Let Us Do Good!

The Apostle Paul taught the believers in Galatia that they had been delivered from self-love by the gospel of God’s grace so that they might love others. He wrote unto them “For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another”. He went on to say that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Galatians 5:13-14; emphasis added). In essence, what the law could not do, the gospel of Jesus Christ accomplished.

Putting others first is foreign to our nature apart from the grace of God. We are selfish by nature and, consequently, preoccupied with our own needs, desires, and agenda. The grace of God enables us to see others as God would have us to see them. In light of this, Paul exhorted the believers to “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Life is hard and we need not look far to encounter someone laboring under some difficulty. God would have us do what we can to ease that burden. Sooner or later we shall find ourselves under one kind of burden or another. It is little wonder that Christ taught “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

What is known as the “law of the harvest” is embedded in this teaching and, as Paul taught, always comes to pass. He stated it clearly, “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). This principle is unwavering and sure. The Lord Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Later, in that same sermon, Christ challenged his disciples to do good even to “your enemies” because our heavenly Father is “kind to the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36). From God’s perspective, not one of us deserves mercy for there is “none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). When we do good unto others we are showing mercy to them as the Lord has shown mercy to us. This mercy shall surely return unto us.

The certainty of harvest is the reason Paul encouraged his audience to “not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10; emphasis added). The gospel of Jesus Christ has delivered us from not just the penalty of our sin, but the power of our sin. We are free to serve both God and man. Answer this, do you see others first before yourself? Let us do good!

Faith Without Works

Christians believe that we are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  This simple truth differentiates Christianity from all other religions.  All other religions ultimately require something or rather some work on the part of their practitioner.  That is, those religions require you to do something to earn eternal life.  Not so with Christianity.  In fact, Christ himself taught “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29).  We come to Christ empty handed and receive of his grace eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.  But that does not mean that a Christian’s life is not characterized by good works.

This matter of doing good works was a critical issue for James, the Lord’s half-brother.  It burdened him to observe those who claimed to follow Christ, but their lives were empty of works that gave credence to their new life. He asked “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?  Can (that) faith save him?” (James 2:14) He used the illustration of someone happening upon a beggar “naked and destitute of daily food.” This one says to the beggar “be ye warmed and filled” but does not “give them those things which are needful to the body” (James 1:15-16).  James makes the cogent point that the words were not profit to the beggar and “so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone” (James 2:17).

James points out even more the unprofitability of words (“faith”) without works.  He teaches us that even the devils believe in God, but they “also believe and tremble” (James 2:19; emphasis added).  As the old saying goes, “talk is cheap.”  So James concludes that faith without works is dead.  You see, faith is more than just an intelligent mental assent to the truth.  Faith involves the whole being and results in a changed life.

James offered up Abraham as an example of this kind of faith.  He tells us how Abraham was “justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar” (James 2:21).  He had a faith that was more in substance than “depart and be filled” as we noted above.  So James leads us to understand that faith is perfected by works and leaves us with this penetrating thought.  “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26).

Our law enforcement officers are called upon every time they put on the uniform to “walk the talk.”  So it is likewise with every person who names the name of Christ.  Believers are to walk the talk.  Noble words and   empty lives do nothing for the cause of Christ.   May our lives and lips match in a way that honors our heavenly Father.

The Comfort of Truth

The soul frets in the absence of truth. We have all been battered by the fears and doubts that roam freely in the corridors of our minds when truth does not stand guard. The Apostle Paul knew full well the importance of truth governing our mind’s interpretation of the events of our lives. In his letter to the church at Philippi, he wrote “Whatsoever things are true…think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). We are instructed to let our minds be governed by truth.

An issue that Paul addressed in Thessalonica provides an illustration of truth defusing fears and doubts. The believers there were concerned about what would happen to loved ones who had died before Christ returned. Paul wrote “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (I Thessalonians 4:13). Their ignorance gave rise to an unwarranted sorrow.

But Paul gave them the truth. Again, he writes “if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:14-17). All those who believe in Christ will meet the Lord together in the air when he returns, whether we are alive at his coming or whether we “sleep in Jesus”. We shall meet him together for the “dead in Christ” shall rise first and we shall be snatched away together. In light of this promise, Paul exhorted them to “comfort one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:18).

