The
Grace that Underlies Perseverance (Gal.
westminsterreformedchurch.org
Pastor
Ostella
Introduction
In review, we can summarize the doctrine of the perseverance of the
saints in the two words: must and will. The Christian must endure to the end in
faith and obedience in order to be saved, and he or she will so endure by the
grace of God. Perseverance is a duty and perseverance is a promise; it is our
duty and it is God’s promise. There is a duality here of admonition and
consolation.
We must persevere in faith and our faith is often assailed but the Lord
will keep the flame of faith burning. Bunyan illustrates this point well in Pilgrim’s
Progress. A man named interpreter showed the Christian pilgrim a wall with a
crack in it. Out of the crack came fire. On one side of the wall stood a man who
continually threw buckets of water onto the fire to put it out. The fire would
thus sputter and smolder as if to go out. But then it would burst into a visible
flame again and chase the smoke away. “What does this mean?” asked
Christian. Then interpreter showed him the other side of the wall where there
was a man pouring oil into the crack in the wall. Thus, he told pilgrim: “This
man is Christ, the fire is faith, and the man with a water bucket is the devil
who seeks to put out the fire of our faith. But Christ continually pours in the
oil of the Holy Spirit so that our faith will never ultimately fail.”
How does the Lord work in this pouring in of the Spirit? This is the
question for today and it is intensified by the basic fact of remaining sin.
Those
whom God, according to His purpose, calls to the communion of His Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ, and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, He also delivers from the
dominion and slavery of sin, though in this life He does not deliver them
altogether from the body of sin and from the infirmities of the flesh (Dort, 5th,
Art. 1).
Accordingly, what I want to discuss today is “The Grace
that underlies Perseverance” in two ways: 1) the special dynamics of the
Spirit’s work and 2) the practical duties of the Christian life.
There are four points regarding how God works in Christ by the Spirit
underlying and upholding our endurance: restraining, inclining, leading, and
enlightening. The actions of the Spirit can be categorized in two ways (hung on
two hooks), one a negative and one a positive: holding us back and pulling us
forward (restraining and guiding).
1B. Holding us back
For
the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would (KJV, Gal.
The “cannot” of Galatians 5:17 is a blessing. It is a restriction
that is freeing; it is an inability that defines freedom from
sin and for righteousness. What we
have here is the outside boundary or parameter beyond which we cannot go as saved sinners (That we cannot leave the field has the
positive result that we must conduct ourselves on this terrain). We still sin
and dealing with this fact is the great challenge of sanctification. We must
continually seek forgiveness by daily acknowledgment of our sins. But though we
have this up and down pathway of sin, righteousness, righteousness, and sin,
there is no leaving the narrow way. We cannot forsake the narrow way in order to
return to the broad way. The road to the celestial city is always beneath our
feet; departure from this road is not allowed to us by the Spirit.
Surely He holds us back from sin through conviction of sin (thus
disturbing the conscience and preventing us from having peace of heart) and by
providence (through circumstances and events that prevent us from sin; many
circumstances remove the opportunity to sin). But to ever remind us of our
dependence and to humble us all, the Spirit does allow us to sin and He may
allow us to sin grievously for a season as was the case in the examples of David
and Peter:
FIFTH
HEAD: ARTICLE 4. Although the weakness of the flesh cannot prevail against the
power of God, who confirms and preserves true believers in a state of grace, yet
converts are not always so influenced and actuated by the Spirit of God as not
in some particular instances sinfully to deviate from the guidance of divine
grace, so as to be seduced by and to comply with the lusts of the flesh; they
must, therefore, be constant in watching and prayer, that they may not be led
into temptation. When these are neglected, they are not only liable to be drawn
into great and heinous sins by the flesh, the world, and Satan, but sometimes by
the righteous permission of God actually are drawn into these evils. This, the
lamentable fall of David, Peter, and other saints described in Holy Scripture,
demonstrates.
But as
FIFTH
HEAD: ARTICLE 6. But God, who is rich in mercy, according to His unchangeable
purpose of election, does not wholly withdraw the Holy Spirit from His own
people even in their grievous falls; nor suffers them to proceed so far as to
lose the grace of adoption and forfeit the state of justification, or to commit
the sin unto death or against the Holy Spirit; nor does He permit them to be
totally deserted, and to plunge themselves into everlasting destruction.
