Author Archives: Dan Lemburg

About Dan Lemburg

Hi I'm Dan, I'll update this bio info soon.

Appreciating Judgment

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For most of us, the word judgment carries with it some pretty nasty overtones. Punishment being imposed for wrongdoing is usually what think of when we hear that word. But doesn’t it just as often result in a reward for doing right? Think of opposing parties in a court battle. The loser is indeed punished, but the winner ends up being rewarded.

Righteousness through Christ provides the pretext for positive judgment by God. The evil done in our former life doesn’t amount to a hill of beans when covered over by the extravagant grace God lavishes upon us. And His grace is not only bountiful, but inexhaustible What I mean to say is, it’s not only meant to cover our pre-redemptive sin, but our troubling shortcomings subsequent to our salvation as well. Good news? You bet! Thank God for judgment!

Mystery of Freedom

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God’s approach to freedom has dumbfounded believers from the very inception of the Church. Why? Because it flies in the face of the elementary principles (earning or way to God) of the world, with which man has reached a certain level of comfort. In our humanity, we just don’t see things the way God does. But that doesn’t mean that His truths must remain shrouded in secrecy.

To be sure, the mystery has been solved! Jesus Christ—“God’s mystery”—is the answer.(John 1:18, Colossians 1:26-27 & 2:2-3) And God’s eternal intent and purpose has not only been openly divulged to His children, but also has been broadcast through the Church to every spiritual being of any authority throughout His creation.(Ephesians 3:9-10)

The reason God’s grace is often so hard for us to comprehend is twofold: not only does it come as a free gift, but it’s also easy to miss because of its sheer simplicity. We think we ought to earn our way. Such a strategy makes a whole lot more sense to us as humans, so we instinctively devise more difficult steps in an attempt to accomplish it. Thankfully God has a better plan!

Free to Sin?

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On the flip side of this freedom in Christ coin lays a very relevant question, which Paul specifically addresses in Romans 6:15: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace?” This is a very real issue, because if I’m truly free from law it seems like I should be able to do anything I want. Paul’s critics in fact accused him of teaching this very thing. But of course that’s not at all what Paul was saying. As we discussed earlier, he repeatedly warns against sin, saying that those who make it a practice of their life will not inherit the kingdom of God. Free to sin? Obviously not!

Time and again Paul made this point abundantly clear: “Do we then nullify [law] through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish [law].”(Romans 3:31) Of course we’re subject to obeying the law of God! But in what way then have we been freed from law? Are we merely responsible for keeping the moral aspects of law, while being freed from performing its rituals? How might one pick and choose what to obey and what to ignore? The Church has sought answers to these questions down through the centuries. But sadly, what they conclude often results in a whole new set of rules to conform to.

More law is obviously not the answer to being freed from law. But the question remains: how can we be subject to law and freed from law at the same time? Certainly a very difficult one to answer, don’t you think? Still, there is an answer—a very simple and straightforward one: in Christ we are dead to sin because we are dead to law. But until we actually understand what this means, it seems to raise more questions than it answers.

Free from Law?

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Paul addresses concerns about our freedom from Law in Romans 6:15: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace?” This is a very real issue, because if I’m truly free from law it seems like I should be able to do anything I want. Paul’s critics in fact accused him of teaching this very thing. But of course that’s not at all what Paul was saying. As we discussed earlier, he repeatedly warns against sin, saying that those who make it a practice of their life will not inherit the kingdom of God. Free to sin? Obviously not!

Time and again Paul made this point abundantly clear: “Do we then nullify [law] through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”(Romans 3:31) Of course we’re subject to obeying the law of God! But in what way then have we been freed from law? Are we merely responsible for keeping the moral aspects of law, while being freed from performing its rituals? How might one pick and choose what to obey and what to ignore? The Church has sought answers to these questions down through the centuries. But sadly, what they conclude often results in a whole new set of rules to conform to.

More law is obviously not the answer to being freed from law. But the question remains: how can we be subject to law and freed from law at the same time? Certainly a very difficult one to answer, don’t you think? Still, there is an answer—a very simple and straightforward one: in Christ we are dead to sin because we are dead to law. But until we actually understand what this means, it seems to raise more questions than it answers

Want Some Proof?

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The Bible tells us that proof of God’s existence can clearly be seen in nature. Through His creation, God reveals enough about Himself to inspire and motivate our pursuit of Him. Consequently, He has stripped mankind of any excuse for failing to do so.(Romans 1:19-20) But if that were not enough—which apparently is the case for many—God has provided further proof of His existence.

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis talks about a law, or principle, which is fundamental to our common experience. He claims that all people down through history have instinctively known that a moral law exists by which they ought to behave. It is called the Law of Nature (or Human Nature). He goes on to say that two points are essential to our understanding of how this law operates:

“First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in.”

Not Just Religion

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The Christian faith isn’t just another religion wherein one must try to earn enough brownie points to get to heaven. Every religion on the face of the planet operates in this paradigm, but not so with Christianity. Rather, our faith is based on a living, vital relationship with our Creator Himself. He understands us, and has made provision for our sin.

But the nature of this provision is difficult to comprehend—and sometimes even harder to accept—because it flies in the face of what we typically learn about religion through our life experience (what Paul calls the “elementary principles of the world”).(Colossians 2:8, 20-21)

Being inbred in man’s psyche, these “elementary principles” intuitively serve as the foundation of our efforts to please God. But He has provided something better than a host of rules and regulations to deal with our sinful nature. It is the Spirit who gives the kind of life the law never could!(2 Corinthians 3:6) Still, there exists within each of us a basic instinct to rely on law in our attempt to live for God. And a better understanding of the nature of law sheds great light on why we behave this way.

Obedience of Faith

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Not only has God freed us from the power of sin, but He has provided a means by which we can move past these problems. It’s God’s intention to build solid character in us as we submit to Him through “the obedience of faith.” And this takes time. So, don’t be overly disheartened by your sin as it inevitably comes. Rather, let your failures drive you to God so that He can use them to strengthen your resolve to live for Him.

            Each time we say no to sin, it makes it a little easier to say no the next time. Think of it as being like a cup of coffee. If you refill your cup with a shot of espresso each time you drink a little, soon the coffee will virtually be all espresso. It just keeps getting stronger and stronger. But if instead you add a bit of water each time you take a sip, the coffee will soon be diluted to the point of practically being all water.

So it is with sin. As we systematically resist sin, we just naturally set ourselves on the road to the victory. But while that’s important, it’s not enough. Because sin is primarily a heart issue, first and foremost is the issue of pursuing intimacy with Jesus as He dwells within us through His Spirit. We must remember that our spirit can draw life from God only when firmly attached to Him.

Ultimate Victory

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Failure to resist sin opened up some pretty significant questions for me: why would God give me instant relief from some sins while allowing others to remain? Why not just give me victory over all my fleshly weaknesses so I wouldn’t have any problem in wholeheartedly living for Him?

The answer is choice. Our confrontation with sin in the weakness of our flesh—not the least besetting sin—continually presents us with choices to make. It’s fundamental to God’s plan for us. He has set things up in such a way that, while there is certainly an immediate and absolute aspect of our redemption now, the final redemption our body is a future event.(Romans 8:23) So, even though we have His Spirit as a guarantee, we still have a rocky road to travel. And our choices along this difficult road tell the tale of our faith, or its lack thereof.

God has a solution to besetting sin. So we must never attempt to justify sin in our life—no matter how or when it might crop up. Sometimes we try to blame besetting sin on some sort of character flaw. But that’s not the real issue. Sure it’s a character flaw! But not in the way psychologists might define it—not as something we simply, by virtue of our nature, are never able to overcome.

Each and every one of us who comes to Christ has a deficiency in our character. And though it may take years to work through the difficulties resulting from such weakness, it’s important to understand that God never meant besetting sin to be a lifelong problem.

Besetting Sin

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What is probably the most confusing and disheartening of all challenges for a believer—besetting sin. This is the kind of sin that doesn’t happen just once or twice, but is a recurring problem in a believer’s life. You simply can’t seem to get over it! Beset is defined as “to trouble or harass.” And trouble and harass it does!

For me, as I experienced being born again and infused with the life and power of God, much of my sinful behavior seemed to simply drop off of me. I don’t know how to better describe it—I just didn’t have a problem with certain things anymore. I was delivered, to put it in Christian jargon.

But other weaknesses persisted in my nature, causing me to fall into the same sin over and over again. You might say, “Well, you had the choice.” Indeed I did have the choice each time temptation presented itself. But the problem was that I continued to make the wrong choice, because each time the temptation seemed so overwhelming.

We Are Accepted

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What if we—in spite of our weaknesses—were to boldly move forward in our relationship with God? Would Jesus meet us halfway? I’m not talking about the Lord letting us slide through life stunted, a mere shell of what we are intended to be. What I mean is that there is a willingness on God’s part to work with us, not abandoning us just because our heart isn’t yet all it should be. Gracious terms? I’ll say! 

The opportunity is always there for God’s Spirit to entrench itself all the more forcefully. It’s His gift to us. And consequently the transformation we so desperately need has the chance to take root all the deeper and just that much sooner.

Acceptance. It’s the very foundation of God’s redeeming power. Without it transformation is impossible. From glory to glory, you ask? Yes, we are to be changed into the very image of Jesus Himself! It’s what our life in Christ is all about.