Drawing the Curtains...(Now What? Series Part VII)

October 7, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22.

The common mistakes that those who “underdo” make in their walk with God are due in large part to their attempts to become a Christian on their own. They try to tackle sin alone, they read the Bible without asking for the Spirit’s guidance, and they isolate scripture to back up their position. However, God never intended for us to do anything alone, and that is why He sent the Holy Spirit to us. The repercussions of their actions can be severe, and are evidence of their inability to see the magnitude of Jesus sacrifice.

First of all, God’s gift to us of forgiveness should not be taken for granted. For example, imagine you invested a lot of time and money into picking out a gift for your child, and knowing they have not taken care of gifts before, you tell them not to damage it. However, they do not listen and they destroy the gift. Although you would forgive them, you feel hurt, ignored, and as if your sacrifice and generosity were taken for granted. Likewise, our sin hurts God. “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” Genesis 6:6.

Second, the underdoer is showing a refusal to trust in God to help them overcome the things they do not want to do with the Spirit’s guidance. The Spirit that was so powerful in the Holy of Holies that if sin encountered Him or anyone looked upon Him they would die, now lives within believers because Jesus shed human blood. The magnitude of that event should be enough not to use it as an excuse to go out on our own knowing we will be forgiven. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Hebrews 10:26-27.

Third, the idea that we do not have to answer for what we do is false. Once we committed to Christ, each of us individually became a part of the “Body of Christ”, and our membership in that body does not make us immune from judgment. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10.

If you are a believer who is walking out on your own, you are putting your own will ahead of God’s, but you are forgetting that you are held to a higher standard. "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:47-48.

Fourth, God wants us to repent for our sins. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. Repent means we turn back from what we are sorry for, thus it is more than an apology, it is an action of showing God that we truly mean what we say. For example, when you tell your child not to do something and they tell you they are “sorry”, but they do it over and over anyway only to repeatedly say “sorry”, you are less likely to believe that they are truly sorry for what they have done.

God’s power of forgiveness is greater than we could ever imagine, and has reached the worst of sinners. One famous example is seen in the well known Bible story of the woman who was going to be stoned for adultery. We are told what Jesus said to those who were going to stone her. “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7.

What many forget is what Jesus also said to the woman. “Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:10-11. Jesus let her know she was forgiven, but He also told her to leave her life of sin. The meaning we should walk away with is that we should quit doing what we are sorry for, and the Holy Spirit will help us do so.

When Jesus died, the veil or curtain that separated us from being able to access God’s Spirit in the Temple in Jerusalem was torn down and now God’s Spirit could live within believers. The Holy Spirit has specific ways of guiding us and changing us (to be discussed in a future part to this series). The bottom line is that God tore down that curtain to give us access to Him so that we could be transformed and avoid sin and its consequences, but the “underdoer” hangs that curtain back up so that they can do what they wish.

The end result is that they walk down their own path only to reach a dead end, and question why God did not help them. The answer to that question is obvious. What many people do not understand is how our own obedience affects the timing of God’s response.

The reality is that no matter how many curtains we hang so we can do as we wish,

God can see through them.

**Part VIII of the "Now What?" Series will discuss the other path people walk on their own instead of staying on God's path, the "overdoer".