostle John in the Gospel that bears his name repeatedly presents Jesus’ teaching that eternal life is received by believing in Him (John 20:30-31). The Apostle Paul emphasizes in his epistles that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is a gift from God (justification) received also by believing in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16; cp. Ephesians 2:8-9). Since the gift of life and the gift of the righteousness of Jesus Christ are received only by believing in Him, what should be the motivation for good works?

Free to Us, Costly to God

God presents the truth of His love and grace in Christ Jesus so that we will respond in faith (John 1:12, 14-18; Romans 1:7; 5:1, 5-11). While the gifts of life and righteousness are gifts from God with no cost to us, God’s work in providing these gifts was very costly to Himself. The cost to Him was the suffering and the horrible pain associated with His death (Matthew 27:46). The Apostle Peter makes a powerful point of this cost to God in contrast to what people typically view as valuable (1 Peter 1:17-21). His emphasis concerning the great cost of our salvation to God follows the challenge to believers to live a holy life (1:3-16). While life with God and the righteousness of Christ are gifts received by faith, God calls us to live a holy life. We are to set apart our life in moral purity to God.

Motivated by the Love of God

It is abundantly clear in the New Testament that motivation for good works should come from a deep appreciation for the gifts God has so lovingly given to us by His grace. The Apostle Peter, along with the other apostles who wrote of God’s plan for our life, calls us by the Spirit to live a life of thankfulness in obedience to God for the gifts He has given. Far from sinning that grace may abound (Romans 6:1), we are to be motivated to please our Lord because we have received such wondrous gifts from God at great cost to Himself. Our faith is to be truly alive with fruitfulness revealed by such things as generosity and controlling our tongues (James 1:17 – 3:12). It is God’s desire that we freely respond to His love out of love for Him by pleasing Him by living according to His standards (1 John 4:7-19).

Motivated by Love, Not by Fear

When it is understood that life eternal and the righteousness of Christ Jesus are received as a gifts by faith in Him, then we believers in Christ are free to love God and our neighbors without fear. We obey God and want to please Him not out of fear that we need to prove that we in fact have received these wondrous gifts. No, since we fully received the Spirit of God when we believed in Christ (Galatians 3:1-5), we have God’s enabling grace by His Spirit to please Him and should be motivated by His love for us in Christ (2:16-20). The gifts of life and righteousness are not obtained, retained or maintained by good works. If this were the case, our motivation would not be from a heart of love for God.

How different the motivation for good works is for those who think that they must “line up and fly straight” by obeying God to some extent to obtain eternal life with Him. Many people who say they “believe in God” would also say that they must be good to some extent in order to enter and enjoy His heaven forever. So their motivation for obedience becomes something other than love for God for the gifts He has given.

Yes, all too many think that everlasting life must be earned by their own efforts. They have the same problem that the Jews had that lived in the first century (Romans 10:1-4). They have been deceived to think that they can obtain the righteousness of God by their works. They are sadly mistaken and, consequently, their motivation is from fear of God’s wrath upon them because they think they must be good to appease His anger.

The motivation on the part of those who think that they must retain or maintain life eternal and righteousness by their good works is also from a heart of fear. They believe that if they do not perform good deeds to some extent (usually they have a short list of things they think they must do) they should question whether or not they have in fact received the gifts of life and righteousness. Their motivation is also from the fear of never having received these gifts or losing them. They do not obey God out of love for Him.

In relation to the thinking that true believers must perform at some level of obedience in order to prove they have received the gifts of life and righteousness is the perspective of those who observe and conclude that the behavior of other professing believers is not up to true “Christian” standards. In contrast to Paul’s challenge to the Corinthians, the assumption is often made that they must not be saved (1 Corinthians 3). This thinking often comes from misconceptions about their own salvation. Because they perform what they think are good works to some extent, they think that they are proving that they are in fact saved. They are basing their assurance on their good works. What, then, is their motivation for doing what is right before God? Is it out of love for Him with a view to the great cost of their salvation that was completely paid for by the suffering of Christ? It would seem not. But, as is often true, they may have the problem that many believers in Christ have. Often believers in Christ hold contradictory sets of beliefs. They may believe that salvation is truly a gift from God but failing to prove one has received the gift reveals the person was never truly saved. Thus they reveal by their assessment that their own motivation for good works is performance based. They may experience a level of fear on a bad day or week and may conclude that they themselves are not truly saved. (I have personally read the testimony of a popular bible teacher who confessed that on a bad day filled with what he considered serious sins, he questioned whether or not he was truly saved. Such a testimony and thinking comes from a misconstrued theological framework about salvation and is connected to why he strives to do what is right.)

So what does it matter? Well, it matters a great deal to God for He desires that His people freely serve Him from hearts of love for Him because of His love and His grace message. How different the thinking of believers who clearly understand that one’s performance is not the basis for assurance of possessing or retaining the gifts of life and righteousness. They believe God’s Word in that He has declared that they possess His life and righteousness through faith and faith alone in Christ Jesus (John 6:47; Romans 4:1-4). As the Apostle Paul so clearly taught, the huge debt of sin can never be paid off by any amount of good deeds (Galatians 2:16). People who understand the grossness of sin and the huge debt to a holy God that they owe because of their sin should understand that they can never pay off the debt. Christ Jesus completely and totally paid for our sins on the cross of Calvary and we receive His righteousness and His life through faith in Him. Therefore, since we already possess these fantastic gifts bought and paid for by His death, we should freely serve and obey Him out of love for Him. As the Apostle Paul so succinctly wrote,

“For the love of Christ constrains (motivates) us, because we judge thus:

that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live

should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

No Longer Confused about the Grace Gospel Message

by Eldon DeBoer

A boy grew up with parents who were very dedicated Christian people. His mom and dad loved the Lord Jesus. No doubt about it. While still quite young, this boy’s mother shared with him the truth of Jesus Christ. His mother told him of Jesus’ love and His sacrifice for his sins and the sins of the world by His death on a cross. The boy believed in Jesus Christ as his Savior for life everlasting and deliverance from sin and death. However, something else was included in the message the mother shared with her son that day. She told him he must invite Jesus into his heart. Now who would not want to do that? Who would not want to invite the most loving and caring Person whoever lived into his life? So the boy did just that. He invited Jesus to come into his heart. But then confusion set in. As time passed the boy began to wonder, “What else do I have to do to know that I will live with Jesus forever.” He would hear such things as the need for “a salvation experience” and wondered if he had had one. With reference to eternal salvation, he would hear sincere people say such things like, “Surrender your life to Christ." "Make Jesus Lord of your life." Commit your life to Christ." "Give your life to Jesus.” "Give your heart to Christ." And of course he would hear the familiar, “Invite Jesus into your heart.”

Ridden with the guilt from knowing that he could never live up to the standards set before him, he became more confused and disillusioned about the Christian life. He very seldom talked about Jesus with others because he did not know where to begin or end in sharing His good news—if it was good news. But when the boy was about twenty years of age, he met some people who were excited about the teachings of a particular pastor. He began to listen to this pastor too and his eyes were finally opened to what must be done to receive eternal life. He learned from the Bible what soon became obvious to him that what God requires to be delivered from sin and death and to receive eternal life is that each individual person must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He reflected on this a great deal and came to the realization that he had believed this when he was a young boy. But then he immediately had become confused by what was added to the good news of Christ. He was thankful and remains appreciative of being blessed to have parents who loved the Lord Jesus and were sincere about sharing what they had been taught. But he could not help but be angry about being confused for so long concerning what the true grace gospel message is. Thankfully, however, the needful challenge to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” as told to a searching soul of old, had became crystal clear to him (Acts 16:31). He now could rest in the truth that Jesus Christ had granted him eternal life through faith in Him. Nothing more needed to be done. Jesus had come into his heart and life, not on the basis of an invitation, but upon believing in Him (Galations 3:26 - 4:6). Christ had done all the work on the cross of Calvary to provide for his eternal standing with God and what God asked him to do was to believe in Him. Now he could meaningfully share this truly good news with others with confidence so that they could have a truly biblical “salvation experience.”

