© Denis G. Clark 1971 England
CONTENTS
Repentance
Confession
More about Confession
Lukewarm Living
Temptation
Holiness
Faith
The Cross
The Resurrection
Guidance
Love
Giving
God's Promises
Sex
Q. Just what is repentance? I've heard the word in sermons, but what does
it mean?
A. It is certainly an old-fashioned word and many feel like draping it in
cobwebs, but the subject is right up-to-the-minute. It means "to be sorry"
or "to turn back". It also means "to have another mind" or "a change of mind".
Does that make it clear? When the preacher commands, "Repent!" he means that
we need to feel genuinely sorry for being the sinners that we are and for
the sins we have committed, and that we need to change our mind about ourselves
and God, and how we propose to go on living.
Q. How does a person repent?
A. Repentance is really something that comes from God (Acts 11:18), and yet
it is we who have to repent! Sounds contradictory at first but it is quite
simple to understand. It is like being given a pen, but you have to do the
writing. The process may begin when we read or listen to preaching from the
Bible, which is God's inspired Word to mankind. As we read or listen we soon
come across something that rings a bell in the guilt chamber of our soul.
At this point everything depends on our reaction to it, for if we ignore
it, or just don't care, or deliberately suppress it, we are stopping a possible
work of God's grace in our lives. However, if we face up to it squarely,
become sorry for what we have done wrong, turn away from and leave it, that
is the first part. The second part is to put right that which we have done
wrong - we call this "restitution" - as far as we are able. But repentance
is never complete by just having a moral clean-up like that: we must not
only turn from sin, but turn from sin TO GOD. Repentance brings us into line
with divine laws of behaviour.
I once met a girl in the prayer room who was in great distress because she
had cheated in her exams. She had been away ill for six months and could
not face remaining in the old class, so had cribbed to get through. That
night during the preaching, the Holy Spirit convinced her of her sin and
now she had to face it. After confessing her sin to God, she returned to
her teacher the next morning and made confession of the matter to her also,
saying she was willing to be put down a class, if necessary, but must clear
the matter as God had spoken to her. The teacher forgave her, and her action
became a testimony also. After that she walked in God's ways of righteousness
- she had turned from sin to God, submitting herself to Him.
Q. How often must one repent?
A. Basically once, for when God forgives He forgets. But there is a much
bigger view of repentance. Real repentance is not something one switches
on and off when the red light of conviction flashes. Nor does it mean that
you go around with a sanctimonious expression on your face. After repentance
accomplishes the crisis of dealing with sin, your attitude then becomes one
of constant hatred against all that is sinful, and a love for all that is
righteous. It was written of Jesus, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated
iniquity" (Heb. 1:9). Of course, a new attitude by itself amounts to little
if it does not change our behaviour. This was why Jesus had no time for the
Pharisees.
Q. But is there more than one crisis, as you call it?
A. At conversion we repent of the whole matter of sin in our life, trusting
the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to cancel it out, in His sight. As we continue
in the Christian life it is not long before the Holy Spirit convicts us of
new sins being committed. We should repent of these immediately, before they
have a chance to take a grip on us. You probably know what it says in 1 John
1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." To get the true slant
on that word "confess" we need to read Proverbs 28:13, "He that covereth
his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and FORSAKETH them shall
have mercy." Always handle it in this way.
Q. How can I tell whether or not I am really sorry enough? Do tears come
into it?
A. God never despises tears - if they come from the heart, that is - but
they are not a final measurement of repentance. Mere emotion can produce
tears, and tears of the crocodile variety. God does not necessarily ask for
tears, but He does ask for a clean break with sin. "The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart..." (Psa. 51:17). The
true measurement is whether or not we are sorry ENOUGH about our sins to
break them off completely and follow Jesus Christ all the way. To cry over
our sins and then do them again is sheer hypocrisy.
When Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob so as to stave off his
hunger pains, he was faced with choosing God's way or his own desires. Immediate
repentance would have helped him - without tears - but Hebrews 12:17 records,
"When he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found
no place for repentance (way to change his mind), though he sought it carefully
with tears." His tears were in vain.
Q. Does repentance affect my entertainment and amusements?
A. Yes, it affects every part of the life. Be careful, though! Change your
mind about them when the Holy Spirit asks you to, and not when you have no
option. Let me explain: it is mainly when you are a young person that worldly
amusements seem so important. When you are old you will have little use for
them and will change your mind, but that is not repentance. There is yet
another viewpoint: see that old and bedraggled, red-faced alcoholic, dragging
his feet along the road in a zig-zag? Go and ask him if he has changed his
mind about his one-time pleasures. He sees it from the other side of the
fence now. He hates it, yet he cannot give it up. It has so paralysed him
that he feels beyond hope. That is not repentance, even though such a man
could repent and be delivered by Jesus Christ. The apostle John wrote a great
truth when he said, "To you, young men, I have written because you are strong;
God's word is in you, and you have mastered the evil one. Do not set your
hearts on the godless world or anything in it. Anyone who loves the world
is a stranger to the Father's love. Everything the world affords, all that
panders to the appetites, or entices the eyes, all the glamour of its life,
springs not from the Father but from the godless world. And that world is
passing away with all its allurements, but he who does God's will stands
for evermore" (1 John 2:14- 17 NEB).
Q. But what shall I do if I sin again?
A. God has not guaranteed that the Christian's life on earth should be sinless,
though there is no excuse for sin. The Bible makes a difference between a
sinless heart and a perfect heart. To have a perfect heart means that one
has turned wholeheartedly to God, and to people like that God can bring
deliverance. David was such a person and, when he fell into great sin, he
was so sold out to God that, as soon as he was convicted through the word
of the prophet, he repented immediately and humbled himself before God. God
forgave him and restored him because he fulfilled the requirements for
forgiveness. The opposite was true of King Saul. Your New Testament says,
"My little children (spiritually), these things write I unto you, that ye
sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous: and He is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins..."
(1 John 2:1,2). Never take sin for granted. The heart that is repentant cannot
go on in the practice of sin, but whenever sin is committed we should go
directly to God in confession, pleading Jesus' sacrifice as our basis for
forgiveness.
Q. What must I pay for my sins? What about penance?
A. There is no penance! Punishing ourselves in order to pay for our sins
would be an insult to the perfect work of Christ on the cross, when He paid
the full penalty of our sins for us. Remember His cry - "It is finished"?
God does not ask you to lie on a bed of nails, or to cut your flesh to shed
your blood. He has done it all! What God looks for now from us is that we
put our faith in that completed work of His Son and that we show it by a
complete change of mind and behaviour towards all that caused His death.
Q. But I still FEEL I need to suffer for the sins I have committed.
A. Then you must reject those feelings and accept what God has provided as
your way for peace. God will not accept any kind of offering YOU can make,
but only His own Son. He has declared that acceptance by raising Jesus from
the dead. I know what you mean by those feelings of remorse, but resist them
and remember what the apostle wrote to the Ephesians (1.6), "To the praise
of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved."
Q. What is the meaning of confession? I only seem to hear it used in
connection with making a statement to the police.
A. We Christians use the word in two ways:
(a) When you are born again through faith in Jesus Christ, that inward faith
needs an outward expression if it is to survive and be established. When
the Holy Spirit reveals to us that Jesus is Lord, we need to declare this
openly, or "confess" it to others. This confession is actually part of our
salvation, for Romans 10:9 states, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
(b) After becoming Christians, our eyes are properly opened to what sin is.
Sin is repulsive to a true believer and brings a sense of shame. God has
provided a way for the Christian to deal with his sin through confession.
That well-known verse in 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
Q. I know about the first part of confession, but little about the second.
If we have to confess our sins, to whom do we have to confess them?
A. In the first place, each sin must be confessed to God. Even though most
of our sins are against other people, sin is basically against God because
He made the law. If I steal from someone, I have sinned against the God who
commanded, 'Thou shalt not steal." You will see this point brought out very
clearly when King David committed adultery with the wife of one of his mighty
men, and then had the man virtually murdered in battle. In his confession,
written in Psalm 51:4, he says, "Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in Thy sight." Perhaps we can put it best this way - we
sin against God; we commit crime against others; we commit vice against
ourselves.
Q. Just a minute. Does that mean that it is enough if I confess to God
only that I have sinned against somebody? That is an easy way out. What about
the other person?
A. Let me continue, then. In my last answer I began with, "In the first place";
but now we shall go on to those affected by our sin, provided you have understood
that all sin is first against God. Secondly, then, sin needs confession to
those sinned against. For example, if the sin is public, such as a preacher
living a hypocritical life and not doing what he himself preaches to others,
then it should be confessed publicly. After confessing to God his hypocrisy,
the preacher needs to confess it to the congregation he has sinned against.
Similarly, personal sins against individuals, such as telling them a lie
or defrauding them in some way, need confession to the injured parties, after
confession to God.
Q. Oh...! Say I borrowed a pound five years ago and never returned it,
I suppose, by this time, you would call that stealing. If I confess it to
the person, what about the pound?
A. Don't forget to confess your sin to God first of all. Then go to the person
concerned and confess what you have done and pay them back the money stolen,
plus 20 per cent! If they choose rather to forgive you, the matter is forthwith
closed.
Q. Where do you get this 20 per cent business from?
A. From two Old Testament scriptures which detail for us the laws of restitution.
If you read either Leviticus 6:1-7 or Numbers 5:5-10, you will observe the
following: (a) Confess it. (b) Restore it. (c) Add one-fifth to it. (d) Offer
an offering to God (in our case, Jesus Christ is that offering).
Q. I don't get this) Isn't that Old Testament law which doesn't apply
to New Testament Christians?
A. It is certainly Old Testament, but it supplies the detail for the word
"confess" that we read in 1 John 1.9. Whenever you want to know the meaning
of a Bible word, it is insufficient to look up an English dictionary. One
must also take into account the meaning of that word in the context of Bible
truth. Do you think Cod will accept our confession if we do not restore what
we have stolen? Not likely!
Q. What would I do if I could not find the person from whom I borrowed
the pound?
A. Those same two scriptures say that first, in such a case, it should be
paid to his nearest relative. If this is not possible, it should be given
to God. In other words, pay 1 pound and 20p into some department of His work,
e.g. a missionary box, etc.
Q. Sounds to me like paying for your sins.
A. Not at all. Now you are mixing things up. You are only paying back what
you stole, with reasonable interest. You are not paying for your sin - Christ
paid for that. Therefore, you only confess the matter to Him and He is faithful
and just to forgive and cleanse you.
Q. I see now. What would one do if, after all this, there is still a nagging
sense of guilt?
A. One should do two things: firstly, if you have done what God has said,
then realise that HE is faithful and just to forgive. Forgiveness does not
depend on how you feel, but on His faithfulness! The devil may persist in
accusing you; but believe God, for His word is truth. Secondly, RECEIVE the
promised forgiveness. Faith must go into action here, receive forgiveness
and begin to praise the Lord. The victory is given when you begin to rejoice.
Q. And what about my own secret sins? Frankly, I have the biggest bother
with these. Confessing sin publicly or to a person would have a humbling
effect, but what would I do with secret sins?
A. Secret sins should be confessed in detail to the Lord. Don't defile other
people's minds with them. Ephesians 5:3 is pretty strong on this- "But
fornication, and ALL uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once NAMED
among you..." The promise of 1 John 1:9 is to forgive AND to cleanse us.
To experience both these things we need to talk the matter out with God in
detail until we sense that we are taking God's side against ourselves. This
opens the way for us to forsake our private sin. Never treat confession as
a convenient dry cleaning service. To end each day with a prayer like this
- "God, please forgive me all my sins of today" - accomplishes nothing. Let
the confession of secret sin be with repentance; otherwise we commit a further
sin of hypocrisy. Whoever is born of God does not practise sinning (see 1
John 3:6-10 Amp.), but if we sin, we have an Advocate in God's presence (1
John 2:1). Any advocate requires that he be given a detailed account of what
has been committed, so that he can effectively fight the case. Jesus Christ
has never lost a case yet for those who treat Him as their Advocate.
Q. What do you mean? I thought you only had to say, "Lord, please forgive
me all my sins." After all, He knows what I've done.
A. Yes, He knows all right, but He also knows that no moral change will be
effected in your heart until you personally declare what you have done, motives
and all. Put this into daily practice and you will notice a swift change
in your spiritual and everyday life.
Q. Our last chat about confession of sin helped me sort out lots of things
in my life. I feel as if a light has been turned on inside! However, I seem
to have landed myself in several complications. Is that usual?
A. I thought you might, for the subject that we tackled is one which has
been interpreted and misinterpreted in a legion of ways. One of the chief
things to remember about confession of sin, when one is a Christian, is that
the Lord Jesus alone is the Advocate, and that we need to confess and put
right our sins in the setting where they were committed. This simple rule
will keep you on a safe course.
Q. That's what I thought. But I have been having a good look at the whole
of 1 John chapter 1, seeing we talked about that ninth verse, and I am having
trouble with verse --
A. Don't say it! I know just what is puzzling you - verse 7! Right?
Q. How did you know? Do other people have problems with this verse, too?
A. Before we tackle that verse let me give you a golden rule to be used whenever
you read your Bible. It is: "Never let what you DON'T understand upset what
you DO understand." Got it? Now let's read that seventh verse- "But if we
walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, then we share together a
common life, and we are being cleansed from every sin by the blood of Jesus
His son" (NEB). This is one of those verses that does not stand on its own
legs. I mean, it needs the context to bring out its proper meaning. The first
word, "but", shows that. If the verse is isolated, it can be made to mean
something very different, varying according to the approach you make to it.
There are some Bible verses that are not affected by their context, such
as John 3:16, or verse 8 of our chapter ("If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us"). But the division of verses
is man-made, and this seventh verse depends on the two preceding verses if
it is to be correctly understood, for they form one paragraph.
Q. I'm with you! I won't interrupt any more, for I really do want to know
the truth about that seventh verse.
A. Right! Don't be afraid to ask questions, for I like plenty of them. Verse
5 reads, "GOD IS LIGHT, and in Him is no darkness at all." In some places
in the Bible, light symbolises knowledge, but in this case it means rightness
or holiness, as against darkness or sinfulness. Verse 6, using contrast for
emphasis, challenges our frequent hypocrisy regarding our fellowship with
this God of light by saying, "If we claim to be sharing in His life while
we walk in the dark, our words and our lives are a lie" (NEB). Verse 7 ends
the three- verse paragraph with the terms of fellowship with God - "But if
we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, then we (God and us)
share together a common life, and we are being CLEANSED from every sin by
the blood of Jesus His Son" (NEB). Verse 3 amplifies this in advance by saying,
"... so that you and we together may share in a common life, that life which
we share with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ" (NEB).
Q. Hey, wait a minute! I see it differently. I thought it meant that mutual
confession was the basis for our fellowship with each other, so I began telling
other Christians about my sins and even began pointing out their sins to
them. My AV. says, "If we walk in the light... we have fellowship one with
another."
A. Don't blame the Authorised Version. The new translation does not change
the meaning at all. You've done what I warned you about. You have made the
words apply on the human level, whereas the context does not let you do that.
The subject is concerning fellowship between God and the believer, not between
Christian and Christian. Of course, our individual fellowship with God affects
our fellowship with other believers, but our basis for such fellowship is
not our old nature, nor our sins, but the Lord Jesus, when the prodigal returned
home, the father and the son, plus the others present, feasted on and enjoyed
fellowship together around the slain calf (symbol of Calvary), not the prodigal's
rags.
Q. Well ...! I didn't realise that you had to be so careful with the Bible!
Is that the reason there are so many conflicting doctrines among
Christians?
A. One of them. The Word of God has great power in it to bring life, or to
bring death. Like electricity, you have to obey the laws of handling it,
or suffer the consequences! Whenever you read your Bible, therefore:
1. Be ready to obey its instruction, with your heart open to the Holy Spirit.
2. Receive the Word with meekness, or, if you like, with faith and prompt
obedience. Our big heads must realise that the Bible is the Word of truth.
We can trust every word that God has given us in it. What you cannot reason
out, leave until God opens it up for you.
3. We must be honest and never twist its meaning to suit ourselves, or to
excuse sin in us or others we esteem.
Q. I see. Mind you, when I started telling others about my sins, it was
very soothing and I felt humble. Why should that happen?
A. Every psychiatrist knows the psychological reaction that confession of
sins brings. But if that were the basis for fellowship with God, then He
would need to become a sinner, too, in order to have fellowship with us.
Unthinkable! We need the pure, wonderful fellowship in the Spirit with God
and His Son - we need to share that life which is common to both, and which
is made possible through our cleansing. The whole subject of the chapter
is this tremendous fellowship with God, not treatment for nervous disorders.
Q. But why does it say in James 5:16 that we should confess our faults
one to another? A new translation even says, "Confess your sins to one another."
Contradicts all you've said, doesn't it?
A. No, Grasshopper! You've hopped on to quite a different premise now. James
5 is stating that, if a believer becomes sick due to some sin, then his healing
will depend on his confession of that sin to the elders who pray for his
healing. Not only so, but, if one of the elders is guilty of the same sin,
he will need, likewise, to make confession; otherwise their prayers will
be hindered.
Q. One last question! Should we never point out other people's sins to
them?
A. Yes. There is a very fine approach to this matter that we can read in
Galatians 6:1. "If a man should do something wrong, my brothers, on a sudden
impulse, you who are endowed with the Spirit must set him right again very
gently. Look to yourself, each one of you: you may be tempted too" (NEB).
Q. I've run into a problem this time that really has me beaten. Several
Christians in our church seem to live just for themselves, and have little
apparent care about truly following Christ or of winning others to Him. I
get branded as a fanatic and am warned to be careful that I don't "go round
the bend". Do you think I am becoming too fanatical?
A. I sincerely hope so! The Lord Jesus makes a total demand upon those who
profess to be His disciples. Do not be put off or discouraged by those who
appear to be only playing at Christianity. The Bible's prophets have warned
us that this sort of thing will become so chronic in these last days of history
that God will be compelled to spit from His mouth the empty religion we often
find today. You will read this in Revelation 3:16. "So then because thou
art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth."
Perhaps it is more significant than most realise that organised religion
has virtually disappeared from half of the world during this century.
Q. What do you make of the fact that those who represent sects which deny
Christ's deity seem to work with such zeal, while Christians go so slow?
A. Some Christians outstrip these you mention, concerning zeal, but I know
what you mean. Have you ever thought which plants in your garden need the
most care? It is not the weeds, for they grow prolifically and need no attention,
and if you leave them they will cover the whole area in a short time. Strangely
enough, the plants which give most trouble, or, perhaps I should say, require
the most attention, are the genuine ones. The true believers need much spiritual
care until they "find their feet". This should never be taken as an excuse
by the lazy and unresponsive, but it is something we should recognise.
Q. True. How would you define lukewarmness in present-day terms? I mean,
whom is God referring to in that verse in Revelation you quoted? He could
mean me.
A. He refers to those who profess one thing with their mouths but who live
a very different kind of life. That is hypocrisy, of course. But perhaps
there is something else that we are experiencing in our day which is just
as deadly. You see, there are many now who attend special conferences, weekend
house parties and conventions, and get all hotted-up, but who, more's the
pity, are back where they were before within little more than a week later.
In spite of the "injection" they received, the challenge could not go through
to action because their wills were not submitted to God's. The result is
that, once the wave of hot enthusiasm dies down, the coldness of formalism
takes over their lives again. A mean average of such a life is - lukewarmness.
Q. Why do you think that is? You say their wills need to be submitted
to God's, but which areas of the life should become affected? I realise it
means the whole life, but could you pin-point a few things?
A. First of all, it affects how we wait upon God. No Christian can hope to
remain "on fire" if he or she is not prepared to feed daily on His Word.
The average young Christian seems to be content to snatch a few verses each
day, haphazardly, or to read and reread favourite passages from the Psalms
and John's Gospel. Spiritual survival is difficult on such a diet. I made
enquiry once among a group of young people as to how long they spent daily
in waiting on God. Their dally average worked out at only ten minutes for
both Bible reading and prayer.
Q. Ow...! You've hit me right in the target area! I thought it was quite
sufficient to read a chapter or two every week. Now you say that...
A. Hang on! which is more important, your body or your soul? If you took
a meal only once or twice a week you would soon look a sorry spectacle. If
the soul is more important than the body it needs proper feeding also. As
a disciple of Jesus Christ you cannot hope to live a life that wins if you
do not FEED daily upon the Word of God.
Q. Do you mean I need to give more time to studying the Bible? What on
earth do you mean by feeding on it?
A. Studying the Bible is very different to feeding on it. Study will provide
you with knowledge for your mind, whereas feeding on it will give you TRUTH
for the heart or inner being. Studying a cookery book three times a day would
make you very knowledgeable regarding recipes, but it wouldn't make you very
fat, would it? There are five ways of approaching your Bible. First, HEAR
it, That is, listen to it being preached. God has chosen the proclamation
of His Word as the means of planting faith in your heart (Rom. 10:17). Secondly,
READ it. If most businessmen can read their newspapers thoroughly every day,
surely you, as a Christian, can manage five or six pages of your Bible daily?
Don't play about with this, but get right into it! Thirdly, STUDY your Bible.
There are doctrines, prophecies, life stories, laws, parables, proverbs and
many other matters you need to know thoroughly. Those converted after Peter's
Pentecost sermon "continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42).
If you don't study you will eventually be ashamed of yourself (2 Tim. 2:15).
Fourthly, MEMORISE parts of your Bible. Select key verses and portions and
commit them to memory. Repetition is the secret here. Lastly, MEDITATE on
the Word. This is what I mean by feeding on it. It needs to be chewed over,
again and again, and then imbibed into your very life. You will find that
this deals effectively with hypocrisy and lukewarmness. The above five things
will require the utmost discipline, but they are well worth it and you should
start today.
Q. Man! You are going at me as if this is the army or something. At this
rate I will hardly have any freedom to live my own life the way I want.
A. That's right! You may not have realised that when God saved you it was
not only that you might rejoice in His forgiveness, but also that you might
participate in a total warfare against the powers of darkness. We are not
to stay in the kindergarten of Christian experience, but are required to
leave the play-pen of spiritual babyhood and prepare ourselves for warfare.
Paul instructed Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ
(2 Tim. 2:3). Our route lies from the nursery to the barracks (with suitable
schooling) and then to the battlefield. Victory is secured as we obey the
commands of the Captain of our Salvation.
Q. Sounds exciting enough, but the terms are tough. I must confess that
more often than not I don't feel much desire to read my Bible, let alone
meditate or pray.
A. That's normal. Getting into your Bible, and praying, too, are spiritual
exercises, and the natural man, or our old nature, cries out against it.
The feelings our old nature produces in this realm are hang-overs of laziness
and selfishness from our old lives. We need to take the control over them,
just as a soldier must renounce his former civilian way of life. We are spirits
that inhabit a body, not bodies that happen to have a spirit to keep them
alive. Our spirit must rule our body and make it obey (see 1 Cor. 9:27);
otherwise we are like a parent being ruled by a spoilt child.
Q. I'm ready! What else can you pin-point?
A. You must learn to pray. Pray so as to receive an answer. Learn to pray
until you begin to see God working miracles in answer to your prayers at
every level. God is not limited. There is no such thing as an impossibility
with God, and He has stated that there is no such thing as an impossibility
to him that believes (Mark 9:23). When you pray you must exercise faith.
Just to speak words with your eyes closed will accomplish nothing. God's
promises have been thoroughly tested and are reliable. If there is any failure,
it will be on our side. I suggest you keep a book in which you enter your
prayer requests and then how the answer is given. In this way you will learn
many things about God's will. We need to breathe the breath of prayer night
and day. Do everything by prayer. You will find that your spiritual capacity
will increase and you will begin to experience power with God and men.
Q. Is that so? I was told the other day that many of the promises in the
Bible are not for today and that we can overdo this praying business.
A. As far as God's promises are concerned, the statement is partly true.
He promised Gideon that he would smite the Midianites as one man. That promise
is hardly for you - there are no more Midianites, for one thing. But this
does not mean that God has lost His ability to scatter your enemies, if you
believe God the way Gideon did. There are also promises about judgement,
hundreds of them, which I suppose none of us would desire, but neither does
this invalidate God's power to deal with us when we sin. The thing to bear
in mind is that the God who had dealings with the human beings recorded in
the Bible is the same God with whom we need to reckon today. His name is
always "I AM". and never "I was".
Q. That's given me plenty to think about. Anything more?
A. Just one more thing. It is vital to living Christian experience that we
pass on to others what we receive from God; otherwise we shall become like
the Dead Sea. I don't mean that you must become a preacher as soon as possible,
though this may come eventually. But I mean that you should take every
opportunity to bear witness to others of the things you have "seen and heard".
The Sea of Galilee sustains life because it passes on the water it receives.
So you need to pass on by conversation, by witness, by teaching others, the
things God reveals to you. The Christian who has ceased to do this is already
dying spiritually and being drawn into lukewarmness. Take every God-given
opportunity, for He will prepare the way for you each day; but beware of
getting into a state of compulsion, thinking you must tackle everybody you
see. Be relaxed, be alert, and God will use you. This way of living is not
optional - it is vital. It will end all lukewarm living!
Q. Following our chat on worldliness I find I am running into trouble
with temptation. Is temptation the same as sin?
A. No, it is not the same as sin. Temptation only becomes sin when you yield
to it. When we refer to the use of the word in both Old and New Testaments,
we find that each time it is used it means to be tested, to be tried, or
to be proved. Temptation arises when we begin to give our attention to something
which we know to rank as disobedience. The trial is on at once, and soon
it is proved what our heart is like and whether or not we are going to put
God first. On the other hand, it may be a thought that is deliberately thrust
into our consciousness by the tempter, since he feels he has discovered a
chink in our armour.
Q. How do you explain the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, then?
A. Remember that Jesus is the Son of God, the very Jehovah of heaven; yet
when He came to earth He drew on none of His power in that capacity, but
became the Son of man. I mean that He became a human being in the truest
sense of the word, while putting aside His POWER which had already been
manifested in creation, etc. As a perfect and sinless man, He set Satan the
rare problem of tempting Someone with a sinless nature, and Someone in whom
he could not awaken lust. Satan nevertheless found a way, and his attack
began when Jesus had fasted and prayed for forty days, at which point the
body usually develops a terrific hunger in a bid to save its life. Such hunger
is legitimate, not sinful. It was at this very point that Satan tested the
perfect Man on whether or not obedience should take priority over necessity.
