A New Nature

God is able to reveal spiritual truth to us even when we aren't looking for it.  Yesterday provided a perfect example.  After being away in Israel, in my front and back yards there was a fair amount of yard work to do.  So instead of changing out of my baseball uniform after my game on Saturday, I cut grass, trimmed shrubs, and cleaned the guttering.  I also tasked my sons to do some mowing, trimming, and raking.  One of the rose bushes provided me an illustration I didn't know I needed!

Before we moved into the house, a previous tenant planted four rose bushes.  One of these bushes yields pink flowers, but a couple of big suckers had sprouted from below the graft, yielding red flowers I did not recognise.  They did not have the beauty or fragrance of roses.  I am not an avid gardener by any means, but I have been told roses are often grafted into a hearty rootstock.  This enables the plant to better survive harsh conditions.  The suckers from the rootstock yielded many flowers, but the portion over the graft only yielded two.  Cutting away the growth from below the graft will no doubt promote the health and flowering of the desired roses.

Jesus said to His followers, "I am the Vine, and you are the branches."  Spiritually speaking, all who repent and trust in Christ are grafted in to Him, and the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us.  Christians are given a new nature which is like Christ's, and for the first time the good fruit of the Holy Spirit is yielded from our lives - like those fragrant pink rose blooms.  But though we have been transformed inside, we still live in a body of flesh.  As long as our bodies remain in our fallen state, we are like a grafted rose bush which has that hearty rootstock always warring against our new nature.  If the rootstock is permitted it will rob all the nutrients from the good plant above.

Paul recognised the tension between the flesh and new nature given by Jesus Christ.  Romans 7:18-25 reads, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

When we recognise the fruit of the old man in our lives - the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life springing up from below the graft, repentance cuts off those suckers which war against the soul.  Jesus has delivered us from this body of death, and even whilst we are alive and remain we can produce fragrant blooms above the graft God finds beautiful.  This fragrance is lovely not only to God, but to those who will receive the Gospel and be saved.  As it is written in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. ¹⁵ For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?"  Our call is to examine our hearts and lives and cut from us all which grows under the graft through repentance and allow Christ to expertly prune us so we might be more fruitful still.

The Christian life has assurances and absolutes, yet there are aspects of continual, ongoing maintenance as we embrace the process of being sanctified into the image of Christ.  The object is not to be more focused on self and our faults, but to fix our eyes upon Jesus as we seek and obey Him.  In this manner we can easily discern the red from the pink blooms above the graft, and praise God we can bear fruit which is according to His holy nature.

Forget Useless Religion

"If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless."

James 1:26

 During my recent visit to Israel, I was surrounded by countless outwardly religious people.  Muslims streamed in droves after praying on the Temple Mount, worshipers sang hymns at holy sites, and orthodox Jews read from their prayer books as they hurried along the street on foot.  "Religious" people are not difficult to spot because of their outward dress or deeds.  One point James 1:26 emphasises is unless religion provides inner transformation, it is a complete waste of time and effort.  "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks," Jesus said in Matthew 12:34.  If your religion is incapable of making you a more godly person, your religion is powerless and ridiculous.

This is what makes Christianity different from all other "religions."  Christianity is a unique belief system based upon God's Word (the Bible) because Jesus promises to make those who trust in Him new creations from within.  It is all about an inner transformation by God's grace, for He puts a new heart and Spirit within us.  Our hearts, which were once hardened by sin's deceitfulness, are made soft and exude the fruit of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.  It is the indwelling Holy Spirit who enables and empowers us to bridle our tongues and to love one another as Jesus loves us.  We begin to deeply care about others, even when they say or do things which are hurtful.  We even love people we have never met.

The following verse bears this out.  James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."  The Law established provisions for orphans and widows, but it was incapable of making anyone lovingly care about them.  Only the transformation power of the Gospel can place this active love in hearts once marked with selfishness and pride.  Many people do pious or deeds which appear good, but Christ puts within us purity of motive with good deeds.  The world has a way of polluting people but pure, undefiled religion before God keeps a man holy and righteous by God's grace.  To enter the kingdom of heaven, we must be born again through repentance and faith in Christ.  As Paul wrote in Galatians 6:15-16:  "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. ¹⁶ And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God."

Has your religion changed you inside?  Spiritual regeneration and transformation - real change - is only possible through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  Stop believing in useless religion, and stop trying to change yourself.  Be changed through the Gospel, receive the Holy Spirit, and you will be changed.  Then take practical steps to live according to your new born again nature, according to the character we see in Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:17 reads, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  If your religion is a proven waste, what have you to lose?

Israel, Rosemary, and Faith

Having just returned from Israel, my mind is a blur.  Some of it is fatigue, other due to travel and changing time zones, and jumbled reflections on my experience in the Holy Land.  Before I departed the plane on Australian soil this morning, I remembered a sprig of rosemary needed to be removed that I had placed in my Bible.  How I received that rosemary is a story all its own.

