Cut Off Sin

"Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! ⁸ If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

Matthew 18:7-9

Jesus spoke these words to show the gravity of sin's consequences.  It would be better to endure pain or lack on earth than deny yourself the ultimate joy of eternity shared with God in heaven.  Jesus was not suggesting men should mutilate their bodies, for the whole of scripture makes clear what is needed is inner transformation, not outer reformation.  Cutting off a hand or gouging out an eye does not eliminate the source of sin in a man:  his depraved heart and mind.  Only when one is born again can he be forgiven of sin, walk uprightly in the power of the Holy Spirit, and be deemed righteous before God. 

Hands and eyes are part of a human body, and those who have these functional body parts use them almost continually during waking hours.  They can represent, then, any part of the flesh which causes us to sin.  Sinful behaviour is as natural to a man as using his hands or eyes.  A baby does not need to be taught to rely upon his hands or eyes, and no person born with the fallen nature of Adam need be taught how to lie, cheat, or steal.  The sinful tendencies we rely upon to gain advantage for our flesh must be cut off as we learn and adopt God's ways.  Whatever causes us to sin must be willingly cut off, or else we cut ourselves off from fellowship and life with God.

The second important point is this:  we are called to cut off what causes us to sin.  This is something every man must do for himself.  I am not called to cut off the hands or feet of others, and no one has been granted permission to cut off my own.  All men will stand before God to give account for their lives, and I will never need to answer for another man.  No sailor who stands at attention must provide an explanation to his superior why his shipmate's shirt is wrinkled and shoes unpolished.  He must answer for himself and face the consequences.  God has taken the initiative to reveal His perfect will and ways, and we are each called to respond appropriately in obedience concerning ourselves.

Sin brings infinite woe, and only Jesus provides the atonement and reconciliation with God all men need.  When we take seriously this call to cut off ourselves from sin - not sharpening our swords to dismember others from their sins - we save ourselves from much future pain!

Christian Vanity or Reality?

In my youth when I read Martyr of the Catecombs, Jesus Freaks, or Foxe's Book of Martyrs, I at times pictured myself facing the life and death decision of those faithful saints who gave all:  would I boldly stand for Christ or would I capitulate?  I would always convince myself I would take a stand for Christ if it came down to it, but didn't Peter say the same thing in the upper room to Jesus?  It only took a few questions from servants to bring his fantasy crashing down.  Boiling down a decision to follow Jesus into one climactic moment in time is easy when it is fantasy and because it is one decision, not a continuous one.  We can deny Christ without a gun being placed to our heads through disobedience or indifference without even knowing it.  The little decisions provide evidence of how we likely would respond to great challenges of faith.

Separating fantasy from reality is a product of renewing our mind according to God's Word.  It is easy for Christians to live in a fantasy world, imagining ourselves as possessing great faith because we view it through a microscope!  We tell ourselves things like, "Seeing a miracle would really build my faith."  Maybe it would.  But more likely we would fall into the trap of needing to see a miracle to believe, which is not faith.  It is not for a lack of miracles our belief remains small, but because our flesh longs to walk by sight rather than simple faith in God and His Word.  We are masters of spin, convincing ourselves that the overtly miraculous (whatever we fancy at the time) is the precise way God will receive the most glory from a given situation.  The truth remains:  miracles don't make believers.  It is from knowing God and recognising His power, presence, and praising God despite difficulties where our faith grows best.

Consider this quote from William Law in his book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life:

There is nothing that so powerfully governs the heart, that so strongly excites us to wise and reasonable action, as a true sense of God's presence.  But as we cannot see, or apprehend the essence of God, so nothing will so constantly keep us under a lively sense of the presence of God, as this holy resignation which attributes everything to Him, and receives everything as from Him.

Could we see a miracle from God, how would our thoughts be affected with an holy awe and veneration of His presence!  But if we consider everything as God's doing, either by order or permission, we shall then be affected with common things, as they would be who saw a miracle.

For as there is nothing to affect you in a miracle, but as it is the action of God, and bespeaks His presence; so when you consider God as acting in all things, and all events, than all things will become venerable to you, like miracles, and fill you with the same awful sentiments of the Divine presence.

Now you must not reserve the exercise of this pious temper to any particular times of occasion, or fancy how resigned you will be to God, if such or such trials should happen.  For this is amusing yourself with the notion or idea of resignation, instead of the virtue itself.

Do not therefore please yourself with thinking how piously you would act and submit to God in a plague, or famine, or persecution, but be intent upon the perfection of the present day; and be assured, that the best way of showing a true zeal is to make little things the occasions of great piety.

Begin therefore in the smallest matters, and most ordinary occasions, and accustom your mind to the daily exercise of this pious temper, in the lowest occurrences of life.  And when a contempt, an affront, a little injury, loss, or disappointment, or the smallest events of every day, continually raise your mind to God in proper acts of resignation, then you may justly hope that you shall be numbered amongst those that are resigned and thankful to God in the greatest trials and afflictions." (Law, William. A Serious Call To a Devout and Holy Life. London: J.M. Dent, 1902. pages 323-324, Print.)

As followers of Jesus, we are called to no longer entertain vain and futile thoughts which can deceive us.  According to God's Word we are to put off the old man, be renewed in the Spirit of our mind, and put on the new man.  Ephesians 4:17-24:  "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. ²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

When we recognise the presence of God in the little things, even the smallest details shout thunderous praise unto the God we love, serve, and worship.  What rejoicing and thanksgiving we experience in His presence!  Instead of feeding on the wind of fantasy, we are to sink our teeth into the reality of our fantastic God who loves and cares for us.  In this way the mundane becomes miraculous, God receives the glory, and our faith will steadily grow.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

God graciously gives us all things to richly enjoy.  As Christians mature in faith, we enter into new territory God granted us from the beginning we couldn't be bothered to explore for years.  In the church I grew up in, in my younger years I cannot recall any talk of being "baptised with the Holy Spirit."  There was no explanation of how children or youth as born again believers could be filled and gifted with the Holy Spirit for God's service.  In retrospect, there seemed to be a disconnect between various operations of the Holy Spirit.  The fruit of the Spirit was often spoke of, but specific gifts of the Spirit were not a point of discussion.

As my faith in Christ became increasingly my own in adulthood, my curiosity and desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit also grew.  Searching the scriptures illuminated my lack of this baptism with the Holy Spirit, a specific "coming upon" of the Spirit that can coincide with justification or be received later.  I remember my pastor saying something from the pulpit like, "If God has a gift for you, don't you desire it?  Would you turn down a gift God offered to you?"  Of course I would want God's gift for me, I thought.  God had gifted me with salvation, and only a fool would turn good gifts from God down.  Should I deny for myself gifts God selected purposefully and freely offered to me?  I became convinced through the scripture my risen Saviour Jesus is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11).  I was also convinced the promise of baptism with the Holy Spirit is for as many as our LORD will call (Acts 2:38-39).  I took honest stock of my life and recognised I had never asked for and thus never received this baptism with the Holy Spirit:  I had not because I had not asked in faith (James 4:2, Galatians 3:2).  I admittedly always bristled with the suggestion there was more God had for me I had not yet received!  Finally, I recognised I fervently desired this baptism, for every gift offered by Jesus through the Spirit is for His glory and the edification of the church - something I could not do alone.

