Millions of Christians today truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and that He came, and died for our sins, and rose the third day, thus conquering sin and the grave. To believe all of these precious truths is good, but is not sufficient to save a soul from eternal ruin. Our belief must be coupled together with Divine power on a daily basis, for it to have any meaning in our lives. But to merely believe truth for what it is, does not change a person.
Some people try to live the Christian life powered by their belief alone, but without the power of God, and because of this their experience lacks vitality, life, and meaning. In the hour of temptation, what we believe will not save us, for in very many cases when a Christian falls, his or her belief has remained intact. What was lacking was essential power, that comes only through a living connection to Christ.
To be charmed by scenes of the nativity, and to be touched by the humble life of Christ, to celebrate His victory in behalf of all humanity are very noble aspirations, but without a vital connection to Divine power, the Christian’s life will remain void. This is the reason why so many Christians have now turned to human agents for solutions to the moral, ethical, and social problems we face, because the nominal Christianity of our day lacks the vital power to live, and to do according to Christ’s perfect will.
One of the instructions we should always remember is that at every step of advance in our relationship with Christ, the door of free choice remains open, for He does not rule by force, but must instead be invited in continually, so that His power may be exercised in, and through us. This is the real essence of the Christian’s experience, and anything less will fall far short of God’s ideal.
A lamp that is plugged into an electrical socket can either be turned off or on, but if it is not connected there’s absolutely no way that it will shine. It’s the same with the Christian’s life, because no amount of doctrines, laws, and prophecies will make us to shine, if we are not connected to the socket, even to Christ. This is why all of satan’s effort against us focuses squarely on getting us disconnected, for any and every reason.
It may be through debt, intemperance, excessive labor, presumption, or one of the more common ploys such as the cares of this life. In fact, good temptations are far more responsible for us being disconnected, than any other snare of the devil. The servant of The Lord writes an important exposition on the relationship which Christ seeks to have with His people. It’s not only knowledge and faith based, nor is it only about believing, for, as was stated before, believing is never enough. Let’s read:
[Desire Of Ages. pp 324] When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world.
It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin.
We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.
It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that we need Divine power, we must be connected daily to be able to withstand foes from within and without. Hence the reason why the scriptures give us information pertaining to fallen human nature, so that we may not be deceived into thinking that a mere knowledge-based Christianity is sufficient for us to live victoriously. Let’s read:
Romans 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
The law being spoken of in verse 21 is the law of sin, which is the foundational principle of self-serving in human nature. What’s pretty disturbing about this passage, is that Paul is writing from the perspective of a born-again Christian, not as a mere unbeliever. Some of us may not have previously considered this aspect of life in Christ, and because of this, we may have thought of ourselves as being safe and secure from the assaults of the evil one.
The fact of the matter is that the real issue which pertains to living victoriously, is not merely being able to distinguish between right and wrong, nor is it the freedom to choose good over evil; the issue of most importance is us remaining connected to the source of power, for if we are disconnected for any reason, all of our choices will inevitably tend to evil, regardless of how much we may know, or what we believe. When David fell into sin with Uriah’s wife, his belief in God had remained intact, but he was disconnected from the Source of power, and that’s why the law of sin in his members, overcame him. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp. 717>718] Instead of relying in humility upon the power of Jehovah, he began to trust to his own wisdom and might. As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of man's carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt; it is not, at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly, the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.
That word “Arouse” is an important word in the context in which it is written, for, if something has to be aroused, it first has to be present. Our dog is aroused anytime someone opens the door, but for any arousing to take place, we must first have a dog. Thus, the following question begs an answer: When a person gives their life to Christ, what then happens to the dog inside? Is it put on a leash, is it spayed, so that it doesn’t breed other dogs, or is it permanently euthanized?
If we have a correct understanding of the answer to this question, it will shed great light on our constant need of Divine power, so that we may be enabled to continue to live victoriously. The carnal elements in human nature lie dormant inside of every Christian, and are restrained and subdued solely by the power of Christ on an ongoing basis. Whenever that power is removed, or lacking for any reason, those latent tendencies can, and will be fanned into life, when the right set of circumstances are presented. This will occur regardless of what we believe.
Thus it was with David, whose devotional life had been waning for some time. His belief in Christ did not change when he saw Bathsheba. He was full of belief, but the vital power of Christ to restrain those latent tendencies was lacking, and therefore he fell a prey to temptation. And thus it will be with any Christian whose life is powered by belief alone. This is the reason why the following caution was written, especially for those of us who live in the last days of earth’s history, when satan is scheduled to redouble his efforts to cause millions to stumble. Let’s read:
Exodus 14:30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.
1st Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
To live by the faith of The Son of God is to believe in Him, and to depend totally upon Him, both for His Righteousness, and salvation, and His supernatural power to access both. And therefore, the following scriptural instructions are given in plain words, so that we may understand how this is done.
[1] Believe. The beginning point is belief, for any relationship, whether with God or with man, must have this element at its core. Let’s read:
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
But believing is never enough, because the scripture tells us that the devils also believe, and tremble. So it’s imperative that we move on to the next level:
[2] Choose. Joshua 24:15 Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
But even after the right choice is made, we would need raw power through the indwelling Christ, so that our choice can be materialized by His grace. In the gym, we’ve observed that oftentimes, there are those persons who may choose to do heavy lifting, and like the fox, with the three little piggies, they huff, and they puff, to blow your house down, but because their choice was not backed up with raw power, the weights did not even budge. And thus we must conclude that mere choice alone, is never sufficient to take us over the finish line. This takes us to the next level:
[3] Prayer.
James 4:6 God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
2nd Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Matthew 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
1st Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
[4] Beholding.
By beholding Christ through the study of His word, we are informed of His life, death, resurrection, His principles, methods, laws, and instructions, and His righteousness. And because we do not have the literal, physical Jesus to study, we will have to gain insights into His character from the Bible. Thus, any Christian who deliberately refuses to read and study the Bible will be overcome by temptation, sooner or later, for the knowledge of Christ is to be found in the scriptures, primarily.
2nd Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
2nd Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
During the Christmas season, millions of Christians will confess their belief in The Lord Jesus Christ, and some will be adamant about having scenes of the nativity, displayed in public, as a reminder of what He has done for us. This is all well and good, but the question is: Could it be that the vital power of Christ lacking in our experience?
We will end with a well-known nursery rhyme that is often sung by younger Christians, but which also pertains to those who are older and mature in the truths of God’s word. And we hope and pray that in the coming new year, our energies will focus more on being and staying connected to the source of Power, rather than battling with a list of do’s and don’ts.
“Read your Bible pray every day and you will grow, grow, grow. Forget your Bible, forget to pray, and you will shrink, shrink, shrink! Think about it long and hard, and may God bless our efforts to seek His face, in the new year”.
God bless!