CCC#6 - Bonus - Eternal Life Allows Diversity in the Body of Christ
The Corrupt Christian Concepts Series
(All scripture quotes are from the BSB unless otherwise noted.)
As I was writing about the present manifestation of eternal life, I ended up on a rabbit trail about how eternal life enables and encourages diversity in the body of Christ. It became too long for that article, so I decided to make it a bonus article.
The entire point is that being empowered by Christ's life allows a believer to be new while also being themselves. You don't become someone else; you don't get a personality change; but Christ still makes you new at your core. Yet, you are still you. The new self is simply a Christ powered version of you - a new creation.
And this enables true diversity. We must take great care that we recognize this truth as we relate to ourselves and one another. Not every believer will look and act like you! And that's a good thing. This is an important benefit of eternal life to recognize and be grateful for.
The Diversity of the Body of Christ
Christ is not interested in a robot church that all act in identical ways. When Paul describes the body, in his analogy we are all different parts. We cannot lose this mindset.
Christ is not interested in “what would Jesus do”. He is interested in what is Jesus doing within and through you at this very moment. How is your unique personality, perspective, and circumstances - your life - being lived through the power of Christ?
Even Christ has His own personality! Otherwise how could these verses be true:
Luke 2:52 - “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
Hebrews 5:8 - “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered.”
Through the incarnation, Christ demonstrated the prototype of what believers would become. In very specific human ways, He grew and learned, yet without sinning. Just as we must do, He leaned on His connection to the Spirit for power here on earth. The Trinity Itself demonstrates continual dependence!
Our Reflection of Eternal Life is Unique
If Christ grew in unique ways and responded to His circumstances in a godly way, yet specific to His own personality, then why would we treat ourselves differently? Once we are connected to the Trinity, we learn to live under the same dependence Christ had. But our reflection of that power is utterly unique.
The fruit of the Spirit are all attitudes - not actions. Let me repeat that - the fruit of the Spirit are all attitudes, not actions. Never turn them into specific actions - that is not how they work. Specific actions are the fruit of the Law, not the Spirit.
Simply because the Law says, “Thou shalt not steal” and Spirit fruit also does not lead to stealing, doesn't make them equivalent. One is fear based and the other is love based. One is carrot and sticks, the other is a gift.
The particular circumstances through which love, joy, peace, patience, and the like are manifested within your personality are unique for each believer. True unconditional love can look quite different from day to day.
It is the very adaptability of Spirit fruit to every circumstance which allows it to succeed where the Law fails. And the fact it is based in living divine power - not dead works.
'Union' does not mean “cookie cutter” Christians - right the opposite. Union in the fellowship means that we love and accept our fellow believer's diversity in the body. We recognize and value each other's contribution to the overall mission. And we recognize and value our own!
Even Our Own Walk is Diverse
Even within our own life, we have circumstances that impact us in unique ways that create diverse reflections of Christ's life.
Permit me a poor example. I have been sicker than normal this winter for whatever reason. I keep picking up a bad cold where I am stuffy and miserable. And they have been lasting for weeks. It is not something I am used to, as in the past I have rarely been sick.
With or without eternal life, I am not as pleasant to be around during these periods of sickness. There is a constant temptation to snap and lash out at things that normally would not bother me.
Yet, when I remember Christ's life within, it reminds me of my inner joy, peace, patience, and kindness. Is this reflected as well as it normally is when I am feeling great? No. But it still makes a significant difference.
And thus we can view other believers through this lens. Yes, they need to learn who they are in Christ and how to use His amazing gifts. But we will never fully understand their background and the deep soul scars they may have that we don't have to deal with.
God gives us mercy and grace so we can reflect that onto others. Those who are forgiven much, love much. Recognize that for some, even in their best moment, reflecting Christ may look more like how we reflect Him when we are at our worst.
Unlike religious and legalistic thinking, eternal life takes away measures and standards. I know this sounds scary because this way of thinking is so engrained in our minds. However, it is the only way to live well!
The Christian life should be a trust fall into Christ's life within and a surprising daily adventure of discovering how eternal life will manifest itself every day.
It is only scary when it is twisted and diminished by those who don't understand eternal life or it's benefits. Don't be scared of being alive!
Diversity Is Not Accepting Sinning
At the same time, we cannot use our past or our circumstances as an excuse for immaturity, stupidity, and walking by the flesh (but I repeat myself).
As we will see, God is in control of the measure of faith and grace for each of His children, yet there are many passages confirming that we all have enough faith and grace to say no to sin. Romans 6 is clear we are no longer slaves of sin, but slaves of righteousness - we are alive!
Diversity in the body of Christ does not mean what the world has tried to define it: acceptance of sinning. Yes, we have all been given mercy and grace for our particular struggles with the flesh - so we cannot “look down” on anyone. We cannot pick some flesh patterns to elevate and condemn over others.
However, as we will continue to see, the fact that we are alive in Christ does enable the fruit of the Spirit and reigning in life now. We are no longer slaves of sin!
My point in this article is that “reigning in life” may manifest itself in different looking ways for each believer. Do not get caught up in the fleshly idea of “comparing yourself among yourselves” as Paul puts it.
As Andrew Farley puts it, only believers can “be themselves and reflect Christ at the same time”. Because the “new self” is alive in Christ, we can be ourselves and yet walk in newness of life without giving in to the temptations of sin.
The uniqueness of each child of God and their circumstances should be common sense. However, I believe much of the teaching in the church ignores this concept. Since most of it is based on a “Law adjacent” way of teaching, external conformity is encouraged while healthy diversity is frowned upon.
By Faith in Jesus Christ
This rabbit trail came out of Galatians 2:20. I will directly cover this in my “present life” article, but I will quote it again here for context.
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Paul is very clear in the mechanism of how he lives “in the body”: by faith in Jesus Christ - His love - and His finished work. It is simply common sense - you won't use a gift you don't truly believe in. And you won't use it well if you don't understand what it is.
I will do a CCC on faith eventually, but it is the aspect of faith where God gives each person a measure that is my point. I think this is a very important truth to understand and it is a weapon against the accusation of the enemy - whether this accusation comes from our own minds, a pulpit, or peers.
Romans 12:3 - “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.”
This verse follows the verse about offering your body to God as a living and holy sacrifice. And immediately after this verse Paul gets into the diversity of the body of Christ. It is quite relevant to my current context.
This is a key to understanding yourself and others in the body. You may literally have a portion of grace and faith that is more visible or respected by other humans than another. Your calling and opportunities for good works may be larger or more visible than theirs. And vice versa.
Ephesians 2:10 - “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Notice that the foundation for our walk is the new creation - we are recipients of God's creative work. But the works we were created to do have already been prepared by God! We don't have to prepare them - we just walk in them. These are the daily choices we make to allow Spirit power to work.
We should be content with the good works God has prepared - whether or not they fit some image created by those who are legalistic or religiously minded. If you listen to some, the requirements are never ending.
Based on some teaching, you will never be OK, you will never be “good enough” externally, there will always be another way to improve yourself, and the goals of achieving God's blessings, His will, staying in fellowship, and avoiding His punishment are ever out of reach.
The unspoken inference is that at your core you are despicable, but if you keep striving, maybe you can hit that sweet spot of Christianity. But once you do, that is pride, so in reality you haven't. And the hamster wheel of religion keeps turning.
Walking By the Spirit is Difficult to Measure - It Should not Be Done
One may walk by the Spirit and bear Spirit fruit 90% of the time and barely be noticed by others. Another may walk by the Spirit 50% of the time and bring thousands to Christ. Man looks on the outside - God sees our faith.
No matter how humans - including ourselves - measure the results, the goal is to walk by the Spirit. We cannot be discouraged or let others discourage us because our walk looks vastly different from theirs or does not measure up to some false historical measure. How well we walk by the Spirit is a personal thing. We are only accountable to God.
Obviously, Paul gives many lists of items that portray what not walking by the Spirit looks like. Spirit power will never lead you to steal or commit adultery, etc. Don't let that common detraction from learning the Spirit way of life distract you. Paul is not giving laws, but he is giving guideposts to the Spirit life.
Guideposts are not laws. As a believer, you will not be punished by God if you do these things (though you may be punished by earthly authorities or your spouse). However, when you walk in this way you are not walking by the Spirit - this should be obvious. But, sometimes good behavior is also not walking by the Spirit. Paul gives other flesh lists that include Law keeping.
As we will see, often walking by the flesh has the appearance of godliness, yet ignoring the power of Christ's life. Anyone can avoid stealing and adultery: maybe it is too much hassle; they are afraid of the consequences; their hormones are such that they barely pursue their own spouse, much less another person.
I've often pondered the amount of avoiding “bad behavior” that simply happens out of sheer apathy or laziness. Obviously, these motivations are not the power of eternal life and grace working through you.
To be mature, we need to learn the difference. We need to learn to walk by the Spirit and use the power of Christ's eternal life. This will never happen by rules or discipline since they force you into imitation behavior automatically.
Walking By the Spirit is a Struggle to let go of Flesh Power Mindsets
The main issue is that we struggle with letting go of the old religious way of doing things. It is painful to stop. As you struggle to re-calibrate, you feel like you are worse off - you are not serving God as well as you used to. The flesh will fight you tooth and nail and make you feel like a lesser Christian. Accusation will increase - internally and externally. Many people will not understand your grace lens.
I am writing this article to encourage you to not give up - the Spirit and life way of walking is well worth the pain. It is well worth the criticism of those with a legalistic and fleshly mindset. You can learn to be confident with seemingly less results from a human perspective, yet results that are more and more empowered by eternal life.
And ultimately, as you mature in this way of walking, the results could blow you away. Paul's says “by the grace of God I worked harder than you all”. He wasn't bragging, He was simply stating a fact of being alive.
I don't want to understate how difficulty this is. Repentance is always difficult. Our minds get stuck. We become dependent on our own rituals and the innumerable church traditions that easily masquerade as the gospel. It is difficult to rip off the religious band-aid - a religious mindset is quite addictive. It is difficult to not measure your worth by your performance.
However, it is worth it. Once you learn to walk by the Spirit, to begin to have moments in your life where even the most insignificant action is being powered by Christ's life within, then you will never want to go back to the ritualistic fake religious mindset.
But the flesh hates this way of living. To live this way requires enough faith to jump off the hamster wheel. To let only God be your judge - not your peers. To stop trying to live a certain way and begin trusting Christ's life to do its work. To respond to your life with Christ's life and to trust Christ with the results.
It is hard, but God has given you everything you need to live this way. My purpose is to use my feeble words to help you see truth. To reflect upon the often overlooked passages in scripture that encourage this way of walking and give you confidence and encouragement.
A Measure of Faith and Grace
Notice that in Romans 12:3 each person has a “measure of faith” given by God. Later he indicates the same about 'grace’. This word ‘measure’ is interesting. Here is what Strong's Concordance has to say:
“An apparently primary word; a measure ("metre"), literally or figuratively; by implication, a limited portion (degree) -- measure.”
Every believer has a specific limited portion of faith and grace - and a limited specific calling. We should never use this as an excuse for laziness or complacency, yet, we must recognize this truth.
We must get the idea of some universal 'standard' for the church out of our head. That is not the gospel of grace; that is Law, pure and simple. And again, eternal life does not lead to sinning. It is the only power to not sin - without being a fake!
Those who would beat us over the head because our Christian life is not as 'fervent' as they are judging it should be must take note (but they probably won't). There is legitimate relaxation in this truth from God that He is in control of our measure of faith and grace.
Your Personal Sphere of Influence
Paul is not done with this word. Here are some other verses where this word is used:
2 Corinthians 10:13 - “But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the domain which God assigned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.” (NASB)
I have mentioned this verse before, but it is worth repeating in the context of diversity in the body of Christ.
Each of us have been assigned a sphere or domain of influence by God - also known as our calling. I will do a CCC on 'calling' at some point, but this personal calling is distinguished in scripture from the overall calling of the body of Christ.
As Peter puts it, we must all be “ready to give an account of the hope within”. That is the universal call of the church. Yet, this is not a measure, we simply make the choice to share when the opportunity arises. “Be ready” doesn’t mean try to force opportunities because you need to meet a quota in order to please God (or your Christian peers) or in order to feel spiritual.
2 Corinthians 3 and 5 says we are qualified to share the new covenant gospel of grace and are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation with God through Christ. This is again the universal call of the church. But it is Christ who qualifies, not our own actions.
For some this opportunity to be an ambassador comes along once or twice in their lifetime, and for others they reach thousands or more.
We must learn the secret of contentment with the sphere of influence we have been given. We each contribute to the overall mission in different ways. Don't let others judge your sphere! Don't compare your sphere to others, even Paul!
It is ironic that many use the concept of a calling to berate others and guilt them into trying to be something they are not or feel pressure to conform to some esoteric standard. It never occurs to these folks that a calling actually may have restrictions on activity! Nor can we judge this for anyone else.
I realize this is a vastly different message from most of the Christian world. I can also say out of thousands of messages I have heard in my lifetime, I've rarely heard these verses about a measure from God taught. I mean, that might encourage people to rest! It is convenient to ignore scripture that does not match your particular message.
Our Personal Calling will never Lead to Sinning or Ignoring Those in Need in our Sphere of Influence
I certainly don't want to ignore scripture calling us to act holy because we are holy. Nor should we ignore any opportunities to reflect goodness that God places before us - we should be ready to give an account - scripture is full of admonitions to care for the needy. But we don't measure ourselves based on how many opportunities God gives us - only how we respond when He does.
And even then, we are learning and growing. The gospel gives us ample room for failure. Love covers a multitude of sin, and grace continues to empower even after stumbles. Our stumbles don't define us - we don't die through stumbling, we are still alive.
But if you must measure your maturity - use the fruit of the Spirit - not activity.
Learn when your activity is motivated by an inner natural love, joy, peace, patience, self-control and the like, rather than coercive ideas like duty, obligation, staying in “God's will”, etc. Ironically, only faith pleases God anyway, so all this striving to stay in His will by behavior actually isn't doing the job anyway!
Eternal Life is not Passive
I want to be clear - this way of walking is not a passive “couch potato” existence. You are not sitting around waiting to be zapped by the power of Christ. The whole point is you already have it - you are alive! Everything you do, great or small, can be empowered by eternal life by faith in the gift you have been given. There is no waiting or coming up with a plan to do 'spiritual' stuff. Just live.
Going Beyond Your Calling is Fleshly - Spirit Fruit Works in All Callings
Again, there is a predominant legalistic message out there that loves to guilt trip the body of Christ for not doing enough. This message values action over the fruit of the Spirit or confuses action with fruit. This mindset ignores a personal calling and twists scripture to push guilt and shame.
