Tag: Sanctification

What frees the church to operate as God has called and designed for us to operate?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Not too long ago my mother-in-law introduced me to the musical group The Piano Guys. You can find a lot of their music on YouTube. They are known for playing in amazing locations. One of their videos shows them playing on the Salt Flats in Utah, another on the top of a mountain, and in another, they are playing in a frozen ice castle. Truly breathtaking places! If you haven’t seen any of their videos, you should head on over to YouTube and check them out.

Watching and listening to them play, there is no doubt they are talented. But their talent alone is not what makes their music so amazing. There are a lot of folks out there who are just as talented but aren’t as good. What sets The Piano Guys apart is the time spent practicing. Since they spend a lot of time in practice before the big shoot they are freed to play their instruments in the way they have been designed to be played when it comes time to roll the cameras. The result is an audience left in awe at such beautiful music.

In a similar way, the church must be freed to operate in the way God has called and designed us to operate if we are going to be people who bring glory to God. But that freedom doesn’t come naturally. Something has to take place. What is it?

What frees the church to operate as God has called and designed for us to operate?

In the beginning of verse 8, we come across the word “then” or “therefore”. Depending on which translation you are reading the text says,

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;” (1 Ti 2:8)

That little word — “therefore” or “then” — is important because it points us back to the idea that came before. The textual idea before verse 8 has to do with prayer, specifically prayer for “all peoples“, including the governing authorities.

A Restored Relationship

According to Paul, we are to pray for God to work good in the lives of those who lead us and for God to bring them to salvation so that we can live in a persecution free society where the gospel can flourish. The reason we want the gospel or the good news about Jesus to flourish is because it’s what provides salvation. There aren’t multiple paths to God. All religions aren’t the same. They don’t all lead to the same place. Christianity is the only religion that leads to eternal life.

Christianity can claim it is the only way to God because at its center is Jesus, who is the perfect God-man who offered the perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Instead of us facing God’s wrath, Jesus faced it for us. All those who believe that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient to repair our relationship with the Father experience just that — a restored relationship with the Father and eternal life.

A Changed Heart

Along with a restored relationship with the Father and eternal life, believers also experience a changed heart. One that’s free from the power of sin. And one that’s free to live as God has designed and called us to live.

So the church is freed to operate as the God has called and designed because we have experienced a fundamental change in our relationship with God, as well as our heart has been changed from one that is bent on serving self to serving God.

Question for Reflection

  1. Has your heart been changed so that you desire to serve God instead of self?

Resources

Post adapted from my sermon What Frees the Church to Operate as God has Called and Designed for Us to Operate?

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The Crucible of Refinement

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, QuotesLeave a comment

The lion’s den, the crucible, the cold tomb: each offers a second calling. It may come in nudges or whispers, crises or shouts; regardless, these subsequent callings probe us both further into and out of ourselves. In each direction, they bring us closer to God. And, I have found, they make the Bible even more alive. The Word of God becomes increasingly relevant in its reverence. We know this refinement, too, to be true, for “the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Ps. 12:6).

Some crucibles work by heat, others by cold. Some by flame, others by water. We are compressed by too much, or we are cut loose by too little. We burn under pressure or freeze in isolation. Regardless of inner or outer weather, the effect is the same: the extremes in experiences gauge the extremes in our spiritual temperatures. Often the differences in extreme shake us out of the “in” of indifference. We are forced “out,” we are forced through and beyond, we are thrust into the realm of the absolute other – from the personal and particular of self into the infinite and all of God.

Why? Jesus does not want us to be mediocre, to be lukewarm. Indifference is literally revolting to him…We are burned and frozen so that we may find him in our midst.

“For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver…We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance” (Ps 66:10-12)

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you recognize that the trials you face are designed to sanctify and bring you closer to God?

Resources

Carolyn Weber, Holy is the Day, 63-64.

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Why Aren’t Christians Growing?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Church Life, Discipleship, Practical4 Comments

Why aren’t Christians growing? More specifically, why do Christians become stagnant in Christ-like growth?

What Occurs in Salvation?

If we think about some of what occurs in salvation, this question becomes even more urgent. When we come to Christ, we are:

  • Delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Christ, releasing us from bondage to sin and Satan (Col. 1:13; Rom. 6:5-7).
  • Redeemed from God’s wrath and forgiven our sin, restoring our relationship with God (Col. 1:14).
  • Given the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13; Rom. 8:9-11).
  • Made a new Creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
  • Given a new desire for the things of God (Rom. 7:22).

