2 Chronicles 7:14–If My People Turn...

2 Chronicles 7:14–"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

This verse, and the several like it, are at the same time liberating and difficult.  It is liberating in the sense that it gives us direct life applications for holiness.  That being said, it is difficult in that it tells us precisely what God requires of us: whole-hearted repentance.

Humility.  Prayer.  Seeking His face.  Repentance from sin.

Then...

God hears us.  He forgives us.  And He heals that which is barren.

I could write more (and trust me on this one) but I think this just about covers the important parts that need to be considered.

James 1:21–Put Away Filthiness in Order for the Word to take Root

James 1:21: "Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

Occasionally–maybe more often than I'd like to admit–I have a little problem with vulgarity.  In fact, it is only by the grace of God that the crudity of my younger days has been quelled and transformed.  I cannot boast in this transformation, I can only praise God for the great work that He has done in me.

However, it would be incorrect not to point out that I did have a choice to make in this regard: I had to choose God.  It was only after repenting of my sin and turning to God in faith that I was transformed from the inside out.  And although it has not always been easy to commit myself daily to obedience, I can say without a doubt that as long as I have remained focused on God, He has changed my heart, my mind, and my soul, to reflect His holiness.

But there is something else about this: implanting the saving word of God requires a dedication to put away the filthiness so that the word may take root in our lives.  The trick to overcoming vulgarity, it turns out, is not to attempt to manage but to press into God for transformation, which comes through the washing by His word.

Let us then commit to lean into God for truth and understanding but also so that God would rid our lives of al filthiness and vulgarity!

No Substitute for Repentance

There is perhaps no more vital part of faith than repentance.  It is repentance that turns us from our sin and towards Almighty God.  Additionally, it is repentance that calls us into salvation and  transforms us in sanctification.

Repentance means turning away.  It means turning away from our self and turning to God in faith.  There is no other way to love God.  You cannot have faith apart from repentance, for they work in tandem to draw a person to God.

Faith in Christ demands true and continued repentance.  It is in this turning away that we learn who God is in light of who we were.  Repentance is, therefore, as much a part of salvation and sanctification as is faith itself.  Let us never forget this truth!

2 Peter 3:9 and Repentance

Peter, in his second epistle, writes: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Pet 3:9).

This verse is an interesting verse and often used to make an argument for universal salvation, or the idea that everyone will be saved in the end.  This is asserted by some who construe this verse in such a way as to highlight that God does not wish that any should perish, and therefore, none will.

Clearly, this is a woeful misunderstanding of this verse, as the point here is not whether every will be saved but, rather, how gracious God is in His enduring patience to give opportunity upon opportunity for repentance unto salvation to take place.

We should not neglect that this verse indicates that some will perish, but not because God wills them to but because those that will perish do so as a result of their own lack of repentance.  This, along with faith, is one of the non-negotiable essentials of salvation.

Apart from repentance, salvation is not only impossible but it would be highly immoral for God to give salvation to those who do not wish it.  Consider that God, being holy and just as well as omnipotent, could if He desired override every freedom of man in order to save all.  But He does not for to do so would be tantamount to forcing someone to love Him.

Because this is the case, repentance is a necessary choice on the part of the human.  It is prompted, to be sure, by the Holy Spirit.  But salvation cannot be received apart from repentance.  It is the repentance, the turning away from sin and from self that we should not ever neglect and should not ever conceal when we present Christ.  Any diminishment of repentance in the Gospel is to remove salvation from the reach of humanity, for it is repentance in faith that is the required response of the person that allows for Christ's overwhelming grace to flow unhindered into the life of the person.

Overcoming Our Delusional Selves

There have been multiple times in my life that I can say that I was lying to myself.  Generally, each of these times was marked by a man (me) who was pretending to be living life the right way and deceiving myself into believing this to be so.  However, without fail each of these times was ended abruptly when God hit me with reality and I came face-to-face with the how my life's understanding of what was true stood in discord with what was actually true.

To understand how this would feel, for those who have not experienced what it feels like when truth slams your falsity in the face, I want to paint a picture that might give some insight and protect us from getting so wrong.  For if we continue to deceive ourselves and remain concealed from the truth, we will inevitably be crushed by truth when we are forced to see it.  Imagine, then, for a second a situation like this:

A young man jumps off of the 124th floor observation deck of the largest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.  For a few moments the laws of physics are suspended and the young man falls in slow motion.  As he passes each floor, he has a brief conversation with each window he descends passed.  Every conversation has the terrified person asking the young man with great fear and care, "Are you okay?" To which the young man shocks the person by replying, "Yeah, I'm great!  This are going well and looking good."

Despite the young man's delusion at his present predicament, the truth will hit him as he splatters onto the ground.  The bystanders that watch him cooly pass by them can try with all their might to persuade him to see the reality of his situation, but he continues to lie to himself and neglects reality and the truth will crush him when the the pavement strikes him.

