Appendix C
– The Seven Churches
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
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“Getting
Saved”
Much can be
written about the topic of
“getting saved.” For
purposes of discussion, let us
consider two alternative views of
salvation. Individuals holding one
view claim that salvation is
punctiliar, that is, it comes at a
specific moment in time. The textual
basis for this group is Romans 10:9,10: “That
if you confess with your mouth,
‘Jesus is Lord,’ and
believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you
believe and are justified, and it is
with your mouth that you confess and
are saved.” Other
people claim that salvation takes a
life time. They believe that if you
do everything that God commands for
the rest of your life, you will be
saved. The textual basis for this
group is Romans 2:13: “For
it is not those who hear the law who
are righteous in God’s sight,
but it is those who obey the law who
will be declared righteous.” While
these texts appear to be in conflict
on the surface, further study reveals
there is no conflict between them.
When all of Paul’s words are
properly put together, both texts in
Romans are harmonious with the whole
Bible because the Bible is not
internally conflicted. (If the Bible
is factually conflicted, then the
Bible cannot be true because truth is
proven by the harmony that comes from
the sum of its parts.)
Many people
put the Bible in a state of internal
conflict without realizing what they
are doing. This error occurs when a
person advocates a position which the
whole Bible does not advocate. Even
though the two positions mentioned
above are theologically opposed, both
views actually harm the gospel of
Jesus! The gospel of Jesus teaches
that salvation is both a punctiliar
event and a lifetime process.
A quick
survey of the seven churches reveals
that most of the churches had drifted
away from the importance of holiness
or they had degenerated into
legalism. The first group distorted
the importance of sanctification and
the second group distorted the gift
of Christ’s righteousness.
Naturally, the second group was
smaller than the first because
freedom from obedience is more
attractive to our rebellious nature[10] than
the demands of legalism.
Remember, the
seven churches were second and third
generation Christians. This means
that in A.D. 95, the seven churches
had been around long enough to see
where their theology was going. If a
surveyor is off by one-half of a
degree when surveying one acre, the
consequence will not be very
dramatic. However, if a surveyor is
off by one-half of a degree when
surveying ten sections (ten square
miles), the consequences will be
dramatic! A small error at the
beginning will have drastic results
given enough distance or time. The
seven churches existed in A.D. 95,
sixty years after the time Jesus
ascended, and the subtle consequences
of early errors had become crystal
clear. According to Jesus, six of the
seven churches were in serious
trouble and they needed to repent of
their toxic faith and evil behavior.
Three
Types of People
Human beings
can be divided into three groups.
There are “right brained”
people and “left brained”
people and a few people who can use
both sides of their brain. In the
United States, there are Republicans,
Democrats, and Independents. There
are rich people, poor people, and a
middle class. There are healthy
people, sick people, and people whose
physical condition is determined by
the amount of work to be done. There
are good people, bad people, and
careless people. There are young
people, old people, and middle-aged
people. You may recall from our study
on the fifth trumpet that there are
saints, religious wicked, and
non-religious wicked people, too.
Three groups
also have varied understandings of
salvation. There are people wanting
to be saved in their
sins (the group avoiding obedience)
and those wanting to be saved for
doing what is right (the group
insisting on obedience). However,
there is also a middle group. From
the beginning, there has been a small
group of people genuinely interested
in knowing and walking with God.[11] Many
people become a Christian to avoid
hell. This motive will not yield good
results because it usually develops
into an attitude of doing the
absolute minimum to avoid hell. In
other words, many Christians will
only go as far as necessary to be
saved. Anything beyond meeting the
minimum prerequisites is rejected as
legalism. The gospel of Jesus is not
about loving the Giver to earn the
gift of eternal life. The gospel of
Jesus is about having communion with
God here and now. If eternal life is
the goal of your Christian
experience, you have missed the
essential purpose of the gospel of
Jesus. However, if walking with God
is your objective, the gospel of
Jesus will show you how. You will
often repeat the precious words of
Moses: “Teach me
your ways so I may know you and
continue to find favor with
you.”
The Bible
declares this verdict: A person
controlled by the carnal mind cannot
walk with God, our carnal nature will
not permit it! “Those
who live according to the sinful
nature have their minds set on what
that nature desires; but those who
live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the
Spirit desires. The mind of sinful
man is death, but the mind controlled
by the Spirit is life and peace, the
sinful mind is hostile to God. It
does not submit to God’s law,
nor can it do so. Those controlled by
the sinful nature cannot please
God.”[12]
The Greek
word nikao means
to conquer, to subdue, to overcome.
The idea expressed in nikao is
infinite – something ongoing
forever. Jesus used nikao seven
times when speaking to the seven
churches because true Christianity
involves a lifelong struggle with the
carnal nature. When people understand
the true gospel of Jesus, they learn
that salvation is a two-sided coin.
Redemption includes justification.
When we surrender our heart to Jesus,
to go – to be – to do as He
directs, God sees us as though we
never sinned. This is the punctiliar
moment that salvation begins.
Redemption also includes
sanctification. Because we are
naturally rebellious, we have to
re-surrender to Jesus and His gospel
each day and this involves the huge
struggle of overcoming our inherent
rebellion toward God’s way of
love. Overcoming the power of sin is
humanly impossible. This is why Jesus
sends the Holy Spirit to each person
seeking transformation. If we are
willing to be transformed, we have
the privilege of walking with God.
This is the work of a lifetime.
Bottom line:
Unless we surrender to the gospel of
Jesus, there is no justification.
Unless we are overcomers, there is no
sanctification, and consequently, no
justification. Seven times Jesus
stated the relationship between
justification and sanctification to
the seven churches.
Horse
First, Cart Follows
Every born
again Christian has to be on guard
that he does not put “the cart
before the horse.”
Sanctification does not merit
salvation or eternal life because the
law declares that everyone sins. In
fact, no sinner can live for long
without sinning. Sinning (violating
the gospel) is in our nature.
Overcoming temptation and sin is a
tiring and difficult experience and
many Christians give up on it after a
few years. However, those who press
on, fighting “the good fight of
faith,” do experience a series
of amazing victories! In fact, the
reality of Jesus Christ is renewed
each time Christ performs a miracle
within an overcomer. There is nothing
quite like this experience. There is
nothing that proves the existence of
Jesus Christ better than personally
experiencing your life changed by His
power!
Our challenge
is to fight the good fight of faith
year after year without becoming
exhausted and discouraged. If a
person attempts to sanctify himself
in his own strength, he will soon
give up because victory will be
illusive, too difficult, and
ultimately, impossible. Many
Christians give up on the
sanctification process shortly after
joining a church, but they are
ashamed to openly admit it. Instead
of standing before the church and
confessing defeat, one of two
scenarios usually plays out when a
person gives up. The first scenario
goes something like this: The
Christian continues to attend church
services, sing praises, give
offerings, and appear respectable. He
maintains a form of
godliness by publicly
staying within “church
boundaries,” but he remains a
slave to sin. He has no victory in
his life over sin and lives a double
life. In the presence of other
Christians he acts like a Christian,
but in the darkness he has a demon.
The second scenario is just as bad: A
Christian will change his theology in
order to end the struggle with
sanctification. He will justify his
behavior by distorting Bible texts
that permit him to fulfill the
desires of his carnal nature. Both
behaviors are fatal and clearly
identified in the seven churches.[13]
If an
honest-hearted person asks Jesus for
enlightenment (a greater
understanding of truth) and strength
to overcome the demands of the carnal
nature (greater conformity to
God’s will). Jesus will hear his
petition and that person will prevail
and be changed! (Addicts usually
require special help to do this.*)
When Jesus sees that a sinner is
humble (teachable) and repentant
(wants to be changed), He sends the
Holy Spirit to that sinner and the
battle with a particular temptation
is miraculouslyneutralized.
The strength to overcome sin comes
from Christ. He alone is able to
neutralize our attraction for wrong
doing. This is a profound truth that
every Christian must personally
experience. The life of Jesus was an
outstanding success because Jesus
asked the Father for strength to do
what He could not do. “During
the days of Jesus’ life on
Earth, he offered up prayers and
petitions with loud cries and tears
to the one who could save him from
death, and
he was heard because of his reverent
submission.
Although he was a son, he learned
obedience from what he suffered and,
once made perfect, he became the
source of eternal salvation for all
who obey him.”[14]
*Note: An
addict, by definition, is a slave to
his addiction. He has no will power
to overcome his addiction. God
understands the slavery of addiction
and He has given caring people
insight on ways to help addicts who
want to be set free. A properly
balanced recovery involves a physical
component (including diet, exercise,
and the use of medication if or as
required), a mental component
(behavior modification therapy,
accepting and respecting boundaries,
accountability, etc.), and a
spiritual component (learning how to
love others, discovering God’s
power, finding healing, peace, joy
and wholeness through Jesus). Of
course, an addict can have the
assurance of salvation (punctiliar
moment) before he is free of his
addiction, but the addict must also
understand that the assurance of
salvation is based on overcoming (the
work of a lifetime). As long as the
addict is engaged in an effort to
overcome his addiction, he is
justified in God’s sight through
Christ’s righteousness. This
point is emphasized because the law
of sin is at work in the lives of all
sinners. As long as addicts and
non-addicts alike are engaged in an
effort to overcome sin, God’s
grace (justification) covers our
deficiencies and His promise to
neutralize sin’s power is
unwavering.[15] Remember,
the essential difference between
addicts and non-addicts is the depth
of slavery to sin.
