Believing Is Obeying

Do you believe in Jesus?  How do you know you believe? The Gospel of John has a clear answer.

John 3:16 is an often quoted verse in the Bible.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16; NASB).  How do we have eternal life?  The answer is believing in Jesus as the Son of God for the salvation of our soul. But, what does it mean to “believe?” The Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines believe as “to expect or hope with confidence; to trust.” Webster defines trust as “Confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person.” To believe in Jesus is to put our complete trust in his Way, his Truth, and his Life (John 14:6). When we rely totally on him as the way to Truth, we find life.

            By aligning our thinking, feeling, and actions with the teachings of Jesus, we can rest assured we believe in Him. Obeying is the way to believing as John chapter 3 is summed up in the last verse, “The one who believes in the Son has everlasting life. And the one who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36; RSV). This also tells us when we’re NOT believing. If we are not obeying Jesus, we are not believing, and therefore, will NOT have eternal life.

            Even the Old Testament links the idea of showing one’s devotion to God by submission to his ways. Prior to Jesus’ arrival on earth (as the ultimate sacrifice), the Jews following God’s commands, used animal sacrifice for remission of sin.  The Bible also says, “What is more pleasing to the Lord:  your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?  Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). The purest tangible offering to God, is not as valuable as the intangible devotion of heart. Our affections,  motivations, and attitudes toward his ways, reflect what God really means to us. We esteem God by showing our submission to His divine order for all things.

Believing is Jesus shows our gratitude for what He accomplished as the Savior from our sin and shame condition. Not all people believe, and therefore, not all will have eternal life. The reason why is also mentioned by Jesus, “ … men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:19b-21, NASB).

            Aligning our hearts with the Truth is a process. We are all born with a broken (unbelieving) heart. Only Jesus can put our hearts together to become whole (believing) persons. We are born into darkness, but believing in Jesus brings us into the Light.  “He who practices the truth, comes into the Light.” Being “born again” (described at the beginning of John 3) starts the process. As we “practice” our believing, more and more of the dark, broken pieces of our hearts come into the Light.  As we obey more, we trust more, and our belief becomes stronger.

             The daily, sometimes moment to moment decision to obey Jesus, is the only path to believing. Whether we were born again yesterday or many years ago, believing is obeying, and obeying is believing.  And if you’re not born again? Why not start believing right now.

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Gardening the Soul

Evangelism is commonly thought of as an activity of saving souls.  A conversion experience is wonderful.  God reveals himself to the heart of a person and the person responds by believing in Jesus as Savior.  But what’s next?   Jesus must become Lord (Master) of our life through a journey of discipleship.  The journey involves continuous heart change as we learn to relate to Father God like Jesus did while on earth.  Becoming a follower of Christ looks a little different for each person, but the more radical the transformation, the closer the walk becomes with God.  

Therefore, saving souls also involves gardening souls.  God plants a seed of love in the soil of each of our hearts as a part of our humanity.  A revelation of truth awakens the seed to its surroundings of the soil (conversion experience)  in which the garden filled with plants (our life) can flourish and fulfill its God-given purpose for being.  Being “saved” is not just the opening of the seed into a sprout, but includes the entire life of the plant until harvesting occurs.

The example of a physical garden may help understand.  My wife and I have been growing a vegetable garden each summer for years.  We usually grow things like tomatoes, peppers, turnips, radishes, onions, carrots, beans, melons, squash, lettuce, and potatoes.   Each season of growth brings new revelation of spiritual application, and the fundamentals are always the same.  The soil is prepared, the seed is planted, natural elements such as water and sunlight call forth the sprout, the plant matures into the type of plant imprinted by the seed, fruit (vegetable) grows according to its kind, and the gardener harvests and enjoys the “fruit” fit for harvesting.  

