“WHAT IF THE BIBLE..?”
It seems to me that most everyone who claims to be a Christian (and I say most everyone to leave me some wiggle room) falls far short of what Jesus modeled.
And most of us seem to fall far short of what He said we should be able to do in His Name.
In this day and age and with our world spinning wildly out of control, this could be the most important thing you could read and do.
NOT AND EXCUSE
I hear all the excuses we make. But, no one is willing to explain what seem to be the obvious.
I know the Bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 8:23), but, this is not meant to be an excuse for our failure to see His works in our lives. It is a word of correction and instruction, not to be used an excuse.
Despite the fact that we all have sinned and fall short, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” John 14:12
(And by the way, “greater” (mega) in this case does not mean just ‘greater in number’ but it means greater in value, in size, in compass, in stature, in scale, in strength, etc.)
Here is an example. (Matthew 28:16) “… the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
SOME WERE DOUBTFUL, even after all the had seen and experience with the living Lord Jesus. They were doubtful! BUT JESUS SENT THEM TO DO HIS WORKS, ANYWAY.
Their doubt was not to be used an excuse and falling short of the glory of God is not to be used as an excuse, either.
We are to GO “and be confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
I do not intend to take these verses out of context (Eisegesis) in order to make a point, however, these two verses are not contradictory, they are complimentary.
Verse thirteen of John chapter 14, then gives us the “How” this is possible: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jesus does the works, through the believer and submitted follower.
In other words, this is saying that the person who believes in Jesus, and is yielded to Him will experience the works of Jesus in and through their life – and even greater works because Jesus is now at the right Hand of the Father, and it is He who will do those works through His yielded disciples.
So, what if the Bible is not so much about “what we can or should do” as it is about what to avoid – and that is sin!
The obstacle that negates or defeats our purpose in Christ
Sin, it would appear, is the obstacle that negates or defeats our purpose in Christ. So I ask you, are His works blatantly missing in your life?
The Bible does say that sin separates us from God. And, that if we regard iniquity in our hearts that God cannot hear our prayers.
What if, to speak in similes, we, as jars of clay, are so full of rubbish, that the works of God cannot enter in order to pass through us? Or, perhaps our spiritual communication with God is interrupted and unintelligible because of the ‘static of sin’ in our lives?
In order to further this point, I am curious why most of the people are going to the altars in our church just to ask for things, Good things perhaps, like healings, family needs, financial needs, etc., but it seems that very, very few, go to the altar to mourn, confess and repent of their sins.
Could this be the problem of spiritual impotence, which we are not addressing?
I have even heard a senior pastor teach, many times regarding sin, “God loves you so much, that He cannot love you any less. He understands your frailty and overlooks your sins thanks to Jesus.” I have to say in response, “Are you kidding me?”
For many people, admitting they are sinful is a tough thing. They feel they are admitting that they are just bad people, when they don’t believe they are essentially bad. They say, “I may do some bad things occasionally, but I am basically a good person.”
In dealing with sin and a woman caught in adultery, Jesus said to her (and to all of us by extension) “Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” John 8:10-11
God is merciful and forgiving, but, the command is to “Go, and sin no more”. Sin obstructs our connection to God.
Paul also weighed in on this matter when he taught, “Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:34
Being good or bad isn’t the point. Sin, is the point.
Sin causes us to “miss the mark” of God’s provision.
Sin causes us to “miss the mark” of God’s presence.
Sin causes us to “miss the mark” of God’s works in and through our mortal bodies.
So. Do you want to change your walk with God into a “Power Walk”? Do you want to see the Works of God in and through your life?
Let’s all Clean our jar of clay. Let’s all clear our spiritual airwaves of the ‘static of sin’.
Let’s all, Go, and Sin no More!
Now, listen to this GREAT audio recording for a recap. https://activechristianity.org/why-did-jesus-say-go-and-sin-no-more-if-thats-impossible
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young