191013 A Renewed Mind

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We have made our way through Romans chapters 1 through 11 and have come to the practical application of all we have learned. We have the responsibility to present our bodies to God. We can offer ourselves to God but only God can renew our minds! There is a process that leads to a renewed mind. Paul begins with our offering up our bodies as a living sacrifice. He then goes on to avoid being conformed to the spirit of the age we live in. This is not something we can sit back and watch happen it requires active participation on our part.

We are saved by grace through faith. That faith is a gift of God and cannot be earned by any good works that we have done. Since it cannot be earned we are required to trust God for our spiritual health, or sanctification. When we overemphasize the role of the Spirit it becomes easy to follow a path of “let go and let God”. We do have the responsibility, by the Spirit, to put to death the personal activities that are in opposition to spiritual growth. We are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to grow in grace. Paul urges us to take responsibility for our spiritual growth.

Romans 12 begins with…

Paul’s appeal. Let’s look at Ephesians 4:1-3. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

As a part of his appeal to present our bodies as a living sacrifice he urges the Ephesians to live a life that is worthy of our calling and do it with humility.

We are to be gentle and patient. We are to “bear with one another” by tolerating our differences. We need to exercise love in such a way as to maintain unity and peace in the body of Christ. The world outside should not be able to charge us with any obvious failures of character. The life that we live on a day-to-day basis should honor our Lord. The Lord Jesus is jealous for his own honor and if the church fails to maintain proper direction the Spirit of God will discipline us. Remember his promise to the churches of Pergamum and Thyatira? Jesus said he would come and “war against” them with his sword. I take that to be the word of God — the sword of the Spirit. We are blessed to have a Lord who understands our weaknesses and treats us with…

The mercies of God. Let’s turn to Philippians 2:12-13. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The mercies of God allow us to participate in our spiritual growth. Here, Paul tells us we are to “work out our own salvation” and to do it with “fear and trembling”! This passage is often misused to present some kind of works salvation. After much thoughtful prayer and research, I discovered that this is not our works earning us a place but instead our responsibility to allow salvation to permeate our entire life. Let me give you a simple example. I realize fewer and fewer people are making things from scratch anymore. You will just have to take my word for it I guess. When the ingredients for bread are mixed together some kind of leavening agent is added. The most common leavening agents are yeast, baking powder or baking soda. When the leaven is added it must be “worked out”! Otherwise it would cause the bread to be puffed up in only one spot. The yeast, or powder, needs to be spread throughout the loaf. That’s what all the kneading and pounding is about. If done properly the bread will expand and become soft and porous. And, by the way, it will smell wonderful! In the same way our salvation should permeate all of our spiritual life.

Oh yes, I believe our salvation should smell wonderful also. In the early days of my Christian life, I smoked cigarettes. One day I realized that I needed to stop. I was convicted, I believe by God, that I should not smell like the rest of the world. Now I had tried a number of times to quit smoking but as soon as I felt that conviction I had no problem putting aside the tobacco. I did experience one or two relapses but I never returned to the habit. We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice and that involves bringing our spiritual life under God’s control. We need to experience Transformational renewal. Let’s look back at Romans 6:12-14. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

“Let” implies the ability to choose a direction for your life. We are not to let sin rule in our bodies. That little word speaks of having the ability to exercise royal authority. To rule like a king or governor. In other words, we have the authority to prevent sin from ruling in our bodies. No matter how we struggle with it we have the power. When a person comes to faith in Christ they are brought into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit does not leave us! We are able to present our members to God to be used by him for righteousness. We have the authority — we need to exercise it!

For example. Imagine receiving a phone call or a text message saying that a large amount of money had been deposited in a checking account in your name! If you believe the message all you would have to do is write checks to extract money. However, in this world of scams, you might not believe the money was there. You might be unwilling to write that check! That would not reduce the amount of money in your account. And it will never benefit you. Verse 12 tells us we are not to let sin rule our bodies. Verse 14 adds God’s promise to it! “Sin will have no dominion over you, since you’re not under law but under grace.”

This is one of the greatest promises in Scripture! If you have trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior sin will not rule over you ever! Wait a minute! I am not saying that you will live a sinless life I’m saying that sin will not RULE over you! Remember the words of John the Apostle, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) The speaker in that quote is none other than the disciple whom Jesus loved. Still he uses the inclusive pronoun “we” implying that he also struggled with sin many, many years after he saw his Lord die on the cross, be buried, and then raised again to life eternal! Still he had to say “if we say we have no sin” rather than “if you say”. You see? John included himself!

