According to 2 Timothy 3:16, when we come face to face with God’s righteous will we begin to see how unrighteous we are. Just take a look at the “practical” sections of Paul’s epistles to see not only how much we still fail to obey, but also how much we continue to disobey. Some of the things written to Christians make one wonder just how sinful we really are.
People can be forgiven it they think that conversion makes such a dramatic change in our lives that sin is not much of a problem any more. Although it may not be directly stated in evangelistic presentations, much of modern evangelism is focused on “getting saved” and on missing Hell.
The fact that the repentance that begins at conversion must continue and grow throughout the Christian life is often ignored. Some may think that salvation by grace excludes the idea of a changed life. They want to become believers but not disciples. While we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, yet that saving grace comes “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit.2:12). The idea that once we are saved we are done dealing with sin is absolutely foreign to Scripture. Christians should be the most sin-conscious people in the world. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Therefore, when we read the Bible, we should not be surprised to see our own faults and shortcomings. On the contrary, we should look for them. We should look for the specific commands of Scripture to see that “there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed” (Joshua 13:1).
However, do not let Satan burden you with vague accusations and condemnation. When the Holy Spirit shows you your sin His work is precise and specific. He shows you the very definite, and usually obvious ways you still miss the mark of love for God and for your neighbor. This work of conviction is not for the purpose of making your life miserable. The aim of the Bible’s conviction is to save you from a path of sin that you habitually walk on. The aim of this second step is biblical change. The only path of joy in the Lord is the path of obedience (John 14:21-23).
The first step of biblical change leads us to say, “I know the will of God.” This second step brings us to say, “I see my sin and I repent.” What will the third step show us?
I like this alot. I have always had a difficulty over the way the Institute separated "believer and diciple" as though being a "diciple" were a superior status than a "mere believer" but in fact a believer is by default a diciple.
ReplyDeleteThe Scriptures emphasise being a believer. One can be a diciple (a pupil, follower, learner, etc.) of anyone. Budda? Confusious? Whatever. To be a diciple of Christ (a student, follower of His teachings, etc.) does not require the Divine Life anymore than being a diciple of Budda does. To be a "believer" which is Christ's own qualification of a recipient of the "Eternal Life" implies an organic union with the incarnated, crucified, resurrected and ascended Lord.
To believe into Christ requires the Spirit's regenerating operations and the faith imparted by the Spirit through the revelation of Christ as the resurrected Son of the LIving God.
The confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and the belief in the heart that God has raised Him from the dead is the sole requirement of salvation according to Romans 10.
While this surely implies an entry into a life of "dicipleship" It is noteworthy that in the in the Epistles, no one is reffered to as a "diciple". Rather "Saints, believers, Children, etc..."
If we want to be Christians according to the revelelation in the New Testament, we are not technically, diciples, but regenerated beleivers, having God's Life and Nature, born of God, Children of God, members of His household, members of the Body of Christ having the Lord as our Head, living stones being built up as a dwelling place of God in spirit, etc. This is the New Testament revelelation.
Pat Cooksey
When the Lord was here in the flesh, his followers were called diciples.
ReplyDeleteThey were called out, being taught and instructed and were being trained by the lord.
But upon the Lord's death and resurrection, they ceased to be called diciples and became 'brothers" having the Lord's life. The Lord told the sisters to tell the brothers that He ascended to 'my Father and your Father, My God and your God'.
Our reltionship to the Lord has many aspects. Vine/Branches, Master/Slave, Brother/brother, Sanctifier/sanctified, Head/body, Bridegroom/Bride, Shephard/sheep, Food (Bread of LIfe, Tree of Life, etc.)/partakers, Etc. But the emphasis on 'dicipleship' has in my experience and observtion produced a kind of outward attempted at conformity to outward
precepts, diciplines, etc. which have nothing to do with Christ as our indwelling Lord and Life.
If we can repent of something according to God's law and in turn, do the opposite or positivly obey some precept or requirement, Christ is absent from this transaction and endeavor. We are simply living by the tree of the knowlege of good and evil turning from the evil branch and eating of the good branch. But God's intention is that we repent of this tree all together and eat of the Tree of Life which is Christ himself.
True repentance is to turn from the tree of the knowlege of both good and evil and to turn to Christ as the Tree of Life. To turn from an independant life to a dependent life, dependent upon Christ as our indwelling life.
Pat Cooksey