The Unseen Reality

There’s no end to the universe. Thus, it’s completely beyond any human being’s capacity to comprehend its immensity. We can gaze into it, predict the movements of the objects in it and speculate about what’s “out there”, but wrapping our brains around what we’re actually a part of boggles the mind. Therefore, we tend to concern ourselves only with what our senses tells us is a tangible reality.

Yet as tangible as it is, there’s a spiritual reality we’re not even aware of that dwarfs all of creation. A.W. Tozer commented, “The great unseen Reality is God.” While being interrogated, Jesus informed Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world“ and “My kingdom is from another place“ (John 18:36). Our Lord’s kingdom is a spiritual realm.

This doesn’t mean that just because we can’t see Him, we can’t know God. Tozer wrote, “The Bible assumes as a self-evident fact that men can know God with at least the same degree of immediacy as they know any other person or thing that comes within the field of their experience. The same terms used to express the knowledge of God are used to express knowledge of physical things.”

Examples abound in God’s Holy Word: “Taste and see that the LORD is good!“ (Psalm 34:8). “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me“ (John 10:27). “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God“ (Matthew 5:8). “See my pierced hands and feet. See for yourselves, it is I, standing here alive. Touch me and know that my wounds are real“ (Luke 24:39). You get the point.

Not everybody gets to do that, though. It’s a blessing limited to those who have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. The spiritual faculties of an unregenerate man or woman lie dormant unless and until they receive the divine gift of faith in Jesus. Why’s that? Because original sin ruined everything. Only Christ’s atoning death on the cross made salvation available to those who humble themselves before Him. They alone can know God.

What’s the payoff? J.I. Packer explained, “Those who know God have great contentment in God. There’s no peace like the peace of those whose minds are possessed with full assurance that they’ve known God, that God has known them, and that this relationship guarantees God’s favor to them in life, through death and on forever. …The comprehensiveness of our contentment is another measure whereby we may judge whether we really know God.”

So why do so many Christians think God is some kind of force rather than a loving person who desires we should know Him intimately? Tozer wrote, “The answer is our chronic unbelief. Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things.”

Understand God isn’t somewhere far away. He’s right here. His spiritual kingdom envelopes and embraces His adopted children 24/7. God is well within reach. He patiently waits for us to trust Him, cling to Him and immerse ourselves in His immediate, fatherly presence. The mistake too many make is to foolishly live in a false reality; a counterfeit one of our own design and preference.

Tozer defined spiritual reality as “That which has existence apart from any idea the mind may have of it, and which would exist if there were no mind anywhere to entertain a thought of it. That which is real has being in itself. It doesn’t depend upon the observer for its validity.” In other words, like it or not God’s reality is the only reality there is.

Pity the atheist who believes solely in what they can touch, see, hear, smell or taste on this mortal coil all of us began our existence upon. Don’t get me wrong. Christians aren’t daft. We know this world isn’t an illusion. We know God has provided us with five senses to recognize and appreciate the beauty of earth, His most unique creation of all.

It’s important to recognize knowing God and knowing everything He knows aren’t the same thing. Calvin wrote, “Since the Holy Spirit always instructs us in what is useful, but altogether omits or only touches cursorily on matters which tend little to edification, of all such matters it certainly is our duty to remain in willing ignorance.”

The term willing ignorance offends those who deem themselves “smarter than the average bear.” It’s also why most with that attitude aren’t Christians. Tozer commented, “At the root of the Christian life lies belief in the invisible. The object of the Christian’s faith is unseen reality.”

Philip Yancey, in Reaching for the Invisible God, wrote, “The modern world honors intelligence, good looks, confidence, and sophistication. God, apparently, does not. To accomplish His work God often relies on simple, uneducated people who don’t know any better than to trust Him, and through them wonders happen.”

Tozer opined, “If we truly want to follow God, we must seek to be other-worldly. I say this knowing well that that word has been used with scorn by the sons of this world and applied to the Christian as a badge of reproach. So be it. Every man must choose his world. If we who follow Christ, with all the facts before us and knowing what we’re about, deliberately choose the Kingdom of God as our sphere of interest, I see no reason why anyone should object.”

He then adds the kicker. “If we lose by it, the loss is our own; if we gain, we rob no one by so doing. The ‘other world,’ which is the object of this world’s disdain and the subject of the drunkard’s mocking song, is our carefully chosen goal and the object of our holiest longing.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who haven’t seen and yet have believed“ (John 20:29). The Quaker theologian Elton Trueblood put it bluntly: “If a man wishes to avoid paradoxes, the best advice is for him to leave the Christian faith alone.”

Restless Hearts

I’ve been a leader in our church’s Celebrate Recovery ministry for over a decade. A complaint I hear often is “I’ve surrendered all to Christ so why do I still sin? Remorse is killing me. Am I not saved?” I tell them their guilty conscience is proof positive they belong to Jesus, our gracious Lord who’s forgiven their every sin.

In other words, if they didn’t feel shame over their sinful ways (due to erroneously believing Christ’s sacrifice rendered sinning no big deal) they’d have reason to doubt their salvation. But, if their faith is real, the indwelling Holy Spirit never lets them off the hook when they fail to live up to our Savior’s standards. Their regret confirms their redemption and their acceptance by God. A.W. Tozer taught, “Thirsty hearts whose longings have been awakened by the touch of God within them need no reasoned proof. Their restless hearts furnish all the proof they need.”

Yet our hearts are restless because Adam & Eve’s sin erected a thick, heavy veil between us and God’s holy presence. When Jesus died on the cross that impenetrable curtain in the temple split from top to bottom, figuratively granting all who believe in Him access to our Heavenly Father. No rituals required. Only faith. Nevertheless, we still have fleshly desires to battle.

Tozer wrote, “God wills we should push on into His presence and live our whole life there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It’s more than a doctrine to be held; it’s a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day. At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious awareness of His presence.”

Believers are free to bask in God’s light. But most don’t. Why? Because we’re so very unspiritual. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and the people who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth“ (John 4:24). Therefore, there’s nothing automatic about it. Like David, it must be our #1 goal in life to constantly yearn for God.

“As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God! I thirst for God, for the living God. I say, ‘When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?’ …Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! I will again give thanks to my God for His saving intervention“ (Psalm 42:1-2,5). Bear in mind David lived prior to the arrival of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, who opened the way for the elect to enjoy a personal relationship with the Father. The physical veil is gone.

So, what’s our problem? Tozer explained, “It’s none other than the presence of a veil in our hearts. A veil not taken away as the first veil was, but which remains there still, shutting out the light and hiding the face of God from us. It’s the veil of our fleshly fallen nature living on, unjudged within us, uncrucified and unrepudiated. It’s the close-woven veil of the self-life of which we’ve never truly acknowledged, of which we’ve been secretly ashamed, and which we’ve never brought to the judgment of the cross.”

As Voddie Baucham often says, “Can I get an amen or an ouch?“

For myself, it’s the latter. Previously I wrote about how our obsession with our “stuff” prevents us from treasuring as we should our merciful Father in Heaven, our glorious Savior and our infallible counselor, the Holy Spirit. I’m as wretched as they come. I’m too easily distracted by worldly things and selfish pursuits. Thank God, He forgives me of my weaknesses. Still, I have no excuse.

Tozer didn’t mince words, writing, “When we talk of the rending of the veil, we’re speaking in a figure, and the thought of it is poetical, almost pleasant; but in actuality there’s nothing pleasant about it. In human experience that veil is made of living spiritual tissue; it’s composed of the sentient, quivering stuff of which our whole beings consist, and to touch it is to touch us where we feel pain. To tear it away is to injure us, to hurt us and make us bleed.”

He continues, “To say otherwise is to make the cross no cross and death no death at all. It’s never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet that’s what the cross did to Jesus and it’s what the cross would do to every man to set him free. But let us beware of tinkering with our inner life, hoping we can rend the veil ourselves. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust.”

The reality everyone must accept is that we’re sinners. However, that status doesn’t disqualify us from gaining eternal life. J.I. Packer commented, “The sins of God’s children don’t destroy their justification or nullify their adoption, but they mar the children’s fellowship with their Father. “Be holy, for I am holy“ (1 Peter 1:16), is our Father’s word to us, and it’s no part of justifying faith to lose sight of the fact that God, the King, wants His royal children to live lives worthy of their paternity and position.”

We must endeavor to allow and welcome the change the Holy Spirit is working in us. R.C. Sproul wrote, “True transformation comes by gaining a new understanding of God, ourselves, and the world. What we’re after ultimately is to be conformed to the image of Christ. We’re to be like Jesus, though not in the sense that we can ever gain deity. We’re not god-men. But our humanity is to mirror and reflect the perfect humanity of Jesus. A tall order! It requires a serious level of sacrifice. That’s the call to excellence we’ve received.”

It’s normal for a Christian to have a restless heart. Heaven’s our home and we’re not there. Not yet, anyway.

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Our “Stuff”

My wife and I are getting some much-needed improvements done to our home. She’s lived here for four decades (two with me) and during that time lots of “things” have accumulated. I’m sure that’s the case with most Baby Boomers but when I realize just how much “stuff” we have I’m embarrassed because the vast majority of it consists of furniture, knickknacks, decorations, etc. that don’t have any lasting value. Yet we’ve hung on to them for years.

Christians must guard their hearts from elevating anything or anybody above Jesus Christ. It takes spiritual effort and discipline. We all know “we can’t take it with us” so why do we act like we can?

A.W. Tozer wrote, “There is within the human heart a tough fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets ‘things’ with a deep and fierce passion. The pronouns ‘my’ and ‘mine’ look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic man better than a thousand volumes of theology could do. God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.”

Not long ago in one of my blogs I brought up the story of the rich young man who asked Jesus, “What must I do to gain eternal life?“ (Matthew 19:16). He then bragged about how religious and law-abiding he was, thinking that would impress Christ. But when our Lord told him to give all his money and “stuff” to the poor, he turned and “went away sorrowful, for he was very wealthy“ (19:22). Evidently, he found salvation too expensive.

This doesn’t mean Christians are to live like beggars. What our Savior demands of His disciples is that we be willing to surrender whatever we treasure more than Him. He taught, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits his soul?“ (Luke 9:23-25).

That’s not a passage preached in most modern-day church pulpits with regularity. Folks don’t really want to hear what Christ taught about being poor or enduring hardships. Calvin wrote, “Those whom the Lord has chosen and honored with His intercourse must prepare for a hard, laborious, troubled life, a life full of many and various kinds of evils; it being the will of our heavenly Father to exercise His people in this way while putting them to the proof.”

Most of us don’t like tests.

Nothing’s more uncomfortable and downright disturbing than reading about God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son in Genesis 22. Understand that his and Sarah’s son Isaac was the miracle child God had promised they’d have. It’s not hard to imagine that the apprehension Abraham suffered on the eve of the event was matched only by the angst Jesus’ endured in Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. God has never asked for more than He did of Abraham.

Abraham’s faith is legendary. “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He’d received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his son. God had told him, ‘Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,’ and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense, he received him back from there“ (Hebrews 11:17-19). An unbeliever would conclude that God’s a cruel trickster who can’t be trusted. Nothing’s further from the truth.

Tozer wrote, “We’re often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety; this is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe which we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed.”

Brennan Manning opined, “The basic premise of biblical trust is the conviction that God wants us to grow, to unfold, and to experience fullness of life. However, this kind of trust is acquired only gradually and most often through a series of crises and trials. Through the indescribable anguish on Mount Moriah with his son Isaac, Abraham learned that the God who’d called him to hope against hope was eminently reliable and that the only thing expected from him was unconditional trust.”

While it’s doubtful God will test any of us to the extent He did with Abraham, we must do all we can to nurture our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. First, we must rid ourselves of all defenses and excuses. Tozer explained, “Whoever defends themself will have themself for their own defense, and they’ll have no other; but let them come defenseless before the Lord and they’ll have for their defender no less than God Himself.” “Christ is the one who died (and more than that, He was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us“ (Romans 8:34).

Secondly, Christians should never underestimate the necessity of placing God above all human beings, creatures and material things in their life. This can be extremely hard to do and impossible without the assistance of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Tozer commented, “The ancient curse of Eden will not go out painlessly; the tough old miser within us won’t lie down and die obedient to our command.”

We must pray daily, asking God for the power to expel the accumulated “stuff” from our heart and replace it all with His glorious presence. Yes, it might require specifically identifying things and people we’ve made more important than Him. But by doing so you’ll come to realize the old saying, “Give up everything you have for what you could never buy“, is absolutely true.

Yearning to See God

“In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1). That statement says volumes. Before time began only God existed. There was no universe. There were no atoms. Only God. He then created everything, including a man and a woman in His image. They lived in a beautiful garden called Eden. God personally walked with them as He “moved about in the orchard“ (Genesis 3:8) daily. He was visible. They could see and talk with Him one on one. It was paradise.

Atheists don’t agree with anything in that paragraph. They insist everything arose out of nothing, a scientific impossibility. Christians know better. R.C. Sproul wrote, “The God we worship is the God who’s always been. He alone can create beings, because He alone has the power of being. He isn’t nothing. He isn’t chance. He is pure Being, the One who has the power to be all by Himself. He alone is eternal. He alone has power over death. He alone can call worlds into being by fiat, by the power of His command. Such power is staggering, awesome. It’s deserving of respect, of humble adoration.”

But I digress. Getting back to the initial story line, humanity had it made. Then came the tragic fall that brought sin and God’s curse into our world. The devil (in the form of a snake) lied to the first couple about the forbidden tree standing in the middle of the garden, saying to them, “God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you’ll be like divine beings who know good and evil“ (Genesis 3:5). They ate. What their eyes “saw” next was that they were naked “so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves“ (Genesis 3:7). We’ve been wearing “fig leaves” ever since.

It’s not that our bodies are necessarily ugly or shameful. The nakedness they noticed is symbolic of the sad condition we’ve all inherited.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones explained: “They were conscious at once that they were deprived of something they’d had before. Man, let us remember, was made in the image of God in every respect. He was not only upright with a righteousness that was spiritual, but there was a glory pertaining to the body. When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost that glory and were left with bodies as we now know them, and they were aware that they’d been deprived of something. There was immediately a consciousness of a nakedness, a loss, an incompleteness. Something had gone. A glory had departed.”

It occurs to me that humanity lost a blessing even more advantageous – the ability to see God. After the fall God expelled Adam and Eve from Eden and posted “angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life“ (Genesis 3:24). Included in God’s curse was that He figuratively “left the building.” Noah, Abraham, Issac and Jacob heard His voice and several of them were visited by one of His representatives, but they never saw God in His glory.

Moses once asked God, “Show me your glory.” God answered, “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live“ (Exodus 33:18,20). As a favor, God allowed Moses to view His backside after He passed by. But that was it. Significant, no? My point is, being so dependent upon sight, ever since Eden human beings of every color, race and ethnicity across the globe have yearned to see God.

God didn’t reveal His face to anyone until Jesus was born as a flesh-and-blood man and lived among us. Of course, Isaiah correctly prophesized that Christ would present “no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow Him.“ Thus, because His visage was average, many hated Him for claiming to be God incarnate. “He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from Him; He was despised, and we considered Him insignificant“ (Isaiah 52:2-3).

Due to God’s invisibility, pagans worshiped objects/entities more intimidating and/or impressive than themselves. They dutifully worshiped the sun, moon, oceans, stars, mountains, rivers, animals, etc. They yearned to see the Creator God who’d hidden Himself from mankind. But our holy God refused to look upon our vile sinfulness. Therefore, folks worshiped visible things in God’s creation instead of God Himself. Billions still do.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “‘You people worship what you do not know. …But a time is coming – and now is here – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.’ The woman said to Him, ‘I know Messiah is coming (the one called Christ); whenever He comes, He will tell us everything.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I, the one speaking to you, am He‘” (John 4:29).

Later on, our Savior openly announced: “The Father and I are one“ (John 10:30). God’s face was hidden no longer. The Creator came here in person to redeem us, to free us from the curse caused by Adam & Eve’s disobedience, to teach us how to establish and maintain a close relationship with God, and to know Him once again. Everything changed when Jesus came.

Sproul wrote, “How we understand the person and character of God the Father affects every aspect of our lives. It affects far more than what we normally call the ‘religious’ aspects of our lives. If God’s the Creator of the universe, then it must follow that He’s the Lord of the whole universe. No part of the world is outside of His lordship. That means no part of my life is outside of His lordship. His holy character has something to say about economics, politics, athletics, romance – everything with which we are involved.”

How do we go about seeing, knowing and better understanding God Almighty? The Bible tells us how: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up“ (James 4:10).

Christian Liberty

An overused and blatantly hypocritical phrase heard almost daily is “no one’s above the law.” But we live in a fallen world where lady justice has misplaced her blindfold. That’s not the case in God’s courtroom. Regardless, due to the ultimate Judge’s grace and mercy, Christians won’t suffer the eternal punishment our lawlessness deserves. We’ve been liberated from prosecution.

Understand mankind is cursed. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” (Galatians 3:13). It’s easy for folks to misinterpret that verse. It certainly doesn’t mean we’re free to sin willy-nilly. Paul nipped that falsehood in the bud. “What’ll we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?“ (Romans 6:1-2).

Calvin wrote about Christian liberty, starting with God not requiring us to earn our salvation via good works. “The consciences of believers, when seeking assurance of their justification before God, should raise themselves above the law, and forget all the righteousness of the law. Since the law leaves no man righteous, either we must be excluded from all hope of justification, or it’s necessary for us to be delivered from it so completely as to not have any dependence on works.”

Does this nullify the importance of depending upon God’s moral and civil laws to learn how to think and act like Jesus? Nope. We’re to do everything possible to comply with every one of them. Paul wrote to the church: “Brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and please God (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more. …For God didn’t call us to impurity but to holiness“ (1 Thessalonians 4:1,7).

Another blessing of Christian liberty is having the Holy Spirit inside who encourages us to honor our Savior by willingly obeying His commands. Of course, this entails constantly engaging in battles with our flesh. And, if we’re not careful, our defeats in some of those battles can become roadblocks. Calvin wrote, “Those who’ve made considerable progress in the way of the Lord are yet at an immense distance from perfection. Though they love God with their soul and with sincere affection of heart, they have still much of their heart and soul occupied by carnal desires which retard their progress toward God.”

Sad to admit, though I’ve been ransomed by my Lord Jesus, I’m still a lawbreaker, a sinner. If not for Christ’s sacrifice, I’d be headed for hell. I thank God for what He’s done for me. The Bible states: “Sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace“ (Romans 6:14) and “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death“ (Romans 8:1-2).

Christian liberty also rescues us from becoming slaves to empty religious rituals and rites. Calvin wrote, “Christian liberty teaches that we’re bound by no obligation before God regarding external things, which in themselves are indifferent… The knowledge of this liberty is very necessary, for without it we’ll have no tranquility of conscience, nor will there be any end of superstitions.”

A.W. Tozer wrote, “Since man’s expulsion from the Garden, religion has been an intolerable burden on the back of all mankind. But now the people of the world, bearing the heavy yoke of religion, can know the true freedom of genuine worship. God never called man to walk knee-deep in the sludge of the world, nor did He intend for man to be mired down in the traditions of men. Therefore, the Lord sets us free and opens a fountain of healing water for the wounds of the world. Yet, in spite of all this, man deliberately chooses the bondage of religion over the liberating freedom in Christ.”

Jesus asks that we believe in Him. Nothing else. He doesn’t care where we’re from or where we are now. He doesn’t care about skin color or how well off we are. Calvin wrote, “Let all men, in their respective stations, whether of poverty, of competence, or of splendor, live in the remembrance of this truth, that God confers His blessing on them for the support of life, not for luxury; and let them consider this as the law of Christian liberty, that they learn the lesson which Paul had learned when he said, ‘I’ve learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things, I’m instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need‘ (Philippians 4:11-12).”

Believers have been released from the onus of worrying about appearing gullible or foolish in the estimation of others. Our responsibility is to obey God, not our ego. The Holy Word is our infallible life coach. “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up“ (Romans 15:1-2). “Be careful that this liberty of yours doesn’t become a hindrance to the weak“ (1 Corinthians 8:9). “You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another“ (Galatians 5:13).

Larry Crabb wrote, “If we look only at our lives, we’ll wonder if we’re saved. If we evaluate our progress along the spiritual journey, doubts will arise. But if we learn to listen to the Spirit, we’ll know we’re Christ’s. And we’ll delight in holy fellowship with God. We’ll walk out of the courtroom and into the judge’s home. We are His children.”

What a blessing it is knowing we’re beloved children of God.

The Amazing Grace of God

Recently I’ve been writing about how pale our “good works” are when compared to God’s. His works resulted in a universe with no boundaries, this planet earth filled with incredible wonders to behold, and billions of human beings all created in His image. Yet Isaiah 64:6 offers us a big dose of harsh reality: “We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight.“

It’s enough to make a Christian want to stop performing “righteous deeds” altogether, something some would say I’m guilty of promoting. But, as most Reformed theologians agree, that’s not the case. Calvin wrote, “They can no longer accuse us of being enemies to good works. We reject the notion of justification by works, not that no good works may be done, or that those which are performed may be denied being good, but that we may neither confide in them, nor glory in them, nor ascribe salvation to them.”

Under the old covenant observing all of God’s laws was mandatory. God had delivered those laws to Moses, and they were literally set in stone. God then informed the Israelites that His blessings were conditional: “If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the LORD your God will faithfully keep covenant with you as He promised your ancestors. He will love and bless you…” (Deuteronomy 7:12-13).

God then doubled down. “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you except to revere Him, to obey all His commandments, to love Him, to serve Him with all your mind and being… You must love the LORD your God and do what He requires; keep His statutes, ordinances, and commandments at all times“ (Deuteronomy 10:12, 11:1). Of course, history clearly shows that none of His chosen people could comply then or now. Not one.

Calvin wrote, “The condition of perfect obedience to the law, on which they depended, and in consequence of which alone they are to be fulfilled, will never be performed.” But God is a merciful sovereign. Knowing our anemic works would never measure up, He sent His Son to redeem us and with Him the covenant of grace. “We know that no one is justified by the works of the law, but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we’ve come to believe in Him so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified“ (Galatians 2:16).

I often think about how blessed I am to be owned by Jesus. To call His grace amazing doesn’t come close to describing it. Not only has He made faith alone the only thing necessary for eternal life, but He’s also given my faith to me! Not only has He gone to prepare a place for me in heaven, but He’s also made me an heir to all that’s His! “By His great mercy He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It’s reserved for you in heaven…” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

When I consider what lies in store for me, I’m way beyond feeling mere thankfulness. Other Christians are, too. Philip Yancey wrote, “I escape the force of spiritual ‘gravity’ when I begin to see myself as a sinner who cannot please God by any method of self-improvement or self-enlargement. Only then can I turn to God for outside help – for grace – and to my amazement I learn that a holy God already loves me despite my defects. I escape the force of gravity again when I recognize my neighbors also as sinners, loved by God.”

Our Savior answered the Pharisees’ “gotcha” question of “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?“ with “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments“ (Matthew 22:36-40).

Obviously, we’re always happy to be good to ourselves. But, as Christ-followers, we’re expected to do the same to others. Not for our own glory, but for the glory of the One who saved us from the death penalty our sins merit.

How do we properly honor and worship our Savior who released us from the impossible task of perfectly obeying God’s laws? The Bible tells us how: “LORD, who may be a guest in Your home? Who may live on Your holy hill? He that walks uprightly and works righteousness“ (Psalm 15:1-2). The prophet Isaiah taught it’s “the one who lives uprightly and speaks honestly; who refuses to profit from oppressive measures and rejects a bribe; who doesn’t plot violent crimes and doesn’t seek to harm others“ (33:15).

Christ stated it simply: “Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you“ (Luke 6:31). That means, to the best of your ability, do “good deeds” in the name of Christ. Calvin wrote that God will “…in His paternal benignity and indulgence, overlook the intrinsic worth of these works, and exalt them to such honor that He esteems them of some degree of value.”

Brennan Manning wrote, “Scripture suggests the essence of the divine nature is compassion and that the heart of God is defined by tenderness. To follow Jesus in His ministry of compassion defines the biblical meaning of being perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Never forget how much God loves His adopted children. Richard Foster wrote, “No act goes unnoticed, no matter how insignificant or small. A cup of cold water is enough to put tears in the eyes of God. Like the proud mother who’s thrilled to receive a bouquet of wilted dandelions from her child, so God celebrates our feeble expressions of gratitude.” Beautifully put.

Good Works Won’t Save You

James 2:26 states, “For just as the body without the Spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.“ (Some translations substitute deeds instead of works.) The problem is both terms make it sound like we have to do things to earn our justification. But Paul emphasized what Jesus accomplished on the cross is enough. Therefore, I’m convinced the only things Christians can contribute to their ongoing salvation is obedience and heartfelt worship.

To say James opened up a can of theological worms is putting it mildly. The resulting contrary implications have caused churches to literally split apart with each side adamantly defending their particular doctrinal interpretation. Me? I’m with the Reformers on this one.

Calvin wrote, “As soon as justification by faith or works becomes the subject of inquiry, some have immediate recourse to passages which seem to attribute to works some degree of merit in the sight of God; as though justification by works would be fully evinced if they could be proved to be of any value before God. Yet it’s already been clearly demonstrated that the righteousness of works consists only in a perfect observance of the law.” Perfect observance? That’s impossible to achieve.

Augustine clarified, “Let human merit, which was lost by Adam, here be silent, and let the grace of God reign through Jesus Christ. When a man sees that whatever good he has, he has it not from himself, but from his God. He sees that all that’s commended in him proceeds not from his own merits, but from the Divine mercy.” Chrysostom once humorously quipped, “It’s sufficiently meritorious to know that merits are insufficient.”

This is not to imply Christians aren’t to do good deeds. “We mustn’t grow weary in doing good, for in due time we’ll reap if we don’t give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith“ (Galatians 6:9-10). Scripture states our Savior “went around doing good“ (Acts 10:38). Thus, we should strive to do likewise.

God desires that we utilize the talents He bestowed upon us. “We have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. If it’s service, he must serve; if it’s teaching, he must teach; if it’s exhortation, he must exhort; if it’s contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it’s leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it’s showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness“ (Romans 12:6-8).

Bear in mind we can’t all be Spurgeons or Mother Teresas, but that shouldn’t discourage us from exploiting our unique spiritual gift to the fullest extent. Paul wasn’t a great orator, nor was he charismatic or handsome, but what he wrote in his letters is the work of a genuine literary genius. Still, he always attributed his abilities and inspiration not to himself, but to the Spirit of Christ that lived within him.

He knew, as should every believer, that apart from Jesus “we can do nothing“ (John 15:5); that God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world“ (Ephesians 1:4); that He “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son He loves“ (Colossians 1:13) who’s “given us the right to become God’s children“ (John 1:12) and who’s promised us not only “eternal life“ but that we’ll “never perish“ because “no one will snatch them from my hand“ (John 10:28).

Yet billions of unbelievers are positive they’ll stroll into heaven when they die because they’ve led such kind, generous and compassionate lives. They’ve done lots of “good works” they’re convinced will surely merit God’s favor. Sadly, they’re fooling themselves. Calvin wrote, “I don’t know what good works of morality have been invented to render men acceptable to God before they’re grafted into Christ. As though the Scripture was false in asserting that ‘he who hasn’t the Son of God has not life‘ (1 John 5:12).”

He added, “If they’re destitute of life, how could they generate any cause of life? As though there’s no truth in the declaration that ‘whatsoever is not of faith is sin!‘ (Romans 14:23); as though an evil tree could produce good fruits!” What many fail to recognize in the “deed verses” of James chapter 2 is the fundamental truth that anything we do that isn’t the resulting product of becoming “born from above“ (John 3:3) doesn’t impress God in the least.

As quoted earlier, the Bible proclaims Jesus “went around doing good.” For a long time, though, I was baffled by the way our Lord answered the rich young ruler who asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?“ Jesus responded with, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone“ (Luke 18:18-19). It kind of sounds like Christ was denying His unblemished goodness. And if His works weren’t good, how can ours ever be considered worthy of our calling to be His obedient, diligent and grateful slaves?

Many explanations have been offered over the centuries but the one that makes the most sense to me is that Jesus was gently informing the man (whom He knew was overly proud of his own “religiosity”) that he was oblivious to the fact he was addressing not just some “good teacher” but the holy and righteous God of the universe. And, because Christ’s “time had not yet come“ (John 7:6), He intentionally avoided revealing His Divinity publicly and further stirring up the animosity of the Sanhedrin.

Dallas Willard wrote, “If our lives and works are to be of the kingdom of God, we mustn’t have human approval as a primary aim. We must lovingly allow people to think whatever they will. We may occasionally try to help them appreciate what we’re doing. That could be an act of love. But we can only serve them by serving the Lord only.”

Privileged to Serve our Master

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time“ (1 Peter 1:3-5).

If you’re a follower of Jesus that statement is, indeed, “good news.” It’s a promise that should make all Christians want to faithfully serve their Master in everything we do. No one will ever give us more than what our Heavenly Father has given those who love Him. Calvin described God’s merciful gift of grace eloquently:

“Our imperfections and impurities, being concealed by His purity, are not imputed to us, but are buried and prevented from appearing in the view of Divine justice till the advent of that hour when the old man being slain and utterly annihilated in us, will receive us into a blessed peace with the new Adam, in that state to wait for the day of the Lord, when we’ll receive incorruptible bodies, and be translated to the glories of the celestial kingdom.”

This may shock some, but the truth is believers have been purchased. Biblically speaking, we’re literally Christ’s slaves. In the Old Testament alone the Hebrew word for slave, ‘ebed, appears 799 times as a noun and 290 times as a verb. Being a slave in the ancient world was no disgrace. It was common. But due to the stigma the term carries in today’s culture, most modern translations of the Bible have replaced it with the less offensive word, servant. Yet to be owned by the Son of God is a blessing beyond measure.

John MacArthur wrote, “Jesus used slave language to define the reality of what it means to follow Him. Discipleship, like slavery, entails a life of total self-denial, a humble disposition toward others, a wholehearted devotion to the Master alone, a willingness to obey His commands in everything, an eagerness to serve Him even in His absence, and a motivation that comes from knowing He’s well pleased.”

Therefore, gladly serving God should be our highest priority. J.I. Packer wrote, “God is who you love, seek, worship, serve, and allow to control you. To have your Maker and Savior as your God in preference to any other object of devotion means you live for Him in faithful and loyal obedience. The attitude of devoted loyalty to God, expressed in worship and service according to His Word, is that fear of the Lord (reverence, not panic!) which the Bible sees as the essence of wisdom.”

To be enslaved by another human being is despicable while to be a slave of Christ is the ultimate honor. And, being our Lord and Master, our Savior expects us to do exactly what He’s ordered us to do. He taught, “When you’ve done everything you were commanded to do, you should say, ‘We’re slaves undeserving of special praise; we’ve only done what was our duty‘“ (Luke 17:10). Yet each of us knows perfect obedience is beyond our ability to achieve so to boast of being a “dutiful servant” is absurd.