I have probably mentioned this before, but I can't help remembering a conversation with a dear sister who was distraught because she wasn't bearing enough fruit. I asked her what she meant by fruit. For her, it meant she wasn't doing enough. She was giving into the enemy accusation of laziness, even though this dear lady did plenty.
I tried to explain that Spirit fruit was not actions. And that the stress she was feeling at the moment was not the joy or peace aspect of Spirit fruit. Yet, she could not shed her mindset, and went away extremely stressed out about her failure to bear fruit.
She later died of cancer at a fairly young age. I cannot help but wonder if her religious stress contributed at all. Even if not, what a sad way to live. Yet, this mentality is rampant in the thinking and teaching of our churches.
The actions of Paul and the apostles or other historic figures are used to push this guilt trip. Their roles or callings are ignored or de-emphasized in this push. Their stories are used to compare and contrast yourself and your performance and shame you when you don't match up. Their actions are emphasized over their faith.
It is sad when so many sermons list off the good or bad behavior of people in scripture and then ask ominously: which one are you?
You will see this in book titles using terms like 'radical', or “sold out”, etc. It ends up being a Christian version of the modern worldly social justice philosophy. And both versions have the same source - the enemy.
If we are not called to be an evangelist or missionary, etc, then performing that role will lead to walking by the flesh - but this fact is ignored in this message. The idea that we could eventually do more damage than good is never considered. This teaching pushes people into going outside their calling, or being so discouraged they rarely fulfill it.
For many this push ends up thwarting the true fruit of the Spirit. Either they think they should be doing these things, and end up not doing them, thus living in a state of discontent, shame, and guilt with no joy or peace.
Or, they push themselves by flesh power to do them, but there is no genuine joy, peace, kindness, etc. being reflected. Some are able to have fleshly performative power, but much like the Pharisees, they simply train others to operate in the same flesh pattern as themselves.
In the end, little is accomplished for the Kingdom of God - though there is a huge volume of externally good looking behavior. And this all comes from comparing our own sphere of influence to another, and thinking what God has given us is simply not good enough. It has its root in discontent.
Note: I contend that the Pharisees, under another name, would be lauded in many of our churches. Just consider what is elevated in many churches: church attendance, Bible study and memorization, structured prayer, service, outward fervency towards God, etc.
The Pharisees checked all these boxes in spades. Yet Christ called them “white washed tombs” and “children of hell”. Obviously, scripture indicates believers will naturally desire to participate in some variety of these activities, but we must be cautious to not measure ourselves or others by these things.
Ultimately, God controls the measure, we simply depend on the gifts He provides. We point the faith He has gifted us towards Him and His measures, not our own.
A Measure of Grace
Ephesians 4:7 - “Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
Again, in this chapter Paul is describing the diversity of the body. As I have mentioned, Paul indicates that even grace has been measured out for each of us.
There are two errors we must avoid in this verse. First, he is clearly, in context, indicating that a diverse amount of grace has been given. He is demonstrating the differences in the body. This is not trying to measure ourselves against Christ. He is not setting some unreachable behavior standard. The context is diversity in the body of Christ.
On the other hand, this does not mean that some get more of Christ than others. This is not a competition. Paul is only showing that each believer is unique. As he often writes, he is speaking in a 'fleshly' way to help us understand. This is meant to be an encouragement that Christ has us, we don't have to strive to do things outside our sphere.
As humans, we can't help but look at things sometimes from a fleshly perspective. We may see some (or ourselves) as having less faith, etc., because the result of the fruit is not as showy. However, Paul and the gospel call upon us to resist this mentality.
Kingdom Parables Demonstrate This Concept
I will eventually do a CCC on parables of the Kingdom, however this topic brings several to mind, so I will touch on them briefly. Christ Himself proves the concept of “not measuring”.
Parable of the 'Talents’
Matthew 25:21 - “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’”
If you are not familiar with this parable, I recommend reading Matthew 25:14-30. However, my purpose today is to emphasize verses 21 and 23. They are identical - and this is significant.
These verses are portraying the Kingdom reward given to these two example believers who invested in the gospel. The issue is that - though they each doubled their investment - the results of one was 10 'talents', and the other was only 4 'talents'. Surely the reward is greater for producing 10 than 4, even though one was given more initially?
Nope. In both cases the reward was “entering the joy of your master”. It is significant that these verses are identical. Only the unbeliever, who buried the gospel and never used it, ended up in outer darkness, punished by disconnection from the Master.
Even if this wicked servant had believed just a little, enough to only give a cup of water in Christ's name, then he would have also been rewarded the same as the rest. But instead he buried it - he ignored the gospel. This destroys the idea of special rewards for good behavior in the Kingdom.
My point is that the believers received the same reward even though one started out with more and ended up producing a lot more in the end.
Having eternal life and being in the Kingdom of God as His child is enough. It is this reward, that we already have, that produces fruit. And if you truly understand what an amazing reward of the inheritance we have, then there would be no other reward you are looking for or care about.
And They Were All Paid the Same
Matthew 20:9-10 - “9-The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10-So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.”
