| A Christian
wrote us to ask the following questions:
I want to
know if I am understanding you correctly where, in the
second paragraph, you say it is a great error and false concept we
have in thinking we are responsible for self-development, and that
this way of thinking is contrary to the truth, and comes from the
spirit of error in our world system. And in the sixth paragraph
you continue to state, "Therefore it is useless and a waste of
time for us to ask God to make us loving, or patient or pure, or
free us from human reactions of hate or fear or worry or
depression. It is asking an absurdity and impossibility. The
human self can never change. The vessel can never be the living
water it contains. The branch cannot be the vine." Gene, are you
simply stating that any attempt to improve ourselves is
Scripturally wrong?
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says "Man shall not live on bread alone, but
on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Are you
saying we have a wrong understanding of Scripture when Scripture
clearly states in the following passages how we are to seek to
improve ourselves? Or am I misunderstanding what you mean when you
use the term "improve"? When I think of "improving," this is what
I see from Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-11, "Now for this very reason
also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral
excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge... self-
control... perseverance... godliness... brotherly kindness...
love.... For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-
sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain
about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice
these things, you will never stumble." If we are not building or
improving ourselves upon the foundation of the word of God, then
on what tangible objective source of godly wisdom are we building
or improving ourselves? And how then will we stand on what we
build? :
-Matthew 5, 6, & 7 (esp.7:24&25): "Therefore everyone who hears
these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise
man who built his house on the rock. 'And the rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house;
and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.'"
We have here didactic teaching in which to build and improve our
lives as Christians to God because Romans 12:1&2 tell us this is
our "spiritual" service: "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy
sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of
worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove
what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and
perfect."
- And not only is this our spiritual service, but our "duty" to
God. 2 Timothy 2:3&7- "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier
of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself
in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who
enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete,
he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the
rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive
his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will
give you understanding in everything."
-Several scriptural passages should make us keenly aware of much
responsibility we have as Christians in this life, and in our
bodies, that we must "Fight the good fight..." (1st Tim. 6:12),
because we "...must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ...so that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier."
(2nd Tim. 2:3-4). We must continue to "...put to death your
members..." (Col. 3:5-7 & Romans 6). We must continue to "...work
out your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Php. 2:12), and
"...press on..." (Php. 3:7-12). We must "...run the race...
discipline my body..." (1st Cor. 9:24-27), and "...not grow
weary... while doing good..."(Gal. 6:9 & 2nd Th.3:13). Our
responsibility is an incredibly active, intellectual, and
motivational requirement. This is our constant struggle, and the
NT writers often remind and encourage us in our sufferings through
our responsibilities as Christians -(1st Peter 4:12-13; Heb.
12:11; 2nd Tim.3:12; Php. 1.29; Rom. 8:17).
Our answer was as
follows:
Beloved Brother,
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I will take the Scriptures you asked
about in the order in which you give them, but first let me restate the
premise: AVOID SELF IMPROVEMENT = according to Galatians 2:20, “I
am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
As a Christian, “Christ
liveth in me” and that is my true or real self. My “old self”
has been “crucified with Christ”.
I do not live “trying” or “struggling” but “the
life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.”
Now if I were going to improve my
“self”, which “self” would it be? The old self is “crucified”
according to the Scriptures. Paul tells us that a law, the law of sin,
controls the “flesh”, or the old
self. He says that several times in Romans chapter 7. In Romans chapter 8,
he says, “the flesh is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be.” He says in verse 8, “The
flesh cannot please God.”
So we must conclude that the flesh,
the “old self”, can never be
improved. The average Christian has spent a great deal of time failing in
his Christian life because he mistakenly thinks he will one day teach his
flesh how to obey God. According to Paul, the flesh “does
not” and “can not”
obey. The flesh will never please God; so don’t try to improve it.
EXCHANGE IT. “Christ in you, the hope
of glory.”
Now that leaves the “new
man” or the “Christ in me”,
which is my real self, my Christ-self. Christ in me doesn’t need a thing
added to Him. He brings all He is into me and through me expresses Himself
as me, or in my personality. He does not become me and I do not become Him,
but walking in the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ in me, I have no need of
improving that self, my true self as a Christian.
I may “improve” my knowledge of Him
in me or grow in Him, becoming more “conformed
to His image” in my outer experience, but there is no improvement
of the self that is Christ in me, just of my knowledge of Him. He is
perfect and He tells me to “be perfect”
as He is perfect in me. It may take the rest of my life before my
expression of my true self is full and complete, but the “self”, the
Christ-self in me, is not improved.
Let us say with Paul, “I
count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all
things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes
from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the
righteousness from God that depends on faith.”
It is only through “the obedience of faith”
(not trying to improve) it is now true and it is realized in my experience.
Now,
let's look at the Scriptures you
cited:
I fail to see how this Scripture
says anything about improvement of self. When we live by the Rhema of God,
we are simply walking in the Spirit and listening to God as His voice
directs us. “My sheep hear my voice
…” “Faith comes by hearing
…” “Here I am! I stand at the door
and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and
eat with him, and he with me.” “For
the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power …”
- 2 Peter 1:5-11 - For
this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these
qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective
and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone
does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he
has been cleansed from his past sins.
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and
election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you
will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
This actually establishes that we
cannot add a thing to who we are in Christ. If you will just read verse
three I am sure you will agree.
Verse 3
- His divine power has given us everything we
need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by
his own glory and goodness. Christ in us is perfect and
perfectly equipped. I liken it to a man who has a tool chest. Every tool
he needs is in that chest. For a particular job he may take a wrench and
add to the wrench a screwdriver, and to the screwdriver, a hammer … and so
on. He has not improved his toolbox nor do we improve Christ. Christ in us
(His divine power) has given us everything we need.
This is not about self-improvement;
rather it is a description of who we are in Christ. If I read this as a
list of rules, I am back under law. This is a mirror. This is who I am in
Christ. By the “obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26) I just live it by His
grace and His life in me. No improvement of self there.
-
Romans 12:1-2 -
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing
to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer
to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his
good, pleasing and perfect will.
This is simply an emphasis of what
we have been talking about. Walk in the Spirit and you will “offer your
bodies as living sacrifices” and “be transformed by the renewing of your
mind.” This is what walking in the Spirit is, but it is not improving
“self” – the old self or the Christ-self. It is being who you are in Him.
- 2Timothy 2:3-7 -
Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one
serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please
his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an
athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes
according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to
receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord
will give you insight into all this.
Not getting involved in civilian
affairs or competing according to the rules or being a hardworking farmer
all illustrate being in the Spirit, but they speak nothing of improving the
“self” – either self.
-
·
1Timothy 6:12 -
Fight the good fight of the faith.
-
·
Romans 6 -
Put to death your members …
-
·
Phil. 2:11-12
- Work out your own salvation … knowing it
is God Who works in you .…
-
·
Heb. 12
– Run the race … keeping
our eyes upon Jesus .. the Author & finisher of our faith.
All of these verses and the other
Scriptures just keep enforcing what I am saying. It is a fight of “faith”
in who we are in Him. Walking in the Spirit will “put
to death your members” – “Running
the race” is “keeping our eyes on
Jesus Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.” Instead of
self-improvement, it is self-discovery. Nothing more need be said about
that.
None of these verses tell us to
improve the “old man” (the flesh) or suggest that the “new man” (Christ in
us) needs improvement.
You say, “This is our constant
struggle” but I would suggest that some have too many things with which
they are struggling. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Labor
(strive or struggle)
to enter into that rest” of the finished
work of Christ. People speak of responsibility as if it is so heavy and
hard. Did Jesus lie when He said, “My yoke
is EASY, and my burden is LIGHT”? I know you believe Jesus just
as much as I do. I never hear people who struggle to improve speak of how “easy”
and how “light” it is, but that
is what Jesus said. So instead of speaking of our RESPONSIBILITY, I
prefer to speak of our RESPONSE-TO-HIS ABILITY in us.
Read the following relying on the
Spirit to reveal His Truth:
Philippians 3:7-10 -
Whatever former things I had that might have
been gains to me, I have come to consider as one combined loss for Christ's
sake. Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the
possession of the priceless privilege, the overwhelming preciousness, the
surpassing worth, and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with
Him, of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more
fully and clearly. (This is the
KEY to the Christian life – experiential knowledge of Him,
not self-improvement.)
For
His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish in
order that I may gain Christ (not improve myself) and that I may actually be
found and known as in Him, NOT having any self-achieved
righteousness (or self-improvement)
that can be called my own, based on
my obedience to the Law's demands, but possessing that genuine
righteousness which comes through faith in Christ, the truly right
standing with God, which comes from God by faith.
For my
determined purpose is that I may know Him
(improved knowledge or intimacy with Him, not improved self),
that I may progressively become more deeply and
intimately acquainted with Him,
perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more
strongly and more clearly.
This is not just “splitting hairs.”
You can choose: live the roller coaster ups and downs of the typical
defeated Christian who is trying and failing all the time; or live the
victorious Christian life by faith in the declaration of the Word of God
that you are the person the Scripture says you are.
Remember, your sanctification is
achieved the same way your salvation is achieved,
BY FAITH. Believe you are who the
Scripture says you are and just be. You are not a human doing. You are a
human being. BE WHO YOU ARE – CHRIST-IN-YOU. And grow in the
knowledge of Him that you may discover who you really are. AMEN!
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