Trying Desperately to Fix the Unfixable

Have you ever dropped a glass, a vase, or even your cellphone, and immediately realized it’s beyond repair? Or someone runs a stop sign and rams into your car. Some things, once broken, aren’t fixable. When things are beyond repair, the best we can do is buy a replacement. If it’s a priceless antique, we might utter a few chosen words, shed some tears, and then accept the fact that nothing can be done.

 

We can usually get over the loss of material things. But other things – like broken homes, broken hearts, broken relationships and broken dreams – are far more devastating and harder to recover from, if ever. Years ago, a popular song by the Bee Gees asked, 

“How can you mend a broken heart? 

How can you stop the rain from falling down? 

How can you stop the sun from shining?... 

Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.”

 

We’ve all been there in one way or another. Even if it’s not the end of the world, at the time it seems that way. We live in a broken world, filled with imperfect, sinful people whose brokenness inevitably rubs off on folks around them.

 

God had created a perfect world, including the first humans – Adam and Eve – and entrusted the glorious garden of Eden to their care. But the idyllic world ended when the first couple fell for the persuasions of Satan and did the one thing God had told them not to do: eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Perfection was shattered. Sin invaded the world. We’ve been beset by brokenness ever since.

 

Which leads us to perhaps the biggest question facing humankind: With all our brokenness, how can we fix the unfixable? We’ve certainly tried in many ways: Psychology, counseling, philosophy, social and government programs. Bookstores filled with self-help books claiming to have the answers. Motivational speakers with catchy sayings and ‘secrets for success.’ Politicians passing laws upon laws.

 

Despite all this, even a casual glance around our world reveals the brokenness afflicting humanity, perhaps more prevalent than ever.

 

So, what’s the answer? There are some who favor, “I was born that way,” as a suitable explanation. But should this be realistic justification for wrongful actions ranging from marital infidelity to addictions to shoplifting to domestic abuse? We’re all broken people in unique ways, but consequences of our brokenness can’t be ignored or swept out of sight.

 

Even in the realm of religion, too often we’ve seen evidence of brokenness. Humanly speaking, there’s no solution. “Follow this rule.” “Adhere to that regulation.” “Just try harder.” We’ve all heard these and other admonitions, attempting to put them into practice, but without lasting success.

 

Is it hopeless? Experience has taught me there is one answer: the merciful, transforming power of Jesus Christ. In the gospels we find He’s the expert on dealing with brokenness, fixing the seeming unfixable. He gave sight to the blind, enabled the mute to speak, empowered the crippled to walk, healed the sick, even raised some from the dead.

 

Brokenness was involved in His greatest miracles. On at least two occasions Jesus fed thousands by breaking loaves of bread and fish that were available:

“…Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people. He divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied… The number of men who had eaten was five thousand” (Mark 6:35-44).

“‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked [His disciples]. ‘Seven,’ they replied…. When He had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, He broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before the people…. They had a few fish as well…. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present…" (Mark 8:1-9).

 

Christ’s greatest act involving brokenness was becoming the atoning sacrifice for our sins of the cross. While observing the Passover meal the evening before His crucifixion, “…Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28).

 

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus provided our only hope for the healing of our brokenness, as two of my favorite Bible verses explain. Galatians 2:20 declares, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” And 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

 

Through Him we can receive new life spiritually, no longer enslaved by the brokenness of what the Bible calls “the flesh” or “the sinful nature” (Romans 8:5, Galatians 6:8). As the verse says, “the old has gone, the new has come!”

 

Over the centuries, the Japanese have practiced an art for repairing pottery called kintsugi, mending broken parts with a lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. In the process, the broken objects become even more valuable. That’s a pleasant picture, but what Jesus has done for us is even better: He makes us totally new creations, freed from the power of sin and empowered by His Spirit to become the people God has always intended for us to be.

As 1 Peter 2:24 tells us, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you are healed.” Restored to wholeness not by kintsugi, but by the King of kings. 

Fashioning Harmony Out of Diversity

Among my fondest memories from my high school days was participating in the marching, concert and dance bands. Even though I was far from the best musician in our bands, I played in the percussion section with gusto and pride. 

On football Saturdays (that’s when they played high school games in my day), many of the spectators came not to watch our football team – which was mediocre – but our marching band, which was undefeated. Among the bands in our region, we had no equal.

 

The snare, tenor and bass drums and cymbals in our section could make the loudest sounds, but every instrument in the band was essential. That included the tubas, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, French horns, clarinets, piccolos, and even the glockenspiels. I’m sure every musician was just as enthusiastic about his or her part as the drummers were. Some might have even thought they were most important. But when we stepped onto the field, we were a single unit determined to march and perform at our very best, just as we had during many hours of grueling practice.

 

And how did we know we were doing our best? We knew by looking to our band director, an earnest perfectionist named Jack Pirone. We loved the applause of the fans, just as we did from the audience when we gave our annual Christmas and spring concerts. But it was the approval of Mr. Pirone that meant the most to us – by far. 

 

This desire to please our band director, as well as entertain everyone in attendance at our performances, resulted in a powerful sense of unity that transcended our musical differences. The brass instruments couldn’t play the percussion parts; the sousaphones didn’t try to drown out the woodwinds. Because we were performing together with a common goal, we always managed to fashion ear-pleasing harmony despite our diversity. 

 

We find ourselves in a place called the United States of America, but today we seem anything but united. Rather than appreciating our differences and seeking to dialogue and understand each other, we’re like members of an orchestra who want to dominate the stage. News commentators try to outshout each other. Protesters exchange angry words. I think of the phrase from the old Buffalo Springfield song, “For What It’s Worth,” describing the scene: “…A thousand people in the street singing songs and a-carrying signs, mostly say hooray for our side.” 

 

This phenomenon isn’t new. A verse from the Bible, written many centuries ago, provides a similar description: “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there” (Acts 19:32). Everyone seemed to be in an uproar, but many of them weren’t even sure why. Just as it is today.

 

We find this even within the Church – pastors, religious leaders, congregations and denominations all at odds, convinced they’re right and everyone else is wrong. If the apostle Paul were to see what’s going on today, he’d probably tell us the same thing he told believers of his day: 

“My brothers, some…have informed me that there are quarrels among you…. One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?...” (1 Corinthians 1:11-13).

 

According to many reports, God is working in wonderful ways across our land and around the world. But despite the millions of people who profess to be followers of Jesus, our impact on society appears to be proportionately small. One reason for this is our disharmony. We’re like a band or orchestra in which instruments are out of tune and musicians are trying to upstage one another.

 

Paul often wrote about the importance of achieving harmony within the body of Christ. To believers in ancient Rome he said, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Chris. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:5-7).

 

In my high school band, our foremost goal was to please our director. He served as our inspiration and motivation. The mission of advancing the Gospel of Christ is so much greater and more important than a band performance. Rather than focusing on our agendas and disputing over our differences, we need to be “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

 

If we can succeed in doing that, how much brighter the light of Christ we could cast upon our increasingly dark world; how much greater would be the savor of the Gospel for those around us embittered by circumstances and godless ideologies. As the apostle wrote to the church in Philippi, “make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:2). If we can please our Conductor, the Lord Jesus, nothing else matters.

Confession Isn’t Just Good for the Soul – It’s Crucial

One evening years ago, my children and I were playing some games in our den when the phone rang. I answered it and on the other end of the line was a man sobbing and saying repeatedly, “I need a friend.”

 

It was a man I’ll call Frederick, whom I’d met with in a discipling relationship some years before. He wouldn’t explain over the phone why he was so distraught, but we agreed to meet the next day. As we met, Fred poured out his heart, confessing that for years he had concealed being what he termed a “sex addict.” I’ll spare the details.

 

During the time we’d been meeting once a week, I neither knew nor suspected any of this. However, I had recognized and commented about how his job, which regularly took him out of town for weeks at a time, could be problematic for the health of his marriage.

 

Fred’s wife, he confided, had discovered his wrongdoings. His marriage was in shambles, and he’d become alienated from his children. I was the first person he’d told about his sinful lifestyle. “Why didn’t you ever say anything about this?” I asked. Fred responded he’d been too ashamed, preferring to put on a front as if everything in his life was fine.

 

I knew I couldn’t solve his plight. I did encourage him to turn to God in repentance, seeking His forgiveness, grace and mercy. But as Fred talked, he showed relief in having his secrets finally brought into the open. Until then, the only ones that knew the truth were himself, Satan, and God. And the tempter bombarded him with thoughts about how vile he was, as well as how despised he’d be if anyone were to find out about his hidden life.

 

I didn’t condone or excuse Fred’s behavior but didn’t judge him either. That wasn’t my job; God alone is our righteous Judge. I did offer suggestions for how he might move forward, but it’s been a long time since then and I’ve lost touch with him. I hope God enabled him to get his life back on track.

 

Thinking back on that time, I’ve wondered whether things could have turned out differently if Fred had decided to confide his “addiction” to someone much sooner. As long as they’re concealed, hidden sins can hold us captive, unable to resist their impulses. Confessing them – with an attitude of genuine repentance – is crucial. It can release us from their insidious grasp.

 

But this raises a question: To whom do we confess? Some Christian traditions encourage the confession of sins to clergy. This may be useful, but it’s not necessary to wait until we can meet with a pastor or priest to confess whatever our sins might be. As we read in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

 

What this means is we don’t need a human “middleman” to intervene between us and God. There’s but one mediator, Jesus Christ, who as the next verse states, “gave Himself as a ransom for all men – the testimony given in its proper time.” As another verse assures us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

 

When we sin, we can go directly to the Lord in repentance and receive His forgiveness, restoring us into a right relationship with Him. However, there are times when confiding in another human can be helpful, even essential. This was the case with Fred. I’m reminded of the frightened child who had called out to his mother. She urged him to take his fears to God in prayer, to which he responded, “I need someone with skin on.”

 

The Scriptures give us ‘permission’ to do this: “Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

 

We’re all sinners, daily in need of God’s forgiveness and cleansing. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for our sins once and for all: Tetelestai – “paid in full.” However, even as forgiven believers, unconfessed sins can erect a barrier between us and the Lord, disrupting the perfect relationship with Him that He desires. This barrier is taken down through genuine confession and repentance.

 

Our purpose in confessing sins to one another isn’t to embarrass ourselves. Nor is it to seek absolution from one another. It’s to establish accountability with another trusted follower of Christ, one who not only can offer counsel but also will provide prayer support, calling on God to enable us through His power to overcome temptation and live in a way that pleases Him.

Moving sins from darkness and into the light through confession – even to one another – can enable us to experience the truth of Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” 

Waiting on God When He’s Waiting on Us

For most of us, waiting isn’t a quality in which we excel. We don’t like waiting, whether it’s at a traffic light, in the grocery store checkout line, at the doctor’s office, or anticipating an important email, phone call or letter. Not to mention waiting to be seated at a popular restaurant or holding on the phone for the next available customer service agent.

 

When children are young, they can’t wait until they get older. Teenagers grow impatient waiting for the time when they can drive, then declare independence from their parents. Even when our school days are over and we’re on our own, waiting remains one of our weaker attributes – waiting for the weekend, waiting for that promotion at work, or waiting to retire.

 

Like it or not, waiting also plays an important role in our spiritual life. There’s verse after verse about trusting in the Lord and waiting on Him to act is response to our prayers and needs. In Psalm 27, for instance, King David writes about His confidence in God even in the most dreadful situations. He closes with the declaration, “I am still confident of this: I will see the good news of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14).

 

One of my favorite Psalms addresses this topic not once but twice. Also written by David, he cites a number of proactive steps – “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord…. Commit our way to the Lord; trust in Him…” (Psalm 37:3-5). But then he hits the spiritual brake pedal, exhorting us to, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…. Wait for the Lord and keep His way…” (Psalm 37:7,34).

 

The Israelite king must have become accustomed to waiting on the Lord, because in Psalm 130:5-6 he wrote, “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” And the prophet Micah declared, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7).

 

When we read such passages, our first reaction might be something like, ‘Yeah, but that’s easier said than done.’ Because if we’re honest, we know what we want – and we want it now. In His Word, however, the Lord essentially is telling us, “I don’t work that way.”

 

We could point to dozens of other passages, but recently I came to the realization that not only are there are times when it’s necessary to wait on God, but also times when He’s waiting on us. It says in Isaiah 30:18, “So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help” (New Living Translation).

 

Another translation of the same verse words this differently, but as powerfully: "Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.”

 

What does this mean, God waiting on us? Elsewhere the apostle Peter noted, “…God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built…” (1 Peter 3:20). And the apostle Paul admonished his readers, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?” (Romans 2:4). 

 

At one time this might not have made sense for me – God patiently waiting on me. But now, considering my erratic, sometimes stumbling walk with the Lord over the years, I can recall numerous times when it seems obvious He was doing exactly that – waiting on me to turn to Him. 

 

It goes back to my childhood, teen and college years. I had attended church as a boy, learned lots of Bible stories and did believe in God – in an intellectual sense. But I kept Him at an arm’s length, with no intention of letting Him play an active role in my life. You might say I felt comfortable being my own god. In times of crisis I would send up a “flare prayer,” asking for God’s help, but when the ‘emergency’ had passed, I went back to doing things my way.

 

Thankfully, the Lord did wait on me, as the verse says, longing to show how gracious He is. Through a chain of circumstances too complicated to discuss here, He saw fit to move me from darkness to light, enabling me to become born again as a child of God. But it didn’t ended there. 

 

I recall times – more than I could number – when I was muddling through some major challenge, doing my best to figure out how to resolve it. It might have involved a job situation, financial problems, or a family issue. No matter what I tried, no matter how much I worried about it, answers seemed out of my reach. Then in desperation I’d pray something like, “Lord, I give up. I can’t do this!” And He’d respond, not audibly, but I’d get the sense He was telling me, “I’ve been waiting. I know you can’t do it. But I can. Just watch and see what I’m going to do.” And without fail He’d work things out better than I could have imagined.

This reality – that God does wait on us, demonstrating far more patience than we ever could – is crucial for us to understand. Whether the Lord’s calling us to enter into a saving relationship with Him, tolerating our resistance, or wanting to show He’s the best guide, provider, counselor and partner we could ever ask for, He’s waiting on us. He’s patient, that’s true. But why keep Him waiting any longer? 

The Ark Encounter – From Imagination into Reality

For years we drove past the exit on the way either to or from Ohio. Each time we’d say, “We need to go there.” Finally, we did. Last week we joined a group from our church for a bus tour to the Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati. We weren’t disappointed. 

Most of us have read or at least heard about Noah’s Ark. In case you’re somehow unfamiliar with it, the account is found in Genesis 5-8. After deciding He could no longer tolerate the utter wickedness and depravity that pervaded the earth, God said, “‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air – for I am grieved that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:7-8).

 

Why was Noah the exception? The next verse tells us: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Noah alone was worth saving from His righteous wrath. To save him and his family from a flood that would cover the earth, the Lord instructed him to build an ark and gave specific instructions for its design. 

Some translations say the vessel was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits wide. But as comedian Bill Cosby used to ask in one of his old skits about Noah and the ark, “What’s a cubit?” Since a “common cubit” is roughly 18 inches, many biblical translations state the ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.

 

When we arrived at the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Ky., we found a replica of the ark every bit as large – and then some. Based on the “royal cubit” which archaeologists have determined was used for large projects in the ancient world, the life-size model is approximately 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high – a towering seven stories in height.

 

To those of us who heard stories about Noah’s ark, perhaps in Sunday school or vacation Bible school, it was an object for our imagination. How big a boat would it take to house not only Noah and his wife, three sons and daughters-in-law, but also many thousands of animals of all kinds, birds and insects? Entering the ark replica, which includes three decks, helps to transform what we’ve imagined into reality.

 

Inside visitors find numerous exhibits, reasonably conjectured compartments to house the animals, storage areas for food and supplies, and ideas about what living quarters might have been like for Noah and his family. There are also explanations for how provision could have been made for feeding procedures, ventilation, capturing and distribution of water, waste removal, and other necessities. Even the perpetual question, “But what about the dinosaurs?” is addressed.

 

Those in technical professions – whether they’re believers in what the Bible teaches about the ark or not – will find the discussions for how the original ark was likely constructed interesting at the very least. But even for non-technical minds like mine it’s clear the ark was a project of mammoth proportions (okay, pun intended). 

 

This was no fanciful endeavor; it was the result of extensive research and in-depth consultations with engineers, scientists and architects to ensure the Ark Encounter’s presentation was as plausible and scientifically accurate as possible.

 

What struck me most during my self-guided tour of the replica ark were two things. First, skeptics might argue that such a thing is fantasy, that no vessel could possibly be constructed to contain everything the Bible says it did, not to mention weather such a catastrophe as a global flood. However, if one sets aside preconceptions and gives honest consideration to what’s presented and how, it no longer seems beyond the scope of possibility. 

 

Second, I was greatly impressed by the quality of the work, from conception to execution. Nothing is haphazard or whimsical. Colossians 3:23 instructs God’s people, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” This project, which has been providing amazement for visitors since it opened in 2016, truly was done with a desire to bring glory to God and offer believers and non-believers alike much to see and consider.

 

Time after time without fail, archaeological discoveries have confirmed what the Bible reports about history in ancient times, and the building of this replica ark gives credence to the biblical account, reasonably dispelling notions that it’s merely a myth or fable. As Psalm 119:160 declares of God and His Word, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” If the Lord says it in the Scriptures, we can trust in it.

Who Are You … Where Do You Get Your Identity?

We hear a lot about “identity” these days. It’s amazing how many different ways folks devise to find their identity. Many people get it from the jobs and careers: CPAs and attorneys. Carpenters and electricians. Firefighters and paramedics. Store managers and corporate executives. Doctors and nurses. Sales representatives and marketers. Writers and artists. Actors and musicians.

 

Others identify with their unique roles: Homemakers and caregivers. Soccer moms and professional athletes. Volunteers. These days we’ve got “identity politics,” which has to do with posturing or taking a soapbox to opine about issues related to differences in race, ethnicity and gender. Which leads to the whole gender identity debate, but we’re not going there.

 

In one respect, it boils down to affirmation. Where do we get “attaboys” and feel affirmed for who we are – or who we think we are? People even find their identity in such things as “Likes” on social media, or the number of followers they have for their videos, blogs or podcasts. When people “like” us for our livestreams or posts, we can feel affirmed, important. Even if the folks liking us don’t even know us and we don’t know them. I’m reminded of Sally Field’s comments years ago after she had won an Academy Award. With delight she said to the Hollywood elite, “You like me! You really like me!”

 

There’s nothing wrong with getting fulfillment or joy from our work. And serving in roles that help others can give us satisfaction. But “who we are” has to amount to more than where we go to work and what we do there, or how we spend our days, who we associate with, or whether we’ve achieved some measure of cyberspace celebrity.

 

One reason is because if whatever it is we choose as our identity is lost or stripped away, then who are we? What if people stop affirming us for whatever we do – or have done?

 

For the follower of Jesus Christ, there’s only one genuine, enduring, never-to-be-lost source of identity. It’s that of being born again, children of the King. Repeatedly in the Scriptures the Lord assures His people, “never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5). Just before ascending to heaven after His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

 

Over the years I’ve derived a lot of value from the jobs I undertook, being a community newspaper editor, magazine editor, author and book editor. But all of those vocational pursuits have come and gone. And I’ve had the privilege of discipling and mentoring a number of men. But none of those things are the determining factors for my identity.

 

There’s an unforgettable statement God made through the prophet Isaiah which each of us who has committed to follow Christ can take to heart. Spoken directly to the people of Israel, it’s a promise for every one of His children: “But now, this is what the Lord says – He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name. You are Mine'” (Isaiah 43:1).

 

“You are Mine.” There’s a powerful scene in an early scene from “The Chosen” in which Jesus seeks out Mary Magdalene and says those words of comfort, affirmation and acceptance to her. Take a moment and imagine standing before the Lord, having Him look at you and say, “You are Mine.” How would that make you feel?

 

Years ago, I had a friend who had spent many years studying the Bible and had even committed hundreds of Scripture verses to memory. Ted was a very accomplished businessman and had spent much of his life rubbing shoulders with people of great prominence from around the world. He had a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters, but he made clear none of those things were the source of his identity.

 

One verse, Acts 17:28, summed up for Ted where his sense of identity came from: “For in Him [Jesus Christ] we live and move and have our being.” For him, Jesus was everything. Without Him, Ted knew he was nothing.

 

Even for preachers and missionaries – people in vocational ministry – those jobs should not and cannot be the ultimate sources for their identity. Rather, it’s what the apostle Paul said in describing the transforming impact of Jesus Christ in his life. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

 

Paul found his identity solely in his relationship with Jesus, not his ministry or the fruit from his missionary journeys. He certainly no longer identified with the fame and acclaim he had once achieved in being what he termed “a Pharisee of Pharisees.” Elsewhere he wrote, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

 

What is your identity? Is it your job? Your spouse or family? Your lifestyle? The stuff you possess? Or is it in the one and only thing you can never lose – an eternal relationship with God through Jesus Christ? Is He, as Paul wrote, your life? 

Requirement To Earn God’s Acceptance: ‘Do Nothing’

Have you noticed how much of life involves earning what we want? It starts when we’re kids and Mom and Dad give us a small allowance, often with the caveat that we perform certain chores like cleaning our room or putting our toys away. We go to school where we’re told to pay attention, do our homework, study and prepare for tests so we can earn good grades. 

Then we get into the work world and find a similar principle: To earn money we must perform specified responsibilities to the satisfaction of our boss or supervisor. But it doesn’t end there. To find a better job, gain a promotion or get an increase in pay, we have to earn it.

 

For athletes, it’s always about earning. Making the team, winning a spot in the starting lineup or a role as a key backup, then maintaining or securing that position. They have to earn it – every day.

 

So, it’s not surprising to assume the same would be true of the spiritual realm. Many people expect the prevalent message to be about earning: Earning God’s love, earning His acceptance, earning salvation and admission into heaven. Doing our best to be ‘good enough.’ Except for one thing: That’s not what God teaches in His Word.

 

The Scriptures teach that no matter how much good we do, it will never be sufficient to earn God’s acceptance and approval. Isaiah 64:6 declares, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags….” In case that’s not clear enough, Romans 3:10-12 tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one… All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

 

“But I’m a good person,” someone might argue. “Look at all the good things I’ve done – and continue to do. Why isn’t that good enough?” That was the attitude of a rich ruler who, according to Luke 18:18-23, approached Jesus Christ one day while He was addressing a sizable crowd. He asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” A reasonable question, right?

 

“‘Why do you call Me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.”’” The ruler probably felt rather smug upon hearing this because he replied, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.” Check, check, check, check – and check.

 

What Jesus said next stopped him cold. “‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.’ When he heard this [the ruler] became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.”

 

The Lord wasn’t giving this man a lesson in generosity, or the pitfalls of affluence. He was helping him to understand that no matter what we do, we can’t earn – or pay – our way to eternal life. It’s not a matter of performance, but a matter of the heart.

 

Someone who had studied the world’s religions, along with Christianity, concluded, “Religion is spelled with two letters, DO. Do this, do that. Christianity is spelled with four letters, DONE.” Because, as we just observed during Good Friday and Easter, Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection did for us what we could never achieve ourselves. As Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

 

I think back to my high school years when I first heard the truth that salvation – God’s acceptance and the assurance of eternal life – is solely a matter of faith, not anything that we do. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

 

This isn’t an isolated passage because many others say much the same. For instance, a few verses earlier the apostle Paul affirms, “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). And elsewhere the apostle explains, “[God our Savior] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

 

There’s absolutely nothing we can do to earn God’s grace – His unmerited favor. As an old hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

 

However, the fact that we can do nothing to earn or deserve the Lord’s forgiveness and acceptance into His holy family doesn’t give us the license to do whatever we want. Two other verses, I call them the “do nothing” passage, specify how we’re to act as those whom God has redeemed: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). 

 

Just as Jesus willingly went to the cross, denying His own interests to become the atoning sacrifice for our sins, as “new creations in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17) we are to put the needs and best interests of others ahead of our own. In this way we can, “prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).