The point is to point out the danger in delusion.  Aren't we all masters at rationalizing our behavior and claiming to be in the right no matter how dire our trajectory may be.  Instead, we should strive vehemently to continually realign to the perfect Word and will of God.  In this way, we will be protected from falling ignorantly like the man above.  But praise be to God who always brings us back to Him!

Turning Around in Life like in the Woods

As I've said before, I grew up in a motorcycle family.  When I was a kid, my father and I would spend nearly every weekend burning gas in a two-wheeled machine in remote woods somewhere in Minnesota.  Although we would often ride for the fun of riding, I can not remember a single time when we rode through the woods without a destination in mind.

Whether it was a course, a fixed track, or just finding our way through the woods, the intent was always specific, the goal was always set and determined.  Often times, the only indication that we were on the right track were the small, bright orange arrows that were stapled to trees.  However, when speeding through the overgrown woodlands of Minnesota in the middle of summer, it can be all-too-easy to rush past the trail markers and quickly find oneself off the trail and lost.

In this case, there is one and only one surefire way to get back to the trail: turn around.  When riding in the middle of the woods this is an easy decision.  For if you do not turn around as soon as you realize that you are off the trail, you will most definitely find yourself lost and miles away from where you want to be in no time at all.  In fact, turning around under such circumstances seems not only reasonable but right.  Why shouldn't we think of our life in the same way?

The Word of God, the Bible, is a sort of trail map for life.  Not only is it useful for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it also reveals that flaws in our lifestyle as well as giving guidance to how we should live.  In other words, life is like riding a motorcycle fullblast through the woods and the Word of God is the trail marker that keeps us on the track.  

Isn't it just like humanity to be so focused on getting through this world as fast or as successfully as possible that, without fail, we can blow right off the trail?  When this happens, like racing through the the woods on a motorcycle, turning around is the only answer to remedy the predicament.  This is what repentance is all about: turning around to get back on God's path.  Let us then look to the Word of God and keep our eyes fixed on the trail markers, but when we find ourselves lost, let us repent and turn around back to God as soon as possible!

Overcoming the Holy Language Barrier

In preparations for my freshman year of college, like everyone else, I was required to take a number of placement exams to ensure that I was placed in the proper courses.  One such exam was for language and because I had completed two years of German in high school, German was the exam I choose to take. Due to the fact that the material was fresh in my memory and that reading a language is far easier than speaking or hearing it, I tested quite well.  More accurately, I tested well beyond my ability and was placed in a course accordingly above my head.

The first day of class, actually my first college class, I confidently strode into my advanced-level German course to a shock.  The professor greeted me in German, handed me the syllabus, and motioned for an open desk.  For the next ninety-five minutes, the professor spoke exclusively in German, going through the syllabus that was written in German, and explaining the first assignment due next class period in German.  Needless to say, my confidence was not bruised but shattered as I sheepishly snuck out of the door and straight the the Registrar's office after class to drop the course and, hopefully, to never be in that situation again.

Although I had met the entrance requisites for the class, because I lacked the necessary capacity to receive the different language, I was wholly unable to understand little if anything of what was said by the professor.  Because of my deficiency, communication was nullified and the barrier was so distracting that any potential for understanding also voided.

Unbelief and sin resigns all of humanity in a state much like I was in my German course: unable to understand or comprehend the voice of God because of our deficient inability to hear His Spirit due to the effects of sin.  Though God constantly speaks to us, we are left unable to hear Him.  This what Paul indicates, that the things of God are as a foreign language to the fleshly man, and He is not able to understand them and His frustration at this barrier will cause derision and disdain for the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14).

Towards the end of Jesus' life accounted in the Gospel of John, there is an episode that expresses this (John 12:28-43): a voice from heaven came down and spoke but the crowd present was not sure if it was thunder or the voice of an angel; they couldn't understand.  In the next set of verses John indicates that these people cannot see the things of the Lord because they are blind to Him.  

Only the regenerate heart can discern and understand the things of God.  Only the repentant person is able to hear God's voice with clarity and comprehension.  This should compel us to bend our knees in faith to the Lord, knowing that only when we seek Him in humility will we be able to receive and comprehend His voice.  Let us then turn to HIm in repentance and faith so as to hear and to understand God!

Freedom from the Stiffest Debt

Going to the mailbox is one of the most tormenting and hated acts in all of America.   The scene is so normal, as we dread opening the box and seeing those evil white envelopes housing their bills, we are left with a bitter gall at the power of these little pieces of paper, for they are sure to afflict the bank accounts and leave us feeling beaten and broke, like slaves to our debts and our creditors.  And while this may seem caricatured, the emotion is valid and more widespread than we would care to concede.

