Judging-Summary

Based on the study we’ve been having, here is my summary and conclusion. Don’t take my word for it. Go back and study the passages yourself. Maybe you’ll agree with me and maybe you won’t but at least you will have thought it through carefully.

1. Judging is more than issuing a verdict or condemning. It is sitting on the bench monitoring someone else’s life – scrutinizing and evaluating it.
2. Judging usually involves attributing motives. (In actuality we seldom really know motives.)
3.Judging does not take the growth process into consideration.
4. Judging often sets up personal standards as though they were God’s.
5. Judging even improperly evaluates what God’s standards are or what they mean.
6. Judging sets ourself up above the law. (See James 4)
7. Having strict personal standards is not judging.
8. Desiring holiness in my personal life is not judging.
9.Calling others to a life of holiness through teaching and preaching is not judging.
10. Having an opinion is not the same thing as judging.
11. Confronting a brother over sin or even disagreeing with them on an issue is not judging.
12. Judging usually involves a lack of forgiveness, a lack of mercy and a lack of pity.
13. Biblical judging usually focuses on discernment of the deed rather than judging the person.

Our effort to be obedient to Scripture in avoiding judging should not keep us from being involved in the lives of others. We are one body in Christ and we have a responsibility to one another to help, encourage and strengthen one another.

Discernment Required

Another passage where believers are told to judge is in I Corinthians 10:15 where Paul tells his readers to judge what he says. This goes along with Acts 17:11 where we are told that the Bereans were noble because they searched the scriptures daily to determine whether or not what they were being taught was true.

But you may be wondering if some sort of judging of people or circumstances isn’t required of us. If we aren’t supposed to judge, aren’t we supposed to be discerning? Matthew 18 discusses the importance of confronting a brother who has sinned. If a brother sins against us we are to go to the person and confront him. It’s my observation that most of the time when we are “judging” we have no intention of going to the person to help them. We usually just intend to be critical of them and perhaps talk about them. In this situation described here, someone has sinned against us. It is not a matter of judgment, it is a matter of being on the receiving end of some sinful behavior.

Galatians 6:1 tells us that if a brother is overtaken in a fault, the one who is spiritual should restore that one with a spirit of meekness being careful lest he be tempted in a similar way. Here again the goal is restoration and will require our humble assistance not our critical judging.

Another passage that needs some discussion is I Corinthians 2:15 which says, “But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.” Doesn’t this say that the spiritual person judges? The word for judge here is “anakrino” which means scrutinizes and investigates and discerns. The preceding verse uses the same word when it says that the things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned. So, yes, the Christian is to judge in the sense of being discerning. I Thess 5:21 says something similar when it says that we should test all things and hold fast to that which is good. The Christian is to discern behavior and weigh consequences and compare behavior to Scripture. And yet there is a subtle difference between this and the kind of judging which normally takes place.

In previous posts I tried to visualize improper judging as a person putting himself up on the bench to watch and listen to evidence with the intention of rendering a verdict. It is not only giving the verdict that is improper it is the attitude of being above another person as their inspector and judge. Being discerning is different. It’s difficult to explain, but I think you can see the difference.

Yet another passage brought up to show that we should judge is Philippians 1:9-10. It says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,” The word for discernment is insight. The word for approve is to test or prove. So as our love increases, it should be a love that is insightful and discerning. It is not a love that just embraces everything and everybody. There is the need to test and prove things to make sure they are real. We as Christians are not to be undiscerning and careless, just accepting everything that comes along without any thought or insight.

Another passage which teaches the same thing is Heb 5:14 which says, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Discernment is a good thing and our senses have to be exercised in order to become better at it.

The question becomes, then, how to do this without the judging that is forbidden. I would encourage you to ask yourself this question when you find yourself making judgments on another person’s behavior. Ask yourself this question, “If the kind of judging I’m doing now is biblical judgment or discernment, what would the forbidden judging me like in this case?” Sometimes our pride gets in the way and makes excuses for our improper judging because we somehow believe that we are more righteous or have it more together than the other person. However, if we can examine ourselves on this and see that we are merely making discerning observations and not being critical or “holier-than-thou”, then perhaps we’ve got it right.

In the final installment, I’ll give you my summary of all of this for whatever that’s worth.

Formal Judging Encouraged

So having given consideration to the passages that tell us not to judge one another, let us turn to passages that tell us to judge. The thing that surprised me as I began to investigate this side of the issue is that there are very few verses that tell us to judge anything using the words “krino” or “katakrino”.

I Corinthians 5 tells us about the man in the church in Corinth who was living an immoral life with impunity as the church did nothing about it. Paul says that though he is absent, he has already judged this person. Then beginning in verse 11 he says, “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. 12For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.””

One thing I find interesting here is that Paul says that he doesn’t even judge those outside and yet we tend not only to judge one another but also those outside. But back to our main issue here. It seems to me that judging is advocated in this case as a formal responsibility given to the church. The difference then between this kind of judging and that which is forbidden in the passages we’ve already studied is that as individuals we are not to take up the judging responsibility, but as churches we have that corporate responsibility.
In I Corinthians 6, Paul tells believers that they should not go to court against one another. He then tells us that if there is actually a dispute that needs to be resolved, shouldn’t believers be able to handle the case? In other words, it should be possible for the church to find believers who have the wisdom to judge in such a case. This is another case where the church officially takes the role of judging. In this situation there is to be a formal hearing to help resolve a dispute.

Don't Judge Before the Time

The following post represents the sixth installment in my study of the Bible’s teaching on judging one another.

Passage 5 -- I Corinthians 4

“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”

In this passage Paul explains that it is a small thing to be judged by anyone. In fact he does not even judge himself. He rightly recognizes that it is the Lord who judges him. Paul has told us in other places not to judge and here he tells us that he isn’t influenced or bothered by those who would seek to judge him. He knows there is one person who is the judge and there is a judgment time coming but it is not now and his judges are not other people. Because we know this is true, he says, “Therefore judge nothing before the time…” There is a judgment but now is not the time and therefore judging should not be taking place. The Lord, the judge, is coming and He will bring everything to light and judge righteously. When we first hear that the Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts, our response is often one of fear. But the amazing thing to me in this passage is that when the hidden things of darkness and the counsels of the heart are revealed, each one’s praise will come from God. Not only is this true for us it is also true for our brothers and sisters in Christ. So when that judgment day comes and the hidden things come to light, God is going praise that one who we have been judging! Won’t that be a turn of events? I hope you realize that I understand that at the judgment seat of Christ there will be loss of rewards and some will be saved so as by fire. But the passage before us clearly says that when the hidden things are revealed each one’s praise – (that is EACH one) will come from God.

I hope that is both an encouragement to you and a challenge not to be so critical and judgmental of others.

In the next several posts we’ll examine in what ways the Bible teaches us to be discerning and we’ll discuss how that differs from the judging that is forbidden in the Scriptures we have been examining.

Judging in the gray areas

What follows is the fifth installment in my study of what the Bible teaches about judging.

Passage 4: Romans 14

This passage deals with what I will call questionable activities. Some would say they are the “gray” areas. I’m not sure God has gray areas, but God hasn’t chosen to reveal everything about everything. In this chapter Paul deals with those who prefer to eat only vegetables in comparison with those who believe they are able to eat meat. Other believers treat every day as equal, while others believe some days are more special. Verse 3 and following says, “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.”

Neither the one who eats nor the one who does not eat is supposed to despise, judge or look down upon the other. Both are to respect the other. The passage assumes (vs 6) that people on both sides of these issues are doing what they do for the Lord and to please Him. They both are thankful for the provision God has made for them. They stand or fall before their own master not before anyone else. That master is God. The interesting thing is that the next phrase which I left out of the quote above says, “He will be made to stand because God is able to make Him stand.” God is at work to strengthen and hold up all of His children whether they are the eaters or the non-eaters. The verse doesn’t say that God is trying to hold them up, it says that they will stand because He is able to make them stand. We, on the other hand, are often trying to trip up and cause people to be discouraged and to faint along the way because of our criticism. This is completely opposite of what God is trying to do.

The passage goes on to remind us that each one of us will give an account of himself to God. We will not give account of others – just ourselves. Because of this, verse 13 tells us not to judge one another any longer, but to resolve this – not to put a stumbling block in our brother’s way. It couldn’t be any clearer. Don’t judge one another any more.

Here then is the goal. We are to edify and build up, not tear down and trip up. In order to be successful in this goal we are not to judge each other any more.

Many times our judging, especially in these areas of questionable activities, stems from the opinion that our view of things is the right one. We tend to compare people with ourselves. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:12 “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

Many of the standards we set up for ourselves may have been established for wholesome motives. We want to live holy lives and we want to grow and please Christ. However, we need to be careful even in this because as Colossians 2:13 – 23 tells us, the attempt to live a more stoic life (which I grant you is not the same as seeking to live a holy life) does nothing to restrain the flesh. Even though it doesn’t help, we not only attempt to live that way ourselves, but try to impose those standards on others. No wonder Paul told the Colossians, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Col 2:16, 17)
Now if you have begun to feel a drift toward liberalism as you have been reading this, go back to my introduction in the first post. God expects us to have standards and to be discerning. However, He is forbidding something here. The question we need to ask our self is this, “If the kind of discernment and critical analysis that is standard practice in my life is right and commanded by God, what exactly is He forbidding in these passages?” He is forbidding something. Stay tuned.

No Evil Speaking - James 4:11

What follows is the fourth installment in my study of what the Bible teaches about judging.

Passage 3: James 4:11

“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”

Here the admonition is to not speak evil of one another. The next sentence puts judging and speaking evil of another in the same category. Even though we may not understand this sentence, it is very clear that the person who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. Doing so makes one a judge of the law and thus above the law. In our relationships with one another no one is above another. None of us is on the judicial bench investigating and evaluating another person’s life. The passage before us teaches us that there is one Lawgiver – God. Lifting ourselves above another and thus above the law is equivalent to putting ourselves on an equal footing with God. Is that really where we want to be? He is the one who is able to save or to destroy. Therefore who are we to judge one another?

James, almost as a passing comment says in 5:9, “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold the judge is standing at the door.” What a picture. Here we are grumbling against our brother and the true Judge of the universe knocks on the door. He is the one who has the true power to condemn or justify. We started this discussion with the word condemn. Here we see that just grumbling against one another is dangerous. Why, because it may bring the condemnation of the judge. Shouldn’t we be making sure our behavior will be pleasing to Him rather than lifting ourselves up to God’s level and finding ourselves condemned by Him?

Judge not, that you be not judged

What follows is the third installment in my study of the Biblical teaching on judging.

Passage 2: Matthew 7:1

In this passage God tells us that whatever measure we use in judging others will be used in judging us. Therefore, we are to be careful to make sure that the plank is out of our own eye before working on the speck in our brother’s eye.

Here’s what the passage says in the NKJV: “1“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2“For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5“Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

The very first words are “Judge not.” Many of us cringe when we hear someone say this because it usually means that he is trying to get away with something and doesn’t want us to tell him where he is wrong. The reason not to judge is so that we would not be judged because whatever measure we use to evaluate others is the same measure that will be used to evaluate us. At first we might conclude that that would be fair, after all we don’t do the kind of things the other person does. However we need to remember what we learned in the last passage – we who judge do the same things. It might not be the same exact thing, but it is just as sinful in God’s sight.
In this passage we also learn that it is possible to help a brother with an issue in his life, but we have to have enough sensitivity to know that we may have something that is a hindrance in our own life and this should be taken care of before we presume to be able to help another. Galatians 6:1 tells us that if our brother is overtaken in a fault, those who are spiritual should restore such a person, but with care, knowing that we may be tempted and fall in the same way. Any attempt at helping another to see the sins or faults in his life must be coupled with a thorough examination of our own life along with a large portion of humility.

Judging - Passage 1

What follows is the second installment of our series on judging.

Passage 1: Romans 1:28-2:1

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. 1Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” (NKJV)

The first thing to notice here is that the death penalty is appropriate for all of these sins, not just the ones that we deem more serious. The Pharisees rightly understood that the law of God requires death for adultery, although their motive for bringing her to Jesus was not justice, but tripping up our Lord. What the Pharisees failed to understand is that their sins were also worthy of death. Thus we understand from this passage that if we judge another, we are inexcusable because we do the same things. At first I rebelled against this thought because I figured that I was a pretty good guy. But this passage exposes us for what we are – sinners under judgment of death just like the person we judge.