The boy I’m talking about was me. It still saddens me and concerns me greatly when I hear dedicated Christian people add to the grace message of the good news of Christ Jesus. However, the confusion and possible disillusionment can be remedied. Like the pastor-teacher that the Lord brought into my life, we can be used of the Lord to clarify the grace message for the benefit of others so that they also can truly rest in Jesus’ love and grace.

The Grace Gospel Message and Making Disciples
Early on in the opportunity of making disciples of Christ Jesus it should be communicated to a believer that his or her possession of Christ's righteousness and eternal life did not come about because she or he asked Jesus into his heart, committed her life to Christ, gave his life to Jesus, surrendered his life to Christ, turned from sin, made Him Lord of her life or the acting out of any other work or deed such as being baptized, confirmed, participating in the Lord’s Supper or church attendance. While these things are important in the life of a disciple (with some possible exceptions concerning certain traditions), they do NOT communicate the good news of eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. Those who present such things as part and parcel with receiving deliverance from sin and death or, worse, as crucial in receiving eternal life, distort the true gospel and message of grace in Christ Jesus! While a person can truly be born again if the true grace gospel is included in a garbled message, typically confusion about the Christian grace-way of life results. Such emphases are not compatible with the grace message of receiving eternal salvation as taught throughout the Bible and especially communicated in the Gospel of John, Romans, Galatians and Ephesians. It should be communicated to a disciple that his or her eternal standing with God and the necessary requirement of the possession of the righteousness of Jesus Christ (justification) are received by believing in Him and nothing else. This is important so that the message of grace in Christ Jesus is the solid foundation upon which the ongoing growth of His disciple is built.

When an emphasis is placed upon doing a work as necessary in receiving eternal salvation as part of the good news, confusion about the Christian grace-way of life in a disciple’s walk with God may result right from the very beginning. The outcome of this may be a return to keeping the law or a set of rules to secure or maintain a right standing with God. When the emphasis from the beginning is placed upon something that must be done other than or in addition to believing in Christ Jesus, a believer may possibly become a slave to set of rules concluding that such activities are necessary in order to retain an eternal righteous standing with God (2 Corinthians 3; See earlier article in this blog.).

Committing one’s life to Christ, surrendering to Jesus, giving one’s life to Him, turning from sin and making Him Lord of one’s life certainly are the practices of a faithful disciple (1 Peter 3:15; Revelation 3:19-20). But these important good works are carried out NOT to receive or secure one’s eternal standing with God in Christ Jesus. These good works should characterize the life of a believer more and more out of gratitude to the Lord Jesus because it is understood that His righteousness and eternal life with God have been provided and received as gifts from God upon believing in Him (Romans 6:1 – 8:16; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Your questions and/or comments concerning these matters are welcomed (edeboer@tnics.com).

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2008

Challenged to lay down your life "by the mercies of God"

by Eldon DeBoer

In Romans 12:1-3 the Apostle Paul presents the following challenges:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

Did you notice the "therefore" and "by the mercies of God" in the beginning of verse one? Without an awareness of the grace of God made available to us through Christ Jesus (Romans 3 - 11) and without the availability of His"mercies" to receive and apply the challenges from His Word, we are incapable of offering ourselves as a "living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God." As the Spirit moved the Apostle Paul to write in verse three above and elsewhere (Galatians 2:20; 5:1-16; Colossians 2:6-7), we must draw upon the Lord's grace and keep trusting in Him for the ability to apply His Word in our life.

The transformation into the likeness of Christ Jesus comes about as we renew our minds with the truth of His Word (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). And our minds are especially renewed as we keep before us the wondrous love and grace seen in our Lord Jesus Christ. By His grace our Lord Jesus will enable us to apply the challenges from His Word for His glory as we keep on walking with Him by faith.

So may we keep on laying down our life as a sacrifice to the Lord that is set apart to Him, drawing upon His grace and mercy to do so. (The word construction--especially the verb forms of the Greek text in 12:1--indicates that this is something we may resume every time we realize we have stopped laying down our life like God calls us to do.) Like the branches that produce grapes draw upon the vine for the needed nutrients to produce fruit, may our life produce spiritual fruit that is acceptable to the Lord Jesus as we draw upon His strength (John 15:1-13; cf. Philippians 4:13).

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008

Grace or Law, Freedom or Slavery

by Eldon DeBoer

What follows are additional explanations related to what is stated at the top of the page of this blog.

The sad commentary on the lives of many believers in Christ Jesus is that while they once understood that they have been delivered from their sins and eternal death by God's grace in Christ Jesus, they now are living their life under the Law. Sadly, many believers have become confused about God's grace plan for their life much like the Corinthians to whom Paul wrote long ago. The result is that they do not have the joy of true freedom in Christ but, sadly, they are living a life of slavery to rules and regulations that they think they have to obey in order to know that they are secure in their eternal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Just reading through 2 Corinthians 2:14 – 6:2 should cause us to draw these conclusions:

> The Law of Moses can only bring death.
> The Spirit of God is the One who gives life.
> In Christ there is freedom to be transformed into His likeness by His love and grace.

Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 3:6:

"[God] has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant (the contract agreement God signed with the blood of His Son) --not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

What is Paul’s main point? The Law of Moses had its God-given purpose. It brought death and illustrated the reasons for death. It was a message of condemnation (3:9). We have disobeyed God’s Word. We have sinned against God and therefore we die. Left to ourselves we will live in torment and be forever separated from God.

What is it that kills? What is it that can only produce death? It is God's Law that "was engraved in letters on stone" (3:7). Only the Spirit of God is able to make us alive in Christ through faith in Him (2 Corinthians 4:13-16; cf. 3:16). Only through faith in Christ is the veil of the Law taken away with its fading glory (3:14).

At the very moment that we believed in Jesus Christ, we died with Him when God identified us with Him in His death (5:15; cp. Ephesians 1:13-14). God has reconciled us to Himself by means of Christ’s work in our place (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Christ Jesus took our sin upon Himself so that we might receive God’s righteousness (5:21). Paul clearly taught that this was appropriated to us not by any works or obedience to God's Law (His rules) but by believing in Jesus Christ.

Consequently whenever any human effort or obedience is presented as a requirement to remain right with God and as a requirement for deliverance from sin or maintaining one’s eternal relationship with Christ Jesus, only confusion can result. There is the real danger of the veil remaining over the hearts of believers who once understood the grace message of the gospel but have become confused. Any true transformation into the likeness of Christ Jesus is impossible as long as the believer views his obedience as necessary in order to keep what God says that he already possesses--namely eternal life.

But don't take my word for it. Carefully study and think through what Paul is teaching, beginning in 2 Corinthians 3. You will probably find that this is not easy reading material. You are in good company. The Apostle Peter admitted that Paul's writings were "hard to understand" (2 Peter 3:15-16) But keep working at it. The reward is fantastic. You might realize once again the freedom found in God's grace message for your life.

The mirror of God’s grace in Christ Jesus is blurred by setting forth any requirement of obedience to the Law or God's rules for maintaining one's eternal relationship with Christ Jesus. The message of grace in Christ is distorted. And consequently believers return to slavery to the Law.

The only way the Spirit of the Lord ministers and gives life is by turning to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, believing that He and He alone saves and guarantees everlasting life. He can give us life with God forever because of who He is and what He has done for us on the cross of Calvary. Likewise, the Spirit of the Lord is the One who brings about our transformation into the likeness of Christ by His grace as we keep fixing our eyes on Christ Jesus in faith, keeping in mind His love for us as we continue to trust Him for His strength to apply His Word.

Is obedience and pleasing the Lord Jesus important? Of course!!! But we experience the freedom of His grace only when we obey Him in gratitude for His love and for the many gifts He has given, not because we fear that if we do not keep obeying Him He will take away what He in fact has freely given us through faith in Him.

