The Truth of Relating to Christ

What does it really mean to have a relationship with Jesus? Most at this point are stymied by the inability to objectify the reality that exists between them and Christ. Many seek to answer the question with canned sayings holding little or no actual meaning. “Well, I trust Him,” or “I try to do the best I can to please Him.” Others venture more deeply into the platitudes with, “I know that I walk with God because I pray and read my Bible all the time and I know He answers my prayers.” How could one argue with such a display of religious piety? Yet it still does not answer the question that we are tendering. What does it really mean to have a relationship with Jesus? Let us not forget that God is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. Thus His apparent answers to our prayers are not actually an indication of our faithfulness, but rather is a testament to His faithfulness to us. “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is” (2 Tim. 2:13 NLT).

We must first understand that whatever a relationship with Jesus comprises, it is that which has been given to us by God through His grace and not that which is created by force of our own human effort. Notice when people speak of their relationship with Jesus that it is usually couched in an ideology of what they are doing and affording for themselves. Such actions cited often encompass reading the Bible, praying, church attendance, service, witnessing, mission projects, etc.

Stop for a moment and evaluate. How is my Christianity being evidenced through the divine manifestation of Christ in my life? Can one who is not even a believer practice my version of Christianity? Conceivably can the unbeliever go to church, pray, read the Bible, offer service, share the Gospel, and participate in a mission project? Quite obviously, given that many have come forward to confess being a lost church member while having done such things for years. The Scripture records in John’s gospel,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth….. For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:14-18 ESV)

The force of the prepositional phrase “grace upon grace” emphasizes grace being given for the purpose of promoting grace. Grace had to create the means by which grace could come. Hence grace propagating grace. Therefore John asserts, “of His fullness have we received” for Christ did all through grace. Christ through His grace established the foundation for which the operation of grace could accomplish God's good pleasure. Grace could not achieve in function what it did not possess in form. Thus, grace could not accomplish the holy purpose of God apart from first eliciting the just approval of God upon its proposed operation. The proposed gospel of grace effecting salvation could have not arbitrarily come by merely any sacrificial means.

Salvation could have only come through a just acceptable sacrifice. Grace therefore had to proceed upon the grounds of God's holy decrees, meeting God's righteous demands, satisfying God's just indictments, while propagating through grace God's goodness. All before the goal of grace could be truly actualized in Jesus Christ through the gospel of peace.

Relative to our initial question, Paul’s epistle teaches, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8 ESV). Here it is clear that we are saved by the construct called faith. So what does it mean to have faith? Is faith operationalized through a prayer? Some religions claim to embrace faith through the ceremony of baptism. Yet, others say faith is expressed through the sacraments. Religion is not without a short list of pious decorum depicting the exercise of faith ranging from observing dietary laws to striving to be good.

The exercise of faith is not delimited by an act or event as in something that we do. Rather it is characterized by covenant making confidence in the atoning action of Christ, in response to His invitation for us to come to Him. Through His redemptive efforts Jesus pleased the Father's holiness on our behalf. The word faith in Ephesians 2:8 is used as a genitive of means signifying that salvation is embraced by the avenue of faith, as if faith were a doorway leading into the divine court of the throne room of God. Faith in this verse is not about our personally possessing enough faith but rather traveling the road of faith as directed by God for us to tread on. Thus, one is either in faith or not. To assign amount and quality is to personalize the creation of your faith versus embracing personally that construct of faith provided by God. The exercise of faith is following as from the Lord in the way He is leading us to follow Him.

Otherwise faith, upon our having to create and possess a particular quality or quantity of it would in fact become a works salvation. For by the essence of our faith we would have been saved rather than being saved by the grace afforded by Christ. Would not this give us reason to boast? Therefore, faith above all is a confident hope in Christ that engenders a desperate dependency upon Him. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1 ESV).

Faith is not confidence in a prayer or any other pious act. It is an earnest expectation based in believing Christ's gospel truth. Faith is resting in the efforts of Jesus to please the Father’s holiness and thereby reconciling us to Him.

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest. (Heb. 4:1–3 ESV)

Faith believes what the Bible asserts as true concerning God, ourselves, and the remedy applied through the shedding of Christ’s blood connecting us relationally to the Father.

Insight Journal
• How is my Christianity being evidenced through the divine manifestation of Christ in my life?
• What evidence is there in my life that I am a Christian?
• Do I seek to propagate my carnal version of Christianity in hopes of passing it off as authentic?

Trust?

Trust is defined as the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. It seems that we take trust for granted until we wonder if something or someone is trustworthy like when we cross a swinging bridge or choose a doctor. In a couples’ counseling session trust may have minimal significance until either the husband or wife utters the piercing words, “I do not trust you!” Sadly it seems most people live with little concern for the impact of their choices that result in the lack of trust or the inability to trust. Only when trust is required do we realize its importance, and only when trust is lost do we appreciate its value. Yet have we considered the issue of how we posture ourselves in trust and its ramifications on our relationship with God? How does trust factor into our interaction with God?

Solomon moves his son to consider the issue of trust in the well-known passage of Proverbs 3:5 – 8 (ESV).

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
      and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
      and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
      fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
      and refreshment to your bones.

Trust is actually the result of making the choice to believe in God’s truth. Given the meaning of the Hebrew word batah the emphasis here is to be moved to hope by force of belief that has previously been solidified in faith. Thus the process of sanctification can be observed in its linear flow: truth is introduced by revelation leading to enlightenment, belief is embraced, faith is experienced, as hope now becomes the essence of the new normal.

David presents in poetic fashion an understanding of walking with God in trust leading to the expected outcome of peace.

Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him… (Psalm 37:3 – 8 NASB)

Have you considered what actually influences our willingness to trust? Spiritual death resulted from the choices Adam and Eve made. Their sin broke humanity’s relationship with God, and the devastating consequences trouble us daily. As a result of the Garden encounter:
      1. Humanity disconnected from truth and connected with perversion.
      2. Humanity developed a distorted view of God’s image.
      3. Humanity created a delusional view of themselves.

Belief and what we believe in are the bases for that which we choose to trust. The real question is do we believe in the truth or do we believe in a lie? Truth is not of a human origin and can be found only with God. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6 ESV).

Truth is comprised of principles, precepts, and promises of God that empower life with the strength of God. Although God’s law is written in our hearts, we must make the choice to believe God’s truth by accepting His reality as fact. Yet just knowing God’s truth as fact will not change our lives until we believe by faith and appropriate God’s truth in the course of our living. It is not until truth shapes our choices and molds our behavior, sculpting us into the image of Jesus, that we may say we believe. Do we really believe what we say we believe about God so that it permeates our lives and defines our actions?

We may have a vast knowledge of the Bible, but if this knowledge has never changed us it is because we do not believe what we know to be true. When we believe, we act on what we know is certain. “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Heb. 11:1 NLT). It does not require complete comprehension. Absolute understanding is not a necessity. What is essential is that we trust and follow in God’s way. “You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, ‘This is the correct way, walk in it,’ whether you are heading to the right or the left” (Isa. 30:21 NLT).

Insight Journal
I can trust God because...

(excerpts included from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

I Lost Trust

I remember the very day when trust departed from my [Kirk] life. It was the first day of spring when I was 4 years old. For a long time my father had been promising to build a house for us. Our house was a cement shell with rough cement floors, cinder block walls, and room dividers. We had no running water or bathroom. We were dependent on two wood burning fireplaces to keep us warm in winter. When it rained there were three leaks over my bed and five leaks altogether in the bedroom that was shared with my two brothers plus Mama and Dad too. Many a night we awoke to rain soaked quilts. Interestingly, it was quite comforting to return to sleep with the dripping sounds of five pans catching water.

