Come to Order, Pt. 3
Study Guide, February 2, 2025
Pastor Clay Olsen
We’ve begun a study on the order of life. And as we have seen, all of life is about order. Our Creator not only created our physical world with precision and order, but also the spiritual world with precision and order. Plus, we have seen that just like disorder in the physical world causes chaos and damage, so disorder in the spiritual world causes chaos and damage. That is why it is imperative for people to discover God’s order for our spiritual lives and thus, then, order our lives according to God’s order for our lives. So, let’s continue our discovery of God’s points of order for our lives.
In my recent saga of wrestling with my wrist issue, I learned from Nate that in the human body healthy nerves need three things: blood flow, space, and movement to function properly; blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients, space allows for flexibility, and movement prevents atrophy by keeping nerves mobile within their surrounding tissues. As with us in the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Club, when you have compression in that ligament in your wrist, the nerves get damaged from the lack of those three things. Thus, the need to have that order restored in order to restore health to those nerves.
In a similar way, in the human soul a healthy spirit needs three things as well. We find it in the Apostle Paul’s revelation to the Roman believers in Rom 14:17- “…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” NASU In a commentary by Dr. Donald Barnhouse, he said this: “It is important to note the sequence of these characteristics of the Kingdom of God in the heart. Righteousness comes first, peace second, and joy third. This is amplification of Christ’s own words, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matt 6:33). One reason for the terrible frustration of mankind is that peace and joy are sought without righteousness. But without the righteousness of God there can be no peace, and without the peace of God there can be no joy.”1
The Kingdom of God is all about order…righteousness, peace, and joy. And from the Apostle we learn that these three things not only characterize the Kingdom of God…they are also to characterize our lives as we seek first God’s kingdom. Now, another thing to note before we notice some key things about these three things, is that God continually works through a constant pattern of ‘Position and Practice.’ The clearest example of this is seen in our need to first establish a relationship with God before we are able to then fellowship with and serve God. That was the realization that Nicodemus had to come to, as he had it backwards. His focus was on religious behavior first, until Jesus revealed to him that spiritual birth comes first. Each person must be born again in their spirit before they can then fellowship with and serve God in their life. This is the truth that false religion neglects or rejects.
Actually, all religions that ignore the New Birth Gospel have this same ‘backwards’ practice in their religious teachings and works. Their focus is on religious behavior without first becoming spiritually reborn. Or, they ignore Jesus’ revelation of their need to first become born again. Unbiblical world religions, and many unbiblical groups under the title of ‘Christianity’, also often called ‘Social Gospel Churches’, teach a ‘Behavior based gospel’ based upon human reasoning instead of the Biblical ‘New Birth Gospel’ of Jesus based upon Biblical revelation. And we need to clearly understand that this is the central problem in our religious world around us, because without a new birth of their spirit, their behavior is still falling short of the righteousness of God because their spirit is still dead in trespasses and sin.
The effect that sin had on the human spirit is that sin killed it! Sin separated each person’s spirit from God! As has so aptly been stated: “Jesus did not come to make bad people good; He came to make dead people live!” The Gospel of Salvation is not about religious behavior, it’s about spiritual birth. Christian behavior, or Sanctification, is to follow our New Birth in a saved relationship with Christ. The Gospel of Salvation is not about better behavior…it’s about new spiritual life! Until a person receives new spiritual life from Jesus Christ, they are still spiritually dead in their trespasses and sin. That’s the central message that the world needs to learn because they naturally think mankind is naturally good, and that they already have spiritual life, and that all they need is to just add some religious behavior to their habits and they will then be ‘righteous’, or ‘right with God’.
But that is a false gospel, as well as false religious thinking and unbiblical teaching. For as the Bible loudly states: Rom 3:10- “No one is righteous—not even one.” NLT And then the Apostle goes on: “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Rom 3:21-24 NLT
And, as the Apostle also pointed out, if people could be made right with God through their religious behaviors, then Christ died needlessly. But what an insult that is to God! Rather, it is only through Jesus’ sacrificial death that we can have our sin penalty removed from us and have forgiveness granted to us, and it is only through Jesus’ sinless obedient life that we can be given Christ’s gift of righteousness, or, be given ‘right standing’ with God. The gift of Salvation includes two gifts: ‘Pardon’ from God of our sins and ‘Righteousness’ from Jesus Christ in our relationship with God.
And it is right here that we see that our ‘Position’ in Christ comes first in our New Spiritual Birth, and then our ‘Practice’ as a Christian is to follow, as we ‘follow Christ’ in our spiritual behavior. In fact, and mark it down: The goal of our life then is to make our ‘Practice’ as a Christian reflect our ‘Position’ in Christ! Let this ‘perfect righteousness’ that we received from Christ become what we then ‘practice’ in our lives, day by day.
Another very clear verse about our ‘Position’ in relation to ‘righteousness’ can be seen in how Paul spoke about himself having Jesus’ righteousness instead of his own. Look: “…and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. “Phil 3:9 NASU
That would also be a very helpful way to state the issue of salvation, as in a question: “Whose ‘righteousness’ are trusting in, or depending upon, to save you…Christ’s or your own?” Or, “Whose righteousness do you need to have in order to go to Heaven? Christ’s righteousness or your own?” It can only be one, and it is not ‘ours’, it’s Christ’s righteousness! Even Paul was at one time confused about this when he was a Pharisee. And it’s exactly the false teaching he then said that his countrymen were caught up in. Notice: Rom 10:1-3- “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” NASU
There it is! Again, the issue is: Whose ‘righteousness’ do you need to have in order to go to Heaven? The Bible’s answer is: ‘Christ’s righteousness!’
