Obeying the Gospel

ENTRANCE INTO THE ETERNAL KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 30)

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"Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:10,11).

AS CHRISTIANS, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR US TO GROW IN THE CHARACTER TRAITS OF GODLINESS. Just prior to the text above, Peter had encouraged his readers to work hard at growing in virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (vv.5-7). God will help us, obviously, but the process of renovating our character cannot take place without our active engagement and obedience. We must not only be willing to have our imperfections removed; we must exert ourselves in that direction. As Paul encouraged his young friend Timothy, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15 NKJV).

In the text in 2 Peter 1:10,11, Peter says, “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.” God’s “chosen” and His “elect” are those who accept the terms upon which He has made salvation conditional. The invitation of God is open to all, but we must choose to be among the chosen. In Romans 1:5, Paul uses the expression “the obedience of faith” to summarize what is necessary on our part. And Peter urges us to be “diligent” in this matter. Not taking our salvation for granted, we must be people who grow.

If we give ourselves wholeheartedly and lovingly to the strengthening of our character, we need not doubt our salvation. Peter said, “If you do these things you will never stumble” (NKJV). Having obeyed the gospel of Christ, we are in the kingdom which He established, but heaven is not yet our home. We await the eternal kingdom — and we wait for it with eager anticipation (Philippians 3:12-14; 2 Peter 3:11-13; 1 John 3:2,3; etc.).

It is helpful to think of our lives in Christ right now as a remedial process. We have been saved from our past sins, but we still have habits that need to be broken, ways of thinking that need to be changed, and attitudes that need to be adjusted. So God is disciplining us, teaching us, and helping us to grow in His direction. If we don’t drop out, one day we’ll graduate from this school.

"Heaven is a place prepared for those who are prepared for it" (Old Saying).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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JUDGED BY OUR RESPONSE TO JESUS' WORD (NOVEMBER 29)

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"I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day" (John 12:46-48).

WHEN WE HEAR THE WORDS OF JESUS CHRIST WE HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE. The question we must answer is actually two questions: Is it true? If it is true, what are we going to do about it? No decision we ever make in this life has greater consequences.

In these daily meditations, we have emphasized that our response to God’s initiative is a matter of choice on our part. The gospel comes to us in the form of an invitation. From the depths of His great heart, our Lord is saying to each of us, “Come to me” (Matthew 11:28). But while the freedom our Father has given us is a magnificent blessing, it entails a serious responsibility.

Looking back at John 12, observe how Jesus describes the two paths that we must choose between. In v.46, He had spoken of “whoever believes in me.” That is the first path. Then, in vv.47,48, He speaks of the other path, the path of disbelief. Hearing Jesus’ words, this person “does not keep them.” Refusing to believe, he “rejects me” and “does not receive my words.” So to disbelieve is not merely to be uninterested or unconvinced: the decision not to “receive” or to “keep” Jesus’ words is a decision to “reject” Him. If what He taught is false, that is precisely what we should do. But what if it is true? In that case, we will have rejected the message that could have saved us — and in doing so, we’ve sentenced ourselves to eternal death. “The word that I have spoken,” Jesus said, “will judge him on the last day.” If we are lost, it will not be because we couldn’t be rescued, but because we rejected our Rescuer.

The picture in John 12 is not simply that of a person distrusting a set of doctrines. When the words of the gospel are rejected, it is Jesus Himself who is being refused. So let us look at our situation with clear eyes: our eternal destiny hinges on our response to the person of Jesus Christ. If His words are true, He alone is our Savior. How we respond to Him is the most important thing about us.

"Jesus Christ never asks anyone to define his position or to understand a creed, but 'Who am I to you?' . . . Jesus Christ makes the whole of human destiny depend on a man's relationship to himself" (Oswald Chambers).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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CALLED, BELOVED, KEPT (NOVEMBER 28)

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"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you" (Jude 1,2).

BEING A CHRISTIAN IS A REALITY THAT CAN BE LOOKED AT FROM MORE THAN ONE ANGLE. In other words, a person who is a Christian can describe his identity in various ways. Let’s look at the three expressions Jude used to address his fellow Christians.

THOSE WHO ARE CALLED. Through the gospel, God calls everyone to accept the salvation that He is offering in Jesus Christ. To obey the gospel is, in effect, to answer God’s call, and to live faithfully as a Christian is to be among the called. It was God alone who had the right to decide what the terms of His salvation would be; on our own, we could never have worked our way back to Him. So when we submit to the terms of His forgiveness in the gospel, we can rejoice in the privilege of being among those whom He has called out of the darkness to be His own possession (1 Peter 2:9).

