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I have spent much of my Christian life believing the false hyperbole of God’s unconditional love. Why? Because this notion has been promoted by many well-meaning icons of the faith, and repeated by many well-meaning pastors and teachers. And frankly, it just sounds good to me.
The problem is, neither the sound of a truth claim, nor the well-meaning behind its proclamation, makes a truth claim true.
At this point, I suspect more than a few of you are disturbed by this counter claim. That is what happens when our more comfortable paradigms are challenged. It may help you to know that other icons of the faith have also refuted this notion, most notably John MacArthur and R. C. Sproul.
I know what you are thinking: Perhaps MacArthur and Sproul are wrong. So, let’s see what the Bible has to say about the subject. We will do it quickly, because I am actually trying to get to another matter.
It seems to me that John 14:21 puts the matter quickly to rest.
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.
The love of the Father and His Son is conditional to our love for Jesus, which is expressed in our having (to hold fast) and keeping (to attend to carefully) His commandments. Some have tried to reinterpret this by exchanging the two phrases in the first sentence – something like, “he who loves Me will be empowered to keep My commandments”. None of the translations provided by BlueLetterBible.org support this understanding.
Others use John 3:16 and Romans 5:8 to argue God’s unconditional love. After refuting this argument, I will use the same verse to assert something very different and very critical to our relationships with God and the brethren.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
In John 3:16, we see that the love of God expressed in His offer of salvation is reserved for those that believe in Him (a condition). Furthermore, those that believe are the “us” of Romans 5:8. Our belief is another condition of God’s love toward us (along with the loving obedience of John 14:21). As difficult as it may be on our paradigms, we must either accept the conditionality of God’s love or remove these passages from our religious vernacular.
Before moving on, I must strongly encourage you to search out this matter for yourself. You will find that the “unconditional love of God” deception has created more damage than one might imagine. Raising those concerns is not my objective here; I have another matter to share. Read the rest of this entry »
As we have asserted in the past, God is a process-oriented problem solver. Salvation, transformation, sanctification, etc. – all the ways of God are processes, not events. This is a critical paradigm shift for anyone determined to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
In the New Covenant, God has taken responsibility for the lion’s share of these processes.
- We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).
- He is working in us to will and do to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13b).
Our responsibility is to do what we can to participate with Him in the processes. His grace is appropriated by our faith. We must walk in the good works He has prepared for us (not do them, as most translations have it). We must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:13a).
Let me stop here and quickly acknowledge that God has grace (i.e., enabling power) for even our part in the processes He has created and prescribed. We are left with little more than choosing Him and His ways. This includes the process of faith.
The Process
Faith is our entry point into every one of God’s processes. The righteous shall live by faith (Romans 1:17); and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We do ourselves great harm in thinking that faith is passive and/or simply an event. The Scriptures are clear on this matter: the process of faith consists of three progressive phases.
The hearing of faith: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Genuine followers of Christ have been given ears to hear (Matthew 13:16). It is time we used them (Matthew 11:13). Hearing requires listening; listening takes time and requires attention.
Obedience to the faith: The preposition here is important. Our faith does not produce obedience (of). We must choose to obey the word of God that we are given for faith. We present our body as a living sacrifice and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2), reckoning the truth of God’s word as true for ourselves – that we are instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:11-14).
The work of faith: The work of faith is an inward (Philippians 2:13) and an outward work (Ephesians 3:20). Faith without work is dead (James 2:14-26). The work of faith associated with the word of God is more than a product of faith; it is the catalyst that brings our faith to life. Read the rest of this entry »
Dear precious child of God,
The fear of works-based salvation has pushed many into a terrible disadvantage. We have neglected the disciplines of faith for far too long. Of course, the deceptive fears put forward by our carnal mind are not totally to blame. We have allowed the world to make our lives too busy for any concentrated effort toward spiritual maturity. And then there is the Devil, constantly questioning God’s promise to work in us to will and do to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
Our latest book, An Enemy Lies Within, encourages the practice of Biblical disciplines for the exercise of our faith in overcoming our carnal mind. When we were reborn, God gave us a new heart; the mind must be renewed. It is with the heart that we believe unto salvation; and that is a lifelong process.
Several of the disciplines encourage, enable, and empower our joining the Holy Spirit is this work of transformation. They include solitude, contemplation, prayer, fasting, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26
An Enemy Lies Within flips the script by leveraging our God-given heart against the deceptions and control tactics of our carnal mind. The eBook is available from all the usual platforms. We have left it at the introductory price of $3.99. Let me know if you need a coupon code for a free copy.
I also strongly recommend The Spirit of the Disciplines, by the late Dallas Willard. It is a bit more academic than An Enemy Lies Within, but well worth the read. I highly recommend it. Here are two excerpts:
“…what are the disciplines for the spiritual life? The disciplines are activities of mind and body purposefully undertaken, to bring our personality and total being into effective cooperation with the divine order (Willard, 1988).”
“Who are the great ones in The Way, what are the significant movements in the history of the church that do not bear the deep and pervasive imprint of the disciplines for the spiritual life? If there are none, what leads us to believe that we might be an exception to the rule and might know the power of the Kingdom life without the appropriate disciplines (Willard, 1988)?”
Please accept our challenge to pursue one or two of the spiritual disciplines this year. Let me know how I can help. Also, this is a particularly important matter for Christian leaders in the workplace. Share this newsletter as an encouragement for their spiritual growth. The church desperately needs them.
God bless you with renewed desire and passion for the advance of His kingdom in your spheres of influence.
Updates and Prayer Requests
- We are grateful to God for the prayers and support for the An Enemy Lies Within project. A publisher has agreed to take on the project and is currently working on the first proof and edit pass.
- In regard to my school adventure, I have one week remaining in this semester. Fall semester begins in approximately two weeks. Your prayers for wisdom and perseverance have been effectual.
- The Father recently stirred the desire of my heart for teaching. It was unexpected – particularly given my current workload at Huntington University. A four-week opportunity has opened up, with a friend’s Sunday School class. The Father is an exquisite orchestrator!
- We continue our search for fellowships and ministries to partner with us at 2:2 Collective. Please pray for God’s guidance and wisdom; that He would connect us with those who have a heart for unity – to advance the kingdom together. Pray for continued wisdom and courage in my roles as President and Treasurer.
- Continue to pray for the workplace leaders you know – for their transformation into mighty men and women of God; that they would boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me know how I can help you minister to them.
- I am eternally grateful to all who pray for inLight, my family, and those to whom we minister. Your prayers are effectual and much needed. Please continue to pray as the Lord leads you.
- I strongly encourage you to ensure your prayers are foremost for the glory of God; and that you first worship Him. He is the Giver of all good things. He deserves our focused attention.
Partnering with inLight Consulting
God’s purpose for inLight Consulting is beyond human capability. We are desperately dependent on Him; and would have it no other way. We are grateful for the continued support of those that trust God to use this ministry to further His kingdom. Please pray for our vision and mission.
Share the truths you find here with the leaders in your life; it will make them free.
God bless you with wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; and may He give you the grace and courage to walk in the work He has prepared for you.
Humbly yours and forever His,
Rob
Willard, D. (1988). The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
Those of you who faithfully read this newsletter and our blog articles will have noticed a more urgent – some would say harsher – tone to the recent messages. I hope and pray the frankness with encourage you to do the same. Simply saying, “We are living in desperate times”, does not lessen our desperation. Faith without works is dead.
At least for now, my work is being the best pen I can be and discipling those who are interested in God’s adventurous life. The good work God created you to walk in may be something else altogether different. You will find your adventure and assignment in the desire God has placed in your heart for this season.
Galatians 1:10 has been an increasingly convicting and encouraging word for me:
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Most of us were born with a desire to please others, and we were nurtured in that desire for most of our lives. As we all know (and many of us have experienced), this can be a doubly dangerous trap. First, we may find ourselves trying to please others instead of God. Second, our desire to please others gets in the way of our persuading them in the truths of God’s kingdom.
Ironically, our desire to please others often harms them. Our failure to persuade them leaves them captive to deception (John 8:32). As we have written in An Enemy Lies Within, the deceptions of our carnal minds run much deeper than we think or imagine. The damage has and will continue to be catastrophic, if we do not begin speaking the truth in love. Withholding God’s truth from someone is the opposite of loving them.
In closing, allow me to encourage and challenge you with three things that have been on my mind lately.
- How much of our religion is Biblical Christianity? How much is the civil religion of America? Do these religions have the same god? Are they compatible? One was secured and is advanced by “power under” (i.e., Calvary-like service); the other by “power over” – raising the sword against the perceived enemy. One submits to the will of a King; the other celebrates and violently defends the rights of the individual.
- The greatest value of the abundant life is the relationships offered in that life: Walking in the Spirit; Christ living in us; bearing fruit that glorifies the Father; being an instrument of light and glory. I could go on. Why are we willing to settle for less? These things must be pursued. Why are we not desperate to put away every weight and sin that so easily entangles us?
- It seems we must decide if it is safe or warranted to ignore the conditions, warnings, and prescriptions of Scripture. Only those who do the will of the Father shall enter into His kingdom (Matthew 7:21). Will ignorance of His will excuse us? Does anyone think God hides His will from His children? Is He not working in us to will and do to His good pleasure? How would we judge ourselves to know we are not resisting His will and work?
I strongly believe we should be discussing these things with people in our spheres of influence. Who else will?
Humbly yours and forever His,
Rob
Updates and Prayer Requests
We are grateful to God for the prayers and support for the An Enemy Lies Within project. The eBook is available at all major publishers. Please continue to pray and consider supporting the project, as we are preparing the printable version.
In regards to my school adventure, I have one class remaining in this semester. It begins in two weeks and will run for five. Some exciting news: I recently learned that I will be graduating in May of next year. Your prayers for wisdom and perseverance have been effectual.
We continue our search for fellowships and ministries to partner with us at 2:2 Collective. Please pray for God’s guidance and wisdom; that He would connect us with those who have a heart for unity – to advance the kingdom together. The board recently approved the pursuit of a partnership with The College of Prayer International – to establish a prayer campus at 2:2 Collective. Pray for grace and courage to glorify God in my roles as President and Treasurer.
Continue to pray for the workplace leaders you know – for their transformation into mighty men and women of God; that they would boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me know how I can help you minister to them.
I am eternally grateful to all who pray for inLight, my family, and those to whom we minister. Your prayers are effectual and much needed. Please continue to pray as the Lord leads you.
I strongly encourage you to ensure your prayers are foremost for the glory of God; and that you first worship Him. He is the Giver of all good things. He deserves our focused attention.
It has been some time since I last presented the following. I encourage you to consider it prayerfully – even if it seems like an obvious truth. Ask the Father to give greater meaning to it, for you and those you love.
Much of our thinking is subconscious (i.e., we are not conscious of it). Our minds filter input through a paradigm that has been forming since before our birth. We should be suspicious of the way we think.
It is ironic that though life is a process, we give so much attention to events. It takes more mental energy to think of the process. Life is harder to consider than the events of birth, birthdays, graduation, death, and the multitude of events that lie in between.
But, it is the “in between” that matters most – the process of life that connects and blankets the events of our lives.
Generally speaking, the church has fallen victim to the same event-orientation – most damagingly in regards to salvation. Many think of salvation as the initial event – justification, reconciliation, and rebirth. Some would add the end – glorification. It seems very few talk about the in between; and I don’t mean sanctification – that is a different process altogether.
So, let’s look at the evidence of salvation as a process.
What would you think if someone gave you a car that ran on an unlimited and free power source? You would probably consider that a really cool blessing. Am I right?
What if they refused to identify the power source and/or where it could be obtained? That wouldn’t be so cool. The car would be a useless and frustrating gift. Right again?
If, as we read in Romans 10:10 (NKJV):
“…with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
and, as 1Corinthians 12:3 relates:
“…no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”;
What do we make of those raised up in denominations and streams that were not taught the operation of the Holy Spirit in salvation?
Are their teachers not only refusing to go in, but preventing others from entering (Matthew 23:13)?
I’m just asking.
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires that one obey His command to make disciples. It is the commission He gave to everyone that would follow Him. If you do not currently understand, believe and commit yourself to obey this command, you should stop here and go search out this matter for yourself.
Those that have committed themselves to the Great Commission must realize that Jesus intends to use us as vessels and instruments, to make disciples to Himself. They are not our disciples. They may be “following us”, but that must only be true because we are following Him. When they look at us, it must be to behold Him as in a mirror.
Furthermore – and this is critical – we are not making disciples unless those we are discipling are also making disciples. This is a place we often get stuck; and a matter to which we should be giving more thought. For example, how do we know that they are making disciples if we only talk at them once a week?
You may need to stop here and consider the meaning of this for your ministry. That’s okay; you can come back later.
Now, to answer the question: Why is disciple making so hard? Or, put another way: What can we do to get our people involved again in the Great Commission? Read the rest of this entry »
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Luke 14:28-31
Counting the cost of following Jesus Christ has been lost by most of the church. If you have not been encouraged in this regard – or you have not been encouraging others – you will be blessed in reading our most recent lesson: The Lost Foundations – Counting the Cost… First.
Once you decide to count the cost (and/or encourage others to do the same), the following may help you get started.
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I have found that the most profitable starting point is a simple conversation with our Heavenly Father (imagine that). Here are some good conversation starters:
- Father God, stir up the desire you have placed in my heart – to hear your voice regarding the cost of following your Son.
- Father God, stir up the desire you have placed in my heart – to invest in Your kingdom.
- Father God, give me the opportunity to begin the investment strategy Your Spirit reveals.
- Keep in mind that a person’s perception of reality can be bent in one of two ways: Toward optimism, or pessimism. Both can be dangerous; pessimism, more so. Be wary of your mind’s leanings.
- Counting the cost may reveal areas where we are still reigning – in charge of our investment decisions. There is a fine line between what we would like to have, and what we demand, to be satisfied in life. If God and Christ are truly reigning, then everything we have been entrusted with is subject to their investment decisions. Repentance regarding ownership may be in order.
- Counting the cost may reveal areas where we are living in fear. Ask yourself: What do I fear losing? Remember, behind every fear is a lie, deal with the lie and the fear will fly. Ask God to identify the lie, and the truth that will overcome it.
- NOTE: Beyond this point, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in determining which of these helps will best exercise your faith.
- One way to test your counting is to consider a past commitment. For example, you may have promised Jesus that you would follow Him anywhere. Or, you may have commitment some amount of time to serve those less fortunate. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the commitments you have already made.
- If you have not made a particular commitment, then allow the Holy Spirit to prompt your imagination for a particular kingdom investment opportunity. Be careful; our minds are tricky things. They have a tendency take what the Holy Spirit suggests out to something entirely farfetched; something to which we can easily say “no way”.
- Jesus did not hide, nor soft pedal, the investment required to follow Him. The lesson mentioned above highlights a number of specific costs. The Parable of the Sheep and Goats, the Sermon on the Mount and the Great Commission are also helpful challenges for our counting. Incorporate those in your time with the Holy Spirit (in #2).
- Our love of the LORD should be the primary motivator for counting the cost (and paying it). Ask yourself: Do I love Him so much that I would joyfully sacrifice my __________?
I trust and pray this will help you become a more active investor in the kingdom of our LORD. Please, let me know if I can help you further.
Humbly yours and forever His,
But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Romans 15:29
Imagine someone shows up at your door, with a message in their hand. You can tell they have a message because you are watching them from an upstairs window. Considering the look on their face, you suspect they have some good news to share. It also helps that the package they’ve brought with them has “GOOD NEWS” stamped right on the top.
Trouble is: you are very busy. Things to do, people to see, etc. Perhaps the news isn’t worth your time anyway; perhaps it’s just a scam. You could ignore them until they go away.
So, what do you do? Step out onto the porch; give them five minutes – and a stern warning not to waste your time? Encourage them to get to the point? Or, do you invite them in, ask them to sit down and offer them some tea?
It would help to know the nature of the good news; right? But how will you know, if you don’t take the time?
What if you knew the good news was from the king; and it was news that dramatically affected your life? How much time and consideration would you give for that good news? Would you, perhaps, invite the messenger to stay for dinner?
I believe you would.
So let me ask you: What is the “good news” of the Bible to you? What is the gospel? Is it “Jesus died for me, so I could go to heaven”? If so, what have you made of His burial and resurrection? Read the rest of this entry »
I was not surprised the day I became a part of my company’s reduction in force. The Lord had prepared me. I was expecting it. The surprise came when I finally realized that God wasn’t moving me on to something I thought was better. Among other things, I learned that His purpose for my life was not so much about me.
The nation of Israel was not surprised that the Messiah had come. They had been anticipating His arrival for hundreds of years. Their surprise was in the fact that it was not so much about them. God had a bigger plan.
One of the tragedies of a self-centered story is the loss of perspective. It is scary to think what I would have lost if God had settled for my plan; and it is sobering to recognize that I did not have a clue how much less I was fighting for Him to give me.
Much of the Western Church is in much the same danger; and we don’t have much more of a clue.
Suppose you had an employee that thought, believed and lived like your business was solely for his purposes, what would you do? Isn’t he right to think your business is for him? After all, you hired him, you are paying him a salary, and you are providing him with benefits. It’s about him; right?
Of course it’s not! Every wise business owner would fire such an employee (short of that employee having a significant attitude adjustment).
What if your employees thought you and your company should be subject to the interests of the community; that you should give your products away, regardless of the affect it has on your bottom line? Well, that would be socialism; and a strong sign that something has gone drastically wrong!!
Last set of questions: Does a good and wise business owner (or king) allow the story of his business (or kingdom) to be primarily about any other individual or group? Is it wrong for him to insist that the kingdom be centered on him and his purposes?
It’s not that we are lacking for clues. Jesus spoke often of the dangers: the rich young ruler, the prodigal son and the wicked, lazy servant, to name just a few. All were looking at the story from a self-centered perspective.
It is ironic that the most obvious thing can be the very thing we get wrong. So, let me ask you: Who is the Bible really about? Who is the writer, the producer and the director? Who is the main character?
Of course, you will say, the story is about God. It is about what He wants and what He is doing. I cannot imagine any Christian would disagree. Certainly, no one would say, “The story is about me.” Right?
But is that not the way we live our lives, here in the Western Church?
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