Ephesians: First words

Recently I have been listening to a tremendous expositor of scripture, Martin Lloyd Jones, and this has birthed a desire in me to read passages of scripture in a deeper manner so as to glean even greater understanding of the grace and majesty of God. This is not just an intellectual fascination, but the draw is to deepen my relationship with Him through Jesus by an ever more intimate knowing Him.

To that end, I have delighted in finding a treasure trove in verses that I previously read as a mere formality or rote greeting:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 1:1)

First, a little context would be helpful. Every single one of the epistles (as opposed to the gospels) of the New Testament of the Bible were written to people who were part of the Christian body of believers. If all that was involved in experiencing a fulfilling and effective walk of faith was encapsulated in that moment when one first surrenders and receives Jesus as Lord for the forgiveness of sin, then the authors of those epistles would not have wasted so many words on encouraging and instructing believers, but would have written more testimonies and arguments to convince unbelievers.

We often get out of whack in the church by going to one of two extremes. Sometimes we become focused on evangelizing the lost to the exclusion of building up the body of Christ. This results in a lot of flash and flare with impressive numbers of “salvations”, but there is a dearth of depth. The evidence of this happening is when the growth of active participants within the body is not commensurate with the numbers of people making some sort of profession of faith. The other extreme is such a focus on the growth and edification of church members that we become a holy huddle. This results in lots of pot-lucks and bible studies but few actual transformations from darkness to light; from death to life.

Paul puts the proper emphasis this way:

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (Galatians 6:10)

He recognizes that a mature body of Christ followers is attractive to those who are lost, hurting and seeking hope. A mature body of believers embrace their respective identities in Christ and by extension of that, cannot help but give evidence through word and deed of the great news of Jesus in their lives. Evidence of a church that has reached this sweet spot of doing good to all, but especially their own people is that non-Christians come, see, receive AND become vibrant participants in the church where they are fed and grow.

So, all this context is to make it abundantly clear that we followers of Jesus need to invest heavily in discipleship of one another. We need to dive into these divinely inspired words and grow in understanding always with the end of sharing the love and grace God bestows on us with others. I hope then, you will join me for my next post where I dive into what this verse, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1) says about our identity.

S.A.D.: Spiritual Affective Disorder

This is the time of year when depression leaches into the souls of so many of us. We blame the weather, and certainly the shorter days and decreased exposure to sunlight play a part. The cold beckons many of us into a semi-stupor; a sort of human hibernation. But, I propose that for all but a few who truly have a physiological sensitivity to the winter season, this time of year simply exposes a spiritual malaise.

This condition is not reserved for non-believers; Christ followers, too, become despondent at times in their walk. And, this malaise is not unique to the modern era where we are inundated by technology with the sorrowful news of this present age. The Apostle Paul addressed spiritual depression in his epistle to the Christians in Galatia:

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Gal 6:9

If Paul saw the need to address it, even briefly, then I put to you that it is a concern we should speak to today. As with any physical illness or secular mental health concern, the first course of action is to diagnose exactly where the problem lies. This seems no less wise for spiritual dis-ease. And, the first step in a diagnosis is to characterize the symptoms.

Let me back up just a moment and comment on when and where spiritual depression most commonly crops up. The “where” cannot be limited: one can develop this weariness of soul in any aspect of one’s life. It can appear in a marriage or a career. It can emerge in serving or in worship. It can also manifest in groups, much like a pandemic rather than isolated cases here and there. It brings whole churches and missions down as readily as a pastor or a parishioner.

The “when” allows us to narrow the field. Spiritual depression almost never marks a person or group at the beginning of an endeavor. Brand new followers are full of joy and exuberance. New churches are propelled by an overriding sense of mission. New marriages are awash in the glow of new love and the chemical concoction it brews up. New businesses are building and meeting unique challenges bringing a sense of adventure. It is the middle of things where the depression infection incubates. Once the exuberance begins to fade and the chemical catalyst balances; when the challenges have been met and the propulsion of purpose has been satisfied; that is when spiritual depression attacks.  So, how do we recognize spiritual depression – this sense of weariness in our walk?

There appear to be three primary responses or symptoms that point to spiritual depression. The first is a recurring desire to simply give up and walk away. An individual may decide that since they no longer feel the enlivening rush that they felt at first, then something irreparable has happened and it must all be over. They will never again get back to that magical place and so they might as well simply quit it and go elsewhere to see if they can rekindle the blaze. People leave marriages for much this same reason. One also sees church hopping as an outgrowth of this response pattern.

The second response one of resignation. The notion here is that one must simply trudge on and do their duty even though there is no joy in it. It is even possible to become convinced that this is the heroic thing to do; to stoically buck up and be responsible to any obligation or undertaking no matter how miserable one gets. One sees this in many Christ followers who have become indistinguishable from embittered and battle scarred people following the course of the world. This response marks churches or businesses that seem stale and stuck exhibiting no growth and perhaps even a shrinking.

