Doing Hard Things: Reflecting on Difficulty and Sanctification

“Good understanding giveth favour:
but the way of transgressors is hard.” –Proverbs 13:15 (KJV)

“Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid.” ― John Wayne

Every choice we make reinforces some aspect of our thinking or behavior. The more you sin, the easier it becomes to sin. Miss a Sunday worship assembly because you “just don’t feel like it,” and it will easier to neglect the assemblies next week. Before long you will find it easier to stay home than to go (cf. Heb. 10:24-25). But the reverse is also true. The more you obey God, the easier it becomes to do so (cf. Rom. 6:19). In either case, the choices you make today are shaping your character and influencing the choices you will make tomorrow.

Sin is always the easier option, especially at the beginning of the Christian life. After all, we are born sinners; sin is our default position and disposition (Psa. 58:3; Eph. 2:1-3). So it is always easier to yield to temptation than to resist and deny it. Obedience is a harder choice. It requires us to deny ourselves and put to death the passions and desires natural to us (Luke 9:23; Col. 3:5-11). Sin is more fun, at least, initially. The Bible admits there is pleasure associated with sin, but it is fleeting (Heb. 11:25). If sin was not enjoyable, it would not be desirable. We are tempted to sin because we like how it feels, which makes it all the more attractive, especially when we are physically or emotionally vulnerable.

Sin may be an easier choice, especially at first or if we persist in it, but the fruit it bears is hard, bitter, and unpleasant. In fact, while it is easy to indulge in sin, the longer you continue in it, the more difficult and disastrous it becomes. Conversely, while it is harder to deny self and submit to God, the longer you continue doing so, the sweeter and more enjoyable the life of obedience becomes. So the more you sin, the easier it is to sin, but the less pleasure you will find in doing so. But the more you obey, the easier it is to obey, and the more pleasure you will have in doing so.

We could cite numerous examples of this truth and the inverse correlation noted above. A young man (or one not so young) who views pornography certainly receives pleasure in doing so, but if his conscience is tender, guilt and shame will quickly follow. The more he views it, the easier it is to do so. He may quickly come into bondage to that desire, so that it is almost a foregone conclusion that if left alone with an Internet connection, he will seek out pornographic images. But the promise of pleasure rapidly diminishes. Now he finds less pleasure in viewing pornography, not more. Just like a junkie he requires more and more to satisfy his appetite. More images, more graphic, yet even these are not enough. He is increasingly depressed and withdrawn, and his social relationships become strained. He views women around him as objects, not as people, and he thinks continually of when he will next be able to indulge his habit and what he may find. It was easy to begin the behavior, but now he is a slave to it. Resisting the temptation is virtually impossible. The pornography has poisoned his life and his mind, but still he returns to it. He is drawn again and again to the source and reason for his mental and spiritual pain.

Maybe the above example is of little value to you, but the same principles are at work in whatever sin you may struggle against. In marriage, the same truths apply. The more you neglect, mistreat, or resent your spouse, the easier it will be to do so. But the ease with which you continue in sin will only multiply exponentially your pain. In personal spiritual disciplines, the same truths apply. The more you neglect the Scriptures, the shallower and less frequent your prayers, the less time you spend meditating on the things of God, the easier it will be to continue. But the more you fill your mind with the world, the emptier and more god-forsaken your life will seem.

Thank God for the corresponding reality about a life of obedience, one of walking by faith before God. It may be hard to deny the flesh. It may seem impossible to bring our thoughts and affections and habits under control. But by God’s grace and with the help of His Spirit, we can (Rom. 6:1-18; Php. 2:12-13; Col. 3:1-18; 1Tim. 4:7-8). As we do so, we will find the experience of obedience to be sweeter, our fellowship with God to be richer, our awareness of His presence, grace, and mercy to be greater, and our love and gratitude to be fuller than ever before. The Bible calls to us: “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psa. 34:8). If you are weighed down by your sin and feel unable to rise above it, if you are helpless before temptations which you fed until they have grown stronger than your will, and if you are empty, depressed, and despairing of ever experiencing the joy of true fellowship with God, then pray for the Lord’s mercy, ask boldly for His grace, lean on His Spirit, commit all of your energies to digging into His word, and bend all your efforts toward submitting to His will. It will become easier, and it is more than worth the sacrifice and effort. Do hard things, and experience the reward and joy reserved for those who yield themselves wholly to Christ. -JME

The Resurrection and Atonement

The crucifixion of Jesus was not enough to save God’s people. That may be a shocking statement. How could anything be lacking in Christ’s work on the cross? Didn’t Jesus announce “It is finished!” before He died? But the Bible is clear in affirming the necessity of the resurrection, not just in proving the truth of Christianity (Rom. 1:4) but also in securing the redemption of God’s people (Rom. 4:25).

Christ’s resurrection is a necessary part of His making atonement for believers’ sins. Paul is explicit, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1Cor. 15:17). No resurrection, no forgiveness of sins. Both the death and resurrection of Jesus are necessary. They are a package in His redemptive work (1Cor. 15:3-4; cf. Acts 2:22-24; 3:14-15; 10:39-41).

The resurrection demonstrates the Father’s acceptance of the propitiation made by the Son. Jesus died for our sins, but what if He was not, in fact, sinless? What if He died and was judged for His own sins? What if we are not really redeemed, our sins were never atoned for? What if we are lost and simply do not know it? These are questions we never have to worry or wonder about, because the resurrection of Jesus assures us His death was accepted by the Father and His wrath has been propitiated on our behalf by Christ.

We could not be saved without Jesus’ death, but neither could we be saved without His resurrection. Both are required for our full redemption. Because Jesus died, I will never experience the second death for my sins (John 5:24; 2Cor. 5:17; Rev. 20:14-15). Because Jesus rose, I am assured of a place in glory with my Lord and the Heavenly Father (John 11:25-26; 1Cor. 15:20-26, 35-58). Moreover Christ’s resurrection empowers me to live apart from sin, a life sanctified by and to the Father’s glory and will (Rom. 6:1-13). This is what I am assured of by the resurrection. I am assured that in life and death I am not my own, but Christ lives within me (Gal. 2:20; Heidelberg Catechism Q1). –JME

Luke 19:28-40: Blessed is the King Who Comes in the Name of the Lord!

Communing Together: The Corporate Observance of the Lord's Supper

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. -1 Corinthians 10:16-17

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another-- -1 Corinthians 11:33

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7

          The Lord’s Supper is a sacred memorial of the atoning work of the risen Lord. Simple elements, bread and wine, are given great significance when consecrated by the word of God and prayer (1Cor. 11:23-25). The Supper is truly a sacrament in the Augustinian sense: a “visible word” which portrays the gospel. The bread and cup have no power or real significance in themselves apart from their attachment to the gospel message, but when rightly set forth according to the Lord’s institution, this rite is truly sacred. The Lord’s Supper is a serious joy, an occasion of redemptive commemoration in anticipation of the Lord’s return (1Cor. 11:26).

          The Scriptures teach us much about the Lord’s Supper, but here we want to briefly focus attention on one of the lesser recognized aspects: its corporate context. The Supper is celebrated in the New Testament in the assembled Church. Part of the visible corporate activity of the Jerusalem saints was the breaking of bread, most likely a reference to the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42). The disciples in Troas also “gathered together to break bread” on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This was not, evidently, a special event but the regular practice of the assembled saints. The Corinthian Church was observing (and abusing) the Supper on a regular and frequent basis (1Cor. 11:17-34), and we know they met together “on the first day of every week” (1Cor. 16:2). Clearly observance of the Supper by the gathered church each week was the practice in the first century.

          The corporate context of the Supper is important for two reasons. First, the corporate context is integral to the institution and perpetuation of the sacrament. Jesus gathered His apostles before instituting the Supper on the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26:26-30; cf. Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:13-20). Early Christians ate the Supper when gathered together (Acts 20:7). And the apostle Paul explicitly commands the Corinthian Church, “…when you come together to eat [the Lord’s Supper], wait for one another” (1Cor. 11:33). The corporate setting of the Supper is taught both by example and express command.

          Second, the corporate context is integral to the symbolism of the sacrament. The Lord’s Supper does not only point us to Jesus’ death and our union with Him; it also points us to the unity of His Body, the oneness of all those in the fellowship of Christ. These two aspects, union with Christ and unity in the Church, are highlighted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17:

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

We participate in Christ’s blood, referring to the redemptive benefits of His death, and we participate in Christ’s body, referring to the relational results of His work. Both are visibly portrayed in the Lord’s Supper as we share a common loaf and drink the fruit of the vine.

          For many years our congregation carried communion to the homebound and nursing homes in the form of small kits containing bread and grape juice. While commendable in motivation, there are biblical concerns that can be legitimately raised about it. The Supper has no intrinsic merit; its significance is to be found in its consecration by word and prayer. This means more than formulaic recitation. The Supper is to be celebrated in the context of the gospel; the message of the cross is the theological and congregational context of the sacrament. Now it is certainly possible to share the gospel while administering the Supper in a hospital room or nursing home, but the circumstances make it unlikely this will be done thoroughly. More often the elements will be hastily delivered and ingested, its meaning mentioned briefly, a word of prayer spoken. But where is the community of saints? Where are the rest of God’s people with whom unity in the Body of Christ is shared? Where is the spiritual reality which the one loaf portrays?

          Some will object the Supper ought to be sent to the sick and homebound who are unable to attend and partake in the Church assembly. My question would be, why? If they are providentially hindered from assembling with the saints, and not merely forsaking the responsibility of assembling with the brethren (Heb. 10:24-25), their absence is certainly not sinful. We can bring recordings of the preaching and singing, we can visit with them in their sickroom and pray, but there is no way to replace or substitute for the actual gathering of the saints. The inability to attend the assembly is a significant loss, but it is hardly rectified by taking the Lord’s Supper alone or with one other at home. Rather, it would be better to recognize the communal nature and congregational context of the Supper and postpone participating in it until one can meet with the saints in the regular assembly.

          The Scriptures teach a high view of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as sacred practices of the Church, covenant signs which visibly portray the gospel and the promise of salvation in Christ. Modern evangelicalism has frequently reduced both practices to far more common use, encouraging celebration of the sacraments at home, church camps, and in private gatherings apart from the gathered church and its shepherds. While we should never think of the sacraments as magical or mystical, as if they imparted power to the saints in and by themselves, neither should these practices become little or common in our eyes. This is where God meets with His people, where the Church is visibly reminded of and commemorates Christ. This is holy ground. –JME (March 2015)

Our Need for Inward Change

Many people have the mistaken notion that in the Old Testament God was primarily concerned with outward forms and not so much with the heart. But this is clearly false. The OT repeatedly highlights the priority of inward renewal and devotion (Psa. 51:10; Hos. 6:6). The OT laws were never an indication God cared only about outward actions; they were signposts to our need for inward change.

Circumcision, for example, was a sign of God’s promise and a reminder of our need to be circumcised in heart. Moses said, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your hearts, and be no longer stubborn” (Deut. 10:16). This inward circumcision was ultimately the promise and work of God which enabled true spiritual life. “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deut. 30:6). Circumcision was a call to inward repentance and consecration, not a work of merit or basis for ethnic pride. It was a graphic reminder of God’s demand for holiness in even the most intimate area of our lives. It recalled His promise to multiply and bless all nations through the seed of Abraham. And it marked those who belonged to the covenant community, whether they were regenerate or not (Rom. 2:28-29; 9:6).

The blessing of the new birth and a changed heart is not limited to the New Covenant. Believers in the OT required and received the same. David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psa. 51:10). Those who are dead in sin cannot please God (Rom. 8:8). God worked in OT saints so they could please Him (Exod. 35:29; Deut. 29:4, 30:14; Psa. 40:8). This gift of grace is more fully expressed and enjoyed in the NT, but it is present and essential in the OT too.

Circumcision is no longer important in the New Covenant (Gal. 5:6), but what it signified is. Baptism now represents, physically and visibly, the spiritual and invisible work and promises once signified by circumcision (Col. 2:11-12). We should not take for granted what the covenant signs teach us. They are not merely rites to be performed. They are reminders of our need for God’s work in our lives. -JME

The Importance of Confessions

"It does really appear to me that those orthodox brethren who admit that the church is bound to raise her voice against error, and to "contend earnestly" for the truth (cf. Jude 3), and yet denounce creeds and confessions, are, in the highest degree, inconsistent with themselves."
-Samuel Miller, "The Utility and Importance of Creeds and Confessions" (1824)

Many Christians are opposed to the use of creeds and confessions, believing such documents rival and supplant the authority and supremacy of the Scriptures. There is no doubt some have placed their creeds and traditions above the authority of Scripture (Mark 7:7-8); such is sinful and reprehensible. Scripture alone is the infallible and final source of divine authority (2Tim. 3:16-17).

The use of creeds and confessions, however, is not based on the belief Scripture is insufficient as a religious authority, but on the belief Scripture is sufficient and must therefore be rightly interpreted, believed, and applied. Heresy is, most often, the result of misinterpreting and perverting Scripture rather than outright denying it. Mormons affirm they believe the Bible, so too do Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roman Catholics, and many who today are affirming their support for same sex marriage. Are all of these groups simply to be welcomed and affirmed as faithful brethren in the Lord on the basis of their confession of faith in the authority of Scripture?

It is one thing to say we believe the Bible; it is another to say what we believe the Bible means. For example, when Arius in the 4^th century began teaching people that Jesus was a created god and not of the same substance as the Father, the Church gathered together and affirmed the proper and historical understanding of the biblical doctrine. The result was the Nicene Creed. Creeds and confessions were written throughout the early centuries of the Church and later during the Reformation to clarify what particular groups believed the Scriptures taught, not as a substitute or replacement for them.

Even those who oppose the use of creeds and confessions have their own; they are simply unwritten. You say you believe the Bible, but what do you believe the Bible teaches about the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Nature of Man, Sin, Atonement, Salvation, and the Church? How you answer will define your creed. Such summaries of our biblical convictions are essential for defining the limits of fellowship and practicing church ministry, unless we think truth does not matter. The question is not whether having a confession of faith is appropriate. The question is whether yours is biblical. -JME

Dog Training and Sanctification

Recently our family adopted a dog from the animal shelter. When we brought her home, we sat down in the living room and explained to Izzy the rules of our home. The conversation went something like this, “I am the god who rescued you from the Kennel of Bondage and possible euthanasia. You shall have no other masters besides me. You shall not scratch any of my carpets, walls, or doors. You shall not bark without a cause. You shall come when I call. You shall not pull on your leash. You shall not jump on people. And you shall never relieve yourself inside my house.” Then I explained about the need for atonement. We knew she would violate these rules at times, but there was forgiveness for her sins. We love her and provided grace so she can be the good dog we rescued her to be.

Actually, that conversation never happened. I just made it up. You know why? Because Izzy is a dog. She does not understand complex human language, only basic commands. She certainly has no concept of theology, redemption, atonement, or covenant faithfulness. She knows words like ‘Sit,’ ‘Down,’ and ‘Potty.’ Beyond that, she isn’t much into conversation.

Most of us are happy if our dogs simply obey us, not doing the things that displease us while doing the things that do please us. Unfortunately, many of us think of our relationship with God in much the same way. We come when He calls; we sit quietly in worship while His word is preached; we don’t do the things He commands us not to do. We are content to be obedient…dogs.