God be praised, for He was true to His Word in Luke 11:13:  "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  I believed the promise, asked, and received.  During a time of prayer a brother laid hands and prayed with me that I might receive the baptism with the Spirit, and it is that simple.  Now unfortunately, the baptism with the Holy Spirit - possibly because many like me had quite a long journey before we willingly entered in and received this baptism - is often approached as only for the more seasoned or worthy disciples.  This is untrue.  The baptism with the Holy Spirit is a fundamental, most basic inheritance of every single follower of Jesus Christ.  When Paul went into a new area, one of the first things he inquired was concerning was whether Christians had been baptised with the Holy Spirit.  There was no catechism, classes, or six-month vetting process.  It may have been a complex process for me to be humbled before God, a long road with many pitfalls and sidetracks, but the promise of the Holy Spirit was offered to me by Christ from the first.  I just didn't realise it!  Having had such an outpouring of the Spirit, should I be content others to trudge through the wilderness for years until they attain some arbitrary amount of knowledge before I lead them to be baptised with the Spirit?  Baptism with the Spirit is the starting point towards exponential growth and spiritual maturity, not the end.

Consider the simplicity of this example in Acts 19:1-7:  "And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." ³ And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." ⁴ Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." ⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all."  Paul did not bother to quiz these believers on their grasp of various doctrines but went straight to the point.  The baptism with the Spirit was not something to work up to but God's work within them.  There is no set formula for this baptism.  See for yourself by reading through the book of Acts.  The order and manner of this baptism was greatly varied, but the outcome was always the same:  supernatural gifting in various ways, empowerment was provided for serving God, people walked in boldness and wisdom, the church was built up, and God was glorified.

Isn't this a description of what you desire in your life and for all those who comprise the church purchased with Christ's blood?  May the Holy Spirit come upon all God's people with power so we can enter fully into the inheritance God has for us.  Let's not make confusing the simple promise of the Father, or withhold this knowledge because we were late bloomers.  In these last days the Holy Spirit is being poured out on all who ask believing.  If you are thirsty, come to Jesus and drink.  He is the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit and with fire, "for the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:39)

God Was Pierced

For those who have eyes to see and a heart to understand, the Bible is packed with wisdom and eternal truth.  As we walk with God through our earthly journey, the Holy Spirit sharpens our discernment of God's Word.  We may read a passage a thousand times and never see spiritual reality which has always been hiding in plain sight.  Just this morning I read a familiar passage which struck me like never before concerning Christ's deity.  In blank pages in the back of my Bible I record verses which emphasise the divinity of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Though it was already noted, God's truth refreshed my soul anew.

I was reading Zechariah 12:9-10 which says, "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." (emphasis mine) God the Father is speaking through the prophet concerning the Messiah, His only beloved Son sent to be the Saviour of the world.  I was struck by the shift of pronouns in verse 10:  God said they would look upon "Me whom they pierced."  Jesus was pierced on a cross with a crown of thorns, nails through His hands and feet, and a spear in His side.  The passage immediately continued with, "Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son..."  The change of pronouns is grammatically difficult to reconcile unless God the Father and Jesus Christ share the nature of the One True God.  Those who looked upon the crucified Christ were looking at God made flesh.

Jesus said in John 4:24 concerning the Father, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The Father could not be crucified, nor could His blood be shed without human form.  Yet consider what Paul wrote of God in Acts 20:28, "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."  God purchased the church by shedding His own blood.  The only way that God could shed blood is if He become flesh, and in Colossians we are told in Jesus is the fullness of the godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).  Jesus was sent by the Father, indwelt by the Spirit, crucified on Calvary, and raised in eternal glory and power.  He is a man, and He is also God.  Unless Jesus is God, He cannot be good for He told us plainly there is no one good but God (Mark 10:18).  Either Jesus is not good or He is good and God!  Only God could provide a perfect atoning sacrifice for sinners, and Christ willingly laying down His life on Calvary was a demonstration of God's love for all.

1 John 4:12-15 says, "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."  No one has seen God the Father at any time, but John beheld the glory of God through Jesus Christ.  Positionally Christ submitted to the will of the Father as a man and as an example for men, yet His nature was wholly divine.  This passage ends with a promise:  those who confess Jesus is the Son of God - God made flesh - God abides in him and he in God.  This glorious reality is afforded all who repent and trust in Jesus as LORD and Saviour.  Jesus came as Emmanuel (God with us) and through faith in Him we can experience God IN us through the Holy Spirit.  Praise God for His Word and the revelation of His divine love and power!