BELOVED IN GOD THE FATHER. While God obviously loves every person He has ever created, He has a very specific love for those who have accepted His plan of salvation, i.e., the individuals who have responded to His love with gratitude, obedience, and faithfulness. In the salutation to his letters, Paul often spoke of God’s love for those whom He has saved: “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7).

KEPT FOR JESUS CHRIST. In a world of obstacles and temptations, we could not survive, even after obeying the gospel, if it weren’t for the help God gives us in Christ. Peter wrote of those “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). And Jude ended his letter with this: “[God] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 24). Well might he say, “May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” There is simply no higher joy available to us.

"True joy is not a thing of moods, not a capricious emotion, tied to fluctuating experiences. It is a state and condition of the soul. It survives through pain and sorrow and, like a subterranean spring, waters the whole life. It is intimately allied and bound up with love and goodness, and so is deeply rooted in the life of God" (Rufus Matthew Jones).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

FAITH HAS CONSEQUENCES (NOVEMBER 27)

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"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:5-8).

THERE IS A “JUDICIAL” ASPECT TO THE GOSPEL, BUT SALVATION IN CHRIST INVOLVES FAR MORE THAN GOD’S PRONOUNCEMENT THAT WE ARE “JUSTIFIED.” Having obeyed the gospel we do indeed stand in a right relationship with God, having been pardoned from our past sins (Romans 5:1,2). At that point, however, we begin learning to be very different people than we used to be. As forgiven ones, living under God’s mercy, we participate in the process of “bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

In particular, we begin living on the basis of faith. Paul was quoting from Habakkuk when he said, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). In contrast to our previous self-will, our decisions are now governed by God’s will. Our operative principle is confidence in the One “whom I have believed” (2 Timothy 1:12).

As we learn to live by faith, things begin to happen that would not happen if it were not for faith. For one thing, faith commits us to a life of spiritual growth. It is the foundation upon which all of the Christ-like qualities of character are built — and the addition of these virtues to our faith is not optional. “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10,11).

Believing, then, is not a simple one-time decision after which we drift through life automatically, taking it for granted that we have been saved. True faith is a “walk,” a way of living (Colossians 2:6,7). At the heart of it all is a trust in God that causes us to obey Him readily and reverently. It is a soul-deep dependence on the Father who has loved us and saved us. To believe is not only to believe, but to take the risks that only trust will take.

"The temptation to make our relationship to God judicial instead of personal is very strong. Believing for salvation has been reduced to a once-done act that requires no further attention" (A. W. Tozer).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

HONEST ABOUT OUR TRANSGRESSIONS (NOVEMBER 26)

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"For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long" (Psalm 32:3).

WE NEED TO ACCEPT THE LORD’S VERDICT CONCERNING OUR SINS. Our sins can be forgiven if we accept His plan for their forgiveness, but a part of the plan is repentance — and repentance includes taking honest responsibility for what we’ve done. To the best of our present understanding, we must see the seriousness of our sins and enter a plea of “guilty as charged.” When we fail to do this, by hiding our sin or trying to minimize it, our situation just keeps getting worse. “When I kept silent,” David said, “my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.”

It is interesting to contrast the honesty of David (2 Samuel 12:13) with the excuse-making of Saul (1 Samuel 15:15,24). Unlike Saul, who wanted to rationalize his deeds and soften the blow as much as possible, David wanted to hear the worst-case indictment of his character by the God of truth — so that he could repent. The truth can be painful, as we all know, but David wanted only the truth. “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12 NKJV). “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23,24).

All of us want other people to see us favorably, but I’ll tell you something else: we want to see ourselves favorably. When we have sinned, we will spare no effort to make the situation seem as innocent as possible in our own thinking. What we did may not have been the best, we think, but the “mistakes” we made were “understandable.” But the more time we waste trying to spin the story to our advantage, the longer it will be before we can be forgiven.

Thanks to the gospel of Christ, there is no sin we can’t be forgiven of. But forgiveness is only for the honest. Like the penitent tax collector in Luke 18:9-14, we must be willing to say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” It may seem more comfortable to stay in the darkness and try to preserve our flattering self-image with denials of the truth, but there is nothing but death in that cave. To be forgiven, we’re going to have to come out of hiding. In Jesus Christ there is life — but it is only in the light of truth that we can live.

