Tag: christianity

Respectable Sins: 4 Manifestations of Selfishness | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins4 Comments

In my last post in this series, I discussed how we are often selfish with our interests. If you would like to read that post, you can do so by clicking here. Today I will deal with our selfishness regarding our time.

Our Time

There is only so much time in each day. We can acquire more money, clothes, shoes, or even houses, but we cannot gain more time. There is a fixed amount of it, which makes it a prime candidate for selfishness.

How are we selfish with our time?

We are selfish with our time when we excessively guard it, or when we unduly impose on another person’s time [1]. You can tell when someone is being selfish with their time when they say things like:

  • “That is not my job!”
  • “I will do that later.”
  • “Time is money.”
  • etc.

 Or when they:

  • Ignore others
  • Are always rushing around, as if they have no time for anyone around them.
  • When they are constantly asking others to help them out regardless of the deadlines the other person has to meet.

When we, or others, use these phrases or perform these actions, selfish behavior is usually the reason.

What does Scripture have to say about how we are to act towards others?

Scripture tells us that we are to

“bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).

So then, if we are to bear one another’s burdens we have to go beyond our normal duties. In order for us to do that, we have to be willing to sacrifice a little bit of our time.

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will look at how we are selfish with our money. Until then, use the questions below to help you reflect on this post.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do you think we show our selfishness with our time?
  2. How do you find a balance between being selfish and getting your own things done?
  3. What other verses would you recommend when dealing with selfishness?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 104.

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We Can’t Refine Ourselves

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals8 Comments

The gospel tells us that we can’t refine ourselves, because we are inherently sinful. But knowing that does not keep people from trying. One way they try to do this is by adding to the gospel message, thinking that their additions make them more holy and more acceptable to God. However, this is simple not true.

Justification by Faith Alone

Throughout biblical history, many groups have sought to impose laws along with the gospel as a means for salvation. The Judaizers, in Galatia, are one example. They believed the Gentiles must first become Jewish proselytes and submit to the Mosaic law along with believing in Jesus as their Savior in order to be saved (Gal. 1:7; 4:17, 21; 5:2-12; 6:12-13). But this is not the Bible’s message of salvation.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul disagrees with the Judaizers’ when he says,

“a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ…because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Gal. 1:16)

Paul makes it clear that we are not justified by the works of the law but by grace. This is a theme he will re-enforce time and again throughout the letter.

Christ of No Advantage

Paul tells the Galatians that the Judaizers who add to the gospel message by requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised are creating another gospel. One that does not save. He tells us that

those who “accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage” to them (Gal. 5:2).

In other words, when one adds to the gospel, they are no longer justified by Christ’s work on the cross, but by their own works.

Obligated to Keep the Whole Law

In the case of the Judaizers, who are saying gospel + works = salvation, do more than just add a few works to an already free gospel. They are obligating themselves to keep the whole law since their gospel is not the gospel of Christ. In other words, by eradicating the true and free gospel of Jesus Christ they are placing themselves under the stipulations of the law, which must be kept perfectly in order to provide them with salvation.

Conclusion

What we find then is that we cannot reconcile ourselves to God (Gal. 2:16; 5:3-5). For if we try to add to the gospel, then we make Christ of no advantage to us, and we force ourselves to keep the law perfectly, which we cannot do. The true gospel tells us that we can only be justified by faith alone (Gal. 3:10-14). So then, we can’t refine ourselves. We can only be refined and reconciled to God through the gospel.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are there things that you add to the gospel message, requiring people in your church to do before they are saved?
  2. How does the gospel free us from having to do works in order to be reconciled to God?

Resource

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Respectable Sins: 4 Manifestations of Selfishness | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins3 Comments

This week I am continuing to work my way through Jerry Bridges book Respectable Sins. I hope it is helping to bring to light those sins that are common and acceptable amongst Evangelical Christians – sins we commit on a regular basis with no thought that they are sin – so that you will then work on ridding them from your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. The sin we will explore this week is selfishness. Let me start with a definition.

Selfishness defined is as follows:

A person, action, or motive lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.

In order to understand how we are often concerned with our own personal profit or pleasure I will explore four areas where selfishness manifestations itself, which are:

  1. Our interests
  2. Our time
  3. Our money
  4. Our consideration of others

Let’s start today by looking at the first way selfishness generally manifests itself.

Our Interests

In Philippians 2:4 Paul tells us to look out for the interests of others. Here he desires we be concerned with other’s interests. The problem is that we are often concerned with our own interests more than the interests of others. In other words, we consider our affairs to matter more than someone else’s.

How does this work itself out in everyday life?

One way we can know if we are concerned about our own interest is by observing our conversations. If we dominate the conversation, telling of our grandchildren’s latest feat, our latest work project, our kids sports achievements, etc, without caring about the interests of others, then we are being selfish in our interests.

Another way this works itself out is by showing no genuine interest in what others are telling us. Instead, we are bidding our time until we can speak, thinking more about what we are going to say than what the other person is currently telling us. When we do this, we show that we really don’t care about the other person’s interests, we just want someone to listen to what we have to say, which means we are being selfish in our interests.

How do we have a conversation with someone in an unselfish manner?

In order to have a conversation with someone in an unselfish manner, we need to be careful not to dominate the conversation with our interests, as well as we need to be genuinely interested in what the other person is telling us.

How do we correct our behavior?

Before you get to thinking I am telling you that you must just sit there and let the other person speak, let me say, “It is okay to talk about your interests.” If you did not, then you would be a boring person, who no one really knew. Our interests should be expressed, but our interests should not be the dominating factor in our conversations. We should not be talking at the person, but rather we should be talking with them.

The Reason this is a Sin

Selfishness with our interests is a sin because we show ourselves to be “Lovers of Self”, which Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is a sin. More pointedly, as Jerry Bridges says,

“A self-centered persons cares little for the interests, needs, or desires of others.”[1]

So then, those who are “Lovers of Self” are not operating from a Christian perspective. As Christians, we are called to care for the needs of others by not loving ourselves, but rather we are to be willing to lay down our lives for others, which is what Christ did for us (Phil. 2:5-11).

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will look at how we are selfish with our time. Until then, use the questions below to help you reflect on this post.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do we show that we do not care about others interests and consider ourselves to be more important than others?
  2. How might we have a conversation with someone without being selfish?
  3. Are there other verses besides Philippians 2:5-11 that you might point someone to in order to help them understand what Christ has done for them by being unselfish?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 103.

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The Intentional Father

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals2 Comments

This last Friday night I went to The Real Men of Impact Men’s Rally at Travis Avenue Baptist. It was one part of the Equip Conference. Steve Stroope, Pastor of Lakepointe Church and co-author of Tribal Church, spoke from Deuteronomy 6:1-9. He challenged men to be the spiritual leader of their families.

Two Ends of the Spectrum

When you think about leading your family spiritually, two thoughts may come to mind. On the one hand, you may believe you are leading your family spiritually by making sure they are in church on Sunday and Wednesday and by leading them in a prayer before your meal.

On the other hand, you may believe you are only leading your family spiritually if you are having a devotional every night with them. While we probably need to do more than just take our families to church and lead them in a prayer before a meal, we all may not have the time to sit down every night and walk our families through a text of Scripture. This does not mean we do not shoot for that, or seek to make it a priority in our schedule. Spending time in the Word and praying with your family is necessary and important. However, if we can’t do that one day, it doesn’t mean we have failed, and we should throw in the towel. It is possible to lead our families spiritually as we go through our everyday routine. The way we do this is by being intentional.

The Intentional Father of Deuteronomy 6

In the midst of giving the Lord’s commands to the people of Israel, Moses writes:

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Dt 6:6–7)

These two verses tell us how we can be the spiritual leaders of our houses. Notice that Moses tells the men first that these commandments are to be on their heart. That means they themselves must know them. Once they know them, they are to teach them to their children diligently. Notice when Moses says they are to teach their children: When they sit in their house, when they walk by the way, when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning.

Here is the connection point: We all sit around our house at night, take our kids to school, put them to bed, and make breakfast for them in the morning. It is during those everyday activities that we are to speak with our children about God’s Word. In order to do that, it will take us being intentional, but working to find ways to connect God’s Word to our everyday lives is worth the effort.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do you lead your family to have a greater understanding of God’s Word?
  2. What are some ways you connect God’s Word to your everyday activities?
  3. Do you know God’s Word well enough that you can connect its teachings to your daily routine?

Resources

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Respectable Sins: 4 Manifestations of Pride | Part 4

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins1 Comment

In my last post in this series, I discussed the pride of achievements. Today, I continue my discussion by focusing on the pride of an independent spirit.

The Pride of an Independent Spirit

This form of pride expresses itself in two ways: (1) “A resistance to authority, especially spiritual authority”, and (2) “an unteachable attitude.”[1]

This particular form of pride stems from believing that we know everything. When we think we know more than someone else, we are less likely to submit to their spiritual guidance and authority. This is something the Bible condemns. In Hebrews 13:17, we read,

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Even though this verse directly applies to spiritual leaders in our churches, the principle of teachability and submission carries over to any situation where we are under the tutelage of a more mature believer. Which means there are those who are more mature than us that can help us grow in our Christian walk. We should take advantage of those relationships by being mentored, which should then result in us mentoring others.

How do we guard against this form of pride?

I believe we can guard against this form of pride by meditating on the following Scriptures.

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,” (Prov. 2:1)

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,” (Prov. 3:1)

“Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight,” (Prov. 4:1)

“My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding,” (Prov. 5:1)

“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;” (Prov. 7:1)

All of these Scriptures stress teachability and a respect for authority. Just as a son is to respect his father’s authority and allow him to teach him that which he does not know, we are to respect the spiritual authority of those more mature than us, allowing them to teach us, so that we can grow in our Christian walk.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you susceptible to this form of pride?
  2. In what generation does this sin typically surface?
  3. What other issues besides an independent spirit do you believe hinders mentoring relationships in our churches?
  4. How might being mentored by a more mature believer benefit you?
  5. If you are currently being mentored, would you share how that time has benefited your spiritual progress?

Resource

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 97.

Post Adapted from Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, 97-100.

Respectable Sins: 4 Manifestations of Pride | Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

In my last post in this series, I discussed the pride of correct doctrine. Today, I continue my discussion by focusing on the pride of achievement.

The Pride of Achievement

Let me say upfront, I believe it is okay to take pleasure in and enjoy our accomplishments. Where I believe we become prideful in our achievements is when we believe that we are the ones who got ourselves there, or when we believe we are better than others because of our place in life. In other words,

Pride in our achievements is having too high of an opinion of ourselves and not realizing we have accomplished what we have accomplished because of God’s work in our lives.

While Scripture is replete with references to a “cause-and-effect relationship between hard work and success in any endeavor” (Prov. 13:4; 2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Cor. 9:26-27; Phil. 3:12-14), Scripture also tells us that all our talents and natural skills, intellect, health, and opportunities come from God, so that nothing happens outside of God’s sovereign control and will [1].

Several verses come to mind to back up that claim. Some of which are: 1 Samuel 2:7; Psalm 75:6-7; Haggai 1:5-6.

1 Samuel 2:7-8 reads,

“The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.”

Psalm 75:6-7 reads, 

“For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.”

Haggai 1:5-6 reads,

“Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.”

So then, we see that “we have nothing that will enable us to achieve success that we did not receive from God”, because there is nothing that we have that did not come from God since He is the all sovereign Ruler of the universe [2]. Granted, from a human perspective, it does not always seem that God has given us everything we have. Rather, it seems that we have what we have because of our hard work.

However, when we look at Scripture we see that our work ethic, intellect, abilities and talents, as well as our opportunities are all given to us by God. Jerry Bridges, commenting on this idea, says, “There is no such thing as a ‘self-made man’ – that is the man (or woman) who has ‘pulled himself up by his own boot straps'”[3]. God is the one who has given that person the “entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen that enabled” them to succeed [4]. Paul confirms this when he writes in 1 Corinthians 4:6-7,

“I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”

So we see that we have no reason to be puffed up, God is the one who gives us everything that we have.

How do we guard against this form of pride?

First, we need to realize that when we accomplish anything, we have only done our duty. In Luke 17:10, Jesus says,

“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

Second, all our recognition comes from God, no matter the source. He is the One who causes others to recognize us, and He is the One who causes others to compliment us (Ps. 75:6-7).

Looking Forward

In my next installment in this series, I will focus on the pride of an independent spirit. Until then, reflect on this post through the questions below.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you susceptible to this form of pride?
  2. What do you believe God has endowed you with so that you can accomplish all that you have accomplished in life?
  3. What or who do we often believe gets us our achievements?
  4. How might it affect our lives and relationship with God if we rid the pride of achievements from our life?

Resource

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 93–94.
[2] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 94.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.

Post Adapted from Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, 93-96