From my description you may think I grew up in 1920’s – 1930’s. Our living conditions were substandard even in rural North Carolina for the 1960’s. For some time Dad had been responding to my questions about moving with, “Well, Erk,” (this is what Dad called me) “in the spring we will build a house and move over to the land.” “The land” was a five-acre plot that somehow my mother was able to buy and retain amid my father’s continuous drinking and gambling. With Dad’s comforting refrain consoling my heart, I would run off with thoughts of a better tomorrow when we would move into our new house – a home with heat, a roof that did not leak, and maybe even carpet. This hope kept me a bit warmer as the damp winter lumbered long with its cold.

Finally, winter gave way to the impending joy of fairer days. One morning I awoke to the most beautiful day I could ever remember. It was the kind of morning that made you feel good on the inside. I sprang from my bed and ran outside to commence an intense day of play and mischievous gallivanting. I recalled running into the house almost plowing into Mama, who asked me why I was so happy. I said, “I feel good today!”

“Well honey, it’s the first day of spring and we all feel good because it is such a pretty day.”

“It’s spring!” I screamed with anticipation that had come to fulfillment. I ran through the house telling everyone to get their stuff because today was moving day!

Mama chased me through the house, confused and somewhat amused with my flight of fancy. She grabbed me while saying, “What are you talking about?”

“Mama, it’s spring and it’s time to move to our new house over at the land!”

Mama quickly retorted, “What house? There is no house at the land.” Mama by this time had grown concerned and was on her knees making eye contact with me and holding me by the shoulders quite firmly.

“Mama,” I replied, “Dad said that in the spring he would build us a house and we would move. It’s spring, so let’s go!”

“Honey, your dad has not built the house yet.”

I remember not being dissuaded by such a sentiment. “So it’s not done yet,” I conceded.

Mama began to recognize the implications of my beliefs. She asserted very directly to me, “Kirk, there is no house. Your dad has not built a house and that is all there is to this. We are not moving!”

All that was previously wonderful changed to the hue of awful. I was incensed to the point of rage. I yelled at Mama, pushing her backwards. “You are lying! My dad can do anything!”

I ran out the front door to where my dad was talking to his drinking buddy, Larry. I could not contain myself so I got in between them vying desperately for Dad’s attention. Dad was too busy looking at Larry’s new Harley, which probably was purchased with all the money my dad lost at Larry’s house gambling on cards, chicken fights, and dogfights. I could no longer wait, so I blurted out, “Dad, today is moving day! Let’s go and pack so we can move to the land!”

I remember Dad being bewildered and annoyed. “What are you talking about little Erk?”

“You said that when spring came we would move, and today is the first day of spring, so let’s go Dad!”

By this time Dad was not only annoyed but also angry that I had interrupted him and embarrassed him by pointing out the fact that he made promises he had no intention of keeping.

Dad pushed me aside. “Can’t you see I’m talking? We are not moving. I have not even cleared the land, and I have not built the house! We are not going anywhere, so leave me alone and quit bothering me!”

I was crushed. I learned that day that the man I thought was so great was a consummate liar. This was the first of many such occasions where I caught my dad lying until the day that he finally left and never came back.

But what I lost that day was more than my relationship with my dad. I lost the willingness to trust. I remember so vividly believing with complete confidence that my dad could have done anything. In my innocent mind it would have been no big deal for him to clear the land, build the house, and move us into it – all in three short hours.

This human example illustrates the influence of trust. Even when trust is misplaced it exerts a certain power on life that provides hope even when believing in a lie. We choose where to place our firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Throughout life we look to our objects of trust to provide security. Disillusioned we stumble into the pit and believe we can trust no one but ourselves. The harm befalls us when we develop a heart that is not willing to trust in anything beyond ourselves and what we can control through our own efforts. In our feeble attempts to be the god of our own lives, we miss an intimate connection with the Father who is worthy of trust.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Prov. 3:5–6 NKJV)

Insight Journal
Children see God as relevant because they can trust that there is someone bigger who knows the best way to make things work out. When did I lose that concept of God?