Five Convictions of the Spiritually Mature

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

Paul declares his aim and goal is to finish the race and obtain the supreme and heavenly prize; the incorruptible crown of life, righteousness, and glory. In the next verse he says, “Let all who are spiritually mature have the same mind and hold the same convictions I have expressed in these preceding words.”

To count all heritage, ceremony, traditions, and works of religion to be dung (rubbish) that we may win Christ and be found in Him.

To be willing to suffer the loss of all things for a knowledge of Christ our Lord.

To disclaim perfection in ourselves while desiring it and aiming for it.

To desire to be found only in Him, having His righteousness.

To desire above all things to be like Christ and press forward in perseverance to obtain that incorruptible crown.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1989)

“Freely” Genesis 2:16

When the Lord God created our first parents, Adam and Eve, and put them in the garden, he said, “of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.” How I love that word “freely”! This is the first time we find the word “freely” used in the Word of God. What it means here it means everywhere it is used in the Bible.

The word “freely” means without cause, without condition, without qualification, without constraint or coercion. That which is free is uncaused, unconditional, unqualified, unconstrained, uncoerced.

In the beginning, before sin entered into the world, everything was free. Everything God did for and with Adam was free. Every gift, every blessing, every privilege was free. And everything Adam did for and with God was free. He feared no punishment. He sought no reward. He just walked with God, worshipped him, and served him freely, naturally, spontaneously! He never thought of doing otherwise.

When sin entered the world, everything changed. Sin brought law, bondage, and fear. There were only two ways to control sin: death and law. If God did not kill the sinner, he had to control his sin by law, by threatening him with punishment. There is no deterrent to sin, in a natural sense, but law. Yet, law could neither change the sinner nor fully show forth the glory of God.

So grace was revealed! “The law entered, that the offence might abound,” that sin might be seen for what it is, an horrible affront to God, an infinite, vile attack upon God’s right to be God! “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21). Thank God for grace, grace that reigns, grace that reigns through righteousness, grace that reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ!

In grace everything is free! All that God does for and with man is free. And all that regenerate men and women do for and with God is free. This is the basic difference between grace and law. Grace is free. Law is bondage. Grace gives freely. Law rewards or punishes conditionally. Grace is uncaused. The law is caused by sin. Grace moves redeemed men to act freely. Law can motivate only by fear of punishment or hope of reward. Pastor Don Fortner

WHAT EVERY BELIEVER SEES BY FAITH

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9).

"But we see Jesus." How do we see Him? Not by dreams and visions or by the visualization of movies or pictures. Every believer sees the Lord Jesus Christ as Abraham did, by faith, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56). We see Him as He is declared throughout the pages of Holy Scripture, "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). True God-given faith believes the record of Holy Scripture (1Thes. 2:13). Job said, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5). Here are some key points as to how we see the Lord Jesus Christ by faith.

1). We see Him as God our Saviour, incarnate, personified in human flesh, "Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death." We see Him leaving glory and coming to this sin cursed earth "To seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10; Phil. 2:7-9). We see Him as the God-man Mediator working our perfect righteousness by His faithful obedience to the law of God (Matt. 5:17; Heb. 2:15-17).

2). We see the Lord Jesus Christ as the only substitionary sacrifice for sin, "That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (every one for whom He represents). The context of the following verses describes those for whom the Lord Jesus experienced death to put away their sin. “The every man (or the every one)” is a description of His elect in (verse 10-17), known as His: "sons," "sanctified," "brethren," "the church," "children," "seed of Abraham," "the people." Christ died for their sin, not to make their salvation possible but rather to make it certain and eternally secure (Matt. 1:21; Heb. 9:11-12; 10:14-17).