Category: Teaching Tracts

“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’”  Galatians 3:10

   Tithing today is what practicing the Sabbath was during Jesus’ day and what circumcision was during the apostle Paul’s time.  During Jesus’ ministry, the Sabbath Day had become a religious cornerstone for those who believed that righteousness was attained by observing the Law.  Jesus recognized the Pharisees’ religious attachment to the Sabbath and did not shy away from this controversy. Instead, He deliberately confronted the Pharisees by healing the sick on the Sabbath.  He used the Sabbath to show the difference between God’s righteousness and man’s self-righteousness. Jesus’ refusal to conform to their misguided interpretation of the Sabbath was a lightning rod that incited their anger and hatred toward Him.  Since Jesus had dealt with this controversy, the Sabbath did not become the religious flashpoint for the first century apostles.  Instead, circumcision became the sacred symbol for those who believed you must do something to establish your own righteousness.  Paul also could have avoided this controversy and the persecution that came with it.  However, he directly confronted it since he knew circumcision undermined the truth of the cross of Christ and the righteousness of God.

   The tithe (“a tenth” in Hebrew) is the Old Covenant practice of giving a tenth of your profit (crops or animals) to support the Levitical priesthood.  In Matthew 23:23, Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites for neglecting important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faith – yet carefully tithing their spices.  Jesus definitely was not endorsing tithing to us here.  Since He had not yet been crucified, the New Covenant had not yet begun.  Since Christ was born under the Old Covenant, he honored the Mosaic Law during His life. For example, in Matthew 8:2-4, Jesus instructed a leper He had healed to present the priest with two pigeons as an offering according to the Law of Moses.  However, if we now applied this Scripture out of context, all of us would be raising pigeons in our backyards to give to our pastors whenever we are healed.

    Tithing is not of the New Covenant just as the Sabbath and circumcision are not of the New Covenant.  By His completed work on the cross, Jesus Christ fulfilled these mere shadows of true righteousness. For example, Christ has now become our Sabbath rest.  When Christ died, we died with Him (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20).  Now that we no longer have a sinful nature and Christ lives in us, we can rest from our works and enter by faith into His rest and His works (Hebrews 4:10).  Jesus Christ also fulfilled the practice of circumcision. Through Christ’s death, God circumcised our sinful nature and removed it from us (Colossians 2:11).  In God’s eyes, we are now circumcised in heart (Philippians 3:3; Romans 2:29).  By His death, Jesus Christ also fulfilled our obligation to pay the tithe.  When Jesus died, we died with Him to sin (Romans 6:7-8) and to the Law (Romans 7:4-6).  Since we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, He now owns us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  All of our income and possessions, not just one-tenth, belong to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.

   Those who would compel Christians to tithe say that tithing preceded the Law of Moses by four centuries because Abraham once tithed some spoils of war to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-20).  Yet if this were true, then circumcision also surely preceded the Law and every disciple of Jesus would have to be circumcised to fulfill the righteousness of God.  However, Paul expressly refuted this false doctrine in his letter to the Galatians. It is important to remember the controversy over circumcision did not only concern salvation.  The Galatians were already saved – they had begun in the Spirit and were running the race of faith well (Galatians 3:3; 5:7).  But they faced a crucial question: Should they now try to live righteously by practicing religious principles and practices?  For the Galatians, those religious practices included circumcision.  Today, some say it includes tithing.  Yet Paul knew it was impossible to be righteous apart from Christ’s completed work on the cross.  Only Christ’s death on the cross makes us righteous and complete in Him (1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 10:4).  If we think we initially become Christians by faith but then try to be good Christians by practicing religious principles, the truth of the gospel is distorted and Christ died in vain (Galatians 3:3).  This is why Paul would not compromise even an inch on circumcision and warned, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough (Galatians 5:9).”

   The first century church never tithed; it practiced giving.  Jesus never taught His disciples to tithe and the apostles never taught new Christians to tithe.  The practice of tithing did not take hold until seven centuries later in the Catholic church.  The Protestant church later carried this “tradition” forward to support a salaried clergy and the construction of church buildings. Just as circumcision perverted the gospel in the first century, tithing distorts the gospel and subverts the righteousness of God that we can only receive by faith.  Some believe that even if tithing is no longer a law, it should be a principle.  This is also wrong; it is actually a sin because tithing undermines the grace of God and the cross of Christ.  If you practice tithing as a means of attaining righteousness, Christ will be of no benefit to you.  Therefore, we cannot compromise on tithing which clearly burdens believers with a yoke of slavery.  We entered the Christian life solely by faith in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross and we must live the Christian life the same way – by fixing our eyes on Christ and His work on the cross.  

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given through Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”   Galatians 3:13-14

“As you come to Him, the living stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5

   With the New Covenant, God fundamentally changed His divine priesthood. The Old Covenant had a separate and distinct priesthood – the Levites who were in charge of temple worship and were supported with tithes by the rest of God’s people.  With the New Covenant, however, the temple worship ceased because the body of Christ, His church, is now the temple of God (Ephesians 1:19-22).  The specialized, full-time priesthood that performed the temple service also ceased since all believers now constitute God’s priesthood who can directly know Him and serve Him (Hebrews 4:16; 8:11; 10:20; 1 Peter 2:5; and Revelation 1:6).  And the practice of the law of tithing ceased because there is no longer a need for God’s people to give ten percent of their income to support the temple  and the priesthood (Romans 7:4; Hebrews 7:12). The Bible records the main purpose of financial collections in the first century church was to help other believers in need (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-35; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; and 2 Corinthians 8:12-15).

