Jim Wilson's Blog, page 30

Nothing We Can Do, Nothing to Brag About

This post is taken from the booklet An Invitation, Not a Challenge, by Everett Wilson, brother of Jim Wilson.

Nothing We Can Do

So in verse 21 Paul stops talking about our earning and starts talking about God's giving. He takes us from a miserable Monday in February to Christmas morning, in one leap. On workdays, we earn; on holidays, we give and receive. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. In this righteousness apart from the law, God intends to set us right, not put us in the wrong. While law establishes justice in the world through rewards earned and punishment deserved, this righteousness apart from the law is a transforming gift. We are set right by God, not by anything we do or say or pray. There is nothing we can do.

The alarmed response to that assertion comes faster than a speeding bullet. "Now wait a minute. There is too something we can do. We can believe. The next verse says that This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."

Yes, we believe. But believing isn't doing; believing is "not-doing." Believing is letting God do it. Faith means treating the truth as true, but it doesn't make the truth true. Why should anyone get credit for believing the truth? When you believe that God has a gift for you, you accept it, that’s all. You won’t get in the way of what God is doing for you. Saying that "faith did it" is as presumptuous as for a teen-ager to say he did the dishes because he didn’t pester his mother while she was doing them. It's as presumptuous as saying you gave the party, when all you did was show up. Remember--the gospel is an invitation, not a challenge. It's a gift, not a balance-due notice.

Long ago my father told me that a horse trapped in barbed wire will try to kick itself free, get further entangled, get badly cut up and will try even harder. Men around the horse can’t get close enough to set it free. But a mule will not kick, said my father. It will not add to its own problem. It will stand still, not hurting itself, and wait for its master to come and set it free.

To believe is to accept God's gift--to accept it as real. If you do not accept it, the gift is not yours--but your acceptance doesn’t create the gift. The gift has been given already: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. If it were not free, no one would get to heaven, because no deserves it.

As to the kind of gift it was, it was a sacrifice of atonement to get rid of the sin that keeps us from God. God didn't forget our sins or ignore them; he got rid of them. He

took our sins upon himself so that they could be killed with Jesus when he was nailed to the cross. "Through faith in his blood"--the blood of Jesus—we accept this gift of freedom and life for ourselves. Never, ever, would we be able to get rid of the sin that separates us from God, but God can get rid of it, and he has! We do nothing. We trust him to do something, the way the mule trusts its master to set it free.

Nothing to Brag About

We have done nothing to brag about because we have done nothing: We haven't paid our dues, we haven't accepted a challenge, we haven't obeyed the rules, we haven't set ourselves free. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.

Let me emphasize: the Law is also a gift from God to the world. It shows us how to live in this world. It establishes justice in the earth. It teaches us in right ways. The law is wonderful in what it does. But let’s not expect it to do what it was never designed for that is, get us to heaven. Law teaches and guides us, but Jesus Christ changes us. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. As sinners who can’t afford anything and deserve nothing, we wouldn't want it any other way.

- Everett Wilson

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

A Gift from God

This post is taken from the booklet An Invitation, Not a Challenge, by Everett Wilson, brother of Jim Wilson.

A Gift from God

One reason why people have such a hard time accepting salvation as a gift is that they have been trained to think of work as the way to reward. Then, when we become rich or are otherwise rewarded, we comfort ourselves that "we worked hard for it." Who wants the teacher to give the class goof-off an A, when the class grind had to work so hard to earn it? Who wants to see thieves and cheats rewarded with the spoils of their crimes? The goof-off doesn't deserve an A, so he should not get one. The thief has no right to another person's property, so should not be allowed to keep it.

The trouble with these comparisons is that they have nothing to do with the gift of eternal life. Law is useful when it measures distinctions between right and wrong, good and bad. The justice system may straighten out a car theft by returning the car to its owner and punishing the thief. A fair grading system may distinguish between good work and poor, so that an A may indicate to future teachers and employers what a student can do. These are just two of the works of the law, and they are very good.

But when it comes to giving eternal life to sinners, we're in a situation where nobody is getting a passing grade. Nobody deserves anything. The reward is too expensive for anyone to earn. Nothing could be more hopeless than to think you could ever obey enough laws, behave enough better, to get to heaven. We're Wal-Mart shoppers thinking our twenty bucks ought to be enough for a diamond tiara from Tiffany's! If there are some things in this world that we cannot have except by gift, you may be sure that heaven is in an even more expensive category. We can’t afford it, and we’ll never be able to earn enough to afford it.

Not only haven't we earned it; we deserve the opposite. The law has revealed our failures. We are part of a world held accountable to God. We have no excuse for who we are and what we have done. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. The law puts us in the wrong, and never sets us right. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

To be continued on Friday.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

An Invitation, Not a Challenge

This post is taken from the booklet An Invitation, Not a Challenge, by Everett Wilson, brother of Jim Wilson.

An Invitation, Not a Challenge

The gospel comes as a gift, not as a bill for payment.C. H. Spurgeon told a parable about that: A minister called on a poor woman in order to bring her a gift of money. He knocked and knocked, decided no one was home, and went on his way. Later he saw the woman at church and told her how he had called and not found her at home. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "When was that?" When he told her, she said, "Was that you? I was in the house but I didn't come to the door because I thought it was the man coming for the rent, and I didn't have it to give him!"

Ministers, youth leaders, and Sunday School teachers all know what that is like. Week by week we come offering the gift of the gospel, the gift of eternal life, but many do not listen because they’re afraid we have come to take rather than to give. In their minds we've come to collect the rent, not to help pay it!

The gospel comes as an invitation, not as a challenge.In The Lord of the Rings, there's a scene in which the wizard Gandalf and his companions come upon a sealed door in the side of a mountain. They must enter this door to continue on their quest. But there is no door handle of any kind just a sign in a strange language. Gandalf translates the sign as saying, "Speak friend and enter." Fine, but they don't know the password! So the wizard tries to blast it open with his magic spells, none of which open the door. So he sits down for a moment and ponders. Then a light comes into his eye. He laughs, stands up, walks to the door and says one simple word. The door opens. Since the word is in a language the others do not know, they ask how he figured out the password. "I didn't have to figure out anything," he answered. "I mistranslated the sign. It's not a challenge to keep enemies out but an invitation for friends to enter. It says "Say 'friend' and enter." All we had to do was identify ourselves as friends."

The good news of the Bible is as simple and straightforward as these two stories illustrate. It is neither a demand for payment that must be paid, nor a riddle to be solved, nor a challenge to be met. Instead, it is a gift to be received and an invitation to be answered. Paul's says it Romans 3 about as plain as can be:

Eternal Life is a Gift from God. There is Nothing we Can Do to Earn It. We Have Nothing to Brag About when we Receive it.

To be continued on Wednesday.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Being Born Again Every Day

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).

Years ago, a friend of mine told me that he was not into evangelism because the more converts he had, the more backsliders he had. Of course, that is not a reason to hold back on evangelism, but it makes us wonder why it sometimes seems to be so.

Here is a major reason. The new Christian often is not taught to live the Christian life the same as he was taught to receive Christ. He is taught a different way of living than he was taught of receiving. That is why he falls. The new Christian received Christ by grace through faith. He did not receive Christ by trying or by effort. He is not to live by trying or by effort. He is to live by grace through faith. In other words, the Christian life should be like being born again every day.

Written February 1985.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Paul's Life of Prayer

There are many things in the life of the Apostle and his associates I can identify with. However, there is one aspect I wish I could identify with even more. It is their life of prayer.

“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis” (Col. 4:12-13).

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col. 1:9-13).

Written October 1984.

This post coordinates with Friday's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

What Keeps You Out of the Kingdom of God

Have you ever thought about who does not enter the kingdom and why? Here are a few explicit examples.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

“And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:3).

“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again’” (John 3:3).

It is easy not to enter. The first example is things to do. The next three examples are things to be to enter. If there is no change, then there is no entrance.

 

Written October 1994.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Praying for Other Christians

This is what the apostle Paul prayed for new believers:

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:9-12).

We believe this was a prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore answered by God. Let’s enumerate the requests.

1. To fill you with the knowledge of His will

2. Through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, in order that…

3. You may live a life worthy of the Lord

4. And may please Him in every way

5. Bearing fruit in every good work

6. Growing in the knowledge of God

7. Being strengthened with all power so that…

8. You may have great endurance and patience

9. Joyfully giving thanks to the Father.

Please read this list off to the Lord in prayer for the Christians you know.

Here is a prayer from Colossians 4:3-4 you can pray for those you know in Christian ministry: "And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ." Pray that we may proclaim it clearly as we should.

 

Written December 1993.

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

God's Goodness & Our Reverence for Him

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

The first verse tells us that out of reverence for God we will not touch the unclean, we will cleanse our bodies and our spirits, we will perfect holiness. The second verse tells us that God's goodness toward us disciplines us toward sharing in his holiness. His goodness and our reverence result in our perfect holiness.

 

Written November 1994.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

To See as God Sees

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16).

The Apostle was not in awe with the beauty of the Parthenon; he was distressed.

Some of us have been to parts of the world where there are beautiful minarets, Shinto gates and shrines, and beautifully carved statues housed in ornate temples. Do we think like the Apostle? If not, is it because he saw things as God sees them, and we see them like the rest of mankind? May God help us to be distressed with false gods.

        “In vain with lavish kindness the gifts of God are strown;

        The heathen in his blindness bows down to wood and stone.”

        (Reginald Heber 1783-1826)

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

Written February 1984.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

The Wonderful Kindness of Repentance

“So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18).

“And turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).

“I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20).

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing God's kindness leads you toward repentance” (Romans 2:1).

“When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you by turning each of you from your wicked ways” (Act 3:26).

“Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

The above verses have been going through my head in the last few minutes,* so I thought I would share them with you. Repent and turnkeep recurring in these verses, but also notice the words that precede repent and turn. They are grant, kindness, and gently. Repentance is not a harsh word. It is a wonderfully soft word.

 

*Written January 1988.

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships