I'm really needing to hear from God. How about you? Why don't you meet me in Philippians 3 and let's settle in with verses 1 through 9. Time to breathe in some God-breath! What is he speaking to your heart?
Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant--dog dung. I"ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. (v. 8 Msg.)
What exactly is the apostle describing as "dog dung"?? (And yes, that is the more literal translation than the softened "rubbish.") He's not talking about money, women, being a high roller. He's talking about the religious checklist he used to keep so meticulously! (v. 4-6) He's saying religion isn't where it's at (to borrow some slang). Religion always degrades into legalsim and/or fatalism. In Paul's case, it used to be legalism, meaning that compulsion to think that you can get yourself right with God by jumping through all the right relgious hoops, keeping all the rules, holding all the right postions, measuring up. Dog dung, he calls it--an apostle of Jesus Christ.
There are only two kinds of righteousness (right standing with God)--self-righteousness and God's righteousness. A righteousness I try to attain myself or a righteousness I receive as a gift of God's grace. I either think I'm right with God because I'm good enough and right enough and faithful enough, or I know I'm right with God because Jesus is good enough, right enough, and faithful enough to save me. There is no middle ground.
God is telling me here that legalistic self-righteousness is no righteousness at all. And why would I want it, anyway? Receiving the righteousness that only God can give me through his Son Jesus is so far better! It's not about performance; it's about faith. It's not trusting in my own abilities to be good enough. It's trusting in God's gracious offer and what Jesus did for me.
Learning this lesson was so freeing to me, beginning in my early 20s. My Christian pedigree can't give me life. In fact, trying to maintain it has a way of sucking the life right out of me. But knowing and trusting in Jesus, well that is the most life-giving relationship I've ever experienced! And no, that doesn't mean that I don't need to live faithfully. In fact, it gives me the motivation and the power to live faithfully! It doesn't mean I don't need to be engaged in the body of Christ, his church. But there's a big difference between "going to church" to punch my card and perform the ritual versus being an active part of a community of believers to serve together, grow together, encourage each other, and follow Christ into the world together to make a difference.
Yes, Jesus, you have brought me to life! Thank you so much!!
Please relate what God is saying to you here. Sign into your Google account and then comment below, or just choose Anonymous in th "Comment As" box.
It is more about relationship than being religious. When we are in relationship with Jesus, then we desire to do what brings Him honor and glory. It's not about a list of what we can't do but the fact that our list changes... when we accept Jesus as Savior and we repent of our sins (which means we turn from our ways), we are made into new creations. We should no longer desire the things of the world but we should find pleasure in furthering the Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteJesus desires us to present our bodies as living sacrifices for this is our reasonable service. We do not do this alone for the Holy Spirit is here to help us... and when we walk in faith and obedience then people should see the fruit of the spirit as evidence of our devotion and love for God.
Jesus desires to be Lord in our life. We should desire to bring honor and glory to Jesus in all we do. Because although we are called to have faith and believe, we are also called to be doers of the word. For we will be judged by what we do... we will all stand before God and give an account for our life.
One lie that Christian believe at times is that because they prayed s prayer they can live however they want because God is gracious and merciful. Yes He is. But if this was all there is, then the bible would end after the book of John. The epistles are full of instructions on how to live a life fully and wholly sold out, radically for Jesus. The word is the lamp to our feet, it guides and judges and is a strong foundation on which to build our lives. And the body of Christ is meant to edifying and sharpen each other for the work of the ministry. We should be willing to speak the truth in love to our brothers and sisters in Christ, because the Word is truth, and its the truth that sets us free.
But it does all come down to relationship... in order to have right horizontal relationships we musy first have a right vertical relationship.
Just a few thoughts
Daelynn
Thank you, Chris, for the great reminder that our Lord is right enough, good enough, and faithful enough to save us and help us to deal with whatever it is we are facing!
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts, Daelynn! We are nothing without our relationship w/ Christ.
Michele
All very true! The question ultimately comes down to where your hope is, what the source of your confidence is in your relationship with God, why you believe you are an heir of heaven. If you think it's because you are religious and jump through all the right hoops, you've missed it. If you think it's just a matter of praying a prayer and then going your own way, you've missed it too. Neither attitude shows evidence of a real relationship built on trust and love--and that's what it really comes down to, according to both Jesus and the apostle Paul.
ReplyDeleteA good discussion on this one! And I do believe that it has been fairly and open-mindedly handled. The balance is critical, I believe. The Spirit within helps us with our actions and understanding if we look to the Lord and not to our own righteousness or understanding. Without Him...I can do nothing. Without Him...I would be lost...HE is the power, the glory and the honor is His. I am grateful to be ultimately "a child of my King!"
ReplyDeleteK.B.