CONTENTS
Repentance
Confession
More about Confession
Lukewarm Living
Temptation
Holiness
Faith
The Cross
The Resurrection
Guidance
Love
Giving
God's Promises
Sex
Q. Just what is repentance? I've heard the word in sermons, but what
does it mean?
A. It is certainly an old-fashioned word and many feel like draping
it in cobwebs, but the subject is right up-to-the-minute. It means "to
be sorry" or "to turn back". It also means "to have another mind" or "a
change of mind". Does that make it clear? When the preacher commands, "Repent!"
he means that we need to feel genuinely sorry for being the sinners that
we are and for the sins we have committed, and that we need to change our
mind about ourselves and God, and how we propose to go on living.
Q. How does a person repent?
A. Repentance is really something that comes from God (Acts 11:18),
and yet it is we who have to repent! Sounds contradictory at first but
it is quite simple to understand. It is like being given a pen, but you
have to do the writing. The process may begin when we read or listen to
preaching from the Bible, which is God's inspired Word to mankind. As we
read or listen we soon come across something that rings a bell in the guilt
chamber of our soul. At this point everything depends on our reaction to
it, for if we ignore it, or just don't care, or deliberately suppress it,
we are stopping a possible work of God's grace in our lives. However, if
we face up to it squarely, become sorry for what we have done wrong, turn
away from and leave it, that is the first part. The second part is to put
right that which we have done wrong - we call this "restitution" - as far
as we are able. But repentance is never complete by just having a moral
clean-up like that: we must not only turn from sin, but turn from sin TO
GOD. Repentance brings us into line with divine laws of behaviour.
I once met a girl in the prayer room who was in great distress because
she had cheated in her exams. She had been away ill for six months and
could not face remaining in the old class, so had cribbed to get through.
That night during the preaching, the Holy Spirit convinced her of her sin
and now she had to face it. After confessing her sin to God, she returned
to her teacher the next morning and made confession of the matter to her
also, saying she was willing to be put down a class, if necessary, but
must clear the matter as God had spoken to her. The teacher forgave her,
and her action became a testimony also. After that she walked in God's
ways of righteousness - she had turned from sin to God, submitting herself
to Him.
Q. How often must one repent?
A. Basically once, for when God forgives He forgets. But there is a
much bigger view of repentance. Real repentance is not something one switches
on and off when the red light of conviction flashes. Nor does it mean that
you go around with a sanctimonious expression on your face. After repentance
accomplishes the crisis of dealing with sin, your attitude then becomes
one of constant hatred against all that is sinful, and a love for all that
is righteous. It was written of Jesus, "Thou hast loved righteousness,
and hated iniquity" (Heb. 1:9). Of course, a new attitude by itself amounts
to little if it does not change our behaviour. This was why Jesus had no
time for the Pharisees.
Q. But is there more than one crisis, as you call it?
A. At conversion we repent of the whole matter of sin in our life,
trusting the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to cancel it out, in His sight.
As we continue in the Christian life it is not long before the Holy Spirit
convicts us of new sins being committed. We should repent of these immediately,
before they have a chance to take a grip on us. You probably know what
it says in 1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." To
get the true slant on that word "confess" we need to read Proverbs 28:13,
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
FORSAKETH them shall have mercy." Always handle it in this way.
Q. How can I tell whether or not I am really sorry enough? Do tears
come into it?
A. God never despises tears - if they come from the heart, that is
- but they are not a final measurement of repentance. Mere emotion can
produce tears, and tears of the crocodile variety. God does not necessarily
ask for tears, but He does ask for a clean break with sin. "The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart..." (Psa. 51:17).
The true measurement is whether or not we are sorry ENOUGH about our sins
to break them off completely and follow Jesus Christ all the way. To cry
over our sins and then do them again is sheer hypocrisy.
When Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob so as to stave off
his hunger pains, he was faced with choosing God's way or his own desires.
Immediate repentance would have helped him - without tears - but Hebrews
12:17 records, "When he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:
for he found no place for repentance (way to change his mind), though he
sought it carefully with tears." His tears were in vain.
Q. Does repentance affect my entertainment and amusements?
A. Yes, it affects every part of the life. Be careful, though! Change
your mind about them when the Holy Spirit asks you to, and not when you
have no option. Let me explain: it is mainly when you are a young person
that worldly amusements seem so important. When you are old you will have
little use for them and will change your mind, but that is not repentance.
There is yet another viewpoint: see that old and bedraggled, red-faced
alcoholic, dragging his feet along the road in a zig-zag? Go and ask him
if he has changed his mind about his one-time pleasures. He sees it from
the other side of the fence now. He hates it, yet he cannot give it up.
It has so paralysed him that he feels beyond hope. That is not repentance,
even though such a man could repent and be delivered by Jesus Christ. The
apostle John wrote a great truth when he said, "To you, young men, I have
written because you are strong; God's word is in you, and you have mastered
the evil one. Do not set your hearts on the godless world or anything in
it. Anyone who loves the world is a stranger to the Father's love. Everything
the world affords, all that panders to the appetites, or entices the eyes,
all the glamour of its life, springs not from the Father but from the godless
world. And that world is passing away with all its allurements, but he
who does God's will stands for evermore" (1 John 2:14- 17 NEB).
Q. But what shall I do if I sin again?
A. God has not guaranteed that the Christian's life on earth should
be sinless, though there is no excuse for sin. The Bible makes a difference
between a sinless heart and a perfect heart. To have a perfect heart means
that one has turned wholeheartedly to God, and to people like that God
can bring deliverance. David was such a person and, when he fell into great
sin, he was so sold out to God that, as soon as he was convicted through
the word of the prophet, he repented immediately and humbled himself before
God. God forgave him and restored him because he fulfilled the requirements
for forgiveness. The opposite was true of King Saul. Your New Testament
says, "My little children (spiritually), these things write I unto you,
that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice)
for our sins..." (1 John 2:1,2). Never take sin for granted. The heart
that is repentant cannot go on in the practice of sin, but whenever sin
is committed we should go directly to God in confession, pleading Jesus'
sacrifice as our basis for forgiveness.
Q. What must I pay for my sins? What about penance?
A. There is no penance! Punishing ourselves in order to pay for our
sins would be an insult to the perfect work of Christ on the cross, when
He paid the full penalty of our sins for us. Remember His cry - "It is
finished"? God does not ask you to lie on a bed of nails, or to cut your
flesh to shed your blood. He has done it all! What God looks for now from
us is that we put our faith in that completed work of His Son and that
we show it by a complete change of mind and behaviour towards all that
caused His death.
Q. But I still FEEL I need to suffer for the sins I have committed.
A. Then you must reject those feelings and accept what God has provided
as your way for peace. God will not accept any kind of offering YOU can
make, but only His own Son. He has declared that acceptance by raising
Jesus from the dead. I know what you mean by those feelings of remorse,
but resist them and remember what the apostle wrote to the Ephesians (1.6),
"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the beloved."
Q. What is the meaning of confession? I only seem to hear it used
in connection with making a statement to the police.
A. We Christians use the word in two ways:
(a) When you are born again through faith in Jesus Christ, that inward
faith needs an outward expression if it is to survive and be established.
When the Holy Spirit reveals to us that Jesus is Lord, we need to declare
this openly, or "confess" it to others. This confession is actually part
of our salvation, for Romans 10:9 states, "That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
(b) After becoming Christians, our eyes are properly opened to what
sin is. Sin is repulsive to a true believer and brings a sense of shame.
God has provided a way for the Christian to deal with his sin through confession.
That well-known verse in 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Q. I know about the first part of confession, but little about the
second. If we have to confess our sins, to whom do we have to confess them?
A. In the first place, each sin must be confessed to God. Even though
most of our sins are against other people, sin is basically against God
because He made the law. If I steal from someone, I have sinned against
the God who commanded, 'Thou shalt not steal." You will see this point
brought out very clearly when King David committed adultery with the wife
of one of his mighty men, and then had the man virtually murdered in battle.
In his confession, written in Psalm 51:4, he says, "Against Thee, Thee
only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight." Perhaps we can put
it best this way - we sin against God; we commit crime against others;
we commit vice against ourselves.
Q. Just a minute. Does that mean that it is enough if I confess to
God only that I have sinned against somebody? That is an easy way out.
What about the other person?
A. Let me continue, then. In my last answer I began with, "In the first
place"; but now we shall go on to those affected by our sin, provided you
have understood that all sin is first against God. Secondly, then, sin
needs confession to those sinned against. For example, if the sin is public,
such as a preacher living a hypocritical life and not doing what he himself
preaches to others, then it should be confessed publicly. After confessing
to God his hypocrisy, the preacher needs to confess it to the congregation
he has sinned against. Similarly, personal sins against individuals, such
as telling them a lie or defrauding them in some way, need confession to
the injured parties, after confession to God.
Q. Oh...! Say I borrowed a pound five years ago and never returned
it, I suppose, by this time, you would call that stealing. If I confess
it to the person, what about the pound?
A. Don't forget to confess your sin to God first of all. Then go to
the person concerned and confess what you have done and pay them back the
money stolen, plus 20 per cent! If they choose rather to forgive you, the
matter is forthwith closed.
Q. Where do you get this 20 per cent business from?
A. From two Old Testament scriptures which detail for us the laws of
restitution. If you read either Leviticus 6:1-7 or Numbers 5:5-10, you
will observe the following: (a) Confess it. (b) Restore it. (c) Add one-fifth
to it. (d) Offer an offering to God (in our case, Jesus Christ is that
offering).
Q. I don't get this) Isn't that Old Testament law which doesn't apply
to New Testament Christians?
A. It is certainly Old Testament, but it supplies the detail for the
word "confess" that we read in 1 John 1.9. Whenever you want to know the
meaning of a Bible word, it is insufficient to look up an English dictionary.
One must also take into account the meaning of that word in the context
of Bible truth. Do you think Cod will accept our confession if we do not
restore what we have stolen? Not likely!
Q. What would I do if I could not find the person from whom I borrowed
the pound?
A. Those same two scriptures say that first, in such a case, it should
be paid to his nearest relative. If this is not possible, it should be
given to God. In other words, pay 1 pound and 20p into some department
of His work, e.g. a missionary box, etc.
Q. Sounds to me like paying for your sins.
A. Not at all. Now you are mixing things up. You are only paying back
what you stole, with reasonable interest. You are not paying for your sin
- Christ paid for that. Therefore, you only confess the matter to Him and
He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse you.
Q. I see now. What would one do if, after all this, there is still
a nagging sense of guilt?
A. One should do two things: firstly, if you have done what God has
said, then realise that HE is faithful and just to forgive. Forgiveness
does not depend on how you feel, but on His faithfulness! The devil may
persist in accusing you; but believe God, for His word is truth. Secondly,
RECEIVE the promised forgiveness. Faith must go into action here, receive
forgiveness and begin to praise the Lord. The victory is given when you
begin to rejoice.
Q. And what about my own secret sins? Frankly, I have the biggest
bother with these. Confessing sin publicly or to a person would have a
humbling effect, but what would I do with secret sins?
A. Secret sins should be confessed in detail to the Lord. Don't defile
other people's minds with them. Ephesians 5:3 is pretty strong on this-
"But fornication, and ALL uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once
NAMED among you..." The promise of 1 John 1:9 is to forgive AND to cleanse
us. To experience both these things we need to talk the matter out with
God in detail until we sense that we are taking God's side against ourselves.
This opens the way for us to forsake our private sin. Never treat confession
as a convenient dry cleaning service. To end each day with a prayer like
this - "God, please forgive me all my sins of today" - accomplishes nothing.
Let the confession of secret sin be with repentance; otherwise we commit
a further sin of hypocrisy. Whoever is born of God does not practise sinning
(see 1 John 3:6-10 Amp.), but if we sin, we have an Advocate in God's presence
(1 John 2:1). Any advocate requires that he be given a detailed account
of what has been committed, so that he can effectively fight the case.
Jesus Christ has never lost a case yet for those who treat Him as their
Advocate.
Q. What do you mean? I thought you only had to say, "Lord, please
forgive me all my sins." After all, He knows what I've done.
A. Yes, He knows all right, but He also knows that no moral change
will be effected in your heart until you personally declare what you have
done, motives and all. Put this into daily practice and you will notice
a swift change in your spiritual and everyday life.
Q. Our last chat about confession of sin helped me sort out lots
of things in my life. I feel as if a light has been turned on inside! However,
I seem to have landed myself in several complications. Is that usual?
A. I thought you might, for the subject that we tackled is one which
has been interpreted and misinterpreted in a legion of ways. One of the
chief things to remember about confession of sin, when one is a Christian,
is that the Lord Jesus alone is the Advocate, and that we need to confess
and put right our sins in the setting where they were committed. This simple
rule will keep you on a safe course.
Q. That's what I thought. But I have been having a good look at the
whole of 1 John chapter 1, seeing we talked about that ninth verse, and
I am having trouble with verse --
A. Don't say it! I know just what is puzzling you - verse 7! Right?
Q. How did you know? Do other people have problems with this verse,
too?
A. Before we tackle that verse let me give you a golden rule to be
used whenever you read your Bible. It is: "Never let what you DON'T understand
upset what you DO understand." Got it? Now let's read that seventh verse-
"But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, then we share
together a common life, and we are being cleansed from every sin by the
blood of Jesus His son" (NEB). This is one of those verses that does not
stand on its own legs. I mean, it needs the context to bring out its proper
meaning. The first word, "but", shows that. If the verse is isolated, it
can be made to mean something very different, varying according to the
approach you make to it. There are some Bible verses that are not affected
by their context, such as John 3:16, or verse 8 of our chapter ("If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us"). But the division of verses is man-made, and this seventh verse depends
on the two preceding verses if it is to be correctly understood, for they
form one paragraph.
Q. I'm with you! I won't interrupt any more, for I really do want
to know the truth about that seventh verse.
A. Right! Don't be afraid to ask questions, for I like plenty of them.
Verse 5 reads, "GOD IS LIGHT, and in Him is no darkness at all." In some
places in the Bible, light symbolises knowledge, but in this case it means
rightness or holiness, as against darkness or sinfulness. Verse 6, using
contrast for emphasis, challenges our frequent hypocrisy regarding our
fellowship with this God of light by saying, "If we claim to be sharing
in His life while we walk in the dark, our words and our lives are a lie"
(NEB). Verse 7 ends the three- verse paragraph with the terms of fellowship
with God - "But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light,
then we (God and us) share together a common life, and we are being CLEANSED
from every sin by the blood of Jesus His Son" (NEB). Verse 3 amplifies
this in advance by saying, "... so that you and we together may share in
a common life, that life which we share with the Father and His Son Jesus
Christ" (NEB).
Q. Hey, wait a minute! I see it differently. I thought it meant that
mutual confession was the basis for our fellowship with each other, so
I began telling other Christians about my sins and even began pointing
out their sins to them. My AV. says, "If we walk in the light... we have
fellowship one with another."
A. Don't blame the Authorised Version. The new translation does not
change the meaning at all. You've done what I warned you about. You have
made the words apply on the human level, whereas the context does not let
you do that. The subject is concerning fellowship between God and the believer,
not between Christian and Christian. Of course, our individual fellowship
with God affects our fellowship with other believers, but our basis for
such fellowship is not our old nature, nor our sins, but the Lord Jesus,
when the prodigal returned home, the father and the son, plus the others
present, feasted on and enjoyed fellowship together around the slain calf
(symbol of Calvary), not the prodigal's rags.
Q. Well ...! I didn't realise that you had to be so careful with
the Bible! Is that the reason there are so many conflicting doctrines among
Christians?
A. One of them. The Word of God has great power in it to bring life,
or to bring death. Like electricity, you have to obey the laws of handling
it, or suffer the consequences! Whenever you read your Bible, therefore:
1. Be ready to obey its instruction, with your heart open to the Holy
Spirit.
2. Receive the Word with meekness, or, if you like, with faith and
prompt obedience. Our big heads must realise that the Bible is the Word
of truth. We can trust every word that God has given us in it. What you
cannot reason out, leave until God opens it up for you.
3. We must be honest and never twist its meaning to suit ourselves,
or to excuse sin in us or others we esteem.
Q. I see. Mind you, when I started telling others about my sins,
it was very soothing and I felt humble. Why should that happen?
A. Every psychiatrist knows the psychological reaction that confession
of sins brings. But if that were the basis for fellowship with God, then
He would need to become a sinner, too, in order to have fellowship with
us. Unthinkable! We need the pure, wonderful fellowship in the Spirit with
God and His Son - we need to share that life which is common to both, and
which is made possible through our cleansing. The whole subject of the
chapter is this tremendous fellowship with God, not treatment for nervous
disorders.
Q. But why does it say in James 5:16 that we should confess our faults
one to another? A new translation even says, "Confess your sins to one
another." Contradicts all you've said, doesn't it?
A. No, Grasshopper! You've hopped on to quite a different premise now.
James 5 is stating that, if a believer becomes sick due to some sin, then
his healing will depend on his confession of that sin to the elders who
pray for his healing. Not only so, but, if one of the elders is guilty
of the same sin, he will need, likewise, to make confession; otherwise
their prayers will be hindered.
Q. One last question! Should we never point out other people's sins
to them?
A. Yes. There is a very fine approach to this matter that we can read
in Galatians 6:1. "If a man should do something wrong, my brothers, on
a sudden impulse, you who are endowed with the Spirit must set him right
again very gently. Look to yourself, each one of you: you may be tempted
too" (NEB).
Q. I've run into a problem this time that really has me beaten. Several
Christians in our church seem to live just for themselves, and have little
apparent care about truly following Christ or of winning others to Him.
I get branded as a fanatic and am warned to be careful that I don't "go
round the bend". Do you think I am becoming too fanatical?
A. I sincerely hope so! The Lord Jesus makes a total demand upon those
who profess to be His disciples. Do not be put off or discouraged by those
who appear to be only playing at Christianity. The Bible's prophets have
warned us that this sort of thing will become so chronic in these last
days of history that God will be compelled to spit from His mouth the empty
religion we often find today. You will read this in Revelation 3:16. "So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee
out of My mouth." Perhaps it is more significant than most realise that
organised religion has virtually disappeared from half of the world during
this century.
Q. What do you make of the fact that those who represent sects which
deny Christ's deity seem to work with such zeal, while Christians go so
slow?
A. Some Christians outstrip these you mention, concerning zeal, but
I know what you mean. Have you ever thought which plants in your garden
need the most care? It is not the weeds, for they grow prolifically and
need no attention, and if you leave them they will cover the whole area
in a short time. Strangely enough, the plants which give most trouble,
or, perhaps I should say, require the most attention, are the genuine ones.
The true believers need much spiritual care until they "find their feet".
This should never be taken as an excuse by the lazy and unresponsive, but
it is something we should recognise.
Q. True. How would you define lukewarmness in present-day terms?
I mean, whom is God referring to in that verse in Revelation you quoted?
He could mean me.
A. He refers to those who profess one thing with their mouths but who
live a very different kind of life. That is hypocrisy, of course. But perhaps
there is something else that we are experiencing in our day which is just
as deadly. You see, there are many now who attend special conferences,
weekend house parties and conventions, and get all hotted-up, but who,
more's the pity, are back where they were before within little more than
a week later. In spite of the "injection" they received, the challenge
could not go through to action because their wills were not submitted to
God's. The result is that, once the wave of hot enthusiasm dies down, the
coldness of formalism takes over their lives again. A mean average of such
a life is - lukewarmness.
Q. Why do you think that is? You say their wills need to be submitted
to God's, but which areas of the life should become affected? I realise
it means the whole life, but could you pin-point a few things?
A. First of all, it affects how we wait upon God. No Christian can
hope to remain "on fire" if he or she is not prepared to feed daily on
His Word. The average young Christian seems to be content to snatch a few
verses each day, haphazardly, or to read and reread favourite passages
from the Psalms and John's Gospel. Spiritual survival is difficult on such
a diet. I made enquiry once among a group of young people as to how long
they spent daily in waiting on God. Their dally average worked out at only
ten minutes for both Bible reading and prayer.
Q. Ow...! You've hit me right in the target area! I thought it was
quite sufficient to read a chapter or two every week. Now you say that...
A. Hang on! which is more important, your body or your soul? If you
took a meal only once or twice a week you would soon look a sorry spectacle.
If the soul is more important than the body it needs proper feeding also.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ you cannot hope to live a life that wins
if you do not FEED daily upon the Word of God.
Q. Do you mean I need to give more time to studying the Bible? What
on earth do you mean by feeding on it?
A. Studying the Bible is very different to feeding on it. Study will
provide you with knowledge for your mind, whereas feeding on it will give
you TRUTH for the heart or inner being. Studying a cookery book three times
a day would make you very knowledgeable regarding recipes, but it wouldn't
make you very fat, would it? There are five ways of approaching your Bible.
First, HEAR it, That is, listen to it being preached. God has chosen the
proclamation of His Word as the means of planting faith in your heart (Rom.
10:17). Secondly,
READ it. If most businessmen can read their newspapers thoroughly every
day, surely you, as a Christian, can manage five or six pages of your Bible
daily? Don't play about with this, but get right into it! Thirdly, STUDY
your Bible. There are doctrines, prophecies, life stories, laws, parables,
proverbs and many other matters you need to know thoroughly. Those converted
after Peter's Pentecost sermon "continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine"
(Acts 2:42). If you don't study you will eventually be ashamed of yourself
(2 Tim. 2:15). Fourthly, MEMORISE parts of your Bible. Select key verses
and portions and commit them to memory. Repetition is the secret here.
Lastly, MEDITATE on the Word. This is what I mean by feeding on it. It
needs to be chewed over, again and again, and then imbibed into your very
life. You will find that this deals effectively with hypocrisy and lukewarmness.
The above five things will require the utmost discipline, but they are
well worth it and you should start today.
Q. Man! You are going at me as if this is the army or something.
At this rate I will hardly have any freedom to live my own life the way
I want.
A. That's right! You may not have realised that when God saved you
it was not only that you might rejoice in His forgiveness, but also that
you might participate in a total warfare against the powers of darkness.
We are not to stay in the kindergarten of Christian experience, but are
required to leave the play-pen of spiritual babyhood and prepare ourselves
for warfare. Paul instructed Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier
of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3). Our route lies from the nursery to the barracks
(with suitable schooling) and then to the battlefield. Victory is secured
as we obey the commands of the Captain of our Salvation.
Q. Sounds exciting enough, but the terms are tough. I must confess
that more often than not I don't feel much desire to read my Bible, let
alone meditate or pray.
A. That's normal. Getting into your Bible, and praying, too, are spiritual
exercises, and the natural man, or our old nature, cries out against it.
The feelings our old nature produces in this realm are hang-overs of laziness
and selfishness from our old lives. We need to take the control over them,
just as a soldier must renounce his former civilian way of life. We are
spirits that inhabit a body, not bodies that happen to have a spirit to
keep them alive. Our spirit must rule our body and make it obey (see 1
Cor. 9:27); otherwise we are like a parent being ruled by a spoilt child.
Q. I'm ready! What else can you pin-point?
A. You must learn to pray. Pray so as to receive an answer. Learn to
pray until you begin to see God working miracles in answer to your prayers
at every level. God is not limited. There is no such thing as an impossibility
with God, and He has stated that there is no such thing as an impossibility
to him that believes (Mark 9:23). When you pray you must exercise faith.
Just to speak words with your eyes closed will accomplish nothing. God's
promises have been thoroughly tested and are reliable. If there is any
failure, it will be on our side. I suggest you keep a book in which you
enter your prayer requests and then how the answer is given. In this way
you will learn many things about God's will. We need to breathe the breath
of prayer night and day. Do everything by prayer. You will find that your
spiritual capacity will increase and you will begin to experience power
with God and men.
Q. Is that so? I was told the other day that many of the promises
in the Bible are not for today and that we can overdo this praying business.
A. As far as God's promises are concerned, the statement is partly
true. He promised Gideon that he would smite the Midianites as one man.
That promise is hardly for you - there are no more Midianites, for one
thing. But this does not mean that God has lost His ability to scatter
your enemies, if you believe God the way Gideon did. There are also promises
about judgement, hundreds of them, which I suppose none of us would desire,
but neither does this invalidate God's power to deal with us when we sin.
The thing to bear in mind is that the God who had dealings with the human
beings recorded in the Bible is the same God with whom we need to reckon
today. His name is always "I AM". and never "I was".
Q. That's given me plenty to think about. Anything more?
A. Just one more thing. It is vital to living Christian experience
that we pass on to others what we receive from God; otherwise we shall
become like the Dead Sea. I don't mean that you must become a preacher
as soon as possible, though this may come eventually. But I mean that you
should take every opportunity to bear witness to others of the things you
have "seen and heard". The Sea of Galilee sustains life because it passes
on the water it receives. So you need to pass on by conversation, by witness,
by teaching others, the things God reveals to you. The Christian who has
ceased to do this is already dying spiritually and being drawn into lukewarmness.
Take every God-given opportunity, for He will prepare the way for you each
day; but beware of getting into a state of compulsion, thinking you must
tackle everybody you see. Be relaxed, be alert, and God will use you. This
way of living is not optional - it is vital. It will end all lukewarm living!
Q. Following our chat on worldliness I find I am running into trouble
with temptation. Is temptation the same as sin?
A. No, it is not the same as sin. Temptation only becomes sin when
you yield to it. When we refer to the use of the word in both Old and New
Testaments, we find that each time it is used it means to be tested, to
be tried, or to be proved. Temptation arises when we begin to give our
attention to something which we know to rank as disobedience. The trial
is on at once, and soon it is proved what our heart is like and whether
or not we are going to put God first. On the other hand, it may be a thought
that is deliberately thrust into our consciousness by the tempter, since
he feels he has discovered a chink in our armour.
Q. How do you explain the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness,
then?
A. Remember that Jesus is the Son of God, the very Jehovah of heaven;
yet when He came to earth He drew on none of His power in that capacity,
but became the Son of man. I mean that He became a human being in the truest
sense of the word, while putting aside His POWER which had already been
manifested in creation, etc. As a perfect and sinless man, He set Satan
the rare problem of tempting Someone with a sinless nature, and Someone
in whom he could not awaken lust. Satan nevertheless found a way, and his
attack began when Jesus had fasted and prayed for forty days, at which
point the body usually develops a terrific hunger in a bid to save its
life. Such hunger is legitimate, not sinful. It was at this very point
that Satan tested the perfect Man on whether or not obedience should take
priority over necessity. Back came the immediate reply - "Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4). Satan then gave
Jesus a glimpse of the nations and the glory of their power and offered
Him dominion over them if He would bow down to Satan. But this would mean
trusting Satan, with the reward of avoiding the cross, and the prompt retort
was, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
Finally, Satan suggested to him that He act on the written promises on
His own initiative, apart from the will of His Father; but Satan was totally
defeated with, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
Q. Tremendous! But how do I triumph over temptation with a fallen
nature?
A. There is an excellent proverb which goes like this: "You cannot
stop a bird flying over your head, but you can stop it making a nest in
your hair." In other words, there is no need to let temptation become sin.
The very sinfulness of our old nature seems to court temptation, and Jesus
once said, "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Mat. 15:19). Ever since
you believed on His name He has given you a new heart, a new Spirit, or,
as Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:4, He has made us partakers of His own divine
nature. This means that, as soon as you are aware that your thoughts are
moving in a sinful direction, you should reject those thoughts at once
and let the new heart, His nature, take over, for He does not sin!
Q. Yes, yes, but how does this work in practice?
A. The first thing you must do, once the sinful thought or desire is
recognised, is to take God's side against yourself. This is not always
easy, but it's never impossible. Your will plays a vital role at this point,
for it needs to will God's will. Secondly, His power (always available
at such a time) should be activated. It says in Proverbs 18:10, "The name
of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and it is
safe." You can therefore do what some Christians have found effective in
temptation - speak the name of Jesus out aloud. Temptation flees before
that name. But note that it is the RIGHTEOUS who are able to find safety
in this way. If you are purposely going to play with evil and flirt with
temptation and see how far you can go without actually sinning, there is
little hope of this promise being valid in your case. In times of temptation
I have found it very helpful to speak aloud and say, "I reject that thought
in the name of Jesus Christ." The sinful thought withers on the spot.
Q. I find trouble with the blank moment that follows. What should
I do with that?
A. Immediately put the new heart in motion. We are not to be negative
Christians. Like our Master we must not only refuse the evil, but choose
the good. Paul instructed the Romans similarly when he wrote, "Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but ALIVE unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:11). Therefore, I would advise you
to begin praising His name at once, or pray for someone, or recite to yourself
the Scriptures you have memorised. when I was counselling someone once,
I suggested that he should pray for me in my ministry each time he found
his thoughts being waylaid by the tempter, so as to leave a positive goal
for his mind. The next night he reported as follows: "I've had a wonderful
day praying for you." It benefited me, too!
Q. That sounds useful! Does temptation prove anything?
A. Yes, it certainly does! It proves that certain parts of our desires
are still alive to sin. I mean - you told me, when we were talking together,
that you had been delivered from smoking. I suppose it is true to say that
you are no longer tempted in that area. Right? That is because you have
fully turned from it and, as far as you are concerned, smoking is a dead
thing: equally, as far as smoking is concerned, you are a dead man. You
now reckon yourself dead to smoking and even Satan has sense enough not
to try and tempt a dead man, for dead men don't smoke. You have taken God's
side against this habit of your old life and hate it.
Q. True. But I also hate those things which still tempt me.
A. Here is where you do not understand yourself properly. The truth
is that you still love the things which continue to tempt you. If only
you did hate them you would be quickly delivered.
Q. I protest! I do hate them - honest!
A. Sorry to disagree, but you don't. what you do hate is the dispeace
that these things bring into your life. You hate the confession and humbling
that is always involved and the hot-and-cold of conviction. If only you
would hate the sin itself! The trouble is that in those things in which
we are tempted we still love the sin and we nurture and play with it. The
day our heart turns, God's power does the rest. And God waits for the heart
to turn, because He has put that choice in our power. Peter said, "The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation" (2 Pet. 2:9).
A man becomes godly (like God) when he chooses against evil. That's why
it was testified of Jesus, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
therefore God... hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
fellows" (Heb. 1:9). Oh that there were such a heart in us also! And yet
there is, if we submit to the indwelling Christ, and allow Him to take
charge of the situation.
Q. Why did Jesus teach us to pray that we should not be led into
temptation? Doesn't James say that God tempts no man? Why ask Him, then,
not to lead us into it?
A. This looks contradictory at first glance, I admit, but it brings
out a very serious alternative. If we continue to resist the voice of the
Holy Spirit, when He is asking us to give up a certain sin, it places God
in the position of having to put us to the test in order to help us. If
this does not happen, the believer will be living under a false impression
of his own "holiness". But in such a case God will not provoke us to lust,
as Satan would, but will provoke our choice, and here lies the difference.
when it seemed that Abraham had reached stagnation in his spiritual life,
due to constant acts of unbelief, God waited until Isaac was grown and
then put Abraham to the test. Satan would have done it to make the old
saint fall, but God did it to bring about his graduation. what a test it
was! God asked him to offer up his son Isaac. Abraham was now made to choose
between God and all that was dearest to him in the flesh. Had he spared
Isaac, who can forecast how the Bible would have been written, if at all?
But, God be praised, Abraham passed the test and through it became the
father of the faithful. Little wonder that James declares, "Blessed is
the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive
the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him"
(James 1:12).
Q. I can see how enduring temptation would be a test of our love
for God, but why does James say earlier in the chapter that we should count
it all joy when we get tempted?
A. He gives his reasons as follows. First, that the trial effects the
perfecting of our faith, and, second, that this trial of our faith produces
patience When we enter temptation we should see it for what it will do,
instead of moaning about it. Either it is God bringing us to a point of
breakthrough, or it is Satan getting worried enough about our spiritual
progress to make us his target. Whichever way it is, therefore, it should
inspire us to endure temptation and get through, always counting on 1 Corinthians
10:13 - "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye
are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it." Remember also those glorious words in Hebrews
2:18, "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to
succour them that are tempted."
Q. Why is it such a sin to tempt God? It is often referred to, especially
in Psalm 78.
A. Because God commands us to believe and trust Him. His character
is unimpeachable. When we begin putting God to the test, this presupposes
either that we are superior to Him, or that He is not faithful or lacks
the ability to perform His word. This is why Daniel's three friends told
Nebuchadnezzar that God would deliver them, but, even if He chose not to,
they would still not bow down to the idol. There is only one way in which
we are invited to prove God, and that is with regard to His generous response
to tithing - "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse... and prove
Me now herewith... if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it"
(Mal. 3:10).
Q. There is a word in the Bible that makes me a bit jittery - the
word "holiness". Is it because I have always associated it with being shut
in an institution?
A. That could well be, but there is no need to fear either the word
or the truth it portrays. To be holy means to be set aside for something
special, or to be set apart for God. It also means to be clean. A friend
of mine illustrates this by referring to his toothbrush. He keeps it clean
and sets it aside for his exclusive use. There is another word the Bible
employs which is not in common use any more, and that is the word "sanctification",
which means the same thing. To be clean and set apart for God is so important
that Paul told the Hebrews in Hebrews 12:14, "Follow... holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord."
Q. That's what scares me really, I think. Will I ever be holy enough
to get to heaven?
A. How necessary it was for Jesus to say that, when you know the truth,
it makes you free. Your fear arises only out of your ignorance on this
subject, so let's tackle it. 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that "Christ Jesus...
is made unto us... righteousness, and sanctification..." . In short, all
that He is is credited to our account before God. His holiness is imputed
to us who believe. As we bowed before God in repentance and faith, He took
away our filthiness and unrighteousness, and clothed us with the garment
of salvation and the robe of righteousness - his own holiness. This is
beautifully illustrated in Zechariah 3:3,4, "Now Joshua (the high priest)
was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered
and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy
garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity
to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."
Q. But is this only something which is outer? I feel the need for
holiness on the inside.
A. I'm coming to that now. That which has been imputed must also become
imparted; otherwise it is of no avail. Peter explains it thus- "As obedient
children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your
ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all
manner of conversation (way of life): because it is written, Be ye holy:
for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:14-16). Hear Paul on this- "... that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Eph. 1:4). The very fact
of Christ dwelling within us will be evidenced by His life coming through
in all our behaviour. When He said, "Be holy, for I am holy", He did not
mean that we should imitate Him, for that is impossible, but that we should
let Him live His life in us.
Q. Has that got something to do with a scripture I've never understood
- "Christ in you, the hope of glory"?
A. Just so! As I've told you before, when we were converted we received
a completely new nature from God. The Bible also calls this THE NEW MAN.
The human nature we received at birth has deceived us and led us the wrong
way; hence Isaiah says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way" (Isa. 53:6). But when we were born anew, God
put His Holy Spirit within us, imparting both eternal life and a brand
new nature. The work of the Spirit in us, by means of this new nature,
is to accomplish God's will in us. This is why we have the injunction in
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, let him be a new
creature (margin): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new." The holiness that God is looking for does not come out of the old
man, but from the new man.
Q. Does the Bible say anything about this 'new man'? Sounds rather
mysterious. Is that what the psychiatrists call a 'split personality'?
A. Well, it appears to me more realistic that a split personality be
described as a dual personality. When people become demon-possessed, the
personality does not become split; it becomes dual. They become possessed
of another personality, namely a demon spirit. At times, this demon spirit
will take over the will of the person possessed. But Colossians 3:10 says,
"... put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of Him that created him", while we read in Ephesians 4:24, "... put on
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness".
Q. This is news to me! When we let the Holy Spirit enter our lives,
is that like the opposite of demon possession?
A. No! When a demon spirit gains admission he compels the person to
do certain things, even right against his or her own will. Some forms of
this are known as "compulsions". The Holy Spirit, however, while desiring
control, is never compulsive. A demon grabs the steering wheel of a life
whereas the Holy Spirit comes to guide the life into the ways of God while
we continue to hold the wheel. If God compelled our wills He would destroy
His great principle of love. The Holy Spirit shows the way and invites
our co-operation or faith. The Bible warns us not to strive against the
Holy Spirit's directions, for the time will come when He will leave us
to our own devices, and woe to the person thus forsaken. But as we obey
Him He is able to do His work in and through us, and this is not only what
the Bible calls "walking in the Spirit", but is also the practical working
out of holiness, for we read, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil
the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).
Q. I often wish He would compel me to do what is right! So often
I want to do what is wrong. What's the matter with me, for I feel as if
there are two opposing forces within me?
A. There are! - the old man and the new man. This can develop into
real conflict if you try to let both run your life, for Galatians 5:17
says. "The flesh (old man) lusteth (wars) against the Spirit (the controller
of the new man), and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary
the one to the other." Paul further discusses this problem with the Romans
(Rom 7:14 to 8:9) and I would urge you to study this section diligently
as soon as you have time. The wrong desires that you feel springing up
from within you come from the old nature or the "old man". But the "new
man" takes over immediately we obey the Word of God and obey what the Spirit
directs. Such obedience may seem impossible, because the "old man" is incapable
of it, but here is where faith enters the picture, for "the just shall
live by faith" (Heb. 10:38). Take an example: Jesus said we must love our
enemies (Luke 6:27). The "old man" just cannot. But the "new man" will
recognise that he can do all things through Christ, and will go and be
loving towards his enemy, in spite of feelings to the contrary.
Q. I'm glad you picked on that, for it is my major problem at the
moment. How do you love difficult people, when really you hate them?
A. The first thing to do is realise that hatred emanates from your
old nature. As God did not promise to improve your old nature, don't be
surprised. Your old nature is struggling to prevent you from doing God's
will, which is to love that person. But your old nature was crucified with
Christ (Gal. 2:20), so consign it to the place of death. Secondly, submit
to the commandment to "love all men", and appropriate through faith the
power of the Holy Spirit to obey it. You cannot follow Jesus Christ and
still hate someone; therefore it is necessary to wait upon Him until He
reveals what He would do for this person. Then go and do it for them, and
you will find your feelings of dislike and hatred being replaced by His
feelings of love. As this takes place it will be the Holy Spirit implanting
something of Christ in you, the new man.
Q. Do you mean I don't have to worry about changing my old nature?
Can that be true?
A. It cannot be changed. Iniquity has so thoroughly ruined it that
God has written it off. This is why Ezekiel prophesied so enthusiastically-
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26). If the Lord is going to "present
you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight", then the only
answer is to "continue in the faith" (Col. 1:22,23). It is a great relief
to realise that we are dead - dead with Christ. It is greater to realise
that we are alive, not with self in command, but with Christ living in
us. Corruption came into the world through lust, but Peter declares that
we have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust by being
made partakers of the divine nature, or new man (2 Pet. 1:4).
Q. You know what I think I've been trying to do? Make my old nature
become the new one!
A. Probably! And that road is doomed to end in failure. Romans 8:7
declares that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be." So don't try! Even if you could
discipline yourself to live like a true Christian in every respect, you
would have accomplished nothing, for it is still your old nature. Everything
God asks us to do, we, left to ourselves, cannot do. But faith in Christ
can so liberate us that it becomes possible to do ALL things through Christ.
To live an overcoming life - with victory over lust, corruption of every
kind, bad temper, lying, etc. - can only be effectively accomplished as
we walk in the obedience of faith.
Q. Well, I think I see it. Won't I fall, though?
A. That depends. When Peter was walking on the water through faith
in Jesus' command to do so, he began to sink because he took his eyes away
from the Lord Jesus. He feared when he looked at the waves and began to
go down. That is the way to fail. Peter only regained his position of doing
the impossible by regaining his faith as he called upon the Lord. He had
failed, but did not continue in his failure. When you fall, say with Micah
7:8, "Rejoice not against me, 0 mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise;
when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." Peter instructs
us to add to our faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control,
to self-control patience, to patience godliness, to godliness brotherly
kindness, and to brotherly kindness love to all, "for", he says, "if ye
do these things, ye shall never fall" (2 Pet. 1.10).
Q. What actually is faith?
A. It is the power to be able to believe something with such certainty
that no room is left for doubt. Or, as Hebrews 11:1 puts it, "Faith gives
substance to our hopes, and makes us certain of realities we do not see"
(NEB).
Q. Is that the same as belief or is there a difference?
A. There is a very big difference. Belief is passive, because it is
a principle one accepts, whereas faith is essentially active. Let me illustrate
this for you. Someone who is a believer may be very sick and you ask them
if they think that God could heal them. If they believe the Bible to be
God's Word, and believe that all power to do such a thing for them is in
His hand, they would immediately reply in the affirmative. They believe
that all things are possible with God. But if you now command them to rise
up in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be well, this would confront
them with a very big issue. That issue is faith. Faith is not called upon
to experiment, but to obey. Faith can never be passive, for it is based
on a revelation of God's will, and only that revelation has the power to
expel every doubt, thus making way for a divine work to be done. Faith
knows no failure.
Q. How does one receive this faith- or do you have to work it up?
A. No, you cannot work it up. That is how you produce optimism, or
even self-deception! True faith is a gift from God, and is given when God
speaks the word of assurance to the heart of the person seeking Him. You
have surely known of people who were seeking salvation most earnestly,
yet assurance avoided them. You can try to help them by using illustrations,
further verses of Scripture and various arguments, be they ever so logical,
but all to no avail. Then suddenly, as if a light were turned on inside,
they exclaim, "Ah, I see it! Now I KNOW that God has saved me!" All doubts
have left them. God has sent His word to them, and assurance has swept
the doubts away in a moment. This is why Psalm 107:20 says, "He sent His
word, and healed them..." When God does this in His grace, the word sent
contains prophetic power, for the work follows. This is what shows it to
be of God, for from Him alone comes faultless prophecy - every time. And
we are not ignorant of satanic imitations.
Q. But did Jesus not say to many whom He healed, "Your faith has
made you whole"? Did their faith come from God?
A. Yes. His comment to them was rather like congratulating them on
having found a profound secret, which they surely had. They had received
from Him the faith they manifested, for faith given still requires human
response; otherwise it withers. Jesus never told anyone that they had to
have great faith. He called only for faith as a grain of mustard seed.
Only a mustard seed portion of HIS faith, given to us, is necessary to
meet any specific need.
Q. But who has this faith?
A. Jesus Christ is the sole proprietor, but He has placed it in every
born again believer in some measure. Peter addresses his second Epistle
to "them that have obtained like precious faith with us..." Although Christians
do not all possess the same quantity of faith, they do possess the same
quality of faith, for it comes from God and is part of the sum total of
His faith. It is the same kind of faith that Peter and Paul had - yes,
even the same quality of faith that the Lord Jesus had, though far from
being the same quantity. Paul taught the Galatians (2:20) that even his
power to live the Christian life was not lived by his own natural faith,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ. I can testify that, as soon as I realised
this significant difference, it solved all my feeble and faint-hearted
attempts to believe. The Christian must receive his Master's faith, for
when he has that he is invincible!
Q. This could revolutionise my life completely! You still haven't
told me how I can receive this faith. How do I go about it?
A. You'll have to be patient while I give you a little Bible study
from Mark chapter 11. Got your Bible? Now, verse 22 says, "Have faith in
God." The translators made a note, which is printed in the margin of my
Bible, that the original reads like this: "Have the faith of God." Nothing
less will be sufficient. Verse 23 tells us what the effect of this will
be - "Whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou
cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe
that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever
he SAITH." Can you see from this that faith has two sides to it? On one
side we must BELIEVE; on the other we must DOUBT NOT. Jesus knows that
this is the way to get rid of mountains, for when He originally created
the world it was His command of faith that caused the mountains to rise
out of the waters. Even now it is His word that holds them up. Can His
word not hold us up?
Q. That's a point! Has anyone ever removed a mountain in this way,
as far as you know?
A. No, though I suspect there have been many attempts! This proves
my point, for there has probably never been the need of it as far as God
is concerned, therefore no one ever received faith to speak such a word.
But the day God sees that it is necessary, He will make faith available
to do it, just as the word of faith was given to Joshua to lengthen a day
.by many hours, and it was done. Verse 24 brings us to the crux of faith
- "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them."
Q. But how can you believe you've received something when you haven't?
It's not logical!
A. That's true! It transcends logic - it's faith! Let me explain. When
you begin to seek God to meet a particular need - for salvation, healing,
finance or whatever it may be - while you are still in prayer you need
to KNOW that God has agreed to your request before you get to the "amen".
Then your "amen" will be a real "so let it be". As the Holy Spirit witnesses
God's will to you in the matter, you still need to accept it, so that His
faith will become your faith. Before this assurance comes from God, however,
it may require much or little intercession on your part. This is often
necessary in order to remove hindrances from our side, and then, suddenly,
gently at first, you will notice an absolute certainty rising in your heart,
until it rings with triumphant power. This means that from God's side "it
is done", and from then on there is room only for thanksgiving, not more
asking, until the answer comes. You understand now why God said to Joshua,
"Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that HAVE I given
unto you..." (Josh. 1:3). All that remained was for Joshua to get his feet
on what was already given, and it was given.
Q. What do you do if, after the assurance is given, the answer is
not forthcoming within a day or two?
A. If that answer requires only God's action, remind Him by thanksgiving
that your request is already granted. He asks for that. If you start praying
for that thing all over again you will find that you are fostering unbelief
in your own heart, and that will ruin everything. Many fall into this pit
of unbelief. The all-important ingredient of faith is whether or not the
word has come from God. Therefore, I repeat: when it comes from God it
has power to eject every doubt. We must take our stand on that certainty
and not be blown about with attacks from the enemy, for attacks there will
be. God's assurance is always accompanied with peace.
Q. This clarifies a lot for me. But if you do not have much faith,
can you get more?
A. Oh, yes! Romans 10:17 teaches that "faith cometh by hearing... the
Word of God." The word "hearing" does not mean "listening to". Faith is
not increased by listening to or reading either the Bible or faith biographies.
These will increase belief, but faith is only increased when we HEARKEN
and launch out in obedience to the word of faith that God gives us. Savvy?
For many years I believed that God could supply the financial needs of
those He called out to serve Him. This belief was reinforced by reading
the biographies of George Mueller, Hudson Taylor and others. In addition,
my conversion took place under the preaching of Dr. Edwin Orr, and that
which got through most to me at the time was the testimony of how God worked
in response to his faith. But when the time came for me to answer God's
call into full-time service, I searched desperately for the faith to trust
Him for the supply of the financial need, but it only evaded me. At last,
though, convinced of my call, I obeyed and launched out "in faith". As
soon as I obeyed, faith, God's own faith, rushed into the vacuum, and this
has supported me these many years since.
Q. Have you ever found your faith to be tested?
A. Yes, indeed! But listen to Peter on this (1 Pet. 1:7). "Even gold
passes through the assayer's fire, and more precious than perishable gold
is faith which has stood the test. These trials come so that your faith
may prove itself worthy of all praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ
is revealed" (NEB). You see, if one is filled with optimism instead of
faith, then the sooner the mirage is dissolved the better, so that one
may learn the difference and seek reality. Also, when faith stands up to
the test, it gives one a rock of experiential certainty upon which to stand.
And I must say, looking back, that when these tests have come, though they
may have appeared to be severe at the time, and even hair-raising, afterwards
they were seen to be some of the most precious and vivid experiences of
the Christian life.
Q. Wonderful! Does this kind of faith give you a sort of genie's
lamp?
A. Certainly not! Faith is not given to obey you - it is given so that
you may accomplish the will of God for your life and finish the works He
has given you to do. It is not given that we might have our own selfish
way; nor is it given to the promise-grabber who thinks he may "claim" whatever
promise looks attractive.
Q. Does natural faith have no use at all, then?
A. Only in so far that when we believe God, we use our natural faith
to seek Him and the revealing of His mind and grace, until His faith is
given to do the work. While we are on the matter of the genie's lamp, though,
let me illustrate what I said by referring to an incident in the Gospels
(Luke 9:51- 56). Jesus sent some messengers into a Samaritan village to
make preparation for Him, but when He arrived the people refused to welcome
Him as they detected that Jesus had set His face to go to Jerusalem. James
and John were so angry at this reaction of the Samaritans that they demanded
of Jesus: "Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven,
and consume them, even as Elias did?" The case looked sound, for was there
not Old Testament precedent? But note the reply - "Ye know not what manner
of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives,
but to save them."
Q. Divine faith must be the greatest thing a Christian can have!
A. Not quite, even though faith is a member of the eternal trio, for
1 Corinthians 13 says, "Now abideth faith, hope, charity... but the greatest
of these is charity (love to all)." This is reinforced by a statement at
the beginning of the chapter which reads, "Though I have ALL faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."
Q. What's all this business about taking up our cross?
A. It's a very serious business for every true Christian who has taken
the first step into the kingdom of God by the new birth. Taking up the
cross is stage two, if you like, in the salvation of the soul.
Q. Stage two? I thought once you were saved that was it!
A. It's a very popular thought, too, but a false one. The new birth
is not salvation: it is the entrance into it. Salvation is not just a snapshot
of the real, but the developing of and the living out of the divine image.
It was Jesus who told us in Luke 14:27, "And whosoever doth not bear his
cross, and come after ME, he cannot be My disciple."
Q. Can't you get into heaven without becoming a disciple? Isn't it
optional? I mean - isn't a disciple just another word for a Christian fanatic?
A. Where were you taught such sale price religion? The Lord Jesus made
the case even stronger by saying in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after
Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY, and follow Me."
A Christian is not a fanatic (abbreviation: "fan"), cheering on the Captain
and His team, but is one who has committed himself to the game. There is
no chance of following Jesus without taking up the cross. To fail to do
so only reduces the Christian life to a mere shadow and superstition. You
cannot "buy salvation over the counter" and end there. In any case, Jesus
has nothing to sell. Salvation is not a commodity, but a life-time committal
that brings you into an eternal bond with the Everlasting God.
Q. But isn't temper, or sickness, or naughty kids, the cross you
must bear?
A. No, definitely not! Two thousand years ago, if a man was carrying
a cross he was not doing so to suffer, or to have a spiritual experience,
or to have his life adjusted, but to have it ENDED. Taking up the cross
means that you deliberately come to an end of your old way of life. It
is impossible to do God's will AND your own. They do not mix, and, in fact,
cannot. When we become Christians, the cross not only provides forgiveness
for sins through the shedding of Christ's blood, but it demands the end
of selfish living. Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of My Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).
Q. Aren't you trying to bring the future of a Christian into the
present? After all, the cross terminated Jesus' life in this world altogether,
except for forty days.
A. Yes, I follow the difficulty this presents to reasoning, but here
is where revelation must take command of reasoning. Let's go first to Galatians
6:14: "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
That is, as far as the world is concerned, in its attempts to mould me
into its will and way, I am a dead man. And as far as I am concerned, the
world is a dead thing to me. We have already been translated into a better
kingdom. It may be clearer if we turn to Philippians 3:11,12 - "That if
possible I may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts
me out from among the dead (even while in the body). Not that I have now
attained this ideal, or am already made perfect, but I press on to lay
hold of and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus, the Messiah, has
laid hold of me and made me His own" (Amp.). Because we are accounted by
God as being dead with Christ, crucified with Him, we now live in this
world in a way that matches how we shall live when released from our bodies.
Q. How can we work this out in the experience of everyday life?
A. Our appetites must be separated from lust and subjected to his obedience,
and our wills also. We see a full demonstration of this new life in the
apostles and disciples after Pentecost, when the kingdom of God always
had first call upon them. They were willing even to fling away their lives
at the first opportunity for the sake of the gospel. Day and night Christ
was the centre of their lives and affection. Worldiness was a dead thing
to them. Call them fanatics if you will, but I tell you they were FOLLOWERS
of Jesus, and their transformed lives turned the then-known world upside
down. Part of the reason for our ineffectiveness today is that we try to
live in two worlds. The cross will not permit that.
Q. This kind of talk scares me stiff! To live as you suggest would
only make us look like fools in this world!
A. Exactly! 1 Corinthians 1:18 affirms, "The preaching of the cross
is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is
the power of God." We should not preach what we are not prepared to live.
And the apostle warns us not to try to impress the world in a worldly way-
"not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none
effect." The cross in a Christian's life is the real standard of righteousness
and therefore has a tremendous impact upon the world, for it is the cross
which separates him and has made him different from the world of those
who are heading for destruction. To try to impress unsaved people with
showmanship, however consecrated, weakens rather than strengthens the power
of our impact. This never means that we should be shoddy in our appearance
and presentation. Our motive must always be to serve God acceptably, not
to impress men with ability. To do the latter is to fail.
Q. But I've been to some Christian meetings where the programme was
so bad it was downright offensive.
A. Offence can be caused in two ways. If the programme is "slung" at
the audience, because of laziness and inadequate preparation, half-heartedness,
carelessness or insincerity, then it is a disgrace. But if it is because
of the offence of the cross, then it is on target. We read in Galatians
5:11, "... then is the offence of the cross ceased", which, in reverse,
is warning us not to substitute spiritual sugar. It is our carnal nature
which seeks to avoid the cross at any price, because it knows that it must
die there. It will even be subdued for years, as long as it is allowed
to survive. But it will only submit for a time, for in due course it will
assert itself again to our undoing. It will then overcome the spiritual
life in the Christian, unless it is well and truly crucified. It is significant
that all the promises of eternal inheritance in the book of Revelation
are only for those who overcome. Martin Luther one said, "It is the continual
purpose of the flesh to come to the throne without being crucified."
Q. But what if we do not take up the cross? Is all therefore lost?
A. Who would guarantee your salvation without it, for Jesus told the
twelve, when He sent them out, "He that loveth father and mother more than
Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me
is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after
Me, is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:37,38). The crisis came for the rich
young ruler, not only when Jesus counselled him to sell all and give to
the poor, which would have earned him treasure in heaven (not everlasting
life), but when Jesus said to him, "Come, and follow Me" (Matt. 19:21).
The reproach of the cross settled it. He went away.
Q. Ah, yes. But if we must be worthy of Him in order to be saved,
then that makes salvation dependent on our own effort.
A. Not on our effort, but on our response. The explanation will not
be short. Let's begin with the reply of Jesus to the Sadducees regarding
the eternal state of the woman married seven times. He said, "But they
which shall be accounted WORTHY to obtain that world, and the resurrection
from the dead..." (Luke 20:35) In other words, there is a distinct worthiness
connected with receiving eternal life. Thank God, we are accepted in the
worthy One, but we need to bring forth evidence that He has changed us.
This is why John Baptist told the Pharisees to produce actions worthy of
repentance, and not just words. Nowhere does the Bible say that believing
alone makes us worthy. Observe a wonderful anomaly when the prodigal returns.
See him addressing his father, in repentance, with the words, "I have sinned...
and am no more worthy..." (Luke 15:21). These very words revealed a tremendous
change of heart that now made him worthy of grace. To this we may add 2
Thessalonians 1:5 "... that ye may be counted WORTHY of the kingdom of
God, for which ye also suffer." The Lord warned in Luke 21:36, "Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may he accounted worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, had a dream which transformed
his life from that of a "normal Christian" to that of a true disciple.
In that dream he saw himself die and arrive in such a paradise that it
made him overwhelmingly thankful that he had attained the eternal shore
after passing through some fearful doubts about his salvation. But having
arrived there, someone was sent to speak to him, who told him that he was
only in the "forecourt" of heaven, and that the King would come presently
to see if he was worthy to enter the celestial city. The result of this,
plus a stunning interview with the Lord in the dream, wakened him to a
completely new assessment of true values in the Christian life, and his
verdict was that he was willing to die fifty martyr- deaths just to gain
the approval of the King!
Q. I get it, but it has shaken me. Not many of my Christian friends
seem to understand this.
A. Perhaps! But look at the solemn warning Paul gives in Philippians
3:17- 19, "Brethren, he followers together of me, and mark them which walk
so as ye have us for an ensample (example). For many walk, of whom I have
told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies
of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly,
and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." What could
be clearer, or stronger? Saved by grace? Assuredly! Saved to live as we
like? Never! Those who come to the cross for forgiveness and cleansing
must also accept its verdict against their old, self-dominated life. So
take good advice now and follow Jesus by taking up your cross, and such
following will also make you a fisher of men. He promised it.
Q. The other day I passed by an open-air meeting, and the preacher
seemed to be giving considerable emphasis to the resurrection of Jesus.
Why?
A. It is so important to Christians and the preaching of the gospel
of salvation that 1 Corinthians 15:17 says, "And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."
Q. What? I thought the big thing was that we should realise that
Christ died for us. Isn't His blood sufficient to deal with our sins?
A. Basically, yes, but you need to get the whole picture of what is
involved in salvation. Romans 5:9,10 expands the details as follows: firstly,
that we are "justified by His BLOOD", secondly, that we are then "reconciled
to God by the DEATH of His Son", and, thirdly, that we "shall be saved
by His LIFE."
Q. I don't understand such antiquated words! What does "justified"
mean? Is it another word for being forgiven?
A. More than that. To be justified not only means to be forgiven, but
also to be so thoroughly reinstated that God sees us as if we had never
ever sinned at all.
Q. Impossible! That would deny the very facts of the case. We HAVE
sinned!
A. Yes, sad to say; but let me show you this marvellous thing. I'll
illustrate it from Roman-Dutch law first, which rules that when a person
has been found guilty, and the sentence has been pronounced, as soon as
the penalty is paid in full that person becomes fully justified. His guilt
is completely cleared and he is restored to such a place of non-guiltiness
that, should anyone mention his previous guilt again, he may sue them for
defamation of character. God is prepared to do even more than that for
those whom He justifies. Firstly, the blood of Jesus Christ settles our
guilt, or pays it in full, and God blots out our record of sin in His book,
and immediately we are born again. But, secondly, God forgets the sin forgiven,
for He states, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb.
10:17). Because He is God He has the power to forget what He chooses, forever.
We may remember our sins; but once He has dealt with our sins, God refuses
to do so! If any accuse us, God remembers nothing against us, for He has
justified us, or, as some have put it, He has made us "just-as-if-I'd"
never ever sinned. Do you see it now?
Q. It's almost too good to be true! That deals with the sense of
guilt I have often had hanging over me ever since I became saved. This
is terrific - I'm free at last! Tell me more.
A. The next thing that Romans 5:10 says is that we have been reconciled
to God by Christ's death. Because we deserved nothing less than an eternal
hell, there was no reason why God should receive us, even though we are
forgiven our sins. But because it was Christ who died for us, God's attitude
towards us has changed. Through the death of His own Son on our behalf,
God is prepared to be friends with us. This is difficult to comprehend
when one considers that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself..." (2 Cor. 5:19) But verse 18 helps us with the words, "God...
hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to US the
MINISTRY of reconciliation." While it is true that God Himself conceived
the plan of redemption, it was Calvary that opened the way for sinners
to return to Him. In effect, God has granted an amnesty to human rebels,
and reconciliation only takes place when we are "planted together in the
likeness of His (Christ's) death..." (Rom. 6:5). As there is no more condemnation
for those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1), all who have availed themselves
of God's amnesty discover that God has said, "Him that cometh to Me I will
in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
Q. I'm with you thus far, but where does the resurrection come in?
A. Only the resurrection can prove conclusively that our sins have
been put away for ever. You see, the wages of sin is death, but through
His resurrection Christ has shown that death's power over man has been
broken. Therefore God "hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath
raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). And again, "Whom God hath raised
up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that
He should be holden of it" (Acts 2:24).
Q. But others have risen from the dead, for the Bible tells us about
them. How is Christ's resurrection different from theirs?
A. The great difference is this, that all others who were raised from
the dead died again. But Christ rose from the dead with complete power
over the grave, and it has never been able to claim Him again. This is
what marks Him out from all others as the only Saviour. Other men have
claimed to be saviours of mankind, but the fact that they have not risen
from the dead openly declares that they have never overcome death's power.
As the scripture I have just quoted says, death could not hold HIM. If
He had broken His way out of it, then we are not yet justified, but He
settled every legal claim that the law had upon us, and death had no power
to hold Him. And Jesus is the only one, among those who have risen from
the dead, who has remained alive. Not only this, but He triumphed over
death and made an open show of the principalities and powers ruling the
domain of death (Col. 2:15). By this resurrection power of His He gives
eternal salvation, and it will also ensure the resurrection of every believer
on the Great Day. This is why the Old Testament offering of a lamb for
sin had to be displaced - the offering could produce forgiveness, hut not
eternal life, because the creature never conquered death.
Q. I have never heard such things before. Why don't we hear more
preaching about the resurrection?
A. I suppose a lot will depend on which church services you go to.
In Acts 1:22 a man could qualify as an apostle only if he had been an eye-witness
of the resurrected Christ. You can see how important the resurrection was
considered to be by the early Christians. And certainly it is no less the
keynote today of effective witnessing, namely, that we can testify of His
resurrection power in our lives. Acts 4:33 repeats, "And with great power
gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great
grace was upon them all."
Q. How is this resurrection power to be manifested in believers?
A. We need to be able to produce evidence to an unbelieving world that
Jesus is ALIVE. It is one thing to believe the facts of the case (and they
are reliable enough, particularly as He was seen alive by over five hundred
reliable witnesses), but it's quite another thing to have personal experience
of the LIVING Christ. The primary evidence of this, of course, is His work
of salvation, and, second, the doing of His works through us. With regard
to salvation, note the terms of Romans 10:9, "If thou shalt confess with
thy mouth that Jesus is Lord (and nothing less than that), and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
How can one believe in the heart, the place of conviction, without dealings
with the living Christ? This is where vital Christianity commences. It
is God who shows us that, Christ is alive by giving us the Spirit of His
Son; and when the Spirit takes up residence within us, He further evidences
who He is by the cry, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15 & Gal. 4:6). This is
the believer's personal evidence of the resurrected Christ and of having
received His life, eternal life. But we must not stop there, for others
need the evidence, too; and for this reason the Lord Jesus said, "He that
believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also... and whatsoever
ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified
in the Son" (John 14:12,13). To show Himself alive, He is desirous of continuing
His ministry through His people.
Q. Ah, but lust a mo! Won't there also come false signs and wonders?
Isn't it safer not to pursue this line?
A. It is not a "line", but His life! The devil is quick to imitate
and counterfeit all true works of God. But this should not make us afraid
of the true, nor provide a timid Christian with an excuse to escape his
responsibility. What a victory for Satan that would be! And that is his
whole tactic, of course. Now let me sum up for you. Two kinds of power
are available to God's people to prove His resurrection to our generation.
The first is mentioned in John 1:12: "As many as received Him, to them
gave He POWER (authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on His name." This is the inward work of salvation which each individual
must experience for himself. The second is in Acts 1:8: "Ye shall receive
POWER (dynamic, ability, might), after that the Holy Spirit is come upon
you: and ye shall be witnesses UNTO Me..." That little word "unto" carries
with it a challenge, and you will see what is meant by it in Acts 3, when
Peter and John went into the temple at the hour of prayer. There sat a
beggar, lame from birth, and the two apostles did for him what Jesus would
have done had He been there. Peter and John became witnesses UNTO Jesus,
and not only witnesses OF Jesus. The lame man did not experience the power
of Peter or John, but the power of the resurrected Christ. That is why
the early Church was so effective.
Q. I'm having such trouble with guidance. Can you help me?
A. Before doing anything else, let me comfort and encourage you. You
are not alone in your problem. Most Christians not only strike the problem,
but many have it as a continual one. Some of the greatest saints of God
have written about it, and if you read what is written in Acts 16:6,7,
you will be heartened to see that the great missionary-apostle Paul also
had problems, for when he thought he would be doing God's will by visiting
two places with the gospel, God's Spirit had to redirect him.
Q. But at least the Spirit redirected him! Is there no solution to
this problem for me? for I lust seem to draw a blank.
A. Well, let's turn to the Word, and, as always, the answer will be
found by searching. The biggest problem over guidance is not how God is
going to communicate His will to us, but the preparation of our own hearts
to receive His direction. My own experience has been that, when I take
care to prepare my heart the way in which God has shown it should be done,
the communicating of His will is relatively simple.
Q. Simple! I pray and worry, worry and pray, but still see no result.
A. I did not say simple, but relatively simple. It is very clear from
your last statement that you are going about finding guidance in quite
the wrong way. Let's kick off with Romans 12:1,2. The second verse concludes
by saying, "... that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God." It does not say that you will hear a voice, or find
a text glaring at you, or see lights flashing on and off, but rather that
you will be able to discern God's will by its very characteristics.
Q. Wait! wait! Where's that verse which says that you would hear
a voice behind you saying, "This is the way"?
A. You will find that verse in Isaiah 30:21, and when we have read
it you will see how different it is from what you thought, and I hope this
will be a good lesson to you not to guess at what your Bible says. Eve
made a big enough mess doing just that! It reads, "And thine ears shall
hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye
turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." A quick glance at
Joshua 1:7, and similar scriptures, will show us that to "turn to the right
hand, and... to the left", means turning OUT of the way. This is exactly
what happened to Paul, when he would have otherwise gone the wrong way.
But when you are walking in the right way there is no need to expect to
hear anything.
Q. I see. Can we get back to Romans 12 again now?
A. To prove the will of God, a minimum of five things is demanded by
way of preparation. The first one is probably the toughest, for it says,
"... present your bodies a living sacrifice". This is more easily understood
when you realise the importance of the body to your whole person. By surrendering
your will to God you have given an inward assent, but have not yet fought
through the opposition which will be raised by the body in a host of ways.
While our spirits agree with God, the body takes a lot of convincing that
God's will for it is good, acceptable and perfect. It's one thing for the
captain of a vessel to hand over to the pilot, but what about the crew?
They might still mutiny! When we present our body, therefore, we present
our all. The first step, then, having submitted the body to the Lord, is
to put aside personal preferences. When my wife was single and seeking
God's will about marriage, she used to pray, "Lord, please choose the right
man for me, but don't let it be one of those Clark brothers!" But once
this resistance was let go, and she could pray, "You make the decision,
Lord, even if it is one of the Clark brothers", then revelation soon followed,
of course! Ahem! I suppose a good ninety-five per cent of the difficulty
over divine guidance is this problem of eradicating self-interest. In our
limited experience we think we know best, and our wilfulness becomes the
main ingredient of our confusion.
Q. I can see that, but how do you go about eradicating self-interest?
I could say to God something similar to what your wife said, yet not mean
it with all my heart.
A. Exactly! That's why it is so tough. The mind can hop from one side
of the fence to the other very easily, only to recant at each crisis. In
short, the heart must TURN. It is very similar to repentance. The unfailing
way to handle this is to see the matter through with God in prayer, dealing
with one's own desires and resistance at the cross, until we can look up
without hypocrisy and say, "Thy will be done, 0 God." Dr. Torrey Johnson
tells of such a crisis in his early Christian experience, when he felt
that God was calling him to Africa as a missionary. His own will was distinctly
opposed to this call, but he could not get peace until he thrashed the
matter out with God, alone. Finally, after a tremendous battle, his heart
turned and he was willing to go. Immediately, the Holy Spirit revealed
to him that God had a work for him at home, not in Africa; and this was
soon evident when he became the founder of Youth for Christ, which swept
into eighty-three countries in a remarkably short space of time. You can
readily see that, knowing such a testimony, if you were called to Africa,
you could not shake it off by praying, "All right. Lord. I'll go to Africa!"
The heart alone must come to the place of perfect willingness.
Q. No wonder I haven't experienced this guidance. What's the next
step?
A. The next step is equally important, though not as difficult. The
verse goes on to say, "holy". This means to be both cleansed and set apart
to God. One of the most dangerous things you can do, when seeking guidance,
is to play with sin. It lays you wide open to any twist imaginable away
from God's will, either by your own thoughts, by friends' advice or by
satanic prompting.
Q. How do you tell the difference between all these "voices" and
God?
A. When it is coming from your own mind it has usually to do with something
which will be "too good to be true", and will only have self-interest at
heart, suitably appeased by a dash of something for others. Your friends
will advise you in as many different ways as their number. Satan's directions
are usually delivered in a wrapping of doubt. This is why he has to send
his "guidance" again and again, as if brain-washing you into doing something.
But God - His guidance is clear and carries with it such assurance that
you know what you have to do. God speaks once and with authority, though
He is prepared to confirm His word to you. In all things, there is one
matter which you should watch carefully, and that is to pay heed to any
dispeace in your spirit. even if the guidance looks ever so right. "When
in doubt, leave it out", they used to say. Remember that God is never in
a hurry, for He always prepares well in advance, and therefore you can
afford to wait until you are sure. Don't forget what we were saying about
holiness, for it is a vital part of guidance preparation. Holiness brings
us onto God's wavelength, whereas sin causes spiritual atmospherics and
jamming. Sin must be dealt with.
Q. Should I never accept guidance if I am conscious of sin in my
life?
A. Yes, but only one kind, and that is guidance to repent. Let's go
on now to the next thing: "acceptable unto God". The word "acceptable"
in the original means "well-pleasing". What is well-pleasing to God? When
the thing we desire to do is centred in His glory, because it comes from
Him. This means that motives are the next thing to deal with. David wanted
to build a temple to God's glory, but the thought did not come from God,
for He was planning that Solomon should do it. To die to all that emanates
from self and also to all that self craves, and to take up the cross instead
- this is indeed well- pleasing to God. No one so pleased the Father as
His own beloved Son Jesus, and you will note the tremendous struggle He
had in Gethsemane, namely, in subjecting His will to the Father's will,
regarding bearing our sins. It could never be the will of Jesus to "become
sin for us", for such is contrary to His whole nature, but it was the Father's
will that He should do just this, to save us. As Jesus triumphs over His
own will, we hear Him pray, "Father... not my will, but Thine, be done"
(Luke 22:42). What is our motive for guidance? Do we desire our own good,
or God's glory and the good of others? You can discern for yourself which
is well-pleasing to God.
Q. Won't this mean that all my desires are going to go to the ash
heap?
A. On the contrary, it will mean that your life will come through,
gradually, into the glorious fullness which God planned for you when He
made you. Self must die, without question, but Christ will live in you
instead. This is probably why the fourth directive given in Romans 12:2
is, "be not conformed to this world". It is very easy to conform to human
patterns, and even religious or evangelical patterns. Because others have
done something a certain way, we tend to think this to be the only way.
But if we are to know the will of God, we have to come out of the accepted
groove, so that God can reveal Himself, or His way. This is strikingly
seen in what happened to Joshua when he led the children of Israel over
Jordan and into the promised land. Previously, in the wilderness, they
had fought several battles, and no doubt this was strongly moulding the
pattern of Joshua's thinking as to how they would fight the nations in
Palestine. But before he ever started on the first city, Jericho, the captain
of the Lord's host met him and guided him on God's strategy for the overthrow
of that impregnable city. The guidance looked "silly" from a warrior's
point of view. It did not conform to experience! And note, never again
did the captain of the Lord's host use that strategy. This can be tough
for us, too, for we find a kind of security in doing things the way they
have always been done. The groove also minimises criticism. until we fail!
Q. I follow, but how can one get the "battle orders" clearly?
A. The fifth instruction helps us right here. Romans 12:2 continues,
"but be ye transformed by the renewing of your MIND". This will take adequate
care of our ruts. The noteworthy thing is the method: renewal of the mind.
This takes place through continued waiting upon God in His Word, and by
prayer. Our imaginative thoughts change, but He has made up His mind. As
we continue to wait upon God daily, His mind and ways are revealed, and
the Holy Spirit is well able to take portions of the Word and witness them
to us, specifically for our circumstances or task. Ephesians 4:23 talks
about being "renewed in the spirit of your mind". The spirit is our inner
man, and it is from the inner man, or heart, that the mind is fed with
thoughts, whether good or ill (Matt. 15:19). Now, as we wait upon God in
His Word and prayer, we will experience this renewal of knowledge and direction.
Q. How stupid I've been about guidance. Is the reference in Romans
12 the only one about this subject?
A. No. The other major portion on the subject is found in Isaiah 58.
Again, you will see that it has to do with preparation of the heart, so
that guidance may be given. We shall only look at the headlines and you
can do your homework later! "If thou take away from the midst of thee the
yoke (that which links you to the world and your own will), the putting
forth of the finger (which signifies accusing others and working out God's
will for them, like Peter did in John 21:21,22), and speaking vanity (vanity
means emptiness and reflects an empty heart which has not been renewed
with divine knowledge); And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry (this
points us away from ourselves and our selfish desires, to the needs of
the needy), and satisfy the afflicted soul (which brings our usefulness
in God's will into a ministry with an outflow of love and deliverance to
an afflicted world around us); then... the Lord shall guide thee continually..."
(vs. 9-11). In addition, verse 9 opens with the secret to answered prayer
by stating, "Then thou shalt call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt
cry, and He shall say, Here I am."
Q. I've been so far off target, but what you have shown me is going
to take a long time to get working properly in my life. Is there no way
of not going astray, in the meantime?
A. Oh, yes! God has not forgotten that it takes time for us to mature
in anything. 1 will share with you one of my favourite Bible verses, which
is Proverbs 16:9, "A man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth
his steps." While we are trying to see over the horizon, God is carefully
planning our next step. Jeremiah knew this when he cried, "O Lord, I know
that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to
direct his steps" (10:23). Don't be afraid, beware of stubbornness, and
trust God. He will bring His will to pass.
Q. We hear a lot about love these days, and yet so much seems distorted.
How can you really define love?
A. Your question is very broad. You realise, I am sure, that there
are several kinds of love. There is "mother love", which is generally considered
to be the purest form of human love. This would be because we can quickly
discern that it is almost free of selfish interest and contains the important
ingredient of true love, which is sacrifice. A mother will sacrifice her
very life, if necessary, for the child she loves. Then there is the kind
of love which is the direct product of romance, and this has to mature
into sacrificial love, otherwise it is not likely to endure. There are
other definitions of love, as you are well aware, but the climax of love
is God Himself. Love, in essence, is not a thing apart, but is essentially
part of the character of the Lover, and that person is God - the God who
became the perfect sacrifice.
Q. Why the insistence upon sacrifice as an essential quality of love?
A. Because it is sacrifice that makes real love tick. Love's centre
is never selfish desire, but self-denial. Love is not something one looks
for, but something one gives. The oft-heard cry of "nobody loves me" is
merely an echo of self-pity. Such people who "long to be loved" should
reverse the process and begin to SHOW love, instead of waiting for it to
be shown, for that is the way it works. We also need to distinguish between
love and infatuation. Many marriages crack up simply because they were
built on a mutual infatuation. Unless love can take over in such situations,
with mutual sacrifice and respect, the marriage will be doomed, or will
become a mere endurance test!
Q. Well, how could love solve marital problems in a practical way?
A. The Holy Spirit gave the greatest definition of love in Paul's first
letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13. In this exhaustive definition He
states, "Love suffereth long, AND is kind... doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil... beareth
all things, believeth all things... endureth all things." Apply this to
any marriage, or even to an ordinary friendship, and it will mean that
the faults and idiosyncrasies of the person loved will not be recognised,
for love has the ability to scale all such stumbling blocks. That's why
it is said that love is blind. One of the greatest qualities of love is
that it never fails, no matter how it is tested.
Q. All right, but what if love in a marriage has already died?
A. This is a very big problem, not only prevalent in our time, but,
sad to say, on the increase. The Bible gives what I believe to be the only
answer, in Ephesians 5:25- "Husbands, love your wives." To say that love
has died is really an anomaly, because true love cannot die or fail. Hence
this command to love, and that not in any mechanical sense. The verse quoted
above goes on to say that the husband should love his wife as Christ loved
the Church, and laid down His life for it. Again - sacrifice! Because love
is a command, it can be obeyed in any circumstances, especially when jabbed
into action by the pin of humility. The pride of "I am right" is one of
the biggest obstacles. Once the command is obeyed it is relatively easy
for affection and romance to return. But this love that Paul is speaking
about to the Ephesians is what the Greeks called AGAPE.
Q. What on earth is that?
A. It is that kind of love which has to do with the character of a
person rather than with their feelings. I mean, when you "fall in love"
with someone, there is no difficulty in loving that person. Your emotions
are affected in that direction and you like them. It is easy to love those
whom you like! But this AGAPE love rises above our feelings, enabling us
to do the loving thing for those whom we do not like, yes, even to our
worst enemy. This is bigger than emotion - it is character. Emotion will
range itself against an enemy, but not love. Love will even sacrifice itself
to win an enemy.
Q. But who can do that? You're only theorising!
A. It is true to say that this is something too big for the ordinary
human nature to handle. However, don't despair, for there is an answer.
God, who is the sole proprietor of this AGAPE love, entered the human race
in the form of the person that history knows as Jesus Christ, and demonstrated
this love in the most eloquent way. Apart from what was seen of that love,
during His life and ministry, in endless compassion, it shone forth in
its full lustre at the cross, and particularly when Jesus prayed, "Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do." On the cross Jesus had become
the sacrifice for sin, the sin of his enemies, so that whoever of them
believed could find eternal life.
Q. But God loves sinners, anyway, even if He hates their sin.
A. Let me correct that! Psalm 7.11 says, "God is angry with the wicked
every day", whereas Psalm 5:5 says, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity."
This expresses God's emotions about sinners, and they are not very affectionate.
If you are going to say, all in one sentence, "God hates sin and loves
the sinner", then you must qualify the statement. Hatred is an emotion,
and God hates the heart that churns out the evil as much as He hates the
evil. God does not love sinners affectionately, until saved by His grace.
But He does love the world of sinners with AGAPE love, for God is love,
and has proved this by doing the loving thing and sending His only Son
to redeem these very sinners to Himself by the shedding of His blood. We
can rely on God's love, because, like Himself, it can never change.
Q. Wonderful! But this still doesn't mean that human beings can love
this way.
A. You've forgotten something. You are correct if you say that this
agape love cannot spring from our old nature, but Romans 5:5 declares,
"... the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which
is given unto us." When one is born again of the Holy Spirit and receives
a new nature, the Holy Spirit is able to pour out (shed abroad) God's love
through that person into any situation. This is what marks the true Christian.
The apostle John was so emphatic about this that he says a man who does
not possess this love is not a Christian (1 John 4:20).
Q. That means, then, that a lot of church members are not Christians.
How some of them fight!
A. The Scripture agrees with you. John wrote much about this in his
first Epistle, and went as far as to say in 1 John 3:14 that the possession
of this love was one of the signs of our having eternal life. Then again,
in chapter four verse eight, John affirms, "He who does not love has not
become acquainted with God - does not and never did know Him; for God is
love" (Amp.). This is why Jesus was so emphatic that the obvious sign to
unbelievers that we are His disciples would be the love we had for each
other. Then comes the knockout punch when John states, "In this the children
of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother" (3:10).
Q. Does that mean that Christians should never disagree about anything?
What about all these denominations?
A. No, for you will read of some pretty hot exchanges evident in the
Book of Acts. But, at the same time, it shows that there was also such
love among them that they were able to resolve their differences and preserve
spiritual unity. This never means compromise, nor keeping silent on basic
issues. You see, each one of us is at a different point of understanding
concerning God's revelation, so the standard should never be set by what
we know individually. This is what has produced so many denominations.
We need to listen to what God has revealed to others, that we may grow
more speedily in Christ, and, even if we cannot agree with each other,
divine love is strong enough to hold us together until such time as there
is unity of knowledge and revelation. This is how the Holy Spirit can bring
about accord between Christians; but, when we leave love out, party-spirit
is fostered.
Q. How can we set about getting unity among Christians when we seem
to be so hopelessly divided?
A. By returning to the only basis for unity. Again it is John who tells
us (1 John 1:3) that our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son
Jesus Christ. At the moment our "fellowships" are constituted according
to doctrines. All birds of the same doctrinal feather get together! What
a carnal thing this is, and what destruction it has wrought! The uniting
factor for Cod's people is not based on truths about God but on God Himself.
If we are truly born again of God's Spirit, it is because God has sent
the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Christ cannot be divided. Every
believer is therefore bound to love every other believer as a brother,
and to allow no division whatever. We have not done this. Where there is
disagreement on the doctrine, let prayer and instruction take care of that
in time, but the basis for unity must essentially be that of life and love
- God's life and God's love.
Q. Good! But what about the matter of loving God Himself? I can't
say I always feel that I love God. Why is this?
A. Emotions are very wonderful things, but they are subject to fluctuation.
We should understand that. Because they are like this, emotions are not
a guide but a means of expression. The Word of God is the guide, especially
to experience. For example, you may have an aggravating problem to which
there seems no solution. In your dilemma you call upon the Lord, and He
answers you and brings about a wonderful solution. You will probably become
so elated at this deliverance that for some time you feel as if you are
"walking on air". You feel that God is with you, and you could love Him
for ever. But as day follows day, and circumstances change, so do your
feelings, and you begin to think that God has forsaken you. Satan is quick
to take advantage of these feelings and begins to accuse and condemn you,
until you may even wonder if you are saved at all! The Word of God is greater
than your feelings, at such a time, and boldly assures, "I will never,
no, never, forsake thee, nor fail thee." As you believe the truth and again
rest on its certainty, faith will rise once more and, as you praise God,
so will your feelings rise, too.
Q. Thanks for that! But what do you do when you feel "dead" towards
God? Do you know what I mean? You can't even raise a "Hallelujah", even
though you believe!
A. Yes, I know what you mean, for I've been through it, too. It is
generally because we have settled down into the natural, and need to get
back into the spiritual. Meditation in the Word and seeking God in prayer,
plus obedience, will make this possible. Some people tell me that they
feel their prayers do not rise higher than the ceiling. They quickly see
their stupidity when I reply, "That's fine, for the Lord is below the ceiling,
with you in the room." But, referring back to your question, remember God's
command, "Thou shalt love (agape) the Lord thy God with all thine heart",
etc. It is a command! Because the Holy Spirit has shed His love in us,
we must exercise it and, feelings apart, show our love to Him through obedience.
That is why Jesus said, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." By putting
this love into operation, you will find your heart warmed again, not only
towards Him but also towards others. Love which is motivated only by feelings
shows itself to be immature. There is a warning, though - that obedience
should never be cold. Let us obey, not because we have to but because we
want to!
Q. Why do we have to have collections in church?
A. Collections are only what some people consider to be a convenient
system. The real subject to consider, if I may say so, is the subject of
GIVING.
Q. Why are there so many excuses and humorous skits about collections?
A. Giving is such a wonderful part of the Christian life, that I have
always felt it a pity that some Christian leaders seem to consider it a
necessary evil. Money has become a sore point with many, and the Scripture
also warns that the love of it is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). If
Christian leaders have the attitude of begging for money, I suppose this
is what promotes the red-faced and tongue-in-cheek remarks that one so
often hears. And these remarks, it seems to me, serve only to cheapen what
should be a very privileged stewardship.
Q. Big words! But why should we have to give at all in church matters?
A. Do you mean that you never stop to think? How do you send a missionary
overseas without paying his fare for some form of transport? I know that
the evangelist Philip "found himself at Azotus", but this was the only
time, as far as we know, when God personally arranged a free airlift for
one of His servants. Fares cost money. The missionary lives on food, and
this also costs money. He has to buy clothes with money. The money has
to come from somewhere. Mind you, some of the ardent appeals we hear are
hardly conducive to either faith or giving. Such low-level appeals are
nauseating. Perhaps it is because some of God's children are ignorant of
what He says in the Bible about giving, that they seldom experience the
privilege. The entire church programme, pastoral and evangelistic, costs
money, and the Bible has taken care of how this should be handled.
Q. What! Does the Bible speak about collections?
A. Only once; but it carries many instructions about giving. The only
reference to some sort of collection is found in 1 Corinthians 16:2, "Upon
the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as
God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings ("collections", in
the Greek) when I come." The order is a good one. Paul recommended to them,
or commanded them, to give regularly every week towards a gift for the
poor saints in Jerusalem so that it would be all ready when he arrived.
He did not want to be dragging it out of them when he came, for he was
afraid of covetousness. He knew it would be better for them to be giving
steadily as unto the Lord, rather than that they should come under sudden
pressure from appeals for cash. The difference is significant, for if all
God's people learned to give regularly we would not have this embarrassing
pressure so often applied from platforms or pulpits. Thank God, I have
visited congregations where they practise regular giving, and there is
always ample for all needs. In this way, giving is elevated to that grand
level where it is a relationship of love and devotion between the Christian
and his Lord.
Q. Does God only command giving so that His Church can keep going?
A. Oh no. The early church cost nothing to run, because it was not
an institution. The money given was used to house and feed the believers
in persecution conditions, and to send others forth with the gospel. But
there is another important reason. Giving delivers you to a marked extent
from covetousness and self-centredness. The self-centred person is slowly
destroying his whole life, and as he continues the speed increases. The
God- centred person cannot help but give, for it is in the very nature
of God to give and give again. Giving is also a good practical way to expand
the inner capacity of your own soul. Then there is something else which
Jesus said, namely, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts
20:35).
Q. But I like receiving gifts and presents. Do you mean to say that
giving is better?
A. Oh, yes! But you will have to experience it before you will finally
agree. This is one of those things which is "better felt than telt"! Whenever
you give, it opens up something deep inside and brings you into a new area
of liberty. In 1 Chronicles 29:9 we observe, "Then the people rejoiced,
for that they offered willingly... and David the king also rejoiced with
great joy." But see now Nehemiah 12:43, "Also that day they offered great
sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy:
the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem
was heard even afar off." The whole family becomes happy when it stops
demanding and starts giving.
Q. Uh-huh! But what if I don't give?
A. You will discover that a process of leanness begins to permeate
all your life. Proverbs 11:24,25 says, "There is that scattereth, and yet
increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth
to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall
be watered also himself." This is a divine principle which cannot be altered.
The Bible is God's book of instructions on how to live properly, and it
shows us in 2 Corinthians 9:6, "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also
sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
It is a true principle which farmers understand very well, but Paul was
writing this to believers on how they should give, so that they might reap
a better harvest.
Q. But hearing this makes me want to give so as to be able to receive
more. Isn't that wrong?
A. I will grant you that motives are a dodgy point, but sometimes the
issue gets unnecessarily complicated by well-meaning advisers. Let's try
and see the answer to your question from God's point of view. In Luke 6:38
Jesus said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed
down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you
again." It looks as if Jesus threw the matter of motives to the winds,
until you stop to realise that it always costs you to give. This will immediately
safeguard your motive. The more you give, the wider you will find God's
hand opened to you in return, and at the same time you will find yourself
being freed from covetousness. I would advise you to forget about the fear
of wrong motives, if they are stopping you from giving, and rather get
on with obedience. You will find that God's laws are never harmful, when
acted upon. He does warn, however, against making a display of giving.
Q. I see. How much should I give? Does the Bible give hints on this?
A. That verse we looked at earlier in 1 Corinthians 16 said, "as God
hath prospered" That is limitless according to the largeness of your own
heart. During the period of the Old Testament we see in Malachi 3:8-12
that the Israelites were required to tithe their income, apart from the
cost of the sacrifice of animals. They had to give a tenth of what they
earned to the work of the Lord, as well as what they needed to give the
state by way of taxes. If they could do all this under law, we should regard
this as being our absolute minimum. I once heard a Christian businessman
call this the believer's "precipice line", and urge his hearers to get
up into the "promised land" of giving!
Q. A tenth? What should that be reckoned on?
A. Most agree that it should be reckoned on your net wages or salary,
after deduction of taxes, but before considering private expenses or living
costs, or, if you run your own business, it should be reckoned on your
taxed net profits. But let me make it quite clear that in the New Testament
there is no law in the matter. However, this does not provide us with an
escape, but it does eliminate bondage. The subject of giving is a measuring
stick for our genuine love for the Lord. Proverbs 3:9,10 expresses this
exactly, "HONOUR the Lord with thy substance... So shall thy barns be filled
with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." Meanness is
a personality destroyer, whereas liberality, especially towards the Lord,
produces a wonderful liberty within. I suppose this is why God loves the
cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).
Q. To whom shall I give?
A. Basically, as 1 Corinthians 16:2 indicated, our giving should commence
in the assembly or church with which we are connected. But the instructions
go beyond that realm, for Paul told the Galatians (6:6), "When anyone is
under instruction in the faith, he should give his teacher a share of all
good things he has" (NEB). The direction given Timothy was, "Elders who
do well as leaders should be reckoned worthy of a double stipend, in particular
those who labour at preaching and teaching" (1 Tim. 5:17 NEB). We also
need to help missionary societies, evangelistic efforts, etc., to which
the Lord may direct us to give. What we give belongs to Him, and therefore
Christians should take time to wait upon the Lord for His directions as
to where the gifts should be given.
Q. But what if my cost of living is too high for me to be able to
give at least a tenth?
A. This indicates that an urgent change is necessary in the way you
are handling your finances! The prophet Haggai has what could be just the
word for you in his first chapter, where he showed Israel that it was their
lack of giving, or not putting first God's programme, which was the root
cause of their high cost of living. Experience has shown me that when I
give priority to God's programme, and His kingdom, then He gives priority
to my own needs. We can illustrate this principle in what Elijah told the
poor widow who had got down to her very last supply. He said, "Fear not;
go and do as thou has said: but make me (as God's representative) a little
cake first... For thus saith the Lord ... The barrel of meal shall not
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail" (1 Kings 17:13,14). No one
is going to experience God's endless supply until they put God first. The
widow was down to her last, which put her face to face with a test of faith
and love to God, but she obeyed and never ran short.
Q. But does God always do it that way?
A. Not always. It depends who He is dealing with, and also the quality
of the blessing He would give them. We spoke about motives and their correction.
This was amply taken care of in that widow's case. The rich often miss
this great privilege! But now let me bring you into another secret concerning
giving. Jesus uttered some amazing words once - "Give alms of such things
as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you (Luke 11:41). Having
said this, He immediately contrasted this with the legal way in which the
Pharisees religiously tithed even the tiniest things they received, but
because of the hardness of their hearts they missed the two big principles
of judgement and mercy. If the love of money is the root of all evil, then
you can see why giving away alms becomes a cleanser of the heart. It gets
at the root!
Q. I suppose I should give to missionaries, but, honestly, I have
no real interest in their work.
A. If you really want to have an interest in missions, take the advice
of Jesus in Luke 12:34, "... where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also." If you are going to wait until you are really interested, it
is like trying to get somewhere by walking in the opposite direction. Start
giving, and you will soon find your heart opening up in that direction.
Q. Hmf! Can't win, can I? Is that the lot?
A. No, there is one more thing we should tackle. It is a question you
have not asked; neither did I. In fact, I have not met anyone who did.
And it seems that no one asked it of Jesus. It is the big question, "How
much should we keep for ourselves ?" Jesus drew attention to it through
a very telling incident in Luke 21:1-4, near the end of His ministry here.
He was in the temple teaching when suddenly He looked up and saw the rich
men casting their gifts into the temple treasury. Although he saw the men,
He did not seem to take notice of the amounts they were putting in. Then
a desperately poor widow came by, who had only a mere pittance left, but
she cast it ALL in. How deeply the words of His comment bite - "... but
she of her penury hath cast in all the LIVING that she had"! If ever you
are tempted to think you are giving too much to the Lord and His work,
I suggest you ask yourself the same question that I have to ask myself,
in the light of such a proportion of giving.
Q. Help! help! I feel as if I'm slowly sinking with a deflated lifebelt!
A. Which could mean that at least you are holding on to something.
But why is it letting you down? Have you grabbed a straw instead of a plank?
Q. Well, it's like this: I've always thought that every Bible promise
was for me, now that I'm a Christian. I've been claiming some recently,
but they don't work! Why?
A. A lot depends on which promises you've been trying to claim, and
what you have been doing with them. A recent count by an accredited Bible
scholar put the number of Bible promises at about 8,800. Some of these
are general and therefore available to anyone, whereas most are specific.
As God's dealings with us are by grace, we cannot claim specific promises
until they are given to us.
Q. What do you mean? In Sunday school we used to sing', "Every promise
in the Book is mine." Are they not all for everyone?
A. How could they be? God said to Abraham, "I will make of thee a great
nation." Would you say that each person in our churches, which would mean
many millions of believers, should take that promise? God promised Solomon
that he would be the wisest king of all time and the richest in his day.
Do you feel that is for you? God promised King Saul that he would die the
next day in battle; I suppose you would rather skip that one! God promised
Paul that he would witness before Caesar. Could you claim its fulfilment
for yourself, seeing there are no more Caesars? And at least two of the
Bible's promises were made by Satan--
Q. All right - stop! I get your point. But now I am thoroughly confused.
Which promises may I take?
A. Firstly, you may freely take hold of any promise which God has made
available to all. For instance, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved", or, "As many as received Him, to them gave He
power to become the sons of God", or, "Whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life," etc. With such promises, and many
like them, God throws the door wide open to all, and especially when He
said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9).
Q. Why don't all get saved, then; and why do some have such a struggle?
A. Because these general promises all have qualifying conditions. While
it says "whosoever shall call", many will not call upon God with all their
heart. Though God says "whosoever believeth", it is just at that point
that many fail through unbelief. The rich young ruler sought salvation,
but stumbled and fell over his love for his possessions. He therefore short-circuited
the power of the promise from being fulfilled, though it was within a handbreadth
of his grasp. God's promises are not automatic buttons, waiting for our
convenience. Asking, seeking and knocking presupposes diligent waiting
upon God. Many avoid this because it is irksome to the flesh to wait.
Q. If there are so many "problems" with general promises, what hope
is there for the specific ones?
A. Secondly, then, the Holy Spirit may take any of the remaining promises,
positive or negative, in or out of context, and give them to you for particular
use, as HE chooses, even if that promise was written specifically for someone
else. Hebrews 11:33 explains that Old Testament men of God, among other
acts of faith, "obtained promises". Abraham, for instance, won a battle
against his doubts, fears and unbelief in the face of completely hopeless
circumstances, and God promised him a son. He then accepted God's promise
as an established fact before there was any evidence of the answer, and
God was deeply gratified with such faith. But Abraham also obtained a promise
from God for believers in our day (as Paul explains in Galatians 3:14).
He did not personally participate in this promise: yet it was to Abraham,
nevertheless, that God promised that He would make available this blessing
to every family on the earth through the Holy Spirit. But when there is
no general promise, we must seek another from the Lord; and to answer our
request the Holy Spirit may take whichever part of the Bible He chooses,
and give it to us.
Q. But how do you know when He does this? Isn't that dangerous? Can't
you bluff yourself into such? I heard of someone once who --
A. Hold it! When the Holy Spirit gives you a promise, that promise
will always come with the "witness of the Spirit", or, stated more simply,
with "much assurance". That means that the promise is given with such power
that all doubts and nagging questions are expelled and you KNOW it is God's
will and plan for you.
Q. Uh huh! Could you give me an example of this?
A. Many! I was talking to a Christian farmer who told me that he had
looked out over his potato field that season and thought he would leave
it for a week or two before harvesting. But as he was meditating in the
Word that morning concerning the commandment God gave Joshua to go in and
possess the land, the Holy Spirit began to impress him to lift his potatoes
that same day and get them to market immediately. The "witness" was so
strong that he dared not ignore it. So he got busy straight away, gathered
the lot and sent them off to market, where they realised a good price.
Three days after, there was a slump in potato prices, which remained for
a very long time. God thus saved His servant from a severe financial loss.
Q. Wow! That's marvellous! Where's my Bible?
A. Yes, I thought so! And Satan is waiting for people like you! Start
scratching around for texts, and you're heading for trouble and self-deceit.
John Baptist said, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven" (John 3:27). My farmer friend could not use the same promise while
looking over his neighbour's fence, could he? Another thing - if you grab
texts, or promises, and they are not fulfilled, you are no better than
a false prophet. This is serious business. One more example. At the end
of Exodus 15:26, God said, "I am the Lord that healeth thee." Many have
run aground on that promise.
Q. Go on! I want to know about that promise, for so many are talking
about it these days.
A. This promise was made specifically to Israel on the ground of four
stringent conditions. Only Israelites, therefore, may invoke it freely
- within those conditions, of course. Nevertheless, if someone is sick
and is seeking God for help, the Holy Spirit may (and often does) quicken
this promise to the seeker in such a way that the promise becomes personally
effective for healing, even though it was written specifically to Israel.
But until God gives it in this way, the promise will remain sealed off
and ineffective. To persuade believers that Exodus 15:26 is for them, without
this witness, is no different from hanging up a carrot in front of a donkey
saddled with a load. The donkey may jerk after the carrot but will not
lose its load.
Q. Thanks for that! Does the same apply to New Testament promises?
A. We are dealing with the same God in both Testaments! As Christ is
the mediator of a better covenant, however, we therefore have better promises.
Any true believer may receive any promise made to "those who believe",
except where ministries are involved. I mean, no one may presume to operate
a ministry until it is given to him, even if he has experienced certain
manifestations of God's working. But come back to Romans 6:14; every believer
is here promised, "Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not
under the law, but under grace." This is promised to every believer who
will yield his body to God for righteousness. By the way, has it become
your experience yet? Jesus promised His disciples, "Ye shall receive the
power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you" (Acts 1:8 margin). This was a
general promise to the whole church, but has it become your personal possession
yet?
Q. I understand now. I've got lots of homework to do. Any last word
on the subject?
A. Yes. Before you start looking for special promises, I suggest that
you seek God for the fulfilment of what He has promised the Church generally
- for example, those mentioned in my previous answer -and then you will
find more personal promises about your life and guidance being given as
they are needed. Perhaps I should put it this way - "For whosoever hath,
to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance" (Matt. 13:12).
You will have noticed that this itself is a promise. When God commanded
Joshua to possess the promised land, He gave no details; but once Joshua
launched out in obedience to the general promise already given, God supplied
numerous other promises and directions as they were needed. You will find
it best to follow the same pattern. May I repeat? Don't try to steal promises
that are not yet yours!
Q. My friends and I have been discussing the "new morality" which
is even creeping into some churches. What do you feel about it?
A. We'd better start by getting our terms right. Morality is unchangeable
and cannot be made new, any more than it could become old. Two plus two
makes four, and no "new arithmetic" can change that. So, whatever anyone
may say on the subject of sex, the God who made it has given His rules
for its conduct; and God does not change His mind, nor does He need to,
for He is truth.
Q. You are not going to be so old-fashioned, are you? We have to
move with the times, you know!
A. Is that so? Then I'm not ashamed to be classed as "old-fashioned"
regarding sex, if your description is correct. Eating must be old-fashioned,
but young people today still follow this habit; and no matter who breaks
the laws of that old-fashioned habit, they will pay the price of their
folly in due time. Sleeping is also old-fashioned, but you modern types
still need between seven and eight hours of it per night, like we older
types. If we dare to change the laws and proper function of sex, we will
head for a greater disaster than we have reckoned with. Sex is so potent
that you cannot play with it. You can fast, and you can miss a night's
sleep, but you cannot afford to commit sexual sin.
Q. Hmm! I didn't expect such rough handling! Is it not sensible,
however, that young people should experiment with sex to see if they are
suited for marriage?
A. Definitely not! Firstly, God has strictly forbidden fornication.
Secondly, it denies the very essence of being guided by the Lord. The trouble
with some young people is that they think that God has no interest in their
choice of a life partner. God is so interested in this that He initiated
it and took personal responsibility to "find" Eve for Adam, even though
at the beginning it meant a new creation. His choice for Adam was so suitable
that when Adam saw her he exclaimed: "This is now bone of my bones, and
flesh of my flesh." God, who knows the end from the beginning, is ready
to guide every detail of our lives, and especially with regard to marriage.
But most people do not want to put aside their own desires and take time
to seek and know God's will for them.
Q. I noticed you used the word "fornication". Didn't you mean "adultery"?
A. No. Fornication is sexual sin committed before marriage, whereas
adultery is the same sin committed after marriage. God has some very strong
things to say about both, but especially about fornication. It forms the
subject of one of the big four commandments that the apostles gave to Gentile
Christians. Acts 15:28,29 says, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit,
and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these NECESSARY things;
That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things
strangled, and from FORNICATION: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall
do well." When Paul discovered a most degrading case of this in the Corinthian
church it was viewed so seriously that he wrote in chapter 5, "It is reported
commonly that there is fornication among you... And ye are puffed up, and
have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken
away from among you... In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ... with the
power of our Lord Jesus Christ... deliver such an one unto Satan for the
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus."
Q. That is certainly very serious. Why does the Bible speak so strongly
against it? After all, there are many other kinds of sins.
A. Yes, but few sins have such a devastating effect upon the individuals
concerned and on the church. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18, "Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without (outside) the body; but he that committeth
fornication sinneth against his own body." He then goes on to remind the
believer that his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That is why he
says in verse 13, "Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord."
Again in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification,
that ye should abstain from fornication." You will also notice in Ephesians
5:3-5 that the fornicator is listed as one of the three kinds of person
who have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Q. But is it any more serious than other sins, when it comes to forgiveness?
Can the fornicator not also find forgiveness through 1 John 1:9?
A. Yes. GENUINE repentance and confession will not be refused anyone,
provided it is linked with Proverbs 28:13, "whoso confesseth and FORSAKETH
them (his sins) shall have mercy." But something else is also involved.
Fornication involves the very curse of God, as a reading of the latter
half of Deuteronomy chapter 27 will explain. The fact of its being a sin
against the body, therefore, makes it the more serious and, unless genuinely
repented of and turned from, it releases forces which affect not only those
concerned but also their following generations. In Britain today, many
come to the marriage altar in a state of impurity, and then we wonder why
we are reaping such a harvest of mental and other disorders in both parents
and their children later on.
Q. This shakes me! I did not realise that the sanctity of sex was
so great. How is a person to overcome this widespread tendency?
A. As always, prevention is better than cure. This means dealing with
sexual sin at the point of temptation. The initial processes of temptation
and sin are relatively slow, thank God; this gives time to root the sin
out before it gets a grip. The Bible advises, "... make not provision for
the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14). In other words, don't
play with fire and you won't get burned. Why invite trouble? Those who
begin petting, and gradually break down one barrier after the other, suddenly
get caught in an uncontrollable fire of lust that cannot easily be put
out. Paul told the Romans (6:16), "To whom ye YIELD yourselves servants
to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death,
or of obedience unto righteousness." Christian young people have to be
prepared to stand up against the popular trend and show that they possess
sufficient moral back-bone to say a firm, "No!" Girls have the advantage
in this matter, though fellows have the main responsibility, and both should
be firm in the path of obedience to God.
Q. Is there anything on the positive side that can be done?
A. Sure! Galatians 5:16 advises, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall
not fulfil the lust of the flesh." This requires immediate obedience in
the face of temptation, as we discussed previously. Once we begin to play
with and even relish the thought of moral sin, the battle is already being
lost. It is similar to when one gets a cold -the recommended remedy needs
to be taken at the FIRST sign of the cold. Always remember that temptation
is not sin. The trouble starts when we let it linger. Once it gets to the
heart, or inner being, it triggers off desire, and the whole person becomes
infected. But saying aloud the name of Jesus, and praying, will have a
wonderful effect.
Q. Many young people feel that the reason behind their fail is that
they love each other so much, and this love should not be denied fulfilment.
A. Nonsense! They do not fall because of love, but because of lust.
Perhaps they do not know the difference. Love would lay down its life for
the person loved, rather than hurt or steal purity from them. Real love
preserves one from destroying another's purity. Love never burns to satisfy
itself - that is lust. James tells us, "Every man is tempted, when he is
drawn away of his own lust (not "love"), and enticed. Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin; And sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death" (James 1:14 15). That is why James states in verse 12, Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive
the crown of LIFE..."
Q. Finally, isn't all this somewhat hypothetical? After all, it has
not worked out so dangerously in Sweden, for example. where morals are
so loose.
A. Hasn't it! Once, when I was in Sweden, 140 doctors were urgently
petitioning their government to do something about morals, to save the
nation from collapse. Sad to say, I have met some preachers there who recommend
that engaged couples "live as though they were married", but at least the
140 doctors had more sense. It is better to heed the timely warning of
the Scriptures - "But if ye will not do so (obey), behold, ye have sinned
against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out" (Num 32:23).
It is better to hold to "old-fashioned" Bible purity and come to the marriage
altar pure and unashamed.
IF YOU ASK ME...
by Denis G. Clark
All young people have questions. All look for answers. It is essential
to get the RIGHT answers - especially so when the questions are about our
faith and the way we live. Mr. Clark, in a clear, simple conversational
style, gives the answers you need in living the Christian life. You will
find that the author communicates to you in a warm, understanding, informative
and helpful manner. Youth leaders will find this material useful in guiding
discussion groups. And YOUR own personal problem is most likely answered
here.
© Computerised Version by R H Johnston.
© D G Clark, 1971 (This edition by permission of Mrs E Clark,
1995).
This paper may only be copied in its entirety for private
non-commercial use. All other usage requires the written permission of
R H Johnston email.