Knowing Him
�And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.� (1 John 5:20)
John uses two words for �know� in this short letter, both of which are used in the final instruction to his readers. The Greek word ginosko is used 25 times throughout this epistle, stressing knowledge that is gained through personal experience. The other word, ei�do (or oi�da), is used an additional 17 times, emphasizing mental understanding and comprehension.
The Intellectual Confidence
We �know [ei�do] that he was manifested to take away our sins� (1 John 3:5). We �know that we have passed from death unto life� (1 John 3:14). We �know that [we] have eternal life� (1 John 5:13). We �know that we are of God� (1 John 5:19). We �know that the Son of God is come� (1 John 5:20). All of this �head knowledge� is, of course, straight from the Word of God. These are the basics of our belief in the work of Christ.
The Personal Experience
We �know [ginosko] that we know [ginosko] him, if we keep his commandments� (1 John 2:3). �There [are] many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time� (1 John 2:18). �By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments� (1 John 5:2).
Thus, our intellectual �knowledge� of God�s Word is �experienced� as we �work out [our] own salvation� (Philippians 2:12). Being �born again� is just the beginning. We should �grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ� (2 Peter 3:18). HMM III
�And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.� (1 John 5:20)
John uses two words for �know� in this short letter, both of which are used in the final instruction to his readers. The Greek word ginosko is used 25 times throughout this epistle, stressing knowledge that is gained through personal experience. The other word, ei�do (or oi�da), is used an additional 17 times, emphasizing mental understanding and comprehension.
The Intellectual Confidence
We �know [ei�do] that he was manifested to take away our sins� (1 John 3:5). We �know that we have passed from death unto life� (1 John 3:14). We �know that [we] have eternal life� (1 John 5:13). We �know that we are of God� (1 John 5:19). We �know that the Son of God is come� (1 John 5:20). All of this �head knowledge� is, of course, straight from the Word of God. These are the basics of our belief in the work of Christ.
The Personal Experience
We �know [ginosko] that we know [ginosko] him, if we keep his commandments� (1 John 2:3). �There [are] many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time� (1 John 2:18). �By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments� (1 John 5:2).
Thus, our intellectual �knowledge� of God�s Word is �experienced� as we �work out [our] own salvation� (Philippians 2:12). Being �born again� is just the beginning. We should �grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ� (2 Peter 3:18). HMM III
Obedience or Preference
Matthew 26:36-42Every believer must choose whether he will live by the principle of obedience or follow his preferences. When a person commits to doing the Lord’s will, then every situation and decision is sifted through the standard of "God said it, so I’m going to do it—and that’s the end of it." He may complain, weep, or try to argue. But in the end he will be obedient, no matter what.
The Lord certainly understands our need to question, cry out, and petition Him for the strength to do what He asks. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. Jesus wasn’t excited or happy about the cross. He grieved over the coming separation from His Father. Nevertheless, He was committed to following God’s will (Matt. 26:39). No one took Christ’s life from Him; He laid it down (John 10:18).
Our lives are about fulfilling God’s purpose. Many people miss His awesome plan for them because they choose to follow their preferences. Obedience is sometimes hard, but the struggle and sacrifice are worth it. There is joy and peace for the believer who pleases the Lord and lives by His principles.
The Vine
“What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” (Isaiah 5:4)
In Scripture we find many references to vines and vineyards, but there are three major passages that together reveal three aspects concerning the character of God and His love for His people.
The first, Isaiah 5:1-7, includes our text. Here we find that God, the owner, planter, and caretaker of the vineyard, cannot contain His disappointment, for despite the loving care showered upon the vine, it has brought forth improper, worthless fruit. In this parable, “the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant” (v. 7), the chosen people who had seen more clearly than anyone else His abundant provision, but who had chosen to reject Him and not bear Him fruit. To them, and to those of us who reject His cultivating grace, He says: “I will lay it waste” (v. 6).
Psalm 80:8-19 gives us a picture of the abject desolation of the unfruitful vineyard once it is abandoned by the vinedresser. It is ravaged by enemies, wild animals, and fire, utterly helpless. The “vine” (Israel) may cry for help and restoration, but there are consequences to be paid. What a graphic picture this is, and what a reminder to believers today that we cannot for long ignore His will for our lives.
The last and most precious passage is found in John 15:1-16 and concerns fruitbearing. “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (v. 5). Here are found the secrets of the believer’s growth and fertility in glorious union with Christ. “Herein is my father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (v. 8). JDM
Carest Thou Not?
“And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38)
There are times when we have great problems and God seems to ignore our prayers, and finally we begin to wonder if He cares about us at all. There is no need to wonder. God cares about the sparrow, and He surely cares about His own dear children. If there is not some clear reason why He fails to answer (such as sin in our lives), then perhaps it is simply (as in Job’s case) a test of our faith.
When the disciples thought Jesus didn’t care, He rebuked them thus: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Mary and Martha sent word that their brother Lazarus was deathly ill, but then Jesus “abode two days still in the same place where he was” (John 11:6). When the sisters complained about His delay, He replied: “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).
One day a woman of Canaan cried out to Him for mercy on her for her demon-possessed daughter, “but he answered her not a word.” He seemed not to care, but she kept calling on Him and worshipping Him, until He finally said unto her: “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt” (Matthew 15:23, 28).
The disciples and the sisters of Lazarus and the Canaanite woman all wondered at His seeming lack of concern, but He did care. He finally calmed the storm, and raised Lazarus, and healed the daughter. His delay was in order to test and strengthen their faith.
Can He not also test us, “that the trial of your faith . . . though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7)? HMM
Confident Prayer
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
This is the classic conditional promise. Confidence in prayer is tied directly to the qualifier: “If we ask anything according to his will. . . .” It is, therefore, important that we understand “what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).
Many surveys have verified that most people pray. All of those studies, however, note that a good portion of the prayers are directed toward an unknown “higher power.” It may seem obvious, but the first requirement for coming under the will of God is to “believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23). Before God will respond to our “petitions,” we must be “born again” (John 3:3).
Jesus was once asked what the greatest command was. His response, quoting from Deuteronomy 6, was: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). That internal and invisible love of the heart is expressed by obedience to the commandments that God has given. John records it this way: “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3).
Thus, a simple formula appears. If we obey what God has commanded us (starting with faith in the saving work of Christ), then we are assured that God will hear us when we pray. Once our confidence is secured, we can know that God will respond to what we desired from Him. The psalmist states the formula this way: “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). HMM III
Jephthah's Daughter
“Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:31)
The story of Jephthah has been a stumbling block to many who interpret it as teaching that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter to God as a burnt offering. As he prepared to face the Ammonite armies, he made the vow recorded in our text, if God would only give him the victory. His only child, a beloved daughter, was then first to meet him at his return, and so it was she who had to be offered.
It should be remembered, however, that Jephthah was a man of true faith (Hebrews 11:32-33), and he would never have vowed to disobey God’s prohibition against human sacrifice. The problem is that the Hebrew conjunction waw (translated “and” in our text) is very flexible in meaning depending on context. Here, “or” is better than “and.”
That is, Jephthah vowed that whatever first came out to meet him would be dedicated to the Lord: If a person came out (Jephthah was probably thinking of a servant), he or she would be dedicated to God’s service at the tabernacle, as Hannah later dedicated Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11). Or if an animal from his flock came out, it would be sacrificed.
His daughter, out of love for her father and gratitude to God for His deliverance from the Ammonites, insisted her father keep his vow. Since that meant that she, as a perpetual servant at the tabernacle, could never have a husband and children, she “bewailed her virginity” (not her impending death) and then “returned to her father” so that he could keep his vow, and throughout her life “she knew no man” (Judges 11:38-39). Instead of a strange tale of human sacrifice, this is the story of the love of a God-fearing father and daughter for each other and for their Lord. HMM
The Sovereignty of God and Prayer
by John Piper
I am often asked, "If you believe God works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11) and that his knowledge of all things past, present, and future is infallible, then what is the point of praying that anything happen?" Usually this question is asked in relation to human decision: "If God has predestined some to be his sons and chosen them before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4,Ephesians 1:5), then what's the point in praying for anyone's conversion?"
The implicit argument here is that if prayer is to be possible at all man must have the power of self-determination. That is, all man's decisions must ultimately belong to himself, not God. For otherwise he is determined by God and all his decisions are really fixed in God's eternal counsel. Let's examine the reasonableness of this argument by reflecting on the example cited above.
1. "Why pray for anyone's conversion if God has chosen before the foundation of the world who will be his sons?" A person in need of conversion is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1); he is "enslaved to sin" (Romans 6:17; John 8:34 ; "the god of this world has blinded his mind that he might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4); his heart is hardened against God (Ephesians 4:18) so that he is hostile to God and in rebellion against God's will (Romans 8:7).
Now I would like to turn the question back to my questioner: If you insist that this man must have the power of ultimate self-determination, what is the point of praying for him? What do you want God to do for Him? You can't ask that God overcome the man's rebellion, for rebellion is precisely what the man is now choosing, so that would mean God overcame his choice and took away his power of self-determination. But how can God save this man unless he act so as to change the man's heart from hard hostility to tender trust?
Will you pray that God enlighten his mind so that he truly see the beauty of Christ and believe? If you pray this, you are in effect asking God no longer to leave the determination of the man's will in his own power. You are asking God to do something within the man's mind (or heart) so that he will surely see and believe. That is, you are conceding that the ultimate determination of the man's decision to trust Christ is God's, not merely his.
What I am saying is that it is not the doctrine of God's sovereignty which thwarts prayer for the conversion of sinners. On the contrary, it is the unbiblical notion of self-determination which would consistently put an end to all prayers for the lost. Prayer is a request that God do something. But the only thing God can do to save a lost sinner is to overcome his resistance to God. If you insist that he retain his self-determination, then you are insisting that he remain without Christ. For "no one can come to Christ unless it is given him from the Father" (John 6:65,John 6:44).
In short, I do not ask God to sit back and wait for my neighbor to decide to change. I do not suggest to God that He keep his distance lest his beauty become irresistible and violate my neighbor's power of self-determination. No! I pray that he ravish my unbelieving neighbor with his beauty, that he unshackle the enslaved will, that he make the dead alive and that he suffer no resistance to stop him lest my neighbor perish.
2. If someone now says, "O.K., granted that a person's conversion is ultimately determined by God' I still don't see the point of your prayer. If God chose before the foundation of the world who would be converted, what function does your prayer have?" My answer is that it has a function like that of preaching: How shall the lost believe in whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent (Romans 10:14f.)? Belief in Christ is a gift of God (John 6:65; II Timothy 2:25 Ephesians 2:8 , but God has ordained that the means by which men believe on Jesus is through the preaching of men. It is simply naive to say that if no one spread the gospel all those predestined to be sons of God (Ephesians 1:5) would be converted anyway. The reason this is naive is because it overlooks the fact that the preaching of the gospel is just as predestined as is the believing of the gospel: Paul was set apart for his preaching ministry before he was born (Galatians 1:15), as was Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). Therefore, to ask, "If we don't evangelize, will the elect be saved?" is like asking, "If there is no predestination, will the predestined be saved?" God knows those who are his and he will raise up messengers to win them. If someone refuses to be a part of that plan, because he dislikes the idea of being tampered with before he was born, then he will be the loser, not God and not the elect. "You will certainly carry out God's purpose however you act but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John." (Problem of Pain chapter 7, Anthology, p 910, cf. p 80)
Prayer is like preaching in that it is a human act also. It is a human act that God has ordained and which he delights in because it reflects the dependence of his creatures upon Him. He has promised to respond to prayer, and his response is just as contingent upon our prayer as our prayer is in accordance with his will. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (I John 5:14). When we don't know how to pray according to God's will but desire it earnestly, "the Spirit of God intercedes for us according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).
In other words, just as God will see to it that His Word is proclaimed as a means to saving the elect, so He will see to it that all those prayers are prayed which He has promised to respond to. I think Paul's words in Romans 15:18 would apply equally well to his preaching and his praying ministry: "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles." Even our prayers are a gift from the one who "works in us that which is pleasing in his sight" (Hebrews 13:21). Oh, how grateful we should be that He has chosen us to be employed in this high service! How eager we should be to spend much time in prayer!
Your Life Is Your Time
Our lives are governed by time. That's why we're surrounded by clocks and calendars that dictate our activities. As the minutes tick by, we wonder where the day went. When responsibilities and pressures mount, we complain, "I just don't have time to get it all done!" But the reality is that God has given us enough time to do exactly what He's planned for our lives. Perhaps the bigger issue is whether we are using our time to do our will or the Lord's.
Time is a gift from God, and He has allotted each of us a measure in which to live and accomplish His purposes. We have only two options—to spend it temporally on our own interests or invest it eternally. Since time can never be retrieved or reversed, it's critical that we make the most of every opportunity the Lord provides.
The key to investing in eternity is following God's plan for your life, not just filling your days with activities. Jesus was allocated just thirty-three years of life on earth, but only the last three were spent in fulfilling His Messianic ministry. To us that seems like a waste of time. Yet Christ accomplished everything His Father gave Him to do. That's why on the cross He could say, "It is finished" (John 19:30).
Scripture compares earthly life to "a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14), but eternal life never ends. It's foolish to spend your life on a vapor when you can reap everlasting benefits by following God's will for your time here. Each day is an opportunity to choose.
Avoiding Compromise
� The sons of Eli dishonoring the priesthood (1 Samuel 2)
� Korah�s rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16)
� Ananias and Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5)
� An incestuous church member delivered over to Satan for his destruction (1 Corinthians 5)
� Those who have known the �good things� of God but have withdrawn after having �tasted� them (Hebrews 6:4-6)
� Willful sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth (Hebrews 10:26)
� Returning again to bondage after knowing the freedom in Christ (2 Peter 2:20-22)
All sin produces �death� (James 1:15), and all of us will die because of sin (Genesis 3:19; Hebrews 9:27). But this deadly sin brings about the premature �execution� of a believer when he or she consciously refuses to follow known righteousness and instead chooses open ungodliness. May it never be so among us. HMM III
Although the temptation to compromise threatens every believer, we don't have to give in. If we're aware of the danger and understand the downward progression and ultimate consequences, we can determine to be vigilant in obedience to the Lord.
The first step in learning how to avoid compromise is understanding why it is so tempting. When others pressure us to take part in in what we know God has forbidden, it's easy to give in because we don't want to feel rejected. But anyone who's committed to living a godly life must be willing to stand alone and face ridicule or even persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). At other times, we consent to activities that violate our conscience just to avoid conflict, but peace at any price means we have to sacrifice obedience to God.
However, the temptation to compromise doesn't always originate with others. In fact, James 1:14 says we are tempted when we're carried away by our own lusts. How many Christians have fallen into sexual immorality or pornography by desiring a second look? Greed is another motivation that drives us to compromise. If you fudge on your income tax or take a few things home from the office, you've stepped over the line of obedience to God. Our choices should be based on scriptural truth, not on our feelings and desires.
In order to stand firm against compromise, we must make God's Word the standard for our conduct. If you begin each day with the Lord in His Word, He will guide your way. Then when the Spirit gives a warning, obey immediately, because giving consideration to the temptation opens a door for Satan.
Deadly Sin
�If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.� (1 John 5:16)
Many pastors and other godly leaders have been asked about this verse. Usually, the question is asked from a very personal perspective: �Have I committed this kind of sin?�
This reference does not seem to apply to the famous �unforgivable sin� (Matthew 12:31), since that sin is the final rejection of God�s truth transmitted to all humanity by the Holy Spirit (John 3:19; 16:7-11). In the context of today�s text, John is clearly writing and warning believers that it is possible to commit a sin that is worthy of physical death�a sin so obvious to others that the brethren are not told to �pray for it.�
There are a few such examples in the Scripture.
�If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.� (1 John 5:16)
Many pastors and other godly leaders have been asked about this verse. Usually, the question is asked from a very personal perspective: �Have I committed this kind of sin?�
This reference does not seem to apply to the famous �unforgivable sin� (Matthew 12:31), since that sin is the final rejection of God�s truth transmitted to all humanity by the Holy Spirit (John 3:19; 16:7-11). In the context of today�s text, John is clearly writing and warning believers that it is possible to commit a sin that is worthy of physical death�a sin so obvious to others that the brethren are not told to �pray for it.�
There are a few such examples in the Scripture.
� The sons of Eli dishonoring the priesthood (1 Samuel 2)
� Korah�s rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16)
� Ananias and Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5)
� An incestuous church member delivered over to Satan for his destruction (1 Corinthians 5)
� Those who have known the �good things� of God but have withdrawn after having �tasted� them (Hebrews 6:4-6)
� Willful sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth (Hebrews 10:26)
� Returning again to bondage after knowing the freedom in Christ (2 Peter 2:20-22)
All sin produces �death� (James 1:15), and all of us will die because of sin (Genesis 3:19; Hebrews 9:27). But this deadly sin brings about the premature �execution� of a believer when he or she consciously refuses to follow known righteousness and instead chooses open ungodliness. May it never be so among us. HMM III
Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake
�Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man�s sake.� (Luke 6:22)
�Blessed� means �happy,� and it would seem paradoxical to try to find happiness by being persecuted. Most Christians are extremely reluctant to do anything that might make them less popular with their peers, let alone anything that might lead to social ostracism or even physical suffering. Yet, Jesus said that this is the way to find true happiness.