I’ve written many times about the folly of bragging about anything before God, least of all any ridiculous notion of having any righteousness of our own. Calvin wrote, “The Scripture everywhere proclaims that the efficient cause of eternal life being procured for us was the mercy of our Heavenly Father and His gratuitous love toward us; that the material cause is Christ and His obedience, by which He obtained a righteousness for us.”

Secularists find the very idea of Christ’s righteousness being counted as our righteousness (because He willingly suffered the excruciating punishment our sins deserve) illogical and downright nonsensical. However, the Holy Word says of their skepticism, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I’ll destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I’ll thwart the cleverness of the intelligent’“ (1 Corinthians 1:18-19).

Spurgeon preached: “The doctrine of atonement is to my mind one of the surest proofs of the divine inspiration of Holy Scripture. Who would or could have thought of the just ruler dying for the unjust rebel? This is no teaching of human mythology or dream of poetical imagination. This method of expiation is only known among men because it’s a fact; fiction could not have devised it. God Himself ordained it; it’s not a matter that could’ve been imagined.”

Getting back to the controversial “slave” issue, as Bob Dylan sang, “It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Many people consider themselves “free agents” in this universe but that’s an illusion. One belongs to Satan or Jesus. However, to be the property of Christ is to be owned by the most gracious, loving, generous, forgiving friend conceivable and, accordingly, it’s an absolute joy to serve Him.

Augustine humbly wrote, “I don’t say to the Lord, ‘Despise not the works of my hands.’ I’ve sought the Lord with my hands, and I haven’t been deceived. But I commend not the works of my hands; for I fear that when You’ve examined them, You’ll find more sin than merit. This only I say, this I ask, this I desire; ‘Despise not the works of Your hands. Behold in me Your work, not mine. For if You behold mine, You condemn me; if you behold Your own, You crown me. Because whatever good works I have, they are from You.'”

MacArthur concluded, “If we’re to fully appreciate what it means to follow Christ, we must embrace the life-changing implications of this vital concept – to be a Christian is to be a slave of Christ.”

Four Kinds of People

No two humans are exactly alike. Everyone’s a unique creation. However, when it comes to their relationship with God, they fit into, generally speaking, one of four categories at any given moment. Calvin explained:

“Either (1) they’re destitute of the knowledge of God, and immerged in idolatry; or, (2) having been initiated by the sacraments, they lead impure lives, denying God in their actions while they confess Him with their lips, belonging to Christ only in name; or (3) they’re hypocrites, concealing the iniquity of their hearts with vain disguises; or (4) being regenerated by the Holy Spirit, they devote themselves to true holiness.”

We’re all born “destitute of the knowledge of God.” Sadly, many stay that way. There are billions of folks who remain in the reprobate condition described in the Bible: “The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It’s incurably bad. Who can understand it?“ (Jeremiah 17:9). “Peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt“ (Psalm 94:11). “Everyone rejects God… None of them does what’s right, not even one!“ (Psalm 14:3).

The Scriptures aren’t implying they’re all murderers, thieves, adulterers, etc. Most of these individuals are law-abiding citizens who want to live comfortably. R.C. Sproul wrote, “Sinners in their fallen condition are still capable of performing works of ‘civil virtue.’ They can refrain from stealing and perform acts of charity, yet deeds that outwardly conform to God’s law but proceed from a heart alienated from God isn’t deemed by God as a ‘good deed.'”

Reformed theologians call God’s merciful oversight “common grace.” John Murray wrote, “Every favor of whatever kind or degree, falling short of salvation, which this undeserving and sin-cursed world enjoys comes from the hand of God. Common grace involves God’s restraint of sin, divine wrath and evil.” In other words, God is gracious enough to prevent rebellious mankind from causing its own extinction.

Truthfully, for most of my life I belonged in the second category. I’d readily claim to be a Christian, but I behaved and thought like I’d never heard of Jesus. I did as I pleased. Calvin wrote of people like me, “They know their heart is full of impurity, yet if they perform any specious actions, they consider them too good to be despised by God. …While they acknowledge themselves to be unrighteous, because it can’t be denied, they still arrogate to themselves some degree of righteousness.”

Having been raised in church by wonderful parents, I was keenly aware that a high percentage of what I regularly indulged in was sinful, but I wasn’t about to let my bothersome conscience stop me from doing whatever I wanted. I had no excuse because I’d certainly “heard the message” but chose to ignore it. I was the kind of guy James warned:

“Put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your soul. Be sure to live out the message and don’t merely listen to it and so deceive yourself. For if someone merely listens to the message and doesn’t live it out, he’s like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was“ (James 1:21-24). What I didn’t do was call myself a faithful, devoted follower of Jesus Christ. I wasn’t fooling anybody because I at least knew better than to pretend I was “religious.”

The third category is where the “holier than thou” type sit. They’re spiritual phonies, of whom Jesus said, “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you’re full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean, too!“ (Matthew 23:25-26).

It’s a tragedy that so many preachers have fallen into Satan’s trap of believing they’re no longer capable of sinning. They boldly stand before their congregation and use their God-given charisma to mislead those who look up to them as a role model, blatantly spouting false doctrines that increase their popularity and their bank account. Yet behind the scenes they commit some of the worst moral sins imaginable, convinced they’re immune from God’s wrath. They act like they’ve never been born again. Perhaps they haven’t.

