Category: Transformation

Four Clear Indicators a Christian is Walking in the Light-

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Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven- Matthew 5:16 NASB

Okay, so, true confession time: 

 I know (and believe with all my heart) that all Scripture is good, useful and instructive (1st Timothy 3:16). Consequently, I believe everyone should read the Bible, all of it, not just the parts that give us good feels. Nonetheless, I am human and sadly there are books of the Bible I tend to avoid for devotional reading. Some of them make sense. Numbers is kind of depressing as is most of Judges.  I tend to avoid them both. The minor prophets involve a lot of thinking, because you have to know (and in my case remember) a lot of biblical history in order to understand them. Leviticus is well, Leviticus.  No one really likes Leviticus. 

However, some of the books I tend to avoid make a lot less sense. I think some of it comes down to writing style. 1stJohn is one of the books I tend to avoid. The Apostle John was definitely one of Jesus’ besties. He was also a VERY wordy guy, and I tend to gravitate towards a more abbreviated style of writing. 

Nonetheless, I recently felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to spend some quality time in the book of 1st John.  It has been incredibly gratifying. This little book is packed with wisdom, DEEP theology and some warnings that are especially relevant to our time. 

John begins his letter by stating in a very lovely but wordy kind of a way that Jesus is “life”. This means anyone who is “in Jesus” (2nd Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:11, Romans 6:23) will experience the earthly joy and honor of becoming partakers of God’s divine nature (2nd Peter 1:4) and a life of bliss and fellowship with God forever (1stCorinthians 2:9). Then John describes both Jesus and the Father as “light”. This means God is a being that has no darkness, evil or sin in Him. He describes our relationship to the God of light in this way:

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth- 1stJohn 1:5-7

 John makes it clear that a person can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt whether or not they are “in the light” or fumbling around in spiritual and moral darkness. Walking in the light means we are walking in holiness, love and truth. 

So, how do we know if we are walking in the light? There are four markers that clearly indicate a Christian is walking in the light and in fellowship with the God of light. They are:

Walking in the light means we love other Christians- 

John makes it clear that one direct measure of one’s spiritual maturity is their love for other Christians (1st John 2:9-11, John 13:34-35, John 15:11-13, Romans 12:10, Galatians 5:13). Unfortunately, many Christians either flat-out ignore this command and make a regular practice of publicly saying unkind things about fellow believers or they love other Christians in a manner that is not really scriptural.  Christian love should never devolve into a sappy sentimental kind of emotionalism that celebrates walking in sin or immaturity. Genuine Christian love receives people as they are but loves them enough to help them grow and transform into someone infinitely better and more holy (1st Corinthians 13, 1st Peter 2:2, 2nd Peter 1:3-11, Ephesians 4:17-32). Christian love is always all about wanting the moral and spiritual best for everyone. 

Walking in the light means we are real about who we are-  

A genuine believer in Jesus does not pretend to be perfect or without sin (1st John 1:8). Nor do they lecture others on the importance of transparency and holiness while they sin their faces off. Genuine Christians are real about their own struggles and never hide their sin. An individual who is walking in the light makes a regular practice of confessing their sin to God and to other Christians (Acts 19:17-19, James 5:16, 1st John 1:9).  

Walking in the light means we hate our own sin- 

Sin is one of the primary themes of 1st John. John’s aim is to answer the question: Can a born-again believer sin? His answer is a qualified “yes”. John is clear a Christian can sin, but he also makes it clear it’s abnormal for them to choose a life of sin and/or deceit (1st John 3:4-10). If a Christian sins, Jesus will advocate (help, root for, defend) for them and forgive their sin (1st John 1:7-10, John 2:1-2). HOWEVER, John also makes it clear that our eagerness (or lack of eagerness) to obey God’s commands is a powerful indicator of our salvation, or lack thereof (1st John 2:3-6).   

And finally, 

Walking in the light means we want light-  

According to the Apostle the Christian faith is a series of progressive moves towards more holiness, more righteousness and more truth. This means that if we are walking in the light, we will have a voracious appetite for even more light. Anyone who wants more light goes to great lengths to deal with the sin in their lives and love others with greater fervency all the time (1st John 4:7). 

What Does Trusting God “Look Like”?

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The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you- Psalm 9:9-10 ESV

Life is full of struggles, events and trials no one (Christian or non-Christian) really understands. 

Kids get sick. Politicians lie. Leaders scheme and mislead. Disasters strike out of nowhere, sometimes wiping away a lifetime of diligence. Friends betray friends. Good people die before we think it’s time. People we thought were decent behave in ways that cause us immeasurable hurt and pain. Children who were raised right sometimes go terribly wrong. Spouses who swore before God to be faithful and true “till death do us part” sometimes don’t. 

This gloomy list could go on forever but I will spare you. 

For Christians all these things (and hundreds of others) are more than a long list of things that vex us or stuff that tempts us towards bitterness (Ephesians 4:31, Hebrews 12:15). All of these things (and hundreds of others) are just an opportunity to trust God with things we don’t understand (Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 37:4-6). 

Most folks tend to think of trusting God as a passive undertaking where we do nothing and God does everything, it’s not. Trusting God is more than just sitting back and patiently waiting for God to transform our mess into a message. Trusting God is an active process. Trusting God is a verb not a noun. There are things we can do that both prove we trust God and cause us to trust God. When we choose to trust God with things we don’t understand, we grow as believers. Our faith is proven genuine and our ability to love God and people is expanded (Hebrews 11, 1st Peter 1:3-9, James 1:2-4). All good things. 

All this begs the question: what does trusting God look like? 