The third response is to repeatedly try and imitate that emotional from the first of an undertaking. Here the rationale is that one simply let things get stale so they must switch things up and create a stir. In an individual this can lead to drug use or risk taking in a carnal attempt to recreate the excitement one is missing. In an organization such as a church, one might see a continual succession of new initiatives, bigger and bolder sermon titles, edgier music or increasingly “hip” and “trendy” marketing campaigns. Perhaps the pastor makes greater and greater calls to sacrifice financially and in serving from the pulpit. Each new thing provokes a period of newness and excitement, much like the individual taking a chemical stimulant, only to fade faster and faster. This third response creates the illusion of reenergizing, but the weariness just gets rooted in deeper and deeper until it is unsustainable and the person or the group burns out.

Now that we have some handle on how to spot spiritual depression, the next step is figure out what is causing the depression and then, finally, to treat it. Sometimes it is simply a matter of understanding that joy and energy can look very different in different stages. For example, a mature Christian may have steady and abiding joy rather than an outward frenetic demonstration. This is not truly spiritual depression but it can be confusing for someone who thinks that how they felt at first must continue unabated. The confusion can invite depression though. Married couples mistake the normal transformation of new love into some deeper affection as being problematic, thus inviting matrimonial melancholy. The cause of true spiritual depression, though, is revealed in scripture:

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8

Paul reveals that this weariness that I am calling spiritual depression is caused by sowing to one’s own flesh. Sowing to the flesh is not just indulging in the sensual sins such as sexual vices, gluttony, greed, violence, and the like. Sowing to the flesh refers to anything upon which we try to justify ourselves. We sow to the flesh when we do good things to get noticed by man or by God. We sow to the flesh when we try to do good things to make up for the bad in us. Any attempt at all in covering up our own brokenness or shame is a “sowing” to the flesh. We know we sow to the flesh when we feel envy and compare ourselves and our lot to others. Sowing to the flesh ALWAYS corrupts; always invites spiritual depression to oppress us; always wears us down. We end up focused on the task oriented party of the “doing” in doing good.

The antidote, then, is the opposite of sowing to the flesh. We defeat spiritual depression by sowing to the Spirit. We sow to the Spirit when we rely on God’s favor and kindness towards us; His grace. We sow to the Spirit when we rely on the Person of the Holy Spirit to guide us and renew us. We sow to the Spirit when we bask in God’s love for us so that it overflows into acts of love for others. When we sow to the Spirit we naturally focus on the “good” part rather than the “doing” part and we rest rather than strive. We sow to the Spirit when, through His strengthening, we turn from sin and seek God.

Therefore, if you have even a whiff of spiritual depression about you this season, examine it and see where you are sowing to the flesh. Root out any barrier or belief that impairs your apprehension of God’s unlimited love and grace towards you. Stop and rest; recuperate in God’s intensive care unit and let Him remind you that you are His beloved child whom He adores. Let Him remind you that He is good and that He is sovereign.

By God’s Grace: Blessed, not cursed

Three verses punctuate the extreme gift that God’s grace is to me (to all!):

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus actually became sin. His torture, crucifixion and death was not a symbolic gesture. He took into Himself every aspect of our fallen existence and every rebellious decision. As a result of Jesus being the scapegoat, I am righteous as soon as I believe; as soon as I receive Him. Furthermore:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14

Jesus became a curse so that I can receive the blessing of God. Hanging there on torment upon the cross was not a token. He who was glorified with God from prior to the existence of the universe (John 17:5) took upon and into Himself all those curses from the Old Testament that were inflicted upon mankind for our rebellion so that we could enter into all those blessings that we could never earn.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

Ever wonder what happened to all that wrath of God from the Old Testament. One could compare the Old Testament to the New Testament and think they are two different Gods: an angry, vengeful one and a kind, loving one. The truth is that there is only one God and His wrath arose out of His holy and just nature that never changed. At the same time that He is holy and just, He is loving and kind. Because He is holy, he could not just turn a blind eye to our rebellion and sin. Because He is loving and kind, He took all that wrath (chastisement) out on Jesus so we could exist in peace. It is the same God, but we no longer experience His wrath because it was all expended on Jesus: He who became sin and He who became cursed. All the punishment was exhausted in the crucifixion and what we now have from God is the offer of peace.

He Lives!

In light of my posts “Who is this Jesus?” and “Why does Jesus’ divinity matter?”, I though it fitting to take the next step in looking at why Jesus from the glorious moment of salvation through faith into living a life of power and victory. This is another reason why it matters that Jesus and God the Father are one (John 10:30). Because Jesus is God He lives. He is not a dead sacrifice, used up and of no further effect. He is a living God who desires to be in communion, in relationship, with all who believe in Him.

