CHAPTER 12 YOU DO IT
Throughout this country there are Christians who sit back waiting for God to complete everything in their lives that He desires to be done. The basis for their inaction is twofold. Some honestly love God, but base their entire Christian walk on Eph.2:8 which tells us that "... it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not works, so that no one can boast..." The second reason has to do with the fear that if we do anything we might become prideful and fall into the trap of deception warned against in Gal.6:3. It is reasoned that "If I don't do anything I will have no reason to think more of myself than I ought and therefore cannot become deceived. After all, if God wants me to do something, He will tell me directly, won't He?"
On the other extreme we have people who are unwilling to wait upon the Lord and allow Him to work out His plan for their lives. They live by the motto; "God helps them who help themselves." Unfortunately however, they do not realize that that maxim was written by Benjamin Franklin, not God.
There is however a correct balance between the 'do nothings' and the 'self achievers.' Part of the problem which is encountered in the area of works stems from a failure to understand the difference between salvation of our spirit, which is past tense in nature and came about solely by grace (Eph.2:8), and salvation of our soul, which is present tense in nature and involves some effort on our part (Ja.2:24 and Phil.2:12). A more detailed discussion of this difference and how these two distinct salvations relate to the eventual redemption of our physical bodies can be found in Chapter 5 of The Last Enemy. For now simply let me state that the salvation of our spirit has been completed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and is by grace alone. There is nothing more that should be done, or could be done on our part to help this redemptive work (Eph.2:8; Ro.5:9; Ro.3:24-25; Heb.10:14 & Heb.7:27). Without the single all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus, there would be no salvation of either spirit, soul or body. However, as can be seen from Ja.2: 22-24 & 26; Phil2:12 and Rev.19:7 there is a work in which we must participate.
Acts 3:21 tells us that Jesus "... must remain in heaven UNTIL THE TIME COMES FOR GOD TO RESTORE EVERYTHING, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets." (emphasis added). Some might be tempted to say that we have nothing to do with that process because God is the one who will do the restoring. My response to that it to agree totally - in part. Now, while that may sound contradictory, I can assure you that it is not. Allow me to explain. God will indeed do the restoration, and our old nature and desires will have nothing to do with the process. However, our NEW NATURE, with its NEW DESIRES, will be an integral part of that work. Jesus is the head of the body, but we are the body (Eph.1:22-23 and 5:29-30), and the head cannot say to the rest of the body "I don't need you." (I Cor.12:21).
In reading that last sentence please be as cognizant of Ro.12:3 as I was in writing it. "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment..." Judgment will indeed begin with the family of God (I Pe.4:17), but that judgment will be as much for what we have failed to do as for any excess that we may have done (Lk.19:11-26) I know that God will forgive us everything "If we confess our sins ..." (I John 1:9). But if you don't know that there is a very specific work which God has for you to do, you will not confess your lack of knowledge and the resultant inaction it breeds, as sin. Lack of knowledge is deadly (Hosea 4:6). And while you will go to heaven when you die, you may well have to needlessly die to get there even if this is the last generation, simply because you have not attempted to take part in the final task which the Father has for the Body of Christ here on this earth.
God will do the restoring, but I ask you now, "Have you ever considered HOW He will bring about this restoration, or what tool He will use to accomplish this task?" Let's turn for a moment to the book of Romans. Only this time turn to chapter 6 verse 13 wherein we read "...offer yourselves to God ... offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness." Ro.12:1 also tells us to "... offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God ... do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world."
From these verses we begin to see two things. First, WE are the ones who are to do the offering up of the sacrifice. No one is going to pick us up and place us on the altar, or bind our hands and feet and force us to do it. Secondly, WE offer ourselves so that we might become instruments, or tools, of righteousness. II Tim.2:21 carries through with this same thought by showing us that the condition precedent to our being an "instrument for noble purpose, made ready, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" is that we must first cleanse ourselves from the acts of our sinful nature (Col.3:8 and II Cor.7:1). The point is, there is something which we must do and this action relates directly to our usefulness as instruments of righteousness. No instrument is made by its creator to sit forever on a shelf. It is made to perform some particular task.
Before we take a closer look at what that task is which God has in store for these "instruments of righteousness", I would like to first address the issue of what part we are to play in the formation process. Col.3:2 directs us to "set your minds on things above" (emphasis added), and II Cor.10:5 says "we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (emphasis added). Now, both of these verses put the responsibility squarely on our shoulders.
