A Gospel Message by Sy Rogers

Sy Rogers's message is not only for those who have a similar experience, but equally important for anyone and everyone, believer and unbeliever, who does not yet fully understand The Gospel of power and grace.

The Freedom of Humility

Perhaps, only the lowly can be truly humble. Those who have wealth or fame inevitably seek to become God. There are no lowly in America. By honoring God, our governing principles have set us free and allowed us all to prosper to one degree or another. Our poor are the wealthy of most of the world. So, we are free and we have been blessed by freedom to prosper, but because of our fallen, sinful nature, we are also cursed by freedom as well. We are cursed to be so at ease, so well nourished, so prosperous that we forget the source of our blessings. By ignoring God with our rebellious independence and disobedience and our abuse of freedom, we curse at God and return to the curse from whence we came.

Galatians 6:1-5

I was so caught up in this passage, I felt compelled to share the thoughts racing around my head...

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load." ~Galatians 6:1-5

The first verse makes the point, and verses 2 through 5 elaborate. As to the first sentence, he who should "restore him gently" is "you who are spiritual". But does this mean all of "you" because you are spiritual or does it mean only those of "you" who are spiritual? Verse 2 expands the idea with direction that clearly applies to everyone. Obviously, it is not only important for those "who are spiritual" to fulfill the law of Christ! Therefore, it must be concluded that "who are spiritual" is used as a counterpoint and describes all of those who are not "caught in sin".

Of course, also worthy of note is that someone "caught in a sin" should be restored gently. This alone is worth considerable meditation. Certainly soft words alone are not at all gently restorative. We must be guided by following the recent verse 5:14, which refers to Leviticus 19:18, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

When hearing "But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted", I used to imagine a person entering a bar to find his friend who was indulging in alcohol only to find himself swilling beer. But the temptation referred to here is toward pride of being "you who are spiritual". For, "if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself wihtout comparing himself to somebody else". This is quite plain. But merely connecting verses 3 and 4 with the second part of verse 1 is revelatory for me. The temptation we face when gently restoring our brothers is less in being caught in the same sin, but more in being tangled in pride.

An apparent contradiction lies between verses 2 and 5. How can it be that we should "Carry each other's burdens" when "each one should carry his own load". Upon brief reflection, it must be recognized that while each should carry his own load, verse 1 makes clear it does not always happen. Sometimes, "someone is caught in a sin", not carrying his own load. We must always endeavor to carry our own load and, when necessary, fulfill the law of Christ to "love your neighbor as yourself" by carrying "each other's burdens".

Depravity & Legalism

I think it's fair to say our depravity leads us to legalism in at least two ways. First (the one I normally think of), I want to know the rules so that I can dispense with knowing Jesus. You know, if I can just know what hoops to jump through, I can skip the relationship that is so much more emotionally and intellectually demanding than a mere list of "dos" and "don'ts".

But the second way that I see depravity leading to legalism is more insidious, I think, because it is more subtle and possibly more dangerous. Because we know that we are all depraved, we don't trust each other. You cannot know for certain whether I really feel remorse for sin. You cannot know if I have truly put my faith in Christ. So, in the first part, you might feel it necessary to make a determination about my standing before God by assessing my outward behavior. While I would not say such assessment has no purpose at all, I have seen Christians sincerely desiring righteousness in others and 'purity' in the church (that is, the absence of unbelievers) conscientiously judge another by what can be observed, as if his salvation depended on his own righteousness. I know you've seen it too.

In the second part, my ability to lie and my depraved inclination to it are the valid reasons for your mistrust. Aware that you cannot know my heart, I may believe that I am 'free' to lie with impunity. I may claim salvation that I do not have. Having salvation or not, I may claim remorse I do not feel. Thus, in addition to these sins, I may be complicit in the conspiracy of legalism in order to avoid its judgment.

And, perhaps, therein lies the most grievous irony. You and I can relate to these temptations to legalism because, I suppose, they are shared by us all. But the darkest part of the sin of legalism is its misdirection. While we must most certainly and sincerely fear God's judgment, legalism turns us away from the fear of God from whose wrath we can only be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Legalism tempts us to fear instead the trifling and fickle judgment of man from which we attempt to escape by pretending to have no need for Jesus.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ~Matthew 10:28

Excuses, Excuses

I've developed a distaste for unsavory things in my past. I indulged in drugs, alcohol, and self-pity. But, I eventually tired of those things. Other temptations remain relevant in my life, but I am only occasionally even tempted by mind-altering chemicals and self-pity. I think this is because I now actually see them as unsavory. This is a blessing from God, for which I am truly grateful.

I suddenly realize that, at such times of temptation, I could still give myself permission for those poisonous behaviors. Perhaps, I could find some pleasure or relief in them. But these are weak temptations at best. They seem so far behind me and so unfulfilling. Yet, for other temptations like lust, anger, or pride I do give myself permission. I had not thought about it quite this way before. But, surely, that is precisely what I do.

"She has on a bikini; she's not nude!"
"At the moment, I have no alternative! What else can I do?"
"He has no right to treat me that way! My response was just!"
"I don't usually do this."

You see, I make exceptions. I have excuses or I accept the ones Satan offers. It's all right because of my unique circumstances. I deserve special consideration. Oh Lord how dangerous this is! Where is the limit to my self-indulgence? It is only where I decide to put it! That is in no way reliable or trust-worthy! My gauge is internal and, therefore, subject to the influence of my sinful nature with which I remain afflicted throughout this life. Worse still, I sometimes don't give myself time to consider, but rush headlong, knowing that I might resist a temptation well considered. Obviously, this must not be allowed to continue.

I see a distinction between my perception of sins I permit and others I no longer permit. I have been successfully resisting temptations to sins that I perceive as destructive while struggling to resist others that I perceive as merely prohibited. In truth, they are all destructive. This is knowledge I already have, but I must focus on and remember the destructive power of sins I too often permit, in order that I may have understanding that is greater than mere knowledge.

I must remember also that acts of sin are not merely "slips" or "momentary lapses", but nothing less than giving myself permission to sin. It seems like such a silly thing to think I have given myself permission to disobey God Almighty. Yet, there I am.

But, I am not required to give such permission. Though alertness must be important, I am now, by the power and grace of God through Jesus Christ, free to withhold that permission, free to reject the demands of my sinful nature, free to reject excuses, and free "to stand [my] ground, and after [I] have done everything, to stand."

I am a Pharisee in Need of a Savior

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." ~Luke 18:9-14

I used to think we might appropriately think of ourselves or others as Pharisees if we or they added many rules to scripture, then judged those who do not follow these new rules. But, as often happens, I see things differently now. I see more.

I’ve heard the passage above taught several times. As I mentioned previously, I left those times of instruction thanking God for this teaching and thanking God that I was not like that Pharisee. But I misunderstood what is being taught in scripture. Part of my problem lies in my understanding of this phrase “humbles himself”. This makes me think of someone who is not in humble circumstances, but does not boast or take credit for his lofty circumstances.

But, in truth, the Pharisee is as much a sinner as the tax collector. This is not because he committed vile acts, but because no amount of his righteous behavior can diminish his need for Jesus. Therefore, his circumstances are humble. For all his righteous acts, he is like the tax collector. In order to “humble himself”, he must confess the truth of his need for God.

In addition, I thought the Pharisee derived his sense of his own righteousness from having obeyed various and sundry rules and regulations that had been added to the Law, rather than only from the righteous behavior required by scripture. I see now that, according to righteousness as I have always understood it (i.e., outward obedience), the Pharisee was a righteous man. He strives for the things for which I’ve always been taught to strive. But he and I both do it for the wrong reasons. We must be obedient to God’s commands in order to please him, to honor him, to fellowship with him. But to obey in order to be counted righteous before God can only result in failure!

But this is what I have been taught! This is the teaching I received, inadvertently, of course, but nonetheless. From the body of Christ: my Sunday school teachers, my pastors, my friends, the preachers and teachers on the radio and television I have learned that my salvation must be questioned if my lifestyle is not beyond reproach. By necessary implication, if my lifestyle is beyond reproach, then I am on my way to heaven. Our churches preach and teach righteousness, and this is critically important. But, we have let suffer (though we would never abandon!) the preaching and teaching of Jesus Christ, our one and only savior!

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." ~Matthew 5:20-21a

According to the same misguided thinking of mine, I thought this passage in Matthew taught that we must not only live righteously in our outward behavior, but in our hearts and thoughts as well. This is not entirely untrue. But, I think the point here goes beyond striving for pure hearts. I believe the Lord’s purpose here is to teach, not only that outward obedience is insufficient for righteousness, but also that righteousness is out of reach for us to achieve on our own. Jesus was not saying merely that in order to qualify for heaven, we must avoid unrighteous thoughts as well as actions. Rather, he was saying that the righteousness of these Pharisees will not qualify them for heaven as they so clearly believe. Instead, sufficient righteousness for the kingdom of heaven is unattainable!

"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'" ~Matthew 15:16-20

I derive peace and satisfaction from my righteous behavior, perhaps even pride. For my unrighteousness, I lacerate my own spirit. As for others, who can be admired? Who is perfect in righteousness? Who can be saved? All the righteous behavior in the world cannot save us. We need a savior! Yes, I am very dull, but it’s getting clearer.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! ~Romans 7:24a

I Need a Savior

I was born in sin. I have always been a sinner. I have thought for so long that I am a sinner because I sinned. Everyone does it; therefore, we are all sinners. However, I believe now that I had it backwards. I am not a sinner because I sinned. Rather, I sin because I am a sinner. I have a body of ‘flesh’, a ‘sin nature’. Sin is not merely what I do. It’s what I am, unavoidable, undeniable. I am a sinner.

I have been involved in theological discussions wherein I made a distinction between sin committed intentionally with forethought and malice on the one hand and sin committed out of impulse, habit, or even ignorance on the other hand. I judged sin committed in true ignorance to be of lesser severity. This distinction may not be entirely without merit, but it is a dangerous one because both disqualify us from survival in the presence of God. The truth is, the sin I do in ignorance or that I might immediately take back is thoroughly sufficient for condemnation.

Even the slightest impurity is a deal-breaker. Anything less than 100% death to self is sin. Anything less than all the sacrifice and devotion I can give to God in every moment is sin. It can even be reasonably argued that everything we do is sin (or, at the very least, has sin in it) because we cannot do anything with perfectly selfless intent. Even the slightest self-interest at any time, under any circumstances is sin. I can be pretty good, relatively speaking. I often am pretty good. I may as well toot my own horn at this point because the ability to be that good — good enough — is impossible for me. I need someone to be perfectly righteous for me because I can’t do it. I need a savior.

This has critical implication for those who believe you can lose your salvation, though this thought is meaningful for me as well. I imagine an Arminian might ask himself daily, “Have I lived righteously today, so that I do not lose my salvation?” But, if we are sinners as I now understand it, then this question is irrelevant because the answer can never be “yes”. A better question would be, “Have I lived today in such a way that I no longer need Jesus, so that I do not lose my salvation?” This question addresses the unattainable requirement for perfection. If it were true that I could lose my salvation, then I would have lost it the very moment I received it. If salvation can be lost, then there can be no keeping it. But, praise God! I don’t need to keep my salvation. Jesus obtained salvation for me and keeps it for me. He has secured a rescue for all of us, and our rescue is secure.

There are implications also for my attitude of gratitude. I’m reminded again of Luke 7:36-50 because, once again, I see salvation as a greater gift than I have previously understood it to be. Not only have I broken the whole Law, but I am always breaking it! I am always behaving in conflict with the pure, righteous character of God, which is represented by the Law. Praise God because Jesus has fulfilled the Law on our behalf! I am a sinner. But, God has chosen to save me in spite of this truth. Not only so, but he desires to be in fellowship with me — even me! — to teach, guide, and encourage me in spite of the foul, ugly truth of my identity as one who, from birth, is in rebellion and war against God. Even though I already believe in election, this understanding helps liberate me from the idea that I must strive for enough righteousness in order for Jesus to remain in me. After all, I never could and I never will. Yet, he remains. I am a sinner. As such, I am precisely the kind of person Jesus saves. And he does. He doesn’t merely make up the difference between me and God, as if I am able to approach righteousness, but can’t quite make it all the way. Jesus doesn’t merely complete the work of righteousness that I am unable to complete. Rather, he does all the work of righteousness because I can do none of it! From my home at the greatest depths of degradation and desperation, Jesus has saved even me and brought me to the greatest heights of glory and joy! May the name of the Lord be praised forever.

Implications abound! As for my pride, haven’t I been legalistic in my attitude toward myself and toward others? Have I not been confident in my own righteousness, not realizing that, even though I do not murder, steal, or commit adultery, but do (sometimes) fast and tithe, yet I have no righteousness of my own? Though I’ve heard this passage taught several times, I think I now begin to understand. I used to think this Pharisee was mean and selfish to be so insensitive. I thanked God that I was not like him. But, he's not mean. He's just me.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." ~Luke 18:9-14

I AM the Law!

In Mark Dever's The Gospel & Personal Evangelism, he quotes James 2:10:

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

He adds, "The law of God is the expression of God's own character".

I extrapolate:
The Law of Moses is not a book of laws. It is not a group of individual laws. The Ten Commandments is not ten commandments. The law is one. As God is one, the law is one. To keep the law is to conform to the likeness or identity of God.

To fail at any point of the law is to break the entire one law. To violate any part of the one law is to diverge from the character of God.

If I am slightly idolatrous, I may as well have murdered because I have broken the same law that a murderer breaks and have as severely distorted the image of God in me as a murderer has done so in himself.

It's not difficult to see why this idea produces in me a deep desire for righteousness. Though it seems—it feels—most natural, I am a little surprised that it also produces in me greater love, a softer heart, and a grateful joy toward our Heavenly Father.

Jesus explains it.

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

"Tell me, teacher," he said.

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." ~Luke 7:36-50

Our perception of forgiveness is greater if we have been forgiven of what we perceive as greater sin. One implication is that we do not love if we perceive that we have nothing for which to be forgiven. Also, the more forgiven we feel, the more we love. Therefore, I love more because I see now that I have broken the whole law AND have been forgiven for having broken all of it.

You see, I have done it all! I have committed all the sins, all the crimes, offended God in every possible way. With even one sin, the entire law is violated. No part of the law remains intact! The law is one, and I have broken it.

God gave his only son into MY law-breaking hands, so that I would murder him and shed his blood. And, so that Jesus' blood—the very blood that I, myself shed—would cleanse me so that I would be as righteous as if I had never sinned, even in the slightest. By Jesus' blood, the law has been restored!

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ~Matthew 5:17

HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!

THANK YOU, JESUS!

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