Thursday: Saved by Receiving
Read James 1:21. What role does the word
have in what James is saying?
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
This verse concludes all that has been said so far about faith and salvation. It is an appeal to put away all impurity and separate ourselves from wickedness. The command put away
(RSV) is used seven out of nine times in the New Testament for detaching oneself from the evil habits that have no place in a life submitted to Christ (Rom. 13:12; Eph. 4:22, Eph. 4:25; Col. 3:8; Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:1). It can also refer to the taking off of clothing (Acts 7:58), so that the taking off of our filthy rags
of sin (compare Isa. 64:6) may also be implied. Indeed, the word filthiness (RSV) occurs in James for the filthy clothes
of the poor in contrast to the sparkling clean clothing of the rich (James 2:2, NKJV). Like Jesus, James decries the human tendency to be so concerned with outward appearance, because God is concerned above all with the condition of our hearts.
In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the word filthy (ryparos) is used in only one passage: Zechariah 3:3-4, where Joshua, the high priest, represents sinful Israel. God takes away the high priest’s filthy garments and clothes him with a clean robe, symbolizing Israel’s forgiveness and cleansing.
This scene is very different from the popular Christian image we sometimes see of Jesus putting a clean white robe over the sinner’s dingy, soiled garments. Who would do this in real life? Nobody puts clean clothes over dirty ones. Likewise in Zechariah, the filthy garments are removed before the clean robe is put on. This doesn’t mean that we must be without sin before we can be clothed in Christ’s righteousness. If that were true, who could be saved? It also doesn’t mean that we cannot be saved or return to Jesus if we fall back into sin.
Instead, it means that we must completely surrender to Him, choosing to die daily to our old sinful ways and allow Him to create us into His image. Christ’s perfect robe of righteousness will then cover us.
Read again James 1:21. How deeply are you seeking to apply what it says here to your life? What does it mean toengraft
the Word into your heart, and how can you do it?
(17)
Implanting is an action that lets something be part of a thing. When transplant is done, I believe the receiver gets an implant of the organ.
In this case therefore the word of God should become like part of our body, sort of an organ that we can't do without.
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
When I allow the word,who is God,to be implanted in me then people will see that it is no longer I who speaks,who acts,who thinks but Jesus in me,directing my paths.What a wonderful revelation!Praise be to God who is able to recreate me and make me a new being in Christ!
I believe that the WORD of God is already inside "implanted in all of us from birth. The question is are we listening to it?
Nicholas used a wonderful analogy which is extremely applicable to our situation. This lesson focuses on the root of our problem which is that of fighting against our sinful nature. It is difficult to give up something that we enjoy but when the light of God's words through the Holy Spirit illuminates our hearts and highlights our faults we have to cry out to Jesus.
Children of God have to be willing to pray against things that they love. If we love the wrong kind of music we have to ask God to help us to lose the appetite for it. Victory, however, comes with constantly communing with God. Jesus did not come to save us in our sins but from them. We have to ask God to help us to put away those things which are detrimental to our salvation so that He can cover us with His righteousness.
We must be willing to put aside the weight and sin.If we are not serious we shouldn't ask God to intervene because He will. I have seen people who have been stumblingblocks to others die after the candidate prayed for deliverance and it was only then that the other party was free to serve Jesus.It seems harsh but that is how serious the business of salvation is and nothing or no one should be given higher priority.
The real agony of the lost will not be the fire, instead they will mourn when they see that they lost eternal life for insignificant things like a moment of pleasure, a cigarette and other petty things.
Through Christ let us never experience that dreadful moment of regret.
When the lesson says, "This scene is very different from the popular Christian image we sometimes see of Jesus putting a clean white robe over the sinner’s dingy, soiled garments. Who would do this in real life? Nobody puts clean clothes over dirty ones." It is stating something I don't think anyone would disagree with. As we so often say Christ saves us from our sins not in them. It is an idea that runs all through the Bible - yes indeed we must change for that is what conversion is all about.
The problem in interpreting Zech 3 is the same problem that we run into with the parable of the wedding garment (Matt 22:1-13) that we tend to interpret as a change in one's life which has been a real sore spot for me for decades. As I have said on numerous occasions Paul spent his energies arguing justification rather than sanctification because it is an instantaneous declaration that declares us righteous and then we enter into the work of cleaning up our lives which is the process of sanctification (one of the two parts of sanctification).
Zechariah 3 says, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes" (Zech. 3:4 NKJV). It is not our character that is removed but a removal of the condemnation that sin causes. Look at a well known text that is part of the description of God's character, "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin" (Exod. 34:7 NKJV). Here it has the three main concepts involving what we generally consider sin, "iniquity", "transgression", and "sin". They are translated from three separate Hebrew words but notice the word "iniquity" is the same in both Zech 3:4 and Ex 34:7 both in English and in Hebrew. It is something that is forgiven or to put it as Isa 53 puts it, "And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6 NKJV) again the same Hebrew word. He took our sin, not our character, and paid the price at Calvary. After removing our sin He declares us righteous and begins to change us.
This whole thing is extremely important to understand because we so often become discouraged when we look at our lives and realize that we are still immersed in sin after years in the church. That is something the devil uses in order to separate us from God and erase the faith we have in His promises to save us but as Paul stated in faith, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38-39 NKJV).
Tyler, what do we learn from Revelation 19:8 concerning the robe(s) in Zech 3? But let us make sure we don't misinterpret the meaning of these things.
