IN FOOD WE TRUST?

Introduction

Last week we talked about some of the problems associated with fasting. It's common misuse has left a bad taste in our mouths and has discouraged many of us from attempting it for ourselves. Then we looked at some Scriptures which showed that fasting is not just a thing of the past. Starting with Jesus' temptation, we then began to try and determine the purpose of Biblical fasting. And this is what we found: fasting puts food in its proper place. Life comes from God, not from food. In this week's devotion, we will explore the larger context of Jesus' Old Testament quote in Matthew 4:4. Recall that this is a quote from chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, which recounts the journey that the Israelites took through the desert after they fled from Egypt. The original account of this event is given in Exodus 15-16, which is where we will begin this week's devotion.

Give us this day our Daily Bread

During their 40-year journey through the desert, the Israelites were totally dependent on God. After their escape from Egypt, the Bible says that “For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water” (Exodus 15:22). When they finally came across some water, they couldn't drink it because it was bitter. As a result, the Israelites started grumbling. Soon thereafter, God provided for them by making the bitter water turn sweet (Exodus 15:25). In response to their lack of food, the grumblings continued: “If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (Exodus 16:2-3). But again, God provided for them by raining down bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4), which they called “manna” (Exodus 16:31). God promised to rain down manna from heaven every morning (and quail every evening). The manna was God's daily provision of bread for the nourishment of the Israelites.

ccc Exodus 16:13-20 describes the Israelites' first encounter with the manna: “...in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.' " The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”

ccc The Israelites' reaction to the manna is interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, it illustrates how the Israelites were totally dependent upon God. There was no natural source of food in the desert. By raining down manna from heaven, God Himself was their source of food. The Israelites could collect as much manna as they wanted, but they couldn't store it up for the future because it wouldn't keep—by the next day it had already spoiled. God didn't allow the Israelites to keep any of the manna until morning because He wanted them to rely on Him. The Israelites' disobedience is an indication that they didn't trust God. They wanted to be self-sufficient. They wanted to be in control. Since they couldn't create their own bread (as God had done for them), they decided to take control by storing some of it up for the future as a safety net.

ccc Another reason this story is so interesting is because it is relevant for us today as well. In our case, we are not storing up manna, but rather wealth. We store up wealth for a variety of reasons (e.g., emergencies, retirement), and, in so doing, we feel secure because we have created for ourselves a safety net. There's nothing wrong with having a savings account or a retirement fund, but how would you feel if you suddenly lost it? Or how would you feel if God asked you to give your excess money to the poor instead of saving it for yourself? (See e.g., Matthew 19:21.) Most of us, I think, feel quite uncomfortable with this idea. Like the Israelites, we like to have a safety net. But a safety net (wealth in our example) is just an idol if we trust in it more than we trust in God. It gives us a feeling of security, but our feelings are false. Wealth, health, and all of our assets can be lost in an instant. God is our only true source of security in this life.

Examining Jesus' Quote

In the last devotion, we saw how Jesus used an Old Testament quotation to respond to the devil's temptation to turn the stones into bread. The quote comes from chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, which provides an explanation as to why God tested the Israelites in the desert: “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you” (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).

ccc This text describes how God imposed fasting on the Israelites. He caused them to hunger (and thirst), but in the end He provided everything they needed—not only food and water, but also durable clothes and healthy feet. Why did He do this? The passage of Scripture above associates hunger with humility. Fasting, then, is a way of humbling ourselves before God (see e.g., Ezra 8:21, Psalm 35:13). As we have already discussed, fasting in and of itself is meaningless. Our fasting should not be mindless but rather, when we fast, our focus should be on God (see e.g., Zechariah 7:4-6). In the same way, fasting in and of itself does not generate humility. So how do we cultivate an attitude of humility?

ccc When we fast—and even when we don't—we need to recognize our total dependence on God. Being dependent and asking for help is itself a humbling thing. The more we see ourselves from God's point of view, the more humble we will be. The truth we need to recognize is that God is so much bigger than we are. In Isaiah 55:9, He says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The way we live our lives reveals whether or not we truly believe this about God. How do we react in the face of great troubles—with fear or with faith and trust? How do we react when things are going well—with gratitude or with boasting and pride?

Fear & Pride vs. Gratitude & Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” When life looks bleak we have two options. Since we are unable to help ourselves we can either (1) worry, fear, and despair or (2) “lean not on [our] own understanding” but instead choose to trust in God. The first option—worry—results in grumbling. This was the Israelites' reaction to their lack of food and water in the desert. Faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, we sometimes do the only thing we feel we can—we complain about our problems. We feel trapped by our inability to change our situation. Our problems become the focus of our life. Have you been there? I know I certainly have! It is important to keep in mind, though, that fear, worry, and despair are the same as unbelief. We can't worry and, at the same time, be trusting God. Faith and fear are mutually exclusive.

ccc The second choice—trusting in God—causes us to lean more on Him. When we trust in God, He becomes “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). In our helplessness we do the only thing we can do—pray, fast, and seek God with all our heart. When we do this, God becomes the focus of our life. When we seek God wholeheartedly and lay our needs before Him, something miraculous happens. God becomes our refuge—He looks out for our best interests (Romans 8:28). He changes our hearts and answers our prayers—although not always in the way we expect. Although at first we may be worried and fearful, as we seek Him, our anxiety turns to peace (Isaiah 26:3, NKJV): “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

ccc When life is going well, it is tempting to take credit for whatever success we are experiencing. In this case, our two choices are (1) to boast about “our” success or (2) to give credit to God. The first reaction is pride; the second is humility. In Deuteronomy 8:10-14,17-18, God warns the Israelites about the dangers of success: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God... You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”

ccc Everything we have—including our talents—comes from God. Some people are really good at learning and reasoning. Some people have built up thriving businesses, capable of producing great wealth. Some people are great athletes. Some people are fashionable. Some have “street smarts.” Since all of these gifts come from God, taking credit for our talents and our wealth makes no sense. “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). When things are going well in our lives, the appropriate reaction is to acknowledge God with praise and thanksgiving: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Summary & Conclusion

It may seem as though we've strayed from our topic of fasting, but all of the themes in this devotion are related. Let's review. God imposed fasting on the Israelites to humble them. Dictionary.com defines the verb to humble in the following ways: (1) “to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase,” (2) “to destroy the independence, power, or will of,” (3) “to make meek: to humble one's heart.” Was it the hunger that humbled the Israelites? Perhaps in part—but it was more than that. The Israelites were especially humbled as they came face to face with the truth of their situation: they were helpless—they needed God. In the desert they had no food. Leaning on their own understanding of the situation, the Israelites concluded that they were going to starve to death. (Not a happy prospect!) Their reaction, however, was one of pride. A humble reaction would've been to seek God—to lean on Him. Instead, the Israelites looked only to their own strength. Helpless to save themselves, they grumbled in reaction to their worry, fear, and despair. Like the Israelites, the more we focus on our problems, the more insurmountable they become in our minds. We stop believing that God can help us, and we lose sight of how big God is. We forget that God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). The story of the Israelites' reaction to their hunger in the desert is the perfect example of how not to fast.

ccc God put the Israelites in a low and humble position to emphasize the gap between them and Him. Whether we realize it or not, that gap is always there—even when life seems to be going well. But, as you have heard, pride comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). The Israelites had to be driven to a desperate situation before they could recognize their humble position before God. We see it in the Bible time and time again. The Israelites followed God and things went well. They became proud, started relying on themselves and following their sinful desires, and then things were bad. Then they sought God and repented and, once again, He delivered them. All you have to do is to read through the book of Judges to see this obvious pattern of pride and humility—of success and defeat (e.g., Judges 2:11 & 2:15-19, 3:7 & 3:9, etc).

ccc As we have seen, fasting is a Biblical way of acknowledging our humble position before God. Fasting is a way of saying, “God, I am totally dependent on you—I can't do this on my own.” It's a way of saying, “Lord, if you aren't with me, I know my plans won't succeed” (see Acts 5:38-39). But we shouldn't begin to think that humility is something we save only for a day of fasting. Humility should characterize our entire lifestyle. Every day of our lives we should resubmit ourselves to God. Every day we should earnestly seek Him and trust in Him as the source of all good things (see Hebrews 11:6). And even in the desert of life when things seem hopeless, we should “not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and [our] heavenly Father knows that [we] need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to [us] as well” (Matthew 6:31-33).

ccc This week, I hope you will join me in seeking God and learning to rely on Him anew. I also encourage you to read and ponder 2 Chronicles 14:2-16:14, which is yet another example of how God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Here are some questions to consider:

1. According to 2 Chronicles 14:2-5, what does seeking God entail?

2. What was King Asa's (and Judah's) reward for seeking God? (See 2 Chronicles 14:2-7.)

3. When trouble came (2 Chronicles 14:9), how did King Asa respond? (See 2 Chronicles 14:8-15.) Describe his response in the context of this week's devotion. How does his response compare with that of the Israelites' in Exodus 16:3?

4. According to 2 Chronicles 15:2, what is the opposite of seeking God?

5. In 2 Chronicles chapter 16, King Asa stops seeking God. What are some of the mistakes he made?

6. What did these three chapters teach you about seeking and relying on God?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Introduction

Over the next few weeks I want to talk about fasting. In this week's devotion, we will first begin by examining a few of the reasons why many Christians don't like the idea of fasting. Second, we will examine Scripture in order to determine if fasting is something we are still meant to do in this day and age. Then we'll finish up by examining Jesus' response to the devil's temptation after His 40-day fast. Next week we will continue our Biblical examination of fasting.

Our Distaste for Fasting

For many of us, the idea of fasting leaves a bad taste in our mouths. Maybe this is because we think of those who fast as being holier than thou. We assume that those who practice fasting only do it for the wrong reasons (e.g., to get attention). Thinking of fasting reminds us of Jesus' words to the Pharisees: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18). We don't want to put on a show for others. We don't want to be hypocrites. We don't want to be perceived as being self-righteous, and so we abstain from fasting.

ccc Another reason for our distaste for fasting is that we think of it merely as a form of asceticism. Dictionary.com defines asceticism as: “the doctrine that a person can attain a high spiritual and moral state by practicing self-denial, self-mortification, and the like.” If we fast as a means of attaining a higher form of spirituality, then we are essentially claiming the ability to achieve a higher spiritual state. But we know that our spirituality comes from God alone—not from some form of imposed self-denial. As 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 says : “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Since we know that we are not capable of making ourselves more spiritual or more moral, we don't see the purpose of fasting. We are opposed to the idea that fasting might provide a sort of leverage to get what we want from God.

ccc Furthermore, we are unsettled by the seemingly close relationship between fasting and works-righteousness—the (wrong) idea that we can earn our own righteousness, or salvation, by our good works. The Bible makes it clear that this idea is not true. God judges us against His perfect law and, because we are not able to obey the law, we are helpless to save ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9): “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” If we believe that we can somehow make ourselves right with God by doing good works, then we are placing our faith in our own works rather than in God's perfect work of salvation through Jesus. This is a very dangerous place to be! The Bible clearly states that our righteousness comes from God (Philippians 3:8-9): “I consider [all things] rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” God the Father, draws us to Jesus (John 6:44), and we come to Him offering nothing. The Holy Spirit creates faith in us, through which are able to receive what only Jesus can give us—eternal life. And even though we are called to be holy, it is God who washes, sanctifies, and justifies us (1 Corinthians 6:11). Given all of these problems, we have a hard time understanding why we should fast. We see the pitfalls of fasting, but none of the benefits.

ccc So we see that fasting, in and of itself, is meaningless. But the same could be said of prayer or worship (which I think we'd all agree are very important). The problem is that it's all too easy to do things without even thinking about them. We can mindlessly recite the words of prayers we've known since we were children, but is this really what prayer is? We can sing ages old worship hymns without thinking about God at all. Is this really worship? In the same way, we can deny ourselves food for a day, but if we do it for the wrong reasons and don't consider why we are doing it, then it's just a meaningless act. If fasting is just a form of works-righteousness, then we ought to discount it. But why then did Jesus Himself use this practice? Perhaps we should not discount it just yet...

Fasting: A Thing of the Past?

I am not aware of any verse in the Bible that commands us to fast, but it is clear from the Old Testament that fasting was a part of the Jewish life (e.g., Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 7:6, 31:13, 2 Samuel 1:12, 12:16-22, 1 Chronicles 10:12, 2 Chronicles 20:3, Ezra 8:21-23, Nehemiah 1:4, 9:1, Esther 4, Psalm 109:24, Daniel 9:3, Joel 2:12, Jonah 3:5, Zechariah 7:3). When Jesus addressed the Jewish people in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:16-18), He did not say “if you fast,” He said “when you fast.” Jesus Himself began His earthly ministry with a 40-day fast (Matthew 4:1-4).

ccc Fasting was such a part of the Jewish tradition, that the people expected Jesus' disciples to fast. From the Bible we learn that John's disciples and the Pharisees fasted, but Jesus' disciples did not. When questioned about this, Jesus said (Matthew 9:15): “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom [Jesus] will be taken from them; then they will fast.” By this statement, Jesus was saying that His disciples would fast when the time was right. While Jesus was still with them, it was a time of celebration rather than mourning—a time of feasting instead of fasting.

ccc By His own words Jesus admits that He “will be taken from” His disciples. We might think that this phrase refers to His crucifixion and death. But I think it applies, more appropriately, to Jesus' ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). It is apparent from the Bible that the latter explanation is what the early church understood to be true, because in Acts 13:1-3 it says “In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers... While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul [Paul] for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” Why would members of the early church fast if they believed that it was no longer appropriate?

ccc From these passages, I believe we must conclude that fasting is still relevant for us today. The question that remains is this: What is the purpose of fasting? Or Why should we fast? This question is more difficult to answer. We will begin by examining the events following Jesus' 40-day fast.

Not Bread Alone

What is the purpose of fasting? Jesus points us to the answer in His dialog with Satan during His temptation (Matthew 4:1-4): “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' ""

ccc “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This is a profound statement. This saying originates from Deuteronomy chapter 8, which recounts the journey of the Israelites through the desert after they fled from Egypt. Eventually, we will shed some additional light on this passage by looking at the context of the original verse. But for now, I have a few general comments about the verse itself.

ccc When you consider that life itself came about by the commands (the words) of God, it's easy to see that man does not live on bread alone. Bread cannot bring life—only God can do that. Furthermore, it is by the words of God that all things came into existence. For example, Genesis 1:24 records: “And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so.” And in Psalm 33, we read: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (verse 6), and “he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (verse 9). When God speaks, His words come true. Everything we have today is here because God spoke it into existence. Everything—including our life—comes from God.

ccc Not only has God given us life, He also actively sustains our lives. We tend to think of food (e.g., bread) as our sustenance (that which sustains and nourishes us), but this is incorrect. So often we fail to recognize the work of God around us. We see only what we do and begin to think that we deserve credit and thanks for the food we harvest. Farmers plant seeds, they water the ground, they tend the weeds. Do farmers produce food? Psalm 104:14 says that God “makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth.” Later, in verses 24 and 27, the psalm continues: “In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures... These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.” The work of a farmer is hard. But farmers do not grow crops, they harvest them. Man is not capable of making seeds grow—only God can do that. We can't even comprehend why a seed mixed with soil, water, and sunshine should produce anything new at all—but it does. We take it for granted that our lives are in God's hands, and we frequently neglect to give Him thanks for what He's done. Verses 29 and 30 of Psalm 104 do a good job of expressing the extent to which our lives are truly in God's hands: “When you [God] hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” So we see that both life and bread are gifts from God, who is our true sustenance. Whether we acknowledge God or not, day after day our lives continue because of Him (Psalm 3:5): “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.”