Back came the immediate reply - "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word of God" (Luke 4:4). Satan then gave Jesus a glimpse of the nations
and the glory of their power and offered Him dominion over them if He would
bow down to Satan. But this would mean trusting Satan, with the reward of
avoiding the cross, and the prompt retort was, "Thou shalt worship the Lord
thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Finally, Satan suggested to him
that He act on the written promises on His own initiative, apart from the
will of His Father; but Satan was totally defeated with, "Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God."
Q. Tremendous! But how do I triumph over temptation with a fallen
nature?
A. There is an excellent proverb which goes like this: "You cannot stop a
bird flying over your head, but you can stop it making a nest in your hair."
In other words, there is no need to let temptation become sin. The very
sinfulness of our old nature seems to court temptation, and Jesus once said,
"Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,
thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Mat. 15:19). Ever since you believed
on His name He has given you a new heart, a new Spirit, or, as Peter tells
us in 2 Peter 1:4, He has made us partakers of His own divine nature. This
means that, as soon as you are aware that your thoughts are moving in a sinful
direction, you should reject those thoughts at once and let the new heart,
His nature, take over, for He does not sin!
Q. Yes, yes, but how does this work in practice?
A. The first thing you must do, once the sinful thought or desire is recognised,
is to take God's side against yourself. This is not always easy, but it's
never impossible. Your will plays a vital role at this point, for it needs
to will God's will. Secondly, His power (always available at such a time)
should be activated. It says in Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the Lord is
a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and it is safe." You can therefore
do what some Christians have found effective in temptation - speak the name
of Jesus out aloud. Temptation flees before that name. But note that it is
the RIGHTEOUS who are able to find safety in this way. If you are purposely
going to play with evil and flirt with temptation and see how far you can
go without actually sinning, there is little hope of this promise being valid
in your case. In times of temptation I have found it very helpful to speak
aloud and say, "I reject that thought in the name of Jesus Christ." The sinful
thought withers on the spot.
Q. I find trouble with the blank moment that follows. What should I do
with that?
A. Immediately put the new heart in motion. We are not to be negative Christians.
Like our Master we must not only refuse the evil, but choose the good. Paul
instructed the Romans similarly when he wrote, "Likewise reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but ALIVE unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord" (Rom. 6:11). Therefore, I would advise you to begin praising His
name at once, or pray for someone, or recite to yourself the Scriptures you
have memorised. when I was counselling someone once, I suggested that he
should pray for me in my ministry each time he found his thoughts being waylaid
by the tempter, so as to leave a positive goal for his mind. The next night
he reported as follows: "I've had a wonderful day praying for you." It benefited
me, too!
Q. That sounds useful! Does temptation prove anything?
A. Yes, it certainly does! It proves that certain parts of our desires are
still alive to sin. I mean - you told me, when we were talking together,
that you had been delivered from smoking. I suppose it is true to say that
you are no longer tempted in that area. Right? That is because you have fully
turned from it and, as far as you are concerned, smoking is a dead thing:
equally, as far as smoking is concerned, you are a dead man. You now reckon
yourself dead to smoking and even Satan has sense enough not to try and tempt
a dead man, for dead men don't smoke. You have taken God's side against this
habit of your old life and hate it.
Q. True. But I also hate those things which still tempt me.
A. Here is where you do not understand yourself properly. The truth is that
you still love the things which continue to tempt you. If only you did hate
them you would be quickly delivered.
Q. I protest! I do hate them - honest!
A. Sorry to disagree, but you don't. what you do hate is the dispeace that
these things bring into your life. You hate the confession and humbling that
is always involved and the hot-and-cold of conviction. If only you would
hate the sin itself! The trouble is that in those things in which we are
tempted we still love the sin and we nurture and play with it. The day our
heart turns, God's power does the rest. And God waits for the heart to turn,
because He has put that choice in our power. Peter said, "The Lord knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptation" (2 Pet. 2:9). A man becomes godly
(like God) when he chooses against evil. That's why it was testified of Jesus,
"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God... hath
anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Heb. 1:9). Oh
that there were such a heart in us also! And yet there is, if we submit to
the indwelling Christ, and allow Him to take charge of the situation.
Q. Why did Jesus teach us to pray that we should not be led into temptation?
Doesn't James say that God tempts no man? Why ask Him, then, not to lead
us into it?
A. This looks contradictory at first glance, I admit, but it brings out a
very serious alternative. If we continue to resist the voice of the Holy
Spirit, when He is asking us to give up a certain sin, it places God in the
position of having to put us to the test in order to help us. If this does
not happen, the believer will be living under a false impression of his own
"holiness". But in such a case God will not provoke us to lust, as Satan
would, but will provoke our choice, and here lies the difference. when it
seemed that Abraham had reached stagnation in his spiritual life, due to
constant acts of unbelief, God waited until Isaac was grown and then put
Abraham to the test. Satan would have done it to make the old saint fall,
but God did it to bring about his graduation. what a test it was! God asked
him to offer up his son Isaac. Abraham was now made to choose between God
and all that was dearest to him in the flesh. Had he spared Isaac, who can
forecast how the Bible would have been written, if at all? But, God be praised,
Abraham passed the test and through it became the father of the faithful.
Little wonder that James declares, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord
hath promised to them that love Him" (James 1:12).
Q. I can see how enduring temptation would be a test of our love for God,
but why does James say earlier in the chapter that we should count it all
joy when we get tempted?
A. He gives his reasons as follows. First, that the trial effects the perfecting
of our faith, and, second, that this trial of our faith produces patience
When we enter temptation we should see it for what it will do, instead of
moaning about it. Either it is God bringing us to a point of breakthrough,
or it is Satan getting worried enough about our spiritual progress to make
us his target. Whichever way it is, therefore, it should inspire us to endure
temptation and get through, always counting on 1 Corinthians 10:13 - "There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with
the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Remember also those glorious words in Hebrews 2:18, "For in that He Himself
hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted."
Q. Why is it such a sin to tempt God? It is often referred to, especially
in Psalm 78.
A. Because God commands us to believe and trust Him. His character is
unimpeachable. When we begin putting God to the test, this presupposes either
that we are superior to Him, or that He is not faithful or lacks the ability
to perform His word. This is why Daniel's three friends told Nebuchadnezzar
that God would deliver them, but, even if He chose not to, they would still
not bow down to the idol. There is only one way in which we are invited to
prove God, and that is with regard to His generous response to tithing -
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse... and prove Me now herewith...
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" (Mal. 3:10).
Q. There is a word in the Bible that makes me a bit jittery - the word
"holiness". Is it because I have always associated it with being shut in
an institution?
A. That could well be, but there is no need to fear either the word or the
truth it portrays. To be holy means to be set aside for something special,
or to be set apart for God. It also means to be clean. A friend of mine
illustrates this by referring to his toothbrush. He keeps it clean and sets
it aside for his exclusive use. There is another word the Bible employs which
is not in common use any more, and that is the word "sanctification", which
means the same thing. To be clean and set apart for God is so important that
Paul told the Hebrews in Hebrews 12:14, "Follow... holiness, without which
no man shall see the Lord."
Q. That's what scares me really, I think. Will I ever be holy enough to
get to heaven?
A. How necessary it was for Jesus to say that, when you know the truth, it
makes you free. Your fear arises only out of your ignorance on this subject,
so let's tackle it. 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that "Christ Jesus... is
made unto us... righteousness, and sanctification..." . In short, all that
He is is credited to our account before God. His holiness is imputed to us
who believe. As we bowed before God in repentance and faith, He took away
our filthiness and unrighteousness, and clothed us with the garment of salvation
and the robe of righteousness - his own holiness. This is beautifully illustrated
in Zechariah 3:3,4, "Now Joshua (the high priest) was clothed with filthy
garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those
that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And
unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee,
and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."
Q. But is this only something which is outer? I feel the need for holiness
on the inside.
A. I'm coming to that now. That which has been imputed must also become imparted;
otherwise it is of no avail. Peter explains it thus- "As obedient children,
not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation (way of life): because it is written, Be ye holy: for I am holy"
(1 Pet. 1:14-16). Hear Paul on this- "... that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love" (Eph. 1:4). The very fact of Christ dwelling within
us will be evidenced by His life coming through in all our behaviour. When
He said, "Be holy, for I am holy", He did not mean that we should imitate
Him, for that is impossible, but that we should let Him live His life in
us.
Q. Has that got something to do with a scripture I've never understood
- "Christ in you, the hope of glory"?
A. Just so! As I've told you before, when we were converted we received a
completely new nature from God. The Bible also calls this THE NEW MAN. The
human nature we received at birth has deceived us and led us the wrong way;
hence Isaiah says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every
one to his own way" (Isa. 53:6). But when we were born anew, God put His
Holy Spirit within us, imparting both eternal life and a brand new nature.
The work of the Spirit in us, by means of this new nature, is to accomplish
God's will in us. This is why we have the injunction in 2 Corinthians 5:17,
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, let him be a new creature (margin): old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." The holiness
that God is looking for does not come out of the old man, but from the new
man.
Q. Does the Bible say anything about this 'new man'? Sounds rather mysterious.
Is that what the psychiatrists call a 'split personality'?
A. Well, it appears to me more realistic that a split personality be described
as a dual personality. When people become demon-possessed, the personality
does not become split; it becomes dual. They become possessed of another
personality, namely a demon spirit. At times, this demon spirit will take
over the will of the person possessed. But Colossians 3:10 says, "... put
on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that
created him", while we read in Ephesians 4:24, "... put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness".
Q. This is news to me! When we let the Holy Spirit enter our lives, is
that like the opposite of demon possession?
A. No! When a demon spirit gains admission he compels the person to do certain
things, even right against his or her own will. Some forms of this are known
as "compulsions". The Holy Spirit, however, while desiring control, is never
compulsive. A demon grabs the steering wheel of a life whereas the Holy Spirit
comes to guide the life into the ways of God while we continue to hold the
wheel. If God compelled our wills He would destroy His great principle of
love. The Holy Spirit shows the way and invites our co-operation or faith.
The Bible warns us not to strive against the Holy Spirit's directions, for
the time will come when He will leave us to our own devices, and woe to the
person thus forsaken. But as we obey Him He is able to do His work in and
through us, and this is not only what the Bible calls "walking in the Spirit",
but is also the practical working out of holiness, for we read, "Walk in
the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).
Q. I often wish He would compel me to do what is right! So often I want
to do what is wrong. What's the matter with me, for I feel as if there are
two opposing forces within me?
A. There are! - the old man and the new man. This can develop into real conflict
if you try to let both run your life, for Galatians 5:17 says. "The flesh
(old man) lusteth (wars) against the Spirit (the controller of the new man),
and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other."
Paul further discusses this problem with the Romans (Rom 7:14 to 8:9) and
I would urge you to study this section diligently as soon as you have time.
The wrong desires that you feel springing up from within you come from the
old nature or the "old man". But the "new man" takes over immediately we
obey the Word of God and obey what the Spirit directs. Such obedience may
seem impossible, because the "old man" is incapable of it, but here is where
faith enters the picture, for "the just shall live by faith" (Heb. 10:38).
Take an example: Jesus said we must love our enemies (Luke 6:27). The "old
man" just cannot. But the "new man" will recognise that he can do all things
through Christ, and will go and be loving towards his enemy, in spite of
feelings to the contrary.
Q. I'm glad you picked on that, for it is my major problem at the moment.
How do you love difficult people, when really you hate them?
A. The first thing to do is realise that hatred emanates from your old nature.
As God did not promise to improve your old nature, don't be surprised. Your
old nature is struggling to prevent you from doing God's will, which is to
love that person. But your old nature was crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20),
so consign it to the place of death. Secondly, submit to the commandment
to "love all men", and appropriate through faith the power of the Holy Spirit
to obey it. You cannot follow Jesus Christ and still hate someone; therefore
it is necessary to wait upon Him until He reveals what He would do for this
person. Then go and do it for them, and you will find your feelings of dislike
and hatred being replaced by His feelings of love. As this takes place it
will be the Holy Spirit implanting something of Christ in you, the new man.
Q. Do you mean I don't have to worry about changing my old nature? Can
that be true?
A. It cannot be changed. Iniquity has so thoroughly ruined it that God has
written it off. This is why Ezekiel prophesied so enthusiastically- "A new
heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you: and I
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an
heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26). If the Lord is going to "present you holy
and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight", then the only answer is
to "continue in the faith" (Col. 1:22,23). It is a great relief to realise
that we are dead - dead with Christ. It is greater to realise that we are
alive, not with self in command, but with Christ living in us. Corruption
came into the world through lust, but Peter declares that we have escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust by being made partakers
of the divine nature, or new man (2 Pet. 1:4).
Q. You know what I think I've been trying to do? Make my old nature become
the new one!
A. Probably! And that road is doomed to end in failure. Romans 8:7 declares
that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be." So don't try! Even if you could discipline
yourself to live like a true Christian in every respect, you would have
accomplished nothing, for it is still your old nature. Everything God asks
us to do, we, left to ourselves, cannot do. But faith in Christ can so liberate
us that it becomes possible to do ALL things through Christ. To live an
overcoming life - with victory over lust, corruption of every kind, bad temper,
lying, etc. - can only be effectively accomplished as we walk in the obedience
of faith.
