In it, but not captive to it

When asked what some of my favorite passages are in the Bible, I generally reference the people or writers I connect with for some reason. For me, the Pauline epistles and the Book of Proverbs are probably some of my most 'frequented' reading. I have found much that I connect with when studying the life of David and have learned much about how to connect with the heart of God through simple, honest sharing of my heart as he did. I have to say that the Pauline epistles speak to me about how we should live, treat others, and the hope we have in Christ Jesus. Regardless of where you find your greatest connection in the Word, the most important thing is that the Word is taken in regularly, meditated upon with much thought, and allowed to change you from the inside out. That is what God intended by giving us such a magnificent book - the Bible.

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. (Galatians 1:1-5)

Paul never flaunted his ministry position as the 'pastor' to the Gentile church, but on occasion, we find him telling us how he came to be in that position and that he was called to encourage believers to live as they were called to live, fulfilling their 'position' in Christ Jesus. All we do is for the 'building up' of other believers - encouraging them to come into faith in Christ and then helping them to learn to walk out this faith on a daily basis. Paul's writings always point us to the finished work of the cross and all that was accomplished by Christ's life, death, and resurrection. The purpose of the cross was always redemption - to deliver us from all the evil in this world. The words of his letters still resonate with the present situation we face today, evil abounding all around us. As Paul opens this letter to the Galatians, he wants them to know Christ's death brought about the power to transform us even though evil still exists all around us.

It is the transformational power of the cross - of us saying "YES" to Jesus and then choosing to live a life of obedience to the principles contained within the Word of God - this is what overcomes evil around us. It also overcomes the evil within us. We no longer find ourselves giving into temptations that we once might have pursued with a passion - all because the finished work of the cross made it possible for us to realize an inner transformation. By faith, we are made anew in Christ Jesus. We might not ever feel like the 'pull' toward sin is fully gone, but the longer we pursue the truth God gives us and allow it to transform us, the less appeal those things will have. We will indeed find ourselves rescued from this evil world in which we live. We may not be 'gone' from it yet, but we aren't held captive by it any longer! Just sayin!

On this Christmas morn...

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (Ephesians 1:11-12)

As we ponder Christmas this morning, I'd like us to answer two questions: Who are you?  What are you living for? Most of us will answer the first questions with our name, or even add a little about ourselves such as our occupation or position in life. We might even feel we have really answered this question with these "facts", but I wonder if we really realize exactly who we are? In fact, most of us really don't tell others who we are; they observe it by how we behave - how we respond to life. Our actions reveal a great deal more about our true identity than any names, titles, or declared interests ever will! The second question really gets at the root of this thought - what (or who) are we actually living for? This question may take us a little longer to answer because it requires some revelation of intention - we have to declare the "intent" behind our actions. When our actions don't match up with our intent, we might just realize some conflict between the two. As Christmas morning dawns today, could we focus on this second question a bit? Who is behind the actions you take in life? If it isn't Christ, perhaps today is a good day to change that focus!

Our identity and our purpose are indeed linked to "who" we are living for more than "what" we are living for. When our focus is on the "what", it is usually a little self-directed. "What" is kind a word which some might consider to be a little interrogative - it is used to uncover something which is not immediately evident. "What" usually refers to objects. "Who" usually refers to individuals. The object of one's life - the purpose for which we live is the most important thing we should consider today. Both our identity and our activity should be Christ and his purposes. Anything less is living far below the place God intended for us from the beginning of time. It goes against the plans he has been working out for and in us. The design God has for us, in Christ Jesus, is for glorious living. "Who" we are often is a result of a multitude of past and present activities. We are born as the child of two parents - this describes some of the "who" - it declares our lineage. When we come to Christ, we still might bear the "surname" of our human father, but we take on a new identity - we come into a different lineage. "Who" is more than just our lineage, though. It is the result of the subsequent actions in our life since birth - things like where we were raised, what we were exposed to in school, where we hung out in our spare time, and what interests we choose to pursue day by day. These "activities" all influence the "who" people see when they look at us. The more we engage in (participate fully in) the activities of our new "family", we will take on the character of this new lineage. 

If you don't believe this possible, then you only need to look as far as the family in your community who adopted a child from another country (a totally different background). As that adopted child is exposed to the "new" family, they take on the traits of that family. Little by little, they become "like" the family they are engrafted into. They don't lose their former identity totally, as they still bear the natural lineage of being born to a particular father and mother in that particular country. What they do lose is their "tie" with their past - it matters a little less to them as they experience the love and safety of their "new" family. When God takes us into his family, we don't immediately forget the "old lineage" of our past lives. What we experience is the discovery of a new way of living which is focused more on the "who" rather than the "what". The old life is focused on the "what" - "what" others did to us, "what" we did to ourselves, "what" we should have done. The new life in Christ is focused squarely on "who" - "who" we are in Christ Jesus, "who" we are becoming by his power and grace, "who" we are purposed to be from the beginning of time. So, you see, the "who" is really the question which answers the "what" in our lives this Christmas morn! Just sayin!

The eyes tell it all!

There are times when an honest assessment of who we are and what we are doing is something we'd rather avoid.  Facing the fact we might not be moving in the best direction at the moment is sort of intimidating, if not downright humbling!  Yet, the beginning of any real change in our lives begins with the first step - the step we take to the mirror of God's Word!

^4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

(Galations 6:4-5 The Message)

As we examine the passage above, there is a natural progression from examining our "true identity", seeing clearly how we "fit" into the placement we have in this life, and how "committed" we are to fulfilling the mission to which we are called.  

Until we begin to understand the "truth" of our identity, we will either live way below our potential, or live with too high of an inflated impression of ourselves! First, scripture clearly defines our identity when we are without Christ - sinners (Romans 3:23).  This pretty well discourages us from living with an inflated image of our self-worth.  In fact, self-worth is really not worth much!  Just as clearly, scripture defines who we are with Christ in our lives - redeemed, holy, and new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Sometimes we live far below our potential simply because we don't really understand what it entails to be a new creation in Christ!

When we are finally looking into the face of Jesus - seeing our identity in him - we begin to open up to the possibilities this newness of life produces.  The "fruit" of our lives begins to change from decaying, worthless, or destructive activities, moving toward activities which produce the evidence of the new creation we have become.  These fruits are outlined in Galations 5 - gentleness, kindness, love, joy, faithfulness - just to name a few.  As with any fruit, these changes in our character are produces through growth.  Fruit begins with a bud - faith that making the right choices will produce what is promised.  In time, the fruit we feed is what we develop!

This brings us to the point of "sinking ourselves into the work we have been given".  When we begin to take responsibility for the image we allow ourselves to behold (the image of Christ vs. our own self-image of importance), we begin to find our "fit" in life.  It is in the discovery of what God has declared "true" about us that we begin to walk free of the bondage of our past.  We behold many a false image of ourselves throughout our lives - what others declare about us, what we tell ourselves about our insignificance, etc.  Isn't it time we begin to take a fresh look into the mirror of God's face?

It is in the eyes of Jesus we behold the perfection he declares over our lives.  The depth of his love expressed in those eyes of grace speak more truth about us than any other image we could behold.  When we finally see ourselves as he does, we have no problems with being "on mission" with Jesus!  In fact, we actually begin to get excited about the possibilities Christ produces by is presence in us!  So, look deeply into his eyes of grace, my friends!  He declares you lovely, perfect, and whole!  Now, begin to reflect THAT image to the world today!

Rebuilding Old Barns

^17-18Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren't perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was "trying to be good," I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.

(Galations 2:17-18 The Message)

There is a Christian dilemma (let me call it a mis-belief) that we often hear people speak about whenever they are struggling with sin in their lives - it is that they "think" they are supposed to be perfect just because they gave their lives to Jesus!  If I am about to burst anyone's bubble here, let me apologize in advance, but we are NOT perfect!  We are NOT perfectly virtuous - we STILL sin!

Paul knew that this would be a huge "bug-a-boo" in the church, so he addresses it in his letter to the Galation church.  His concern was that the recently formed church in Galatia was being "duped" into believing that they had to keep the rules of the Old Testament Mosaic Law in order to be "truly saved".  He had just left there with the church growing and free in their new belief in Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Those that opposed Paul, mostly Jewish leaders of the day, were coming behind him to dispute his teaching that the Law was fulfilled in Christ and therefore, no longer needed.

The fact is that the Jewish leaders pointed out that Christians still sin - so, they used that as a basis for accusing the believers of needing "something more" than Christ alone.  Paul makes it very clear to us that when we return to a system of works - trying to make ourselves righteous in our living instead of allowing Christ's Spirit to do that work within us - we are simply trying to "build old barns" again.  We tore down the old, rickety barn of "trying to make ourselves righteous" when we said "yes" to Christ's offer for freedom in him.  Why on earth would we go back to the rubble of "works" and try to erect that "structure" again?

Here's what he says to that idea:

^19-21What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.  Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

(Galations 2:19-21)

The secret is found in those four words:  Christ lives in me!  Nothing more - nothing less.  

We struggle with our concept of being "righteous" - that is what Paul is referring to here.  We have a "mindset" about what "righteousness" looks like - how a righteous man speaks, what he engages in, and who he relates to.  Yes, scripture is pretty clear that these things matter, but they are not something we can be successful in without the presence of Christ in our lives.

So, the crux of the matter is this:  Don't go back into bondage to rule-keeping when you have entered into the freedom of God's grace!  We don't build new barns by using the old, musty and splintered materials!  New barns really require new materials - that is what the Holy Spirit provides - the new materials that will help us to live out our new life in Christ.