The biggest difference between Christianity and other religions and philosophies is that the Bible declares that what God has done for us – not what we have done for Him – is the basis of our forgiveness, acceptance and salvation. By contrast, other religions teach what we have to do in order to go to heaven, be acceptable to God or achieve our potential. Many Christians bring a non-Christian mindset to how they live the Christian life. When they hear a sermon, they only hear what they have to do. When they open the Bible, they only see God’s commands. And, ironically, Christianity can become a non-Christian religion in the process. There’s a simple pattern that the Scriptures give for correcting this: start with DONE before you move to DO. Let me explain.
If you read the New Testament letters, you’ll notice that they usually start by describing what God has done for us. And only then do they move on to what God asks us to do in response. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, for instance, Paul spends the bulk of the first 11 chapters explaining all that God has done for us and then finally in chapter 12, he says, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. In his letter to the Ephesians, chapters 1 to 3 focus on God’s work for us and then chapters 4 to 6 call us to live our lives in response to Him. The idea is that what God has done for us gives us the power to live for Him. Trying to live out what God commands, without reflecting on and trusting in what God has done, is like expecting a plant to grow without sunlight, or trying to run an appliance without plugging it in.
Many people come to God or church or the Bible thinking that what they need is something ‘practical.’ And, so, they gravitate to passages that talk about marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33), parenting (Ephesians 6:1-4) or work (Ephesians 6:5-9). But just knowing what to do doesn’t help if we don’t have the power to do what God commands. So, before Paul describes God’s will for our lives, he helps us see what God has done to make His will possible in our lives. In Ephesians 1, for example, he makes an extended discussion of the ways that God has blessed us (v. 3), chosen us (v. 4), adopted us (v. 5), redeemed us (v. 7), forgiven us (v. 7) and given us an incredible inheritance (v. 11). You can’t think on all that God has done for us and not be motivated to want to respond to Him. To do God’s will, we need to know God more intimately and trust in His grace towards us more fully.
Next time you hear a sermon, listen for God’s DONE and not just your DO. When you read the Bible, why not make a list of two things: what God has done FOR you and what God has asked OF you. And realize that the two lists are related. What God has done for us is the power to do what God asks of us. So, look for connections. Ask, ‘What has God provided to enable me to obey Him?’
At the same time, realize that God isn’t just interested in what we do. He’s interested in us. So, focus more on your relationship WITH Him than your performance FOR Him. Read the Bible to know Him better. Speak to Him, think of Him, give thanks for Him. Ultimately, it’s your relationship with Him that will fuel any lasting change that takes place in your life. As Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
In awe of Him,
Paul
