You Are All One in Christ Jesus

A few of my favorite verses that speak of the unity of all in the body of Christ:

Gal. 3:28 (ESV) – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Col. 3:11 – Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

As we can see in these verses, there remains no room for prejudice, which is born out of ignorance and stereotyping, or “assigning traits to people based on their membership in a social category” (McShane and Von Glinow, Organizational Behavior, 2008, p. 73). When people become unfairly stereotyped, it is relatively easy for the one doing the categorization to become prejudiced toward members of this or that particular group.

Through His Scripture, the Lord teaches us that “here” (Col. 3:11) in Christ, is where our true identity is to be found. All of those who remain outside of Christ (the last Adam) are to be considered part of the race of the first Adam (1 Cor. 15:22, 45). There can be no further qualifications or distinctions made other than this. To attempt to create further divisions within humanity is to travel into territory that is foreign to God’s teaching in the New Testament.

The presence of racism in the body of Christ is one of the most abhorrent, destructive, and satanic ways of thinking imaginable, for in Christ there cannot exist any spirit of alienation or schism.

1Cor. 15:22, 45 – For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive…. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

A sermon on the truth of Colossians 3:11 entitled “Christ is All” delivered by C.H. Spurgeon on August 20, 1871 can be found here. A small excerpt:

According to the connection, Christ is all by way of national distinction, subject for glorying, and ground for custom. Observe, “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor tree,” in the new creation, but “Christ is all, and in all.” In the new world there is no difference between Jew and Gentile; barbarian simplicity and Greek cultivation are as nothing. I suppose as long as we are in the flesh we shall set some store by our nationality, and like Paul shall somewhat glory that we were free born: but surely the less of this the better. Within the gates of the Christian church we are cosmopolitan, or rather we are citizens of the New Jerusalem only. As a man, I rejoice that I am an Englishman, but not with the same holy joy which fills me when I remember that I am a Christian. When I meet another man who fears God, I do not want him to think me an Englishman, nor do I desire to regard him as an American, a Frenchman, or a Dutchman; for we are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow-citizens. If any man be a Christian and a foreigner after the flesh, he is yet in spirit ten thousand times more allied to me than if he were an Englishman and an unbeliever. Greatly is it to be deplored whenever the convulsions of nations drag Christian men into opposition to one another on the ground of politics. One part of the body of Christ cannot be at war with another. It is a shameful thing whenever we suffer our earthly nationality to dominate over our heavenly citizenship. Queen Victoria and President Grant are well enough in their places, but King Jesus is Lord of all; we are above all things subjects of his Imperial Highness the Prince of Peace. Nobody comes into the church as a Jew or a Gentile, nor does he remain there as a Greek or a Scythian, whatever he may have been before; when he becomes a Christian, Christ is all. Earthly distinctions of rank, if they still exist, as they must while we are in this world, are brought to a minimum within the church, they are almost obliterated, and what remains is sanctified to sacred ends.

The Gift That Sets You Free

The Threefold Benefit of Trials

The following is excerpted from part one of Jonathan Edwards’ classic A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, which can be downloaded in its entirety in PDF format here.

1 Peter 1:8: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

In these words, the apostle represents the state of the minds of the Christians he wrote to, under the persecutions they were then the subjects of. These persecutions are what he has respect to, in the two preceding verses, when he speaks of the trial of their faith, and of their being in heaviness through manifold temptations.

Such trials are of threefold benefit to true religion. Hereby the truth of it is manifested, and it appears to be indeed true religion; they, above all other things, have a tendency to distinguish between true religion and false, and to cause the difference between them evidently to appear. Hence they are called by the name of trials, in the verse nextly preceding the text, and in innumerable other places; they try the faith and religion of professors, of what sort it is, as apparent gold is tried in the fire, and manifested, whether it be true gold or no. And the faith of true Christians being thus tried and proved to be true, is “found to praise, and honor, and glory,” as in that preceding verse.

And then, these trials are of further benefit to true religion; they not only manifest the truth of it, but they make its genuine beauty and amiableness remarkably to appear. True virtue never appears so lovely, as when it is most oppressed; and the divine excellency of real Christianity, is never exhibited with such advantage, as when under the greatest trials: then it is that true faith appears much more precious than gold! And upon this account is “found to praise, and honor, and glory.”

