Living the Christian life has the hurdle of sins of omission and commission, neglectful or willful sins, in four significant venues: the heart of the sinner, the family, the church fellowship and the public square. In every venue, apathy, selfishness, pleasure and despair are ingredients of hypocrisy, a huge spiritual barrier.

In this information age and the economic need to produce readership, stories of Christian meltdown spread like wildfire. Hiding under a bushel only exasperates the problem, like pouring gasoline on a fire. Christians sit, uneasy in the saddle, knowing temptation always is around and failures are frequent in living the Christian life.

Almost weekly, the Christian community is embarrassed by well-known people of faith who get caught in scandal and cannot avoid investigative reporters who stab at the wound with surgical scalpels making the blood flow freely, exposing the weakness of our words, the shallowness of our faith and the fickleness of our morals. Christians wince and the secular world chuckles.

It happens frequently enough that confession appears to be a self-serving tool rather than a genuine act of repentance. Even repentance is feigned and a ploy of the hypocrite. Fear of failure in the public square may keep some from stepping out in strong leadership roles.  

In recent weeks, stories of notable believers made headlines: Carrie Prejean, Miss California, who saw no moral problem of posing nude to enhance her modeling career, Gosselins of reality TV who decided to seek divorce, and Mark Sanford, governor of South Carolina, who confessed to an extramarital affair with a paramour in South America (Mark Galli, “The Scandal of the Public Evangelical,” Christianity Today).

The sinner’s cup is filled with many names of prominent Christians who have fallen. The question, “How genuine are you?” is old but as fresh as each fallen hero and each day of life. Only God can know the extent of genuineness, while the observer only can give an educated guess and must do it with humility. We all live in glass houses and glass houses attract many stones.

Genuineness, defined as authentic or not fraudulent or free of pretense, begs the question. An apple with a rotten spot still is an apple. Even the most genuine person can make a rotten decision, do rotten things or think rotten thoughts. In fact, most people have some rotten spots most of the time. The difference is being forgiven with a few rotten spots, or unrepentant and rotten at the core. What appears to be an apple really is an orange.

Listen to and accept God’s word (James 1:19-21)

Insisting that the “dear brothers” take note, James points to “listening” as a major problem. Apparently, his colleagues would not listen for talking too much. Imagine that! Someone said, and I paraphrase, “We have two ears and one mouth because it is harder to listen than to speak.” Essential to the future of the gospel is the character of the Christian to “listen” and “humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (James 1:19,21). Listen, accept and live.

Listening is an acute skill, one of the greatest opportunities a person has to express love, to learn from others, and to be an effective Christian. Listening is a powerful force, much like a magnet, creating an attractive synergy between conversationalists. Listening draws people together while too much talking tends to create polarization, frustration and anger. Listening requires love, concern and selflessness; speaking can be the attracting but portends greater opportunity for selfishness, arrogance,  immaturity or manipulation. Beyonce Knowles, in her popular song, “Listen,” sings, “Oh, the time has come for my dreams to be heard; they will not be pushed aside and turned into your own, all ’cause you won’t listen.” Let us be eager to listen to each other and to listen to God through his word, read and spoken, in order that his will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”

The vision God has for the world is left begging because his people will not listen. In our praying, we talk a lot but listen little. Even when we decode and discern the message God has for us, our faith and desire, very often, are not sufficient to act. James recognized the problem then and the problem is no less significant today.

Larry Alan Nadig, a clinical psychologist and family therapist, shares three basic listening modes:  competitive or combative listening, passive or attentive listening, and active or reflective listening. The latter is the most desired and the most effective. This level expresses a genuine interest in understanding while providing reflective feedback to the speaker.

Robert McCloskey states the antithesis of active or reflective listening: “I know that you believe you understood what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” Listening must be careful in perceiving and knowing God’s perfect will.

Seriously listening and reflecting on God’s word has great benefits in every area of our walk with God. Individuals should be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (v. 19). Anger is an emotional response that “does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (v. 20).

Everyone recognizes the downside of anger, the volatile emotion that overreacts, and has catastrophic, hurtful, vengeful and destructive consequences. Anger, most often, interrupts the righteous life style with harmful results and broken relationships. The tongue and anger are two of the most difficult things to control and are worthy examples of godly self-discipline. James speaks broadly beyond the two specific issues mentioned, the tongue and anger, to say “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent” (v. 21).

The mature Christian person is quick to listen to the word, to receive the word and to act upon the word.  

Act on God’s word (James 1:22-25)

The word of God, implanted in the mind and heart, expects the obligation of systematic obedience for godly proficiency. James could not be more clear, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (v. 22).

The previous verse would indicate James primarily was speaking of acting morally. The hearing-and-doing-life is a complete and effective life. “Do” is an imperative with continuing action meaning, “Do and keep on doing.” A hearer-only-life is one of self-deception that compares to a person who looks into the mirror, sees himself and then goes away to forget what he looks like, or cannot identify himself when he looks again. Hearing has no endurance power unless accompanied by action. Action gives hearing reality, credibility and authenticity.

Apathy, the opposite of action, is an ingredient of hypocrisy. There hardly is a greater temptation to a Christian than apathetic and willful neglect, of walking away from needy friends and strangers. To hear, without acting, is an unholy pretense.

One of the major issues of the current church paradigm is to come, listen, learn and receive without acting. Our response to our own salvation cannot be merely hearing and speaking but must include personal service to others. The current church paradigm encourages one to wait until asked to serve. If one is not on a committee and is not asked, the personal responsibility is not assumed. There is a need for another beatitude: Blessed is the man who assumes personal responsibility in serving others without being asked, for he shall be a blessing and will himself be satisfied.  
 
The best approach, following conversion, is to look “intently into the perfect law that gives freedom”, and without forgetting the instructions heard and learned, acting upon them. “Looking” is the same word used of John stooping to look into the empty tomb (John 20:5). The “perfect law,” is taken to mean the greatest commandment of them all, to “love God with all your heart” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40, Galatians 5:13, 6:2). This perfect law is one of “want to obey” rather than “have to obey.” When you look into the mirror of God’s word, do you see a “want-to” attitude or a “have-to” attitude or a “let George do it” attitude? The person who acts in service “will be blessed in what he does” refers not to a reward but the inward satisfaction of joy and contentment for having made a difference in someone’s life. The blessing of ministry comes to the doer in doing it and to the recipient in receiving it. Each such act is a ministry to Christ himself (Matthew 25:34-40).  

Authenticated by God’s word (James 1:26-27)

In a few sentences, James has given us a good look at genuine, authentic religion. “That God our Father accepts” (v. 27) does not suggest accommodation but high expectation, by our God, in our Christian walk. He summarizes his sermon about authentic Christianity with three prominent externals that reveal the internal: Tame the tongue, help the helpless and practice personal purity.  

A person who worships and will not “keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (v. 26). Controlling the tongue includes gossip, lies, hatefulness, deception, libel, falsehoods, insinuations, rude accusations and cursing. This person is empty and worthless to God. A “bridle” must be applied to the tongue for guidance and restraint.  

Christianity God accepts and approves gives help to the helpless—orphans and widows. These two examples were the most common and recognizable human needs in James’ Jerusalem. There were no social service programs in Israel to help the widow or the orphans. They completely were dependent upon the empathy and sympathy of Main Street and the synagogue. Such needs required more than a visit and a prayer.  

Christians are known by their fruit. Hypocrisy is very confusing and revealing. Helping others confirms one’s internal faith as “pure and faultless” (v. 27). Busy church programs may ignore the helpless, hurting and homeless, those people who are most open to the good news of the gospel.

Last, but equal in priority, is moral purity. The Christian is to live above the pollution “by the world.” Believers are to change the immoral culture rather than incorporate its sin.

Conclusion

An acceptable Christianity takes seriously the admonition of Scripture and the responsibility to not only listen and learn but to act. Loving worship and the Bible, as important as it is, cannot mask or substitute for action. Knowing the Bible is not the same as living the Bible nor living parts of the Bible while omitting other parts. The Christian church today is professional in performing the unimportant and leaving the important ministries of witnessing, helping the helpless and moral purity out of the equation of faith.  

Have you heard this story before? A father and a son, David and Jason, were asked by their neighbor, Bryan, if they would help him clear out some trees on his property. The father and son said they would be glad to help. Bryan asked the father, “Do you have a chainsaw we could use?”  The answer was no. “That is okay, I can borrow one.”
 
As the three drove to the neighbor’s property, he dropped them off with the borrowed chainsaw and said, “I just remembered I forgot to fill the water cooler with ice and water, I will be right back. You can get started by cutting down that one tree right there.” When Bryan came back with the water, he could not understand why the first tree had not been put down. “Did you have problems with the chainsaw?”
 
“Jason and I are glad you are back with the water, because we worked up a thirst trying to saw down that tree,” said David. “We stopped trying because the saw would not cut.” Bryan examined the chainsaw. The chain was in place. The saw was full of fuel. Everything looked in order. Then he pulled the cord and it started right up with a loud roar.
 
Jason’s eyes drew big as he said to his Dad, “What’s that noise?”
 
Explaining the doctrine of the Trinity may be as puzzling as operating a chainsaw for the very first time. The lesson this week is about the central Christian doctrine that God is Trinity—one God existing eternally in three Persons.
 
How do we know God is one in three? (Matthew 3:16-17)
 
When John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, it was a very significant day for the world. The day was a testimony of Scripture being fulfilled, and the Trinity clearly was present.
 
Jesus had to be baptized by John “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). By Jesus asking John to baptize him, he was doing the will of God.
 
As Jesus was raised from the water, a miraculous event occurred: “At that moment, heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him” (Matthew 3:16). The Holy Spirit came to anoint and empower him for his messianic ministry.
 
Then God the Father spoke his approval, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). These words are very significant.
 
God spoke to his Son in words of Scripture. The statement by God comes from two quotations from the Old Testament, Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1. God the Father is proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah King who comes not as a conquering military hero but the obedient servant of the Lord.
 
The scene at the Jordan River provides for us away to see God in three Persons and yet as One. Jesus, the Son, was ordained and equipped for his messianic ministry. The Holy Spirit came down upon him. And God the Father spoke his approval. The Trinity is clearly present in this biblical truth.
 
How can we better understand God’s mysterious nature? (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)
 
Have you ever had the privilege of sitting under an outstanding Bible teacher? How did they gain such wonderful Christian wisdom? The only way mankind can understand the truths of the Bible and God’s mysterious nature is by divine revelation, not human discovery. Nonbelievers cannot grasp the truth that the Sprit of God indwells all believers.
 
Christian wisdom is obtainable because “God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10).
 
If a dynamic, charismatic teacher tells you they have discovered all the truths the Bible has to offer, you need to run. No one can fully comprehend God but by the guidance of the Holy Spirit believers are given insight into some of God’s plans, thoughts and actions.
 
The Holy Spirit enables believers to understand spiritual truths. Paul’s words and all the other words found in the Bible are authoritative because their source is the Holy Spirit.  
 
Paul expresses that he is not writing his own words in his letter to the Corinthians but words inspired by the Holy Spirit: “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” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).
 
We must ask the Holy Spirit to give guidance in learning spiritual truths. The next time you open your Bible to read, pray first. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal a fresh new word from God.
 
Why is the concept of God as Trinity important? (Ephesians 1:3-14)
 
When Paul wrote his letter to the believers in Ephesus he had been a Christian for over 30 years. He wrote Ephesians while under house arrest in Rome. Paul begins his letter by writing, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
 
Paul emphasizes that all believers benefit from knowing God through Christ. All believers have been chosen for salvation, adopted as God’s children, been forgiven, and given insight to spiritual truths. Spiritual gifts have been given to them, they have been equipped with power to do God’s will, and have the hope of living forever with Christ.
 
All blessings from God come through the Trinity. By faith, we see how each Person of the Trinity is involved in our salvation and our walk with the Lord here on earth.  
 
Ephesians 1:3-14 gives an account of how God planned for our salvation in Christ even before creation (vv. 4-6), our salvation is achieved by Jesus on the cross (vv. 7-12), and the Holy Spirit seals and guarantees our salvation until its completion in heaven (vv. 13-14).
 
It is okay if believers are unable to fully and comprehend the Trinity. The concept of the Trinity is a mystery. By faith and guidance from all three persons of the Trinity we can understand many truths about the one true God.
 
As believers learn more about Gods nature each day, as we worship him in spirit and in truth, our response is nothing but praise and love toward God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  

What’s the best news you’ve ever received? That might depend on your desires in life. If you are married, maybe it was the words, “I do.” If you’re a dad, it could have been hearing, “I’m pregnant.” More than one student has been thrilled by the phrase, “You passed.” I have a friend who said he yearns to hear four words one day: “You won the lottery.” It strikes me as funny. He doesn’t even play it.

Good news often can be serious news, too. More than one family has issued a collective sigh of relief when a members has been told, “The operation was a success.” Parents have held their breaths until hearing the voice on the other end of a phone line say, “She’s going to be alright. She just has some cuts and bruises.”

Christians have their own version of good news—that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and offered himself as a sacrifice so we might have eternal life. This good news is meant to be shared, because we know Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” That’s good news worth sharing with everyone, even if we hadn’t been commanded by Jesus to spread it.

This lesson will introduce you (or re-introduce you if you are familiar with their stories) to four people who encountered the good news of Jesus Christ in different—and very dramatic—ways. While their encounters varied, the results were similar. They experienced a complete life change. Consider the results of their encounters:

• A wealthy tax collector instantly develops a heart for the poor.

• A zealous persecutor of Christians suddenly becomes the faith’s greatest defender.

• A godly cloth merchant immediately accepts Christ as her Savior after hearing the good news from others.

• A jailer experiences an earth-shaking conversion because of the actions and good news message of his prisoners.

This is the first of six lessons that urge us to personally and actively participate in God’s mission. This unit will guide us to:  

• Experience God’s good news

• Live in faithfulness to God

• Engage in God’s mission together

• Tell the good news of redemption and reconciliation

• Minister to people’s physical    needs

• Participate in God’s mission to everyone

But in this first lesson, we will discover that participating in God’s mission grows naturally and directly out of a genuine experience of God’s good news; we will recognize that participating in God’s mission is the normal outcome of becoming a Christian; and  analyze whether we have responded in that way ourselves.

Lost. Seeking. Saved. (Luke 19:1-10)
 
This passage is familiar to Christians, and is a popular children’s Bible story. It details the stories of two men who were seeking something—Zacchaeus, a wealthy (and assumed, unscrupulous) tax collector is lost and seeking salvation through Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, was on a mission seeking the lost to offer salvation to them. Each accomplished his goal.

While the story is notable because Zacchaeus is short and has to climb a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus, it’s deep theological message about God’s mission is even more so.
For starters, it shows that in a crowd of people, Jesus knew who was truly seeking him, and called him down from the tree for a confrontation.
Also notable is the immediate life change Zacchaeus experiences when he accepts Christ. Formerly a gatherer of money for self, he experiences a new, generous heart for the poor—becoming Christ-like.
And we also see deeply into God’s saving mission through Christ. Note how Jesus tells Zacchaeus that salvation has come to Zacchaeus today, showing how Christ’s good news is immediate and that it is his mission on earth—“For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

Questions to explore

• When we are confronted by Jesus’ good news, we are asked to believe in Jesus through faith. What do you think it was like to be confronted b Jesus in person?

• The passage reveals Jesus mission on earth, to “seek out and save the lost.” Are we as Christians living up to our name of being “Christ-like” by following this example?  

From persecutor of the faithful to defender of the faith (Acts 9:1-9, 19-22)

Perhaps nowhere in the Bible has a life changed so greatly as shown in this account of Saul, who later would be renamed Paul. It also is one of the most significant events in the early church, as it leads to the conversion of one of the faith’s most prolific theologians and missionaries. Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road gave the man who persecuted Christians (called “the Way” early in history) a new mission as one of them. This experience caused him to so change his life that he “immediately” began to tell other Jews about Jesus, proclaiming him as the Son of God.  

Among some of the notes on Saul’s conversion and questions to explore:

• It was dramatic. Blinded by a beam of light, Saul hears Jesus’ voice asking him why he was persecuting him and commanding Saul to go into the city for further instructions. The event blinded Saul for three days. What do you think was going through his mind during those three days as he neither ate nor drank?

• Verses 19-22 share that he immediately began sharing with others about Christ, despite opposition to those who knew him that he was just days before the man who “made havoc” (v. 21) among Christians. What in your past might prevent you from effectively telling others the good news about Jesus? How can you, like Saul, prove Jesus is the Messiah?

A simple message, a faithful response (Acts 16:13-15)

This story of how Lydia came to believe in Christ after hearing the good news may represent the most typical way the good news is spread—by word of mouth and by believing by faith in Jesus. Lydia already was a believer in God, and through an ordinary encounter with Luke (the author of Acts) and Paul, the new convert to the Way formerly known as Saul, she comes to faith in Christ.

As opposed to the other three passages in this lesson, there is no personal invitation from Jesus, no beam of light, no earthquake. There is only a believer sharing the good news with her and the supernatural opening of her heart by Christ to allow her to believe by faith.
 
Questions to explore

• What does it mean in verse 14 when Luke says “the Lord opened her heart?”

• What do you think Paul said to her and the others there? What would you have said?
 
Believers’ actions tell the good news, too (Acts 16:25-34)

Later in chapter 16, after Paul tells Lydia about Jesus, Paul and the other missionaries heal a girl possessed by a demon that enables her to tell the future. Unfortunately, the men who were exploiting her condition for profit didn’t appreciate the healing (and profit loss) and had them thrown in jail. While there, the missionaries were praying and singing hymns when God caused a great earthquake to open the doors of their cells and made their chains fall off the prison walls. If they had desired, they could have walked out of the prison, claiming divine intervention.

But they didn’t. What some might call divine intervention to escape, the missionaries called divine intervention to save. The Roman jailer, charged with their care, rushed to the scene and found the doors open. Moving to commit suicide rather than face his authorities, he is stopped by Paul, who announces, “We are all here.” The jailer, whose life was forfeit, is physically relieved at their good conduct and asks the question that everyone seeking God must ask, “What must I do to be saved?”

And the missionaries answer the only answer to the question: “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” offering Jesus’ salvation to the jailer and his household. Not only had they told the jailer the good news, their good conduct convinced him of the need to experience the faith they experience.