ccc God created us and gave us the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). We were made to live forever, but, because of our sin, we perish. However, as Christians, we know that there is hope. God sent Jesus to earth to bear our sins on the cross. Through Jesus, we can “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4, ESV). Remember that this new life is the result of God's grace, and it comes to us through faith in Jesus' atoning sacrifice (Ephesians 2:8)—“whoever believes in him [Jesus] shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). But without the Bible (the word of God), we would not know the truth of our salvation. We would not know what to believe in. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). We are alive today because of God. In spite of our sins, we will not one day cease to exist. Instead, because we hear Christ's words and believe, we will live with Him forever. In this way also, we see that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Eternal life comes from faith in the words of Christ. And this is what Christ said (John 6:35-40): “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty... All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

ccc From all of these Scriptures, we see that God is the true source of life. He sustains us day by day and has even paid the price to redeem us from the grave. Eternal life is ours through faith in what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. We have done nothing. God has done everything. Fasting, then, is a way of acknowledging that God—rather than bread—is the true source of life.

ccc Next week we will continue our Biblical investigation of fasting. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in meditating on the sustenance of God. I hope you will remember that Jesus is your bread—the one who sustains you in this life and keeps you for the life to come. Amen!

FACE TO FACE

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). These words speak of Christ's return, which is mentioned over and over again throughout the New Testament—and is even alluded to in the Old Testament (e.g., compare Daniel 7:13-14 to Mark 14:62 and Revelation 1:7). The subject of this week's devotion is Christ's Return. It is not my intention to go into all the details of the end times, but rather to (1) have a brief look at the purpose of Christ's second coming and then to (2) focus on how we should live our lives in light of the certainty of His return.

Salvation: The Reason for Jesus' Return

Hebrews 9:26-28 describes the reason why Jesus came to the earth, and it distinguishes between His first and second coming: “...But now he [Jesus] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” The reason Jesus came the first time was to earn our salvation by bearing our sins on the cross. The reason He will come again will be to bring salvation to those who, in faith, are waiting for Him to return. Jesus' second coming will involve a gathering up of the true believers: “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens” (Mark 13:26-27). So we see that with Christ's return comes salvation.

ccc I think it's worth taking the time to answer the question: What does salvation accomplish for us? Why do we need to be saved? It all began with Adam and Eve's rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden, when they decided to be obedient to themselves and live for themselves rather than for God. We might be quick to blame them, but we are not innocent either. The Bible says that everyone is guilty of sin (Romans 3:23), and that all sin is really an offense against God (e.g., Psalm 51:1-4). Because we have all sinned against God, we are all in His debt—owing Him our very lives: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). In other words, death is the penalty for our sinfulness. Romans 5:12 expresses it this way: “...sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned..” So the answer to our question—What does salvation accomplish for us—is that salvation frees us from sin (and, therefore, from death): “...Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We... have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed'” (John 8:31-36).

ccc The more I come to know Christ and His perfect law, the more I realize that what He is saying in this passage above is so true. I am a slave to sin. Every second of every day, sin is crouching at my door, desiring to have me (Genesis 4:7). And, like Paul, I can truly say “...I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good... I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out... Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it... For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched [person] I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!...” (Romans 7:14-25).

ccc Jesus said, “everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” But He also said, whoever the Son sets free is free indeed! It's important to realize, though, that freedom from sin is not the freedom to do whatever we please (Romans 6:16,22): “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ...But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” In this life, we really only have two choices: (1) Be slaves of satan and his desire for us to sin—which further separates us from God—or (2) be slaves of God and and His desire for us to be obedient to His life-giving commands. Whom would you rather your master be—someone who wants to harm you (satan) or someone who has your best interest at heart (Romans 8:28) and loves you so much that He suffered greatly in order to redeem you from the grave (God)?