Trusting God is more than a commitment. It’s a series of choices we make every day. The tougher the times the harder it is to make those choices. Some of those choices include: 

Choosing the path of transformation and growth-  

The whole aim of the Christian life is to be transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 12:1-21, 2nd Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3:1-25, 2nd Peter 1:3-11). This is a process, never a one and done. Transformation is lifelong journey where we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to take off our “old sinful self” (Romans 6:6, Colossians 3:9, Ephesians 4:22) and “put on” new attitudes and behaviors pleasing to God.  Over time with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed into person who looks, thinks and acts more like Jesus (2nd Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 2:12). Anytime we experience hardship or difficulty we are also tempted (sometimes subconsciously) to put the transformation process on hold and essentially stop growing spiritually. Actively trusting God means we choose to pursue holiness and growth in spite of the things we do not understand. 

Choosing forgiveness and letting God deal with people however He sees fit-  

 One of the most basic (but critical) ways we trust God is to give up our right to seek revenge and /or harbor anger and bitterness towards those who have hurt us. It doesn’t matter if they did what they did on purpose or accident. Nor does it matter if they are sorry for what they did. Trusting God means we believe that God will deal with the people who have hurt us in whatever way is most appropriate, when the timing is just right (Matthew 6:14-15, Romans 12:19).

Trusting God means serving God and others even when we feel like retreating- 

Hurt, pain and betrayal can cause us to shutdown emotionally and retreat from living life to the fullest (John 10:10). Trusting God means we continue to live life running full steam ahead serving God and people both inside and outside our local churches no matter how we feel at the moment (Romans 12:10, Ephesians 6:7-8, 1st Peter 4:10-11). 

Continuing to grow in grace-

Trusting God means that we never allow the tough, ugly stuff of life to make us hard, suspicious and/or callous towards people. Trusting God means we choose to grow in grace. Growing in grace means we do our level best to become kinder, wiser, gentler and more loving in spite of the difficulties we encounter along the journey (Proverbs 1:5, Proverbs 4:18, 1st Peter 2:2, 2nd Peter 3:18, Colossians 1:10). 

Never allowing our brokenness to become our identity- 

For Christians the hurt, pain and trauma we experience in this life is not our identity (Psalm 139:14, John 1:12, Ephesians 2:10). If we are followers of Jesus, we are NOT the sum-total of our most traumatic experiences (Ephesians 4:22-24, Galatians 4:6-7). We are not our worst mistakes. Nor our we our darkest moment. We are children of the King. We were created to be over comers and lights who shine in a dark world (Matthew 5:14, Philippians 2:14-16). Trusting God means we choose to live out our God-given identify of wholeness rather than an identity of brokenness and pain.

None of these things are easy. In fact, all of them are impossible when we try and do them in our own power. The only way to trust God fully with things we do not understand is to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).  He gives us the spiritual power we need to trust God with the things we don’t understand.  

The Secret to Running the Race of Faith Successfully-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil- Ephesians 5:15-16 NASB

Every so often, I come across a verse or passage in Scripture that hits me in an unexpected way.  These verses tend to be in the Old Testament; they ALWAYS make me weirdly self-reflective, as a result, I spend a lot of time meditating on them. It happened the other day when I came across this gem in Isaiah:

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple- Isaiah 6:1 NASB

It was the first eleven words that got me:  in the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord. Isaiah appears to be implying that in order for him have an encounter with God where he really saw and understood God in all of His glory Uzziah had to be out of the picture. In other words, Uzziah’s presence in this world kept people from seeing God clearly. 

Yikes. 

If my understanding of this verse is accurate, (and I suspect it is) it says a great deal about Uzziah and how he finished his race of faith (1st Corinthians 9:24, Hebrews 12:1). Uzziah began both his reign and his spiritual race with good intentions (2nd Chronicles 26:1-15). Uzziah had a heart for God and a desire to make Him known. For most of his life Uzziah was God’s guy. Nonetheless, the more successes he experienced the more arrogant he became. He made a classic error: he started to believe he was as awesome as everyone told him he was. He started taking credit for things that he had nothing to do with; at the same time, he stopped giving God the glory that was rightfully His.  Uzziah began to feel he was above obeying God and following rules all the less important people were required to follow (2nd Chronicles 26:16-21). All the while, Uzziah was blissfully ignorant to the changes taking place in his heart. He saw himself as the same old Uzziah he had always been. In reality he was so bloated with pride he truly believed no one (including God) had the right to tell him what to do.

Not good Uzziah. Not good at all. As I pondered all this, I began to wonder if I am doing or not doing things that make it difficult, or even impossible for people to see Jesus in me. 

It’s a relevant question. 

 Anyone who wants to successfully run their race of faith should consider this question (2nd Corinthians 13:5).  Uzziah’s story proves it’s easy to run the race of faith successfully for a long time and then just kind of hit the skids from a spiritual perspective. Unknown spiritual derailment was not just an Old Testament problem. The Apostle Paul saw the same issue in the Galatian Christians (Galatians 5:7). The Galatian believers started their spiritual walk out with a lot of hullabaloo but were eventually tripped up by legalistic people and bad theology. The Galatians were completely blind to the impact those influences were having on them.  Apparently, feelings are not a great indicator of our overall spiritual health.  

Sigh.

Spiritual success isn’t about dumb luck. If we live intentionally, with our eyes on the prize of eternity we will succeed in all the ways that really matter in life (Philippians 3:14, Matthew 25:21). Prayer is key (Matthew 26:41, Proverbs 15:8, 1st Thessalonians 5:13). Specifically, it is critical we make a point of asking God to show us our blind spots. Asking God to show us our sins and shortcomings (and meaning it) is a tough thing to do, mostly because God ALWAYS answers that prayer (if we mean it). God is not like our friends. He does not feel a codependent urge to make us feel better about ourselves when we are wandering in places we don’t belong or adopting attitudes that will ruin us (Matthew 7:21-23). There are also signs we can be alert to: dusty Bibles, a less spiritual set of friends and skipped prayer times say a lot about what’s going on in our hearts. We can also ask a few people we trust to tell us the truth about ourselves. This kind of accountability is priceless. However, in order for it to work we must be willing to humble ourselves and hear hard things sometimes. 

None of those things come easily to fallen people. 

I have concluded that humanity is so messed up that spiritual success would be impossible if it weren’t for God. We play a part in our personal sanctification (Romans 12:1-21, Colossians 3:1-17, 2nd Peter 1:3-11, Philippians 2:12). However, if God were not good, kind and merciful even when we are foolish, wayward and distracted we would all fail (Ephesians 2:1-9, Titus 3:3-7, Psalm 36:5). God roots for our success and He works in us and on us all the time to make us spiritually fruitful (John 15:1-5). I am convinced God wants us to win the race of faith more than we want to win the race of faith (Joshua 1:8). Spiritual success comes, not when we try harder but when we choose to follow God as closely as possible. That’s where Uzziah went wrong.  He lost his way because he lost sight of God.  When we choose to walk in holiness and stay in close proximity to Jesus, God does the rest. 

The Spiritual Lies that Keep Christians from Experiencing “the Abundant Life” Jesus Promised-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind.  And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it- John 1:4-5 NASB

In John chapter ten Jesus makes a truly incredible statement about Himself, salvation and how the Christian life is intended to work itself out in the lives of His followers. Jesus calls Himself the door to life and says that if anyone comes to Him that person “will have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:9-10). 

It’s an astonishing declaration.

Seriously.  There’s a reason there are so many tee-shirts, throw pillows and refrigerator magnets emblazoned with John 10:10.  However, current reality begs a critical question: if Christianity is all about an abundant life why are so many Christians so dang miserable and obviously not experiencing this “abundant life”?

 It’s because we’re doing it wrong. 

Really, we are. My goal here is not to be offensive just honest. It is true there are some Christians are doing the Christian life right but most just aren’t. This demonstrated by the fact that many Christians (by my estimation eighty percent or more) live double lives. They struggle with a big giant ugly sin or problem they don’t want anyone to know about. It might be a cruddy marriage, a drug or alcohol problem, a porn addiction or some other issue with sexual immorality. Some secretly battle debilitating spiritual doubt. These and other issues prevent believers from enjoying the benefits of the abundant life Jesus promises. 

There are all sorts of reasons Christian’s struggle. Usually, at the root of the problem there is a lack of proper discipleship training coupled with belief in one or more common spiritual lies. 

Starting with:

I can do what I want-

Christians have been taught for decades that it doesn’t really matter what we do because God is going to love us no matter what. Like most spiritual lies this one has a seed of truth at its center. God’s love is immutable (unchanging, unalterable, permanent). This means there is nothing anyone can do to make God stop loving them. Period. However, the aim of the Christian life is not to simply to be loved and adored by God (being loved by God is a byproduct of the Christian life not the goal). The aim of the Christian life is to be transformed into God’s image (Romans 8:29, Romans 12:1-2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). Here’s the thing: ultimately, we are the sum of our choices. We become what we do (Psalm 125:4-5, Jeremiah 4:22, Jeremiah 13:23, 1st Timothy 6:17-19). If we want to live an abundant life, we need to do our best to live the life God calls us to live in Scripture (Colossians 3, Romans 12, 2nd Peter 1:3-11). Choosing to ignore scriptural teaching is direct disobedience that keeps us from becoming like Jesus. Disobedience is also the fast-track route to becoming an ineffective and profoundly miserable Christian (1st Samual 15:22, Psalm 51). 

The right thing can wait-

 Oftentimes we (me included) are fully aware there is something specific God wants us to do (forgive, pray, connect with someone, help someone). Because God almost never asks us to do anything that’s easy or convenient, we will put the thing off until “later”. Too often “later” means never. When we don’t follow through on God’s instruction, we never experience the elation of having God work through us. Experiencing God’s power working through us is the most satisfying thing in all the world. It always leads to a desire for more (Psalm 119:60). 

It’s okay to do the Christian life alone-

One of my routine spiritual practices is to say the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) every day. It reminds me who’s in charge and what life is really all about. One surprising feature of the Lord’s Prayer is that there are no singular pronouns such as “I”, “my” or “me” in it. Instead, Jesus uses the plural pronouns “us” and “our”. This is not an accident, poor translation or crummy grammar.  It’s a clue we should pick up on.  Christianity (if it’s done right) is not just a private thing we do with God, it’s a corporate thing we do with God and the “the body of Christ” in community (Romans 12:5, 2nd Corinthians 12:12-27). On a practical level this means all of us should have a church we routinely attend, at least one close friend with whom we can be honest about our sins (James 5:16) and a group of Christians we love and feel accountable to. 

I don’t have to apply all the truth I know-

You do.  At least if you want to hang on to that truth. Jesus makes it clear that wisdom and truth are “use it or lose it” propositions (Luke 18:18).  Furthermore, the more willingly we apply the truth we know the more truth we will be given. Unfortunately, many Christians (me included sometimes) believe they can hear a truth and ignore it until obedience becomes expedient. The problem is that obedience is NEVER expedient and so we will never obey if we wait until it works for us. 

And finally,

Holiness is legalism.  

It’s not.

Holiness is a powerful state of existence we get invited into by the most powerful creature in all of existence (Ephesians 1:4,1st Peter 1:15). Holiness is choosing to be like God: set apart, unique and different in the very best sense. Holiness is partnering with God to fulfill His purposes in this world. Holiness is living out what we were made for and it’s the secret to doing Christianity right. 

What the Book of Romans Teaches us About the “Why” of Jesus-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

 He (the Father) raised Him (Christ) from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come- Ephesians 1:20-21 NASB

I am currently going through the book of Romans with a friend who I have a discipling relationship with.  Romans was her pick. When she picked it, I sighed inwardly but I did not have the heart to tell her it’s basically my least favorite book in the New Testament.  She was just way too excited for me to lay a heavy load of negativity on her.

So, I kept my thoughts to myself.

 It’s not the content or theology of Romans I take issue with. To the contrary, the content and the theology of Romans is some of the most profound in all the Bible. It’s Paul’s writing style that annoys me. Romans is what I call a “winding story”.  The apostle takes the long and meandering road to make the vast majority of his points. Furthermore, Paul routinely uses a hundred words when (in my opinion) fifty would more than do.  I simply prefer a more concise and tidy writing style. 

It’s just how I roll. 

However. I’m coming around to the book of Romans, mostly because it hit me kind of outa the blue that the whole book is basically just the “why” of Jesus. I do love to know the why of everything and the “why” of Jesus is, without question the most important “why” ever. There are ultimately five really good reasons why ALL people everywhere need Jesus. 

It all begins with the reality that:

All people are terrible- 

We just are. Humanity’s collective terribleness is the overarching theme of Romans 1:18-3:31. Humans love to sin because rebellion is a part of our human DNA. Jews and gentiles are both awful. The gentiles were/are terrible apart from the law (Romans 1:18-32) and the Jews were/are equally as terrible (in different ways) with the law as their guide and teacher (Romans 2:17-29). Paul sums it up neatly in Romans 3:11-18 where he quotes a bunch of Old Testament passages that tells us that no one is righteous and all people are at the core of who they are—really awful.  Humanity’s universal wickedness means that even our best efforts to do good are often self-serving and inevitably fall miserably short (Isaiah 65:6).  It’s a lot of bad news and it’s all still true in 2024.  

No one can stop being terrible without Jesus-

We just can’t.  But God knows we are prideful and self-willed so we would try. He gave the Hebrew people the Old Testament law with its system of sacrifices and rules to show us that none of us can be truly “good” in our own power.  The law was insufficient because it could not make anyone truly good or righteous (Romans 2:23, Hebrews 7:18-19). The problem wasn’t with the law. The problem was with people. A person could obey all the law and still have an evil unbelieving heart bent toward sin and evil (Matthew 5:17-48, Jeremiah 1:9, Proverbs 26:11). A better plan was needed. Jesus was that better plan. Jesus came to earth to die on the cross to become a once-for-all sacrifice, not just for the Jewish people but for all people (Hebrews 10:10, Romans 1:16-17). Jesus took on the sin of humanity so the problem of the sin could be dealt with once for all (Romans 8:3, Hebrews 9:26). He took the punishment we deserve. In doing so, the relationship between God and humanity could be restored to what it was before sin entered the world (Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 2). 

Jesus brings hope-

He just does.  Jesus was both God and man. He was born of a virgin woman because the seed of sin came through Adam (Romans 5:12). Because Jesus is God, He was able to live a sinless life. A perfect sinless sacrifice was what was needed to satisfy God’s warranted anger at mankind’s sin and rebellion (Romans 1:18). We also needed a way to actually be better. Jesus is the way. When we place our faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection God no longer sees our sin and terribleness (Colossians 1:21-22). Instead, God sees the goodness and righteousness of Jesus. Our sins are forgiven and forgotten by God (Psalm 32:1, Acts 10:43, Romans 4:7-8, Colossians 1:13-14). 

Jesus not only makes us righteous in God’s eyes He also makes us far less terrible from a practical perspective- 

Jesus not only died for our sins, He also lived a perfect, sinless life to teach us how to live a life that pleases God. When we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are no longer slaves to our sinful tendencies and desires (Romans 6:6, 2nd Corinthians 5:17, 2nd Corinthians 3:18, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11). We are set free to do what is right (Romans 6:16-17). Romans 12:1-21 gives us the road map for loosening the bonds of our sinful nature and being transformed into the image of Jesus. When we do what Romans twelve tells us to do we become what the apostle Peter called “partakers of the divine nature” (2nd Peter 1:4-10). When we choose to live a life of repentance and obedience we literally become like the God we serve.

And finally: 

Jesus gives people the ultimate purpose and hope for a better future. The book of Romans promises all of God’s people the joy of present usefulness, no matter their present situation (Matthew 5:14-16, Romans 15:14, Romans 15:17, Romans 12:6, 1st Corinthians 12:27-13:13). When we give our lives to Jesus He empowers with gifts that enable us to do His will in this world. As a result, we become change agents who bring light, life and truth to a lost and dying world. On top of all of that we get to spend all of eternity with the God of the universe (John 3:16, Romans 6:23).

And, that’s the why of Jesus.

The Real Reason Holiness Matters-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God- 2nd Corinthians 7:1 NIV

Holiness. 

It’s a weirdly contentious subject these days (more on that later).

The Bible defines holiness as being separate from sin and/or being set apart and dedicated to the service of God (Genesis 2:3, Exodus 40:9-10). Holiness falls into two categories. The first is: 

Behavioral holiness- 

Behavioral holiness is what we see (for the most part) in the Old Testament. In some ways this type of holiness is less about inside-out-righteousness that comes from the heart and more about conforming human behavior to the will of God.  

Here’s the thing:

People are by their very nature fallen, sinful and powerless to do good from the heart. (Genesis 3:1-24, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 7:25, 1st John 1:8). No one but God can be righteous without a great deal of help from God. That being said, even sinful people are capable of managing their behavior, so that’s what people did pre-Jesus if they wanted to please God. Humans in the Old Testament followed rules, modified their behavior and avoided things on the naughty list in order to be good enough to be in a relationship of sorts with a completely HOLY God (Exodus 3:5, Exodus 22:31, Leviticus 6:17). Most of the Old Testament law is basically just a big rulebook telling people how to be “good enough” in their actions. It was a system filled with all sorts of issues. However, the system was essential until Jesus showed-up and changed the whole structure of how people relate to God (more on that later).

The other category of holiness is:

Positional holiness- 

When humans put their faith and trust in Jesus they become positionally holy. When Jesus died on the cross, He became a substitute for us (2nd Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:11-14, 1st Peter 2:24, Romans 3:23-25). This was necessary because God is totally holy and totally just. Because God is just He can’t just ignore the most serious thing ever: sin (Romans 5:12, 1st Corinthians 15:56). Because we all sin, we all deserve to die and be punished eternally for our sin. However, because God is totally loving, Jesus took the bullet (metaphorically speaking) we all deserve (Romans 4:25, Hebrews 2:14). All we have to do to avoid the penalty of death is to put our faith and trust in Jesus and the work He did on the cross.  The fancy pants theological term for this exchange is propitiation.  When we choose faith in Jesus, Jesus takes our sin and unrighteousness, in exchange we are given the righteousness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit has a guide and helper.  When God sees us, He doesn’t see our sin, instead He sees the righteousness of Christ. The fancy-pants theological term for this exchange is justification (Romans 4:25).  Because this kind of holiness is accompanied by the Holy Spirit it has the power to actually change our hearts, something behavioral holiness alone could never do. 

There are Christians who believe there is no need for Christians to modify or change their behavior in any way. These folks believe that because God has forgiven all our sin, we can keep on sinning without problems or penalty.  Some even believe it’s legalistic to insist on behavioral holiness. This is remarkably horrendous theology because it ignores two critical issues: the point of salvation and the nature of God 

The point of salvation is not simply to rescue our sorry tail ends from hell, although that is one of many benefits’ salvation offers. Salvation is mainly about restoring humanity to a pre-fallen state and a pre-fallen relationship with God (Genesis 1-2, Revelation 21:3-5).  Once we are justified (made positionally holy) our primary task is to get to know God on a personal level and (with the help of the Holy Spirit) let go of all the behaviors and attitudes that marked our pre-Jesus life (Colossians 3, Romans 12, 2nd Peter 1:5-11). The fancy-pants theological term for this process is sanctification. The more sanctified we are the more like Jesus we become. 

It’s a beautiful thing.

However, these are not the only reason behavioral holiness matters. The other reason has to do with the nature of God and the reality of salvation. God is totally holy. There is zero sin in Him (Leviticus 19:2). Once a person becomes a Christian, the God of the universe literally lives inside them (I know, it’s crazy). This means that everything we do God becomes a part of. Paul touched on this idea in his letter to the Corinthian Christians:

 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 1stCorinthians 6:15-17

Paul insisted Christians avoid sexual immorality, not because it was icky. But, because every time anyone has sexual relations outside of the marriage covenant they force the Holy Spirit (God) to become an unwilling accomplice to their immorality. Anytime we sin in any way, we force a holy, righteous God into our sin. When we gossip, lust, commit sexual immorality, think unkind thoughts about others, practice injustice, lie or steal God is right there. We are forcing a holy God into unholy situations.

Yikes. 

This is how a Christian grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).  It is critical we understand God does not abandon us when we sin post-salvation (John 10:27-29, Romans 8:38-39). God is not mean. He is patient and kind. He is also quick to forgive ANY repentant sinner. That being said, progressive sanctification (the process of becoming holy in our attitudes and behavior as well as our position) is fundamental to spiritual maturity and growth because virtue, holiness and righteousness make us like Jesus (Romans 6:13-16). When we become like Jesus it pleases the Father. 

Every child of God wants that.

Fake Christians- a Real and Growing Problem

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? 2nd Corinthians 13:5 NASB

The deep thinkers in Church World have all sorts of opinions and theories as to what are the biggest and most vexing problems plaguing the modern-day Church. Weak preaching, scandals, bad doctrine, biblical illiteracy, legalism, lax sexual ethics, the acceptance of homosexuality, divorce, lack of strategy, division and Christian nationalism have all been bandied about as the cause of the Churches high attrition rates and inability to reach the lost and redeem the culture. 

With all due respect to the deep thinkers, all the above-mentioned problems are (for the most part) real and genuine. However, they are just symptoms of a much bigger and more complex problem:

Unsaved Christians.

For those screaming “oxymoron” at the ceiling right now, you are correct. There is no such thing as an unsaved Christian.  It’s an impossibility. One is either saved or unsaved, Christian or heathen. No one can be all those things all at the same time. Nonetheless, there is an increasingly large number of people who profess to be Christians, look like Christians and act like Christians (at least when people are watching) who have never actually made the journey from spiritual death to spiritual life (John 3:1-18 1st Peter 1:3-5). 

They don’t know Jesus. 

This sad state of affairs should come as no surprise. Jesus advised His people this day would come (Matthew 13:24-36). The apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders there would be false teachers (unsaved Christians) who would infiltrate the church, preach a false gospel and create all manner of chaos for genuine believers (Acts 20:29-31). In 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 Paul describes in graphic detail what unsaved Christians look and act like (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). Jude and Peter both strongly warned of the problems unsaved Christians would introduce into the church. 

Most unsaved Christians have no clue they are not the real deal. Jesus hinted this would be the case when He taught on the wide and narrow gates (Matthew 7:13-14).  He stated it in the clearest possible terms when He taught about true and false disciples (Matthew 7:21-23).  Jesus said these things because He knew the conduct of unsaved Christians would create doubt concerning the goodness of God in the hearts of those wounded by unsaved Christians. Many Christians (including some who are the real deal) have abandoned church because of something terrible a (likely) unsaved Christian or Christian leader did. Jesus also knew one bad apple really can spoil a whole barrel. Therefore, it’s essential Christians take their cues on what’s right and wrong from the Bible—not the behavior of other Christians. Christians are commanded to follow Jesus—not people. People inevitably disappoint—Jesus never does. 

Furthermore: 

Christians ought to be very careful about making judgments based entirely on one or even three or four interactions. Even a genuine believer can have a bad day, week or season. The judgement of “unsaved Christian” should be applied sparingly. There should be zero gossiping or wild speculation concerning the spiritual state of others. That’s icky.  

Seriously. 

Nonetheless. It is wise to be on the lookout for behavior patterns in ourselves and others that indicate a lack of real relationship with Jesus. The following five behavior patterns indicate a serious spiritual problem that requires immediate attention:

A less than cozy relationship with truth-  

Anyone who routinely lies or who has no guilt about lying (even occasionally) is probably not saved. Jesus is clear: knee-jerk deceit is an indicator someone has a tighter relationship with the devil than they do with God (John 8:43-45).  

Do what I say—not what I do-

There are two ways this works itself out. One way is through acts of classic hypocrisy: saying something is right and demanding others obey, then doing the exact opposite. There is also a form of hypocrisy that is more nuanced and tougher to spot. Sometimes Christians (especially Christian leaders) will urge or demand others to work and serve while they sit. This is a spiritual problem. All Christians are called to DO good works, not just talk about the importance of doing them (Matthew 23:23-28, 3rd John 1:11)

Lots of foliage—zero fruit-  

False teachers and unsaved Christians are like the fig tree cursed by Jesus (Matthew 21:18-19). They look awesome from a distance, but up close they are missing all the hallmarks of authentic Christianity: faith, obedience, life transformation, love for others, good works, thankfulness and compassion. (Hebrews 11:6, Ephesians 2:10, Romans 12:2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18, Luke 6:36, Matthew 5:7, Matthew 23:3, Colossians 4:2, Hebrews 12:28, Galatians 5:22-23)

Faultfinding and nitpicking- 

We all nitpick and fault-find on occasion. It’s a part of our fallen nature. However, unsaved Christians tend to have a chronically harsh and legalistic spirit that sees the worst and always assumes bad intent. Many unsaved Christians believe in their heart messy people are irredeemable, rather than works in progress. Christian love believes the best and always hopes for heart change (Jude 1:16, 1st Corinthians 13).  

It’s all cool-  

Like it or not, God places some firm boundaries around the behavior of His people (Exodus 20:1-17, Galatians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:8-10). If an unsaved Christian is not a legalistic faultfinder there’s a pretty decent chance they will be a raging libertine. In other words, they will show contempt for God’s boundaries and encourage others to do the same (Romans 1:32). 

Christians are called to examine themselves to see if they are walking in and living out the teachings of the Bible (2nd Corinthians 13:5). If after a self-evaluation, you find you are lacking in Christian virtues, ask God for forgiveness and course correct ASAP (1st John 1:9-10). 

It’s critical Christians understand we are not called to judge the worthiness of others. However, we are commanded to be discerning about who we follow and spend time with (1st Corinthians 15:33). Sometimes that means separating from those who refuse to repent and show numerous signs of not being the real deal (1stCorinthians 5:11), although, we should never fail to pray for them. 

The Inside Scoop on God’s Discipline-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it- Hebrews 12:11 NIV 

Is there a difference between discipline and punishment?

It matters because there are times when God’s discipline can feel every bit as unpleasant as punishment. However, there is a monumental difference between the two. The purpose of punishment is to inflict pain and sorrow without hope or relief (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:36-50, Luke 13:22-27). Conversely, discipline is intended to teach, correct and train. 

The whole point of discipline is to bring about maturity and to transform a person into something infinitely better. God does not punish Christians. Truth-be-told, God does not punish anyone (believer or unbeliever) prior to physical death. Physical death is the final cutoff for God’s mercy and grace.  Hell is real. It is a place reserved for those who refuse God’s kindness (Matthew 10:28, Matthew 18:9) by willfully rejecting Jesus and the salvation He brings. Discipline can be painful and it can feel punitive. However, the purpose of God’s discipline is to keep people from experiencing punishment. At the root of discipline is kindness, love and concern for the long-term wellbeing of the one receiving discipline (Hebrews 12:11)

God disciplines everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike. For non-Christians the point of discipline is to bring the unbeliever into the family of God. God loves human beings so much He will use anything short of sin to bring someone to faith in Jesus (John 3:16). When all else fails God will use pain, discomfort and trouble to bring people to the end of themselves. When someone comes to the end of their own understanding and ability to cope with the challenges of life they begin looking outside of themselves for answers. This unraveling of self-reliance is frequently the beginning of the faith journey. 

For Christians the purpose of discipline is different. 

For Christians, God’s discipline is all about bringing the believer to a place of obedience so that they can be transformed into the image of Jesus (2nd Corinthians 3:18, Romans 12:2, 1st Peter 1:22-2:4, 2nd Peter 1:3-10). A rebellious, disobedient or carnal Christian will never experience authentic spiritual transformation or become everything God wants them to be.  

It just doesn’t happen.  

For the record, not every difficulty Christians experience is the result of disobedience. Some of the trouble we experience in this life is simply the result of living in a fallen world. Death, becoming a victim of human evil and disease are not God’s discipline. Those painful occurrences are the natural consequences of living in a world broken by sin. God doesn’t use those things to discipline people. Those types of situations all fall under the category of a trial. For a Christian, a trial is a test of faith that has nothing to do with disobedience. Trials are an unpleasant part of life that will (if we allow them to) strengthen our faith, make us more compassionate and draw us closer to Jesus (James 1:2-4). Trials are no fun but they are not God’s discipline.

 The whole point of the Christian life is to become like Jesus. Therefore, God will do whatever it takes to bring a wayward Christian back into obedience. Following are three possible signs a Christian is experiencing discipline. 

A loss of personal peace-

Personal peace is the birthright of every born-again believer in Jesus (John 14;27, Luke 1:76-77, Romans 5:1, Romans 14:17, 2nd Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:6-7). Jesus came to make peace between God and humanity and to give peace to those who walk in obedience to God’s will (James 1:2-4, 1st Peter 1:6). Therefore, one of the surest signs a Christian is experiencing spiritual discipline is loss of personal peace. Discipline is always a result of disobedience and disobedience is a fast-track to personal turmoil. If you are experiencing a loss of peace, it is critical you seek the Lord and ask Him to show you how you are living outside the will of God. 

Self-inflicted pain- 

Some of the pain we experience in life is one-hundred-percent outside our control. However, a great deal of the pain we encounter in life is the direct result of our own foolish choices, sin and willful short-sightedness. Anytime we experience a great deal of pain, difficulty or trouble we ought to do a deep dive into the cause of that pain. If the trouble is a direct result of our own choices, there is a really good chance God is trying to get our attention.  We would be wise to heed His voice. 

A rocky path- 

One of the most merciful things God does for His children is to make their path difficult when they choose to live in willful disobedience. Again, this is not punishment, its discipline intended to get us to look upward and ask for direction. If things that were once going well (relationships, work, finances, etc.) are now going poorly, it’s time for some serious self-evaluation and ask God for insight on where exactly the problem lies (2nd Corinthians 13:5). 

In our anything goes world; the whole notion of discipline has some seriously negative connotations. Even many Christians believe the most loving thing a person can do is just leave people alone in their sin. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Sin and disobedience always leads to self-destruction of some sort. A good God cares enough to get us back on track and sometimes that means a little pain in exchange for a whole lot of personal gain. 

Yeses that Change Everything-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ- 2nd Corinthians 1:20

There is a teeny-tiny little word that does not get nearly enough credit for all the good it can do. 

Yes. 

I still remember the expectancy and joy I felt as a little kid anytime an adult would say “yes” to an appeal I made or give the A-Okay to one of my little kid plans. Most people, even those of us who are way past the little kid stage of life still feel a sense of anticipation and excitement anytime we get a “yes” to a request. 

It’s just how God wired us. 

Yes, is a word that can awaken hope and give a much-needed dose of encouragement. Hearing a yes after a season of no’s is like a breath of fresh air to our souls. Getting a yes is good. However, it’s saying yes to the right things that brings transformation to our souls and opens the door for every good thing in our lives.  

Following are five of the best, most life-giving, soul-impacting yeses a human being can embrace. The first is: 

Jesus-

Without a doubt the most powerful and life changing yes of all, is the “yes” we say to Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and salvation. Saying yes to Jesus is the first step in a new life of hope and transformation (2nd Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:14-16). Jesus’ offer of salvation is really the best of deals. When we say yes to faith in Jesus we exchange shame, hopelessness and fear of death for joy, peace, a sense of purpose and an eternity spent with God (Psalm 16:11, John 3:36, John 6:40, John 10:28, Romans 2:7, Galatians 6:8, Hebrews 2:14-16). All we have to do is ask for forgiveness for our sin and agree to live our life for Jesus (Acts 16:31). Seriously. It’s that easy. 

Forgiving others- 

Forgiveness is a not a suggestion God makes. It’s a command with promises and curses attached (Matthew 6:14-15, Luke 11:4, Colossians 3:13). It is also a nonnegotiable piece of the discipleship process (Romans 12:14-21).  God demands His people forgive others because He knows unforgiveness, holding grudges and the bitterness that always results from holding grudges causes people to become entirely self-focused and to dwell endlessly on the negative. Unforgiveness inevitably leads to self-centered, warped and faulty thinking. Self-centered, faulty thinking makes it difficult to have healthy, God-honoring relationships (Genesis 2:18, 1st Corinthians 12:27). Human beings were created for relationship. As a result, the inability to have healthy relationships short-circuits our purpose in Christ.  It works like this: when we choose to hold on to unforgiveness that choice gives the devil a foothold in our thinking (1st Peter 5:8, Ephesians 4:26-27). Unfortunately, a little, tiny foothold is all Satan needs to twist our thinking in such a way that seeds of bitterness are planted deep in our hearts. Our bitterness in turn colors everything we experience in life, defiling us and those we love most (Hebrews 12:15). Sadly, unforgiveness quickly becomes a prison with the lock on the inside (Hebrews 12:14, Ephesians 4:30-31). Saying “yes” to forgiveness is the only key that opens the prison door.  

A fresh start- 

Everybody messes up. Even Christians. Even the most committed followers of Jesus do stupid stuff, make mistakes, get caught up in foolish passions, go sideways in life and find ingenious ways to ruin their perfectly good lives. Thankfully, God, in His infinite mercy is always willing to give anyone who wants it fresh start and a new beginning. All we have to do is ask (Psalm 5:1-19). In order for the fresh start to take root in our lives we have to humbly submit ourselves to God by choosing to do life God’s way rather than try to figure right and wrong out on our own (Lamentations 3:21-23, 2nd Samuel 24:14, Acts 3:19). 

