What God Begins, God Finishes

For I am confident of this very thing, 

that He who began a good work in you

will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

Life is the Lord's finishing school, as He uses all of what we encounter to continually conform us into the image of Christ until we are complete in Him. He leaves nothing unused as He works all things together for our good, and our good is to become more like Christ. He has begun the work of salvation in us and will continue in that work until it is perfectly accomplished. So, my fellow saints, rejoice this day that He is busy at work in you. Rejoice that He will not leave undone the good work that He has started, and will continue to work in you to accomplish His good pleasure for His glory, and your complete salvation.

The Lord will accomplish what concerns

me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, 

is everlasting...

Psalm 138:8

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify

you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and

body be preserved complete, without blame

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also

bring it to pass.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24

The Truth and Our Mind

 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever in honorable,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence

and if anything worth of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8

"An old subject is thus brought before us again: the cardinal place occupied by the Christian's mind, for good as well as for ill. Just as a carnal mind is the surest passport to the downward path, so a mind drilled in the things of which God approves is the steadiest way into practical holiness. If, in a difficult relationship (1), we allow our minds and judgment to be clouded by half-truth, or if we allow frivolous and damaging thoughts about the other person (2) to simmer in our minds, we are hardly being like Christ. We should rather determine to think only the truth about the other person (2), to value what is attractive and praiseworthy about him. This will prove to be the way of peace.

We are to meditate on, to prize as valuable, and to be influenced by all that is true, all that merits serious thought and encourages serious-mindedness, all that accords with justice and moral purity, all that is fragrant and lovely, all that brings with it a good word, that speaks well, whatever has genuine worth of any sort and merits praise. It is the will of God that by giving attention to things of which he approves we should shape our minds to be like his: to those who do so, he pledges his guardian peace and his own presence as the God of peace."

Alec Motyer

The Message of Philippians

Page 212

The italics above are mine, and for #1 you could substitute situation or circumstance; and for #2 you could substitute the Lord.

Philippians 4:8 is a powerful verse.  It is one of  the verses that should be required memorization for every Christian.  It is the verse that both guards and shapes our mind. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, "As a man thinks within himself, so he is."  And how we think within ourselves should be guarded and shaped by Philippians 4:8.  

There are two things I would like for us to take note of in this verse:

First is the word dwell (think in the ESV). The Lord could have used the two most common Greek words for think, phroneo or dokeo, but He didn't. Instead He used the word logizomai. This word means more than just having an opinion or giving acknowledgment. It means to give careful consideration, to make a reasoned reflection, to be circumspect about. It implies deliberateness and seriousness. As it is used here, logizomai is also in the present tense and imperative mood, which means it is a permanent command to the point that these qualities are to be the habitual focus of our mind; and then these qualities, qualities of which God approves, will guard and shape our mind.      

Second, is the word truth. This word is the first word in this list of eight things which our minds are to be dwelling upon. The primary, most important, first and foremost thing which we are to give careful consideration to is the truth. Truth is to be the gatekeeper of our mind, and the main shaper of our thoughts. All the other qualities that we are to let our mind dwell on should always be subject to the truth. Truth is the best thing we can know, and the most reliable and powerful thing we can reflect upon.  

The most important, most reliable, and most powerful truth we can know, and therefore dwell upon is the truth about God. How we think about God and what we think about God greatly affect our life; and how we respond to all the different situations we find ourselves in is based in large part on our view of God, and our view of God is shaped by what we know about God. So knowing the truth about God is paramount.

The second most important truth we can know, is the truth about ourselves. It is against the backdrop of the truth about God and in light of the truth about God that we gain insight into the truth about ourselves, and in knowing the truth about ourselves we begin to see ourselves as God sees us. We see our life and all of its dynamics from God's viewpoint. We see our motives, our reactions, our plans, our thoughts and desires from God's vantage point, and we began to view ourselves in light of the truth that we know about God. Of course this truth was realized, brought to full view and manifested thoroughly, in Jesus Christ (John 1:17) because He is the embodiment of the truth (John 14:6).

Where can we go to find this truth? Why, of course, we go to the word of God, which is truth (John 17:17), and speaks the truth concerning every subject it touches (Psalm 119:160). The truth which should guard our mind and shape our thoughts is found in the Scriptures, and is the Scriptures themselves, as the Bible does not contain the truth, but is the truth.

Romans 12:2 tells us that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Our mind is renewed (continually made new) as we grow in knowledge of the truth. In John 8:32, Christ tells us that in knowing the truth we shall be set free. Starting with salvation, there are a myriad of applications in this verse, but the base line is that we shall be set free from the shackles of the lies of the enemy, the lies of the world, and the lies of our flesh. These are the lies we have been believing for most of our life, lies that have shaped our thoughts and governed the course of our life, lies that have made our lives miserable, lies that have separated us from God and from others, lies that our unredeemed flesh still wants to cling to.

So, it is imperative that we know the truth, and not just know the truth but continually reflect upon all that we know to be true, to give deliberate, serious, and careful consideration to what we know to be true. As we do this, our knowledge of the truth, what is true about God, ourselves, and life will grow; and as we engage our minds on the things we know to be true, our mind will be guarded from what is false...the lies of the enemy, the world, and our flesh...and our mind will be trained and shaped.

The more truth we know, the more our mind and therefore our thoughts are conformed to the truth. The more our minds are conformed to the truth the more discerning we will be regarding the lies of the enemy no matter which area of the prevailing culture they emanate from. Truth is the backdrop against which the lies of the enemy become apparent. 

Friends, let us determine today, and pray today for strength, wisdom, and discernment in the things that are true, so that our minds will be fixed upon only that which is true, so we will be people of the truth. In doing this we will be set free from the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and have the peace that surpasses all human comprehension.

Pressing On and Taking Hold

Not that I have already obtained it

or have already become perfect,

but I press on so that I may lay hold

of that for which also I was laid hold

of by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12

"It is the Word of Christ, loved, lived in,

abiding in us, becoming through obedience

and action part of our being, that makes us

one with Christ, that fits us spiritually for

touching, for taking hold of God."

Andrew Murray

quoted in

Transforming Prayer

by Daniel Henderson

Page 110

It is also this same abiding in the Word of Christ that is the foundation behind the promise found in Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." A heart that delights itself in the Lord is a heart that delights itself in His Word. If you do not delight yourself in His written word, you will not delight yourself in His Living Word...the Word that became flesh, the embodiment of the Word.

It is only to the extent that we abide in His written word that we also abide in Him. Jeremiah 15:16a tells us this, "Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart..." The Lord tells us in John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." 

We press on and take hold by abiding in His word. If we are abiding in His word, then we automatically will be living in obedience to that word. This is the key to the abundant spiritual life, to a close fellowship with the Father and the Son, and is a marker of our love for Him; as we see in John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." It is those who love and obey to whom Jesus will disclose Himself; and it is when we press on in loving and obeying that we touch and take hold of God. 

Blessed are the Gentle

                                             Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart...

Matthew 11:29a

...In the world you have tribulation, but

take courage; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33b

Gentle…praus…meek, mild, fair, a blend of spiritual poise and strength, a quiet and friendly composure that does not become embittered or angry at what is unpleasant. First, it is a disposition toward God in which we accept all His dealings with us as good and therefore accept them without disputing and resisting. Secondly, it is a disposition toward man that is without self-assertiveness or self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. 

It is not meekness as we typically think of meekness. It is not timidness, or cowardice, or a sissiness, or an avoidance of conflict. In the ancient times it was used to describe an animal that had been tamed, a stallion that was now able to be led by a small child with only a bridle. It is the picture of power under control. It is not a passive gentleness, it is not a timid gentleness, but a deliberate and determined gentleness. Therefore in it we see the strength of gentleness, a gentle strength, a tamed strength.

