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Die or Conquer!

Christians are called to Holiness

The Christian believer ought to walk in holiness and purity, everyday. There ought to be in us a passion, a burning desire, to see our lives conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That means that we must fight against the abiding corruption of our flesh -- against our sin, against the wicked ways in which we live.

My historical hero George Whitefield, writing in his private journals, once documented a period shortly after his conversion where he fell into massive temptations and heavy conviction of sin. He wrote the following:

"God only knows how many nights I have lain upon my bed groaning under the weight I felt, and bidding Satan to depart from me in the name of Jesus. Whole days and weeks have I spent lying prostrate on the ground and begging for freedom from those proud hellish thoughts that used to crowd in upon and distract my soul. But God made Satan drive out Satan; for these thoughts and suggestions created such a self-abhorrence within me that I never ceased wrestling with God, till He blessed me with a victory over them. Self-love, self-will, pride and envy, so buffeted me in their turns, that I was resolved either to die or to conquer."

(George Whitefield's Journals, Banner of Truth Trust, 1960, Pg. 52)

Our beloved brother George here reveals to us insight and wisdom that comes from above. Christian believer, I challenge you with great boldness: is your attitude to the fight against sin spoken of in the terms of 'Die or Conquer'?

We're dealing here with what the old writers, the Puritans especially, called 'the mortification of sin'. Mortification means 'putting to death'. We're dealing with the putting to death of sin. This article is about addressing attitudes and tactics we should possess in the war against our old way of life. So without further ado, let's dive in.

"What do you mean 'God is dead'!? The Lord reigns!!" - Martin Luther

This was said by Martin Luther. After a particularly fiery period of trial in the eminently painful life of the German reformer, Luther had fallen into a somewhat characteristic period of spiritual and emotional depression. One morning, his long-suffering wife Katherine (affectionately called 'Katie' by many today) entered the dining room at breakfast time, dressed all in black, as if mourning. Looking up, Luther's face sank. "Who died, now?", the Reformer wearily said. "God did.", Katie replied soberly. Luther was momentarily stunned. But then, in a fit of anger, he slammed his fist upon the table and cried aloud, "What do you mean 'God is dead'!? The Lord reigns!!". Katie, pausing only briefly, then replied, "Then why don't you act like it?"

Such is the life of the Christian believer. So often, we live and act if sin were upon the throne; as if we ourselves were the Master of our Eternity - we let our flesh sit in the place of God, and dictate to us how to act and how to behave. Paul, speaking on this issue in Romans chapter 6 says,

"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Rom. 6:11-14

Paul is making this comment in light of the fact that we have been united with Christ in His resurrection. Now of course this hasn't been fully realised yet; it won't until we ourselves receive our resurrection bodies that are like His (1 Cor. 15:47-49), but the power of His resurrection, in conquering sin and death, is available to us because we have been united to Him (Gal. 2:20, Phil. 3:10). This is a truth often underplayed, because if allowed to run a mock, this truth without it's balancing teaching of our abiding corruption, and inability to attain perfection, can lead to a triumphalism that makes sanctification a work of man, and not a work of God's Grace. But, nevertheless, this truth must be stated, and stated well. You and I, Christian believer, currently possess everything we need to fight the good fight of the faith. We have the Word, and the Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, and the power of His resurrection, and we thus possess the capabilities to experience real and genuine victory over habitual sins in this life. This must be stated, and understood, and burned onto the underside of our eyelids. We in reformed circles particularly, because of our desire to protect the doctrines of total inability and total depravity, have been guilty of minimizing the power of the empty tomb in the spiritual warfare of the believer. Remember - Christians are NOT totally depraved. We have been set free from our depravity in part, and thus fight it - we are not dead in our transgressions and sins, we have been raised together with Christ (Eph. 2:1-5). Dead men don't fight! Dead men lie there, and do nothing, because they're dead and that's all that they are able to do! But we are now in a battle; and though the fight may be fierce, and long, and cause us to tremble, yet we already stand the victors - Christ has won the day! Christ has won the war! Jesus Christ has overcome the power of the world, the flesh and the devil and has released us from bondage to sin and decay - once we were dry ones, and He alone new if we could live; but now, we have been raised from dust to a mighty army, fighting valiantly and bearing the Cross as our banner.