A new level of obedience- 

We become a Christian the moment we accept God’s offer of forgiveness. One aspect of becoming a Christian is making the choice to become a student of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30). Because Jesus loves us and ultimately wants us to be the best people we can be, He is always calling us to a new level of obedience (2nd Corinthians 5:17, 1stCorinthians 11:9-11, Colossians 3). Saying “yes” to obedience always brings us to a new and higher level of functioning in our lives. 

Gratitude

Saying “yes” to gratitude is a spiritual gamechanger. A heart of gratitude actually has the opposite effect on our thinking that unforgiveness does. While unforgiveness twists our thinking and causes us to focus on ourselves and the negative, gratitude towards God gives us clarity and empowers us to see the good in the world.  Saying “yes” to gratitude is a powerful form of spiritual protection that keeps the enemy from gaining a foothold in our thinking (Colossians 3:16, 1st Thessalonians 5:18, Colossians 2:6-7). 

Truth-be-told, there is very little in this world we have complete control over. However, what we say “yes” to is one thing we do have control over. When we choose to say yes to things that please and honor God, God, in turn, blesses our choices. Then we are formed into the image of Jesus and become a blessing (Romans 12:2, 2ndCorinthians 3:18)

It’s a win-win. 

The Lesser Understood Keys to Spiritual Growth-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ- 2nd Peter 1:10b-11 NIV

One of the fundamental spiritual misunderstandings of our time is centered around salvation. Many believe salvation is a one and done, an event where a person crosses a threshold and goes from hell-bound-heathen to saintly-and-saved to in the blink of an eye.

 Truth-be-told there is an “event” aspect to salvation (Romans 10:9-10). When a person places their faith and trust in Jesus to save them from the consequences of their sin they are very much saved from ALL the consequences of their sin, including eternal damnation (Luke 23:32:43). 

However. 

For those who do not die immediately following their confession of faith there is a process aspect to salvation. The fancy-pants-theological word for this process is “sanctification”. The Apostle Paul called it “working out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Whatever you choose to call it, it’s essentially just the act of being transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 1:1-2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). There is no shortage of biblical teaching on the “how” of sanctification. All of Romans 12, 1st Thessalonians 4:1-12, 2nd Peter 1:3-9, Colossians 3 and Ephesians chapters 4, 5 and 6 all give detailed instructions concerning what a Christian should and shouldn’t do in order to work out their salvation. 

Nonetheless. 

Sanctification can be difficult to pull off. I suspect this is because there are beliefs and behaviors a person must embrace before the sanctification process can work. These are perquisites to holiness 101, if you will. In order for the sanctification process to work we must be willing to:

Train yourself to think deeply about things that matter-

In a recent sermon our pastor pointed out that our generation is literally besieged with an endless array of information on all sorts of different topics. We listen to podcasts, watch the news, scroll through endless social media feeds and read a lot of articles on a vast array of diverse subjects. There is nothing wrong or sinful about pursuing knowledge. However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The net effect of this information overkill is that we tend to think superficially about whole bunch of different issues, but deeply about almost nothing. If we want to become holy we must train ourselves to think deeply about important issues. Profound things like the meaning of life, what it really means to be holy, our role in the universe, how we become righteous and how all that works itself out in our day-to-day lives. The only way we will ever have the bandwidth to think deeply about anything is to cull some of the information we are receiving. Once that’s done, we must set aside chunks of time to think through the information we are receiving and then seek the Lord for wisdom on how to implement what we’ve learned. Holiness requires godly wisdom. No one has ever attained wisdom apart from thinking deeply about life, God and eternity (2nd Timothy 3:15, Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 1:1-3)

Adopt a right view of God-

God is not simply a bigger, wiser, smarter version of humanity. God is as different from human beings as teapots are from tacos. How we understand God matters. A lot. Our most critical task in this life is to acquire a right view of Him. We do this by developing a healthy fear of God (Deuteronomy 6:13, Exodus 1:17-21, Proverbs 1:7, Psalm 33:8-18). Fearing God isn’t being afraid of God. When we fear God, we believe deep in our heart-of-hearts God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. In turn this gut-level conviction trickles down into every aspect of life. People who fear God understand God knows their most innermost thoughts and feelings (Hebrews 4:13). When a person fears God, they do what He says. Fearing God is THE key to closeness with God (James 2:23, Psalm 25:14, Psalm 147:11)

Embrace a proper view of the human heart-  

The world encourages people to “follow their heart”.  The Bible tells us the human heart is wicked and easily deceived (Jeremiah 17:9, Consequently, a heart not submitted to Jesus and firmly rooted in the truth of Scripture will lead a person to hell (literally and figuratively). Every. Single Time. Furthermore, unless a person is redeemed by Jesus their most authentic self is their sin nature. Even people who know and love Jesus are still capable of great foolishness and evil. Therefore, holiness requires we obey God not our hearts (Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 10:8, Ephesians 5:1). 

Align our internal motivations and intentions with God’s word- 

In his excellent book The Awe of God John Bevere says every person has three images. There is our “projected image” (the carefully crafted persona we want the world to see), our “perceived image” (how others see us) and our “actual image” (the us God sees). At the core of what God sees in us is the “why” of what we do. Do we serve out of a desire to please God or people? Do we love others so we will be loved by them or because we want to honor and please God? It is the intentions and motivations of our hearts that will be judged by God (1st Corinthians 5:10, 1st Corinthians 3:10-15, Revelation 20:11-13). This makes getting our internal motivations aligned with God’s will of critical importance. 

Sanctification (holiness) is the end-all be-all goal of the Christian faith (Romans 6:18-23, 1st Corinthians 1:3, Ephesians 1:3-5, 1st Peter 1”15-16, Hebrews 12:14). The end result of holiness is joy, peace of mind, spiritual usefulness and the knowledge that the Maker of All Things is pleased with our actions and attitudes. Those things are worth doing whatever it takes to get there.