Many people
think Jesus was a success in
overcoming sin because He was God. He
is God, but Jesus came to Earth as a
God without any power of His own!
Jesus laid aside His divine powers
and prerogatives before He came to
Earth. He could only do whatever the
Father gave Him the power to do!
Jesus said, “I tell
you the truth, the Son can do nothing
by himself . . . By myself I can do
nothing . . . for I seek not to
please myself but him who sent
me.”[16]
Paul clearly
understood the intricate relationship
between justification and
sanctification. Think about
Paul’s words in Romans: “For
in the gospel a righteousness from
God is revealed, a righteousness that
is by faith from first to last [For
in the gospel of Jesus there is a
righteousness which has been created
by God Himself. The righteousness
created through the perfect life of
Jesus enables God to save man from
the beginning of redemption to the
end of redemption], just as
it is written: ‘The righteous
will live by faith’ [in
other words, the righteous will
forever live in a
“go-be-do” state, going as
God directs, doing as God commands,
being all that God requires of them
– even throughout
eternity!] . . . For we
maintain that a man is justified by
faith apart from observing the
law. [Staying within
the boundaries is essential, but
obeying the law cannot save anyone!
Sinners cannot possibly manufacture
the righteousness needed for
salvation.] Is God the
God of Jews only? Is he not the God
of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles
too, since there is only one God, who
will justify the circumcised by faith
and the uncircumcised through that
same faith. [This means
that people who do not know the law,
but live up to the demands of the
Spirit and those who know the law and
live up to the demands of the Spirit
are saved through the same faith.
Everyone who obeys the Spirit of God
will be sanctified and saved. ] Do
we, then, nullify the law by this
faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold
the law [because the
law of God is perfect, righteous and
true. The law of God has been given
to accelerate our knowledge of where
the Spirit will lead].”[17]
Saul
as J3, Paul as C1
If you have
read Appendix B, you will recall that
mankind can be divided into three
basic groups and each group has four
divisions. When Saul was a J3, that
is, an arrogant Jew who worshiped his
religion as though it were God, he
was self-righteous according to the
law and without fault in his own
eyes.
“For
it is we [born again
believers in Christ – C1] who
are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in
Christ Jesus, and who put no
confidence in [the
circumcision of] the
flesh – though I myself have
reasons for such confidence. If
anyone else thinks he has reasons to
put confidence in the flesh, I have
more: Circumcised on the eighth day,
of the people of Israel, of the tribe
of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in
regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for
zeal, persecuting the church; as for
legalistic righteousness, faultless.
But [the Lord showed me
the errors of my gross behavior and
beliefs and] whatever
was to my profit I now consider loss
for the sake of Christ. What is more,
I consider everything a loss compared
to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whose sake I have lost all
things. [I am not sad
about this!] I consider
them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes
from [obeying] the
law, but that which is through faith
in Christ– the righteousness
that comes from God and is by
faith.”[18]
After
Paul’s experience on the road to
Damascus, he understood that the
righteousness required by God for our
salvation cannot be produced by a
sinner. This does not mean that the
law of God is imperfect! It means
that unless God provides the
righteousness required for salvation,
no one can be saved. Justification
does not eliminate the necessity for
sanctification! Sanctification is the
process that reveals genuine faith!
Analyze Paul’s words in the
following text and remember, he had
been a Christian for more than twenty
years when he wrote them. “I
know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature. For I
have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out. For what I
do is not the good I want to do; no,
the evil I do not want to do–
this I keep on doing. Now if I do
what I do not want to do, it is no
longer I who do it, but it is sin
living in me that does it. So I find
this law at work: When I want to do
good, evil is right there with me.
For in my inner being I delight in
God’s law; but I see another law
at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind
and making me a prisoner of the law
of sin at work within my members.
What a wretched man I am! Who will
rescue me from this body of
death? [There is only
one solution.] Thanks be
to God – [victory
is possible] through
Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I
myself in my mind am a slave to
God’s law, but in the sinful
nature a slave to the law of
sin.”[19]
Near the end
of his life, Paul wrote these
inspiring words, “I
have fought the good fight [of
sanctification, overcoming my sinful
nature], I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith. Now
there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will award to me on
that day– and not only to me,
but also to all who have longed for
his appearing.”[20]
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
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