Truth conquers fear and doubt and God’s word alone is truth. We should fill our minds with truth and rehearse it to ourselves with habitual regularity. Our society is dominated by falsehood and we can easily be swept away with its proclamations and practices if we do not guard our minds. The Apostle Peter wrote to his audience “gird up the loins of your mind” (I Peter 1:13). We must be anchored in the truth or we shall drift away with the tide of falsehood.

As believers in Christ and children of God, we are not overcome by the growing darkness of our present time. Satan, the father of lies, would fill our minds with the present distress. But God is greater and His truth stands. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid…In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 14:27 and 16:33). This is truth!

Rich Toward God

As James begins to draw his epistle to a close, he takes a moment to admonish those that were rich.  “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you” (James 5:1).  The Scriptures never condemn riches or being rich.  They do, however, readily condemn wrong attitudes toward wealth that ultimately affect both how wealth is acquired and used.  James is consistent with the rest of the testimony of Scripture.

He first rebukes these rich men for hoarding wealth for wealth’s sake, i.e. under-employed wealth.  He tells them their “riches are corrupted” and that their “gold and silver is cankered”.  Their hoarded wealth has been “heaped…together for the last days” (James 5:2-3). The Scriptures teach plainly that wealth is a means to an end and not an end in itself.  For the believer wealth is a test of spiritual responsibility.  In his parable about the unjust steward, Christ concluded with this maxim.  “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches” (Luke 16:10-11).

James makes two more points about these rich men that merit our consideration.  The first has to do with how they came about their wealth.  They made their fortunes through unjust business dealings by taking advantage of others. “Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth” (James 5:4). To grow my wealth by exploiting others and taking advantage of them is against the fundamental teaching of Scripture.  Paul writing to the Christians in Rome commanded “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.  Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8,10).

Of the second point, James rebukes these ones for their self-indulgent use of their wealth.  “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter” (James 5:5). To be blessed with an abundance of this world’s goods is never a license to indulge the appetites of the flesh in any fashion.  Perhaps, Christ taught this lesson best in his teaching about the rich man and his barns. “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, this will I do. I will pull down my barns, and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.  Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:16-19). He lived for himself; he lived for today with no thought of the future.  “But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 16:20-21).              

True Religion

Previously we had examined the Apostle James’ admonition to be “doers of the word”.  He makes the point that those who hear the word, but do not do it or, rather, obey it, deceive their own selves.  He compares that person to a man who looks at himself in the mirror then turns away and forgets what he saw (James 1:22-24).  On the other hand, that man who listens and becomes a “doer of the work…shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25).  It is from this vantage point that James then talks about empty religion, i.e. religion that does no one any good.

He boldly asserts “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (James 1:26, emphasis added).  It doesn’t take a seminary degree to understand this.  If a man can’t control his speech, his religion isn’t much good.  James calls it vain or empty.  We might even say it is powerless.  Put another way, we could ask what good is going to church on Sunday when you curse and take the Lord’s name in vain the rest of the week.  Or, what value is there in singing the old hymns of the faith with the choir while your tongue sounds forth the bitter notes of harshness and unkindness with those you come into contact with from day to day.  As James declares such a man “deceiveth his own heart”.

James is pretty matter of fact – “religion” is about a changed life.  In fact, he goes on to challenge his audience with this thought provoking truth.  “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).  This religion involves a loving and compassionate regard for others, especially the weakest and most vulnerable members of society, while refusing to be sullied with the sins of the world around us.  This is true religion, life changing religion! 

A scribe came to Jesus and asked him “Which is the greatest commandment of all?  And Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is…thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.  This is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:28-31).  True religion has a different view of both God and man.  It changes both perspective and conduct.  But to experience this change requires that we see our own self differently.

Recall that James spoke of a man who looked in a mirror, saw himself, and went his way “forgetting what manner of man he was” (James 1:24).  A changed life begins with a changed heart.  We must come to God as we are – sinful, spiritually bankrupt, unable to save ourselves – and He will give us life.  Jesus said, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).  Has your life been changed by Jesus Christ or is your religion vain?

Delivered From This Present Evil World

Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia that Christ “hath delivered us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). He was not speaking to them of a future salvation, a home in heaven though that awaits every believer. Rather, the emphasis is on a deliverance that is both here and now. How are we to understand this truth?

Paul calls this present world an “evil” world. That is the primary characteristic of the current age in which we live. The Apostle John testifies “that the whole world lieth in wickedness” (I John 5:19). It is evil because sin dominates its inhabitants. Paul reminds us “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). It is evil because Satan, “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), walks about freely “seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8).  The fundamental truth, as Christ himself declared, is that “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).  Yet Paul writes that Christ has delivered us from this world.

Paul wrote to the Colossian believers that God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). The believer’s translation is a finished transaction. As a believer I am right now in the kingdom of Christ. Paul describes this further (to the brethren at Philippi) as being citizens of heaven even though presently on earth. “For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:20).

The distinguishing feature of our translation is that believers are new creatures. Paul writes “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God delivered us from this present evil world when we trusted Christ and were born again. As new creatures we are to live as citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We are no longer to be “conformed to this world” (Romans 12:1) with those who walk “in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through ignorance…because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17). Rather, we are to walk in newness of life and “put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

God has made the believer a new creature, one that loves righteousness and truth. He is not of this present world though he lives here. He is to think, walk, and love differently than those who are of this world because he has been delivered. This new life is the believer’s position, privilege, and purpose. Does your life testify that you have been delivered?

Your Labor is Not in Vain

Paul declared the certainty of the resurrection to the believer and our gathering together unto the Lord when he returns in triumph over death (I Corinthians 15:51-57).  In light of that he exhorts his readers, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58).

Our labor in the Lord is not in vain! The phrase “in vain” carries two significant aspects. The first is that the work is unprofitable for its intended purpose. I’m sure every law enforcement officer has wondered from time to time if what he or she is doing really makes any difference. For every crime stopped, it seems there are two that are committed. For every criminal apprehended, two more come on the scene. While virtually every job has elements of futility, the work of our law enforcement officers seems to be the poster child for vain endeavor! But this text teaches us that our labor is not in vain. Rather, it is indeed profitable.

The Lord who conquered sin and death is certainly able to bring profitability to our labors when they are done in his name. We may not see the profit of our efforts today, but God works from the vantage point of eternity. What effort seems futile to us now is made to bear fruit in time by the blessing of the Lord. Knowing this is so spurs us to greater faithfulness.

The second aspect of “in vain” suggests that the labor is without reward. For the Christian, this simply is not so. Christ Jesus will “settle up” with his children when he returns. “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). A sense of futility can lead to despair. We wonder does anyone see? Or, even more despairing, does anyone care? Be assured that the Lord both sees and cares. He reminds us that “whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42; emphasis added).

This exhortation to “be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” is for every believer – not just pastors and missionaries. Paul wrote to the church at Colossae, “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). Any job performed as unto the Lord will know both his blessing and his reward!

May we give heed to the exhortation of Oded, the prophet, to Asa, king of Judah, “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

Making Truth a Commodity

Jesus was brought to Pilate for judgment by the chief priests and the people. The course and outcome of this assembly though foreordained by God nonetheless reveals the willingness of men to sell the truth for gain.

The chief priests wanted Jesus dead, so they lied about his teaching or doctrine. They asserted to Pilate that Jesus was “forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King” (Luke 23:2). This was a lie for the Lord declared plainly “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). These men were the spiritual leaders in Israel, yet they held not the truth in their hearts. They schemed and plotted to deliver Jesus to the Romans that he might be put to death. Even Pilate “knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy” (Mark 15:10).

Pilate was just as guilty in this matter as the chief priests and the people. Pilate feared the loss of his position before Rome. The Jews threatened “If thou let this man [Jesus] go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar” (John 19:12). So to maintain peace with the people, Pilate “delivered he him [Jesus] unto them to be crucified” (John 19:16).

Truth was valued cheaply in that day. It was nothing more than a commodity to be traded in order to secure something more desirable. The chief priests envied Christ and sought to eliminate him as a threat. Pilate feared disfavor with Rome and perverted judgment to safeguard his position. How tragic for them was their contempt for the truth. God was not deceived as King David himself learned many years prior.

David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and sought to hide his sin by arranging the murder of her husband in battle. But God, who sees all, sent Nathan the prophet to confront him with his sin. David testified in repentance “thou desirest truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6).

Truth is essential to a right relationship with God. The Psalmist records, “Lord, who shall abide in the tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:1-2; emphasis added).  Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24; emphasis added). When we surrender truth in exchange for anything, we reveal to ourselves and others the value we place on our relationship with God. Ask yourself, “What is worth more to me than my relationship to Christ?”

Silence Does Not Mean We Are Alone

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament written about 435 B.C. It would be over 400 years before God would speak again from heaven by sending his Son, Jesus, to be born of the virgin, Mary. It is not insignificant that the Old Testament closes with the word “curse.” Malachi writes, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).

Over a thousand years of broken law had left the children of Israel without a claim under their covenant. In fact, one has summarized the Old Testament as unexplained ceremonies, unfulfilled prophecies, and unsatisfied longings. The Old Testament closes looking for a person, i.e. “I will send you Elijah the prophet.” God is faithful for the New Testament opens introducing us to Jesus Christ. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).

Though there were over 400 years of “silence” from God, he did not leave his people without his witness. His last command was “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments” (Malachi 4:6). His word is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89) and Christ himself asserted “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). God’s silence does not mean that he is not there. His promises remain faithful!

Anticipating the long, silent period, God urged his people to remember his law. He invites us to do the same today. There are periods of time in our lives when the heavens do, indeed, seem silent and unresponsive to our prayers. We are called upon to lay hold on his promises and refresh our souls by that which he has already declared. We are never alone. Jesus told his followers “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). When I do not see him working, I rest in the promise of his presence. He cannot lie and his presence is provision enough.

The prophet Haggai was sent by God to stir the people to complete the work of rebuilding the temple after their captivity. His message from God was “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house…I am with you, saith the LORD” (Haggai 1:8-13). Jesus Christ told his followers shortly before he returned to heaven “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). Child of God, whatever your burden, whatever your work, God is with you, even in the silence. He has promised.

Four Features of Conversion

The Apostle Paul and his co-workers planted the church at Thessalonica on his second missionary journey (Acts 17:1-2). In his first epistle written to those believers from Corinth, he reminded them of their conversion to Christ.  “For our gospel came not unto in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake” (I Thessalonians 1:5). These four features – word, power, Holy Ghost, assurance – are found in every conversion.

The “word” has reference to the testimony of God’s revelation, the Scriptures. No one comes to Christ apart from His word. Paul reasoned with the believers in Rome “…how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard…so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:14,17). Peter testified likewise that we are “born again…by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever…and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (I Peter 1:23, 25). James speaking of the heavenly Father adds “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth” (James 1:18; emphasis added). The word of God is essential to salvation.

Paul’s reference to “power” speaks to the efficacy of the word in bringing about repentance and new life. Paul called the gospel “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). The word, power, there is the word from which we get our word “dynamite.” No other power can bring life to a soul spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). It is this same power that enables the believer to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord” (2 Peter 3:18); and, thereby, enables him to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

The Holy Ghost brings salvation to each and every person that is born again. He is the Agent of every conversion imparting new life to every repentant sinner who trusts in Christ. For it is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). Not only does He give life, but He sanctifies us making us progressively like Christ. Christ-likeness in the believer is the exclusive work of the Spirit of God. We cannot become more like Christ apart from the Spirit. “For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Finally, an effectual conversion comes with assurance that is convincing and unwavering.  The testimony of a life made new by the Spirit of God and His word is hard to refute. The Thessalonians saw the outworking of such a conversion in Paul and his co-workers, for they had scrutinized the lives of these men as they ministered among them. The result was “ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost” (I Thessalonians 1:6).     

Christianity is not found in creeds or ceremonies. It is not defined by a list of “do’s and don’ts.” Christianity begins with a gospel message planted in the heart by the Spirit of God resulting in a new life that is convincingly transformed unto the glory of God. Does that describe your life?