   Yet much of the church today still practices a form of temple worship.  When most Christians say they are going to church, they mean they are going to a special building (or temple) to worship.  Much of the church also practices a separate and distinct priesthood (or professional clergy).  And many churches also practice tithing.  All of these practices are throwbacks to the Old Covenant.  In effect, most Christians today experience a New Covenant salvation but then practice a form of Old Covenant religion and temple worship.  When Christians neither know the truth nor practice the truth, they hire “professionals” who attempt to know God and interpret God for them.  This was never God’s New Covenant intention.

   The first century believers practiced a New Covenant form of church.  They met together in homes and they had a vibrant and functioning priesthood of believers. From among this active priesthood, the Holy Spirit appointed servant-leaders, or mature brothers called elders to provide oversight and shepherding (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-4).  And finally, the New Testament church did not practice tithing; they practiced giving.  However, during the second and third century, the church lost connection with its head, Jesus Christ.  When that occurred, the church lost sight of the truth of Christ’s completed work on the cross and the truth of Christ’s priesthood of all believers.

   These two divine truths are inseparably linked. When Christ died, we died with Him. Our sinful nature was crucified and buried (removed) with Him so that Christ might now sovereignly live in us (Romans 6:3-11).  When the church stopped submitting to Christ’s headship and believing this crucial provision of His Atonement, it lost Christ’s life.  Without Christ’s life, the church lost its identity in Christ and became carnal and soulish.  Church leaders became focused on their clergy status to protect, promote and profit from their religious position.  They increasingly relied on their own religious authority to ensure the obedience, unity and doctrinal purity of their church members.  They nullified the Scriptures and wrongly interpreted and divided the Biblical role of elders into three separate offices – bishops, pastors, and elders.  The Catholic church later added two more layers – cardinals and the pope – to this pyramidal hierarchy.  By the fifth century, this religious monarchy had completely destroyed the New Covenant’s priesthood of all believers and replaced it with a special caste of priests (called pastors in the Protestant church) who are salaried and “professional.”  This religious priesthood then reinstated the Old Covenant practice of tithing to support themselves and their “temple” cathedrals.

  We cannot expect God to approve and anoint any church that holds to a religious structure and tradition that contradicts the Scriptures (Matthew 15:6).  Whenever a church practices a form of temple worship, supports a salaried clergy separate from the laity and practices tithing, it is a sure sign that church is not submitted to Christ’s headship.  It is also a sure sign that church is not walking by faith in Christ’s completed work on the cross and that its life and identity are no longer in Christ.  The priesthood of all believers  is also linked to the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-10).  When all members of the body of Christ exercise their spiritual gifts, they do “the work of the ministry… according to the proper working of each individual part (Ephesians 4:12 & 16).”  Whenever the church gathers together, this functioning priesthood of believers should be normal and evident.  “What then shall we say, brothers?  When you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, and has an interpretation.  All these things must be done for the strengthening of the church (1 Corinthians 14:26).”  When the gifts of the Spirit are quenched and not freely expressed through the body, it is another sign that church is not submitted to Christ’s headship.  It “has lost connection with the head, from whom the entire body, supplied and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow (Colossians 2:19).

   Christ purchased His holy priesthood by His blood. His people need to repent from lawlessness and submit to Christ’s headship as the High Priest of their faith.  God has made this possible because of Christ’s death on the cross.  Then the divine mystery of what really happened on the cross will be revealed to His people and they will be restored to their rightful high calling – a royal priesthood to God.  “No longer will a man teach… his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me (Hebrews 8:11).” 

“To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom of priests to serve His God and Father – to Him be glory and power forever and ever!  Amen.”  Revelation 1:5

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”  1 Peter 4:12-13

   The prophet Malachi foretold that the Messiah would purify His chosen people as a refiner purifies gold and silver.  “But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire… He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness (Malachi 3:2-3).”  Zechariah also prophesied the Lord would purify the surviving remnant of His people like gold and silver are refined.  “And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested (Zechariah 13:9).” In Proverbs, King Solomon described the Lord as the refiner of His people.  “The melting pot is for silver and the crucible is for gold, but it is the Lord who tests the hearts of men (Proverbs 17:3).”

   In Biblical times, when the metal smith or refiner wanted to purify gold or silver, he would put the precious metals in a refining pot called a crucible.  He would then build a fiery furnace under the crucible.  When the gold or silver had melted in the crucible, the refiner would skim off the dross or impurities that rose to the surface.  The refiner would then repeat this process until he could see his own image reflected in the molten surface of the crucible.  Trials, afflictions and persecutions are the crucible that Christ uses to purify His church until He sees His image reflected in us.  “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10).” Gold or silver that passed the test of the furnace was called “refined” and had precious value.  “Take away the dross from the silver and there comes out a vessel for the smith (Proverbs 25:4).”  Those metals that failed to pass the test were “rejected.” In Jeremiah 6:29-30, God calls Israel “rejected silver” because He tried in vain to refine them.

   This crucible of suffering is also called the baptism of fire (Luke 3:16).  God has designed His crucible of fire and suffering to humble us and reveal the fullness of His Son in us.  Affliction, loneliness, heartbreak and persecution are all intended to bring us to the end of ourselves and into Christ’s fullness.  For as long as we think we have any spiritual life or strength in ourselves, Christ’s life cannot be fully manifested in us.  Therefore, suffering is intended to bring us to the point where we no longer trust in our own strength (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).  God will then reveal the power of His Son’s crucifixion in us so that we see that Christ not only died for us (Romans 5:8), but that we died with Christ (Romans 6:8).  When we know we have been crucified with Him and our sinful nature has been removed (Romans 6:6), we will no longer rely on our natural ability to serve Christ.  When we know this divine truth with certainty, we are able to trust Christ to live in us (Galatians 2:20).  Jesus Himself suffered God’s humbling of His soul.  “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8).”

