Category: Faith

Stop using the gospel and start believing it.

Posted on by Michael Wine

Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Satan can be so subtle and deceptive. He can make us think that the purpose of the gospel is merely to awaken us, to turn us into stronger, more spiritual versions of our sinful selves, so that we have some new power to keep the old law.

The union with Christ that comes through faith is no mere battery pack for the soul that simply gives you strength to be a better follower of Moses.

The “law of sin and death” is the Mosaic Law. Earlier in Romans (in chapter six and seven) Paul shows how from the law comes the knowledge of sin. When I tell my five-year-old not to play with the soap, he is instantly tempted to do just that. A simple command or law merely informs the hearer of what is required (and what is the opposite of that – sin) without providing any means or power with which to actually meet the requirement.

The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, is that He is the perfect fulfillment of the Mosaic Law. Through faith, we can be united with Him, obtaining God’s pardon for all our sin, adoption into His family, and access to Jesus Himself through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This means we are no longer obligated to keep the law, as if we still need to please God by keeping all the rules.

Instead, we are obligated to Christ by way of our relationship with Him, because of His love for us that stirs up our own hearts to love him in return. This obligation to Christ, whose life was the purest picture of what the law meant, is far greater and higher than any previous obligation to the law.

What does this actually look like in real life? If I were trying to keep the law, my day may look like this: I wake up to my alarm, and dutifully get up because it’s what I should do, even though I’d like to sleep a bit more. I make my bed and brush my teeth because I’ve been told those are good things to do. I may not tuck the sheets in perfectly because, let’s face it, I don’t really care about the bed. But this failure to be perfect, however small, may start to nag at me on a subconscious level. Next, the big one, it’s time for me to read my Bible. This is where I really prove how spiritual I am or not. I’ve had a good streak going for a month now. If I don’t read my Bible again today for at least twenty minutes, I’m going to regret it all day.

Need I go on?

Anyone can see that I am only doing all these things because I am trying to follow a list of rules, and not because I really want to.

And here is where Satan can get so tricky. He likes to sneak in like an angel of light and offer me the “gospel.” He first capitalizes on that nagging guilt that builds up inside as I fail to keep all the rules perfectly. He whispers that if I really wanted to keep the rules better, perhaps even perfectly, I need to use “gospel power!” I need to “trust God” and maybe even get into an accountability group. He tries to get us to see the gospel as just a means of keeping the law better.

We think we have to use the gospel to be better versions of ourselves, when in reality, we simply must believe it.

In reality, the gospel frees us from the law completely. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” When I wake up in the morning, I can immediately approach God with full confidence, knowing that He loves me in Christ. I am now joyful and eager to grow closer to him each day. This relationship with Jesus Himself makes me want to know Him more and see more of Him through the study of His Word. That gives me even more joy and peace which then energizes me to obey God’s commands, not because I must obey in order to remain in God’s love, but because obedience is itself just another way of receiving God’s grace toward me. (God only commands what is by definition good for us in the first place)

“So many people are seeking sanctification from the “law of sin” and life from the “law of death”! But the gospel speaks of life. Its doctrines, its precepts, its promises, its exhortations, its rebukes, and its hopes are all infused with spiritual life, and come with quickening power to the soul. “The words that I speak unto you,” says Jesus, “they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). There is life in the gospel because it is the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2). It testifies of “Christ who is our life” (Col 3:4) and declares that there is no spiritual life outside of Him. Although “the letter killeth” (2 Cor 3:6) when it works by itself, yet in the hands of the Spirit it gives life. Thus clothed with the energy of the Holy Spirit, the gospel proves a “savour of life unto life” (2 Cor 2:16) to all who believe in it to the saving of the soul.”

Octavius Winslow, Evening Thoughts, November 22nd.

Why Trust God?

Posted on by Michael Wine

Or to put it another way, why believe in what God says? Why believe in God at all? Why trust what is written in some old book?

I wrote those questions as if an unbeliever were asking them to me. It is interesting, isn’t it, how the questioning of God’s trustworthiness cannot proceed very far without the trustworthiness of the Bible being questioned.

And with that transition question the unbeliever will perform a magic trick with his next question (or a variation of the following), “Why trust the words of men written in some old book?”

What has happened is similar to a magician’s subtle slight of hand. The original question is left forgotten, while a new one takes its place, all the while the magician wants you to believe there is no difference between the two questions.

To make it clear, the first question was “Why trust God?” and the second one is “Why trust man?”

It may seem obvious that these are not the same question. However, it is no exaggeration to say that many have left the faith (an act often labeled today as deconstructing) because they confuse the two.

It seems that by harnessing the obvious, pervasive, and undeniable treachery of man, to make us doubt the faithfulness, goodness, and love of God, the devil has won over many souls.

Yet, the cruel irony is this. By forsaking God out of doubt in man, man is left with no one to trust at all. For who is left for man to trust (if God is not) but untrustworthy mankind? Without God, we are left with nothing but our peers, our friends, our enemies, and our own brain (which often feels like a combination of all of the above).

We are told to trust science – an exercise performed by men, who we are so adamant in refusing to trust.

But I originally set out to answer a question – Why trust God?

You see this question, simple as it is, rests on an unspoken assumption – a presupposition. God exists.

Given this assumption, there is a choice we all have to make – to trust God or not.

I trust Him.

You ask me why? Why does a newborn trust her mother? Why does a dog trust its master? Why does a man trust his wife? Why does a whale trust the sea?

The answer, of course, is because the newborn knows her mother. The dog knows his owner. The husband loves his wife. The whale and the sea are old friends.

Trust, or belief, or faith, is not an academic thing you can isolate and study without getting your hands dirty with the messiness of a relationship.

I trust God because I know Him. And, more importantly, because He knows me.

By the way, people don’t trust God for the same reason they don’t trust a stranger who offers to house sit. Not, as they claim, because they don’t think God is real, but because they don’t know each other.

And then I will declare unto them, ‘I never knew you; depart you from Me, those working lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:23

Job’s Wish: Mankind’s Only Hope

Posted on by Michael Wine

It was long ago. Before Moses wrote the ten commands of God on stone, before (or perhaps while) Abraham lived, there was a man who wrestled with the core, foundational problems of existence. That man’s name was Job.

In a single day, perhaps in a single hour, Job lost everything. His wealth, his family, his reputation, all were destroyed by the ancient enemy of man – the devil; Satan.

Of course, Satan was authorized to do what he did by God Himself. And Satan was ever the con man. He destroyed Job’s life with such gusto and flare that it appeared to come directly from the hand of God Himself.

Job does not curse God, however, but worships instead. He praises the God who both “gives and takes away.” (Job 1:21)

However, as all great suffering does to each of us, the pain Job experiences launches him into a desperate quest to find answers to the ultimate questions of the universe.

Was catalyzing this questioning from Job the reason God allowed his suffering?

One thing is clear. The book of Job is not merely about suffering, or God’s sovereignty, or anything on the surface. It is about the fundamental problem of human existence. That is, how can sinful, wicked and unclean man be right with God?

Through looking at a key passage, we can catch a glimpse of Job’s dilemma of hopelessness as well as his wish that shines through the heavy fog; a beacon of hope.

Job, the first book in the timeline of Scripture shows us just how deeply in trouble we are. Yet, it also points to a slight chance, a glimmer of hope, a Hail Marry pass for humanity that rests fully on the willingness of an all-powerful enemy to be merciful.

Here is the passage I will be looking at. I am putting it all here for you to read first:

Man who is born of a woman
    is few of days and full of trouble.
He comes out like a flower and withers;
    he flees like a shadow and continues not.
And do you open your eyes on such a one
    and bring me into judgment with you?
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.
Since his days are determined,
    and the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
look away from him and leave him alone,
    that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.

For there is hope for a tree,
    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.
Though its root grow old in the earth,
    and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put out branches like a young plant.
But a man dies and is laid low;
    man breathes his last, and where is he?
As waters fail from a lake
    and a river wastes away and dries up,
so a man lies down and rises not again;
    till the heavens are no more he will not awake
    or be roused out of his sleep.
Oh that you would hide me in Sheol,
    that you would conceal me until your wrath be past,
    that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man dies, shall he live again?
    All the days of my service I would wait,
    till my renewal should come.
You would call, and I would answer you;
    you would long for the work of your hands.
For then you would number my steps;
    you would not keep watch over my sin;
my transgression would be sealed up in a bag,
    and you would cover over my iniquity.

Job 14:1-17 ESV

There is, first, a reality alluded to by Job – that of hostility between God and man. Job mentions that God sees him, judges him, and how he is unclean before God who is the standard of purity and holiness. This points to a broken relationship. Man’s sin, his uncleanness, puts him forever apart from God. God looks on man and judges his wickedness from on high.

There is a war between man and God. They are not on the same side.

Job’s first question, then, is why God continues to fight a defeated opponent. Why is God still sending the bombers of judgement to crush the sinful city which is already a smouldering ruin?

Job says that man is of no account – like flowers that come to life only to die in a blink. Man, says Job, is like a shadow that fades and vanishes away. So why does God care?

Could it be some form of fatherly discipline? Is God trying to punish the sin out of us before we die? Job rejects this idea saying, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.” Mere discipline or pain cannot purify the heart of man. God is not changing sinful hearts through wrath and judgement. So why is God doing it? What hope is there in it?

He moves then, from this argument that God is waging a pointless war, to his proposal. Whether it is a genuine proposal or more of a hypothetical one given to promote his real agenda remains to be seen. It is this: God should let man live his transient life in peace and not constantly make him face the consequences of his sin.

His reasoning is that God is in total control and knows every detail of a man’s life. Man is a defeated foe, and he cannot live a single moment outside of God’s plan. These facts add to Job’s argument that God’s judgement of sin is of no use in changing our sinful hearts. And if God knows the future, as Job says, God also knows this to be true.

What comes next, I think, is where Job begins to hint at his real agenda. He starts talking about death.

He says first, that “there is hope for a tree.” The word hope is critical. Hope for what? For change. For growth even after being chopped down. For new life. Why does hope exist for the tree? Because even when it dies, it can grow back. In other words – it has time.

But time is not on man’s side. We live a fleeting number of years and are gone forever. we don’t get another chance to earn God’s favor, to live a better life, to make God happy with us enough to overlook our sin. Once we are in the ground that is it. No do overs. No second chances. Job says that, “till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.”

We now begin to understand the source of Job’s confusion. He faces, on one hand, the truth that sinful man is not right with almighty God, and that a holy God must judge sinners. Yet, on the other hand, he sees the hopelessness, the vanity of the entire situation. Who wins? Surely not man, who dies in his sin. But does God win when time after time his wrath toward sin never results in reconciliation, in change, in an end to the hostility between God and man? No.

If God were satisfied with wrath against sin, would he not simply wipe mankind out once and for all? Why allow us to continue to live and die and face judgement, with no hope or time to change?

There must be another way.

So Job, in a stunning display of hope in the middle of a hopeless dilemma, makes a wish. Here it is again in his own words.

Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait till my renewal should come. You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands. For then you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin; my transgression would be sealed in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity Job 14:13-17

Job’s wish is for death to not be the ultimate doom of man, but to be man’s ultimate salvation. He wishes for a resurrected life after death, one where his sin had already been dealt with and is no longer between him and his creator. He begs God to mercifully kill him, and hide him away in the earth, safe until the day when God is ready to make him new.

How amazing it is, that before a word of Scripture was penned, a man knew the truth. He knew that the only way to solve the problem of mankind’s war with holy God, was for God to be willing to forgive us, to offer us mercy, to kill us, and to use his infinite power – which sinful man so foolishly rebelled against – to give us all a new life. And not just a second chance to earn God’s approval, but a new life entirely. One in which our sins from the first life were already burned in the fires of God’s holy wrath.

“And Job died, an old man, and full of days.” Job 42:17

That’s the last verse in the book of Job. And how fitting an end to Job’s story it is.

Job died, just as he requested. And the reader is left wondering, will the second half of Job’s wish also come true? Will God do it? Will he save Job? Will he save the world?

That is what prequels are for. They show us the problem, so that we read the rest of the story.

So read Job. Ponder your dilemma along with him. Let the danger you are in wash over your consciousness as you face the fact that God hates your sin. His wrath burns against your rebellious heart. There is no escape from it.

Death is coming.

And then, don’t stop at Job! Read the rest of the story. But especially read about Jesus.

God Meant the Evil for Good

Posted on by Michael Wine

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20

The evil that the brothers meant against Joseph, was also meant by God to bring about good. The plans of Joseph’s brothers were to bring about evil. Rather than foil those plans or even begrudgingly accept those evil plans, the verse says that God “meant” for the evil to occur, to bring about the good.

The benefit of knowing everything is that you can see further than everyone else. Joseph’s brothers were happy with their plan because they could only see a few hours into the future (if that), to the pain they would bring to their brother.

God, though not pleased with the evil done by the brothers, was pleased to intend that the same evil be suffered by Joseph, because He could see every detail of the future laid out before him in high definition color.

The problem of evil is only a problem for those who do not trust God. For people who do trust God, we know that He will always take us through the paths that lead us to the best possible outcome.

Christian Boldness and Innovation

Posted on by Michael Wine

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 1 Samuel 17:50

As Malcolm Gladwell points out in his book, David and Goliath, it wasn’t as though God helped David prevail even though David had inferior weapons, armor, and tactics. In fact, to summarize Gladwell’s point, David was more mobile than Goliath and able to attack from a distance. These two advantages made David the favorite in the battle.

So what is the point of the story?

Backing up a bit in the story, we see that the entire Israelite army is quaking in their boots at the challenge of Goliath. No one wants to fight. They are all stuck in the old system. They envision a fight between two armored soldiers with swords. And in that scenario, Goliath would surely win.

Along comes David, who is quickly angered at the fear he sees. He is angry because the honor of God is at stake in this fight. Would the God of Israel triumph over the gods of the Philistines, or not? So David decides, even though he is no official soldier, to fight Goliath himself.

His courage came from his faith in God. It came from his love for his God and his desire to see God glorified.

After David tells King Saul of his decision to fight Goliath, the king begins to prepare David for the battle by giving him a suit of armor. But, David refuses because the armor makes him slow, just like the giant. Then, he innovates and changes the game.

The surprising victory came from the innovation of David (beating large, slow, melee fighters with small, fast, ranged, fighters). This innovation happened because David was good at using a sling. But, more importantly, it happened because he loved and believed in the power of his God. This unwavering trust gave him the confidence he needed to step out and do something that had never been tried before.

Christians should not be content with inferior tactics, technology and strategy as if that somehow proves their trust in God. Instead, Christians should prove their trust in God by refusing to play it safe and ineffective. Really trusting and loving God should, like it did David, lead us to bold innovation and new ways of doing things, because we have a desire to see God glorified.

Jesus Is The Safety Net

Posted on by Michael Wine

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25

Living this life is like walking a tightrope. There is a greater margin of error in living life than walking a tightrope, but the result of crossing over that margin is the same: death.

One misplaced step can land you in front of a bus on the road. One wrong placement of the foot can put you off balance on the high wire. A tightrope walker is really just living a life with very narrow walls for as long as he is on the rope. He is only allowed one thing, to walk across the rope or he dies.

But the man on the hire wire has a safety net (usually). If he falls, he will not actually die if he is safely caught by the net. He is thereby freed to live on the wire with confidence and boldness, not in fear. He has the mental strength he needs to walk across the wire. To live his life.

I would like to suggest that the one who believes in Jesus is free to live life similar to the tightrope walker. Even if they die, they will live again with Jesus. They will rise again as He did. Jesus is, in a way, the Christian’s safety net. He allows us to be bold, to really live our lives and take risks to make a difference for His glory.

I feel sorry for those who are trying to live this life without the safety net of Christ beneath them. What are they trusting in? Some trust in other gods who are not real. These wind blown nets are nothing but spider webs and clothes lines. They will not hold the weight of human sin.

Some have no net at all. They only have the rope under their feet. They trust only in the rope, this physical world, the life that we have to live. They are sure of themselves too. They trust in their ability to walk the narrow path alone.

But what happens when this world itself begins to unravel? When the weight of humanity begins to slowly break the strands holding the rope together? I would rather be the one trusting in a spider web. At least I would not be filled with panic as I watch the snap, snap, snap of the rope under my feet; the only thing between me and a long fall to my death.

But better still it is to trust in the real God, in Jesus Christ who came to this earth, lived righteously in God’s eyes, and died for sinners, bearing the wrath of God. He was buried in the ground for three days, and then He rose again in glorious victory over sin and death. And He lives in heaven now, watching all who trust in Him. He will surely catch us in our last moments, and bring us to Himself to live eternally.

Pride, humility, and truth

Posted on by Michael Wine

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Humility does not equal humiliation. Disgrace and humiliation actually go hand-in-hand with pride, which is the opposite of humility.

Consider the proud priests of Baal who argued with the prophet Elijah over who the true God was (See 1 Kings 18). What could be more proud than calling yourself a prophet for a god who is no God at all?

And what did the proud priests do to try and prove their god? They cut themselves in a frantic attempt to get his attention. And yet Baal did nothing. They were disgraced and humiliated.

The interesting thing is that they weren’t just humiliated because they took a risk and failed, like some brave entrepreneur that starts a business. Their humiliation happened because, in their pride, they thought that what would bring them disgrace would actually bring them honor. They thought that mutilating their bodies would actually work.

That is what pride does. It makes us do things that are horrible, disastrous, and dangerous, because we believe we are greater than we actually are. Those priests believed something about themselves that was not true. Namely, they had the power to call forth a god.

What is the opposite of pride, then, which involves believing falsehoods about ones own importance, greatness, and power?

That would be humility, which essentially is believing the truth about yourself and acting in that belief. This is why the proverb says humility brings wisdom. Wisdom is a relative of truth. When you believe what is true about the world and about yourself, you find wisdom.

Believe the Truth

Posted on by Michael Wine

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Believe what is true as soon as possible, with as little evidence as possible.

How do you know what is true? How do you determine what the truth is without evidence?

Jesus is the truth.

But much harm has come from people believing things without adequate proof! Yes, but those people did not believe in Jesus.

If you believe something that is true, it does not matter if you took the path with the most logical arguments to arrive there. It does not matter that you have a pile of evidence to back you up. What matters is that you believe the truth.

Fear and Faith

Posted on by Michael Wine

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7

What is fear without belief? If you don’t believe a dangerous lion is outside your door, you will not fear it.

On the other hand, if you fear something or someone, you believe there is something dangerous about that thing or person.

If you believe God is dangerous, if you are afraid, then you believe He is real.

And what is wiser than 1) believing God is real and 2) being afraid of an almighty God who also hates sin? Especially since that is the reality.

It is the beginning, because it is where you start. You start with fear because fear is a kind of faith. Then, from faith, you move ‘further up and further in.’ You get to know this God more deeply; His love, mercy, compassion, patience.

And the fear begins to fade as you are forgiven, cleansed, and welcomed into God’s family.

The Role of Faith in Fighting Addiction

Posted on by Michael Wine

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

“Addiction is a term that means compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance (like heroin or nicotine), characterized by tolerance and well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal” (Mens Sana Monogr)

Based on this definition, here are some things most people are very addicted to:

  1. Breathing air
  2. Eating food
  3. Drinking water
  4. Being with friends and family
  5. A beating heart
  6. Sleep

It is no wonder that after the above quote, the author says, ” it has also been used more broadly to refer to compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be physically, psychologically, or socially harmful (Maddux and Desmond, 2000).” (Mens Sana Monogr)

This makes the distinction that we only care about stopping the addictions that are bad. The good addictions are fine.

Imagine treating a drug like heroin as if it were air, or alcohol like it was water. When something deadly (eating poorly for example) becomes what you think you need to survive, it is seriously scary.

The reality of being dependent on something is not the issue. It is all about what you are dependent on, if it is good for you, or if it is harmful.

For someone who is addicted, they know in their head that their substance of choice is killing them, but they know in their body that they will die without it (and they will if it is removed incorrectly). They know with their heart that they need it.

But the heart lies, doesn’t it? The addicted person needs to trust something beyond his heart, greater than his feelings. He needs to not believe how he feels.

How can someone ignore the evidence of his body, the undeniable knowledge that he needs his addiction to keep going?

And this is why faith is so important. Only when the heart is changed, and the inward eyes turn to gaze on Christ, can we stop paying attention to the way we feel, to our deceitful hearts, to how strong the case is for our continued use of the thing that is killing us.

To change an addiction, you must believe in something beyond yourself. Really believe it.