That is the blessing of being held back from what we would
do as sinners if left to our selves; now let’s consider the positive direction
that is implied by the negative restraint. We are held back in order that we may
go forward.
2B. Pulling us forward is
accomplished in a number of ways
1) Inclining the will
…for
it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure
(Phil.
Perhaps this should be re-titled to something like
“inclining the will and action” because of the word both. God energizes both
the disposition and its fruit. Calvin makes some helpful comments on this
passage. Perseverance is a free gift, for God’s glory, and a profound
certainty:
He
brings, therefore, to perfection those pious dispositions which he has implanted
in us, that they may not be unproductive…From this we infer that perseverance,
also, is his free gift (Calvin, Philippians 66).
There
are in any action, two principal departments-the inclination, and the power to
carry it into effect. Both of these he ascribes wholly to God; what more remains
to us as a ground of glorying? (65).
Paul
has in view to ascribe everything to God, and to take everything from us…for
there is nothing that ought to train us more to modesty and fear, than our being
taught, that is by the grace of God alone that we stand, and will instantly fall
down, if he even in the slightest degree withdraw his hand…distrusting
ourselves, we depend entirely on God alone (67).
God
acts in us in such a manner, that he, at the same time, does not allow us to be
inactive, but exercises us diligently, after having stirred us up by a secret
influence (67).
Notably, of course,
it is not the case that He works because we work (contingent on our works);
instead it is that we work (in willing and doing His pleasure) because He works
in us by the power of grace.
2) Guiding our
steps
For all who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God. ESV Romans 8:14
This passage makes it clear that all Christians are in fact led by the Spirit. If you have the Spirit then you are being led by the Spirit; if you are not led by the Spirit then you do not have the Spirit and you are not a Christian (Rom. 8:9). Being led by the Lord in the sense of this text is not something we determine. It is not like this: He will lead me if I choose to be led, if I permit the Spirit to lead me. Leading is similar to the idea of guiding an animal by the bit in its mouth. ESV Psalm 32:9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
a) The positive point here should not be missed. It
is certain that we will tread the path to glory; that is the over all thrust
of this analogy with leading an animal. The pathway may weave and the ascent may
be difficult at times but we will in fact tread every necessary step to the
heavenly city.
b) Connected with this certainty is the challenging fact that His leading
may be realized through some painful consequences. On the journey, failures
to be diligent yield painful consequences but the Spirit will continue to
counter our sinful flesh (Gal.
FIFTH
HEAD: ARTICLE 5. By such enormous sins, however, they very highly offend God,
incur a deadly guilt, grieve the Holy Spirit, interrupt the exercise of faith,
very grievously wound their consciences, and sometimes for a while lose the
sense of God's favor, until, when they change their course by serious
repentance, the light of God's fatherly countenance again shines upon them.
He will allow us varying degrees of disobedience and
stubbornness, and then graciously He will set the limit. If he did not set the
limit, we would perish of our own will and accord.
3) Wetting our appetites
Pulling forward in the way of righteousness is done in a highly positive
and welcome way that contrasts with the experience of being led by the bit in
our mouths.
He
causes the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ to shine in our
hearts (2 Cor. 4:6).
He gives eyes to
see the beauty and excellence of Christ. He gives us a taste of the sweetness of
the gospel. We are enabled to see the richness of Scripture and the blessing of
the
2A.
The practical duties of the Christian life
We are called to work in a way that corresponds to the
Spirit’s work. There are four simple but critical basic duties: walk, work,
fight, and seek. Let’s consider each briefly.
1) Walk in the Spirit
In the Galatians context we are
not given insight into how the Lord holds us back from sin; what the context
does do is direct us to what we should avoid (works of the flesh, 5:19-21) and
what we should aim at in our walk (fruits of the Spirit, 5:22-23). This is how
we walk wisely discerning the evil of the time in which we live (these are evil
days) and we are still part of this present evil age having the remnants of sin
remaining in us. In Romans, Paul speaks of this wisdom as a mindset, as setting
of the mind on the things of the Spirit versus on the things of the flesh (8:5).
2) Work out your salvation
Here comes that four lettered word again: work. The various analogies
like the animal treading a difficult pathway and the runner in a race remind us
that perseverance demands strenuous effort. We must practice living righteously;
we learn by engagement. It is like the effort of athletics where we aim at a
goal avoiding bad form. Again and again we try hitting the serve rising to the
ball and snapping the wrist. First it is hit too high then too low, too far to
the right and too far to the left. But by instruction, example, practice, with
patient perseverance we keep at it until we make progress in one area of our
game after another. Likewise goes the work, the exercise, the learning, and the
training in righteous understanding for godly living (cf. Heb.
3) Put sin to Death
This is a core duty that we must always keep in mind (Rom.
The promise that follows is that though your body is subject to dying and
death the Holy Spirit living in you will certainly give life to your mortal
body: you are bound for glory (v. 11). What a marvelous promise of fatherly
care-the Lord works on our behalf for our happiness but it is on the way out
from sin and forward in holiness to be consummated finally in glory. Therefore,
since you have Christ living in you and though history unfolds and you face
aging and death, since you already have the life giving Holy Spirit and since
you are bound for the Promised Land, to be at home with God, to resurrection
life in glory, then you have an obligation to the Spirit and not to the flesh.
The obligation is to put sin to death. What does this mean in this passage (Rom.
When we falter, that does not mean that we failed to do our part so it
blocked, we blocked, His part. Rather, when we fail, He has allowed this (Dort,
5:4) but in full loving control to teach us many lessons on the road of renewal,
weaning us from our sin and preparing us for heaven. It is His sovereign watch
care over us as His children (secured as His by the death of Christ in accord
with the plan of the Father). If we sit back and fold our hands even with some
kind of faith in sovereignty, we manifest a lack of blessing in our lives that
the Spirit allows to us on our journey. It will lead to serious consequences if
we continue on this path. If we simply live according to the sinful nature then
we show we do not have the Spirit, and the end of such living is death. But if
by the Spirit, through His working in us and trusting in His grace, you put the
deeds of the body to death, you will live. The tie between condition and
consequence is unbreakable and sure. Will the Christian walk in the Spirit and
reap the fruit of eternal life (
4) Seek the kingdom as a prize (Matt. 11:11-13, determined men seize it)
Now we are directed to apply our work to a stewardship of the word, to
seek the Lord in prayer by seeking Him in His word. So
pray for the Spirit’s enlightenment and persist in the work of study,
reflection, meditation and application of the Scriptures to your daily life.
Search for the silver and gold of God’s word (Prov. 2) with an attentive ear
(v. 2) and prayer for insight (v. 3). Promises dot the verses of this section of
Proverbs (understanding, knowledge, v. 5; wisdom, protection, v. 8;
righteousness, justice, v. 9; and pleasantness of soul, v. 10).
Conclusions
1) Rejoice in knowing that God is at work
Recognize His working with a sense of awe (Phil.
2) Consider the serious business of perseverance
It is serious and challenging all our days to the very end. How do you
weed a garden, especially one that is alive with vigorous, thorny, tough and
relentless weeds that spoil the fruit? You have to get vigorous, thorny, tough
and relentless yourself in your pursuit of holiness, in using all the means that
God has appointed to take hold of, learn and wield the sword of the Spirit! What
is this sword of the Spirit that we are to take up and use in our battle with
sin? It is the word of God is it not, all the glorious words of the 66 books of
the Bible? We have to be people of the book; however else we occupy our minds
and use our time this is critical in the task of perseverance.
3) Knowing the sovereign and thus efficacious working of the Spirit in
precise relation to our duties teaches us to not
depend on ourselves in the very effort we put forth and to worship with
gratitude in the very work we put forth because it is awesome to know God is
working in us.
4) Point of focus: we must concentrate on our duties
Thus, in the running, garden weeding, and fighting with sin, we wait in
faith; we trust the Spirit's working. But we do not just wait, sit back, and
fold our hands. Why not? That is disobedience; it is sin. In other words, it is
a contradiction of our calling in Christ, a dishonor to our Savior. It shows
only perversion of the words of the Spirit woven in paradoxical form for our
meditation and spiritual growth. These thoughts, the truths, these meditations
help us orient and reorient our lives in the day to day challenges of the
pathway of holiness onto which we have been graciously and sovereignly put. With
the facts of the Spirit’s inclining, restraining, leading, and enlightening
held tightly to your heart by faith, take up the task, the warfare, the running,
the persevering for the honor and glory of Christ your king.