James teaches the same thing in his book, chapter 2. He tells his readers that prejudice against the poor and in favor of the rich is wrong. He says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” So we understand that showing partiality is wrong. But not that wrong…right? Look at verses 10-13: “10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

What I had never seen before is that not only is this passage teaching us not to show favoritism, it is also teaching us that showing favoritism makes us a law-breaker and thus guilty of the whole thing. Thus we are inexcusable as we judge others because we are guilty of the same thing. There must be mercy, rather than judgment. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

My conclusion from this passage then is that it is not our place to judge because we are guilty of law breaking the same as anyone else.

Christians and Judging

In John 8 we read about the incident where the scribes and Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. If you are not familiar with this story, I encourage you to read it before continuing. The Jews were trying to trap Jesus by asking him whether he agreed with the law that required that she be stoned to death. Without answering, Jesus stooped down a couple of times to write in the dirt and as He did so told them that the person who was without sin should cast the first stone. Upon standing up, Jesus saw that not one of the accusers remained. Jesus asked if anyone had condemned her. After hearing that no one had, Jesus said that He did not condemn her either and then told her to go and sin no more.

Reading this story in preparation for a Sunday School lesson, I began to wonder what “condemnation” means and how it compares to the “judging” that we do. I decided to do a miniseries on this topic and the remainder of this document is the result of that study.

Whenever a discussion of the Scriptures that forbid judging occurs among conservative Christians, some immediately wonder if it is a sign of becoming liberal. As you read through this material, you may have the same thought. Another reaction you may have is that whatever judging means, you’re not doing it because the kind of discernment you have is required by Scripture or at least encouraged there. As you try to sort through this in your own mind, I ask that you try to be open to what Scripture teaches about this topic and then work out in your own life how to be a holy, discerning Christian while at the same time being obedient to God by not judging others.

The word for condemn that Jesus used is the Greek word “katakrino” which means to give judgment against, pass sentence upon. This word is also used in Romans 8:3 where Paul writes that God judged sin in the flesh. The word used more generally for judging is “krino”. (You can see that the word krino is contained in the word katakrino.) This word at its root means to separate, select or choose. Thus it means to distinguish. Some commentators define it to mean pronounce judgment, to try, condemn or punish.

It seems that katakrino is more the sentencing phase. The actual pronouncement of the decision of a court, whereas krino is more the judging process itself. Katakrino is a stronger word than krino. Jesus did not pronounce sentence on this woman. We are told not to hold the trial in the first place.

In the next few posts we will investigate passages that speak to us about krino – judging.

Add Knowledge

The next thing we are to add is knowledge.
This month I'm meditating on what it means to add "knowledge" to the virtue which I am to supply in my faith. Last month we learned that virtue is a visible, observable righteousness, not just an inward goodness. When it comes to the word knowledge, it seems almost too simple to spend time on. However, there has been a great deal of philosophical debate over the years as to what true knowledge is. Knowledge as it is used in the New Testament includes the following ideas: to understand completely, verified , observable knowing. It implies a relationship between the thing known and the knower. Kittel says it is an obedient and grateful acknowledgement of the deeds and demands of God. He also says it develops in the life of the Christian as lasting obedience and reflection
With these thoughts in mind then, what is involved in the diligence of providing our faith with knowledge that has been added to virtue? First it seems to me we need to develop the desire for knowledge. Paul said in Philippians 3:10 that he wanted to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. He said this after he said that he counted all things as loss that he might know Him. Secondly we must spend time in His word. God has revealed Himself through His living Word and it is there that we get to know Him truly. Jesus said in John 17:17, "Thy word is truth." Knowledge of the kind spoken of in scripture is knowledge of the truth. God's Word provides that truth for knowing. As faithful men we must make it our priority to provide our faith with knowledge. If this has not been one of your goals, why not make a commitment to move in that direction today.