Questions to explore

• What does becoming a Christian mean? Eternally? Now?

• What do our actions say about us as Christians? Is there a noticeable difference between our actions and the rest of the world’s?

James is an ancient (possibly the first and oldest of New Testament writings), extraordinary book as relevant as today’s newspaper. Culture has changed dramatically since James was accepted into the canon of Scriptures after 350 A.D., but human nature remains the same.

James has the practical purpose of showing us how to live a good and godly life in all circumstances. Written from the viewpoint of a Christian Jew, this epistle reads like a tract and is filled with positive imperatives and ethical instruction. The book’s practical nature brings many powerful returns and speaks clearly to the spiritual needs of mankind.

The author is James, the brother of Jesus, who became a believer following the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). He, along with Peter and John, was a primary leader of the church in Jerusalem, who believed their mission was the conversion of the Jews while Paul was sent by God to the Gentiles (Acts 15:12-29, 21:17-26; Galatians 1:10, 2:0). The recipients of this letter were the “12 tribes scattered among the nations,” or all Jewish Christians, in the sense of the new Israel—those who are children of Abraham by faith, not birth (Galatians 3 and 4).

James, the epistle, has similarities to the ancient wisdom literature, (Proverbs 9:10), but also the gospel presentation of the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7, Luke 6:17-40). James, insightfully, tells us the source of spiritual wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (1:5).   

James surely chose “wisdom” because of its relevance to the subject matter of trials and tribulations. Wisdom is to know God and to know one’s self within that blessed relationship. Wisdom is to think and act under the wisdom and guidance of God.

Common sense tells you that asking God does not imply an immediate miraculous, mysterious experience that suddenly fills your mind with wisdom. Neither does that prayer leave out Bible study or experience. God does not sit in heaven with an automated dispenser that shakes out what one desires whenever we ask. There are many different ways a prayer for wisdom can be answered.

Asking God to fill one’s desire for wisdom involves direct divine insight but also inspiration as one experiences God through the Holy Spirit in Bible study, prayer, church and teachers. Wisdom exceeds common sense in quality, but adds content to common sense. Common sense without input from God into the human mind always is insufficient. God’s wisdom always is sufficient and true.

Recall that even Christ benefited from this same process: “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Wisdom in trials (James 1:1-8)

Insight into wisdom for enduring trails takes priority in the mind of James, who, according to Josephus, was stoned to death in 62 A.D., in Jerusalem, by orders of the high priest. Christians in Jerusalem lived in constant life-threatening danger. Jesus knew well what he was asking of his followers (Luke 9:21-27). His journey to Jerusalem would be fraught with conflict, hostility, opposition, anger, misunderstanding, rebuke, physical pain and rejection. The disciples found the conditions intensified after the resurrection. Christians are not exempt from struggles, hardship and difficulties. Good people suffer along with those who are evil.

Connect wisdom with perseverance through faith. Wisdom is of the mind and will, informing and strengthening faith that wills to persevere steadfastly in personal responsibility to pursue or keep the purpose of God regardless. If this seems complex, it is, but at the same time very simple. Simply stated, the goal desired can be achieved because of God’s will working in the will of man by persevering faith.  

The key to wisdom from God is to “believe and not doubt.” Should doubt creep in, one becomes unreliable like paper tossed in the wind and is “unstable in all his ways” (v. 6). Wisdom insists on a steadfast faith, without doubt, or the person will not receive “anything from the Lord” (v. 7) even though God “gives generously to all without finding fault” (v. 5).  

“Trials of many kinds,” multiple in number and varied in type, primarily refers to hardship and difficulties that come from conversion to Christ and faithful living of the Christian life. These kind of hardships can be avoided by denying Christ and one’s faith in Christ. Trials are not joyful and joy is not created through trials, but when trial-traps come, they can be endured in the disposition of joy, joy that shows through the tears and pain.  

God’s wisdom suggests it is all about perspective, of seeing the trial as a test of faith. The perspective is voiced in the phrase, “you know.” Wisdom already has anticipated the possibility and probability of trials that trap us in the corners of life and force “perseverance” or capitulation. In persecution, there are no other choices.  

Anticipation inspires preparation for coming trials so as to know in advance how to make an appropriate response. Christians know in advance that testing brings a heightened spiritual maturity and deeper faith (vv. 3-4). Joy takes on a kind of spiritual pleasantness, acceptance, peace and contentment through it all, like singing hymns in the face of persecution and death. Trials are part of the permissive will of God, and God uses them to strengthen our faith in him.

Have you positioned yourself, already made up your mind, to have a joyful attitude regardless of how difficult circumstances might be. Athletes and soldiers understand that without a strong will, perseverance and pain there is no ultimate achievement or victory when the great race is run or battle is fought. Hours are spent in exercise, practice, muscle building, determination and precise effort to be ready mentally and physically for the test or trial. Adversity inspires preparation to be up to the responsibility.

 “My brothers” (v. 2) is not just a greeting but a point of identification. James was going through persecution and identified and understood, sharing in their suffering and comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-7). However, the principles suggested are applicable in any kind of hardship.  

Testing through trials produces a residue of maturity when perseverance completes its work (v. 4). Trials are turned into triumph by God’s wisdom and should not be spiritually detrimental. James sought to give those weaker brethren a foundation for strength in their Christian faithfulness.

The urgent value is obtaining wisdom from God. Ask God for wisdom, but then partner with him to discover it before the trials and through the trials. In life, I have learned the most when life was the hardest and most difficult.

Wisdom with possessions (James 1:9-12)

The assumption is that the new subject of poverty and wealth is an illustration, moving from the general to the specific, of the application of wisdom. Textual indications would mean that both poverty and wealth are two of the varied kind of trials.  

James commends his “brothers” who are in “humble circumstances” with the moral word of encouragement. I find it pastoral that James does not call them “poor.” Jesus taught that the exalted would be made low and the humble would be exalted. Many of the early followers of Christ were the poor, afflicted, down and out, lower class and disadvantaged financially.

Poverty is a significant trial and challenge in life. James encouraged and instructed that these humble people should take pride in their “high position,” or spiritual exaltation (Philippians 4:19) which is mostly ignored by the rich and famous. They were poor financially but rich spiritually. Had not Jesus taught, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 1:22; 9:25; 12:13-21).

In contrast, James commends the rich man noted for taking a humble or “low position” (v. 10). Wealth has its stress and shadows and the wealthy often glory in their possessions. The person of affluence, in wisdom, will wear his wealth with humility rather than with arrogance. An illustration follows of how the rich man is like the flowers that bloom but soon wither in the scorching sun and their “beauty is destroyed.” The rich man “will fade away even while he goes about his business” (v. 12).  

Both the poor and wealthy will do well to listen to the wisdom of James and live humbly before God. Wealth and poverty are temporary conditions in this life while life beyond the grave is eternal.  

Those who persevere through trials and tribulations are blessed, or are inwardly compensated in this life with the most profound quality of joy, peace, contentment and satisfaction through faith in Christ. Those people also are blessed in eternity with the “crown of life.”

Wisdom to resist temptation (James 1:13-15)

Giving God the blame or credit for everything in life was a common way of thinking for the Jews. Since God is the creator of all things, he was thought to have created evil. The reasoning goes: “God made me the way I am, and I cannot be held responsible for what I think and do.” Such thinking creates an interesting rationale for criticizing God. God gets credit for all that is good and all that is bad.  

I heard it this week, when a brother of Michael Jackson said in the memorial service, and I paraphrase, “I don’t understand why God took Michael from us.” Why blame God for the demise of Michael? Why not look at Michael’s lifestyle of excesses and mistreatment of his body, God’s temple. Perhaps, it is more appropriate to blame Michael for Michael’s death.

Everyone lives within God’s permissive will and makes choices that can hardly be blamed on a loving heavenly Father.  God, often, is the scapegoat for our poor theology and misconceptions of God. Human nature places blame on everyone and everything except ourselves—peer pressure, genes, family upbringing, weather, full moon, tide, depression, economy and temptation.  

James turns from outward trials to inner temptation. There were those readers who would blame God for temptation. To overcome when tempted, one must understand the source of temptation. James states boldly that God does not “tempt anyone.” Temptation rather is self initiated by one’s “own evil desire” which entices (James 1:14, Psalms 51:5).  

Within every person, there is a constant battle of good and evil. When evil is enticing, the individual is passionately drawn away and either overcomes or succumbs. “Each one” brings the responsibility down to the individual person with the human condition of depravity.

“Desire”  (vv. 14-15) is a strong craving. This craving can be good or bad. In the bad sense, desire can corrupt:  “after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (Romans 6:23). “Death” refers to spiritual death. The evil, self-centered deed is conceived in the mind from the cravings of the flesh. Metaphorically, like fishing, the fish craves the bait, takes the bite, is hooked, cannot escape, and is jerked from the water to die.
God permits trials (for example, Job) but is not responsible for the outcome of man’s choice. God expects individuals to make the better choice. The responsibility falls upon each individual. God cannot be persuaded to be tempted to tempt because of his nature of purity and holiness. The wisdom of God points out that man’s sinfulness is his own responsibility.  