And again, another benefit that such trials are of to true religion, is, that they purify and increase it. They not only manifest it to be true, but also tend to refine it, and deliver it from those mixtures of that which is false, which encumber and impede it; that nothing may be left but that which is true. They tend to cause the amiableness of true religion to appear to the best advantage, as was before observed; and not only so, but they tend to increase its beauty, by establishing and confirming it, and making it more lively and vigorous, and purifying it from those things that obscured its luster and glory. As gold that is tried in the fire, is purged from its alloy, and all remainders of dross, and comes forth more solid and beautiful; so true faith being tried as gold is tried in the fire, becomes more precious, and thus also is “found unto praise, and honor, and glory.” The apostle seems to have respect to each of these benefits, that persecutions are of to true religion, in the verse preceding the text.

Violence is Not Inevitable

“The crucified Christ embodies the love of God in our violent world, conquering the hatred that inspires violence and the spirit of revenge that prompts counter-violence. In the teaching, ministry and crucifixion of Christ, God exposes the lie of the inevitability of the circle of violence and counter-violence. God refuses to oppose evil with evil. The cross is God’s free and costly gift of love whose goal is the transformation of the world. Whenever the message of the cross of Christ is rightly preached and heard, whenever people of faith gather at the Lord’s table to celebrate life in Jesus Christ and its promise of a new creation, whenever forgiveness is offered in the name of Christ and received in the power of the Spirit, the deadly circle of violence and counter-violence is broken, and the rule of violence begins to vield to a new world of compassion and solidarity.”

Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, p.191

Living on the Brink of Eternity

We may live today assuming that we have plenty of time to think about cleansing, forgiveness,  serving God, and eternity. Unpredictable, calamitous, life-ending events remind us that we all live either on the brink of eternity with Christ or on the brink of eternity in hell.

None who perish in disaster enter upon the day with the forethought that as a Christian this may be my last day and I’ll meet my Savior, or as one who rejects the Lordship of Christ, today my life will end abruptly  and I will wake up in the torments of hell.

We all need to be reminded of the powerful words of Jonathan Edwards in his message “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them.

Yes every step we take in this world apart from Christ is on a collapsing road that travels over the pit of hell. The surface of the road is deceptive because it looks stable; it leads to pleasure, and is crowded with people who seem to be without care.

But the foundation is collapsing and, inevitably, maybe not today, nor tomorrow, but one day, the road will fail and the wide and hungry mouth of hell will consume those without Christ.

Listen to the words of Jesus:

Matthew 7:13-14 13 ¶ “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

John 10:9 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved….

John 14:6 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

No one can promise that we will not perish in some unforeseen, inescapable calamity. The promise is that when we do die, by whatever means, we will live with Christ forever.

Honey out of the Rock

Psalm 81:16 (NASB) – But I would feed you with the finest of wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Following are excerpts from Thomas Wilcox’s classic tract “A Choice Drop of Honey from the Rock Christ,” or, as it is better known, “Honey out of the Rock.”

There are many foundations to build upon that are false, upon which much is spent in vain…. A word of advice to my own heart and yours. You are a religious person and partake of all the ordinances. You do well: they are glorious privileges: but if you have not the blood of Christ at the root of your religion, it will wither, and prove but painted pageantry to go to hell in.

If you retain guilt and self-righteousness under it, those vipers will eat out all the vitals of it at length. Try and examine with greatest strictness every day, what ground your religion and hope of glory is built upon, whether it was laid by the hand of Christ. If not, it will never be able to endure the storm that must come against it; Satan will throw it all down, and great will be the fall thereof (Matt 7:27).

You that glory in being a Christian, you shall be winnowed. Every vein of your profession will be tried to purpose. It is terrible to have it all come tumbling down, and to find nothing but itself to stand upon.

You who pride yourself on being a Christian, see to your waxen wings, which now will melt with the heat of temptation. What a misery is it to trade much, and be bankrupt at length, and have no stock, no foundation laid for eternity in your soul!

You who pride yourself on the gifts you have, look to see there is not a worm at the root that will spoil all your fine gourd, and make it die about you in a day of scorching. Look over your soul daily, and ask: Where is the blood of Christ to be seen upon my soul?

What righteousness is it that I stand upon to be saved? Have I got away from all my self-righteousness? Many eminent religious people have come at length to cry out, in the sight of the ruin of all their duties, “Undone, undone, to all eternity!”

Consider, the greatest sins may be hid under the greatest duties, and the greatest terrors. See that the wound that sin has made in your soul be perfectly cured by the blood of Christ! not skinned over with duties, humblings and enlargements. Apply what you will besides the blood of Christ, it will poison the sore. You will find that sin was never mortified truly, if you have not seen Christ bleeding for you upon the cross. Nothing can kill it, but beholding Christ’s righteousness.

Nature can afford no balsam fit for soul cure. Healing from duty, and not from Christ, is the most desperate disease. Poor, ragged nature, with all its highest improvements, can never spin a garment fine enough (without spot) to cover the soul’s nakedness. Nothing can fit the soul for that use but Christ’s perfect righteousness.

Whatsoever is of nature’s spinning must be all unraveled before the righteousness of Christ can be put on. Whatever is of nature’s putting on, Satan will come and plunder every rag away, and leave the soul naked and open to the wrath of God. All that nature can do, will never make up the least gram of grace, that can mortify sin, or look Christ in the face one day.

You are known as a Christian person, and go on hearing, praying and receiving, yet miserable you may be. Look about you: did you ever yet see Christ to this day, in distinction from all other excellencies and righteousness in the world, and all of them falling before the majesty of His love and grace (Isa 2:17)?

If you have seen Christ truly, you have seen pure grace, pure righteousness in Him in every way infinite, far exceeding all sin and misery. If you have seen Christ, you can trample upon all the righteousness of men and angels, so as to bring you into acceptance with God. If you have seen Christ, you would not do a duty without Him for ten thousand worlds (I Cor 2:2). If ever you saw Christ, you saw him as a Rock, higher than self-righteousness, Satan, and sin (Psalm 61:2), and this Rock follows you (I Cor 10:4); and there will be continual dropping of honey and grace out of that Rock to satisfy you (Psalm 81:16). Examine if ever you have beheld Christ as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Be sure you have come to Christ, that you stand upon the Rock of Ages, and have answered to His call to your soul, and have closed with Him for justification.

Men talk bravely of believing, while whole and sound; but few know it. Christ is the mystery of the Scripture; grace the mystery of Christ. Believing is the most wonderful thing in the world. Put any thing of your own to it, and you spoil it. Christ will not so much as look at it for believing. When you believe and come to Christ, you must leave behind you your own righteousness, and bring nothing but your sin: (Oh, that is hard!) leave behind all your holiness, sanctification, duties, humblings, and so on; and bring nothing but your needs and miseries, or else Christ is not fit for you, nor you for Christ. Christ will be a pure Redeemer and Mediator, and you must be an undone sinner, or Christ and you will never agree. It is the hardest thing in the world to take Christ alone for righteousness: that is to acknowledge Him Christ. Join any thing to Him of your own, and you un-Christ Him.

Whatever comes in when you go to God for acceptance, besides Christ, call it anti-Christ; bid it be gone; make only Christ’s righteousness triumphant. All besides that is Babylon, which must fall if Christ stand, and you shall rejoice in the day of the fall thereof (Isa 14:4). Christ alone did tread the winepress, and there was none with Him (Isa 63:3). If you join anything to Christ, Christ will trample upon it in fury and anger, and stain His garments with the blood of it. You think it easy to believe. Was ever your faith tried with an hour of temptation, and a thorough sight of sin? Was it ever put to grapple with Satan, and the wrath of God lying upon the conscience, when you were in the mouth of hell and the grave? Then did God show you Christ a ransom and a righteousness; then you could say, “Oh! I see grace enough in Christ.” You may say that which is the greatest word in the world, believe. Untried faith is uncertain faith.

To truly believe, there must be a clear conviction of sin, and the merits of the blood of Christ, and of Christ’s willingness to save upon this consideration, merely, that you are a sinner. These things are harder than to make a world. All the power in nature cannot get up so high in a storm of sin and guilt as really to believe there is any grace, any willingness in Christ to save. When Satan charges sin upon the conscience, then for the soul to charge it upon Christ, that is gospel-like; that is to make Him Christ. He serves for that use, to accept Christ’s righteousness alone, His blood alone for salvation, that is the sum of the gospel. When the soul, in all duties and distress, can say, “Nothing but Christ, Christ alone, for righteousness, justification, sanctification, redemption” (I Cor 1:30); not my humblings, not my duties, not my graces; then that soul has got above the reach of the billows.

Social Justice and the Christian

According to church historian Justo L. Gonzalez, growing numbers of evangelicals in the late 1960s and early 1970s “began to feel that their faith led them to a commitment to critique the existing economic and social order, both at home and abroad. Christians, they believed, must strive against all forms of injustice, suffering, hunger, and oppression. In 1973, a group of leaders of similar convictions joined in the ‘Chicago Declaration,’ which articulated what seemed to be the growing conviction of committed Christians in the United States.” [1]

Following is the statement in its entirety. I do not find much, if anything, written here that I disagree with when I consider the American church’s current state of affairs:

The Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern
November 25, 1973

As evangelical Christians committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and the full authority of the Word of God, we affirm that God lays total claim upon the lives of his people. We cannot, therefore, separate our lives from the situation in which God has placed us in the United States and the world.

