Salvation: God alone makes Christians (Part 8)
Job 33:25 "His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth:"
We continue from where we left off last week (Part 7), where we talk about how a believer was "born again" according to Job 33:25. While the word "return" has the meaning of going back to the place of origin, it also means to go in the opposing direction from whence that person has journeyed. When a man is born again, he is passed from death unto life. He has turned his back on the world. There will be a change in him from within, and it becomes evident from the way he now lives his life.
Matthew 12:33 "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit."
God was the one who make the tree good, and his fruit good, and a man is known by the things that he say and do. A truly born again believer will manifest faith in his words and works, and faith is the only thing that can please God. All in all, God was the one who did the work in a believer that resulted in that change in him. But there are teachings out there which claim that a man can make himself good, and his own works good.
Matthew 5:33-37 "¶ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
To “forswear” is to swear falsely. In this passage, Jesus was saying that it was in the law that the children of Israel perform unto the Lord that which they have sworn under oaths, and that they have sworn falsely because they could not keep the law. Therefore, it is better not to swear at all than to swear falsely. There is no strength in sinful men to even make one hair white or black, much less to keep the law which their sinful flesh cannot perform. However, this does not stop some teachers like Charles G. Finney from teaching that our sinful flesh can be perfected in this lifetime through a life of good works.
Finney was a New School Presbyterian. His theology was similar to that of Nathaniel William Taylor. Finney taught that people have a free will to choose salvation (decisionism). He argued that the original sin was a "selfishness" that people can overcome if they made themselves a "new heart". He taught that "sin and holiness are voluntary acts of mind", meaning that it is not beyond the ability of a man to overcome sin if he chooses to do so. But according to Jesus, sinful flesh cannot keep the law, and therefore he said "... for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Finney’s evil doctrine is the basis of a works salvation theology known as “Christian Perfectionism”.
Romans 11:6 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
Charles G. Finney also believed in a salvation that can be lost. He believed and taught a works salvation, that is, a salvation that is earned or maintained through good works. This is contrary to Paul’s words in Romans 11:6 which teaches us that salvation is purely by the grace of God and none of works. We cannot work to maintain our salvation, because we did not earn it by our own merits on the first place. If it be of works, then is it no more grace. If it is not by grace, then it was not a gift to begin with. God must do a work in a believer that cause him to produce fruits in his lifetime.
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Psalms 139:16 "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."
A “new man” created after the image of Jesus Christ is present in every born again believer, as much as faith is a copy of the word of God sown in the heart. In the day that you believed in the words of the Lord, this substance call “faith” is still being unperfect. That is to say, the members of the “new man” were in continuance being fashioned, like a seed which when sown, must go through the stages of growth and eventually becomes a tree. Every tree started off in an unperfected form as a seed.
John 15:1-2 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
Jesus likened himself to the true vine, and every man and woman who profess to believe in him as individual branches in the vine. Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. One of the most important factors for a successful graft is that the scion and the stock must be genetically compatible. As a general rule, the closer two plants are genetically, the more likely the graft union will form. Almonds and apricots graft well onto peach rootstocks, but an apricot scion is not compatible with almond stock nor is an almond scion with apricot stock.
Revelation 22:2 "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
God has gifted each and every believer differently, but they are born again by the same Spirit of God. Brethren in the body of Christ means "brothers and sisters" related by the "seed" which is the word of God (Luke 8:11). "Seed" is a DNA term, if I may put it this way. It contains the specific genetic information of how an embryo would develop and grow into adulthood. In the case of a born again Bible-believing Christian, the "seed" contains the genetic information of how our "new man" would develop into the image of Jesus Christ ("the Word of God"). Therefore, every member of the body of Christ is given the title "son of God", even as Jesus Christ is the "Son of God". When we address someone as "brethren", that means that he or she is of a common faith along with us.
There is a common thing in every brethren, that is, "the word made flesh" in the earthen vessel of every born again believer. This new man is birthed by the same word of God sown in an honest and good heart of different individuals. The "body of Christ" is the gathering together of every "new man" into one body, and it is from the church that the preaching of the gospel goes forth into the whole world. While Jesus Christ is the true vine, not everyone who profess to believe in him is genetically compatible with the life that is in the vine. Not everyone who profess to believe in Jesus Christ believe in the word of God. Not every Christian is a born again believer.
Psalms 139:16 "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."
Psalms 139:16 tells us that the members of our body are written in a book. Our DNA is a book. Within our DNA is a set of written instructions that would determine the physical characteristics of our body: how we would grow from a single cell, the cell duplicates itself, the cells duplicate themselves, and they began to spread out and form different members of our body. Likewise, this verse is equally applicable to the members of the body of Christ. The members of our physical body is capable of coexisting one with another because they have the same DNA. But sometimes, we may come across reports of people who had their kidney transplants but unfortunately, the body began to reject the new set of kidney at some point. Mismatched organs or organs that are not matched closely enough can trigger a transplant rejection. Our body knows the differences and the immune system will fight against an incompatible transplant, ultimately resulting in the rejection.
1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
The words in this verse draws a vivid picture of a transplant rejection. The reason why some people left the faith is because they have never believed the gospel on the first place. The gospel was only in their minds, not in their hearts. Their spiritual DNA is not compatible with the DNA in the “book” that God has written. The Holy Bible has become abominable unto them, and they could no longer continue with the people which they call “brethren”. Their faith did not last.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
The words of the Lord will strive against an unbelieving heart, even as the immune system will fight against an incompatible transplant. But it is also the person who choose to reject the words of the Lord, having itching ears and a heart that will not endure sound doctrine. Christians who turn away their ears from the truth shall be turned unto fables. John 15:2 "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away..." God the Father will remove those Christians from the body of Christ, even as a husbandman who taketh away the branches in the vine that beareth not fruit.
Matthew 15:7-9 "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
The Christians which God the Father removed are only Christians in name, but whose heart is far away from the word of God. They were never born again to begin with, for they have never believed in the words of the Lord on the first place. John 15:2 "... and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." At the same time, God the Father will purge the branches that beareth fruit, so that it may bring forth more fruit. What is “purge” in the Bible? We will continue with our discussion next week, in Part 9.