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. 

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? 

A Faithful Life – and a Legacy That Will Endure

American Christianity said farewell to an iconic Bible teacher and theologian last week. John MacArthur, who pastored his church in California for more than 50 years, passed from this life at the age of 86 and went on to his eternal reward. Over that span he preached more than 3,000 sermons and authored hundreds of books.

 

Sometimes controversial but always steadfast in his trust in the inerrancy and timeless relevance of the Bible, MacArthur was known for his verse-by-verse exposition of the Scriptures and bold stance on foundational biblical principles and doctrines. While some might have differed with some of his interpretations, MacArthur left a solid legacy of unwavering confidence in the Word of God, touching countless lives through his preaching, radio programs, and writings.

 

In 2 Timothy 4:3 the apostle Paul warned, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” We’re living in such a time, but MacArthur wasn’t among those teachers. He was a champion of biblical truth, letting Scripture interpret Scripture rather than shaping the message from the pulpit to fit the prevailing culture.

 

I met MacArthur once at a CBMC conference where he was the week-long Bible teacher. One of his messages pointed me to a life-changing understanding of my relationship with Jesus Christ. He was speaking about how to study the Scriptures effectively, suggesting one way for grasping what a book of the Bible says is to read it repeatedly. He suggested 1 John in the New Testament as a good start, since it consists of only five chapters and can easily be read daily over the course of a month.

 

That’s what I did. Every day for 30 days I read through 1 John, a simple book that offers a clear, concise synopsis of the Gospel. Its teachings gradually became more and more familiar, but I kept stumbling over two seemingly contradictory verses.

 

The verses were 1 John 2:7-8, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in [Christ] and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” 

 

It troubled me that the apostle John was saying in one verse this was an old command “which you have had since the beginning,” but in the very next verse was declaring it’s “a new command.” If one of these verses had appeared at the start of the book and the other at the end, I might have concluded John was addressing different things. But as a writer, I questioned how this close follower of Christ could be saying two apparently opposite things in consecutive verses. I thought, ‘Come on, John, is it old or is it new?!’ 

 

I was in a small group Bible study at the time, and we’d been memorizing specific Bible verses. One was Galatians 2:20, which says, “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.” The other was 2 Corinthians 5:17, which declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

 

These verses also bothered me. While believing they were true, I wasn’t experiencing them in my life. I was still being defeated by some of the same temptations and sins I’d always wrestled with. Jesus didn’t seem to be living in me. And I didn’t feel like a new creation. In my mind I was the same old sinful mess I’d always been.

 

Over time, however, pondering these passages and others, I came to a startling realization. I’d been trying to live the so-called ‘Christian life’ in my own strength, maybe asking God for a little boost from time to time. I was way off base. God wanted me to recognize that living the Christian life isn’t difficult – it’s impossible. That is, without the power of Christ at work in me through His Spirit. 

 

This is why Jesus told His disciples, “…apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The apostle Paul had learned this lesson well, but also observed, “I can do everything through [Christ] who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

 

Getting back to the two verses in 1 John that had confounded me, they affirmed for me this truth. Admittedly, the context for those words concerns loving one another as believers. However, God used them to help me understand that all of His commands, starting with the Ten Commandments, have been given to mankind from the beginning. As we read the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, we see even the most faithful have had a terrible time obeying God’s requirements.

 

So, the apostle John was stating the command to “love your neighbor as yourself,” originally found in Leviticus 19:18, is an “old command.” However, through the power of Christ living in us, it is now also a “new command.” That is, we might not be able to love our neighbor as we should – as well as many other things. But by allowing Jesus to work in and through us, we can do what we’re commanded to do.

After years of struggling, praying and then telling God, ‘I can’t!’ His response to me, in essence, was ‘I know, My child, but I can do it through you – if you’ll let Me.’ And I have John MacArthur to thank for putting me on the path to discovering this foundational truth. 

Golden Anniversaries Don’t Come Along Every Day

Fifty years. Half a century. That’s a long time – for anything. Working at the same job. Living in one place. Operating a business. And especially these days, staying married. 

Most weddings start with excitement and optimism: Promising to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, in times of prosperity and times of want, as long as life lasts. But soon the business of marriage sets in, novelty in the relationship wears off, and solemn vows are forgotten. Half of all marriages end in divorce, statistics tell us. The sappy “happily ever after” promises of fairy tales and Hallmark movies vanish like vapors.

 

So, forgive my self-indulgence by announcing that in a couple of days my wife and I will celebrate a milestone event: our golden wedding anniversary. Wow! 