Wisdom in providential goodness (James 1:16-18)

Rather than being a tempter, God gives man “every good and perfect gift” which is a characteristic that never changes (vv. 16-17).  Wisdom knows that to think otherwise is to make a grave and serious error about God. God’s “good and perfect gifts” keep on coming continuously. In all trials and temptation, God’s unchangeable providential love keeps on giving good things. Understanding man’s dilemma, God chose to “give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created” (v. 18). The gift of new birth is the ultimate in God’s goodness.  

Conclusion

Trials become either opportunities or stumbling blocks and make one either better or worse. When they come, we are to put our faith in Christ regardless of the circumstances. Faith, informed by wisdom, can be strong and steadfast and give glory to God. The joy is in the journey and in the victory over death, heartache, brokenness, loneliness, despair, poverty, wealth, dysfunction, burn-out, failure, rejection, disease and pain. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Desire wisdom from God for it is the great teacher of our conscience and common sense.

One of the most difficult tasks required of a minister is comforting a family after a sudden death. The call to minister after a death is one that seems to come at the most inopportune time.

The pastor could be all sweaty and dirty because he was mowing the yard on a hot summer day when the call came. He could be sleeping like a baby at 2 a.m. when the phone rings jolting him awake.

The pastor leaves whatever he is doing and goes to minister in the name of Jesus. What will he say when he arrives that could possibly help the burden of grief this family is experiencing? The minister must depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The lesson this week explores the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of all believers.

The Spirit is God (Genesis 1:2, Acts 5:3-4)

Have you ever prayed only to the Holy Spirit like you pray directly to God and Jesus? A prayer directed to God or Jesus may go something like this, “I ask you God to help me,” or “Jesus, please give me strength.” But would this prayer be proper, “Holy Spirit, I ask for your help as I go to minister to this hurting family. Holy Spirit, direct my actions and allow me to see how I can help the hurting hearts of this family. Holy Spirit, help me to be Jesus to them. Amen.”

Yes, it is okay to pray directly to the Holy Spirit because the Spirit is God. Genesis reveals that the Spirit of God was active in creation. “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2).

The word “hovering” presents the image of the Spirit of God being similar to a mother bird caring for and protecting its young. God’s care over us and his protection still is active today for believers.

In Acts, we learn the believers were moved by the Holy Spirit to share their possessions with one another. One particular couple, Ananias and Sapphira, sold property but kept some of the proceeds even though they claimed to give it all to the church. Peter confronted them, and the couple denied what they had done.

Peter saw this act by Ananias and Sapphira as a lie to the Holy Spirit, thus lying directly to God. That is why he said, “You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:4). Both Ananias and Sapphira fell down and died after Peter confronted them with the truth (Acts 5:5, 10).

God’s judgment on the couple seems very harsh. The punishment by God shows us the deity of the Holy Spirit. Lying directly to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit is a very serious matter for the believer.

The Bible assures us the Spirit of God is active in the world today.

The Spirit indwells believers (John 7:37-39)

Do you remember the days on the elementary school playground when it was time to choose up teams to play kickball or softball? Two captains were chosen and they alternated picking players for their respective teams.

What criteria did the captain use to pick players? Some would pick only their friends, but most of the time, a player was picked according to their ability. The last one chosen usually was the one nobody wanted on his or her team.

How does one get picked to have the Holy Spirit indwell inside them? Do certain individuals get filled with the Holy Spirit more than others based on their abilities to perform in the kingdom of God?

Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (John 7:37-39).

The reference to living water by Jesus was really a reference to the Holy Spirit. When Jesus walked the earth, the Holy Spirit was present with him. The focal passage tells us all who believe in Jesus will receive the Holy Spirit after his glorification, which occurred with his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers at Pentecost.

All believers receive the Holy Spirit at conversion and the Holy Spirit lives within all believers. The Holy Spirit brings spiritual life and quenches spiritual thirst.

The Spirit gives boldness (Acts 4:29-31)

The apostles Peter and John were arrested for preaching the gospel. The religious leaders of the day “commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). What would the two apostles do? Jesus had told them to go and preach the good news.

They prayed and asked the Lord for the ability “to speak your word with great boldness” (Acts 4:29). Their prayer also asked requested the ability to continue to “heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:30). After they prayed, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

What is meant by “filled with the Holy Spirit”? This does not mean there was a second Pentecost. Peter and John received, from God, renewal of the awareness of the Holy Spirit’s power in their lives.

The Holy Spirit provides power in all believers. The Holy Spirit will not let us down when we need boldness and courage in our attempts to be a witness for the Lord.

The Spirit equips for service (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

What else does the Holy Spirit do for believers?

One summer, I was a roustabout for Getty Oil Company in Kilgore, Texas. The company paid for me to have a physical to see if my body was healthy enough to work in the oil fields. I had to have steel-toed boots as well as a hard hat to protect me from injury. I was given instruction in the dangers of working in the oil field. The company was equipping me to perform my job safely.

The Apostle Paul shares in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

The Holy Spirit equips the believer to work for the Lord by giving a variety of spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church as a whole. The believer is to search out ways to use the gifts God has given in order to build the church.

Believers are not to ignore the Holy Spirit but rather rely on his power to work in and through their lives. The Holy Spirit gives new life, power to witness to others, and gifts to serve God and build up his church.

The past seven lessons have shared critical biblical texts revealing God’s mission on earth and have challenged you or your Bible study group members to know more about God’s mission. The first four lessons made up Unit One, “Foundational Truths About God’s Mission.”

This lesson is the final of a three-part Unit Two that has informed us, “What God’s Mission is About.”  This third lesson may be the most critical lesson in our three-month study. Why? Because it is a bridge, a connection between the first six lessons and the next seven. While the first six focused on the climactic—or crucial—texts about God’s nature and mission, they all lead to this lesson, which will share God’s mission embodied in Christ.

While it is the final lesson in Unit Two, it must be seen as the necessary first step of the six lessons in Unit Three. Why? God’s mission is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. It is through the filter of Jesus, his purpose, his new covenant and his saving grace that we participate in God’s mission on earth. Everything we have studied in this unit and all we will study in the next unit comes down to Jesus.

This lesson will share the nature, purpose and person of Jesus Christ. It will set the stage for the next six lessons that offer us ways to participate in God’s mission—but all of these ways must start with Jesus Christ. If you are studying this online, or preparing it for a Bible study, this is a great lesson to expose your listeners—or yourself if you are seeking a relationship with Jesus—to the need for nonbelievers to accept Jesus as God’s son and believe he can save them from their sins.

This belief is the most critical tenet of the Christian faith. It is also the starting point for our final unit, which, over a six-week period, will urge us to:  

• Experience God’s good news

• Live in faithfulness to God

• Engage in God’s mission together

• Tell the good news of redemption and reconciliation

• Minister to people’s physical needs, and

• Participate in God’s mission to everyone

I hope you will take time during this lesson to invite listeners to accept Christ. Don’t take it for granted that they have. Your goal this week is to lead adults to commit themselves to follow Jesus as he embodies God’s mission, ministering to both physical and spiritual needs. That could mean they need to take the first step of acceptance.

God’s Mission: Embodied in Jesus

This week’s five focal passages reveal God’s nature and mission by revealing the nature and mission of Christ. Jesus embodies God’s mission of redemption and reconciliation, restoration and justice. These climactic passages offer us a definitive word about who Jesus was and is and define his place in God’s mission.

Restoration and justice (Matthew 11:2-6; 23:23-24)
 
These two passages offer a definitive description of Jesus’ messiahship and his priorities for man. In the chapter 11 passage, we find John the Baptist, the herald of Jesus’ ministry, in prison and in doubt. Apparently, John had expected the Messiah to begin an immediate earthly ministry of judgment on the wicked; to be, in John’s prophecy in Matthew 3:10, the ax “already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

So John sent some of his disciples with a straightforward question to answer his doubting mind: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (v. 3). Jesus’ answer to John in verses 4-6 is a clear answer of his identity, and a clear answer to those in doubt in any time period. “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” By itemizing his works, he authenticates his role as the Messiah and encourages John to remain faithful. He also provides an authentication to us of his power to heal and save.

In the second Matthew passage, Jesus is preaching to a crowd and his disciples, urging them to obey the ruling religious leaders of their day in verse 23:3, but also urged them to “not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” Jesus then delivers seven indictments, or “woes” on the scribes and Pharisees. Verses 23-24 is the fourth indictment, one that condemns them for focusing on the unimportant (tithing minor spices) while neglecting that which is most important to the kingdom of God: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!”

Questions to explore

• What do Jesus’ works in Matthew 11:2-6 show us about the full scope of God’s mission? What roadmap do they give us for ministering to others?

• Matthew 23:23-24 uses a descriptive metaphor of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel. What are the gnats and camels we face as Christians when trying to emulate Jesus’ call for restoration and justice?

Redemption and reconciliation (John 1:10-14; Romans 3:21-26)

This passage from John has a timelessness and a definitive nature that has earned its place as one of the great climactic descriptions of Christ. John refers to Jesus as being the Word of God before time, but even though he is eternal, the world did not recognize him or accept him for what he was and is. Verses 10-11 recognize his eternal nature.

Despite this lack of recognition to most of the world, there are those, says John, who have “received him, who believed in his name,” and to these he redeemed and reconciled to God—“he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God” (vv. 12-13). These verses recognize his redemptive offer to make us children of God.

But this same eternal being, God’s son, also was fully human. He writes in verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” This verse recognizes how Jesus shared his reconciling glory with us, in the only way we could understand. We had to hear it from a man.

While the John passage gives insight into Christ’s eternal and redemptive nature, Paul, writing in Romans 3:21-26, shares Christ’s credentials under the (old Jewish) law and invites everyone to experience his redemption personally through faith.

In verses 22-25, Paul climactically defines Jesus’ redemptive ability (through his sacrificial blood and righteousness), how it is offered (through Christ’s grace by faith in his ability) and to whom it is offered (“all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”). This passage outlines Jesus’ salvation of those who believe through faith he will. It is a cornerstone passage of our faith.  

Questions to explore

• What does it mean to be children of God? What qualifies us to be children of God?

• What is redemption as found in Romans 21-26? How can it be offered?

Our response to Christ (Philippians 2:9-11)

In the preceding passages, we’ve been exposed to a Christ who is eternal, powerful, able to bring us into a relationship with God and able to offer us eternal life just by believing in his sovereignty and his ability to do so. So what is our response to this Jesus Christ? What do we do in the face of his power and love for us?

The answer, says Paul in Philippians 2:10-11, is to worship him because:
a.    God also highly exalted him
b.    God gave him the name that is above every name
c.    Because he did, at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth
d.    Because he did, every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Paul’s writings are not totally original. As a Jewish scholar, he probably was well-acquainted with Isaiah 45:23, and points to it as a fulfillment of prophecy.

Questions to explore

• What does it mean to bend your knee and confess Jesus is Lord? How often do you truly worship Christ in this way?

God, through the Holy Spirit, holds every believer responsible and accountable for every aspect of a person’s faith and works. Holy living is expected by our Father who is holy, righteous and just. Faith to receive the grace of God begins the journey of life lived in the Spirit. Because of the influence and guidance of the Spirit, law is not the primary guidance. The Holy Spirit establishes values and character natural to the redeemed person and are lived out, in any culture and context, through love.  

The Apostle Paul clearly contrasted life in the Spirit and life in the flesh. The carnal nature is powerful enough to destroy the individual and bring eternal death (Galatians 5:19-21) while life in the Spirit produces noble values and character, concluding in eternal life (vv. 22-25).

The quality of the Spirit-filled life is contingent upon how much God’s Spirit is in control, at any given time. Christians who are full of the Holy Spirit often find themselves leaking and deflated by giving in to the persuasion and temptation to sin.  

Paul adds to the glorious life of being in the Spirit by defining some of the practical ways these values can and should occur when one walks in the Spirit. Likely, Paul used examples that related directly to the Galatians fellowship.

Congregations of today most often have factious issues, sin issues and ministry-neglect issues that present constant attention. The Galatians, obviously, were no different. Churches always are hospitals for sinners. Responsibility is necessary for free grace to have essential and consequential meaning.

Be responsible to restore the sinful (Galatians 6:1)

Restoration is a major ministry of Christian love. Those “caught in a sin” (any wrongdoing) should gently be restored. Maintaining individual and church purity is a constant challenge.

A layman friend of mine called from out of state to seek advice. There was a lady in his church who became pregnant out of wedlock. The pastor went to her and demanded she not come back unless she confessed her sin to the church. My friend, in contrast, was concerned about how the church could minister to her and use this occasion to restore her and how difficult that would be if she was not welcomed.

Issues of this nature are around most every Sunday with lots of  different advice, biblical instruction (some that seem conflicting—“let him without sin cast the first stone”), unknown information about circumstances, psychological stability of the individual, and which action would most likely bring restoration and perhaps salvation.  

Complicated as it is, restoration is to be the primary aim. Saving face, keeping the reputation of the congregation, and standing firm on moral issues mean a gentle approach is necessary and effective. Each situation should be handled individually and with gentleness. A “one-answer” approach often will bring reproach on the individual as well as the church. All personality types involved in solutions can benefit greatly from Paul’s words, “restore him gently.”

Those who take on the responsibility of restoration should be extremely careful to “watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” Many well-meaning ministers who preached moral integrity have learned this lesson the hard way, not to mention the army of Christians who have fallen to temptation and brought shame to the name of Christ. The Holy Spirit persuades and guides toward scriptural integrity and obedience but will give in to the free choice of individuals who yield to temptation.

In the process of restoration, there is no place for prideful indignation, judgmental attitudes or arrogant piousness. Christians can have high expectations with the worse sort of attitude and behavior. Church people, sometimes, love to kill their wounded while others forgive too easily and without toughness. Both of these extremes tend to be self-defeating and non-productive.

A good approach is not to condone or condemn but restore in love. Reality clearly testifies that good people do sin and every opportunity for regeneration, repentance and restoration should be exercised.

Divisiveness in church often is a product of conceit, envy, pettiness, irresponsibility, comparisons and selfishness (Galatians 5:26; 6:3-5). Satan knows where the weaknesses are and who can be tempted. One must “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25) in order to avoid conflict, waste of time, hurtful words, mistrust, anger and withdrawal.  

Be responsible to carry other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2-6)

From the sin problem, Paul brings up another issue of love, the issue of burden bearing.  How should the Christian respond to the problems which inevitably come to friends, neighbors, enemies and church members? Each Christian, with “faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6), is to help others shoulder their burdens by getting under the load, and “in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

What law? The law of love: “love your neighbor as yourself.” Love is not just for selected neighbors but whoever has need of help and encouragement. Burdens can be extremely heavy and come frequently in torrents, like swatting bees. Burdens of guilt, loneliness, poverty, health, broken relationships, shattered dreams, unrequited love, hopelessness, addictions, failures, disappointments, rejection, joblessness and numerous other ones bring depression, despair and frustration. Love helps lift and carry the load of others.

Paul is wise enough to offer a counter point by saying, “for each one should carry his own load” (v. 5). Don’t dump on others what you should be able to carry yourself if you live in the Spirit. Those who can help carry the burdens of others usually are those healthy souls who know how to bear up under their own load. God’s people should be stronger than most, healthier in times of troubles so that burdens become stepping stones to spiritual maturity and a vital faith. A mutual strength and helpfulness toward each other in love should mark any congregation of faith (see Galatians 4:16 for an example of how the Galatians had helped Paul bear his burden). The congregational characteristic of sharing of burdens is one of the most loving testimonies of the work of God in the human heart.  

Regarding getting involved in the suffering of others, God’s people can be about as selfish as anyone. Christians often would rather fuss about their failures, gossip about their gloom and murder them with their minds rather than minister to others in their misery.

“Carry” is an imperative and references a load or weight of action rather than a feeling of sympathy. “Carry” is the same word (John 19:17) used of Jesus as he carried or bore his cross to the place of crucifixion.

Christians are wounded healers who offer personal experiences of healing and helping hands as a testimony to Christ’s love.  

Be responsible to share with your instructors (Galatians 6:6)

Motivated by the Holy Spirit, believers are responsible to support those who teach and preach. This brief statement, more than a parenthesis, is but another example of mutual sharing of the church: share in restoration, share in each other’s burdens, and share in appreciation of one’s teachers. To receive instructions and learn from God’s word, one “must share all good things with his instructor” (v. 6).

Financial support is the most likely intent. However, the ‘good things’ shared also may include such things as prayer, joys, blessings, achievements, encouragement and successes. Teachers who provide helpful knowledge should be provided for and not to do so is harsh, neglectful and disrespectful.

Teaching and preaching are exceedingly significant to the life of a congregation. Those called to ministry should have the financial support of other Christians. The worthy teacher is worthy of all different kinds of support, including appreciation, kindness, attention and love. Giving to enhance the lives of others, including one’s teacher, is a responsible expression of love.

Be responsible for the management of your life (Galatians 6:7-10)

The Christian is free and responsible for the management of his life. Accountability flows out of the principle of harvest: the seeds you plant will produce identical fruit. Sowing to please the sinful nature will reap destruction and eternal death. Sowing to please the Spirit, “from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (v. 8).

The responsibility of management of your life has two levels.  First, accountability is to receive Christ and be led by the Spirit.  Second, and once led by the Spirit, one is accountable for his works. You cannot plant evil and reap good, stinginess and reap generosity, pettiness and reap priorities, immorality and reap morality, discord and reap cooperation, hatefulness and reap respect.  

In addition, the product of what one sows is multiplied many times over, often from one generation to the next. God has built into sin its own destruction, attendant to his eternal judgment. God is the judge, and one cannot mock him. The principle cannot be commandeered or changed. What we are will produce what we are, positively or negatively.    

Therefore, in spite of the cost in terms of energy, money, time and talent, do not “become weary of doing good” for ultimately a rewarding harvest will be forthcoming (v. 9). Often, the harvest of good works is reaped long after one’s life is over. The emphasis is on the harvest, but there will be no harvest unless the seeds are planted. One does not get up in the morning and say, “I am going to plant some seeds from my life today,” for the seeds are planted every day whether we intend to or not.  

Ministry is very demanding and requires deliberate and intentional focus. Our ministry is to the “family of believers” but also “to all men” (v. 10). Living in the flesh is but selfishness amplified while living in and by the Spirit is love amplified toward others.

The harsh reality is that 20 percent of Christians do 80 percent of the work and burn-out happens frequently. People take on more than they should. Even if one has to slow down for a period, one should look forward to putting the harness back on to continue to do good.
Even Jesus withdrew to the mountains to regroup from mental and physical exhaustion. Our Lord did not do everything he might have, but he did do some things. People are to wear out, not burn out or rust out. From one of my mentors in ministry, I learned this truth:  “Defeated,  ‘Yes,’ but discouraged, ‘Never.’” Exhaustion and discouragement can lead to walking away from ministry to others. Pace yourself and do not quit.

Be responsible with your motives (Galatians 6:11-15)

Paul inserts a brief personal note to authenticate his letter. Using a secretary, he dictated his letter to the churches of Galatia. Paul takes the pen in hand to complete his manuscript. The “large letters” of his own handwriting (5:11) may complement Paul’s earlier remark that “you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me” (4:12-15). Paul’s may have had partial blindness, either temporary or permanent, though we cannot know for sure. This may be the same or different from his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Under his own hand, he concludes the letter with an appeal to steadfastness and criticism of irresponsibility and cowardice.  

Without mincing words, he accuses the brothers of accepting circumcision “to avoid being persecuted” (6:12). Furthermore, those circumcised troublemakers, who insist on others obeying the Jewish law of circumcision, did not and could not obey all of the law themselves. Successfully recruiting believers to be circumcised provided opportunity for the opposition to boast of the numbers returning to the laws of their Jewish traditions.

Boasting about the number of circumcisions may not be any different that boasting of the number of baptisms. Most every minister of the gospel, with ministerial conceit, has been tempted to boast of conversions. Paul refused to go there saying, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14). The point of the letter of Galatians is clear: “What counts is a new creation” (v. 15). He blesses with “peace and mercy to all who follows this rule” (v. 16).  

Conclusion

Believers can be very irresponsible. At various times and levels of commitment, the battle between the temptation of the flesh and the guidance of the Spirit can be very intense. I think it can be accurately concluded that most Christians do not grasp how to live in the Spirit’s guidance. Great difficulty exists in being able to see and understand one’s self. It is so convenient to follow the way of the church, adopt its level of maturity, conform to the traditions, transfer to a lower vision, and think without looking beyond the closed windows of tradition.

Being responsible is an individual endeavor before it becomes a corporate one. We tend to speak of the expectations and responsibilities of the church rather than God’s expectation of the individual believer. God does not exempt any believer from the basic elements of godliness, purity, morality, benevolence, witnessing, mercy, hospitality and generosity. After all, through faith, bringing someone into the family of God demands our best in all matters of the Christian life.

An individual’s self-control in any society, free or otherwise, is by consent, consent that says, “Yes,” to either carnal indulgence or constraint by love. Even submission to coercion is by consent. Ask any martyr.

The “King of Pop” Michael Jackson died unexpectedly on June 24 at the age of 50. All the major news networks had stories covering the reaction of his fans to his death. Fans placed flowers on his Hollywood star. Tears of sorrow flowed from eyes, and some even dressed up like Jackson wearing his signature sequined glove to pay honor to him. If you watched some of the news coverage, did you draw the conclusion that some people have exalted Jackson to a god-like status in their lives?

There is only one person who deserves complete surrender of our will and life. That person is God’s Son, Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of Colossians, the Apostle Paul explores key insights about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as eternal Creator, Head of the Church, and Savior and Lord.

Eternal Creator (Colossians 1:15-17)

Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Colosse while imprisoned in Rome. He wanted to combat the false teachings creeping into the church by reminding the Christians they had everything they needed in Jesus Christ.

One of the heresies being taught was that one had to obtain “secret knowledge” in order to be saved or perfected. This “secret knowledge” was not available to everyone. Another false teaching was that one had to combine aspects of several religions in order to get right before God.

False teachers also were declaring that the physical world was evil, and God himself could not have created it. They believed the spirit is good, but all physical is evil. God was only in charge of the spirit world. This was false.

To counter this false teaching, Paul writes about the supremacy of Christ. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). The word “image” translates to mean that Jesus was not just a replica but he was God himself visible to the world so mankind could have a personal relationship with the Creator.

The phrase “firstborn over all creation” does not mean that Jesus, as some heretical groups claimed, was the first created being. Firstborn is a title of position and power, proclaiming Christ as supremacy over all of creation.  

Verse 16 tells us Christ is Lord of all—“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). Both the spiritual and physical worlds were established by and ruled by Christ himself.

God is not only the Creator but also the one we can rely on to provide all we need. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). We must trust God and his son, Jesus Christ, to protect us, care for us and sustain us. Jesus deserves first place in our lives.

Head of the church (Colossians 1:18-20)

The third sermon I ever preached was at my wife’s home church, First Baptist Church of Hallsville. I was nervous because my wife grew up in this church. I did not want to embarrass her as I preached that morning. I developed what I thought was a cute illustration by reminding the listeners that in order to add fractions together there must be a common denominator.

I boldly proclaimed, “In order for the church to succeed, Jesus Christ, the figure head of the church, must be the common denominator in all that we do.” After I spoke, I noticed some laughing coming from the pew where my wife was sitting along with some long time friends who had come to support me. After the service, my wife explained to me the snicker came because they knew what I said was not what I meant. I had accidentally called Jesus a person who holds a position but has no power.

In my nervousness I had made a mistake. Jesus is not the figurehead but rather the head of the church. The truth is, “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18).

Jesus Christ does not share power with anyone. His victory over death at the cross proves he reigns over the spiritual and physical world. Only Jesus is the “head” of his “body” the “church.” The church today is the visible body of Christ in the world.

In verse 19, we learn “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” Christ is fully human and fully divine. Christ’s death on the cross provided a way for all people to know God “by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:20).

In Jesus Christ, God has purposely accomplished his plan of reconciliation to a lost world. Another Savior does not need to come and we do not need another saving event. Jesus did it all and the church must seek and follow his leadership.

Savior and Lord (Colossians 1:21-23)

What happens when a person makes a personal faith decision to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord? The person no longer is  “alienated from God” because sins have been forgiven. Our situation with God has been changed because he “has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22).

The physical body of Jesus had to die. His suffering death as a human showed sinful man that he died in place of the sinner. Jesus truly removed our sin. By trusting in Jesus, man is allowed to be free from sin. Jesus has made the way for all men to be right with God and empowers the Christian to live the way he desires.

Jesus changes the lives of those who believe in him. A saved person can no longer believe what they want or do what they want.  A believer is to remain faithful in their commitment to Christ. Anything leading a believer to shift allegiance from Christ must be resisted. The believer is not to move away “from hope held out in the gospel” (Colossians 1:23).

A committed follower of Christ enjoys a quality of life with purpose that becomes even more glorious when they die and go to heaven. This glory is only secured through belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Over the past few weeks, our study unit has focused on God’s mission. We’ve done so by focusing on biblical texts often thought of as climactic texts, or passages that provide a definitive insight into the meaning of the mission of God, speaking clearly and powerfully to this theme.

Most of these climactic texts have been familiar through previous Bible studies or perhaps you’ve heard your pastor use some of them during a sermon. Regardless of whether these verses are familiar, the big-picture focus of this series of studies is intended to be twofold: to help offer greater understanding of God’s mission and to challenge you toward more action in participating in it.

This week’s study is a logical complement to last week’s lesson on reconciliation and redemption. It deals with restoration and justice, with “making things right” not only with God’s mission but also making things right with those in need, because God’s mission is to bring restoration and justice to people who are needy and oppressed.

Does God care about the needy and oppressed? As we will see while exploring these climactic passages about justice, God elevates the poor and the defenseless to levels governments and individuals rarely do. He provides them a voice when the world rarely hears their cries. Among the questions we will explore as we look at these passages are “Do we hear them?” and “Will we respond to their need?”

“Open your hand to the poor” (Deuteronomy 15:1-11)

This passage occurs in the context of Moses delivering laws to Israel concerning giving. In previous passages, he introduces the concept of the tithe, or first tenth, to be given to God, following it with a mandate to give every three years to the poor (14:28-29).

In the same spirit, he introduces an even more radical concept to the people: The sabbatical year, or year of release, from indebtedness. In our focal verses, he explains the year of release as a cancellation of debt every seven years, a time of rest from debt not unlike the weekly sabbath rest.  

Anticipating the issues that a homeless, wandering people might have with this mandate, God explains through Moses in verse 4 that “There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy.”

In addition to the sabbatical year concept, Moses adds in verses 10-11 the general admonition to: “Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’”

Questions to explore

• It is unclear if Israel ever followed this mandate. In fact, 2 Chronicles 36:21 records that while Judah was in exile in Babylon, “the land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all of the time of its desolation it rested.”

• What is God’s part of the deal for the year of release?

 
“Do justice” (Micah 6:8)

If ever there was a climactic verse, Micah 6:8 is it. It asks a question and gives a brief answer.  In full, verse 8 says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Instead of looking at the context, let’s take it at face value and dissect what it says—and how it says it. It seems God has some basic requirements for man, expressed in three action verbs. Notice that none of these is a form of being, they’re all a form of doing. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with God. In the end, when you’ve made all three of these action verbs a part of your life, you will be what God wants you to be.

Question to explore

• What are the actions necessary to “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God?”

No oppression of the weak (Jeremiah 7:1-7)

This passage takes place as Jeremiah is standing at the gate of the temple, calling for the people to reform their worship practices. To do so, God has given Jeremiah a message that they must change their lifestyles if their worship is likewise to be changed.

Crucial to our lesson is the conditional command found in verses 5-6: “For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.”

Notice that God, through his prophet, gives equal treatment of the weakest or most oppressed of society (the alien, widow and orphan) to murder (shedding of innocent blood) and idolatry (going after other gods). In this climactic passage, God says right worship and Israel’s ability to stay in the Promised Land is contingent upon these commands.

Questions to explore

• God equates the treatment of the resident alien, widow and orphan in importance with life itself and the worship of one God. Do our civil laws or practices reflect this equality? What does this passage say to you in terms of the immigration debate in the United States?

Year of jubilee fulfilled (Luke 4:16-21)

This passage notes Jesus’ preaching in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. He chose to read a passage of Scripture we know as Isaiah 61 that brought a word of hope to the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed—and to usher in the year of jubilee, the sabbatical year of forgiveness of debt.  

While Jesus’ reading initially received favor with his hometown listeners, he dropped a bombshell on them at the end in verse 21—“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” He claimed to be the anointed one.

This is one of the most important passages in the Bible, because it offers a definitive message from Jesus about who he was and what his mission is. And, while it can be read literally, look at it again figuratively while inserting the word “spiritual” in front of many of the concepts: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me  to bring good news to the (spiritually) poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the (spiritual) captives and recovery of sight to the (spiritually) blind, to let the (spiritually) oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (the year of forgiveness of spiritual debt).”

Question to explore

• How can you spiritually help the oppressed while helping them physically as well?

Pure, undefiled religion (James 1:27)

This climactic passage occurs as James is urging Christian believers not only to believe, but to act on their beliefs. Without this action, he says in verse 26, this kind of self-deceiving religion is “worthless.” But in verse 27, he gives the antithesis of worthless religion: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” This pure and undefiled religion occurs, he is saying, when believers throw themselves into real-world, practical investment of their time and selves toward those in real need.

He expands this practical “works from faith” thought in our second focal passage, James 2:14-16 by asking “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what good is it?” What a condemnation on those who do not do the practical things necessary to help the weak.

Question to explore

• What have you done recently to practically meet the needs of the weak or needy?

Writer’s note: During the week of this lesson writing, I am in Sierra Leone, West Africa, exploring the potential for Buckner International to be a part of a collaboration with several partners, including Global Connection Partnership Network and the University of Texas at Arlington in an initiative called Restore Hope. The collaboration seeks to help the people of Sierra Leone as they work to rebuild their country after a bloody civil war. The country’s struggle to reconcile past enemies seems to be a fitting context for this lesson’s focus, “Redemption and Reconciliation,” so in a departure from previous lessons, I am writing this lesson first-person from Sierra Leone and using five on-site observers as biblical commentators.

A need for reconciliation with God, man

I’m waiting at a small Lebanese market in Sierra Leone, West Africa, in a U.S.-made SUV where a mix of American, British, Chinese and local patrons are buying groceries or in line to get a schwarma wrap from the deli. Next to me is Donald Conteh, a Baptist layman and teacher by trade who works as Global Connection Partnership Network’s logistics coordinator.

A beggar walks by in a cowboy hat and sports jacket, asking passersby for change. His image is most notable because gauze covers his arms at the elbows, or where they should be. He is missing the lower half of both his arms.

“I know this man,” Donald says from the driver’s seat. “He was the first government soldier the rebels amputated at the start of the war.”

The Sierra Leone civil war, which lasted from the early ’90s to around 2003, made worldwide headlines for its atrocities. As Donald says when the fight reached the capital city, “bodies were laying in the streets all over Freetown.” Among tactics used by both sides was amputation of arms and legs to terrorize the opposition.

“The rebels cut off this man’s arms to send a message,” Donald says. “They left him alive and told him, ‘Go back and tell the government we are alive. We are ready to fight.’”

Others during our trip have had similar stories from a war that is still fresh. One man told of getting into a cab and recognizing the driver, who had killed the man’s best friend. One ministry leader we spoke to is spearheading a project to reunite young girls kidnapped and used as prostitutes with their families—or caring for them when their families won’t accept them. Burned-out buildings dot the countryside and attest to the destruction caused to the once-peaceful tropical nation.

In the wake of such evil, how do people find redemption in their relationships and reconciliation in their hearts? This question opens another theological query many of us may have pondered: God sees evil occur on a global scale from all of man. How can he offer redemption to us and reconciliation for us?

The three lessons in Unit Two focus on what God’s mission is about, and this first lesson is about the redemption and reconciliation he offers. The lessons show God is concerned about both our spiritual and physical needs and that this same fullness of concern is seen in Jesus, who embodies God’s mission. Sometimes Christians have emphasized one set of needs or the other—but not both. Let these lessons remind us of the fullness of God’s mission and lead us to think of ways we need to participate in all of it.

Living commentaries

To help explain how God’s mission is to provide a way for all people to live fully in right relationship to him, I asked five people—a missionary couple, a coworker, and a Sierra Leonian pastor and layman—to act as my Bible commentaries, each reading one of the assigned passages and giving their interpretation of Scripture—in the context of the conflict and healing in Sierra Leone. Following are their observations:

Exodus 5:22—6:8; 15:1-2, 13
Gabe and Sada Herrera

God wants to make his name known. We don’t always understand why God lets his people suffer. One might ask, “Why did God take so long to answer the cry of his people?” We don’t know. He just tells us in this passage that he will make his name known. He tells the Israelites, he will rescue them, he will redeem them with and outstretched arm and he says, “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.”

The people of Sierra Leone are the same, just in a different time. They suffered a long civil war. The people are tired, broken and scarred. In their own way, they are crying out because the suffering here is great. Sierra Leone (“Salone” locally) men are in need of rescue, redemption and letting God take them as his own.

God already is working in his own time in Sierra Leone. There are many who have answered the call, believed and have been freed from bondage. But there are many who still have yet to experience spiritual freedom through God’s redemption and reconciliation to him. This nation has a great capacity for forgiveness. The best is that God says in his unfailing love he will lead his redeemed and guide them to his dwelling. Although man fails, falls and forgets, God’s love never fails.   

Gabriel and Sada Herrera are missionaries to Sierra Leone sent through GCPN.

Isaiah 55:6-7
Phil Brinkmeyer

After an 11-year civil war where ungodly atrocities inflicted death and dismemberment of heart, soul and body, many in Sierra Leone may ask, “Where was God during this?” Many might feel he was non-existent or so far removed he couldn’t hear their cries for help.

You still see the scars of war. Missing limbs, wheelchairs. You hear it in their stories of memories of living nightmares and see it in their faded eyes and hopeless faces. Guilt is on both sides and, like the American Civil War, enemies are now again brothers and reconciliation continues to be made.

This week, during a gathering of orphan, helpless children, I saw a 4-year-old standing, diminutive, sweet, dirty—with both hands clasped, covering his eyes and nose—reciting the Lord’s Prayer. An orphan calling on his only father, his heavenly Father. He recognized hope is only in God. He knows where redemption is found.

Phil Brinkmeyer is director of ministry development in Africa and Europe for Buckner International.

Colossians 1:13-14
Arthur Williams

What does God say to me through this Scripture? Christ paid the price for me with his blood. He also releases me from the bondage of sin into the freedom of grace. That is, I will not make heaven, even if I have all the riches, all the connections or even all of the theological knowledge. No matter who I am, it is only through grace I can make heaven.

And this grace was given to me through Jesus, who is the first-born. With him I have confidence and authority. I will hold to his teachings, because he has all the (authority).

Arthur Williams is a bivocational carpenter and co-pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Wellington, Sierra Leone.

Hebrews 9:11-14
Donald Sidikie Conteh

In this passage, Christ is being compared with other sacrifices, but Christ being the best sacrifice, with blameless blood, chooses to be the best.

He came so that mankind could be saved. The purpose of the shedding of his blood is for all men to be set free from death and to receive eternal life. There is no blood precious like that of Jesus Christ, meaning that he is the only way to salvation (heaven).

Donald Conteh is logistics coordinator for GCPN and a member of Mayemi Baptist Church in Grafton, Sierra Leone.

Question to explore

• In what ways are we participating in God’s mission to offer redemption and reconciliation to people?

• Is there any sin so bad that we cannot be redeemed to God and reconciled to him?

A favorite hymn of many is  “Holy, Holy, Holy.” At the end of the first stanza, worshippers sing, “God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.” How can God be three persons in one, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? The study theme for the month of July explores the Trinity and its implications for Christian living. One of the foundations of the Christian faith is the truth of one God who exists as three persons.

The first lesson focuses on three questions about the heavenly Father: how we are able to know him, what he is like and what he desires for us.

How can we know the Father? (Exodus 33:18-23)

When my 9-year-old son Ashton was younger, he would take my hand when we were walking anywhere he did not feel comfortable with his surroundings. We could be walking in a mall, and as we approached a large group of people, he would grab my hand. I never asked him to take my hand, he just did it. He wanted to know that I was with him in case he needed me.