There are numerous environmental  conditions along the way that factor into the productivity of the garden.  Beginning with the soil itself, providing and maintaining the correct balance of nutrients can be a challenge.  For example, some plant varieties tolerate more nitrates and fertilizer elements.  Some like it more sandy than clayish.  The amount of water and sunlight can also affect whether some types of plants grow well or not.  Then there are the weeds.   Oh, the weeds!  Pulling weeds is necessary all through the growth season.  Some types of weeds are more annoying than others.  Bugs are similar.  Some bugs attack the leaves for their own food.  Some attack the roots and stems of the plants.  A gardener has a challenge of figuring out the best environmentally-safe ways to protect the plants from destructive forces like weeds and bugs.  The harvest can also be stolen by birds, deer, ground hogs, rabbits, or other animals trying to grab a quick dinner for themselves.  Extreme or harsh weather conditions (eg. wind, hail, or drought) can also disrupt plant growth and harvest.   

Many spiritual parallels show God’s hand at work in our lives (garden).  God as the Gardener plants the Seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ into the soil of our hearts.  Jesus himself tells a “garden story” of 4 different types of soil receiving the seed (see Matthew 13 and also a previous article Sowing To Harvest http://authoredhersh.blogspot.com/2019/05/sowing-to-harvest.html ).

 All through the growth season the garden must be watered, weeded, and protected against the intruders like animals, insects, storms, and thieves.  All through our lives God is our Provider and Protector.  God provides our spiritual food and water, and protects us from the enemy’s theft to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10).  He heals our afflictions (physical health), binds up our wounds (emotional health), liberates us from captive unbelief (mental health), and sets us free from the imprisoning circumstances holding back healthy growth and harvest (Isaiah 61:1).

God also determines our identity.  Just as each kernel of corn produces a corn stalk with an ear of corn, God creates individuals with a unique stamp of gender, ethnicity, and personality.   Corn doesn’t grow on a tomato stalk, and tomatoes do not grow on a corn stalk.  As each seed produces fruit of its own kind, God created diversity into the human race so that the variety add spice to life.  Sometimes a whole garden (field) is planted together for the purpose of harvesting at the same time.  God puts his people together in families and organizations to accomplish his purposes together as one.  

In order for the garden to produce a good crop, it takes a lot of effort on the part of the gardener.  Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to complete the seemingly endless tasks of watering, weeding, protecting, and providing for the best garden conditions.  Here is where this metaphor trips up many people.   They take the work of the garden seriously and try to do all it takes to produce good fruit (behavior).  Tending the garden and producing results as a “good Christian” may include behaviors like loving God, loving others, keeping the ten commandments, sharing the gospel, fulfilling the great commission, resisting evil, praying for one another, and so on.  

Does God call us to do these tasks?  Be careful not to answer too quickly.  The answer to this question, for me, has changed over the years, and it keeps changing.  I now think the answer is, maybe.  A better question might be, “How does God ask us to do these tasks?”  Of course there are “commands” in the Bible, but God does not require us to accomplish them in our own strength and willpower alone, as one extreme would teach commandments.  The other extreme would ignore or replace the commands with their own.  

I believe clarifying ownership will help answer these questions.  We grow up in a broken world and our garden is not in the best of condition.  We realize we need help (Savior) and surrender our life to God.  At conversion, the ownership of the garden changes.  We are no longer the gardener for our own soul.  God becomes the Gardener of our soul.  In business terms, we are no longer running our own business, but working for a new Master.  We remain a partner to carry out some tasks, but we discern and follow the orders of the new Owner.  It becomes a lifelong process of learning our new role.  Our calling is now to cooperate with production, rather than produce.  We yield ourselves to the growth (gardening) process, but responsibility for the results is not on our shoulders.  

Does that sound freeing?  It should because that is what transformation and sanctification is all about.  It is healing to our soul.  It gives us peace and rest because that’s what Jesus said it would do (see Matthew 11:28-29).  The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of being freed (from sin) and being made ever more free (from the burden of sin).   

Well-intentioned preachers often present the message as “Come to Jesus, and change yourself into a person of service to God.”  As I’ve come to see it, a more true message is, “Come to Jesus, and surrender yourself to a lifelong process of change from the inside out, making you more and more fit for service with God.”  

