How to live the Christian life

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

Why is it that it is so hard for people to wrap their heads around biblical grace?  It seems that, when it comes to grace, we  often fall into one of two errors.  On the one hand, some conclude that grace is permission to do what ever I want — whether sinful or not.  The reasoning seems to go something to the effect of: Now that I am no longer under the law, I am free (this is actually a true statement as far as it goes).  However, these folks then extend the definition of freedom to mean casting off all restraint.  This kind of view of grace leads to a form of licentiousness that gratifies the desires of the flesh (5:16).  But Paul tells us this is not God’s intention for grace.  He warns, “Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh,” (5:13). Remember the flesh is synonymous with the sinful nature which still operates in the believer through the body and the senses.  Jesus did not endure the agony of  the cross to set you free from the penalty of sin in order to help you sin freely! That’s just preposterous.

The second mistake made with grace is to subtly (or overtly) flee from it.  This usually happens to the person who genuinely desires to follow God and wants to honor him with a holy lifestyle. For this person, the reality of the flesh within at war against the Spirit leads to a kind of religious straitjacket.  A way of seeking to assure, through outward moral and religious behavior, that we do not offend against God. And so this person does and does not do certain things in an effort to be holy and good.  This is just a form of religious flesh that turns away from freedom and finds new laws to govern them.

So what is the remedy? What does biblical grace look like? How do you keep from licentiousness on the one hand and law on the other?  The answer is to, “live by the Spirit,” (5:25) to “walk by the Spirit,” (5:16) and to be, “led by the Spirit'” (5:18).  In other words we have to learn to live our lives cooperating with the Holy Spirit who lives in us by virtue of our faith in Jesus Christ.  The Gospel is not simply that you believe in Christ and get to go to heaven when you die.  (As though it were something external to us). The Gospel is that you believe in Christ and he comes to live in you by the Holy Spirit (and you get to go to heaven when you die). The Gospel is that Christ takes up residence in your spirit to live the Christian life through you.  He teaches you how to love God and your neighbor [For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” (5:14)]. The good news is that, “Christ is being formed in you!” (4:19).  His Spirit teaches you how to say no to your flesh — both the licentious kind (see the list of flesh works, verses 19-21) and also the law-based and religious-kind (verse 2-6). As we read in the book of Titus, “ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” (Titus 2:11-12).

What is required to live life by the Spirit?  Simply put: Trust.  We learn to trust the Holy Spirit who is living in us.  We learn to listen to his voice. We allow him to use the Scriptures to train us up in godliness — convicting us when we sin and cleansing us anew through the blood of Christ as we confess and repent. We learn to allow him to grow the characteristics of Christ in our lives — and what are these characteristics?  They are the fruit of the Spirit (verse 22-24). We learn that freedom is not freedom from restraint nor is it an external system of moral and religious checks and balances, but instead is an increasing freedom to love and trust God in all of our life.

 

How Important is Obedience?

“By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, ‘Strike me with your weapon,’ but the man refused. So the prophet said, ‘Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.’ And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him. (1 Kings 20 20;35-36).

Obedience to God is incredibly important! For the man in 1 Kings, disobedience to the express word of the Lord through the prophet cost him his life.  His disobedience led to him being devoured by a lion! It may seem harsh to us, but the principle that is being demonstrated here is that the flesh and the Spirit are at war with one another.  The flesh — that is, the natural man — cannot and will not yield to the Holy Spirit.  The flesh will always seek an easier way than the way of the Lord. The flesh will always try to figure out what makes sense, rather than obey what the Spirit commands. In the book of Romans we read: “ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God,” (Romans 8:5-8).

Similarly we see the flesh at work in King Ahab. When Ahab let his enemy King Ben-Hadad go (following all the trouble the Arameans had inflicted upon the Israelites), God pronounced judgment on Ahab. The prophet declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people,” (1King 20:42). Ahab was a wicked king who continually disobeyed the Lord. God helped Ahab destroy the Aramean army to prove to Ahab and to the enemies of Israel that He alone was God. When Ahab failed to destroy the king, his greatest enemy, God said “Enough!” to Ahab’s disobedience.

So how important is obedience? It is of the utmost importance!  It is paramount to living life in the Spirit. God takes great delight in the person who will trust Him and walk in obedience to what He says.  1Samuel 15:22 reads: And Samuel said,“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”  Obedience to what God says is pleasing to Him. Listening to his Voice and following is crucial to God’s plan and purposes being carried out through our lives.

Now don’t confuse obedience to the Voice of God with obeying the Law. Obedience to the Voice has to do with intimate, Spirit-led relationship.  Trying to obey the Law is a means of seeking to be in right standing before God through self-effort.  You can’t do it and no one will be declared righteous before God based upon their works. We are saved by grace through faith. But having believed, the Lord begins to write his Law upon our hearts.  He begins to change our perspective so that we desire to do that which he word commands.  And he provides the power and ability to carry it out.

Christian obedience is not about going back under the Law as a means of obtaining righteousness.  Christian obedience is about trusting and yielding to the Holy Spirit who leads, guides and transforms.  Christian obedience is about allowing Christ to live his life through us so that he can accomplish his purposes in our lives and in the lives of others.  Learning to yield to the Spirit is a mark of Christian maturity.  BTW — when you fall short and disobey, simply repent and return to the Lord and allow the blood of Jesus Christ to wash you and cleanse you anew.   May I encourage you to make it your ongoing prayer, “Holy Spirit, teach me to hear your Voice and put within me the desire to walk according to it.  Give me the will and the ability to obey what you command, that Jesus might be glorified. Amen.”