In the verse for this portion of the lesson, James 1:21, we learn some very important truths. We are called to "put away" one thing, and then to "receive" something else. The illustration of Zechariah 3 perfectly illustrates this principle. We have also the council of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar in Dan 4:27 which was to "break off" sin by "righteousness". This calls for a decision. Joshua the high priest demonstrated this by not resisting the removal of his filthy garments, and I believe represents those who come to Jesus for the purpose of complete surrender to Him, also a choice that must be made. This illustration depicts salvation; which is receiving justification/sanctification, which are ONE gift. You can't have one without the other. One is an instant declaration and the other a continual growth, all based on "IF"(Zech 3:7). Constant decisions are required to be acted upon.
The memory verse speaks of being tested/tempted, which is to be endured so we can be approved and given Life.
Let's look now at the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. The seed is planted, but only brings forth fruit where there are no rocks, weeds or fallow ground. This means something must be removed/broken up before the Word can bring forth it's results. More choices to be made.
God will not remove anything we still cling to, but allows us the true desire of our hearts. We are shown clearly the need to give up, lay apart, put away or renounce sin by allowing God to cleans us from all unrighteousness. This calls for each to "deny himself...daily, and follow Me".(Luke 9:23) Like Abraham, we must be willing to surrender every earthly tie, or whatever our "Isaac" might be IF the Word is to be implanted and bring forth fruit. This is how we "receive the...Word" into our lives, "which is able to save [our] souls"(James 1:21).
You bring out an interesting point, we are justified the moment we accept Christ. You're right, we do become discouraged when we look at our lives and realize we're still struggling with sin. We can't change our sinful natures, only God can. We must look to Him as the Author and finisher of our faith, not ourselves. The challenge is, we must give Him permission to rid us of sin, then cooperate with the Holy Spirit's instruction and correction of evil tendencies.
The thing is, we are sinful and being justified doesn't change the fact that we are sinful, but sanctification does. Being justified, we have peace but then there's the possibility that we will dirty ourselves up with sin again. After receiving Christ we want to be like Him, so we want to give up those things that aren't like Him. When we do fail we appeal to Him to change what it is that we've done that the Word of God and His Spirit impress us is 'sinful'.
He does remove the sin, but we must stop looking to ourselves as having the ability to accomplish the purging of sin in our lives. We can't complete the work of ridding ourselves of our sinful inclinations. We are never able to accomplish it because by nature we embrace sin. Only the transformation of God makes us desire His will and want to be like Him. If there's any sin we cherish so much that we prefer it over the nature of Christ we don't really want to be like Him, we can't be justified and want to cling to our sinful natures at the same time.
We have to be willing to take off what we have, so Christ can place on us what we need.
There's no such thing as being saved without change. Christ doesn't blend His perfection with our sinfulness. He removes our sinfulness so that we reflect His character.
Being willing to give up sin, all of it, is the criteria for receiving His covering of righteousness. The blood of Jesus purges us of all sin. Then we have access to His strength, power, healing, comfort and restoration. The Spirit of God is given to us undiluted that we might overcome every stronghold and weakness.
That's what surrender and transformation(sanctification)is all about.
Exactly Nanci. This is shown in James 1:21 where it says "in humility receive the Word implanted...". Humility is giving preference to another, in this case, God who offers to sanctify us and give us Life.
The word that humility comes from is the Latin word "humilis", meaning: low, humble, earth. The humus in the soil. Humus is the part of the soil that results from something dying and decomposing. In other words, that which has stopped taking and is now giving, just as humus gives its nutrients to the soil and makes plants strong and healthy.
It is this death to self that allows God to create in us a new life that lives for the benefit of others, as Jesus demonstrated in His life and death.
I think that what is being discuss here is beautifully elaborated by Jesus in John 15. He is the vine and we are the branches. If we abide in Him (justification) we will bare fruit. The chapter states that we are already cleansed by His word but it also states that there will be pruning and cleansing of the branches (sanctification) so that they can produce more fruit. But we must remain attached to the Vine. If for whatever reason the branch doesn't produce fruit it gets cut off. A vine branch, Ezekiel declares can not be used as a peg or anything else that other woods are used for. (Eze 15:1-8)It can only be used as fuel. Ezekiel's vine illustration is of the nastiness of Israel's practices in His temple and everywhere else breaking all of His commands.
Also, when Jesus declared in John 15 that the disciples were "already clean by the word" they were still arguing about who was going to sit on His right and who on His left. He is the author and finisher of our faith.
Thank you all for sharing you views and questions. They provoke me to study and also inspire me to worship.
This illustration of the white robe as opposed to filthy rags has made me think. Is it about our gift of salvation or about our character?
The Bible states: our righteousness is like filthy rags and white linen represents Christ's righteousness that he gives us.
So to me the white robe is justification. Acceptance as God's children.
But Jesus' goal for us is to be like Him, he doesn't stop at forgiving our sins he continues to transform us to be like Him.
Initially we are "declared" righteous, but then we are to "become" righteous. Isn't that a wonderful promise, amazing what Jesus will do for us and in us.
Paul describes this growing up in Christ.
Heb 5:12 For indeed because of the time, you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again what are the first principles of the oracles of God. And you have become in need of milk, and not of solid food.
Heb 5:13 For everyone partaking of milk is unskillful in the Word of Righteousness, for he is an infant.
Heb 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, even those who because of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
I love the clarity which the following two paragraphs bring to the subject of Christ's robe of righteousness, showing the source and importance of victory over sin in the life of the Christian: