How do all of these elements of the Christian life fit
together? When we fail to understand them in a consistent manner, we will
remain confused and even tormented by doubts.
Let’s start from the beginning with the advent of New Life:
·
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God
our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in
righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration
and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus
Christ our Savior. (Titus 3:4-6)
Through regeneration, He opens our hearts/minds to see and believe
and to turn from our sinful life. However, as important as believing facts is,
this is not enough to save us. Even the demons believe in these same facts
(James 2:19), but this will not save them. Instead, their hearts must also be
committed to these facts. This is a by-product of saving faith, which produces
obedience:
·
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up
Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his
only son. (Hebrews 11:17)
Abraham’s trust in his God, after walking with God for about
40 years, had produced obedience, and obedience produced blessing and
eventually for the world (Genesis 22:18).
When we trust, we commit ourselves to obey what our Lord
instructs us to do. When we don’t trust, obedience is only superficial and
fails to please our Lord. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him:
·
And without faith it is impossible to please
him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning
events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his
household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the
righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:6–7
Faith and trust must precede obedience, or else obedience and
our twisted motives underlying “obedience” will not please God. Therefore, our
decisions to trust in Him are the all-important element. Everyone has the
knowledge of God (Romans 1:18-21), but few commit to it.
This may be obvious, but I wonder if we understand its
implications. Instead, we tend to look at our feelings and doubts rather than
at our decisions and commitments. Consequently, it is inevitable that we become
discouraged regarding our level of faith.
Instead, we should be encouraged to see that we are committed
to trusting in Jesus, however difficult this might seem.
We all have temptations to sin and even to doubt. However, the
Bible teaches that Jesus had the same types of temptations as we have, but He
did not sin:
·
For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
This means that temptation itself is not sin until we
embrace it. Nor does it mean that there is something the matter with our faith
because we experience continuous temptations.
Eventually, saving faith commits to trusting God by doing
what He tells us to do. For example, I might be tempted to take revenge against
someone who hurt me. It might be a powerful temptation, but I can still decide
to honor my Lord and to not take revenge. I can also decide to disobey my
feelings and pray for him. This honors my Savior.
What if you are lukewarm? If your feelings are lukewarm, no
problem. You can still decide to put the Lord first in your life,
above all other considerations. However, if you are lukewarm in terms of his
commitment to the Lord, that’s entirely another matter. Jesus taught:
·
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy
of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake
will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)
For Jesus, love isn’t primarily a feeling but a commitment
to abide in His teachings:
·
“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will
keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our
home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word
that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:23-24)
If you are lukewarm regarding your commitment to Jesus, you
can still pray, “Lord, give me the desire to honor you before all else.” If you
pray this sincerely and continue, you will receive:
·
But seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
If you pray this way and are willing to wait for the Lord’s
answer, you will receive. Why? Because you are praying according to the will of
God:
·
And if we know that he hears us in whatever we
ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 John 5:15)
It’s a matter of what you want and not what you feel. Therefore,
Jesus lamented:
·
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered
your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were
not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)
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