   In the Book of Revelation, we see the new Jerusalem, the holy city, made of pure gold (Revelation 21:18).  This heavenly vision reveals the bride of Christ will be like gold purified by fire and clearly reflect the image of Christ in her.  This is what Jesus meant when He told the church of Laodicea to buy refined gold (Revelation 3:18).  What will it cost the church to buy Christ’s pure gold?  God has never changed the price: The cost is always our soul-life.  Jesus said, “He who has found his soul-life will lose it, and he who has lost his soul-life for My sake will find it (Matthew 10:39).” God will not destroy our soul; He transforms our soul into His Son’s image if we allow His crucible of suffering to humble us.  The apostle Paul said suffering produces character (Romans 5:3-4).  The Greek word used here for character is dokime whose root meaning is “proven and tested,” just as gold and silver has been tested in the crucible.  In other words, God’s suffering produces Christ’s character in us that has been proven under fire.  We may be surprised and think it is strange when we encounter fiery trials as a Christian.  Yet Peter assures us this testing is essential to purify our faith in Christ just as fire is necessary to refine gold (1 Peter 1:6-7; 4:12-13).  Job went through this fiery crucible when he said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him… when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold (Job 13:15; 23:10).”  We cannot expect to reign with Christ as His bride if we have not suffered with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).  When God’s crucible of suffering has removed the dross of unbelief from us, we will be dressed in faith as Christ’s bride.  Christ’s life will have been forged in us like gold refined by fire and we will reign with Him as vessels of honor fit for the Master’s use.  More importantly, we will truly know Him.

   The apostles understood God’s purpose in suffering was to prepare the church to be Christ’s bride and eternal companion.  That is why they rejoiced in suffering.  Peter said, “To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing (1 Peter 4:13).”  James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds… blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised (James 1:2, 12).”  Our joy in suffering is motivated by our longing to know Him despite the humiliation that suffering brings.  If we allow suffering to obtain its divine objective, we will become lovesick and, like the bride of Solomon, come up from the wilderness of suffering, leaning on our Beloved (Song of Songs 5:8; 8:5).

“… greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  1 Peter 1:6-7

“Christ is all and in all.”  Colossians 3:11

   The overriding theme of the New Testament is Jesus Christ.  This is particularly true of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, which reveals Christ more than any other letter in the New Testament.  Paul wrote this short letter around A.D. 62 from his imprisonment in Rome to the Christian community of house churches in Colossae, a city in what is now western Turkey.  In his letter, Paul unfolds the gospel to the “saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colossae” to help them see the majesty and power of the Son of God.  In just the first chapter of Colossians alone, Paul speaks of Christ thirty times.

   Paul starts his letter by stating that God’s kingdom is “the kingdom of the beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).”  Paul follows this by declaring that Jesus Christ is eternal God.  “He is the image of the invisible God… for in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form… He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15, 17; 2:9).” Paul then reveals Christ as the Creator.  “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).  Paul reveals Christ as the Redeemer.  “For the Father was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians 1:19-20).”

   Paul proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth.  “He is the head over all rule and authority (Colossians 2:10).” Paul declares Christ’s headship and authority in the church.  “He is also head of the body, the church… so that in everything He might have the supremacy (Colossians 1:18).” Paul also reveals Jesus Christ’s preeminent role in the new creation, which is His church, the body of Christ.  “He is the beginning, the first born from the dead… He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach (Colossians 1:18; 22).”  Paul tells them the Old Covenant feasts and the Sabbath are a “mere shadow of the things that were to come – the reality is found in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17).”  Paul declares that Christ, by His death on the cross, conquered Satan and his forces of darkness.  “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).”  Paul reveals that Christ is the mystery of God “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2-3).”  Paul tells the Colossians that Christ, who is the fullness of God and Creator, Redeemer and Sovereign Lord, now lives in them. Paul declares the mystery of God is “Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).”

   Yet Paul does not leave the Colossians with only doctrine about Christ.  Paul wants them to know Christ and be complete in Christ.  “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28).”  Paul exhorts them, “As you have received Christ as Lord, so live in Him (Colossians 2:6-7).”  How did they first receive Christ?  By faith!  Then how do they live in Christ?  By faith!  Paul warns them that man-made religion with its rules and regulations has no power to stop them from sinning (Colossians 2:20-23).” Paul proclaims the only way they can experience Christ’s life is to stay connected to Christ their head (Colossians 2:19).  He reminds them this is entirely possible if they know (believe and act) on the truth that they have died with Christ.  “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ (Colossians 3:3).”

   Paul uses the picture of circumcision to teach the Colossians that Christ removed their sinful nature from them when they were saved. “In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the sinful nature, by the circumcision of Christ (Colossians 2:11).” Paul then shifts in the very next verse (Colossians 2:12) from the Old Covenant seal of righteousness (circumcision) to the New Covenant seal of righteousness (baptism) in order to further show that their old sinful nature was removed from them when they were born again.  Paul explains that since their old sinful nature died and was removed (verse 2:11), it was then disposed of by burial: “Having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead (verse 2:12).”  By linking Old Covenant circumcision with New Covenant baptism, Paul leaves no doubt that the death and removal of the sinful nature, as symbolized by circumcision, is also portrayed by the burial stage of water baptism.  Paul’s point is that baptism confirms (just as circumcision did) that our old sinful nature not only died but was also removed from us through Christ’s death on the cross.  Having established this truth, Paul exhorts the Colossians to “put to death” the carnal attitudes and actions of their unconverted soul-life (Colossians 3:5) since they “have put on the new man who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of their Creator – a renewal in which… Christ is all and in all (Colossians 3:10-11).”

