In the previous article in this series, I laid out as well as I could the dynamic partnership between us and the Holy Spirit, showing how, because he lives inside us, our connection with him is “seamless.” It seems at times as if we are living this life on our own, but that is never the case. Learning to believe in and lean on his presence and power is one of our greatest challenges and adventures. In this article, I will focus more on how we must take personal responsibility for our walk with God.
God Never Encourages Passivity
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) Even though the Holy Spirit, our Helper, lives in and through us, our relationship with Him is a dynamic union and partnership that requires us to be active and engaged. Paul wrote, in the above passage, that we are to actively present our bodies to God. We do this because our bodies are the part of us that is still linked to Adam, which Paul described as a “body of death” and a “body of sin.” (See this link to read more about this.) The body is not evil, but it is linked to sin and death as a result of being still under God’s judgment against Adam’s sin. The “flesh” describes its pull toward sin and independence from God. In order to counter this, we are told to actively present our bodies to God for his service.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14 (NASB) Passivity can allow sin to master us. To defeat sin and the pull of the “flesh” on a daily basis, after reckoning that we are dead to its power through justification (Romans 6:4-7), we are instructed to partner with the Spirit to fight by adopting an aggressive posture of actively offering ourselves, our bodies, our minds, and our lives to the Lord for his service and glory.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25 (NASB) The above passage tells us to actively “walk” by the Spirit, be “led” by the Spirit, and puts on us the responsibility to “crucify” the flesh. We have already been crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6), but we must take responsibility to put the pull of the flesh to death everyday by denying ourselves the right to go our own way and by choosing to trust and rely on God’s indwelling Spirit to help us.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:12-13 (ESV) When we do this, we will discover that God’s grace comes alongside to empower us. God helps us as we seek to obey him and as we rely on God’s indwelling Spirit.
Grace never encourages us to be passive or idle when it comes to our sanctification. Rather it produces works of faith which validate the Christ life that indwells us.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)
Saved by Works?
The apostle Paul clearly taught that we are saved (justified) by faith without having to keep the Law of Moses. (I hope you, the reader, are likewise convinced. If you would like to read in more depth about this important doctrine, click here.) When it comes to sanctification, the ongoing daily process of transformation into Christ’s image, however, we are saved, in a sense, by works. Remember, I wrote “in a sense,” not actually. Actually God works in us what we work out in good works. Ultimately all praise and glory will go to him. Nevertheless, please follow along with my logic.
I remember playing golf with a group of pastors years ago. I did not play very often and had some significant swing flaws. I was slicing my drives terribly that day, which was frustrating because I knew I could do better. After one particularly poor drive, I blurted out, “I am not really this bad,” trying to save face with my playing partners. Suddenly I was gripped by the thought: “Yes you are. That’s why your driving so poorly!” I started laughing. I really was that bad. My driving proved it.
Jesus said that a good tree is known by its fruit. This means you can tell what is in a person by what comes out of him or her.
"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:17-21 (NASB)
When we stand before the Christ’s judgment seat, we will be judged in two ways.
- First, are we written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (justified by faith)? This is by far the most important criteria.
- Secondly, we will be judged according to our deeds.
For those of us who are written in the Book of Life, our deeds will determine our reward.
It is presupposed that those written in the Book of Life will have accompanying good deeds. Who we are will be manifested in what we do and say. Christ’s indwelling life will produce good fruit.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14 (ESV) For those who are not in the Book of Life, their deeds will conform to their sinful independence from God at the core of their being and will confirm their just condemnation to hell.
Some may believe that I am somehow mixing grace and legalism when I say our sanctification is related to our works, but I am not. We must properly understand how the two work in tandem.
The key to understanding the interplay of faith and works is to avoid the error of thinking that our faith can be disassociated from how we live. It cannot. According to Jesus, what we do and say clearly reveals what we believe.
James, the Lord’s brother, understood this well. He expressed how the two combine to reveal the true grace of God in our lives.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:14-18 (ESV) Taking Responsibility for How We Live
Years ago I struggled to understand how this passage from James can be harmonized with Paul’s teaching that we are saved by faith without the works (of the Law). It’s really very simple. If we are using our performance (keeping the Law) to establish or maintain a right relationship with God, which only comes by faith in the finished work of Christ (justification), we are guilty of legalism. We cannot earn our way into God’s good graces. It is a free gift.
However, that being said, if our faith relationship with Jesus and our partnership with the indwelling Holy Spirit does not actually change our character and behavior, it is counterfeit.
A good tree will produce good fruit. We can say we believe, but our actions reveal the truth of the matter more perfectly. Talk is cheap. People can and will say anything that they believe will reap a benefit for them. Actions speak louder than words.
Another way to put this is that if our doctrine about grace does not result in our being obedient to God, it is a false gospel.
The goal of the true gospel is obedience that arises from faith.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, Romans 1:1-5 (ESV) Professing Christians who show no apparent change in their lifestyle as a result of their faith in Christ should question the reality of their conversion. Those who do know the Lord should press forward in the quest of sanctification, the lifelong process of transformation carried out by the indwelling Spirit in cooperation with our faith and obedience.
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 (NASB)Those whose faith and hope are rooted in Christ and who know the power of the indwelling Spirit are responsible to God to purify themselves, which means we cooperate with God by actively participating in the ongoing transformation process called sanctification. We do our part, and God does his. We cannot passively expect him to do everything. That would be irresponsible.
