Thanks, reformationtheology.com…
“People don’t earn God’s approval or receive life and salvation because of anything they’ve done. Rather, the only reason they receive life and salvation is because of God’s kindness through Christ. There is no other way.
“Many Christians are tired of hearing this teaching over and over. They think that they learned it all long ago. However, they barely understand how important it really is. If it continues to be taught as truth, the Christian church will remain united and pure – free from decay. This truth alone makes and sustains Christianity. You might hear an immature Christian brag about how well he knows that we receive God’s approval through God’s kindness and not because of anything we do to earn it. But if he goes on to say that this is easy to put into practice, then have no doubt he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and he probably never will. We can never learn this truth completely or brag that we understand it fully. Learning this truth is an art. We will always remain students of it, and it will always be our teacher.
“The people who truly understand that they receive God’s approval by faith and put this into practice don’t brag that they have fully mastered it. Rather, they think of it as a pleasant taste or aroma that they are always pursuing. These people are astonished that they can’t comprehend it as fully as they would like. They hunger and thirst for it. They yearn for it more and more. They never get tired of hearing about this truth.”
— Martin Luther, from Faith Alone, ed. James C. Galvin
Matthew 26:59-63
Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus remained silent.
We have a tendency to rabidly pursue justice for ourselves, and to ignore when others are wronged or oppressed. That’s why we look at Jesus’ silence in the face of death-by-false-witness, and wish we could yell at him to defend himself. It just isn’t right that a man who has done nothing wrong wouldn’t stand up for himself, especially when he’s facing certain death because of his silence. So Jesus is weird. We knew that.
Peter doesn’t seem weird to us, however. Even if our best inclination is that he should go try to defend Jesus from the murderous clergymen, we’re not really surprised that he doesn’t. It’s a rare man who goes out of his way to risk his life for another. So Peter is like most of us. We knew that.
What do you do when you’re wronged? When someone in the church accuses you of sin you didn’t commit, or when some busybody threatens to call the police because you disciplined your child in public? When the boss fires you for no reason, or when the persecutors come to set fire to your home because you’re a Christian? When anyone says or does anything that wrongly damages your reputation?
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I often feel like I’m running around in this life trying to prove myself to someone. I want to be the smartest, funniest, most likable person that you know. If you tell me about someone else being smart, funny, or likable, I’ll probably get jealous and try to think of ways to tell you that in fact I am smart, funny, and likable. And you don’t want to see me when we’re talking about spirituality.
I’ll do almost anything to avoid bearing the brunt of jokes, insults, or accusations: even if they’re true. If something I say or do gets me into trouble, I’ll try to spin it so that someone else ends up looking worse. If you tell me it looks like I’ve been gaining weight, I’ll quickly inform you that in fact I have been working out recently, and it’s probably muscle you’re noticing in those chins.
It could be that I’m trying to protect myself against losing something important to me. Or it could well be that I’ve lost that something, and I’m trying to get it back. Or maybe it’s that I’m trying to get something I never had in the first place.
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The Bible teaches that we should do good things rather than bad things, and that we should do them from good motives like loving God or loving other people. The Bible condemns bad motives (selfish pride, envy, lust, etc.) along with bad actions (boasting, murder, adultery, etc.).
But good motives and bad motives frequently produce the same good actions. Selfish pride can produce upright behavior; envy can help you provide well for your family; lust can produce chivalry. These actions are all condoned by the Bible, but the motives behind them are strongly condemned.
So what do you do when you are aware of both good and bad motives at work in you to produce the same good action? This is a real dilemma, because it happens most of the time a Christian does anything at all. You truly love your wife and want to treat her to a special evening, and you really want others to see this trophy on your arm at the most expensive restaurant in town… so do you still take her there? If you do, your ego is fed, which is bad. But your wife feels loved, which is good.
Help??
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I know, I’m not very creative. Not only do I need serious inspiration to even make my poor attempts at “poetry,” but I must resort to blatant thievery, stealing material from conversations with The Great Robert Bruce. And it still turns out like this…
Arrest
What do you do
when arrested by
steel cuffs clapped on the wrist bone?
her eyes?
notice of severance?
the sweet, gurgling brook?
her death?
a stranger tapping your shoulder?
the fangs of the beast?
baby’s coo?
your failing heart?
the shotgun crack of strong words,
or some other weapon?
a sidewalk bakery?
wounded hands, feet and side?
Have you learned
a response?
Do you reject
the ache
of unbidden reality?
Do you ignore
the possibility
of life
interjecting?
Or
are the gray days
redeemed
by a
starker
color?
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Galatians 6:12-16
Galatians being my favorite book of the Bible, you can imagine how alarmed I was when I read on the inside flap of Ryken’s commentary that “Galatians was written for recovering Pharisees.” A Pharisee is simply someone who thinks he or she can be “good enough,” whether before God, others, or him- or herself.
Galatians has to do with two big, churchy Bible words—justification and sanctification. Justification basically means “becoming right with God.” Sanctification basically means “becoming a better person.” (Theologians, please stay off my back for using simple terms we can all understand.) Pharisees are always mixing up justification and sanctification. Historically and practically most Christians have had great difficulty holding these two ideas in proper perspective. It would make my day if I could help equip you to do this just a little better.
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