5 Truths About Our Battle With Sin We Hate To Admit

If you are a Christian, you battle with sin. It is not even necessary for me to list examples of the types of struggles with the flesh you may have. The minute you read the title of this post, you most likely had a specific struggle in mind. You have within you both flesh and Spirit, and the two are contrary to one another. Knowing this, however, does not mean the fight will easy or that you have it all under control. Here are five truths about your fight with sin you hate to admit.

1. Some battle scars are fresher than you are comfortable acknowledging.

As Christians, we are quick to acknowledge our struggles with sin, but we prefer to talk about the battles of the past. The ones where we have seen significant victory. The problem is, you have recent battle wounds as well. The fact that the battle is on-going is not something you like to broadcast to the world.

2. You sometimes try to get as close to the flame as possible without getting burned.

No matter how much you despise the sin that so easily besets you, you still find yourself wanting to get as close to it as possible. You think, "I will only allow myself this much room and will draw the line here." The problem is that every time you get close to the line, it seems to move just a little further. This tendency to push boundaries has left you, on more than one occasion, beating yourself up over going too far.

3. You sometimes wonder why you are drawn to the very thing you despise.

Every time you are deceived by the deceitfulness of sin, you wonder how, at times, you desire the very thing you hate. Like Paul, you cry out, "who will save me from this body of death?" Even when you want to do right, evil is close at hand. You know that the problem with temptation is you because deep down you still have desires that war against your soul.

4. When it comes to your growth in godliness, you thought you would be further along than you are now.

You often think back to the many times you swore it was the last time, and you set out to grow in godliness. If you have been a Christian for a long time now, you remember looking forward to this time in your life with great anticipation. You imagined you would have experienced greater sanctification than you have.

5. You wonder if you are the only one; certainly there are other Christians out there who have risen above this.

You occasionally look at other Christians and think, surely they don't have to war with sin the way I do. They seem to be the picture of piety. When you look at them from the outside, you think, "their heart does not struggle like mine." You may even hear from someone who claims, contrary to scripture, to have stopped sinning, and you think, maybe it is true. Maybe it is just me.

What you need to know

1. You are not alone because being a Christian means battling sin.

This fight is something we all face, and warfare never happens without a few wounds. The fact that sanctification is a process that will not be completed this side of eternity means that every believer, no matter how sanctified they are, still has unsanctified areas in their life. In fact, the closer you walk with Jesus, the more aware of the battle you will be. The problem is not when you feel the conflict, the problem is during those times when you do not. In fact, John Newton once asked the Lord that he might grow and found that these inward trials were part of the growth process. Temptation will continue to come as long as you live, and it can be difficult to resist, but our standing in Christ is not shaken because we encounter temptation. As John Owen once said, "When we say a tree is firmly rooted, we do not say the wind never blows upon it."

2. You are not alone because Jesus is with you.

Christ did not go to the cross to atone for your sin and bring you forgiveness to leave you to yourself to see if you could hack it. He called you, and He will keep you. Even when He sends His rod of correction, it is His love that is dealing with you, not His wrath. His wrath was satisfied on the cross. He is faithful and just to complete the work He has begun in you. You can look back and see victories over sin in your life, and you will continue to see more. Stay close to our Savior, hide His word in your heart, and pray without ceasing. He has promised to be with you, even to the end of the age.

3. The enemy will continue to accuse you, but there is no condemnation in Christ.

The enemy will frequently tell you that you are not worthy of being a Christian. Never go for the bait, because what he wants you to do at that moment is to begin to justify yourself. The minute you start listing off all your good qualities and victories over sin, he will have you right where he wants you. There are clearly victories you have experienced in Christ, and you are right to rejoice in them, but they do not make you worthy to be a Christian. When Satan tells you, you are not worthy to be a Christian; the correct response is to agree with him. Of course I am not worthy to be a Christian, no one is. I was not worthy in the past, I am not worthy now, and I will not be worthy in the future, but Jesus is worthy, and my worth is found in Him. I am counted righteous in Him. And if you ever start to believe the lie that you may have fallen beyond forgiveness, here is something you can do to snap you back into reality. Picture Jesus dying on the cross and imagine yourself walking up to Him, and try to tell Him He didn't do enough to atone for your sins.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippians 1:6

D. Eaton

The Fight of Faith Blog

I have a new blog called The Fight of Faith.  Any new writing will be posted there. Come join me.

Here are a few posts to check out.

The Fight of Faith [Title Post]

It Could All Fall Apart, and That's Ok

When Pressing On Means Giving Up

Holiness: Seeking the Savior's Likeness

I am currently teaching through a class on holiness. You can see the class calendar above. If you are interested in listening in each week, the class audio will be posted at the link below.

Bethel Grace Baptist Church - Holiness Seeking the Savior's Likeness.

God bless,

Doug

Pilgrim's Progress Chapter 1 Discussion Questions

I am currently teaching a class through Pilgrim’s Progress at Bethel Grace Baptist Church.   Each week the class will read a chapter and answer the provided questions.  Here are the questions for chapter 1.

Discussion Questions for Chapter 1 

1. What is the book Christian has in his hand?

2. What is the burden that Christian is carrying, and have you ever felt this burden?   If so, what did it feel like?

3. Christian reads the book and prays, but still has the burden on his back.  How is this possible?

4. Pliable has no burden on his back yet still follows Christian.  Why would someone do this, and have you ever run across people like this?  What kind of “churches” appeal to people like this?

5. What do you think the “Slough of Despond” represents?

6. Mr. Worldly Wiseman does not like the fact that Christian was reading the Bible.  To what place and to whom does he direct Christian?

 What false view of salvation does this represent?*

7. Read Heb. 10:38 – How does this verse fit with Christian trying to remove his burden with morality and the law.

8. Do you ever find yourself trying to find relief for the conviction of sin in trying to be moral rather than laying it all on Christ?  What do you do in those times?

9. Worldly Wiseman is a false teacher, and Evangelist gives Christian three reasons to abhor him.  What are they and do they still apply to false teachers today?

10. When Christian is grieved by his sin of listening to Worldly Wiseman, Evangelist tells him is sin is very great.   How is this different than what you may hear in many churches today?

God Bless,

Doug

*Question # 6 was taken from Maureen Bradley’s book The Pilgrim’s Progress Study Guide.

Lessons on the Sermon on the Mount

I am currently teaching through the Sermon on the Mount.  The lessons are being uploaded weekly at the Bethel Grace Baptist Church website.   I am using Martyn Lloyd Jones' book, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, if you would like to follow along.  The class will run through April 2013.

God Bless,

Doug

Psalms: Pursuing the Heart of God

Starting this Sunday, I will be teaching a class on the Psalms at Bethel Grace Baptist Church.  All audio will be available online, and I will post a link once they upload.  Below is the class calendar.

God Bless,

Pursuing the Heart of God

  Weekly Calendar 

September 9 – Psalm 3 – Salvation is of the Lord

September 16– Psalm 38 – When Burdened With Sin

September 23 – Psalm 34 – Taste and See

September 30 – Psalm 39 – Understanding the Measure of our Days

October 7 – Psalm 46 – Refuge in the Mighty Fortress

October 14 – Psalm 91 – Though Thousands May Fall at Your Side

October 21 – Psalm 139 – Trust the God Who is There

October 28 – Psalm 63 – Thirsting After God

November 4 – Psalm 32 – The Forgiveness of Sin

November 11 – Psalm 36 – The Fountain of Light and Life

November 18 (Thanksgiving) – Psalm 103 – Forget Not All His Benefits

November 25 – Psalm 7 – Protection and Judgment 

December 2 – Psalm 42 – When Deep Calls to Deep

December 9 – Psalm 51 – Broken Bones Rejoice

December 16 – Psalm 94 – He Will Not Forsake His People

December 23 (Christmas) – Psalm 16 – His Holy One Will Not See Corruption

December 30 (New Year) – Psalm 30 – Joy Comes in the Morning

Worship and a Troubled Conscience

Let us draw near with a true heart – Hebrews 10:22

What does it mean to draw near to God with a true heart?  After spending a couple of chapters explaining how the old covenant was unable to actually take away sin, and how Christ has offered Himself as the one true sacrifice for sin, the author of Hebrews exhorts us to draw near to God with a true heart.  This idea of truth in our worship is not something unique to the book of Hebrews.   We see it mentioned in other passages like John 4:24 where we are told, that “God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship him in spirit and truth,” or Psalm 51:6 which says, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts.”

When we hear the word “truth” our minds naturally go to the idea of intellectual truth, or to put it another way, that which is the opposite of falsehood.  Now clearly that is part of what it means to worship in truth.  To worship the wrong God, or even the right God wrongly, not according to His prescribed regulations for worship, is to worship incorrectly.  God has revealed Himself to us through His Son in the scriptures.  We are called to know Him, and this certainly involves believing the correct things about Him, but to draw near to Him in truth involves another aspect also.

John Owen summed it up nicely when he said, “In the mind, truth opposes falsehood; in the affections, truth opposes hypocrisy.”  It is truth in the affections that is primarily at the heart of the command to draw near to God with a true heart, and this means to approach Him without hypocrisy.  As we gather to worship the Lord, His focus is not on our outward appearance or rituals; His focus is on our heart.

Think about the last time you spent time worshiping the Lord.  Where you really there?  Was your heart focused on him, or where you just going along with the flow of the Sunday service simply thinking about other things?  In other words, in your heart, were you drawing near to him as you worshiped or were you still at a great distance from Him?

If you are like me, questions like this will serve to remind you of how much you fall short even in your worship of our great Savior.  Thomas Watson once penned a sentence that virtually knocked the wind out of me regarding this topic, he said, “Jesus Christ went more willingly to the cross than we do to the throne of grace.” Even in our worship we can be great sinners.

The good news about the command to draw near with true hearts, is the context in which it is found.  As the author of Hebrews is telling us to draw near to God in truth, he is telling us to do so because there is forgiveness of sin in Christ.  In approaching God with true hearts, we do not merit our forgiveness.  It is by understanding our forgiveness that our hearts are moved to draw near to Him in worship.  This is why the verse continues by saying that we are to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.

Let the knowledge of forgiveness in Christ’s blood stir your heart with joy.   May it pull your attention away from all the fleeting shadows of this world and draw you near to your Savior’s side today.   Even if your conscience has been troubled by your many shortcomings this week, do not let it keep you from approaching the throne of grace.  An evil conscience is not the reason to stay away from the Savior, it is the very reason we need to draw near to Him with a true heart.

In Christ,

Doug

Dark Knight Theater Shooting: A Christian Reflection

The thought of going into a theater with a loved one and having to leave them there as part of the crime scene, because they were killed by a gunman who opened fire on the crowd is almost too much to imagine.  Yet this is what happened to several people last night.  Events like the shooting in the Denver area at the opening of The Dark Knight Rises make you want to go home and sit with your family and friends, because you never know how long you will have them.  They are also a terrifying reminder of how quickly sin can take those we love away from us.

Why do I say “sin” instead of “death?”  First of all, it is because it was the sin of another person that took the lives of the 12 people in the theater and injured many more.  Sin takes people away from us all the time, whether it be in senseless killings, drunk driving accidents, or drug overdoses.  The sinful desires that reside in us all are constantly pulling us toward our own destruction or the destruction of others.  There are other ways sin strips the people we love from our lives too.  It can do it in the form of lust tearing families apart, abuse from those who should be our most trusted guardian, or simply someone’s ambition for power and wealth keeping them away from those who need them.  All of these stem from the same source, sinful desires, and we are all susceptible to them.

Second, I say “sin” instead of “death” because ultimately sin is the reason there is death in the world in the first place.  The reason any of us die is because of the curse of sin.  Even when decent people face a terminal illness like cancer, though we cannot point to any specific sin that caused it, it exists because the world is fallen and tainted with sin.  Events like this remind us that we will all lose people we love and we will all face death ourselves.

So why highlight such dark and disturbing thoughts on a Christian theology blog?  I do so because there is hope.   Though I certainly do not have all the answers as to why such a tragic event took place, or why one young man could be overtaken by such dark desires, what I do know is that all of this reminds us that things are not the way they should be.  Death is around the corner, our own sinful desires pull at us, and the guilt for all the times we have fallen short makes death terrifying; because deep down we know the justice of a Holy God awaits us.

