Lawlessness and Righteousness
When you stay entrenched in your sin and do not cease to remove from your lifestyle (intentionally) then that is what we be known as lawlessness. For instance, if the will of God is in you and you continue to get drunk and sleep with different people, then that would be an example of lawlessness. In 1 John 3:4-10, John is telling the reader specific ways of how to look at lawlessness. It can be harder for us to understand as it appears that the text is saying you can never sin. While we should do what we can and also rely on God's strength to not sin, the text is specifically speaking about intentional and continual sin that is seen as a regular part of your life. No apologies for it. I have sins such as that. The text further explains that when you have sins like that you do not know the Father (God). What sin is still in your life?
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Be, Just Be
Be, just be is my take on a directive given by Paul to the Corinthian church and the men in it. These directives can come for any number of reasons, but this one was in response to waiting for Apollos, another church leader who was to come to the Corinthian church and lead. Before Apollos arrived, Paul wrote the Corinthians a letter telling them to "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 6:13-14)." Being watchful like when Jesus wanted the disciples to stay up through the night and keep out a watchful eye. Stand firm in the faith meaning do not waiver and dilute the faith and add unto it, but stand strong in what is whole, virtuous and true. Acting like men may get taken to mean not to be effeminate, but I think here in this context it means be strong like men as men are naturally stronger than women (that's not sexist). The strength here isn't about physical strength, but emotional strength or endurance and perseverance and courage while waiting for Apollos to arrive. Lastly, let all you do be done in love. If you hold God up high first and foremost and you love and honor His word and His will, then you can love people (even unbelievers) as God loves them. So, be, just be. Be strong. Be a man. Be loving. Be like Jesus. Be, just be.
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Thank Him for Strength
Paul's strength to do his ministries were not of his own accord. He knew that. We should know that our strength to do God's work does not come from our own reserve either. In 1 Timothy 1:12 Paul says " I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service..." We can do the same. While we are not Paul, we do know that God has, does and will continue to appoint those He chooses to do His work. What has he called you to do?
Another note, if we look at Paul's life in whole and not in part we will see that verse 15 that speaks of Paul being the worst sinner is not a verse that many can apply to themselves. I personally, due to my guilt of my own sin, used to wear a t shirt that displayed my guilt as if referenced that verse and being the worst sinner. But, in fact that verse that Paul wrote was in literal reference to himself in regard to him being personally responsible for the death of Christians because they were Christian. So, before you go quoting scripture and applying it to you, make sure it is not one that is specific to just one person and can only or primarily apply to them.
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Strength for Our Thinking
As Paul ends his letter to the Philippians he sends them off with words of encouragement in the Lord. Think about how often we choose words that are not encouraging and are condemning outside of what God wants from us. I often wonder if the words people say are what God wanted from them or what they just wanted to say themselves. But, in verse 8 Paul says, "Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there
is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about
these things." He wants us (as it is God honoring) to focus on what is righteous and not unrighteous things.
How do we do that? What power do we pull from? In verse 13, Paul says "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." He shows us the source of his strength which is not his own. He relies in God/Christ/the Holy Spirit to give him the strength he needs. It is not will power, but God power.
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Prayer for Spiritual Strength
Paul further cements previous points made about the church believing that they have power on their own accord. Paul tells them straight forward and then also shows them how to believe by demonstrating a prayer in Ephesians 3:14-16. Paul says "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father...that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being." Look at how Paul bows his knees before the Father. That is showing, honor and humility to one who is superior. He speaks on the riches of God's glory, not our own. It is easy to lose sight and think we can figure it all out and think we have all the answers, but to God be the glory. God grants us the strength and power through His spirit. It is not on our own.
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How Strong Are You?
How strong are you? I don't mean physically, but emotionally. How much can you endure? How much can you handle? How strong are you spiritually? In class last night, we discussed forgiveness and it made me think of how people will forgive an egregious sin or wrong doing done to them and people may say to them "You're so strong" and "I could never forgive that." But, it makes me think, is it really us individuals who are so strong and so awesome, or is it God working through us to make us and shape us to be who we become?
Pride makes us believe that we are so awesome and can do anything on our own apart from God. But that will make us stumble (Proverbs 16:18). That could be working through forgiveness, powering through a project, or anything. People apart from the Lord will say it is all you and you can do anything. But, for those of us that have accepted Christ and seek God's will in their life over anything else, we know that apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:5). Do you want a healthier marriage and stronger bond? Use God's strength! Do you want to forgive who hurt you? Use God's strength! Admit that you cannot do it on your own as the false prophets would say and preach. We have to stay connected to the true vine which is Christ and through him we are connected to God in order to live, think and operate in honor of God.
If we need an example of looking to strength that is beyond humanly possible, look at the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus tells a parable of a father who gives one of his two sons the inheritance/property that was entitled to him. He wanted it before the time he was to have. The father gave it to the son who then squandered it, realized his mistake and had to return home starving and humbled. The father gladly accepted the son back into his arms and was joyful to see his son alive. He treated him well when he returned and did not shame him, but loved him. This is not a man who was operating out of his own power. This is a father who was infused with the Holy Spirit to forgive and not hold a grudge. He was happy to see his child alive. And that is how God sees us. He wants us to see that we need Him and can do nothing apart from Him. We walk away from God when we let our pride control our emotions. The strength it takes to overlook the wrong someone has done takes God strength, not our own apart from Him.
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Paul's Final Words
Paul closes out 1 Corinthians with some points and instructions, but I want to focus on a few things that popped out to me. Specifically speaking to the men in the church Paul says in verse 13, "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." That is a statement that is not just a "Hey! Be yourselves and do whatever" but Paul actually encouraging them to "act like men" and "be strong." I see that lacking in some areas in this country. Men are not acting like men. Men are not being strong in the faith. That means men have a specific role that they needed to fill then (and now) and Paul was reminding them of that role and their position.
1 Corinthians 16:14 is the second part of a very important piece of scripture. Paul says "Let all that you do be done in love." Wow. All, not most. All, not some. All, not none. All we do must be done in love. Remember we love God first and because we recognize that and loved God first, then we love people. We love them and do things that are encouraging them to things out of respect for the Lord, not just things that we personally want them to do.
1 Corinthians 16:24 tells us "My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen." When he finished the letter it was with love. We can read through the entire book of 1 Corinthians and see Paul's sarcasm and his disappointment. But instead of just making it a letter or set of letters that was only focused on what they did wrong he made sure to include his support of them to do what was done in Christ and he sent his love. How often do we have a chance to reassure people we are upset with that we love them and yet we do not? Paul did and that can be our example.
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The Power in the Name of Jesus
There is power in the robe of Jesus (Luke 8:43-48). There is power in the words of Jesus (John 5:8). There is power in the name of Jesus.
In Acts 3:1-10, we read about a man, lame from birth, asking for alms (begging) at a place called the Beautiful Gate. He was looking for some kind of financial support since he was lame and did not not have the ability to walk (his friends carried him). Peter and John were walking into the temple through the gate and the man asked for alms. Peter turned to him and said "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"
Acts 3:11-16, we read that people were amazed at the miracle that they just witnessed of this man. Peter had to speak to the people again as he did in Acts 2, and calls out their wonder and amazement and tells them that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God of Jesus that was turned over to Pilate. He continues to tell them that it is through faith in the name of Jesus that the man was healed, not by the strength of the disciples themselves.
Peter and John had an opportunity to obtain glory that was not theirs even though people thought it was. Peter turned the focus from him to the power in the name of Jesus as God's will is done. When life hits you hard and breaks you down and has you desperate that you are willing to beg, just know that there is power in the name of Jesus. And when you are surrounded by those who follow Christ, they can assist in bringing that power forth in the name of Jesus.
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