Fortunately, financial debts can be managed and overcome a persistent prescription of diligent prudence.  Additionally, finance is a finite ordeal, having no eternal affects in and of itself.  However, humanity has another, eternal debt.  And this debt, unlike the credits of finance, cannot be overcome by judiciously managing resources.  This debt is sin.

Sin is a stain on the credit scores of our souls that prevent us from receiving the heavenly and eternal King, known through the shed blood and broken body of Christ by faith.  Sin and its pervasive effects prevent us from entering into a right and restored relationship with the Lord Almighty.  Luckily, in this regard, we have One who has paid our sin debt in full: Christ Jesus.

The Bible speaks of sin a record of debt that Jesus has zeroed, nailing it to the cross in His body (Col. 2:13-14).  In doing so, God has secured for us an eternal inheritance, of the imperishable.  When we come to God, in faith, we receive this inheritance as adopted children into the family of God (Eph. 1:3-14).  Additionally, His Word declares that in Jesus, through repentance in faith, may our debt be cancelled definitively (Acts 3:19-20).  Let us then turn to God in faith to be cleared of the most severe and eternal of debts!

No Groupthink for God

Groupthink is a dangerous phenomenon.  It occurs most profoundly in teenagers who, because their ability to think critically and rationally remains still undeveloped, are susceptible to behaving in odd if not outright hazardous ways.  The pressure of the peer is overwhelming to the individual and they will succumb to the whims of the group, despite the inherent danger, legal ramifications, or sheer stupidity of the specific act espoused.

Say in the case of a gang of boys: the group may head to a river bridge and after some aimless loitering they will collectively decide that between the herd of thought, the best idea available would be to jump off said bridge.  Perhaps some gentle prodding may be required to garner all of the groups' allegiance to the ploy, but before long each boy jumps from the bridge into the river below only to discover that the river is far-too shallow for such a leap and two of the boys become seriously injured in the foray.

While this may be a common example of the kind of groupthink that dominates many teenagers and young adults, it seems even more dangerous when portrayed in adulthood.  This concept of groupthink can be seen at any age and can be caused by a number of factors.  Perhaps the most prevalent in our society are voyeurism, immorality, covetousness, greed, rampant secularism, and numerous other forms of idolatry.  And, unlike the aforementioned bridge-jumping example, these swaths of groupthink can have disastrously eternal consequences.

The apostle Paul speaks of this danger in 1 Cor. 15:33, "Bad company corrupts good morals."  Paul is speaking of the possibility of cancerous activity or deceit that can spread infectious sin in a community and destroy even believers; a little bad leaven ruining the whole lump of good dough (1 Cor. 5:6).  In a real sense, those around us who we choose to invest in and to be apart of our lives can either be sources of growth and encouragement or weights that hold us back from our potential in Him.

This is why we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14-18).  Believers should take this seriously.  It is not as though we completely sever relationships with unbelievers, rather, we should be discerning and guarded about who we allow to influence us.  If they are evil or sinful influences, then we need to remove ourselves from their radius of influence so as to be the most effective in preaching to them the Gospel.  However, if it is clear that no area is outside of a person's blast area, then severing ties may be the correct solution.

Paul is clear, "do not be partners with them (Eph. 5:1:14)."  We are, first, accountable to be godly and obedient to the Holy Lord and, second, responsible to relate to other humans.  If at any point other humans are hindering our devotion or drawing us away from God, we are already committing idolatry and must repent so as to turn utterly towards God.  Then we will be in a far better state to help or to encourage the other person(s).  Let us then take heed the Word of God and not fall pray to the dangerous whims of groupthink towards the Lord!

Flying on the Holy Wind

Birds are the perfect aerodynamic beings.  Their hollow bones and lean muscle structures make them the organic pilots of the sky, biological fliers that sail upon the thrusts of the wind.  The best and fastest birds use their bodies as an effective sail to fly with the wind, using it as the driving force that propels them.  However, occasionally a bird can be seen struggling against the wind, so intent on the direction they have chosen that, despite the unfavorable winds, they trudge against the opposing gales.  Eventually, the bird must concede to the current, either to turn around or simply wait until the wind changes course.

The Greek word for wind is pneuma, which, strangely enough, is actually the word for Spirit.  In a real sense, the language of the New Testament speaks of believers as empowered by indwelling of the Holy Wind.  Humanity is like a flock of birds either choosing to be empowered to fly by the power of the Holy Wind or struggling against it in unrepentant pride.

Truly, we should strive to ride the wind of the Holy Spirit, letting Him direct our flight paths and allowing His force to guide our lives.  Therefore, when we take a sincere and humble look into our lives, the directions that we are traveling, we should spend time thinking through whether we are flying by the power of the Holy Spirit or we are fighting His guidance and trying with all are might to fly against His perfect gale force current.

