Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear people.

We presently have 6 grandkids here at once. There has been a to-do over a little baby swallow that fell out or was booted out of a birdhouse nest. I just set up Zane with a fishing pole to see if he could catch something in the creek. We did a Bible lesson after breakfast…attempting to counter the near constant selfishness with some Biblical concepts. Whew!

I have a commitment to have the roof in place on that mural frame by this evening. Hope I can pull off putting it on. This weather is presenting complications to the plan. But having just said that, and after spending a little time dealing with a crowd of kids that came into the studio, suddenly some sunlight burst forth. I’ll take that!

Blessings on your day. Love, Dad/Ray.

Concerning the practical details of living to please God and doing His will, you will never find a better passage of advice and instruction than this brief one between verses 1 and 12. That being the case, it could be a very positive pursuit for any serious disciple to commit this passage to memory. It has always been, and always will be, a vital standard of practical godliness to hide His Word in our hearts that we might not sin against His design (Psalm 119:11). Such a discipline helps us to prevent being infected by the dirty moral and spiritual bacteria of this world’s thinking and provide substantial ongoing victory over the universal infection of sin. It can also help us avoid being a “Christian heathen” (see verse 5) who has an outward “form of godliness” (2 Timothy 3:5) but produces a kind of fruit that is not much different from that of an unbeliever. Paul is telling us here that the sure way to avoid this kind of condition is to NOT be coasting and satisfied with how we’ve been doing, but to continue to pay even more careful attention to the principles and precepts of godliness, stretching ourselves to DO THIS MORE AND MORE. I take that to mean that there is no safe room for leisure—that we should reach higher, dig deeper, and become increasingly more intense in our objective to please God—and nurture godly passion—at least don’t allow slacking off.

Paul stresses here that “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (verse 3. See also 5:23 and 1 Peter 1:2). Sanctification means to be made holy, to be separate from the world, to be free from any bondage to sin, and to gladly seek and serve God. Let us understand clearly that this is not a condition created only by God independent of man’s participation. Quite the contrary. God has designed that your sanctification be achieved only by means of a sacred partnership—you with Him. Oh, yes, “we are saved by grace.” But saving grace is an elusive rainbow apart from the substance of good works. “Faith (i.e., saving grace) without works is dead” (James 2:26). (I suggest you use a concordance and do a listing of New Testament emphasis given to “good works.”)

I can absolutely guarantee that you will NEVER be a seriously-weakened believer if you can lay hold of a life (attitudes and actions) that prioritize pleasing God—and will DO THIS MORE AND MORE. Just be aware that this is also a guaranteed prescription in the other direction if you do this LESS AND LESS.