Do you have a spiritual appetite?
Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. ----Matthew 5:6
Like
the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him
drink. The same goes for trying to lead people to God. If they don’t hunger
and thirst it’s a waste of time. It also holds true for believers if we’re
to discover the riches we possess in Christ. Each of us might ask if this true
of us – are we really hungry and thirsty to know God. So many appear to see
only Christ hanging on the Cross, never coming to know His resurrection power.
They will tell you, “Yes, I know he died for my sins and I hope to go to
heaven some day when I die.” That may be a start; it may not, but it’s a
far cry from what God wants us to know.
Let’s
be honest. How serious are we about wanting to know God? What do we do about
it? How much time do we spend? How many excuses do we offer? Do we really seek
Him in the book He has authored? We
say we believe the Bible but do we? When science or reason seems to cast doubt
on it, do we still believe it though we don’t understand? Is it really
accurate and true down to the last jot and tittle (or gnat’s eye, as we would
put it)? When it exceeds our natural understanding, when it seems opposed to
our views of right and wrong, what do we say then? The natural tendency, I
believe, is for us to judge the Bible rather than to let it judge us. It is so
natural to make it fit what we have experienced or understand, rather than to
realize that it is speaking of an entirely new and different realm that can
only be understood by taking God at His word. If God by His Spirit doesn’t
draw us to Him and enlighten us, His word will make no sense, and we will not
pursue it. As I Corinthians 2:14 puts it:
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Anyone
seeking God but ignorant of who He is should obey the truth of Hebrews 11:6
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”
The
same goes for believers if they are to grow up. This is not a faith we
pump up, not positive thinking. It comes from studying and proving out the
claims that scripture makes. It is the faith
which, amidst all our questions and doubts---like Jacob when he wrestled
with the angel---will not let God go. In seeking God’s blessing it will
not take no for an answer.
I
am convinced God has authored the Bible in such a way that only those really
serious about knowing him can ever understand it. (Curiosity seekers and the
uncommitted need not waste their time.) In an inexplicable way, God gradually
increases our appreciation of how accurate and true are His words, which are
hidden from the unbelieving world. Our spiritual growth is not unlike our
physical development. The newborn babe in Christ is told to “earnestly
desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.” You don’t
have to force feed a baby; it just naturally craves its mother’s milk. Then,
together with a mix of rest and increasing exercise, it learns to
crawl and walk and talk. But it takes time. Incidentally, ever wonder how a
baby could learn to walk if he was afraid of failure? Thankfully, pride doesn’t
hinder his adventuring in life, as is the case with so many adults afraid of
failure. Don’t we love to see the growth of a child that is loved by its
parents, who knows he is secure, accepted and gradually learns through their
loving discipline and teaching. If they have raised him up to fear and honor
the Lord they have the promise of Proverbs 22:6 ”Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Of
course, the problem is so many born again believers are physically full grown
before discovering Christ. How will they mature? Same way---by a loving
Father who slowly but ever so thoroughly trains us by his discipline and
teaching, giving us no end of tests to prove out our faith.
From
outward indications, maturity appears sadly lacking in God’s church. We see
so much division, so little fervent love of the Lord and obedience to His
advice that we wonder. We need to remember God is calling out a people for His
name, working behind the scenes. Not all who parade under the banner of Christianity belong to Him, more
likely only a small minority. The present times are reminiscent of the days
when God had to correct Elijah’s impression that he alone was left to serve
in Israel, when God said “Yet
I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed
unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”---I Kings 19:18.
Elijah was mistaken, just as we can be. God doesn’t publish His truth in the
newspapers; it’s only in the Bible. God is working undercover, and His truth
is found “under cover” of the Bible. Remember, He says, “...Thy word
is truth,” (or we might say in a spiritual sense Reality.)
Romans
8:29-30 gives us a great overview of our life in Christ:
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also
called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
How
wonderful to know God had His eye on us before we were ever born, that He has
laid out a plan for each of our lives! All of us enter this new life like
newborn babes with much to learn. Though individual experiences may vary,
many struggle initially to even be certain of their birth. Hey, the life we
have been called to so far exceeds our grandest expectations that doubts are
common. We read into scripture things that are not there, and leave out things
that are. The tendency is to make scripture conform to our ideas rather than
for
our views conformed to it.
Regarding
the assurance of our birth, I John 5:13 may become a clincher for us –
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God"
As we become familiar with the many
other scriptures of assurance, our faith becomes stronger and stronger (much
like the strength of a rope resulting from its many individual strands being
woven together).
Related
to our birth comes the question of our justification, which many may struggle
over (I know I did). Perhaps it’s a passage like Romans 3:20-24:
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the
righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the
law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
We
don’t arrive at such truth on our own, by our own smart. True, we find
ourselves studying, searching, praying, endeavoring to understand, but it is
alone by God’s spirit that it happens just as written in Philippians 2:12-13,
“. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God
which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Let’s
face it. The Bible speaks of so many things beyond our understanding. Even
things we may understand intellectually may not square with our experience. We
may feel like giving up. But if God has brought us to search after Him and to believe His word is truth, He causes us to press on. Most often He brings us
into difficulties beyond our own capabilities – trials, the Bible calls
them. Then, as we call out in what may be quiet desperation, God delivers us
in ways that cause us to understand in our hearts what our minds couldn’t
grasp before. We begin to more fully appreciate the truth of Romans 1:17:
“.
. . the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written,
The just shall live by faith.”
The
next hurdle for the growing Christian is that of his sanctification. The world
and no few Christians make sanctification a struggle to become more like God
(does that make you think of a promise the Serpent made to Eve?) Once having
gained God’s assurance of our salvation and justification, we have to learn
that sanctification is really a rest from all our own efforts, the result of
simply placing ourselves at God’s disposal to do whatever He wants. We begin
to trust in Him rather than in ourselves, not only in major trials but in the
little seemingly insignificant things of life. Rather than being so shocked
when we sin or fail, we come to know and depend on I John 1:9 as our lifestyle
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We don’t waste time
moping over the past but like Paul, forgetting what lies behind, we press on.
Though
our passage in Romans 8 didn’t mention our glorification when we ultimately
meet Christ in heaven, I don’t think many grapple with that so much, at
least in terms of the time when believers will be taken to glory. They know
good and well that God must do THAT for them! However, there is a sense
in which we may presently come to have a part in glorification, if by it we
mean to glorify God in all that we do.
Whether therefore ye eat, or
drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (I Corinthians
10:31)
Here is where we discover
God fulfilling His life in us, creating in us the motivation and joy of
serving others. This is the really fun part, we might say, what life is really
all about.
But
where to start? The Bible can appear so formidable. Admittedly, to those
unfamiliar with it, and even to those who have studied it, it can pose so many
questions, speaking of so many things hard to understand. Remember this. God
knows where you’re at, so why not ask Him to help guide you. He has promised
to do so. I remember starting in Genesis, and I learned a lot there, but I
soon jumped to the Gospels where most folks are advised to begin. The Gospel
of John is a good choice as its purpose is stated in chapter 20, verse 31:
”But
these are written, that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing
ye might have life through his name.”
The
important thing is to stick at it, to make a habit of reading the Bible daily.
Ask God to help you understand what you need, and let it speak to you without
trying to become a theologian all at once. Most folks will be surprised at how
much they do understand, even if they do have many questions. Incidentally,
what’s wrong with having questions? No questions, no answers.
A
word of advice to believers who don’t venture beyond the Gospels. As
precious as they are, remember Christ told his disciples He had much to say to
them but that they couldn’t bear it at the time. He explains that the Holy
Spirit later would lead them into all truth. The letters by Paul and the other
apostles are vital to understanding the Gospel in its totality. We must remember
that in the four Gospels, Christ spoke to Israel respecting God's promises to
that nation. Not until after his resurrection and ascension, when at Pentecost
and later through Paul was the full scope of his finished work made
known. In fact, when reading only the Gospel accounts, it might be helpful to pretend we
had never heard about Christ if we are to better appreciate how His words were
understood or more often misunderstood by Israel.
We
may for sure miss out if we’ve not come to see our identification with
Christ as Paul expressed it in Galatians 2:20 when He exclaimed:
“I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son
of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
To appreciate Paul’s
words, we must have identified with him in chapters 7 and 8 of Romans. This is
not easy truth to come by. It wasn’t for Paul. It’s not for us; it’s not
a beginners’ class designed to achieve instant Christian maturity. Here Paul
shows us how the law of God, holy and just as it is, can only expose our sin.
He takes us through his own experience to show us how he encountered the law
as a believer, discovering that sin was the hangover of his natural self as
opposed to his true spiritual identity by faith in Christ. The excerpted
verses that follow should be no substitute for reading these chapters and related
passages in full to arrive at how, spiritually, we also have died to the law, how God
has set us apart for Himself in Christ who manifests His life in us as we
learn to abide in Him.
“I was alive once without the
law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the
commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and
by it killed me.” Romans 7:9-11
Paul, I believe, is expressing a battle meant to be
common to every believer. After the initial joy of our rebirth, we eventually find
ourselves caught up in trying to live by God’s commandments, forgetting it
was by FAITH that we were born again. Certainly Israel thought they could keep
all God’s commandments given at Mt. Sinai, but, of course, they never did. We
remember Paul’s reminder to the Galatians in chapter 3:
“This only would
I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?”
“Therefore the law is holy, and
the commandment holy and just and good. Was then what is good become death to
me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in
me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become
exceedingly sinful. For we know
that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.”
Romans :12-14
The law of God as an expression of His holiness is
spiritual. It can only show us how far we fall short of His glory in the flesh
of our natural natures.
“For all fall short of the glory of God”
Rom. 3:23
“For what I am doing, I
do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I
hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law
that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in
me. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
Romans 7:15-17, 22-23
If you can identify with Paul here, rejoice. You are no
longer exhibiting the attitude of a sinner (who will do anything but truly
confess sin); instead sin is an enemy trying to enslave you. This is the
battle every saint encounters. Remember Galatians 5:17
For the flesh
lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
This battle is won once we see our sanctification, that is the separation of
our spirit, in which our true identity rests in Christ, from our flesh, the
natural nature opposed to God.
“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver
me from this body of death?” Romans 7:24
Before we can truly appreciate Christ, we must be shown
our need. Certainly no one naturally seeks such a state of agony. In Romans
10:28 God in His
love for us makes all things work for our good. Consider what he concluded
from his struggle:
“I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God,
but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has
made me free from the law of sin and death.” Roman 7:25,
8:1
The way of escape is to walk by the faith that declares
we have died to the law, to sin, to our old nature, despite its continual
protests to the contrary. Every trial in life gives us opportunity to grow in
our spiritual life, to prove out God’s calling and sufficiency.
The
preceding chapters of Romans and Paul’s other letters, particularly
Galatians, are helpful for anyone seeking insight into the identification
truths of our relationship with Christ. The heart of the matter is defined in
Romans 6:3,4:
"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried
with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life.”
Does this make sense
to you? Is it true in your experience? No? Then, if you have come to be a
born-again Christian, you are absolutely wrong. Remember Jesus’ words in
John 17:17, “. . . thy word is truth.” Make up your mind; is
that true or not? Remember again Romans 1:17, “. . . the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just
shall live by faith.” Another
thing. Much misunderstanding over Paul’s references to our having
died to sin is due to the way sin is defined. Paul is referring to the sin
nature with which we are born, that
blindness to God that exalts self in rebellion against Him. That sin still
indwells our flesh (but not our spirit in which we have been made one with Christ) is
evident in Paul’s battle with it in Romans 7. Yes, we must confess our sin
and our sins; certainly if we forget Satan will remind us. However, our
answer, after obeying I John 1:9, will always be, “Yes, but our sin and sins
have been forgiven and forgotten by the One who counts.”
The
high ground for every Christian is to know who we really are in Christ and
dare be obedient to Him. This obedience begins by believing in Him, abiding in
Him, focusing on Him rather than ourselves, walking as Jesus walked in
complete dependence upon our Father. Too much to ask?
If our answer is no, the shame we may feel can be dispelled by the
remembrance of Him, who “while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Surely, if
anything can cause us to love Him more, it is to first remember His love for
us. As Christ told the Pharisee, He who is forgiven much will love much.” As
vessels of God we are meant to be filled with His love to overflowing. What a
shame that so many vessels appear to be empty when they may freely receive at
any time! What do you say? Our lives will reflect that which captivates our
minds.
“For those who live according to the flesh set
their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the
Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to
be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5)
Let’s
remember that Jesus is not only the Son of God but the Son of Man. He is not
only the perfect expression of God; as the second Adam, he is the perfect
expression of humanity. He is the demonstration of what you and I are
ultimately meant to be. Do we
believe the Bible? Do we take God seriously? Can you name a greater goal than to be conformed to the
likeness of Christ? If you want something to
occupy your time and thoughts, pick up your Bible and read His words, be
informed of your destiny to be joint heirs with Christ. Discover that nothing
in all creation can separate you from His love and care, that He can do the
impossible in your life. Every reader is at a different level of
understanding. Some are mature Christians. Others are apparently not yet
established in their faith. Still others have yet to believe on Christ. Whoever you
are, may this speak to where you’re at, helping you discover the riches of
Christ. Think big! Think on the Lord God Almighty who has expressed Himself
through His Son Jesus Christ, whose life is revealed in the Bible for you to
see, believe, and experience.
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