If these things, and more, occur in salvation, how can we be stagnant in Christ-like growth?

How is it Possible to be Stagnant in Christ-like Growth?

Paul addresses this issue with the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3, when he says starting in verse 1,

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh (1 Cor. 3:1-3a).

The reason they had not grown. The reason Paul wasn’t able to feed them solid food, even after some time, was due to their source of wisdom.

Prior to penning the opening verses of chapter 3, Paul spends the better part of two chapters expounding the difference between the world’s wisdom and God’s wisdom. Paul ends chapter 2, by telling us the natural person is not able to understand the wisdom of God; therefore, they believe it is foolish. On the other hand, Paul tells us, the wisdom of God is understandable to the Christian, and it is prized instead of rejected.

Why are Christians able to understand God’s wisdom, when the world can’t? Christians are able to understand and prize the wisdom of God because they have the mind of Christ. They possess His mindset, which leads them to see God not as a foolish old man in the sky, but as a wise Father who is to be worshipped, sought, led and governed by.

The Ability Isn’t Used

But while the Corinthians have the ability to understand the wisdom of God, they are not seeking it, nor are they living by it. That is the reason they aren’t growing. They aren’t looking to God for wisdom, even though they are able; they are, instead, looking at the world, allowing its wisdom to direct and guide them.

We Do the Same

The Corinthians aren’t the only ones guilty of leaving their God-given ability on the table. We do the same. I believe that is because we often forget the pervasive nature of the world’s wisdom. We forget that the world’s wisdom is there confronting and influencing us every time we turn on the radio, television, and computer. It is there when we open the newspaper and magazine. It is there wherever we go. Since the world’s wisdom is all around us, influencing us in ways we may not readily be aware, we naively believe that that’s just how things are supposed to be done.

We Must Fight With a Christian Worldview

We, however, must fight the tendency to go along with the status quo of society, thinking that is the way we must do things. We must instead turn to God’s Word, to His wisdom, as often as we can, in order to develop a distinctly Christian worldview. One that allows us to judge the world’s advice, thoughts, and judgments with Scripture. One that causes us to look to God’s Word for advice, instead of the latest New York Times best seller. One that causes us to seek Christian counsel, instead of asking our non-Christian co-worker what therapist, pill, or self-help guru pulled them through their latest crisis. If we do that – if we turn to God’s Word and use our God-given ability to discern and understand His wisdom, we would see more Christ-like growth in our lives.

So why do Christians remain stagnant in their growth in Christ-likeness, in their ability to understand the deep things of God’s Word? Because we consistently seek and live by the world’s wisdom, rather than God’s wisdom.

Question for Reflection

  1. Whose wisdom do you often turn to in times of need?

Resource

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The Gospel Cycle that Kills Sin

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, PracticalLeave a comment

As a child, and even as a young adult, I spent most of my time in the city. The city has its advantages, but stargazing is not one of them. The city lights obscure your view of the heavens, so that only the brightest stars are visible. But that all changed for me a little over three years ago, when I moved to a rural community in Texas. As we settled in, there were two things I noticed: It is quiet, and it is dark. When I go outside at night and look up, I now see a star filled sky. On clear, cool nights, that is one of thing I like to do – gaze at the heavens above.

In Colossians 3, Paul calls us to do just that, although not physically. He says,

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.” (Col. 3:1-2)

Called to An Upward Gaze

In these verses, Paul calls Christians to set their minds on the things above. In calling us to an upward gaze, Paul doesn’t mean for us to neglect our earthly responsibilities; instead, he calls us to gaze upward as a means to fight against our fleshly desire for sin. In this way, setting our minds on the things above becomes a gospel-motivation for sanctification.

The Benefits of Union with Christ

As believers, we are united to Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. Although our union hasn’t yet resulted in an experiential resurrection, it has resulted in a positional resurrection (Rom. 6:2-11). United with Christ in faith, we are already raised from the dead and seated with Him in the heavenly places. Our current position in Christ allows us, in this life, to enjoy some of the privileges and blessings of the life to come, including a repaired relationship with and access to the Father; true peace, joy, and love; a change in Masters and kingdoms; freedom from the sting of death; and power over sin (Heb. 4:14-16; Col. 1:11-14, 20; 1 Cor. 15:55; Ps 110:1; Eph. 1:15-22; 2:4-7).

A Cycle of Sanctification

As we set our minds on the things above, we are reminded of our freedom from and power over sin, as well as of our future sinless reality. That reminder should motivate us to kill sin in our lives. Killing sin in our lives allows us to experience the blessings and joy of the life to come. As we are experiencing a taste of our life to come, we should be motivated once again to set our minds on the things above, which will start the cycle over again. In this way, we enter into a cycle of sanctification, which is driven by our understanding of the gospel, instead of shame, guilt, or legalism.

The Cycle Illustrated

Gospel Cycle of Sanctification Graphic

Questions for Reflection

  1. Is your sanctification fueled by the truths of the gospel?
  2. Or are you more motivated by shame, guilt, and legalism?
  3. Which motivation do you think will sustain your fight against sin for the long-term?

Resources

For additional information see Article Table Talk Magazine, Where to Set Our Minds, March 2nd, 2011,

The Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit | Part 4

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical4 Comments

In my last post in this series, I wrote about the Monergistic Work of the Holy Spirit in the process of Sanctification. In this post, I will talk about how we work alongside the Holy Spirit to bring about change in our lives.

The Synergistic Work of the Holy Spirit

The Synergistic Work of the Holy Spirit refers to how we and the Holy Spirit work together to bring about change in our lives. In order to understand how we work alongside the Holy Spirit, we need to look at the concept of Dependent Responsibility.

Dependent Responsibility

We cannot change on our own apart from the Holy Spirit. That’s because change only occurs in us as the Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us the power to change (Ezekiel 36:27; 1 Cor. 6:19; John 15:4-5). The Holy Spirit’s empowering doesn’t absolve us from work. Rather, it means we must depend on the Holy Spirit to enable us to do God’s will. We don’t let go and let God as some say. Instead we work alongside God as He is empowering us to work [1].

Scriptural Support for the Idea of Dependent Responsibility

In Philippians 2:12-13 we read,

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

And in Philippians 4:13 we read,

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

If you notice, in each verse the reason we can work out our own salvation and the reason we can do all things is because God works in us and strengthens us . So, while it is our responsibility to work, we couldn’t work unless God was working in us and empowering us to work. We are responsible, yet dependent at the same time.

How Does This Work Out Practically?

One way this works out on a practical level is through reading God’s Word. Romans 12:2 says,

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

In this verse, Paul gives us a command. He commands us to “be transformed by the renewal of [our] mind.” The command Paul gives isn’t in the present tense, instead it is given as a passive imperative. What does that tell us? It tells us that while we are commanded to be transformed, we must rely on someone else to do the transforming. The person we rely on is the Holy Spirit.

But relying on the Holy Spirit to transforms us doesn’t mean we don’t work. We do work. We work by depending on the Holy Spirit and by reading God’s Word. So, if we want to be transformed, we must read God’s Word.

Other ways we work is by attending worship services, praying, gathering with Christians in community, etc. As we do all those things, we not only depend on the Holy Spirit, but He also works to reveal our sin, convict us, and empower us.

Conclusion

So then, we see that we are responsible to be transformed, but transformation doesn’t occur through our effort alone. Instead it occurs as we work alongside the Holy Spirit. As we depend on Him and as we practice the spiritual disciplines (reading God’s Word, praying, attending worship, gathering with Christians in community, etc). When we do those things, when we work alongside the Holy Spirit in those ways, He exposes our sin, convicts us, and gives us the power to turn from our sin to live like Christ.

Resources

[1] Dependent Responsibility is a term coined by Jerry Bridges in The Transforming Power of the Gospel, kindle location 196 (ch 1) and 1530 (ch 8).

Jerry Bridges, The Transforming Power of the Gospel, Ch. 8-11.

The Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit | Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical8 Comments

In my last post in this series, I discussed progressive Sanctification. In this post, we discover how the Holy Spirit Himself works in us to bring about change.

The Monergistic Work of the Holy Spirit

The Monergistic work of the Holy Spirit is the work He does by Himself upon our hearts to bring about change in our lives.

Grounding it in Scripture

Before exploring the specific work of the Holy Spirit, let’s first ground the idea that He works on us by Himself in Scripture. Psalm 119:36-37 says,

Incline my heart to your testimonies,
       and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
       and give me life in your ways.

The Psalmist asks God to do something he cannot do – change His heart. He asks because he knows only God (Holy Spirit) can change his heart.

The writer of Hebrews agrees with the Psalmist. In Hebrews 13:20-21 he writes,

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

While there is a lot here, what is important to notice right now is that the Lord is the one who equips us to do His will. Without Him equipping us, we wouldn’t give up our will for His.

So, in just these two references, we see that we aren’t the only ones working in the process of sanctification. God is also, and I would argue primarily the One, working in us through the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit (John 7:39; 14:26; Acts 1:8; 2:4; Rom. 5:5; 8:9; 8:11; 8:14; 15:13; 15:16; 1 Cor. 2:12; 3:16; 12:13; 2 Cor. 1:22; Gal. 3:3; Eph. 1:13; 1 Thess. 4:8; 2 Tim. 1:14; 1 John 3:24; 4:13).

What is the Work the Holy Spirit Does in Us?

(1) He Makes us Aware of Our Sin & Brings Conviction

He makes us aware of and convicts us of specific sins in our lives, so that we can deal with those sins. Sins we may not even have known existed before the Holy Spirit brought them to our attention. This can occur in a number of ways:

  • He may convict us of a particular sin as we are reading God’s Word.
  • He may awaken our conscience to a particular sin as we are praying.
  • He may cause us to see patterns of sins in our lives that we previously thought were insignificant.
  • He may use adversity to cause us to see our sin.
  • He may even send a friend, relative, or spouse to point out sin in our lives.

There are a number of ways the Holy Spirit reveals and convicts us of sin, but the important point to notice is that He is the One who reveals these sins to us as He works Monergistically (by Himself).

(2) He Creates Desire in us to Change

Not only does the Holy Spirit reveal our sin and convict us of it, but He also creates a desire in us to change.

How does He create desire in us to change? 

He does so by causing us to remember the gospel. As we remember what Christ has done for us in the gospel, our love for Jesus should increase and we should desire to rid sin from our lives for His glory.

A desire to change based on the gospel is different from a desire to change because we feel guilty or defeated by our sin.

Guilt

Admittedly, guilt is an effective motivator to get rid of certain sins in our lives.  The reason we change, however, is not necessarily because we want to glorify God by becoming more like Christ. Rather, it is because we want to feel better about ourselves.

Defeated

Like guilt, feeling defeated by certain sins can motivate change, but not for God’s glory. Our motivation here is our own pride. It is the desire to stroke our own ego for not having sin in our lives.

(3) He Creates Change

After making us aware of our need and creating a desire to change, the Holy Spirit works on our hearts to bring about change. Ultimately, the way He creates change in us is mysterious and hard to explain. But two illustrations might help.

Unlovable to Lovable

We all have those people in our lives who are unlovable. No matter what you do, how much you prepare yourselves, and how well you try to interact with them, they always do something or act in some way that causes them to be hard to love. As Christians, we know we should love, even loving those who are at times unlovable, so we pray that God would change our hearts. At some point God answers our prayer, changing our hearts, and causing us to love the person who was once unlovable to us. Now that person did not change, they still act in the same way, but we have changed because the Holy Spirit has worked on our hearts.

Anxious to Calm

There are those of us who are anxious when it comes to flying. As Christians though, we know it is a sin to be anxious because it shows we are not trusting in the Lord. Our awareness of this sin in our lives causes us to pray to God to change our hearts, so that we are no longer anxious when we board a plane. Amazingly, the next time we get on a flight we are not anxious. We find ourselves calm, and even enjoying our time in the air. Now, air travel did not suddenly get safer. What changed was our heart, and that change was brought about by the Holy Spirit working in us.

Conclusion

So we see that one way in which Sanctification occurs in our lives is through the Monergistic Work of the Holy Spirit. He works by Himself to make us aware of and to convict us of specific sins. He also produces a desire in us to change and rid specific sins from our lives by causing us to reflect on the gospel message. Furthermore, He produces change in our hearts that we could not bring about by ourselves.

Now this does not mean that we are not to work. Indeed we are to work in the Sanctification process and I will talk about that next time.

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will discuss the Synergistic Work of the Holy Spirit – how we work alongside the Holy Spirit to bring about change in our lives.

Resource

Jerry Bridges, The Transforming Power of the Gospel, Ch. 8