Defending Christianity not God

I had an interesting chat the other day with a friend who’s major issue with Christianity is the fact that it is all about rules and regulations engendered to control people and use fright tactics ( hell ) to get them to follow these rules.

What ?

I know I should not be shocked, since this is quite a common view amongst people who do not know Jesus.

But I am shocked, and you should be too!

How on earth can this be the picture that people have of God – he is so entirely different to that – the Gospel is so entirely opposed to that.. in fact Paul go so far as to call what is described above as not even an gospel at all – and even if angles were to come and preach a gospel like this we should ignore them.

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:6-8 (ESV)

As for me, I am going to do my bit to try and stomp out these lies that are going around, and robbing the gospel of its power and attractiveness.

However I will not try to do this with logical arguments since those just beget other arguments.I am not trying to justify the existence of God ( as if he needed me to ) – this is just simply an attempt to show ,  with references from the bible, the foundational belief of Christianity is not one of  being forced to obeying laws and regulations – it is in fact the exact opposite – it is the freedom from rules and regulations. That is my God.

These scriptures are not exhaustive, just a quick search I did based on some key words… there is a lot more in the bible on this!

We don’t have to fulfilll the law that is was Jesus did

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew 5:17 (ESV)

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:3-4 (ESV)

11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

Hebrews 7:11 (ESV)

We are save by grace and justified by faith not through the law

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 (ESV)

22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:

Romans 3:22 (ESV)

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

Romans 4:13 (ESV)

5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 (ESV)

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Romans 5:9 (ESV)

7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:7 (ESV)

This is a gift from God, there is nothing we can do to earn his justification – there is nothing we can boast about

24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 3:24 (ESV)

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 3:27-28 (ESV)

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:9 (ESV)

2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

Galatians 3:2 (ESV)

We are freed from having to uphold the law

39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Acts 13:39 (ESV)

8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Acts 15:8-11 (ESV)

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 6:14 (ESV)

6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Romans 7:6 (ESV)

16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 2:16 (ESV)

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Galatians 3:11 (ESV)

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:18 (ESV)

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Philippians 3:9 (ESV)

 

The Realities of thinking you can be justified by the law

21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 2:21 (ESV)

4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you.

Galatians 5:4-8 (ESV)

So what was the law for then ?

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Galatians 3:23-26 (ESV)

 

Christians Responses to this freedom ?

Do we strive to be good, and just, and good ambassadors of what God stands for.. yes, but as a response to the freedom he has given us.. not out of fear – nothing could be further from the truth. In fact we are simply lead by his Spirit in what is right and wrong.

31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Romans 3:31 (ESV)

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

Romans 6:15 (ESV)

Renew Your Mind

In keeping with the theme that I appear to have going, In my last post on Guarding your heart  I touch on the fact that the peace of God will help you to protect your heart and your mind :

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

So clearly to be complete we need to take a quick look at your mind quickly, and see what the word has to say about that.

12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

As you can see here, as part of our spiritual worship, we are encouraged to renew our mind, so that we would not be conformed to this world, but rather changed in a way that allows us to discern the will of God – which is quite a powerful promise to hold onto.

And how do we renew our mind

First actively chose what you expose yourself to

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

Second, as follows on from Romans 12,  think of yourself realistically, and act accordingly… don’t try to act in ways that God has not gifted you, or to pretend to have matured beyond your faith… just sincerely honour God with your gifts.

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Romans 12:3 (ESV)

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

Romans 12:6 (ESV)

Guard Your Heart

In my last post Where to start training I spoke about picking a principle and exercising it. Perhaps you are finding that harder than it sounds.. then here is something that will be common to everyone.

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

If you want to grow in your godliness, then you must be aware of the importance of your heart. Luke shows us the repercussion of not protecting your heart.. and the rewards of doing so.

45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45 (ESV)

Try as you might, what occupies your heart will come out.

So, the heart is somewhat of a battle field for us, what are we to do to keep it safe - so that we will naturally produce good.. and not the evil that we are so easily inclined.

Thankfully, we don’t need to guess at this as Paul addresses this in his letter to the Philippians.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:4-8 (ESV)

Paul calls us to a few actions, and in there lies the promise that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.

But further to that Paul does not stop at telling us how to guard our hearts, in vs 8 he goes on to tell us how to feed the heart, so that we would fill it up with “good treasure”, and that is what we choose to think about.