Judgment: The Reason for Jesus' Return

John 5:22 says that God the Father “has entrusted all judgment to the Son.” In 1 Corinthians 4:5 we find Christ's second coming associated with judgment: “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” Therefore, with Christ's return comes judgment.

ccc God's Judgment is not something we like to talk about. It is not something we like to think about. But with guilt comes judgment. We are on trial for our sins against God and the verdict has just come in—we are guilty. I think most of us would agree that laws are good. They bring order from chaos. They set a standard for all to follow. When someone does us wrong, we are glad when justice is served. Why is it different for the law of God? Do we really consider ourselves innocent? God's judgment is what we deserve—each and every one of us. And this is God's judgment (John 3:16-18): “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” This passage says that we are no longer judged by our ability to follow God's law, but rather by our belief that Jesus—in our stead—has already faced the death penalty for us and has paid the price for our sins.

ccc What is a saving belief? This is a difficult question. From my own experience I know that we—as sinful human beings—have a tendency to try and take “belief” and make it into something safe and easy. We want to have the salvation without the suffering (Philippians 1:29) and selflessness (Matthew 16:24). It took me a while to grasp what God was telling me—through His word and Spirit—about being in relationship with Him, but this is the understanding that I have come to accept: We all have to start somewhere in our relationship with Christ, and I believe the saying that “Jesus meets us where we are...” The Holy Spirit creates faith in us, and God meets us where we are... But then He takes us to a place we could never go on our own (Matthew 19:26, Philippians 4:13). When God calls us into a faith relationship with Him, He calls us to holiness (1 Peter 1:16). He calls us to die to sin (Romans 6:11) and become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). He calls us to a life lived for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15). There is no one in such a bad state of sin that Christ cannot reach that person (Romans 3:21-24)... But there is also no one so well off that they do not need Christ's help (Romans 3:23).

Living in light of Jesus' Return

One day Jesus will return—and with Him will come judgment and the completion of our long awaited salvation. If this is what we truly believe, it should affect the way we live our lives. 2 Peter 3:10-14 describes the coming of the Lord Jesus and His judgment as follows: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”

ccc What kind of people should we be? How should we live our lives in light of the certainty of Jesus' return? Given that the entire New Testament deals with this question in one way or another, it is not possible to give a comprehensive answer. Instead I will attempt to touch on a few main points.

Purification & Sanctification: The Pursuit of Holiness

The first point is the one that is most clearly expressed in the passage from 2 Peter 3 above. These are the words that Peter uses to describe how we ought to be: holy, godly, spotless, blameless, and at peace with Jesus. In a sense, all these words are saying the same thing—be holy. I like the way John says it in his first epistle (1 John 3:2-3): “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he [Jesus] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he [Jesus] is pure.” This passage of Scripture is saying that the people on this earth who are truly looking forward to Christ's return will seek purification. To be sure, holiness and purification are closely related (1 Thessalonians 4:7): “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” True holiness is the end result of the process of purification (or “sanctification”). And this is how important our purity is to God (Ephesians 5:5): “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

ccc Consider the purification of a metal. The purity of a metal determines its value. Through the aid of fire, metals are refined in order to purify them. The refining or purification process involves the removal of the impurities or “dross”. As Proverbs 25:4 says, “Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith.” In the same way that the silversmith desires to remove the dross from the silver in order to make it more pure, God desires to remove the dross from our lives. This analogy is used several times throughout Scripture: Isaiah 1:22, 25: “Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water... I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.” Ezekiel 22:18: “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver.” Zechariah 13:9: “This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'” Malachi 3:3: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness...” 1 Peter 1:7: “These [trials] have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

ccc To seek purity means to seek the removal of our impurities, or dross. One obvious example of dross is sin. In the Bible, there are clear-cut examples of sin (Exodus 20:1-17: idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, etc). But really, anytime we fail to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—and to love our neighbor as ourselves—we break God's commands and are, therefore, guilty of sin (Luke 10:27). In this life we will sin. We are not perfect, but—with God's help—we strive for perfection. We strive for continued purification. This is how Paul described his own struggle with purification (Philippians 3:12-16): “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”

ccc We know that we are going to mess up at times—that's inevitable. But when we do slip we need to repent (i.e., acknowledge our sin before God, ask for His forgiveness, and seek to do better in the future). The real problem is when we live in continual unrepentant sin. The Bible warns us not to do this when it tells us not to “change the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (Jude 4). Our sins should grieve us because they grieve God and—if we do not repent of them—they will continue to separate us from Him.

ccc Besides the obvious sins, there are other things in our lives that are not inherently bad, but they can become bad if they are misused. Television is a good example. (Something I've struggled with in the past.) If I like watching TV so much that I don't have time for God, then it becomes a bad thing in my life. Therefore, dross is anything in our lives that distracts us from God—anything that prevents us from single-minded devotion to the Lord. It is the stuff that we ought to consider loss for the sake of Christ. This is how Paul puts it (Philippians 3:7-8): “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.”

ccc Having said all of this, it's easy to become overwhelmed by our faults and failures. The devil wants to drive us to despair, but we must never forget the forgiveness and the mercy of God. If we really seek to purify ourselves, God promises that we won't have to do it alone (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24): “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify [purify] you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”

Watching & Waiting: Keeping an Eternal Focus

Luke 21:34-36 is a frightening passage: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Let's consider the meat of what this passage is saying.

ccc First of all, Jesus will return “at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:44). This means we should always be ready for His return. We should be waiting for His return. So the question is: What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for your schedule to free up before you commit to following Christ wholeheartedly or are you waiting for Christ's return with eager anticipation (Philippians 3:20-21) and longing (2 Timothy 4:8)? Another way of thinking about this question is as follows: Is your heart set on earthly or heavenly things? Are you focused on the temporal or the eternal? I'm sorry to say that most of my life thus far has been focused on myself and my earthly life, rather than on Christ and eternity. The passage stated above warns us not to get so caught up in our earthly lives that we neglect our relationship with God, which has eternal consequences. Therefore, as followers of Christ, we are called to readiness and watchfulness as we wait for His return.

ccc Secondly, having just talked—in the previous section—about our need for God's help in our purification, it is fitting that we should bring up the subject of prayer. In the passage above, we are commanded to pray that we would “escape all that is about to happen” and that we would “be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Are you ready to see Jesus, face to face in all of His glory, and to give an account of your behavior to Him? (See Romans 14:12 and 2 Corinthians 5:10.) I don't know about you, but when I think of having to do this, I cringe. I'm not sure if that's the right reaction or not, but it definitely motivates me to pray! In the book of John, Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples that He will give them whatever they ask for in His name (John 14:13-14, 15:7,16, 16:23-24). The conditions of Jesus' promise, however, are that His words remain in us, that we bear fruit as His disciples, and that our request be something that brings Him glory. If we ask for a free porsche, for example, we probably won't get it. But if we ask for things we know God wants us to have, then we can be certain we will receive them. Therefore, in view of eternity, we should pray that God would purify us and make us blameless so that we would be able to stand before Jesus when He returns.

Conclusion

There are many more things I could say regarding the ideal Christian lifestyle, but my purpose was not to be comprehensive. Wherever you are in your walk with God, I encourage you to “press on”—to forget what is behind and to strain toward what is ahead. Assess your priorities as you fix your eyes “on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). And as you strive to press on towards purification and a closer relationship with God, do not neglect to pray. To do so would be to forget that we are unable to purify ourselves, but are in desperate need of God's help. In the words of M. E. Andross, “If the Christian does not allow prayer to drive sin out of his life, sin will drive prayer out of his life. Like light and darkness, the two cannot dwell together.” (I encourage you to read through some of the other prayer quotes.) Let me end with a verse of Scripture (1 John 2:28): “And now, dear children, continue in him [Jesus], so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”