Biblical Zeal or Religious Self-righteousness?

"For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God." - Romans 10:2-3

I would define "zeal" as "enthusiastic commitment, demonstrating follow-through." Zeal can be a good thing, and certainly no better than when employed in the service of God. Such zeal is always discernible because, as Paul states above, it is focused on the righteousness of God. Godly zeal is inseparable from godly character, which will always exemplify the fruits of the Spirit, including mercy and sound-mindedness.

Zeal untempered by the righteous character of God will ultimately turn a person into a human wrecking ball: arrogant, close-minded, controlling, overly sensitive, "high and mighty," and merciless - all self-righteous sound and fury. In the church, it is exemplified by those who are always finding something to condemn, always ready to run someone off, always dogmatic and insisting that their standard is THE standard, always putting people into groups and assigning them labels, always laboring to establish their own righteousness - and blind as bats to their own arrogance and cruelty.

Be zealous, yes, but always in conjunction with the work of the Spirit, always in such a way as you are drawing people to Christ rather than chasing them from Him, always conscious that, thanks to fallen human nature, we can easily go to harmful extremes even with the best of intentions driving us, always mindful that we are fellow servants of one another under one Lord: redeemed from the same fate, cleansed with the same blood, sealed by the same Spirit, destined to stand before the same judgment seat, accountable to the same commandments.

There is a very fine line between contending for truth and mounting a witch hunt. That line is knowing the righteousness of God as opposed to establishing our own. May we be ever mindful of the distinction.

"This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." - James 1:19-20

* Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible
* Image credit: www.wallpaperswide.com

Why the "Wages of Sin is Death"

"The soul who sins will die." - Ezekiel 18:4

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." - John 3:36

"For the wages of sin is death." - Romans 6:23

"For if you live according to the flesh, you must die..." - Romans 8:13


The Bible is clear that sin leads to death, and for this reason many people have come to think of Christianity as a morbid, bloody religion. Why did God command that animals be slain to provide sacrifices for sin in the Old Testament? Why did He require the cruel death of His own Son as an offering for sins in the New Testament? Why does God appear to be obsessed with death and bloodshed? Is He just cruel? Does He take pleasure in inflicting death?

The Bible never directly answers this question, but it does give us the answer through a number of related passages; and I believe that these clues line up with what must be logically true concerning the nature of God as well.

Consider the following passages:

"Then God said, 'Let us man make in our image, according to our likeness'..." - Genesis 1:26 

"In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." - John 1:1-4 

"For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself..." - John 5:26 

"For the bread of God is that which comes out of heaven and gives life to the world." - John 6:33 

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life..." - John 14:6 

 "...even God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist." - Romans 4:17

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." - Romans 5:10 

"For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." - Colossians 3:4

"And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His [God the Father's] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power." - Hebrews 1:3 

"And the testimony is this, that God has given us life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." - 1 John 11-12

God is the source of everything that exists. Nothing that exists can do so apart from him, for as Hebrews 1:3 states, he actually sustains everything that exists by his own power. Nor is this simply a biblical teaching; it is actually a logical necessity:

God is a self-existent being; the only self-existent being, in fact. He has no cause, no beginning in time. He is also what we could call a necessary being. By contrast, everything else that exists--all of which He created--is contingent, or dependent, upon him for both initial existence and continued existence. Nothing came into existence without him, and nothing that exists can continue to exist without him. He is thus the source of all life, and nothing that is alive can continue to live without him. Note that Jesus said in John 5:26 (quoted previously) that the Father "has life in Him" (is self-existent, dependent upon nothing) and has granted that Christ should give life to all who believe in him. Further, note from the above-quoted scriptures that Christ himself is the believer's life.