Adding Virtue to our Faith

The first thing we are to provide in our faith then is virtue. But what is virtue? Doing some digging into what this means, I discovered that the word implies moral goodness or excellence. It is the characteristic of being outstanding morally – being eminent. It implies the working of divine power in a person. John MacArthur describes it this way, “…the God-given ability to perform heroic deeds. It also came to mean that quality of life which made someone stand out as excellent. It never meant cloistered virtue, or virtue of attitude, but virtue which is demonstrated in life. Peter is here writing of moral energy, the power that performs deeds of excellence.”
Why would moral goodness or excellence be the first trait that should be provided to our faith? It seems to me that without such virtue, our faith appears worthless. As James tells us, "faith without works is dead." What good is faith if there is no virtue in the life? Also, virtue provides a better soil in which faith can flourish. By this I mean that as a Christian, our faith is better able to produce its normal results when the life is not hindered and distracted by moral failures and weakness. If we are to be diligent in adding virtue to our faith, that means that during each day as we are out and about interacting in our world, we need to make sure that virtue is at the top of our list. When we are at work, we should be virtuous in all we do. When we are at home, our wife and kids ought to be able to see that virtue is outstanding in our life. It should show up in the attitudes we display when helping with the dishes, interacting with the children or making financial decisions. Do we have the courage to turn off the TV when the programs are not characterized by virtue? How can we add virtue to our faith? We do this by learning to be obedient to the Word of God and His Spirit. As we read and understand God's Word, the Spirit shows us where we are failing to live up to who we are as Christians. As He reveals these things to us, we need to repent and take steps to change our behavior or attitudes. In this way we are adding virtue to our lives. As we learn to live this way, we will become increasingly sensitive to areas where virtue may not have its proper place in our lives.

Adding to our faith

I’ve been meditating recently on 2 Peter 1:5-7. My goal is to post what God teaches me through this passage. The verses read this way in the NKJV. “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”
The first thing I’m challenged with is the requirement of diligence. According to an online dictionary, diligence is the earnest and persistent application to an undertaking, steady effort, attentive care and heedfulness. According to 2 Peter 1:5-8 we are to give diligence to add to our faith. This tells me that it will not take place "automatically". Of necessity there will be effort required and that effort will have to be earnest and persistent. In other words we are not to begin the task and then let it just fizzle out. It is something we are to give our attention to so that we achieve the desired results.
What is it then that we are supposed to be doing? We are to add various characteristics to our life and this passage implies a step-wise sequence. To "add" in this case means "to supply". We are to add or supply these traits in our faith. When we are asked to supply something, it is important to take the responsibility to follow through. If someone asks us to supply the pop for a picnic, we need to think through how many people are going to be there, what flavors might be needed and whether we will need to bring ice and glasses. It doesn’t do any good to think that through if we don’t go to the store and actually buy the stuff we need for the picnic. And then buying it doesn’t do any good if we don’t bring it so the people can enjoy it. In the same way we are to supply our faith with certain things. We need to be diligent about examining our life and providing these characteristics in the appropriate measure as they are needed. In addition, there is a specific sequence here and so it is important that we pay attention to the significance of that sequence.
I’ll try to follow through in subsequent postings as I work my way through this passage.

O To Be Like Thee!

Last Wednesday a men’s quartet from a Christian college came to our church. One of the songs they sang was an old song I hadn’t heard for probably 15 or 20 years. The name of it is, “O to Be Like Thee!” by Thomas O. Chisholm. The words are certainly worth thinking about and so I’m sharing them with you today.

O to be like Thee blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

O to be like Thee full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind;
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand’ring sinner to find.

O to be like Thee lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee Lord, I am coming
Now to receive the anointing divine;
All that I am and have I am bringing
Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

O to be like Thee while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and heaven above.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

A Quote Worth Noting

I have been reading the book, “Apostasy from the Gospel” by John Owen. The following quote struck me because of the fact that it is possible to receive truth in the mind without receiving it in the heart. Perhaps this explains why so many fall away when persecution or hardships come.
“The danger of apostasy will always be present if men receive the truth only in their minds, but do not love it in their hearts and gladly submit to it in their wills. Unless this enmity is conquered and cast out; unless the mind is freed from its depravity; unless the truth works powerfully and effectively upon the heart and soul; unless the truth is learned ‘as it is in Jesus’, so that men ‘put off their previous behavior, the old man, which is corrupt and filled with deceitful lusts, and are renewed in the spirit of their mind, and put on the new man which in the image of God is created in righteousness and true holiness’; unless they love the truth and value it for the spiritual peace, power and freedom of spirit it brings them, they will fall away in time of persecution and forsake the gospel for other things.” (Page 57 Apostasy from the Gospel by John Owen published by Banner of Truth Trust, 2003)

We Stand in Grace

Not only is salvation by grace, but standing (vs falling) and growing are all by grace through faith and not by works. Galatians 3:1-9 covers this pretty thoroughly. He says in verse 3, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Verse 9 says, “Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” I can’t begin to explain how important this is. So many Christians begin the Christian life by faith – trusting Christ’s finished work on the cross for their salvation. But after that, they begin to develop the mentality that the rest of the Christian life is by works. Not so! Colossians 2:6 says, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” You receive Him by faith so walk in Him by faith. In Romans 14 where we are taught not to judge our brothers, Paul asks who we are to be judging our brother. To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand because God is able to make him stand. At the time of salvation, we not only get release from condemnation, we receive the Holy Spirit, a new heart, new motivations, along with the grace and strength to grow and persevere. These all come as a gift of God’s grace. Paul told the Philippians that “he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”(1:6). He also told them that it is God who works in them both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (2:13) The writer of the Hebrews prayed that God would “make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight…” (13:21) We need to be encouraged to know that what God asks of us, He provides all of the resources including motivation, will and strength to do.

Spiritual Living

In the last post I pointed out that as Christians, we are dead to the law. Where then does the motivation and power for living godly, obedient lives come from? According to Romans 7:6, we now serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter because as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:6 “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Righteous and godly living comes from the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives and our yieldedness to Him. He tells us in Romans 8:3-4 that what the law could not do, God did by sending His son as a sacrifice for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh so that the righteous requirements of the law would be fulfilled in us who walk according to the Spirit. (paraphrase) The requirements of the law are written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That is the point of the new covenant that God instituted with His people. The old covenant had not worked. In the new covenant God writes His law directly on our hearts and the Holy Spirit lives out the life of God in us as we yield to Him. It does not come from imposing the law of God on us from outside. It comes from living the life of God from the inside. And that is only possible because we live under the umbrella of God’s forgiveness. The whole topic of the spirit-filled walk in Romans 8 is introduced in verse 1 by the statement that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Christ bore our sins on the cross. They have been washed away and forgiven completely. We stand in righteousness before God because “He made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Once we recognize that we stand completely forgiven as a gift of God’s grace, we are free to grow and mature in Christ allowing His Spirit to manifest the character of God in our lives.

Grace - not law

It has been a while since I posted the previous five points in this series so if you have not read them or it has been a long time, it would be worth your while to go back and read or reread the previous four posts. The sixth truth we are considering here is from Colossians 2:14 which tells us that the handwriting of requirements that was against us has been wiped out. It has been taken out of the way and has been nailed to the cross. This handwriting of requirements is the law. The Bible clearly teaches us that we are not under the law but under grace. (Romans 6:14) Now as soon as some of you read this you are going to think that here we have another one of those modern antinomian philosophies that is so prevalent today. If you jump to that conclusion you would be incorrect. Please study along and follow the teaching of Scripture. The issue is, “How can we live righteously and godly in this world?” Paul is very clear in this passage that we can’t do it by keeping the law or by keeping man-made rules. It doesn’t work.
According to I Corinthians 15:56, sin gets its power from the law. Paul says the same thing in Romans 7:8 “But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.” So the key to righteous living is not in adding more commandments because that just gives sin its power. The key comes from the realization of the fact that we are not under the law any more. It has no jurisdiction over us. Check out Romans 7. Verse 5 says, “you also have become dead to the law…” Verse 6 says, “…we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by….” Since God sees us as being identified with Christ, he sees us as having been crucified with Christ. Therefore the law has no more authority over us than it does a dead man. That is exactly the point of Romans 7 in the example about adultery.
Some may be asking at this point, “Where then do the motivation and power for doing right come from?” We’ll look at that next time.