So there's the attitude part. What about the tactics?

"Chess is 99% tactics!" - Richard Teichmann

I like to play a little chess in my spare time. My friend Tim and I probably play upwards of four times a week, maybe more. I once read this quote on the website that we use to play, and it got me thinking.

In Chess, there is a difference between 'Strategy' and 'Tactics'. The former is an overall plan that you aim for, your desired result (obviously being checkmate) achieved in a certain way. 'Tactics' are all the techniques, manoeuvres, attacks, traps and moves you employ step by step in order to achieve your strategy.

The Christian life is similar to this, but a little different. Firstly, there's no doubt in the Christian life about whether we're going to get checkmate or not; the victory has already been pronounced, and Jesus moved the final piece into place at the Resurrection. However, the other aspect is like this; although we know that Jesus has checkmated the world, the flesh, and the devil, and that we in Him are victorious, right now we've got the pieces set before us unmoved. And in order to see that victory with our own eyes, we are going to have move the pieces ourselves.

Jesus has left us much in the way of instruction on how to play the Chess game of sanctification. I trust I don't have to teach you that sanctification, though a work of God, is not something passive, it is actively experienced. We still need to avail ourselves of the best moves possible. And from the outset, it can look like there's no hope. Our opponent Lucifer is wily, and crafty, and a far more skilful player than any other in all creation. He knows the ins and outs and his own tactics are formidable, and he executes them with terrifying precision. But, if we stick to the instructions the great Chess Grand Master left us, we will soon see our position advancing and the enemy's pieces being captured, one by one.

I'm talking here about means of Grace. Things that we can actually do, that will give us access to particular pockets of God's sustaining Grace in our Christian walk. Here is a list of a few that spring to my mind.

The Sacraments

A sacrament, I define as "a God ordained and instituted ceremony or occasion, that we are commanded to obey and fulfil to His glory." I believe there, in the Christian life, two sacraments. The first is baptism. With all respect to my Lutheran and Presbyterian friends, I believe under God, that baptism is to be performed upon those whom have themselves repented of sin and trusted in the Lord Jesus, as a free gift of God's Grace, and that it is to be by full immersion in water. The second sacrament is the Lord's Supper, the breaking and consuming of bread and the drinking of wine, so as to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His broken body and shared blood on our behalf.

Now, I don't go along with transubstantiation, which teaches that the bread and wine actually and physically become the body and blood of Jesus - to do such would be to deny His true Humanity, as He would then have been consumed by millions of people, and His body would have to have been killed and destroyed within just a few weeks of His ascension. I equally reject consubstantiation, which teaches that Christ is "in, with and under" the physical elements themselves. I believe that bread and wine are just that; bread and wine. They are symbols for historical realities.

I do however believe that both of these sacraments are themselves ways in which God impart His Grace to us. His Grace is not some kind of mystical energy imputed into us, it is undeserved kindness. Both of these things, baptism and the Lord's Supper, remind us of the things that Christ has already done for us, and stir us up to thankfulness and worship afresh, and thus remind us, and give us greater grasp of God's Grace.

Prayer

The act of praying, both encouraged and commanded in the scripture (Rom. 12:12) is the act of purposefully conveying a message, request, expression of praise or otherwise to God. I borrow that definition somewhat from John Piper's sermon "Pray Like This: Hallowed by Your Name", which you can get hold of at http://www.desiringgod.org/ and I recommend that you do so.

Praying is a necessary discipline of the Christian life, believer. There's no excuse for making time to take care of your body by eating, and take care of your family by working, but not take care of your soul by praying. Also, we ought to be massively God-centred in our praying, so that it is an act of worship, and thus a means of God's grace, rather than merely dry, rote memorization and repetition, which can quickly become vain.

Prayer is the pulling of the trigger in the war against sin. There's an old hymn that says, "Satan trembles when he sees, the weakest saint upon his knees." We're only ever as strong as our prayer life, for active dependence upon God finds it's best expression is passionate prayer, that leads to faith expressing itself in love.