Q. Well, I think I see it. Won't I fall, though?
A. That depends. When Peter was walking on the water through faith in Jesus'
command to do so, he began to sink because he took his eyes away from the
Lord Jesus. He feared when he looked at the waves and began to go down. That
is the way to fail. Peter only regained his position of doing the impossible
by regaining his faith as he called upon the Lord. He had failed, but did
not continue in his failure. When you fall, say with Micah 7:8, "Rejoice
not against me, 0 mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness,
the Lord shall be a light unto me." Peter instructs us to add to our faith
virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control patience,
to patience godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness love to all, "for", he says, "if ye do these things, ye shall never
fall" (2 Pet. 1.10).
Q. What actually is faith?
A. It is the power to be able to believe something with such certainty that
no room is left for doubt. Or, as Hebrews 11:1 puts it, "Faith gives substance
to our hopes, and makes us certain of realities we do not see" (NEB).
Q. Is that the same as belief or is there a difference?
A. There is a very big difference. Belief is passive, because it is a principle
one accepts, whereas faith is essentially active. Let me illustrate this
for you. Someone who is a believer may be very sick and you ask them if they
think that God could heal them. If they believe the Bible to be God's Word,
and believe that all power to do such a thing for them is in His hand, they
would immediately reply in the affirmative. They believe that all things
are possible with God. But if you now command them to rise up in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ and be well, this would confront them with a very
big issue. That issue is faith. Faith is not called upon to experiment, but
to obey. Faith can never be passive, for it is based on a revelation of God's
will, and only that revelation has the power to expel every doubt, thus making
way for a divine work to be done. Faith knows no failure.
Q. How does one receive this faith- or do you have to work it up?
A. No, you cannot work it up. That is how you produce optimism, or even
self-deception! True faith is a gift from God, and is given when God speaks
the word of assurance to the heart of the person seeking Him. You have surely
known of people who were seeking salvation most earnestly, yet assurance
avoided them. You can try to help them by using illustrations, further verses
of Scripture and various arguments, be they ever so logical, but all to no
avail. Then suddenly, as if a light were turned on inside, they exclaim,
"Ah, I see it! Now I KNOW that God has saved me!" All doubts have left them.
God has sent His word to them, and assurance has swept the doubts away in
a moment. This is why Psalm 107:20 says, "He sent His word, and healed them..."
When God does this in His grace, the word sent contains prophetic power,
for the work follows. This is what shows it to be of God, for from Him alone
comes faultless prophecy - every time. And we are not ignorant of satanic
imitations.
Q. But did Jesus not say to many whom He healed, "Your faith has made
you whole"? Did their faith come from God?
A. Yes. His comment to them was rather like congratulating them on having
found a profound secret, which they surely had. They had received from Him
the faith they manifested, for faith given still requires human response;
otherwise it withers. Jesus never told anyone that they had to have great
faith. He called only for faith as a grain of mustard seed. Only a mustard
seed portion of HIS faith, given to us, is necessary to meet any specific
need.
Q. But who has this faith?
A. Jesus Christ is the sole proprietor, but He has placed it in every born
again believer in some measure. Peter addresses his second Epistle to "them
that have obtained like precious faith with us..." Although Christians do
not all possess the same quantity of faith, they do possess the same quality
of faith, for it comes from God and is part of the sum total of His faith.
It is the same kind of faith that Peter and Paul had - yes, even the same
quality of faith that the Lord Jesus had, though far from being the same
quantity. Paul taught the Galatians (2:20) that even his power to live the
Christian life was not lived by his own natural faith, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ. I can testify that, as soon as I realised this significant
difference, it solved all my feeble and faint-hearted attempts to believe.
The Christian must receive his Master's faith, for when he has that he is
invincible!
Q. This could revolutionise my life completely! You still haven't told
me how I can receive this faith. How do I go about it?
A. You'll have to be patient while I give you a little Bible study from Mark
chapter 11. Got your Bible? Now, verse 22 says, "Have faith in God." The
translators made a note, which is printed in the margin of my Bible, that
the original reads like this: "Have the faith of God." Nothing less will
be sufficient. Verse 23 tells us what the effect of this will be - "Whosoever
shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;
and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which
he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he SAITH." Can you
see from this that faith has two sides to it? On one side we must BELIEVE;
on the other we must DOUBT NOT. Jesus knows that this is the way to get rid
of mountains, for when He originally created the world it was His command
of faith that caused the mountains to rise out of the waters. Even now it
is His word that holds them up. Can His word not hold us up?
Q. That's a point! Has anyone ever removed a mountain in this way, as
far as you know?
A. No, though I suspect there have been many attempts! This proves my point,
for there has probably never been the need of it as far as God is concerned,
therefore no one ever received faith to speak such a word. But the day God
sees that it is necessary, He will make faith available to do it, just as
the word of faith was given to Joshua to lengthen a day .by many hours, and
it was done. Verse 24 brings us to the crux of faith - "What things soever
ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them."
Q. But how can you believe you've received something when you haven't?
It's not logical!
A. That's true! It transcends logic - it's faith! Let me explain. When you
begin to seek God to meet a particular need - for salvation, healing, finance
or whatever it may be - while you are still in prayer you need to KNOW that
God has agreed to your request before you get to the "amen". Then your "amen"
will be a real "so let it be". As the Holy Spirit witnesses God's will to
you in the matter, you still need to accept it, so that His faith will become
your faith. Before this assurance comes from God, however, it may require
much or little intercession on your part. This is often necessary in order
to remove hindrances from our side, and then, suddenly, gently at first,
you will notice an absolute certainty rising in your heart, until it rings
with triumphant power. This means that from God's side "it is done", and
from then on there is room only for thanksgiving, not more asking, until
the answer comes. You understand now why God said to Joshua, "Every place
that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that HAVE I given unto you..."
(Josh. 1:3). All that remained was for Joshua to get his feet on what was
already given, and it was given.
Q. What do you do if, after the assurance is given, the answer is not
forthcoming within a day or two?
A. If that answer requires only God's action, remind Him by thanksgiving
that your request is already granted. He asks for that. If you start praying
for that thing all over again you will find that you are fostering unbelief
in your own heart, and that will ruin everything. Many fall into this pit
of unbelief. The all-important ingredient of faith is whether or not the
word has come from God. Therefore, I repeat: when it comes from God it has
power to eject every doubt. We must take our stand on that certainty and
not be blown about with attacks from the enemy, for attacks there will be.
God's assurance is always accompanied with peace.
Q. This clarifies a lot for me. But if you do not have much faith, can
you get more?
A. Oh, yes! Romans 10:17 teaches that "faith cometh by hearing... the Word
of God." The word "hearing" does not mean "listening to". Faith is not increased
by listening to or reading either the Bible or faith biographies. These will
increase belief, but faith is only increased when we HEARKEN and launch out
in obedience to the word of faith that God gives us. Savvy? For many years
I believed that God could supply the financial needs of those He called out
to serve Him. This belief was reinforced by reading the biographies of George
Mueller, Hudson Taylor and others. In addition, my conversion took place
under the preaching of Dr. Edwin Orr, and that which got through most to
me at the time was the testimony of how God worked in response to his faith.
But when the time came for me to answer God's call into full-time service,
I searched desperately for the faith to trust Him for the supply of the financial
need, but it only evaded me. At last, though, convinced of my call, I obeyed
and launched out "in faith". As soon as I obeyed, faith, God's own faith,
rushed into the vacuum, and this has supported me these many years since.
Q. Have you ever found your faith to be tested?
A. Yes, indeed! But listen to Peter on this (1 Pet. 1:7). "Even gold passes
through the assayer's fire, and more precious than perishable gold is faith
which has stood the test. These trials come so that your faith may prove
itself worthy of all praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed"
(NEB). You see, if one is filled with optimism instead of faith, then the
sooner the mirage is dissolved the better, so that one may learn the difference
and seek reality. Also, when faith stands up to the test, it gives one a
rock of experiential certainty upon which to stand. And I must say, looking
back, that when these tests have come, though they may have appeared to be
severe at the time, and even hair-raising, afterwards they were seen to be
some of the most precious and vivid experiences of the Christian life.
Q. Wonderful! Does this kind of faith give you a sort of genie's lamp?
A. Certainly not! Faith is not given to obey you - it is given so that you
may accomplish the will of God for your life and finish the works He has
given you to do. It is not given that we might have our own selfish way;
nor is it given to the promise-grabber who thinks he may "claim" whatever
promise looks attractive.
Q. Does natural faith have no use at all, then?
A. Only in so far that when we believe God, we use our natural faith to seek
Him and the revealing of His mind and grace, until His faith is given to
do the work. While we are on the matter of the genie's lamp, though, let
me illustrate what I said by referring to an incident in the Gospels (Luke
9:51- 56). Jesus sent some messengers into a Samaritan village to make
preparation for Him, but when He arrived the people refused to welcome Him
as they detected that Jesus had set His face to go to Jerusalem. James and
John were so angry at this reaction of the Samaritans that they demanded
of Jesus: "Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven,
and consume them, even as Elias did?" The case looked sound, for was there
not Old Testament precedent? But note the reply - "Ye know not what manner
of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives,
but to save them."
Q. Divine faith must be the greatest thing a Christian can have!
A. Not quite, even though faith is a member of the eternal trio, for 1
Corinthians 13 says, "Now abideth faith, hope, charity... but the greatest
of these is charity (love to all)." This is reinforced by a statement at
the beginning of the chapter which reads, "Though I have ALL faith, so that
I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."
Q. What's all this business about taking up our cross?
A. It's a very serious business for every true Christian who has taken the
first step into the kingdom of God by the new birth. Taking up the cross
is stage two, if you like, in the salvation of the soul.
Q. Stage two? I thought once you were saved that was it!
A. It's a very popular thought, too, but a false one. The new birth is not
salvation: it is the entrance into it. Salvation is not just a snapshot of
the real, but the developing of and the living out of the divine image. It
was Jesus who told us in Luke 14:27, "And whosoever doth not bear his cross,
and come after ME, he cannot be My disciple."
Q. Can't you get into heaven without becoming a disciple? Isn't it optional?
I mean - isn't a disciple just another word for a Christian fanatic?
A. Where were you taught such sale price religion? The Lord Jesus made the
case even stronger by saying in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY, and follow Me." A Christian
is not a fanatic (abbreviation: "fan"), cheering on the Captain and His team,
but is one who has committed himself to the game. There is no chance of following
Jesus without taking up the cross. To fail to do so only reduces the Christian
life to a mere shadow and superstition. You cannot "buy salvation over the
counter" and end there. In any case, Jesus has nothing to sell. Salvation
is not a commodity, but a life-time committal that brings you into an eternal
bond with the Everlasting God.
Q. But isn't temper, or sickness, or naughty kids, the cross you must
bear?
A. No, definitely not! Two thousand years ago, if a man was carrying a cross
he was not doing so to suffer, or to have a spiritual experience, or to have
his life adjusted, but to have it ENDED. Taking up the cross means that you
deliberately come to an end of your old way of life. It is impossible to
do God's will AND your own. They do not mix, and, in fact, cannot. When we
become Christians, the cross not only provides forgiveness for sins through
the shedding of Christ's blood, but it demands the end of selfish living.
Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in
heaven" (Matt. 7:21).
Q. Aren't you trying to bring the future of a Christian into the present?
After all, the cross terminated Jesus' life in this world altogether, except
for forty days.
A. Yes, I follow the difficulty this presents to reasoning, but here is where
revelation must take command of reasoning. Let's go first to Galatians 6:14:
"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." That is, as
far as the world is concerned, in its attempts to mould me into its will
and way, I am a dead man. And as far as I am concerned, the world is a dead
thing to me. We have already been translated into a better kingdom. It may
be clearer if we turn to Philippians 3:11,12 - "That if possible I may attain
to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts me out from among the
dead (even while in the body). Not that I have now attained this ideal, or
am already made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of and make my own, that
for which Christ Jesus, the Messiah, has laid hold of me and made me His
own" (Amp.). Because we are accounted by God as being dead with Christ, crucified
with Him, we now live in this world in a way that matches how we shall live
when released from our bodies.
Q. How can we work this out in the experience of everyday life?
A. Our appetites must be separated from lust and subjected to his obedience,
and our wills also. We see a full demonstration of this new life in the apostles
and disciples after Pentecost, when the kingdom of God always had first call
upon them. They were willing even to fling away their lives at the first
opportunity for the sake of the gospel. Day and night Christ was the centre
of their lives and affection. Worldiness was a dead thing to them. Call them
fanatics if you will, but I tell you they were FOLLOWERS of Jesus, and their
transformed lives turned the then-known world upside down. Part of the reason
for our ineffectiveness today is that we try to live in two worlds. The cross
will not permit that.
Q. This kind of talk scares me stiff! To live as you suggest would only
make us look like fools in this world!
A. Exactly! 1 Corinthians 1:18 affirms, "The preaching of the cross is to
them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power
of God." We should not preach what we are not prepared to live. And the apostle
warns us not to try to impress the world in a worldly way- "not with wisdom
of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." The cross
in a Christian's life is the real standard of righteousness and therefore
has a tremendous impact upon the world, for it is the cross which separates
him and has made him different from the world of those who are heading for
destruction. To try to impress unsaved people with showmanship, however
consecrated, weakens rather than strengthens the power of our impact. This
never means that we should be shoddy in our appearance and presentation.
