Recognizing Need,
Resting
in Christ Jesus, Bearing Spiritual Fruit
By Joseph and Sonya
Machuta
We live in a time when many people claim
to have the only message of Christ Jesus.
Unfortunately for the elect, many of these have completely different,
and many times conflicting ideas, as to what this true message is all
about There is little help with the
various creeds. Often times, the creeds
are conflicting with questionable Biblical proof. One of the main reasons for this, is the
nature of the revealed scripture found in the New Testament. There are essentially two general types of
messages conveyed in the New Testament (Greek Scriptures, GS). The difference is in perspective. One is written for man from God’s perspective
out of linear time, and, the other is written for man from mans perspective in
linear time. At times they appear to
conflict, and at the very least they create a paradoxical tension. I will give examples of both perspectives
from scripture:
God’s Perspective Out of
Time:
(Romans 8:29-30 AV) 29 ¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. 30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. From God’s perspective out of the constraints
of time, calling justification and glorification are already accomplished. This is because of the verb tense. Everything that is mentioned is in the past
tense. Finished!
Contrast Mans
Perspective in Linear Time:
(Romans 12:1-2 AV) 1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Even though God has explained that the elect
has been glorified (past tense) the believer is enjoined to reasonable
service. This renewing the mind, is an
ongoing progressive action. It is a
process in linear time.
I will use more examples of this contrast
in other parts of this paper to show the biblical process whereby Almighty,
Holy, God, sanctifies the believer. The
sanctification process works over time slowly conforming the believer who is
united with Christ by regeneration, into the image of Jesus. This is God’s grand purpose in
salvation. He does this by His sovereign
will to the praise of His glorious grace.
It must be stated clearly and often, that this process is for the glory
of Christ and Him alone.
In Christ Jesus – Union
With Christ:
A person cannot be a disciple and be part
of the sanctification process with out being in Christ. Being in Christ means that the believer is a
new creature , born again. Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
(2 Corinthians 5:17 AV) The way to be in
Christ is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for the sins of the
elect. This is not all, one must also
believe that though He died for sin, He also rose from the grave for the
justification of those who have faith in Him, and that He is seated at the
right Hand of the Father for eternity ever to make intersession for the
saints. An important part of this faith
in Jesus comes from recognizing a need for Him.
Recognizing Need:
One need only read Romans chapter’s one
through chapter three verse twenty to see their total need for Christ. Man is totally depraved. There is nothing
redeeming about him. 10 As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: 11 There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are
together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat [is] an open sepulchre;
with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their
lips: 14 Whose mouth [is] full of
cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet
[are] swift to shed blood: 16
Destruction and misery [are] in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their
eyes. (Romans 3:10-18 AV) It must be
clearly seen that there is nothing good about man His need is great. He has no way to approach God. No merit by which he can be acceptable to
God. Paul states that the wrath of God
is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the
truth in unrighteousness. He makes it
clear that this is all humanity. To add
to the hopeless condition of man’s need, here is a list of actions that cause
humanity to deserve death. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God
in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those
things which are not convenient; 29
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of
God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, 31 Without understanding,
covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they
which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have
pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:28-32 AV) Many of the actions listed above are
considered mortal sins by any. For
example, murder, fornication and covetousness are widely seen as sin. But, look at the list again, whisperers,
(gossips) proud, and unmerciful; can these deserved death? Yes indeed!
Man’s need is great. There is no
one who does not have this need.
Jesus Christ Brings
Rest:
Come unto me, all [ye]
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 AV) What is this rest about? What does one rest from? The answer to this question is work. 9
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also
hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. 11 ¶ Let us labour
therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief. (Hebrews 4:9-11 AV) What
is the source of this Sabbath Rest? It
comes from the scripture as presented from God’s perspective. [There is] therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit. (Romans 8:1 AV) Anyone in
Christ Jesus, is not under condemnation, and that is a cause for great
rest. John also tells us; For God
sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved. (John 3:17 AV)
Here again we have a great incentive for rest. Once a person is born again in linear time,
from God’s perspective, there is no condemnation. Never!
The new creature is at this point spiritual. The old man’s spirit has been born again
rejuvenated but, the flesh of the old man is still in the picture. Now, there is a choice again. When Adam fell mankind had no choice. The flesh was corrupt and the spirit was
depraved. He could not seek God and
could not please God without God’s help.
Under the Old Covenant, before the cross, man needed the help of God by
infused faith, to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
After the resurrection, man still needs infused faith, but now faith in
Christ as the perfect Lamb of God, brings with it, the New Creation. From God’s point of view, out of time, the
entire salvation process, (calling, conversion, regeneration, justification,
sanctification, and glorification) is simultaneous. From man’s point of view there is only
regeneration and sanctification.
Sanctification becomes a life long process whereby the believer is being
transformed into the image of Christ.
Bearing Spiritual Fruit:
Now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in
time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is
no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s
have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in
the Spirit. (Galatians 5:19-25 AV)
This passage of scripture from Galatians is most instructive in the
sanctification process. We see a
contrast. The contrast is the works of
the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.
Now, if it is a work of the flesh to commit adultery doesn’t it follow
that not commiting adultery would also be a work of the flesh? Of course it does. Why is it that the fruit of the Spirit are
abstract values? I’ll give you a clue. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on
his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him:
for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 AV) Yes, the Spiritual fruit is an attitude of
the heart. Guess where it comes
from? Resting in Jesus! The reason that the fruit of the spirit is
love is because it is love that is produced in the believer when they are truly
resting in Jesus. This is why the
concept of the perseverance of the saints is paramount to discipleship. Certainly, one must examine themselves to see
if they are in Christ. Look for the
fruit of the Spirit. But, if His Spirit
bears witness with your spirit that you are a son, then, you are a son. This is why Paul says that if you live in the
Spirit you should also walk in the Spirit.
With the believer this is a choice, at least for a while. Why do I say for a while? Well because in Hebrews this is written; But
if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons. (Hebrews 12:8 AV) The
reason is simple. If you are born again
and are not attempting to allow the Spiritual fruit to be manifest in your
life, then, you will be chastised. God
does this by turning us over to Satan for the destruction of our flesh. This is what Paul instructed the Corinthians
to do with the brother which was involved in sexual sin with is mother or
stepmother. God is conforming each
believer into the image of Christ. It is
important to realize which Christ we are being formed into, it is the suffering
servant, not the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Some have committed gross error for not
realizing this fact. Some of the
judgmental saints are confused about which Christ they possess. Some of the prosperity crowd erroneously
believe that they are Jesus the Creator.
What He expects is for us to be his body. We are to reach out to the broken hearted and
the captive. They must see the living
Lord in us.
Ephesians 2:8-10:
For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should
boast. 10 For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 AV) In
these three verses both perspectives can be found. God’s perspective, out of time, is in verse
eight and nine. But ten, completes the
whole. Yes, it is by grace alone through
faith alone, but it is to produce good works alone. I must put God’s perspective first. I must allow God’s perspective, verses eight
and nine lead me into complete and utter rest.
But from this rest, I must work.
The good works are not an option.
They are a command. God ordained
that we should walk in them. What does
that mean, God ordained? It means to
confer holy orders, It is a command. If I get worried and try to do this because
it’s an order to please God, I fail.
This is not the proper heart attitude!
It’s not from love, but from fear.
That’s why God’s perspective must come first and I must so rest in it
that as I rest then I can work all I want and it is not fleshly. No, it is spiritual. It is the fruit of the Spirit.
Moving Toward
Discipleship:
A
disciple is a student. Of course,
discipline comes from the word disciple.
So, then in a real sense, the disciple is moving toward being more and
more disciplined. Now, I am such a
sinner, that the process is far too slow for me, and yet, the Lord grants me
the grace to see this onward steady progress.
This takes place, not in an esoteric vacuum, but rather in a real life,
with real, and ever present struggles.
Herein lies the process of sanctification. This is where faith becomes so critical. Faith is my God given responsibility. Yes, there is a sense, in the God perspective
found in scripture, where this faith is given and therefore God remains
sovereign. But, from my perspective, and
from the scriptures written to my perspective, faith is a day to day
struggle. It appears to be a choice. I arise in the morning. I can start my day with the cares of the
world if I so choose, or, I can start my day with faith. If I start with faith, God maneuvers the
circumstances, and I have peace, joy, and love, in spite of the
circumstances. I am in rest. If on the other hand, I start my day with the
cares of this world, God still maneuvers the circumstances, but I have not
peace and joy and little love. The
circumstances will drive me to Christ, who will set me at rest.
There is a tension between the scriptures
that show God’s perspective, and the ones that show man’s perspective. Both are necessary to the sanctification
process. At the two polar extremes, are
the equally heretical concepts of easy believeism and gross legalism. Here is an interesting side thought. Both, Arminianism and Calvinism, have both
extremes prevalent within their ranks.
What I believe this points to, is that people just naturally tend to
take either the God perspective or the man perspective and run with it.
Look at what scripture states: 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know
[them], because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,
yet he himself is judged of no man. 16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But
we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 AV) First, those who would argue the other order
of salvation, the accepted ordo salutis, is correct, use this as a proof
text Do you see the error? There is a distinction here between the mind
of the Lord and the mind of Christ. The
difference is, those who are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, have the mind of
Christ, in respect to man’s perspective.
Both perspectives are in this verse. Who hath known the mind of the Lord
is similar to why should the clay question the potter. But, you have the mind
of Christ speaks to this indwelling Spirit which tells us what God has in mind
for the believer. We can rest in His
promises and we can understand His commandments. The rest must come first! I must rest completely! But, then I must work from the place of
spiritual rest, and my work will be the fruit of the Spirit, and not the works
of the flesh! The mind of Christ will tell me this.
Once I am resting
completely in Jesus, convinced by faith, of God’s perspective; that is who I am
in Christ, then I can turn the other cheek, I can go the extra mile, I can do
unto others as I would have them to do unto me.
I can begin to let my light shine.
Who is my light? Jesus! He is the
light which came into the world but men loved darkness rather light. Who were these men? The Pharisees. Jesus told Nicodemus that their deeds were
evil. They were religious as could be
and it was evil. They didn’t have God’s
perspective. Their heart wasn’t right. Further they were blinded for the benefit of
the Gentiles. But, that was from God’s
perspective. From their perspective they
were trusting God. They had not been
given the gift of faith. Thus, they had
no hope of entering or seeing the kingdom of God because they had no
faith. Nicodemus on the other hand was
given faith. He demonstrated that at the
cross.