Contrary to the implications of popular teachings, eternal life is not a possession, not something that a believer carries around with him like a library card or a driver's license; the believer's life is in the person of Jesus Christ, because it is His righteousness alone that appeases the justice of God toward us. This truth of life in Christ is referenced elsewhere as well:

"Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me." - John 6:57 

"...because I live, you will live also." - John 14;19

Man is made in the image of God in that he is a self-aware, reasoning, emotional, willful, and moral being. In a limited sense, we are mirrors that reflect the being and character of God. Yet, because of the fall, man has marred the perfect image upon which he was based; he has "dirtied the mirror," so to speak, and tarnished the reflection of his creator, who is absolutely holy. God tolerates this for the time being because he has made a way of reconciliation and wants all to repent and come to him for life, but he will not continue to tolerate the situation forever. Eventually, those who have chosen rebellion, and who use their God-given abilities to do that which offends him and is contrary to his character, will face judgment, and the sentence will be death: eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire. He will no longer permit caricatures of his perfect, righteous image to go to and fro doing that which is completely contrary to him. This may be why David, following his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, prayed, "Against you, and you only, have I sinned."

To get an idea of how our sinfulness has corrupted the image of God, and may appear in his eyes, imagine for a moment that you are standing in front of a mirror. Now imagine that your reflection begins to take on a life of its own. Imagine that it mocks and curses you in your own voice, and begins to engage in things that you consider hideous and would never do. It would be like watching an evil twin of yourself. Surely, you would want to smash that mirror, or at least wipe it clean.

In a narrow sense, this is what we do to God in our fallen state. Our minds are based upon his mind, yet we take what is essentially his ability to reason and weigh moral choices and do that which he would not do, using the physical forms he has provided us to carry out what we first conceive in our minds. This must be horribly offensive to him, even painful. In his love and mercy, however, he has created a way in which to bring the reflection of himself that is man back into order through the Holy Spirit's work to bring us into conformity to the character of Christ (and thus the character of the Father himself); but if we refuse to be reconciled, he will ultimately smash the mirror rather than allowing the mockery and corruption of his image to continue.

And the result? We die, first temporarily, and afterward, forever. In the time of the resurrection and final judgment, he will wipe his creation clean of the corruption of his image, at the same time bringing an end to the pain and degradation that evil brings to the creation and all who inhabit it.

"For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth until now." - Romans 8:19-22

Thus, the wages of sin--of corrupting the image of God--is death, deprivation of the life that comes from God, else God would end up sustaining the corruption of his own image and the tragedy and perversity that such corruption brings to everything and everyone in the whole of creation. We see this testified to a number of places in scripture, and in especially clear terms in Romans 8:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit..If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin,yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness." - Romans 8:1-4, 10

Jesus Christ came as a human being, made in the same mortal image of God that became corrupted through Adam's fall, and although he committed no sin himself, took humanity's death sentence upon himself and canceled it out, imparting righteousness to all who obey the gospel. Since man had to die, Christ came as a man and died as a man; but he was also raised as a man, yet as one made perfect in his flesh. Those who believe in him will be raised in like manner as he was. In this way, Christ has become a "second Adam," the forerunner for all who follow him and bear his image, not in sin but in righteousness:

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned...So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, evens so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." - Romans 5:12-13, 18

"For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive...So also it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." - 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45

The resurrection is crucial in all of this: had Christ simply died, there would have been no atonement for sin, because death is the penalty for sin, not the remedy. Sin and death are both defeated in resurrection, restoration to life:

"...if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." 

"The last enemy that will be abolished is death." 

"...but when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 26, 54-57

We see this referenced elsewhere as well, including, I believe, in Matthew 16:18, where Jesus says:"Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." 

There are two Greek words that are translated "hell" in the New Testament: hades, which is the Greek equivalent of the OT Hebrew term sheol, meaning the grave (used in Matthew 16:18), and gehenna, which is the term Jesus used in his warnings about eternal judgment. Jesus' statement in Matthew 16 is often thought of as a declaration that Satan and his kingdom will not defeat Christ's church, but I believe it is more likely a statement that death will not overcome it due to the resurrection to eternal life. The power of death will not restrain those who believe in Christ, because it could not restrain him, and the "second death" will not touch believers at all:

"But God raised Him [Jesus] up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power...the patriarch David...was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay." - Acts 2:24, 30-31

"I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades." - Revelation 1:18 

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death." - Revelation 2:11 

"Then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:14

Man finds eternal life only in Christ, in whom "all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). Through the Son's atonement, we are reconciled to the Father; the "image" is put right in that God imparts his own righteousness to us. It's especially interesting to consider here that Christ was physically maimed and abused rather than dying a quick, clean death. Isaiah 52:14 tells us that this was maiming was severe: "Just as many were astonished at you, my people, so His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form than the sons of men." Thus Christ bore the sin-tarnished image of God in the cruel abuse of His own flesh.

The Old Testament animal sacrifices were a type of foreshadowing of this ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice, and were employed not because God enjoys bloodshed, but as a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the costliness of its remedy (the animals were slain mercifully in comparison to how God chose to offer up his own Son). Burning the sacrifice appears to have been a picture of the ultimate destruction of the wicked in Gehenna; God lit the first sacrificial fire himself (Leviticus 9:24) and the fire was to be kept burning (Leviticus 6:9, 12-13), just as Gehenna is described as an "eternal fire" (Matthew 25:41; Jude 1:7) that is kindled by God himself and cannot be quenched by man but will burn until it has entirely consumed those who are cast into it.

On that last point, I should note that God's work to restore his corrupted image in man through Jesus Christ presents a strong challenge to the common teaching that those who are cast into Gehenna will be tormented for eternity rather than being utterly destroyed, as the Bible repeatedly states (see Matthew 10:28, Philippians 3:19, and James 4:12 among other passages). Those who uphold this teaching are so focused on conveying God's wrath against sin that they have, I believe, overlooked the fact that, for God to punish people endlessly, he would have to actively preserve the corruption of his image for all of eternity. Not only would he be preserving that corruption of his image, he would be forever pouring out his wrath against it, causing it to twist and writhe in his sight and hearing it curse him for endless ages.

This hardly sounds compatible with the glorious future described by the apostle Paul in which God will be "all in all."

For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet...But when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. -- I Corinthians 15:25-28

By their very nature, rebels refuse to be subject to authority. A universe in which "all things" are in subjection to God must therefore be a universe in which all rebellion has ceased. Now, one may punish a rebel, but does punishing him (even continually punishing him) eliminate his rebellion? If the rebel will not be reconciled, the only way to end his rebellion is to execute him. Thus, "the soul that sins" must die.

It is often argued that the "death" referred to in reference to the ultimate fate of the wicked in Gehenna is not true death, but rather, is metaphorically called "death" because it is a state that is so horrible that it lacks any quality of life; but note in the above-cited passage that Paul tells us that death itself is an "enemy" that will ultimately be "abolished." The eternal, conscious torment view has a problem here, for Paul tells us that death will ultimately be done away with. If then the fate of the wicked in Gehenna is, as we're often told, a state of 'living death,' that state must at some point come to an end and, therefore, cannot be truly eternal. If, on the other hand, "death" means the actual cessation of life, the text makes perfect sense in conjunction with other passages that tell us that the wicked will be punished with eternal destruction; for when the last of the wicked has perished, then death itself will be at an end. All rebellion will have been forever suppressed. The corrupted image of God will have been redeemed.

Conclusion

It's my prayer that the thoughts and scriptures shared here have helped to demonstrate why the "wages" of sin is naturally death, as apart from any cruelty in God's character. As the source and sustainer of all life, God cannot allow evil to exist indefinitely and still remain true to his own nature. Yet, while he had the right to do away with all of humanity, in his mercy God chose to offer reconciliation. Yes, "the wages of sin is death," but thanks be to God that the scripture does not stop there:

"...but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."



* All scripture quotations cited here are from the King James Version, the English Standard Version, or the New American Standard Bible.
* Image credit: Brian Norcross/Stockvault.net

Does God Speak Today?

"Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you..." - Mark 5:19


When I was growing up, I was often puzzled by why God seemed so distant in comparison to the events that I read about in the Bible. As far as I was concerned, God seemed a lot like a Howard Hughes: the reclusive CEO of a mega-corporation (modern Christendom) who never dealt with anyone directly but insisted that they consult with His underlings (pastors and deacons). Unfortunately, these underlings were not always the most pleasant people to deal with, and many acted as though the company belonged to them outright. As a result, I grew disillusioned with church and all things religious. Pastors were always preaching that we all needed "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ," but how can you have a personal relationship with someone who never showed Himself, who never talked back when you talked to Him? First Corinthians 13:10 was interpreted to mean that, since the Bible had been completed, God no longer dealt with men directly. Thus, if anyone wanted to hear from God, he or she should "Go read the book" - I heard this sort of thing said often in the churches and Christian schools I attended, and it was terribly discouraging. It simply did not seem to fit with the character of the God I read about in the pages of the scriptures.

Fast-forward to my mid-30s. After years of complacency and lack of interest in anything spiritual, I found myself in the midst of a spiritual renaissance. Whereas prayer and Bible reading had once been something of a drudgery, they became a delight to me, and I spent hours a week before the Lord, seeking Him. My denominational training remained firmly intact, however. I was content to seek the Lord, but never expected to directly encounter Him. I do remember telling Him once that I believed that He was just as capable today of doing anything that He was recorded as having done in times past, but I had no real idea what that might mean to me personally.

Then came a night when everything changed and the religious disillusionment of my youth was powerfully dispelled. 

I was up late one night, praying. Everyone else (meaning my wife and - then - two children) was asleep and things were very quiet. There was nothing remarkable about my prayer that night. I had no expectations of anything different. When at last I finished, I got into bed, rolled over onto my left side as I habitually do when I'm about to fall asleep, and closed my eyes.

I had only just closed my eyes when I felt it: a gentle brush of something against my right shoulder. I had been touched. I had never felt anything like it before; it was non-physical, but it was a touch, nonetheless. My wife was sound asleep on the other side of the bed and could not be responsible for it, I knew, but before I had time to think about it much more, a voice spoke very clearly in my mind.

Very simply, it said: "Stay awhile longer."

I'm a writer, but if I live to be 100, I will never be able to fully describe what came over me at that moment, in the quiet of a dark house, when something happened to me that I was not expecting and had not asked for. I can tell you, though, that I understood at that moment why God told Moses, "You cannot see My face and live." I was filled with the purest joy I had ever known. It was so powerful that it felt like it might kill me. And if a gentle touch and three softly whispered words were enough to do that, what might encountering God face-to-face do to a man? I do not doubt the apostle John whatsoever when he writes that he saw the risen Christ and fell before his feet as though dead.

I got out of bed, fell on my face before the Lord, and poured out thanksgiving to Him. I was overwhelmed. For a moment, the God of the universe, the creator of all things, wanted me to remain in His presence for awhile longer, talking with Him. Here was the personal relationship I had always longed for, the lack of which had always made church seem so dead and dry to me. The words of the Psalmist came to mind: "What is man, that you take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4).

Since then, I have heard the Spirit's gentle whisper on a number of occasions, and almost never when I expected a reply. Once, I was praying for a couple that was having trouble in their marriage, and while I was still speaking that gentle voice interrupted and clearly said, "I can't help them if they won't yield to me."

I'm fully aware that I risk my reputation as a reliable, level-headed individual by sharing all of this so openly, but I know what happened to me, and I know that there are believers out there who are every bit as disillusioned with what they feel is a dead, dry religion as I once was. To those who feel this way, I say, take heart, dedicate yourself to seeking God fully, and you will find Him. I'm no one special, and God is no respecter of persons. Cast yourself into the Word and prayer, seeking Him especially in the quiet watches of the night, believing that He is just as capable of speaking today as He did in the past.

"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." - John 14:21

"He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us..." - Acts 17:26-27

Broken and Poured Out, but not Wasted

"And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, 'Why was this fragrant oil wasted?'" - Mark 14:3

"Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” - John 12:3-4

Do you wonder where your gifts lie? Where it is that God's "anointing" rests upon you? Then I would ask you: "Where have you been broken?" The alabaster flask that Mary brought to the Lord contained something very precious; indeed, a "costly" oil, the scriptures say; and as John tells us, everyone in the house was blessed with the fragrance of that oil. But the blessing did not come until the flask was broken and the oil was poured out. 

Where have you been broken? Where have you been wounded? Where are you being poured out? Some would say that your brokenness represents a waste, a waste of years, a waste of talent, a waste of life, a waste of what might have been used for other things: things more appropriate in the sight of men. It's more than likely that you feel this way yourself, when you look back on the years of your life. Your brokenness has cost you much, more than anyone other than the Lord Himself can understand. But it is in that very brokenness that the oil - that which has cost you so much - is poured forth, and all around you may be blessed by its fragrance. 

How long did Jesus carry the scent of the oil that Mary poured out on Him? The fragrance that filled the air in Simon's house ("Simon the leper," mind you; one who was known for a dreaded disease) must have lingered on Jesus for quite some time afterward. Anyone near Him would have smelled it. He carried with Him something beautiful: a fragrance that would have blessed anyone around Him and drawn their attention to Him.

Whatever has broken you, whatever regrets and shames you may carry, however much they may have cost you, and however the voices around you may accuse you of waste, all of this is a precious oil, which, when poured out from you, anoints the Savior's head and feet, blessing the world as it draws all to Him. It perfumes the air, calling the wounded, the hurting, the dying, to the one who gives rest, and upon whom nothing that is poured out is ever wasted, no matter what men in their pretended wisdom may think.

- picture credit, unknown
- scriptures taken from the New King James Version

You Did It Unto Me

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that when He comes again and sets up His kingdom, He will divide people into two camps: "sheep" and "goats." To the sheep, He will say: "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me."

The "sheep" will then ask the Lord when they saw Him in this condition or did these things for Him, to which He will reply: "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."

The "goats," on the other hand, will hear precisely the opposite. Jesus will tell them that they did not aid Him when He was in need. And when they ask Him how this can be, He will reply: "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me."

This passage is often recited to make the point that we need to care for the elderly, the sick, the poor, etc., and this is certainly true. However, there is another theme here that I want to stress, particularly in light of the debates that Christians often get into with one another and how often I've seen them condemn and slander one another, smug in their own perceived self-righteousness even as they spew venom at their brothers and sisters like spitting cobras.

The theme I want to emphasize is that Jesus makes it clear that He considers what is done to His people the same as if it were done to Him, and Matthew 25 makes it clear that a day of reckoning is coming on these matters. Believers need to let this sink in deeply. Sometimes, a brother or sister will be in the wrong, and depending on the circumstances we may have an obligation to step in and - lovingly - correct that person. But in all honesty I have to say that far too many Christians are too quick to don the black robes and start handing out judgment, and this is true even in situations where judgment is necessary and beneficial. Even if they may be correct in their assessment of the situation, their motives and attitudes are wrong. Notice what Paul said to the Galatians:

"Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." - Galatians 6:1

Who is to do the restoring here? Those who are spiritual, meaning those who are Spirit-led. Those who are not Spirit-led should not be trying to correct anyone else because they're not right themselves. Jesus makes that clear in Matthew 7:

"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." - Matthew 7:3-5

In any debate or discussion amongst other believers, Christians need to be aware of their motives and attitudes and ask what spirit is leading them to do or say whatever they are doing or saying to their brothers and sisters. The Lord loves all of His people. Each has been bought with His own blood and pain. Each is a joint heir with Him. Each is a member of His family, His own brother or sister in the Spirit.

Treat one another as sons and daughters of the King. And beware when you take aim at someone else, lest Christ see you as coming against Him as well.

Move On

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." - John 6:37 

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." - Psalm 103:12-14 

Sometimes believers royally mess up their lives through one fault or another, and in shame, confusion, and bewilderment they wonder if God has any mercy left for them. They approach God rather the way that a student might approach a teacher who is difficult and doesn't particularly like them, shying away from the Word and praying without confidence (like slipping a note under that teacher's door and running off rather than risking confrontation). Their walk becomes one of drudgery, overshadowed by a continual sense of condemnation and futility.

The following from 1 Samuel 12 should serve to encourage anyone who is in this condition. Don't let your failures discourage you to the point where you run away from God. He will never despise a heart that seeks Him. He's far more forgiving than we are, and He already knew the worst about you when He invited you to come and follow Him. So take heart, brothers and sisters. If you fall, no matter how much you may despise yourself, pick yourself up, go back to the Lord, take hold of the hem of his garment, and follow in His steps. :

"Samuel said to the people, 'Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile. For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you...'" - 1 Samuel 12:20-24 

Prepare for Opposition

"Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, 'What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?' Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, 'Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!'” - Nehemiah 4:1-3

As a Christian, whenever you begin to do any kind of work for the Lord - whether it's getting your own life together, engaging in some form of ministry that honors the Great Commission, or teaching people to follow Christ - you will inevitably come under fire. The Bible is clear that "the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). This world and the influences that saturate it are at war with God. As a believer, you are in occupied territory, wearing the uniform of a detested enemy. And if you take that role at all seriously, you will be attacked, just as any human army would immediately attack and to try either kill or capture the soldiers of an opposing force that had entered their territory. It's not a question of 'if', but 'when'. It will begin with ridicule and then progress to direct opposition. But then most wars of men progress in this way, don't they? The propaganda starts long before the shooting does.

"So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it." - Nehemiah 4:6-8

It's important that this be understood. Many who try to live for God often wonder why it seems that everything in their life goes wrong, and why they can't overcome addictions, emotional problems, and other "hang ups." The western church as a whole has been remiss in teaching about the reality of spiritual warfare beyond one's personal struggle against sin, and even this has been reduced to a mere consideration of the flesh. Satan has been largely reduced to a figurehead, an ethereal placeholder for whatever we find disagreeable, more of an idea than an actual person. He is, in fact, intelligent, powerful, and a wonderful organizer. He was created to be one of the chief administrators of creation, and while he has fallen and evil has dimmed his understanding, he is not to be taken lightly. In the words of Martin Luther:

"His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate.
"On earth is not his equal."

If you're a disciple of Christ, and serious about following Him, understand that you are in a real war with a real enemy who will attack you in very real ways, drawing on thousands of years of experience in dealing with human beings. Fully 1/3 of Jesus' ministry involved direct confrontation with Satan's kingdom, and are we to believe that he and his hosts have simply gone away since then?

     Study the Bible to understand how your enemy works. Do not be "ignorant of his schemes" (II Corinthians 2:11). Do not think that you "wrestle" only with "flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12). And do not think that religious works, counseling, and man-made programs are sufficient to withstand the enemy. The modern approach to spiritual warfare has largely amounted to holding self-help classes in the middle of a battlefield. No wonder we're seeing so many casualties. Again, in the words of Luther:

"Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing..."

Christ must be our never-ending focus. We should have a proper understanding of our enemy, and maintain a healthy respect for what he is capable of, but always in light of his defeated state. As Luther put it, we have the "right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing":

"Dost ask who that may be; Christ Jesus it is He!
"Lord Sabaoth His Name, from age to age the same.
"And He must win the battle."

How, then, are we to respond? How do we engage with this enemy?

"...this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." - 1 John 5:4

Hold fast to Christ, no matter what. Do not let the battles you face dim your faith. An army that loses confidence in its commander and begins to fight as each soldier sees fit will be slaughtered in the face of an organized foe. This is why Satan comes against our faith, first and foremost: to separate us from Christ, whom he knows he cannot defeat.

     Further, respond with the Word of God. This is what Jesus did when He was personally confronted by Satan in the wilderness. In response to each temptation, His reply was: "It is written..."

     Get into the Word. Memorize those passages that have to do with victory in Christ, and repeat them often when you face hardship: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31); "We are more than conquerors," (Romans 8:37); "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world," (1 John 4:4); "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil..." (Ephesians 6:10-18), etc. Command the enemy to leave you in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Learn how to apply the victory that Christ has already won on our behalf.

"That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
"The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
"Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
"The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
"His kingdom is forever."

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." - Revelation 12:11

Further resources: 

- "Basics of Deliverance": http://youtu.be/Ec_NgpvS2os
- "Release from the Curse": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkQn30Qt1Cc
- "They Shall Expel Demons": http://www.amazon.com/dp/0800792602/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

- sword image courtesy of Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scottish_claymore_replica_(Albion_Chieftain)2.jpg)