Ephesians 1:5-7, Selected Texts (NASB)
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
22 June, 2003
All Rights Reserved
Religion is a perplexing thing. The world is full of people pursuing religious observances with great zeal. Some burn incense, some sacrifice animals, some punish themselves, some punish others, some exalt the self, some debase the self, some are controlling, while others remove all restraint. How does one find truth in all of that?
The proliferation of religions creates questions for the Christian as well. How can God send my neighbor, who is practicing his religion with more commitment than I do mine, to hell? Christianity has done many good things, but individuals in other religions have done good things also. Some non-Christians seem to be better people than some Christians.
Then there is the problem of comparison between different expressions of Christianity. One person chooses to get arrested repeatedly in front of abortion clinics--must I do that to please God? Another rises early to have lengthy devotions, another gives large sums of money, another volunteers, and many go into the ministry. The example of the others always seems to call our own walk with Christ into question. We are vulnerable to anyone who says we should be doing more, or doing differently. We all know people whose religion seems to be killing them--a few in body, but many in spirit. Jesus said that he came to bring those who believe in him abundant life, yet even well-meaning Christians seem to be lean in spirit.
I. THE PROMISE OF ABUNDANT LIFE
I believe that true Christianity answers all of these issues with the undiluted truth and unreserved blessing of God, but that few know it and fewer practice it. The abundant life which Jesus promised is the birthright of every believer. Jesus himself warned us: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Does that mean that God is being tricky about the way to blessing? Never! Does the narrow gate refer to our keeping a flawless observance of the Law? No, for then Christ would not have died for us. Are there few who find abundant life because God has such high performance standards that only the superstars make it? No, no, and again I say no!
In fact, God has been straightforwardly telling the whole world the path to abundant life for thousands of years and he has sacrificed his own Son to provide access to that life. At the same time that millions know the way and have access, they also have three hurricane-force voices telling them a different story. The world system as raised up against God screams a wrong message. Our flesh, in which sin resides, speaks falsehoods to us from the inside. And the Enemy of our souls, the Devil, pounds us with lies day and night. Abundant life must be snatched by force from this whirlwind of lies. Jesus said: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). The “violence” is work of a sort, but spiritual work which consists of disregarding the hurricane of lies about Christ and choosing, in the midst of all that screaming, to place all of your faith and hope in Christ alone.
II. THE WHEEL OF DEATH
The path to abundant life for the few who find it is described by a diagram which I call the wheel of life. This diagram was first suggested to me in a sermon by Pastor Sunder Krishnan. I do not know where he got it, but it is simply a way to picture the essential path to life found in Scripture. Unlike most diagrams, this one is dynamic. If anyone follows the wheel of life backwards, which most people do, it becomes the wheel of spiritual death.
The wheel, when followed anticlockwise, describes the life logic of all atheists and all false religions. It is the life logic of legalism, failure, burnout, dissatisfaction, and ultimate spiritual death. I could summarize it like this: I begin with my own ideas of what matters in life, and I select some work which reflects my views. Through my work, I find meaning and significance in my life. This sense of meaning grants entrance to the next thing I desperately seek, and that is sustenance. In other words, my work and significance seem to feed my soul. They energize me and give me a reason to live. Finally, my work, significance, and sustenance grant me a chance at my greatest hope: that I will find acceptance from people and ultimately God. I am reminded of a man I know who has a job where he serves people in a very significant way and who has refused to believe in Christ. He once remarked to me: “I hope the man upstairs takes into account what I am doing.”
Of course he does! God is good, so he always takes good work into account. But while people grant acceptance to those who do them good, God grants acceptance to no one based upon good works, as King David sang: “And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, /For in Your sight no man living is righteous” (Psalm 143:2).
While traveling in Arizona my wife and I visited Taliesin West, the winter home of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The complex of buildings was built and rebuilt over many years on the brow of a small mountain with a panoramic view which Wright called The Rim of the World. His work, which is spread over hundreds of remarkable structures around the world, reflects a brilliance which has rarely been seen in the history of architecture. By using the creative part of the image of God which was imprinted on his soul he found his work, he found significance, he found sustenance for this life, and great human acceptance. But to my knowledge, he never found acceptance with God. I would love to discover that I am wrong.
When we start on the quest of life with our own ideas of what matters we inevitably fall into idolatry--it cannot be otherwise. As the prophet Isaiah spoke: “Their land has also been filled with idols; /They worship the work of their hands, /That which their fingers have made” (Isaiah 2:8). The drive for significance also leads to a kind of self-oriented idolatry, even in the church. The Apostle John had to contend with a man who rose to leadership in a local church who was bent on finding his significance by manipulating that body. John said: “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say” (3 John 9). It takes quite a bit of brass to disregard an Apostle. Why would Diotrephes be so bold? Maintaining improper sole authority in the church had become his daily bread. He was no doubt prepared to fight like a tiger to protect what he considered to be the source of his life and the means by which he gained acceptance. In his case, I think his battle with human acceptance was primarily to accept himself. I feel sure that the church accepted him only with reservations, and such a rebellious person would find no acceptance with God whatsoever.