Jesus Christ made it possible for us to enter heaven by His suffering and death in our place. By believing in Him we receive everlasting life with Him. The wondrous love that Christ Jesus has for us includes our position in Him, giving us resurrection bodies and rewarding us for faithful service. Paul brought this into view in 2 Corinthians 4:14-5:13. Then he explained (the explanatory gar in the Greek text introduces 5:14) to the Corinthians that he and Timothy did what they did because they understood the significance of Jesus Christ's love for them:

2 Corinthians 5:14. For the love of Christ constrains (or motivates) us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15. and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

The love that Jesus Christ so clearly demonstrated to us by His suffering and death on the cross provides real substance for the meaning and application of grace in our life. In verse 14 Paul uses the verb sunecho (pres.act.ind.). It is translated “constrains” or “controls” in other English versions. How Paul uses this verb elsewhere helps us understand its meaning. When we comprehend the love Christ has for us, it "hems" us in (Luke 19:43), it "presses" us to act (Philippians 1:23). The grace demonstrated by the love of Jesus Christ has everything do with being properly motivated to please the Lord when we obey His commands. This is how the grace of God revealed by the love of Christ for us instructs and trains us (cf. Titus 2:11-14).

The only way the Spirit brings about transformation is by God’s grace in Christ Jesus. It is all His work in us and through us. When this is not the emphasis, when this is not understood and applied, there is a real danger that believers have received the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

We should not put up with a message that is a message of death that kills. Study Paul's concern for the believers in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4. The false teaching that declares that God's rules must be kept in order to retain one's eternal relationship with Christ is in opposition to the message of grace. This false teaching will keep people in slavery to those rules. How can anyone rejoice in a message of condemnation and death? Yet, many believers today continue to "put up with it easily enough" (2 Corinthians 11:4 in the NIV), as is evident by what is commonly taught and practiced by many.

We are delivered from sin and death and receive eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ. And we are transformed into His likeness by His Spirit as we keep fixing our eyes on Him and His Word with faith in Him to enable us to obey.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:1-18).

We are free to become more like Him only as we obey Him in response to His love and grace.

If you have questions about any of the above, send me an e-mail (edeboer@tnics.com) and I'll be please to do my best to respond.

Like Paul did for the leaders of Ephesus, I entrust you to God "and the message of His grace which is able to build you up . . ." (Acts 20:32). Only this wonderful message of grace is able to build you up in your relationship with God.

Challenged to lay down your life "by the mercies of God"

by Eldon DeBoer

In Romans 12:1-3 the Apostle Paul presents the following challenges:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

Did you notice the "therefore" and "by the mercies of God" in the beginning of verse one? Without an awareness of the grace of God made available to us through Christ Jesus (Romans 3 - 11) and without the availability of His "mercies" to receive and apply the challenges from His Word, we are incapable of offering ourselves as a "living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God." As the Spirit moved the Apostle Paul to write in verse three above and elsewhere (Galatians 2:20; 5:1-16; Colossians 2:6-7), we must draw upon the Lord's grace and keep trusting in Him for the ability to apply His Word in our life.

The transformation into the likeness of Christ Jesus comes about as we renew our minds with the truth of His Word (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). And our minds are especially renewed as we keep before us the wondrous love and grace seen in our Lord Jesus Christ. By His grace our Lord Jesus will enable us to apply the challenges from His Word for His glory as we keep on walking with Him by faith.

So may we keep on laying down our life as a sacrifice to the Lord that is set apart to Him, drawing upon His grace and mercy to do so. (The word construction--especially the verb forms of the Greek text in 12:1--indicates that this is something we may resume every time we realize we have stopped laying down our life like God calls us to do.) Like the branches that produce grapes draw upon the vine for the needed nutrients to produce fruit, may our life produce spiritual fruit that is acceptable to the Lord Jesus as we draw upon His strength (John 15:1-13; cf. Philippians 4:13).