"If my hangups and negatives are called sin by our Lord, then sin it is" (Bob Turnbull).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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IF WE HAVE DIED TO SIN (NOVEMBER 25)

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"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1,2).

ONE OF OUR GREATEST CHALLENGES IS TO RESPOND RIGHTLY TO GOD’S GRACE. Surely there is no greater gift than the forgiveness of our sins in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. But we must determine not to “receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1).

In Romans 6:1,2, Paul was dealing with the false notion that if God forgives our sins by grace then it doesn’t matter how we live: we may sin with impunity, knowing that grace will save us anyway. But if a Christian thought this way, he or she would obviously have a confused concept of what it means to obey the gospel. “How,” Paul asks, “can we who died to sin still live in it?”

When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized into His death. We die to the sins that separated us from God, and we dedicate ourselves to walking in “newness of life” (Romans 6:4). But what does this mean at the practical level? What qualities of character will regulate the life of one who is obeying the gospel?

COMMITMENT. At the very least, we must commit ourselves to obedience to Christ. Words like “promise” and “vow” are not too strong to describe the decisiveness of our new life in Christ.

CONFESSION. When we fail to think or act as we know Christ would want, we are to confess our sin to Him honestly. Most of us would do well to make the specific confession of our actual sins more of a daily practice. Dying to sin means confessing our sins.

REPENTANCE. Just as confession should be our habit, so should repentance. Like David, we should seek God’s help in seeing our sins so that we can correct them immediately (Psalm 19:12-14). In this life, dying to sin does not mean perfection — it means repentance.

If commitment, confession, and repentance are not a part of our daily walk with God, we need to go back and remember the “death” we died when we were baptized. If at that time we did not honestly decide to turn our backs on sin — no ifs, ands, or maybes — then we need to do so. There is no hope of defeating the enemy if we still dine at his table from time to time. If we have died to sin, the only word sufficient to keep it out of our hearts is “No!”

"It is the great moment of our lives when we decide that sin must die right out, not be curbed or suppressed or counteracted, but crucified" (Oswald Chambers).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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A SOBERING (AND ENCOURAGING) THOUGHT (NOVEMBER 24)

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"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:7-9).

IDEAS HAVE EMOTIONAL CONSEQUENCES, AND THE IMPACT THEY HAVE ON US CAN BE COMPLEX. Sometimes a single idea may produce effects that are on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. For example, there are a number of ideas that are both sobering and encouraging at the same time. This is not a problem; it is a blessing.

Writing to the Galatians, Paul wanted to encourage them to remain faithful and keep doing the Lord’s work even when they were persecuted. But he also wanted to warn them of the consequences of unfaithfulness. So he pointed to the process of sowing and reaping: “whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” What emotional effect would it have on these Christians to realize that we will reap what we have sown? If they thought about it, they would be both sobered (a person can’t sow to the flesh and not reap corruption) and encouraged (if we keep sowing to the Spirit, we will reap eternal life; so whatever happens, we must not give up).

Why do texts like this have such a balanced effect on us? It is because both of their points of emphasis are inherent in the character of God. A simplistic view of God would see Him as either a God of love or a God of judgment. The truth, however, is that He is both, and if either component of His character is left out of our thinking, we will be worshiping not the real God but an imaginary God that we have constructed in our own minds.

Even after obeying the gospel, we still need to be reminded of the sobering side of God’s truth (1 Corinthians 10:12). But what if you have not yet obeyed the gospel? What do you need to hear? You need to hear all of the truth that God has revealed about Himself. So study all of the Scriptures. You will be encouraged, but you will also be sobered. To repeat, this is not a problem; it is a blessing.

"The judgment of God is the reaping that comes from sowing and is evidence of the love of God, not proof of his wrath. The penalty of an evil harvest is not God’s punishment; it is the consequence of defying the moral order which in love he maintains as the only environment in which maturity of fellowship and communion can be achieved" (Kirby Page).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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OBEDIENCE IS A CHOICE (NOVEMBER 23)

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"Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him" (Hebrews 5:8,9).

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM JESUS IS THE LESSON OF VOLUNTARY OBEDIENCE TO GOD. Even with His unique relationship to the Heavenly Father, Jesus still had to choose to obey. “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” In making this difficult choice, “he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”

In the New Testament, we are urged to have the same attitude toward obedience that Jesus had, even if it means setting aside personal preferences (Philippians 2:5-8). We can’t claim to be Jesus’ followers if we don’t emulate His reverence in doing what is right. For Jesus, the question “What is God’s will?” was the only question worth asking. It was the end of every discussion.

But also like Jesus, we must understand the decisiveness of obedience. If He always did what was right, it wasn’t because He was carried along by some irresistible force. Instead, he “learned obedience,” freely and voluntarily making the choice to submit to God’s will. And nowhere do we see His agony in this choice any more painfully than in Gethsemane: “And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done’” (Luke 22:41,42).

No matter how complicated the scenario, doing what is right is always an option. When we face hard decisions, it will be helpful if we’ve established habits of obedience previously. But even so, obedience is a choice that must be made moment by moment. In the life of obedience, there is no such thing as “autopilot.”

There is no way around it: obedience requires discipline. And discipline comes from deciding what is most important to us. So if you’re a Christian, I recommend that you meditate on Paul’s exhortation: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). Valuing our hope more highly than anything else, we will pursue that hope with passionate discipline. Turning back is a choice we will choose not to make — period.

"The Christian life is never automatic" (Erwin W. Lutzer).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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O TO BE LIKE THEE! (NOVEMBER 22)

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"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:2,3).

IN HIS DEALINGS WITH US, GOD HAS A GREAT GOAL. It is not merely to rescue us but to reform us. For all who will accept His plan, God intends to repair the damage sin has done to our character and make us into nothing less than perfect reproductions of His gloriously perfect Son: “Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). Making this possible is why Christ died for us. And whatever secondary or intermediate blessings may be involved, we ought never to lose sight of what God is really after: our likeness to Jesus Christ, His Son.

We see this in the life-choices of Paul. He wanted to be like Christ in everything, even in suffering: “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10,11).

Today, we would do well to ponder the advice of the 18th-century Anglican, William Law, who said, “From morning to night keep Jesus in your heart, long for nothing, desire nothing, hope for nothing, but to have all that is within you changed into the spirit and temper of the Holy Jesus.” If this is not a driving force within us, we are settling for something less than the gospel of Christ.

To the Christians in Corinth, Paul wrote, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Far more than comfortable circumstances or emotional inspiration, to be conformed to the virtues of Christ’s character is what we want — at any cost. And not only is this our highest hope; it must be the goal we pursue more actively and energetically than any other. What did John say in our beginning text? “Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer;
This is my constant longing and pray’r;
Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
(Thomas O. Chisholm)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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HAVE WE "PUT ON" CHRIST? (NOVEMBER 21)

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"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, ONE WAY CHRISTIANS ARE DESCRIBED IS TO SAY THAT THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE “PUT ON” CHRIST. The image, of course, is that of taking off one set of clothes and putting on another. In his new relationship with Jesus Christ, the Christian has “put on” His Lord — he has adopted the characteristics of Christ in such a way as to have “clothed” himself in Christ.

(1) BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST. Paul wrote that “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Attempts to explain away this clear statement are futile. It is in baptism, and not before, that we enter into this new relationship with Christ, not because it earns us salvation as a meritorious work, but simply because Christ commanded it as a condition of His grace (Acts 2:38).

(2) PUTTING ON CHRIST. Baptism is followed by the living of a new life (Romans 6:4), so there is a vital link between baptism and putting on Christ. But the second does not automatically follow from the first — it is a choice on the part of the one who has been baptized. For that reason, the Christian is not just said to have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27), but he is commanded to do so (Ephesians 4:24). In Colossians 2:6, Paul put it simply: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”

Suppose a person studies Jesus’ teachings and emulates His character, but does not obey the command to be baptized for the remission of his sins. He will have a better life in this world (and others will benefit from that), but he will die with no scriptural basis upon which to expect anything but separation from God in eternity.

But turn the situation around. Suppose a person is baptized but never chooses to “put on” Christ. His lifestyle would suggest that, despite his baptism, his heart still belongs to the devil. His old rebellious self was not “buried” as it should have been (Romans 6:1-4).

So for those who have been baptized, the critical question is this: have we put on Christ? Have we been truly converted to Him, discarding our old life and clothing ourselves with the fresh, clean garments of our Lord’s heart, mind, and character? If not, perhaps our commitment to Christ is lacking. He deserves better from us.

"Christianity can be condensed into four words: admit, submit, commit, and transmit" (Samuel Wilberforce).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

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