Fifty years ago, in 1974, Richard M. Nixon, then Gerald Ford, were President. Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. Stephen King published his debut horror novel, “Carrie.” The Sears Tower in Chicago became the world’s tallest building. There was the largest tornado outbreak in history. The Alaskan oil pipeline was started. Elton John recorded “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” was a box office smash. “Happy Days” and “the Fonz” became all-time TV favorites.

 

At our wedding, the idea of being married for 50 years never crossed our minds. Like all newlyweds, our focus was on the present, maybe a month or two down the road. Not the distant future.

 

Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” That’s me, although it took a while for me to realize this. In every good marriage, husbands typically say they’ve got the best wife ever. God indeed has blessed me with the best wife – at least the best one for me. Who else could have put up with me for five decades?

 

I can honestly say the love we felt back in 1974 pales in comparison to the love that’s grown in our hearts over the years since. We’ve enjoyed health, but also have dealt with sickness and disease. We’ve faced financial challenges, family crises, highs and lows of many kinds. But by the grace of God – and I don’t say that lightly – He’s enabled us to endure and thrive.

 

Ours isn’t a perfect marriage. Not even close. But it’s grown stronger over time. We don’t have a ‘secret’ to marital longevity, but if I were to point to one singular asset, I’d have to say it’s been our faith and trust in the Lord and the truths and principles of His Word.

 

Sally and I met in a church. After some difficulties early on, we reconciled in the same church. And through the transforming power of Jesus Christ, we’ve learned how to truly love and cherish one another. But in this world where “love” can mean so many different things, I think what we understand love to be can best be defined by a passage commonly (and perhaps casually) included in wedding ceremonies – 1 Corinthians 13:4-6.

 

If we seriously ponder this passage, we learn it’s counter-cultural in our predominantly self-centered society. It declares, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

 

Applying this teaching to my own life, I must admit these virtues don’t come easily to me, especially things like patience, kindness, and not being easily angered. Entering adulthood, they weren’t “default settings.” I’ve grown in each area, but it hasn’t been of my doing. 

 

Two Bible verses explain my ‘progress.’ In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we’re told, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The other is Galatians 2:20, which says of all genuine followers of Jesus, “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.”

 

If someone were to ask how to enjoy an enduring marriage that honors God, I’d have to say, “You can’t.” Our flesh – what the Bible calls our “sinful nature” – is too weak. But as the apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengths me” (Philippians 4:13). He can empower us to do what we can’t in our own strength and effort. Our trust, hope, persevering during tough times – only possible through Him.

 

My wife is my hero. She’s endured the proverbial thick and thin, putting up with a very flawed man who loves her more every day. Sally’s a devoted wife, wonderful mother and grandma, and gives so much of herself without expecting anything in return. In many ways she reminds me of the woman described in the book of Proverbs, who “watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her…” (Proverbs 31:27-28).

 

Ultimately, I must give all the credit and glory to God. Some have wisely said the best marriages consist of three persons, not two: husband, wife, and Jesus Christ. If you envision this as a triangle, with Christ at the top, as husband and wife grow closer to Him, they grow closer to each other. Imperfect as our marriage is, I believe this is an accurate picture of us.

‘Why Do I Do What I Don’t Want to Do – and Not Do What I Want to Do?’

Over the years many passages of the Bible have intrigued me, but few have struck me more profoundly than Romans 7, in which the apostle Paul candidly confesses his personal struggles.

 

The verses that stand out most are Romans 7:15-17, in which he seems to complain, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” 

 

There’s more to this sorrowful confession, but consider: These were the words of the apostle Paul. Not tempestuous, vindictive King Saul of Israel. Or Samson, who had a decided weakness for the ladies. Or King David, who was a murderer and adulterer despite being described as a man with “a heart after God.” Or even Judas Iscariot, whose greed and ambition caused him to become the greatest betrayer in history.

 

No, it was Paul, who became a new person with a new name after his dramatic, transforming encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He was a pillar of the early Church, the fellow God inspired to write nearly half of the New Testament. This man of God felt it important to devote nearly an entire chapter to the question, “Why do I do what I don’t want to do – and why don’t I do what I want to do?” 

 

Perhaps you’ve asked this question of yourself. You have a bad habit or a ‘besetting’ sin you’ve wrestled with for a long time. You’ve resolved to stop it. But then you do it again. Or there’s something you know you should be doing, and with the best of intentions determine to follow through on it. But you don’t.

 

What’s the deal? Why do we, like Paul, find ourselves doing what we don’t want to do – and not doing what we want to do?

 

It’s a complex question, but I think Paul addresses the solution in the preceding chapter of his letter to the believers in Rome. Paul assures them, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). 

 

Verses later he adds, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Other translations, instead of ‘count,’ use the words ‘consider’ or ‘reckon.’ We’re to regard ourselves as dead to sin – no longer enslaved to it – but alive to God in Christ.

 

Some other verses that relate to this truth and help us to gain a fuller understanding include:

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“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).

 

Looking at these passages together, it seems there’s a choice we must make. We have been given new spiritual life by being “born again,” meaning the Spirit of Christ now lives in us, giving us a new nature. However, for whatever reason, God does not remove our “sinful nature” (also translated “the flesh"). We can either choose to appropriate the life and power of Jesus Christ in us, or we can continue to operate according to our corrupted, sinful natures.

 

In my admittedly limited understanding of technology, it’s like having a corrupted, malfunctioning operating system on a computer and installing a new, perfectly functional operating system. But instead of removing the old system, it remains and we must consciously choose which to use – the one that works as intended, or the one that keeps messing up.

 

Sadly, many believers don’t seem to realize they have a choice. They excuse their sinful stumbling as “Well, I’m only human” or “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” But if we believe the Scriptures, we aren’t ‘only human.’ We’ve been given a new spiritual life. And we’re redefined not as ‘sinners saved by grace’ but as “saints in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 1:1 and many other places) who can still sin. A saint, by biblical definition, is one who has been sanctified or set apart by God.

 

This is just scratching the tip of a ton of theology, but the reality for Christ followers is that while we can and will still sin, we don’t have to sin. It’s no longer, to use another computer term, our “default setting.” As Paul wrote in the passage above, “it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”

 

This reminds me of a powerful statement from the Old Testament, in which Joshua was giving his final speech to the people of Israel. He admonished them, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Once we understand that God – through His Spirit that dwells within us – has given us the capacity for faithfully serving Him, we too must choose whether to serve Him, or to continue yielding to our old habits and sinful ways. At times the flesh will prevail resulting in sin, but through the power of Christ in us, we won’t be able to say, “The devil made me do it.” 

The Command That’s Both Old and New

Many of us are at least somewhat familiar with the Ten Commandments. There was a time when most people could recite them almost by rote, but in these “post-Christian” days, that’s no longer the case. In reading the Bible we discover other commandments, but when asked, Jesus boiled them all down to two: 

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

But did you know there’s a commandment that’s both old and new?

 

Years ago, the keynote speaker at a national Christian conference stated the best way to gain a good understanding of a book of the Bible is to read it repeatedly, “until its message becomes a part of you.” He suggested starting with the New Testament book of 1 John, since it’s short, consisting of five chapters. “If you read it through every day for a month, you’ll be amazed at the impact it has on you,” he said.

 

I decided to give it a try. Every day, I dutifully read all of 1 John’s five chapters and learned a lot. However, two verses didn’t seem to make sense. They were 1 John 2:7-8, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him [Jesus Christ] and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.”

 

Why did this trouble me? Because as a writer, I’m conscious of how ideas connect and am quick to notice when a train of thought seems to jump the tracks. Verse 7 said, “I am not writing you a new command but an old one….” Yet the very next verse stated, “Yet I am writing you a new command….” Knowing the author of this book was the apostle John, after reading and re-reading this several times I wanted to ask, ‘Come on, John! Is it old or is it new?’ I couldn’t get past the seeming contradiction.

 

As it happened – not a coincidence, I’m certain – I had been trying to memorize two other verses that describe what the Bible says about followers of Christ. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

 

The other verse was 2 Corinthians 5:17, which declares, “Therefore anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!”

 

Being relatively new in my faith at the time, these verses perplexed me because they seemed to say that if I was “in Christ” and had been “born again,” then I was a new person. It said I’d been given a new life. Yet in many ways I seemed like the same messed-up guy I had always been, struggling with the same issues and temptations as before. How could I be a “new creation”? How could Christ be living in me if I continued doing the same old stuff?

 

This led to be a turning point in my spiritual journey, an “Aha” moment. One weekend I was assigned to cover and report on a Christian businessmen’s event in another city. As it happened – again, I know it wasn’t coincidence – I stayed in the home of a man who felt his mission in life was to help young believers understand who they really are in Christ, rather than who they think or feel that they are.

 

It would take too long to detail our discussions that weekend. Suffice it to say I discovered I had been trying to live the so-called “Christian life” in my own strength. When I failed, I thought I should just try harder. That isn’t what the Scriptures teach, however. 

 

At a particularly teachable moment, Jesus used the object lesson of a grapevine to admonish His disciples, “If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He didn’t say “you can’t do a lot” or “you can’t do nearly as much.” He said, “apart from Me you can do nothing.”

 

At another time Jesus told His followers, “A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). There’s that phrase, “a new command” (or commandment). Since the Jews had already received the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), why was He calling it a “new command”?

 

This was my “Aha”: Living the Christian life as God intends isn’t difficult; it’s impossible – in our own strength. This is why Jesus said, “apart from Me you can do nothing.” Later the apostle Paul would echo that principle by writing, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

 

Attempting to live a new spiritual life with old fleshly habits and weaknesses is an exercise in futility. To be a “new creation in Christ” means having the life of Jesus in us through His Spirit. Appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to do what we can’t do ourselves, no matter how good our intentions are and how hard we try.

 

Summing it all up, John the apostle wasn’t contradicting himself when he wrote, “I am not writing you a new command but an old one,” and in the next verse stating, “Yet I am writing you a new command.” The old, unchanging command is for us to love others as Jesus would. Except our imperfect, sinful selves can’t. We might not even want to. But through the power of the “new command,” we can – appropriating the power and motivation of Christ’s Spirit at work in us. This understanding, at least for me, has been truly transformational!

The Power of a Personal Testimony

Have you ever gone to see a movie in the theater that you had no intention of seeing because someone you knew said how good it was? Has there been a time when you bought a new car primarily because someone spoke so highly of it? Did you ever patronize a restaurant because someone raved about it? Or decided to visit a particular city because a friend told you how much they loved it?

 

If your answer to any of the above is yes, you understand the power of a personal testimony. Every day we’re bombarded by commercials featuring testimonials about products of every kind, ranging from medications and candies to clothing and vacation spots. The impact of a personal testimony is immeasurable.

 

This is why one of the most effective “weapons” a Christ follower can include in an evangelistic arsenal is the personal testimony. It’s the story of their life before encountering Jesus Christ, the explanation of how they came to Him in faith, and what has happened in their life since then.

 

We find a number of examples in the New Testament, but none is more astounding than the story of the woman at the well. The account in John 4:4-42 tells of the time Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria, near the town of Sychar. While His followers went into the town to buy food for their travels, Jesus stopped to a nearby well to rest from their arduous journey.

 

The woman, an outcast in her own town because of her disreputable lifestyle, had also gone to the well to draw water. She couldn’t have anticipated her life-changing encounter with Jesus.

 

If you’re not familiar with this story, I’d urge you to read the passage for all the details. In summary, the woman was a Samaritan, making the personal interaction with Jesus almost shocking. In that culture, women did not interact with men they did not know, and Jews and Samaritans shared a mutual animosity. So, when Jesus extended courtesy and kindness, she was understandably taken aback.

 

Asking the woman for a drink, Jesus proceeded to tell her about the “living water” He could give to her. He made observations about her life He couldn’t have known without divine revelation. Amazed by His insights, the woman responded, “‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am He’” (John 4:25-26).

 

That was all she needed to hear, so surprised that she left her water jar behind and ran into the town. She announced to anyone who would listen, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29). Curious, many of the townspeople went to see for themselves. The passage says, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony” (John 4:39). 

 

Others went to hear firsthand what Jesus had to say out of curiosity and became believers but the woman, speaking from personal experience, had piqued their interest. Her testimony had no transformative power in itself, but was sufficient for many people to want to hear more from the man claiming to be the Messiah.

 

In the New Testament’s book of Acts, we find the apostle Paul frequently giving his testimony about Jesus Christ, even as a prisoner of Rome after being falsely accused by Jewish leaders. Festus, a Roman governor, and King Agrippa were among those who listened to his story. After hearing about Paul’s divine encounter with Jesus through a vision while on the road to Damascus and what had transpired afterward, Agrippa asked, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul’s response: “Short time or long – I pray God that not only you but all those who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains” (Acts 26:28-29).

 

Nearly 2,000 years later, the same holds true. There is tremendous power in a personal testimony about how Jesus Christ can change a life, even for the most unlikely individuals. Everyone’s story is different, and yet in a sense they are all the same. Perhaps this can all be summed up in a single verse: “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). 

 

I’m reminded of the simple statement of the man Jesus healed who had been blind since birth. Questioned by skeptical religious leaders, he answered, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25). In a nutshell, that’s a testimony of every person who has placed his or her trust in Christ.

When we discover an excellent new restaurant or get excited about some new technological device, we eagerly tell others about it. We’re “satisfied customers,” right? I wonder: Are we as willing to share the Good News – the very best news – of what Jesus has done in our lives? If not, why? 

The Cross – Just an Accessory, Or a Declaration?

Picture an aristocratic woman during the French Revolution accenting her attire for the day with a necklace on which hangs a miniature guillotine. A lovely damsel in the Old West wearing a chain around her neck bearing a replica of a hangman’s gallows. Or a politician campaigning with a tiny electric chair pinned to his lapel.

 

Hideous, right? Gruesome? Even sadistic? But in a sense, that’s what happens whenever someone decides, purely as a fashion accessory, to don a chain from which hangs a cross. These days, wearing a cross too often is merely a stylistic garnish giving little or no consideration of what the cross meant 2,000 years ago – and what it has come to signify over the centuries since.

 

A cross was utilized for capital punishment, a cruel, torturous method of execution employed by the ancient Persians, Carthaginians and Romans. People living in those times could not have imagined that image as garish ornamentation.

 

This was the form of the cross
favored by St. Francis of Assisi.

Before anyone misunderstands what I’m about to say, I’m not being critical in any way of the many folks who wear a cross as a symbol of their faith in Jesus Christ. Like the Star of David for Jews, the cross has deep meaning for Christians, a declaration of devotion to Jesus.

I have a cross on a small chain myself I received a gift, but other than my wedding ring, I’m not much for wearing jewelry. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate its significance. Were it not for the cross and Jesus’ surrender to be crucified, followed by His resurrection, we would not have forgiveness of sin. We'd not have been redeemed and made right with God. We would have no hope of eternal life. And we wouldn’t be able to experience spiritual rebirth in this life, which Jesus talked about in John 3:3, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

 

So, when I see someone displaying a cross, I wonder whether they’re a follower of Christ, too. Because the cross – that instrument of death utilized on a hill in Jerusalem called Golgotha – is no trivial matter, not an icon for meaningless personal adornment.

 

Writing to the church in Galatia, the apostle Paul expressed well the overwhelming import of the cross. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).

 

Jesus Himself declared, “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38-39). In perhaps another setting Jesus expressed similar words: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

 

That doesn’t mean we also must be nailed to a cross literally. But following Christ does involve dying to self, setting aside our personal agendas and interests to make His will our top priority. This is why Paul could write, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer life, 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). When we become reborn in Christ, our “death” to self allows Him to live in us.

 

Clearly, displaying the cross on our person shouldn't be taken lightly. The writer of Hebrews said it well: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

 

Here’s what Jesus accomplished through His death on the cross: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Paul the apostle summed it up this way: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Think on that for a while. 

 

What about those who don’t value the cross any more than they do the trinkets stashed in their jewelry boxes? There have always been the skeptics, and there always will. As Paul observed, “For, as I have often told you before and now say even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18).

 

He also soberly stated, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). And why is that? The apostle offered this honest appraisal: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 5:17-20).

 

Embracing the truth about the cross – and Jesus Christ – enables us to have an eternal relationship with God, along with access to freedom and an abundant life the non-believing world around us can’t comprehend. Consider these words: 

    “When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of our sinful nature, God made you alive in Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulation, that was against us and stood opposed to us; he took it away nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:13-15). 

Time of Year for Making Old Things New

Did you know spring is like Christmas? In their own ways, they’re both a “most wonderful time of the year.” Springtime brings warmer temperatures; flowers are starting to burst forth; and nature as a whole is emerging from its winter slumbers. It’s a time for renewal, reinvigoration, even rebirth.

 

Before long we’ll be seeing those creatures both curious and wonderful – caterpillars – crawly little critters aspiring to become something bigger, brighter and definitely more beautiful: Butterflies. What an amazing thing: a fuzzy creature slinking slowly along the ground that somehow knows how to build a rebirthing chamber called a chrysalis, only to emerge within a few short weeks as something totally different, newly equipped with delicate, colorful wings for flitting from place to place. 

 

This is more than a scientific marvel. It’s a miracle, a profound example of God’s creative capacities. It’s also a glorious metaphor for spiritual truth – God’s grand desire to turn each of us into something totally new, unstained by sin and its consequences. In fact, 2 Corinthians 5:17 puts it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 

 

Sounds like that one-time caterpillar that has wrestled out of its chrysalis, doesn’t it? The difference is, our own transformation spiritually is all God’s doing. We respond to Him by faith, but He’s the change agent. As Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). We can’t do that ourselves.

 

It’s a profound mystery, but true nonetheless, that as Galatians 2:16-20 describes it, “…So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law…. 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.”

 

Why is this comparison of the lowly caterpillar and humans so important? Because it provides a common but compelling example of how God has worked from the very beginning, first speaking substance out of nothingness, as well as taking the old and broken and restoring it in ways that no longer resemble what was before. In Isaiah 43:18-19 God declares, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing? Now it sprints up; do you not perceive it?” 

 

One doesn’t need to look too hard or too far to observe the sorry, sickly state into which our society has descended. In vain we look for manmade cures. The very best that government or business or philosophy can conjure fall way short of fixing the seemingly unfixable. New laws, innovations and human reasoning seem little more than a Band-Aid for problems that require major surgery for spiritual heart disease.

 

Should we give up in frustration and despair? Not at all, and that’s one reason I believe God created the caterpillar-butterfly metamorphosis. It’s a visible depiction of how He intends to work in each of our lives, if we let Him. 

 

Near the close of the Book of all books, the Lord says, “I am making everything new!... Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true…. It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life” (Revelation 21:5-6).

 

The “new thing” God spoke about thousands of years ago, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah? He’s still doing it. Current residents of a world overwhelmed by so much pain and sorrow, we have the promise of a new world like nothing we’ve known: 

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Any time you’re feeling down in the dumpster, fearing our world is going the wrong place in the proverbial handbasket, just look at a butterfly for a reminder: New things, they are a-comin’! 

The Happy-Happy, Easy Faith Myth

Here we are, settling into a new year and learning how to write “2018” on correspondence, checks and anything else that calls for the current year. The holidays are over and we’re looking ahead to many weeks before spring explodes all around us again.

With the euphoria of Christmas and its spirit of “peace on earth, good will to men” quickly fading, it’s time to address anew the challenge of 2 Corinthians 5:20, being “ambassadors for Christ.”

More than 30 years ago, I had reached a spiritual impasse. The “life of faith” just wasn’t working. Living a life pleasing to God seemed impossible, like trying to vault 18 feet without a pole.

I could empathize with the apostle Paul, who wrote, “So I find this law at work. When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law, but I see another law at work in the inner members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind…. What a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:21-24).

Sometimes we hear people say, “God wants us to be happy,” or it’s as simple as “let go, and let God.” Nice sentiments, but striving to live a life consistent with biblical teachings isn’t always a happy lot. At least not for me.

It’s often frustrating, as well as challenging. Like Paul, we find ourselves asking, “Why do I do what I don’t want to do, and why don’t I do what I desire to do?”

The apostle wasn’t alone. Evangelist Dr. Billy Graham admitted, “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes and say, ‘O God, forgive me, or help me.’” If people like Paul and Dr. Graham say such things, what hope do we have?

The question has no easy answer, but Paul wrote these encouraging words immediately after his confession of despair: “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!... Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 7:25-8:2). What this says to me is we need no longer wallow in our failures, overwhelmed by guilt.

It’s been well-said the Christian life isn’t difficult to live – it’s impossible! That doesn’t mean it can’t be lived. Because the Bible provides this promise: “…the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). We can’t live for God in our own strength. But He doesn’t ask us to do that. If there’s a “secret” to the Christian life, it’s that He wants to live His life through us.

As Jesus told His followers, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

My spiritual impasse forced me to consider the truths of two passages I’d been pondering for a while. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we’re told, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” And Galatians 2:20 builds on that: “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.”

These verses made no sense. I wasn’t feeling, or acting, like a new creation. And it didn’t seem like Jesus was living in me. I felt more like the “wretched man” Paul described.

In time, however, these passages helped me to understand that when Jesus declared, “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3), He wasn’t speaking in riddles. Being a true, consistent follower of Jesus requires a new, spiritual birth. The Bible calls it “regeneration,” experiencing Christ’s life in us through His Spirit.

This sounds simple, and in one respect it is. Galatians states we live by faith, and as the old hymn says, “Trust and obey.”

But living it out every day, alas, is not. Jesus said in another setting, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). It requires “dying to self” daily, surrendering our independence and yielding to Him moment by moment.

That’s what I’m continuing to learn, reminding myself day after day after day. When will I – or anyone – “master” this truth? Not in this life. But 1 John 3:2 declares, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” To quote another hymn, what a day of rejoicing that will be!