Personal study of the Scriptures

The Scriptures are the place where God primarily and foremostly makes His will known to us. Not in any kind of mystical way, or by means of divination, but by the plain and clear teaching of the Bible. One theologian prayed, "Lord, give us eyes to see your Word... not because it is unclear, but because we are sinful." Coming to the Bible everyday is essential to your Christian walk, for in it you hear the voice of God, sounding from Heaven, in all sorts of ways. In the Bible, we find the revealed will of God for our life, our holiness, our doctrine and our practice, and the Bible ought very much to be the centre piece of our communion with God, coupled closely with prayer.

Sung Worship

Besides singing to God being a command and encouragement in scripture (Eph. 5:18-21), it is a massive means of Grace. Most, if not all of the Psalms, are designed to be sung by the people of Israel. The NT contains many samples of early church hymns. God is said to be enthroned upon His people's praises (Ps. 22:3).

My experience has very much been that singing, as a God-ordained and commanded experience, has been blessing to my soul. Tunes help us to remember things, and music can often express the burdens of our souls in ways that plain words cannot; as the Spirit of God groans in us (Rom. 8:26). Let all God's people join together and sing to the Lord - that we may be encouraged, built up and blessed. (Ps. 9:2).

Preaching

The Bible makes it very clear that God gives to His Church people with gifts of teaching, so that the body may be built up (Eph. 4:11-12). It's almost insulting your intelligence to tell you this, but I'll just make the point anyway. God has ordained that the church be a place where we each receive instruction, privately and publicly (Acts 5:42), so that our understanding of God and His Word is deepened. We need to both privately study the Word, and be taught it by men who are anointed by God for the task; men like Ezra. (Ezra 7:10).

Fellowship

Always God save a people. Rarely are there examples of singular individuals being the main covenant-holders with God in the scriptures, He primarily deals with large groups of people whom He calls together. The Church is no different; in fact, it is the ultimate fulfilment of the fact. God has called for Himself a multitude no-man can number (Rev. 7:9). And we are called to meet (Heb. 10:25), pray together (Matt. 6:9), and be in unity in such a way that we can be likened to a single body (1 Cor. 12:15-21). It is in the context of the church that God gives us most, if not all, of our growth in Him. We are not islands in the sea of the purposes of God - we are one single mainland, upon which He is building a temple (Eph. 2:20-22).

Evangelism

I don't believe that everyone is called to be a street preacher; nor do I believe everyone is called to be a full-time evangelist; but I believe that evangelism, and witnessing to the truth of the Gospel, is the responsibility of all Christians together. We are all called to be ready to give an answer when questioned about our faith (1 Pet. 3:15), and the great commission falls to the Church as a whole down the ages (Matt. 28:19-20).

I have found that in the process of defending and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to others, my conviction of it's truth and certainty have increased. When I hear all the foolish reasons that unbelievers have to come up, and all the stupid jokes they have to make, in order to escape the plain truth of the Gospel, doubts fly from me like Law Grace Radio shows from Jason's mouth. God has a special grace He gives us in this service, and I commend it to you.

Charity and Service

The Christian believer is called to follow Christ, in His example of being a servant (Mk. 10:44-45). The church of God ought to abound with great liberality in it's giving of it's time, money and energy, to those less fortunate than themselves. I am not a rich man, but I make sure that I set time aside to go into York, and feed the poor, and read the scriptures to them. It costs little; only money that will fade away and die, and time that will be redeemed in the age to come. Christian, it's not difficult to go up to a poor beggar, and ask him if he'd like something to eat, or a hot drink, or just someone to talk to. Give him your time, and you will find that these souls are hungry ones, and you can read to them John chapter 6, to teach them about the bread of Life. I exhort you, know God in this way - for God dwells not in the halls of the religious and righteous, but with the poor, and the needy, and destitute, and the single mums, and the broken-hearted and the weary. These souls have been humbled in the providence of God - proclaim to them the year of the Lord's favour.

Well, my conclusion is this:

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we'll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

• John H. Sammis, 1887

Your Servant in the Lord Jesus,

Arron

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