And why are we spending so much time on this? Because this is also the central problem of the false religions of the world and the false gospel teaching in pseudo-Christianity. They are not subjecting themselves, or submitting themselves to God’s righteousness, or to God’s way of becoming righteous, but instead, they are seeking to establish their own. They are trusting in their own righteousness, or their own religious works and behavior, of which, that is already condemned in sin. That’s why the false gospel is often referred to as a ‘works righteousness’ gospel…people are trusting in, or, they are depending upon their behavior to be considered ‘righteous’. But that is the same thing as ‘not submitting to or not trusting in Jesus’ righteousness’ for their salvation.
All right, so we are to be ‘clothed in Christ’s righteousness’. That is our position: God declares us ‘righteous’ in His sight. Then we are to behave righteously…we are to live and act according to righteousness, or we are to ‘practice’ righteousness. In our Position – we are in right standing with God because we stand before Him in Christ’s righteousness. In our Practice – we are to be living a life that is pleasing to God as we practice our righteousness in our character and in our conduct. Position and Practice…Salvation and Sanctification. This ‘Biblical order’ should be forefront in our thinking and living, as well as in our communication of the Gospel of Christ and then following Christ. Our Salvation is based upon the gift of Christ’s righteousness to us. Our Sanctification and our Kingdom rewards – privileges and service assignments, are based upon our practice of righteousness as we seek to follow Christ throughout our lives.
Now then, this ‘Position and Practice’ is also related to ‘Peace’, as in the Kingdom of God is righteousness (in Position and Practice), peace (in Position and Practice), and joy (in Position and Practice). And that takes us back to our memory verse: Rom 5:1- “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” NASU Remember, there is no real peace apart from a relationship with God. What may masquerade as peace is merely a temporary lull in conflict. True peace is found only in a restored relationship with God. This is one thing you should know about every unsaved person: “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked (the guilty sinner).’” Isaiah 48:22
And, again, to be ‘justified’ is to be ‘declared righteous’… ‘right with God’ in our ‘Position’ in Christ. Similarly, we need to have ‘peace with God’ in our position as reconciled to God before we can have the ‘peace of God’ in our practice of peace. And what is our practice of peace? Remember, as we seek first the Kingdom of God…in our character and in our conduct, the Spirit of God then does things in us. Or, we should say, the Spirit of God ‘grows things’ in us, like…grows the fruit of ‘love, joy, peace…and so on’.
One interesting thing about ‘peace’ is that it is both a ministry of God the Holy Spirit in us and a ministry of God the Holy Spirit through us. This ‘peace’ that God grows in us is a sense of ‘it is well with my soul’. It is a sense of “Come to Me all who are weary, and I will give you rest.” It is a sense of trusting in God’s control when your world seems out of control. It’s an assurance that even in the worst of times you know that the best is yet to come. It’s a Holy Spirit grown fruit for you to enjoy!
Then, this ‘practice of peace’ is also a ministry of the Holy Spirit through us, as in:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matt 5:9 NASU We are called to be ‘peacemakers. One of the easiest ways to think about what it is to be a ‘peacemaker’ is to think about what it means to be a ‘troublemaker’. It’s the opposite of that! And realize this: troublemaking comes naturally to human nature. To be a troublemaker, ‘all you gotta do is, act naturally’…like the song says. But to be a ‘peacemaker’, what you gotta do is, act supernaturally. Or, you make it your goal to seek to promote understanding, and to encourage reconciliation, and to often act as a mediator to resolve disagreements peacefully. A peacemaker doesn’t just avoid conflict, rather, a peacemaker actively steps in to try to resolve it. A peacemaker tries to understand different perspectives and listens to all sides of an issue before trying to find a solution. And a peacemaker especially tries to help others find peace with God.
But although peacemaking is possible, it is not always probable. I so appreciate what Paul both experienced and then reminded us about in connection with peacemaking. Do you remember what he said? Rom 12:18- “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” NASU Many times it no longer depends on you…it’s out of your control. This verse is our spiritual ‘relief factor’, in relation to our ministry of ‘peacemaker’. For making peace, or the Biblical term, reconciliation, is not just one sided. Reconciliation is a two-way street. And if there is no repentance on the part of the troublemaker, then the peacemaker is released from their ministry to them. Unrepentant troublemakers are not only rejecting the way of peace, they are rejecting the Prince of Peace, who calls for troublemakers to repent and turn to the way of peace instead of giving in to their own preference of causing trouble. Their unrepentance will set their own destruction into motion. But the peacemaker will be rewarded for their attempts either way. Which, in just knowing that, brings even more peace into the peacemaker’s mind and heart and spirit.
And so, what about Joy? What about we explore that next time? But remember the goal, our goal, your goal…Seek to make your Practice reflect your Position. Seek to be as consistent as you can in reflecting your Position in Christ throughout your Practice as a Christian…in your practice of righteousness, in your practice of peace, and in your practice of joy, which we will unpack further next time.
- Romans: Expositions of Bible Doctrines © 1966 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.