He did not say that blessing comes through suffering for foolishness� sake, or for carelessness� sake, or for sinfulness� sake. �Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness� sake� (Matthew 5:10). The principle is amplified by Peter: �If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye. . . . But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men�s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf� (1 Peter 4:14-16).
It hurts, of course, to be �cast out�as evil� when one is sincerely seeking to do right and to honor God. This was the experience of the blind man to whom Jesus gave sight. The religious authorities responded to his testimony with: �Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out� (John 9:34). Nevertheless, he now could see! Likewise, the religious leaders �raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.� Nevertheless, �the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost� (Acts 13:50, 52).
The situation exists today in many countries�soon perhaps in America. If so, may the Lord enable us to honor His name in suffering with joy and without compromise, for �Christ also suffered for us� (1 Peter 2:21). HMM
�Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man�s sake.� (Luke 6:22)
�Blessed� means �happy,� and it would seem paradoxical to try to find happiness by being persecuted. Most Christians are extremely reluctant to do anything that might make them less popular with their peers, let alone anything that might lead to social ostracism or even physical suffering. Yet, Jesus said that this is the way to find true happiness.
He did not say that blessing comes through suffering for foolishness� sake, or for carelessness� sake, or for sinfulness� sake. �Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness� sake� (Matthew 5:10). The principle is amplified by Peter: �If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye. . . . But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men�s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf� (1 Peter 4:14-16).
It hurts, of course, to be �cast out�as evil� when one is sincerely seeking to do right and to honor God. This was the experience of the blind man to whom Jesus gave sight. The religious authorities responded to his testimony with: �Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out� (John 9:34). Nevertheless, he now could see! Likewise, the religious leaders �raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.� Nevertheless, �the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost� (Acts 13:50, 52).
The situation exists today in many countries�soon perhaps in America. If so, may the Lord enable us to honor His name in suffering with joy and without compromise, for �Christ also suffered for us� (1 Peter 2:21). HMM
The Names of Godby Max Lucado In the three years as I came to know my wife, Denalyn, our relationship evolved. And with each change came a new name. She went from acquaintance to friend to eye-popping beauty to date to fianc�e and wife. Now she is confidante, mother of my children, life-long partner. The more I know her the more names I give her.
And the more God�s people came to know him, the more names they gave him. Elohim, strong one or creator. Jehovah-raah, a caring shepherd. Jehovah-jireh, the Lord who provides. These are just a few of the names of God which describe his character. Study them, for in a given day, you may need each one of them.
God, the shepherd who leads, the Lord who provides, the voice who brings peace in the storm, the physician who heals the sick, the banner that guides. And most of all� He Is!
Our Growth as Christians
And the more God�s people came to know him, the more names they gave him. Elohim, strong one or creator. Jehovah-raah, a caring shepherd. Jehovah-jireh, the Lord who provides. These are just a few of the names of God which describe his character. Study them, for in a given day, you may need each one of them.
God, the shepherd who leads, the Lord who provides, the voice who brings peace in the storm, the physician who heals the sick, the banner that guides. And most of all� He Is!
Our Growth as Christians
There's a goal to the Christian life, which God expresses this way: "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29). This refining process is called sanctification. And there are several identifiable stages en route to this goal, but sadly, most believers are unfamiliar with them. Let me offer some definitions so you can identify where you are on the journey and understand what to expect.
Salvation is the first stage of the Christian life. This describes our redemption from sinfulness through Jesus' atoning sacrifice. What results is forgiveness of sin, which lets us have a relationship with Almighty God.
Next, God gives us opportunity to serve (Eph. 2:10). We were created to do good works in Jesus' name.
But at some point, we notice something isn't working. This is the start to stage three: frustrated inadequacy. This unpleasant but necessary part of the journey can last varying amounts of time. Without it, we'd undoubtedly experience self-sufficiency and pride. But we should recognize this difficult phase as beautiful because it leads us into the best part of our spiritual lives: total dependency upon Jesus as Lord of our life. And we will be fulfilling our ultimate goal: becoming a reflection of Christ.
Sadly, many Christians don't reach a point of complete reliance on the Lord. Pride, discouragement, and distraction can ruin focus and perseverance. Paul reminds us to fix our eyes on the goal of maturity in Christ (Phil. 3:14). Learning to die to self is painful, but ironically, it's the only true way to life.
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