Embracing Correction and Truth

Embracing Correction and Truth

Spiritual maturity is a journey—a transformative process that challenges us to move beyond our own understanding and align our hearts and minds with the truth of God's Word. This growth often involves reproof and correction, two elements that may feel uncomfortable but are essential for shaping us into the image of Christ. As believers, we are called to renew our minds through Scripture, allowing God's wisdom to displace our own, and in doing so, we begin to understand the deeper truths of God’s word, His will and His judgements. 

The Galatian saints struggled with this, relying on their own efforts and clinging to the law of Moses instead of embracing the faith-centered doctrine that Paul taught. Their error lay in attempting to perfect themselves through fleshly endeavours rather than submitting to the transformative power of God's Word. This serves as a lesson for all believers: true transformation comes not from our own wisdom or actions, but from the renewing of our minds by Scripture alone. We cannot layer God's truth on top of our flawed thinking and expect to grow; instead, we must allow His Word to reshape us entirely. 

Acknowledging our need for correction is critical in this process. Paul warns in 2 Timothy 2:25-26 that those who oppose themselves are caught in the snare of the devil, unaware that they are walking in false doctrine. The first step to freedom is recognizing and admitting our errors. This attitude of humility helps us to change our mind and leads us back to the path of truth. Like the Galatians, we may sometimes find it difficult to accept correction, especially when it challenges deeply held beliefs or exposes areas of weakness. Yet, this willingness to embrace reproof is vital for spiritual growth. 

Romans 8: Progressing Towards Spiritual Sonship

Romans 8: Progressing Towards Spiritual Sonship

As we have explored the transformative truths of Romans 6 and 7, we see the essential steps in the believer’s journey—being dead to sin and delivered from the law. These foundational realities pave the way for the joyous achievement found in Romans 8. When these truths become functional through obedience to the Word and yielding to righteousness, we experience freedom from condemnation and enter a season of spiritual growth, progressing toward spiritual sonship.

Romans 8 captures this culmination—a triumphant declaration of the Spirit's work in us, enabling us to walk in newness of life, free from the flesh and aligned with the Spirit. This sets the stage for even deeper maturity, where we embrace Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians: “Be no more children, but grow up in the Lord” (paraphrase of Ephesians 4:14-15). Let us now dive into Romans 8:1-11 and explore how the Spirit of God operates within us to produce life, peace, and the fruits of righteousness.

Romans 8:1-4 - No Condemnation: Walking in the Spirit

Romans 8 opens with a triumphant declaration: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). This is the epitome of our deliverance from sin and the law. We are no longer condemned, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). What the law could not accomplish due to the weakness of the flesh, God has done through the sacrifice of His Son (Romans 8:3).

Romans 7: Growing Towards Sanctification

Romans 7: Growing Towards Sanctification

The journey of a believer begins with justification through faith in Christ, as described in Romans 5:1. However, justification is not the end—it is merely the beginning. Many believers, due to a lack of spiritual knowledge, mistakenly believe they can live for God while still being carnal and yielding to sin. This was the issue with the Corinthian church. Though saved and called saints, they remained entangled in sin and immaturity.

As explored in our previous post on Romans 6, Paul taught the Corinthians that the first step to spiritual growth was to reckon themselves dead to sin and yield to the Word of God, which produces fruits of righteousness. Now, in Romans 7, we discover the next logical step in our spiritual journey: being delivered from the law. This is a critical moment of spiritual growth, where we learn to rely not on our human efforts but on the transformative work of God’s Word and Spirit within us.

Delivered from the Law: The Next Step in Spiritual Growth

When a believer recognizes that they cannot live for God while yielding to sin, as Romans 6 teaches, human nature often tempts them to take matters into their own hands. The inclination is to attempt to overcome sin through self-discipline, rules, and law—believing this will produce righteousness. But this is a grave mistake! As Paul teaches in Romans 7, the law cannot save us; it only reveals our sin and, paradoxically, increases its hold due to the law of sin in our flesh.

The Urgency of Preaching the Gospel

The Urgency of Preaching the Gospel

Once this earthly life ends, it is not the end of our journey. Scripture makes it clear: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27, KJV). Each person will stand before God, facing His righteous judgment according to their works. For those not found in the Book of Life, there is a fearful certainty of a guilty verdict and a second death, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  [15]  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:14-15, KJV). This is a sobering reality.

Every human is appointed to die once because "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, KJV). Following death, we face the terrifying prospect of God’s judgment. Many around us are heading toward this eternal fate, and we must not push this truth to the back of our minds. Whether we’re walking through a store, at work, or in our community, we are surrounded by souls who might leave this life today, unprepared for eternity.

Jesus Christ is the only remedy to this eternal separation from God. John reminds us, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John 3:17, KJV). How can we claim the love of God if we withhold the greatest treasure we possess—the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Romans 6: Growing Beyond Justification

Romans 6: Growing Beyond Justification

Justification through faith, as described in Romans 5:1, is not the end of the Christian life. Instead, justification marks the starting line of a transformative journey of faith. It is the open door to a lifelong process of spiritual growth and maturity. What follows justification is essential for believers: the renewal of the mind and ultimately the transformation of one’s heart.

Romans 6 introduces us to the next critical step in this journey—introspection. It calls believers to turn inward and address the dominion of sin that remains a force in our mortal bodies. Without engaging with this inward transformation, many believers remain spiritual babes, as Paul lamented regarding the Corinthians, 1Cor.3:1-2. But with intentionality, we can progress towards the maturity God desires for us. Romans 6 equips us for this step, guiding us to understand what it means to be dead to sin and alive to God. This renewal is foundational for every believer who seeks to grow into the fullness of their faith and Paul’s doctrine.

Let us now explore the powerful truths of Romans 6, particularly focusing on the crux of the matter found in Romans 6:16, which reveals the vital process of yielding, obedience, and the fruits of righteousness.

What Romans 6 Teaches Us: Dead to Sin and Alive to God

Romans 6 addresses a profound truth: through Christ, our relationship with sin has fundamentally changed. We are no longer slaves to sin, but we are invited to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). However, this does not happen automatically; it requires a mindset shift and an active faith.

Rightly dividing is a RESULT of study, not an identity to hold to

Rightly dividing is a RESULT of study, not an identity to hold to

2Tim.2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 

Reading this chapter recently, I came to the above passage; two verses that are so important to understand and apply in the dispensational view that all believers should hold to. Consider this, all the thousands of separate denominational views, the cause of bad doctrine in the churches today, and the reason for so many babes in Christ in the pews is a direct result of ignorance or negligence of the above verse. As I slowly read the instructions in this verse, I was remined again of something I had learned a while back and I thought I'd write an encouraging post about it to let others know how to handle this passage. 

The command is to study, not to rightly divide

Firstly, we must understand that the instruction in verse 15 is "study", not to "rightly divide". Paul never commanded Timothy to rightly divide. He commanded Timothy to study the word of truth. Study is the main instruction in the above verse. Studying is what will show one approved unto God so that they do not need to be ashamed.