How CONVERTED Are You?
Many
kid themselves that they are converted and safe in Jesus Christ when
they are not. They go along complacently -- hurtling toward the
lake of fire. This could be your case!
HAVE YOU ASSUMED that you are SAFE in Jesus Christ? You need to check up and see!
To
be converted means to be CHANGED from the normal way you have always
thought and acted to a NEW, spiritually led, way of life (Rom.
8:1-7). To continue in this new way is life; to depart, death.
Some,
who once sought to be exalted in their community, now seek to be
exalted among the Church brethren. This is not a REAL CHANGE of
attitude. They have merely changed their environment. The same
old vanity still rules their lives.
To be guided by the Holy Spirit means to be guided by the sound WISDOM AND LOVE OF GOD.
A
man does not have this mind naturally. To come to have it
requires a change which is truly a MIRACLE. You cannot accomplish
it by yourself. Nevertheless the accomplishment of such a change
is what TRUE CONVERSION means.
A holy and spiritual mind MUST COME FROM GOD alone because only God has it to give.
As
Paul said, in Romans 7:14, 18 and 24-25, "The law is spiritual; we know
that. But then I am a creature of the flesh wish is there, but
not the power to do what is right ... miserable wretch that I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death? GOD WILL!
Thanks to Him through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Moffatt translation).
We
all need to realize, as the Apostle Paul did, that in us dwells no GOOD
thing. We can often WILL to do good, but we cannot perform it of
ourselves. There is a law which governs the human fleshly action
in man -- a law which wars against the converted spiritual mind (Verses
21-23).
Job was a perfect example of a man WHO WAS PROUD OF
BEING UPRIGHT, fearing God and shunning evil. Job tried to obey
God according to the ways of human righteousness (see Job 1:1;
29:1-25). This righteousness of man is as filthy rags before God
(Isa. 64:6). Job had to repent of it bitterly (Job 42:5-6).
If
you have tried to serve God in your OWN righteousness, and exalted
yourself in God's sight, then it is your time to ABHOR yourself and
"repent in dust and ashes."
"When we are of the flesh (Romans
7:5) the passions of sin which are according to the law (of human
nature) does work in our members and bring forth fruits unto death."
And
as verse 14 states: "Truly the law (of God) is spiritual: but we of
ourselves are carnal, sold under sin ... There is therefore (continuing
in chapter 8) no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of
sin and death. For what the law (the spiritual law outlined in
the Ten Commandments) could not do, in that it was weak (impotent)
through the flesh (the flesh being unable to keep it through human
frailty), God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh ...
condemned sin in the flesh (proved that men do not have to sin when the
Spirit of God leads them): that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Yet God gives His Spirit only to those who repent and are baptized.
Baptism A Vow
When
you were baptized you entered, in a sense, into a vow with God.
You should have been baptized only after you had repented of your ways
and were willing to turn from them. The act of baptism
constituted a solemn vow to bury the old self (the desires of the flesh
-- carnal pleasure-seeking) in a watery grave. You were then
raised, you did not raise yourself up, but WERE figuratively raised
from that death to a new life dictated by the Spirit and will of
God. This is all clearly explained in Romans 6, 7 and 8.
Yet
some of you are trying to RAISE YOURSELVES up out of the watery grave
of death. You should be depending upon God to raise up the new
person who no longer headstrongly follows the old desires, but is led
by the Holy Spirit. (See Col. 3:1-6.)
The old self was only
symbolically buried. Your part is to keep that old self
buried. God's part is to impart the new life. You must continue
to resist your natural pulls or you break your vow of baptism.
Remember, human nature is still very much alive within you. You
must keep up your guard. But how? "Pray always," Ephesians 6:18
tells you, "with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints."
Satan would love to see your thoughts turn again to
yourself, and your carnal desires begin secretly to rule your life
again. Then your part of the baptismal vow would be neglected, maybe
even forgotten, so that God's Spirit would no longer fill you. Satan
hates you and is jealous of you because you are an heir to the Kingdom
of God.
God's part in the agreement with you was to supply the
Comforter (Acts 2:38) upon your repentance and baptism. God did
not promise to take away your fleshly desires and nature. God
promised only that when you resist Satan's temptation to live by your
sensual urges, He will draw near unto you (James 4:7-8) and in so
doing, give you His spiritual desires and nature. This is love in
action. It is a Godly father-son relationship.
This
active love between you and our Creator must exist forever, but you
must continue to resist evil through-out your natural life. "But
he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt.
24:13).
The Pitfall
Some
have allowed themselves to fall into a spiritually weak
condition. They have again allowed pride to swell up in
themselves. Maybe you are doing the same thing without knowing
it. Do you feel hurt if you are not exalted among the brethren or
in the community in which you live?
Perhaps your spiritual
weakness takes another common form. You may have allowed yourself to be
constantly seeking the desires of the flesh. You may find
yourself constantly struggling to get ahead. Do your problems
weigh you down and, when you ask God's help, fail to receive the
answer? If so, you have been overlooking James 4:1-10.
From
the Moffatt Translation we read God's inspired word, "Where do
conflicts, where do wrangles come from, in your society? Is it
not from these passions of your members?" Yes, here is the answer
to your problem! "You crave, and miss what you want: you envy and
covet, but you cannot acquire: you wrangle and fight -- you miss what
you want because you do not ask God for it; you do ask and you do not
get it, because you ask with the wicked intention of spending it on
your pleasures. (Wanton creatures! Do you not know that the
world's friendship means enmity to God? Whoever, then chooses to
be the world's friend, turns enemy to God ...
"Well, then
submit yourselves to God; resist the devil, and he will fly from you:
draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
"Cleanse your
hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded; lament
and mourn and weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your
joy to depression; humble yourselves before the Lord, and then He will
raise you up."
This means real repentance -- a keeping buried of the old self.
How To Become Humble
True
humility will always be accompanied with THANKFULNESS TO GOD. In
the first place, you should be thankful for what God has already done
for you. Your eyes are open to God's truth. You have been
called to be among the first-fruits to enter the kingdom of God.
You should be rejoicing greatly because many HAVE earnestly sought but
not found what God has chosen to reveal to you.
Rejoice
whether you are called in high estate or low. Rejoice whether
given a chief seat or a minor one (study Romans 12:4-9 and Luke
14:8-9). Rejoice that YOU have been bidden to the marriage of the
Lamb (Matthew 22:1-14 and Revelation 19:7-9 and 21:9-27). Rejoice
also in the strength and love of your perfect, all powerful, merciful
Creator who delivers you from your weakness.
Take pride in HIS strength and exalt the name of your wonderful champion -- if God is your strength who can overthrow you!
Beware
that YOU do not try to take credit for the good which God has
accomplished through you, however. Do not sit down among God's
elect in garments of self-righteousness. Before God such
self-righteous claims are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Repent of
past mistakes you have made and seek God's forgiveness through Jesus
Christ.
"God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that
He may exalt you in due time: casting ALL your care upon Him; for He
careth for you" (I Pet. 5:5-7).
God Must Soften Our Hearts
When
you draw near to God and He to you, He will put a new spirit and
attitude within you. He will replace your stony heart with a
heart of "flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19).
You need to quit resisting
God and the way He has opened to you, to help you become as clay in
God's hands through the Holy Spirit, otherwise you will have to suffer
the same horrible tribulations that are poured out upon the
disobedient, described in Ezekiel 11. LAY DOWN YOUR STIFF WILL
and do the WILL OF GOD!
Why? God tells why, "That they
may walk in MY statutes and keep MINE ordinances and do THEM: and they
shall be My people, and I will be their God" (verse 20). God's
will is reflected in this law.
The Spirit of God softens the
heart, and as we come to have the mind of God we come to be in complete
harmony with Him. There is no more clashing of wills. We won't
argue; we won't want to do SOMETHING ELSE. We will be of one mind
saying, "Thy will be done, O God, not mine." We should then set
out to seek and obey God with all the zeal we can muster.
Live By Faith
Faith
is one of the most important assets we can receive through the Holy
Spirit. We read in Ephesians 2:8-10: "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: IT [faith] IS THE GIFT OF
GOD." "Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that
comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).
God has also caused
circumstances in this world to try you --even strike out at you and
fill you with fear and trembling --UNLESS YOUR FAITH IN HIM REMAINS
FIRM.
Your family and friends may turn against you and say
evil things against you because of your obedience to God. Only
through faith in God can you find the courage to endure their wrath and
scorn. The trying of this faith works "steadfastness," as the
translation of James 1:3 should be.
Exercising faith doesn't
end here. Even church brethren may sometimes seem to view you
with suspicion and treat you coldly. It can try your FAITH IN
GOD. In the face of this you must not allow faults of His
servants to cause you to doubt Him -- you must still diligently seek to
draw near unto HIM. We are all human, all striving to overcome,
but not all perfect -- for only Christ is perfect. What will it
take to separate YOU from the love of God? Paul asked this
question in Romans 8:35: "Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for
thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him that loved us."