Similarly, II Pe.1:5-7 tells us the WE are the ones who are to add the seven listed virtues to our faith. They will not be miraculously added with no effort on our part. In fact, verse 5 pointedly tells us to "Make every effort..." to do the addition. The level of our commitment to this task was discussed in Cha. 5, and I urge you to review it because there is a direct relationship between our duty to act, and the level of our commitment. Just as importantly though, verse 9 of II Peter chapter 1 tells us that if we ignore our responsibility to do the things we are directed to do in verses 5 through 7 then we are blind and nearsighted. Such blindness and nearsigntedness could possibly be one of the reasons why so many of God's children are failing to walk in divine health (Matt.13:15).
Not only do we open ourselves up to physical attacks from satan when we stumble around in spiritual blindness, but our failure to exercise control over our own minds puts us in a disadvantageous position in our war with him. Prov.25:28 likens a person with no self control unto a city whose walls are broken down. That would explain why Peter directs all of us, and particularly the young among us, to be "self controlled and alert" (I Pe.5:8; see also Titus 2:6). It also explains why Paul makes "self control" a requirement which must be met by all bishops (I Tim.3:2 and Titus 1:8).
However, this does not mean that we exercise the same type of self-control that a non-believer attempts to exercise when he tries to kick some habit, or change some behavior pattern. After all, we are now a "new creation" in Christ (II Cor.5:17), and "... have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on a new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator" (Col.3:9-10). WE have the obligation to "put to death" the misdeeds of our old nature, but we do so "by the Spirit" (Ro.8:13).
II Tim.1:7 lets us know that we can do it, for God has not given us a "spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self discipline" (emphasis added; see also "Modern Language", "Jerusalem Bible", "New English Bible and "New American Standard" translation of this verse). Therefore, we can see why "self control" is part of the fruit of the Spirit as set forth in Gal.5:22. Besides His Spirit, God has given us His grace, which enables us to live "self controlled upright and Godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:11; see also Modern Language, New English Bible and Jerusalem Bible translations).
The duty to exercise self control is definitely ours, but we have been given all that we need in order to be successful. Remember, Phil.4:13 tells us that we can do everything through Him who (which-KJV) gives us strength. Furthermore, let us not forget that we have already been blessed in the heavenly realm with "every spiritual blessing" (Eph.1:3), and since the spiritual realm creates the physical one, there is nothing more that we need to bring total self control into our life (John 4:24 & Gen.1:3 -see Chapters 1 & 4 of Needful Things). The self which exercises the necessary control in us is no longer a single entity trying to "do it my way." Rather, our new self is a partnership between our new creation and God's Spirit which lives within us.
Just as our duty to exercise self control combines our action with God's ability, so also does the battle which we wage with satan. We all know that there is a battle, Eph.4:12 clearly tells us that, but notice that WE are the ones who are to take the initiative by putting on the armor (vs.11), and WE are the ones who must use the weapons (II Cor.10:4). Unlike Jonathan in I Sam.14:6, we do not have someone who will carry our armor for us.
While on the topic of armor, we need to take note of an often overlooked portion of the account of David and Goliath as recorded in I Sam.17:1-51. According to verse 39, Saul's armor was of no use to David because he was not used to it. In this instance, it was wise for David not to have used Saul's armor; after all, it was of no value to Saul, why would it benefit David? David chose the weapons which God had trained him to use, the sling and the stone. Likewise, God has provided us with spiritual armor which will be useful and effective, IF we become totally familiar with each piece and its correct use. Should we fail to learn how to use it, then it will be as useless to us, as was Saul's to David.
I am sure that we are all aware of the last portion of Ja.4:7 which says "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Now, while it is true that implies action on our part, we often times fail to quote the first portion of verse 7, even though it tells us HOW we are to resist satan. I believe that the reason it is so seldom quoted is that it specifically directs us to do something which many Christians are unwilling to do. They are unwilling to do what is required because it puts them in a position they find extremely uncomfortable in that up to this point they have not been willing to make the requisite changes called for in their lives.
That portion reads as follows, "Submit yourselves then to God ..." In short, our ability to resist satan is dependent upon how much of ourselves we have submitted to God. When we submit ourselves to God's authority in our lives we are voluntarily humbling ourselves before Him. What many believers do not realize however, is that this same humility will greatly impact the level of success we have in our battle with satan. Ja.4:10; I Pe.5:6 & Col.3:12 each direct us to clothe ourselves with humility and compassion. But I Pe.5:5 shows us the importance of humility when it says that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (emphasis added), and as we have already seen, we need grace in order to be victorious in this battle.
Heb.4:16 tells us to approach the throne of grace "... that we may ... find grace TO HELP US IN OUR TIME OF NEED" (emphasis added). Notice two things there. First, action on our part is again required, for we are told to approach the throne. Second, the grace of God, freely and unmeritoriously given to us by God, has been designed by God to help us, not simply make robots of us.
Return for a moment to James chapter 4. This time we find in verse 8 both a promise and a condition precedent to the promise when we read, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." As was true with both the point about self control and the point about grace, action on our part is needed. But, as we are clearly shown in Heb.7:19, that action is possible only because of what God has already done, and is presently doing for us (Heb.7:19; I Pe.3:18 and Eph.2:18).
There is one further aspect of our obligation to initiate activity which I would like to mention before we go into the area of what the work is that we are to do. This obligation concerns our duty to actively do that which we are specifically directed to do by God in His Word. "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says" (Ja.1:22). To hear and then not act upon that which you have heard is the height of deception, and such deception is physically deadly.
Eve was deceived (I Tim.2:14 & II Cor.11:3). She and Adam failed to do what God directed, and that failure led to their becoming physically separated from God. Likewise, the Israelites in the wilderness failed to act upon God's promise by taking possession of the promised land and therefore died (Nu.13:2&31 and 14:23). The point I am making is concisely stated for us in Jer.25:7, "... but you did not listen to Me declares the Lord ... and you have brought harm to yourselves."
Failure to do that which God directs leads to self imposed disaster; whereas, acting upon His Word is a prerequisite to guaranteed protection and success (Deut.11:22-23 and Joshua 1:8). Under both the Old and New Covenant those who actively do that which is commanded are blessed (Deut.11:26-27 and Lk.11:28). Phil.4:9 tells us that the God of peace will be with us WHEN we put into practice that which we have learned, heard and seen (see the Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible and New American Standard renditions of this verse). While it is most certainly true that having God with us when we carry out His directives is a blessing in and of itself, it is also true that He has much more in store for us IF we act.
Heb.2:10-11 tells us that the sons whom Jesus is bringing to glory are called His brothers. At the same time however, we must not forget that His brothers are those "who hear God's word and put it into practice" Lk.8:21), which as we have seen from Matt.12:50, is synonymous to doing the Father's will. This brings us to the "work" we are to do. This work, or task, which God has prepared for us, combined with our willingness to make ourselves available to God as His instruments of righteousness, is related to the glory mentioned in Heb.2:10.
In John 19:30 Jesus said, "It is finished." The price had been paid. At the same time however, Eph.2:10 tells us "...we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works" (see also II Cor.9:8 & II Tim.3:17). Both I Cor.3:9 and II Cor.6:1 calls us "God's fellow workers," and I Cor.12: 22 shows us that even as the weaker members of the body of Christ we are "indispensable." We know that Jesus' work is completed and that He is in heaven, yet, we also know that He is there waiting for His enemies to "be made His footstool" (Heb.10:13). Since Jesus is finished with His work, and we are His body (co-workers) here on earth, it would seem that WE have an indispensable part to play in this forthcoming task. In Mal.4:2 we see both the task and its joint nature when we read this prophecy, "But you who revere My name ... YOU will trample down the wicked, they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things, says the Lord Almighty" (emphasis added).
Jesus destroyed the power of sin through His death (Heb.2:14), and in so doing brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (II Tim.1:10). However, at this time, this destruction of evil power is completed only in the realm of the spirit. It is our function, through the power of Christ working in us, to be the instruments God uses to bring about that destruction in the realm physical. Remember though, we must first purify ourselves before we can be such vessels. And it was for this presenting of everyone perfect in Christ that Paul labored so mightily. When this task has been completed, then the last enemy, (death itself) will be destroyed, and the immortality which has already been brought to light in the realm of the spirit, will be as real in the physical realm as it is in the spiritual (I Cor.15:26).
For those who say that our only work is to preach the gospel of salvation pursuant to the directive of Mk.16:15, I would like to point out several verses which deal with that topic. Matt.24:14 tells us that the end will come about AFTER the "gospel of the kingdom" has been proclaimed "in the whole world." Now, did you realize that the grace of God that brings salvation has ALREADY appeared to all men (Titus 2:11)? More to the point, have you ever read Col.1:23 which says that "This GOSPEL that you heard and that HAS BEEN PROCLAIMED TO EVERY CREATURE UNDER HEAVEN..."? The Jerusalem Bible translation of this verse is perhaps the clearest. It lays to rest any question as to its meaning when, while referring to the gospel, it says "...which has been preached to the whole human race..." Now, while that may destroy some theology, it does not present a problem when we remember the difference between spirit, soul and body.
In the realm of the spirit the gospel has indeed been preached to all mankind. Therefore, anyone who is attempting to preach the gospel to save spirits is wasting his time, for that has already been completed. The gospel we are to preach has as its purpose the salvation of souls. However, whenever someone accepts Christ as their Savior, we know that they have not yet completely renewed their minds, for many old desires still remain.
Since Ro.12:2 tells us that it is the complete renewal of our mind (ie. soul) which leads to the redemption of our body, and it is in the physical realm that Jesus' glory will one day shine (see Cha. 2 of The Last Enemy), there must be more to the Gospel which is to be preached than we traditionally think of as the "salvation message." What generally comes to mind when we think of the "gospel" is telling people about Jesus so they will accept Him and not go to hell. However, while there can be no doubt that accepting Jesus is the first "work" (John 6:29), that is only one quarter of the total gospel. And if that is all that is preached about, or acted upon, then we are not truly fulfilling the commission Jesus gave us.
If you will turn to Rev.14:6-7 I believe you will find the other three-quarters of the "eternal gospel." The message given by the angel in a loud voice was "FEAR God, and give Him GLORY ... and WORSHIP Him." (emphasis added). In addition to preaching the traditional gospel, we must preach the necessity of FEARING God, GLORIFYING God, and WORSHIPPING Him. In Chapters 15, 16, & 17 of Needful Things we discussed in some detail what it means to worship God. After reading them, if there is still any question as to what importance our worship of God is to play in our lives, simply remember that God considers worship of Him to be a part of the eternal gospel which is necessary for TOTAL salvation of all three parts of our being - Spirit, Soul & Body.
There is not enough room in this study to discuss in any detail the topic of what it means to fear God. That will be the topic of another chapter in this book. As to its importance, all you need to do is to recall that knowledge of the Most High God is clearly related to the redemption of our bodies, and Prov.1:7 tells us that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (see Chapter 12 of The Last Enemy).
Concerning that portion of the eternal gospel which tells us to glorify God, we can find out how Jesus glorified the Father by turning to John 17:4. Therein we are told that while in the garden Jesus prayed unto the Father, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me." I John 2:6 tells us that we also must walk as Jesus did, but now we can see one of the reasons why we should. In doing so we will complete the task which the Father has given us, which in turn will bring glory to the Him. Remember, as the Father sent Jesus - so also have we been sent, and that includes being sent forth with a purpose (John 17:18).
Those who truly are Jesus' brothers will also seek to glorify the Father by completing the work which He assigned to the body of Christ. That task consists of first purifying ourselves, and the offering up of ourselves unto the Most High God in order that we might be used by Him as instruments of righteousness. It also includes the spreading of the total "eternal gospel," ministering unto the Father, and then ministering unto our brothers and sisters in the Lord as God directs. WE must hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matt.5:6), finding when we do that like Jesus, our food "... is to do the will of Him who sent Me." (John 4:34).
Allow me to close with this thought. While it is true that the body of Christ is an indispensable part of the end time work as set forth in Malachi, your failure to initiate action as set forth in Scripture (ie. actively seeking to be His instrument, and actively taking part in the task ahead) could prevent you from being a physically living member of that body when the end comes. A parallel to the admonition Mordecai gave Esther would apply here (Esther 4:14). If you fail to do that which is necessary to make yourself available unto God as an instrument of righteousness in order that He may then use you to help liberate mankind from the bondage of decay spoken of in Ro.8:21, then He will raise up others in your place, but you will perish. Let us therefore give glory unto the Father on earth by completing the task He has given us.