Chapter 15
The Sword That Divides: Having a Right Relationship With Truth
Some still may mistake my perspective on the gospel as providing false comfort to those “believers” who willfully continue in sin. They hear me proclaiming that it is "all through faith," and they equate my message with "cheap grace," assuming I am abdicating our responsibility to respond to the gospel with repentance, obedience, denial of self, etc. I don't know how they could read my book up to this point and still feel this way toward my teaching, but in the case that they do (and I know that some will), we have come full circle back to Romans 6. There, we see that many of the early Christians believed the very same thing about Paul’s teachings, and this was only because they did not understand grace.
The Gospel is a Sword
The gospel in its purest form and grace in its fullest sense is like a sword that divides. It confronts everyone who hears it with one of two options. (1) Believe, die to yourself, and live through Jesus, or (2) Disbelieve, live for yourself, and die eternally. (1) Believe, die to sin, and live to righteousness, or (2) Disbelieve, live in sin, and die by the law. There are no alternatives and nothing in between. Therefore, the enigma that we addressed in the second and fifth chapters — the one where grace undermines obedience and law undermines grace — exists no more. If we are preaching the full extent of grace and faith, then we need not worry about it minimizing the importance of obedience or enabling believers to continue on in sin. All who truly believe it will be utterly bound to righteousness. That is just how this grace works.
The reason that this has not been evident in our Church, I think, is that the gospel has not been preached in its entirety. The problem is not that believers need to die more to their sin. It is that they have already died to sin, and they do not know it, so they cannot help but continue living in it (see Romans 6:2). It is not that they lack love for God, but that they have no idea how much they love God (see Romans 5:5). And how could they when they are constantly told that they ought to love him more than they do? It is not that they desire to walk according to the flesh, but that they are taught to identify with the flesh, believing that its desires are their own (see Romans 8:9, cf. Galatians 5:17). And where do they learn this but from the pulpit and the commentaries and the Christian literature they consume?
The truth sets us free, and they have not heard the whole truth. Countless believers never hear of their identity in Christ, and even if they do, it is just a neat idea without realness and practicality. So despite their clean, repentant hearts and genuine faith in Jesus, they remain in bondage to their sin, much like unbelievers. But I have seen firsthand how quickly this changes when Christians begin to see themselves clearly through Christ and his finished work.
What our Church needs, perhaps more than anything else at this vital moment in history, is to restore these foundational truths of the gospel. I have written this book for that very purpose, with confidence that the Truth radically transforms all who receive it.
But the truth is dangerous in this sense, as well — in that once you learn it, there is no going back. It either delivers you from sin or condemns you in your sin. There is no cozy place in between. It either propels you forward or leaves you behind. You cannot keep with it and stay where you are. It calls for perseverance because it always calls you deeper. To believe it is to obey it, and to disobey it is to disbelieve it (see John 3:36). When the truth is made fully known, there is no saving faith that keeps the believer lukewarm.
Therefore, before we finish, I must issue a stern warning to those who have no plans to move forward in the light. If you readily receive the forgiveness of sins yet knowingly deny the rest of the grace that delivers you from your sin, there is no salvation for you. Do not be deceived. Genuine faith is always accompanied by the intent to walk in holiness (which is repentance), as you are truly holy.
"For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment… Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:26–29, my italics).
The question for anyone reading this is, Are you sinning deliberately? This verse used to terrify me because I observed the fact that I continued struggling with sin and thought that it meant my sin was deliberate. But now, I know how to rightly handle this verse. By setting the intent of my heart on doing his will right now, I prove that I am repentant and that, even if I do stumble, it is not because I planned on it. By keeping with repentance in this way, we can have total confidence in our salvation. We may rejoice that through our faith in Christ we have a sacrifice for our sins, and we have been sanctified just as this verse and the rest of Hebrews display. But if not — if you plan to take God's grace for granted and to go on living in sin — then "do not [be] proud, but fear" (Romans 11:20).
Even the Demons Believe
In my twenties, as a preacher at my local church, I was passionate and vocal about our need to flee from sin and pursue righteousness. I would frequently share my struggles with sin, as well as my insatiable desire to be free from it. Because I was young, this added to the common perception that I was just overzealous and naive. Apparently, the seasoned folk knew better than to get riled up over sin, so it never failed that after each of these sermons, I would hear things like, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Why are you so serious? Nobody’s perfect. You just need to learn to rest in God’s goodness.”
But let me ask an important question. Cannot a zeal for holiness coexist with a deep knowledge of God’s mercy? Should not the thought of continuing in sin be the most repugnant thing on earth to those of us who have been saved from it? If not, I do not know what Bible you are reading. “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). I know God’s goodness. I know his love. And it is this knowledge that stirs within me a deep hatred for sin and an intense desire to press on toward the goal that he set before me. The flame of love that began in me in my justification is the exact same flame that makes me burn for sanctification. Smother one, and you will smother the other.
It is a tragedy that Christians cannot see these kinds of statements for what they really are — a veiled attempt to find comfort in one’s sin. I am not saying it is always intentional; it may often be subconscious. Perhaps it is just a way of handling the pain of disappointment, having tried years to be free of sin and never finding the way. And to be totally fair, I was not preaching the gospel as I now know it. I was preaching the “try harder” gospel, as I did not yet know the way in which grace and faith alone could bring about holiness. Be that as it may, having learned the way of righteousness, there is no excuse now to remain in this clouded state.
“‘[B]ut my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Hebrews 10:38–39).
So, I say this with compassion but also with loving conviction. When Christians cannot bear to be exhorted or admonished; when they cannot hear of the glorious perfection to which we were all called in Jesus; when they cannot believe that a brother who is faithfully straining forward is doing so with peace in his soul; it is an obvious sign that they have not yet received or understood God’s grace. For if they had, there would be no qualms about pursuing this holiness, and they would seek it themselves with unrelenting fervor.
Why do some feel the need to exalt God’s forgiveness at the expense of our high calling to holiness? Perhaps it is because they have not yet come to terms with how far they have fallen short. They agree that we are no longer condemned, but they have found this freedom, not really in the precious blood of Jesus and the high cost he paid, but in the “acceptable” decency of their own life and the little debt they owe. In other words, they have reasoned that their effort is “good enough,” mistaking God’s mercy to mean that he has lowered his standards. “Only Jesus was perfect” means to them that only Jesus was called to perfection, so we no longer need to bother trying to attain it. Do you see what has happened? They have found false comfort in a low bar, and it is made clear by the fact that when you raise the bar to perfection, they immediately feel condemned. Make Jesus the standard, and they feel the crippling pressure to perform and the resulting weight of unworthiness that is the product of their works-righteousness mindset, which they never fully left behind.
This whole mindset, which embraces mottos like, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace” and “No one is perfect,” pervades the Western Church today. While these statements may hold some truth, the mindset which usually breeds them is a complete misrepresentation of the gospel. It purports to be the most humble and God-honoring posture a soul can have when, in reality, it is little more than apathetic and disrespectful. It is a misguided pendulum swing away from the grueling form of works-based righteousness (where the bar is perfection) and into a much easier form of works-based righteousness (where the bar is nowhere near perfection). But it never transfers us out of works-righteousness and into the realm of faith and grace; therefore, it undermines the work of Jesus Christ.
They can call it “faith” if they like, but it is only faith in the fact that they are “doing their best” and that their best is “good enough” to be confident God will save them. In other words, they have come close enough to their subjective understanding of “good,” “decent,” and “moral” that they cannot imagine how God would deem them undeserving of Jesus’ blood. "But didn’t Jesus die for all?" they will say. Yes, “that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died” (2 Corinthians 5:15).
They may say they believe in God’s “grace,” but to them, his grace is merely an excuse to be happy remaining as they are while they wait for heaven to come. Let us make no mistake; this is neither the faith nor the grace that saves. Rather, it is the very thing that non-believing persons call hypocrisy. For then, why should all who live similar and decent lives not in the same way be saved? Are not all these “decent” people just as deserving? The rest of the world sees it; now it is time the Church does, too.
