We are also told that to obey is better than sacrifice[1].
We cannot barter with God and we can’t work out an agreement where we do what
we want to do and sacrifice to make up the difference. We either walk in
obedience or we are in rebellion. Righteousness comes from our walk with Christ
for as we abide in Him, we also abide in His righteousness. The Bible says that
if we walk contrary to the scriptures and say that we have fellowship with
Jesus, we are deceiving ourselves[2].
We are made righteous by the cleansing blood of Christ when we walk and abide
in Him. In fact, everything fruitful in our spiritual lives comes directly from
that abiding fellowship with Jesus. The fruit of our works comes directly from
Jesus Christ. Look at John 15:
5 I am the vine, ye are the
branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Unless we are connected to the vine through abiding in Christ, we can do nothing. We can work our hearts out, but our sacrifice means nothing without obedience and our works profit nothing unless it is the work of Christ in us. So it is not what we do for God, but what God does through us. This takes us back to our opening passage where we are told that God prepared our works beforehand that we should walk in them. We are being led by God down the path which He prepared beforehand and ordained our works before we even knew the right way.
Good works themselves profit nothing for if it is not the
hand of God, there is no eternal significance. The human mind looks at the outward
appearance of good but the Lord looks at the heart. If works are not coming out
of the heart through the move of the Holy Spirit, they are merely the efforts
of man. Many atheists do good deeds but this is clearly not the move of God. In
the Great Depression, one of the most charitable men in
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away.
Good works may serve to meet a temporary need in this life,
but unless it is the work of God, works themselves have no eternal
significance. In the church, works often crowd our lives so that we are blind
to what God is actually calling us to do or they make us too busy to answer
that call. Jesus told the parable of a sower who scattered seed on good ground and
bad ground. The seed was the word of God and the ground is the lives of those
who hear the word. A crowded life is one of the examples of bad ground. Look at
Mark 4:
19 And the cares of this
world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering
in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
There are many things in life that crowd the word. We are
warned to not allow riches to deceive us by becoming the value of our lives.
Lusting after the things we should not have is also a danger to make our lives
unfruitful. Take note of the warning, “the cares of this world”. Cares of this
world is to put a priority on anything that does not have eternal significance.
Even activities in the church can be a care of this world. Let me give an example
from Luke 10:38-42
38 Now it came to pass,
as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named
Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called
Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about
much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my
sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto
her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and
Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
This
describes the works of the average Christian. Martha and Mary were sisters and
Martha was getting ready for a meal to serve the guests, but Mary would not
help her because she was listening to the teaching of scripture. She became
frustrated as most of us would because her sister was leaving all the work to
her. What she didn’t realize is that preparing for the meal was given too high
of a value and could have waited. Jesus said, “One thing is needful”. The word
needful means ‘a necessity’ (chreia in the
Greek). Is it wrong to be busy taken care of things that will serve the church?
Was Mary doing something that shouldn’t be done? No. These have a place, but
not as high of a priority as we put on them.
In truth, only one thing in the church is a
necessity – teaching others how to live by the word of God. It is the ONLY
necessity of the church and the ONLY thing given to the church as a mission.
All other things can be a benefit only if they take their place behind the
word. Any business that distracts the worker from the word or distracts the
church from its mission to make the word of God a priority in the lives of each
member is not a work of God. It then becomes something that chokes the word.
Anything that chokes the word is a care of the world.
Unfortunately we as Christians and the church as a whole have lost sight of this important truth. If we are honest, we try to get done with all the busy things in the hope that if we have time left over we will visit the word. Churches put a high value on programs, activities and other things in the hope that maybe people will eventually come around to the word. Activities are great for building a crowd, but only God can add to and build His church[3]. If we approach church the way Jesus taught, we may not gain the largest crowd, but we will see the move of God. Teaching the word must be the highest priority of the church. It will only draw those who care for the word, but only the fruit of the word has eternal significance.
Our
personal goal in works is not to get busy for God, but follow the call of
scripture. We cannot do anything of eternal significance for without Christ we
can do nothing. Jesus is obviously referring to spiritual works. Works of the
Spirit are the only works that mean anything for the works of man are filthy
rags that will be cast away, but the fruitful works of the Spirit have eternal
value. Our works must come through abiding in Christ. Look gain at John 15:
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the
branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Abiding
means to be in Christ continuously. Jesus compared the Christian life to a
branch connected to a grapevine. Once the branch detaches from the vine it
immediately begins to wither and dry up. Our lives are the same way. Most
Christians want to have a church life and a ‘real world life’. In truth, if
your life for God is separate from your daily life, recreational life, work
life, or any other part of your life, you do not have a true Christian walk and
are not abiding in Christ. Unless you abide in Christ you can do nothing;
however, those who abide in Christ will be fruitful for the Spirit works through
the Christ-centered life. True works is abiding in Christ by faith. Look at John 6:28-29
28 Then said they unto him, What
shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto
them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
When
you ask people what the work of God is, does anyone say, “To believe in
Christ”? No, we think of feeding the poor, outreach, church activities, etc.
All of these have their place, but they are not necessarily the work of God.
You can feed the poor without even knowing God. Many cults do outreach. There
are workers in the church who do not understand what it means to be a
Christian. The work of God is to believe on Christ and to believe on Christ
requires obedience. We cannot say that we believe in Christ and refuse to walk
in His word. The Bible says that believers have obedience to the faith[4].
Jesus said that those who hear the word and obey build their lives on the rock
(which is Christ). Those who do not obey have their lives built on the sand
(which is the world). Look at this in Matthew 7:21-27
21 "Not everyone who
says to Me,`Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father in heaven.
22 "Many will say to Me in
that day,`Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your
name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
23 "And then I will declare to
them,`I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
24 "Therefore whoever hears
these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built
his house on the rock:
25 "and the rain descended,
the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not
fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 "But everyone who hears
these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who
built his house on the sand:
27 "and the rain descended,
the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And
great was its fall."
Jesus
makes it clear that many who do works even in His name are actually performing
works of the flesh. The flesh is not subject to God and cannot be of faith.
Whatever is not of faith is sin according to Romans 12:3; therefore, works of
the flesh are works of lawlessness (or sin). Notice that faith and obedience
are always tied together. We obey out of faith. Works without faith are
valueless other than the immediate impact to those around us; however, works by
faith are the move of the Spirit in our lives and these both impact the world
around us and have eternal value as well.
It
is important to understand predestination for it directly affects how we
approach good works. Since we are told that God prepared them beforehand that
we should walk in them, we realize that we do not need to get busy for God, but
to abide in Christ so He can work through our lives. As we seek the Lord and
build our lives upon the faith given to us, spiritual maturity begins and we
also begin to feel the hand of God drawing us into the works that He has called
us to walk in. The Lord’s hand leads us as He shapes our hearts to desire what
is right. The key to finding the will of God is to seek to know Him. As you
grow closer to God you will see clearly the calling of God into the works He
foreordained you to walk in. It is not your work, but God’s. He only calls you
to walk in the works by walking in an abiding relationship with Him and going
where He leads.
When
a Christian does not understand the foreordination of God’s call for their
lives, they will look to activities to fulfill God’s will and to try to discover
good works. When we understand that God has predestined our path, we look to
Him to open our eyes, equip us, lead us to His work and accomplish His calling
through us for He alone produces the fruit of our labors. Labor does not
produce fruit, but rather, God produces fruit through our labors as we abide in
Christ and walk in the Spirit.
I am convinced that it is not possible to fully live out the Christian life and come to maturity in Christ without understanding predestination. I used to look at predestination as a non-essential discussion on theology but had no bearing on how we lived our Christian lives. As I grew in the knowledge of scripture I began to realize that understanding predestination is an essential doctrine of the Bible and it directly affects how we approach other essential teachings of scripture.
My hope is that this study will help people realize the sovereignty of God and approach faith, doctrine and works with the knowledge that we look upward for guidance and understanding. Instead of having to find our own way, predestination reveals to us that we look to the Lord so that He can guide us to the path He has prepared for us. So rather than us having to find our own path or create our own way, this scriptural teaching shows us that God has already ordained our ways. This shows us that we need to listen as we look to His Spirit to guide us. Our purpose then becomes to remove the things in our lives that crowd out His voice or distract us from His way. Our Christian walk is not dependent upon us figuring out what is right, but looking heavenward for His hand to guide us as we remove the things in our life that hinder us. The Bible tells us to cast off all things that entangle us or weigh us down so that we can run the race God has set before us[5]. We do so by looking to Christ. Anything else is a distraction.
We walk down the paths as God leads us and we heed the warning not to look down the paths of sin that fill the world around us. Spiritual maturity comes through applying the word to our lives and since we were preordained to come to maturity in Christ, we know that if we obey, we will see the hand of God move in our lives and fulfill His work through us and the church.
Even
though the scriptures teach that we are the elect of God according to His
foreknowledge[6], this
does not remove our ability to use our will to resist God’s plan. Scripture is
filled with commands, instructions and promises that are conditional upon our
obedience. Our choice is to follow our will or follow God’s will. Look also at Colossians 3:12-14
12 Put on therefore, as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and
forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put
on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Notice that as the elect
of God, we are to put on the things of the Spirit and walk in obedience. So
election does not remove our call for obedience but rather calls us into
obedience. Look also at Colossians 3:5-8
5 Mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath
of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some
time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all
these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
To mortify means to put to death. This passage of scripture is specifically addressing the elect of God – those who are called according to God’s predestined plan. The elect of God are called to put off the things of the flesh as we put on the things of the Spirit. God has given you the power to obey and follow the will of God, but has also given you the right to choose to follow the will of man.
The
word will is the Greek word ‘thelema’, which
means, ‘what one has determined shall be done’. The will of our human nature is
self-seeking and self-serving. When we follow our will, we are following what
we have determined shall be done. The scripture warns that we should not lean
upon our own understanding[7] for
there is a way that seems right but is actually the way of death[8]. Our
heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked[9];
therefore, anyone looking to their own understanding will fall into sin and
depart from the will of God. Your own will is a terrible measurement for
determining what is right and wrong. Self-deception is the hardest lie for man
to detect. Throughout life we encounter many who cannot see their own mistakes
or faults. Even if everyone around them testifies to the obvious problem, they
cannot see it and will even think the world is against them. The Bible says
that a fool is wiser in his own eyes than seven wise men giving good answers[10]. We
are all blind to many of our own faults and we shall go astray unless we are
looking to the word of God for it alone remains true and unchanging. Consider Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is
right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
What we desire almost always looks right in our
own eyes, but there must be a source for wise counsel that we listen to. The
instruction of scripture is wise counsel and our source of wisdom. Your will is
not a valid spiritual guide and you are not seeking to reform your human will,
but to yield it to God so that you can walk in the Spirit. Even Jesus testified
to this during the hours leading up to His arrest. Look at His final time of
prayer as explained in Luke 22:41-44
41 And he was withdrawn from them
about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be
willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto
him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed
more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down
to the ground.
The Bible says that Jesus suffered in all ways
like us and has felt our struggles so that He can identify with our needs to be
a faithful and compassionate High Priest for us. He was in a body of flesh and
Christ Himself testified that His will was crying out to bypass the cross, but
the final conclusion of the matter rested upon the fact that it was not His
will, but the will of the Father. This is given to us as an example to follow.
Our will shall indeed rise up and demand what is contrary to God. The human
will seeks to fulfill the desires of the human flesh. We yield ourselves to
God’s will by submitting ourselves to God rather than following our own ways.
Our ways seem right and there will be times when we may have to agonize as
Christ did for the war between the flesh and the Spirit does not end while we
live in this body. We mistakenly try to align our will to God’s, but this is a
futile effort for the flesh is not subject to the Spirit and indeed cannot be.
Look at a passage we looked at the beginning of this study from Romans 8:7-8
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God.
Your will cannot be subject because it is of the
flesh. If we walk according to our own will, we cannot please God and we cannot
be subject to the law of God. Even the flesh can give an appearance of
righteousness, but in truth it is always self-serving. The flesh serves God
conditionally, but we are called to surrender unconditionally. We walk in the
Spirit by putting off our old man with its passions and desires as we put on
the things of the fruit of the Spirit given to us by God. Jesus taught that we
pray, “Thy will be done” and showed us by example what this means. If Jesus
stated, “Not as I will but Thy will be done” then we must also realize that our
will is our greatest challenge and must be laid down before God.
Understanding predestination gives us confidence
during hardships, trials, decisions in life and affects how we view the future.
We pray effectively when we are praying according to God’s plan for our lives.
When threats arise, none of these things move us off our foundation when we
know we are walking with the Lord. There is no way to have confidence in all
our circumstances unless we are walking by faith in the Spirit. When we truly
have faith that all things are of God then we will remain confident when life
becomes a threat. Look at Paul’s testimony in Acts 20:23-24
23 Save that the Holy Ghost
witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
24 But none of these things move
me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course
with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify
the gospel of the grace of God.
When our focus is on the course God has set before
us, all things that come into that path will not move us for we know that God
uses them in our lives for good. Threats and challenges will either be
mountains God will move or trials that refine and shape our lives for our
eternal good. Those who are not seeking the Lord with all their heart will ask
where God is when life is threatening, but the one who is walking with the Lord
down the paths He has foreordained will not be moved by these things. This does
not mean we won’t have pain for Jesus has shown that even the one who walks
perfectly in God’s will may have to agonize through hardships. Even though
Jesus agonized over the cross and asked for it to be removed, He still endured
and remained firm in the Spirit. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
If you stand in the flesh you will be on a weak foundation that cannot stand,
but in the Spirit we are made strong for it is not your strength but the Lord’s.
The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our
strength[11]. This is
also the strength of Christ to endure the cross. This is explained in Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God.
It was the joy set before Him that strengthened Jesus to endure the cross and its shame. The same is true for our Christian walk. We endure all things with thanksgiving because of the joy set before us. Joy is the hope of our promises that lay ahead of us. Happiness is but a moment of satisfaction that we gain when something good happens in our lives, but joy is unshakeable regardless of our problems or hardships. We look to the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. If we are running the race set before us, which is the paths that God has foreordained, then our eyes remain on Christ and we will have the endurance even when we are troubled. Hardships will come, but knowing the foreordained plan of God opens our eyes and seeing the end of our salvation gives us hope, confidence and endurance.
Predestination does not undermine God’s call to works, but
reveals to us the power behind our works. Let us also consider Philipians 2:12-13
12 Wherefore, my beloved,
as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
We do
not work for our salvation, but work out our salvation. This is written to
those who have already been redeemed in Christ. We have received salvation and
have been instructed to fulfill our calling knowing that God is our strength.
The phrase ‘fear and trembling’ serve to show us the critical nature of the
Lord’s commandments. The Christian is without excuse for we have been empowered
by God to accomplish His will and the paths before us have been foreordained so
that nothing can prevent us. Only disobedience stands in the way of your
calling. The Bible explains this in 2 Timothy 2:20-22
20 But in a great house there are
not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some
to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself
from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
22 Flee also youthful lusts: but
follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord
out of a pure heart.
We are not instructed to bring things of honor into our lives for when we come to Christ we have been given everything we need for life and godliness. Our focus is to purge out the things of dishonor so that what remains is only what is of God and then we are fit for every good work. As we yield ourselves we continue to flee the things that call us back into sin while following the right things of God.
Our works are also to remove the things in our lives that pollute our holiness. God’s ways are pure and the new life He gave is pure. You do not have to make yourself pure for nothing needs to be added to purity. It is the additives that make something polluted. If you remove the things that are not of the Spirit a pure life remains. When we put off the things of the flesh, the things of the Spirit remain for they are already present within us through Christ’s work in our lives. Things coming into our lives and crowding our lives chock the word and hinder our spiritual walk. When these are removed, the things of God remain.
Understanding that God has predestined us to fulfill His will and inherit all His promises gives us unshakeable confidence, for if God is for us, nothing can be against us. The Bible’s doctrine on predestination does not undermine our faith, but undergirds it. It does not discourage us from good works but empowers us because we know that we are walking as the Lord directs our steps and He produces fruit through our labors. Understanding God’s foreordination affirms faith, prayer, works, spiritual growth and all the commandments and promises of scripture. This doctrine is necessary in order to understand God’s work in our lives and all that is around us. Hopefully this will also give you confidence in the path before you and the call of God to walk in His ways.
This look into predestination is not intended to be a comprehensive study, but an overview to aide in our understanding as to how these things apply to our Christian lives. There is much more that could be discussed and volumes of books have been written on this topic. My hope is that this helps the reader to understand that God is in control and has ordained all of life’s circumstances. All things are good and we will find good if we are first walking in fellowship with our God and if we trust Him even when we experience pain and hardships. Many do not truly walk by faith and will turn from God when He doesn’t preserve our comfort; however, those who trust in His sovereign hand will one day thank Him for every circumstance and event in our lives. For the Christian, everything is good if we are looking from the side of eternity. Those who do not walk by faith can only see good from the human perspective that only looks at the temporal. My prayer is that you will begin to view things from the eternal perspective and trust God even when the human mind cannot see the end result.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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