“I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Luke 19:40

Monday, September 13, 2010

The Fight of Faith

Fighting for godliness is hard work. Paul exhorts the Philippians (2:12), "work out you own salvation with fear and trembling," Paul says later in Philippians 3:12-14, that he presses on to obtain Christ.

In the first three chapters of Judges we see a picture of this fight and the consequences of giving up. One of the first ways that Israel disobeyed God was in relaxing their efforts towards driving out the nations from the land. It was hard work to go into battle and "clear the land" as the Lord had commanded. This is what each of us who follow Christ must do in our own lives, namely, put to death the deeds of the flesh. We are at war against our sinful nature. Many times, like the Israelites, we think it's easier to just cope with our sin rather than killing it.

The second issue of disobedience in Judges was that another generation came up that didn't know the Lord or His works (2:10). This points to father's not being diligent to teach their children about the Lord (which the Lord commands us to do in Deuteronomy 6).

We see the result of this in Judges 2:11 and following; They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals. Idolatry will always result when we fail to lead our families in the Lord and relax our fight against indwelling sin.

God does not leave us to struggle in these things alone. For Israel, he sent judges to deliver them from their enemies and lead them them back into obedience. For us, God has provided the ultimate judge, Jesus Christ to redeem us from our slavery to sin by his atoning death and victorious resurrection. He lives today to intercede for us. Paul says in Romans 8:10, "If Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Even though God says to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, thanks be to God "it is [He] who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

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