It doesn't matter who we think we are; it is of no importance. Mom, when I was a child, as she angered, often asked, "Who do you think you are?" I found that amusing at the time but now maybe Mom had a point! Am I who I think I am, or am I some thing else? In order to evaluate my existence, I must know myself.
Who am I? Who are you? It depends on whether we are honest with ourselves as to whether we know ourselves. We must analyze our will, our thoughts, our genetics, and our behaviors with truth! We are a composite of many factors. We need to look at those and answer questions truthfully.
I am a Christian. As such, I am expected to behave as such. I started to write act as such but acting has no place in Christianity. Jesus called the Pharisees - very good actors, "vipers". Christian posers are snakes. We all find ourselves sometimes posing as Christians although Christ is far from our thoughts, and even further from our lifestyles. Pleasure usually takes precedent over trust for a reason: pleasure is more fun than obedience. We must question our motives - do we Christians obey to cancel out pleasure, or is it because we love what God did for us? Before we know ourselves, we must first know God because the Law of Sin - authored by Satan, is knowing the Devil's will better than God's - the Law of God.
The Law of Sin is essentially hatred. Adam and Eve didn't sin because they hated God but because they hated the Law of God. It seems that mankind still portends to love God but not the Law of God. We do what is right in our own eyes. That summarizes the Law of Sin because we fail to do the Law of God - love Him and love others. Disregarding both God and others, mankind tends to love themselves, and essentially are "the other gods besides God."
Therefore, knowing yourself is foremost; you are your own god. You may not have known that before but now you do! Your unknown god is now known - he is you. However, in Acts 17, Paul proclaimed the Unknown God - that is not you! Like Mom used to say, "Who do you think you are? You may think that you're a Christian but you may in actuality be an unknown god. Being born-again is realizing who you really are, and that your god is powerless. It's not re-entering anyone's womb but entering your own mind. The new birth is when you see the light/Light - you are your own god but powerless to save yourself from eternal dying! As such, your thoughts must be changed. You must quit thinking that you can save yourself, and start facing reality - the real you is powerless and damned without trusting the Known God!
You think you know yourself? Have you truly been born-again? Before reading this commentary, many of you never knew what being born-again means? After all, Nicodemus knew scripture, and even talked to Jesus Himself, but he had no idea what being born-again meant! (John 3:4).
If you've read my commentary, and I admit it - I'm Arminian in doctrine, not because of Jacobus Arminius, but because of Holy Scripture. People say "I'm saved!" with jubilation, when they should be saying, "I'm born again!" They haven't suffered the crowning moment when their spiritual gestation ends with seeing the Light. Realizing that they are powerless, but the shed blood of Jesus is not, and is that Light. The new birth is when the person is enlightened with the Light of Jesus! (John 3:21).
Rather than depending on God's self-sacrifice for us, we still at most endeavor to save ourselves by believing. Believing is a good and essential thing, but trust and change are paramount. Do you really know yourself? The answer to your self-evaluation: "Am I a Christian?" goes much further than belief. For that you may be only as smart as a demon! (James 2:19).
In all honesty, when you sin, do you try to balance it out by a certain number of days of not sinning? I do that; you do too! We are the Stoics in philosophy of which Paul spoke in Acts 17. (More on the Stoics and Epicureans tomorrow.) Your god is an unknown god, and you really don't know the Known God! He wants your love, not your act(ions)! Seeking salvation by good works is as filthy rags to God. (Isaiah 64:6). If you truly know yourself, you know that you try to work for your salvation!
It is righteous to do good works. No one denies that, but you must know yourself! Why do you do good? Is it because you want to cancel out sins, or is it because you love God? The verse which supports the latter is John 14:21. Enthusiastic obedience is a show of love to Jesus who died in our place! The key word is enthusiastic. Like the cheerful giver of tithes and offerings (2 Corinthians 9:7), we must be cheerful givers of our obedience in general. Cheerful obedience is true love of God! Is that your attitude? If it is, you may be born-again. If you fail to obey or do so for divine credit, you must evaluate your divine safety!
It seems that there are things we must do in order to be saved! It's still by grace that we can even do, but indeed we must "work out our salvation" (Philippians 2:12). That is the focal point of this commentary - know yourself. You need to understand why you believe and do certain things, and then start doing what you know that you should do!
Self-examination is asking yourself, "Have I really changed?" To live for eternity, we all must answer that truthfully. Jesus is "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6), and we must seek Him in truth! Go for it! That requires honest introspection. Your eternity depends on examining your new person you're supposed to be, and comparing him or her to your old person (2 Corinthians 5:7).
You cannot be perfect but you must pursue Christian perfection! That is not doing your will but God's will! I try not to judge harshly but I can't close my eyes to what I see. I see in myself at times a poser. I act like I'm a Christian but my mind is still in the dark. Darkness is transformed when we walk toward the light. By studying God's Word, and using it, is how we stop the acting and live instead in honesty. If I am an actor at times, there are surely others who act all the time!
It's easy to stop outward sins. Those are behaviors. However, if Christians cannot clean-up what others can see, have they cleaned up the inside which only God can see? Those who love Jesus, will circumcise their hearts - giving up the inner flesh. Those are the things of the mind.
"Do you love me Peter?" Jesus asked that three times. The answer to that is "Obey my commands!" Ask yourself the same question: "Do you love Him, me?" That is the question which you must answer. Do you know yourself? Peter denied Jesus three times, and when the cock crowed twice, as Jesus predicted, Peter denied him thrice. You deny Christ continually if you act a Christian but live for yourselves.
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