Power to Become

¹⁰ He {Jesus} was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10-13, NKJV)

I was lying in bed last night, and this verse was ringing in my ears. "But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God..." (Yes, I memorized it in KJV, so that's the wording in my head.) Jesus gives those who receive Him the power to become children of God. It doesn't automatically make us children of God. He gives us the power to make the choice. I've never thought of it that way before: the power to become.

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:1-11, NKJV)

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about Romans 8, as I'm memorizing that chapter. One of the things that has hit me, time and time again, is that "there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." The implication there is that walking in the Spirit, and NOT walking in the flesh, is a major determining factor in the no condemnation piece.

One of the major splits among Christians is between the "once saved, always saved" camp and the "you can lose your salvation" camp. It all boils down to semantics. One camp says that you can't lose your salvation but that you may have never been saved to begin with if you go away from God. The other says that you may make a genuine profession of faith, then turn from it and go away from God, abandoning your salvation and all that goes with it. Semantics. A foolish, divisive argument. The focus shouldn't be on the loss of salvation, but on the pursuit of righteousness and holiness. It's pretty safe to say, in either camp, that a person who makes a profession of faith, or "gets saved" and then pursues a life of holiness, righteousness, and nearness to God-- that person is saved.

Instead of trying to draw the line at how far you can get from God and still be "saved," the focus should be on how close we can get to God and His heart and will for us.What I keep seeing in Scripture, because God keeps drawing these verses to my attention, is that God wants us to choose Him, not just once, but in every moment. He wants us to draw close to Him, to be more like Him, to bask in the glory of His holiness, to be perfect as HE is perfect, to live in the power of His Spirit instead of the weakness of sin and death, to love Him and serve Him and draw close to Him so that we can understand Him better. We're made in His image, and we do a pretty poor job of reflecting that image when we don't know or understand Him or it. We can't bring Him the glory and the honor that is due Him without knowing Him.

Don't be mistaken. He will be honored and glorified. We are not so powerful as to deny Him that. We simply are not the "good and faithful servants" that get rewarded when we don't bother to do as we should.

¹⁶ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For the wages of sinis death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we were sinners, not in relationship with the God of the universe, we gave ourselves fully to sin. We lived it up in every way, not caring about a standard that didn't apply to us. As "Christians," we should live just as fully in righteousness and holiness as we did in sin and death. What it comes down to are shades of luke-warm-ness. How shallow, and luke-warm are you willing to be in your righteousness? Do you really want to fight over how sad and pathetic you can be and just barely squeak into eternity? Really? WHY??

To those who receive Jesus, He has given the power to become children of God. He has given us the authority to choose to be adopted and carry His righteous name. He has given us the rights that come with sonship, if only we will take them. What does that entail? Well, throughout the Bible, we see people who choose to draw close to God. We see Abraham, whose faith was imputed to him as righteousness. We see powerful people and weaklings alike stepping close to the heart of God, and righteousness, holiness is the beacon that shines out about these stories. That seems to be clearly the powerful-becoming.

Romans 8:8 says that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Have you thought about that? Are you able to please God? What does it take to please Him? Do you even want to?

Jesus gives us the power to become children of God. The Holy Spirit comes and lives inside us to empower us to become holy, righteous, and blameless in the sight of God through the blood of Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that our HOLY, righteous God will not tolerate sin, and sin cannot be in His presence, so our empowered righteousness, accomplished through God's power alone, would be the only way we can please Him. Anyone who claims His name, should be seeking constantly to please God.

We've been given the power to become. So, what are you becoming?

Much love,
LL~

Choosing Submission

On this blog (Choosing Holiness), my goal is to stay as close to Scripture as I can, therefore I limit my own personal insights to what is directly derived from Scripture. This post will not veer from that goal, however I will be speaking from a more personal standpoint, because I believe it has bearing on this particular issue.

Not long ago, I made the error of commenting on someone else's blog post. The post was the 2nd of two posts on why women should be allowed to preach, and my comment was in agreement with his view, to a point. I simply referred to the scriptures on authority and said that while it is perfectly fine for women to preach the gospel, that they should not usurp authority that does not rightly belong to them in the process. I say error, because I was immediately accused of ignorance and sin for my comment by the writer of the blog. This blog is written by a man who believes, foolishly, that the Word of God is not necessarily valid for our time, especially as it relates to where God lays the foundation for authority, particularly between the genders, and as it relates to where God requires us to be in submission. My response to his venom was to back down, as it is HIS blog, not my own, mull over the issue and puzzle over why he would accuse me of sin in this area of my thinking-- especially not knowing me. I spent time in prayer, in frustration, in thought, and decided that the best response was to write here, why I believe as I do.

This is just the background for why I'm writing this post, and I'll try not to make any judgment calls about this man or his response to my comment from here on out. (Though my immediate thoughts were less than appropriate to write, and I am still miffed that the name of his blog is what it is--a category in which I place myself, theologically. He's belying the title with his non-scriptural beliefs... OK, I'm done. Sorry.) And just in case you're wondering, I have a pretty decent understanding of this particular issue (both Scriptural and practical), and am not in sin in my line of thought or application thereof, as the Holy Spirit has assured me during my prayer times and studying and affirmed in me over and over and over again through Spirit-filled people.

The real post starts HERE:

At the very beginning, God created Adam. He gave him the garden, the whole of creation, then gave him some instructions. After that, God created Eve, from Adam. The Bible doesn't say anything about God giving Eve the instructions, and the reasonable assumption would be that Adam would relay His instructions to her. I don't know, as I wasn't there, obviously, but the first few chapters of Genesis speak of God interacting with Adam. They don't speak of God interacting directly with Eve, at least not initially-- not until the finger-pointing began. By the manner of creation, we can see that from the very beginning, God created Adam as the leader, the authority for Eve to respect (which is not negative or oppressive, by the way). The Bible says that God called to Adam. God walked with him in the cool of the day. God created Eve for Adam's benefit and pleasure.

When humanity fell, taking all of creation with it, it was due to two things-- Eve's foolishness in usurping the authority of her husband (Gen 3:17), and Adam's passivity (also Gen 3:17). Both of these things are rooted in pride, but I'll get to that in a minute. The earliest human sin was related to this issue of authority and submission, which is one of the reasons I feel the need to write about it. I have been learning about it the hard way all my life. As have you, whether you know it or not.

At the Fall, a curse fell on the woman-- one part of which was that her desire would be for her husband (to have authority over her husband), and that he would rule over her (cruelty).

(Quick side note: a lot of people make the assumption, reading this passage, that God cursed the serpent, the woman, and the man. This is not the case. As you grow to know Him, you will understand more and more clearly that sin is its own curse. We become accursed by our sin, our departure from the Lord. The ills we suffer from our sin are our doing, not God's, and it is only by His grace and redemption that we can be otherwise than sinful. His discipline is not the same as a curse. When God spoke the curses of the Fall, He spoke what was already true, that the results of the sin would be devastation. God is always Love. He IS love. It is His very nature and substance. He is always at work to reconcile us to one another and Himself.)

In various places throughout Scripture, God speaks to a man, or mankind, and gives instructions. Very few of the instructive portions of the Bible are spoken to women. God makes it clear, throughout his word, from the very beginning, that man carries the authority, as well as the responsibility that goes with it. Men lead. It's what they're created to do. They are created, bearing the Image of God, as leaders, and they bear His image by leading.

Here's the thing. Women WANT to lead. We push. We wheedle. We manipulate. We step in and take over. We justify this by saying that the men wouldn't do it. All of this is part of the curse. I know. I'm a woman. Our desire is to have authority over men, and they rule over us, often cruelly, sometimes even in their passivity.

Please forgive this next paragraph. I'm not saying it boastfully, simply trying to give you perspective.

I have been given many gifts from the hand of God. (I can boast in the hand of God that gives me gifts.) Some of my gifts are in the way my mind works. I think deeply. I understand and remember things. I learn quickly, and I love to learn. I study all the time, and enjoy mastering new things. I also am gifted in the art of public speaking. I've been told by those who should be respected that I excel at teaching, speaking, training, and leading. What's more, I enjoy doing those things. There are valid places for me to use these valuable gifts, straight from the hand of God.

I have never been happier than when I use the gifts that God gave me in the way that He would have me use them. I have never been more miserable than when I've used the gifts that God gave me to usurp authority that wasn't mine, or to press my own agenda. Let me flesh this out.

God has placed these gifts in me for a reason. He has placed a call on my life to use these gifts, according to His plan. God does not contradict Himself. He does not ask me, or any individual, to do things that are outside of His known, written will. If it contradicts the Bible, it is not God calling me. That's my pride talking. It's temptation, and it is sin when I give into it. I have been there. I have done that. I know it is sin. It's also a really good way to be miserable.

God says, "I've given you this gift, and here's how I'd like you to use it. Stay within the structure of authority I have created, submit yourself in love, and I will use these gifts in you mightily."

My pride says, "That guy doesn't know how to preach. I could do better. I know more than he does. He obviously doesn't know Scripture the way I do. I obviously have grown more in my knowledge of this area, in the last few years, than he has in all his years of being a pastor. His ignorance is embarassing him! It's certainly making me cringe. I should say something. I should step up and take over. I should lead this."

My abilities, even when they exceed those of the leaders/men in authority, do not give me carte blanche to run roughshod over anyone. They do not provide me a valid reason to exert my pride or fail to submit. Even if it's true (which it has been, from time to time) that I'm a more mature Christian, that I know/understand more than the one who is leading, I am not called to step outside God's design for authority. Ever.

I am to use my gifts. I am to support those in leadership roles, and do so by whatever means is appropriate. It is not appropriate for me to exercise authority over men. Ever. The head of woman is man, and the head of man is Christ. Christ's head is God, and even Christ submits Himself.(1 Cor 11:3) Who am I to do less?

This is a difficult thing. I know that. I've been single a lot of years, and when you're the one running your life, calling the shots, it's hard to remember to be in submission to those in authority. They're not paying your bills. They're not the ones figuring out how to make life work without having both counterparts working together. I know how hard it is, first hand. I'm learning how to submit, even now, as I approach marriage in a few short days. I know that there will be many times in marriage when my pride steps in and tells me to take over. I fought it as a single person, and as an engaged person, and I know that's not the end of that fight. I understand that it is difficult. That doesn't mean that bowing to your pride is ever going to be alright.

OK-- so "the thing" is that women WANT to lead. Remember? Here's the answer. We are called to submit, even though it is counter to our desires, our hearts, our pride, though as we learn to submit, it gets less and less counter-intuitive. When someone submits in love to those in authority over us, as God has called us to do (all of us, men and women alike), God pours out His anointing on that person. He uses that submitted person thousands of times over, multiplies his/her gifts, and makes something ever more beautiful of that person. But, when we allow our pride to "call" us to do something that's outside of God's known, written will, we experience hardship (not the same as testing), misery (not trial of your faith which works patience), and a decrease in our effectiveness. This is true for everyone, not just women, but it has a special applicability for us, because of our oldest sinful desire.

Women who exert themselves and place themselves in a role of authority over men are not "called by God" to do so, because He does not contradict Himself. God calls many women, some to leadership roles, but He never calls us to something that damages us. Embracing our pride and living in sin damages us. Not submitting to proper, Scriptural authority damages us. If Christ wouldn't step out of submission, even in the wilderness when confronted by Satan, even in His ordained leadership/ministry role, even on the cross-- well, if He wouldn't do it, neither should we.

I'll write another time on the topic of submission: what it is, what it isn't, how it manifests itself in our hearts and lives. This is not that post. This is the foundation on which submission is built. Before you can learn to properly submit to godly authority, you must know Who authored the authority.

Loved ones, I quote, "Submit yourselves to one another in the fear of God." (Eph. 5:21)

Much love,
Lacy~




Applicable scriptures for today's post: The Old Testament, The New Testament. Particularly: Genesis, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel 25, Esther, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Hosea, Zephaniah, All four gospels, Acts, Romans, Both epistles to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, Titus, James, 1 and 2 John, Jude, Revelation.