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Sometimes we forget that it is important to rejoice as a Christian. However, we must be careful lest we become guilty of committing the sin of boasting. Let us study God's word together and understand some important concepts about rejoicing as a Christian.
As a Christian, we should rejoice because we have been set free from the bondage of sin. In John 3:16, we read,
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."Also,
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, (Romans 6:6).This was accomplished through the act of being baptized in water (Acts 2:38). Just as Moses led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, Christ called us out of sin and into righteousness (1 Peter 2:9).
As a Christian, we should rejoice because we have brothers and sisters in Christ. After Christ adds us to His kingdom (Acts 2:41), we inherit spiritual brethren. If we live in accordance with God's word while here on this earth, we will join our brethren, not only the ones that we know and love to be with, but also those who lived before us( i.e. Philemon, Paul, Peter, Lazarus, Dorcas, Moses, and Adam). It is important to remember that some brethren who are not living as God teaches in His word, can become a hindrance to us.
As a Christian, we should rejoice because God makes a way out of temptation and sin by which we can escape. Paul says,
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, (1 Corinthians 10:13).The way out of sin is to pray and ask God to forgive us of the sins that we have committed and continue in righteousness (1 John 1:6-10).
As a Christian, we should rejoice because we have that hope of heaven and eternal life. When we were sinners, it was impossible to have this goal simply because our sins separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Although we are now children of God, it is possible to lose our salvation. Furthermore, even when we have lived righteously throughout all our days, and commit one sin and die before having the opportunity to ask God in prayer to forgive us, we lose it all. Paul says that we
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23).
In conclusion, there are many reasons why Christians should rejoice. Let us strive to remember that, while God warns us about the dangers of boasting, we should rejoice in the Lord daily for being a Christian.
Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com
We all know someone who thinks that the world revolves around them. Woe to the woman who meets the man who thinks he is God's gift to women and is hideous! Woe to the man at work who is forced to work with the guy who believes the office could not continue without him! We understand that this is arrogance, and that this is not right, but how did these people get to this point? Some may be delusional, but by in large this arrogance is born from a feeling of complacency.
Complacency is defined by Webster as "self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies." This attitude is clearly prevalent in many people and even groups of people today. Could we not use the United States as an example, who is the lone superpower of the world yet watched helplessly as thousands of its own died because of a small group of terrorists? Complacency is a great danger, for disappointment and suffering almost inevitably come with it.
When we examine the Scriptures, we see that one of the chief attitudes that have led to apostasy from God has been complacency. Complacent attitudes have even led to the origin of sin on Earth, with Eve being tempted in the Garden by Satan (Genesis 3:3-7). God had given her and Adam anything they would need, leading no doubt to a feeling of complacency. And who was there to exploit that complacency? Satan!
The history of Israel is full of examples of complacent attitudes and the inevitable apostasy to follow. Let us read a synopsis of the period of the Judges in Judges 2:10-23:
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger. So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken and as the LORD had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed. Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. And yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers. And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did, or not." So the LORD allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
When all was well in Israel, the people became complacent, and were easily led astray to follow other gods. Suffering came about, and they would turn back to God, who would deliver them. Peace returned, and so did complacency. This is the story of the people during the time of the Judges, but really is the story of the whole history of Israel. The same complacency set in under the kingdom of Israel, who forsook God to follow the Baals, even with the prophets Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, and others (cf. especially 1 Kings 18-19). Judah also would eventually follow in the same path (cf. 2 Kings 21). The wrath of God was upon them for their activity, and both nations were led into exile.
With Jesus' arrival, we would hope that attitudes would change. Alas, this is not the case. The church at Corinth was rebuked severely by Paul for not chastising a member living in an incestuous relationship-- in fact, the Corinthians even boasted in this (1 Corinthians 5)! Complacency led to the introduction and even the embracing of sin and evil among God's people!
This attitude of complacency is even more prevalent later on in the history of the church, for it is seen in two churches of the Revelation: Ephesus and Laodicea. The church in Ephesus, while commended for their adherence to truth and rebuke of false doctrine, had "left their first love" (Revelation 2:4). We can see how easy it would be to fall into this complacency, for we can see that the Ephesians felt comfortable knowing that they had fought for the truth and maintained it, yet meanwhile they lost their first love. How grievous it is to win truth and lose Jesus!
The church in Laodicea was even more troubled. Let us read what Christ says to it in Revelation 3:14-22:
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, says this: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Let us hear indeed! The church exhibits a clear complacency: "we have need of nothing," they say, yet it is this church that lacks a single positive comment from its Shepherd. The error of complacency is very great.
How, then, shall we avoid complacency in spiritual things? There are three ways:
Be of sober spirit; be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Satan can and most certainly will attack when you are not aware of your own deficiencies.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?
Self-examination spiritually is one of the best ways to prevent complacency-- as long as the examination is honest. Do not attempt to delude yourself into thinking that a deficiency of yours is not important or non-existent. You can fool yourself, but you cannot fool either God or Satan. The latter will tempt you, and then you must answer to the former. Woe to the one who is tempted and falls due to complacency!
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
The KJV renders "be diligent" as "study," and the idea of constantly reading and studying the words of God is certainly a major part in avoiding complacency. To "be diligent," however, is more than to just study-- it means to be a hard and focused worker! If you work hard in the field of the Lord, studying and exhorting and doing His will, you will have no time to become complacent and to be tempted!
The spiritual path of a man can be summed up in the following: if you're not striving upward, you're falling away. There is no stopping on the path to Heaven, for you either continue to walk the narrow way or fall back into eventual apostasy. Why is this? Complacency! The church in Laodicea felt that it no longer needed to strive, for they had need of nothing, they said. What was Jesus' response? Remember this, and always be diligent to be presented approved to God!
It would take a hard rejection for "God's gift to women" to recognize his deplorable nature. It takes a pink slip for the one who believes the office cannot function without him to put him back into place. It took 5,000 deaths for America to realize that it is not impregnable. God had to deliver the Jews into the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians for them to realize their own fault, and even after all of this, many rejected the Messiah, leading to their own destruction in 70 AD. It took a scathing rebuke by Paul for the church in Corinth to realize its error in fellowshipping with an immoral man, and we do not know what if anything it would take the Ephesians to turn back to their first love and the Laodiceans to repent. What will it take for you to recognize your complacency, and to make your life right with God? We urge you to heed the words of Paul in Acts 17:30-31:
"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
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