Spiritually, it is a tamed spirit. It is a spirit under control, a spirit controlled and subservient to the Holy Spirit, a spirit that does not quench the Holy Spirit, but yields to the Holy Spirit. It is a spirit that yields itself to God and restrains itself with men.

It is sometimes used as a synonym for humility, but it is really not. Humility is a lowliness of mind that considers others more important than itself. Gentleness is a condition of the soul that because it has yielded or submitted itself to God, it then reins itself in and restrains itself in its dealings with others. It doesn’t assert itself even though it has the power and ability to do so. However, humility and gentleness are close companions and go hand in hand or arm in arm with each other.

The reality is that Jesus has overcome the the world, the One who was gentle and humble in heart, the One who would not hurt a bruised reed, the One who entered Jerusalem, not on the conqueror's white steed, but on a donkey, and, actually, the foal (young and not full grown) of a donkey.  

This is not the picture of a world conqueror that would be drawn up in one's imagination, or portrayed in books or movies. He did not come in power and might, with a mighty army or legions of cavalry, or with shock and awe; but He came gently and in meekness and humility and submission to the Father's will; and, in doing so, overcame the world and all of its evil. In overcoming the world He has set free from the dominion of the world and its ruler all who would come to Him in repentance and faith.  

It is those who exercise this same spirit of gentleness who overcome sin, Satan, and the world. It is those who exercise this same gentleness of spirit that will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), and not just the earth of the millennial reign, but the new heavens and earth where righteousness reigns forever and ever.

Is this you my friend? Have you been tamed by the Spirit? Do you live under the Spirit's control?  Are you submissive to God and restrained towards men?  If not, repent of your rebellion and untamed spirit, and by faith submit yourself to Christ as your Lord.

Impediments to Spiritual Growth---Fear

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity,

but of power and love and discipline.

II Timothy 1:7

Those of you who learned this from the King James would substitute the word fear for timidity, and, of course, both words are correct. The Greek word used here is deilia, and it is the only time it is used in the New Testament. The normal word for fear that is used in the NT is phobeo, from which we get our word phobia; and it usually conveys being frightened. The word deilia conveys more the result, the condition of the psyche because of the fear; and, as such, is most literally translated cowardice.  If you read the book of II Timothy you understand that Paul is telling Timothy not to be a coward in light of the persecution, suffering, and hardship he is facing. Fear was causing Timothy to retreat from the ministry to which God had called him, and Paul is encouraging Timothy to rekindle the gift God had given him and to stand firm in preaching the word amidst all obstacles.

Fear is one of the great weapons of the enemy, and all of us have our fears; and if I were to list them all, this would be the longest post in history. Fear is a great controller and most of us let our fears, whether rational or irrational, control us; which is just what the enemy wants. And it can be the biggest impediment to our spiritual growth and progress in Christlikeness.  You notice that I said, "Let our fears control us." because fear only has the power over us that we allow it to have. What then is the antidote to fear? How do we combat it? How do we control it, versus letting it control us? 

We need to understand how to handle fear, our fear(s), because we all have them. The question then is not do we have fear, but how do we handle fear when it comes up and puts its grip on us. Courage is not the absence of fear, but doing what needs to be done, doing what is right, in spite of the fear. For the Christian, it is having the spiritual courage to honor the Lord in spite of the consequences. So how do we appropriate spiritual courage?

Paul gives us both general and specific remedies for fear in this letter to Timothy. The general remedy is found in II Timothy 2:1 as he tells Timothy, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."  And in II Timothy 1:7 we see what God, by His grace, has specifically supplied to all of us to combat fear/spiritual cowardice, and that is power, love, and discipline. In fact, what the verse tells us is that spiritual timidity is not from the Lord, He has not given it to us; but instead has given us the opposite. Power, love, and discipline are the weapons He has given us to combat the fear that leads to spiritual cowardice, and God by His grace has supplied them to us. So let's see how they aid us in our battle against fear.

Power Overcomes Fear

In essence, power overpowers fear, and God has given us a spirit of power, or spiritual power. It is not our power, but His power in us, working in us and through us. Listen to these verses from Ephesians:

1:18-20 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know...what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.

3:16, 20 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man...Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..

First, let's pay attention to whose power is at work. It is God's power, His mighty power, that even death cannot defeat. Hebrews 2:14 tells us that Christ has rendered powerless the one who had (noticed the past tense) the power of death, the devil himself. God demonstrated His power over death and the devil by raising Christ from the dead; and it is Christ who is now standing in the heavens with the keys of death and Hades in his hand 

Next, let's see where this undefeated and undefeatable power resides. Within you, in your inner man, through the indwelling person and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself.  I John 4:4 tells us this, "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." The same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that resides in you, and God's power in Christ, in all of its unmatched greatness and magnificence, is directed toward you like a laser beam. This is true empowerment from the One who has all power, and He has given it to us and placed it in us.

How do we activate this indwelling power?  We do so by humbling ourselves in obedience to Him.  James 4:7 tells us, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  In Isaiah 66:2 God tells us this, "But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."  We have the perfect example of humility and its corresponding obedience in Christ. Philippians 2:8 tells us this, "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." When we are confronted by fear, we are to look obediently to Him, and be obedient to Him; and in our obedience His power will be activated in us, and in our obedience we will overcome the fear. Our focus on Him and being obedient to Him takes our focus off our fear. 

Love Casts Out Fear

Where there is love there is no room for fear. Sounds almost too simple doesn't it? We must understand that fear is a great motivator, and most of us, really all of us, are motivated by fear to some degree. In other words, many times, the reason we do what we do is because of fear. However, as great a motivator as fear is, there is a greater motivator, really the greatest motivator, and that is love. So, for the Christian, our motivation, what spurs us on, what delights us, and what controls us is love, our love for God and love for others.

I John 4:18 tells us, "There is no fear in love; but perfect (mature) love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment (retribution/consequences we don't want), and the one who fears is not perfected (mature) in love."  Also, in II Corinthians 5:14-15 we learn, "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." If you are living for yourself, concentrating on yourself, worrying about yourself, then fear will always control you. When you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; love your neighbor as your self and love the brethren as Christ loved them; then you aren't preoccupied with yourself and it is the love of Christ that is controlling you, and fear has been moved out of the driver's seat and to the back of the bus. When it is our love for God that is motivating us we will be like Paul, who suffered the loss of all things and considered them but rubbish because he had gained Christ.

Discipline Controls Fear

The Greek word for discipline is sophronismos, and means a sound mind, sound judgment, literally a mind under control. It is a rational mind in contrast to the irrationality of fear. It is a mind controlled by the truth, thoughts that are guided by the truth, thinking that is permeated with the truth. Proverbs 3:25 tells us, "Do not be afraid of sudden fear." This speaks to the terror that irrationality, those irrational fears, bring upon us. We are not to be gripped and controlled by such fear. In John 8:32 we see that when we know the truth, the truth will make us free. In other words the knowledge of the truth releases us from bondage. Knowing the truth breaks the grip that fear has on our life and controls our thoughts instead of fear. It does not let fear in the driver's seat of our mind. 

