Mind Games

Introduction

So, think about this: what goes on in our minds?   Sure, there is lust, covetousness, or envy.  And there is hatred, lying, or a desire to harm someone.  In a discussion of what goes on in our minds, we might examine pornography and its fallout.  Then there are the things that we hide in our minds that no one knows about.  Have you ever found yourself harboring bitterness against someone?  Be honest.  Don’t just call it by a different name just to minimize how it sounds.  I know I’ve done it.

That is what we will look at this morning—what the Scripture has to say about bitterness and reliving the evil that is done to us.  And I’ll ask you straight up—are you bitter?  Are you reliving some horrible event in your life from the past?  Don’t immediately say, “oh, no, I’m good”.  Think about it.   If there is one thing I’ve learned in my six decades here on earth, it is that we all experience the same kinds of things—some seemingly have more such experiences than others—but the same kinds of things nonetheless.  Paul points that out: 

Guess Who? Hiding Who We Are in Christ

Ephesians 5:8b-12

Introduction

In keeping with our theme of “Identity Theft”, we will, tonight, take a look at why we as Christians may hide who we are.  As with most any topical study, we will be examining and considering a number of different passages from God’s Word, spending more time in Ephesians 5, eventually settling down at Ephesians 5:8b-10 and dig in at that point.  Hiding who we are as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ is something that we must consider when talking about our identity in Christ.  It is no secret that many of us do not willingly let others see us for who we are.  Instead, we disguise ourselves, merging with the world around us, and just blending in.

But Jesus has called us to something greater.  He has called you and me to live out who we are no matter where we are during the day—at home, with extended family, at work, at church, in our neighborhoods, or at the store.

Military/Law Enforcement/Hunters

It is no secret that hiding is sometimes a very beneficial thing to do.  It can keep us alive.  Hiding can keep us from being harmed.  Different groups will use Camouflage, which means, “the disguising especially of military equipment or installations with paint, nets, or foliage”.  It also means “concealment by means of disguise”, or “a behavior or ruse designed to deceive or hide”.

The military, law enforcement, and hunters will all utilize camouflage to enable them to escape detection by an enemy or to enable them to close in on their prey without being spotted.  Such are positive uses of hiding our presence.  Of course, there are the negative uses of hiding our presence, and that is what I would like to talk about tonight.

In order to properly address the question before us—why do we hide who we are—we must first ask:  Who are you?  Who do you think you are? 

“You Are”

As with other things in our relationship with the Lord, we tend to take who we are as believers for granted.  From Ephesians we see:

1  1.    He chose us
    2.    He predestined us
    3.    He adopted us
    4.    He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
    5.    He provided redemption and forgiveness
    6.    He lavished his grace upon us 
    7.    He has given us an inheritance and sealed us

We are grateful for these things,

IN LIGHT OF THE POLITICAL SITUATION TODAY...

"The LORD has established HIS throne in the heavens, and HIS kingdom rules over all." 

Psalm 103:19

Who’s in Charge Here? The Illusions of Church Infallibility - White Horse Inn Blog

Who’s in Charge Here? The Illusions of Church Infallibility - White Horse Inn Blog
An excellent, understandable treatment of the Roman church for those who are struggling with its lures...

Christocentric Hermeneutics

"There are two ways to read the Bible. The one way to read the Bible is that it’s basically about you: what you have to do in order to be right with God, in which case you’ll never have a sure and certain hope, because you’ll always know you’re not quite living up. You’ll never be sure about that future. Or you can read it as all about Jesus. Every single thing is not about what you must do in order to make yourself right with God, but what he has done to make you absolutely right with God. And Jesus Christ is saying, “Unless you can read the Bible right, unless you can understand salvation by grace, you’ll never have a sure and certain hope. But once you understand it’s all about me, Jesus Christ, then you can know that you have peace. You can know that you have this future guaranteed, and you can face anything.” Tim Keller @ http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Hermeneutics/Christocentric-Hermeneutics/

SUFFERING

Suffering cannot be avoided if we are really to know Christ…(Hebrews 4:15; 5:2)…”I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10)…

But what is the nature of Christ’s suffering that we must share, in order fully to know his fellowship?  His suffering included poverty and humiliation, pain and death.  All of these he endured for us.  We must not forget this altruistic dimension of his afflictions.  He suffered to take on himself the guilt and consequences of the sins of others.  Thus, if we are to know him through like suffering, we will not merely have to experience the difficulty of nameless forces and circumstances; we must also experience what it means to suffer for the sins of others.  We must be willing to endure and love the damaged and damaging personalities who make us suffer.  This is Luther’s theology of the cross—the understanding that our deepest knowing of the One who bore the cross for us in some measure depends on our own cross-bearing of the miseries of this world and even of the miserableness of others.

…Whether we suffer under the weight of circumstances or under the weightiness of bearing the consequences of the sins of others—these disciplines teach us more of what Christ endured for us. As a result, we know him to a degree and depth not available through any other means of study or contemplation.

The discipline of suffering shows us how tender and tenacious was Christ’s care for us.  The body blows that come, the accusations, the deprivations, the betrayals—in each we can say, “Ah, Lord Jesus, now I understand more deeply who you are and how much you loved me, for you endured this when you could have escaped it all.  You suffered for my sake and that of countless others who caused you pain.  Ah, Jesus, now I know you.”

Bryan Chapell in

Holiness by Grace: Delighting in the Joy That is Our Strength,

pp.170-172  (Emphasis added)

So, just what does this mean for us?  It means we can look trials, difficulties and suffering brought to our lives by the sin of others—yes, even by other believers—and we can stare it down!  We can smile to ourselves when someone sins against us, knowing “it ain’t about us!”  It is all about God conforming us to the image of Christ, it is about “knowing Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings”!

I shared this with a friend a few weeks ago, and told him that this core truth has made a huge difference in my life, particularly in the case of extreme hurt brought about by a family member in the distant past.  Not only did I wrestle with the whole concept of God’s providence at that time, but I also struggled with forgiveness.  God worked in the intervening years, and brought me to a point where forgiveness truly took place.  Yes, it “should not” have taken as long as it did, but he did bring it about.  My view of the impact of the sin of others on my life and on the lives of those I love is completely different now.  Now I can say, “Bring it on!”  Why?  Because of what Christ did on the cross, because of the gospel.

ON GOD'S GRACE

Affirming that God doesn’t love us on the basis of our keeping within his paths does not require us to act as though he has left us without good direction.  In church circles where the beauties of grace are passionately proclaimed, some people inevitably will worry whether a gospel emphasis opens the door to  licentiousness.  However, others will begin to wonder if it is any longer appropriate to challenge one another to be holy, or to correct anyone who does not follow Scripture’s mandates.  Grace does not forbid giving directions, promises, corrections, and warnings.  Only cruelty would forbid such help.

Bryan Chapell in Holiness by Grace, p.126

THINKING ABOUT WORKS-BASED SALVATION IN ADDITION TO "BELIEVING"

⁵Thus says the LORD:

            “Cursed is the man who trusts in man

                        and makes flesh his strength,

                        whose heart turns away from the LORD.

            ⁶He is like a shrub in the desert,

                        and shall not see any good come.

            He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,

                        in an uninhabited salt land.  (Jeremiah 17:5-6 ESV)

FARLEY PART IX: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Summary and Conclusion

One must have sympathy toward, and show mercy toward another who has lived under a legalistic religious system as Andrew Farley has done in the past.  It truly is a burdensome way of moving through this life as a believer, and one that can be very frustrating.  However, having had that experience does not excuse moving completely to the other side of the spectrum.  Rebellion against “religion” does not excuse taking up a position that reinterprets—tweaks—the truth of the gospel.

It is rather ironic that Farley quotes heavily from Galatians, in that the Apostle Paul wrote to that church to chastise them for buying into the ritualism of the Judaizers (circumcision), and casting aside the one true gospel of Jesus Christ.  The church at Galatia had deserted “him who called (them) in the grace of Christ” and turned to a different gospel, preached by those who troubled them and wanted to distort the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-7).

By tweaking, misinterpreting, and coming up with premises that are not supported with Scripture, Farley has inched dangerously close to distorting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 Soli Deo Gloria!

Further Reading

Bridges, Jerry, The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness, Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1994, 2006

Chester, Tim, You CAN Change: God’s Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010

FARLEY PART VIII: “WE DON’T MARRY DEAD PEOPLE” OR “DO NOT LIVE LIKE JESUS” AND “SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE IS NOT FOR THE BELIEVER” AND “EVIDENCE IS NOT NECESSARY”

We ARE To Walk As Jesus Walked

Farley argues in this section that believers are not to live like Jesus lived.  He wrote, “Hence, we’re not being asked to imitate the recorded actions of Jesus of Nazareth.  Instead, we’re invited to allow Jesus to do what he has always done—be himself.  The risen Christ wants to do this through our unique personalities in every moment of every day” (p. 178).  One of the problems with this statement is that Farley fails to describe what that looks like.  Farley also rejected living like Christ when he wrote, “Some Christians mistakenly obsess over everything that the historical Jesus did in the four gospels.  We memorize his words and actions and try to imitate them the best we can” (p. 180).  Farley discarded living like Christ when he wrote, “The motivation for daily living within the New Testament centers around acting like the person you truly are and benefiting from Christ’s life in the here and now…We’re urged to grasp an important spiritual truth: when we come to Jesus Christ, we receive his life.  Through our expression of him, we find fulfillment” (p. 182).  Again, Farley fails to describe what this looks like,

FARLEY PART VII: “CHEATING ON JESUS” OR “THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES NOT CONVICT BELIEVERS OF THEIR SIN”, BELIEVERS ARE NOT TO CONFESS THEIR SIN TO GOD” AND “1 JOHN 1 WAS WRITTEN TO UNBELIEVERS”

This section is perhaps the most disturbing portion of the entire book.  Here, Farley begins by saying believers can “live guilt free, knowing that a perfect lamb has done away with their sins once and for all” (p. 133, emphasis added). This appears to be the primary theme and purpose of the book—to “live guilt free” (p. 133), “more comfortable in the possession of” one’s Christian religion (p. 12), being “content with our choices” (p. 157), to “do away with all of the religious guilt” (p. 36), going “through life being ourselves” (p. 36), escaping “the misery of today’s hybrid religiosity” (p. 36), “…(there being a) distinction between what Jesus taught to the Jews and what God wanted (us) to enjoy under the New” (p. 87), and “to enjoy life free from guilt” (p 156)—in short, to basically feel good about ourselves.   

1 John 1 Was NOT Written to Unbelievers

Sadly, Farley offers an assertion in the fifth section of his book that is full of serious errors in Biblical analysis.  He argues that the first chapter of John’s first letter was to an audience made up, not of true believers, but “…Gnostics who had infiltrated the early church and (who) were teaching false doctrines” (p. 151).  Any good student of Scripture recognizes that none of the letters authored by any of the apostles were written to unbelievers.  None of those letters had unbelievers as the audience.  All of the letters were written to believers in churches or to individual believers, and many of those letters were shared among the various churches.  1 John is no exception.  Authored by the Apostle John,

FARLEY PART VI: “BURNING MATRYOSHKAS” OR “BELIEVERS BATTLE WITH AN ‘ENTITY’”

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are at war.  Paul made it clear that we do not battle in the physical realm, but in the spiritual realm—powerful spiritual beings, evil days, darkness, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, flaming darts of the evil one, this present darkness, and spiritual forces of evil were all terms he used to describe that war.

¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [Ephesians 6:12 ESV]

Believers Do Not Battle an “Entity”, but an Enemy

Discussing sin, Farley wrote, “There’s a power called sin, and its desire is to overtake us.  Again, we’re not speaking of sins or sinning but of an entity called sin” (p. 116, emphasis in original).  He then asked the question,

FARLEY PART V: “CROSSING THE LINE” OR “JESUS’ TEACHING WAS UNDER THE OLD COVENANT”

Sadly, Farley identified the teaching of Jesus as being under “the old”, and that his teaching was therefore hopeless in that it was addressed to the Jews of his time.  He wrote, “…Jesus’ harsh teachings aimed at the religious kill you every time…(there is a) distinction between what Jesus taught to the Jews and what God wanted (us) to enjoy under the New” (p. 87). 

Jesus’ Teaching is Old Testament—Not So!

Farley goes so far as to posit that the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are not for believers at all, in that he wrote, “Peter, James, John, and Paul wrote epistles about life under the New Covenant.  Years earlier, Jesus was teaching hopelessness under the Old.  The audience wasn’t the same.  The covenant wasn’t the same.  And the teachings aren’t the same” (p. 86).

To say that the teachings of Christ are Old Testament teachings, and not applicable to the New Covenant believer is to walk ever so closely to the line—in fact, some would argue that he crossed the line.  Ironic, in that “Crossing the Line” was the title of Section 3.

Next: 

FARLEY PART VI:  “BURNING MATRYOSHKAS” OR “BELIEVERS BATTLE WITH AN ‘ENTITY’”

FARLEY Part IV: “RELIGION IS A HEADACHE” OR “THE LAW IS BAD AND HAS NO PLACE IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER” AND “ADAM AND EVE DID NOT SIN”

In Part 2 of his book, Farley takes on the law, sin, and Adam and Eve’s illicit activity in the Garden of Eden.  One can understand the title of the section, given the past experience Farley had with “legalistic religion” rather than grace infused Christianity.  In that, he is right—“religion” is a headache!

In this section, we will examine three of Farley’s arguments in this regard, that is, (a) the Law has nothing to do with the fruit of the Spirit, (b) Adam and Eve did not sin, and (c) the pursuit of godliness or sanctification is off the table.

The Moral Law and Antinomianism

While there is no argument that Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law and eliminated it with his voluntary, sacrificial death on the cross, one must consider two questions posed by Farley, who asked, “So if you’re a Christian, what place should the law have in your life?” (p.48) The implied answer is “none!”  He also asked, “But should Christians still look to the Ten Commandments as their moral guide?” (p.54) Farley says that no one can keep the law, and he is absolutely right!  But he then makes a giant leap, casting aside the moral law.  He answered the questions he posed at page 48 and page 54 when he wrote about his confrontation with pastors at a conference in Chihuahua:  “After several minutes of absorbing heated comments, I realized that what angered them the most was my insistence that Christians are even free from the Ten Commandments” (p. 57, emphasis added).  As will be shown below, that is classic Antinomianism.

 

To support his theory that the law has nothing to do with believers,

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  (1 Peter 5:10 ESV)