HEART MATTERS

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”  Galatians 5:1

I once heard a  pastor say “all other religions say “do” but Christianity is the only one that says “done”.”  So true!  Jesus cried out on the cross “it is finished!” And so there is nothing we need to “do” to be saved.  Praise God!  We don’t need to adhere to a long list of do’s and don’ts.  We don’t need to try our best to be good or strive for perfection.  Our salvation cannot possibly be attained through the works of man.  In fact, even our best efforts are “like filthy rags” (see Isaiah 64:6 ).  In the sight of the perfectly pure and holy God, we all fall short “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 The good news is that God knew  we would choose sin, that our sin would separate us from Him, so the almighty God came down. Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. His resurrection and ascension proves that He is who He said He is and that He did what He said He would do! It is finished!  The sin debt of mankind was paid in full by Jesus Christ Himself.  All we need do is believe.

Ahhh, the simplicity of the Gospel!  And yet without the power of the Holy Spirit drawing us to Himself we would completely miss it.  You see there is just something inside of man that desperately needs to trust in his own ability. For some reason we would rather trust what we think we can do rather than what the LORD has done. In our foolishness we’d rather try to control than to trust our Creator.  Our pride coupled with our arrogance creates a deception not unlike those who were trying to build the tower of Babel.  Like them we too can become blinded by our own determination and ignorantly believe that there’s nothing we can’t accomplish once we put our minds to it.  And so our belief in what the Bible calls our “works” can become a major stumbling block for us.  It keeps many from receiving the gift of eternal life and it prevents many believers from genuine spiritual growth.

Even after we have been “saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 2:8, our great desire to “work” and our bend towards striving threatens to sabotage (or rather temporarily delay) the sanctifying work the Lord plans to do in our lives.  Now that we have entered into a relationship with the living Lord Jesus we now go about life thinking we have to “do” certain things to remain in good standing with Him. We falsely believe that if we “do more” we can earn more of His favor.

Since we can’t love like God in and of ourselves it takes a while for us to understand and receive the unconditional agape love of God.  Our failed and broken experiences with loving others and being loved by others in the natural have deeply affected our perception of the supernatural love of God.  Our limited view can incorrectly cause us to think that every time we disappoint Him we have to do something to win Him back.  Although we understand that we are eternally secure, when we sin, we can still set about trying to develop our own form of penance.   We forget Jesus said “it is finished!”

We also forget that God is the all-knowing sovereign God of the universe!  Romans 5:8  says “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Jesus died for us before we were even born and knowing all the sins we would choose to commit beforehand. Jesus died for us knowing all the times we would fail Him, choose to fall away from Him, even as we follow Him.

As the Lord began calling me to serve more and more in ministry I really began to struggle.  I felt inadequate and unworthy.  So when I had an experience in which I felt as though I truly bombed it was almost unbearable.  By the time I arrived home that night I was on the brink of tears.  I wanted to just throw in the towel and quit (but I knew that wasn’t an option because I knew God had called me).  So I prayed.  And guess what the Lord did?! He graciously reminded me of the fact that He already knew of all my future failures.  In fact, He made me realize that He also knew of the failure I was presently dealing with and yet He still purposed for me to serve in that call!  (My response was: “Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God Almighty I’m free at last! (Lol)  This truth so set me free! It helped me begin to see my failures as opportunities to learn and grow.  It was during this time that the Lord led me to my life verse- Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;..” 

Here’s the thing, if I trust in my own ability, when I fail, I’ll only have myself to blame. And blame myself I will!  I’ll sulk, wallow, and maybe even backslide. My inadequacies will cause me to retreat. However, if I’m trusting in the Lord and the work He’s doing in and through me, there can be purpose in my failure.  My failure will then serve as an alarm of sorts.  It will cause me to examine myself and hopefully learn the lesson I need to learn.  Instead of shrinking back, I’ll grow.  My failure can serve to keep me humbled by reminding me of my desperate need for the power of Christ.  Instead of being crushed, I’ll be confident-In Him. Complete dependency on Christ is crucial.  This is not only true in regards to our service for Christ.  It’s also true for living our everyday lives for Christ.  The striving must cease!  I believe understanding the liberty we have in Christ can help us.

While reading the book of James this phrase “the law of liberty” he uses in both chapters 1 and 2 leap off the pages to me.  James 1: 23-25 says “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”  In chapter 2, verse 12 James says “So speak and so do as those who will by judged by the law of liberty.”  As someone who at one time struggled with legalism I think i get what this means and I’m excited about it!

The law of liberty, I believe, consists of  believers operating in such a healthy spiritual way that our works become a result of our faith (see the book of James) instead of what we rely on for our faith.  It has to do with will we trust God to change us so that everything flows from us out of a proper place?  Or will we trust ourselves to make what we think should flow from us as followers of Christ?  Will we be motivated by our love for Christ or will we be motivated by the laws we Christians tend to create for ourselves?

If we continue to leave our “works” mentality unchecked it can easily lead us into the woes of legalism.  Legalism is another one of those subtle foxes the enemy uses to disable and distract us from the path the Lord has for us.  The Bible says “but without faith it’s impossible to please God.” Those in bondage to legalism aren’t really trusting God for their change and growth. They are trusting in themselves. Although they’ve accepted the Gospel and believe they have been saved by grace through faith alone, somehow they believe that they are now responsible for their own sanctification. So they work and strive to be perfect and holy.  They set unreasonable boundaries and live by a man made list of do’s and don’ts. It’s the law that they love and so the love of Christ is kept buried deep within their hearts.  Christian author Warren Wiersbe said that it’s the spiritually immature who cling most closely to the law.  In their attempt cut off the possibility of failure they unknowingly stunt their spiritual growth.  Their ability to remain consistent leads them to conclude that they have chosen the right path.  Their dedication and commitment misleads them into believing they are spiritually superior and mature in the faith.  Instead of their good works flowing out of the love of their hearts, it’s forced out of their determination to obey.   When rules are the motivation for obedience usually rebellion ensues.  But the legalist will push pass their feelings of rebellion so they can revel in their self-righteousness. They know deep down that they have no joy but they reason that’s it’s part of the sacrifice of being obedient. Unfortunately their limited view causes them to equate freedom with sin. They somehow see freedom as an excuse to sin.  And they’re so afraid of sinning they just can’t image walking in the law of liberty they’ve now been given in Christ.

Okay, so I know this was a bit scathing.  But didn’t I say I was at one time myself a legalistic Christian?  I’m speaking from my own experience about what I allowed to pollute my heart.  But God delivered me and He’ll do the same for whoever will look to Him for deliverance.  I’m not worried about any legalist accusing me of judging them because I’ve never known a legalist who could own the title.  Its a deceptive sin heavily cloaked in disguise.  Most can’t acknowledge it until they’ve been delivered from it.  In the meantime we must patiently and lovingly bear with our brethren who are currently ensnared in such a trap.  (Lord knows that I’m thankful for all those who loved me through it).

The Lord doesn’t want us to be so afraid of falling back into our old sins that we miss the freedom we have in Him.  However, it’s imperative that we understand that our liberty is never a license to sin.  Our holiness is important to God.  In fact He commands us to be holy (“be ye holy for I Am holy…).   But our holiness is never attained apart from God.   Our holiness is never accomplished in and of our own strength.  Our holiness comes from our acceptance that apart from Christ we can do nothing. Our holiness is manifested as The Holy Spirit is allowed to work in and through us.  Our holiness is revealed as we embrace our identity in Christ.

It’s a process-a journey.  However it has nothing to do with our own efforts and/or striving. Its like being caught in a strong current.  Instinctively we believe we need to swim against it in order to arrive safely to shore.  In our panic and determination we set our face towards dry land exhausting ourselves as we give it our all.  We begin to wear ourselves out and become closer to the danger of sinking.  It’s not until we realize we must stop striving that we have any hope of getting free from that current.  As we remain calm, even while being carried further out to sea, we’re able to save and redirect our energy.  It’s only then that we’re able to change our course, swim parallel to the shoreline, and are eventually released from that powerful current. When believers walk in the law of liberty we are able to rest in the providence of God. When we rest in Him we’re able to calmly navigate the waters of life.

How do we “speak” and “do” as those who will by judge by the law of liberty?  It’s all through love!  Romans 13: 10 says that “love is the fulfillment of the law.” The law of liberty is rooted in love!  When the love of Christ is our foundation, our hearts will be in the right place!  Galatians 5:13 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The law of liberty allows us to accept the unconditional agape love The LORD has for us and allows His love in us to fuel our love for others. The law of liberty gives us both the right motivation and the real power to live for Christ.

The absence of striving is resting.  Its when we truly rest in the Lord that we can enjoy our freedom in the Lord.  The law of liberty gives us JOY!  Do you have the joy of the Lord beaming inside your heart?  Does the light of Christ within you shine brightly into the lives of others?  Nothing draws an unbeliever more than seeing the consistent joy of Christ in the life of the believer.  If you’re lacking joy will you allow the Lord to show you the reason why so He can set you free to love?

Let the Lord speak this to your heart:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23

HEART TO HEART:  The Law of Liberty flowing through you will produce beautiful fruit for others.