1060. Dodging the 'Doing' Dilemma and Walking in the Spirit

It's good to do good. Works can certainly become an important part of our lives in Christ. But how we are positioned with God is not based on what we do (or don't do). Our eternal redemption and our identity of righteousness is based on what Jesus did for us through a finished work that He fulfilled. Nothing can separate us from that love. The Jewish people under the (now obsolete) Mosaic law were pursuing the master blueprint of good works—but it resulted in bearing fruit for death and the increase of sin. The fruit of works may have looked pretty good to the human eye, but it was plastic, dead fruit.

As a new creation living in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit isn't rooted in trying to prove our identity by behavior and works ... and all of those church activities. We can only bear the fruit the Spirit produces through us. It is a place of freedom and peace, and it occurs apart from law and religious obligation.




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822. Memorizing "Verses" While Missing the Context of the New Covenant

“But what about this verse!” It has become common practice to view the Bible through individual Bible verses. What was meant as a method to reference the writings more easily can often turn into tunnel vision when it comes to the complete truth contained within the New Covenant of Jesus. A verse or two by themselves can turn into being used as a memorization technique, which sounds like a good thing to do—but the context is more important than any one verse which can often lead people into false assumptions and misunderstandings.

Individual verses can be used as “topics” for sermons, while the pastor may have little or no understanding about the gospel from a New Covenant perspective. We’re working toward a short passage containing a few verses in Galatians chapter 5 which is often used to bring people back into a works mentality … and leaving them in a state of confusion when it comes to God’s grace.

   
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817. Beginning in the Spirit - But Perfected by the Flesh?

Doing good, avoiding evil. Those four words would seem to be a no-brainer within almost every religious creed. And this seems to be the foundation upon which Christianity has been built, at least within many church denominations. So if this is supposed to be the goal for believers in Christ—if this is the primary purpose—what is it that makes our faith unique?

Paul spoke to the Galatian churches in frustration because after receiving the Spirit of God freely by faith, they had been persuaded to begin trusting in the works of the old law in addition to faith in Christ. Paul called this a work of the flesh. Its roots go back to the same tree Adam ate from when everything collapsed. It was called The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was an unbelief problem as Adam decided to turn from trusting in the sufficiency of the life of God … and chose to begin trusting in the knowledge of both good and evil. He was told it would make him more like God, but it had the opposite result.

Many believers today are struggling with the same thing. They are working at trying to become more like God, and it becomes more about doing—or not doing—instead of being or resting in who God has already made them to be.

   
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696. The Spirit Vs. the Flesh (Walking in the Spirit)

“The law is not of faith.” This word from Paul is a central theme throughout the book of Galatians. It needs to be kept in mind as we look through the letter, including chapter 5 as the apostle compares the Spirit to the flesh. Believers in Christ who had been freed from the law are no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Although we can be tempted with the works of the flesh that Paul lists in Galatians 5, it is those who are of the flesh that will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (unbelievers). They are stuck in “works” mode… which may appear as sinful and at other times it may appear as Godly. This is not a passage on living “good enough” to inherit eternal life. We’ve all continued to struggle with being perfect… we still may have moments of anger, quarrels, jealousy, impure thoughts, etc. Fear not! God is always with you and He desires to be our helper during those times.

The Galatians were earlier accused of having fallen from grace because they were trying to be perfected by the law of works (Galatians 3:3 & 5:4). As children of God, we receive an inheritance as a gift because we are an heir, not because we are living in a way that is going to be considered morally acceptable. This is not to diminish or disregard the importance of behavior - Paul’s exhortation is for us who are in Christ to behave in a way that reflects the true righteous nature of who we’ve been born to be in Christ. This is not accomplished by our empty efforts of trying to produce our own fruit, but by the Holy Spirit within us. Now we can bear His fruit, apart from the law of works.



   
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695. Love Is Better Than Law

In the third chapter of Galatians, Paul stated “the law is not of faith.” We’ve progressed to Galatians chapter 5, where the apostle attempts to encourage these people to avoid the pitfall of going from the freedom of grace back into the law of works. They had been bewitched and deceived into another gospel that really wasn’t the gospel at all. If they were going to choose the system of written commandments (such as circumcision), they would be obligated to keep the entire law - all 613 commands. Those who were attempting to be justified by law (works) had fallen from grace. Paul went on to admonish not to use their freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. So how does one walk in the Spirit and avoid the desire of the flesh? It’s done apart from the law of works and it’s rooted in the perfect love of God which was manifested through Jesus Christ… this is where we abide as believers inside of a New Covenant.



   
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691. "The Law Is Not of Faith" (Galatians 3:12)

We frequently find them blended into the doctrines and sermons of Church Incorporated… selected portions of commandments from the law which came by way of Moses. Not the entire law, mind you. Each religious brand will pick and choose what they think should be applied and what should be left off the list. The problem? There shouldn’t be a list. The entire written code of the letter from the Old Covenant was wiped out and came to an end. It was replaced with a better option that arrived when Jesus was manifested - it’s called faith. Paul was explaining to the Galatians they needed to make one of two choices… attempting to follow and live by the works of the law (the flesh) or to live by faith in Jesus Christ.

Before faith came, the Jews were held as prisoners under the law. The Mosaic law was a tutor or guardian which was meant to eventually lead them to the custody of Jesus Christ. When faith (Christ) came, there was no longer the need for the guardian because us who are in Christ Jesus became children of God by faith. The law and commandments are not based upon the faith that was provided for us within a new and better covenant.



   
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651. Subscribing to Sin Management Inc.

When many Christians consider repentance, it is usually viewed from the perspective of turning from sin. In essence, what they are really saying is to focus on reducing your sin count. This is not how repentance is defined. Less sinning is always going to be a positive thing for you and those around you. It’s simply not a part of the new righteous and holy nature that abides in you. However, falling into the trap of “sin management” will potentially cause us to chase after the flesh, develop a mindset of self-righteousness, and lead to boasting in ourselves while judging others who fall just as short as we have. Other than Jesus, nobody has ever been able to equal the requirement of perfect behavior as it was reflected through the law. Not one … before the cross or after. There is a better place to abide than working at managing your sin count, and that is with the power of grace found inside of a new and better covenant—where the Holy Spirit will remind us of God’s unconditional love, and that we have been gifted with His righteousness as a new creation in Christ.



   

635. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 6): Abraham Did Not Waver at God’s Promise

In this sixth part of the series, we wrap up our brief look at Abraham and the significance of his part in God’s redemptive picture, which is a picture described throughout Scripture. Interestingly, in spite of what appears to be a fleshly effort by having a child through his servant Hagar, the Bible declares Abraham was not weak in faith, and did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith. Righteousness was credited to him because of belief, just as it is to us today, apart from law or works.



   

634. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 5): Abraham and the Child of Promise

Hundreds of years before God gave the law to Moses, there was Abraham. Through him God brought forth a promise, where he would become the father of many nations that would occur through a child promised to him and Sarah. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. It was by faith the promise arrived, not works. The Apostle Paul explains how Abraham’s two sons represent the two covenants—both the Old and the New. The son born from Hagar (the bondwoman) was born according to the flesh, whereas the son from Sarah (the freewoman) through promise. One gave birth to bondage, symbolic of Mount Sinai, and the other gave birth to freedom, which would include justification for Gentiles through faith.



   

588. Fake News: Believers Still Have a Sinful Nature

Many Christians have been taught they are living with two natures; one that is holy and righteous, and another that is sinful. At the very least, this is misleading and at the most it’s just plain erroneous. One who has come to belief in Christ, born in the newness of life and given a new heart, cannot also have a nature of evil dwelling within the spirit of the inner man. Confusion occurs when we define the flesh as a sinful nature, and some of this stems from a popular Bible translation using the phrase "sinful nature," although it has been revised in many instances since 2011. Believers are not defined as sinners with a nature to match - we are now described as partakers of the divine nature.



   

489. Guest Andrew Farley: Your Identity

Best-selling author and speaker Dr. Andrew Farley joins us for the third and final week, discussing who you are in Christ. We often hear about how Jesus died for us, but it seems we seldom hear about how we also died with Him. We are spiritual beings who also have a soul and a body. We had a heart transplant, having been made brand new through birth. Although there is a growth process with the renewing of the mind and behavioral changes, this is not to be confused with how you are identified as a new creation. Andrew also address the question about whether or not we possess two natures.

Check out more on Andrew Farley at andrewfarley.org and churchwithoutreligion.com.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3


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435. Avoiding Religious Regulations

This week we find ourselves jumping into a spontaneous discussion about some religious mindsets people have and the things they feel the need to do. Often it's human-based traditions that are the foundation that leads people into this bondage. Where do many of them come from? Usually it's a variation of the Old Covenant that the Jewish people were under. An obsolete covenant that has been replaced with a brand new one that brings freedom to Jews and Gentiles alike.

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420. Struggling With Sinful Actions

Many believers in Christ become frustrated when they struggle with acts of unrighteousness. We take a practical look at these challenges through the gospel of grace. Sometimes we can get ourselves entangled by doing what we don't really want to do because we're approaching it from our own strength or not recognizing the entirety of what we've been freed from. The good news is Jesus dealt with the ultimate sin problem. We no longer need to try to crucify the flesh because in reality, we were crucified with Christ.

In this episode we talked about "the flesh," and we mentioned some past episodes in which we had previously talked about it. Those episodes may be helpful in understanding more about where we're coming from:
Episode 405. The Destruction and Removal of Sin
Episode 406. What is the Flesh? (The Good, the Bad, the Ugly)

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407. Giving Up Commandments To Gain Christ

This week's podcast is a follow-up on last week's chat about religious flesh. Often when you hear someone give a Christian testimony it will be based on all the bad stuff they used to do that they don't do any more. But the Apostle Paul revealed how he gave up his efforts to abide by the good commandments of the law and the attempt to establish his own righteousness. Why? Because being in Christ is better. Under the Old Covenant of law and works sin increased (not decreased), and the law aroused the passion to sin. But in Christ sin will not have dominion over you. Why? As Paul stated, because you are not under law but under grace.

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406. What is the Flesh? (The Good, the Bad, the Ugly)

When referring to "the flesh" in the Bible the first thing that comes to mind is probably going to be sinful actions. But walking after the flesh can also at times appear outwardly to be very positive spiritually, and even fruitful. We call it religious flesh. We discuss the differences and offer some encouragement on how to avoid falling into it. Whether it appears to be good or bad, walking after the flesh is ugly compared to life in the Spirit.

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199. If Not Law and Rules Then What is the Source of Living the Christian Life?

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For the past several weeks we've been getting pretty heavy into discussions about God's Law. We've discussed the purpose of the Law, and how it is the ministry of death and condemnation, and how being under the Law is bondage. We then talked about how Jesus came to FREE us from the Law! For those not familiar with all these things that the New Covenant scriptures say about the Law, this may leave some scratching their heads and asking questions such as, "If the Christian life is not about keeping God's law and it's not about following rules, then what is the motivation and the source of living the Christian life?

If we say that Jesus came to deliver us from the Law, and all we talk about is God's love and grace, won't that cause people to want to go out and sin and live reckless lives? Is that what grace does? (Do we really have the gall to make grace out to be so cheap and powerless and insufficient?) The Law, which is good and holy and perfect, had one main problem. It could certainly lay down its demands of perfection - but yet it had absolutely no power to help anyone live right! Grace, on the other hand, is the ever-sufficient power of living the Christian life. To take it even further, it's not that grace enables the flesh to live a better life, but through God's grace we have died to the Law in order that we may have true life - the very life of Christ in us! Therein lies the power and the motivation and the source of the entire Christian life!

Special Note: Next week marks our 200th Growing in Grace program! To celebrate, we'll spend two or three weeks running highlights of our past programs. This should be a lot of fun as we look back on some of our conversations that have hopefully been a source of grace, freedom and life. Thanks so much for listening and for all your encouraging words!

188. Trusting the Power of God or the Ability of the Flesh

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This is a continuation of last week's chat about God's Work in Us. We talk about the difference between trusting the life of Christ in us/God's power at work in us, and trusting in our own efforts. Are the things we do the result of the life of Christ expressing itself in and through us or are they the result of the abilities of the flesh?