When working out, there are certain signs that imply someone is serious about getting in shape. Here are a few signals that indicate to me someone is commited in the gym: hiring a personal trainer, consistency of attendance, intensity of effort (more working than talking), and new workout attire. According to the Bible, there are many indicators that prove we love God and are His children. Some of them include: His Spirit living in us and obedience to His commands (1 John 3:24), loving one another (1 John 4:12), acknowledging Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 4:15), and the fruit we bear (Matthew 7:16-23, John 15:1-8). Another powerful criterion of sonship with God is discipline. Hebrews 12:8 says, "If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
Receiving discipline from God, as much as anything else, marks us as true children. It makes sense. There are only two people I discipline on a daily basis. Their names are Josiah and Ethan. And guess what, they are my sons. Hebrews 12:9-10 says, "Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it (not true anymore in the 21st century). How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! (10) Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness." There are two main reasons I discipline my sons--love and Christlikeness. This leads to the second benefit of discipline--perfection.
Hebrews 12:2 says, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Not only is Jesus the author of our faith, He is also the perfecter of it. I am going to go ahead and say it. I can't take it anymore! I have to get it off my chest! God's goal for us is perfection!!! He expects us to be just like Jesus. 1 John 1:5-6 says, "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we live in him: (6) Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. When we believe this truth, 1 John 3:2-3 tells us how we should respond as the children of God. It says, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (3) Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. I will say it again--God expects us to be like Jesus. Go ahead, pick up your stone. I know this sounds blasphemous to much of the body of Christ. But before you throw, let's define perfection and look at some more scriptures.
By perfection, I mean to be complete and mature, to accomplish the goal or purpose. The Greek word for perfect in Colossians 1:28 is teleios. The teleios is one who has attained his moral end, the goal for which he was intended, namely, to be a person obedient in Christ. When used in a moral sense, referring to God's expectation of us, completely blameless. In James 1:4, "that you may be perfect" means that you may not be morally lacking. In Hebrews 12:2 the word for perfecter is teleiotes meaning what achieves its goal. A completer, perfecter, one who brings something through to the goal so as to win and receive the prize. What an awesome truth that the devil does not want us to understand. This truth is Jesus!!! The perfect sacrifice for our sins. The perfect person to give us his spirit and a new nature. And Jesus is the perfecter of our faith here on earth. Because he lives in us, should we be anything less than perfect? Hold on, don't throw yet, I still have more scripture.
1 John 3:7,9 says, "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. (9) No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. Do we have to sin? Is Christ's redemption and reconciliation for man on the cross final? Don't we have a new nature when we are born again? Apostle Paul had a certain desire for the saints of God at both Colosse and Corinth. In Colossians 1:28 he wrote, "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 13:11, as part of his final greetings, he exhorts the church to aim for perfection. Why would Apostle Paul have such a high expectation if it were not possible? Perfection is possible in and through Jesus. I trust you have put down your stone and not shut off your computer.
Here is a great illustration on how perfection and righteous behavior is a normal expectation of life. Author Max Lucado writes: All of us occasionally do what is right. A few predominately do what is right. But do any of us always do what is right? According to Paul we don't. "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10, NKJV).Some may beg to differ. "I'm not perfect, Max, but I'm better than most folks. I've led a good life. I don't break the rules. I don't break hearts. I help people. I like people. Compared to others, I think I could say I'm a righteous person." I used to try that on my mother. She'd tell me that my room wasn't clean, and I'd ask her to go with me to my brother's room. His was always messier than mine. "See, my room is clean; just look at his."
It never worked. She'd walk me down the hall to her room. When it came to tidy rooms, my mom was righteous. Her closet was just right. Her bed was just right. Her bathroom was just right. Compared to hers, my room was, well, just wrong. She would show me her room and say, "This is what I mean by clean." God does the same. He points to himself and says, "This is what I mean by righteousness." May we continue to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and in doing so become just like Him. Stay tuned for part three on the discipline of God.
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