If we, after honest assessment, agree that we are fighting the Holy Spirit's thrust, the proper response for realigning with His perfect breeze is repentance and devotion in faith to our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Only when we draw to Him in faith can we turn in repentance with the wind and fly to the heights of blessing that God has intended for us.  Let us then be empowered to soar by ridding ourselves of pridefulness and turning in faith towards God!

Spirit Tenderizes Hearts

When preparing a nice steak sometimes the meat needs to be tenderized.  Because the best pieces of meat are filets of muscle fiber, those internal fibers can become bunch and taunt, making the steak tough.  In order to compensate for this, the piece of meat is beaten, smashed, or cut so as to loosen up the bunched muscular fibers and make the steak more tender to eat.

A hardened heart is much like un-tenderized steak.  It is tough and taunt, unfit for use and in need of tenderization.  Moreover, a hard heart affects every aspect of a person, body, mind, soul.  This is particularly true in regards to the intellect that is directly affected by a hardened heart.  Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, speaks directly to this.

Paul indicates that a hardened and calloused heart breeds futility in the mind (Eph. 4:17-18).  Logically, this makes sense.  If God is who He is (merciful, eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, faithful, transcendent, supernatural, true, and gracious, et al), then a heart that is hardened to God would be hard to His traits, meaning that life would seem utterly futile, vain, and barren.

Luckily, God, through His Son and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, has made a way to tenderize hearts that are tight and hard.  Additionally, when our hearts become tenderized through the process of sanctification it similarly affects are whole person: we will think differently, behave differently, and relate differently.

As Paul says, believers should put off our old self, in its futility of thinking, and put on the new self that is being renewed in its mind so as to think the thought of God (Rom 12:2; Eph. 4:20-24).  This is a beautiful proposition, that God would tenderize our hearts so that we be transferred from futility to eternity and to transform our minds.  Let us then press on in humility and repentance to let the tenderizing of the Spirit breakdown the callouses of our hearts so as to sanctify us in God!

Dead to Sin like a Tree in Winter

Towards the end of summer into fall, trees take on an interesting character.  Green chlorophyll production ceases and the process of photosynthesis closes down, as the leaves change color in preparations for the dead of winter.  As a result, by the time the snow hits the bark, the tree is void of any photosynthetic leaves and the tree goes through seemingly no energy production or cellular respiration throughout the winter months, only to begin the process of growing green, photosynthetic leaves in the spring.  In a sense, the tree is dead for the winter, unable to feel or to utilize the sun because it does not have the necessary receptors in place to do so.

Humans are much like a tree in the winter of this world, dead to the warmth of God and unable to feel His presence or receive His grace because our leaves have long blown away, leaving us cold, calloused, and dorment to the Lord.  As Paul says clearly, that before we have accessed God's grace in Christ through faith, we are "dead in our sin and trespass (Eph. 2:1-3).

This death, like a supreme dullness to God, is pervasively holistic in that it has permeated to the very depths of our beings, preventing us from receiving God or the things of God due to the fact that we have become dorment in our minds, in our hearts, and in our souls (Eph. 4:18).  And because the things of God are spiritually discerned, the fleshly, darkened, hibernating-to-death man is unable to access God (1 Cor. 2:14).

Fortunately, God has made a way for us to shed the dullness of our winter hibernations in order that we may experience the warmth of the Holy Lord.  It is by His grace that, though we were dead to Him in our sin and trespasses, He died for us in order that we may be made alive to Him (Eph. 2:4-7).  It is as if God has taken our barren limbs and caused them to grow new leaves so that we may be alive in and to Him.

In truth, we all are snow-laden trees, hibernating in the winter of this world, unable to feel the warmth of God's grace and love because our photosynthetic cells are not working.  Only through the work of the Holy Spirit, who causes us to receive God's grace, will we be able to bask in the light of the Lord and take part in the work of His Son.  Our part in this is repentance.  We recognize our state and we seek out the warmth to change it from death to life, from wintered inaction to summer blooming.  Let us then take part in the awesomeness of God in repentance and faith and, like a spring tree, shed ourselves of the snow in order to bud in Him!

Walking Straight through Life's Snow Drifts

Midwest winters are snow-filled and cold.  The frigid, frostbitten drifts of January make Wisconsin farmlands look like the endless frozen tundras of the arctic.  On one such day, a grandfather and his grandson have a job to do.  They have to repair a broken fence post on the farside of the field, a good hundred yards from the farmhouse.  After putting on their mittens and stocking caps, the duo begin the long trudge through the banks of snow to the other side of the field.  

Because of the flatness of the plain, the wind had formed the snow into waves that undulated instep with the plow lines of the snow-covered frozen meadow.  The young nine-year-old could not resist the urge to run across and through the rippled banks, while the grandfather, reserved and steady as he was, stayed the path to the broken fence post.  The boy was getting tired with all his running around in frolicking glee and his garb was growing more heavy with the weight of sweat and snow.  

