THE TRUTH ABOUT SELFLESSNESS
He it is who sacrificed himself for us, to set us free from all wickedness and to make us a pure people marked out for his own, eager to do good. Titus 2:14, N.E.B.
She was pretty, intelligent, and poised; the young man with her was arrogant and sloppy. As I watched them move through the cafeteria line, I wondered what she saw in him. Later I began to wonder if there was something about herself she didn't see.
A low self-image tends to perpetuate unfortunate circumstances that seem to verify that individual's evaluation of himself. Tragically, we Christians often succumb to the same thing! One wonders what it is we do not see in God that allows us to have such a low opinion of our potential.
We often say, "Nobody's perfect!" What we mean is that we have failed to reach a certain standard of behavior. Furthermore, many are convinced that no one can. "Only Christ could," they say. "He was, after all, our Substitute. Even God knew we couldn't!" Such thinking precludes success.
What we must understand is the difference between salvation and restoration. It is absolutely true that we can never merit salvation. But in areas of Christian growth we are not talking about salvation! We are talking about God's adequacy to fulfill our needs. Take selflessness, for example.
Christ was a totally selfless person. Now, do we conclude that because we cannot be selfless enough to atone for our sins that selflessness is beyond us? Our text today says that by His sacrifice Christ "set us free from all wickedness." Selfishness is our attempt to grasp after completeness apart from God. In Christ we are once again at one with God (at-one-ment). Consequently, there is no more need to be self-serving. All our needs are met.
It is time we stopped confusing character development with merit! God knew that as long as we felt unworthy of His company we would continue to live lives that denied us His friendship. Therefore, He redeemed us, and by doing so He enabled us to begin to take hold of "the full wealth of his splendor upon vessels [us!] which were objects of mercy, and which from the first had been prepared for this splendor" (Rom. 9:23, N.E.B.).
Let us be "eager to do good"--not to win Him, but to reveal Him to others that they, too, might learn of their completeness in Him!
He it is who sacrificed himself for us, to set us free from all wickedness and to make us a pure people marked out for his own, eager to do good. Titus 2:14, N.E.B.
She was pretty, intelligent, and poised; the young man with her was arrogant and sloppy. As I watched them move through the cafeteria line, I wondered what she saw in him. Later I began to wonder if there was something about herself she didn't see.
A low self-image tends to perpetuate unfortunate circumstances that seem to verify that individual's evaluation of himself. Tragically, we Christians often succumb to the same thing! One wonders what it is we do not see in God that allows us to have such a low opinion of our potential.
We often say, "Nobody's perfect!" What we mean is that we have failed to reach a certain standard of behavior. Furthermore, many are convinced that no one can. "Only Christ could," they say. "He was, after all, our Substitute. Even God knew we couldn't!" Such thinking precludes success.
What we must understand is the difference between salvation and restoration. It is absolutely true that we can never merit salvation. But in areas of Christian growth we are not talking about salvation! We are talking about God's adequacy to fulfill our needs. Take selflessness, for example.
Christ was a totally selfless person. Now, do we conclude that because we cannot be selfless enough to atone for our sins that selflessness is beyond us? Our text today says that by His sacrifice Christ "set us free from all wickedness." Selfishness is our attempt to grasp after completeness apart from God. In Christ we are once again at one with God (at-one-ment). Consequently, there is no more need to be self-serving. All our needs are met.
It is time we stopped confusing character development with merit! God knew that as long as we felt unworthy of His company we would continue to live lives that denied us His friendship. Therefore, He redeemed us, and by doing so He enabled us to begin to take hold of "the full wealth of his splendor upon vessels [us!] which were objects of mercy, and which from the first had been prepared for this splendor" (Rom. 9:23, N.E.B.).
Let us be "eager to do good"--not to win Him, but to reveal Him to others that they, too, might learn of their completeness in Him!
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