Over the years I have come to realize that many Christians do not truly understand what it means to become a Christian or as Jesus put it, to be born again. Since many do not understand this scriptural principle, it has an adverse affect on how we view evangelism and church outreach. Cultural Christianity often does not align with biblical Christianity. Many want a religion that will enrich their lives but without interfering with their lives. Biblical Christianity is quite different. Jesus taught a hard doctrine when He told His followers that unless they forsake their lives they cannot be His disciples[1]. Christianity is not taking your life and fixing it up or making it better, but laying down your life in the flesh to take up a new life born through the Spirit. There is a transformation that takes place, not merely a renovation. Look at Jesus’ teaching from John 3:
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
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6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Jesus also said that finding the
Throughout scripture we are told that the old life in the flesh is dead spiritually and destined for condemnation. What the unbeliever does not yet realize is that Jesus condemned sin in the flesh by taking judgment upon Himself so that we could be redeemed from our old nature of sin. Look at how the Bible explains this in Romans 3:23-26
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
There are a few things we should take special note of in this passage. First, all have sinned – no one is excluded. Some mock at the idea that we were born with a sin nature, but anyone who has children should recognize this truth by personal experience. I did not have to teach my children how to have fits, stomp, hit, back talk, act selfishly and any number of other things kids naturally do. The Bible accurately says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child and must be driven out[3]. I don’t have to teach my kids how to misbehave; I have to take action to conform them to an acceptable standard of behavior. All have sinned from the age where we can communicate and will struggle with sin in the flesh until this life is over.
Even those who learn how to outwardly curb their behavior are still guilty of sin. Jesus often confronted very religious people who thought that keeping rules, regulations and participating in religious practices made them righteous. He taught that sin comes out of the heart[4]. The outward expression of sin is only the symptom of what has been cultivating in the heart long before the action came to fruition. To even look at a woman and lust in our heart is adultery – even if the physical act never occurs. The scriptures teach that to hate is equal to murder, to covet is idolatry, greed is thievery, rebellion is equal to witchcraft, and the list goes on and on. When God identified the seven things that He counts as an abomination in Proverbs, pride was the first thing on the list[5]. Is there anyone who has not struggled with pride?
Sin separates us from God for the Bible states that two cannot walk together unless they agree. Since the commandments of God serve to conform us to God’s own character and nature, we should see that the statutes of God serve to draw us into a closer relationship with our own Creator. We cannot love God and love what God hates. We cannot cling to what God hates and expect to walk with God. Christianity is a restoration to our intended purpose – to have a personal, intimate relationship with the God who created us. Therefore, sin is anything that calls us to depart from the Lord to serve our flesh.
When people say things like, “I really should stop doing such and such…”, what they are really saying is that they recognize that their actions are wrong, but they love the sin and are not yet willing to let go. By nature we seek to find ways to justify our actions and the flesh finds comfort by mixing religion with a self-centered life. Religion can bring a false sense of comfort because it gives mankind a sense of self-righteousness. Jesus addressed this attitude when He warned the Pharisees that even though they justified themselves through their religion, their lives were still an abomination before God[6].
Even if we resist temptation, if our heart is drawn to sin we are in a losing battle. We will be miserable if we are trying to live in the flesh and resist what our flesh craves. This is why many get frustrated and give up on living godly lives. It can seem like freedom to let go of mere religion and to cast off restraint. The Bible tells us that the reason behind this departure is that where there is no revelation from God, the people cast off restraint[7]. Godliness cannot be lived out by mere human effort. Until there is a transformation (or new birth in Christ), the heart has not changed, the affections of our lives are still fueled by the flesh, and our love for the things of God will not be present. There is a reason why people have such a hard time living by a godly standard. Look at this passage from Romans 8:5-8
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
The unredeemed man or woman has no power to be spiritually minded. Anyone living according to the flesh (carnal mindedness) either has not experienced the new birth in Christ or they have submitted themselves to the flesh again. Notice the firm point that the scripture is making in this passage – those who are not redeemed or are in the flesh cannot please God. Good works, good deeds and religious practices do not change this. The flesh cannot be subject to God but is at war with the Spirit of God. In a moment we will look at how this changes, but realize that if your mind is only on the selfish works of the flesh, this may be a strong warning that something is still missing in your life. Those who live in the flesh will mind the things of the flesh. Even though the unbeliever may try to live right, it will be drudgery and there will be little joy in the things of God. We cannot expect someone to clean up their lives when there is no change from the heart. The Bible compares this to taking a swine out of the mire. You can take him out of the mire and wash him, but the swine’s heart will remain in the mire and sooner or later he will return to it. Compare this to the delight the godly man or woman finds in the commands of God. Look at Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
This is quite a different scenario. Not only does the godly man not walk in the sinful ways of the world, but he delights in the law of the Lord. King David testified of this in his own life in Psalm 119:34-35
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
When the Spirit of God reigns in your heart, you will walk in the Spirit and you will also have a change of heart. You will not love sin but will instead delight in the things of God. We as Christians do not live godly only because of a sense of obligation; it is a joy to walk with our Lord. Walking in God’s commandments is a delight. We are not resisting the sin we desire; we are pursuing the commandments that bring delight and joy to our heart. This is incomprehensible to the world because until our eyes are opened through our new life in Christ, we cannot see the value and pleasure that comes from walking in the Spirit.
