For the last 10 years or so, God has been incrementally teaching me about my true identity in Christ, and the wonderful implications of this truth to my life. He has also been showing me how this integrates so well with the reality of walking in grace. I have gleaned this truth from my study of the Scriptures and from many wise believers. In this and future episodes, I will share some of these insights. I call this series “Walking in Grace and True Identity.”
How many times have you seen or heard of Christians who are struggling to make their lives count for Christ, only to discover that the Christian life isn’t working out for them like it’s supposed to? This is the vicious cycle of motivation / condemnation / rededication. It is common for many (perhaps even most) believers to experience great fluctuations in their spiritual lives. For this life of fluctuations, what is the advice that Christians most often hear? Try harder!
Let’s look at the irony of this advice to try harder. We all agree that we cannot become a Christian by trying:
Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. (9) Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
But many believers think that, once we are saved, trying, and following the rules of righteous living, are essential to living in victory. This is a worldly approach to success in the Christian life, and it will only bring disappointment.
I would propose that your sense of failure may be the motivation God wants to use to bring you to a new understanding of the meaning of the Christian life. Prior to salvation, we all learned to rely on our own strategies and methods for getting our needs met.
The Bible uses the Greek word sarx to refer to this pre-salvation mechanism for servicing our own needs. It is usually translated as “flesh.” But don’t think of this word as referring to skin and bones.
Instead, sarx is the “seat of carnal appetites and desires” (The Complete Word Dictionary).
Where does this flesh (sarx) reside in a human?
I believe that the flesh (sarx) is referring to a part of our soul, or more specifically our brain, in which our former unregenerated spirit trained and conditioned our actions, reactions, emotional responses, thought patterns, and habits.
Think of our “brain” as the hardware, and our “mind” as the software programmed into our brain. Our flesh (sarx) is the biblical term for the portion (subset) of our mind that was programmed before our salvation with ungodly, independent ways of thinking and living. Our flesh (sarx) is the source of our sin as a believer. And it must be reprogrammed (what the Bible calls transformed) through the process of “renewing the mind:”
Romans 12:2a NIV Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Doesn’t it make sense that God’s purpose is not that we should continually rededicate ourselves and all our abilities, but instead that we should give up all hope in ourselves? Let me state it differently: Christ is not interested in what we can do for Him. Christ is interested in living His life through us. This is the difference between law and grace.
For every believer, there is a subtle distraction from God’s purpose. This subtle distraction is actually a tactic from the enemy of our souls. What is the distraction? Being preoccupied with serving Christ more than being with Jesus Himself. Stated differently, it is putting service for Jesus over presence with Jesus! Here is a classic biblical example of this:
Luke 10:39-42 NASB [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. (40) But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." (41) But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; (42) but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
So, what is the answer to avoiding self-sufficiency and independence, and eliminating our striving to be righteous through service? The answer, of course, is in the next episode! 😊
Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”
Notes:
This devotion is inspired by my study of the Scriptures over the years, as well as many books I have read, including the book entitled “Grace Walk” by Steve McVey.