In all these years I’ve been carrying it and reading it every day and I got so caught up in keeping it safe that I forgot to live by what I learned from it.

That line had quite an impact on me because it can be true in the Christian life. We can get so caught up in being technically correct in our understanding of Scripture that we unknowingly stop being gracious and gospel focused. We can begin to think that it is our responsibility to go after people whom we have identified as being less technically accurate than we are in their interpretation and understanding of Scripture. We may talk a lot about grace as a Biblical concept and the gospel as a Biblical concept while at the same time, not really understanding how to practice and live it. In other words, we gather the data and teach it clearly but at the same time, we are dysfunctional to varying degrees in our willingness or ability to be gracious to others who might disagree with us on subjects or issues that at the end of the day, don’t really matter. When we do this, we turn grace into law because grace is just a theological concept to be interpreted, defined, and compiled and not a life-changing experience. Just saying. By the way, I recommend the Book of Eli.

• Advice. “I would not attack legalism. I would not preach on Christian liberty. I would not assault their consciences either by flaunting liberty on a personal level.”

• First step. “I would suggest that the first way to do that is to move people off the rules they live by on to the person of Jesus Christ, and just preach the glories of Christ. Get in the Gospel and stay there until those people have been liberated from rules to love for Christ, until they have been literally swept away in awe and wonder over their affections for Jesus Christ. Rather than try to instruct them on the biblical disciplines, which again is just another set of rules, let them be lost in wonder, love, and praise over the person of Christ, and you watch those things begin to disappear.”

<<Here’s the link to the whole article.>>

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Romans 4:1-5)

There was nothing that Abraham did or could do to earn the righteousness that was freely placed into his account, or imputed to him. Abraham was justified by faith alone. Paul continues his discussion about Abraham,

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (Romans 4:9-12)

The message of the gospel is that a person can have their sins forgiven and be accepted by God by faith alone, apart from what they do. Paul illustrates this with Abraham by telling us that he was justified and experienced the forgiveness of sin and imputed righteousness before he was circumcised. In other words, he was justified apart from works to show that those who would be justified after him would also be justified apart from works. That’s the gospel and that is what was preached to Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant introduces imputation and justification by faith alone.

For more reading on the Abrahamic Covenant, see Gospel Pictures: The Abrahamic Covenant or grab the Adobe Acrobat version [HERE].

I want to encourage you to do the same. Begin to build your library and fill it with great books. Read them and write in them as you read. Read a systematic theology this year. Grudem is great. His style is user-friendly. Read Calvin’s Institutes. Read a commentary on a book of the Bible. Read something by Sproul, D.A.Carson, Piper, Fitzpatrick, ad infinitum. Read, read, read. Read to gain a better understanding of Scripture and read devotionally too. Read with a friend or a group of friends, and then talk about how what you are reading applies to your life right now. There is so much out there and available, just go for it. If you need a resource, Best Commentaries is a good place to start. But there are too many good resources out there to list all of them.

Spiritual growth, like spontaneity, must be planned. Spiritual growth shouldn’t be something that we just hope we slop into one day. Reading books that stretch you theologically and with good and challenging application of the gospel will fast track your growth in Christ.

A reading Christian is a growing Christian.

And they set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. And they set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. And they set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. And they set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. (Numbers 33:15-18)

And on and on it goes. As fast-moving as the chapter sounds, it actually covers about 40 years of Israel’s history. It begins with Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt (Numbers 33:3) and it ends 40 years later, following the death of Aaron (Numbers 33:38). The chapter ends with Israel perched on the plains of Moab, east of Jericho, near the foot of Mount Nebo and east of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land just like God had promised Abraham several hundred years earlier. If you’re into maps like I am, here’s one that shows one possible route. If you open up that map, you’ll see that Israel’s journey following the exodus from Egypt ultimately takes them to the wilderness of Moab, east of Jericho and near the foot of Mount Nebo, which overlooks the Promised Land. In a sense, this 40 year camping trip was about finding Nebo – Mount Nebo. It’s in this setting on the plains of Moab that Israel receives its final instructions from God through Moses for taking possession of the Promised Land (Numbers 33:50-56ff).

Mount Nebo is significant in this unfolding story for at least two reasons. It’s the spot where Israel’s wilderness journey ended and it’s also the location where Moses died. Check this out:

That very day the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 32:48-52)

It’s no accident that Israel spent 40 years finding Nebo. It’s not my intention to spend much time explaining why Moses only got a distant glimpse of the Promised Land, but never got to enter it, other than to say that it was because he lost his cool with rebellious Israel and struck the rock to give them water, instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had instructed him to do (Numbers 20:11-12). My intention is to talk about why it took so long to find Nebo. I remember hearing years ago that crossing the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan is about an 11 day walk under normal conditions. I don’t know how accurate that is, but if it’s true, 40 years seems a little extreme. Even if it would take an entire month to cross the wilderness on foot and under normal conditions, 40 years is a long time!

Why did it take 40 years to find Nebo? The short answer is because that is how long God had predetermined that it would take. But that seems too easy, even though it is true. The theological answer is that God was displeased with almost everyone in that original Exodus generation because of their unbelief and because of their unbelief, he swore that they would not enter the Promised Land (Hebrews 3:16-19). The only two names recorded from that first generation that did enter, were Joshua and Caleb. If I am wrong on that point, please let me know, but I am pretty sure they are the only two mentioned by name. In short, God waited for that generation to die before allowing the next generation (Israel, TNG) to enter.

The more practical answer is that Israel’s wilderness experience serves as a good example of what NOT to do. That’s what Paul pulled out of it when he told the Corinthians,

For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:1-5)

First, all of those who came out of Egypt with Moses, identified with him. Paul doesn’t mean that they stopped at the Red Sea and had a baptism service. Baptism in this context carries the meaning of identification. They all identified with, and benefited from, what God was doing through Moses. They all ate the same spiritual food and they all drank the same spiritual drink. They all found their identity in what God did through Moses. But even though they found their identity with Moses, God was not pleased with most of them and they serve as an example for us of what not to do:

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:6-11, emphasis mine)

This is the point where personal application to this bit of Bible history begins for me. Here’s what I take away from this account, and it takes us back to the simple answer I gave above for Israel’s long journey to Nebo. That’s how long God decided it should take. Sometimes our lives can get hard and full of trials and they can seem like we’re in an unending march through an ugly wilderness, going in circles, on our way to finding Nebo. What we think should take 11 days, can seem like it’s taking 40 years and we never seem to be getting anywhere or making any progress. It can seem like we’re wandering in endless circles and we’re just stuck there. At those times, it gets easy to grumble and complain about my circumstances, and because I think I deserve something better than what I presently have, I justify my grumbling and complaining. Or, I might start filling my life with creature comforts that make me feel safe and comfortable right where I’m at. Forget the journey to Nebo, I’m staying right here and my own immediate comfort becomes my preoccupation. Before long, I’ve idolized my own comfort and I’ve justified grumbling, but that’s what Israel did and that’s what Scripture says not to do!

Sometimes, God just determines that things in my life not go as I might wish they would. He alone determines how long things should take. Sometimes his plan involves an unexpected and unplanned excursion in life’s wilderness that delays my arrival at the foot of Nebo. But that delay is really a non-delay because when viewed from his perspective, it’s not unexpected, but it’s perfect and its timing is perfect. In those times, I need to be reminded to be patient and to live by faith. In those times, I need to remember that I have been justified by grace through faith, and both of those things were given to me as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). My life is never off track or out of control because at the end of the day, he orchestrates it perfectly and completely (Ephesians 1:11). When I feel stuck and things don’t happen as smoothly as I think they should, or as well as I think I deserve, I need to embrace the cross all over again and live by faith, not by sight. When life’s journey becomes a bit of a wilderness experience and the map doesn’t seem clear, walk by faith and thank him for that gift of faith. Hear Paul’s words all over again:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

For a legalist, the world is black and white with no shades of gray. By that I mean there is a list of rules to be adhered to and as long as I am adhering to the list, life is good and I’m doing ok. There are things you do and there are things you don’t do as a legalist and the list of “don’ts” is often much longer than the list of “do’s.”  For example, failure to adhere to strict rules like don’t go to movies, don’t drink alcohol, don’t smoke that occasional cigar, don’t (if you’re a woman) wear pants or jeans, and don’t listen to rock music tend to be more important to the legalist than whether or not I am growing in Christ. For the legalist, spiritual growth cannot be completely accomplished apart from strict adherence to the list of don’ts.  Things like praying, sharing my faith, reading Scripture, spending time with people, and being a Biblically faithful husband, wife, mother, or father, all get trumped by the don’t list anytime the don’t list is violated.

You might be wondering why I reference Ephesians 4 in all of this. I mention it because of Paul’s repeated commands to put off something related to the old self, in favor of putting on something different in its place, something related to the new self. Ephesians 4 is one of the places in Scripture where Paul tells us to put off something that is left over from our old nature before conversion and to put on something that is unique to the new nature we’ve been given in Christ. Let me provide some examples. First, Paul provides this backdrop:

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24)

The remainder of Chapter 4 and even into chapter 5 provide specific things to put off, related to our old self, and specific things to put on, related to our new self. For example,

• Put off lying (the old self) and put on truthfulness (the new self) – Ephesians 4:25
• Put off consuming and uncontrolled anger (the old self) and in its place, practice the new self by dealing quickly with anger before it becomes sinful . – Ephesians 4:26-27
•  Put off stealing (the old self) and put on honest work (the new self) so that you will be a blessing to others. – Ephesians 4:28
• Put off corrupt speech (the old self) and in its place, put on words that build others up, are gracious, and that don’t grieve the Holy Spirit by tarnishing the reputation of the gospel in you (the new self). – Ephesians 4:29-30
• Put off bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander (the old self). In its place, put on kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness in the same way that God in Christ has forgiven you (the new self). – Ephesians 4:31-32
• Put off filthy joking and foolish talk (the old self) and put on thanksgiving (the new self). – Ephesians 5:4

Do you see what Paul is doing? He’s not just giving us a stale list of do’s and don’ts. Nor is he just giving us a list of don’ts. He’s giving us gospel-saturated ways in which we can overcome sinful habits from our past lives and replace those sinful patterns with God-honoring and lasting change. This is not a to-do list, but we can easily turn it into one if we remove it from the context of the gospel. The reason I can put off these bad habits of my old self and put on the new habits of the new self is because I’ve been given a new self. I am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and as a result, I am no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:14), meaning that God has empowered me to change through the gospel. But the new self only exists through believing the gospel. If I take the gospel away from this wonderful chapter in Ephesians, I also take away the new self and what I am left with is the old self trying to reform or reshape itself into something new on its own power, and it will fail miserably because it is powerless to produce real and lasting heart change. The old self can’t fix itself. The old self can only be put off in a real way if there is a new self to be put on in its place and the new self is a product of the Holy Spirit at regeneration.

This is the failure of legalism. Legalism thrives on the negative. Legalism has a preoccupation with putting off, at the expense of putting on. Legalism gets high marks for its ability to put off and to make long lists of things it thinks should be avoided, but it fails miserably at understanding the importance of putting on the new self, which is the source of true righteousness and holiness. Legalism thinks that putting off the old self is true holiness, but Paul disagrees (Ephesians 4:24). If I come away from Ephesians 4 viewing it as a bucket list of what I need to avoid, I am one step closer to self-righteous legalism. If all I do is put off, put off, put off, without putting on, I am moving in the direction of the legalist.

Let me close with a gospel reminder. Even though I have been empowered through the Holy Spirit to put on the new self, I am still inconsistent and many times, I still fail miserably. It is at those low moments when I need to remind myself of the gospel and look, not to my own miserable performance, but at the cross and Jesus’ perfect work for me. In our struggle to lay aside the old self and put on the new self, we will fail and sometimes, we will fail sinfully. The Apostle John anticipated this and he reminds us that when we do fail, we have one who is successfully pleading our case before the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

My Mum’s Kitchen.

Tastefully and wonderfully made!

http://mymumskitchen.com/

Mike

When Peter wrote the words, “love covers a multitude of sins”, he wrote them in the context of our relationships. Here’s the passage in its fuller context:

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7-11)

Part of loving one another earnestly means that we are quick to forgive others when they sin against us. “Above all”, Peter said, “keep loving one another earnestly” SINCE or BECAUSE “love covers a multitude of sins.” In this passage, loving one another earnestly means that I possess a heart and attitude of love and readiness to forgive that enables me to do real life things with others like offer hospitality without grumbling or complaining, use my spiritual gifts to serve others, and ultimately, to want to see God alone glorified through Jesus Christ.

Here are some results of not loving one another in this way:

• The majority of my relationships will be superficial and most may be short term. People will tend to not stick around too long. They will be in my life for a time, and then vanish.

• Bitterness may overcome me because instead of being quick to forgive others, I may start to harbor ill will. Bitterness is a cancer of the heart and can grow into hatred and spread to others if it’s not repented of. Deal with bitterness quickly (Hebrews 12:15)

• I can become critical of others, especially those who seem to practice loving one another and who have solid relationships beyond theological acquaintances.

• I may be unwilling or even unable to take responsibility for my own actions or thoughts because in my own eyes, I am never wrong. I may become so focused on performing well in the Christian life that over time, I become defensive, abrasive, and harsh to others because I’ve convinced myself that I rarely, if ever, do wrong.

• I may require others to love me in a way that covers my sin, but I will not or cannot reciprocate.

Peter also reminds us that our motivation to love one another in a way that covers sin, is the gospel. We don’t love one another this way, just because. We love one another this way because we’re loved this way and we’ve been empowered to love one another this way.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; (1 Peter 1:22-23)

The greater purpose of circumcision was to point to the coming age of the Spirit in the New Covenant in which the church, Abraham’s true spiritual descendants (Galatians 3:16, 29), receive true circumcision of the heart (the forgiveness of sin and everything that accompanies salvation) and are placed within the family of God.  In the New Covenant, physical circumcision gives way to baptism as the outward identification that one has become a part of the people of God, a spiritual descendant of Abraham and a part of the true people of God, the church.

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-12)

Circumcision and the Abrahamic Covenant
Let’s begin by tracing the significance of circumcision in the Abrahamic covenant.  There are some important concepts here that we need to catch in order to fully understand and appreciate the purposes of God in giving the picture of circumcision.

• The first thing we should note is that in Abraham’s case, circumcision was an outward sign that he truly believed.  Abraham had been given the gift of faith, experienced the forgiveness of sin, and is an Old Testament example of imputation – a saving righteousness being placed into his account because of the faith he had received.  Abraham believed God and his belief was credited, or imputed to him as righteousness, acceptance with God (Romans 4:7-25).
• Second, Abraham was justified and had his sins forgiven before he was given the sign of circumcision, indicating that he was justified by faith alone, apart from works or anything that he did.  For Abraham, the outward physical sign of circumcision did not contribute to his salvation in any way.  Everyone who seeks to be accepted by God by works will instead experience his wrath and anger (Romans 4:9-14).
• Abraham was told to circumcise every male in his household.  Circumcision was the sign of the covenant God made with Abraham.  The Abrahamic Covenant was God’s promise to Abraham that he would create a people, rescue them from slavery, and bring them into a land, Canaan (Genesis 17:1-14).
• Every male child born in Abraham’s household was to be circumcised when he was eight days old (Genesis 17:12).
• Both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are contained within the Abrahamic Covenant.  The promise made to Abraham to create a people and bring them into a land is first illustrated under the Old Covenant in the nation of Israel, and then fully accomplished in the New Covenant by the death of Christ (Hebrews 3:7-4:11).
• The Abrahamic Covenant is also called the Covenant of Circumcision (Acts 7:8).
• Although Abraham believed, belief was not a requirement for circumcision and inclusion in Abraham’s household.

For continued reading about the Abrahamic covenant, see Gospel Pictures: The Abrahamic Covenant.

Circumcision and the Old Covenant
The era of the Old Covenant can be defined as the period of time from the giving of the Mosaic Law on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19) to the pouring out of the Spirit and the beginning of the church in Acts chapter 2.  There are several important points worth noting as we talk about circumcision under the Old Covenant.

• Circumcision continued under the Old Covenant as an ongoing obligation to the Abrahamic Covenant and as a restated requirement of the Old Covenant (Leviticus 12:1-3, John7:21-22).
• Circumcision for the nation of Israel was a physical sign that they were the people of God under the Old Covenant (Philippians 3:5-7).
• Any slave or foreigner living in Israel had to be circumcised before they could eat the Passover (Exodus 12:43-48).
• Belief was not a stated requirement for circumcision.
• When Scripture evaluates the spiritual condition of the Old Covenant nation of Israel, the verdict is always an indictment of unfaithfulness and unbelief. While there was always a believing remnant, as a whole, Israel was unbelieving (Jeremiah 9:25-26, Malachi 3:6-9, Romans 11:4, Hebrews 8:7-13).
• Israel was repeatedly called to repent.  The language of repentance was a call for circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:14-15, 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, 9:25-26).

The sign of circumcision was an outward physical indication that one was either a physical descendant of Abraham, a physical part of the Old Covenant community of ancient Israel, or both. But the outward sign of physical circumcision was not an end in itself. It was a gospel picture of the need for circumcision of the heart, the true forgiveness of sin, and inclusion in the true people of God. God’s indictment against all of those who were circumcised, including Israel, is an indictment of unbelief because they were satisfied with mere physical circumcision instead of true spiritual circumcision – circumcision of the heart:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.” (Jeremiah 9:25-26, emphasis added)

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. (Acts 7:51-54)

Circumcision and the New Covenant
Under the New Covenant, physical circumcision means nothing.  What circumcision once pictured and anticipated has been fulfilled and realized by the death of Christ. The forgiveness of sin is called circumcision of the heart.

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:28-29 emphasis added)

• Every believer experiences circumcision of the heart (Colossians 2:9-12).
• Circumcision for the sake of pleasing God is viewed negatively and is divisive in the church, the true people of God (Galatians 2:12-13, Titus 1:10-11).
• No one can gain acceptance with God by good works. What counts is genuine faith evidenced in the new heart and the changed life (Galatians 5:1-6, 6:15).
• God accepts us when he circumcises our hearts, which results in the forgiveness of sin and unconditional acceptance (Acts 20:21, Philippians 3:2-3).

The Purpose of Water Baptism
Let’s turn our attention now to the significance of water baptism.  The primary purpose of baptism is to acknowledge or testify to God that we are his.  Baptism is the believer’s formal profession of faith and pledge of a good conscience that is the result of having received the forgiveness of sin (1 Peter 3:21).

• Baptism is the outward sign that we are trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Romans 6:3-4).
• Examples of baptism in the New Testament immediately follow conversion (Acts 8:34-38, Acts 16:33).
• Baptism is identification with Jesus in his death and resurrection. It has no direct connection to Old Testament circumcision but it correlates to circumcision of the heart, meaning that baptism is not intended for infants who cannot embrace the gospel, but it is intended for those who repent and believe the gospel and have experienced spiritual circumcision of the heart, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 2:9-12).
• Scripture does not tell us how to baptize. We are simply commanded to baptize new converts (Matthew 28:19).

Just as circumcision once identified the physical descendants of Abraham and Old Covenant Israel, water baptism is our identification with God in Christ, indicating that our sins have been forgiven and we have received circumcision of the heart, the forgiveness of sins.

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-12)

__________________

This post is also a permanent page under the Gospel Pictures section of this web site.

Also available in Adobe Acrobat. Get a copy [HERE]

Option #1: Ostracize and Banish
Unfortunately, this can be a very popular reaction and response to someone who is struggling or caught in sin. We can be quick to banish the person and keep them at arm’s length, thinking that we’re doing them, and God, a great and noble service. When we exercise this option, we take a hard stance against the person caught in sin and we somehow convince ourselves that our hard-line approach is helping them. We sway ourselves into thinking that ostracizing them is somehow better than talking with them and encouraging them. It’s been my experience that when we exercise this kind of hard-line tactic, we very often end up having to deal with our own sin of pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness somewhere along the way because quite often, the use of such harsh tactics against someone caught in sin is rooted in my own pride as I begin thinking to myself, “What are they doing? I would NEVER do what they’re doing!” I become quick to pass harsh and critical judgment on the person and I convince myself that I’m doing what is best for them by ostracizing them and refusing to have any dialog with them, or even get near them. After all, they are caught in sin.

Just as unfortunate is the result that this tactic can often produce in the form of gossip and slander. Because it can so easily feed my own imperfect sense of justice, which seems to almost always be biased toward self, it becomes easy to justify gathering a crowd of fellow hard-liners around myself for the purpose of convincing each other that our hard-line approach is the best or only tactic. It’s easy to then fall into gossip and slander as we resort to talking critically with others about the person struggling with sin instead of talking directly to the person caught in sin. I’ve seen attempts made to justify gossip and slander in these difficult situations by giving them different names. Instead of calling it gossip and slander, we might be tempted to call it “giving the history” or “filling in the blanks”, or “bringing others up to speed.” This amazes me, but we’ve somehow convinced ourselves that gossip is ok as long as I’m telling others what I believe to be right. I’ve heard attempts at justifying gossip and slander stated in several different ways:

• “Well, I wasn’t gossiping. I was merely letting Joe know what’s happened.”
• “It wasn’t slander. I’m merely filling them in on things and keeping them up to date.”
• “I wasn’t gossiping because what I said is true.”

When we resort to harsh and critical tactics in restoring someone caught in sin, we forget about the grace that brought us into the kingdom and that keeps us there. We quickly forget that God demonstrated his love for us while we were still his enemies (Romans 5:6-8). We conveniently disregard the kindness and mercy of God that he exercised toward us in bringing us to repentance, when what we deserved is his anger and wrath (Ephesians 2:7-8). We forget that God did not ostracize or banish us, but instead showered us with grace, kindness and mercy. In this pool of sinners turned saints that Scripture calls the church, we would do well to remember to practice Paul’s words,

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians  4:31-5:2, emphasis mine)

Option #2: Encourage, Warn, and Persuade
I thrive on encouragement. So do you. We’re all wired that way and we all thrive on hearing encouraging words. If you’re one who thrives on words of discouragement intended to bring you down, you should seek help. Just saying. The writer of Hebrews understood the power of encouragement. If ostracizing and treating others with disdain when they are struggling with sin, or contemplating sinful decisions or actions is such a good thing, the writer of Hebrews blew a perfect chance to model it for us. His audience was contemplating abandoning the faith completely but instead of shunning them and treating them harshly, he turned to words of encouragement, beautifully blended with urgency, warnings, and the message of the gospel.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:12-14, emphasis mine)

Sometimes our dialog with someone struggling with sin involves warnings and admonishment, but through it all, dialog continues and because it does, we can always bring it back to the encouragement that is in the gospel that we all so desperately need to hear. Again, the writer of Hebrews models this for us. After warning his readers of the dangers of abandoning the faith, he returns to these words,

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9-12, emphasis mine)

All of us desperately need to hear this kind of encouragement that comes from the gospel. Paul tells us plainly how to gently treat someone who is caught in sin.

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)

The “spiritual” that he references in this passage aren’t the super-saints within the church. There is no such thing. The spiritual are those who are not caught in sin at that particular juncture. This can be a moving target because those who are spiritual this week may be caught in their own sin next week. That’s why there is a warning to “keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Regardless, the spiritual are to restore those who are caught in sin.

Continuing dialog is also implied by the word “restore.” It’s impossible to restore someone if I am ostracizing or banishing them and refusing to spend time with them. There’s no such thing as restoration in a vacuum. Restoration implies an ongoing and productive relationship on some level. It also means that I am investing time with the person in a helpful way, not in a way that destroys and tears down. Restoration can often be a long and winding road. I’ve found that the Holy Spirit’s work in a person’s life is seldom on my schedule, as much as I like that idea. The reverse is true as well. I am not as spiritual as I sometimes like to think that I am and it can take a long time for the Lord to reveal something to me about my own life that needs attention. That’s not because He isn’t sovereign or couldn’t just force His will on me if He so desired, but it is because He is always gentle with me. In almost 40 years as a Christian, He has never been harsh with me, even when I’ve been at my worst. This is why Paul said that the work of restoration was to be done in a spirit of gentleness. I’m not the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth and I don’t know how he’s going to work in someone’s life, but I cannot rush His work, become impatient, or treat someone harshly or shun them because I think they should be making better progress, or that they should simply be able to snap out of it and shape up. I wish it were that simple, but it’s usually not. Bearing each other’s burdens in this context can become difficult and time consuming.

Unfortunately, this already difficult situation can be easily compounded when we find ourselves, as the one coming alongside, being criticized for our decision to seek restoration this way by others who prefer a more hard-line stance. Suddenly and unexpectedly, we’ve become the target of criticism and condemnation simply because we’ve chosen to practice Galatians 6:1-2 to the best of our abilities, which are always imperfect and tarnished. Without warning, we can find ourselves on the receiving end of criticism as others begin to unfairly judge our motives and reasons for helping. At those times, remember Peter’s words. I leave you with these:

For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:19-23)

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-12)

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:7-8)

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter 4:19)

Guerrilla Warfare: The use of hit-and-run tactics by small, mobile groups of irregular forces operating in territory controlled by a hostile, regular force.

I think that definition nails it. Guerrilla warfare consists of covert or hidden forces using hit-and-run tactics and attacks to disrupt or destroy the regular military forces occupying or controlling a geographical area. Check out the picture that I put on this post. Guerrilla warfare is dependent upon surprise in order to succeed. Without the element of surprise, guerrilla warfare becomes less threatening. When you’re on the receiving end of it, guerrilla tactics are surprise attacks that seemingly come out of nowhere. But behind the scenes, they are usually well-planned in advance, but kept secret or covert until the moment of the attack. Their purpose is clear: they are intended to surprise and destroy and they use hit-and-run tactics to accomplish their purposes. As quick as their deadly attacks appear, they disappear, and the surviving victims are left to clean up the mess. My intention isn’t to discuss the merits or lack thereof of guerrilla warfare. I want to talk about what happens when the tactics of guerrilla warfare are brought into the church as a means to handle disagreement or conflict with another person.

Scripture is very clear about handling conflict or disagreement within the church. There is no gray area here. Check this out:

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.  (Matthew 18:15-17)

That’s pretty clear. It’s definitely not rocket science and I’m pretty sure I understand it. We interpret these familiar verses as referring to church discipline, and rightly so. But they are much more than that. They are also glimpse into normal body life within the church. They are a glimpse into how a group of sinners saved by grace are to handle conflict when it arises, and it will arise. It’s been my experience that when we faithfully practice, even imperfectly, the first part of this text (go to your brother in private and seek resolution), we seldom get to the latter half (church discipline). The first part of this passage is a safety net intended to keep us from the second half, which is there for those rare instances of unrepentant, verifiable and deliberate sin.

Unfortunate, harmful, and sometimes irreversible damage is done when we ignore that first sentence of Matthew 18:15 and we decide instead to circumvent the Biblical process and prescription for conflict resolution and start to practice covert hit-and-run tactics. We are guilty of sinful guerrilla warfare within the church when, instead of talking to the person that we feel has sinned against us, we avoid them and begin to covertly rally others to our side in support of our cause. When we make a decision to avoid the clear teaching of Scripture, and we instead choose to circumvent the Biblical process for conflict resolution, we will soon find ourselves employing the sinful weapons of gossip and slander in order to support our cause. We will begin making our way through the church, hiding in the bushes, waiting for the proper moment to make a surprise attack. The purpose of our surprise attack is often twofold: to make them look bad, and me look good. It is usually intended to damage the other person’s character and reputation, while reinforcing my own untarnished image in other people’s eyes. Guerrilla warfare within the church is almost always based on the sin of pride and the sin of the fear of man.

Sadly, damage is done to the character and reputation of the one on the receiving end of covert guerrilla warfare in the church. Sometimes the damage can take years to repair and in some instances, a shadow of suspicion can remain over the one who has been treated this way by others. But as we saw in Matthew 18:15-17, an ounce of prevention really is better than a pound of cure. There is never a time when I am justified in not talking to someone first if I think they have sinned against me. This is body life 101. In most instances, resolution will occur if I begin to dialog with the other person. And if there is sin involved, the best hope for success is one-on-one dialog because that is the Biblical prescription for conflict resolution. When I resort to the hit-and-run tactics of guerrilla warfare, my weapons become the covert and sinful weapons of gossip, slander, dragon-making (talking myself into thinking the other person is evil and is out to destroy me), pride, and the fear of man. Guerrilla warfare is a restless evil that that is full of deadly poison and it has no place in Christ’s church! If you feel you’ve been wronged by someone, go to them quickly and seek resolution for the Lord’s sake (Matthew 5:23-26).

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:5-10)

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Bob Mumford once said, “The Christian army is the only one that shoots its wounded.”  Regrettably, I have observed his statement to be all too true.

As long as I’ve been a Christian I have watched friends and their families undergo untold pain and hurt because of the incredible power of gossip and slander. Years ago we were traveling and after speaking in a church a brother came up to me and said, “I heard that you had quit teaching in churches and took up potato farming.” How and why such a rumor got started is anybody’s guess! This rumor was fairly innocuous, but imagine the untold harm done by vicious judgments on the life and character of others.

In this article, I would like to address this issue head-on. My hope is to raise the awareness of my brothers and sisters in Christ on this matter, so that we all will better follow the Lord’s teachings regarding our speech about and actions toward others.

What exactly is gossip?

Gossip is second or third hand information that someone dumps on you without your prior consent and without the consent of the person being gossiped about. Gossip can be true, partially true, or completely false. It can be motivated by good intentions, but it’s always negative personal information about another that puts them in a bad light.

What is slander?

The Bible defines slander as accusatory speech that is injurious to a person’s name and reputation. It’s essentially character assassination . . . the act of smearing someone. Gossip and slander color people’s perceptions of an individual unfairly and unjustly without their knowledge or consent. One major component in both of these sins is that the person being torn down is out of the loop. Talebearers usually avoid speaking directly to the one they are demeaning.

I will admit that I have listened to gossip in the past. At the time, the thought never occurred to me how deeply a person and their family could be hurt when someone attacks their character without their knowledge or consent.

[Finish Reading at Searching Together....]