Consider those people who followed Jesus while he was walking around on earth, including the twelve closest disciples who were hand-picked by Jesus: each had this moment when they wondered, “What in the world is Jesus doing?” The Jews were waiting expectantly for the Christ, the Messiah. They grew up under Roman oppression and believed the Messiah would be a military or governmental leader who would restore the nation of Israel to its glory days. So, when Jesus spurned that sort of authority and, rather, surrendered Himself to death, those who believed Him to be Christ would have been disillusioned.

They had the question wrong; they should have been asking, “What is Jesus doing in the world?” If they had truly perceived His divinity, this would have been the burning question. God incarnate entering into a fallen world and getting His hands dirty? It is a question is answered in so many ways throughout the whole Bible, but I am currently fascinated with Galatians. The Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to cut through some religiosity and false beliefs that began cropping up early in the church. In so doing, he succinctly stated what Jesus was doing in the world:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5

Jesus came into the world to rescue us – to rescue me – to rescue you. As I read this, I believe this rescue is not limited to salvation; it goes beyond arriving in heaven when we expire here in this body. The rescue is a present, here and now rescue. The Apostle John reports Jesus Himself describing it this way:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it  abundantly. John 10:10

You see, I do not serve a dead God. My God lives. The work of salvation did not end on the cross; salvation encompasses the empty tomb as well. Jesus’ death upon the cross was absolutely essential to pay the price for our rebellion and as a follower of Jesus, I want to never forget just how costly it was for my sins to be washed clean. AND, that was not the end of the story. After three days, once all question as to Jesus’ demise had been settled, He ROSE to LIFE. He rose VICTORIOUSLY in POWER and GLORY. He did this so that I (we) can arise in victory also and be seated next to Him in heaven – not someday, but TODAY.

Just as I never want to get away from the cross, I also never want to forget the empty tomb. I accept and receive the full and abundant life that Jesus has rescued me into. I receive the ENTIRETY of His rescue. Some twist this life of victory into a prosperity gospel. I reject that. Just as Jesus ushered in a spiritual kingdom, so the abundance of my new life is spiritual. He will also provide me with all that I need until it is time to go, but the essential rescue is a spiritual one.

Essential Truth: Simplicity that defies understanding

In Galatians, The Apostle Paul launches quickly into a strenuous rebuke to fellow believers in his letter to that fledgling church. Clearly, he discovered something that alarmed and grieved him to write:

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

Although Paul’s concern is voiced immediately in Galatians, we must go through a very brief summation of his first seventeen years of ministry to learn about the distortion that alarmed him:

But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage…. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, [Peter]used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. Galatians 2:4, 12

Basically, there were Jews who were teaching the church that it took more than grace through faith to be made right with God; to be adopted into His family. Namely, they taught that one must also be circumcised. Circumcision, the surgical removal of a man’s foreskin, pre-dated the law. It was an ordinance that God gave to Abraham, the forefather of the Jews:

“And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.” Genesis 17:11

These false brethren taught that the non-Jews (gentiles) who came to follow Jesus and claim adoption by God (the Jewish God) as their father had to have Jesus plus circumcision to legitimize their claim. Interestingly, the scripture itself states that circumcision was merely a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham (Abram at that time), not the covenant itself. Instead, the Bible reveals that Abraham was made right with God by faith alone:

For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Romans 4:3

Over and over again, Paul confronts the distortion of “Jesus plus” throughout his writings. The Apostle Paul, steeped and educated in the law, recognized by the Holy Spirit how pervasive and pernicious it was – and continues to be – to add human requirements to the simplicity of salvation. No sooner did he plant a church than pretenders and believers alike began to complicate the gospel. It is as though the utter simplicity of God’s plan for salvation defied their ability to understand it.

The truth behind this tendency is more sinister though. Satan, the adversary, knew that full on frontal assaults would not dissuade these new Christians who already risked ridicule, torture, and death. Instead, he had to come in covert. He had to take Truth and twist it a degree or two off true North. He took pieces of scripture itself and mixed and matched it through the voices of false teachers to take the churches off track. So long as the churches were chasing false doctrines, they would be ineffective.  The Apostle John had to speak to this heresy as well:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Now, to the point – this gravitational pull on believers to distort the Truth of Jesus has not faded; rather, it is stronger than ever. We are bombarded with so many religious and spiritual sounding ideas from all fronts that few escape the lure of “Jesus plus”. It is no longer about circumcision – the distortions are far more subtle. The only antidote is to be immersed in the Word of God. Consider for a moment what it takes to receive salvation?

