I Am Persuaded

Times of study, reflection and discussion of God's word do not disappoint.  The LORD is faithful to speak to those who are hungry for His word and to do His will, and last night at church provided another example of such a time.  Some of the final verses we discussed have been going through mind, Paul's declaration by faith in God found in Romans 8:38-39:  "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Believers in the early church (Paul included) faced fierce persecution from Jews and Gentiles.  Paul was persuaded that despite being flogged, beaten, imprisoned, slandered, stoned and left for dead, nothing could separate him or other believers from the love of God.

A brother remarked that to be "persuaded" means that convincing was required.  Paul did not begin his Christian walk persuaded of what he later was assured of through the testimony of God's word, the revelation of Jesus Christ, and personal experience.  For a long time Paul was persuaded Jesus was not the Christ and all his followers were to be rounded up and punished to the full extent of the Law of Moses--even consenting to the death of Stephen.  When Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus (who was called Saul at the time), his physical blindness led to spiritual insight.  For the first time he called Jesus LORD as he lay in terror before the risen KING OF KINGS, and three days later received his sight, was filled with the Holy Spirit and was baptised.  He immediately preached Christ in the synagogue in Damascus, proving from the Scriptures Jesus was indeed the Christ.

Over 20 years passed from the time Paul was born again to when he penned this letter to the church in Rome.  He had endured many trials by the Jews, Gentiles, false brethren and even a messenger of Satan that buffeted him.  He literally had been pummelled with rocks to the point his attackers believed he was dead and left his bloody, battered corpse outside Lystra, yet the LORD miraculously strengthened him to rise again and enter the city with boldness.  Webster defined "persuaded" as:  "influenced or drawn to an opinion or determination by argument, advice or reasons suggested; convinced."  Based on God's faithfulness, God's promises and his experience, there remained no doubt in Paul's mind nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our LORD."  Paul's present persuasion gave him firm confidence in the future--a persuasion we can embrace with joy.

Since the crucifixion of Jesus is a demonstration of His love for us sinners, we can rejoice to know His atoning sacrifice once for all has cleansed us from the penalty and power of sin.  In prayer last night a brother observed how it was not the nails that held Jesus Christ on the cross, but His love for us that compelled Him to submit to the Father and drink the bitter cup of death we deserve.  If we have nothing but God's love for us in this world, it is more than sufficient because God's love is infinite in power and eternal in duration.  Paul prayed for believers in Ephesians 3:16-19:  "...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."  To know God is to begin to know love, and may we be persuaded like Paul that nothing can separate us from His love by His grace.  We can be convinced of God's love that is beyond knowledge because we are in Christ, and He is in us.

Sacrifice God Loves

The Law of Moses outlined what were acceptable offerings to the LORD and how to properly present them.  The tithes and offerings of the people were a means of God providing for the priests and Levites in addition to providing the blessing of atonement and acceptance from God.   Leviticus 3:14-16 reads, "Then he shall offer from it his offering, as an offering made by fire to the LORD. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, ¹⁵ the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; ¹⁶ and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma; all the fat is the LORD'S."  Select portions of offerings were eaten by the priest or people who offered the sacrifice, and God claimed the fat of the offering as His portion.

We cook food to eat because we are hungry, and we can give food or money to those who lack.  Yet God lacks nothing and does not need to eat to survive.  As important as it was to bring acceptable offerings sacrificed by a sanctified priest under Law, the heart of the giver was observed by God.  Everything was already the LORD's, but God delighted more in the obedience and humility of His people who gave willingly unto Him than in the sacrifice itself.    David understood this, for he wrote in Psalm 51:16-17:  "For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise."  No amount of sacrifices could undo the sins committed against God, nor could atonement be obtained by offerings that amounted to bribes by an envious, greedy and begrudging giver.

It did not matter to God if the offering supplied was an ox, goat or sheep without blemish--though the value of animals varied greatly--for God looked at the motivation and attitude of the giver.  Some gave reluctantly out of duty, but others gave willingly and gladly because God had richly blessed them.  God treasured the cheerful giver far more than the sacrifice itself, for Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:7:  "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."  God's acceptance and delight in joyful givers is all of grace, not because they earned His favour through costly sacrifice.  This was always the case, even under the Law of Moses.  The command to give sacrifices of flocks and herds was an opportunity to express gratitude, thanksgiving and to please God through cheerful giving.

The faith, prayers, obedience, generosity and joyful giving of those who fear God warm His heart with love toward us.  In giving unto the LORD His due and humbling our hearts before Him in obedience, we adopt a posture that enables us to receive His blessing He purposes to provide.  In Malachi 2 God promised to pour out blessing upon glad givers there would not be room to receive.  Their gifts were measurable, but His blessings are beyond measure:  He would rebuke the devourer, make their vines fruitful, and all nations would call them blessed.  It is true what is written in Psalm 33:12:  "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance."  God's holy nation Jesus Christ has redeemed from every tribe and tongue are to be marked by humility, their love for Him and one another, and by cheerful giving freely by his grace.  All these sacrifices are a sweet savour before the LORD through the people in whom He is well-pleased.

Seeing Yourself in Christ

We have been studying through the book of Romans at church, and it has been wonderful to have a better grasp of what Jesus Christ has accomplished for believers.  Knowing the spiritual reality of receiving the Gospel, our minds are renewed to live for God with more clarity and focus.  A married person does not need to wear a wedding ring to remain married, but wearing the ring can be an intentional acknowledgment of marital status everyone can see.  When our minds are renewed by what Jesus has done and our privileged position in Him, it impacts the way we see Him and desire to serve Him.  He has not saved or blessed us anonymously, and the indwelling Holy Spirit guides us to live to please and glorify our Saviour in particular.  My relationship with my wife is special because we uniquely belong to one another, and through the Gospel we have a marvellous relationship with God because He loves us, saves us and lives in us--and we in Him.