Where do we turn when all these realities stare us in the face?  Modern technology cannot help us, entertainment is simply a band aid, drugs and alcohol only take us further down the path of destruction, and no amount of money and power can ward off sin, guilt and death.  There is only one place we can go in times like this, and that one place needs to be able to subdue our sinful nature, purify us from the guilt of sin, and must have defeated death.  This is exactly what Christ Jesus has done, and for those who trust in him, though we will still live in a fallen world, He has promised that He can change our hearts and make us new creations in Him.  Through His death, He takes our guilt and bears the wrath and just penalty that we know we deserve.  Finally, through His resurrection we find that He has defeated death, and no matter how our life will end here on this earth, we will live with him eternally where there will be no more sin, sorrow, guilt and death.

Don’t let the darkness of this event be swept to the side in an attempt to cope and hide from our own fears and failures.  Look at it full in the face, and then look to the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, who is the answer to all our deepest anxieties.  Draw near to him through faith and He will draw near to you.  For He was offered once to bear the sins of many, and because He defeated death through His resurrection, He lives forever to make intercession for us, and we can live with him forever

May we all find comfort in Christ,

Doug

Death: A Gaping Hole in the Old Testament Priesthood

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. - Hebrews 7:23-24

There is a depth to these verses that is often missed. The basic truth is clear, in the Old Testament, though there was only one high priest at a time, there had to be many of them because they were prevented from continuing in the office by death, but think about this a little deeper.

The priesthood under the old covenant was a wonderful picture or shadow of the reality that Christ would fulfill. Some people, including the original readers of the book of Hebrews were tempted to go back to the old system for several reasons, but one of the benefits was that it was tangible. You could see the sacrificed animal, you could smell the incense burning, and hear the priest make intercession for you. This was undoubtedly a comfort, but in this picture of our true salvation in Christ there was a gaping hole. The priests kept dying.

The role of the priest was to mediate between God and man, and they would illustrate atonement from sin, but the wages of sin is death and even the priests continued to die. If you are in desperate need of salvation and you understand that death is part of what you need to be saved from, how much hope could you receive from priests who continue to die? You could only gain hope if you understood that it typified something greater that God was going to provide.

Every one of us, unless Christ returns, is going to face death. Some of us may already be feeling its effects. We are unable to do many of the things we used to do, and the older we get the more illnesses and health issues we have to deal with. When death becomes more of a reality for us, to whom are we going to turn and place our hope? To priest who still die? Your own goodness or heath regimens? Since none of these have defeated the enemy of death, there must be something greater in which we can place our trust.

V. 24 But he [Jesus] holds His priesthood permanently. He will never stop being our high priest because he continues forever. He has defeated death, even after tasting it on our behalf! So when your body starts to break down, when your work hours begin to outlast your physical strength, when you begin to see the doctors more frequently for things like dialysis or chemo, you will know you have the correct High Priest if he has defeated death and continues forever. No other priest will ever truly be able to mediate between God and man and make atonement for sin and its wages. Never shrink back from Christ, and never lean on any substitutes, for Christ is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

For those who have faith, we have peace with God. He bore our wrath and His righteousness is accounted as ours so we can be co-heirs with Him, and since He lives forever, exalted with the Father, His work as our mediator is an ever present reality in the true tabernacle. In Christ, because of His priestly work, all of God’s actions toward you are grace, and none of it wrath. Even His chastening hand is moved by love.

Draw near to Christ today, approach the throne of grace with confidence, and if you are feeling the effects of a body tainted by sin, let it drive you to your Savior’s side, for all those who are in Christ will live with him forever. Though we are sown in weakness we will be raised in power, and though we are sown perishable we will be raise imperishable.

 God Bless,

 Doug

Hebrews: Persevering in the Faith MP3's

To those who may be interested, I am currently teaching a class through the book of Hebrews called "Persevering in the Faith".  All of the lessons are available to download or listen to at the Bethel Grace Baptist Church website.

Hebrews: Persevering in the Faith

God Bless,

Doug

The Benefits of Attending a Christian Law School

What are the benefits of attending a Christian Law School? Having worked for a Christian law school for more than 10 years, I have found that many believers are familiar with features of Christian education. They understand that the professors are Christians and that the subject matter is examined in light of the truth of Scripture. But what many do not seem to understand is how that actually benefits a student. I have sat across the table from countless Christians who see the Christian aspect of the school as nice but not important, as good intentioned but not really necessary. What causes this this kind of malaise? It is often a result of not thinking much about how God’s truth affects our thinking outside of our belief in Jesus, and how it impacts our lives.

