Recently I had a privilege to share with a good Christian friend an amazingly powerful description in one paragraph on God’s yearning for His children in Christ. I will quote that paragraph now so you can better understand what I am saying.
“Having undertaken our redemption, Father will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favour is heaped upon favour, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.” DA 57.1
There was no reaction from her in any other way except a small comment saying: I don’t know. This last thing looks like ‘works’.
Oh dear.
Loving God is a ‘work’?
But that’s how things are. The malicious one has worked on this long and hard, until so many beautiful Christians are scared even from their own shadow. Scared from ‘works’.
The evil one did turn the Old Covenant into a ‘works’ religion, until it was obvious to all that their obedience was a farce. It was a mockery, masquerading pretence of godliness as a real thing, but even a fool could see the travesty of it all.
That is why Jesus said:
““But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Matthew 5:20 NLT
Yes. Righteousness is needed, but there is a huge misconception about ‘works’ in Christendom. Some have thrown out all works, even the obviously legitimate ones – while others, seeing the wrongness of that decision – have attempted to correct it by mechanical obedience.
“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT
This quote above certainly looks like ‘works’. Like human effort. This definitely calls for intentionality.
“…But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 10:22 NLT
Does this look like ‘works’?
“If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.”
Matthew 10:38 NLT
Does carrying our own cross look like ‘works’? It certainly does.
Achieving the above mentioned objectives is necessary. But elsewhere in the Scriptures we are warned. If we attempt to do this by our own will, by our own strength – we will surely fail. The answer is in the first few words of the above Bible verse. “Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us…” 2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT
Turning to the last three verses of the previous chapter, here is what it told us:
“…As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 NLT
All the imperatives of chapter 7 v.1 come after this “Therefore…”.I hope you can work it out. All what comes after this “Therefore…” is effected by what was said before it.
Makes a big difference when we see more of the big picture, doesn’t it?!
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
This call is made to those who are already weary and carry heavy burdens. … “And I will give you rest” Jesus said. To achieve this, Jesus offers them His yoke. The yoke Jesus offers does seem like an invitation to work. But the surprise is in the context of that passage. Working with Jesus or working for Jesus results in being rested and not in getting tired. Then Jesus explains it: “For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Any ’work’ Jesus asks us to do for Him at first seems too large, and too scary. But as soon as we actually engage in that ‘work’, we find that it is easy, and the burden is light.