Philippians 4:8 tells us what our minds are to dwell upon, and these attributes serve as filters to keep fear in its proper place, under control. First, we are to think only on what is true. If it is not true, totally true, we are to reject it. Fear always dwells around the borders of the truth, and will always skew the truth or be based on partial truth. The greatest truth we can let our mind dwell upon is the truth about God, and we find the truth about God in the Word of truth that He has given us. This truth is the foundational stone upon which we are to rest our thoughts. Secondly, even if it is true, if it's not honorable we are not to dwell on it. Thirdly, it must be right, the right thing to think about, something that causes and promotes right thoughts...right about God, right about others, right about ourselves, and right about the situation (It is amazing how fear promotes thoughts that are not right or true about God, others and ourselves, dishonoring all; and causes us to blow the situation out of proportion). Next, it must be pure, promoting holiness in our thinking, not rottenness. This is to be followed by thinking about what is lovely and is of good repute. Thoughts based on fear are never lovely.  And, interestingly, the word for good repute means words of good omen. Fear never brings about words of good omen, but always the opposite...doom, gloom, and tragedy. Finally, we are to have our minds dwell on those things which are excellent and praiseworthy. When we allow ourselves to think upon and dwell upon what is less than the best, thoughts that are worthy only of the gutter, we are supplying fear with rich fertile soil from which to grow. Fear always assumes the worst and dwells upon all that is bad.

So when fear assails you remember it is not from the Lord, but from the enemy, through our flesh.  God has given through His Spirit and by His grace, all that we need to combat fear so that it is not the victor; and thanks be to God that He always leads us in triumph in Christ. (II Corthians 2:14, I Corthians 15:57) Our victory was achieved by Christ on the cross. Christ tells us in John 16:33 that in this world we will have tribulation (which is the truth), but to take courage (literally, to be of good cheer) because He has overcome (subdued, prevailed, conquered, achieved the victory). So let us live in light of that victory, ever mindful of the power, love, and sound mind that are ours in Christ as the result of Him abiding in us and us abiding in Him.

God's Faithfulness and Hard Providence

This was a comment I made on another blog concerning times of hard providence.

How do we reconcile the faithfulness of God with times of hard providence?  I think one of the best examples of this occurs in Genesis 12, with the call of God to Abram to the promised land. When Abram arrived in Canaan the Lord appeared to him and Abram built an altar and worshiped. But what did God call him into? He called Abram right into the middle of a famine, and famines don’t go away overnight.

God could have prevented the famine. He could have directed Abram’s journey so that he arrived after the famine was over; but, no, the Lord’s providence was for Abram to arrive in the middle of the famine; and from the Scriptures there is no explicit statement of why God did so.

We can glean from the text that this was indeed a test of Abram’s faith and trust, and a proof and confirmation of God’s faithfulness. But it was a hard providence, with no explanation from God about why or what purpose this hard providence served.

As in the story in the post, there were unforeseeable circumstances…unforeseeable to us as finite beings, but totally foreknown by our omnipotent God, the One who has declared the end from the beginning.

What do we need to keep in mind during times such as this? A progression in Psalm 119 helps us with this.

119:68 You are good and do good.
119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted
119:75 I know, O Lord, that your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
119:76-77a O may Your lovingkindness comfort me, according to Your word to Your servant. May Your compassion come to me that I may live…

The Lord is a God of faithfulness (Psalm 89:5,8). In affliction and through affliction God is being faithful to us by accomplishing what concerns us (Psalm 138:8), and that is our eternal good.  So during times of hard providence let us keep in mind that the Lord is being faithful to us in this life by preparing us for the next.

Our Standing with God

Based on our own merits we have no standing with God.

Therefore, we must always base our standing with God

on what He has done for us in Christ.  Indeed,

what God has accomplished in Christ, on our

behalf, is the foundation of our relationship with Him.

Therefore, our relationship with Him is always secure, 

not because of us, but because of Him.

Relating to God

For by grace you have been saved

through faith; and that not of yourselves,

it is the gift of God; not as a result

 of works, that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 

I have been crucified with Christ; 

and it is no longer I who live, 

but Christ lives in me; and the 

live which I now live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave Himself 

up for me.

Galatians 2:20

We relate to God on the basis of faith, not on the basis of works--

not only in our salvation, but also in our sanctification.

Growing in Sanctification

Growing in sanctification is growing in personal holiness.  As such it is a practical, progressive, holiness.  It is a growth in holiness that, as Peter puts it in II Peter 1:8, leaves us neither useless nor unfruitful in our knowledge of Him.  So then, growing in holiness is also growing in our practical knowledge of Him.  Conversely, as our practical knowledge of Him grows, so does our holiness; and as our holiness grows, so does our sensitivity to sin.  As such, we will repent more readily and more deeply and more completely.

Additionally, as we grow in sanctification we also grow in our faith; and the heights of holiness we attain are matched by the depth of our faith.  Growth in faith gives us a greater ability to trust His Word, to trust in Him, to entrust ourselves over to Him regardless of the situation.  This depth of faith is really the bedrock of our sanctification and is the rich soil out of which our holiness grows.

Also, growing in sanctification is also growing in love.  It is the enlarging of the heart to love Him more, to love your neighbor more, and to fervently love your fellow Christians.  It becomes the great motivation in your living out your Christian life, the great motivation in growing in your faith, the great motivation in your desire for holiness...the great motivation behind the sacrifice and service of your faith.  It is this love that gives you the desire, indeed the increasing desire, to please the Lord in every respect.  Since all the Law and the prophets are fulfilled in the commands to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as our self; then as we grow in our love for God and neighbor we will also be growing in holiness.

Growing in sanctification, therefore, is not an isolated event, but affects the whole of our spiritual life.  There is not an area or aspect of our spiritual life that is not touched.  We are set further and further apart from the person we used to be.  We become less like that old man, and become progressively more like the new man that is being conformed into the image of Christ; and in the daily renewing of our inner man we grow in all aspects into Him

Growing in sanctification, then, is the progressive reality of our salvation.  Friends, I hope this reality is yours.

Is it Us or God?---Enabled by the Spirit

By by the grace of God I am what I am,

and His grace toward me did not prove

vain; but I labored even more than all of them,

yet, not I, but the grace of God with me.

I Corinthians 15:10

...sinners are moved from death to life, from passivity to activity, as they are enabled by the Spirit to participate in Christ.  The new life of the Spirit in sanctification is received as a gift.  But it activates our capacities.  As we see in Jesus Christ, true humanity (in harmony with God) is active humanity--actively obedient to the Father, active in loving God and neighbor.  While Christians receive participation in Christ as a gift, the result of this reception is an enlivening of our capacities by the Spirit.  As Calvin says in the Bondage and Liberation of the Will, God does not "cause" faith or action in us without our assent. Yet "assent is properly called ours, but not in such a way that it should be understood to derive from us."  Declaring that God deserves the credit for the fruit of the preaching of the gospel, Calvin warns that "this is not because in doing everything by the power of his own Spirit [God] excludes the ministry of his servants, but so as to secure for himself the entire praise for the action, just as the effectiveness derives from him alone, and whatever labour people do without him is empty and barren."  Thus, communion with the Spirit is what makes our faith and action our own.  Stated differently, God does use our will , our mind, our ministry, and our efforts to preach the gospel and to live faithful Christian lives.  But wherever there is fruit, the credit should not be divided between God and us.  When we pray and the prayer is answered, we should not congratulate ourselves for praying with wisdom and diligence.  No.  In all things, we should give praise to God, because even sanctification is a gift, first and foremost, that we receive from God.

At this point, in seeing not only justification but also sanctification as a gift received in union with Christ, we are at the heart of the issue on an experiential level for Christians.  If sanctification is a matter of me drawing deeply on my self to do good things for God, then my own holiness--and my own effort--becomes an end in itself, and preaching should focus on Christ only to the extent that he is a moral exemplar who goads us to work harder.  Why?  Because in this way of thinking, since Christ's justifying work is done, it is up to us to achieve our sanctification.

J. Todd Billings

Union with Christ

Page 46

The True Christian

The True Christian understands that his good works

are but the product of the grace of God in his life.

Indwelling Sin vs the Indwelling Spirit

For the good that I want, I do not do,

but I practice the very evil that I do

not want.  But if I am doing the very

thing I do not want, I am no longer

the one doing it, but sin which dwells

in me.  I find then the principle that

evil is present in me, the one who

wants to do good.

Romans 7:19-21

However, you are not in the flesh but

in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God

dwells in you.  But if anyone does not

have the Spirit of Christ, he does not

belong to Him.  But if the Spirit of Him

who raised Jesus from the dead dwells

in you, He who raised Jesus from the dead

will give life to your mortal bodies

through His Spirit who dwells in you.

So then, brethren, we are under obligation,

not to the flesh, to live according to the

flesh--for if you are living according to

the flesh, you must die; but if  by the

Spirit you are putting to death the deeds

of the body, you will live.

Romans 8:9-13

To combat indwelling sin we have been given the indwelling Spirit.  And it is by the Spirit that we put to death the deeds of the flesh.   The frustration in Romans 7 turns into the victory in Romans 8.  Yes, the principle of indwelling sin is real, but it is swallowed up by the greater principle of the indwelling Spirit of the victorious Christ. 

The issue is not are you struggling with sin, because if you were not a Christian there would be no struggle; but the issue is are you having victory.  Too many Christians feel guilty because they struggle with sin, they battle the tempation.  These very battles are signs that you indeed have been saved, and now the internal battle between sin and righteousness has begun, because sin does not willingly leave the building, but must be put to death and thrown out. 

But take heart, my friends, because greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world, greater is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus than the law of sin and death, and greater is the indwelling Spirit than indwelling sin.  For our great High Priest has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin; and now He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.  The victory over sin is ours in Christ.  Don't lose heart in the struggle, but take joy in each victory.

Redeeming the Time

How then do we redeem time, and how are we redeemed from time?  On the one hand, we rdeem the time by living out our lives according to our gifts and callings, thus serving God's purposes in our generation.  Those who live out their lives in this way do justice to the best of their time; and they live before all time because they live before God.

On the other hand, we redeem time by trusting the end of our time to the Lord and redeemer of time.  Ultimately, we redeem the time and are redeemed from time only through the One who is the redeemer of everything--He who is, the God who is the Lord of time and history and yet is  "the same yesterday today, and forever."

In St Augustine's description, God relates to us in time in ways that are "once for all [semel], all at one [simul], and always [semper]."  He is before our time, outside our time, and at the end of our time.  We can therefore each pray Augustine's celebrated prayer, which applies to time as much as any part of life:  "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You."

Thus until the day of our homecoming arrives, we continually trust that the Lord of time will redeem us at the end of time.  And in the meantime that is our lives, we live out our callings in the thick of things, and so set about redeeming time actively though imperfectly, as timely as untimely people can ever be.

Os Guiness
Prophetic Untimeliness
Pgs 118-119

Means of Sanctification

Sanctification, again, is a thing which depends greatly on a diligent use of scriptural means.  When I speak of 'means', I have in view Bible reading, private prayer, regular attendance in public worship, regular hearing of God's Word, and regular reception of the Lord's supper.  I lay it down as a simple matter of fact, that no one who careless about such things must ever expect to make much progress n sanctification.  I can find no record of any eminent saint who ever neglected them.  they are appointed channels through which the Holy Spirit conveys fresh supplies of grace to the soul, and strengthens the work which He has begun in the inward man.  Let men call this legal doctrine if they please, but I will never shrink from declaring my belief that there are no "spiritual gains without pains'.  I should as soon expect a farmer to prosper in business who contented himself with sowing his fields and never looking at them till harvest, as expect a believer to attain much holiness, who was not diligent about his Bible reading, his prayers and the use of his Sundays.  Our God is a God who works by means, and He will never bless the soul of that man who pretends to be so high and spiritual that he can get on without them.

J. C. Ryle
Holiness
page 20