When we teach the subject of the Christian life, we offer the content of the life of Christ dwelling within us by the Holy Spirit. Any of the principles that I have been sharing with you regarding setting your mind on the things of Jesus, confessing His Word, and stirring up praise and thanksgiving are not to be viewed as laws.
They are principles governing the life that we received in Jesus. When a hungry child sits down at the supper table to eat, he is not being good and obeying a law. He is following the principle that if you do not eat, you will not live. It is a law of life.
Life produces spontaneously. It does not bring forth results because of effort or willpower. When Jesus walked upon this earth, His behavior, attitudes, and responses to situations were not the result of self-conscious obedience to a set of moral rules and dictates. He simply lived, spoke, acted, and responded, and His life produced the results. You may say, "But Jesus was God. He had a perfect divine life within him. He didn't worry about the Law." Of course, this is true, but the wonderful news is that this same life of Jesus dwells within us by the Holy Spirit. Think about what it means to live by this life that is within you.
A. The Law of Life.
All forms of life possess various attributes. For example, a robin flies south in the winter because such an action is an ingredient of robin-life. Obviously, the action is not motivated by a conscious decision to be a "good robin" (obeying the external code for living a responsible robin-life) but is simply a spontaneous result of life. It's a law of life. The robin is not doing the Law. Instead, the Law is "doing the robin." If you graft a branch into an apple tree, and the life of the apple tree fills the branch, it will bear apples. It is a law of Life.
Natural human life, gained from Adam, possesses various attributes. Death, sickness, emotional and mental problems, pain, worry, fear, and frustration are built in to Adam's life. Adam's life is, by nature, selfish, rebellious, proud, and disobedient. In addition, self-giving love, peace in the midst of adversity, and joy in the face of sorrow are most certainly not a part of Adam-life. Paul speaks of this reality as the "law of sin and death." Adam's life does not contain within itself the spiritual standards expressed in the divine Law any more than the life of my dog contains within itself human standards, or than a petunia bear apples. If you leave Adam-life alone and allow it to "do what comes naturally," you will have moral chaos.
1. 1 Corinthians 1:30 "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS, AND REDEMPTION."
a. The life that is in Jesus also contains numerous attributes. The life in Jesus is eternal. The concept of "eternal life" is not a future existence but is the quality of the life received in Him. Love, joy, peace, and contentment are all a part of the ingredients of Christ-life. Christ-life spontaneously fulfills the will of the Father in heaven. It contains the desire for good works. Whereas rebellion, sin, and death are built into Adam-life - obedience, righteousness, and eternal life are built into Christ-life.
b. Watchman Nee describes trusting Jesus to be our life as a giving up of our own strength and efforts and trusting the life of Christ in us to produce results. He says: "We refuse to act; we depend on Him to do so, and then we enter fully and joyfully into the action He initiates. It is not passivity; it is the most active life, trusting the Lord like that; drawing life from Him, taking Him to be our very life, letting Him live His life in us as we go forth in His Name."
c. The life of Jesus within us is productive of good works.
2. Philippians 4:13 "I can do ALL THINGS through Christ"
a. Giving up on yourself is the key to a new life, the key to finding help. Are we willing to reject ourselves if we are able to accept Jesus Christ as our alternative, as our substitute, as our life?"
B. Discovering our need.
"I am not what I ought to be, and I am not what I am going to be, but praise God, I am not what I used to be!"
a. Discovering Jesus as our life usually comes about as the result of discovering some need or lack within ourselves. As we discussed in the previous lesson, divine strength is made perfect in the midst of human weakness. Watchman Nee describes the importance of the awareness of need: "How can we know more of Christ in this way? Only by way of an increasing awareness of need. Some are afraid to discover a deficiency in themselves, and so they never grow. Growth in grace is the only sense in which we can grow, and grace, as we have said, is God doing something for us. We all have the same Christ dwelling within, but a revelation of some new need will lead us spontaneously to trust Him to live out His life in us in that particular."
C. Christians Under Construction.
1. The Letter and the Spirit.
a. Gen. 16: (Read All)
1). In our relationship with our Father in heaven, it is important that we do what he wants in the manner in which He wants it done. The how of God is as important, if not more important, than the what of God. For example, God told Abraham that he was going to become a great nation. His wife, Sarah, who in her own eyes was too old to begin bearing this great nation, advised Abraham to begin with his servant girl Hagar. He listened to Sarah and produced Ishmael. God wanted a son! Abraham did what God wanted, but he did not do it how God wanted it done.
