Tag Archives: body of Christ

Birthright

April 22, 2014Uncategorizedaccess to God, birthright, body of Christ, faith, forgiveness, freedom, God the Father, God's family, grace, Holy Spirit, Justification, peace, resurrectionDarby Coss Williams

In modern America, we don’t usually think much about birthrights or inherited blessings. The vast majority of us do not expect to inherit from our relatives anything of significant value. Occasionally one of us will inherit an item of sentimental value, important to the beneficiary but usually a trinket or tool or book of little value to anyone else. We don’t think about an inheritance that we can use as leverage or exchange for something else of value to us.

Genesis tells us about Jacob and Esau, and Esau’s infamous barter of his birthright for a bowl of stew.

“…and Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.’ Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ Esau said, ‘Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?’ And Jacob said, ‘First swear to me’; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.” Genesis 25:30-33

The Hebrew birthright in the Patriarchal age was a right of tremendous importance. Usually given to the firstborn son, the birthright consisted of a double portion of the father’s personal property; designation as head of the family entailing responsibility for all common family property and for all remaining members of the household such as widows, younger brothers and unmarried sisters; and, authority over extended family members. The birthright also included receiving the blessing which put the beneficiary in close covenant relationship with Yahweh Himself.

This makes me wonder what my birthright in Christ is. I received the blessing of covenant relationship with God Himself when I was baptized into the body of Christ. I was born again of the Spirit and such a birth brings me a birthright.

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us, richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:5-7

“…we would be made heirs…” My right of birth into God’s family is to be an heir to eternal life. I don’t have to stand in line for it, I don’t have to wait for an older sibling to die to acquire it, I cannot buy it. It was conferred on me when I was born of the Spirit. My birthright.

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ ” John 3:5

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. …And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:26, 27, 29

If I am an heir to the riches of heaven, what does that mean to me here and now? Are the only benefits of being a child of God relegated to the spiritual realm I will live in after I leave behind the bag of bones I currently carry around?

Only in Christ, I have this birthright today and forever:

Peace with God–I am reconciled to Him. My debt to Him is paid in full by the blood of His Son. I stand as a citizen of Heaven, now, today. Ephesians 2:13-16

Justification before God–On my record, there is no mark of deficiency. In God’s eyes this day, He sees me as His child of promise. I pass the test. I win the race. Today. Romans 5:18, 19

Complete and enduring forgiveness–There is no record of my wrongs. No sin can be attributed to me. Once forgiven, He has no memory of my offenses. Ever. No matter what. Ephesians 1:7-9

Acceptance into God’s family–I am His child, sister to the Son of God. I am no more AND NO LESS important than any of my siblings. No matter where I come from, where I have been or what I have done. Complete and total acceptance through Jesus’ cleansing blood. Ephesians 2:19-22

Freedom from the slavery to sin and self—No longer my will, but only His will. I am no longer driven by a lifestyle that leads only to destruction. I know the futility of living life without promise, of trying to see what is real through a haze of distractions. In Christ I hold ownership to blessed outcomes and a meaningful journey. By the end, He will make everything right, nothing will be wasted. Romans 6:11

Resurrection–Yes, resurrection when Jesus returns, but also resurrection every day. Each day is a new day. Forgiveness through His grace allows me to start over, again and again, as many times as I need, cleansed and whole, each and every time. God’s forgiveness is limited only by my repentance. God’s supply of forgiveness is limitless. Whatever I need, no matter how much I need. I get to start over, always, until this life ends. Romans 6:1-7

Direct access to God–God is MY Father. I pray to Him. I serve Him. His Spirit indwells ME. His begotten Son pleads MY case before Him. MY relationship to Him is personal, intimate and priceless. Ephesians 2:17, 18

Genesis 25:34 says that Esau despised his birthright, counted it as nothing of importance, when he sold it to Jacob for a meal.

Do I ever despise my birthright? Do I ever trade it for what makes me feel happy, excited, loved, satiated, or proud in any given moment? Do I ever treat my inheritance in Christ as if it were of no importance to me? Do I listen to Satan’s whispers that tell me God didn’t really mean what He said when He said I would surely die? When he tells me God doesn’t really love me? Do I trade God’s truth that brings me blessings now and forever for lies that only rob me of what is rightfully mine in Christ?

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Oh, How He Loves Me!

December 13, 2013Uncategorizedbody of Christ, bride, Christ, God, God's love, Good Shepherd, grief, groom, heavenly Father, Jesus, marriage, The ChurchDarby Coss Williams

Two years ago, my husband of nearly thirty years died from brain cancer. He was fifty-two years old and otherwise healthy. The summer before his diagnosis he was hiking mountains with his work buddies, although he had been suffering for several years from the effects of the growing tumor in his brain that we didn’t know about. By God’s grace, he survived two and a half years after his diagnosis, giving us time to wrap our heads around the possibility that he and I were not going to grow old together. It was two and a half years of near constant trauma, though. Treatments, side effects, heartache and physical deterioration took a toll on him and me and our grown children. I had never before known the kind of heartache I felt from watching him suffer and from losing him in death. I hope I never experience it again, not that way, not that deeply. My heart broke and calcified as I watched him take his last breaths. I had no sense that angels were near, only utter devastation. God made sure I was not alone in that moment, but it was the loneliest moment I ever experienced.

The most difficult part of my healing process has been the spiritual part. I challenged every promise of God’s I knew. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) “God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God…” (Romans 8:28) By God’s great grace, He wrestled with me through every challenge I threw at Him and showed me what were truths and what were lies. One challenge that persists in spite of my tremendous healing concerns His promise that He has endured every temptation that I endure.

“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:17, 18

In order for God’s great plan for my redemption to work, Jesus had to be made like me ‘in all things.’ But, Jesus lived life on this earth as a single man. He never married. He, as a human being, did not have a lifelong mate. He did not suffer the loss of a lifelong mate. He did not grow emotionally interconnected to the same degree as with a lifelong mate. He did not share in deep emotional intimacy more days with one specific human being than without. He had close friends, friends as close as or perhaps closer than brothers. He suffered the loss of family members. It is not the same. Anyone who has lost a lifelong mate knows that it just isn’t the same. How could He possibly know the temptations I have fought? How could He know the depth of my despair? How could He have felt the interminable loneliness, the feeling of being cheated out of the life I had built, the tragedy of having my dreams stolen from me?

He has. He does.

God uses several metaphors in the Bible to describe His relationship with me. The shepherd-sheep metaphor permeates every generation of God’s people.

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:11

The father-child metaphor is one of the most beloved.

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:16

The bride-groom-marriage metaphor is perhaps the most mysterious.

“So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.” Ephesians 5:28-30

These metaphors are more than literary devices. God describes in human terms His complex relationship with me which is much more than any one metaphor. He relates to me on multiple levels at any given moment. My interactions with Him are always as rich and multi-faceted as I allow them to be. He is at all times my Shepherd, my Father and my Groom. The images He evokes in the metaphors are mysteries revealed in language I can understand, yet I will use eternity to discern them fully.

In His metaphors, He gives accurate descriptions of His behavior toward me and His expectations of me. As His sheep, I am to trust Him and follow Him. As His child, I am to obey Him. As His bride, I am to be loyal to Him and cherish Him. As my Shepherd, He is always working in my best interests. As my Father, He protects, disciplines and guides me. As my Groom, He loves me and cares for me personally and passionately.

Back to Ephesians…chapter five, verses twenty-two through thirty-three are rightly used when discussing God’s plan for the marriage relationship between a man and a woman. Paul uses the relationship of Jesus with the church to teach men their responsibilities to their wives. Then Paul refers to the “mystery” in verse thirty-two, a previous unknown in the relationship of Jesus with the church. Just as a groom and his bride become “one flesh,” I also become united with Jesus, a literal member “of His body.” At my baptism, I receive the indwelling of His Spirit (Acts 2:38). My relationship with Him when I become His sheep, His child, His bride, becomes emotionally and spiritually intimate, personal, and interdependent.

When Jesus became a part of the human context, He learned to feel in human emotion what He had been experiencing since the very beginning of time…love, betrayal and the loss of a great love every time one who belonged to Him left Him. Every time one of His own who has rejected Him dies physically that great love is lost to Him for eternity. They become dead to Him spiritually, forever severed from contact with Him. And He grieves personally and passionately. There is no other path, no other mechanism to forgive the sin that impedes humanity’s ability to spend eternity with Him than through the sacrifice He Himself provides. He loses all of the hopes, all of the dreams, all of the carefully laid plans, the companionship, the spiritual and emotional connection He has with each and every one who transcends beyond His reach when they die still accountable for their sin. He is cheated out of the relationships that were supposed to last for eternity.

Once He became fully human as well as fully divine in the earthly domain, He began to experience the same depth of any human loss, multiplied and intensified on a divine scale across millenial generations. And He carries that human and divine grief experience with Him even now.

“Therefore when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” John 11:32-36

Jesus states to His disciples earlier in their journey to Bethany that He was going to raise Lazarus so that they would believe (John 11:14, 15). He delayed two days going to Bethany, even after He was told Lazarus was very ill, to give Lazarus time to die. Jesus does not weep at the awareness that His dear friend is dead. He weeps at the grief He sees in Mary and Martha and in those who accompany them. He understands their grief inside out, and it moves the Son of God to tears!

His love for me is personal, intimate, unrelenting, boundless, fearless. He knows what I know about grief and so much more. His losses far exceed my own. His sense of abandonment runs fathoms deeper. His loneliness outpaces mine by thousands of light-years. His despair envelops Him far beyond what suffocates me. His lost dreams and plans echo plaintively through eternity for each and every soul who becomes eternally lost to Him. What is the point of all of His work, of all of His agonizing sacrifice? I am the point. Each soul He redeems for Heaven is the point. Each soul He loves beyond human comprehension is the point.

Oh, how He loves me!

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

Nails of Arrogance

October 8, 2013Uncategorizedbody of Christ, Christ, Christian, God, God the Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, The Church, unityDarby Coss Williams

Sometimes I find it really difficult to get along with other people. Usually, those I am trying to work with have an unspoken agenda that drives their choices. That agenda can be rooted in their past experiences, in past or current hurts, or in selfish desire–things that may have nothing to do with the task at hand. It seems everyone else sees the world a little differently than I do, or maybe I am the one who sees it from a different perspective. Put a couple of dozen, or a couple of hundred or more, people like me together in a church, and the ‘fun’ really begins.

I live in a divided Christian world, but Jesus’ desire was that we would be united as His Body. I have heard it said that He bestows unity upon us and that it is our responsibility to maintain it. Whether I think we craft unity or merely maintain it, I know we fail miserably at unity. And I see a Christian community that seems quite content with the status quo of division.

“‘I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those who believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.'” John 17:20-23

My testimony to the world of the One who sent Jesus is made plain by how well I reflect the glory, that is, the praiseworthiness, of Jesus as I participate in the unity of His Church. No matter how I witness about Him in any other way, I must play a part in and be committed to the unity of God’s people in order to show the world Who sent Jesus, Who loves us, Who loves Him. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are one, unified for all eternity. How well I love and take care of my family in Christ is a direct reflection of His glory in me. If I participate in, encourage or put up with division in His Body, His Church, then I have no part in His unity.

The word ‘judgmental’ gets thrown around quite a bit whenever a discussion of unity occurs. I find it interesting that those who use it to brand others are indeed exercising the very thing they rail against. I am very happy to leave the word alone and talk about the real problem: We don’t love each other the way God intends, the way He loves His Son, the way He loves us.

I, like most of the human race, think of love in warm, emotional fuzzies. In my post, “Is It Love?,” I talk about what real love is. How I feel about someone should have no bearing on how I love them. If only I could figure out how to separate my actions from my feelings!

“Do nothing from selfishness or vain conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3, 4

Separate my feelings of selfishness and conceit from the workings of my mind. Choose to treat my Christian siblings as more important than myself. When my sister in Christ and I disagree, what does love demand that I do? Think of her as more important than me, according to Paul. Be humble in my mind, consider and protect her eternal best interests as much as my own. To love my sister, it must cost me something. Defer to her need for understanding, compassion, and consideration. Refuse to create a stone of stumbling for her. Suppress my own wants, even needs, to make sure she has what she needs to be whole and part of the unity of the Spirit in Christ. I should be falling all over myself to maintain the unity between and through us.

“Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just to please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, for his edification.” Romans 15:1, 2

I have yet to meet the fellow Christian who wants to be thought of as weak, including myself. Convinced of my opinion, I feel strong, I feel right. My feelings shouldn’t matter. How I treat my brother with whom I disagree is what matters. If I treat him well, I reflect the glory of Christ and promote unity within the Spirit. If I treat him poorly, negligently, running rough shod over him in my zeal to advance what I think and what I want, I trash unity by tearing apart what should be most precious to me–the Body of Christ.

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15

At the end of time, when I am before Christ answering for my life on earth, what do I want to be able to say to Him? Do I want to say that I used my God-given talents to make sure everyone who called themselves Christian towed the line? Or, would I rather be able to say to Him that I led His people in righteous living by my example and did everything I could to preserve and strengthen the unity of His Body?

I can’t make anyone else do what God would have him do. I can, however, demonstrate in my own life a righteous walk that shows others how to walk more closely with God. I can love my church family, the Body of Christ, His hands and His feet on this earth, so much that I lay down my life for their spiritual well-being. No agenda I might want to advance is worth alienating even one of my spiritual siblings. When I teach, I can teach only truth. When I serve, I can serve with only love. When I walk, I can walk only in the Light, in an attitude of repentance and out of a desire to be faithful to the One who has always been faithful to me.

Christ’s Body, the manifestation of it on this earth, His Church, is the most precious blessing we have been given. I do not want to treat it with the same contempt and disgrace it was subjected to while hanging on the cross on Golgotha. He is crucified once for me already. May I never be guilty of rending His Body with my sword of selfishness or of rehanging Him on a tree with my nails of arrogance.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34, 35

Liar, Liar…

September 20, 2013Uncategorizedbody of Christ, false witness, God, God's love, honesty, JesusDarby Coss Williams

I am much too trusting of people. Yet again, it is proven to me that someone will lie to me over an extended period of time without batting an eyelash, and I will be clueless. I extend the benefit of the doubt, ignoring the questions that circle in my head. I expect trickery from the car salesman. I assume fraud will come from a thief or a manipulator. From someone who wears the name of Christ, lying shocks me every time.

I know ‘Christian’ doesn’t mean perfect. I posted something to that effect on my Facebook wall this week. We are all very flawed. And we means me. I make mistakes, I say things I shouldn’t, I hurt people. But, I don’t string them along. I don’t intentionally misrepresent myself to them. I don’t take advantage of their good nature or their kindness, especially not for my own benefit. To wear the name of Christ, to proudly make claim to the redemption He provides and still treat another of His family with such contempt–I can only imagine the heartache it creates in Heaven. And it makes me feel like I have a target on my back.

I know how God feels about liars.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:19

“There are six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:…Haughty eyes, a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood,…A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16, 17, 19

“What is desirable in a man is his kindness, and it is better to be a poor man than a liar.” Proverbs 19:22

I know the blood of Christ covers the sin of lying if I live in a repentant state, if I ‘walk in the Light,’ 1 John 1:7-9. I know the one who lied to me has the opportunity to make things right with God, and I am most thankful. Not one of us deserves His mercy or His grace, but He lovingly and in hopeful anticipation makes them available to us. I pray all offenders take advantage of His great gifts.

I wonder, though, do we consider the damage we do to the body of Christ when we engage in deception of any kind? Once discovered, my lies wound, if not destroy, my credibility. Why would anyone believe my words or actions without questioning their veracity? Even the little ‘white lies’ I utter in order to protect someone else or myself are injurious to my relationships. Any flavor of deception is inherently disrespectful. Withholding pertinent information, reframing the truth, presenting partial truths as if they are complete, or any false pretense, whether intended or not, expresses an attitude of condescension–I am better / smarter / wiser / more deserving than you, and I will decide what information I let you have. Lying of any kind comes from evil in my heart, and it should set off a million alarms in my spirit.

“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” Matthew 15:18, 19

I am certain I will be lied to again in very hurtful contexts. I’m not happy about that, but when dealing with humans, even Christians, lying is part of the package. I could let it create bitterness in my heart. I could become closed off and reluctant to let anyone into my circle of acquaintances. Believe me, the temptation to walk that road is great. However, doing so would impair my ability to continue the work in the Kingdom which God wants me to do. Doing so would thwart my efforts to be honest and transparent in a world that needs more honesty and more transparency. Doing so would make me less like my loving, generous, straightforward Father who calls me to be like Him. Doing so hands Satan a victory.

For my local church family and my earthly family, the offender is no one you know. I ask for your prayers that I find the ability to forgive and move forward.

“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.” Micah 7:7, 8

In the Land of the Living

Faith in the Real World