InChristAlone
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Diligent Faith
Hebrews 6:11
"And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end."
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
The word diligence can mean:
a) haste, with haste
b) earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything
c) to give all diligence, interest one's self most earnestly
Diligence conveys that something is being promoted or strived after. In Hebrews 6:11, Paul is encouraging the Hebrews to demonstrate diligence in order to promote full assurance of the hope that is in them. But isn't faith required to be diligent in the spiritual disciplines, to promote holiness in our lives as Christ is holy? I believe that Paul is talking about being diligent in their faith and because of their faith.
In Hebrews 11:6, we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him." So, whether we are diligent or not, if we do not have faith in Him, then we cannot please Him?
This is what became so clear to me. Faith is required to be diligent. Diligence in pursuing after God pleases God. The faith that was purchased by Christ on the Cross is what keeps us pressing on and striving after righteousness and the pursuit of holiness. Faith is needed to believe that He is the Three in One, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Faith is needed to believe in His remarkable character ( omnipresent, omniscient, all-sufficient, just to name a few). Faith is needed to believe that He is our reward and that we will one day see Him in all of His glory. Faith is what keeps us going. It is "the substance of things hoped for" and "the evidence of things not seen." But that faith is only ours by the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 11:13
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
In Hebrews 11, there are examples of godly men and women of faith. Though many had not received the promises, they lived in full assurance of the hope that these would all one day be fulfilled. Their faith enabled them to have their eyes opened to the promises of God, to come to the realization that they were true, to embrace or accept and hold on to them, and to understand their identity as children of God in relation to these promises.
Notice that those who were examples were diligent in living by faith even up to the end of their time here on earth. They pressed on in Jesus' name. Faith was the eye of their souls. They diligently sought the Lord and followed His lead because of the free gift of faith given by Christ's sacrifice. Faith set the prize clear before their eyes.
We have a responsibility to be diligent to pursue Christ in all of His holiness. But the basis of our diligence is the work of Christ on the Cross. Though life's battles are raging and the choices to be made are hard, we have what it takes because we are in Christ. Giving up is not an option. Perseverance is not in question. How and why do we press on? All in Jesus' name! Without Christ we can do nothing, but with Him nothing is impossible. Though the battle with the flesh rages on, our victory was, is, and always will be in Jesus Christ. Praise Him that He is our great reward! It is He Who gives us the grace and faith to diligently pursue Him and His kingdom!
"And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end."
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
The word diligence can mean:
a) haste, with haste
b) earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything
c) to give all diligence, interest one's self most earnestly
Diligence conveys that something is being promoted or strived after. In Hebrews 6:11, Paul is encouraging the Hebrews to demonstrate diligence in order to promote full assurance of the hope that is in them. But isn't faith required to be diligent in the spiritual disciplines, to promote holiness in our lives as Christ is holy? I believe that Paul is talking about being diligent in their faith and because of their faith.
In Hebrews 11:6, we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him." So, whether we are diligent or not, if we do not have faith in Him, then we cannot please Him?
This is what became so clear to me. Faith is required to be diligent. Diligence in pursuing after God pleases God. The faith that was purchased by Christ on the Cross is what keeps us pressing on and striving after righteousness and the pursuit of holiness. Faith is needed to believe that He is the Three in One, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Faith is needed to believe in His remarkable character ( omnipresent, omniscient, all-sufficient, just to name a few). Faith is needed to believe that He is our reward and that we will one day see Him in all of His glory. Faith is what keeps us going. It is "the substance of things hoped for" and "the evidence of things not seen." But that faith is only ours by the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 11:13
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
In Hebrews 11, there are examples of godly men and women of faith. Though many had not received the promises, they lived in full assurance of the hope that these would all one day be fulfilled. Their faith enabled them to have their eyes opened to the promises of God, to come to the realization that they were true, to embrace or accept and hold on to them, and to understand their identity as children of God in relation to these promises.
Notice that those who were examples were diligent in living by faith even up to the end of their time here on earth. They pressed on in Jesus' name. Faith was the eye of their souls. They diligently sought the Lord and followed His lead because of the free gift of faith given by Christ's sacrifice. Faith set the prize clear before their eyes.