Our motive must always be to serve God acceptably, not to impress men with
ability. To do the latter is to fail.
Q. But I've been to some Christian meetings where the programme was so
bad it was downright offensive.
A. Offence can be caused in two ways. If the programme is "slung" at the
audience, because of laziness and inadequate preparation, half-heartedness,
carelessness or insincerity, then it is a disgrace. But if it is because
of the offence of the cross, then it is on target. We read in Galatians 5:11,
"... then is the offence of the cross ceased", which, in reverse, is warning
us not to substitute spiritual sugar. It is our carnal nature which seeks
to avoid the cross at any price, because it knows that it must die there.
It will even be subdued for years, as long as it is allowed to survive. But
it will only submit for a time, for in due course it will assert itself again
to our undoing. It will then overcome the spiritual life in the Christian,
unless it is well and truly crucified. It is significant that all the promises
of eternal inheritance in the book of Revelation are only for those who overcome.
Martin Luther one said, "It is the continual purpose of the flesh to come
to the throne without being crucified."
Q. But what if we do not take up the cross? Is all therefore lost?
A. Who would guarantee your salvation without it, for Jesus told the twelve,
when He sent them out, "He that loveth father and mother more than Me is
not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not
worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is
not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:37,38). The crisis came for the rich young ruler,
not only when Jesus counselled him to sell all and give to the poor, which
would have earned him treasure in heaven (not everlasting life), but when
Jesus said to him, "Come, and follow Me" (Matt. 19:21). The reproach of the
cross settled it. He went away.
Q. Ah, yes. But if we must be worthy of Him in order to be saved, then
that makes salvation dependent on our own effort.
A. Not on our effort, but on our response. The explanation will not be short.
Let's begin with the reply of Jesus to the Sadducees regarding the eternal
state of the woman married seven times. He said, "But they which shall be
accounted WORTHY to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead..."
(Luke 20:35) In other words, there is a distinct worthiness connected with
receiving eternal life. Thank God, we are accepted in the worthy One, but
we need to bring forth evidence that He has changed us. This is why John
Baptist told the Pharisees to produce actions worthy of repentance, and not
just words. Nowhere does the Bible say that believing alone makes us worthy.
Observe a wonderful anomaly when the prodigal returns. See him addressing
his father, in repentance, with the words, "I have sinned... and am no more
worthy..." (Luke 15:21). These very words revealed a tremendous change of
heart that now made him worthy of grace. To this we may add 2 Thessalonians
1:5 "... that ye may be counted WORTHY of the kingdom of God, for which ye
also suffer." The Lord warned in Luke 21:36, "Watch ye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may he accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." General Booth, founder
of the Salvation Army, had a dream which transformed his life from that of
a "normal Christian" to that of a true disciple. In that dream he saw himself
die and arrive in such a paradise that it made him overwhelmingly thankful
that he had attained the eternal shore after passing through some fearful
doubts about his salvation. But having arrived there, someone was sent to
speak to him, who told him that he was only in the "forecourt" of heaven,
and that the King would come presently to see if he was worthy to enter the
celestial city. The result of this, plus a stunning interview with the Lord
in the dream, wakened him to a completely new assessment of true values in
the Christian life, and his verdict was that he was willing to die fifty
martyr- deaths just to gain the approval of the King!
Q. I get it, but it has shaken me. Not many of my Christian friends seem
to understand this.
A. Perhaps! But look at the solemn warning Paul gives in Philippians 3:17-
19, "Brethren, he followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as
ye have us for an ensample (example). For many walk, of whom I have told
you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the
cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and
whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." What could be clearer,
or stronger? Saved by grace? Assuredly! Saved to live as we like? Never!
Those who come to the cross for forgiveness and cleansing must also accept
its verdict against their old, self-dominated life. So take good advice now
and follow Jesus by taking up your cross, and such following will also make
you a fisher of men. He promised it.
Q. The other day I passed by an open-air meeting, and the preacher seemed
to be giving considerable emphasis to the resurrection of Jesus. Why?
A. It is so important to Christians and the preaching of the gospel of salvation
that 1 Corinthians 15:17 says, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is
vain; ye are yet in your sins."
Q. What? I thought the big thing was that we should realise that Christ
died for us. Isn't His blood sufficient to deal with our sins?
A. Basically, yes, but you need to get the whole picture of what is involved
in salvation. Romans 5:9,10 expands the details as follows: firstly, that
we are "justified by His BLOOD", secondly, that we are then "reconciled to
God by the DEATH of His Son", and, thirdly, that we "shall be saved by His
LIFE."
Q. I don't understand such antiquated words! What does "justified" mean?
Is it another word for being forgiven?
A. More than that. To be justified not only means to be forgiven, but also
to be so thoroughly reinstated that God sees us as if we had never ever sinned
at all.
Q. Impossible! That would deny the very facts of the case. We HAVE
sinned!
A. Yes, sad to say; but let me show you this marvellous thing. I'll illustrate
it from Roman-Dutch law first, which rules that when a person has been found
guilty, and the sentence has been pronounced, as soon as the penalty is paid
in full that person becomes fully justified. His guilt is completely cleared
and he is restored to such a place of non-guiltiness that, should anyone
mention his previous guilt again, he may sue them for defamation of character.
God is prepared to do even more than that for those whom He justifies. Firstly,
the blood of Jesus Christ settles our guilt, or pays it in full, and God
blots out our record of sin in His book, and immediately we are born again.
But, secondly, God forgets the sin forgiven, for He states, "Their sins and
iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17). Because He is God He has
the power to forget what He chooses, forever. We may remember our sins; but
once He has dealt with our sins, God refuses to do so! If any accuse us,
God remembers nothing against us, for He has justified us, or, as some have
put it, He has made us "just-as-if-I'd" never ever sinned. Do you see it
now?
Q. It's almost too good to be true! That deals with the sense of guilt
I have often had hanging over me ever since I became saved. This is terrific
- I'm free at last! Tell me more.
A. The next thing that Romans 5:10 says is that we have been reconciled to
God by Christ's death. Because we deserved nothing less than an eternal hell,
there was no reason why God should receive us, even though we are forgiven
our sins. But because it was Christ who died for us, God's attitude towards
us has changed. Through the death of His own Son on our behalf, God is prepared
to be friends with us. This is difficult to comprehend when one considers
that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself..." (2 Cor. 5:19)
But verse 18 helps us with the words, "God... hath reconciled us to Himself
by Jesus Christ, and hath given to US the MINISTRY of reconciliation." While
it is true that God Himself conceived the plan of redemption, it was Calvary
that opened the way for sinners to return to Him. In effect, God has granted
an amnesty to human rebels, and reconciliation only takes place when we are
"planted together in the likeness of His (Christ's) death..." (Rom. 6:5).
As there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1),
all who have availed themselves of God's amnesty discover that God has said,
"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
Q. I'm with you thus far, but where does the resurrection come in?
A. Only the resurrection can prove conclusively that our sins have been put
away for ever. You see, the wages of sin is death, but through His resurrection
Christ has shown that death's power over man has been broken. Therefore God
"hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead"
(Acts 17:31). And again, "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains
of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it" (Acts
2:24).
Q. But others have risen from the dead, for the Bible tells us about them.
How is Christ's resurrection different from theirs?
A. The great difference is this, that all others who were raised from the
dead died again. But Christ rose from the dead with complete power over the
grave, and it has never been able to claim Him again. This is what marks
Him out from all others as the only Saviour. Other men have claimed to be
saviours of mankind, but the fact that they have not risen from the dead
openly declares that they have never overcome death's power. As the scripture
I have just quoted says, death could not hold HIM. If He had broken His way
out of it, then we are not yet justified, but He settled every legal claim
that the law had upon us, and death had no power to hold Him. And Jesus is
the only one, among those who have risen from the dead, who has remained
alive. Not only this, but He triumphed over death and made an open show of
the principalities and powers ruling the domain of death (Col. 2:15). By
this resurrection power of His He gives eternal salvation, and it will also
ensure the resurrection of every believer on the Great Day. This is why the
Old Testament offering of a lamb for sin had to be displaced - the offering
could produce forgiveness, hut not eternal life, because the creature never
conquered death.
Q. I have never heard such things before. Why don't we hear more preaching
about the resurrection?
A. I suppose a lot will depend on which church services you go to. In Acts
1:22 a man could qualify as an apostle only if he had been an eye-witness
of the resurrected Christ. You can see how important the resurrection was
considered to be by the early Christians. And certainly it is no less the
keynote today of effective witnessing, namely, that we can testify of His
resurrection power in our lives. Acts 4:33 repeats, "And with great power
gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great
grace was upon them all."
Q. How is this resurrection power to be manifested in believers?
A. We need to be able to produce evidence to an unbelieving world that Jesus
is ALIVE. It is one thing to believe the facts of the case (and they are
reliable enough, particularly as He was seen alive by over five hundred reliable
witnesses), but it's quite another thing to have personal experience of the
LIVING Christ. The primary evidence of this, of course, is His work of salvation,
and, second, the doing of His works through us. With regard to salvation,
note the terms of Romans 10:9, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth that
Jesus is Lord (and nothing less than that), and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." How can one
believe in the heart, the place of conviction, without dealings with the
living Christ? This is where vital Christianity commences. It is God who
shows us that, Christ is alive by giving us the Spirit of His Son; and when
the Spirit takes up residence within us, He further evidences who He is by
the cry, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15 & Gal. 4:6). This is the believer's
personal evidence of the resurrected Christ and of having received His life,
eternal life. But we must not stop there, for others need the evidence, too;
and for this reason the Lord Jesus said, "He that believeth on Me, the works
that I do shall he do also... and whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that
will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:12,13).
To show Himself alive, He is desirous of continuing His ministry through
His people.
Q. Ah, but lust a mo! Won't there also come false signs and wonders? Isn't
it safer not to pursue this line?
A. It is not a "line", but His life! The devil is quick to imitate and
counterfeit all true works of God. But this should not make us afraid of
the true, nor provide a timid Christian with an excuse to escape his
responsibility. What a victory for Satan that would be! And that is his whole
tactic, of course. Now let me sum up for you. Two kinds of power are available
to God's people to prove His resurrection to our generation. The first is
mentioned in John 1:12: "As many as received Him, to them gave He POWER
(authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."
This is the inward work of salvation which each individual must experience
for himself. The second is in Acts 1:8: "Ye shall receive POWER (dynamic,
ability, might), after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses UNTO Me..." That little word "unto" carries with it a challenge,
and you will see what is meant by it in Acts 3, when Peter and John went
into the temple at the hour of prayer. There sat a beggar, lame from birth,
and the two apostles did for him what Jesus would have done had He been there.
Peter and John became witnesses UNTO Jesus, and not only witnesses OF Jesus.
The lame man did not experience the power of Peter or John, but the power
of the resurrected Christ. That is why the early Church was so effective.
Q. I'm having such trouble with guidance. Can you help me?
A. Before doing anything else, let me comfort and encourage you. You are
not alone in your problem. Most Christians not only strike the problem, but
many have it as a continual one. Some of the greatest saints of God have
written about it, and if you read what is written in Acts 16:6,7, you will
be heartened to see that the great missionary-apostle Paul also had problems,
for when he thought he would be doing God's will by visiting two places with
the gospel, God's Spirit had to redirect him.
Q. But at least the Spirit redirected him! Is there no solution to this
problem for me? for I lust seem to draw a blank.
A. Well, let's turn to the Word, and, as always, the answer will be found
by searching. The biggest problem over guidance is not how God is going to
communicate His will to us, but the preparation of our own hearts to receive
His direction. My own experience has been that, when I take care to prepare
my heart the way in which God has shown it should be done, the communicating
of His will is relatively simple.
Q. Simple! I pray and worry, worry and pray, but still see no result.
A. I did not say simple, but relatively simple. It is very clear from your
last statement that you are going about finding guidance in quite the wrong
way. Let's kick off with Romans 12:1,2. The second verse concludes by saying,
"... that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God." It does not say that you will hear a voice, or find a text glaring
at you, or see lights flashing on and off, but rather that you will be able
to discern God's will by its very characteristics.
Q. Wait! wait! Where's that verse which says that you would hear a voice
behind you saying, "This is the way"?
A. You will find that verse in Isaiah 30:21, and when we have read it you
will see how different it is from what you thought, and I hope this will
be a good lesson to you not to guess at what your Bible says. Eve made a
big enough mess doing just that! It reads, "And thine ears shall hear a word
behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the
right hand, and when ye turn to the left." A quick glance at Joshua 1:7,
and similar scriptures, will show us that to "turn to the right hand, and...
to the left", means turning OUT of the way. This is exactly what happened
to Paul, when he would have otherwise gone the wrong way. But when you are
walking in the right way there is no need to expect to hear anything.
Q. I see. Can we get back to Romans 12 again now?
A. To prove the will of God, a minimum of five things is demanded by way
of preparation. The first one is probably the toughest, for it says, "...
present your bodies a living sacrifice". This is more easily understood when
you realise the importance of the body to your whole person. By surrendering
your will to God you have given an inward assent, but have not yet fought
through the opposition which will be raised by the body in a host of ways.
While our spirits agree with God, the body takes a lot of convincing that
God's will for it is good, acceptable and perfect. It's one thing for the
captain of a vessel to hand over to the pilot, but what about the crew? They
might still mutiny! When we present our body, therefore, we present our all.
The first step, then, having submitted the body to the Lord, is to put aside
personal preferences. When my wife was single and seeking God's will about
marriage, she used to pray, "Lord, please choose the right man for me, but
don't let it be one of those Clark brothers!" But once this resistance was
let go, and she could pray, "You make the decision, Lord, even if it is one
of the Clark brothers", then revelation soon followed, of course! Ahem! I
suppose a good ninety-five per cent of the difficulty over divine guidance
is this problem of eradicating self-interest. In our limited experience we
think we know best, and our wilfulness becomes the main ingredient of our
confusion.
Q. I can see that, but how do you go about eradicating self-interest?
I could say to God something similar to what your wife said, yet not mean
it with all my heart.
A. Exactly! That's why it is so tough. The mind can hop from one side of
the fence to the other very easily, only to recant at each crisis. In short,
the heart must TURN. It is very similar to repentance. The unfailing way
to handle this is to see the matter through with God in prayer, dealing with
one's own desires and resistance at the cross, until we can look up without
hypocrisy and say, "Thy will be done, 0 God." Dr. Torrey Johnson tells of
such a crisis in his early Christian experience, when he felt that God was
calling him to Africa as a missionary. His own will was distinctly opposed
to this call, but he could not get peace until he thrashed the matter out
with God, alone. Finally, after a tremendous battle, his heart turned and
he was willing to go. Immediately, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that God
had a work for him at home, not in Africa; and this was soon evident when
he became the founder of Youth for Christ, which swept into eighty-three
countries in a remarkably short space of time. You can readily see that,
knowing such a testimony, if you were called to Africa, you could not shake
it off by praying, "All right. Lord. I'll go to Africa!" The heart alone
must come to the place of perfect willingness.
Q. No wonder I haven't experienced this guidance. What's the next step?
A. The next step is equally important, though not as difficult. The verse
goes on to say, "holy". This means to be both cleansed and set apart to God.
One of the most dangerous things you can do, when seeking guidance, is to
play with sin. It lays you wide open to any twist imaginable away from God's
will, either by your own thoughts, by friends' advice or by satanic prompting.
Q. How do you tell the difference between all these "voices" and God?
A. When it is coming from your own mind it has usually to do with something
which will be "too good to be true", and will only have self-interest at
heart, suitably appeased by a dash of something for others. Your friends
will advise you in as many different ways as their number. Satan's directions
are usually delivered in a wrapping of doubt. This is why he has to send
his "guidance" again and again, as if brain-washing you into doing something.
But God - His guidance is clear and carries with it such assurance that you
know what you have to do. God speaks once and with authority, though He is
prepared to confirm His word to you. In all things, there is one matter which
you should watch carefully, and that is to pay heed to any dispeace in your
spirit. even if the guidance looks ever so right. "When in doubt, leave it
out", they used to say. Remember that God is never in a hurry, for He always
prepares well in advance, and therefore you can afford to wait until you
are sure. Don't forget what we were saying about holiness, for it is a vital
part of guidance preparation. Holiness brings us onto God's wavelength, whereas
sin causes spiritual atmospherics and jamming. Sin must be dealt with.
Q. Should I never accept guidance if I am conscious of sin in my life?
A. Yes, but only one kind, and that is guidance to repent. Let's go on now
to the next thing: "acceptable unto God". The word "acceptable" in the original
means "well-pleasing". What is well-pleasing to God? When the thing we desire
to do is centred in His glory, because it comes from Him. This means that
motives are the next thing to deal with. David wanted to build a temple to
God's glory, but the thought did not come from God, for He was planning that
Solomon should do it. To die to all that emanates from self and also to all
that self craves, and to take up the cross instead - this is indeed well-
pleasing to God. No one so pleased the Father as His own beloved Son Jesus,
and you will note the tremendous struggle He had in Gethsemane, namely, in
subjecting His will to the Father's will, regarding bearing our sins. It
could never be the will of Jesus to "become sin for us", for such is contrary
to His whole nature, but it was the Father's will that He should do just
this, to save us. As Jesus triumphs over His own will, we hear Him pray,
"Father... not my will, but Thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). What is our motive
for guidance? Do we desire our own good, or God's glory and the good of others?
You can discern for yourself which is well-pleasing to God.
Q. Won't this mean that all my desires are going to go to the ash heap?
A. On the contrary, it will mean that your life will come through, gradually,
into the glorious fullness which God planned for you when He made you. Self
must die, without question, but Christ will live in you instead. This is
probably why the fourth directive given in Romans 12:2 is, "be not conformed
to this world". It is very easy to conform to human patterns, and even religious
or evangelical patterns. Because others have done something a certain way,
we tend to think this to be the only way. But if we are to know the will
of God, we have to come out of the accepted groove, so that God can reveal
Himself, or His way. This is strikingly seen in what happened to Joshua when
he led the children of Israel over Jordan and into the promised land. Previously,
in the wilderness, they had fought several battles, and no doubt this was
strongly moulding the pattern of Joshua's thinking as to how they would fight
the nations in Palestine. But before he ever started on the first city, Jericho,
the captain of the Lord's host met him and guided him on God's strategy for
the overthrow of that impregnable city. The guidance looked "silly" from
a warrior's point of view. It did not conform to experience! And note, never
again did the captain of the Lord's host use that strategy. This can be tough
for us, too, for we find a kind of security in doing things the way they
have always been done. The groove also minimises criticism. until we fail!
Q. I follow, but how can one get the "battle orders" clearly?
A. The fifth instruction helps us right here. Romans 12:2 continues, "but
be ye transformed by the renewing of your MIND". This will take adequate
care of our ruts. The noteworthy thing is the method: renewal of the mind.
This takes place through continued waiting upon God in His Word, and by prayer.
Our imaginative thoughts change, but He has made up His mind. As we continue
to wait upon God daily, His mind and ways are revealed, and the Holy Spirit
is well able to take portions of the Word and witness them to us, specifically
for our circumstances or task. Ephesians 4:23 talks about being "renewed
in the spirit of your mind". The spirit is our inner man, and it is from
the inner man, or heart, that the mind is fed with thoughts, whether good
or ill (Matt. 15:19). Now, as we wait upon God in His Word and prayer, we
will experience this renewal of knowledge and direction.
Q. How stupid I've been about guidance. Is the reference in Romans 12
the only one about this subject?
A. No. The other major portion on the subject is found in Isaiah 58. Again,
you will see that it has to do with preparation of the heart, so that guidance
may be given. We shall only look at the headlines and you can do your homework
later! "If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke (that which links
you to the world and your own will), the putting forth of the finger (which
signifies accusing others and working out God's will for them, like Peter
did in John 21:21,22), and speaking vanity (vanity means emptiness and reflects
an empty heart which has not been renewed with divine knowledge); And if
thou draw out thy soul to the hungry (this points us away from ourselves
and our selfish desires, to the needs of the needy), and satisfy the afflicted
soul (which brings our usefulness in God's will into a ministry with an outflow
of love and deliverance to an afflicted world around us); then... the Lord
shall guide thee continually..." (vs. 9-11). In addition, verse 9 opens with
the secret to answered prayer by stating, "Then thou shalt call, and the
Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am."
Q. I've been so far off target, but what you have shown me is going to
take a long time to get working properly in my life. Is there no way of not
going astray, in the meantime?
A. Oh, yes! God has not forgotten that it takes time for us to mature in
anything. 1 will share with you one of my favourite Bible verses, which is
Proverbs 16:9, "A man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his
steps." While we are trying to see over the horizon, God is carefully planning
our next step. Jeremiah knew this when he cried, "O Lord, I know that the
way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his
steps" (10:23). Don't be afraid, beware of stubbornness, and trust God. He
will bring His will to pass.
Q. We hear a lot about love these days, and yet so much seems distorted.
How can you really define love?
A. Your question is very broad. You realise, I am sure, that there are several
kinds of love. There is "mother love", which is generally considered to be
the purest form of human love. This would be because we can quickly discern
that it is almost free of selfish interest and contains the important ingredient
of true love, which is sacrifice. A mother will sacrifice her very life,
if necessary, for the child she loves. Then there is the kind of love which
is the direct product of romance, and this has to mature into sacrificial
love, otherwise it is not likely to endure. There are other definitions of
love, as you are well aware, but the climax of love is God Himself. Love,
in essence, is not a thing apart, but is essentially part of the character
of the Lover, and that person is God - the God who became the perfect sacrifice.
Q. Why the insistence upon sacrifice as an essential quality of love?
A. Because it is sacrifice that makes real love tick. Love's centre is never
selfish desire, but self-denial. Love is not something one looks for, but
something one gives. The oft-heard cry of "nobody loves me" is merely an
echo of self-pity. Such people who "long to be loved" should reverse the
process and begin to SHOW love, instead of waiting for it to be shown, for
that is the way it works. We also need to distinguish between love and
infatuation. Many marriages crack up simply because they were built on a
mutual infatuation. Unless love can take over in such situations, with mutual
sacrifice and respect, the marriage will be doomed, or will become a mere
endurance test!
Q. Well, how could love solve marital problems in a practical way?
A. The Holy Spirit gave the greatest definition of love in Paul's first letter
to the Corinthians, chapter 13. In this exhaustive definition He states,
"Love suffereth long, AND is kind... doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil... beareth all things,
believeth all things... endureth all things." Apply this to any marriage,
or even to an ordinary friendship, and it will mean that the faults and
idiosyncrasies of the person loved will not be recognised, for love has the
ability to scale all such stumbling blocks. That's why it is said that love
is blind. One of the greatest qualities of love is that it never fails, no
matter how it is tested.
Q. All right, but what if love in a marriage has already died?
A. This is a very big problem, not only prevalent in our time, but, sad to
say, on the increase. The Bible gives what I believe to be the only answer,
in Ephesians 5:25- "Husbands, love your wives." To say that love has died
is really an anomaly, because true love cannot die or fail. Hence this command
to love, and that not in any mechanical sense. The verse quoted above goes
on to say that the husband should love his wife as Christ loved the Church,
and laid down His life for it. Again - sacrifice! Because love is a command,
it can be obeyed in any circumstances, especially when jabbed into action
by the pin of humility. The pride of "I am right" is one of the biggest
obstacles. Once the command is obeyed it is relatively easy for affection
and romance to return. But this love that Paul is speaking about to the Ephesians
is what the Greeks called AGAPE.
Q. What on earth is that?
A. It is that kind of love which has to do with the character of a person
rather than with their feelings. I mean, when you "fall in love" with someone,
there is no difficulty in loving that person. Your emotions are affected
in that direction and you like them. It is easy to love those whom you like!
But this AGAPE love rises above our feelings, enabling us to do the loving
thing for those whom we do not like, yes, even to our worst enemy. This is
bigger than emotion - it is character. Emotion will range itself against
an enemy, but not love. Love will even sacrifice itself to win an enemy.
Q. But who can do that? You're only theorising!
A. It is true to say that this is something too big for the ordinary human
nature to handle. However, don't despair, for there is an answer. God, who
is the sole proprietor of this AGAPE love, entered the human race in the
form of the person that history knows as Jesus Christ, and demonstrated this
love in the most eloquent way. Apart from what was seen of that love, during
His life and ministry, in endless compassion, it shone forth in its full
lustre at the cross, and particularly when Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do." On the cross Jesus had become the
sacrifice for sin, the sin of his enemies, so that whoever of them believed
could find eternal life.
Q. But God loves sinners, anyway, even if He hates their sin.
A. Let me correct that! Psalm 7.11 says, "God is angry with the wicked every
day", whereas Psalm 5:5 says, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity." This
expresses God's emotions about sinners, and they are not very affectionate.
If you are going to say, all in one sentence, "God hates sin and loves the
sinner", then you must qualify the statement. Hatred is an emotion, and God
hates the heart that churns out the evil as much as He hates the evil. God
does not love sinners affectionately, until saved by His grace. But He does
love the world of sinners with AGAPE love, for God is love, and has proved
this by doing the loving thing and sending His only Son to redeem these very
sinners to Himself by the shedding of His blood. We can rely on God's love,
because, like Himself, it can never change.
Q. Wonderful! But this still doesn't mean that human beings can love this
way.
A. You've forgotten something. You are correct if you say that this agape
love cannot spring from our old nature, but Romans 5:5 declares, "... the
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given
unto us." When one is born again of the Holy Spirit and receives a new nature,
the Holy Spirit is able to pour out (shed abroad) God's love through that
person into any situation. This is what marks the true Christian. The apostle
John was so emphatic about this that he says a man who does not possess this
love is not a Christian (1 John 4:20).
Q. That means, then, that a lot of church members are not Christians.
How some of them fight!
A. The Scripture agrees with you. John wrote much about this in his first
Epistle, and went as far as to say in 1 John 3:14 that the possession of
this love was one of the signs of our having eternal life. Then again, in
chapter four verse eight, John affirms, "He who does not love has not become
acquainted with God - does not and never did know Him; for God is love" (Amp.).
This is why Jesus was so emphatic that the obvious sign to unbelievers that
we are His disciples would be the love we had for each other. Then comes
the knockout punch when John states, "In this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of
God, neither he that loveth not his brother" (3:10).
Q. Does that mean that Christians should never disagree about anything?
What about all these denominations?
A. No, for you will read of some pretty hot exchanges evident in the Book
of Acts. But, at the same time, it shows that there was also such love among
them that they were able to resolve their differences and preserve spiritual
unity. This never means compromise, nor keeping silent on basic issues. You
see, each one of us is at a different point of understanding concerning God's
revelation, so the standard should never be set by what we know individually.
This is what has produced so many denominations. We need to listen to what
God has revealed to others, that we may grow more speedily in Christ, and,
even if we cannot agree with each other, divine love is strong enough to
hold us together until such time as there is unity of knowledge and revelation.
This is how the Holy Spirit can bring about accord between Christians; but,
when we leave love out, party-spirit is fostered.
Q. How can we set about getting unity among Christians when we seem to
be so hopelessly divided?
A. By returning to the only basis for unity. Again it is John who tells us
(1 John 1:3) that our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus
Christ. At the moment our "fellowships" are constituted according to doctrines.
All birds of the same doctrinal feather get together! What a carnal thing
this is, and what destruction it has wrought! The uniting factor for Cod's
people is not based on truths about God but on God Himself. If we are truly
born again of God's Spirit, it is because God has sent the Spirit of His
Son into our hearts. Christ cannot be divided. Every believer is therefore
bound to love every other believer as a brother, and to allow no division
whatever. We have not done this. Where there is disagreement on the doctrine,
let prayer and instruction take care of that in time, but the basis for unity
must essentially be that of life and love - God's life and God's love.
Q. Good! But what about the matter of loving God Himself? I can't say
I always feel that I love God. Why is this?
A. Emotions are very wonderful things, but they are subject to fluctuation.
We should understand that. Because they are like this, emotions are not a
guide but a means of expression. The Word of God is the guide, especially
to experience. For example, you may have an aggravating problem to which
there seems no solution. In your dilemma you call upon the Lord, and He answers
you and brings about a wonderful solution. You will probably become so elated
at this deliverance that for some time you feel as if you are "walking on
air". You feel that God is with you, and you could love Him for ever. But
as day follows day, and circumstances change, so do your feelings, and you
begin to think that God has forsaken you. Satan is quick to take advantage
of these feelings and begins to accuse and condemn you, until you may even
wonder if you are saved at all! The Word of God is greater than your feelings,
at such a time, and boldly assures, "I will never, no, never, forsake thee,
nor fail thee." As you believe the truth and again rest on its certainty,
faith will rise once more and, as you praise God, so will your feelings rise,
too.
Q. Thanks for that! But what do you do when you feel "dead" towards God?
Do you know what I mean? You can't even raise a "Hallelujah", even though
you believe!
A. Yes, I know what you mean, for I've been through it, too. It is generally
because we have settled down into the natural, and need to get back into
the spiritual. Meditation in the Word and seeking God in prayer, plus obedience,
will make this possible. Some people tell me that they feel their prayers
do not rise higher than the ceiling. They quickly see their stupidity when
I reply, "That's fine, for the Lord is below the ceiling, with you in the
room." But, referring back to your question, remember God's command, "Thou
shalt love (agape) the Lord thy God with all thine heart", etc. It is a command!
Because the Holy Spirit has shed His love in us, we must exercise it and,
feelings apart, show our love to Him through obedience. That is why Jesus
said, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." By putting this love into operation,
you will find your heart warmed again, not only towards Him but also towards
others. Love which is motivated only by feelings shows itself to be immature.
There is a warning, though - that obedience should never be cold. Let us
obey, not because we have to but because we want to!
Q. Why do we have to have collections in church?
A. Collections are only what some people consider to be a convenient system.
The real subject to consider, if I may say so, is the subject of GIVING.
Q. Why are there so many excuses and humorous skits about collections?
A. Giving is such a wonderful part of the Christian life, that I have always
felt it a pity that some Christian leaders seem to consider it a necessary
evil. Money has become a sore point with many, and the Scripture also warns
that the love of it is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). If Christian leaders
have the attitude of begging for money, I suppose this is what promotes the
red-faced and tongue-in-cheek remarks that one so often hears. And these
remarks, it seems to me, serve only to cheapen what should be a very privileged
stewardship.
Q. Big words! But why should we have to give at all in church matters?
A. Do you mean that you never stop to think? How do you send a missionary
overseas without paying his fare for some form of transport? I know that
the evangelist Philip "found himself at Azotus", but this was the only time,
as far as we know, when God personally arranged a free airlift for one of
His servants. Fares cost money. The missionary lives on food, and this also
costs money. He has to buy clothes with money. The money has to come from
somewhere. Mind you, some of the ardent appeals we hear are hardly conducive
to either faith or giving. Such low-level appeals are nauseating. Perhaps
it is because some of God's children are ignorant of what He says in the
Bible about giving, that they seldom experience the privilege. The entire
church programme, pastoral and evangelistic, costs money, and the Bible has
taken care of how this should be handled.
Q. What! Does the Bible speak about collections?
A. Only once; but it carries many instructions about giving. The only reference
to some sort of collection is found in 1 Corinthians 16:2, "Upon the first
day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered
him, that there be no gatherings ("collections", in the Greek) when I come."
The order is a good one. Paul recommended to them, or commanded them, to
give regularly every week towards a gift for the poor saints in Jerusalem
so that it would be all ready when he arrived. He did not want to be dragging
it out of them when he came, for he was afraid of covetousness. He knew it
would be better for them to be giving steadily as unto the Lord, rather than
that they should come under sudden pressure from appeals for cash. The difference
is significant, for if all God's people learned to give regularly we would
not have this embarrassing pressure so often applied from platforms or pulpits.
Thank God, I have visited congregations where they practise regular giving,
and there is always ample for all needs. In this way, giving is elevated
to that grand level where it is a relationship of love and devotion between
the Christian and his Lord.
Q. Does God only command giving so that His Church can keep going?
A. Oh no. The early church cost nothing to run, because it was not an
institution. The money given was used to house and feed the believers in
persecution conditions, and to send others forth with the gospel. But there
is another important reason. Giving delivers you to a marked extent from
covetousness and self-centredness. The self-centred person is slowly destroying
his whole life, and as he continues the speed increases. The God- centred
person cannot help but give, for it is in the very nature of God to give
and give again. Giving is also a good practical way to expand the inner capacity
of your own soul. Then there is something else which Jesus said, namely,
"It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
Q. But I like receiving gifts and presents. Do you mean to say that giving
is better?
A. Oh, yes! But you will have to experience it before you will finally agree.
This is one of those things which is "better felt than telt"! Whenever you
give, it opens up something deep inside and brings you into a new area of
liberty. In 1 Chronicles 29:9 we observe, "Then the people rejoiced, for
that they offered willingly... and David the king also rejoiced with great
joy." But see now Nehemiah 12:43, "Also that day they offered great sacrifices,
and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also
and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar
off." The whole family becomes happy when it stops demanding and starts giving.
Q. Uh-huh! But what if I don't give?
A. You will discover that a process of leanness begins to permeate all your
life. Proverbs 11:24,25 says, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth;
and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered
also himself." This is a divine principle which cannot be altered. The Bible
is God's book of instructions on how to live properly, and it shows us in
2 Corinthians 9:6, "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." It is a true
principle which farmers understand very well, but Paul was writing this to
believers on how they should give, so that they might reap a better harvest.
Q. But hearing this makes me want to give so as to be able to receive
more. Isn't that wrong?
A. I will grant you that motives are a dodgy point, but sometimes the issue
gets unnecessarily complicated by well-meaning advisers. Let's try and see
the answer to your question from God's point of view. In Luke 6:38 Jesus
said, "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."
It looks as if Jesus threw the matter of motives to the winds, until you
stop to realise that it always costs you to give. This will immediately safeguard
your motive. The more you give, the wider you will find God's hand opened
to you in return, and at the same time you will find yourself being freed
from covetousness. I would advise you to forget about the fear of wrong motives,
if they are stopping you from giving, and rather get on with obedience. You
will find that God's laws are never harmful, when acted upon. He does warn,
however, against making a display of giving.
Q. I see. How much should I give? Does the Bible give hints on this?
A. That verse we looked at earlier in 1 Corinthians 16 said, "as God hath
prospered" That is limitless according to the largeness of your own heart.
During the period of the Old Testament we see in Malachi 3:8-12 that the
Israelites were required to tithe their income, apart from the cost of the
sacrifice of animals. They had to give a tenth of what they earned to the
work of the Lord, as well as what they needed to give the state by way of
taxes. If they could do all this under law, we should regard this as being
our absolute minimum. I once heard a Christian businessman call this the
believer's "precipice line", and urge his hearers to get up into the "promised
land" of giving!
Q. A tenth? What should that be reckoned on?
A. Most agree that it should be reckoned on your net wages or salary, after
deduction of taxes, but before considering private expenses or living costs,
or, if you run your own business, it should be reckoned on your taxed net
profits. But let me make it quite clear that in the New Testament there is
no law in the matter. However, this does not provide us with an escape, but
it does eliminate bondage. The subject of giving is a measuring stick for
our genuine love for the Lord. Proverbs 3:9,10 expresses this exactly, "HONOUR
the Lord with thy substance... So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,
and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." Meanness is a personality
destroyer, whereas liberality, especially towards the Lord, produces a wonderful
liberty within. I suppose this is why God loves the cheerful giver (2 Cor.
9:7).
Q. To whom shall I give?
A. Basically, as 1 Corinthians 16:2 indicated, our giving should commence
in the assembly or church with which we are connected. But the instructions
go beyond that realm, for Paul told the Galatians (6:6), "When anyone is
under instruction in the faith, he should give his teacher a share of all
good things he has" (NEB). The direction given Timothy was, "Elders who do
well as leaders should be reckoned worthy of a double stipend, in particular
those who labour at preaching and teaching" (1 Tim. 5:17 NEB). We also need
to help missionary societies, evangelistic efforts, etc., to which the Lord
may direct us to give. What we give belongs to Him, and therefore Christians
should take time to wait upon the Lord for His directions as to where the
gifts should be given.
Q. But what if my cost of living is too high for me to be able to give
at least a tenth?
A. This indicates that an urgent change is necessary in the way you are handling
your finances! The prophet Haggai has what could be just the word for you
in his first chapter, where he showed Israel that it was their lack of giving,
or not putting first God's programme, which was the root cause of their high
cost of living. Experience has shown me that when I give priority to God's
programme, and His kingdom, then He gives priority to my own needs. We can
illustrate this principle in what Elijah told the poor widow who had got
down to her very last supply. He said, "Fear not; go and do as thou has said:
but make me (as God's representative) a little cake first... For thus saith
the Lord ... The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse
of oil fail" (1 Kings 17:13,14). No one is going to experience God's endless
supply until they put God first. The widow was down to her last, which put
her face to face with a test of faith and love to God, but she obeyed and
never ran short.
Q. But does God always do it that way?
A. Not always. It depends who He is dealing with, and also the quality of
the blessing He would give them. We spoke about motives and their correction.
This was amply taken care of in that widow's case. The rich often miss this
great privilege! But now let me bring you into another secret concerning
giving. Jesus uttered some amazing words once - "Give alms of such things
as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you (Luke 11:41). Having
said this, He immediately contrasted this with the legal way in which the
Pharisees religiously tithed even the tiniest things they received, but because
of the hardness of their hearts they missed the two big principles of judgement
and mercy. If the love of money is the root of all evil, then you can see
why giving away alms becomes a cleanser of the heart. It gets at the root!
Q. I suppose I should give to missionaries, but, honestly, I have no real
interest in their work.
A. If you really want to have an interest in missions, take the advice of
Jesus in Luke 12:34, "... where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also." If you are going to wait until you are really interested, it is like
trying to get somewhere by walking in the opposite direction. Start giving,
and you will soon find your heart opening up in that direction.
Q. Hmf! Can't win, can I? Is that the lot?
A. No, there is one more thing we should tackle. It is a question you have
not asked; neither did I. In fact, I have not met anyone who did. And it
seems that no one asked it of Jesus. It is the big question, "How much should
we keep for ourselves ?" Jesus drew attention to it through a very telling
incident in Luke 21:1-4, near the end of His ministry here. He was in the
temple teaching when suddenly He looked up and saw the rich men casting their
gifts into the temple treasury. Although he saw the men, He did not seem
to take notice of the amounts they were putting in. Then a desperately poor
widow came by, who had only a mere pittance left, but she cast it ALL in.
How deeply the words of His comment bite - "... but she of her penury hath
cast in all the LIVING that she had"! If ever you are tempted to think you
are giving too much to the Lord and His work, I suggest you ask yourself
the same question that I have to ask myself, in the light of such a proportion
of giving.
Q. Help! help! I feel as if I'm slowly sinking with a deflated lifebelt!
A. Which could mean that at least you are holding on to something. But why
is it letting you down? Have you grabbed a straw instead of a plank?
Q. Well, it's like this: I've always thought that every Bible promise
was for me, now that I'm a Christian. I've been claiming some recently, but
they don't work! Why?
A. A lot depends on which promises you've been trying to claim, and what
you have been doing with them. A recent count by an accredited Bible scholar
put the number of Bible promises at about 8,800. Some of these are general
and therefore available to anyone, whereas most are specific. As God's dealings
with us are by grace, we cannot claim specific promises until they are given
to us.
Q. What do you mean? In Sunday school we used to sing', "Every promise
in the Book is mine." Are they not all for everyone?
A. How could they be? God said to Abraham, "I will make of thee a great nation."
Would you say that each person in our churches, which would mean many millions
of believers, should take that promise? God promised Solomon that he would
be the wisest king of all time and the richest in his day. Do you feel that
is for you? God promised King Saul that he would die the next day in battle;
I suppose you would rather skip that one! God promised Paul that he would
witness before Caesar. Could you claim its fulfilment for yourself, seeing
there are no more Caesars? And at least two of the Bible's promises were
made by Satan--
Q. All right - stop! I get your point. But now I am thoroughly confused.
Which promises may I take?
A. Firstly, you may freely take hold of any promise which God has made available
to all. For instance, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved", or, "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become
the sons of God", or, "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life," etc. With such promises, and many like them, God
throws the door wide open to all, and especially when He said, "Ask, and
it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you" (Luke 11:9).
Q. Why don't all get saved, then; and why do some have such a struggle?
A. Because these general promises all have qualifying conditions. While it
says "whosoever shall call", many will not call upon God with all their heart.
Though God says "whosoever believeth", it is just at that point that many
fail through unbelief. The rich young ruler sought salvation, but stumbled
and fell over his love for his possessions. He therefore short-circuited
the power of the promise from being fulfilled, though it was within a handbreadth
of his grasp. God's promises are not automatic buttons, waiting for our
convenience. Asking, seeking and knocking presupposes diligent waiting upon
God. Many avoid this because it is irksome to the flesh to wait.
Q. If there are so many "problems" with general promises, what hope is
there for the specific ones?
A. Secondly, then, the Holy Spirit may take any of the remaining promises,
positive or negative, in or out of context, and give them to you for particular
use, as HE chooses, even if that promise was written specifically for someone
else. Hebrews 11:33 explains that Old Testament men of God, among other acts
of faith, "obtained promises". Abraham, for instance, won a battle against
his doubts, fears and unbelief in the face of completely hopeless circumstances,
and God promised him a son. He then accepted God's promise as an established
fact before there was any evidence of the answer, and God was deeply gratified
with such faith. But Abraham also obtained a promise from God for believers
in our day (as Paul explains in Galatians 3:14). He did not personally
participate in this promise: yet it was to Abraham, nevertheless, that God
promised that He would make available this blessing to every family on the
earth through the Holy Spirit. But when there is no general promise, we must
seek another from the Lord; and to answer our request the Holy Spirit may
take whichever part of the Bible He chooses, and give it to us.
Q. But how do you know when He does this? Isn't that dangerous? Can't
you bluff yourself into such? I heard of someone once who --
A. Hold it! When the Holy Spirit gives you a promise, that promise will always
come with the "witness of the Spirit", or, stated more simply, with "much
assurance". That means that the promise is given with such power that all
doubts and nagging questions are expelled and you KNOW it is God's will and
plan for you.
Q. Uh huh! Could you give me an example of this?
A. Many! I was talking to a Christian farmer who told me that he had looked
out over his potato field that season and thought he would leave it for a
week or two before harvesting. But as he was meditating in the Word that
morning concerning the commandment God gave Joshua to go in and possess the
land, the Holy Spirit began to impress him to lift his potatoes that same
day and get them to market immediately. The "witness" was so strong that
he dared not ignore it. So he got busy straight away, gathered the lot and
sent them off to market, where they realised a good price. Three days after,
there was a slump in potato prices, which remained for a very long time.
God thus saved His servant from a severe financial loss.
Q. Wow! That's marvellous! Where's my Bible?
A. Yes, I thought so! And Satan is waiting for people like you! Start scratching
around for texts, and you're heading for trouble and self-deceit. John Baptist
said, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John
3:27). My farmer friend could not use the same promise while looking over
his neighbour's fence, could he? Another thing - if you grab texts, or promises,
and they are not fulfilled, you are no better than a false prophet. This
is serious business. One more example. At the end of Exodus 15:26, God said,
"I am the Lord that healeth thee." Many have run aground on that promise.
Q. Go on! I want to know about that promise, for so many are talking about
it these days.
A. This promise was made specifically to Israel on the ground of four stringent
conditions. Only Israelites, therefore, may invoke it freely - within those
conditions, of course. Nevertheless, if someone is sick and is seeking God
for help, the Holy Spirit may (and often does) quicken this promise to the
seeker in such a way that the promise becomes personally effective for healing,
even though it was written specifically to Israel. But until God gives it
in this way, the promise will remain sealed off and ineffective. To persuade
believers that Exodus 15:26 is for them, without this witness, is no different
from hanging up a carrot in front of a donkey saddled with a load. The donkey
may jerk after the carrot but will not lose its load.
Q. Thanks for that! Does the same apply to New Testament promises?
A. We are dealing with the same God in both Testaments! As Christ is the
mediator of a better covenant, however, we therefore have better promises.
Any true believer may receive any promise made to "those who believe", except
where ministries are involved. I mean, no one may presume to operate a ministry
until it is given to him, even if he has experienced certain manifestations
of God's working. But come back to Romans 6:14; every believer is here promised,
"Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but
under grace." This is promised to every believer who will yield his body
to God for righteousness. By the way, has it become your experience yet?
Jesus promised His disciples, "Ye shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit
coming upon you" (Acts 1:8 margin). This was a general promise to the whole
church, but has it become your personal possession yet?
Q. I understand now. I've got lots of homework to do. Any last word on
the subject?
A. Yes. Before you start looking for special promises, I suggest that you
seek God for the fulfilment of what He has promised the Church generally
- for example, those mentioned in my previous answer -and then you will find
more personal promises about your life and guidance being given as they are
needed. Perhaps I should put it this way - "For whosoever hath, to him shall
be given, and he shall have more abundance" (Matt. 13:12). You will have
noticed that this itself is a promise. When God commanded Joshua to possess
the promised land, He gave no details; but once Joshua launched out in obedience
to the general promise already given, God supplied numerous other promises
and directions as they were needed. You will find it best to follow the same
pattern. May I repeat? Don't try to steal promises that are not yet yours!
Q. My friends and I have been discussing the "new morality" which is even
creeping into some churches. What do you feel about it?
A. We'd better start by getting our terms right. Morality is unchangeable
and cannot be made new, any more than it could become old. Two plus two makes
four, and no "new arithmetic" can change that. So, whatever anyone may say
on the subject of sex, the God who made it has given His rules for its conduct;
and God does not change His mind, nor does He need to, for He is truth.
Q. You are not going to be so old-fashioned, are you? We have to move
with the times, you know!
A. Is that so? Then I'm not ashamed to be classed as "old-fashioned" regarding
sex, if your description is correct. Eating must be old-fashioned, but young
people today still follow this habit; and no matter who breaks the laws of
that old-fashioned habit, they will pay the price of their folly in due time.
Sleeping is also old-fashioned, but you modern types still need between seven
and eight hours of it per night, like we older types. If we dare to change
the laws and proper function of sex, we will head for a greater disaster
than we have reckoned with. Sex is so potent that you cannot play with it.
You can fast, and you can miss a night's sleep, but you cannot afford to
commit sexual sin.
Q. Hmm! I didn't expect such rough handling! Is it not sensible, however,
that young people should experiment with sex to see if they are suited for
marriage?
A. Definitely not! Firstly, God has strictly forbidden fornication. Secondly,
it denies the very essence of being guided by the Lord. The trouble with
some young people is that they think that God has no interest in their choice
of a life partner. God is so interested in this that He initiated it and
took personal responsibility to "find" Eve for Adam, even though at the beginning
it meant a new creation. His choice for Adam was so suitable that when Adam
saw her he exclaimed: "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh."
God, who knows the end from the beginning, is ready to guide every detail
of our lives, and especially with regard to marriage. But most people do
not want to put aside their own desires and take time to seek and know God's
will for them.
Q. I noticed you used the word "fornication". Didn't you mean
"adultery"?
A. No. Fornication is sexual sin committed before marriage, whereas adultery
is the same sin committed after marriage. God has some very strong things
to say about both, but especially about fornication. It forms the subject
of one of the big four commandments that the apostles gave to Gentile Christians.
Acts 15:28,29 says, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to
lay upon you no greater burden than these NECESSARY things; That ye abstain
from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and
from FORNICATION: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well." When
Paul discovered a most degrading case of this in the Corinthian church it
was viewed so seriously that he wrote in chapter 5, "It is reported commonly
that there is fornication among you... And ye are puffed up, and have not
rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from
among you... In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ... with the power of our
Lord Jesus Christ... deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of
the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
Q. That is certainly very serious. Why does the Bible speak so strongly
against it? After all, there are many other kinds of sins.
A. Yes, but few sins have such a devastating effect upon the individuals
concerned and on the church. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18, "Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without (outside) the body; but he that committeth
fornication sinneth against his own body." He then goes on to remind the
believer that his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That is why he says
in verse 13, "Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord." Again
in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification,
that ye should abstain from fornication." You will also notice in Ephesians
5:3-5 that the fornicator is listed as one of the three kinds of person who
have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Q. But is it any more serious than other sins, when it comes to forgiveness?
Can the fornicator not also find forgiveness through 1 John 1:9?
A. Yes. GENUINE repentance and confession will not be refused anyone, provided
it is linked with Proverbs 28:13, "whoso confesseth and FORSAKETH them (his
sins) shall have mercy." But something else is also involved. Fornication
involves the very curse of God, as a reading of the latter half of Deuteronomy
chapter 27 will explain. The fact of its being a sin against the body, therefore,
makes it the more serious and, unless genuinely repented of and turned from,
it releases forces which affect not only those concerned but also their following
generations. In Britain today, many come to the marriage altar in a state
of impurity, and then we wonder why we are reaping such a harvest of mental
and other disorders in both parents and their children later on.
Q. This shakes me! I did not realise that the sanctity of sex was so great.
How is a person to overcome this widespread tendency?
A. As always, prevention is better than cure. This means dealing with sexual
sin at the point of temptation. The initial processes of temptation and sin
are relatively slow, thank God; this gives time to root the sin out before
it gets a grip. The Bible advises, "... make not provision for the flesh,
to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14). In other words, don't play with
fire and you won't get burned. Why invite trouble? Those who begin petting,
and gradually break down one barrier after the other, suddenly get caught
in an uncontrollable fire of lust that cannot easily be put out. Paul told
the Romans (6:16), "To whom ye YIELD yourselves servants to obey, his servants
ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness." Christian young people have to be prepared to stand up against
the popular trend and show that they possess sufficient moral back-bone to
say a firm, "No!" Girls have the advantage in this matter, though fellows
have the main responsibility, and both should be firm in the path of obedience
to God.
Q. Is there anything on the positive side that can be done?
A. Sure! Galatians 5:16 advises, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil
the lust of the flesh." This requires immediate obedience in the face of
temptation, as we discussed previously. Once we begin to play with and even
relish the thought of moral sin, the battle is already being lost. It is
similar to when one gets a cold -the recommended remedy needs to be taken
at the FIRST sign of the cold. Always remember that temptation is not sin.
The trouble starts when we let it linger. Once it gets to the heart, or inner
being, it triggers off desire, and the whole person becomes infected. But
saying aloud the name of Jesus, and praying, will have a wonderful effect.
Q. Many young people feel that the reason behind their fail is that they
love each other so much, and this love should not be denied fulfilment.
A. Nonsense! They do not fall because of love, but because of lust. Perhaps
they do not know the difference. Love would lay down its life for the person
loved, rather than hurt or steal purity from them. Real love preserves one
from destroying another's purity. Love never burns to satisfy itself - that
is lust. James tells us, "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of
his own lust (not "love"), and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it
bringeth forth sin; And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James
1:14 15). That is why James states in verse 12, Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of LIFE..."
Q. Finally, isn't all this somewhat hypothetical? After all, it has not
worked out so dangerously in Sweden, for example. where morals are so
loose.
A. Hasn't it! Once, when I was in Sweden, 140 doctors were urgently petitioning
their government to do something about morals, to save the nation from collapse.
Sad to say, I have met some preachers there who recommend that engaged couples
"live as though they were married", but at least the 140 doctors had more
sense. It is better to heed the timely warning of the Scriptures - "But if
ye will not do so (obey), behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be
sure your sin will find you out" (Num 32:23). It is better to hold to
"old-fashioned" Bible purity and come to the marriage altar pure and unashamed.
IF YOU ASK ME...
by Denis G. Clark
All young people have questions. All look for answers. It is essential to
get the RIGHT answers - especially so when the questions are about our faith
and the way we live. Mr. Clark, in a clear, simple conversational style,
gives the answers you need in living the Christian life. You will find that
the author communicates to you in a warm, understanding, informative and
helpful manner. Youth leaders will find this material useful in guiding
discussion groups. And YOUR own personal problem is most likely answered
here.
© Computerised Version by R H Johnston 4 Dungells Lane, Yateley Hampshire,
GU46 6EY England, 1998.
© D G Clark, 1971 (This edition by permission of Mrs E Clark, 1995).
This paper may only be copied in its entirety for private
non-commercial use. All other usage requires the written permission of R
H Johnston.