I have been down to the Western Wall on a couple occasions, but I had never ventured into the underground area heading north where men pray.  This area can be seen clearly from above by anyone who takes the Rabbinical Tunnel tour.  I didn't know if I was permitted in that area, but after I was assured it was alright I went in.  As soon as I entered, an Orthodox Jew (based upon his attire) greeted me and shook my hand - something I did not expect.  I do not know how strict the rules are concerning a Jew touching a Gentile these days, but his warm welcome was appreciated.

He asked me where I was from in a very friendly manner.  Then he began to show me around, pointing out various books in the bookshelves and spoke about the first and second temples which were destroyed.  He spoke of how he was looking expectantly for a third Temple to be built.   "That temple will endure forever," he said.  Then he told me I could write a prayer and place it in the cracks of the Western Wall, as many Jews believe it is a "red phone" or a direct line to an audience by God.

When he produced a pad and a pen, at that moment I began to be a bit suspicious this was going to end with being asked for money - but I went along anyway.  After my prayer was written and the pad and pen returned to their place within his coat, he opened a book which contained shekel bills of various denominations.  There is not supposed to be any "begging" in the controlled Western Wall area, but this man had worked out a way!  I'm not even sure what I donated towards, but it was done unto the LORD.  He suddenly whipped out a handful of rosemary, placed it upon my forehead, prayed a short prayer of blessing for my family, and then placed it in my hand.  His good deed done, he walked off and I never saw him again.

I asked our Israeli guide of the significance of rosemary, but he had never heard of it used in like manner before.  In Israel there is no shortage of sites and traditions which hold sway over people which are without power in themselves.  Rosemary has not miraculous healing properties, nor are prayers more likely answered when they are stuffed between stones.  I am amazed to the great lengths men will go to keep the Law according to the tradition of the sages, yet miss the spirit of the law entirely.  Jesus said men thought through study of the scriptures they would have eternal life, but all the scriptures pointed to Jesus whom they rejected.  The Jews are looking for rebuilding of the temple, but they are not looking for the Messiah who will reign as King and High Priest in the temple He builds.

On the train today I had a pleasant conversation with a woman who echoed sentiment I commonly hear along these lines:  "As long as faith in something helps you, it is a good thing to have.  A lot of people don't have faith in anything anymore."  I would answer:  everyone has faith in someone or something.  It is the focus of your faith that makes all the difference.  Many people today who had already made future plans died unexpectedly.  Jesus said of people of "faith" in John 16:2, "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service."  Paul was a Pharisee who did this.  He persecuted Christians, believing God was pleased with his efforts and sacrifice.  But he was wrong.  People can place their faith in the wrong things because they are deceived.  Some people choose to be suicide bombers, believing it is a sure path to paradise, but wake up in a fiery hell.  It is only the Word of God applied by the Holy Spirit which enables us to discern lies and sort the humanistic chaff of this world from the meat of divine truth.

You can trust in rosemary to heal your body, bless your family, and forgive your sins, but those are mere fantasies without any factual basis.  This misguided faith is a waste.  Everyone trusts something, but only faith placed on Jesus Christ and the Word of God is proven, steadfast, and sure.  Man's interpretations and beliefs may change, yet the Word of God will endure forever.  Many "trustworthy" things like parachutes, airplanes, and trains have failed to carry their passengers safely to their destination, but God's love nor His Word ever fails.  God has not failed before, and He is absolutely trustworthy for the future.  Don't allow man's failures to keep you from trusting Jesus or deceive you to think all faith is as good as the next.  Faith according to correct knowledge is key!   

The Move of the Divine Presence

A sign quoting sages near the Western Wall says, "The Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall."  For this reason many devout Jews and people come from all over the world to pray in the hope of the third temple to be built on the mount.  In the minds of many to draw near to this holy place is to draw near to God Himself.

God is at the Western Wall, yet He is not limited in any way by geography.  Paul claimed God does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor does His glorious power rest in one earthly location.  However when the third temple IS built - which will one day happen according to scripture - it would not surprise me at all if hopes of God sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifices remain unfulfilled.  The anti-christ will later come with his false fire, and the eyes of many devout worshipers will be opened to the scriptures and the sure promise of salvation through Jesus for all who repent and trust in Him as Messiah.  There will also be a fourth temple built by none other than Jesus Christ, for it is written of Him as both King and Priest in in Zechariah 6:13, "Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."

Paul wrote to erring Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20:  "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."  Peter said believers are "lively stones" which are laid in order by God upon the foundation of Jesus Christ to comprise the church.  The Holy Spirit - God Himself - dwells within the hearts of all those who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus said He would never leave or forsake His people, and His Word is true.

I am amazed and awed by the great efforts made by men to draw near to a Holy God and to find favour in His sight.  It is God who has come to us, revealed in the Jewish man Jesus who was born in Bethlehem of a virgin, was raised in Nazareth, and went about doing good.  Wise men still seek Him, and Jesus has become for all who receive Him wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  Praise the LORD for coming to us and revealing Himself as the Messiah through His life, teachings, willing death, and resurrection in glory.  I am reminded of a song which will remain true for Christians for eternity:  "He is here, He is here.  He is moving among us."  Move us and move among us for your glory LORD God!