In Matthew 20:1-19 Christ tells a parable of the kingdom about a vineyard owner who hired workers throughout the day. Some he hired at the beginning of the day and some for the last hour.
At the end of the day, he paid them all the same. Those who had worked all day were upset. Yet, they got paid what the owner had offered them. It was the owner's prerogative.
All believers receive the reward of the inheritance in Christ. Those who are saved on their deathbed and those who are saved as a child inherit the same reward. This is a key gospel truth!
Those who are gifted more faith and grace also end up with the same reward as those with 'less'. We all have Christ as the reward. There is no greater or lesser reward in the final Kingdom. And we have the same reward now! When we were connected to Christ, that is the reward!
Even before I began to understand the gospel of grace more accurately, I wondered at this materialistic idea of rewards. It always seemed human based. Once I inspected scripture, it confirmed this gut feeling.
Eternal life is the reward and we received that at salvation. When Paul speaks of 'measure', he simply means eternal life impacts each of us in unique ways. We all have Christ's life, as much as we need. But we are all unique and need more or less of it to mature.
The only difference is that while on earth we get to choose how much of the faith and grace we have been gifted that we actual use within our calling. Our choices are often inhibited by the fallen world and unrenewed mindsets.
Once we are in the Kingdom, the choice will not be inhibited. We will see Christ as He is. We will fully experience our eternal life. But the key is that we are in the Kingdom now and we have the full reward of eternal life already!
The choice to understand and use this gift is all ours. The benefits are the only true motivation - there is no other faith based motivation. You are a child of light, so walk as a child of light. Being light is the reward.
In God's plan, He gives the reward first, before we ever do anything. He knows we need it.
The Parable of the Sower
This parable is fascinating. I will covered it more extensively in the future, but please realize that the only believing 'ground' is the one the produces fruit. The other grounds are flavors of unbelievers.
If you doubt this conclusion, notice it is the 'word' that is unfruitful, not the people. If the word of truth is unfruitful in someone's life - they are an unbeliever.
Only a good tree produces good fruit. Ground that doesn't produce fruit, for whatever reason, is not good. It is not a believer. In this parable, the other grounds produce no harvest. None at all.
My focus today is on the believer's fruit. The overwhelming focus of the new testament is not how much fruit we produce, but that we produce it at all. Being a believer is the main thing, how much fruit you produce is simply a benefit of life. A branch has to be connected to life to produce fruit.
The perspective on this parable told in Luke 8 doesn't even distinguish the fruit. It simply says the good ground is that which produces fruit. However, Matthew and Mark give a measurement of the fruit. Let's look at Matthew.
Matthew 13:23 - “But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.””
Christ does not go on in a fictional verse 24 and say that the hundredfold get more rewards in Heaven than the thirtyfold. Absolutely not. Christ is expressing the reality of the diversity of the body of Christ.
Christ does not judge the differing levels of fruit differently. We should follow His example - both for ourselves and each other. He is showing the way forward with how we look at fruit.
Yes, help each other learn Christ and the gospel well. But then, unless there is massive evidence to the contrary, simply let eternal life do it's thing in each other. Stop being fruit measurers, you are not equipped to do that, only God can.
Our responsibility is to handle the truth well, not try to help anyone bear fruit. And we certainly should not be in the “fruit measuring” business. All we end up doing is getting in the Spirit's way - imposing our idea of a measure.
Obviously, there is instruction to get involved if a brother or sister is “overtaken in a fault”. But, that is quite different from fruit measuring. That is being aware of harm to a sibling and stepping in to help.
We need to just relax and let the Spirit work - both in ourselves and others.
Conclusion of Faith, Grace, and Calling
You may wonder why I rabbit trailed onto these topics and how this connects with life. A large part of learning to trust the power of Christ's life within is learning how to stop trying to do it in our own power.
This is not as simple as it may seem. We have been trained from every side, including most pulpits, to use our own power. Scripture is often twisted to make it seem as if self-effort is God's will.
Teachers may not put it in those exact words, but when it is taught from the perspective that you are earning something, then it is automatically pushing people into a flesh powered mindset. When examples from scripture or church history are put on a pedestal and used to guilt trip, it does the same thing.
Whether you are earning rewards, blessings, or God's favor, it is all the same false message. Or whether you are avoiding punishment, cursing, or God's disapproval, it leads to the same place: self effort to 'please' God.
None of this mindset takes into account the gift of Christ's life within. None of this acknowledges that we have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing. This totally ignores the reward of the inheritance that every believer possesses. This does not account for the fact we all have Christ and that is enough.
And it certainly ignores the diversity in the body of Christ and the measurement of faith, grace, and sphere of influence God has given to each of His children.
God Wants You to Live Up to the Potential He has Measured Out
God loves you and He wants you to live up to your potential. He wants you to use every ounce of the faith and grace He has measured out for you. But you won't do that if you listen to the other distracting messages out there that guilt you into walking by the flesh.
And one way to begin to ignore those messages, whether they are currently active in your own church, or just stuck in your own head, is to meditate on truth in scripture. That is why I wanted to cover some of it.
The gospel is not a measuring tool like the Law. God does say every believer will bear fruit - a good tree bears good fruit - and if you are a believer, you are a good tree by nature. I believe it is inevitable, no matter how ignorant of the gospel we are, that Christ will still cause us to bear fruit.
It is a statement of fact to take on faith: as a believer, you are a good tree, and a good tree bears good fruit.
However, unlike fleshly human measuring, God may have apportioned to you to be a 30 fold fruit bearer. If you constantly compare yourself to a 100 fold person, then you will end up a 10 fold. It is the very act of measuring and comparing that diminishes faith.
Thus, I implore you, stop measuring and comparing yourself among yourselves. In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul calls this unwise. Only compare your mindset to truth from scripture - accurately read and understood. Learn the difference between tradition masquerading as the gospel, but that is not really good news.
The Gospel Has You Covered!
The gospel through the finished work of Christ has this covered! It gives you Christ's life, you have inner power, yet you are fully forgiven if you don't use it and walk by the flesh. You can relax!
And only by relaxing and resting will you ever use your eternal life! And as long as you have a measuring stick out, you will not rest or relax. So, take comfort from the scripture I covered. Christ has this taken care of, just trust Him.
Stop trying to force yourself to be something in order to meet human expectations. The Christian life involves using the power of Christ within to make the good choices that God presents to you every single day as you live your life. You don't have to force anything to happen in order to please God. God is pleased by your trust and dependence.
The False Evil Idea of the “Future Better Version” of You
As Andrew Farley likes to say, this evil doctrine that has taken root is thinking that God will finally be pleased with a “future version of yourself”. This is the opposite of contentment. This is not Spirit fruit. This does not account for the new creation or self.
There is not a better version of you on a mission field or in full-time ministry. There is not a better version of you that you need to wait on before walking by the Spirit. There is only you, in your circumstances, learning to walk by the Spirit and make the good choices that are presented to you. If that choice is the mission field, then by all means, let eternal life empower you there!
Sometimes this simply means loving your wife or kids when they are unloveable. It is expressing Spirit patience when you once would have blown up. It is not slyly throwing a co-worker under the bus when you know it will help your career. The examples are endless. But if you are not walking by the Spirit in the ‘small’ things, how would you ever expect to in the 'big'?
It is a subtle ploy of the enemy where we begin to think if we are not as dedicated as someone like the Apostle Paul, or doing all the things the early church did, we are not a good Christian or in God's will. We are dazzled by the ‘big’ things, but when they don't happen for us, we get discouraged and don't recognize Christ working in us through the 'small' daily normal things.
This mentality distracts us from the abundant opportunities to reflect Christ in our own personal daily choices and life. The Spirit working in us may not seem at 'grand' as it appears in others, but the point is simply to walk by the Spirit. The results are up to Him.
And who knows, much of the grand results that get lauded by the Christian world may not be empowered by Christ at all. As humans, we can accomplish a lot of good looking stuff in our own power. Maybe the fruit of the Spirit in the small things is truly where it is! Not the manufactured Christian success pushed by the Christian world.
Do not be deceived and distracted by the shame and guilt factory, where you will never be good enough. Christ has qualified you now - you are not waiting on a future version of you to start walking by the Spirit. You have His life now.
Extra Bonus Section
I have covered everything I intended to, but I have more thoughts. As I have the space, I will continue, but feel no obligation to continue reading.
Some Hard Things to Say — Thoughts From My Heart
Living from Christ's life within for the small, seemingly insignificant things is faith, and faith pleases God. He would rather you have one moment of faith every day in something small than ten great feats driven by the idea of carrots and sticks.
Our offering of our body to God, just like our offering of money, must come freely, without compulsion, from the heart. (2 Corinthians 9:7). Anything else is not of faith.
And this is the problem with so much teaching out there. It's not that there is no benefit to behaving well, it's that it is portrayed as “the way” to please God, no matter the power or motivation. And this is not scriptural - and not the gospel.
True Ravenous Wolf Teaching
In Acts 20:29, upon his final departure from Ephesus, Paul warns them of false teachers and calls them “ravenous wolves”. But what happens if the ravenous wolf doctrine, or a form of it, has gone mainstream? To the point that it seems like the real deal? What if it has infected our churches to the point where we don't recognize the difference?
I have had fellow believers who have told me that I focus too much on legalism because it impacted me. Well, I am in good company with the Apostle Paul on that. It was quite the serious problem then, and it is now. It cannot be understated - legalism has always been, and continues to be, the biggest threat to the body of Christ. Even more than licentiousness - because it is so subtle.
This is not the clothes you wear, the length of your hair, or shallow things like that. True legalism is a mindset that goes much deeper. It is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing.
In 2 Timothy 3:1-9, Paul gives a stern warning to Timothy (pastor at Ephesus) about these false teachers in the church. The hallmark of these people and their teaching is telling.
While many with a legalistic mindset - focused on being holy by their behavior - gleefully point out the list of bad behavior that flows from these people, they often ignore or de-emphasize the hallmark of these people which could implicate themselves:
“5-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!”
Notice that despite the results (fleshly behavior), these people look 'godly' and their teaching seems 'holy'. The best example in scripture is always the Pharisees and the Judaizers. And of course, Paul formerly being one, can see through these imposters better then most.
You must understand that when Paul calls out false teachers in his letters, by far the most voluminous example is the Judaizers. These folks would come in with their tantalizing list of rules and Paul fought them vehemently, because they were watering down the gospel.
Just Because it Seems Godly, if it is Based on Lists and Self Improvement, it is not of Faith
This word 'form' is interesting. It means resembling or looking like godliness. These people look good on the outside and even their teaching sounds so amazing and godly. Yet, it is not empowered by God in any way - it pushes people into flesh power.
And it ultimately leads to sinning - either good looking religious sinning or licentious looking pagan sinning - but sinning either way. And because there is an emphasis on external behavior, the religious sinning is elevated while the licentious sinning is hid - until it is not.
I think of a recent well known teacher where he kept things hidden that would have made him look less 'godly', and it was not found out until after his death. Some of these people are really good at hiding things.
Yet, an analysis of his teaching shows a lot of legalism with only a shell of grace. Even when I knew nothing about the man or his activities, I questioned his teaching while many in my circles praised him.
Note: I am not questioning anyone's salvation. I will never be in a position to do that, any more than anyone else can question my own. True believers are fooled by bad doctrine all the time.
However, I am questioning their teaching. If teaching has more emphasis on “do’s and don't's” over the new self or new creation, then it is flawed teaching. It doesn't matter who is teaching it, or how many follow the man or ministry.
Scripture is clear, behavior follows your belief system. This is because your belief system about the gospel determines your faith and it's focus. Teaching that focuses on behavior, without laying a proper foundation of the new self, will always fail. It is “denying the power”.
I cannot emphasize enough this hallmark of false teaching that Paul is calling out. This is legalism, pure and simple. Legalism has the appearance of godliness but it denies and ignores the power of the Spirit through the new creation or self. That is it's very definition.
How to Judge Wolf Teaching?
The majority of these teachers certainly do not think of themselves this way or realize their teaching is ravenous wolf teaching! They are the one proclaiming to be calling out the wolves!
It is with much sadness and a heavy heart that I observe much of the church and realize that the ravenous wolf doctrine has become mainstream. It has become like Christ against the Pharisees all over again! The Pharisees were the mainstream at the time. They were the conservatives. Christ was the radical with the weird doctrines.
In the liberal churches the gospel has become licentious. In the conservative churches the gospel has become legalistic. And both are convinced they have it right. Yet, neither emphasize the new creation or self. Neither emphasize the impact of eternal life now. Neither truly teach and preach the full gospel of the new testament.
They preach a form of the gospel, they say the right words - saved by grace, new birth, etc. They even use scripture - so did the Pharisees. Yet, their teaching is without power, because they treat eternal life as a ticket to Heaven and misunderstand or ignore the new creation. They teach a form of godliness but ignore new creation power.
I implore you, do not live powerless. Do not let the weak gospel, watered down by legalism or licentiousness, replace the powerful gospel that gives you the gift of Christ's eternal life permeating your being. Take care to see what scripture actually says and emphasizes about the gospel.
This is a sticky situation. The whole point is a ravenous wolf doctrine will never self own and will often claim other perspectives are the bad ones. So, how do you know?
Does The Teaching Follow the Pattern and Emphasis of New Testament Epistolic Church Instruction?
I have covered this in the past, but look at the structure and emphasis of the epistles, especially the Pauline ones. Yes, Paul often lists qualities that do not reflect Christ's life and character working within us. We do need help to recognize obvious signs that we are walking by the flesh. If you are a habitual liar, it is definitely a sign that you are not doing very well at this walking by the Spirit thing.
However, in every case, there is a foundation laid and a greater emphasis on the new creation, new self, our new heart, our eternal life, and how this is working within us. How God is working in us “to will and do of His good pleasure”. How we have been changed in such a way that we now want to do that which pleases God.
Teaching that ignores or barely mentions the foundation, yet focuses nearly exclusively on the results, does not follow the pattern of gospel instruction. As Paul alluded to above, teaching actions that look godly, without emphasizing the divine power we have to perform those actions, is bad teaching. I dare say it is the doctrine of demons, whether the teachers even realize it or not.
Two-thirds plus of the book of Romans is gospel foundation. Only at the very end does Paul give some instruction with some very general examples of what walking by the Spirit does and does not look like. And most of the epistles follow this ratio to varying degrees.
Does the teaching that is influencing you follow this ratio? I hope you are judging my own writing the same way. Is it encouraging faith in the finished work of Christ? Does it emphasize the new self, the believer’s new spirit and heart, the eternal life we possess now?Or is it obsessed with lists and “do's and don't's”?
