Examine Yourself
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 11 – 13
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? ” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
The Apostle Paul loved the people of Corinth. He had travelled to Corinth on his second missionary journey and had stayed with them for eighteen months preaching the Word of God. As a result, many were saved and a new church was established. However, after Paul’s departure the Church at Corinth began to have a lot of problems. As we have read through these two letters to the Corinthian Church we have learned what some of these problems were. This church was a very carnal church. They had problems with morality and idolatry, which Paul rebukes sharply in these letters; but we also discover that this church had a problem receiving preachers and teachers who were false prophets, so much so, that many of the people of Corinth were turning against Paul. Now this puts a preacher in a difficult position. No spiritual man likes to defend himself because in doing so he feels like he is lifting himself up in a prideful way. Paul very carefully reminds this church of his credentials, and he also reminds them of what he has already done for these people.
By the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul makes the statement which seems to explain the root of all of the problems that existed in Corinth. He tells them to examine themselves to see whether they were really saved. I believe many of the people in Corinth were in fact genuine in their faith, but there must also have been many that were perhaps sown in by the devil to cause trouble. By admonishing them this way, he is causing them to carefully look into their lives to see whether or not the Holy Ghost of God is really in them. The bottom line is that the only thing that clearly explains the trouble with the Corinthian Church is that there were many unconverted people in the church, as well as many carnal believers.
How about you? Would you pass the examination? Are you really saved? I will list here a simple three question quiz that you can give yourself in order to verify that you are in fact a child of God:
1 Do you have a testimony? Can you point back to a specific time and place where you remember acknowledging your sin to God and accepting the payment of God’s Son on the cross for it? Is there a time in your life when you asked the Lord to save you? Nobody was born saved. You may have been born to a good home with a godly influence, but there has to be a time in your life when you personally receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
2 Has there been a transformation? You may remember a couple of days ago I shared some thought on the subject “What’s New” from 2 Corinthians 5:17. Are you a new creature since you have been saved? Has anything in your life changed? I trusted Christ as my Savior twenty years ago, and my life has never been the same since; and it is still changing, transforming into the image of Christ. Don’t misunderstand, I still have my struggles and flaws, but Christ is chipping away at them as I grow in Him.
3 Can you pass the Bible tests? Here are some of them:
Do you have a better understanding of the Bible? (1 Corinthians 2:14) Now none of us understands everything about the Bible. I am learning new things every day from passages that I have read dozens of times before. God gives me the truths that I need in my life today; but He is teaching me.
Do you have a love for the brethren? The Bible says that people will be able to see that we are disciples by the love we have for each other. (1 John 3:14)
Do you have a desire to obey God’s commandments? (1 John 2:3 – 5) None of us will be perfect, and I suppose we all have particular areas where we really struggle; but how do you feel when you sin. If you can sin without feeling any conviction at all from within, something is seriously wrong. If you are God’s child the indwelling Holy Spirit of God should be constantly reminding you when you do wrong.
I am not trying to get anybody to doubt there salvation, but I am concerned that there may be many people within our churches that profess to know God, but have not truly been born again. How did you do on the test? Did you pass? Do you have full assurance of your salvation? If not, go to the “Are You Saved?” page on this site, and find out how you can be gloriously saved.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Without Wax
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 6 – 10
I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. (2 Corinthians 8:8)
Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf. (2 Corinthians 8:24)
Tradition states that back in the days of the Roman Empire there were unscrupulous stoneworkers who crafted sculptures, but would sometimes cover the flaws and cracks in their work with wax. However, when the hot sun would beat upon their products, it would melt the wax and ruin the appearance of the sculpture. Potters also were guilty of sealing cracked and even broken wares with wax in order to sell them at the market, but when the unsuspecting buyer returned home and put something hot in the the pot, plate, or cup, it would also melt the wax. Eventually, men of character who traded these goods would stamp their wares “sine cera” meaning without wax. These two words eventually evolved into meaning “genuine” or “honest”.
In our text Paul states very candidly that we prove the sincerity or the genuineness of our love through the grace of giving. If you love someone you will give to them. If you love God, you will give back to Him. You may have heard this old saying that bears repeating here: “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” Do you genuinely and honestly love the Lord, then give to Him. You may say, how do I do that? Well for starters I would strongly recommend that you give to work of His local church. God has chosen the local church as the vehicle for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. But then beyond that, you may want to give to some things that you believe in. At our church, we are always taking up special offerings for various causes and people that have a need. Learn to give. God is a giver, not a taker. People who are yielded to God will be like Him and will also have a giving spirit about them.
