If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left (Heb 10:26)

Wow! That looks scary! Let’s take a quick survey. Please put your hand up if you have lived a sinless life since accepting Jesus as your Savior. Hmmm. I don’t see any hands. I have been saved for decades and – if I’m honest with you – I cannot say my performance has been flawless throughout that period. I’m pretty sure I sinned this one time back in 1987…

Ha! It’s easy for me to make jokes. I’ve been set free. I no longer mine at the pits of religion with condemnation. I’m drawing from the wells of salvation with joy!

The wrong way to interpret Hebrews 10:26

All jokes aside, Hebrews 10:26 is an oft-abused scripture. If you wanted to use this verse to scare people, there are a couple of angles you could take:

1. You could use this verse to present a “balanced” view of God, like this: “He is a God of grace and He is a God of judgment. He’s not some senile Santa in the sky. He’s a God of vengeance and a consuming fire. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

2. You could also use this verse to preach works: “You will be judged according to the light of your revelation and those who have received the knowledge of the truth will be held to the highest standard. It’s time for judgment to begin in the house of God. If you fall away it is impossible to be brought back to repentance!”

What is the problem with these messages? Well if you listen to the first one you’re going to come away thinking that God is schizophrenic, at war with His own nature. He loves you, but He doesn’t. It’s unconditional love – with conditions. And if you listen to the second you will either end up a religious fraud or a nervous wreck. You may even wish that you had never heard the gospel because ignorance is bliss.

The tricky part with these false messages is that they are composed of true statements. Our God is a consuming fire. But the interpretation is all wrong. They are anti-cross and anti-Christ. Any message that tells you that God is double-minded or that the good news is bad news ought to be rejected. You know that, right? Good. So how do we read Hebrews 10:26?

Trampling the Son of God under foot

A key to unpackaging this scripture is to recall the audience. Hebrews was written for – surprise, surprise – Hebrews. It was for those who have grown up with the “elementary teachings” of the Old Covenant. In other words, the author writes for an informed audience. They know all about the law, sacrifices, and high priests. But what they may not appreciate is that the law was only a shadow of the good things to come. The law points to the true high priest Jesus and His eternally perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews was written to reveal Christ and His work so that we may “enter through the new and living way,” “go on to maturity,” and “draw near to God.” That last bit is the key. How do I know the two sermonettes above are carnal nonsense? Because neither will inspire you to draw near to God. Indeed, they will have the opposite effect.

Hebrews 10:26 describes those who have received the knowledge of the truth (i.e., they have heard the gospel) but they have rejected it. The writer compares those who reject grace with those who reject law:

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb 10:28-29)

This passage is not talking about Christians but those who, like Judas, have heard the truth and spurned it. Judas spent time in the company of the Lord. He not only heard the truth, he saw Grace and Truth in the flesh. But Judas rejected Jesus as Lord. He never saw Jesus as anything other than a rabbi. Calling Jesus “Rabbi” is a bit like calling the President “Mister,” only infinitely more so. It’s not just insulting, it’s unbelief.

Jesus came to give His life for Judas but Judas wasn’t interested. He preferred his own sinful life of greed and betrayal. I am sure Judas had many opportunities to repent (i.e., change his mind) and put his faith in Jesus, but he never did. He rejected the grace of God that could empower him to say no to sin.

Jesus died for Judas. What more could He do? There is nothing! There is no more sacrifice for sins other than the one Jesus provided. To reject Jesus as Lord is to trample the Son of God underfoot and treat the blood of the covenant as unholy.

How do you insult the Spirit of grace?

If I was to give you a free car out of the generosity of my heart, but you insisted on paying for it, I would be insulted. Similarly, we insult the Spirit of grace by trying to pay, with works and sacrifices, what God has freely given us. We may call it “proving our salvation” or “appropriating what God has given” but it is unbelief. It is like saying, “I don’t believe Jesus has done it all. I need to finish what He started.”

The wrong way to read Hebrews is to think that God is judging us on our performance. Over and over again Hebrews tells us that it is Jesus and His performance that matters. It is His sacrifice that made us holy, indeed, perfect forever (Heb 10:10-14). How can we interpret Hebrews 10:26 as a warning against sin when Hebrews 9:26 says that Christ appeared once for all “to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself”? Is His a finished work or isn’t it? If it is, then sin is no longer the problem. Where there is remission of sins, “there is no longer any sacrifice for sin” (Heb 10:18). The good news is that the Son of God is the once and final solution for sin. Because of Jesus, both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit choose to remember our sins no more (see Heb 8:12, 10:17).

The warning of Hebrews

In a forthcoming post I will look at Hebrews 6:4-6, which is another passage that bothers some. But the punch-line is the same. The main warning of Hebrews is not in regard to sin but unbelief:

So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Heb 3:19)

The Hebrews of Moses’ day never entered God’s rest because they hardened their hearts to His voice. In the New Testament era, many Jews were doing exactly the same thing. They received the knowledge of truth, they heard the gospel of grace, but they rejected it. They may not have said so in so many words, but by their actions they revealed their distrust.

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. (Heb 4:2)

The author of Hebrews writes to stir up faith. Without it we cannot please God. With it we can come boldly to the throne of grace.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Heb 10:39)

Some people hear the good news of God’s grace and shrink back. They cannot believe it. “It’s too good to be true,” they say. “I’d better cover myself by doing works.” Do you see the danger? You cannot cover yourself. This is idol-worship. You are elevating yourself to co-savior with Christ. You are insulting the Spirit of grace by trying to pay for what God has already given you. This is why sermons that put the emphasis on you and your performance are dangerous. Don’t buy into any message that purports to give you a list of keys or steps that will help you achieve/accomplish/appropriate what you already have. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and the sweat of men to take away sins and it is faithless to strive for what you already have (every good thing!).

According to Hebrews there are only two kinds of people; those who don’t enter because of their unbelief and those who believe and are saved. Sin is not the variable; faith is. Where does faith come from? Jesus! He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). Fix your eyes on Him.
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Related posts:
- Acts 21:17-26
- What happens to unfruitful branches?
- Do NIV readers have a sinful nature?

Below are some others I made. (Click on each thumbnail to see a larger version.) Feel free to share them.

If you make a poster of your own, feel free to post it on E2R’s Facebook wall.

This is how it is for those of us who are born of the spirit but who have not learned how to walk after the spirit. When we were in flesh we walked after the flesh. Spiritually dead, the natural world was the only world we knew and we relied on our five senses to live. But when we were born again we were given a new life with new senses. Like the blind man in the story, we can now live in two worlds: the natural world and the spiritual world; the seen realm and the unseen realm (Heb 11:3).

We use our natural senses to navigate the natural world but in the spiritual world we walk by faith. It is only by faith that we can make sense of things we do not see (Heb 11:1). The trouble is faith often runs contrary to our natural senses. This is why the Bible challenges us to live by faith rather than by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Lean on your own carnal understanding and you will never live the abundant life that God has promised. It is only by faith that you can receive what He offers.