The Bible opens our eyes to see what Jesus has done and is doing for us, and it also reveals the truth about ourselves.  In McGee's commentary, he shared several quotes from Dr. Newell that illustrate the practical, personal changes of perspective the Gospel brings:

"'To hope to do better is to fail to see yourself in Christ only.'  You say, 'I hope to do better.'  You know you're not.  You need to see yourself in Christ today and realise that only the Spirit of God moving through you can accomplish this.  And then Newell says again, 'To be disappointed with yourself means you believed in yourself.'  Somebody says, 'Oh, I'm so disappointed in myself.'  Well, you had better be disappointed in yourself.  You know no good thing is going to come out of the flesh, friend.  Stop believing in yourself, and believe that the Spirit of God today can enable you through the new nature to live for God.  Also Newell says, 'To be discouraged is unbelief.'  My friend, that means you don't believe God.  God has a purpose and a plan, a blessing for you.  And you need to lay hold of it.  Here is another statement: 'To be proud is to be blind.'  We have no standing before God in ourselves.  Oh, my friend, see yourself as God sees you.  Here is the final gem:  'The lack of divine blessing comes from unbelief, not a failure of devotion.'...My friend, the lack of divine blessing comes because we do not believe God  it is not because of a lack of devotion.  Oh, to believe God today!" (McGee J Vernon. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Volume 4. Thomas Nelson, Inc, 1981. pages 698-699)

Why should a believer in Jesus Christ be beating themselves up with self-condemnation when there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ?  So you have failed!  The Bible tells us all have sinned, and that includes me and you.  Our call as failures and sinners is to humble ourselves, repent of our sin, and do what pleases God.  Feelings of disappointment and discouragement are indications our expectations have not been met, our will has not been done, that we have put our trust in ourselves or something that is not God.  As long as we rely upon ourselves and hold our belief we are able to do what only God can do, the cycle of disappointment will be perpetual.  Believing our old man has died with Christ and we have been raised to new life in Jesus Who lives forever, the shield of faith extinguishes the fiery darts Satan or people throw at us.  When we see ourselves in Christ because it is Gospel truth, through God's eyes it changes the way we see everything.

Trusting the Life of Christ

Christians are saved eternally by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and we are also called to walk by faith in Jesus today.  Since we are willing to trust Jesus forever, it follows we ought to seek, trust and obey Him today.  The work God has begun in us He is faithful to complete, and we can take God at His word regarding our lives and other believers as well as it is written in Philippians 1:6:  "...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..."  Though Jesus has not yet returned in glory, His glorious life is in us and lives through us today.

In the book Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness, Cook and Baldwin make a good point of our need to trust the power of the Gospel as well as the life of Jesus in other Christians.  From the perspective of one in church leadership, Cook wrote:  "Besides lacking faith in the gospel, there is among us a tragic distrust of the life of Christ in other believers.  We are scared to death they are going to goof things up, whether through incompetence or moral or spiritual failure.  So we don't release them to minister." (Cook, Jerry, and Stanley C. Baldwin. Love, Acceptance & Forgiveness. GL Regal Books, 1984. page 70)  Later in the same chapter, the authors went into greater detail about trusting the life of Jesus in others:

"Besides a basic mistrust of people's competence, I think I also see among many Christians a tragic mistrust of the life of Christ in His people so far as their moral and spiritual commitment is involved.  Some seem to think we must put all kinds of hedges around Christians to keep them on the "straight and narrow."

I don't understand that.  My people don't want to sin.  They love Jesus and they are trying to follow Him, just as I love Him and try to follow Him.  My people don't need a warden to guard them; they need a shepherd to guide them.  And when they do sin, they need love, acceptance and forgiveness, not suspicion and rejection...

The life of Christ is incredibly tenacious in a believer, and we need to trust it more. I'm sure someone could tell stories on the other side--how believers were drawn away by evil surroundings.  That's where the fellowship of the believers comes in.  That's what the collective gathering of the Body is for--to restore and strengthen one another.  But that restoration and strengthening is so that we can then go back out as lights into the world, not so that we can stay insulated and isolated." (Ibid, pages 72-73)

Reading this passage reminded me we are saved by faith and to live by faith--and this means trusting God is doing a good work in the lives of other people in the church right now.  It is entirely possible to be saved by faith and then lean on my own understanding, to follow my own thoughts or rely on what I see rather than seeking God and yielding to Him in trust and obedience.  Cook pointed out the error of insulation and isolation within church ministry or a church building.  While this can happen, the more common occurrence is insulation and isolation from meeting with other believers as the church, the Body of Christ, and when they fall there is no one around to help them back up.  Online teaching keeps a person spiritually fed, but a lack of Christian fellowship leads to spiritual weakness, dullness and drifting coupled with self-confidence.

When we gather together as Christians, it is a wonderful opportunity God has provided to seek and worship Him together, to examine our hearts, to love and listen to others.  There is opportunity to learn, grow, exhort, rebuke, correct and stand corrected, and all this is edifying for us.  Just being in the same room or speaking in a conversation with other Christians does not mean we have experienced fellowship, for this happens when both or all parties before the LORD are willing to humbly receive from one another and to share with one another from the heart.  This requires humility by the Holy Spirit, transparency about personal difficulties, willingness to share what the LORD is teaching us, and to love one another.  Praise the LORD because Jesus is alive and at work in each one of us, He empowers us to do His will to love others as He loves us.