The Cost of an Abundant Life

"But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." ~ Romans 6:17-18


"The contemporary church has the idea that salvation is only the granting of eternal life, not necessarily the liberation of a sinner from the bondage of his iniquity. We tell people that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives, but that is only half the truth. God also hates sin and will punish unrepentant sinners with eternal torment. No gospel presentation is complete if it avoids or conceals those facts. Any message that fails to define and confront the severity of personal sin is a deficient gospel. And any "salvation" that does not alter a lifestyle of sin and transform the heart of the sinner is not the salvation God's Word speaks of." ~ John MacArthur (The Gospel According to Jesus)

When Jesus spoke of the abundant life in John 10:10, He wasn't referring to having your best life now on earth in the physical or material sense:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." ~ John 10:10

The word "life" used in this passage comes from the greek, "zoe" which refers to spirit and soul. Jesus was talking about eternal life in the context of His continued efforts to reach the Jewish people. They were under the bondage of sin and the law, controlled by the self-appointed, self-righteous religious leaders. Through Christ alone, we are free from this slavery to sin and the world system of good works. Only when we die to self and surrender to Him are we free to this "abundant life". No longer trusting in the law, religion or our own efforts to save ourselves, we are transformed to experience life on a completely different level.

Isn't it ironic that many pastors and teachers today are doing the exact same thing that Jesus warned of in John 10? In their efforts to attract people and build their churches, they promise a twisted form of the "abundant life". They talk of earthly gain, not spiritual freedom. They refer to things like being happy, whole, complete and purpose driven instead of the things Christ taught like humility and self denial. How tragic that some people are being deceived into thinking that if they simply "come to Jesus" then life will get better and they'll be happy. One need only read about the disciples and early church founders to see that despite their "coming to Jesus", they lived a life of persecution, suffering and poverty in many cases. This certainly wasn't their "best life now" in the way that Jesus is being "marketed" today.

No, the life Jesus was calling His disciples (and us) to is one that involves sacrificial, selfless living. The kind of living that produces faith and glorifies God. A life that points to Christ, not to self or earthly success.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." ~James 1:2-4

We are robbing God of His glory and keeping the truth from people when we fail to present a Gospel message that doesn't include sin and repentance. "Jesus loves you" means nothing to the person who has not been confronted with their sin. That's like offering a cure for a disease to a person who doesn't even know they're sick in the first place.

The abundant life is living with joy because of what Christ has done for us. It's living a life of contentment and peace, trusting fully in Him for all things. (Philippians 4: 6-13).


~ktf~
John

The Evidence of True Faith

"Faith is not something dreamed, a human illusion, although this is what many people understand by the term. Whenever they see that it is not followed either by an improvement in morals or by good works, while much is still being said about faith, they fall into the error of declaring that faith is not enough, that we must do "works" if we are to become upright and attain salvation. The reason is that, when they hear the gospel, they miss the point; in their hearts, and out of their own resources, they conjure up an idea which they call "belief", which they treat as genuine faith. All the same, it is but a human fabrication, an idea without corresponding experience in the depths of the heart. It is therefore ineffective and not followed by a better kind of life."

"Faith however, is something that God effects in us. It changes us and we are reborn from God (John 1). Faith puts the old Adam to death and makes us quite different men in heart, mind, and in all our powers; and it is accompanied by the Holy Spirit. O, when it comes to faith, what a living, creative, active, powerful thing it is. It cannot do other than good at all times. It never waits to ask whether there is some good work to do, rather before the question is raised, it has done the deed, and keeps on doing it. A man not active in this way is a man without faith. He is groping about for faith and searching for good works, but knows neither what faith is nor what good works are. Nevertheless, he keeps on talking nonsense about faith and good works." ~ Martin Luther

"Faith without works is dead." ~ James 2:20

Our good works cannot save us however, they are the necessary validation in our lives that we have truly become born again. The one who claims to be a Christian and yet, their life consistently reflects that of the carnal world, has been deceived. Their belief rests only in a sinner's prayer they said as a child asking Jesus into their heart. This is why it is so important that preachers preach the word and that Christians present the gospel without watering it down or softening its message. God's grace is freely given to the humble yet, it is the Law that convicts us to the sorrow of our sin. Without a broken heart, a broken will, one cannot be saved. The intent of the gospel message is to bring us to repentance.

"Now, until a man confess his sin, and that with bitterness, it is a sign he loves it...A man will never leave sin till he find bitterness in it; and, if so, then he will be in bitterness for it." ~ Thomas Goodwin

"The gospel according to Jesus is the gospel according to His apostles. It is a small gate and a narrow road. It is free but it costs everything. And though it is appropriated by faith, it cannot fail to produce the fruit of true righteousness in the life and behavior of the believer." ~ John MacArthur

The Christian life should be one marked by spiritual growth where our faith is tested and strengthened by the struggles of life. Where we grow to become more sensitive to our sins, recognizing how offensive they are, being quick to repent and move on. The true follower of Jesus Christ strives for holiness and to live righteously not to prove how holy we are to ourselves, others or even God, but rather, out of our love for Him. True faith is demonstrated in obedience.

"What matters is not a momentary act of professing, but being persistently motivated by faith." ~ Ignatius, 1st Century Bishop of Antioch


~ktf~
John

"Are You a Church Worshipper?"

"In a recent Christian Post article, Hybels once again revealed the humanist nature of the infamous seeker-sensitive church growth movement by posing the question:

"Do we still believe the local church is the hope of the world?"

You see, many Christians might look at that and not realize they’ve been subjected to a dialectic question designed to alter their spiritual priorities and get them on-board an alternative agenda. This is what trained facilitators do under the radar in many churches today.

But I would ask: Is that where your hope lies – in the local church?

Do you believe your church can save the world?

Did it save you?"

read the entire article here...
"Are You A Church Worshipper?" by Paul Proctor


Every true follower of Jesus Christ should be involved in a local church however, that alone should not be where their hope rests. We are to be active members of the Body of Christ and not simply "sponges" who depend on the local church to feed them and keep them on the narrow path. The above article is a great reminder of what the Biblical model for church is and a wake-up to those who may have their hope focus out of order.


~ktf~
John