2). Perhaps Abraham lifted Ishmael before the Lord and said, "God, look what I have made for you. Now we can begin this great nation of ours." But this was not God's intention. It is interesting that many of the Arab nations threatening the existence of modern-day Israel claim that their roots are in Ishmael.
b. Romans 7:6: "We serve in the NEW WAY of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the WRITTEN CODE."
1). God has given us a single instruction: Abide in Christ Jesus. It is the will of God for us to live by the new life that he has granted to us in Christ Jesus
c. 2 Corinthians 3:6: "He has made us competent as ministers of a NEW COVENANT--not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
d. Romans 8:4 "The righteous demands of the Law are FULFILLED in those who walk after the SPIRIT.
e. Romans 7:14 "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am UNSPIRITUAL, sold as a slave to sin."
i. In teaching the subject of the Christian life or sanctification, we do not offer the external code of the Law. It is powerless to produce positive results. This distinction between the letter of the Law and the life in the Spirit is vitally important. The fruit of the Spirit, good works, and the manifestation of the gifts and ministries of the Spirit are all spontaneously produced within the believer as a result of life.
ii. The Law does have a purpose in our lives. It is important to point out that because of our "double life," we still do need the Law, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with producing or motivating our new life in Jesus. We need the Law because our old sinful nature still clings to us. If a Christian was perfectly joined to Jesus in this life and always lived and walked in Him, the "spirit of life in Christ Jesus" would spontaneously obey the commandments of God and bring forth good fruit. Such obedience and fruit would be the result of life, not Law.
iii. We are not perfectly joined to Jesus. We often become indulged in ourselves and experience the temptations of our old sinful nature. For example, if a person falls into the temptation to lust and is being led into adultery, the commandment "Thou Shalt Not!" together with the fear of being caught and possibly disgraced, stands before him. In this sense, the Law is similar to a safety net placed under the high wire artists. It catches them only before they hit the ground. Of course, this has nothing to do with performing on the high wire or, in our case, with the positive living of the Christian life which is not based upon the Law, but upon our daily relationship with the person of Jesus. The Law has nothing to say to our new life, which produces results spontaneously. It simply "curbs" and restricts the manifestations of our old sinful nature.
f. Romans 1:4 "..the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who fulfilled in them, who walk according to the Spirit."
1). The Law serves as a guide or rule which instructs us as to what the Holy Spirit will lead us into. In other words, the Holy Spirit will not lead us to anything that is contrary to the moral Law of God. There have been situations, for example, in which a person has claimed that the Holy Spirit led him to leave his wife and marry another woman. This is foolishness. The Holy Spirit will not lead us in any way that is contrary to the written Law of God. So we still need the Law, but it is not the means whereby we live the Christian life.
2. Disciplining Adam.
Human intentions, pride, resolutions, determination, willpower, and the desire to impress others may succeed in superficially disciplining "old Adam" so that he behaves himself, but all you end up with is a DISCIPLINED SINNER.
Such positive behavior merely manifests human strength and is the source of our pride. God's purpose is to manifest Christ in us as the source of his glory! Seeking to live by the Law is merely doing the right thing the wrong way
This discontent results in new resolutions and greater determination to live the Christian life, to obey God, and to do His will. Such resolutions invariably end in DEFEAT and result in GUILT.
It is very easy for us to look at ourselves and become discontented with our spiritual growth and progress and to be brought back under the guilt and condemnation of the Law. Sometimes it seems as if the same old problems hang on year after year. Very often this discontent results in new resolutions and greater determination to live the Christian life, to obey God, and to do His will. .
3. Letting go.
a. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, for this is God's will for you."
1). It is God's will for us in Jesus that we give thanks in all situations and rejoice in the Lord always.
b. Galatians 6:17 "..for I bear on my body the MARKS OF JESUS".
1). The Holy Spirit battles against the desires of our sinful flesh.
C. Romans 8:4 "..who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the SPIRIT."
If we learn to live and walk each day in the new life that is ours in Jesus, the Church would experience a great revival.
