Rusted Old Plane

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:” (Colossians 2:6)

Perhaps the most common error we make as born-again believers, is to deviate from the path of simple faith in God’s word. Which means we are drawn aside to follow some rabbit trail in pursuing some unbiblical way of living this new life.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia he said, “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3)

Most pastors and leaders who teach from this passage miss the point. Kind of like missing the forest for the trees. 

They focus on the Pharisees and try to make some parallel between the Pharisees and modern “strict” Christians. Or they try to show how the pursuit of love (supposedly proven by our kind works) is better than those who focus on truth or biblical faithfulness.

Or some other “Christian” principle that advances the same old errors that are killing us spiritually. 

Many Forms of False Works

The real message here is that we cannot live the Christian life. Which means that we cannot perform the things which the scriptures command us to do. (Romans 5-7)

But most who teach from the above introductory passage simply trade off one form of dead works for another. 

For example, one church may focus on holiness.

And another on a very strict lists of do’s and don’ts.

Another focuses on “love”. As in loving one another. Which is characterized by “kindness” and “tolerance” and all kinds of nice ways to treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Which they call “living in love”.

Or “putting skin on gospel”.

Another teaches that there is a “call to a new form of Christianity” that focuses on servanthood. Exemplified by being a good worker in the church. Working for the Youth ministries. Or “doing the hard things” to serve each other. Or to participate in the ministries where we reach out to the local communities or to the world in some form of service.

It’s About What We Believe 

However, to walk in the same way that “we received”, is to walk by faith. Meaning we have to go deep into God’s word to know His truth. To know Him. Which is how faith is created. 

Which is about what we believe. What we believe about what God has said in His word. 

We are not called to be a Martha. We are called to be a Mary. As in sitting at Jesus’ feet. 

But this does not set well with the leaders of our churches. They are busy, like Martha, putting together programs and goals and initiatives for whatever causes are currently popular in Evangelical culture; instead of deeply teaching and building up their congregation in the word of God. 

They have forgotten to feed His sheep. And, instead, are focused on keeping the sheep busy. 

Which really, when you think about it, reveals their true attitudes toward their own congregations. As in having a disdain for the people sitting in the pews. Because many of their people are not keen on all the contemporary Christian crap they are subjected to. Or are not busy “doing justice”. Or being “all in” with the ministries that these leaders are pushing. 

In stark contrast to our leaders, we must walk by faith. And that is only possible as we are dependent on the word of God – deeply dependent.   

What is the Source of the Fruit? 

Only true faith can produce truly good works in our lives. And by faith, I mean our confidence in Christ Himself.

Only as we are dependent on Him and His working, will we see anything good produced in our lives. We cannot strive for this or practice Christian disciplines to produce these good things. 

Such efforts are simply examples of dedicated Christian flesh.

The works produced by such efforts are carnal fruits – regardless of their appearances or results. They are things that we have produced by our own efforts instead of the Lord doing those things in and through us by His Spirit. 

“What shall we do to work the works of God?“

We have become a church obsessed with outward manifestations of one form or another.

Whether we are looking for some sensational “gifts of the Spirit”, or for lives demonstrating great “holiness”, or “humility”, or some form of outward great love and sacrifice, or whatever else we decide will be a proof of the Lord’s dwelling within us. 

We have been deceived into thinking that we can prove our faith by our works. But only the Lord can really do that. The works are His and not ours.

And yet our churches continue to preach from the famous “works” passage from the book of James taking it out of context. Causing believers to struggle to be what only the Lord can be IN THEM.  

We brought nothing into this Christian life except our desperate need for Christ. 

And we began this new life in Him by believing in His promise of salvation. Believing that He is our salvation when He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6) 

And now, after we have been born again, in the same way we have nothing in ourselves that we can bring to the table in order to do the works of God.

We must be just as totally dependent upon Him to build Christ within us and to manifest Himself through us as at that moment when we first came to Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and for salvation.

When we came to Him alone, by faith alone, according to the word of God alone. 

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay