The Bible teaches that we are righteous people but many of us struggle with that reality. There are also many common misunderstandings about this concept. Those who fail to understand that righteousness is received entirely as a gift (see Romans 5:17) often wrongly think that it can be achieved through various things we do.
If you think that you can become righteous by your own efforts, I remind you that self-effort produces only one kind of righteousness — self-righteousness. The righteousness which is of God comes by faith and it is a gift to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Self righteousness will prevent us from ever experiencing the grace walk.
The biggest misunderstanding about our righteousness is that it's a progressive growth into righteousness Some people believe that we become more and more righteous as we walk with the Lord. But, it’s not by what we do that we become righteous. The Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:30 that Jesus is your righteousness. “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'" So, how righteous are you? Look at it this way: on a scale of 1 to 100, how righteous is Jesus Christ? One hundred.
Now, using that same scale, what was the level of righteousness possessed by the Apostle Paul? How about you? How righteous would you say you are? The answer is 100%. You are as righteous as Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ is our righteousness. We may not always act righteous, but that fact doesn’t change the reality of who we are. Don’t allow your feelings to dictate what you believe about this matter. Let what God has said have the final say about it. That is our ultimate authority, right?
Let me illustrate the point this way: Imagine if I found a ring at church and brought the ring in and showed it to everybody and asked whose it was, but no one claimed it. Someone might say, “You found the ring. No one has claimed it, so it’s yours to keep.” I look at the ring and it looks like about a one carat diamond. Immediately I think, “I wonder what that’s worth.”
So I take it to a friend and I ask him what he thinks the diamond is worth and he tells me it’s worth about six or seven thousand dollars. Then I take it to another friend and he says, “No, that’s not a real diamond. That is cubic zirconia. I think it is only worth about three hundred dollars.” I then take it to yet another friend who looks at it and says, “That came out of a toy machine. That’s just plastic. Why, that’s not worth more than about three dollars.”
At this point I have opinions that range from three dollars to seven thousand dollars. How do I know the value of the ring? I take the ring to an appraiser and he would set a value on it based on the price that someone was willing to pay for it. So if someone was willing to pay five thousand dollars for the ring, then the value of the ring is five thousand dollars. I could look at the ring and say, “This ring equals five thousand dollars.” The ring and the five thousand dollars have the same value.
When you and I came into the world, we were born with a big question mark over our heads. The question was, “What is my value? What am I worth?” Unless you know your identity in Christ, you are always asking one way or another, “What is my value? What am I worth?” We try to establish in our own minds what our value is based on what other people tell us (We will probably get varying appraisals, depending on whether we ask our mother or our employer).
But there is a way that you can know your value. Bring yourself before the expert. Come to God and say, “Can you tell me my value?” God will answer, “Yes, I can.” He will determine your value the same way the appraiser determines the value of the ring. It hinges on what price is someone willing to pay for you.
God could say, “You have been bought with a price. And I am the One who bought you. What I paid for you is Jesus.” Isn’t that response biblical? Then would it be accurate to say that to God, you are of equal value to Jesus. It almost sounds blasphemous, doesn’t it? But I want to assure you that your heavenly Father treasures you like He treasures His own Son because Christ is your life. You are now one with Him. You are 100% righteous because He is 100% righteous.
In fact, you will be no more righteous in heaven than you are right now. I’m not talking about your behavior. I’m talking about your nature. I’m talking about who you are. Righteousness by progression is a legalistic lie that implies you make your own way toward greater righteousness by doing the right things.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Jesus - The Only Point of Reference
Do your possessions, health, size of your ministry etc. define you and your worth? Jesus is the only definition of your value and worth.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Stumbling Block and the Foolishness - Paul White
1 Corinthians 1:23 we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness
It seems that the world has nothing but good things to say about the life and statements of Jesus. They frequently quote Him in everything from motivational books to Hollywood movies. His birth is celebrated the world over, and His life is viewed as a model of virtue and peace. The cross of Christ, however, has never enjoyed the universal appeal that is so often associated with the man, Christ Jesus. The finished work, where Jesus paid the sin debt for the world, is not only ignored, but is often in dispute as to whether or not it even happened.
Paul was unashamed to declare that he preached Christ as crucified. The emphasis placed on “crucified” shows us that there are more ways to preach Jesus. There is certainly nothing wrong with preaching of the birth, life or principles of Jesus, but it is His death that changed the world. His finished work brought peace between God and men, ending the war against sin that had waged for nearly four thousand years.
To the Jew, Paul called the cross a “stumbling block”; to the Gentile, “foolishness”. The Jews had received the Law at the hands of Moses and they felt that the keeping of that Law entitled them to eternal life. The Law demanded works, and the cross declared that the work was finished. Many Jews “stumbled” at the prospect of righteousness apart from works.
Gentiles then and now, often view that finished work as foolish. While the Jew stumbles at the cross because they feel righteous through the Law, the Gentile feels that they need no redeemer. Thus, the prospect of someone dying for them is a foolish one. I have actually had some say to me that they didn’t see the need for Jesus to die for them. Well, I’m glad He died for me!
Both Jew and Gentile share a common problem; both trust in their ability to save them. The Jew trusts the Law while the Gentile trusts their wisdom and intellect. Only when one comes to the saving knowledge of Christ do they see that the cross is the apex of power and wisdom. Paul says that, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
When you hear the cross of Christ preached, you are hearing the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). It is power to us, because we have had its effects at work in our heart. We know what we used to be, but the death of Christ brought death to our old nature, and a new start to our lives. Thanks be to God for that Old Rugged Cross!
See His finished work today as having been done on your behalf. He was cursed so that you could be blessed. He was rejected so that you would always be accepted. He finished it all, so that you could have it all. God bless
It seems that the world has nothing but good things to say about the life and statements of Jesus. They frequently quote Him in everything from motivational books to Hollywood movies. His birth is celebrated the world over, and His life is viewed as a model of virtue and peace. The cross of Christ, however, has never enjoyed the universal appeal that is so often associated with the man, Christ Jesus. The finished work, where Jesus paid the sin debt for the world, is not only ignored, but is often in dispute as to whether or not it even happened.
Paul was unashamed to declare that he preached Christ as crucified. The emphasis placed on “crucified” shows us that there are more ways to preach Jesus. There is certainly nothing wrong with preaching of the birth, life or principles of Jesus, but it is His death that changed the world. His finished work brought peace between God and men, ending the war against sin that had waged for nearly four thousand years.
To the Jew, Paul called the cross a “stumbling block”; to the Gentile, “foolishness”. The Jews had received the Law at the hands of Moses and they felt that the keeping of that Law entitled them to eternal life. The Law demanded works, and the cross declared that the work was finished. Many Jews “stumbled” at the prospect of righteousness apart from works.
Gentiles then and now, often view that finished work as foolish. While the Jew stumbles at the cross because they feel righteous through the Law, the Gentile feels that they need no redeemer. Thus, the prospect of someone dying for them is a foolish one. I have actually had some say to me that they didn’t see the need for Jesus to die for them. Well, I’m glad He died for me!
Both Jew and Gentile share a common problem; both trust in their ability to save them. The Jew trusts the Law while the Gentile trusts their wisdom and intellect. Only when one comes to the saving knowledge of Christ do they see that the cross is the apex of power and wisdom. Paul says that, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
When you hear the cross of Christ preached, you are hearing the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). It is power to us, because we have had its effects at work in our heart. We know what we used to be, but the death of Christ brought death to our old nature, and a new start to our lives. Thanks be to God for that Old Rugged Cross!
See His finished work today as having been done on your behalf. He was cursed so that you could be blessed. He was rejected so that you would always be accepted. He finished it all, so that you could have it all. God bless
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Offending Weaker Brothers - Steve McVey
I've often heard the teaching that, as Christians, we shouldn’t do anything that might offend somebody. While there is a biblical truth about being an offense that we need to understand, it's also the case that many Christians have been put into bondage by faulty teaching about the passage in the New Testament which speaks about not being a stumbling block for weaker brothers. Some have misrepresented that text and suggested that if anything that you might do could potentially be offensive to somebody else, then you ought not to do it. That’s not at all what the Bible teaches.
The Scripture does teach that we are to relate to each other on the basis of love. Loving people in the most effective way - that is the key. There is no disputing the fact that the Scripture says that if we have a weaker brother in our lives, who does not understand our freedom in Christ, then because of our love for that brother, we might be wise to be cautious and careful in our behaviors, so as not to offend the person. That’s an act of love, it’s an act of grace toward a weaker brother - someone who’s not strong in grace.
On the other hand, I think the verse has sometimes been taken to the extreme and taught to mean that if somebody is not going to like something that you do, then you ought not do it. The truth is, to approach the Scripture from that viewpoint, will cause you to go into bondage, because there will be many things in your life that somebody believes you shouldn’t do.
If you look across the body of Christ, there’s a diverse body of opinion about different things within the church world. Christians differ about music, movies, dress, alcohol, women in ministry, styles of worship . . . the list goes on and on. Some parts of the Body of Christ get into issues like where we should shop. For instance, I spoke to somebody the other day, who said that they believe that Christians ought not shop at WalMart, because this Christian believed they practice unfair labor practices. That is a conviction that they have. Well, does that mean that I should never shop at WalMart, for fear of offending that person?
The bottom line is this: To say that you shouldn’t do anything that might offend someone isn't true. You need to relate to every person in love, but recognize that Jesus Himself sometimes offended religious people by the things he chose to do. He healed on the Sabbath. In fact, He said and did many things they didn’t like. So we relate to people from a heart of love, but we don’t allow ourselves to be controlled by public opinion. The Holy Spirit will show us the balance between the two if we truly love people and ask Him to guide us.
The Scripture does teach that we are to relate to each other on the basis of love. Loving people in the most effective way - that is the key. There is no disputing the fact that the Scripture says that if we have a weaker brother in our lives, who does not understand our freedom in Christ, then because of our love for that brother, we might be wise to be cautious and careful in our behaviors, so as not to offend the person. That’s an act of love, it’s an act of grace toward a weaker brother - someone who’s not strong in grace.
On the other hand, I think the verse has sometimes been taken to the extreme and taught to mean that if somebody is not going to like something that you do, then you ought not do it. The truth is, to approach the Scripture from that viewpoint, will cause you to go into bondage, because there will be many things in your life that somebody believes you shouldn’t do.
If you look across the body of Christ, there’s a diverse body of opinion about different things within the church world. Christians differ about music, movies, dress, alcohol, women in ministry, styles of worship . . . the list goes on and on. Some parts of the Body of Christ get into issues like where we should shop. For instance, I spoke to somebody the other day, who said that they believe that Christians ought not shop at WalMart, because this Christian believed they practice unfair labor practices. That is a conviction that they have. Well, does that mean that I should never shop at WalMart, for fear of offending that person?
The bottom line is this: To say that you shouldn’t do anything that might offend someone isn't true. You need to relate to every person in love, but recognize that Jesus Himself sometimes offended religious people by the things he chose to do. He healed on the Sabbath. In fact, He said and did many things they didn’t like. So we relate to people from a heart of love, but we don’t allow ourselves to be controlled by public opinion. The Holy Spirit will show us the balance between the two if we truly love people and ask Him to guide us.
Should We Really Do Everything Jesus Said? - Steve McVey
Is it really true that we should do everything Jesus said? I've provoked criticism of my teaching at times when I've said that the answer to that question is, "no." There is a new movement of those who call themselves “red letter Christians”, who say: “I’m living by the red letters in the New Testament.” That refers to the Bibles that have the words of Jesus written in red. “I’m doing what Jesus said.” Well, the truth is, we need to consider how to rightly divide the Word. Jesus Christ said a lot of things at times, when He was not speaking to us. Remember that Jesus lived under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant didn't become effective until His own death.
I’m not minimizing the words of Jesus, His words are very important. In fact, His words are so important that we need to properly understand them. And we do that by examining to whom He was speaking, when He was speaking, and what He was saying.
I'll say it again a second time for emphasis: Jesus ministered under the Old Covenant, so he said a lot of things to those people, that once He had died on the cross and been raised from the dead, what He told them became obsolete in terms of your life. "Now," you might say: “wait a minute, you've gone too far! You are saying we don’t have to do everything Jesus said!" Well, do you really believe you should do everything Jesus said?
What about in Matthew 5 when Jesus said that if you look upon a person with lust in your heart, you should pluck your eye out? Any man reading this, if you really believe you should do everything Jesus said, you better get busy and start digging at your sockets right now. What about when Jesus said, “if you are tempted to steal, chop your hand off”? What about when he told the rich young ruler, to sell everything that he had and give it to the poor?
Somebody will protest, "Don't be ridiculous! Of course, He didn't mean that we take that literally!" My response would be, "Okay, then we are in agreement that we aren't to do everything Jesus said. It's just a question now of what words he spoke apply to us and which don't."
Those who say you should do everything that Jesus said, conveniently pick and choose the things they want to do, while ignoring and explaining other things away. How about when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, and said: “as I have done this to you, so you should do this to each other”. Have you washed other Christians’ feet? If we are going to stand doggedly and determinedly on a certain point like this, then let’s practice it, let’s be consistent about it.
For instance, take the words of Jesus in what is commonly known as "the Lord's prayer." He said to pray, saying "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." He goes on to say a few verses later that you won't be forgiven by God unless you forgive others. Now, wait a minute. Was He talking to you at that moment? He was not. That was spoken before the cross -- before the New Covenant began.
Every passage that deals with forgiveness after the cross teaches that we forgive others, but not so that we will get forgiveness. We forgive others because we have been forgiven and it's now our nature to forgive. For instance, Ephesians 4:32 say, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Under the Old Covenant, people forgave or else. Now, under the New Covenant, we forgive because we have been forgiven.
It is a misunderstanding to suggest that we should do everything that Jesus said. What we should do is understand what Jesus said and what it meant, when it was said, and take his words seriously enough to rightly divide the word of truth and to apply his words in the way they were intended to be applied. If you believe that you should do everything that Jesus said, you are going to experience a lot of self condemnation in your life because I know you are not going to do everything he said, like plucking out your eye, selling all you have and giving it to the poor, or washing other Christian’s feet. So let’s rightly divide the Word and take the words of Jesus seriously enough that we examine them in light of the New Covenant.
I’m not minimizing the words of Jesus, His words are very important. In fact, His words are so important that we need to properly understand them. And we do that by examining to whom He was speaking, when He was speaking, and what He was saying.
I'll say it again a second time for emphasis: Jesus ministered under the Old Covenant, so he said a lot of things to those people, that once He had died on the cross and been raised from the dead, what He told them became obsolete in terms of your life. "Now," you might say: “wait a minute, you've gone too far! You are saying we don’t have to do everything Jesus said!" Well, do you really believe you should do everything Jesus said?
What about in Matthew 5 when Jesus said that if you look upon a person with lust in your heart, you should pluck your eye out? Any man reading this, if you really believe you should do everything Jesus said, you better get busy and start digging at your sockets right now. What about when Jesus said, “if you are tempted to steal, chop your hand off”? What about when he told the rich young ruler, to sell everything that he had and give it to the poor?
Somebody will protest, "Don't be ridiculous! Of course, He didn't mean that we take that literally!" My response would be, "Okay, then we are in agreement that we aren't to do everything Jesus said. It's just a question now of what words he spoke apply to us and which don't."
Those who say you should do everything that Jesus said, conveniently pick and choose the things they want to do, while ignoring and explaining other things away. How about when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, and said: “as I have done this to you, so you should do this to each other”. Have you washed other Christians’ feet? If we are going to stand doggedly and determinedly on a certain point like this, then let’s practice it, let’s be consistent about it.
For instance, take the words of Jesus in what is commonly known as "the Lord's prayer." He said to pray, saying "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." He goes on to say a few verses later that you won't be forgiven by God unless you forgive others. Now, wait a minute. Was He talking to you at that moment? He was not. That was spoken before the cross -- before the New Covenant began.
Every passage that deals with forgiveness after the cross teaches that we forgive others, but not so that we will get forgiveness. We forgive others because we have been forgiven and it's now our nature to forgive. For instance, Ephesians 4:32 say, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Under the Old Covenant, people forgave or else. Now, under the New Covenant, we forgive because we have been forgiven.
It is a misunderstanding to suggest that we should do everything that Jesus said. What we should do is understand what Jesus said and what it meant, when it was said, and take his words seriously enough to rightly divide the word of truth and to apply his words in the way they were intended to be applied. If you believe that you should do everything that Jesus said, you are going to experience a lot of self condemnation in your life because I know you are not going to do everything he said, like plucking out your eye, selling all you have and giving it to the poor, or washing other Christian’s feet. So let’s rightly divide the Word and take the words of Jesus seriously enough that we examine them in light of the New Covenant.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Does Teaching Grace Lead To a Careless Lifestyle? - Steve McVey
I do grow weary at times of having to answer the paranoid legalists who are so afraid that teaching pure and undiluted grace may lead people to think it's okay to sin. The strange thing is that when I ask them if that's what the teaching causes them to want to do, they always say it doesn't. It's not themselves they're worried about. It's these other pitiful, weak Christians who might misunderstand and be led astray. After all, they don't have the maturity to know how to handle the truth so we'd better keep our teaching about grace in balance with a generous serving of warnings about the dangers and evils of sinning.
It’s the old give-‘em-an-inch-and-they’ll-take-a-mile syndrome. Some are afraid that if you truly embrace the grace of God, it’s going to cause you to go out and live a lifestyle of sin. Their reasoning is that if you tell people that their sins are all forgiven and that they’re under God’s grace, they won’t be motivated to live a godly lifestyle. They question what will prevent them from going out and misbehaving. They completely underestimate the presence of the indwelling Christ who is in us! They miss the point that it is the Holy Spirit who has taken up residence in us. He can be trusted! He is quite capable of leading people into righteous behavior without all our warnings to them.
God’s grace is not a license to sin. Those who say that the teaching of pure grace sounds that way reveal their weak understanding of the topic. That's what they said about Paul too. In fact, that's what they say about anybody and everybody who has the gall to preach grace without watering it down with a little legalism.
God’s grace is the divine enablement by the life of Christ in us, for us to be all that we’ve been called to be and all that we’ve been called to do. Grace won’t cause you to go out and sin. To the contrary, it will empower, enable, and motivate you to live a godly lifestyle. Titus 2: 11–12 explains, “For the grace of God appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age.”
The Bible says that the grace of God teaches us; it instructs us. What is the focus of that instruction? It instructs us in denying ungodliness, and it teaches us how to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age. Apparently, Paul wasn’t afraid that grace was going to cause people’s lives to run amuck. He saw grace as the antidote to ungodly behavior.
Let’s ground our thinking in what the Bible says and not in irrational fears that somebody might abuse grace if that is what they are taught. Rest assured – the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will not become a motivator for sin. His grace will inspire, instruct and invigorate you to walk in a way that is fitting with who you are in Him! In an effort to calm the nerves of jittery legalists, I'm not going to water down the gospel by warning people about how they better avoid sinning. The gospel is good news and nothing but good news. When people get that, behavior will take care of itself.
It’s the old give-‘em-an-inch-and-they’ll-take-a-mile syndrome. Some are afraid that if you truly embrace the grace of God, it’s going to cause you to go out and live a lifestyle of sin. Their reasoning is that if you tell people that their sins are all forgiven and that they’re under God’s grace, they won’t be motivated to live a godly lifestyle. They question what will prevent them from going out and misbehaving. They completely underestimate the presence of the indwelling Christ who is in us! They miss the point that it is the Holy Spirit who has taken up residence in us. He can be trusted! He is quite capable of leading people into righteous behavior without all our warnings to them.
God’s grace is not a license to sin. Those who say that the teaching of pure grace sounds that way reveal their weak understanding of the topic. That's what they said about Paul too. In fact, that's what they say about anybody and everybody who has the gall to preach grace without watering it down with a little legalism.
God’s grace is the divine enablement by the life of Christ in us, for us to be all that we’ve been called to be and all that we’ve been called to do. Grace won’t cause you to go out and sin. To the contrary, it will empower, enable, and motivate you to live a godly lifestyle. Titus 2: 11–12 explains, “For the grace of God appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age.”
The Bible says that the grace of God teaches us; it instructs us. What is the focus of that instruction? It instructs us in denying ungodliness, and it teaches us how to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age. Apparently, Paul wasn’t afraid that grace was going to cause people’s lives to run amuck. He saw grace as the antidote to ungodly behavior.
Let’s ground our thinking in what the Bible says and not in irrational fears that somebody might abuse grace if that is what they are taught. Rest assured – the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will not become a motivator for sin. His grace will inspire, instruct and invigorate you to walk in a way that is fitting with who you are in Him! In an effort to calm the nerves of jittery legalists, I'm not going to water down the gospel by warning people about how they better avoid sinning. The gospel is good news and nothing but good news. When people get that, behavior will take care of itself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)