   Jesus Christ is the alpha and omega – the beginning and the end.  Christ is the head and we are His body.  Christ is the fullness of God and we have been given fullness in Him.  God’s desire is for Christ to be all sovereign in all His body.  This is the goal of the gospel and God’s eternal purpose.  If we believe and act on the divine truth that God has exchanged our sinful nature with His Son’s nature, then Christ will be all and in all.

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, set your hearts on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”  Colossians 3:1-4

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  2 Corinth 5:17

   There are three New Testament verses that start with the phrase: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, what counts is…” Each of these three verses completes the ending of this phrase with a different statement: What counts is a new creation; what counts is faith working through love; and what counts is obeying God’s commands.  When considered together in logical order, these three form a progression of truth that reveal how God works His eternal purpose in us for His glory.  Let’s consider the first verse: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is   a new creation (Galatians 6:15).”  The Bible discounts circumcision and anything else man can do to achieve righteousness. Only a righteousness based on God’s new creation counts for anything.  The new creation is the heart of the New Covenant and the basis of our new birth and salvation.  The old creation began in Adam.  The new creation began in Christ.  God’s new creation is the body of Christ, the church.  But before God could make His new creation, He had to first deal with the old creation, the Adam nature.  God had to take care of not only its fruit (our sinful actions); He had to remove its very root (our sinful nature).  

   Therefore, Jesus Christ died not only to forgive us for our sins; He also died to free us from our sinful nature.  Since we were born into sin, we had to die to be freed from sin. God accomplished this by including us in His Son’s death.  When Christ was crucified, our sinful nature died with Him (Romans 6:6).  When Christ was raised from the dead, we were raised with Him as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:5-6).  Jesus Christ now lives in us (2 Corinthians 13:5; Colossians 1:27).  Thus God used the death of His only Son to perform a divine heart transplant by which He replaced our terminally sin-sick heart with His Son’s holy heart.  This is the mystery of the gospel and the foundation of God’s new creation – His church.

   Now let’s consider the second verse: “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.  The only thing that counts is faith working through love(Galatians 5:6).”  Faith, which is motivated by love, is the way we work out our salvation.  “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16).”  This is the way faith works.  If we lay down our soul-life (our natural attitudes and abilities) for Christ’s sake and brethren’s sake, we abide in God’s love and true faith.  If we do not lay down our soul-life for the brethren, we do not abide in God’s love and we don’t know Him (1 John 4:8).  If we try to live the Christian life by dying to self through our own willpower and moral strength, we quench the power of Christ’s Spirit from working in us.  Therefore, having begun by the Spirit when we were born again, we now refuse to rely on our natural strength to live the Christian life (Galatians 3:3; Philippians 3:3).

   Knowing we have died with Christ, we now live by faith in the Son of God who lives in us (Galatians 2:20).  As we abide (remain united) in the power of Christ’s death, He abides in us with the power of His resurrection life (John 15:4).  “For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection (Romans 6:5).” Thus faith in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross is not only the basis for our spiritual birth (our salvation); it is also the only basis for our spiritual growth (our sanctification). This is the true gospel.  “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:17).”

   Finally, let’s now consider the third verse: “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing; what counts is obeying God’s commands (1 Corinthians 7:19).”  Obeying God’s commands is the outcome of our sanctification and the confirmation of our faith.  Our obedience springs from our faith in Christ’s triumph on the cross – when Christ died; we also died to the world (Galatians 6:14).  Do you really want to know Jesus?  Jesus Christ said He would reveal Himself to you if you obey Him (John 14:21).  “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands (1 John 2:3).”  Everyone who obeys God’s commands abides in Him and He in them; everyone who does not obey God’s commands does not know Him (1 John 3:6 & 24).  “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:26).”  This is what the apostle Paul called “the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5).” 

   It is possible for us to obey God commands because of God’s divine heart transplant, by which He made us a new creation in Christ.  “Because everyone who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:7).”  Everyone who is born of God is able to obey His commands and overcome sin because Christ who lives in us is greater than Satan, the ruler of this world (1 John 3:9; 4:4).  “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life (Romans 6:22).” The Bible says that everyone who obeys Jesus Christ inherits eternal life.  “He is the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).”

   If we are trying to be moral apart from faith in the cross of Christ, we are practicing a counterfeit Christianity not based on God’s new creation.  “Are you so foolish?  After beginning by the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by your human effort (Galatians 3:3)?”  God’s new creation in Christ is the only foundation for the true Christian life and the true church of Christ. 

“For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in our natural ability.”  Philippians 3:3

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12

   Are you suffering rejection, persecution and loss for the sake of Christ?  If you are not, you may need to reexamine your faith and ask yourself if you are really living godly in Christ Jesus.  Jesus said if they persecuted Him, they would also persecute everyone who follows Him (John 15:20).  This does not mean we can rightfully claim to be persecuted when others reject us for wrong behavior. However, it does mean we will experience hostility when Jesus Christ shines His light brightly through us in this dark world.  Sharing the true gospel can be a sure prescription for “how to lose friends and alienate people.”  The Bible calls Jesus Christ the “rock of offense (1 Peter 2:8)” and calls the gospel of Christ the “offense of the cross (Galatians 5:11).”  If we share the Kingship of Jesus Christ and the power of His cross in this fallen world, we can expect to offend others and suffer persecution.

   What is the gospel of the cross?  It is the message that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified for us and our old man of sin was crucified with Him (Roman 5:8; 6:6-8).  Therefore, our old sinful nature is dead and gone and the life we now live in this body, we live by faith in the Son of God who lives in us (Galatians 2:20).  The gospel of the cross has the power of God to convict us and deliver us from sin (1 Corinthians 1:18).  It is a hammer that can shatter the hardest heart.  It is a sword that can pierce the depths of our soul.  It is a fire that can consume our entire being.  The message of the cross is good news to all who are humble in spirit and know they need Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their life.  “Blessed is he who does not take offense with Me (Matthew 11:6).”  But the gospel of the cross is an offense to those who are proud in spirit and reject the need for Jesus Christ to live and rule in them.

   The devil tries to counterfeit everything in Christianity. There are false conversions and false disciples.  And, of course, there is a false gospel.  Instead of being a sword, a hammer or a fire, the false gospel is a feather that tickles the ears of its hearers (2 Timothy 4:3).  The false gospel doesn’t always directly deny Christ; instead, it subverts Christ’s sovereignty and crucifixion by appealing to man’s carnal desire for self-reliance.  Whereas the true gospel convicts us, the false gospel entertains us.  The false gospel is a feel-good message of “Christian” self-help.  When we hear the true gospel, we express remorse and repent from our sin and ask Jesus Christ to sovereignly live His life in us.  In contrast, the false gospel makes us feel confident about ourselves and boosts our self-esteem.  The false gospel boasts that we can change ourselves and fulfill ourselves by following “Christian” principles.  The true gospel proclaims we could not change ourselves and there was nothing of virtue in us worth reforming.  That’s why God had to righteously include us in His Son’s death so our sinful nature would be executed and buried (removed) in order that His Son might now sovereignly live in us.

   If we could successfully live the Christian life by just following Christian principles, we would not need Jesus Christ and the power of His crucifixion.  If we could change our behavior to conform to Christian virtues and use our natural talent and energy to do Christian work, then Christ would have died needlessly.  The false gospel is not much different than other world religions that inspire people to better themselves and find fulfillment through their dedicated efforts and so-called “keys” to successful living.   Many people have embraced this false gospel of self-empowerment that is sprinkled with a little Scripture to disguise it as a form of Christianity.  If you promote the false gospel in today’s world, you won’t suffer persecution.   In fact, you may become a popular author and conference speaker.  And you may even be asked to pray at the President’s Inaugural Ceremony or the President’s Annual Prayer Breakfast.  “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way (Luke 6:26).”
   In countries where Christianity is outlawed, sharing the gospel will cost you your freedom if not your life.  Even in nations where civil rights and religious freedom is protected, we will experience hostility when we share the true gospel.  The hardest rejection we experience may not come from “sinners” but from other professing “Christians.” This should not surprise us since Jesus said our enemies would be members of our own household (Matthew 10:36).  Sadly, many churchgoers have been blinded by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and have become enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:18), lovers of self rather than lovers of God, practicing a form of religion that denies Christ’s power (2 Timothy 3:1-5).   Those who are “religious” and live by the power of the soul have historically persecuted those who live by the power of the Spirit (Galatians 4:29).  Yet when we suffer for the gospel’s sake, we are blessed because the Spirit of glory rests on us (1 Peter 4:14).  We should consider our suffering as mild compared to our fellow believers around the world who suffer far worse for our Lord’s sake.  

   If we abide in Christ and He abides in us, our destiny and honor will be to suffer for His Name.  Since no persecution can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35), Jesus has commanded us to boldly share the gospel and love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).  This is surely Christ’s witness and only possible if we know that our sinful nature has already died with Him and entrust ourselves completely to our Lord Jesus who lives in us (Galatians 2:20).  Therefore, let us fix our eyes on Jesus and arm ourselves with this purpose of suffering for His sake (1 Peter 2:21-23; 4:1-13) so we may be considered worthy of our Lord and King for whom we endure all things (Acts 5:40-42).

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:11-12

“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24; & Mark 8:34-35

   By this statement, Jesus defined discipleship and what it means to be a Christian.  There is no way around what Jesus said.  We must take up our cross daily and lose our life for His sake or we cannot follow Him.  The Greek word for life used here is psyche, which means our soul-life. Our soul-life is based on our natural personality and includes our natural attitudes, affections and abilities.  At this point, we must strongly reinforce that the only way we can lose our soul-life is to know what Jesus Christ has already accomplished for us on the cross.  When Jesus Christ died, we died with  Him  (Romans 6:8; 2 Corinthians 5:14).  Our sinful nature was crucified with Him and removed from us (Romans 6:6).  Therefore, by Christ’s death, we have already died to the soulish life of this world (Galatians 6:14).  This is a divine fact that only God can reveal to you.

   Since God created our soul, He does not want to destroy our soul.  However, He does want to restore our soul to its proper place and use.  When Adam fell, man began to live independently by the power of his soul rather than by the life of God.  But then, two thousand years ago, through the death of His only Son, God “undid” the fall and laid the foundation for restoring man to His purpose and fellowship.  Now that we are born again, we no longer have Adam’s sinful nature within us; instead, we have Christ’s Spirit indwelling us (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20).  But now that we are in Christ, the question is, “Will we continue to be governed by the strength of our soul or will we be governed by the power of His Holy Spirit?”  

   When we live by the soul, our life is controlled by our natural preferences and capabilities.  The Son of God also had a human soul but He never acted from his soul’s initiative; He only acted according to His Father’s will (John 5:19; 30; 8:28).  When we live by faith in Christ who lives in us, our soul is submitted to His Spirit and is a holy vessel for His use.  However, if we live by the power of our personality, then our soul is hostile to Christ’s Spirit and is of no use to Him.  Therefore, in order for Jesus Christ to be able to use us as His bondservants, we must die to living based on our soul-life (our natural desires and abilities).  This is what it means to be conformed to Christ’s death (Philippians 3:10).

   Tragically, most professing Christians today are governed by the power of their soul rather than by the life of Christ.  Even if we lead an admirable “moral” life based on our natural self-discipline, our witness is limited to the power of what our natural man can accomplish.  This is no Christian witness at all.  The reason for this dilemma is that most Christians do not know (believe and act on) the truth that they have died with Christ.  As a result, they remain captive to their natural temperament and rely on their natural ability to serve God.  If we are particularly naturally gifted and talented, we may impress others with our Christian ministry but we won’t impress God.  Nor will we have any impact on Satan if the source of our ministry is our own soul-power.

   How can we be governed by the power of God’s Spirit rather than our soul-life?  First, we must know with certainty that we have been crucified with Christ.  This is the only basis for losing our soul-life.  Unless we have divine revelation that God included us in Christ’s death, we will try to change our soul-life by our own willpower and effort, which only leads to pride and further sin.  Next, we must apply the cross to our soul-life by identifying with Christ’s death daily (when Christ died, we died with Him).  This means we will often have to go against the voice of our soul and our natural temperament.  There is only one way we can resist gratifying our soul’s natural desires and reject fulfilling our soul’s natural potential.  This is by always reminding ourselves that we have died with Christ and He is now our life.

   This is the secret to overcoming sin and losing our soul-life for Christ’s sake.  When we stay rooted by faith in Christ’s death, His resurrection life will be formed in us.  There are two ways God helps us abide in Christ’s death so He might transform our “unconverted” soul.  First, God sends us His Word, the sword of the Spirit, to expose and separate any impure soulish mixture in our faith (Hebrews 4:12).  For example, we may think we love sharing the gospel until the Holy Spirit shows us that we love hearing ourselves speak.  And we may think we love ministering to others until the Holy Spirit shows us that we love fulfilling our natural talent.  Next, God sends us trials as a “sentence of death” to our natural strength so we will only rely on the life of His Son in us (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).  When our confidence in our natural ability is broken, we will no longer trust in ourselves to overcome but only trust in what Jesus Christ has accomplished on the cross.

   Every disciple who identifies with Christ’s death has the mark of the cross on their soul.  The work of the cross won’t destroy our soul; we will still possess our soul and its faculties.  But when the mark of the cross is imprinted on our soul, we will stay submitted to Christ rather than independently asserting our will.  We will also not depend on the power of our soul to do Christ’s work.  The only way we can restore our soul is to lose it for Christ’s sake (Matthew 16:25).  This is true discipleship that leads to eternal life.  How can we possibly restore the church to its right place in Christ if our own soul is not restored to its right place in Christ?   May God open our eyes to see what His Son has fully accomplished for us on the cross so we can follow Him with all our heart and soul.  This is what it means to come under Christ’s Sovereignty and be His true disciples and bondservants.

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple… The man who loves his soul-life will lose it, while the man who hates his soul-life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Luke 14:27 & John 12:25

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph   in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

   The precious phrase, “in Christ,” is found over eighty times in the New Testament to describe our glorious spiritual inheritance in Jesus Christ.  God has made us joint-heirs in Christ (Romans 8:17).  He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).  He has predestined us to spiritually reign in Christ (Romans 5:17).  According to the Bible, this should be our normal Christian experience in Christ.

   But first, how do we get “in Christ?”   There is nothing we could possibly do to put ourselves   in Christ.  This is a miraculous work only God Himself could do.  The moment we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and were born again of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-7), God placed us in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30).  The Bible says that we were spiritually immersed into Christ. This is the true spiritual significance of baptism, which means immersion in the Greek (baptisma).  “For all of you who were baptized (immersed) into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27).”  A brother in Christ once used the analogy of inserting a piece of paper into a book to describe this event.  Then whatever happened to the book also happened to the paper in the book.  If the book was immersed under water, the paper was also immersed under water.  This is what spiritually happened to us when we were immersed into Christ.

   Christ’s redemption (His death, burial and resurrection) was an eternal event in the spiritual realm.  Because we have been immersed into union with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17), we have been spiritually incorporated into every aspect of Christ’s redemption.  Our union with Christ starts at the cross when we were immersed into His death.  “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? (Romans 6:3).” When Christ died, our old sinful nature died in Christ and was buried (removed) in Christ (Romans 6:6; Colossians 2:11).  When Christ was made alive and raised from the dead, we were made spiritually alive and raised in Christ (Romans 6:4-11; Ephesians 2:5-6).  Since Christ has been seated in the heavenly places, we are also seated in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 2:6).  Because Christ has triumphed over the world through the cross, we have also triumphed over the world in Christ (Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 2:14).