…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9-10

The preceding verses are the most complicated description in the Bible on what it takes to receive salvation – to become a Christian. Every other description is even more simple. However, even among brothers and sisters with a singular heart for reaching the lost I hear confusing notions crop up. For example, I have heard many question their salvation because they did not fully understand what all they were surrendering to Jesus when they prayed to give their lives to Jesus. They become persuaded that their prayer did not result in salvation because they learned of some aspect of their life they continued to clutch. I have not found a scriptural basis for this requirement of full understanding. So, it appears to be a “Jesus plus comprehension” notion that is a degree or two off. It sounds right since Jesus does ask for a full surrender, but that is really about the process of sanctification, not salvation. When do we ever fully understand all that is involved?

Other very subtle ways that “Jesus plus” type doctrines creep in is when we believe that one must say a certain prayer or cover certain topics in a prayer of receiving Jesus for it to be effective. The distinction I am speaking of is between seeing such prayers as essential versus helpful. I can think of no place in the Bible where salvation is tied to praying a prayer. The “confession” of Romans 10:9-10 may well be a prayer, but Paul did not say that. I am not discouraging walking seekers through a prayer covering sin, receiving forgiveness, expressing gratitude, and declaring Jesus has full access to lead their life. Instead, I am discouraging confusing such a prayer with salvation itself. That kind of mistake leads to judging other’s standing with God based on the kind or quality of the prayer or even whether it occurred in one’s own church or some other church. The most extreme example of this that I have seen was a preacher who insisted that one must be baptized in the name of Yeshua (Jesus in Hebrew) to be saved. But, adding Human requirements can be so much more subtle.

Salvation is more simple than these concerns. When we have sufficient belief that Jesus is whom He says He is and say “yes” to Him, then we are saved (adopted into God’s family, born again, alive in Christ). It is a one time thing that does NOT require repeating when you later understand it better.

A.W. Tozer describes it in his book, “In Pursuit of God”. He said that salvation results from the purposeful turning of the gaze of our heart (the core and essence of who we are) upon Jesus. Our gaze may subsequently drift, but with that first purposeful turning of our gaze then Jesus will always draw the eyes of our heart back to him. God gave us a foreshadowing of what Tozer is talking about:

And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. Numbers 21:

Centuries later Jesus was made into the serpent (that is became sin He who was sinless) and set upon the standard (the cross) and was raised up that we might gaze upon Him and be saved. Keep it that simple. Beware of adding circumcision, certain prayers, comprehensive understanding, or any other human devise to that moment of adoption.

Essential Truth: What in the world was Jesus doing?

Those people who followed Jesus while he was walking around on earth, including the twelve closest disciples who were hand-picked by Jesus, each had this moment when they wandered, “What in the world is Jesus doing?” The Jews were waiting expectantly for the Christ, the Messiah. They grew up under Roman oppression and believed the Messiah would be a military or governmental leader who would restore the nation of Israel to its glory days. So, when Jesus spurned that sort of authority and, rather, surrendered Himself to death, those who believed Him to be Christ would have been disillusioned.

They had the question wrong; they should have been asking, “What is Jesus doing in the world?” If they had truly perceived His divinity, this would have been the burning question. God incarnate entering into a fallen world and getting His hands dirty? It is a question is answered in so many ways throughout the whole Bible, but I am currently fascinated with Galatians. The Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to cut through some religiosity and false beliefs that began cropping up early in the church. In so doing, he succinctly stated what Jesus was doing in the world:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5

Jesus came into the world to rescue us – to rescue me – to rescue you. As I read this, I believe this rescue is not limited to salvation; it goes beyond arriving in heaven when we expire here in this body. The rescue is a present, here and now rescue. The Apostle John reports Jesus Himself describing it this way:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it  abundantly. John 10:10

You see, I do not serve a dead God. My God lives. The work of salvation did not end on the cross; salvation encompasses the empty tomb as well. Jesus’ death upon the cross was absolutely essential to pay the price for our rebellion and as a follower of Jesus, I want to never forget just how costly it was for my sins to be washed clean. AND, that was not the end of the story. After three days, once all question as to Jesus’ demise had been settled, He ROSE to LIFE. He rose VICTORIOUSLY in POWER and GLORY. He did this so that I (we) can arise in victory also and be seated next to Him in heaven – not someday, but TODAY.

Just as I never want to get away from the cross, I also never want to forget the empty tomb. I accept and receive the full and abundant life that Jesus has rescued me into. I receive the ENTIRETY of His rescue. Some twist this life of victory into a prosperity gospel. I reject that. Just as Jesus ushered in a spiritual kingdom, so the abundance of my new life is spiritual. He will also provide me with all that I need until it is time to go, but the essential rescue is a spiritual one.

I look forward to unpacking Galatians and I hope it is edifying to someone who will read this and future posts. I ask that if this or any of these writings has drawn you closer to Jesus, please share a link with a friend. I also invite you comments. Paul dives quickly into some really tough stuff, so be looking for that in the next post.