104. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE AND IN MY CHURCH ? – Rebirth is a precondition for victory over the power of sin.

We finished Meditation 102 with the apostle Paul’s lament: “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?” (Romans 7:24*).

In Meditation 103 we found Paul’s answer to that question: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:25*)

In that last meditation we saw how Jesus Christ, God the Son, humbled Himself in becoming a man and dying on the cross as God’s guilt offering for our disobedience to Him. Through his death He saved us not only from the bondage of sin and Satan, but also from God’s righteous anger and judgment. Jesus’ death granted us the pardon of our sins, reconciliation with God and eternal life. (see also Meditations 5 to 11, 18 to 27 and 38 to 43)

Indeed, our repentance and God’s pardon because of Jesus’ sacrifice is the first and foremost precondition for victory over the power of sin. However, there is more to say about this vast subject.

Honestly, I wonder how many Christians don’t ever grow into a deeper understanding of their new identity through Jesus’ death for them. And I think that is for this reason that many Christians keep struggling with their sins without every gaining victory over the power of sin in their lives.

Today many people, also Christians, might turn to the social sciences and their specialists for help. They might find themselves on the couch of psychologists, psychiatrists or all sorts of therapists and counsellors. Indeed, in this way deep-seated, psychological, behavioural and relational problems might be addressed and solved.

Yet, social science cannot give an answer to man’s core problem, his disrupted relationship with God which God’s Word [the Bible] calls ‘sin’. (see Meditation 102)

This disrupted relationship with God comes to light in man’s disobedience to God’s holy Law which Jesus summarises by saying: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament) hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40**)

God’s Word shows that only Jesus, during His walk on earth, obeyed God’s holy Law completely and lived a sinless life. Only He lived in an impeccable relationship with God. Consequently, only Jesus lived a true human life in the image and likeness of God. (see Meditations 14 to 17)       

I think that only if the social sciences and its professionals could ‘produce’ Christlike, sinless people, they would prove to be capable of solving man’s root problem of ‘sin’.

God tells us in His Word that the solution for our ‘root problem’ consists of a restored relationship with Him! To make that possible, God the Son came to earth to reconcile us with God the Father through His death on the cross.

Yet, that is not the end of the story. It is only the beginning! Our reconciliation with God leads us into a new relationship with Him: a Father-Child relationship. The New Testament writes more often about that new and powerful identity:

-- In his gospel, the apostle John describes the start of this new relationship with God: “To all who believed him (Jesus Christ) and accepted him, he gave the right [or: the power] to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan-- this rebirth comes from God.” (John 1:12-13*)

-- Again, in his first letter John makes it clear how to become a child of God: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God.” (1 John 5:1*)

-- Paul speaks about God’s everlasting love for His people when he writes to the Christians in Rome: “God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29*)

-- The apostle Paul writes to the followers of Jesus who lived in Galatia (former name for a region in Turkey): “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26*)

-- The apostle Paul continues: “When the right time came, God sent his Son (Jesus), born of a woman, subject to the Law (as a Jew). God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the Law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” (Galatians 4:4-5*)

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus (modern Turkey), he speaks about our reconciled relationship with God and again uses the metaphor of ‘adoption’: “God’s unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5*)

As we just saw, to become a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, means that we need to be reborn by God’s Spirit and adopted in God’s family.

About the necessity of this rebirth by God’s Spirit, Jesus speaks to the Jewish rabbi Nicodemus: “‘I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.’ ‘What do you mean?’ exclaimed Nicodemus. ‘How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?’

Jesus replied, ‘The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don't be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit.’” (John 3:3-8*)

The apostle Peter addresses the followers of Jesus as being born again: “You have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living Word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23*)

From these texts it is clear that rebirth is a precondition for victory over the power of sin. The apostle John writes: “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and really, that isn't difficult. For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. And the ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:3-5*)

We also read earlier that rebirth is the work of God’s Spirit in our hearts. Therefore, it is clear that having received God’s Spirit is another precondition for victory over the power of sin.

That will be the theme for the next meditation. So, hold on!

  

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version

For more on ‘rebirth’ see Meditation 44.

103. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE AND IN MY CHURCH? – Jesus Christ is God’s answer to the problem of sin.

