Living As God’s People Part 2
Contents
Saved to be holy and righteous
We are to forgive those who sin against us
We are to love – the greatest commandment
We are the body of Christ, a holy temple
We are to be a people who know God’s peace and joy
Saved To Be Holy and Righteous
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age (Titus 2:11,12).
God wants us to be a holy and righteous people. But this is not working for our salvation, but rather the working out of our salvation and always with God’s grace. Being holy and righteous is the result of our new nature in Christ. In a contemporary expression, they are as a result of our new DNA. Because we are saved we can be holy by the power of the Spirit of God who comes to dwell in us.
To be holy is not adhering to church ritual and tradition or what ‘spiritual’ Christians do. Rather, to be holy means to be separated from sin and to be separated for God’s purpose. The Bible tells us we are both made holy and to be holy because without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)
Paul never refers to Christ’s followers as Christians but as ‘saints’ or ‘holy ones’ (Romans 1:7). If we think of ourselves as what we are in Christ (holy ones), rather than what we were (sinners) we will be better equipped in our mind to be holy in practice.
Being holy and righteous is not just a list of do’s and don’ts, but rather the fruit of Christ indwelling us as we follow the leading of His Spirit. As a child of God, it is what we were created to do (Ephesians 4:24) for His glory. As we read in the beloved Psalm:
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Psalm 23:3 ESV).
There are two aspects of being righteous – the first is that we are made right before God by His grace as a gift through faith in Christ, known as justification. This is also called imputed righteousness – by virtue of what Christ has done for us and requires our faith.
The second is that we are to be right in our living through bearing the fruit of righteousness. This is also called imparted righteousness which comes by virtue of what Christ does in us, requires our obedience. This is why we who have believed in Jesus are called saints or holy ones, because we are made holy in Christ and set apart for a purpose – to be holy.
But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behaviour; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15,16).
And as the writer to the Hebrews encourages us:
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14 ESV).
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11).
While righteousness is to be pursued, it is a fruit which comes through the spirit of Christ in us:
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11).
It is our standing in Christ, by God’s grace, through His death and resurrection that we are made both legally and practically righteous. Therefore we should always be on guard against pride and any form of self- righteousness.
Holy through God’s word
It is through the application of God’s word we are made holy:
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word (Ephesians 5:25,26).
His word must therefore be an ever present part of our life. We are to live by every word that proceeds from God through hearing and obeying (Matthew 4:4).
As we choose to do what is right we become holy in practice:
For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification (Romans 6:19). (Note: the words sanctification and holiness have the same meaning – from the Greek word hagiasmos).
Controlling our tongue
For, the one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Peter 3:10-12).
James also said much about the need to take control over what we say and how we say it (3:2-10).
Words can build up or tear down. It is easy to criticise and pass judgement on others but how difficult it is to undo words hastily uttered but later regretted? We also need to be on guard against a judgemental attitude, especially towards the lost and those struggling with sin. Such an attitude can become an excuse to hate in the guise of being righteous. While there is a proper place for correction, it must be done in love and in a spirit of gentleness, looking first to our own walk. Remember we are all sinners saved by the grace of God.
What we say should build up others as Paul says:
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29).
Don’t Be a Pharisee
For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).
Jesus makes this surprising statement to his disciples. The Pharisees were the conservative evangelicals of Jesus’ day and considered to be models of righteousness. They were diligent students of the Scriptures, they prayed, fasted, travelled long distances to make converts, tithed diligently, strictly kept the Mosaic laws of cleanliness and the Sabbath day. All good and right deeds, yet Jesus delivered some of his strongest criticism to them. He called them hypocrites. Why?
First and foremost the Pharisees were not humble before God. Their faith was in their own righteousness not God’s. They were zealous for God and the Scriptures but added their own rules which went beyond what God required. They tithed diligently but focused on outward appearances, not the inner person. They worshipped God, but not in spirit. They praised God with their mouths but not with their hearts. They were fastidious in cleanliness but neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness. Their deeds were done to be seen so as to earn the praises of men. They loved money and thought that giving to God negated their need to honour their parents and give to the poor. They sought to impose burdens on others in the name of righteousness but were unwilling to help and be compassionate (Matthew 23:1-33).
Yet the longer we have been Christians the greater the risk we may become Christian Pharisees. We can all fall into the same error as the Pharisees if we place greater emphasis on outward form rather than the inner person, that we earn God’s approval by what we do rather than what we are.
Do we serve to seek acceptance, affirmation and praise from men rather than God? In church do we praise and pray enthusiastically but not in our private times? Are we one person at home with our family but someone else when in church or with other Christians? Beware of hypocrisy here. In our zeal to be righteous and defend God are we known more for what we are against than what we are for? Are we known first by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy and peace?
Another error, like the Pharisees, is to build upon man-made traditions; whether they be the way we ‘do church’ or a theological tradition rather than the word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is not to say traditions are necessarily wrong but we must always test them against God’s word as revealed in the Bible. Do our traditions have a clear basis in the truths of Scripture? When long church traditions become standards we must adhere to we have made the error of the Pharisees. Be led first and foremost by the Truth, not tradition.
Worship God in Spirit
True worship is not a ritual done in a certain place at a certain time but is in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). That is, it comes from our heart and is expressed in our living for God as Paul encourages us:
To present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1).
Worship of God is not just ‘going to Church’ but the giving of ourselves to His purpose for us, be it humble or great in our eyes. This will include service to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are poor, needy and afflicted. If we neglect them, our ‘righteousness’ is in vain and God is not pleased (Isaiah 58:1-12).
So let’s be motivated from the heart, guided by the Scriptures, led by the Holy Spirit, out of love, compassion, humility and mercy. We must act, not begrudgingly nor out of a desire to maintain a man-made tradition, exercise power over others or receive praise and recognition. Most importantly it is God we must first please, not man.
Guarding our thoughts not just actions
If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell (Mark 9:47).
Of course Jesus did not mean to literally remove an eye since it is not the eye itself that sins but the thoughts coming from our heart and sinful thoughts from what we see. The seriousness of this warning is plain. We need to do whatever it takes to not sin or risk going to hell. This warning bears particular significance today as technology can bring sinful media into our homes through a button on our remote, the click of a mouse or a touch screen. Pornography has become a great evil (particularly with the Internet) which even Christians have succumbed to.
We must therefore guard our thoughts not just our actions.
Be prepared at all times
In the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25) Jesus illustrated two types of disciples, both of whom were looking for His coming. Yet five were said to be foolish, because they did not take oil for their lamps and were not prepared when He came. The oil, which supplied the flame which gave light, could represent the light of good deeds (Matthew 5:14-16) or the light of Christ within us (Ephesians 5:8,9). The oil represents that which is necessary to have, maintain and so be prepared. The foolish virgins neglected to do what they should have done and so were unprepared. The end result is they were shut out.
Other scriptures tell us to always be prepared, holy and blameless, ready for Jesus’ return (1 Thessalonians 3:13, 5:23; 2 Peter 3:11-14).
Let’s be diligent in practising moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love so as to make certain of Jesus’ calling and choosing.
For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you (2 Peter 1:10,11).
Be on guard against establishing our own standards of righteousness rather than God’s. Unconsciously we may do this when we compare ourselves to others rather than that revealed in Scripture. While we live in this world there can be a temptation to think that if we maintain a standard of morality higher than the world or even our fellow Christians we are alright. The error of this, is of course, that the world’s standard and other people become our reference for morality, not God’s word.
Be compassionate but uncompromising
In standing up for God’s standard we may be accused of being behind the times and a bigot. While this can be expected from those outside, it can, sadly, happen within the church. While we should be uncompromising in standing for righteousness, it must be done with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
Jesus taught much on how we should relate to and treat other people – especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. We will face situations where we encounter misunderstanding, indifference, rejection and outright hostility. But we must respond, not in the same way, but with humility, love and forgiveness. Will we be like those who have hurt us or be like Jesus?
Yet we must be careful not to compromise God’s standard out of a sense of compassion for others. This has become apparent with the greater acceptance of divorce and remarriage. Jesus did give one exception (sexual unfaithfulness before marriage) but the fact is most divorces are not for this reason. There is also a greater acceptance of homosexuality within many churches. The human need to love and be loved is understandable, but not at the cost of God’s standard of righteousness. Scripture clearly teaches us that a sexual relationship can only exist within marriage – between a man and a woman for life. Therefore what we feel should not determine what we do. Those who are in such situations need truthful, wise and loving counsel, not condemnation.
To be faithful to and follow Christ in this world will require denying self. This will it be at times difficult, but not impossible. Most, if not all, people will experience inappropriate opposite or same-sex attraction sexual temptation at some time in their life. A husband may experience romantic and sexual attraction to another woman and similarly a wife for another man. A man might experience desires and sexual attraction towards children. Yet to act upon such temptations would be sin.
This interview with Sam Allberry (who has same-sex attraction) is both enlightening and encouraging.
Sin against children is one which Jesus solemnly warned:
But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6).
Therefore the fear of God is needed. Jesus said whatever we value in this life which causes us to sin must be parted with lest we end up in hell (Matthew 18:9).
Jesus’ life is both our example and our true life. Jesus never married or had an intimate relationship with a woman, yet He was the most complete and fulfilled person to have lived in this world. The world tells us that we must be either a sexually active heterosexual or a sexually active homosexual to be complete. This is a lie. For a Christian true completeness is found in Christ. Our sexuality does not define our being. So whether we have opposite or same sex temptations, we are told to resist them and by God’s grace we can (1 Corinthians 10:13). To give up what cannot last to gain what will last forever and far better is no great sacrifice.
Human love lasts for a moment but God’s for eternity. That is our choice.
Honour marriage
Marriage is probably one of the greatest opportunities for blessing while at the same time being one of the greatest testing grounds of the Christian faith. It has been said that if you want to best serve Jesus, stay unmarried (as Jesus and Paul encourage us), but if you want to be like Jesus then marriage is a great tutor. Why? In marriage, every aspect of Christian nature is tested – faithfulness, forgiveness, humility, gentleness, self-control, self-denial, patience, endurance and need I say love – which encompasses all these.
Divorce, to some, may seem the only way out of a difficult or unhappy marriage. Marriage counsellors often observe it is not the big issues which cause couples to part but the little things, which, if not dealt with and forgiven, breed bitterness. Being faithful to our husband or wife is not conditional on our having happiness and harmony. God wants us first to be faithful and holy. Could our problem be that we expect marriage to provide those deepest needs which only God can provide?
In 2000 I became, unwillingly, divorced. As a Christian there were many things I might have been prepared for but divorce was not one of them. Believing that the Scriptures taught marriage was for life, I was devastated. Yet through this time of great trial God’s grace and love sustained me. You can read about it here. If you are separated or divorced (but not remarried) I would strongly encourage you to reconcile or if unable to, remain unmarried. God’s grace will be sufficient. That I can say from experience.
Caring for our body – the temple of the Holy Spirit
Our body is to be cared for since it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. As Paul tells us:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19).
and to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). We know we are not to give our body to sexual immorality or abuse it with drugs but we can also abuse it with food or drink if we consume more than we should. So often the foods we most desire are the ones we know are unhealthy if taken in excess.
In Western society the sheer availability of food makes this a particular challenge for some of us. For those who struggle in this area the good news is with self-discipline, through God’s grace and power and with the help of loving brothers or sisters, it can be overcome.
Forgiving those who sin against us
Forgiving others is one of the basic characteristics of those who follow Christ.
In the prayer Jesus taught us is a request for forgiveness but it assumes we have already forgiven those who have sinned against us, for if we do not forgive neither will we be forgiven.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:12).
For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions (Matthew 6:14,15).
In the parable of the unforgiving servant, (Matthew 18:21-35) Jesus tells of a servant who owed an enormous debt, so great he could not repay it. He is forgiven the debt by his master but then goes out and shows no mercy to a fellow servant who owed him a pittance in comparison. The master then calls the servant back, throws him in prison and reimposes the original debt. Jesus then concludes this parable with a warning of the consequences of not forgiving others:
My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart (Matthew 18:35).
So we must forgive those who sin against us because we have been forgiven our debt of sin, one impossible for us to pay, by the blood of Jesus. Forgiveness is not an option.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32).
We all stumble in many ways (James 3:2) and so despite what someone else may do to us we must be prepared to forgive. This does not mean, however, we condone their sin or that they will not have to bear the consequences of their sin – particularly if it is a criminal offence. For example, a perpetrator of physical or sexual abuse cannot expect to be forgiven just because he has said “I’m sorry”. First there has to be true repentance on his part, not just feeling sorry. There needs to be a genuine change of mind evidenced by confession – “I was wrong”, accepting his responsibility for his actions (not making excuses), that he has sinned, not only against another, but against God (whom he needs to fear) and making concrete steps to change his behaviour. Even then forgiveness cannot be expected – it can only be freely given. Yet if we don’t show mercy when we should and can, then neither can we expect to receive mercy as James says:
For judgement will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement (James 2:13).
Yet the greatest motivation to forgive is love.
Love – the Greatest Commandment
Jesus said the two greatest commandments were:
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).
Of all the qualities that God’s people exhibit, love should be the foremost. In fact love encompasses them all, which is why love is commanded or exampled more than any other quality.
First our love for Christ must take priority over everyone and everything else and we show this by obeying Him:
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him (John 14:21).
For this is the love of God: that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
Jesus promises those who love Him:
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).
Jesus showed and taught us agape (one of three Greek words translated ‘love’ in English) is not the love of feeling but that of doing showed by valuing and caring for the one loved, even at personal cost. God has demonstrated His love for us in the sacrifice of His Son:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Knowing how great is God’s love should motivate us to love in the same way:
We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
Agape Love – the Love of God
Agape (the Greek word translated as ‘love‘ in the New Testament) is the God type of love – as distinct from the love that seen in the world. The world’s type of love is typically conditional: if you love me then I’ll love you. The God-type of love, agape is not conditional. It does what is right to others in His eyes. It is a sacrificial love which does good without expecting good in return – even for those who hate and mistreat us:
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them (Luke 6:32).
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men (Luke 6:35).
Loving those who love you is natural. Loving your enemies is supernatural but it is the love Jesus expects of His followers.
Paul reveals the nature of agape love. It is patient, kind, humble, pure, forgiving, bearing, hoping, believing, enduring all things and never ends (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
It is natural to want love from others, but the onus is always on us to love. Love cannot be earned, it can only be given. If we only love when we are loved we are no different to the unsaved. This is especially true when we have unmet needs and don’t feel loving. Agape love is what we do, not what we feel.
Love seeks the other’s best interests and good. It may not at times necessarily be what is nice or pleasant, but what is needed. Speaking the truth in love to another may cause offence and pain, even though it is intended for good. Nevertheless we must not fear speaking the truth, but it must always be done in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1).
Great faith and knowledge are of no account in God’s eyes if we do not love:
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).
Knowledge without love will lead us to inflate our own self-importance instead of humble service to others.
Love for our brothers and sisters in Christ
Love for our brothers and sisters in Christ shows the world that we are His disciples and that we have been saved and born again:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34,35).
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23).
12 times in the New Testament we are told to ‘love one another‘, 9 of those by the apostle John.
For this reason we cannot be lone Christians without meaningful relationships with other Christians. We can’t claim to love our brothers and sisters in Christ if we don’t want to spend time in fellowship with them. This must mean more than just going to church on a Sunday. We should test our hearts here: who do we prefer to keep company with – other Christians or non-Christians?
It also means this love must extend to all Christians – not just those who are members of our church or denomination. (see: Who is my brother?)
There may be times when we don’t feel like loving our brother in Christ, but we must, out of love for Christ who gave His life that we might live. Paul encourages the Galatians with these words:
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6:9-10).
One of the most beneficial ways we can love one another is to pray for one another according to God’s will. Here is a guide to the power of prayer.
Nor can we profess to love God while at the same time hating a brother or sister in the faith. It is hypocrisy:
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20).
Hate is not just an intense negative feeling towards someone. It can be a passive hate in our heart because of some perceived or real offence. Even though this hate may not expressed in action or words we might look for an excuse not to love (which is not hard to do).
Love for those who are suffering
Love for our brothers and sisters who are suffering whether through a physical need, disability, sickness or under persecution is of particular importance.
Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me (Matthew 25:40).
Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body (Hebrews 13:3).
What we do or don’t do for them is the same as we do or don’t do to Jesus (Matthew 25:35-45).
We may not be able to physically visit those under persecution we can support them practically, and most importantly, pray for them.
Love in the home
As mentioned earlier, it is in our own family relationships that love is first practised and tested. God’s purpose for the family is not just for procreating the human race, but to be a place where His love is exemplified through husband and wife, parent and child. Every new-born baby is totally helpless and dependent on the loving care of his parents – a picture of our relationship to our heavenly Father. A home where love is nurtured between husband and wife and parents and children is a taste of heaven on earth.
Divorce, for this reason, should not be considered by those who follow Christ. Separation may be warranted where there is serious abuse, but not a legal divorce. Even in cases of adultery or desertion divorce is not justified. They are not unforgivable sins. Love does not count a wrong suffered and endures all things. We must always be prepared to forgive and reconcile.
The love and relationship between a husband and wife is to exemplify the love and relationship between Christ and His Church. A husband loves his wife by caring for her and a wife loves her husband by submitting to him (Ephesians 5). Of course love will also be expressed in other ways. I am aware that the terms ‘head‘ and ‘submit‘ are contentious to many in this passage. This, I suggest, is because such terms are coloured by the world’s concept: head = boss/superior and submit = slave/inferior. Yet this is not the case in God’s kingdom, for Jesus said “This is not the way among you” (Mark 10:42-45). The one who leads is not by definition superior, or the one who submits inferior (such ideas are from the world).
The roles of head/leadership and submission are guided by ‘agape‘ love – love which does not seek its own but the well-being of the other. Love and submission are willingly given, not demanded. It is how we serve one another (Galatians 5:13). Too often our understanding of what is love is shaped by how love is portrayed by the world and in particular the media. Love, according to the world, has to be something we feel, yet the love that Jesus taught is expressed by what we do.
There is much confusion and error regarding the relative roles of husband and wife in Christian marriage and the role of women within the Church. The distinct Biblical roles of men and women, in the home and in the Church are often portrayed as sexist, because they are seen to portray women as inferior to men. This of course is not true but it is of great concern that such wrong ideas are infiltrating and being adopted by many churches. For more on this crucial subject click here. Also this article ‘The Role of a Christian Man’ brings much needed clarity.
Parenthood teaches love
Those of us who are parents learn to love our children by not only providing for their physical needs, but through patiently enduring sleepless nights, daily routines, playing, reading to and comforting them. Parenthood teaches us love, humility, patience (as our Father in heaven is patient with us), self-denial and endurance. As one mother said: “I prayed for patience and God gave me children”. Training and disciplining them (and discipline here does not mean a brutish display of force) is also how we love them. Discipline teaches a child to fear and respect delegated authority, preparing them to know the fear of God. If we neglect to diligently discipline our children we in fact show hate towards them. Hate, biblically, is not necessarily a feeling of animosity but can be indifference to or denial of another’s need (see Proverbs 13:24). In the home, are we seen as loving people by the other members?
Love is first revealed through those closest to us.
We Are the Body of Christ, the Church, a Holy Temple
When God saved us in Christ He made us members of the spiritual body of Christ – the Church.
It might help at this point to understand exactly what we mean by ‘the church’ for it can convey different ideas to different people. The Greek word, translated as ‘church‘ in most English bibles, is ‘ekklesia‘ which literally means ‘called out ones‘. A more meaningful translation would be ‘congregation‘. It is more than simply a gathering of people (and never refers to a building). It refers to a people, called by Jesus, out from the world, together as a community for a purpose: to be God’s holy people who do His will on earth.
Christ is the head and we are the body – the church. It is essential we recognise that there is no earthly ‘head’ to which we are accountable and has authority over us. Therefore any ‘church’ on earth which claims to be the one true church to which we owe our allegiance is in reality supplanting Christ Himself. Beware!
As members of Christ’s body we no longer live for ourselves, but for Him and for the benefit of others. This is why we cannot choose to be independent Christians without a vital relationship with other believers. We can’t claim to love Jesus if we don’t want to be with other Christians who are His body. We need others and others need us to grow in Christ. Our love and submission to one another is grown and tested through our relationships within the Church. As Paul encourages us:
But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:15,16).
So God’s purpose for us is to be a functioning member of the body of Christ – the Church – and to be built into a holy temple of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:20-22). Each of us form a unique and important part of God’s house, the body of Christ (1 Peter 2:5). With Christ as the Head we build upon others and others on us. Without our active participation the body suffers loss and so do we (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).
As members of the church we have two principal roles – 1. to other members of the body and 2. as a witness (in word and deed) to the world, bringing the knowledge of God and His salvation. As to the first Jesus said:
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).
Without such love our witness to the world lacks substance or worse. As to the second Jesus said:
Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you (John 20:21).
As Jesus’ hands and feet it is our role to bring the knowledge of God’s salvation in Christ to a world in spiritual darkness. Yet unless we live as a holy people, above reproach, our witness will be in vain. So often the name of God and Christ is blasphemed in the world because of the sin and hypocrisy of those who claim to be Christians.
Therefore pursue holiness, respect each other’s gifts and abilities and maintain a humble attitude. We each have a vital role in the body, whether it is what we would consider a humble role or a more visible one. The bond of love is crucial in the growth of the body of Christ. There inevitably will be tensions – different opinions and priorities – which will bring division and damage our witness unless love is fostered in a mature way. Yet this does not mean we are to pursue unity at any cost. We must never, in the name of unity, neglect or avoid speaking aspects of God’s word which are deemed hard, controversial or divisive. The truth should be spoken without compromise, but always in love.
Throughout the Scriptures we are told to be a people of joy and who know the peace of God. This peace and joy is not dependent on outward circumstances but is ours through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and because of the hope that is before us.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
When we have a great need or face adverse circumstances we can still know the peace of God::
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
And in times of persecution:
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 4:13).
Despite what may happen in this world Jesus promises we can have peace:
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
Paul encourages us to rejoice always:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
And we can express this joy through song:
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright (Psalms 33:1).
This does not mean we won’t ever feel depressed or burdened. Paul in his second letter to the church in Corinth said in a time of great affliction that they ‘were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life’. But ten times in this passage (2 Corinthians 1:3-10) Paul says they are comforted by God and so we can too.
Therefore with such encouragement we can know peace and joy in this world as we believe the promises of God and our hope in Christ.
Next: The Spiritual Battle, Warnings and God’s Discipline