Giving not only proves the genuineness of your love, but it also demonstrates the sincerity of your faith. If you say that you believe God, than believe what He says about giving:
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
God promises to bless those who give back to Him. Notice that I said “give back”, because everything we have was given to us by Him in the first place. You can trust God with your money. Don’t get greedy. God loves to bless His children, but He cannot bless a child that doesn’t listen to Him.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
What’s New About You?
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 1 – 5
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I just want to share some quick thoughts from the Word this morning, as we are busy preparing for the Lord’s Day.
The verse above expresses one of the most fundamental truths of the Christian life. I have heard all of the arguments on both sides regarding whether a person is truly saved. Many Christians believe that God has called them to be fruit inspectors; examining the lives of their brothers and sisters in Christ to see whether they have genuine faith or not. I don’t believe God has called me to be a fruit inspector as much as He has called me to be a sower of seed (the Word of God). However, we must never forget that anyone who has the Holy Spirit of God indwelling them is a new creature. He is not the same as we was before salvation. Now he might not be as spiritual as we may think he ought to be, but he is different.
I believe the difference can be seen in these three areas.
1 There will be a desire to saturate in things of God. I can’t speak necessarily for everyone, but I know what happened to me when I trusted Christ as my Saviour. I had a craving for God’s Word, God’s People, and God’s House which was never a part of my life before.
2 There will be a desire to separate from the things of this world. Now this will increase as the believer matures, but even as a babe in Christ there will be a new understanding that the Holy Spirit within is in conflict with the world system and philosophy without.
3 There will also be a desire to share Christ with others. A little further along in our text, the Bible says that we are ambassadors for Christ; we are His representatives here on the earth.
Let us examine ourselves (not others). Are these three ingredients part of your life. I am not trying to get you to doubt your salvation, and I know that we all struggle and fall short in all of these areas; but is the desire in you in these three areas. God has cataclysmically transformed my life since I have been saved; and He is still transforming me. He renews me day by day, molding me into His image. If you are His child, He is also doing the same to you.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage: 1Corinthians 15 & 16.
The Victory Is No Mystery – 1Cor. 15:51-58
Good morning. Another week has passed. Black Friday, Small Store Saturday, and Cyber Monday are all behind us. Did you get all your Christmas shopping done? Good! You had a victory. That’s what today’s blog is about: VICTORY! We already have the victory, but we don’t realize it. When we don’t realize it, we lose.
I was reminded of an Abbott and Costello skit. They go into an illegal gambling establishment to bet on the horses. This was where they got the idea for off-track betting. Just remember that legal gambling is just as bad as illegal gambling – only someone else gets to keep your money! Costello places the bet, and a voice comes over the radio…
“And they’re off…”
“The race is over…”
“You lose!”
That was a comedy, so you already knew that Costello was going to lose. Do you know you already have the victory: you are not a loser? 1Corinthians 15 tells us…
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of deathis sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (vs 54-57)
We have the victory! It was given to us by God through our Lord Jesus Christ! Death has no more sting: death cannot hurt us. Death is swallowed up in victory!
How can we know this victory now?
Well, you could… die. And at the rapture of the church, when your corruptible has put on incorruption, and your mortal has put on immortality, you will be with Jesus. That’s victory!
Or (and I prefer this way better) by faith. 1John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Verse 58 of 1Corinthians 15 tells us the result of this victory through faith: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
We will be stedfast. Immovable, standing firm in our faith. God said it; that settles it.
We will be unmoveable. Nothing, and nobody in this world, or any situation for that matter should shake and shatter our faith. We have the victory and greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
And we will be always abounding in the work of the Lord. Soul winning, tithing (supporting our pastor, the church, and it’s ministries), and what ever the Lord has asked us as individuals to do (teach, edify, be a friend), are some of the works we should be abounding in.
And at the end of verse 58 there is victory: “…forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
That’s victory. Keep on going for the Lord.
Peace (John 14:47).
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
True Love
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 13 – 14
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44)
“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” (1 John 3:23)
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12 & 13)
The Bible speaks much about love. In our passage today the word “charity” is used, which is the same word that is translated “love” many other places in the Bible. It means to love unconditionally; to have a deep abiding love that goes far beyond mere affection. This is the kind of love that God has for us. It was what He demonstrated (commendeth – Romans 5:12) when He died for us sinners. Why God loves us I do not know, but the Bible tells us He does.
This kind of Bible love spoken of here in our text and some of these other passages as well is something people often claim to have for others, especially in word. In other words, we often say that we love certain individuals or people in general. However, in practicality, I don’t think that we are being entirely truthful. Love is clearly more than just words, and it is even more than just feelings. Love is action. Love can be seen in the things that we do as well as say. In vv 4 – 7 of 1 Corinthians 13 there are listed practical examples of how love is put into action. Let me list them for you here:
Charity:
suffereth long, (patience)
and is kind;
charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, (does not boast)
is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, (inappropriately)
seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things,
believeth all things,
hopeth all things,
endureth all things. (is able to survive anything, unconditional)
There are 15 practical applications of real love in those four verses. Take a good look at each one of them individually. Now ask yourself honestly: Do these demonstrations of love show up in my love for others? Or am I falling short? I think we both know the answer to that question. We all fall short, don’t we. I am not trying to make you feel bad, but I am trying to get you to realize how much needs to be done in our lives in order for us to truly represent Christ as His ambassadors. Remember, the Bible is clear that people will only see Jesus in us as we demonstrate love before them and to them. Now, here is the exciting part: You can’t love people in the flesh. It is not something that you can do on your own. You see, God is love; and you can only love people if the Holy Spirit of God is in you and is not being quenched (hindered from working in and through you). We must yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit of God inside of us. We must allow Him to love people through us. We must somehow get ourselves: our feelings, our hurts, our desires, etc. out of the way.
Do you want to love people as Jesus loves people? The world has love, but it is a conditional love. Some people are easy to love, but most people are not. Jesus died for a bunch of unloveable people. We must take our love up another notch if we are truly going to be His disciples.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Be Careful!
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 10 – 12
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)
I have been saved now for over 20 years, and in that time I have witnessed many who have fallen away from the will of God. Some of them kind of gradually pulled away, slowly retreating from Christian service and from worship. Others never got in all the way in the first place, and just vanished off of the scene almost without notice. Still others have experienced dramatic falls. These were the people that were very active in the ministry, serving wherever they could, attending every service and special meeting; some have even attended Bible College. But then all of a sudden something happens in their life and they are gone. And most of the time no attempt is successful in bringing them back. I remember when I was in Bible college, we had a guy who fit this description. He was a real go getter. He worked his way up into the favor of the pastors and leaders in the church. He was thought by everyone to be the next Lee Roberson. However, one day he got mad about something, and he quit. To my knowledge, he is not even in church today.
I hate to see people fall away. I have seen some fall into immorality; some into liberalism; and some seem to just fade away. I know it is going to happen sometimes, but I really struggle with it. Most of these people who I have witnessed through the years were better Christians than I ever could be. It scares me really. I figure if it could happen to them, it could also certainly happen to me. Our text verse tells us that we had better be careful, because we are not above falling ourselves.
After observing this process through the years, I have noticed some ingredients in some of the people who have fallen, and I believe if we can watch out for these things in our life, striving to keep them away from us, we can avoid falling away.
1 Pride – I have noticed through the years that many of those who have walked away from God had a haughtiness about them; a self-reliance. They were very bold about their walk with the Lord, but they were more dependent upon themselves than Him. They were like Peter when he told the Lord that he would die for Him. In their mind, they could not conceive the possibility of falling away. As I mentioned before, I am afraid. I know that it has only been the grace of God that has kept me straight this far. Years ago, we had a man that was attending our church that had a drinking problem. He gloriously got victory over the alcohol and was doing very well. He boldly asserted that his drinking days were over. Another man in our church who also had a drinking problem in the distant past, one day said to me that this other brother would soon be back on the bottle. I asked him how he could possibly know that. He told me something that I will never forget. He said the man will drink again because he doesn’t fear falling; and unfortunately, he was right. In a short time the man went back to drinking, and left the church.
2 Critical Spirit – I guess this could fall under pride as well. I have observed that many of the people that I have seen leave their Christian faith to go off into the hog pen of this world have been very critical of others who were struggling with sin. They could not understand how another brother or sister didn’t do everything perfectly like they thought they did. These people were very quick to point out the flaws of others, but couldn’t even fathom a problem in their own lives.
3 Workaholic – I want to be careful here that I make myself clear. I am not against work. I love it, perhaps too much so at times. Out of the three ingredients that I am listing here, I would probably most often be guilty in this area. By workaholics, I am talking about people who feel that the work of God is completely dependent upon them. They take the responsibility of the entire church on their shoulders. They feel that if it weren’t for them, the ministry would die. They think that God is dependent upon them, instead of the other way around. These people eventually become frustrated with their lives, and they also get extremely frustrated with others around them that aren’t “puling their weight” as they should. They throw a lot of guilt trips on others who are not as dedicated as they are. They fail to see that they are just a spoke in the wheel, not the hub, which is Christ. Remember, Elijah had this attitude. He thought he was the only one serving God, but he was reminded that God had seven thousand that not bowed the knee to Baal.
Do you see any of these ingredients in your life? You can remove pride by asking the Lord to humble you. Sometimes God has to let you fall in order to humble you; but perhaps you don’t have to let it get that far. You can remove your critical spirit by developing compassion. I find, that just spending some time with hurting, struggling people helps me to develop compassion for them. The ministry is a people business. Sometimes we forget that. The workaholic thing is tough to deal with. But please be assured that God is perfectly capable of running His church without you. You can be a part of the process, and be dedicated and proficient in what you do, but don’t feel that you are the only one that is serving.
I hate to see people fall away. Please, consider these thoughts that I have developed above. I want to serve alongside of the all of the people of this church until the Lord returns. I believe God wants to use all of us to do great things; but we must remember that it is all about Him, not us.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Bought With A Price
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 6 – 9
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
I apologize for the late post. I overslept this morning listening to the rain and wind beating against the windows and roof of the house. It was an easy day to stay in bed a little longer.
Let me give you a parallel verse to the one listed above:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)
God says that we are bought with a price, meaning we no longer belong to ourselves. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price by shedding His blood on the cross of Calvary. The context of 1 Corinthians 6:20 has to do with committing sin, which we have no right to do as believers, but I believe this verse tells us much more than to not commit sin. It deals also with our desires, our will. We really have no right to do with our lives that which we desire to do, unless those desires are God-given desires. Romans goes on to tell us that it is reasonable for us to yield our will to the will of God. I often quote another verse from Romans:
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18)
Notice that the “no good thing” that Paul refers to in this verse is his will; and “that which is good” is the will of God. This tells us the same thing that our text tells us. We have no right to do with our lives that which we desire. Our desires need to be surrendered to God. He owns us. He purchased us on the Cross of Calvary. This does not just mean that we shouldn’t commit sin, it goes way beyond mere obedience to His moral laws. Our goals, desires, and especially our passions need to yielded to the control of the Holy Spirit of God.
God desires to mold us and shape us to perform an ordained work (Ephesians 2:10) for Him, He has the perfect plan for our lives; and His plan will bring us the most fulfillment, and the most happiness. We may think we know what we want, but we must be very careful to determine that the thing which we want is what God wants for our lives. We often sing the song, “This World is Not My Home”; but really when you think about it, we could sing, “This Life is Not My Own”. We belong to God. He has purchased us, and it is our reasonable service to give our lives completely to Him.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Grow Up
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 1 – 5
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:1 & 2)
The church at Corinth was a church that had many issues which we could sum up into one main category, carnality. They were a very carnal church. Paul says here in the verses above that they were babes. The symptoms of their carnality can be seen throughout these chapters. For instance, they had a problem with unity; they were divided. Some of them were following Paul; some Apollos; some Peter. They ought to have been following the Lord; this way they could also get behind anybody else that was also going the same direction. Man worship seems to be a symptom of the carnality in our churches today as well. We love to pick out a spiritual guru who will do all of the work for us. He will get to know God and study for us, and he will tell us what we need to know. You see, this way we won’t have to get to know God ourselves. I praise God for the many different men that God has used in my life, but they were all just men. I still needed to follow God on my own, just in case one of these men ahead of men decide to take a detour away from God.
Another symptom of the church in Corinth which revealed their lack of spiritual maturity, and their carnality, was immorality. There were many within the body of Christ there that could not control their passions. They were committing some of the worst types of sin including fornication, and unfortunately, it did not appear that the church was dealing with it. They did not seem to be too upset about it. Our churches today are much the same way. It is almost as if we have given up trying to fight immorality anymore. The world we live in has certainly become a cesspool of immorality, so we figure that as long as we are not as bad as they are, we are doing ok. I don’t think God sees it the same way.
How can we reverse this trend? How can we try to conduct our churches in a way where we are still loving and reaching people with problems, yet we are maintaining a mature, separated walk with the Lord. I believe if a church is going to be able to pull its people away from the world, and lead them into a separated lifestyle of service, it will have to have these three ingredients:
1 There must be some shining examples – The leadership of the church, beginning with the pastors, must be men of God that are excited and passionate about serving the Lord. These men and women do not see separation as something to endure, but rather a lifestyle that they enjoy. These people don’t have to do what they do, they love it.
2 There also needs to be strong exhortation – Bible principle must be preached and taught with a conviction that can only come through the power of the Spirit of God. Messages need to be flooded, not with the philosophies of men, but with the principles contained in the Word of God. The people need to hear, “Thus saith the Lord”.
3 There also needs to be service exercise – People need to have a purpose, and they need to be busy serving the Lord. Let’s plug people in to some type of service that enables them to use their gifts for the glory of God.
4 There also needs to be a spiritual excitement – We get beaten down by the world enough. Our people need to see God working. They need to be convinced that this is real, that we are really on the wining team. There needs to be some spiritual victories that will motivate the people to keep going. Nothing is more motivational than seeing people saved, and seeing peoples lives changed.
Carnality will be less of a problem in a healthy, vibrant, excited, motivated, and growing church. People will be able to resist the pull of the world if there is a stronger pull coming from within the walls of the church.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Responsibility
Today’s Passage – Romans 14 – 16
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. (Romans 14:21)
There is a lot of talk these days about liberty. As New Testament Christians we have been made free from the bondage of the law, but that does not give us license to sin; and it does not give us the right to use our liberty to cause a weaker brother in Christ to stumble and fall. We no longer have an exhaustive list of do’s and dont’s to live by (or not live by). We live by faith, but the Bible tells us that whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
In our fundamental churches across America, many things are preached against. Each church is different. Some churches are a little more separated than others are. Some have long lists of leadership (and even membership) requirements; but even these churches could not possibly completely specify what is right for every given situation. However, as believers, we have the indwelling Spirit of God, which will guide us into all truth, and help us decide what is right and what is wrong. We must remember, though, that we must take into account that what we do affects other people. Let me give you an example that I have heard many times: Let’s say that I feel that a glass of wine every now and then is acceptable (by the way, I don’t), and God would not prohibit me from drinking in moderation. I may have the liberty to do that; I mean I’m saved eternally, aren’t I? and that glass of wine may not be a problem for me. However, what I must take into consideration that by drinking the wine, I may be influencing a younger brother in Christ the wrong way. He may not be able to handle it, it may cause him to fall away from God, and do injury to himself and others. The bottom line is that there are things that I may have the liberty to do, which may cause my brother to stumble and fall. I therefore have to understand that I have a responsibility before God to be a proper example and influence to my children, and to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
The wine example is just one of many I can think of. This principle can be applied to many areas: television, music, movies, occupations; the list goes on and on. You and I must follow the principles of the Word of God, and the leadership of the Spirit of God in every decision, so that the liberties we take do not adversely affect anyone else. No man is an island: we don’t live to ourselves; our lives are intertwined together; and we are our brother’s keeper. I am not trying to turn us into a bunch of Pharisees who spend their time micro-examining everybody else’s lives, I am merely advocating that we assume some responsibility regarding our influence on others. And the higher we are in leadership, the greater the influence we have, and the greater the responsibility we must accept.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
What’s The Difference?
Today’s Reading – Romans 11 – 13
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1 & 2)
Have you ever used the expression, “what’s the difference?” In our culture, people use that little phrase all of the time and for a variety of meanings. However, this morning, I am truly asking the question, what’s the difference? What I mean by that is: what is different about you from the rest of the world? I once preached a message from 2 Corinthians 5:17 called “What’s New About You?”. The Bible is very clear that we who are Christians ought to be different from the world. We are not to be enamored by all of the things that this world has to offer. (1 John 2:15 – 17) God’s people have God, the Holy Spirit indwelling them, and He ought to make a big difference in our lives.
In our text, the Word of God teaches that we are not to be conformed (molded by the influence of the culture); but rather we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This comes when we yield to the Spirit within us and apply the principles contained in the Word of God to our lives. I found it interesting that prior to chapter twelve in this letter to the Romans, the focus seemed to be on the nation of Israel and how they continued to strive to find acceptance to God (unsuccessfully) through a system of works. You see the Jews never had a problem with appearing different from the rest of the world, as they were a very separated people. In chapter 11, the focus seems to shift to the Gentiles. Now the Gentiles didn’t have as much problem with the faith part. They were eager to believe the Word of God and trust the Lord Jesus; but they did have a problem with living a consecrated, separated life after their conversion to Christianity. The problem was their culture. The Jews were never a part of the godless culture of the Gentiles. To be part of the “in crowd” in Judaism meant that you lived a separated lifestyle. They did, however, have a big problem transferring their trust from their works to the finished work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. Not so for the Gentiles, they believed easily; but they struggled with the Christian life.
We also struggle with walking as Christians ought to walk. Under the inspiration of God, Paul gives us the formula for success. We are to separate from the conforming influences of this world; and then saturate ourselves in the transforming power of the Word of God through the Spirit of God. If we will do those two things, the Christian life will be much less troublesome; and our life will shine that much brighter.
Have a great day in church today.
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