If Frank Lloyd Wright is a non-religious example of following the wheel of life the wrong way around, let us also consider a religious example. A fair number of Christian denominations believe that absolution for sin must be obtained from a priest. The “layman” is assigned the work of going to the priest repeatedly to stay current. As I was worshiping in an Anglican church in Oxford, England, I was alarmed to discover that the liturgy was leading us to a point where the priest would pronounce absolution for my sins. I in no way wanted this, and fortunately the substitute leading the service was not approved to absolve sins, so I escaped. The New Testament is clear that the idea of humans absolving other humans of sin is completely false, as Paul explained to Timothy: “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...” (1 Timothy 2:5).
So why do so many people and churches try to follow this practice? They are traveling the wheel of life backwards in their religion. They begin with ideas of religion which make sense to them, follow the ideas with determined religious works, and come to view those works as granting them significance with respect to their religion. That significance gives a feeling that their religion is life to them, and affords them a powerful sense of acceptance from others of the same mind. It sounds wonderful and can look good from the outside, but it is simply wrong and only leads to spiritual death. God is not obligated to grant acceptance to anyone on their own terms. These are some of the hardest people to reach with the good news of Christ.
Are you trying to run the wheel of life backwards? Maybe a little? Do you feel like you are on a treadmill which never leads to peace, joy, and abundant life in Christ? Believe me, many evangelical Christians are on the wheel of death, not the wheel of life. Do you feel like you never measure up in the practice of your faith? Is guilt your daily bread? I recommend you quit that form of Christianity because it always leads to spiritual death.
On the other hand, you may feel that you are doing quite well in running the wheel backwards--for the time being! But self-directed works, which give a temporary sense of significance and seem to feed our souls for a time will fail us. Some people go through their entire lives without experiencing that failure and discover at the judgment that God’s version of life is entirely different. It will be particularly sad for the very religious people, even those who did good works in the name of Jesus, to whom God will say: “I never knew you; depart from Me...” (Matthew 7:23b).
III. THE WHEEL OF LIFE
But thank God that this does not have to be our fate! God’s plan is to provide a way for everyone who believes in Christ to receive full acceptance. Paul explained it to the Ephesians this way: “He [God] predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:5-7). The phrase “adoption as sons” in the ancient world meant the full rights and privileges of inclusion in the family. Though in other places we are called children of God, it is important for adoption that we be called sons even if we are women because only sons in the ancient world could be full heirs. So rather than being a term which overlooks women, the adoption by God as sons placed Christian women on a par with men as “fellow heirs of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7). This was a first in the ancient world.
And how is this adoption provided to us? It is by faith in Christ, for “in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” It is by grace alone that we are welcomed into the arms of God the Father. It’s free! The only way to fail out of the first part of the wheel of life is to refuse the gift. The hope of the person on the wheel of death is: “Accept me because of what I do,” and the hope of the person on the wheel of life is: “I am accepted because of what Christ has freely given me!” Hallelujah! And while the wheel of death starts with works and ends with a flimsy attempt at acceptance, the wheel of life begins with bulletproof acceptance.
The wheel of life then moves to an inexhaustible source of sustenance in Christ, who warns all of us: “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal” (John 6:27). This is what the bread signifies in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus is saying: “Don’t walk the wheel of death! Don’t try to work for your very life principle--I will give it to you freely!” In another place, Jesus explained it this way: “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). In both instances Jesus provides an inexhaustible supply of life itself. This is a plan which cannot fail.
Then the wheel of life moves to significance. The person on the wheel of death says: “I am significant because of what I do.” Jesus says to the person on the wheel of life: “You are significant because you are an adopted member and full heir of the divine royal family by faith.” Peter explained it in his letter to Christians in exile who no doubt felt like dirt: “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY” (1 Peter 2:9-10 -- caps indicate OT quotes). The believer’s significance is impenetrable: “‘No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; /And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. /This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, /And their vindication is from Me,’ declares the LORD” (Isaiah 54:17). They may take everything away from you, but no one can take who you are!
Finally, we come to the nature and reason for Christian works on the wheel of life. One may be tempted to think that if we have everything in Christ we might as well sit on our hind quarters and wait for his return! One would be wrong. First we affirm that for the believer, Jesus words are true: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). We have been granted rest from the unbearable load of seeking significance, sustenance, and acceptance with God by our own labors. But notice that we are in a yoke with Jesus. Yokes were huge beams worn by two oxen so that they could do lots of work! The key is that Christ is in the yoke with us, and if the Almighty God is pulling on one side of our yoke with infinite power, how much of the power do we supply? None. We only agree to be in the yoke with Jesus by faith. So if your service for Christ is an unbearable burden which is killing you, I advise you to give it up! You are probably laboring on the wheel of death at that moment. Jesus’ yoke is easy. That’s just a fact.
CONCLUSION
If you are thinking: “Doing what I do is why people accept me,” you are in bondage. If you are thinking: “Doing what I do is why God accepts me,” you are in bondage also. In either case, the moment you stop doing what you’re doing your acceptance collapses. Some parents do this to their children: “If you do something I don’t like I reject you as a person.” How grievous for that child! Your heavenly Father would never do that to one of his children. If you are an adopted son or daughter of our Great Father, he has promised never to leave you, never to abuse you, never to lie to you, and never to neglect you. The false gods of this world use their servants up and throw them out. The One True God loves and treasures his servants, serving them more than they serve him. Which wheel are you on--the wheel of life or the wheel of death? Your reception of Christ’s gift to you by faith is the only thing which makes the difference.