But Scripture calls us to more. God did not rescue us and call us merely to be dogs. He saved us to be His children. He redeemed us to re-make us in the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29; 2Co. 3:18; Col. 3:10). Conformity to that standard requires far more than mere behaviorism. It requires us to pursue holiness (Heb. 12:14). It demands a transformation in our thinking (Rom. 12:2). Every thought and impulse of our heart is to be brought into submission to His perfect will (1Co. 9:24-27; 2Co. 10:5). This is what real relationship looks like, not merely behavioral conformity to a list of rules, but redemptive, transformative, and grace-empowered unity with the creating and redeeming God who loves us. -JME

Trusting God in Troubled Times

"Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?"
(Job 2:10)

When Job answers his wife’s foolish, sinful, and completely understandable encouragement to “Curse God and die,” the patriarch is sitting in a pile of ashes, using a broken piece of pottery to scrape the painful sores that cover his body from head to foot. He is, no doubt, weeping at the sudden, unexpected, and violent death of his ten children, and he is still reeling from the shocking news that his livestock, the herds and flocks which comprise his entire wealth and livelihood, have all been captured or killed.

It is not surprising Job’s wife would wish to curse the Sovereign Lord who has taken everything from them, nor is it startling to hear Job pray to die (6:8-9) and lament he had ever been born (3:1-26). What is shocking is that he continues trusting God even as he does so. Satan did not believe Job truly trusted God. He accused Job of only having faith because God blessed him (1:9-11; 2:4-5). Would Job trust God for nothing, when there is no advantage, when his entire world is shattered, when everything he knows and loves falls apart and is blown away by the wind? Would he serve the Lord in pain and loss?

Job became bitter for a time because of the magnitude of his suffering. He said things he later repented of saying (40:3-5; 42:1-6). But he never denied God. He knew there is a God in heaven who reigns and rules over all He has made. He believed God acted as Judge in heaven and on earth. It is true Job believed God made a mistake in his case (9:13-22). Job’s theology could not account for the suffering of a righteous man. But the patriarch’s confusion, pain, and bitterness never caused him to deny the true and living God.

What about you? Do you fear God for nothing? Would you worship Him even if there were no advantage in doing so? Do you serve Him because He is God or because you want the gifts you think such homage will bring you? Faith is not trust when exercised in comfortable and convenient circumstances. Serving God in times of abundance requires little or no trust at all. We learn whether we trust God in troubled times, in seasons of pain, suffering, and loss. Such trouble reveals the true character of our faith and gives us insight into our hearts in a way prosperity never can. May God give us grace to celebrate His sovereignty in good times and bad. -JME

Sanctified and Called To Be Saints

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2)

Christians are sanctified and are also called to be saints. To be sanctified means to be set apart and devoted to God. Believers are sanctified when they are raised from spiritual death to life in Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:5-6). Thus we are “in Christ” and adopted into the family of God. We are set apart from the rest of the world and regarded as God’s own special possession.

When Paul addresses “those sanctified in Christ,” he uses the perfect tense which in Greek signifies an action completed in the past that has a continuing effect in the present. What God did for us in Christ when He regenerated, justified, and adopted us still affects our lives today. But sanctification is more than just something done in the past. It is also the aim and activity of our lives in the present. Paul says “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” are also “called to be saints.” The Greek word for saints is an adjective that means holy ones. So we are sanctified (holy) in the past, but we are also called to be saints (holy) in the present. God’s faithfulness in the past is the basis of our faithfulness in the present. His promises prompt us to obey His word out of gratitude and love (John 14:15). We are holy in Christ, and in Christ we are commanded to pursue holiness (Heb. 12:14).

The word of God includes both indicatives and imperatives. Indicatives are statements of fact, what is or what God has done. Imperatives are commands, what ought to be. The gospel calls us to a life of holiness, but it does so by reasoning from the indicative (God’s sanctifying us in Christ) to the imperative (be holy, as He is holy). We do not pursue holiness in order to become something we are not; we pursue holiness so that what we are in Christ might be evident in our lives. We are loved, forgiven, and accepted, not on the basis of our work, but on the basis of Christ’s. Our lives should reflect the same. Be holy, not so that God will love you, but because He has. -JME