Did Jesus die in order to help us live good lives? If so, does He help us 50-50, where we do 50% and He makes up the other 50%, or, 60-40, 70-30, etc...? Or, did He die because we couldn't live good lives, that in ourselves we're incapable of doing anything good? These are important questions because they make a big difference on our focus.
So many Christians are busy and yet barren — they're busy "working" for the Lord but have burned themselves out and lost their joy in the process. With sincere hearts, wanting to please the Lord, they loaded themselves down with endless Christian activities — evangelism, Bible memorization, witnessing, visitation, prayer meetings, and church attendance, etc... — but slowly shifted from responding to the love of Christ to totally seeking the approval of both man and God through performance. Like the foolish Galatians in Gal 1:10 and 3:1-3, they began well by accepting Christ by faith, but now are trying to advance in the Christian life through legalism. What makes us think we can be sanctified by doing good works any more than we can be saved by them?
Frequently we point to verses such as Phil 2:12 that say, "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling..." and verse 13 which says, "...for it is God who is at work in you..." and figure it must mean 'we work and He works', or maybe even 'we work all we can first and then He picks up the slack.' Actually though, the "work out" in verse 12 can have the meaning of "be engaged in" or "participate in", but W.E. Vine explains this as meaning "...the present entire experience of deliverance from evil, as the outcome of that which was granted through grace at the beginning of the Christian life. The working out of this means the realization of the power of God to do His will, victory over sin, and the enjoyment of communion with God." And, the "work" that God does in verse 13 has the meaning of "power." Vine goes on to say, "The working out is not our own doing, but God's in-working. This is...an encouragement both to dependence on God and to the holy awe. God's grace and power and our freewill are both in view." Therefore, these verses are clearly saying that God is doing the work, we are simply to be aware of it and allow it (our free will). It's not an obligation, but a realization (maybe even a celebration) of what we are in Him.
And the truth of the matter is, if our focus is on how we're measuring up to the law, on our commitment to the faith, on our good works, and on our zeal to reach others, our focus is...well...on ourselves...which inevitably leads to pride. For whenever we see that we've done anything good, we're so very quick to pat ourselves on the back.
If, on the other hand, our focus is on Him and what He's done for us and continues to do through us, He will mold us into His likeness, He will produce good works in us, and He will work through us to bring others to Himself (Gal 5:16-23).
So where, then, is our focus — on ourselves or on Him (Heb 12:2)?
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Cor 3:12-16).
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).
Don't go back to being "veiled." Instead, as my good friend Stacie always says, "Keep looking up!"
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