Surely, some will object to my findings, asserting that "we only need to believe in Jesus to be saved." However, in James, we find the clearest proof that belief alone does not accurately describe the whole meaning of faith. For “even the demons believe — and they shudder” (James 2:19). Yet how many bearing the name of “Christian” continue in love with the current world, living for themselves and pursuing the passions of the flesh, all the while resting in the false security of their “belief” and a heaven they will never see? Their lives are a broken commandment — “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). The name of Christ is emptied of its glory in these so-called “Christians.” Yet they continue to be told that their “faith” will save them. Are we not doing them (and everyone else) a great disservice by giving them assurance they should not have?
Hear me now. If, over time, their lives are not bearing the fruit of righteousness, they either (a) do not understand what it means to have been born again or (b) have not actually been born again. If the former is true, then good shepherding and teaching is needed. If the latter is true, then we should have no fellowship with them since our fellowship is only with those who walk in the light (see 1 John 1:7). Cast them out of our midst, that they might see themselves as they are and genuinely repent.
“[Y]ou are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5).
Some will insist that I should not speak this way about the Bride of Christ. But rest assured, nominal believers (those who take his name, but not his cross) are no more His Bride than the believing demons to which James refers. In fact, you might even say the demons are better believers. At least the demons tremble at the name of Jesus, and rightfully so! For they see themselves as they truly are, and Jesus as he truly is, in all his glory and righteousness.
Thus, we must come to no other conclusion than this: Belief alone makes no one a Christian. This is why Christ said, “Repent and believe” (Mark 1:15); “And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38; c.f. Matthew 16:24); and “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25; c.f. Matthew 10:39; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24 and 17:33; John 12:25). The believer must leave the old life behind and follow. This is not something in addition to faith; it is the essence of faith.
If anyone is wounded by these words, please let them recognize what has wounded them. It is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Yet God is patient and kind, rich in mercy, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. If you give your life to Jesus Christ, he will give you his own. He will come into you, as well as bring you to himself, and he will make you pure and blameless and righteous as he is. Let the amazing grace of God lead you to repentance, to faith in Christ, and onward to glory. Put off the old, put on the new, and never look back.
Jesus is the Truth
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
Through everything I have written, I hope to have helped you to see that the freedom and victory we desire as disciples of Jesus Christ is attainable only one way — not through behavior modification, not by employing more Christian activity, not by any of the methods most commonly used in the church today, but by merely knowing and believing the truth — i.e., through faith.
But in this endeavor to believe the truth together, I feel it is necessary to make one final clarification about what the truth actually is, hoping that it will bring more of us into unity of mind. Let us always think of the Truth (notice the capital 'T') as nothing other than the man named Jesus (see John 14:6) — the Word of God (see 1 John 1:1-2), "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12), through whom and for whom all things were created (see Colossians 1:16-17), who "upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3, cf. Colossians 1:17).
Jesus calling himself the Truth is a doorway into an earth-shattering revelation that cleans up a lot of mess and confusion.
For example, while it may be "true" that the Apostles got the timing of Jesus' return incorrect — believing that it would happen very soon — the Truth (i.e., Jesus) is always prepared for his imminent return. And this mindset that the apostles had, in agreement with the Truth himself, produced in them a certain way of living that was better (more kingdom-centered) than if they had believed we'd still be waiting 2,000 years later. You could scoff at them and say that they got it wrong, but then you would fall into the error of defining "truth" by what you can see and measure in the natural realm instead of defining it as the Word of God and evaluating it by what it produces. Believing the Truth about Christ's return has nothing to do with how accurately we predict the timing but how prepared we are right now for his imminent return. No matter when it happens, in God's eyes, it will happen very soon (see 2 Peter 3:8). Put this on, and see how it changes the way you live.
It may be "true" that you have prayed for things, and God didn't give them to you. Unfortunately, most people will "learn" from these experiences that God's word isn't entirely true, for he said that he would give us whatever we ask for. And then, due to their unbelief, they will continue not receiving what they ask for because God's promise is contingent on faith, which their "truth" destroyed. The Truth, however, is in perfect fellowship with the Father, and he receives whatever he asks for without exception. He always has. Our circumstances and experiences on earth do not change the Truth, which is unchanging. So, to believe the Truth, we must agree with him, abide in him, think like him, and pray through him, which is the very essence of faith by which we will receive whatever we ask for because we ask "in Jesus' name."
So you see, "wisdom is justified by all her children" (Luke 7:35). Or, in other words, the wisdom of God is proven to be right by what it produces within us.
Many Christians have rejected my presentation of the gospel because they think that I believe I cannot sin, and they sternly insist that we are all still capable of sinning. To them, the fact that we are all still very capable of sinning is just so utterly obvious that any suggestion otherwise is unfathomable, ludicrous, offensive, maybe even deceitful or demonic. And I get it. I understand why they feel this way. Their observation is, in one sense, objectively true. We can sin, and sometimes we do. But then, is this the wisdom of God? Is this spiritual? Does this belief require any faith? Does it produce the fruit of righteousness?
"[P]ut on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14).
In the verse above, the Greek word translated as "provision" is pronoia, and it can mean "foresight," "forethought," "foreknowledge," "forecast," "providence," or a host of other words and ideas with the same basic meaning — to give prior thought to something. My favorite of these options is "forecast" because of how well it illuminates what Paul meant.
Almost every morning, I check the weather forecast. Whether it tells me it will be "sunny and 62" or "cloudy and 32", I mostly accept that there is nothing I can do about it. I cannot control the weather. And don't we do the same thing with our spiritual climate? We check the forecast for the day — a steady mixture of sin and righteousness — not realizing that Satan is the weatherman. And then, taking it as gospel truth, we accept that there is nothing we can do about it. We are certain to sin again, whether we like it or not.
By now, I hope you can see the issue with this. By forecasting sin — whether intending to do it or just assuming that we will — we actually provide a license for it, giving it power in our lives. You might argue that sin has been in your spiritual climate every day of your life, and, therefore, it is safe to assume that it will be here today, as well. But then, you have once again wrongly defined the truth.
While it may be "true" that you sinned yesterday, the Truth does not remember your sin (see Hebrews 10:17). Therefore, while you can acknowledge that it happened, this "truth" won't set you free because it isn't the Truth. If you want to walk in freedom from sin, then you must align your thoughts with the Truth, who is not thinking about your sin. In the same way, while it may be "true" that you are capable of sinning again, the Truth is not capable of sin, for there is no sin in him. Therefore, while you know that it is possible to sin, it is only possible if you stop believing the Truth. And only abiding in the Truth will bring about obedience.
As I have said repeatedly, and as Paul says in the scripture above, you cannot put on Christ — i.e., believe that it is no longer you who live but Christ who lives in you, that you are one s/Spirit with Christ, that you are dead to sin and alive to God, etc. — and also believe that you are going to sin. These two thoughts are incompatible, which demands that you make a choice at this moment. Will you believe what is observably "true," or will you believe the Truth? Will you regard yourself according to the flesh or according to the Spirit?
When Paul says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2), isn't it clear now what he is talking about? We can allow this present, observable, earthly reality to shape our thinking, or we can allow God's thoughts to shape us. If we want to overcome the world, we must adopt a template for thinking that is not from this world. If we want to live supernatural lives — defying the laws of this realm — then we must learn to think supernaturally. If we want to bear the fruit of the Spirit, then we must learn to think like the Spirit.
This isn't the power of positive thinking; it is the power of spiritual thinking, which one can only do with the Spirit of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:6-16).
A Final Exhortation to Love and Pray
I have shared the truths in this book with many fellow believers now, and in all my excitement for them to see and experience the power of the gospel, there are two critically important things that I am continually having to learn. The first is that many do not receive it immediately, but if I am faithful in praying for them and continuing the conversation, then they eventually will.
It should not really be surprising that the gospel is met with some resistance, even when it comes to sharing with Christians. To put it simply, it is almost too incredible that God would do what he has done, and a lot of contemporary theology seems to say differently. I did not believe all this immediately, either. It took quite a bit of time for me to process through everything and come to a place of confident belief. For instance, I remember praying for weeks about whether or not my heart was actually new and pure, like God’s word appeared to be telling me. Probably hundreds of times, I asked, “God, can this really be true? Am I crazy? You have to show me!” First, he would confirm it with scripture, and then, in one way or another, he would confirm it in my soul. But this process of growing in faith and understanding is just that — a process. It almost always takes time.
My point here is that, whether you are a pastor leading your congregation or just a friend sharing with another friend, do not expect them to receive it right away. That would be unrealistic and unfair. Pray, assume the best, and do not get discouraged. The ministry of the word is a labor of love, and “[l]ove bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). Continue looking and praying for opportunities to minister the word. Then, patiently intercede on their behalf, asking that God open the eyes of their hearts and believing that he will. I see him do it all the time.
The second thing I have learned is that all this talk about faith and truth, while highly necessary, can have a way of overshadowing something even greater — love. You may now find, after reading this book, that you have many wonderful truths to start believing in, walking in, and even sharing with others. That is good. But be sure of this — there is no truth greater than that of God’s love for you, as well as the love (for him) that he has put within you. If you do not learn to joyfully rest in him and his love — which is the primary purpose of your faith, anyway — then no matter how much truth you know and believe, the amazing gospel life will elude you. The first and most important place to put your faith into practice is by learning to abide in God's love.
While we certainly must learn to walk by faith, let us never forget that faith is only the means, not the end. It is the means to God. It is the means to grace. It is the means to obedience. It is the means to eternal life. But all these — God, grace, obedience, eternal life, etc. — could be very well described as love. Love is the substance of Christian existence, without which our faith is empty and meaningless (see 1 Corinthians 13:2-3). If faith is the pen, then love is the ink. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6, my italics).
It is imperative that we know who we are in Christ. That is my main reason for writing this book. However, this new understanding of our identity in Jesus should never replace our relationship with Jesus. Rather, its purpose is to define and support the relationship. For example, it is wonderful to know that we are clean, but this knowledge alone will never satisfy the soul. God has done this work and given us this knowledge so that we could be perfectly intimate with him, no longer having to hide ourselves from him. And only here is our soul satisfied. Christ is our life, yes. Yet, even more, he is our lover.
In practice, it is unfortunately quite easy for this identity message to be warped into something like self-affirming babble, where we go throughout our day just proclaiming truth over ourselves: I am strong. I am patient. I am joyful. I am loving. Etc. The problem with this kind of thinking is that it causes us to put all the focus on ourselves. In this way, it actually works against love since love draws our attention away from ourselves. The gospel should always draw our attention toward Jesus so that every attempt to believe in the truth brings us nearer to him in prayer, to a place of love and rest. Real gospel-talk sounds more like this:
Jesus, you are strong. You are patient. You are joyful. You are loving. And because we are one, this is who I am, too! Thank you for giving me your Spirit and making me new. Thank you that I am in you and you in me right now. What a wonderful mystery that I ask you to help me see more fully! You are perfect, Jesus. I worship you, and I love you with my whole heart.
This is just an example, but hopefully, you can see how it is remarkably different than self-affirmation or positive thinking.
One of the most common pitfalls when it comes to walking by faith is that the truth becomes a lifeless statement of facts rather than the living God inside of you. You can “walk in truth” all day and every day, but until you capitalize that ‘t’ in Truth, it will be burdensome and powerless to you. Rather than free you, you may even find that it turns and condemns you as you continually fail to live up to its standard. This is just what happens when we talk to ourselves and not to God. Believing the truth is not merely believing the right facts. It is abiding in the person of Jesus, who himself is Truth (see John 14:6). If you ever realize that you are caught up speaking to yourself — especially as it pertains to matters of faith — just stop and talk to God instead. Even better, when you are done talking, allow space to listen. Then, wait on his response, trusting that it will come (see James 1:5-8), all the while striving to rest in him. This is when faith really begins to blossom.
And alas, let us consider the two kinds of Christians. There are those who pray and those who do not. There are those who rest in God and those who work for God. There are those whose faith depends on God and his word, and there are those whose faith depends on what someone else says about God and his word. There are those who bring things before the Lord and say, “Teach me," and there are those who rely on their own understanding. There are those who talk to God and seek his wisdom in the midst of trials, and there are those who talk to themselves and try to remember the “right answer.” There are those who are driven by love, and there are those who are driven by knowledge. Regarding these two categories of Christians, the former grow tremendously righteous, and the latter grow terribly frustrated. The former become increasingly alive; the latter, increasingly dead. The former bear the fruit of God, and the latter bear the fruit of man.
After all that you have learned, do not be deceived. With whatever amount of faith you currently have, come to Jesus and know him. This is eternal life (see John 5:39; 17:3).
This is really good stuff 👏.