Lesson 11
QUALITIES OF A CHURCH
Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.
COPYRIGHT 2004
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EXPECTING
(Phil. 3:12-21)
We have just seen Paul mention that he wanted to be a part of the
OUT-RESURRECTION, or a resurrection out of the dead according to Constable. He
will go on to develop that thought in this section where he works and looks
toward that day when he will receive his upward call home. (The NASB backs up
this line of thought as well.)
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I
follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect,
be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal
even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us
walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17 Brethren, be followers
together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example. 18
(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: 19 Whose end is destruction,
whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I
follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus.
Not that he had to strive to gain that which he already had, but that he might
reach that ultimate goal of this life - death.
Paul uses interesting language here. He follows that he may apprehend -
something he can do - that "if that I may apprehend that for which" he can't do
anything, this is something done from without. He strives to attain that which
Christ has provided. It is something done by Christ that will benefit Paul.
"Apprehend" means to take or take for oneself.
The American Standard Version states it this way: "Not that I have already
obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay
hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus." He is striving
to take that which Christ attained for him - the resurrection of the dead.
Christ in His work on the cross obtained for us the resurrection of the dead.
Now that is a theological thought to be sure. Did he obtain the resurrection for
only believers, or for all mankind? Since we all will be raised, lost and
believing, it is obvious he obtained it for all. If for all, wouldn't it have
been better that the lost were left in the grave? Yes, but that would have
thwarted God's justice - they would have escaped all retribution that was due
them.
Christ laid hold on Paul to save him from this life, and Paul is striving toward
that end. This ought to revolutionize our thinking on death. Christ did what He
did that we might die and be with Him. We ought to strive toward that end, not
the ends we seem to strive for.
Not that we walk in front of trucks to gain this end, but that we work our
entire lives as if we are working toward that end. Death is our ultimate goal in
this life so that we can begin our new life with Him that provided the way.
He is not yet there or perfect, but he is attempting to attain that point in his
life - his death.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I
do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before,
He has set the future resurrection as his mark to attain. He has set all else
aside so that he might concentrate on that mark in his life. How often do we
strain so toward the end? Don't we tend to concentrate on the steps toward the
end. I want to get a neat car, a grand house and fill it with goodies so that I
can have a life of ease till I die?
Paul on the other hand laid aside all desire for a car, a house, a bunch of
toys, a position, and aimed toward the only thing in this life really worth
aiming toward - death (well and the resurrection :-)
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.
The term "high" actually relates to upward rather than just high. It is a call
that will move one upward, rather than a call from on high. He works toward that
time when God calls him home.
Something else of note, the upward call is what the mark is, it is what the
prize is - not some grand reward that the apostle is trying to gain - he desires
only to be with God. The Net Bible shows this thought of upward. "with this goal
in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
The interesting part of the Net Bible's translation is that it seems to treat
the first part of the verse as rather bland and unimportant, when it actually is
a very strong word that Paul used. "Press" is a word that is usually translated
"persecute" and in a number of places is translated some form of follow. The
Lexicon relates it to following after to persecute.
Now does that sound like Paul or not. He followed Christians to persecute them
and now he follows the mark with that same total zeal and fervor. He is hot on
the mark's case, he is hot on the trail, and he is going to nail it.
How many of us are that excited about being called home? How many of us press or
look to the end while serving in a total and complete manner the Lord that will
one day call us home? Indeed, how many of us view the mark, the goal of our life
as being our death?
Personally I don't think I have ever heard this text preached or taught within
this context. It is usually the doing well looking toward a goal and that goal
never being death.
Oh, yes there I go again being negative. Using the term death, that terribly
negative term that shows negativity. The term upward call is much more positive
and should be used instead of the truth, the real meaning of what Paul was
referring to.
Of course he is looking to the resurrection, a much more positive term, but it
is death that gains us that resurrection, we cannot be resurrected until we are
buried and that takes death normally.
The point is not negative terms, nor positive terms, it is moving with all zeal
toward the end of being with Christ. That should be the believer’s goal, and it
should be our focus, not all the things of this world.
15. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing
ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Now didn't Paul just say he wasn't perfect in verse twelve? And now he indicates
he is perfect. So which is it? It seems that in the previous verse he is not
perfect or complete, but in this case he is running the race in a perfect or
complete manner. He is doing everything just right and adhering to all the rules
and regulations in a complete manner but he is not yet complete.
I watched a show on the Discovery channel about China. They interviewed an
eleven year old girl that was in the Chinese Olympic program. She was living in
a boarding school so that she could concentrate totally on her training. She was
adhering to all the rules, she was doing all the exercises, and she was doing
all of the things required to become perfect. She was obeying and following
completely so that she could be complete for the games.
She did not know if she would compete in the Olympics, but that was her total
focus in life. Unlike her tenuousness in being one day complete, Paul knew that
he was hot on the track of that completeness in his life when the Lord would
call him home.
There are two important concepts here. One is the thought that many of us should
be perfect or mature, and secondly that all that are competing completely should
be looking forward to that upward call. Finally that if we aren't both mature
and looking for the upward call then the Lord will reveal it to us.
Maturity: Most of us know that this word “perfect” relates to complete or
mature. It is used of an adult that is mature, or of being ready to run as a
machine that has all parts in place and ready for full and complete operation.
The indication is that if we are mature, we will also be looking forward to our
call home.
Isn't that what the mature Christian is - ready for whatever God brings his way,
even death or the rapture? If we aren't ready for Him then we are not complete
in Him.
By way of application if you see a believer that is caught up in seeking the
world and what it has to offer, you can know that believer is not mature.
Anticipating the upward call: This happening will be at the rapture or at the
point of death for the believer. I trust that we are all ready for that day and
indeed, as Paul, looking forward to it.
"Revelation" the word here is related to revelation - "apokalupto" - it relates
to laying open to view or revealing.
This is important in that many preachers and believers feel it is their sworn
duty to tell other believers that their lives are not up to standards. They will
go in as if they are God Himself to reveal to them that they have deficiencies
in their spiritual lives.
It seems to me that God tells us here via Paul that He is capable of telling a
believer that he is not up to standard. The Holy Spirit can definitely tell a
person directly, without the use of a human being, that there is improvement to
be made.
It amazes me how limited God is in some peoples minds. On internet forums it is
comical to see how people strain to win others to the Lord. They will go to any
and every length to explain each and every question to strong arm a person into
the Lord's kingdom. It is God the Holy Spirit that does the work in the lost
person's life, not a preacher or anyone else that is twisting an arm.
The same thought is here - if God cannot tell an erring child there is an error,
how in the world can a human being think they can. Here is a clue folks - God is
all powerful - if he can't do it how come you think you can? Is that really
humility that we have been talking about? Is that even somewhat realistic? No.
Yes, witness, yes preach the Word, but let God do his own work in people's
lives. He can do His own work much better than we can.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,
let us mind the same thing.
The phrase "let us mind" is the same Greek word as the two terms in verse
fifteen, "mind." Basically it seems to me that Paul wants all that are mature to
be walking and talking like it, rather than giving false assent to same.
17. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye
have us for an ensample.
Follow - together: Not only follow, but do it as a unit - do it as a
congregation - be united in your life, be united in your goal, be united in your
example to the world.
Follow me: Use Paul as your example. Let us consider a few of Paul's
characteristics - those things we ought to follow.
A man totally committed to getting the Gospel out to all that would listen.
A man totally committed to suffering for his Lord if that is what it took to
accomplish the work of the Gospel.
A man totally void of personal gain or honor.
A man of sound doctrine.
A man that would not compromise his doctrine to accomplish a task.
The Net Bible states it this way. "Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and
watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an
example."
Paul is the example: Wow, Paul knew his life was worthy of asking others to
follow it as a good example.
Pastors are not apostles, but are their lives not to be examples for the
congregation? Their lives should teach the people how to live. Their rhetoric
should teach the people how to live. A responsibility many pastors do not heed I
fear in our day. Many are the pastors that bow to public opinion for their guide
to life rather than the Word of God.
Watch others that follow Paul's example. All of us in a congregation ought to be
examples for the kids and young people to pattern their lives after. How can
this be done in one or two hours on Sunday? It cannot. We as a church body ought
to be mixing our selves together often so that the younger can see how it is
supposed to be done. They cannot pick it up by watching television, they cannot
pick it up watching movies, they cannot pick it up going to raves and parties,
nor can they pick it up in a vacuum. We must be together as congregations.
In light of this, how do most congregations do church? Kids go out to Jr. church
or whatever babysitting program is available, teens are often split off for
their thing and the adults worship together. So how are the young people and
kids going to learn about worship and the Word? They probably will not.
Or in many congregations we are splitting elders off for their "traditional"
service and the younger off to their "contemporary" service. The wisdom of the
elders will rub off on the youngers how?
One could say it is the Devil's "divide and conquer" mode of operation. Keep the
older wise folks away from the younger so there is no pollution. The elder folks
have lived through the trials of the Devil and have gained experience from it,
but we do not dare let them pass that wisdom on to the next version of the
church.
I was privileged to speak in a little church in Colorado many years ago that
followed a peculiar form of worship. The adults sat in a large square of chairs;
the children sat in front of their parents and were not allowed the usual bag of
toys and eatables. They were allowed to read in a Bible story book or just
listen to the adults.
The children from small to preteen were attentive to the singing and devotional
thoughts some of the men shared, and some did read from Bible story books, but
even they listened and observed much of the service. Toward the end the books
went away and the group observed the Lord's Table together.
This group knew that children can meet with God, that they can behave, and that
they could go for an hour without food, drink or toys. None got up in the middle
of the service to go to the restroom either. After the worship part of the
service the kids split off for a teaching time and the adults had a
message/lesson from the Word of God.
We know we are to disciple people, so why is it so often that we forget to do
that for our children in our churches. Why are we not sharing the wonders of
worship with our teens? Why are we blocking the next generation of church goers
from a meaningful relationship with their God?
Last night I went to the website of a large church in our area and the
information read more like a community center for recreation than it did for a
church. The “come as you are” section read as if they were discouraging wearing
anything but casual. The section on what kind of music they used was so general
you knew exactly what they meant - anything goes as long as it sounds like
music.
Their staff pictures reminded me of an “on the street reporter” on a Saturday
afternoon at the beach. With all this I want to say. We can see what our next
generation is going to think about worship. They are being discipled into the
current fad of "contemporary" and will most likely carry it forth to their own
families. Paul is our example, we are our children's example. I trust you
consider your example-ship carefully.
18 (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:
Paul not only has told them repeatedly about these false ones, but he has warned
of them and encourages the folks to mark them - might even indicate a need to
remove yourself from their influence.
Today we have movements within Christianity that are false - even some that call
themselves evangelical - Paul says mark them and avoid them.
It has always cracked me up to hear sound pastors soundly denounce the
charismatic movement, but the same men have accepted the Charismatic’s method of
worship, their music, their methods and their laid back mode of “worship.”
Due to the next verse we should view these people as people that are going to be
humiliated and destroyed. The question is, are they destroyed eternally or just
in this life.
Let's look at the text to see if we can determine whether these are lost people
or believers gone astray.
In verse eighteen they are called the enemies of the cross - those that lead
away from the cross - those that are preaching a different Gospel. In verse
eighteen they are also seen as people that Paul is weeping for - this might
indicate that he had a close relationship with them at one time - believers that
had gone astray.
In verse nineteen the word "destruction" can relate to either physical
destruction or eternal destruction.
Earlier in the chapter Paul is speaking of seeking the resurrection - this might
well indicate he is speaking of those that lead others away from that goal -
people that are themselves going to loose that glorious blessing.
19 Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory
[is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Their end is destruction: This would seem to indicate something serious don't
you think? They will end and that end will be destructive to them - not much
left to the imagination is there?
In my declining years I think all too often of my coming end, of my future with
Christ and wonder how in the world a lost person can contemplate such things
without having serious worry if not dread of their coming unknown end and/or
afterlife. There must be many millions in the world that fear death completely
and utterly, due to this not knowing of their end/afterlife.
Then there is the "Rest of the Story" as the famous radio columnist called his
program - we have the information that these poor souls yearn for and so often
we do little to see to their needs.
Worship their belly: Their god is their belly - they worship their belly. The
term translated belly has three main thoughts. It can relate to the womb - the
place of conception and the place of growth of the fetus, it can relate to the
lower bowel of the human stomach - the place of waste and it can relate to the
seat of emotion and thought.
This could relate to the love of eating, the love of sexual pleasure or the love
of self - emotions, decisions etc. It is this final thought that seems to fit
this text best.
Their destruction seems to arise out of the three items of self that are listed
in the verse.
Their glory is their shame: "Glory" is the Greek word "doxa" which relates to
bringing glory to God - it is an honoring God for Who and What He is, thus their
self glorification is actually a shame unto them. Imagine that highly lifted
nose of the socialite sniffing the idea of this passage - that uplifted nose is
only a sign of the person’s shame.
They mind earthly things: They are involved in worldly matters with their minds
- they dwell on the things of this world and in this context they do it to their
own detriment. This is not speaking to the believer specifically, but relates
quite well - anyone that dwells on the worldly in excess is bringing detriment
to themselves. This is a serious thing to consider in a world that is consumed
with the things of this world.
The self glorification and minding of earthly things may be further proof that
the belly in this context is speaking to the seat of thought and emotion. Their
being mindful of themselves and this life is their destruction and shame.
And Paul immediately relates this same thought to the reader - our minds ought
to be in the heavenlies not on things of this life. Our concentration should be
with Christ, not the Devil and his.
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ:
Not only should our conversation be on the heavenlies, our looking ought to be
on the Savior that will be the culmination of our seeking and watching.
The word translated conversation relates to a constitution that rules a
commonwealth - thus our conversation or that which rules and governs how we act
ought to be in the heavenlies not in worldly things.
When we go to work in the morning we should be governed by spiritual things - we
should be concentrating on being the best believer we can. We should be governed
by that which is right and true - that which Christ would have us live by.
When we are at home we should be governed by the same, and when we are at church
we should be directed by the same, and when we are at play we are to be living
by the same principles.
This does not allow for that believer that prays so saintly in the sanctuary and
then goes out that afternoon to belittle, demean and browbeat his competitors on
the church softball league ball field.
I am sure most of the readers can think of their own illustrations to this
point.
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his
glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all
things unto himself.
"Who" relates to the Savior mentioned earlier, will change our vile body - how
can something so wonderful as the human body be vile? How can something so
complicated be vile, how can something that can bring such joy to oneself and
others be vile, how can something that God made be called vile. This is
something we need to look into.
The term vile means lowliness or littleness, thus not the dirty, nasty, and
disgusting body that "vile" relates to. Christ will - sometime future -
transform our lowly bodies. The thought of lowliness relates to what we will be
after the transformation - it will be much preferred.
The "when" of this transformation seems to be indicated in the act of subduing
all things to Himself. He one day will subdue all things - the heavens and the
earth and all things within - including Satan and his helpers - ALL things will
be brought under His control for His glory and enjoyment.
APPLICATION:
1. The emphasis of this text seems to be the idea of how we give emphasis to our
lives. How do we live our life at work, how we live our life at church and how
we live our life at home. All should be the same, all should be equal, and all
should be an honor to Christ.
Never should our lifestyle on the ball field differ from that life in the
worship service. Never should our way of living in the home differ from that
life we live at prayer meeting. Never should Christ ever observe us living in
any other way than in a manner consistent with the living of Paul - total zeal
toward the things of the Lord, always ready to be called home, and always ready
to give answer to how we live.
I once new a leader that was quite saintly in the time of Bible study and
singing, but put him on the ball field and he was the Lord's iron. He was
totally bereft of any calmness, of any sportsmanship or of any compromise. He
was God's gift to that ball field at that time to sharpen those around him. He
was never wrong, he was never out of line, and he seldom had his anger under
control, yet he felt he was helping grow those around him to maturity. According
to this passage, he was out of line to be of any other character than what he
was in Bible study and singing times.
Yes, we are a tripartite being, but that does not mean that we are one sort of
person at church, one type of person at work, and another type of person at
home. We are three, body, soul and spirit, but we are also unity in how we live
our life.
2. The Net Bible suggests that in verse seventeen when Paul states "Brethren, be
followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an
ensample" that another reading might be along the lines of "Be fellow imitators
with me of Christ." This is probably a little closer to the truth. Yes, imitate
Paul or other founded leaders, but our example is really to be Christ. As
leaders imitate Christ, imitate them.
3. Call me ignorant, call me shallow spiritually, or call me what ever you will,
but I have never "gotten" this terminology of Paul's when he says, "I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." It
has always bothered me that Paul's terminology of a race and the prize does not
fit. There is only one winner in a race, there is only one first prize so how is
his terminology fit for this passage in which he calls all believers to the
proper life. We can't all get the first prize.
He is speaking of the culmination of this race we are in - the call home, not
the prize not the winning of a race, but the upward call to meet Christ either
via death or meeting Him in the air. He presses toward that moment when he knows
his race on earth is done, when he can be with God on His turf.
The upward call is the prize he sought so diligently. We are all in a race in
this life, and we all should be striving for that upward call rather than
dwelling on things of this life. This is a race where we are running alone;
there is only a well sought win, or a poor finish by default. Only the
individual will have to answer for how they have run the race. Whether a well
run race or a poorly run race, both will find that call from their Lord, but
Paul makes it quite clear that he is going to run with all his heart, no matter
what comes down the track at him.
4. I suspect some would assume from previous comments about the upward call that
Paul was working at this time on the upward call focus, and he most certainly
was, however this isn't just an end of life sprint for the finish that we are
talking about. This is a life long goal and focus for our lives. It is running
toward that upward call from the first moments of your time in the family of
God.
Salvation is only the beginning of life with God, and it is the beginning of our
race toward that upward call. When God reaches down and plucks us from the mire
and washes us off it isn't so we can go back into the muck for a few dozen
years, then all of a sudden at the end of life take a shower and get ready for
the trip home.
We are to set our focus on Heaven; we are to work toward that focus all our life
with all that is within us. That upward call is a pleasant end to a long life of
toil for our Lord in His fields of harvest.
If you are in later life and need to gain this focus, then get to it, but if you
are in any other area of life, gain the proper focus for your life and move on
as though you will never loose that focus until God makes it a reality in your
life by calling you home or calling you to join the Lord in the air.
5. Verse 21 mentions "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body." There are two items here that need to be covered.
"Our vile body" is the first and the second is that it will be changed into a
fashion such as Christ's.
Vile is a word that depicts some of the worst of worst in our society. If you
see the drunk on skid row or the prostitute, they are vile. If you see the
rotting of food or the rottenness of gangrene, they are vile. However the word
translated vile has more the thought of lowness, or humility. You might recall
earlier that we saw Christ became man and this was a humbling or lowering of
Himself to the plain of man.
This is pointed out in that many go with the "todays" definition of vile and
relate it to the fact that we still have the old nature in our lives and they
often relate this to the battle that we wage daily. This battle will one day be
over or so they say, and we will have peace finally and completely since we are
rid of that old nature, those sinful ways. Amazing what some proper
interpretation does to old wives tales.
We are lowly humans; we are of low estate as the grand scheme of God is related.
This lowly body will be fashioned to be like that body of Christ when He was
resurrected. This is one of the main passages that teaches that our body will be
like His. "Fashioned like unto his glorious body" is the terminology that Paul
uses. God is going to be in the business of changing our flesh and bones into a
body that is much more suited to the heavenly scene.
6. In later life I have noted that I have fought some battles that at the time
seemed to be paramount, but from hind sight many years later, those problems
don't seem as radically terrible. Not that they weren't false doctrine, but that
they didn't cause the decline and fall of Christianity as some of us thought at
the time.
In light of Paul's rather often if not constant warning about false teachers I
have come to realize that I was right to have fought those battles. We must keep
our guard up against deception and false teachers.
Again in retrospect I have to wonder if some of these isms that some of us were
decrying would have become much stronger than they did if there had not been the
warning cry. I think this may well be the case.
At the same time I wonder if Mormonism and some of our current isms had caused
men to willingly sound the warning cry against these movements if the movements
wouldn't have disappeared into the background instead of coming forth into
"Christianity" as part of the main stream as they are viewed today.
I seldom hear a warning against false teaching, I seldom hear a pastor or
teacher disclose the error of these modern movements and I seldom hear of these
isms in the same context as "false teachers."
Maybe some time considering why there are no warning crys today would be
appropriate.
a. If you are building a huge church you do not want to alienate anyone, so you
don't give "warnings" and you don't call others "false teachers" and you don't
rock your boat lest some get off and go to a bigger boat where the ride is
calmer.
b. If you suspect you have false teachers in your midst, does the financial
bottom line allow for the curling of someone’s toenails? We seldom feel free
today to talk negatively about anyone.
c. In our climate where the government is close to calling any disparaging words
against others as a "hate crime" we really must be careful - or should we? Maybe
we ought to be like the Australian pastors that faced trial for preaching
against homosexuality.
All this is coming to pass in the name of political correctness which actually
is nonsense on a stick. When you cannot call a football team Indians so you do
not insult anyone, you probably shouldn't call a team the Pirates so you do not
insult someone's ancestors.
d. In a church climate where fluff and suds is the desired menu why would any
thinking pastor/teacher want to not give forth with that smooth, feel good stuff
and refuse to upset a church goer.
e. And to trace this back a little further one must wonder just how much study a
man does when he puts out the fluff and stuff. It does not take long to put
together a message full of feel good stuff that you saw on Oprah and mix in a
tad of something you read in your favorite magazine. Just pick a verse for a
jumping off point and you have your Sunday message done.
If you are not in the Word you will become dull to the drone of the world and
start accepting the drone's mish mash of muck. Add a bit of complacency and you
have fluff and stuff adequate to the most non-discerning congregation of our
day.
f. It takes work to keep up with what is going on in the world. When you see an
ism, you need to go to work digging and finding out what they teach and how to
combat this false teaching. The congregation’s need is to be warned of the
wolves that would eat them alive. The congregations need to know what these
wolves teach, and they need to know what the Truth of the Word of God teaches
about the wolf’s teaching.
Instead of preachers out teaching against all these isms we have movie stars and
media portraying them as main stream if not fantastic religious movements that
are doing such great good for our world.
If you do not think the church is being affected by the false teaching of our
day, indeed the poor teaching of the church of our day go to an internet forum
and read awhile. You will see that the Word of God is dismissed out of hand, if
it is indeed even raised to answer a question.
There is no standard in our Christian world other than the one the individual
sets for themselves. Divorce is up to the individual as is remarriage,
premarital sex is not to be condemned because it is only an unfortunate mistake
or poor judgment. We all know that the Old Testament was for a different time
and different day so do not bother bringing up any passage from there, and
because the Old Testament is gone and the New Testament does not state in five
places, thou shalt not, then it must be okay.
Responsibility? What is that? I doubt that many Christians really believe that
they have a higher authority. If they do I'm sure they feel they can talk that
authority out of being upset because it felt so good at the time that it really
could not have been wrong.
7. When we went off to Bible College one of the first couples we met was young
as we, and had two children. They had the same philosophy of life as we - we are
going to serve God to the best of our ability and we are going to not get
entangled in this life, but work for the next.
He introduced me to a term that has been a watchword for us our entire life -
"PILGRIM" - no he was not John Wayne, but he was a man that was "Passin through
this life." This concept was fostered in the school that I attended and was
viewed as an acceptable goal in the spiritual life. I think this is the attitude
that Paul is putting forth in this passage and I believe that he is setting it
forth as appropriate for each and every believer.
I trust that you will consider the claims of Paul and consider the position you
might take before your Lord from this point forward. This isn't the norm; the
norm is doing your own thing and get as many toys as possible. Paul had a
different idea and I firmly believe that Paul is correct.
8. Constable quotes Hawthorne in relation to the Judaizer line of thought.
""Jews expect perfection now by keeping the Law; Christians yearn for the future
at which time perfection will be achieved.""
On the surface this is a good description, however in the details it should give
you some thought of problem. I suspect that the Jewish "perfection" was a lot
less than perfection, and I would also suspect that the last section relating to
Christians could well be taken as an excuse for not being perfect here in this
life.
All Christians except a few abhor the teaching that we should be perfect in this
life or even that we could be. Since Christ was tested in all ways as we and He
lived this life perfectly while relying on the Holy Spirit, and since we are to
be like Him, perfection seems to be a lot closer possibility than most admit.
If we are a "New Creation" and we are, and if we are indwelled, led and taught
by the Spirit of God and we are, then we ought to be capable of saying no to sin
- and we are, but we don't always do it. This is the problem, we don't and it is
often due to the teaching that we have had over too many years that we cannot be
perfect, that we "struggle," that we "fight," and that we often fall. Often
temptation results in our following all those wrong concepts. If we have to
fight against sinning, and we have the out that we often fall, then why wouldn't
we fall for the wrong teaching that we have had.
On the other hand if we were taught that we are the new creation that we are,
that we have the power of the Spirit to say no, and that we have the victory, we
can choose not to take that fall that is so easy for others. We must realize
that we have the standard of perfection in the Lord and He is our example -
ought we not be choosing not to fall?
That thought of "choice" should be of interest as well. Sin is a conscious
choice of the mind, not the ultimate defeat of the Devil in a wrestling match.
When sin enters our life it is a choice to say no to the leading and teaching of
the Spirit and saying yes to selfish desire. Nothing else - simple choice to
thumb your nose at God.
Perfection? Probably not since we like what we like and serve ourselves from
time to time, but mark it well that it is your choice and not some invisible
battle deep within yourself between what you used to be and what you are now.
It is a total crack up to me to hear the people talk of the old nature vs. the
new nature struggle within us all that we fight constantly. What they are saying
in effect is that Almighty God, wanted to help us poor lost folks but couldn't
really get the job done. He only was able to take part of that old nature away
and to give us a little bit of a new nature. The rest of the battle is up to us
to fight. He gave us some help, but couldn't really give us a real "NEW" nature.
My Bible tells me that I am a new creation, not partially newly created. Yes, we
look to eternity for our completely perfect being, but here and now we could be
much more pure if we simply had the mind for it and set aside the selfish part
of our life and decided to live for Him.
9. A moment of consideration of the body both here and there would be of
interest to some.
HERE
THERE
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a. fleshly
spiritual
b. limited
free
c. linked to Adam's fall linked
to Christ's resurrection
d. self-centered
Christ-centered
e. troubled by health
trouble free
f. dieing
ever lasting
g. waiting
arrived
h. burdened
unfettered
i. anticipating
satisfied
Let us close with a thought from Barne's Notes keeping in mind that Paul's goal
was the upward call, not the rewards or crowns that might come to pass when he
arrives. "This one thing I do. Paul had one great aim and purpose of life. He
did not attempt to mingle the world and religion, and to gain both. He did not
seek to obtain wealth and salvation too; or honour here and the crown of glory
hereafter; but he had one object, one aim, one great purpose of soul. To this
singleness of purpose he owed his extraordinary attainments in piety, and his
uncommon success as a minister. A man will accomplish little who allows his mind
to be distracted by a multiplicity of objects. A Christian will accomplish
nothing who has not a single great aim and purpose of soul. That purpose should
be to secure the prize, and to renounce everything that would be in the way to
its attainment. Let us, then, so live that we may be able to say, that there is
one great object which we always have in view, and that we mean to avoid
everything which would interfere with that."