Just like my son wanted to feel my presence, Moses wanted the assurance the heavenly Father was with him as well. As Moses was leading the Israelites, he implored God, “Now show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18).

What is God’s glory? It is the way God in his character and nature relates to his creation. God’s glory is seen as one experiences his mercy, grace, compassion, faithfulness, forgiveness and justice. God is seen through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

God answers Moses’ request by saying: “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But, he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live’” (Exodus 22:19-20).

God allowed Moses to see his glory but with restrictions. Our sinful nature keeps us from seeing God as he is.

God provided a way for Moses to see his glory and not be killed (Exodus 33:21-22). “Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (Exodus 33:23).

To see the back of God means we can only see where God has passed by. Man can only know God personally by what he does and how he acts. God is known by what he graciously chooses to reveal to us. He has chosen to send his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we can experience him.

There always is more of God to know and experience. So, believers must continue to develop their personal relationships with Jesus so they can know God better.

What’s the heavenly Father like? (Exodus 34:5-8)

East Texas Baptist University has a new president. Dr. Dub Oliver began his tenure on June 1, 2009. Since I work at ETBU, I have been asked by some in the community, “What is Dr. Oliver like?” My response to them is that he is a very personable, easy to like, kind of individual. I have discovered this through personal interaction with Dr. Oliver.

If someone were to ask you, “What is the heavenly Father like?” how would you respond? Going to the Bible and examining how God reacted to the sinful Israelites, we can find an answer to our question. Following the experience of the golden calf, God began the restoration of the broken covenant.

God describes to Moses what he is like as he passes him by. “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).

God hates sin. But the good news is God is willing to forgive our sin when we repent. When we have experienced God because of his mercy, grace and forgiveness, there is only one proper response. “Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped” (Exodus 34:8). Worship is the correct response.

What does God the Father desire for us? (Micah 6:6-8; John 4:21-24)

What does it take to please God? In Micah 6:6-7, we learn that people have tried many different ways to please God. Don’t we do the same? We think if we attend three out of four worship services, we are good with God. If we just put something in the offering plate, God will be pleased.

The prophet explains, “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

“To act justly” means we must be honest and fair in our dealings with others. “To love mercy” means we love others the way God has loved us. To “walk humbly” with God means to walk modestly, yielding our will and our ways to his will and ways. God does not want our material things; he wants our hearts to be freely devoted to him.

Jesus said in John 4:23-24: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Just going through the motions of worship, Bible study and prayer will not please God. Right attitudes and right living must accompany worship and service.

Getting to know the Father is accomplished by experiencing his nature in your personal life and understanding that his desire for you is to know him.

The Dallas Morning News edition dated September 26, 2007 carried the story of Ross Perot’s decision to sell his copy of the Magna Carta, one of 17 copies dating back to the 13th century that bears the king’s seal. Often called “the most important document in the world,” it is the fundamental document for the constitutional freedom of all men, limiting the power of the king.

Galatians, sometimes referred to as the “Magna Carta of the Christian faith,” affirms and supports freedom in Christ as the truth which frees all people from the bondage of legal systems that depend upon good works as the means of salvation: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” of the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1).

This freedom works to restrict the persuasion of the principalities and powers of darkness. Meant for all men for all times, freedom in Christ is to be lived and limited under, through and by the Holy Spirit.

Led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18)

The freedom Christ gives is led and lived in the Spirit of God, but not without a struggle that goes on day to day and hour by hour. The struggle and conflict is between opposites: good and evil, the Holy Spirit and the carnal flesh, principle of light and the power of darkness, God’s will and Satan’s will.  The one that wins in the war is the one to whom the individual yields and says, “Yes.”  

The Apostle Paul understood and experienced freedom in human nature and the battle fought to control himself rather than give in to the urges of the flesh. The conflict is so forceful at times that one does not do what he should or wants to do (v. 17). Paul uses “flesh” to refer to the sinful, self-centered, unredeemed state, not just the physical body.  

Christians, moment by moment, predominantly yield to the Holy Spirit allowing the Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen and encourage toward the righteous purpose of Christ. With the unregenerate, the sins of the flesh are much more common, frequent and a natural expression of the carnal nature. With the regenerate, sins of the flesh are uncommon, infrequent and an aberration of the spiritual nature.

Paul’s theology flows together into a system, merging three streams into one: faith, love and the Holy Spirit, and they all merge at the juncture of justification. “Faith expressing itself in love” (v. 6) is the moral work of the Holy Spirit. Amplifying this marvelous absolute, Paul says: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love” (v. 13).

The key verse that connects all of this is “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (v. 16). Not “you must,” nor “you ought” but “you will not.” The Holy Spirit guides and leads individuals to use their freedom responsibly in brotherly love and not selfish license.

Paul believed the principle and practiced it: “For though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19). A Christian is free and bound by no one, but voluntarily, in Christ, accepts bondage to everyone.  

Life in the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21)

Paul contrasts the behavior of life lived in the indulgence of the flesh with life lived in the Spirit. Clarifying what he meant, Paul detailed two designations, one of “acts of the sinful nature,” and a second one of the “fruits of the Spirit.”  

The list “of acts of the sinful nature,” may not represent any organizational order but a random enumeration, though not all inclusive, to illustrate his point (v. 21). The list of vices represent a pattern of behavior that is “obvious” or well known (v. 19), and context sensitive, that is prevalent in the culture in which Paul lived.

These separate sins also represent a lifestyle evolving from the unregenerate, carnal and pagan nature of mankind, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”  (Psalm 51:5). Though some of the sins were acts of physical immorality, all of them were sins of the attitude or disposition of the heart which is deceitfully wicked above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). This unacceptable spirit and these actions not only violate man but violate God (Psalm 51:4).

Howard Colson and Robert Dean, in their book Galatians: Freedom Through Christ, organize the list into sins related to sex—sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery; sins related to worship—idolatry, witchcraft; sins related  to social relationships—hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy;  and sins related to intemperance—drunkenness, orgies. The self-centered person, who indulges the lust of the flesh, lives this way. Love, generated by the Holy Spirit, will not presume to act in such an obvious, immoral manner.  

The paragraph ends with a serious and stern warning “that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v. 21). Interpreting this to mean that anyone who has committed one of the acts listed above or something similar would not have eternal life would be incorrect and unacceptable. People who die outside the grace and forgiveness of God in the unregenerate state, continually living this kind of lifestyle in heart, mind and soul, will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Life in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26)

The second designation is of Christ-like virtues and values that are the product of the Spirit of God living within the human heart. Changing wording from “acts of the flesh” to “fruit of the Spirit” is significant. God’s Spirit works in the human heart to produce the fruit of God’s nature. The disposition of a person’s spirit is created within by God’s divine life.

Again, this wonderful list of virtues is descriptive of a lifestyle where God’s Spirit is the dominant operative in the struggle between good and evil. The difference is huge. The natural unregenerate person acts with reckless abandon or within the guidance of the law. The fruit of the Spirit is not of human origin and cannot be produced without the indwelling grace and power of God.

Jesus said, “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5). That fruit is: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (vv. 22-23).  

The first and foremost product of the Holy Spirit is love which becomes a characteristic of all of the other enumerated products. Since God is described as love and the originator of love (1 John 4:7-12), love is first as the most commanding characteristic of the justified, redeemed person. Without love, the other fruits of the Spirit cannot be completely fulfilling, though may be dutifully practiced. These fruits are so compelling in self-control that there is no need for laws of governance (v. 23).

Life in the Spirit is possible only because a person is justified through Christ having “crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (v. 24). What a rich description of how these virtues become a reality. Our sins have been carried to the cross, put to death and forgiven, becoming only an intermittent problem of temporary failures, incongruent with the Christian lifestyle.  

God has done his part, and people must do their part in this spiritual partnership. Paul amplifies: “Since we live by the Sprit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (vv. 25-26).

Conclusion

Living in freedom is not an easy task. Confusion is rampant between what the body and mind want selfishly and what the Spirit of God wants unselfishly. What should be done is not done and what should not be done is done. God’s Spirit desires that individuals avoid all of the works of the flesh while experiencing the fruits of the Spirit. Freedom is not just the power to vote in a Baptist business conference but the freedom to live in the precious sphere of grace and obedience to the truth virtue of God’s purpose. For such, we can all be free indeed.  

Most churches function under the legal guidance of a constitution and its bylaws, which should be helpful in the administration of large groups of saints. At times, this document of guidance is detrimental to dependence upon the Spirit of God. It is not either or but both and.  The difficulty is in knowing which is which.  

The simplicity of the familiar is far easier than the struggle to work in freedom under the guidance of the Spirit. The problem is not the constitution and bylaws but the uncommon spiritual drag of dependence on its legalism, of choosing convenience above risk and of waiting on church programs rather than assuming the personal responsibility for working out one’s own salvation with fear and trembling.  

In human circumstances, Christian freedom is never perfectly pure but never completely contaminated by license. Achieving spiritual maturity should be a personal goal, reaching toward fullness in Christ as much as possible. As the Holy Spirit fills us, we move further and further away from the carnal nature and closer to our Lord Christ. This Christian Magna Carta asserts that freedom is best lived by following the truthful and compassionate leadership of the Holy Spirit who speaks the same truths found in Holy Scripture.