   What does the Bible mean to triumph in Christ?  It means that only in Christ are we able to overcome the power of Satan and sin.  By His death on the cross, Christ triumphed over sin (John 1:29; Romans 8:1-2).  Because we are  in Christ, we have also overcome sin (Romans 6:11; 1 John 3:9; 5:4-5).  When Christ died, God freed us from the power of sin by including us in His Son’s death (see Romans 6:3-7).  Before we died in Christ, Satan had power over our sinful nature (Ephesians 2:2).  However, since our sinful nature has been crucified and removed by Christ’s death (Romans 6:6), we have been freed from sin (Romans 6:7) so that sin no longer has power over us (Romans 6:14).  Thus, by His death on the cross, Jesus Christ disarmed the power of the devil to make us sin (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8).  “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).”  Because Christ has triumphed through the cross, all spiritual powers and authorities are subject to Him (Ephesians 1:20-22; 1 Peter 3:22).

   Since we are in Christ, we have also overcome the devil, the enemy (1 John 4:4; 5:18-19).  When Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the gospel, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2).  He told them, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall injure you (Luke 10:19).” Because we are in Christ, we also have authority over the power of the enemy.

   How do we triumph in Christ?  We overcome the same way we received forgiveness of sins.  We believe what God says is true and act on it.  If we are in Christ, we believe that God has forgiven us because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (Ephesians 1:7).  In the same manner, if we are in Christ, we believe that God has made us overcomers because of Christ’s triumph on the cross (1 John 5:4-5).  Christ has already done everything for us.  Christ, who lives in us, has become our Savior and He has also become our Overcomer.  Salvation did not depend on our self-effort.  We receive God’s grace, Christ’s forgiveness of sins, because of His sacrifice on the cross.  In the same way, overcoming does not depend on our self-effort.  We receive God’s grace, Christ’s overcoming life, because of His triumph on the cross.  This leads to good works born from faith in Christ’s completed work on the cross.  There is no other way to bear true fruit.

   If we are still trying to overcome sin and Satan by our own ability, we will be defeated. If overcoming depended on us, we would never make it.  However, since we have died in Christ, we no longer have a sinful nature.  Our sinful nature has been crucified and removed in Christ; therefore, we do not have to keep trying harder to overcome.  Instead, we can depend on the power of the cross of Christ by which we have been crucified to the world and the world has been crucified to us (Galatians 6:14). In our natural strength, we cannot overcome the devil and sin, but now we can look with confidence to our Lord Jesus Christ who overcomes through us.  What is victory?  Victory is fixing our eyes by faith on Jesus Christ who has already triumphed on the cross (Hebrews 12:2)!  God has immersed us in Christ’s victory!  This is the truth that sets us free!

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:57

“But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block.”   1 Corinthians 1:23; see also Galatians 5:11

  The message of Christ crucified is a stumbling block because it strikes at the root of man’s self-righteousness and rebellion toward God. To receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must humble ourselves and acknowledge our unrighteousness before God.  By faith, we then depend on Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for our righteousness.  This is what is called saving faith.  Unbelievers reject the message of Christ crucified because they do not want to acknowledge God and give up their soul-life by submitting to the sovereignty and righteousness of Jesus Christ.  “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who has found his soul-life will lose it, and he who has lost his soul-life for My sake has found it (Matthew 10:38-39).”  The message of the cross confronts each person with a spiritual crisis – a decisive moment in their life to choose whether to give up their self-identity, self-life and self-righteousness and submit to Christ’s authority. Many people are so fiercely determined to protect and control their soul-life (self-rule) that the   Holy Spirit cannot convict them of their unrighteousness and their need for Jesus Christ to save them.  Anyone who wants to maintain their own self-righteousness and self-sovereignty instead of submitting to Christ’s righteousness and sovereignty will stumble over the cross of Christ (see Romans 9:30-10:4). The Bible says, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).”   

   However, the word of the cross goes far beyond just cleansing us from sin.  Christ’s death on the cross not only provided us forgiveness for sins; His death also provided us deliverance from sin’s power.  Christ not only bore our sins on the cross, He bore our sin nature on the cross with Him.  If we believe in Christ, then when Christ died we died with Him.  Since our sinful nature has died with Christ and been removed from us, we have been freed from sin’s power (Romans 6:6-7).  Jesus Christ not only died in our place, He now wants to live in our place.  This is Christ’s complete provision for us as a result of His crucifixion.  But why is this complete truth of the cross a stumbling block to even many Christians?  Why don’t more Christians want to embrace the exchanged life that is provided for us in Christ?  Why would any Christian be satisfied with a life that is just an outward cultural or moral change?

   Once again, the cross strikes at the root of our self-identity, self-righteousness and self-will.   The real crux of the matter is whether we are willing to lose our soul-life and submit to Christ’s authority.  In order to “see” that you have died with Christ so that He can live in you, you must be willing to completely surrender your whole life to Jesus Christ.  The exchanged life means you give up control of your soul-life in return for Christ’s Sovereignty and His divine life.  You cannot enter into the experience of Christ’s exchanged life unless you are willing to give up your soul-life (your natural attitudes, affections and abilities) for Christ’s attitudes, affections and abilities.  Jesus said, “He who loves his soul-life loses it, and he who hates his soul-life in this world will keep it to life eternal (John 12:25).”

   This means when Christ becomes your life, you died to the right to run your own life.  Knowing and acknowledging the truth that you have been crucified with Christ will affect all of your life’s decisions, such as whom you marry, which friends you choose, what job you have, how you spend your money, where you live and how you live.  “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple… none of you can be My disciple who does not give up everything he has (Luke 14:27 & 33).” Submitting wholeheartedly to Christ’s Sovereignty will impact every area of your life – spirit, soul and body.  “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me (Matthew 16:24).” Christ’s Lordship will completely pervade your daily life and all your pursuits, activities and associations. Christ’s Sovereign Spirit will ultimately transform even your natural temperament and your affections and attitudes.  If knowing Christ and submitting to His Sovereignty is what you really desire, then entering into the knowledge that you died with Christ is liberating.  However, if you do not want to wholeheartedly submit to Christ’s authority, then the message of the cross will offend you. Tragically, many so-called “Christians” love their soul-life too much to give it up for Jesus Christ and misuse God’s grace as an excuse to practice sin.  Just as the apostle Peter warned, “Do not use your freedom as a cover for evil (1 Peter 2:16).”

   Some Christians sincerely want to surrender completely to Christ, but they do not know how and their experience makes them feel that they will always fail.  The gospel of Christ crucified is indeed good news for these people, for the Word of God teaches us that because Jesus surrendered His life to God (to the point of death), we are capable by faith of doing the same thing because we no longer have a sinful nature and Christ now lives in us.  If you are willing to lose your soul-life so that you can find it, you do not need to suffer from defeat anymore.  Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free… so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! (John 8:31-32, 36).”  The message of the cross is only a stumbling block if you do not want to submit to Christ’s Sovereignty.  If you are willing to lose your soul-life for Christ’s sake, then the gospel of Christ crucified is great news!

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:19-21

For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”  James 2:26

   The Bible says that faith must produce works.  Very few Christians understand the relationship between faith and works or which works are acceptable to God and which are not acceptable.  What does the Bible mean by “faith” and “works?”  Faith is “what we believe” and works are “what we do.”  The Bible says we are saved solely by faith in Jesus Christ because there are no works which could ever earn us righteousness.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9; see also Titus 3:5).”  But once we are saved, the Bible says we must then express our faith by our works; otherwise our faith is not valid.  “Faith apart from works is inactive and ineffective and worthless (James 2:20).”  Therefore, salvation is not a result of our good works, but good works should result from our salvation if our faith in Jesus Christ is real.

   At this point, it is important to note the difference between what the Bible calls “dead works” and “good works.” In the early church, new Christians received discipleship training on the need to repent from dead works in order to serve the living God (Hebrews 6:1; 9:14).  From a Biblical perspective, “dead works” include anything we do to establish a religious or moral identity outside of faith in Christ.  Many works of service done by Christians today fall under this category.  Dead works have three distinguishing features that separate them from what the Bible calls “good works.”  The source, the power and the outcome of dead works are different than the source, the power and the outcome of good works.  Dead works are initiated by our natural mind, are empowered by our natural ability, produce what we can achieve and get man’s approval.  Good works are initiated by the mind of God, are empowered by the Spirit of God, produce what only God can achieve and always result in God’s approval.  The Son of God is the perfect example of someone who always did good works. Jesus Christ never did any works independently of God’s will.  “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing… I can do nothing on My own initiative… because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (John 5:19 & 30).  By His good works, Jesus showed us that the work of God is God Himself at work.  Jesus said, “The Father abiding in Me does His works (John 14:10).”  Even though Jesus was the Son of Man, He never did any works that sprang from the strength of his human soul.  Jesus showed us the only works acceptable to God are those initiated and empowered by the Spirit of God.  “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God (Romans 8:14).”  All good works must spring from true faith in Jesus Christ.  When some people asked Jesus what they must do to do the works of God, He replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent (John 6:29).” 

   If God Himself is not doing the work, it is not the work of God.  If we can do a work without relying on God’s wisdom and power, then such a work is likely to be natural and void of the Spirit.  Since dead works are not authorized by God, they are disobedient works.  For this reason, it is crucial for Christians to hear and obey the Holy Spirit in order to do good works and not dead works.  We simply cannot do good works if we cannot hear God’s voice.  Jesus emphasized this truth when He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches… My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me.”  If we cannot hear the Holy Spirit, we will naturally do dead works that spring from our soul but mistakenly think they are good works.  They may even appear to be “Christian” works but they are still dead works if the Spirit of God did not initiate them.  Many Christians are doing dead works because so few are able to discern the difference between the spirit and the soul (Hebrews 4:12).  If we are used to living by the strength of our soul and being led by our soul (our natural personality and ability), we will be deceived into doing dead works.  In fact, others may even encourage us to do them.  The Bible says we must stop doing our own works to enter into God’s rest and His works (Hebrews 4:10).  The only way we can stop doing dead “Christian” works and enter into God’s works is if we believe the truth of the cross.  If we believe that we have been crucified with Christ and our sinful nature is dead and gone (Romans 6:6), then we can hear and obey Jesus Christ who will initiate and do His good works through us (Galatians 2:20).  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 3:10).”

   At the end of this age, every Christian will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).  On that day, Christ will assess our works and allot our rewards and responsibilities for the age to come (Matthew 25:21; Luke 19:17).  The works we have done on earth will not only be judged for their quantity but also for their quality (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).  Every good work we have done in obedience to the Holy Spirit will be treated as gold, silver and precious stones.  But every dead work we have done will be treated as wood, hay and straw and be burned up.  On that day, Christ will judge the hidden motives of everyone’s heart (Romans 2:19).  If your dead works were done out of spiritual ignorance, your works will be rejected but you will still be saved.  But if your dead works were done lawlessly for selfish ambition and personal profit, you will be rejected.  The angels of God will cast you out of Christ’s presence and you will face God’s judgment and eternal punishment with the rest of the hypocrites and unbelievers (Matthew 7:21-23; 13:41-42; 25:26-30).  Knowing then the kindness and severity of God, we should do the works of true faith to make sure we are doing the true works of God.

“So then, my beloved… work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:12-13