The first message places the emphasis on performance and self-effort and it fosters self-righteousness.  The latter not only recognizes that God is the one who changes hearts, but commits to ongoing change for deeper cleansing.  The former often views storms and struggles as a nuisance, hindrance, or even a sign of unbelief or sinfulness.  The latter sees difficulties as opportunities for God to show himself strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) and develop us into lasting treasures for his glory.  The former only plants in the garden, but the latter adopts gardening as a way of life.  

My prayer is that each person reading this will invite God to be the Gardener of a lifelong process of soul saving gardening.    

If you are struggling because you were led to believe Jesus would take care of all your problems (but the problems still linger), take hold of your heart and give it to the Master Gardener.  Working through relationships (marriage, family,, or cohorts), health concerns, unemployment, pandemic, and other life challenges are part of the gardening process.  Jesus already accomplished all of the work of the garden.  He invites you to cooperate with him in shepherding your soul into the beautiful garden you were meant to be (Isaiah 61:3).  

 

Note:  To read more on how this works, also see Pain Evangelism as  Discipleship   http://authoredhersh.blogspot.com/2018/09/pain-evangelism-as-discipleship.html .  

 

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Be at Peace with Hebrews 12:14-15

“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled” (Hebrews 12:14-15; NIV).

While recently studying these two verses of the Bible, I was challenged by new insights, some of which I share here.

Looking at the context from the beginning of this chapter, the sanctification of our souls is a much more dominent theme than I noticed in the past.  Faith is defined in the previous chapter eleven.  This chapter twelve lays out specifics of how faith is lived out.  

First, Jesus is the “founder” AND “perfector” of our faith (see Hebrews 12:2, ESV).  The Passion Translation expresses it as, “Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection” (TPT), i.e. completion.  There is a beginning and completing to faith in Christ.  Believing in Jesus at a conversion experience begins a process of completing faith’s work the remainder of our lives.  

Secondly, verses 4 - 11 speak of growing as children grow in their Father’s (parents’) care.  Growth involves change and stretching of what is, into what it needs to become.  The growth process requires discipline.  A commitment to this kind of change brings about joy and peace.  

Now to verses 14 - 15 quoted above.  Sanctification is explicitly mentioned  “without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).  Without completion of faith in Jesus through the sanctification process (change and growth through discipline toward holiness) we have no faith at all.  This ongoing change is to be pursued, intentionally sought, and not merely expected to happen on its own.  Moreover, this process is intrinsically linked back to our conversion to faith in Christ, and forward to establishing the conditions for our inner peace.   

The phrase “pursue peace with all men” is obviously an exhortation to relate to people on friendly terms whenever possible.  But a deeper meaning struck me as I did a word study on the use of the word “peace” in the Bible.    

Peace is not merely the absence of conflict.  It is not merely a feeling of self-satisfaction, contentment, security, or harmony with external worldly circumstances.  The Webster’s 1828 dictionary explains the definition of peace as, “ a state of quiet or tranquility; freedom from disturbance or agitation.”  The Bible uses the term “peace” most often as a way to describe our inner (heart) condition before Almighty God.  Authors in the Lexham Theological Wordbook point out, “In the biblical writings, peace is the wholeness that comes as a result of alignment with God’s creative and redemptive purposes. …  Peace occurs not only in interpersonal relationships, but also in ethnic and political relationships. Peace also carries a cosmic connotation, in which all aspects of creation, both human and non-human, should exist in harmony with each other. Peace is thus the ideal of creation that God’s redemptive activity seeks to restore. ….  The flourishing existence of creation described in Gen 1–2 shapes how peace is understood throughout the rest of the Bible. Peace involves well-being. ….   ultimately peace comes as a result of Jesus’ work and thus is a gift given by God. Ephesians describes Christ creating a new humanity by healing the divisions between Jews and Gentiles and making peace (eirēnē) between them (Eph 2:14–15)—and by being “our peace (eirēnē)” ”  (Lookadoo, J. (2014). Peace. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press).

God’s purposes and plans for peace are far greater than our personal experiences, however, our inner life is very important to God.  So important that he commands complete surrender of our ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving in exchange for his.  The Psalmist reflects, “Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Psalm 119:165).  God’s ways are superior to human ways.  We are wise to accept this truth, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace” (Proverbs 3:13,17).  

Jesus himself had some things to say about peace. Jesus didn’t come into the world to chase away conflict (see Matthew 10:24).  He came to deliver us from enslavement to conflict.  First, the conflict that exists within our own soul, and the conflict that puts us at war (sometimes literally) with people around us.  Without Christ, conflict is inevitable within, but with and through Christ conflict is, was, and will be inihilated.  Since the first sin of mankind, conflict within, and conflict without (our environment), is built in the default nature of every human belng.  Putting our faith and trust in Jesus means we are yielding to his power to remove the grip of unrest in lost parts of our souls.  

At the root of conflict is bitterness.  Bitterness is created by the seeds of failed expectations, disappointments, regret, hurt, or offense.  Roots of bitterness are specifically mentioned in these verses in Hebrews as destructive anti-growth agents.  Bitter roots are weeds that will “defile” (reduce the productivity of the garden of our hearts).  Bitter roots can take the form of ill-willed thoughts, envy, jealousy, malice, slander, and the like.  The critical, condemning  thoughts and opinions turn into blame, resentment, hatred and even sometimes revenge.  Our tendency to want to rule our own fate causes our failure to trust God to work all circumstances for good.  God’s justice demands that only He can sit on the throne as Judge.  Our demands to think and act as Judge, create conflict.  The rebellion against God at the core of this conflict is why the “Prince of Peace,” Messiah Jesus, came to this earth (see Isaiah 9:6).         

This goes to the heart of the gospel message.  Luke records Jesus as saying, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).  Until recently, like most Christians,  I thought of “lost” souls coming to faith in Jesus in a conversion experience as the full extent of interpreting the meaning of this statement in Luke 19.  

However, God is challenging me with a deeper understanding.   The inner peace stolen by the enemy of our soul with the entry of sin into the world, is part of the loss that Jesus came to redeem.  Through the sanctification process, the seeking and saving of the losses in our lives continues.   Faith in Jesus makes us whole.  All the broken parts of our soul still touched by the losses, are being brought together into the  wholeness God intends for us from the beginning.  Sanctification is God’s divine plan.  Being made whole through holiness (set apart on the inside) yields the fruit of increasingly greater degrees of outwardly “holy” behavior.  Being completely at peace with that plan in our inner most being only begins at conversion.  

I grew up in the Christian Church thinking the “salvation of souls” refers merely to the conversion of souls.  However, the term “salvation” includes sanctification as well.  It includes Jesus completing the faith he has begun.  It includes the discipline of growing the faith into maturity.  It  includes the inner peace Hebrews calls “peacable fruit of righteousness”  (see Hebrews 12:11).

The “harvest” of souls includes all of the above.  Let’s be clear that believing in Jesus is not just a decision of the mind to repent (turn around) from one way of life to another.  It is a radical surrender to a process of heart transformation as well.  For a Christian seeking the sanctification of our soul is not an option.  A result of responding to God and allowing him to change our hearts from the inside out, will yield greater degrees of inner peace.  Inner peace can be a gauge for measuring our progress.  The more we surrender to God, the more peace we will have in our soul.  

Inner change is difficult, but we can be at peace with the uncertainty change brings, when we are trusting God through our faith in Jesus.  An inner peace and assurance of what Jesus has accomplished for us, AND what he continues to empower us to do, is foundational for facing  the challenges of life.  It’s all about his power, not ours.

In summary, I offer my translation of the Hebrews 12:14-15 verses quoted at the beginning.   “Pursue inner peace through reconciliation with God, for yourself, and seek this condition for every person you know.  Practice surrendering your heart to God for the purpose of a holy being,  until the day you see Jesus face to face.  Make sure you are living the fullest of God’s purposes for your life by rooting out any bitterness that remains--ie. admitting your critical judgments, surrendering all judgments to God, and releasing all demands for justice so your relationships (with God, others, and self) can be made whole.”

For help in ilving out more specifics of the sanctification journey, check out some of my other blog articles (ie. http://authoredhersh.blogspot.com/2018/02/ ).  Be blessed!  Be at peace.

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry