Most of us have seen and laughed at the antics of a baby learning 1st to sit and then to stand. But it actually takes a lot of work and often much coaching and even more help.
The motor cortex of the brain, on which will be written all the coding for intentional movement, starts out blank as a washed chalkboard. Although the seeds of instinctive behavior are there, an infant, dominated by gravity, cannot hold his head or trunk upright…from “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” pg.167 by Dr. Paul Brand & Philip Yancey
It is the same for a babe in Christ.
Sunday my pastor prefaced his sermon by saying that some might think what he was about to say was an oxymoron but in reality he was just going to show us the balance of two sides. He spoke pure truth. The balance he spoke on was on living a victorious life. Summing it up, Pastor Dave said, GOD supplies but we must discipline ourselves (to read the word and choose to humble ourselves and step out and apply it in our lives). One point he made was it is a real battle, not something that comes easy.
I am speaking on another subject, but it too can seem like an oxymoron. So I pray that GOD will show you truth from error.
The thing that struck me most this time through the book of Romans was the topic of acceptance. I noticed 3 kinds of acceptance.
Romans 10: 3 For they don’t understand GOD’s way of making people right with HIMSELF. Refusing to accept GOD’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with GOD by trying to keep the law.
The 1st acceptance is man accepting GOD’s way, JESUS. Remember how JESUS said, “I am the way”?
In John 3:14 Jesus reminds us of an Old Testament story. In the wilderness the Jews made GOD mad again, this time GOD sent snakes among them and anyone who got bit would die. So they ran to Moses for him to help them. Moses went to GOD and GOD told Moses to put a snake on a pole. If anyone got bit by a snake all he had to do was look at the pole and he would live. But if he refused to look he would die. Simple as that. Some refused to believe it would help and they died. Others immediately looked at the pole and were healed.
Then in the next breath JESUS said: John 3:16 GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten Son that whoever believes in HIM (looks to HIM) will not die but have ever lasting life. Then in John 3:36 He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that refuses to believe on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of GOD abides on him.
When people refuse to accept the love of the truth, GOD’s way, they can not get right with or be accepted by GOD. HIS wrath abides on those who refuse to believe.
Romans 14:1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak (unnourished), eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
The 2nd acceptance spoken of is our acceptance of other Christians. Such acceptance should not be on if we agree with their opinions or how well they talk or how much education they have or what they wear but solely on the premise that GOD has accepted them.
Now we have already seen that GOD accepts people only if they look to JESUS so that means that the basis of our acceptance of believers is simply that they have looked to JESUS.
Romans:14;4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands (present, indicative) or falls. And he will stand (future, indicative, passive), for the Lord is able (present indicative) to make him stand.
The Greek word stand in this passage is stakeo=to make stand, set in place, to establish, confirm, be permanent, endure, be firm, to fix, agree upon. It is often used as a financial term meaning agree upon payment, establish terms, come to agreeance. Makes me think of Isaiah 1:18-20 “come let us reason together…”
We see the 3rd acceptance as GOD's acceptance of someone when he accepts JESUS,. When someone accepts JESUS, he becomes GOD’s servant. Only the Master knows what assignments HE has sent HIS servant on. Only the Master has the right to say if the servant fulfills his responsibilities.
Three times in Romans 14:4 the word stand is used so I went to the Greek. And all three times they are in the indicative which simply means in reality. So I am going to preface the meanings with those words to make the sense of the passage clearer.
1- in reality, the servant stands or fails (falls) before his Master alone. (only his Master opinion matters)
2- in reality GOD’s servant will definitely (future) stand. That word stand here is passive which means another is propping him up.
3- (now listen to these beautiful words) For in reality GOD is able to make him stand. (The word able is dunimis where we get our word dynamite).
In other words our standing with GOD is enabled by GOD’s dynamic power.
When GOD accepts people HE accepts them because they accept JESUS and HE accepts them at the level of their commitment right then. Let me give you an example:
After JESUS’ resurrection and Peter’s denying JESUS 3 times, the LORD JESUS spoke privately with Peter, not upbraiding him for his failure but repeating a question and calling Peter to a specific work.
The 1st and 2nd time JESUS asked Peter if he loved HIM with the full commitment of GOD’s love (agapa) and told Peter to feed HIS sheep. Both times Peter answered JESUS, “I love you like a brother (phileo)” which is another Greek word for love with a much lower commitment. But the 3rd time JESUS asked Peter if he loved HIM like a brother (phileo) lowering the level of commitment HE required and gave him the same instructions.
You see GOD accepted Peter because he believed in JESUS and called him at the level of his commitment. But the story is not over, for if you read in 2 Peter 1:7 you see that GOD didn’t leave Peter the way he was therefore Peter learned how to love JESUS with the full commitment of GOD’s own agapa love.
Romans 8 28And we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM, who have been called according to HIS purpose. 29For those God foreknew HE also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of HIS Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those HE predestined, HE also called; those HE called, HE also justified; those HE justified, HE also glorified.
1st we must accept GOD’s way… JESUS
2nd we need to accept other believers simply because GOD accepts them
3rd we are accepted and stand or fall before GOD alone and HE will enable us to stand ( though we may have a few falls along the way).
Isn’t the word acceptance a beautiful word? What is your criteria for accepting others?
The motor cortex of the brain, on which will be written all the coding for intentional movement, starts out blank as a washed chalkboard. Although the seeds of instinctive behavior are there, an infant, dominated by gravity, cannot hold his head or trunk upright…from “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” pg.167 by Dr. Paul Brand & Philip Yancey
It is the same for a babe in Christ.
Sunday my pastor prefaced his sermon by saying that some might think what he was about to say was an oxymoron but in reality he was just going to show us the balance of two sides. He spoke pure truth. The balance he spoke on was on living a victorious life. Summing it up, Pastor Dave said, GOD supplies but we must discipline ourselves (to read the word and choose to humble ourselves and step out and apply it in our lives). One point he made was it is a real battle, not something that comes easy.
I am speaking on another subject, but it too can seem like an oxymoron. So I pray that GOD will show you truth from error.
The thing that struck me most this time through the book of Romans was the topic of acceptance. I noticed 3 kinds of acceptance.
Romans 10: 3 For they don’t understand GOD’s way of making people right with HIMSELF. Refusing to accept GOD’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with GOD by trying to keep the law.
The 1st acceptance is man accepting GOD’s way, JESUS. Remember how JESUS said, “I am the way”?
In John 3:14 Jesus reminds us of an Old Testament story. In the wilderness the Jews made GOD mad again, this time GOD sent snakes among them and anyone who got bit would die. So they ran to Moses for him to help them. Moses went to GOD and GOD told Moses to put a snake on a pole. If anyone got bit by a snake all he had to do was look at the pole and he would live. But if he refused to look he would die. Simple as that. Some refused to believe it would help and they died. Others immediately looked at the pole and were healed.
Then in the next breath JESUS said: John 3:16 GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten Son that whoever believes in HIM (looks to HIM) will not die but have ever lasting life. Then in John 3:36 He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that refuses to believe on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of GOD abides on him.
When people refuse to accept the love of the truth, GOD’s way, they can not get right with or be accepted by GOD. HIS wrath abides on those who refuse to believe.
Romans 14:1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak (unnourished), eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
The 2nd acceptance spoken of is our acceptance of other Christians. Such acceptance should not be on if we agree with their opinions or how well they talk or how much education they have or what they wear but solely on the premise that GOD has accepted them.
Now we have already seen that GOD accepts people only if they look to JESUS so that means that the basis of our acceptance of believers is simply that they have looked to JESUS.
Romans:14;4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands (present, indicative) or falls. And he will stand (future, indicative, passive), for the Lord is able (present indicative) to make him stand.
The Greek word stand in this passage is stakeo=to make stand, set in place, to establish, confirm, be permanent, endure, be firm, to fix, agree upon. It is often used as a financial term meaning agree upon payment, establish terms, come to agreeance. Makes me think of Isaiah 1:18-20 “come let us reason together…”
We see the 3rd acceptance as GOD's acceptance of someone when he accepts JESUS,. When someone accepts JESUS, he becomes GOD’s servant. Only the Master knows what assignments HE has sent HIS servant on. Only the Master has the right to say if the servant fulfills his responsibilities.
Three times in Romans 14:4 the word stand is used so I went to the Greek. And all three times they are in the indicative which simply means in reality. So I am going to preface the meanings with those words to make the sense of the passage clearer.
1- in reality, the servant stands or fails (falls) before his Master alone. (only his Master opinion matters)
2- in reality GOD’s servant will definitely (future) stand. That word stand here is passive which means another is propping him up.
3- (now listen to these beautiful words) For in reality GOD is able to make him stand. (The word able is dunimis where we get our word dynamite).
In other words our standing with GOD is enabled by GOD’s dynamic power.
When GOD accepts people HE accepts them because they accept JESUS and HE accepts them at the level of their commitment right then. Let me give you an example:
After JESUS’ resurrection and Peter’s denying JESUS 3 times, the LORD JESUS spoke privately with Peter, not upbraiding him for his failure but repeating a question and calling Peter to a specific work.
The 1st and 2nd time JESUS asked Peter if he loved HIM with the full commitment of GOD’s love (agapa) and told Peter to feed HIS sheep. Both times Peter answered JESUS, “I love you like a brother (phileo)” which is another Greek word for love with a much lower commitment. But the 3rd time JESUS asked Peter if he loved HIM like a brother (phileo) lowering the level of commitment HE required and gave him the same instructions.
You see GOD accepted Peter because he believed in JESUS and called him at the level of his commitment. But the story is not over, for if you read in 2 Peter 1:7 you see that GOD didn’t leave Peter the way he was therefore Peter learned how to love JESUS with the full commitment of GOD’s own agapa love.
Romans 8 28And we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM, who have been called according to HIS purpose. 29For those God foreknew HE also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of HIS Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those HE predestined, HE also called; those HE called, HE also justified; those HE justified, HE also glorified.
1st we must accept GOD’s way… JESUS
2nd we need to accept other believers simply because GOD accepts them
3rd we are accepted and stand or fall before GOD alone and HE will enable us to stand ( though we may have a few falls along the way).
Isn’t the word acceptance a beautiful word? What is your criteria for accepting others?
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