4. Fruit or frustration.
1). Every negative circumstance, trial, or temptation that confronts us either opens the door to fruit or the door to frustration, depending upon our response to the situation.
2). It seems that the initial response to adversity is usually on the basis of the old sinful, human nature. I hate to admit it, but it is true. For those of us who do not possess the maturity of the apostle Paul, this seems to be normal experience. As a Born-Again Christian, I am in a cooperative relationship with the Holy Spirit, yet my cooperation is weak and continually needs to be "kicked into motion" by the loss of joy and peace. If, for example, I am confronted with a situation that is contrary to my plans and desires, I will initially respond in anger and frustration. In discovering that my joy and peace of mind has been replaced with self-pity, anger, and frustration, I arrive at a point of contrition and repentance, which will usually take the form of, "God, forgive me for being so ignorant of your ways and so slow to learn!" At that point, I will stir up the Spirit so that the new person in Jesus will arise again.
3). Christian growth is not discovered in the absence of conflict or in the absence of the sinful flesh. Whereas today you may respond to adversity with long-term anger, frustration, or self-pity, hopefully, next year at this time in the midst of the same adversity it will take you only a few moments to find the "way of escape." In some cases, it may be necessary to "kick out" worry, fear, anger, and self-pity 30 or 40 times every day and turn to Jesus. But as time goes by, Jesus will begin to rule over your sinful nature. The construction of the Christian life is a long term, step by step process.
a. Romans 5:3 "We also rejoice in SUFFERING, because we know that TRIBULATION produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
b. Deuteronomy 7:22 "The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, LITTLE BY LITTLE."
1). In the same way Israel was instructed to defeat their enemies and take the Promised Land, gaining freedom from your old sinful nature is gained "little by little" We are Christians under construction. Our motto should be, "Please be patient with me. God is not finished yet."
c. Philippians 4:11 "..for I have learned to be CONTENT whatever the circumstances."
1). Perhaps the day will come when we will bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and love, joy, peace, gentleness, submissiveness, good works, and much fruit will flow from our hearts as virtual "rivers of living water." We will be able to say with Paul, "I have learned in whatever condition I am in, in this to be content."
2). For now, we are growing. We are in the process of learning from day to day to direct our conscious attention to the Lord Jesus, to confess His Word, to stir within ourselves praise and thanksgiving. As we live and walk in Jesus, good works, and the fruit of the Spirit become a spontaneous production in ever-increasing measure. For now, we can say, "While I am not what I ought to be, and while I am certainly not what I am going to be, I thank God that I am not what I used to be."
3). Depending upon Jesus as our life means that we are no longer depending upon ourselves, and this is not easy. It is very difficult to give upon ourselves and to arrive at the conclusion that Jesus is the only source of our peace and joy. We always want to hang on to our own lives and maintain the hope that somewhere, somehow, just around the next corner, we will discover the key to happiness, contentment, and peace of mind in ourselves. But nothing ever changes. We become trapped in a way of life. It is in giving up on ourselves and turning to Jesus that we discover His life in us.
4). A technique is used to catch monkeys in the jungle. You drill a hole in a coconut, put some food in it, and chain the coconut to a tree. The hole must be large enough for the monkey to slip his hand in and small enough so that he cannot get it out once he grabs the food. Grasping the food, the monkey is stuck. He doesn't want to let go of the food, and as a result, is in bondage to the coconut. The hunters merely collect the monkeys who by their own choice have bound themselves to the coconut.
5). We are often in the same position. While we long for peace, joy, contentment, and freedom, we also want to hold on to ourselves and maintain our human pride, but we cannot have both. So we are trapped! The worries, cares, and concerns of this life merely pick us up, have their way with us, and make us miserable.
VII. CONCLUSION
Our world has not yet seen what authentic Christianity is really all about. The present self-emphasis within our society may be a great blessing in disguise. After all, when corrupted, sinful, perverted humanity turns in on itself, it must eventually become very sick, tired, and disgusted with itself. It is at this point that a living relationship with our Lord Jesus will look very good. Let us turn away from self and find our identity in Jesus. We will then be His witnesses. We will no longer show forth what great wonderful people we are. Rather, we will DEMONSTRATE what a great, wonderful Lord and Savior we have in Jesus. TO HIM BE THE GLORY!