When the two finally arrived at the field's farside, the grandfather turned back towards the house and motioned for his grandson to look.  The grandfather spoke with certainty but kindness, "See how your tracks are all over the place, meandering about the field with barely any direction.  Now look at mine: true and straight as an arrow shot directly at its target.   Son, it's cold out here and I would rather be inside.  So remember: sometimes it's best to keep your eyes fixed on the goal in order to get it done."

In many ways, life is like this.  Throughout our lives, we are either the grandfather or the grandson:  focused on the task or wandering through the snowdrifts in hopes of reaching the goal.  At the onset, it seems necessary to indicate with clarity that the goal of life is to enter into eternity in right relationship with the Holy Lord Almighty, which occurs by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.  Because of this reality, it may be best to think of the grandfather's path as that of the sure and secure believer, the grandson's as the wayward lukewarm questioner lacking conviction and commitment.

In the latter case, the necessary corrective steps, akin to the Prodigal Son, would be to concede in humility to God's grace and commit himself to Christ.  However, and more pertinent for this dialogue, the plight of the grandfather, who represents the Christian who has decidedly fixed his/her trajectory, is far-more easily exhorted than accomplished.

There is a need for an unrelenting focus.  If we, as Christians, are to stay the course that leads to eternity with God, then we must firmly fix our gaze upon the prize, which is Christ, in order that we may finish the race as winners (1 Cor. 9:24; Phil. 3:14; Heb. 12:1-2).  There is a requisite recalibration of repentance that we need to go through so that we can walk with the certain stability of the grandfather and not become reckless wanderers like the grandson.  To be sure, the process of realignment to Christ and His Word is like every step through the winter of this world.  In this way we can truly remain true to the path that leads to eternity.  Praise God who helps us accomplish this task and focus!

The Betrayals of Jesus

The night Jesus was arrested, two of his closest friends and disciples betrayed Him.  One, the moneyman of the group, turned Jesus’ location over to the religious leaders who were seeking a way to arrest and kill Him.  The other, His hotheaded confidant, denied ever knowing the Lord, even uttering curses upon himself to prove his ignorance of Jesus.  Both of these men were in Jesus’ close circle of friends, yet how they each responded to their betrayals speaks volumes, both to the cost of unfaithfulness as well as the potential reactions once we realize what we’ve done.

Judas Iscariot, the accountant of the disciples, had shown that he was more concerned with fleshly gains, having been helping himself to the groups money and proving himself a thief for sometime before Jesus' arrest (John 12:5-6).  Therefore, when Judas did finally turn Jesus over to the authorities for a meager 30 pieces of silver, approximately $7,500 today, how lowly Judas and the chief priests who paid the fee thought of Jesus was revealed (Matt. 26:14-15).

Yet Judas, upon realizing what he had done in aiding the chief priests to condemn and execute an innocent Jesus, changed his mind and, in his utter guilt, hanged himself (Matt. 27:3-5).  There was to be neither forgiveness nor restoration for Judas.  He recognized his shame and faced the wrath of God in the total disgrace of suicide, taking his own life instead of repenting in humility for his betrayal.

Then there’s Peter, the outspoken foot-in-mouth disciple, who denied ever knowing the Lord Jesus at the inquisition of a slave girl in the courtyard outside of the Caiaphas’ house (Matt. 26:69-75).  Even as Jesus prophesied Peter’s denial, Peter underestimated how his faith would be tested, claiming, “Even if I must die, I will not deny you (Matt. 26:30-35)!”  Yet when the moment came to live up to his bravado, he folded in denial of His Lord and in humility ran out of the courtyard weeping bitterly.

Unlike Judas, though, Peter was stayed true to His Lord, running to His tomb with John at His resurrection (John 20:3).  And after preparing breakfast on the shore alongside the Sea of Tiberius, Jesus confirmed His forgiveness and reconciliation to Peter (John 21:15-19).  Although Peter had betrayed Jesus, turning his back of Him at His most dire moment, Jesus forgave and restored Peter,  confirmed by Peter's prominence at Pentecost (Acts 1:15).

In truth, each one of us has betrayed Jesus in our own way and time.  That being said, if and when we do deny our Lord, we should take on the posture of Peter, weeping in humility at our unfaithfulness and repenting in faith for God's forgiveness and restoration.  LEt us then look to the restoration of Peter as to make it our own!

Put Your Self to Death

Putting your self to death is a significant and challenging doctrine of Christianity.  Paul speaks of it most directly, particularly in his epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and Colossians (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 2:19-20; Col. 3).  The difficulty with this concept is due to the intensely metaphoric language as well as the personal accountability the doctrine places on believers.

