Strength For The Journey

[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 6:11-14

Dead Reckoning

Romans 6:11-14

Reckoning is based on absolute truth. We are not called upon to reckon something to be true that is not really true.

It is true that Christ died for us and that when we believed in Him as Saviour, we died with Him. That's a fact. In that He lives, we also live. That's a fact.

So reckoning is based on facts, not on experience. I do not reckon myself to be dead to sin because I feel dead. I don't reckon myself to be alive to God because I feel alive.

Experience is important in its place, but it does not determine truth. But knowing what is true, we must reckon it to be true, and then the proper experience will follow.

Perhaps you say, "But I failed Him after I reckoned on the fact that I had died to sin; therefore, I must not be dead to sin." No, it is still a fact.

Even when a believer does not behave as though he were dead to sin and alive to God, these are still accomplished facts. That is what salvation is all about. Being born again means we have passed from death to life.

Our identification with Christ in His death is not progressive; that is, we do not die a little bit at a time. Our understanding of the significance of our identification with Him may come gradually, but the fact of our death with Him has been accomplished once for all.

Also, we do not become alive to God a little bit at a time; that, too, is once for all. We passed from death to life the moment we believed (John 5:24) and are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13).

We need to take God at His word concerning these accomplished facts.

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 7:1-6

Dead to the Law

Romans 7:1-6

Everyone who claims he can keep the Law does not have a proper knowledge about the purpose of the Law. It was not given to save anyone; it was given to show everyone their need of placing faith in Christ.

The Law exhibits and expounds God's law of righteousness, but it gives no power to perform it. All it does is condemn us when we fail God.

God has set us free, however, through Christ, both from the old Adamic nature (Rom. 6) and from the Law (ch. 7). All of this has been done that we might be free to live unto God.

Not only does the Law itself never die, but also God's standards set forth in the Law can never be lowered.

The Law causes the individual to see his sin, and it condemns him because he is a sinner. But it does not help him to live a godly life. It is necessary, therefore, that a person's relationship to the Law be changed.

That is exactly what takes place when an individual trusts Christ as Saviour and thereby appropriates his death with Christ. The individual is no longer under the condemnation of the Law but is free from its curse and is free to please Jesus Christ.

God does not free us from the Law in order that we might sin without condemnation; He frees us from the Law in order that He might live out His righteousness in us. God has set us free not only from the sin nature but also from the law of condemnation.

This, then, makes it possible for Christ to live His life in us, and thus we live a godly life.

"For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God" (Gal. 2:19).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 8:6-17

Your Debt to God's Spirit

Romans 8:6-17

It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is sinful to allow oneself to be drawn away and to yield to the temptation.

So at the time when temptation arises is the moment to apply Romans 8:13--to mortify the deeds of the body through the Holy Spirit. And notice that it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can effectively do this.

This calls for a new attitude. We must recognize that we are personally responsible. We cannot escape our responsibility by saying, "Well, it is the Holy Spirit's job to take over, so I am not responsible."

The Holy Spirit will not and cannot work if our minds are not determined to hate sin and to refuse to fulfill what our evil natures urge us to do. It is not just a matter of feeling hatred for sin, but it's a determination of the will.

The mind is the seat of the will, and we must use our thinking capacity to choose that which is right and to refuse that which is wrong.

God assists even in our willing, or choosing, for Philippians 2:13 says, "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

But God will not bypass our wills. If we choose to do wrong, He will not force us to do right. Our wills must be in complete submission to Him.

The person who knows Jesus Christ as Saviour has "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16). By God's Word, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we know what Jesus Christ would think about a given matter; therefore, as we seek to honor Him, we think the same way.

This is why we should not yield the members of our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness but should yield them to God as instruments of righteousness (Rom. 6:13).

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 12:1-5

Not Imitation but Incarnation

Romans 12:1-5

Christ wants to live His life through us.

He wants to use our eyes to behold the world situation as it is today. He wants to use our ears to hear the cry of the unsaved and the cry of those who are in need. He wants to use our lips to tell others the Gospel.

He wants to use our hearts to express compassion and love to everyone. He wants to use our minds to think through situations and to have something to say to the people involved. He wants to use our hands to do His work and our feet to get to the places He wants to go to help others through us.

The body also includes the soul, which is the seat of the intellect, the emotions and the will. God not only wants the physical aspect of our bodies, but He also wants our intellect, emotions and will.

Christ wants to think His thoughts through us, and He wants to bring our minds under His control.

Second Corinthians 10:4,5 says, "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Jesus Christ also wants our emotions so He might express Himself through us to a lost and dying world. The Lord Jesus Christ also wants our wills through which to make decisions that will honor Him.

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 12:6-16

No Room for Envy in the Church

Romans 12:6-16

What a shame when there is a spirit of envy among the members of the Body of Christ. Instead, there should be praise for the way God is using each one. One translator paraphrases Romans 12:3: "Now I have a warning for you, prompted by the divine grace bestowed on me--and I address it to all who are among you:--do not be uplifted with unjustifiable notions of your importance. Let your thoughts tend to sober views, proportioned to the measure of faith which God has allotted to each man" (Way).

When we become lifted up with feelings of importance because of the particular gift we have, we should remember that it is a gift. The Holy Spirit sovereignly bestows gifts on believers as He chooses (1 Cor. 12:11), not according to what the individual wishes. So when we criticize a person who is exercising another gift, we are actually criticizing the Lord who gave that gift to the person. The other Christian is also part of the Body of Christ, and we need him just as he needs us. All of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as personal Saviour are members of the Body of Christ (v. 27).

A person should not aspire to be something that is not in the will of God for him, because God has made him what he is and has a particular place for him in the Body. Frequently people are dissatisfied with the gift, or gifts, they have. They wish they had another gift or wish they were like someone else. But each gift, no matter how insignificant we may think it is, is useful and worthy in the Body of Christ. That's why God has given each particular gift to someone. We need to realize that God knows what He is doing when it comes to the distribution of gifts.

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honour preferring one another" (Rom. 12:10).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 12:14-21

Dealing With Disagreements

Romans 12:14-21

It is not our business to repay people for what they do to us. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, even as it is indicated in Deuteronomy 32:35.

Since vengeance belongs to the Lord, we would be presuming to take the Father's business out of His hands if we tried to repay evil with evil. He takes into full account every injustice done to us, and He Himself will settle the account.

We are to keep on loving with the love with which God has loved us. That love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).

When we are misunderstood by others, we need to draw on the Word of the Lord for strength and encouragement.

A passage that Mrs. Epp and I have both found extremely helpful over the years is Psalm 37:5,6: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."

>From this passage we see that our responsibility is to commit the whole situation to the Lord. If we have been falsely accused, we can count on the fact that God will eventually bring the true situation to light.

I have applied these verses to my life many times, and I know from personal experience that they work. God said it; that's why it works.

Love and forgiveness returned for the evil done to us will often bring a person to his knees and will "destroy" him as an enemy, but it will not destroy his character.

"For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord" (Heb. 10:30).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 13:1-10

Submitted but Faithful

Romans 13:1-10

It is possible for a believer to be in a situation where he cannot obey the government, but he is to submit to it.

Submission refers to our attitude--how we respond inwardly to those who are in authority; obedience refers to our visible actions--how we respond outwardly to those in authority.

For instance, Peter and John were forbidden to teach in the name of Jesus by the government authorities of that day (Acts 4:18). They could not obey these injunctions, because Christ's command for them to proclaim the Gospel superseded the command of the rulers.

However, the apostles later submitted to the punishment that the government meted out and then kept right on preaching (5:18-20). They could not obey the government's commands, but they could submit to the power of the government.

When confronted with their disobedience (v. 28), Peter and the other apostles answered: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (v. 29). We see their submission by their willingness to obey as far as possible.

A contrast between submission and obedience is also seen in Acts 5:40-42: "When they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."

"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (1 Pet. 2:13).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Romans 14:10-13

Be Cautious When You Criticize

Romans 14:10-13

When we realize that each of us must give an account to God, it will cause us to be more cautious about criticizing a Christian brother.

We will then heed what 1 Corinthians 4:5 says: "So do not make any hasty or premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes [again], for He will both bring to light the secret things that are [now hidden] in darkness, and disclose and expose the [secret] aims (motives and purposes) of hearts. Then every man will receive his [due] commendation from God" (Amplified).

This is advice that Paul gave to the Corinthians, and it applies just as directly to each believer today.

We shall all be judged one day--not by each other's standards and not even by our own standards. We shall be judged by the standards of Christ. Before God alone, we shall give an account for our own actions and not for those of the other person.

I do not have to give an account for you, and you do not have to give an account for me. Before God, I will have to give an account for myself.

No wonder Paul said, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way" (Rom. 14:13). In other words, we should stop turning critical eyes on each other.

This is sometimes a difficult instruction to follow. It is natural to always justify oneself and one's own actions in the face of what others are doing. It is natural to criticize the other person because he does not see or do things our way.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Galatians 1:1-10

Don't Minimize God's Grace!

Galatians 1:1-10

The basic error the Apostle Paul was dealing with was the mingling of Law with grace. There are three grave errors that arise out of this.

First there is what we call "legalism." This is the teaching that people are saved by works or human effort. That, in this case, would include the keeping of the Law and observing the rituals and ceremonies found in the Old Testament covenant God made with Israel.

This same error is reflected today when someone claims to have done his best to keep the Ten Commandments. This to him is the way of salvation.

The second error that can undermine true faith in Jesus Christ is what we may call "false liberty."

The Christian is called unto liberty, but that liberty is defined for us in the Scriptures and not left to our imagination. Yet there are those who teach that because they are saved by grace, it makes no difference how they live or behave.

This Satanic error is answered in the Book of James. He wrote: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (2:17). In other words, a faith that does not produce works is not real faith.

The third error is the one Paul deals with in his Letter to the Galatians. In fact, the error itself is often named "Galatianism." This false doctrine teaches that we are saved by grace but are kept saved by the Law.

In reality this makes salvation dependent on our works. Our works of righteousness are to be a supplement to our faith for ultimate salvation. One must endure to the end by keeping the works of the Law if he is going to be saved.

This is the error of Galatianism, the error that Paul combats in this brief letter.

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Galatians 2:1-10

The Marks of a Christian

Galatians 2:1-10

Four marks of a Christian are set forth in the Book of Galatians.

First, a Christian is one who has the living Christ living in him. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

Second, a Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit within him, for in Galatians 4:6 we see, "And because ye are sons [if we are born again into His family], God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts."

He is the One who really begets us, or creates us anew, and makes us believers. He also creates in us the new character from which Christian conduct comes.

Christian conduct does not make a Christian, but a true Christian, one who is born of the Holy Spirit, will have Christian conduct as well.

In the third place, a Christian is one who has shared the cross experience with Christ as the basic solution of his personal problems. We all have come under this experience of the cross although we may not all have understood it.

The key text on this subject is "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (2:20). When Christ died, I died with Him, and when He arose, I arose with Him.

In the fourth place, the Christian is one who is possessed of a life that is so divine, so ideal, that it cannot be pushed into a mold of external regulations. We have a new life, a life from God, which is Christ Himself.

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Galatians 2:11-21

Dying to Live

Galatians 2:11-21

The new life is life "in Christ." The word "in" does not in this connection speak of location, such as "in an automobile," but carries the idea of union.

We are in union with Christ. Through Him we are dead to the Law, having been identified with Him in His death and resurrection.

On the resurrection side of this experience we have His life. He has come to live in us. It is this that marks the real difference between the old life prior to our salvation and the new life now that we are saved.

It is necessary before the believer can enjoy victory in Christ for the power of the old life to be broken. This is accomplished through union with Christ in His crucifixion. This is not an experience that we must struggle to enter into now. It was accomplished for us in the past.

The King James Version is not clear on this point. The American Standard Version of 1901 will help us here. The expression "I am crucified with Christ" is translated in the ASV: "I have been crucified with Christ."

God got rid of the old self-life by crucifying it. We were separated from the old self-life when we died with Christ.

That this is a past transaction is clearly demonstrated from Romans 6. In verse 2 Paul says, "We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?" (ASV).

In the third verse the apostle says, "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?"(KJV) Here the verbs are clearly in the past tense and describe the finished transaction.

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Galatians 3:1-14

Law, Grace and Victory

Galatians 3:1-14

The Christian life is a "by faith" life not a "by Law" life. Paul makes a very strong statement at the end of Galatians 2 when he says, "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (v. 21).

If we could save ourselves and if we could live a righteous life by our own efforts, there was no purpose in Christ's dying in the first place. He might as well have stayed alive.

Many things were in vain if the Law was necessary for salvation. Not only was Christ's sacrifice unnecessary, but the sufferings of the Galatians because of their faith in Christ were also unnecessary if Judaism was the way of salvation (3:4).

Later on Paul said, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law" (5:4).

We do not downgrade the Law when we put it in the place God has put it. But we frustrate the grace of God if we try to substitute Law for grace.

When faith is given its proper place with grace, we find that a person is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law. The Law is not set aside by faith but is established.

The Law was never given to save people's souls, so whatever being "established" means, it is not that. The sinner establishes the Law by confessing his guilt and acknowledging he is justly condemned.

Furthermore, by Christ's assuming the sinner's place and enduring the penalty of the Law, He establishes the Law. The Law is righteous and condemns the sinner to death. When that death takes place, the Law is satisfied. Christ through His death, then, established the Law.

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Galatians 3:15-25

Added, Not Mixed

Galatians 3:15-25

The passage before us says that the Law "was added" (Gal. 3:19). It was added to something already existing. John the Baptist introduced our Lord to the public and said of Him, "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

The Law had a definite beginning. It began not with Adam but with Moses. There was not a God-given Law in all those 2500 years or more between Adam and Moses, but there was sin, and because there was sin there was death.

Adam had some very definite instructions from God as to what he was to do or not to do, and he disobeyed. For this he died.

But those who lived between Adam's day and the day of Moses died also, not because they had sinned exactly as Adam sinned but because they were sinners.

The Gospel is good news to all, past, present and future. But the Law was never good news. It was bad news. It was added to the good news, but it did not take the place of grace.

Neither was it mixed with grace. And it did not supplant grace. Grace was the good news, but the Law was not. The word translated "added" means "to place alongside of." The Law's being placed alongside of grace does not mean grace was removed.

This is wonderful to see, and yet it is all-important. Grace was there so that man could flee to it when the Law had done its work. When man saw himself condemned and cursed by the Law, he could turn to God's grace and find salvation.

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Galatians 4:19-31

Born Free!

Galatians 4:19-31

The lesson God has for us in Galatians 4:19-31 is that we cannot ever fulfill the commandments of God by our own human efforts. They can be kept only as we accept Christ as Saviour.

Then, through the indwelling Spirit, the life of Christ is fulfilled in us.

The bringing of Ishmael into the world was all of man's planning. God had nothing to do with it. That which is of the flesh displeases God, and He will not accept it.

Ishmael was a child born after the flesh; and since his mother was a slave, he, too, was a slave.

With Isaac it was entirely different. He was born of a freewoman. His coming into the world was due to God's work.

So the point made here is that we are considered through faith in Christ to be the brethren of Isaac. We are the children of promise, born through divine power and not through human effort.

There is a strong tendency on the part of those who insist that Law is necessary for salvation to persecute those who preach salvation by grace plus nothing. Those who insist on Law say that we who preach grace are making it easier for people to sin.

But this is not the case. Grace does not give people license to sin. It teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously in this world. So even though opposition or even persecution comes, we should be ready to endure it.

But what is to be our attitude in this teaching of Law and grace? Are we to go along with the teachers of Law and say nothing?

The answer of Scripture is, "Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir to the son of the freewoman" (v. 30). The two will not mix. We are saved by grace. We are not in bondage to the Law. We cast it from us.

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Streams in the Desert
Scripture Reference Galatians 5:13-26

Cast Your Vote for Victory!

Galatians 5:13-26

The flesh and the Holy Spirit are contrary one to the other. Their aims and purposes are diametrically opposed to each other. Each one says no to the other. They checkmate each other.

This, of course, results in a stalemate for the Christian. This is why the apostle says, "Ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17).

A mistake made by many of us Christians is that we try to gain victory over the flesh by our own will and efforts. But this is the same as pitting the flesh against the flesh.

We are trying to overcome the flesh by using the flesh. We might as well assign the Devil the task of conquering the Devil.

Someone has given the following as a solution to this problem: "The Lord has voted for me; the Devil has voted against me. Whichever way I vote, so goes the election."

If we determine to walk in the Spirit, we are casting our vote in the right way. This is the choice we must make if we are to overcome the lust of the flesh.

The way of deliverance, then, is to walk in the Spirit (v. 16). We are to be led by the Spirit (v. 18). And we are to live in the Spirit (v. 25).

If we give the Holy Spirit a free hand, if we let our lives be the practical day-by-day expression of His life in us, we will be victors.

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Rom. 8:6).

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