"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." -Hebrews 12:2
Colossians 3:1-2 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above; where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
A picture drawn in my recovery group has turned my gaze upward.
We often drift between the 2 extremes. I know that I give in to the lie that I'm a "worthless piece of crap sinner" immediately after stumbling into sin. I feel like a bad, undisciplined child in the wake of sin. I get frustrated and mad at myself for messing up… so I beat myself up for disappointing God.
This "worthless piece of crap," self-loathing, self-discipline, shame and guilt filled mindset paves the way toward self-righteous Super-Christianity.
For me, after 'being good' -whether by my own white-knuckling or by the Spirit's sanctifying work- I soon begin to see a "holier than thou" attitude rise up. I start to judge others' good works and I even measure myself up against their shortcomings, often in areas where I fail! Because I feel like I've been good for a little while, I count myself as better than them. I'm such a Pharisee.
This is of course incredibly foolish because I soon fail, yet again, and then the pendulum swings back over to "I'm a worthless piece of crap."
I feel like we are all a little bit like this whether we want to admit it or not. Swinging between the two spheres: if we're not down on ourselves for failing to live up to the Law, we're thinking "I'm awesome!" …when really, "we got nothin' to swag about," thank you Chandler.
We forget the gospel and believe the lie that we are confined by one, or both of these extremes: Super-Christian // worthless piece of crap. We float in between 'em both.
We're defined by our outward obedience to please or compete against man.
Because we fall into this lie, we're not being led by the Spirit into ever increasing pleasure and joy in obedience to the Lord's commands because of the great and immeasurable gift we've been gifted by God in Jesus!
Or, on the more emo side, we live and operate in the realm of self-loathing, the "I suck" mindset. Our failure to live up to the Law causes us to not live under the banner that reads "IT IS FINISHED!!" We forget that Christ completely fulfilled the law for us!!!
Galatians 3:10-14, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
He redeemed us from the law and completely fulfilled it by His life.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin (as a sin offering), he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:3-4
See, I don't think God is satisfied with how we are knocking about between the arrows of this toxic cycle. Nope, God hijacks this whack system with His gospel.
Thanks goes to Robert H. Kreger for this bit:
"The English word "saint" is a translation of the Greek word "HAGIOS." Meaning, "saint, or the set apart one." The Greek word translated "holy," is a form of this same word, HAGIOSUNE. And the Greek word translated "sanctification," is also a form of this word, HAGIAZO.
HAGIOS is usually used to refer to believers and is usually translated "saint." It is found 233 times in 221 verses in the New Testament. It actually means, "the set apart ones." This means that the believer in Jesus Christ is "set apart" for the greatest privileges and greatest opportunities that have ever existed for believers in all ages.
(1) We are "set apart" in the sense that we have the indwelling of all three members of the Godhead as of the moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
(2) We are "set apart" in the sense that we are members of the royal family of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
(3) We are "set apart" in the sense that we have all been designated royal priests as of the moment we placed our faith in Jesus Christ.
(4) We are "set apart" in the sense that we have been appointed ambassadors for Jesus Christ as of the moment we placed our faith in Him.
(5) We are "set apart" in the sense that we have been given the completed canon of Scripture whereby we have all the directives and plan of God in written form for the first time in history."
All that to say……… you're a Saint! Don't forget who God says that you are!
We are called The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; Sought Out, Holy in His Sight, Without Blemish, Free From Accusation, Radiant, Never Covered With Shame, Righteous, and I could go on and on (Colossians 1:22, Psalm 34:5, Isaiah 62:12). It's time that we see us the way our Father sees us.
We are no longer defined by our past or the sin that so easily entangles because you have the Spirit of the Lord indwelling you, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM! Jesus said, "It is done!" He bridged the great chasm that existed between us and the Almighty. Now we, who have regenerate hearts, after responding to the beckoning call of the gospel, are adopted into the family of God forever! You have a new name! You are His Beloved, The Apple of His Eye (Song of Solomon, Zechariah 2:8). If we could just be still and rest with all the names declared over us.
It's time to stop going back and forth between periods of self-righteousness and self-loathing. Isn't it just exhausting? Beloved, why continue to condemn yourself when God does not? Romans 8 for this.
My prayer is that you would call out to God in honesty and fall under the weight of what He has done for us. And that you would rest knowing that you are not defined by the sin of your past, present or future, instead we are defined by the One whose likeness we are being refined into.
We have new names! It's time to ask God to remind us of them so that we can better abide and walk in the light that He is.
When we fall under the weight of the gospel and keep Christ always before us as Colossians and Hebrews say, it becomes a yearning to obey the commands of our incredibly loving God, denying the flesh and following Him into ever increasing joy.
When we fall under the weight of the gospel and remember what Jesus has accomplished, that we are covered by His blood and now are perfect and blameless before God, it becomes a joy to fall on our knees in the wake of sin and approach the throne of grace with confidence. There we confess our sin and idolatry and acknowledge Christ's finished work, that we are no longer slaves to sin, but rather to righteousness. Our God is a gracious and loving Father, wanting His children to come back. Check out Luke 15:20, it's unbelievable.
Come back to God, tell Him what you've done wrong, thank Him for everything He's done right and then go and walk in the light. The Spirit leads us, don't veer off track into a daze thinking you're awesome or hating yourself. God did all the work. We are NOTHING apart from Him and NOTHING without Him. It's time for us to decrease and let Him become greater (John 3:30).
He has lavished us with His love and mercy and grace! Are you kidding!? Why? I suck, and sometimes I don't think I need Him at all because I feel pretty good. Stop. Be still and know that He is God. It's time to see us the way that He sees us. Spotless, blameless, perfect, that's what you are! All because of Christ, nothing you have done. Thank you God, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Keep reminding me who I am. May we walk in the newness of life that You have granted to us.
