A Guide to Christian Theology - Lesson 41

Okay, let me unpack this new covenant view. And again, there are some things I need to unpack a bit here. One is the difference between a positional that is a member of the family, and the other is a condition, the status of my behavior in the family.

So what I'm going to suggest is that positionally, that I am holy because I'm dedicated to God. And the picture, the definition of holy in scripture is 'dedicated to.' But then coming out of that dedicated to is a getting rid of the things that degrade the relationship and adding the things that enhance the relationship. And that's the progressive, ethical, moral, cleansing.

So when you think of sanctification, there's an initial consecration or dedication or acceptance. "I am a member of the family, and because I'm a member of the family, there are some indicatives that I have." Then coming out of that is the progressive call to ethical and moral conformity to Christ, and that's an ongoing thing.

The distinction of those two is really important.

Let me show you where this comes up.

1 Corinthians 1. Some of the translations come out different ways, but 1 Corinthians 1: "To the church of God in Corinth to those sanctified in Christ Jesus", it says here in the NIV, "Called to be his holy people."

So if you look in some of the translations, it talks about saints in Christ Jesus. So that's the argument. Well, we're consecrated to Christ, so we are accepted in the family. But the second phrase there, we're 'called to be his holy people', that is his Christ-like people, together with people everywhere. So 1 Corinthians 1-2, I think has that distinction. We're positionally in Christ, but we're called to be more Christ-like, and that's the ongoing.

So let me unpack this a bit.

The indicative imperative, which is absolutely foundational to this. The indicative imperative is absolutely foundational.

Now I've got some stuff here.

It's positional, the once and for all definitive dedication to God. That's the consecration. And then conditional, the progressive cleansing from sinful acts and character and deepening love for God and his ways; that's the new covenant view.

So first of all, this is a blank, there is the indicatives, and that's regeneration, justification, [inaudible] of Holy Spirit, is the basis for the imperative, God's encouragement and command to live like Christ.

So indicative, that's the things that are true because I'm a Christian, and that's the basis for the imperative to become Christ-like. And so God encouraged that, but also God commands it. And that's what we're talking about in this new covenant model.

There are absolutely some indicatives. And when I think about those indicatives, I'm thinking about stuff that I've already talked about; justification. I have that new identity as a child of God; regeneration, born again. I have that new heart, I have the [inaudible] Holy Spirit; I have a new community around me. Those are indicatives. That's who we are simply because we're Christian. And we always begin from the indicative.

The imperative, frankly, it's a categorical of Christlike perfection. When I think of Matthew 5:48, I mean, it's an incredible call. Jesus just says, in so many terms, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." You can say, "Well, that's [inaudible]." It's complete true. So be complete. Be a person of integrity. That's what he's calling us for, is to be a person of Christ-like integrity. And it's a categorical command, demand really, for Christ-like perfection.

Hebrews 12:14. Again, I want to get these commands in front of us because they're really important. Hebrews 12:14. Here's what he says. Hebrews 12:14. Look at what it says. Look at what that thing says. Hebrews 12:14: "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. See to it no one falls short of the grace of God, no bitter root grows up and causes trouble and defiles many", and so on.

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. Without holiness, without sanctification, no one will see the Lord." That's a demand, and it's a big demand.

Those commands, Jesus's command to have that kind of integrity that our Father in heaven has, that demand that we pursue holiness, which no one will see God, are very, very strong demands. And there's a lot of places like that, a lot of places like that.

The two come together at passages like Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two. It's a passage we know. Philippians 2, where he's saying here, 2:12, "Therefore my dear friends, you've always obeyed not only in my presence but now much more in my absence. Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

So there's the conflation. On one hand, I'm called to work out my salvation, but always the indicative, "For it's God who works in you to will and to do in order to fulfill his good purpose." That's what we're talking about.

So the imperative always rests on the indicative. I cannot reverse them and I cannot separate them.

The imperative, of course, is not just about the actions that I do, it's the heart relationship with the Father based on my new person and my new identity. And the what I do flows out of who I am.

Gosh, there's so much here I want to do.

Look at one more passage. Ephesians. Ephesians 2 ... Ephesians 5. Ephesians, chapter five, verse eight. One of my 74 life verses. Ephesians 5:8. "For you once were darkness." And that's where we were. "But now you are light in the Lord." And it says, "Live as children of light."

See, the indicative is you are light in the Lord. It's not me by myself, it's me along with the Father, with the Lord. But then the call is, "Live as children of light." So this is saying you are light, therefore live who you are.

So it's calling me to live a life that's consistent with my identity, child of God. And I just can't say it strongly enough is there is a command to do that.

So that's the base new covenant model.

Some [inaudible] Colossians, chapter three. Colossians, chapter three. This whole chapter is unpacking, I think, the new covenant model.

So Colossians, chapter three begins with, "You've been raised with Christ." That's an indicative. "Therefore, set your heart on things above, for Christ is." Set your minds on things above, not an earthly things. So what do I focus on? What do I ponder? What do I let my imagination work through?

And this then becomes a spiritual discipline. The evil flames up in front of me and demands that I look at it. And one of my disciplines is I try not to ponder, look at the grubby, gross stuff of this world any more than I absolutely have to. I want to spend my time and imagination looking at those things that are good, right, true, beautiful, real, and live in those things. Let my imagination be filled of what can be.

[inaudible] talking about, "You died?" Verse three, "Your life is now hidden with Christ", and I think, "I died? I appear to be fairly alive." But see, 'I died' is my adamic life, my darkness life. That's gone. I now live a new life, this life in Christ.

But then he says in verse three, "You died", past fact; verse five, "Put to death." Am I dead or do I got to die? Well, yes. Both. See, that you're dead is I'm dead to that old way of life, the darkness kingdom, the dominion of darkness. I'm alive in the kingdom of Christ. I am light, I'm a child of God. Therefore, put to death everything that belongs to your earthly nature, it says, "Habituated back here in darkness": sexuality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, wrath, envy, malice, slander, filthy language. Those are things of darkness. It doesn't mean all of those are true of every person, but this is the way of darkness.

And the worship of other gods is being very, very narcissistic. It's being very, very violent oriented: "You offend me and I'll take you down." And it's very much [inaudible] indulgence for the sake of self-satisfaction. That's the way of darkness. And he's saying, "Put that off, put on the new thing." And now it's power, but power for the sake of service. It's love your enemy, do good to your enemy, be kind to your enemy, while still pointing out they're enemies, and using focus passions for the sake of relationship.

So the 'put off' is the malice [inaudible] filthy language and so on, lying, because my old self is dead, my old man is dead. And I put on the new man, the identity in Christ.

And then what he says in verse 12, and here it's so important, "Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved", those are identity statements. I am chosen by God. No matter where you come out on the Arminian Calvinist scale, that's still true. I'm chosen by God to be a part of his family, I am wholly dedicated to God, and I'm dearly loved.

Therefore, "Clothe yourself with," and here's some things to add to my life, "Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiving one another, forgiving as the Lord forgave you. Put on love which binds them all together. Let the peace of Christ rule your heart", and so on. These are things I'm called to put on because my deepest desire is I want to be like that.

And see, the thing here, and what I always want to do, is I focus on what I am in my identity, what I want to be in my life. That's the focus because I have this dedication to God and I want to do things that enhance that relationship and stop doing the things that degrade that relationship. And that's a 'want to' thing when I go to the deepest desires in this model of sanctification.

So what I appeal to people in discipleship is what can be that I want to be, and I try to make those connections. And then from that, put off the bad stuff, whatever that is, stupid [inaudible] in my case, put on the good things; blessing people with my words instead of cutting people with my words. That's the new covenant model of sanctification. Always focus on who I am, who I want to be, and therefore, stop doing the bad things and start doing the good things.

So in the handout here, this last sentence here, "Maturity in the family of God depends increasingly on my faithfulness and living out the life he has given me. He gives me his spirit, his body's encouragement to help me do that." So I'm pursuing maturity, which I think is what that Matthew 5:48 just says: "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is." It's maturity.

And my base approach to this ... And I try to think we bring things down to concrete. So let me try this. My thing is, when I'm faced with a temptation, my thing is when I'm faced with a decision, because I think my deepest desires are godly, but I've got really strong ungodly desires, if I stop and think ... See, the Satan thing is, "Just act, just do it", impulsiveness. "You want it? Do it." If I stop and think and then prayerfully connect with Jesus ... Remember I'm a child of God, so I prayerfully connect with him. And I do it in a community of grace, so I reach out to other people who are gracious people where I have a trust relationship; and then do what would make me most deeply happy, I'll almost always do the right thing.

Somebody says, again, there are words to fill in your blanks there.

If I stop and think, and I've got to do that, stop and think, "What is going on here? Lord Jesus, help me. Holy Spirit, show me the way. I need your help right now." Pick up my phone, call a friend, "Hey, I'm facing this thing [inaudible] just as perplexing. Can you help me?" And then stop and think, "What would make me most deeply happy?", I'll almost always do the right thing.

That in very concrete terms is my model of sanctification, because I really believe at heart I want to be like Jesus. That's this new covenant model.

So John Piper is well known for his desiring God. He spent his whole career unpacking this new covenant model of sanctification. And I just applaud him for what he's done. I think he's spot on with the way he does things in this whole model of sanctification. Because based on 'I really do want to' as opposed to 'I am a redeeming, sinful, get me out of the way, I have no righteous of my own', we have increasingly Christ-like maturity, it seems to me. But my deepest desire is godly.

So if I stop and think, prayerfully connect with Jesus, connect out with other grace-filled Christians to help me, and do what would make me most deeply happy, I'll almost always do the right thing. That's the model of sanctification that I work on. That's the base of the model of discipleship I work on. And I think at the end of the day, I will do things increasingly that are Christ-like and deeply satisfying.

Just a test case. You're doing something, say you've prepared a teaching or something like that, and somebody comes up and says, "Man, that was great. That just was so helpful for me. Thanks for doing that", what do you say to him? You were kind of like, "Well, thank God. That was him," or something like that.

But see, if you have this new covenant model of sanctification, when somebody thanks you for doing well, what you should do is say something like, "Ah, yeah, that was so fun to be able to serve Jesus like that. I just love doing this for Jesus. I'm glad it was helpful for you too."

See, and the thing is, don't take credit for the indicatives. Don't take credit for the indicatives, the stuff that God did to you. Don't take credit for that stuff. But yes, do take credit for what I do.

So in The Parable of Talents, for example, he gives some money and says, "Go do business." And when they come back and your five talents made five more, Jesus doesn't say, "Well, I'm glad for what I did." He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant. [inaudible] of your master."

I think we should take credit in a humble sense, to be sure, but not for what God does, but for what I do, and, "Thanks. I was able to serve with Jesus, and it's fun, I love it."

See, that, to me, is the reality of the new covenant of sanctification.