I heard an excellent illustration of this some time ago. In the past, man considered the ocean to be ‘the silent deep’. When a man puts his head under water, he hears very little if anything; therefore he concluded that there was no sound in the deep ocean. When man developed tools that allowed him to monitor sound below the water’s surface, he found that the human ear cannot detect the sounds that fill the oceans. His conclusion was logical based on his experiment, but his assumptions were still wrong. In the same sense, mankind is unable to see, hear or experience the truth of God’s Spirit and the reality of what the Christian life can reveal all around him because of his inability to detect the spiritual world with his flesh. 1 Corinthians 2:14 explains:
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Without this spiritual discernment, it is not possible to see or understand the things of God. How many times have you heard someone say that they don’t want Christianity because it is a bunch of do’s and don’ts? Why does the Christian delight in God’s law? Because there is a love relationship with our Creator and we realize that drawing closer to God has much more fulfillment than anything the flesh has to offer. Walking in the Spirit is the only thing that can truly satisfy the longings of our heart in this life. The Bible says that the word of God is a light to our feet and a lamp for our path. Through the word we see where we want to go and discover everything we need to get there. This is the difference between the one who forces himself to do what is right and the one who seeks the right way. One is trying to make himself go where he does not want to go and the other delights in the instructions that guide him into the way that he does indeed want to go.
So when we see the warning that all have sinned and fallen short, we also see the gift of our redemption found in Christ Jesus. Romans 3 tells us that God remained just while justifying us. This is very significant. You may have heard people ask questions like, “Why doesn’t God just do away with all sin and take us all to heaven?” Why would we expect God to do something that even we recognize as an injustice? What is the public’s reaction when a judge violates justice by letting an offender go free? If someone commits a vile crime and gets off on a technicality, what is our reaction? Many times over the years I have seen stories where a judge threw out cases or gave someone an unwarranted lenient sentence. When this happens, people demand for the judge’s dismissal and sometimes a riot ensues. If we react this way, how can we ask God to be unjust in upholding His own law? God’s consistent justice also reveals to us the amazing love of God. Look at Acts 20:
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the
The sacrifice of the cross was the revealed love of God. God remained just by upholding the law. We were offenders and the law demanded justice; therefore, Jesus became our propitiation by standing in our place and taking the penalty of our sin in His own body. Justice was satisfied through condemnation and judgment, but we were justified or declared to be just under the law without paying our own debt to sin. We, by faith, believe God and are credited with God’s own righteousness because Jesus was credited and judged for our sins. This is also explained in 2 Corinthians 5:
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The Bible also tells us that all of our righteous acts are filthy rags in God’s sight[8] and that the sacrifices made by the sinful man are still an abomination to the Lord[9]. God does not desire your righteousness because what you do for God has little value. We have already read that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. If your life in the flesh cannot please God, how can you do anything that pleases God? You can’t. All good things come from God and nothing outside of God is good. Consider Romans 7:
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
This was written by the Apostle Paul. The man who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament and had many evidences of God’s power in his own life stated, “in me no good thing dwells”. This is true for every man, woman, and child. You do not have the power to produce good. The world may call our works good, but nothing produced by man is righteous before a holy God. Instead, the goodness of God is given to us through Jesus Christ. We are merely giving back to God what God has produced through our lives when we have yielded ourselves to Him. We will look at this in detail when we examine the biblical principle of works. For now you must realize that righteousness and goodness comes from God and is given to us by faith.
This is continued on Part 2.
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