With that in mind, it seems important to lay out the benefits of attending a Christian law school. Granted, a Christian law school may not be for everyone, but Christians who are considering law school should be aware of these, even if in the end they decide to attend elsewhere.

We live in a culture today where the public square has established its thinking based on secular and even atheistic presuppositions. This culture is so ubiquitous that even Christians begin to see it as the norm. Often, it is not until they take a public stand on a Christian issue that they find out just how foreign Christian truth is to this culture. When attending a secular school, a student will be swimming in a culture that is no different than the culture at large. The existence of truth will be questioned, moral standards will be relativized, and of course discussion about God will have no place in the discussion of law. In the end, they will claim that they teach this way because they approach law from a neutral and unbiased point of view. But is a school that says truth and morality are relative, and that all things should be taught from a secular point of view, because even if he does exist, God is not significant enough to bring into the discussion really neutral and unbiased?

At a Christian school that takes the Word of God seriously, you will study all the secular theories of jurisprudence that you would study at any law school, but you will also be provided with the Christian answers to the philosophical questions surrounding law. You will be shown how many of the post-modern, pragmatic, and positivist views of law all tend to crumble under their own weight. You will be in an environment where dialogue on the philosophical and theological underpinnings of the American legal system will be encouraged, not stifled. All of this will be necessary when you are an attorney if you attempt to take a stand for truth in this culture. You will not be able to get this type of training at a secular school.

Christian law schools also often have a higher focus on ethics and character. Most law schools, even secular schools, are required to teach professional responsibility and ethics, but these types of courses can often boil down to lowest common denominator requirements. The question often asked is, what do I need to do to remain in good standing with the bar, when the question should be, how do I model the character of Christ as an attorney. Modern culture abounds with the notion that your function (employment) is more significant than your character. You can be morally bankrupt in your personal life as long as you are good at what you do. This should never be the mindset of the Christian lawyer. We are to be people of character first, and attorneys second. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, if you cannot be a person of character while being an attorney, choose to be a person of character without being an attorney.

In law school you will be placed under high amounts of pressure that will transform you into the legal professional you long to be. This is no different at Christian or secular schools. You will be transformed, but each school has a different end in mind as to what a legal professional should be. Will your new found abilities be modeled after a Christ-like pattern or a worldly one? While you are under this transformative pressure, you will not want to be at a place where you are asked to leave your faith at the door.

Also, Romans 1 teaches that when we exchange the Truth of God for a lie we become vain and futile in our thinking. This is no less true in law school. Most naturalistic and secular understandings of law find themselves standing on a foundation that is crumbling underneath them. They will fight for human rights but believe that humans have no inherent rights because rights are merely social constructs. They will argue that truth and morality are relative and that law should be pragmatic. Yet if truth is relative there can be no real truth about what pragmatically works, or what we should be working for. In the end, if we accept the secular presuppositions we will also find ourselves building on the sand rather than the rock that is God’s word.

Finally, like all law schools, Christian law schools will offer you practical training and internships in most areas of law, but they will also offer you opportunities in areas that you may not be able to find elsewhere. For example, the school where I work, students can intern and work on Constitutional Law and religious freedom cases while in school, an opportunity not available at many schools. There is also a strong focus on international human rights with possible internships helping the persecuted church around the world. These opportunities can often open up doors for employment for students that would not be available at a secular school.

So here are a summary of the benefits mentioned above.

1. You will better understand how to articulate Christian truths in the public arena.

2. You will be shown how most secular theories crumble under their own weight, which will be needed when taking a stand for the truth.

3. If done correctly, you will emerge with a stronger Christian character and a closer walk with God.

4. At a Christian law school you will be transformed into a professional who knows how to integrate your faith into your practice, and bring the light of Christ to this darkened world.

5. You will have a legal education that is not built upon shifting sands but built upon rock of God’s timeless truth

6. You will be able to get practical experience in areas not available at most schools, such as internships focused on religious freedom, and international human rights work focused on the persecuted church.

Though it is possible to emerge from a secular law school and still be a Godly attorney, it will only come by fighting against much of what is presupposed by the school, and by supplementing your studies with what will willingly be left out and possibly even ridiculed. As Christians we understand that there are times to be in the world fighting against its philosophies, but there are also times of training, like a soldier preparing for battle, where we should take time to grow in order to be more effective when it comes time to fulfill our calling.

God Bless,

Doug