We have a responsibility to be diligent to pursue Christ in all of His holiness. But the basis of our diligence is the work of Christ on the Cross. Though life's battles are raging and the choices to be made are hard, we have what it takes because we are in Christ. Giving up is not an option. Perseverance is not in question. How and why do we press on? All in Jesus' name! Without Christ we can do nothing, but with Him nothing is impossible. Though the battle with the flesh rages on, our victory was, is, and always will be in Jesus Christ. Praise Him that He is our great reward! It is He Who gives us the grace and faith to diligently pursue Him and His kingdom!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Matthew 10:37-39
"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
We have a high calling. We, as disciples of Christ, are called to prefer Christ above all else . We exist for His glory. In this passage, there are three ways in which we are to prefer Christ:
1) before our nearest and dearest relations
2) before our ease and safety
3) before life itself
I focused on v. 39. Christ repeated this profound phrase many times. In John 12:25, it is presented in a similar manner.
"He that loveth his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
What does it mean to "lose" my life? I believe this implies laying down all earthly holds and claims to myself. It means a complete denying of self in order to gain Christ. In other words, if I continue to try to hold on to my life, I will give up true life. Loving my own life will cause me to lose any sense of real purpose. My life will become a reckless mess. I will simply be existing--but for what? My reasoning will be to do what only pleases me. Where will that lead? That is not really living, it is wasting my time here.
Losing my life means despising self-gratification. Preferring Christ above life itself will not cause me to lose my purpose, but instead make it clearer than ever before. Living will mean being disciplined to live for His glory and for His own "good pleasure." It does not imply that I am a slave, but rather a servant. Again, I am denying self in order to gain Christ.
Can many of us recall our sense of purpose before we gained access into Christ's kingdom? To lose my life for Christ means that I am not just existing anymore, I am truly living. I have been moved into the purpose for which I was created by God's grace alone. He is our Creator King as well as the Redeemer of His Creation.
Lately, I have had to ask myself these questions regarding what place Christ has in my heart:
1) Do I try to hold on to my life instead of submitting every part to Jesus Christ?
2) If so, is it because of pride, thinking I know what is best for me, or because I am afraid of what I might lose in following Christ?
3)Have I reached the place where I truly believe that Christ is gain?
What I have come to realize through studying this passage more closely is that to deny Christ by clinging to a claim on my life is to lose sight of my whole existence. Jesus Christ is Life. I did not know what living was until I became His child. I now live under the precious blood of Jesus Christ and understand that "to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
Here is a quote from Matthew Henry to meditate on:
"They are best prepared for the life to come, that sit most loose to this present life."
"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
We have a high calling. We, as disciples of Christ, are called to prefer Christ above all else . We exist for His glory. In this passage, there are three ways in which we are to prefer Christ:
1) before our nearest and dearest relations
2) before our ease and safety
3) before life itself
I focused on v. 39. Christ repeated this profound phrase many times. In John 12:25, it is presented in a similar manner.
"He that loveth his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
What does it mean to "lose" my life? I believe this implies laying down all earthly holds and claims to myself. It means a complete denying of self in order to gain Christ. In other words, if I continue to try to hold on to my life, I will give up true life. Loving my own life will cause me to lose any sense of real purpose. My life will become a reckless mess. I will simply be existing--but for what? My reasoning will be to do what only pleases me. Where will that lead? That is not really living, it is wasting my time here.
Losing my life means despising self-gratification. Preferring Christ above life itself will not cause me to lose my purpose, but instead make it clearer than ever before. Living will mean being disciplined to live for His glory and for His own "good pleasure." It does not imply that I am a slave, but rather a servant. Again, I am denying self in order to gain Christ.
Can many of us recall our sense of purpose before we gained access into Christ's kingdom? To lose my life for Christ means that I am not just existing anymore, I am truly living. I have been moved into the purpose for which I was created by God's grace alone. He is our Creator King as well as the Redeemer of His Creation.
Lately, I have had to ask myself these questions regarding what place Christ has in my heart:
1) Do I try to hold on to my life instead of submitting every part to Jesus Christ?
2) If so, is it because of pride, thinking I know what is best for me, or because I am afraid of what I might lose in following Christ?
3)Have I reached the place where I truly believe that Christ is gain?
What I have come to realize through studying this passage more closely is that to deny Christ by clinging to a claim on my life is to lose sight of my whole existence. Jesus Christ is Life. I did not know what living was until I became His child. I now live under the precious blood of Jesus Christ and understand that "to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
Here is a quote from Matthew Henry to meditate on:
"They are best prepared for the life to come, that sit most loose to this present life."