Do the teachers you regularly listen to, sit under, and read, spend a lot of time in historical passages of scripture, lifting up Bible characters and how they behaved, good or bad, in order to condemn you? Or even worse, talk about their own or current “spiritual discipline” trends ‘dedication’ to good behavior and elevate it as something to emulate? Is there an underlying pressure and coercive nature to their teaching?
And even when direct gospel related scripture like the epistles is used, does the conclusion almost always end up still with behavior lists and condemnation that you need to be doing better? Is there always the idea that something is wrong with you, that there is some action to take to get more of 'God' in some way? Is the mysterious idea of “God's will” lifted up and following the lists is how to get there?
In other words, is there only a small subset of the gospel - perhaps heaven -treated like a gift, but the rest - like good behavior or righteousness - you must work for with blood, sweat, and tears? Does the teaching relax you and help you rest in the work Christ already did, or push you to add to or supplement the work of Christ with your own actions?
Always Judge Teaching, not the Teachers, Harshly
Carefully consider the teaching influencing you, even my own. Again, I'm not suggesting in any way that some discussion of behavior isn't warranted. That would not follow the pattern of scripture either. We have an “addicted Church” in many ways - this is a huge issue. I will eventually discuss it. Legalism is the root of much of it.
Much like Christ escoriated the Pharisees about how they tithed their mint and cumin, yet neglected the “weightier matters of the Law”, so we have today in the Christian church a focus on behavior that neglects the weightier matters of the gospel. It is truly a form of godliness that neglects the power.
That is true wolf doctrine. This leads to an unhealthy church in severe crisis, with hidden or not so hidden addictions, and yet where the watered down teaching is lifted up as “holy and righteous”. And the few who have a natural fleshly ability to have self-control or at least can hide really well rise to the top, while the rest secretly languish.
Everyone looks really good on Sunday morning, yet the teaching is without power and thus many of them are living without power. Thus, the success of their lives is measured by their natural fleshly ability to behave and discipline themselves. The type-As are elevated and feel good about themselves while many others struggle.
Our Christian institutions, like “Bible colleges”, exist to perpetuate their own version of this “wolf doctrine”, and thus an entire generation of teachers and preachers, with rare exceptions, continue to propagate it. Christian peer pressure among leaders is inadvertently used to keep everyone in line as they fear being labeled something like 'antinomian', “false teacher”, or worse.
I said this was from my heart, and thus I can't help but let a bit of cynicism creep out. It can be discouraging as various forms of a watered down gospel have taken such root and the people teaching it think they are the ones preserving “good doctrine”.
Thus, the true unvarnished gospel is treated as a threat and it becomes increasingly difficult to even have an opportunity to get the truth out there, much less have it be understood. Our minds have truly been engrained with fleshly worldly teaching masquerading as the gospel truth, and many people reject anything different and get upset when you bring it up.
Many people think they are doing all the right things, yet don't truly understand the gospel. Thus, they can't help but be living without power. They don't know they are alive, and some may not even be alive in Christ because the teaching is so weak. Some version of the unscriptural “sinner's prayer” for sin is emphasized over eternal life and what that really means, so 'salvation' is a little understood concept.
With Christ, There is Always Hope
BUT…many of these people in the churches are alive, they just don't know what that means. And many of the teachers are too, they have just been trained in fleshly thinking and teach scripture out of confirmation bias.
The “Mandela effect”, where an untruth is passed along in society to the degree that almost everyone believes it, is in full effect here. Concepts that we often just take for granted are passed along until someone steps up and says, “Wait, are those really scriptural?” And that is my purpose with these articles. I may not have everything right, but I know the status quo is not right either. I see the destruction.
There is always hope for those who are indwelled by Christ. He will work in them, period. That is a promise. And we have scripture, this massive gift from God that is full of truth if we can only see it clearly. The finished work of Christ and the redemption arc shines from every page. We just cannot let the enemy obscure it with religious fog.
I often struggle with the limited reach of this message. And many who are teaching closer to the truth of the gospel still water it down unnecessarily by a focus on other unscriptural topics. But we are all human. God chose, even in scripture, to use humans to communicate the truth. The truth still manages to get out, despite the flawed vessels who are carrying it.
Christ's main influence was on 11 disciples and the Apostle Paul (out of time, LOL). Only 12. If I can help even one or two to begin to see Christ's eternal life they have been given, then who knows what influence they may have. I can trust God with that.
As you begin to live this way, your family and friends will start to see what true Spirit fruit looks like. The genuine light you will shine will make the legalistic acts and works look as fake as they really are. This may take some time, but it will happen. Those with a critical spirit may condemn you, but there will be those who you will influence to seek a purer understanding of the gospel.
And that is my whole point with this article. Know who you are, the gift of Christ you have been given, know that you have the faith and grace package you need, customized by God. You don't need the same package as your siblings in order to please God. You can relax in your own sphere of influence given you by God.
And then…just live. Set your mind on these heavenly truths…and just live. Enjoy the bountiful fruits that come from being alive. Not better circumstances — but life within them.
“22-But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23-gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
When all of these attitudes naturally flow within all circumstances, then that is truly living. It is why you were re-created in Christ. Now, go enjoy and live!