We confess that we have not acknowledged the complete claim of God on our lives.
We acknowledge that God requires love. But we have not demonstrated the love of God to those suffering social abuses.

We acknowledge that God requires justice. But we have not proclaimed or demonstrated his justice to an unjust American society. Although the Lord calls us to defend the social and economic rights of the poor and oppressed, we have mostly remained silent. We deplore the historic involvement of the church in America with racism and the conspicuous responsibility of the evangelical community for perpetuating the personal attitudes and institutional structures that have divided the body of Christ along color lines. Further, we have failed to condemn the exploitation of racism at home and abroad by our economic system.

We affirm that God abounds in mercy and that he forgives all who repent and turn from their sins. So we call our fellow evangelical Christians to demonstrate repentance in a Christian discipleship that confronts the social and political injustice of our nation.

We must attack the materialism of our culture and the maldistribution of the nation’s wealth and services. We recognize that as a nation we play a crucial role in the imbalance and injustice of international trade and development. Before God and a billion hungry neighbors, we must rethink our values regarding our present standard of living and promote a more just acquisition and distribution of the world’s resources.

We acknowledge our Christian responsibilities of citizenship. Therefore, we must challenge the misplaced trust of the nation in economic and military might–a proud trust that promotes a national pathology of war and violence which victimizes our neighbors at home and abroad. We must resist the temptation to make the nation and its institutions objects of near-religious loyalty.

We acknowledge that we have encouraged men to prideful domination and women to irresponsible passivity. So we call both men and women to mutual submission and active discipleship.

We proclaim no new gospel, but the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, frees people from sin so that they might praise God through works of righteousness.

By this declaration, we endorse no political ideology or party, but call our nation’s leaders and people to that righteousness which exalts a nation.

We make this declaration in the biblical hope that Christ is coming to consummate the Kingdom and we accept his claim on our total discipleship until he comes.

1. Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (Peabody, MA: Prince Press, 2005), 386.

What determines the true value of my life’s work?

What determines the true value of my life’s work?
John Davis

The apparent success of the wicked and the seeming triumph of evil may lead us to ask questions about God and about the investment of our lives. We may not verbalize these questions; nevertheless there are real questions that arise.
Have you ever asked these questions? Does it pay to do the right thing? Does living for Christ really matter? Does it really matter what I invest my life in as long as I’m happy doing it?
In Habakkuk 2:12-13 the prophet, as he addresses ancient Babylon, indirectly speaks to these questions. We could summarize those questions in this way: What determines the true value of my life’s work? These verses suggest a couple of things to keep in mind when evaluating the true value of one’s life’s work.
First of all, present success or failure does not measure the true value of one’s life’s work. The ancient Babylonians built a successful empire. Through their ruthlessness and greed they conquered the nations around them. The splendor of their kingdom was world-renowned. They even boasted one of the alleged Seven Wonders of the World – the Hanging Gardens of Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon did what was necessary in order to succeed. There was no life so precious that it couldn’t be sacrificed on the altar of success and no law so righteous that it couldn’t be broken, if breaking that law brought about success. Babylon succeeded! But, did she really?
God has only one word for those who achieve success in this manner – WOE! God has decreed judgment on those who simply measure the value of a life’s work by its apparent success.
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross may be viewed as a colossal failure from a human perspective. However, from God’s perspective, that failure is the investment of a life that brings the greatest and the longest return – eternal life.
A second thing to keep in mind when evaluating the true worth of one’s life’s work is this: Only God determines the value of one’s work and energy. Verse 13 says, Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
We may work productively and be exhausted from all the energy we’ve expended! For what purpose – to what end? At the end of the day, or the week, or the month or year, or at the end of your life, how do you determine the true worth of your life’s work?
For Babylon the determination was clear. All that which their labor produced served only to fuel the fire. All of their energy, and time, and resources were finally measured as nothing. Historically, the Hanging Gardens were so completely destroyed that some even question whether they ever existed.
Would you consciously invest your life in what you knew to be a worthless enterprise? I doubt it! Suppose I said this to you: “I need you to help me with something. Would you please go to the supermarket and stand in the aisle for 20 minutes? Wouldn’t your first question be “WHY?” Don’t you find it unusual that you should ask “why” about a 20-minute investment of your life, when you may not have done the same with the entire scope of your life?
Someone has aptly said, “Only one life will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” At the end, what will your Creator-Redeemer say about the value of your life’s work?