The Spirit does what the law could not–sanctification

(3)  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,  (4)  so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  (5)  For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  (6)  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,  (7)  because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,  (8)  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  (9)  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. (Rom 8:3-9)

John Piper delivers a thought provoking sermon on “How the Spirit Does What the Law Could Not Do,” based on Rom 8:3-9. Piper intends answering the following questions in his sermon:

“Did he turn us away from the law for justification and then send us back to it for sanctification? Is the law the first and chief and decisive focus of our lives if we want to triumph over our rebellion and our craving for God's creation over God? If we want to love our enemies and not return evil for evil, and have patience and kindness, and be bold and courageous in the cause of righteousness, and endure hardship joyfully in service of the gospel, and spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples, then where shall we turn for help? How do we become holy, loving, and Christ-like after we are justified by faith alone?

“What do you do? Where do you turn? What is your focus and passion? How do you fight for holiness and love and Christ-likeness? You must fight. The alternative of pursuing holiness is to perish (Hebrews 12:14). How do you fight? Is law the key that unlocks a life of love?”

You can either read or listen to his sermon here!

Completed by the Spirit: a series on sanctification

Whenever we hear the word sanctification, it is quite normal in many circles to conjure up the idea of now following the law in order to e sanctified. It reminds me of the apostle Paul’s question: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal 3:3)

Ed Trefzger has written a series at Christ My Covenant, called Completed by the Spirit.

 

Here is the Completed by the Spirit series by Ed Trefzger. May you enjoy, learn and live as Completed by the Spirit.

 

Completed by the Spirit, Part 1: Five Propositions

Completed by the Spirit, Part 2: A Resurrection Like His

Completed by the Spirit: Part 3 – The Law Cannot Cope With Sin

Completed by the Spirit Part 4: The ‘Poverty of our Sanctification?’

Completed by the Spirit Part 5: We Serve In The Spirit

Completed by the Spirit Part 6: We Serve In The Spirit

Completed by the Spirit Part 7: Paul, the Unconverted Jew

Completed by the Spirit Part 8: Paul, Redeemed but Struggling

Completed by the Spirit Part 9: ‘It Cannot Justify, It Cannot Sanctify’

Completed by the Spirit Part 10: The Law of the Spirit of Life Has Set You Free

Completed by the Spirit Part 11: Not of the Letter, But of the Spirit

Completed by the Spirit Part 12: Not of the Letter, But of the Spirit

Completed by the Spirit Part 13: Not of the Letter, But of the Spirit

Completed by the Spirit Part 14: The Very Stuff of New Covenant Ethics

Completed by the Spirit Part 15: Producing Fruit, Not Inspecting Fruit

Completed by the Spirit Part 16: Exhorted in our Union With Christ

Completed by the Spirit Part 17: The Gospel Brings About All Aspects of Our Salvation

Completed by the Spirit Part 18: If We Have the Spirit, Why Do We Need Instruction?

Completed by the Spirit Part 19: Imperatives Rooted in the Indicative

Completed by the Spirit Part 20: A Pattern of Indicative-Powered Imperatives

Completed by the Spirit Part 21: Do Not Submit Again to a Yoke of Slavery

Completed by the Spirit Part 22 (Final): A Summary

Being led by the Spirit doesn’t mean what you think it does!

When we hear the phrases "walk by the Spirit" or "led by the Spirit," most Christians immediately assume that the subject matter is about hearing God's voice in order to find out if Suzie is the one to marry, or if they should work for Apple, or move to another city. We have been programmed by the influences of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements to such an extent that we find it difficult to think any other way!

But, what do those phrases really mean? Do you know where they are found in the Scriptures? Of course, the only way we can truly know what these phrases mean, is to actually study the passages in question, where these phrases are used.

Image courtesy nicholsoncartoons.com.au

A few years after I was saved I started attending a pentecostal church where the gifts of the Holy Spirit were big. Of course, this had a real influence on me, since I was only 17 when I started there. By the time I had finished my time in the army, having fought in the Angolan bush war, I returned to join a charismatic church in the same town as the pentecostal one. These people tried even harder to hear God's voice. Through them I was put in contact with the Bible school that I attended. Here we attended seminar's on how to hear God's voice, and how to hear that still small voice. We also attended seminars on how to "move" in the prophetic and the like.

Sure, some "heard" God and did things and it worked out for them. Yet, for many others who "heard" God, it never worked out! This created an extra pressure on Christians to hear God better. If you did not hear God, Who was to spell out your life's journey for you, then you just were not spiritual enough! Of course, we learnt that we could not do anything unless God gave the go ahead. If God did not tell you to change jobs, you simply stayed put, no matter how unbearable the situation. If God did not tell you to marry Suzie, no matter how you felt, you simply had to stay away from the love of your life. You even had to resist telling people about Jesus in case you ended up telling the wrong person! It became the new law: hear God's voice, or stay put!

However, I would like to show in this post, that the phrases "walk by the Spirit" and "led by the Spirit", as used in the New Testament, have nothing to do with hearing God's voice in some form or another, in order to find out your next step in life, or what your vocation should be, but all about your Christian conduct in this life.

New Year's Resolutions: What's the hype?

Image courtesy Just Midlife

New Year's Resolutions! (from now on NYR) Almost everybody comes up with one or more resolutions every year for personal improvements in the coming year, just to break those NYRs by the second week of the year! Why then even bother with NYRs? It truly seems to use up more energy making these NYRs than keeping them!

So, what is really the big deal about NYRs? Human beings are created for new beginnings. Just look at life. There are new births happening all the time! And, I am not just thinking of new babies. These new births happen in our own lives through the different phases of our lives.