We finished our last meditation with Paul’s lament: “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?” (Romans 7:24*)

His answer to that question is: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:25*)

To the church in Philippi (Greece), Paul explained how Jesus Christ became God’s answer to the problem of sin: “Though he (Jesus Christ) was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.

Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11*)

The apostle John shows that God’s love for mankind resulted in Jesus’ sacrificial death for our sins. He writes: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16*)

In Meditations 2 to 12 we pondered on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ:

-- His divinity and humanity. (Meditations 2 to 4)

-- His guilt offering for the sins of all men. (Meditation 5)

  

-- His resurrection and enthronement in heaven. (Meditation 6)

-- His position as the only mediator between God and man. (Meditations 7 and 8)

-- His divine assignment as God’s ultimate Messiah (Christ) and Saviour of the entire world.

(Meditations 9 to 12)

In Meditation 102 we identified the most important words, used in the Old and New Testaments, which portray the essence of sin. Today we want to see how these terms are linked to the death of Jesus Christ who is God’s Messiah.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

·      chata = to miss, to miss the way, to sin

This Hebrew verb and its derivations describe the act of sinning in general. One of its derived nouns is used to focus on the reason for the death of God’s Messiah. In the 8^th century B.C. the prophet Isaiah prophesies about Jesus in the past tense, saying: “... He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many...” (Isaiah 53:12**)

·      pasha = to rebel, to transgress, to revolt.

This Hebrew verb and its derivations describe the act of sinning as deliberate disobedience to God’s Word and His will. In relation to the death of the Messiah, we read about man’s rebellion against God in:

-- Isaiah 53:5**: “He was pierced for our transgressions.”

-- Isaiah 53:8**: “By oppression and judgment he was taken away. ... He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.”

·      awa = to bend, to twist, to distort, to sin, to commit a perversion or an iniquity.  

Its main derivative is the masculine noun ‘awon’ (occurring 231 times compared to the verb that is found 17 times) with the meaning: iniquity, guilt, crooked behaviour, perversity, depravity. This noun especially describes the sinful intention of man’s evil heart behind the act of sinning.

In a dramatic way, the use of this noun is linked to the Messiah’s death in:

-- Isaiah 53:5** “He was crushed for our iniquities.”

-- Isaiah 53:6** “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

  

THE NEW TESTAMENT

·      hamartanó = to miss the mark, be in error, to sin, do wrong, transgress

When the Greek New Testament speaks about sin in all its ugly ‘gradations’, it mostly uses this verb and its derivatives when it is interlinked with Jesus’ sacrificial death. His sacrifice causes all those who believe in Him to have:

§  Salvation from sin:

-- The evangelist Matthew testifies to the heart of Jesus’ mission: “She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (meaning ‘Saviour’), because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21**)

-- The apostle John describes the reaction of John the Baptist when he sees Jesus for the first time: “John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29*)

§  Forgiveness of sin:

-- On the evening before His death, Jesus explains that the sacrifice of His life will cause many to receive forgiveness of their sins. Matthew reports: “As they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God's blessing on it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take it and eat it, for this is my body.’ And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many.” (Matthew 26:26-28*)

-- On the day of Pentecost, after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the apostle Peter addresses the listening crowd, saying: “We apostles are witnesses of all he (Jesus) did throughout Israel and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by crucifying him, but God raised him to life three days later.

Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen beforehand to be his witnesses.

We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is ordained of God to be the judge of all-- the living and the dead.

He is the one all the prophets (the Old Testament) testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his Name.” (Acts 10:39-43*)

§  The light of God’s love and truth:

-- The apostle Paul testifies before king Agrippa: “I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses (the Old Testament) said would happen -- that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles." (Acts 26:22-23**)

§  God’s righteousness is more than Mosaic Law:

-- The apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome that “No-one will be declared righteous in his (God’s) sight by observing the (Mosaic) Law; rather, through the Law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from Law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament) testify.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished -- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:20-26**)

-- Paul writes to the church in Corinth: “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21*)

§  Salvation from God’s righteous anger and reconciliation with Him:

-- Writing to the church in Rome, Paul pronounces: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11**)

-- The apostle John writes about Jesus as the One who reconciles us with God and represents us before Him as a true intercessor: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2**)

§  Salvation from God’s righteous judgement of sin:

-- To the Roman Christians, the apostle Paul exults, saying: “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.