And as a nice final reminder, in vs 9 it goes onto say that we need to put this into practise…

9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9 (ESV)

Then the God of peace, that protects your heart and mind will be with you.

Where to start the training ?

I got a comment on my last blog entry Training for Godliness which basically posed the question where do you start your training for godliness ?

Which is a very important question and as I can see it there are 2 very different answers depending on your current foundations.

Answer 1

First off, if you think that training for godliness has anything to do with your salvation, then the first thing you need to do is to look at righteousness before you go any further, else you are about to get yourself into a spiralling trap of effort and despair.

Godliness as spoken about in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 is about growing in God not about getting into God. You need to have the clear foundation that your salvation has nothing to do with your efforts else you would have grounds to boast – and in so doing would absolutely nullify the work of Christ on the cross.

Paul puts it quite bluntly in Galatians and Romans

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Galatians 1:6-7(ESV)

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Galatians 3:3-4(ESV)

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 3:27-28(ESV)

There is lots more to be said on this, but I will leave it for now.

Answer 2

If your foundation is solid, and you understand this is all in the context of being in Christ, then we can move onto some nice meaty stuff, where you can be challenged by God, tested, disciplined and grow, all in the confidence of your salvation.

So where to start training. Well that answer is both simple and hard.

Hard because there is no single answer. God will deal with each person in his own time. He understands that you are different to other people and he requires different things from you than from others, so the things he will want to work out in you will be unique ( at least the order, as I am sure we all share many of the the same sins ).

Simple because all you need to do is to read the word, talk about it to others, pray, and let a principle that you come across stand out to you. Don’t try and do everything, remember we grow bit by bit, from glory to glory

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18(ESV)

Then exercise it.

Again as in my last post, that does not mean analyse it, memorise it , study it and debate it… yes you should do all of those, but actually submit your daily choices to that principle. Exercise making that choice. Fail, ask for forgiveness, move on and wait for the next opportunity, succeed – thank God and try again.

God will be in control of the things that he wants you to work on. Trust him and exercise what he shows you.

In your failing God may discipline you, but rejoice in that because then you have solid proof you are God son:

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Hebrews 12:7-8(ESV)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4(ESV)

Training for Godliness

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)

There is an very interesting parallel that is drawn here between growing in godliness and physical training, and the implication of this is that godliness is something that can be worked on, matured and strengthened.

But first we need to make a clear distinction between godliness and righteousness. Righteousness is the free gift that God gives us for salvation – in which we have no right to boast. Godliness however is the outworking of our faith, the fruit of how we live our lives and respond to the world.

Training

Training is not theoretical in nature, it is innately practical. Physical fitness comes not to from understanding what training you need to do, but rather in the act of doing it.

In the same way, we are not to just read Gods word and understand it, but to act out, and behave and operate in what we read, hear and understand.

What kind of training are we to do ?

The verse 7 starts talking about not getting sucked into irreverent and silly myths, which is talking about concepts – or constructs of the mind. Remember the context of this is a letter directed to the leaders of this church warning them about questionable doctrine that will come and they should not to be sucked into them.

We need to be training our mind.

We need to train ourselves in doctrine and principles, so that when our mind is challenged, and the situations around us make it look like our race will never end, we must have the stamina to push through the next “hill of understanding” or past the “lack of evidence”…. and then continue to race until we have the victory – because we have trained ourselves in what the truth is, and know how to push past the lies.

Again training is not about reading the word or memorising it , or talking about doctrine. It is choosing to make choices based on it – taking up opportunities and rejecting others based on how they measure up to the word we have read.

Does that means I am suggesting that you don’t do those things ?

Of course not! What kind of athlete would start training without consulting the experts to find the best techniques, or the correct foods, or planning the training to peak at the right time. But when the athlete is doing these things they are only just getting ready for their training… until they start to use the techniques, eat the right foods, do the planned exercises, only then are they training.

The promise

The beauty of this scripture is that it comes with a promise, that it will add value in both our life now and after.

I can see the promise for our life now, as we make more and more the the correct decision opening up opportunity for God to bless us and allow us to bless others.

However I am curious about what value godliness offers us when we are in heaven ? I look forward to one day when I understand that.. but in the mean time I am just happy to know that it will.

Happy training!