At the onset, parameters of dying to self should be laid out to guide this discourse.  The death of self can be reduced to the intentional separation from our fleshly self, in which we previously lived, for the expressed purpose of drawing closer to our renewed and reconciled spiritual self in Christ.  This should be the framework that guides our understanding of dying to self.

There are two basic parts of ourselves that we are putting to death.  The first part of self to be put to death is our previous self.  When we become Christians, through confession and belief in Jesus, we put to death our previous self in repentance and faith in order to turn to God.  This is so fundamental to the Christian life that if we have not taken this first step of putting our selves to death we should seriously examine the state of our salvation.  This part of the self that we put to death includes every previous bit and iota that had previously filled and dominated our life.

The second part of our self that needs to be put to death is our future self.  When we give ourselves to Christ, we are to place our plans, our dreams, and our desires into His hands.  This can be a very challenging proposition, particularly in a society that so values goal orientation but it is so utterly necessary for us to grow to be the people that God desires us to be.  We need to place everything in His sovereign, loving, and omnipotent hands, knowing that He is the God of all creation and the Lord of our lives.

Once we have accepted the reality and necessity of putting our old self to death, then we will be prepared to take the next steps of growth: putting on our new self.  Paul speaks of this concept very directly in Colossians 3, indicating that we are taking off our old, fleshly self and putting it to death and putting on the new self.  The new self is found and defined only in Christ.  It is in Christ, by Christ, through Christ, and for Christ that the new self is all about.  A correct term for the new self is "God-obsessed."  After we die to self and are risen anew to the Spirit, we should strive to live God-obsessed in every manner, word, and deed.  Let us then press forward to put our selves to death to be made new in Him!

Relinquishing the Wheel

Who directs our steps?  What is the compelling guide that leads us to traverse the mountains and valleys of life?  If our guide is sure and trustworthy, we can certainly feel at ease and be able to have peace that the route is correct and the journey will be true.  But if our advisor does not know the way or is overconfident, we can easily be put in danger of becoming lost or injured.  Fortunately, a perfect guide has been given us in the Holy Spirit.  However, handing over the reigns of our lives can be a difficult endeavor.

The first step in allowing the Lord to guide our steps is repentance.  Literally, repentance means turning away from self and towards the Lord.  Therefore, it makes sense to assert repentance as the watershed action of relinquishing control to One who truly is in control, God.  Any attempt to hand over the keys to our lives that misses this step will fail because control of the wheel has not been fully given to the sure driver.  Imagine, for a second, a driver and a passenger each vying for control of the steering wheel while barreling down a narrow corridor on a steep mountain pass.  Not effective and definitely dangerous.

Once we truly and wholly repent (which is to be a continuous action, not a once-for-all-time), then we will be able to listen to the direction that comes from the Lord.  Isaiah says, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, 'this is the way, walk in it' when you turn to the right or to the left (Isa. 30:21)."  God, the true and perfect guide, desires to lead us through life.  Paramount to this is our willingness to relinquish the wheel (repentance), followed by our willingness to listen to Him speak (faith abiding in His Word).

The Holy Spirit acts as the divine inner-driver for repentant believers.  He guides, compels, teaches, and directs us in the way we should go.  And, because He is who He is, He knows the right way.  The Psalmist writes, "The steps of a man are established in the Lord when he delights in His way (Psa. 37:23)."  This truth was not lost on Solomon who writes that the Lord makes straight the paths of those who trust in Him, do not lean on their own understandings, and who acknowledge Him (Pro. 3:5-6), and also, though a man plans in his heart, the Lord establishes his steps (Pro. 16:9).

At the final analysis, we who confess Christ should take this attitude among us, that, though we may have ideas of the way we should go, if our paths are not grounded in repentance and faith, listening to the Holy Spirit speak to us through His Word, then our plans will ultimately fail because they are not made secure and sure in the Lord.  If we think of life like traveling, a picture comes to mind: there is a single, narrow road.  To the immediate left and right of the road is washed-out sand, muddy bog, and cliffs that fall off into oblivion.  We are the car.  Who should we trust to drive it?

Acts of Conversion

In the book of Acts, Luke chronicles the beginnings of the Church being birthed at Pentecost (Acts 2).  Because of the immense significance that is the moment in history that deals with the gifting of the Holy Spirit, the preaching that immediately follows offers the truest evangelism ever preached.  At this point, Peter stood up among the disciples and preached a rousing and convicting sermon, the apex being Acts 2:38-39, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."


In lieu of the historical importance of this moment, Peter offers the first post-resurrection Gospel presentation in all of salvation history.  In essence, Peter diagramed conversion, understood as repentance and baptism in the name of  Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, resulting in the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The reality of this picture of conversion and belief still rings true today.  


Salvation still demands repentance, literally meaning turning away from self and to God.  Repentance is thus the first step of belief and conversion.  When we turn away from self and towards the Lord, we are able to see truthfully how pitiful our righteousness is in the light of His holiness.  Additionally, repentance is a personal action of humility which allows for the Holy Spirit to indwell us.  Think of it in physical terms: if we are full of the junk of ourselves, then there is no room within for the Holy Spirit to fill our lives.


Following repentance is the baptism into the name of Jesus.  Names represent the essence of the person whom the name refers.  When we are baptized into the name of Jesus, we are actively recognizing that
we no longer belong to ourselves but we belong to Him.  In this way, the name of Jesus rests upon us.  Just after Pentecost, Peter sharpens this point to a razor's edge: " And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).”


The Last part of the conversion equation is the gifting of the Holy Spirit.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the evidence of true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.  Repentance and transformational faith is the soil by which the Holy Spirit takes root in our hearts.  In reality, these necessary conditions refer not to a once-for-all-time requisite, but rather are to be understood as a constant posture, a way of life.  Let us then strive to live lives of repentance, baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit!

The Betrayals of Jesus

The night that Jesus was arrested, two of His disciples betrayed Him.  One, Judas, for a price of 30 pieces of silver, passed on the information about Jesus' nightly whereabouts in the garden of Gethsemane to the Sanhedrin and other religious officials that allowed them to arrest Him at night and illegally try him for crimes of blaspheme and sedition.  The other, Peter, three times denied having ever known Jesus to a servant girl around a fire, standing outside of the place of His accusations.

Both of these two men are iconic.  They were both close to Jesus, Peter the head of the disciples and Judas the money man.  For years, they had been following Jesus, had eaten and heard Jesus speak, had seen tremendous miracles, and had been at the last supper.  Tragically, even though these were some of Jesus' closest friends, they both betrayed Him at the time of His greatest need and majesty.

Although they both betrayed Jesus, they handled the consequences, the conscience of their actions, very differently.  Following Judas' payment, he realized what he had done: he had betrayed the Son of God and one of his best friends, not to mention, the disciples.  When the gravity of his deal with the priests finally hit him, he tried to wash his hands of the matter by returning the silver, but guilt over his betrayal proved too much so he committed suicide (Matt. 27:3-10).  Needless to say, Judas is a tragic example of what not to do.

Peter also, in his thrice denial of Jesus, betrayed the Son of God.  However, how Peter handled his betrayal is the point at hand.  Whereas Judas' shame drove him to commit suicide, Peter ran weeping when he realized that he had betrayed his Lord and friend, Jesus.  Peter ran back to the disciples for support and to hide.  It could be said that Judas could not have went back to the disciples because of his betrayal but to suppose such is tenuous, however plausible.  What is sure is that Peter knew that he needed forgiveness and the strength of his friends in his time of shame.

Additionally, because of Peter's response, he was given the opportunity to address Jesus directly in order to complete his forgiveness.  At the end of John's gospel, on the shore of the Galilean Sea, Jesus confronted Peter's betrayal directly (John 21:15-19).  In this episode, Jesus questions Peter's love three times, one for each of his denials.  In this, Jesus really convicts Peter and presses into him what the Lord requires of him.

Much can be gleaned from these two instances of Jesus' disciples betraying him.  First of all and most obvious is the negative example that Judas provides.  Instead of desiring repentance and forgiveness for his mistake, Judas wallowed in his shame to such an extant that he hung himself with a cord of his own guilt.  On the other hand, Peter's example is a positive one, and relevant for believers still.

Peter shrunk back from his denials and wept bitterly at his betrayal of his friend and Lord.  Peter knew, just as Judas knew, that he had done something horrible by denying the Lord.  However, Peter did not wallow alone in his betrayal, he went back to the other disciples for support and forgiveness.  Because of Peter's faithfulness and obedience after his denial, he was given the divine opportunity to confess his sin and to receive forgiveness.  Moreover, Peter was one of the first and greatest leaders of the early Church.

Similarly, we all make mistakes, sometimes even betraying our Lord in unbelief and disobedience.  It is not an accident that the Scriptures reveal two different takes on what to do when we stumble in similar ways to Judas and Peter.  We should strive to handle the gravity of our sin and disobedience like Peter: with deference, repentance, confession, and faithfulness.  Thanks be to God that He would bring us back into His holy presence when we make dramatic and significant mistakes!

Forgiving the Self

Life is hard.  It is full of painful pits, twisting hairpins, unseeable snares, swirling storms, and countless other obstacles that impede our ability to walk the straight and narrow.  Because of the distinct and plentiful complications of life, sometimes, more often than we’d like to admit, we make poor decisions.  Tragically, the repercussions of poor decisions can be painful, if not outright destructive. 

Thankfully, because of sincere confession and belief in Christ, God forgives all of our poor decisions (Psa. 103:12; 1 John 1:9).  Handling missteps and snowballs of sin is not God’s business.  He is in the business of salvation and forgiveness.  However, we still have to deal with our past choices, especially the ones that have lingering scars of remembrance.  It is how we face those decisions, the good and bad, that can reveal something about our reliance on the Lord.

The past, our pasts, usually come to us in emotional vignettes: we remember specific episodes, how we felt, how we made others feel, etc.  These emotional memories, though not always pervasive, linger with us after God has forgiven us.  Simply put, God has forgiven us and, as we live in Him by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we live in His forgiveness.

 

This means that when we feel streams of regret and shame for past sin that has been forgiven, we are bringing up sin that God has already washed clean.  In a sense, replaying sin of the past is disbelief that we are truly forgiven because we, in our flesh, are not able to fully believe the depth of God’s forgiveness.

It is important to note that judgment, in the form of guilt, is always intended to draw us to repentance and sanctification.  When we feel a divine guilt that propels us to seek Him and to repair relationships, this is a beautiful thing.  However, if feelings of regret torment us and hinder our ability to draw closer to Him, we are not living in His grace but wallowing in our own fleshly weakness.  Instead, we must claim our forgiven identity.

Claiming an identity in Christ involves eschewing any and every sin that hinders our sanctification and prevents the Holy Spirit from entering every nook of our lives when every cranny already belongs to Him.  Regret is one of Satan’s ploys and most powerful tactics.  Remember, Satan is the great accuser who tempts people to sin and then perpetually accuses them of that sin (Rev. 12:10).

 

Whenever our pasts, the sin and bad decisions, accuses us with regret and guilt, it is not of God but is the enemy.  The only way to overcome his accusations is to, in the power of Jesus’ name, cast him out.  Remember, our identity is made new in Christ, so any regret of who we once were is not godly but is a hindrance to God’s holy work of sanctification in our lives.

 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is marked out for us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:1-2).”  The casting aside of weight and sin does not only refer to the sins of now but also to our past sins.  Let us cast them aside and press forward in steadfastness and perseverance, keeping our gaze fixed on Christ and not allow ourselves to be distracted by ourselves.

Defending from Heresy

The Word of God is clear and perspicuous, meaning that it is accessible to all believers.  Conversely, it is not open to non-believers, because non-believers will not have eyes to see or ears to hear its truth apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.  Although any person with the ability to read can read the Bible, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that illuminates the Word as the divinely-inspired infallible truth that it is.

It is this "second" step of interpretation, the Spirit step, that is oft overlooked.  Without relying on the Holy Spirit to guide interpretation, particularly in regards to application and doctrine, heresy inevitably arises.  Heresy refers to any doctrine or teaching that stands in opposition to the teaching of the Bible.  It is important to note that Christians have been interpreting the Bible for some 20 centuries.  Thus, there is a wealth of tradition and orthodox teaching compiled that can help guide interpretation.

Although traditional doctrine should not be accepted uncritically, many very educated and highly intelligent interpreters have come and gone, leaving valuable Scriptural insights for future generations of believers.  For instance, Paul was one of the first Christian interpreters.  Romans is a veritable theological treatise on Scriptural (OT) interpretation in lieu of Jesus.  Similarly, the writer of Hebrews left an indispensable source of hermeneutical technique in his interpretations.  

These were some of the first people to look to the Hebrew Scriptures and interpret them Christologically, that is to say, through a Christ-centered lens.  Following the first century, there have been hundreds of important individuals that have left important and influential marks on interpretation: Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, etc.  The work of these people, the traditions of interpretation they brought about, should be studied so that we can understand and make the most accurate interpretations possible.

Differences in interpretation will appear; however, when interpretative variants arise, we should not be quick to throw away the interpretations of the past.  For instance, in 19th century Germany, new "critical" approaches to interpretation arose.  Although the techniques were not wholly immoral or useless, they tended towards the very liberal and anti-orthodox.  Unfortunately, many believers were led so astray and liberalized by these techniques that their version of Christianity looked less like the church than it did the world and all its trimmings, thus heresy was formed.  In reaction, fundamentalists rose up to combat the liberal interpretive techniques and modern evangelicals are direct descendants of this reaction.

Paul, Peter, John, and the other first-century Church leaders also had to combat heresy.  In fact, fighting heresy is an essential part of the Christian life.  We, as image bearers of Jesus, must defend that which is essential and orthodox doctrine.  The basics are non-negotiable and should be defended vociferously: Jesus is the risen Son of God, a real human being who lived and died and resurrected so as to take on the sin of all mankind, and through confession and belief, believers are blessed with salvation and deliverance from sin.  Heresy should not be accepted but should be snuffed out.  However, throughout our defense of orthodoxy, we need to maintain the gentleness, kindness, and grace that is becoming of the children of God.