Next is the fourth category – the elect. “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in His sight in love. He did this by predestining us to adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of His will – to the praise of the glory of His grace that He’s freely bestowed upon us in His dearly loved Son“ (Ephesians 1:4-6).

Many people, even some Bible-thumping Christians, don’t accept the doctrine of election because they want to feel like they have a say in where they’ll spend eternity. Now, are God’s chosen already “holy and unblemished?” Hardly. Sproul wrote, “Even the regenerated person with a liberated will is still vulnerable to sin and temptation, and the residual power of sin is so strong that without the aid of grace the believer would, in all probability, fall away. But God’s decree is immutable. His sovereign purpose to save His elect from the foundation of the world isn’t frustrated by our weakness.”

I can’t tell who is or isn’t the elect. What I do know is we can’t save ourselves. God alone turns stony hearts into flesh. Those in the first 3 categories may yet be redeemed. That’s why the gospel is “Good News.”

Those blessed to be in category #4 know full well that “nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature“ (Romans 7:18). Thus, we still sin. Calvin wrote, “We’ve now ascertained that there’s not a single action performed by the saints, which, if judged according to its intrinsic merit, does not justly deserve to be rewarded with shame.”

Bottom line: We all need Jesus’ precious blood to cover our sins.

No Cause for Boasting

What can be more comforting than knowing you’ve been saved from God’s wrath? Calvin wrote, “When our souls shall possess what will enable them to appear with boldness in the presence of God, and to await and receive His judgment without any fear, then, and not before, we may be assured we’ve found a righteousness which truly deserves the name.”

Of course, only Christ’s righteousness counts in God’s courtroom. Therefore, only those covered by Jesus’ blood will be pronounced worthy of eternal life in heaven. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us in all wisdom and insight“ (Ephesians 1:7-8).

Why was His blood necessary? Because nothing is more fundamentally vital to sustaining life. As God explained to the Israelites, “The life of every living thing is in the blood. So, I Myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life“ (Leviticus 17:11).

Under the Mosaic covenant an innocent lamb had to be sacrificed annually to atone for one’s sins. But not just any lamb. “Your lamb must be perfect…” (Exodus 12:5). Perfection was never optional. It was a requirement. Thus, the long-promised Messiah would have to be sinless. That disqualifies everybody except the incarnate Son of God Himself.

Peter wrote, “You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed – not by perishable things like silver or gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ“ (1 Peter 1:18-19). When John the Baptist saw the Messiah approaching, he didn’t exaggerate when he exclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!“ (John 1:26).

On Judgment Day we’ll have nothing of our own to bring before God as a defense. Jesus is the justifier. Without Him we’re goners. In the presence of God, we’ll humbly acknowledge our sinful nature and confess we have no cause to boast about our works. “The LORD says, ‘Wise people shouldn’t boast that they’re wise. Powerful people shouldn’t boast that they’re rich. If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they know and understand that I, the LORD, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth…‘“ (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Being wise or powerful won’t save anyone. Humility is the character trait most pleasing to God. “God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, so that no one can boast in His presence“ (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

Calvin commented, “They who suppose themselves to have even the least ground for glorying in themselves are guilty of rebelling against God and obscuring His glory. The truth is we never truly glory in Him till we’ve entirely renounced all glory of our own. On the converse, this may be admitted as an axiom universally true, that they who glory in themselves, glory in opposition to God.”

An incident recorded in Luke displays the folly of boasting before our immaculate Savior. “A certain ruler asked Him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.”

The man replied, ‘I’ve wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since my youth.’ When Jesus heard this, He said to him, ‘One thing you still lack. Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you’ll have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ But when the man heard this, he became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy“ (Luke 18:18-23).

It wasn’t the man’s wealth that made him walk away from our Redeemer. It was his pride. Not only in being rich but also in believing he was a “good person.” Basically, he was full of himself. J.I. Packer wrote, “It’s true there’s nothing more irreligious than self-absorbed religion. It’s constantly needful to stress that God doesn’t exist for our comfort or happiness or satisfaction, or to provide us with ‘religious experiences,’ as if these were the most interesting and important things in life.”

The rich man simply couldn’t imagine parting with his money. He certainly wasn’t going to trust Jesus with all he had. Spurgeon preached, “If we trust in ourselves for holding on, we won’t hold on. We’ll fail if we trust in self for anything.”

When Jesus paid the horrific price for our sins on the cross, He provided sinners like me with a priceless gift that unbelievers can only yearn to own – a clear conscience. How so? Because Christ is more than “the Prince of peace“ (Isaiah 9:6). He’s “our peace“ (Ephesians 2:14). Calvin wrote, “He calms all agitations of the conscience. If we inquire, ‘By what means?”; we must come to the sacrifice by which God is appeased. For no man will ever lose his fears who shall not be assured that God is propitiated solely by that atonement which Christ has made by sustaining His wrath. In short, we must seek for peace only in Christ our Redeemer.”

I can’t help but stand in slack-jawed amazement at what Jesus has done for me. No one is more undeserving of God’s grace than yours truly. I can relate to Packer who wrote, “There’s tremendous relief in knowing that His love for me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I’m so often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to bless me.”