Assurance in Christ, in spite of ourselves.... Over the past several days here at work, I have been using my break time to think through some leftover nagging thoughts from my travels last week. That is the danger of listening to great teaching.... It hurts! Take a couple of minutes and read through this, I think it will make sense and possibly even help you as it did to me as I thought it through and prepared this. I kept thinking of what Tom Pennington stated last week..... "When you study the word of God, apply yourself to the text, then apply the text to yourself" OUCH!
So here is my band aid and mental salve for what ails my mind over the past couple of days... "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything" (1 John 3:19-20).
What are you aspiring for today? This question is haunting my mind since my attendance at the Shepherds Conference last week. It was obvious from the speakers that addressed both the main sessions and the seminars that their aspiration was for furthering the truth of God's word and remaining faithful to their calling. These were high caliber teachers, reducing themselves to a first name basis with a mere elder from a tiny church in Klamath Falls Oregon. There was no pretense of greatness, nor were they lording their theological prowess over the masses... (3500+ men in attendance). Observing the world, there are many pursuits people crave for such as wealth, fame, possessions and a flood of material appealing to our base instincts. Just one look at the "mass appeal" methods of the emerging church in its search for relevance to people, and you will find a disappointing effort to bring God to people instead of people to God, all because we don't want to be comfortable, entertained, or coddled by our worldly comforts. John describes such thinking with the following summary: "the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does." But none of these meet our deepest and greatest need. This touched my heart and has plagued my conscience since my return. What are my motives with my family at home, or at work or in the ministry to our local church?
King David sums up what our life's highest aspiration should be in Psalm 27:4: "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple." To gaze or meditate upon the beauty of the Lord brings peace and assurance as one who has been forgiven and placed in right relationship with God.
Prior to anyone of us coming to faith in Christ we are all under God's condemnation, we are slaves to sin (thanks to John Mac for pointing out the slavery issue!). His condemnation of us is absolutely just and completely consistent with the nature of a sinless, holy God. At the cross, the repentant thief speaks not just for himself, but for the entire human race in the final minutes before his death: "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:41).
This condemnation is the result of the universal human condition of sin; "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But when we believe in Christ and come into the truth a marvelous transaction takes place. One of the most liberating truths of Scripture I constantly have to remind myself of is in Romans 8:1: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
John makes a statement in this portion of Scripture that describes the human condition of self-condemnation. He describes it in a way that I can identify with when he uses the phrase "our hearts condemn us." I've experienced this occasionally and I'm certain that many of you have as well. I don't believe John is speaking of the healthy Holy Spirit-prompted conviction of sin that leads us to repentance. Rather, I think he speaks of self-condemnation that can afflict all us, God's children, robbing them of the peace and assurance that God has provided through the sacrificial death of His Son.
During my break time this morning, when looking at the online study Bible, I found the following comments on this portion of Scripture "our hearts condemn us." "An oversensitive conscience can be quieted by the knowledge that God Himself has declared active love to be an evidence of salvation. He knows the hearts of all - whether, in spite of shortcomings, they have been born of Him." What this is saying is that it is more than words that we utter at the "alter" or a prayer we repeat. It is the condition of your heart, and the actions you take as a physical evidence of the saving grace of God in your life. Ask yourself these questions; What is my motive in service to God...What do people see when they look at you... What will people remember when they weigh your actions and words against your profession of faith in Christ? Are your actions consistent with your words?
Two truths need to be deeply acknowledged from text in 1 John 3:19-20, these are: 1) "God is greater than our hearts", and 2) "He knows all things"
Today I really want to encourage you all to rest in a deep assurance of God's love and acceptance. Sometimes we all struggle with self-condemnation, which Satan, the enemy of our soul delights in. He will use that to create self-doubt, worthlessness, and tempt you to admit defeat and walk away from God; God who has not left us in our condemned state but who has provided His mercy and grace. Accept the truth of God, who is greater than our hearts, and humbly realize that indeed He knows all things, even those things which we cannot fully understand.
- Paul
So here is my band aid and mental salve for what ails my mind over the past couple of days... "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything" (1 John 3:19-20).
What are you aspiring for today? This question is haunting my mind since my attendance at the Shepherds Conference last week. It was obvious from the speakers that addressed both the main sessions and the seminars that their aspiration was for furthering the truth of God's word and remaining faithful to their calling. These were high caliber teachers, reducing themselves to a first name basis with a mere elder from a tiny church in Klamath Falls Oregon. There was no pretense of greatness, nor were they lording their theological prowess over the masses... (3500+ men in attendance). Observing the world, there are many pursuits people crave for such as wealth, fame, possessions and a flood of material appealing to our base instincts. Just one look at the "mass appeal" methods of the emerging church in its search for relevance to people, and you will find a disappointing effort to bring God to people instead of people to God, all because we don't want to be comfortable, entertained, or coddled by our worldly comforts. John describes such thinking with the following summary: "the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does." But none of these meet our deepest and greatest need. This touched my heart and has plagued my conscience since my return. What are my motives with my family at home, or at work or in the ministry to our local church?
King David sums up what our life's highest aspiration should be in Psalm 27:4: "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple." To gaze or meditate upon the beauty of the Lord brings peace and assurance as one who has been forgiven and placed in right relationship with God.
Prior to anyone of us coming to faith in Christ we are all under God's condemnation, we are slaves to sin (thanks to John Mac for pointing out the slavery issue!). His condemnation of us is absolutely just and completely consistent with the nature of a sinless, holy God. At the cross, the repentant thief speaks not just for himself, but for the entire human race in the final minutes before his death: "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:41).
This condemnation is the result of the universal human condition of sin; "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But when we believe in Christ and come into the truth a marvelous transaction takes place. One of the most liberating truths of Scripture I constantly have to remind myself of is in Romans 8:1: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
John makes a statement in this portion of Scripture that describes the human condition of self-condemnation. He describes it in a way that I can identify with when he uses the phrase "our hearts condemn us." I've experienced this occasionally and I'm certain that many of you have as well. I don't believe John is speaking of the healthy Holy Spirit-prompted conviction of sin that leads us to repentance. Rather, I think he speaks of self-condemnation that can afflict all us, God's children, robbing them of the peace and assurance that God has provided through the sacrificial death of His Son.
During my break time this morning, when looking at the online study Bible, I found the following comments on this portion of Scripture "our hearts condemn us." "An oversensitive conscience can be quieted by the knowledge that God Himself has declared active love to be an evidence of salvation. He knows the hearts of all - whether, in spite of shortcomings, they have been born of Him." What this is saying is that it is more than words that we utter at the "alter" or a prayer we repeat. It is the condition of your heart, and the actions you take as a physical evidence of the saving grace of God in your life. Ask yourself these questions; What is my motive in service to God...What do people see when they look at you... What will people remember when they weigh your actions and words against your profession of faith in Christ? Are your actions consistent with your words?
Two truths need to be deeply acknowledged from text in 1 John 3:19-20, these are: 1) "God is greater than our hearts", and 2) "He knows all things"
Today I really want to encourage you all to rest in a deep assurance of God's love and acceptance. Sometimes we all struggle with self-condemnation, which Satan, the enemy of our soul delights in. He will use that to create self-doubt, worthlessness, and tempt you to admit defeat and walk away from God; God who has not left us in our condemned state but who has provided His mercy and grace. Accept the truth of God, who is greater than our hearts, and humbly realize that indeed He knows all things, even those things which we cannot fully understand.
- Paul
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