Paul's faith persuaded
him, "That neither death, nor life, not angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus."
Is your faith this
strong? If not, you MUST take steps to strengthen it. There
are two things you can do. The first is to ask God in prayer for more
faith. As the apostles did in Luke 17:5. The second thing
you can do is to READ AND STUDY the words of God and to listen to them
being proclaimed by His true servants. Faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).
God has never told
Christians that this life would he easy. Rather, in Matthew 7:13-14,
"Enter ye in at the strait [difficult, perilous] gate: For wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there
be that go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Are you spiritually wise enough to choose the way to life?
Wisdom a Gift From God
You
cannot BEGIN to have God's SPIRIT OF WISDOM until you FEAR God and keep
His commandments (Pr. 1:7). This keeping of the commandments is
also love (see I John 5:3).
This simply means that God gives you His Divine Love and Wisdom through His gift of the Holy Spirit.
In Proverbs 4:7 God shows us that this wisdom (of God) is the principle thing. "Therefore get wisdom along with understanding."
How
do you get wisdom? James 1:5 tells us: "If any man lack wisdom,
let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not;
and IT SHALL BE GIVEN him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering ..."
Again in James 4:8, "Draw near to God, and He
will draw near to you. If, then, we seek the wisdom of the Holy
Spirit by asking God, how shall we do it? Timidly?
Passively? Just when we happen to think of it?
Hebrews
4:15-16 gives us part of the answer. "We have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore COME BOLDLY UNTO THE THRONE of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.''
Notice
further the conditions under which God will give wisdom: "My son, if
thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that
thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to
understanding [it takes energy to listen and to remember and to
concentrate]; yea, if thou CRIEST after knowledge, and LIFTEST UP THY
VOICE FOR UNDERSTANDING; if thou SEEKEST her as silver, and SEARCHEST
for her as for hid treasure (men don't seek treasure of silver and gold
passively --the California gold rush is a good example of how
frantically and untiringly men seek after such treasures). Then
(if you seek the wisdom of God as frantically as men seek gold and
silver) you shall understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity;
yea, every good path" (Prov. 2:1-4, 9).
Is this how you are
seeking God's Holy Spirit, His wisdom, His faith, His laws of
love? Do you pray often and, on your knees, cry out to God in
desperate earnestness! Do you search energetically through the
scriptures for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness (II Tim. 3:16)? Do you trust God, in complete faith
and confidence, to lead you through the tests and trials and
temptations of this life?
Perhaps the 23rd Psalm is personally
applicable to you. Is Christ your Shepherd? And as you walk
through this life with the threat of dishonor, ridicule and death ever
before you, do you refuse to fear them because you know that God is
with YOU? Is His rod and His staff, by which He chastises and
corrects you, a comfort to you? Do you thank God that, even in
the presence of your enemies, He sustains and keeps you? And do
you realize that you are greatly blessed in this truth?
If you have not grown in these things as much as you should (AND WHO AMONG US HAS), there is something you can do about it.
Dedicate
your heart to overcoming and growing in the Spirit and character of
God. Put your heart in the work He has commissioned His church to
do. God will not neglect you, and the fruits of His Holy Spirit
WILL SHOW in your life (see Gal. 5:22-26).
You need not be
worried about position, honor or material necessities. God has
promised to take care of those things in His time if you put your heart
on the important things which He has already given you to do.
The
most important thing He has given you to do is to seek His Holy Spirit,
His wisdom, His faith, and His love with a zeal which proves YOU REALLY
WANT IT. This is more precious than anything physical you can
receive. If you do not value it more highly than the vain things
in this life, you insult your Creator, you are still carnally
motivated, and you are hurtling toward the lake of fire!
Here
then is the easy-to-understand formula for salvation. REPENT of your
past transgressions and accept Christ's sacrifice which He made in your
stead. Begin to obey God. BE BAPTIZED and SEEK TO BELONG TO
GOD lock, stock and barrel.
Lay down your life of
self-centered competitive striving and seek to live a life filled with
and led by the Spirit of God. RESIST the desires of your human nature
and draw near to God so that He will draw near to you. He will
give you a mind which will enable you to live by the perfect, holy laws
of God. CHRIST WILL LIVE HIS LIFE WITHIN YOU, bringing you into
the grace and knowledge of spiritual things and guiding you in action
characterized by love toward God and love toward neighbor.
Be
zealous that you DO NOT NEGLECT the things that God has given you to
do. Serve God, not with highmindedness, but with meekness so that
you are pliable in the hands of your Creator.
by Jack R. Elliott Good News October 1960