Since sin will not have dominion over us we are able to be…

A living sacrifice. Let’s look at Romans 8:12-14. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

“By the Spirit” we are able to put to death the deeds of the body. It is not the Spirit’s job it is ours! The Spirit enables us to put sin to death. Remember, the yeast in the bread? We are to work out our own salvation. Salvation is to come out of our inner being and fill our entire being. Salvation is to be worked out into our hands and feet. Salvation is worked out so that our eyes want to look on godly things. Salvation is to be worked out so that our ears desire to hear things that glorify God and honor Christ. We become a living sacrifice in debt to the Spirit of God. We are bound to the word and strengthened by the Spirit. How do we know what we are to do? It is much easier than we think…

We will know the mind of God. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 2:14-16. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ¹⁶ “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

The Corinthian church had many spiritual problems. Not unlike the church of today. I would say that the majority of Christians today live a hindered life surrounded by the world and its ways. The things of the Spirit of God are only understood by the Spirit that has come to live in us. We are able to judge right from wrong spiritually because of the existence, within our minds, of the mind of Christ! In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 30, we are instructed “you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” The spiritual person understands spiritual truth because the mind of Christ lives in us. At the same time, the natural person has no ability to understand the thoughts of God.

I remember a question that was raised in my early years. “If you were arrested for being a Christian will there be enough evidence to convict you?” I put a lot of thought into that. Truth be told we cannot say that we do not have any sin. But, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We all are born separated from God and without a work of the Spirit of God in our life we are doomed to death and hell! Jesus is the propitiation of our sins. On the cross, Jesus turned aside the wrath of God! Otherwise we would have no hope in this world or the world to come.

If we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices we must be inhabited by the Spirit of God. Otherwise, our offering would be unacceptable to God. Be glad God does not operate the way he did in the wilderness. Moses told the story of Aaron’s sons. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord (Numbers 26:61). Unlike them, we are to offer to God an acceptable sacrifice! That sacrifice is holy because of the presence of the Spirit of God in our life. We are free from condemnation because we are in Christ Jesus. If we have confessed with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and have believed in our heart that God raised him from the dead we are saved. The consequence of our confession of faith is…

The Spirit of God brings us into one body. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:13. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

The Holy Spirit works in us to bring us to Christ. When we believe on the Lord Jesus and call on the name of the Lord we will be saved. Not because we are good but because he is God! There is no work of righteousness we can do that makes us acceptable to God. The Bible is very clear, all who receive Christ, all who have believed in his name, he gives the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

Being known as a Christian involves more than an intellectual understanding. We are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds! The knowledge of God is going to continue to grow in the true believer. Peter encouraged us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). We are to increasingly take every thought captive to obey Christ Jesus. As we do this we will find our thoughts are more and more thoughts that God himself imparts from the Word. As we grow in grace the fruit of the Spirit will be seen more and more in our lives. We will love less things of the world and love more the things of God and God’s people. We will put away negative feelings reducing the power of bitterness in our lives. Remember, what Paul told the Romans, “sin will have no dominion over you” (Romans 6:14) we can rejoice in that truth. Have you found peace in the Lord Jesus Christ? Today could be your day.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.

190915 Has God Rejected Israel?

Romans 11:1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

In this chapter Paul deals with the question, “Has God given up on Israel?” For Paul, this is a very special concern. Remember that he began chapter 9 with a statement of faith. That statement was that he would be willing to die and go to hell if it would somehow result in the salvation of the nation of Israel. Then in chapter 10, we find him expressing again his desire that Israel is saved. Now, he proclaims, as fact, God has not rejected his people. After all, Paul himself was an Israelite a descendant of Abraham.

When we study the Old Testament we see many of God’s people who are discouraged.…

Elijah, for example. Let’s read on Romans 11:2-4. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ³ “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴ But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

God has not rejected his people. Let’s unpack the story of Elijah and see how discouragement can cause us to forget our mighty God.

When Ahab became king of Israel he married Jezebel the daughter of the King of Sidon. Of course, she was an idol worshiper. Ahab turned away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God sent Elijah to tell Ahab that it would not rain until he, Elijah, said so! Then Elijah went into hiding three and half years. At the end of that time Elijah called for a contest. Ahab gathered together 850 prophets of the pagan gods. They were instructed to set up an altar and place of sacrifice on it but put no fire on it. Elijah’s challenge was, “The God who answers by fire, he is God.”

The pagan prophets danced around their altar all day. They cut themselves with knives and cried out to their god. But there was no fire!

At the time there would normally be an evening sacrifice to the God of heaven Elijah erected an altar, had a trench dug around it, placed wood on top of it and a bull for sacrifice. Elijah had the people soak the altar and its sacrifice with water and filled the trench around it with water. Then he prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. ³⁷ Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that these people may know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.” (1 Kings 18:36-37). God answered with fire that consumed the offering and the wood and the stones and the dust and the water. Immediately the people fell on their faces and proclaimed Yahweh is God!

Then in response to Elijah’s prayers, God sent rain and ended the drought. It would seem that God through Elijah had worked a great victory. Elijah should have been at the top of his game instead the Queen promised to have him killed. And Elijah ran! He had stood against 850 pagan priests but he ran at the threat of one woman! Elijah believed he was all alone so he went into the wilderness and asked God to kill him! No need to go anywhere Jezebel would’ve taken care of that task. When the angel of the Lord asking why he was running he replied that he was the only person left who followed Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s reply was, “I have kept for myself 7000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Elijah could not see them but they were there nonetheless. This is just one example, there are many more. In fact, we often feel rejected and all alone. There is always a remnant, chosen by grace through faith. Israel pursued the law and did not succeed in reaching that law. The reason they failed was they did not pursue by faith instead law became — not a rock to stand on — a stumbling stone that they tripped on. So only a remnant continues even to this day.

We must remember…

God did not fail! Israel failed. Let’s go back to Romans 11:5-7. So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶ But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. ⁷ What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened.

Paul could see that just as God had a remnant in Elijah’s day he also had a remnant in Paul’s day. This selection of a remnant was based on God’s grace. Since it is by grace and had nothing to do with works. If one can earn salvation by some kind of good works God’s grace would have no value. Remember the rich young man who came to Jesus? (Matthew 19:21-22) He asked what he must do to be saved. Jesus pointed him to the law and he said that he had kept the law says he was a child. At the same time, he did not believe he was all right with God. Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor and follow him! He went away from Jesus that day because he had great possessions. Or his great possessions had him! Salvation cannot be earned it is the gift of God who Jesus Christ our Lord. Throughout the centuries…

Israel were repeat offenders. Let’s turn to Deuteronomy 29:4. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.

These words are taken from Moses’ renewing the covenant with Israel before he died. They had seen the miracles of God in Egypt and they had been provided for in the wilderness for 40 years. Yet they didn’t get it. It would seem they should have known that God can take care of them because he had been doing so for their entire lifetime. Three or four hundred years later God spoke through Isaiah…

Isaiah 29:10 For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).

His people had repeatedly heard, and seen, the power of God on their behalf. But, they refused to listen. God did not blind their eyes to his love and grace. They hardened their own hearts, like Pharaoh of old, and so God turned off their understanding. This should be a severe caution to anyone today who have heard the gospel and have refused to listen to it. If anyone hears the truth and does not respond to it the time will come when he or she will be incapable of responding. It is a terrifying thing to reject the living God. Refusing to hear God, Israel was self-condemned…

As a result, they stumbled. Again we look to Isaiah Isaiah 8:13-15. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. ¹⁴ And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

Here Isaiah is warned away from the people. God placed his hand — his strong hand — on Isaiah and warned him not to walk in the way of the people. Isaiah was instructed to honor God and let him be his fear. The people failed the test again and again! If we are not cautious we will also fail to meet the test. God became, not a rock to stand on but a stone to stumble over. In every generation, most of the people failed to follow God in faith. We must remember the God always has a faithful remnant who will follow him to the death. We recognize what Israel did not and that is…

God had a purpose they did not understand. Let’s go back to Romans 11:11-12. So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

The people stumbled but not without God’s purpose. Please remember, nothing can come into our lives except God guide it. He had a purpose in the failure of Israel. Israel was not past the point of redemption. Their “trespass” refers to Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

Their trespass led to the salvation of the Gentiles. God’s purpose was to cause the Jews to be jealous and to seek God’s face. Their trespass meant spiritual riches to the world. There had always been a remnant of those who followed Abraham by faith. Even in the Old Testament, we find many examples of non-Jewish people who followed God. Melchizedek blessed Abraham because he was a priest of “God most high” (Genesis 14:18) who I take to be Yahweh. Moses was taken in by “the priest of Midian” (Exodus 2:16, 3:1). From these two examples I assume that there were many more. Today, I believe there are more believers in Christ Jesus than there appears to be on the surface.

Since the exclusion of the unbelieving Jews opened the door to Gentile inclusion in the kingdom of God it is possible we will fall into the trap of anti-Semitism. We are not included because we are worthy or have some kind of special ability. In fact, God intended that the gospel be proclaimed throughout the whole world so that everyone who believes can be saved. The failure of the Jews to believe in the Messiah is riches on the Gentiles. But the inclusion of the Jews will be rejoicing for us all. Those words in the ESV “full inclusion” or in the KJV “their fullness” does not mean they will all, historically, be saved. It seems to me there is a time in the future when all the Jews — or at least the vast majority — will be saved! I confess to you that I do not know everything I want to know about the end times.

I do know…

We Gentiles should not be proud. Let’s read on Romans 11:13-16. Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Israel’s rejection of Jesus ultimately leads to reconciliation between God the entire world. If the Jews rejection produces such a redemptive effect, their acceptance of Jesus to bring even greater blessings. The next time we are in Romans chapter 11 we will look more seriously at the inclusion of the Gentiles in the restoration of the Jews. In the meantime…

There are repeated promises, throughout the Old Testament, that Israel will come back to God. The descendants of Abraham through the lineage of Isaac and Jacob will come to faith in Christ. There has never been a time when there were not Jewish believers. But that does not account for the promises of a restored nation of believing Israel. One of the satanic attacks is anti-Semitism! Satan is never stopped trying to destroy the Jews. By all human reasoning it would seem that these dispersed and despised people should have been destroyed! They have been held together by God until the fullness of the Gentiles occurs. The great multitude mentioned in Revelation will contain millions of Jews. I want to be there and I want a lot of my friends and family to be with me. Are you ready? Have you placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Remember, everyone who in faith calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.