I wanted to share a part 2 to the sermon notes I posted a couple days ago, for the following reason: transparently, this was one I almost didn't share, due to the last bullet point: “Strong Christians get rid of baggage.” Now, the supporting Bible passage, Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) states thus:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The context for the line: let us lay aside every weight, if we look at this literally, means what it says. One of my best friends is a professional runner who runs marathons and super-duper-ultra marathons. He dresses light, wearing only what will keep him adequately covered and also best support his run. Throwing on heavy camping gear as if one were to go hiking through the woods would not work for long-distance runs. The runner would get tired much sooner than if he only carried the bare minimum required for his mission.
Where I have an issue - and I believe I speak for a lot of people regarding this as a stumbling block - is the idea that it's easy, that it's simple, or even that it's possible. Yes, Jesus in Mark 9:23 says “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” But how can one know what that's even like without first experiencing even just a glimpse of it? In my experience, it has always taken a very long time to let go of weight to the point that it stays away. If I don't know life without that weight, no matter how great it might be, then how can I truly believe unless I first experience what it's like?
This is where, for me anyway, relying on God's mercy and especially His sovereignty comes into play. In a previous post where I discussed my struggle with Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me), one of the buffer verses to help me come to grips with this being a possibility is Isaiah 40:31 (But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.). Similarly, verses Philippians 4:11-12 provide context in which Paul describes experiencing having plenty and being in need, being on top of the world, and being down in the valley of the shadow of death. Verse 13 can be translated as “I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and ironically for someone who professes to hate trials and tribulations, I actually find comfort in this version of the verse. God's sovereign plan will never fail, not even in the least. There's nothing you or I can do to thwart it, no matter how wicked or incompetent you or I may be. After all, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23) so it means we all have baggage, we all are sinners, and we all deserve death and hell and eternal punishment. ...but for God's mercy, He decided to save us by sending Jesus Christ on a cross to die for our sins.
Sometimes, what it boils down to is this idea that I've noticed, that one needs to "pull themselves up by the bootstraps" (inherently, on their own strength, and not God's) when it comes to even the basics of Christianity: “just believe!” “just do it!” “just fake it til you make it!” “you can do anything because Christ will give you strength, so go do my bidding!” I get that once a person is saved, they're supposed to mature and not to remain as “baby Christians.” But I have observed that the types of people who say or even hint at some of the above phrases, tend to have serious maturity gaps themselves. They're the same types of people where, if I were to point out sins in them, they argue it away and put it back on me as if I were the problem simply by bringing it up. And yes, these people claim to be Christians. Sadly, in some cases, some folks actually know their Bible very well. They've read it front-to-back and back again, and some could recite any of it from memory if you were to challenge them with a book, chapter, and verse.
In response to the above, Paul addresses something like this in his letter to the Galatians:
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. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
[Paul says that] those who believe in Jesus but rely on their own good works to add anything to their salvation are cut off from Christ. [He says that] they are severed from Christ, they who would be justified by the law. ... [The God of the Bible] will not synthesize with [any other religion], including our best efforts at living a good, clean life.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23, NIV
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39-40, NIV
“You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3, NIV
Astute readers may notice that I slightly tweaked this post's title, stating eight habits of a strong Christian, rather than seven. It's because if there were an eighth point, I would say this:
Point # 8: Strong Christians are authentic.
Strong Christians are authentic. Strong Christians are real. It doesn't mean we compromise God's word. His word says what it says. God and Jesus and heaven and hell are all real. Suffering is still real, whether you're saved or not. But what I've found is more likely to draw non-believers to saving faith in Jesus is authenticity, transparency (to a reasonable degree), and humility. And I think one key thing that needs to change in the church is pretending like we don't have baggage, or pretending we don't have sin in our lives. Even the Apostle Paul, who wrote letters to multiple churches across Mediterranean Europe and present-day Turkey to encourage and challenge new believers in the faith, had this to say about his own struggles:
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:14-20, NKJV
Yes, every believer who has received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, Lord, and King has been freed from the eternal punishment for sin. But we still have to fight to overcome sin in our lives every day, and we do ourselves and others a grave disservice by pretending that we don't have it. And yes, God is still holy, and His standards for holiness are sky-high. But us believers presenting ourselves in such a way that we magnify Him and not ourselves will speak greater volumes. It's about how great God is, and not about how great we are just because we choose to follow Him and walk with Him. Sure, there will still be people who attack us even when we are being authentic and humble. But those people have already rejected God and will continue to do so regardless of how we present the Gospel. It's the others, who in fact have a soft heart, that would be receptive to the Gospel by authentic and humble believers rather than pompous religious zealots who pump up their own good works rather than the amazingness of God.