In the last few posts we have looked at what it means to walk according to the flesh. (If you missed them, a list of posts is found below.)  To walk after the flesh is to be mindful of natural things – what we see, hear, touch, etc. But to walk after the spirit means we are mindful of spiritual things – what God has said and is now saying, what God has done is now doing. I’m not talking about being born again. Your new birth was a one-time work of the Spirit (Jn 3:5). But once you have been born of the Spirit, you need to learn how to walk in the spirit. It’s a completely different way to live.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Ga 5:25, NKJV)

You have a choice

The unsaved person cannot walk in the spirit. The natural world is the only world he knows. But when you have been born of the Spirit you have a choice. You can interpret any situation with your natural senses or with faith. Let me illustrate. Suppose you go to the doctor and he shows you an x-ray of your brain, says you have a tumor, and tells you that you have a week to live. If the natural world is all you know, you’d better start wrapping up your affairs! Everything you have heard and seen is telling you that you’re going to die. You can choose how you’re going to die – bravely or fearfully – but that’s about the only choice you have.

The spirit-conscious person, on the other hand, has options and he will not accept the doctor’s report as the last word. He might say, “I need a second opinion. What does Dr. Jesus say?” Do you see what he’s doing? He’s switching his attention from the natural realm to the spiritual. He’s looked at the x-ray he’s now fixing his eyes on something unseen and eternal. His spirit is one with the Holy Spirit and through that connection he is being reminded of some life-giving promises pertaining to healing (e.g., Is 53:4, Ps 103:3). Although in the natural he is battling anxiety, he strives to enter that rest which is found only in Jesus. He begins to think about Jesus who carried his infirmities. And as he sets his mind on things above he begins to sense supernatural peace and faith stirring within him.

When you walk according to the flesh, life always has the last word. The circumstances of your life will tell you when to be sick, poor, and anxious. Enemies of sickness and poverty will seek to rob you of your appetite, sleep, and joy. But when you walk according to the spirit you will find yourself talking back to your circumstances. You’ll argue with doctors. You’ll speak to your bank account. You may even shout at sickness. If you think that’s weird, consider Jesus. He spoke to trees and storms and said we’d speak to mountains! The spirit-conscious believer talks back because he knows that life does not have the last word. He refuses to let his circumstances dictate his actions.

Walk the talk

Learning how to walk is a skill. It takes practice. In my next post I’m going to give you some classic examples of walking in the spirit from the Bible and then, in the post after that, I’m going to give you three keys to help you on your way. But I know you can’t wait. You want to know how to walk in the spirit right now. So here’s the short version from Proverbs:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Pro 3:5-6, NIV)

The operative word in this passage is “acknowledge.” It does not mean tipping your hat to Jesus whenever you go charging off on a scheme of your own invention. Neither is it saying “I want to thank the Lord Jesus” in all the little victory speeches of your life. Acknowledging the Lord means knowing Him in all your ways. Here’s the same verse in a literal translation:

In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths. (Pro 3:6, YLT)

When the doctor has just pronounced the sentence of death, you want to know the Lord – what does He say on the matter? It’s His word that counts. When you’ve been offered a promotion or you’ve just met the perfect man or woman and it all seems good to you, you want to know the Lord – what does He think about this? The spirit-conscious believer is not the slightest bit interested in what his experience or natural understanding tells him. His sole desire is to know and follow Jesus every day.

Knowing the Lord as you walk through life will make a crooked path straight. When you know the Lord you’ll walk through the valley of the shadow of death with no fear and you’ll feast in the presence of your enemies.
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Recent posts on walking after the flesh:
- How to walk after the flesh in 20 easy lessons
- When doing good is bad for you
- 12 infamous examples of walking after the flesh
- Romans 7: The Flesh Test

(a) conclude that it’s not God’s will to heal all the sick?
(b) tell the father that God can heal but He is not going to heal your son right at this moment – maybe in eternity?
(c) speculate that the son has some unconfessed sin in his life?
(d) declare that the boy is healed even though he is still writhing on the ground?
(e) be puzzled?

If you chose (a), then you’ve built a theology based on your experience that is contrary to the promises of God (Acts 10:38, 1 Pe 2:24). If you chose (b), then you’ve joined the ranks of those false comforters who say things like, “God used to heal in the Bible, but now He’s on a break.” If you chose (c), then you’re saying sin can stop the power of God, which it can’t – otherwise no sinner could get saved. If you chose (d), the father would think that you’re nuts. If you chose (e), then your reaction is the same as the disciples’ when they were confronted with this situation.

Perhaps you are familiar with the story of the man who brought his troubled son to the disciples for healing (Lk 9:37-43). It was an intense encounter for the boy was afflicted with a demon that threw him into convulsions and made him scream and foam at the mouth (Lk 9:39). The disciples tried to drive out the demon but failed. So Jesus stepped up, rebuked the demon and healed the boy.

Have you ever wondered why the disciples were not able to heal this boy? After all, they were the same disciples who had previously gone from village to village driving out demons and “healing people everywhere” (Mk 6:13, Lk 9:6). They weren’t rookies; they were seasoned ministers of the gospel. It was because they had been successful elsewhere that they were puzzled when they failed on this occasion:

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” (Mt 17:19)

Jesus’ answer to their question may surprise you. It may also answer questions you have about why more people aren’t healed today. So why did the disciples fail to heal this boy? Contrary to what you may have heard, the answer has nothing to do with their faith. Indeed, the disciples had faith to heal and deliver. They had performed many miracles and could not have done so without faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:16). So what was the obstacle in this case? In his book God Wants You Well, Andrew Wommack identifies two clues from the story:

1. Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief

In response to their question, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus answered:

“Because of your unbelief…” (Mt 17:20)

We tend to think of faith and unbelief as opposite ends of the same pole, but according to Jesus it’s possible to believe and doubt at the same time:

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” (Mt 21:21)

Of course it’s important to have faith, to believe. As Jesus said to the boy’s father, “everything is possible to him who believes.” But the father, like many of us, wanted God to take responsibility for the healing. “Lord, help us!” Yet Jesus said, “If you have faith, you can heal him.” We think healing the sick is God’s job, but He wants us to do it (Mk 16:18). Look at how the father responded:

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24)

The father is saying he has faith, but he also has unbelief. Unbelief nullifies faith. Wommack says it’s like having two teams of horses hooked up to the same wagon and pulling in different directions. One team negates the other. If you have faith in God’s word (“by His stripes you were healed”), but you’re also putting stock in the contrary word of doctors (“you’ll be dead in a week”), then your mountain’s not going anywhere. Your unbelief is canceling your faith.

2. Jesus said even little faith was enough to get the job done

“Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt 17:20)

After identifying the problem (“your unbelief”), Jesus assured the disciples that their faith was not the issue. Even if their faith was the size of a little mustard seed, it would be sufficient to move mountains. The real obstacle was their unbelief. Jesus called them an “unbelieving and perverse generation” (Mt 17:17). He was saying, “you had faith, but it was undermined by your unbelief.”

Note that some translations interpret “unbelief” as “little faith.” So Jesus’ answer in verse 20 begins, “Because of your little faith.” But this is a poor translation that makes Jesus sound like He’s contradicting Himself. The Greek word for unbelief (apistia) in the passage above is the same word used by the boy’s father when he says, “help my unbelief.”

Some translators equate unbelief with little faith, but Jesus clearly says that little faith is not the issue. If little faith can move a mountain, it can surely heal one small boy. It’s not about the the size of your faith (we all have the same measure as Jesus anyway), but whether your faith is handicapped by doubt and unbelief. Pure, childlike faith, untainted by grown-up unbelief, is what moves mountains. Pure faith is strong faith.

Why was unbelief a problem for the disciples in this case?

In his book You’ve Already Got It, Wommack identifies three different kinds of unbelief. There’s unbelief that arises from ignorance (“I didn’t know God heals the sick”); unbelief that arises from bad theology (“I don’t believe God heals the sick any more”); and unbelief that arises from our natural senses (“look at the size of that growth!”). What kind of unbelief undid the disciples? Wommack speculates that they may have been unnerved by the sight of a convulsing, frothing child. A seizure in a child is not a pretty sight, especially if there’s a demon behind it. Natural unbelief is fueled by what we see and hear. We get a bad report, x-ray or scan and believe the worst. We’re now walking by sight rather than faith (2 Co 5:7). Even if we have faith, our unbelief will send us to the Internet looking for reassurance and hope. We may be declaring the promises of God over our situation but at the same time we’re feeding our doubts by heeding our circumstances.

How do we deal with unbelief?

Starve it!

And He replied to them, “This kind (of unbelief) cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” (Mk 9:29)

Unbelief that arises from ignorance and bad theology can be corrected by showing people the truth (Mk 6:6), but overcoming natural unbelief may require prayer and fasting. If the Internet is fueling your doubts, then stay off the Internet! If your “faith sense” is dull because of your natural appetites, then curb your appetites. If your body is telling you what to think and believe (“I’m hurting – I’m not healed at all”) then deny your flesh by going without food. Your flesh needs to learn that it is not in charge – you are! By fasting for a time you are telling your five senses that there’s more to life than bread (Mt 4:4); you’re saying that you prefer to live by the spirit.

Three months ago I had the opportunity to pray for a man with a life-threatening head injury. I boldly declared that Christ has provided for his healing and recovery. Using the authority given to me as a believer, I commanded life and the complete restoration of his damaged brain. My faith felt strong, yet as soon as I finished praying I had the following thought; “When he dies, you’re going to look foolish. It’s this sort of praying that gives Christians a bad name.” Whether this was the devil or the voice of reason I’m not sure, but my spirit reacted violently. “No! I will not accept that.” I hadn’t yet read Wommack’s book but my spirit knew that unbelief was not welcome in my mind. So I sent that thought packing and from that moment onward I felt complete peace. I just rested in what Christ had done and what we had received by faith. I didn’t even sense the need to pray for him again. And three days later the doctors declared that the man would recover.

Here’s Wommack:

“Your prayer and fasting doesn’t move God. Neither does it move the devil. Fasting and prayer moves you. It affects you… You don’t have a faith problem. What you have is an unbelief problem. Instead of trying to build bigger and bigger faith, we need to stop feeding unbelief. (God Wants You Well, p.121,124)

Fix the right problem

Today there is much emphasis on faith and getting more faith. This sort of teaching will leave you thinking, “I’m not healed because I lack faith.” Like the disciples we pray, “Lord, increase my faith” (Lk 17:5), and Jesus responds, “Your faith is not the problem – even little faith will get the job done” (Lk 17:6, my paraphrase). Why is our faith not the problem? Because it’s His faith. Paul said he was justified by the faith of Jesus Christ and now lived by the faith of the Son of God (Gal 2:16,20, KJV). He understood that his faith was a gift from God (Eph 2:8). If you think there’s something wrong with your faith, it’s like saying God gives faulty gifts. When Peter healed the crippled man outside the temple, he gave all credit to the faith that comes from God:

“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” (Acts 3:16)

When there’s a problem, a strategy of the devil is to get your attention onto fixing the thing that’s not broken. If Christ lives in you, then there’s nothing wrong with your faith. But you might have a problem with unbelief. God is faithful and His will is to heal every sick person every single time, but unbelief will limit the power of God in your life. So stop worrying about your faith – you already have enough to move your mountain – and apply the hammer of God’s word to your unbelief.
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Related posts:
- Taking communion in an unworthy manner
- Dealing with unanswered prayer
- Does God give and take away?

This lie, which worked so effectively in the Garden, is the same lie the devil uses on the church today. “You don’t have it all – you need more faith, more power, more anointing, more righteousness.” Believing the lie we waste time asking for what we already have. So what do we have? We have Jesus! As He is, so are we in this world (1 Jn 4:17). That means we have the same power (Eph 1:19-20), anointing (1 Jn 2:20), victory (1 Cor 15:57), and holiness (1 Cor 1:30) that Jesus has.

Let’s take faith as an example. Many Christians are handicapped by the notion that they don’t have enough faith. They pray for the sick, nothing happens, so they think, “I must have little faith; I need more faith.” So they go on a faith-hunt and leave the sick unhealed. But Paul said he lived by the faith of the Son of God (Gal 2: 20). There is nothing wrong with Jesus’ faith! Our faith is a gift from God (Eph 2:8) and God doesn’t give bad gifts. So if faith is not the problem, what is? The problem is we don’t know just how good we’ve got it. Paul prayed “that the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Phm 1:6). We don’t need to ask God for more faith; we need to renew our minds and acknowledge every good thing that is already in us on account of Jesus.

Take power as another example. Many Christians think they are powerless pawns in a cosmic game of chess being played between God and the devil. This mindset makes them passive spectators in their own lives. When the devil comes to rob and destroy they just stand by and watch. Or maybe they cry out and ask God to rebuke the devil for them. But God has given you His authority. He has promised that the devil will flee when you resist him (Jas 4:7). Here’s Wommack:

“You don’t need more power. You just need to believe that you already have it and begin to discover how it operates… This understanding will change you from being a murmurer, complainer, whiner, and griper into a believer who takes his authority, stands, and demands Satan not to steal what God has given. It’s a totally different attitude! Instead of being petrified and hiding in a corner praying, ‘God, please get the devil off my back,’ you’ll stand there and say, ‘Where is he? I just dare Satan to show his ugly face. I’m going to fight him to the death because I have authority and power!’” (pp.31-32)

Fight the right battle

In You’ve Already Got It, Wommack talks a lot about spiritual warfare. There is a battle going on, he says, but it’s not out in the heavenlies. The battlefield is your mind. Paul warns us against Satan’s wiles in Ephesians 6 – his lies, cunningness, and craftiness – because that’s all he’s got. He has no power and no authority except that which we give him. All he has is deception. So how does Satan try to deceive us?

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3)

Satan’s aim is to corrupt our minds from simple, childlike faith in Christ. “In other words, he tries to make us think that the Gospel is harder than it really is” (p.115). He complicates and confuses things and does whatever it takes to distract us from Jesus. He’ll even encourage us to engage in spiritual warfare, as long as it’s warfare on his terms:

“‘Spiritual warfare,’ as it’s popularly presented today, is actually a ploy of the devil. Consider the fruit: Christians are encouraging Christians not to preach the Gospel but just to ‘pray’ instead. You might wonder, Why would Satan want believers to pray more? Simple! The devil delights when we give ourselves to praying fruitless, religious prayers.” (p.149)

Wommack argues that we don’t need to engage in spiritual mapping or documenting the demonic heritage of our cities. Neither do we need to enlist a million Christians to fast and pray and bind powers. The best antidote to Satan’s deception is the truth. It’s knowing the Truth that sets people free. “I wage spiritual warfare over a city or a country by sending in the truth!” (p.140)

Many believers think they have little to no power and that Satan has plenty. They’re wrong on both counts. Yet in their ignorance and unbelief, they re-empower a disarmed enemy. Read your Bible. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (Rms 8:11). Satan, on the other hand, was defeated 2000 years ago. Jesus made an exhibit out of him much as a biology student might make an exhibit out of a bug (Col 2:15)! If that strikes you as over the top or a bit much, then you don’t fully value what Jesus has done and you don’t appreciate what He’s given you:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph 1:3)

We have been blessed with everything we need, but those blessings are in the spiritual realm. How do we receive them? By faith! Faith is the bridge that brings what is true in the spiritual world into the physical world. And this is the point where the devil tries to thwart us. It’s like he’s on that bridge telling us we lack favor, blessings, or our Father’s approval. He would have us believe that our faith moves God (He’s already moved!) and that we need to do stuff to get what we need (Jesus has done it all!). If we don’t refute this nonsense with the truth, we’ll end up asking for things with longwinded, beggarly prayers of unbelief. We may feel like we are operating in faith, but it’s misdirected faith. It’s actually unbelief in the promises and provision of a good God.

Look to the cross!

Look to Jesus who has overcome the world! We should be fighting from a place of victory, not fighting to get the victory. Satan would have you conscious of your lack (“I need healing or provision”) but Jesus has already given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). His instructions to us are the same as what He told the Christians in Thyatira:

“Only hold on to what you have until I come.” (Rev 2:25)

The only way we can lose what we have is if we put more faith in the devil’s word than God’s word, if we start thinking, I don’t have everything I need so I better do something. That’s anti-Christ, anti-cross and it’s not good news! It’ll get your eyes off Jesus and His work and onto you and yours. God’s divine power is revealed in our life “through the knowledge of Him who called us” (2 Pet 1:3). If the devil can get your eyes off Him, he wins and you lose. It’s a diabolically clever ploy that has been working since the Garden of Eden.

Anyway, I’m starting to preach and this is supposed to be a book review.

Read You’ve Already Got It if you’re not sure exactly what you’ve got or if you want to learn how to receive what you’ve been given. Like Wommack’s other books (e.g., A Better Way to Pray, God Wants You Well), this is a how-to book. Anyone can find fault with bad theology but Wommack gives practical steps on how to exercise your faith and see the gifts of God (e.g., healing and deliverance) manifest in your life. This book strips away religious clutter, leaving you in awe of all Jesus has done.
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Related posts:
- The flesh vs the spirit: Two good books
- “When Heaven Invades Earth” by Bill Johnson
- see all E2R’s book reviews here

“The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it.” (Jn 14:12, MSG)

I suspect the chief reason why many Christians live no different from their unsaved neighbors is they don’t know about the awesome authority that God has given us. So instead of healing the sick, as Jesus instructed us to do, they’re asking God to heal the sick. Instead of proclaiming life over their hurts, they’re complaining and speaking death over themselves.

In this short series on prayer, we have contrasted the Biblical way with the traditional way to pray. In Part 1 we saw that there is a difference between praying with hope and praying with faith. In Part 2 we learned that faith doesn’t move God – He’s already moved! In Part 3 we saw from scripture that answered prayers are sometimes delayed by the devil. The enemy is surely opposed to our prayers, but he’s probably not the main reason why our prayers aren’t answered. No, the hindrance to most of our prayers lies between our ears. The problem is we don’t appreciate what God has already done for us. More to the point, we don’t know how awesome and powerful is the One who now lives within us.

“Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world.” (1 Jn 4:4 CEV)

Who do you think you are?

In Part 3 the punch-line was resist the devil. Here’s today punch-line: Renew your mind and learn to interpret your circumstances through the finished work of the cross. What do I mean by that? I mean it should be normal for you to see yourself as completely forgiven, sanctified, righteous, healthy and prosperous – all because of Jesus. Is this how you see yourself? Here’s a simple way to find out. When you get sick, which of the following statements best describes how you respond?

(1) “I am sick but I’m going to ask God to heal me.”
(2) “I am healthy but the devil’s trying to rob me.”

If you chose response No.1 then you’re starting from a place of defeat. By asking God to do something He’s already done, you are confessing ignorance of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. Maybe you’re not sure of what He’s done. Then you had better find out because faith, by definition, is being sure (He 11:1). How can you be sure when you’re unsure? Look at what you’re saying: I am sick… The focus is squarely on your physical condition. Do you know what the King Jimmy Bible calls it when we are more mindful of our physical circumstances than God’s word? Carnal mindedness. And you know what that means, right?

“To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rms 8:6, KJV).

Do you know that you can be in the Spirit yet walk after the flesh? This happens when you put your feelings (what you see and hear etc.) ahead of your faith in God’s word. In effect, you are trusting in your praying performance instead of resting in His finished work. Pray like this and you will reap nothing because your faith is misplaced. Instead of standing on what Christ has done, you’re essentially saying God needs to act again and He won’t unless I first do something. You have more faith in you’re doing than in what Jesus has done.

If you want to release life and peace into our circumstances, be spiritually minded. That doesn’t mean “think spiritual thoughts.” To be spiritually minded means be led by the spirit. Your renewed spirit, like the Holy Spirit, already trusts God regardless of the circumstances. To be spiritually minded is to walk by faith, not by sight. So speak to your condition and say, “By His stripes I have been healed” (1 Pe 2:24).

If you chose response No.2 then you’re starting from the place of victory. You might declare, “As He is so am I in this world. The old man who suffered sin’s curse is dead and buried and I am a new creation. Sin and sickness no longer have dominion over me.” I’m not asking you to deny your physical reality but to have faith in a higher reality. I’m not saying the problem you are facing isn’t nothing; I’m saying that this Jesus who lives in you is Really Something! Here’s Andrew Wommack writing in Grace – The Power of the Gospel:

“I’ve changed. I know now that I’m not the sinner trying to become holy. I am the righteous whom Satan is trying to make unholy. I’m not the sick trying to get well. I am the well that the devil is trying to make sick. I’m not the poor trying to be prosperous. I am the prosperous that the Enemy is trying to make poor. This is a totally different attitude and mindset. But I’ve found it much easier to fight from the position of victory than to try to fight to obtain a position of victory. It’s infinitely easier to release something I already have than to go get something I don’t.” (pp.117-8)

When you’re sick your flesh will pull in one direction (“I need healing!”) but your spirit will pull in the other (“By His stripes I am healed!”). Flesh and spirit are opposed to each other and you will have to choose (Gal 5:17). The carnally minded believer will heed the flesh, but the spiritually minded believer will heed God’s word. This is not a question of having more or less faith – you already have the same measure of faith as Jesus (2 Pet 1:1). This is about putting your faith to work and releasing what God has already given you.

Plant this seed

In this short series I’ve given you some keys on how to pray effectively. I have given you truth in seed form. Perhaps you’ve been blessed reading these posts. Maybe you even clicked the “like” button or forwarded posts to your friends. But understand that nothing will change in your life unless this seed takes root in your heart and grows. It’s now up to you. Are you content to live no differently from your unsaved neighbors? Or do you want to see the Kingdom come and His will done in your world?

Be warned that neither the devil nor your flesh will like what you’ve read here (Ga 5:17). Jesus said the devil is a thief who likes to steal seed (Mk 4:15). Right about now this thief will be suggesting you go visit Facebook or he’ll be reminding you to take care of some task that really needs to get done. He’ll do whatever it takes to get your focus off Christ and the cross. But we are not ignorant of his schemes.

I began this series with Wommack and I’ll finish with him. Here he is writing in Spirit, Soul and Body:

“I’d confess aloud, ‘By His stripes I was healed.’ My body would counter, ‘Oh no you’re not!’ Then I’d answer, ‘Yes I am – the Word says so!’… You will have to overcome the same conflict! You don’t just say, ‘All right, I see the truth. Flesh, I now renounce you and choose to walk by the spirit!’ No, it’ll be a traumatic experience when you turn around and head the other direction. Your mind and emotions have been indulged now for many years. They’ve always said that whatever you see is more real than what’s invisible. There’s going to be a fight.” (p.117)

The good news is it’s a fight you can win, for greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Have faith in Jesus! Speak to your mountains! Heal the sick! Rebuke that storm! Change the world!
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If you missed them, here are the other 3 posts in this series:
1. A better way to pray
2. Speak to your mountain
3. Dealing with unanswered prayer

If you’ve been following this short series on prayer, I’m hoping you can spot at least two things wrong with these statements. First, it is always God’s will to heal the sick just as it is always His will to save the lost. Jesus died to save us and His atonement provides for our forgiveness, healing, deliverance and provision. Second, there’s no power in asking God to do something He’s already done. As we saw in Part 1, Jesus instructed us to “heal the sick,” not “ask God to heal the sick.” And as we saw in Part 2, Jesus wants us to speak directly to our mountains.

On my journey I have discovered that there is a huge difference between the traditional view of prayer and what the Bible teaches. We have already looked at six differences. Here is one more:

Traditional: Sometimes the answer is no
Biblical: God is faithful!

Some people will tell you that God hasn’t answered your prayers because you are not doing enough works. They’ll say you’re out of fellowship with Him or you haven’t pounded the gates of heaven or you haven’t confessed all of your sins. Others will try and manage your expectations with doctrine based on their experience rather than His word. Listen to these sorts of people and I guarantee it’ll neutralize your faith.

We need to rest in Jesus’ promise that whatever we ask in His name we shall receive (Jn 14:13, 16:24). “Ask me,” says Jesus, “and I will do it” (Jn 14:14). What is the key to doing the works and greater works of Jesus? It is simple faith in Jesus Christ (Jn 14:12). But sometimes we pray and there is no immediate manifestation. The sickness lingers. Does that mean God said no? Not according to Matthew 21:22 and John 16:24. Let God be true and every man a liar! God’s faithfulness is the one constant in the equation. He is the Rock on which we stand.

Daniel famously prayed two prayers that were both answered instantly. But the manifestation of one prayer took a few minutes, while the other took three weeks (Dan 9:23, 10:12). What was the variable? Not God! In Daniel’s case there was demonic resistance to the second prayer.

One reason why our problems sometimes linger is because the enemy is challenging our authority. He wants to see how serious we are. What should we do? Should we quit? Should we ask God to take over? No. Be encouraged. The devil will flee when we resist him and we do that by submitting to God and His rock-solid promises (Jas 4:7). That sword in your hand isn’t for decorative purposes. Use it! Here’s Andrew Wommack in his book A Better Way to Pray:

“When I minister healing to someone, I’ll pray for them two, three, four, or more times. I don’t care! I’m willing to pray for them until I rub all the hair off of their head! However, I’m not going back to God and saying, ‘Father, it didn’t work the first time. Let it work now, please!’ No! I believe it happened because God is faithful. He gave, but something’s wrong with our receiver. So I work on it. If the devil withstands one dose of the Holy Spirit, I’ll shoot him again! Just like Jesus did with the blind man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26), I pray until I see the answer manifest. You need to get this attitude that God is faithful and He’s already met your need before you ever had it.” (p.125)

Understand that we’re not fighting to get the victory; we’re fighting to enforce the victory that Christ has already won. Satan and sickness were disarmed at the cross (Col 2:15). That’s why we’re called to stand rather than advance (Eph 6:13). We’re not taking ground, we’re holding ground that’s already ours through Christ. So stand firm and declare God’s word over your circumstances. Your tongue holds the power of life and death (Pro 18:21), so proclaim life and grace and health and freedom over your situation.

If the devil’s one variable, guess who’s the other? We’ll find out in the fourth and final part of this series.
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Related posts:

This is a verse that religious-types love to quote. They use it to say that salvation is something we need to work for, that we must tip-toe fearfully through life lest we upset a wrathful God and find ourselves thrown into hell. It sounds spiritual, but it’s an anti-christ message that insults the Spirit of grace.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Jesus did it all! His work was perfectly perfect and completely complete. Because of His sacrifice you have been made perfect forever. As He is, so are you. Rest in Him.

Work out your own salvation…

But what does it mean to “work out your own salvation”? We have this idea that salvation equals forgiveness, but it is so much more than that. Salvation here is the word soteria which includes “deliverance, preservation, safety, and salvation.” It is a picture of a new life where all your needs – your need for forgiveness, deliverance, healing, provision – are supplied according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Ph 4:19). On the cross Jesus provided for your complete salvation, your complete healing, and your complete deliverance. If your old way of life was characterized by poverty, curses and never enough, then your new life in Christ is one of abundance, blessings and more than enough.

But you might say, I don’t see it. I’m not healthy. I’m not prospering. I’m not overcoming. Then work it out. Don’t ask Jesus to come – He’s come already! Don’t ask Him to provide – He’s provided already! He forgave you and healed you at the cross. You lack nothing (Eph 1:3). The problem with asking God to do things He’s already done is that it makes us passive and requires no faith. In Philippians 2 Paul is exhorting us not to be idle but to work out in our own lives the implications of His powerful sacrifice. It begins by changing the way you think. Renew your mind. Look to the empty tomb, behold the glory of your risen King, and declare His goodness and grace over your situation. Grace and peace will be multiplied to you as you grow in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Pet 1:2).

For more on what it means to work out your salvation, I encourage you to read this excellent article by my friend Cornel Marais. But today I want to focus on the second part of the verse…

…with fear and trembling

I used to think that this phrase was describing our proper state before God – that we should be afraid and tremble because even after a lifetime of service God might judge that we haven’t done enough for Him. Well thank God for the cross! God isn’t looking at me but Jesus who is our perfect and acceptable sacrifice. I no longer fear judgment because my sin has been punished and I am now clothed with Christ.

In this passage, Paul is not talking about judgment at all, but the outworking of our salvation. Surely this is a good thing, seeing the fruit of Gods work in our lives. So why is fear and trembling involved? Because sometimes trusting God can be scary!

The other day I saw a paralyzed lady get out of a wheelchair and take her first tentative steps in 23 years. (You can see it here on YouTube.) She was trembling when she did it. We can only imagine what was going through her mind. What if she tried and failed? What if she rose to her feet and fell on her face in front of hundreds of people? Her wheelchair was her comfort zone, but in faith she faced her fears and received a miracle. The healing that Jesus provided for her 2000 years ago was apprehended by faith.

Faith is risky! Faith does not come naturally and is often accompanied by fear and trembling. How do you think Abraham felt as he was about to plunge the knife into Isaac? We know that Abraham was fully persuaded that God would raise the dead – that’s faith – but he would not have been human if his hand had not trembled. Or consider Rahab. Do you think she was in a joyful mood when she welcomed the spies of Israel into her home? Her faith meant a death sentence if the soldiers of Jericho discovered her treason. What about Daniel in the lions’ den, or David facing the giant, or Moses standing up to Pharaoh? Is it so hard to imagine that these heroes of faith acted with fear and trembling?

Faith means putting something on the line. It might be your comfort, your reputation, your family, your funds, even your life – but something is risked or else it’s not faith.

You may want to run away…

My favorite line in the film Avatar is “Run! Definitely run!” Apparently this is the proper thing to do when you meet one of Pandora’s more aggressive beasts. Fear often manifests as a desire to run away. Indeed, the words “fear” and “flight” are connected in the Greek language. So our choice is often one of faith versus flight. I know something about that. Years ago when it became apparent that Camilla and I were going to be handed the leadership of a church, I told her “pack your bags, we’re leaving.” I feared failure. I didn’t want to do it. Paul felt the same way about going to Corinth:

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.” (1 Cor 2:1-3)

Would you say that Paul was a mighty man of faith? Definitely! Yet here he is admitting that he came to Corinth in “fear and in much trembling.” In other words, he didn’t want to go! In fact, Paul was so fearful that God had to step in and say “do not be afraid” (Acts 18:9).

There’s grace for us here folks. Paul is saying, “it’s not wrong to be fearful.” But in the presence of these feelings, work out your salvation anyway. Take the faith-risk, because you will be blessed if you do. I’m not comparing myself to Paul, but by the grace of God Camilla and I didn’t run away. We stayed and preached the gospel and for ten years had the awesome privilege of leading Hong Kongers to Christ.

…but you will be blessed if you stay

A preacher of works will use Philippians 2:12 to motivate you to perform out of fear. But if you’ve been following my series on James, you will know that there is a big difference between works done under law and works done under grace. Under law we work for God, but under grace we do the work of God. The work of God is to believe in Jesus and reveal His finished work in our broken world. Which kind of works do you think Paul was describing here in Philippians 2 – the works of man or the work of God? Take a look at the next verse:

“…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Php 2: 13)

If God is the one working, what part do we play? Well we are the ones who decide who gets to see the King! God is sovereign, but in His wisdom He has chosen to reveal Himself through the faith of His saints. We preach and His signs and wonders follow. We lay hands on the sick and His healing is released. So guess what happens if we don’t preach or lay hands on the sick?

Paul didn’t want to go to Corinth but he went anyway. Despite his “fear and much trembling” he preached Christ crucified and the result was that “many Corinthians” believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8). Jonah didn’t want to preach in Nineveh but he did and an entire city was saved. Both Jonah and Paul took faith-risks despite their fears. As a result, the kingdom of God came to two cities and thousands of hell-bound sinners were saved.

Fear and trembling are normal. What you do with fear is the thing. We can live afraid and see nothing change, or we can face our fears and see the kingdom come. Working out our salvation means that at some point we’re going to have to get out of the boat and take a risk. God won’t punish us if we hold back – this has nothing to do with punishment. But we will blessed, and the nations will be blessed through us, when we reveal Jesus.

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Related posts:
- By which gospel are you saved?
- Does God give and take away?
- Mixing grace with works: It’s not about the widow (Lk 18:1-8)

Of course I didn’t think that!

Yet that is exactly how some people perceive the churches of the New Testament – exclusive clubs for Christians only. Some seem to think that the early churches all had halos around them. But the Bible tells us that the early churches attracted all sorts of people, including legalists, false brothers, false teachers, false apostles and Jezebels. Indeed, a healthy church will always attract sinners and good preachers know this. They know that each week they will be preaching to the saved and the unsaved.

A New Testament for all

The New Testament contains several letters written to churches. Every one of them has something to say to both saints and sinners, and James’s letter is no exception. Although his letter is addressed to his Jewish brothers generally, we can be certain that it was written for both believers and unbelievers. Does this surprise you? It shouldn’t. Wherever the gospel was preached there were some Jews who believed and some Jews who didn’t. Jesus could tell who was who (see Jn 8:31); so could Paul (Acts 14:1-2) and Peter (Acts 2:38); so why not James?

As we saw in Part 3 of this study, James wrote to stir up faith and combat unbelief. To inspire us he identifies two heroes of the faith. For Christians, he points to the works of righteous Abraham. For sinners, he describes the works of unrighteous Rahab:

“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?” (Jas 2:25)

Why do I say Abraham was righteous and Rahab was unrighteous? Because James makes it plain that Abraham was counted righteous when he believed (2:23) and before he did his famous deed on the altar. Rahab, on the other hand, was not numbered with the righteous until she acted in faith. In her case, faith without deeds would literally have led to her death (Heb 11:31).

Works of faith #423: National treason

You may already know the story of how Rahab betrayed her city by hiding the spies of Israel. There’s an interesting detail from that story that you may have forgotten. According to Rahab, everyone in Canaan knew about and even feared the Lord. Look at what she says to the spies:

“I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Jos 2:9-11)

The citizens of Jericho were under judgment. The condemnation of a holy and just God was hanging over their heads and they knew it. Yet none of them, except Rahab, did anything about it. Don’t you find that strange? What do you think James might have said to the paralyzed inhabitants of Jericho?

“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (Jas 2:19-20)

If I had been a Canaanite living in Jericho under the fear of God, I’d like to think that I would’ve run to the Israelite camp waving a white flag and shouting “Mercy!” Why didn’t they all do that? Why was Rahab the only one who switched sides? Evidently they were too attached to their precious city for their own good. Perhaps they thought their investment in walls and other defenses would protect them from God’s judgment. Hmm, wonder what James would’ve said about that:

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!” (Jas 5:1)

All of Jericho feared God, but only one acted. Here’s the take-away: If you believe that God provided a way of escape at the cross, but this belief doesn’t prompt you to open your heart, to switch sides, and say “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner!” then your faith is utterly worthless. You can go to church and hear the gospel every Sunday of your life, you can even accept that it is true, and it won’t change a thing. Unless your faith moves you to open the door of your heart and say, like Rahab, “Lord, save me,” it is a dead and fruitless faith.

“My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you?” (Jas 2:14, GNB)

Jesus died for you. Now He lives for you! If that doesn’t move you nothing will. Come on now, unlock your tongue, throw up your arms and say “thank you Lord!” Extravagant love deserves at least some response.

Homiletics 101: Know your audience

I said earlier that James was written for both saints and sinners. We who have been saved by grace need to keep this in mind if we are to remain under His grace. In Part 1 of this study we saw that we can get into error if we do not read James in light of the finished work of the cross. Rightly dividing the word also requires us to consider the audience being addressed. Is the preacher speaking to the saved or the lost? Even though there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rms 8:1), Christians may feel condemned if they swallow medicine intended for sinners. Here is some of the life-saving medicine that James has for sinners…

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (Jas 4:4)

How do I know this exhortation is intended for sinners and not saints? Because nowhere in the Bible do you find saints being described as adulterous or God-hating. How can a son of God be an enemy of God?! This verse is clearly for those who stubbornly remain friends with the world, even as God draws near in judgment. If you are an enemy of God, what should you do? James has the answer:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (Jas 4:7)

There are only two kinds of people: those who are submitted to the Lordship of King Jesus, and those who persist in rebellion. James knew who was who. Do you? Or are you still not convinced that James is talking to sinners and not saints? Look at this next passage, where James makes it very clear:

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (Jas 4:8,10)

Humble yourself before the Lord? I already did that 38 years ago! And it was the smartest thing I ever did because God gave His grace to me and lifted me up (Jas 4:6). I used to be a sinner, but that old sinner has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me and this life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me (Gal 2:20).

Repent and believe

The gospel challenge can be reduced to three words: “Repent and believe” (Mk 1:15). If you have faith to believe but your faith doesn’t lead to repentance, then you’re as deceived as any Jerichonian:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (Jas 1:22)

And what does it say? It says “repent!” Make up your mind. Decide whether you are for the Lord or against Him. If Jesus is King, then throw your crown at His feet. Mere listening is not enough. Faith always responds or else it’s not faith.

The Jews of the first century had witnessed an amazing move of God – signs, wonders, and the gospel bearing fruit all over the world. They knew people who had walked with the resurrected Lord. Yet many of them refused to leave the crumbling walls of the old covenant. They looked to the laws that enslave instead of the law of the Spirit of life that brings freedom. Jesus? Sure, they knew all about Him. They’d heard all the stories, even seen a few miracles. But they lived on the fence between two covenants. They were in two minds. And then James came along to wake them out of their stupor.

Meanwhile, back in the harvest field

Imagine you were writing to people who knew about Jesus but who had never repented. What would you say? You might uses phrases like “submit to God,” “humble yourself,” and “draw near.” These are the words James uses and it is exactly the right sort of medicine for an unrepentant sinner. James writes for a verdict. He wants them to turn around and start living by faith in Christ. Then right at the end of his letter James has a message for the rest of us:

“He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (Jas 5:20)

You would think this would motivate us to preach the gospel and challenge sinners to repent. Yet many Christians are so confused about their identity that they’re swallowing medicine that was never meant for them and making themselves sick in the process. Instead of doing the works of God and setting people free, they’re still trying to figure out whether they’re saved by faith or works or both. Wakey wakey church!

Last Sunday when the invitation went out to make a decision for Christ, not for a second did I think the preacher was speaking to me. Neither should you think that all of the New Testament is addressed to you. If you’re a son of God, read the bits written for you and stop living under guilt and condemnation. If you’re still in two minds about these things, then repent and believe!

In Part 5 of this study we will start to unpackage the gospel of grace as James preached it.

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Related posts:
- James 2:24
- Nothing but the blood of Jesus: 5 reasons to thank Him
- God doesn’t do half-jobs: Why partial forgiveness is completely bogus

In Part 1 of this study we asked the question, by which gospel are you saved? The answer is the gospel of God’s grace. Contrary to what you may have heard, this is the only gospel message found in the Bible. What does the gospel of God’s grace look like? It looks like Jesus. Jesus is grace personified. To preach the gospel of grace is to preach the exceeding riches of God’s unmerited favor revealed to us through Jesus Christ (Eph 2:7).

The turned-around gospel

Tragically, the gospel of grace is not always preached in its pure form. The result is that sincere believers get confused about their standing before God. In their confusion, they may even abandon God’s grace for inferior alternatives. That’s like swapping the life preserver for an anchor. It’s not a smart move. If you see someone doing that you really ought to speak out, like Paul did with the Galatians:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Gal 1:6-7)

What does it mean to “pervert the gospel of Christ”? The Greek word for the verb “pervert” can be translated “turn around.” A perverted gospel is a turned-around gospel. It is a gospel which turns the focus away from Jesus onto something else. If the gospel of grace reveals Christ alone, then a perverted gospel is Christ plus something. It’s the somethings that’ll sink you.

Ten ways to set aside grace

The Bible lists many things that can distract you from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Here are some of them:

1.    Human effort (Gal 3:3): think performance-oriented Christianity. “Gotta get busy for Jesus. Gotta work for my salvation. Gotta start producing fruit or he’s going to lop me.” Except that you don’t and he won’t.

2.    Traditions (Col 2:8). “That’s just the way we do things around here; if you’re going to be a part of us, you’d better get used to it.” So you’re saying Jesus is the gate into the kingdom, but right behind him is this other gate that you have added.

3.    Hollow and deceptive philosophy (Col 2:8), like karma: you do good, you get good. “God won’t judge me, I basically a good person. At least I’m better than that guy.” Indeed, there are good sinners and bad sinners, but they are sinners alike. Your goodness still falls catastrophically short of God’s goodness. What matters is whose righteousness you’re wearing – yours or his?

4.    Angel worship (Col 2:18). God told you the name of the angel watching over this church? Cool! Now let’s get back to Jesus.

5.   Rules and regulations (Col 2:21-23). Smoking will kill you, but it won’t send you to hell like unbelief does. Working on the Sabbath may wear you out, but Jesus still loves you.

6.    Self-denial, abstinence (Col 2:23). God gave us taste buds and appetites to enjoy life! Keep your monkish asceticism away from my chocolate stash!

7.    Endless genealogies (1 Ti 1:4). So you think you broke your leg because your grandfather was a mason? But weren’t you adopted into a new family when you believed? Didn’t Christ redeem us from the curse so that we might inherit the blessings of Father Abraham?

8.    Myths (1 Ti 1:4). Did Adam have a second wife? Were the Nephilim really angel-spawn? Is this stuff going to be on the test? I think not.

9.    Sin consciousness (Heb 10:2,22). God’s grace is greater than your sin. If you are more conscious of your sin than you are of his righteousness, it’s like saying that the payment of Jesus Christ was insufficient. His worth is greater than your unworthiness!

10.    The 10 Commandments, a.k.a. the ministry that brought death (2 Cor 3:7). God hid these inside the ark under the blood-stained mercy seat and now you want to hang them on the wall? In the Sunday School?!

What’s wrong with all these things? Very simply, they diminish your life-saving faith in Christ. The more you trust in your own works, for example, the less trust you’ll place in His finished work. Trusting in your works is like filling your life preserver with cast iron.

I call these things anchors because they have no life in them. They can’t save you because they are based on “worldly principles rather than Christ” (Col 2:8). We have died to such things (Col 2:20). They have no value for us. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal 5:6).
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Related posts:
- Incomplete deeds: The zombie church of Sardis
- Mixing grace with works
- Seven signs that you might be living under law

“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Gal 3:3)

Most believers know that we cannot finish with human effort that which was begun by the Spirit. Yet the great irony is that many Christians are trying to do exactly that. Instead of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, they get caught up in dead works of the flesh. Instead of keeping their eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of their faith, they get distracted by their own performance. And when you think you’re being blessed because of your effort, you nullify the grace of God.

How do we mix grace with works?

Let me give you an example based on the Parable of the Persistent Widow. I am sure you are familiar with this story. It starts like this:

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men…’” (Luk 18:1-2)

…and you know what happens next. A poor widow comes pleading for justice but the uncaring judge ignores her. She gets no justice. Unperturbed, the widow doesn’t give up. She keeps pestering the bad judge until he finally relents. He thinks to himself,

“because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!” (Lk 18:5)

The lesson that most Christians take from this story is that we need to persistently bang on the doors of heaven, crying out to God day and night, until we get what we ask for.

And so they completely miss the point of the story and end up mixing grace with works.

There is nothing wrong with God’s hearing

Prayer is simply conversing with God. We can talk to God about anything, anytime. If you are facing a problem that won’t go away, by all means talk to your loving Father about it. He cares for you. He wants to take your cares off you. Give them to him.

If you have prayed for a breakthrough and it hasn’t happened yet, it’s perfectly fine to pray again. There is no prayer-limit. It’s also perfectly fine not to pray again but stand in the faith that the prayer you prayed once was heard.

But what is not fine is to subscribe to a method of praying that suggests God rewards our praying effort, that if God doesn’t hear us the first time, that we need to pray again and again and again until he does. To pray like this suggests that God is either deaf or reluctant to help, neither of which is true.

Does God hear our prayers, even our short ones? You bet! Jesus said so:

“When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt 6:7-8)

Who is the one that prays with many, repetitive words? It is the one who does not have a revelation of the nature and character of God.

Now you may say, “but Paul, isn’t that exactly why the widow in the story got her breakthrough? Because she was relentless in asking and never gave up?” Maybe, but this misses a larger point. Jesus did not tell us the parable to get us to strive for things in our own strength. Besides, why would he suggest we “keep it short” in Matthew 6 but “pray long” in Luke 18? It doesn’t add up.

The little widow that could

It’s human nature to cheer for the underdog who never quits. But Jesus did not tell us this story so that we might be inspired by the persistent widow. He did it so that we might get a better understanding of our good and gracious Father who, in stark contrast with unjust judges, cares for us and wants to bring about justice for his chosen ones.

Jesus preached the negative to accentuate the positive. The judge in the story was a lazy and wicked man. He kept stalling. He didn’t do the right thing. He didn’t even do what he was paid to do. But God is nothing like that. God is good! He loves justice! He longs to act quickly! Look at what Jesus said:

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” (Lk 18:7-8)

How do you pray?

Depending on whether you have more faith in the power of human effort or the power of God, there are two ways to read the tale of the persistent widow:

1.    The works-oriented preacher says, “Look at the widow, she’s weak but never gives up.”
2.    The Christ-oriented preacher says, “Look at God, he’s mighty and he wants to help you.”

Do you see the difference?

Listen to the first guy and when trials come your eyes will be on yourself. Listen to the second guy and your eyes will be on your mighty Father. Big difference!

If your focus is on yourself and what you are doing or not doing, you are likely to miss out on the grace of God. If you get a breakthrough, you may be tempted to think it was because of your many prayers. Don’t misunderstand me. There have been occasions where I have prayed for years to get a breakthrough (e.g., a friend coming to Christ). But there is huge a difference between standing on the unfulfilled promises of God and thinking that God is impressed by our praying efforts.

The works preacher says we must do stuff to get results. The grace preacher says trust God for the results. Of course we should pray. But pray with faith, with an attitude that says “both me and God fully expect his will to be done in my situation.” If you don’t know what his will is, ask for wisdom. Then pray with a conviction that God will do what he says, that his kingdom reality will soon invade your earthly reality.

The problem with the widow

Why do I have a problem with making the widow the hero of the story? Because you don’t need any faith to identify with the widow in her plight. She was in a bad situation. She took it upon herself to fix things and she succeeded. It’s a good story, but it is a godless and graceless story, a mere triumph of the human spirit. You don’t even have to be a believer to preach on the persistence of the widow.

Why would Jesus want us to be inspired by a widow who succeeded apart from God? He doesn’t! He uses her to show that we are a gazillion times better off because we have God. We do not need to depend on our own effort because we can trust in the grace of a good God who knows what we need even before we ask him.

In fact, God is so good and he knows us so well that he even answers prayers that we haven’t got around to praying. I experienced this just last Sunday. During the service I made a note to pray for something with Camilla. It was a family need and I sat there thinking, “we haven’t even prayed about this – we must do it tonight.” Straight after the service I went to find Camilla (she was out back with the kids), and even before I had a chance to speak she gave me some news that told me that God had answered our prayer. And we hadn’t even prayed it yet!

Who do you trust?

Does your praying testify to the strength of the human spirit or the strength of the Holy Spirit? The best test is to look at what you do when your prayers seem to have no effect.

When the breakthrough doesn’t come, the preacher of works says, “Pray harder! You must do more.” But the Christ-oriented preacher says, “Keep trusting in the goodness of a good God! He has not forsaken you.”

Again, did you spot the difference?

Trust in yourself and you’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. Trust in God and you’re setting yourself up for a miracle. It’s not how big your prayer is, it’s how big your God is. That’s why we need to remind ourselves just how big he is when we pray. We need to magnify him. Like David in Psalm 103 we need call to mind his many blessings: God forgives us. God heals us. God redeems us, crowns us and satisfies us with good things. He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.

Your choice: trust in your own efforts or trust in God.

Jesus wants us to have a revelation of our loving Father when we pray. He doesn’t want us to identify with the persistent widow, but to have faith in a good and gracious God who cares for us and helps us in our weakness. Have no faith in your own efforts but receive the grace of God. In the second part of this two-part study, I want to look at the reason why Jesus told this parable.