The Law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful.

God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the (Mosaic) Law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4*)

§  Salvation from our sinful world:

-- Paul writes to the churches in Galatia (a region in modern Turkey): “May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.” (Galatians 1:3-4*)

§  Salvation from Satan’s power:

-- Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Colosse (Greece): “He (God) has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. God has purchased our freedom with his (Jesus’) blood and has forgiven all our sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14*)

How could we ever thank our triune God enough for His greatest love gift to our lost world: Jesus Christ! Let us close this Meditation by joining in Paul’s marvellous acclamation: “Thank God for his Son-- a gift too wonderful for words!” (2 Corinthians 9:15*)

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version; *** New King James Version.

102. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE AND IN MY CHURCH – What is sin?

Before we ask ourselves questions like “How will I overcome the power of sin in my life?” and “How will my church overcome the power of sin in our midst?” we need to identify the words used for ‘sin’ in the Old and New Testaments. That might help us better grasp the significance of sin and the effect it has on our relationship with God and our fellow man.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament uses various words to portray the essence of sin. The most important ones are:

1. chata = to miss, to miss the way, to sin.

This verb and its derivations are used to generally describe the act of sinning as being:

§  breaking God’s Covenant: “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep.” (Joshua 7:11**)

§  disobeying God’s Law: “You warned them to return to your Law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen.” (Nehemiah 9:29**)

§  doing what God hates: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” (Psalm 51:4**)

§  being unfaithful to God: “Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, ‘We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.’” (Judges 10:10**)

§  doing wrong: “We have sinned and done wrong.” (Daniel 9:5**)

God had warned Cain before he killed his brother Abel, saying: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7**)

The book of Proverbs declares that “haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.” (Proverbs 21:4*)

2. pasha = to rebel, to transgress, to revolt.

This verb and its derivatives describe the act of sinning as being the act of deliberate disobedience to God’s Word and His will:

-- In the 7^th century B.C., God commanded His prophet Hosea to explain to His people why the Assyrians would invade the Northern country of Israel and take them into exile: “Sound the alarm! The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the LORD, for they have broken my Covenant and revolted against my Law.” (Hosea 8:1*)

-- In Psalms 32 and 51, king David (11^th century B.C.) recounts his horrendous sin of adultery with the wife of Uriah (2 Samuel 11 and 12). In Psalm 32:5* he admits his deliberate disobedience to God’s Word and His will: “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalm 32:5*)

3. shagag = to go astray, to err, to commit sin or error.

This verb and its derivatives describe the act of sinning caused by ignorance or negligence of God’s Word and His will.

According to the Mosaic Covenant, God required a sin offering for the person who sinned accidentally: “If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the LORD has spoken to Moses …all that the LORD has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations... the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.” (Numbers 15:22.23.28***)

In Psalm 119:67**, the psalmist confesses to God: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your Word.” It seems that this man disobeyed God’s Word, not because of wilful non-observance, but rather because of ignorance or negligence. However, in God’s sight sin remains sin even if it is committed unintentionally.

THE NEW TESTAMENT

 

The New Testament also uses various words to portray the essence of sin. Besides, the New Testament Greek clothes itself often with the meaning of the Hebrew terminology used in the Old Testament. The most important ones are:

1. hamartanó = to miss the mark, be in error, sin, do wrong, transgress.

This verb and its derivatives are used to generally describe sinning as:

§  lacking God’s image and likeness, and therefore falling short of His glorious standard (manifested in the Mosaic Law): “All [men] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23**)

§  tracing the footsteps of Adam in disobedience to God: ^“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned...” (Romans 5:12**)

§  disobeying God’s Law: “As many as have sinned without Law (non-Jews) will also perish without Law, and as many as have sinned in the Law (Jews) will be judged by the Law.” (Romans 2:12***)

     -- “Those who sin are opposed to the Law of God, for all sin opposes the Law of God.” (1 John 3:4*)

§  dealing unrighteously with man means dealing unrighteously with God: “His son [the prodigal son]said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’” (Luke 15:21*; See also Psalm 51:4* “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”)

§  not believing in God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah: “The world's sin is unbelief in me.” (John 16:8*)

§  being under the power and control of the evil one (Satan, the Devil): “We know that... the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.” (^NLT 1 John 5:19*)

     -- “When people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. (1 John 3:8*)

§  acting in revolt against God: “He [God] will bring the people of the world to judgment. He will convict the ungodly of all the evil things they have done in rebellion and of all the insults that godless sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 1:15*)

2. paraptóma = a departure from living God’s way; a false step, a sin, a transgression as a serious offence against God.

This noun describes the act of sinning as being:

§  an offence against God: “For if by the one man's [Adam’s] offense many died [all men], much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's (Jesus’) righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” (Romans 5:15-18***)

3. skandalizó = a. to cause to stumble, to lead into sin, b. to stumble, to fall away, to take offence.

This verb and its derivatives are used to generally describe the act of sinning as:

§  being offended because of Jesus: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:6***)

§  leading others into sin: “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” (Mark 9:42**)

4. adikeó = a. to do wrong, to act wickedly, to act unjustly in violating God’s Law.

§  acting unjustly (toward others): “You yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your own Christian brothers and sisters. (1 Corinthians 6:8*)

     -- “If you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil.” (Colossians 3:25*)

4. anomia = lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin.  

The noun anomia is derived from the adjective anomos (without law, lawless, i.e. having an utter disregard for God’s Law). These words are used to generally describe the act of sinning as:

§  having a heart filled with utter disregard for God’s Law: “You (Pharisees and Jewish teachers of God’s Law) try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:28*)

§  breaking God’s Law: “Everyone who sins breaks the Law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4**)

§  joining in acts and/or a lifestyle opposed to God’s Law: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14***; See also Psalm 1:1)

           

§  being addicted to a lifestyle opposed to God’s Law:“I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and masters, because it is easy to understand. Before, you let yourselves be slaves of impurity and lawlessness. Now you must choose to be slaves of righteousness so that you will become holy.” (Romans 6:19*)

     -- “Then I [Jesus] will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23***)

We see in these biblical examples that ‘sin’ in all its manifestations is always a violation of God’s eternal Law which He revealed to His people Israel after their liberation from bondage in Egypt (circa 15^th century B.C.).

Jesus summarises this divine Law with the words: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets [i.e. the entire Old Testament] hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40*)

These two commandments bring to light the abysmal wickedness of our human heart.

-- King David (10^th century B.C.) acknowledges: “I was born a sinner-- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5*)

-- The prophet Jeremiah (7^th century B.C.) laments: “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9*)

-- Jesus declares: “From within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” (Mark 7:21**)

-- The apostle Paul confesses: “I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:18-19*)

Then the apostle cries out in desperation: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?” (Romans 7:24*)

In the next meditation, we will see how God’s Word (the Bible) shines its light through the darkness of our tormented souls. 

  

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version; *** New King James Version.

101. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE AND IN MY CHURCH ? – An Introduction.

We started this blog in Meditation 1 with the words: How exciting to know that God wants to change us in such a way that we become ever more like his one and only Son Jesus Christ! That is what we read in the biblical text of 2 Corinthians 3:18* “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him (Jesus Christ) and reflect his glory even more.”

For becoming ever more like Jesus Christ, we need to know who Jesus Christ is? The apostle Paul declares to the church in Colosse that “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15*).

Paul’s declaration takes us straight back to the first book of the Bible which recounts the  remarkable story of the creation of man. It says that man’s origin started with God’s proclamation: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...” (Genesis 1:26**). The One God expresses himself here in the plural! That means that man originally was created in the image of God the Father, God the Son [who is Jesus the Messiah or Jesus Christ], and God the Holy Spirit. (See Meditation 18)

Today we start with a new series of meditations. As the Spirit of God wants to transform us more and more into the likeness of Jesus (who is the image of God), we need to ask ourselves a serious question: if we are created in the image and likeness of God the Son, Jesus Christ, why don’t we live such a perfect ‘life of love’ as Jesus did? (See Meditation 18)

A second urgent question is: if God’s Spirit wants to restore the image and likeness of Jesus Christ in us and in our churches, why is His task seemingly unattainable? Have you ever met an impeccable person? Have you ever visited a perfect church?

God explains in His Word (the Bible) that the answer to these two questions has everything to do with the human problem of ‘sin’. In Meditations 19 to 27, we reflected on the origin of sin and our desperate need for reconciliation with God.

In these meditations we realized that ‘sin’ finds it origin in human pride, rebellion against God and disobedience to His Word (See Genesis 3).

Its consequence is the destruction of God’s image and likeness in us. Therefore, salvation has to do with restoring that image. Sin destroys our relationship with God and our fellowman. Salvation heals those relationships.

We finished Meditation 100 by saying that God’s Word, as well as our personal and our church’s experiences, tells us that our major enemy in the process towards Christlike maturity is the power of sin.

In the forthcoming meditations we will not go back into questions on how to be how to be reconciled with God and saved from God’s righteous anger; we did that in the meditations 24 to 27.

As I said before, the theme of the upcoming meditations will focus on questions like: now that I am saved and reconciled with God by the blood of Jesus Christ, how will I overcome the power of sin in my life? How will my church overcome the power of sin in our midst? It is clear that only then God’s Spirit will progress in the transformation process towards Christlike maturity.

I think that we need to start with identifying the words used for ‘sin’ in the Old and New Testament. Once we know ‘our enemy’, we can develop a battle plan!      

  

  

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version.

100. GOD’S MAJOR PROJECT: TRANSFORMING ME AND MY CHURCH INTO THE LIKENESS OF CHRIST - An overall picture of the meditations

In Meditation 44 we asked ourselves what God’s purposes are for His reborn children, receiving His Spirit and renewing our lives?

In Meditation 45 we realized that God’s Spirit directs the transformation process into Christ-, or God-likeness during our walk on earth. This transformation process finds its completion when we will be with Jesus Christ forever. In Meditation 29 we read that with our rebirth by the Spirit of God, He incorporates us into the Messianic community, called the Church or the Body of Christ.

In Meditation 46 we asked ourselves: does God’s transformation process only deal with his reborn children individually, or does God also aim at transforming His entire Church into the likeness of Christ?

In Meditations 46 and 47 we saw that God - Father, Son and Spirit - prepares Christ’s universal church for the glorious end-of-time wedding celebration of the Lamb. We noted that He does that on a minute scale: one local church at a time within its own geographical and cultural setting! We understood moreover that God’s Spirit aims at changing not only our individual lives but also our communal life into Christ-likeness.

As ‘maturing in Christ-likeness’ is the theme of our meditations, we decided to focus in the future on two tracks: our individual lives as followers of Jesus and our communal life as the Body of Christ.

Track 1: Personal Maturing in Christlike Love for our Triune God

In the Meditations 48 to 62 we focused on our personal transformation into Christlike love for God.  

In Meditations 48 to 55 we asked ourselves the question “what could prevent or stifle Christlike transformation in people’s private lives and in the life of entire churches?”

In Meditation 56 we started our journey in search of the characteristics of Christlike transformation. We wondered if there is a predominant trait in the character of Jesus Christ that God’s Spirit also wants to produce in my heart and in my church?

We realised that true and pure Christlike love, given by God’s Spirit to all Jesus’ followers, should characterise their relationship with God and with their fellow men. We also found that Christlike love should characterise the life and ministry of every local church.

In Meditations 57 to 62 we read how Jesus Himself described the Christlike love that God’s Spirit is able to generate in us. We also realized that this love, which only God’s Spirit is able to produce in us, is the fulfilment of God’s two most important commands for human life: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets [i.e. the entire Old Testament] hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40*)

From Meditation 57 onwards we concentrated on the first and greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37-38*) We discovered how the apostles applied Jesus’ teaching on Christlike love to their own lives and to the lives of their fellow Christians.

Track 2: Communal or Corporate Maturing in Christlike Love for our Triune God

In Meditation 63 we found that God’s Word [the Bible] makes a difference between my personal love for God and my church’s corporate love for Him. God loves me personally, but He loves my church as well! God desires my personal love for Him, but He longs also for the corporate love of my church, as it is ‘the Bride of Christ’!

Then we asked ourselves questions like: How does God’s Spirit empower my church (as ‘the Bride of Christ’) to grow into mature Christlike love for God. How does He accomplish that in such a way that my church fulfills God’s first and greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37-38*)

In Meditation 64 we saw that God’s Word [the Bible] requires of a healthy local church to have a clear vision of Christlike love for God, given by His Spirit and shared by the entire congregation.

In Meditation 65 we noted that God’s Word also shows that God appoints people in the local church who are guided by God’s Spirit to bear that vision, blaze the trail and lead the church into communal, Christlike transformation..

In Meditations 66 to 73 we spoke about the importance of the church’s unconditional and persistent devotion to prayer and about the importance of having intimate fellowship with God in true communal worship.

In Meditations 74 and 75 we reflected on the significance of studying and obeying God’s Word if a church wants to love God wholeheartedly.

In Meditations 76 to 99 we saw that loving our triune God wholeheartedly as a church means pursuing Christlike holiness in preparation for Jesus’ return in glory.    

In these meditations we spoke about Christlike maturity and how God’s Spirit wants to lead me and my church in such an exciting transformation.

Yet, God’s Word, as well as our personal and communal experience, tells us that our major enemy in the process to Christlike maturity is the power of sin.

Therefore, the theme for the upcoming meditations will be: “How to Overcome the Power of Sin in my Life and in my Church”

Translation: * New International Version

99 . CORPORATE, CHRISTLIKE LOVE FOR THE FATHER AND HIS SON (jj): Pursuing Christlike holiness (22)

A brief summary and some further reflections

From Meditation 76 onwards, we have looked into a third characteristic of a church that loves our

triune God wholeheartedly:“To love God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ wholeheartedly as a

church means to pursue Christlike holiness in preparation for Jesus’ return in glory.”

Although God’s Word mentions many more possible courses of action for a church to pursue

Christlike holiness than we covered in our previous meditations, we contemplated the following

issues:

· God’s view on Christ’s Church: The Church as the salt of the earth, the light of the world and as

a community on pilgrimage in this world; the Church as a pure, blameless and holy community;

the Church as a Spirit-guided community. (See Meditation 76)

· How did God’s Spirit implement God’s plan for Christ’s Church in New Testament times?

The gift of God’s Spirit to Christ’s Church. The Church as a community guided by God’s

Spirit to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. (See Meditation 77)

· How did God deal in New Testament times with churches that did not obey God’s Spirit and

God’s Word and did not live up to God’s view on Christ’s Church? 1. Ananias and Sapphira.

2. The church in Corinth: controversy because of leadership preferences. The arrogance of some

church members. Licentiousness within the church. Prostitution. Legal disputes amongst church

members. Idolatry and the Lord’s Supper in the church of Corinth. Dissension at the Lord’s

Supper. Lack of discernment regarding false teaching. Paul’s summary of sins allowed in the

Corinthian church. 3. The church in Galatia: their lack of discernment regarding false teaching. 4.

The church of Thessalonica: warning against idleness. 5. The churches in the book of Revelation:

the powerful church of Ephesus; the permissive church in Pergamum; the compromising church

of Thyatira; the ‘contaminated’ church of Sardis; the wealthy, materialistic and self-sufficient

church of Laodicea. (See Meditations 78-81)

· How might God speak to our churches through His dealings with those New Testament

churches that did not obey His Spirit and His Word and did not pursue Christlike holiness?

1. Ananias and Sapphira: Satan and our sinful actions. Sinning against each other is sinning

against God. God’s judgment is certain. 2. The church in Corinth: controversy because of

leadership preferences. The arrogance of some church members. Licentiousness. Incest and other

related issues. Carnal and spiritual prostitution. Divorce. Carnal and spiritual adultery. 'Porneia'

and same-sex issues. (See Meditations 82-94)

· Quarreling and strife in the New Testament churches: God’s solution to quarreling and strife

in New Testament churches. (See Meditations 95-96)

· Discrimination in New Testament churches: 1. Discrimination against Jewish-Christian

widows from abroad. 2. Discrimination against ‘weaker’ Christians: in the matter of keeping

the Mosaic food laws; in the matter of food dedicated to idols. 3. Discrimination against poor

Christians. 4. Discrimination because of gender, nationality, social rank, level of education, or

professional position. (See Meditations 97-98)

God’s Word shows everywhere an ‘inner link’ between the way we treat our fellow men and the way

we treat God. Here are some examples:

-- “Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who help the poor honor Him.” (

Proverbs 14:31*)

-- “Those who mock the poor insult their Maker...” (Proverbs 17:5*)

-- “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD-- and he will repay you!” (Proverbs 19:17*)

-- “The King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and

sisters, you were doing it to me!'” (Matthew 25:40.45*)

-- “He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting

me?’ ‘Who are you, sir?’ Saul asked. And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are

persecuting!’” ( Acts 9:4-5*)

-- “If anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help--

how can God's love be in that person?” (1 John 3:17*)

-- “If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if

we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?” (1 John 4:20)

Therefore, if our church pursues Christlike holiness so that God’s Spirit can freely empower us to

love God wholeheartedly, we consequently will grow in love and service for our brothers and sisters

in church and for our fellow men.

I think that the apostle Peter well summarises the meditations on pursuing Christlike holiness when

he says: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the

grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil

desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all

you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:13-15**)

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version

98. CORPORATE, CHRISTLIKE LOVE FOR THE FATHER AND HIS SON (ii) : Pursuing Christlike holiness (21b)

Discrimination in New Testament churches (b)

In Meditation 97 we started to reflect on the problem of discrimination among church members in local churches and how that inhibits God’s Spirit to empower our churches to Christlike love for our triune God. We closed that meditation with Paul addressing the problem of discriminating poor Christians at the Lord’s Supper in the Corinthian church.

The apostle James also harangues the church with accusations of discriminating poor Christians, saying: “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others?

For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’ -- well, doesn't this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? And yet, you insult the poor man!

Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's royal command found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are guilty of breaking that Law.’” (James 2:1-9*)

In the Mosaic Law, God warned His people often not to discriminate the poor. In Exodus 23:6* God commanded: “Do not twist justice against people simply because they are poor.”

The book of Proverbs shows the ‘inner link’ between deriding the poor and offending God:    

-- “Those who mock the poor insult their Maker...” (Proverbs 17:5*)

-- “Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who help the poor honor him.” (Proverbs 14:31*).

• Discrimination because of gender, nationality, social rank, level of education, or professional position

The apostle Paul makes it perfectly clear that in Christ’s body, the church, there should not be any discrimination or favouritism because of national origin, social or professional status and the level of education. He reminds the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “... you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3:10-11*)

To the churches in Galatia (a region in modern Turkey) Paul explains why discrimination in the church should not exist:

-- “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28**)

-- “Neither circumcision (being Jewish) nor uncircumcision (not being Jewish) means anything; what counts is a new creation.” (Galatians 6:15**)

So, what makes me a new creation? How does Christ live in me? How can Jesus’ followers be one in Christ in spite of the differences in gender, national origin, education, status and class? 

The apostle Paul answers these questions in his first letter to the Corinthian church: “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13*)

Here we find the final answer to what makes Christians one in Christ: it is nothing less than the gift of God’s Spirit! It is He who fills the church and each of its members with the presence of Christ, as Paul writes to the church in Ephesus: “The church is his (Christ’s) body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.” (^NLT Ephesians 1:23*)

In these last two meditations we have seen that any kind of discrimination between churches and between members of local churches hinders God’s Spirit to empower our churches to Christlike love for our triune God.

Let us reflect for a moment on the question of discrimination in our churches:

-- Are foreign Christians (immigrants, expatriates, international students, migrant workers, refugees) seen as equal members in my church, because of the presence of God’s Spirit in them?

-- Or do they actually remain ‘outsiders’ because of customs, behaviour, language, lack of social or professional status, etc.?

-- In my church is there an unspoken hierarchy of church members according to their ‘spiritual status’?

-- Does my church value rich and poor church members differently?

-- Does my church value educated and less educated church members differently?

-- Does my church value Christian professionals with high social status, regard and esteem more than a church member who does unskilled manual labour?

-- Is male chauvinism (the belief that men are superior to women) a problem in my church?

-- Is my church aware of the fact that all these kinds of discrimination would impede God’s Spirit to fill my church with Christ’s presence and Christlike love for our triune God?

-- How does my church tackle any examples of this discrimination?

-- Does my church rejoice in the unity of the Spirit amongst all church members whatever their nationality, education, social and political status, etc.?

     

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version.