I watched a sermon today by Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church. It was preached at Passion several years ago and had to do with taking one’s life and dedicating it to something great, something that is the most glorifying to God’s name. He ended by talking about boasting and how Christians ought to boast. Being humble, apparently, doesn’t mean not boasting, but that we boast in Christ. His understanding of the command to “boast in Christ alone” (Gal. 6:14) was that every good thing that we can do or experience was not good apart from Christ’s sacrifice and it was originally an offense to God. Everything done apart from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23). Such a view of our lives points out two very obvious realities to me.
Firstly, if–nay, because–everything I do apart from faith, every idle word or careless glance, is sin, I realizing this must grow exponentially in my fear of God and thus in my love of God for His ever encompassing compassion. Those who have been forgiven more (i.e. those who more fully realize their need for infinite grace) will in turn love God more (luke 7:47). To grow in love towards God requires of us that we grow in and deepen our realization of our utter and complete depravity and infinitely dire situation were it not for Christ’s work. Fearing the LORD and loving Him go hand in hand and there can be no fear of the LORD where there is no conviction of sin and curse. A man who considers himself completely at right with God will–erroneously–be completely content and secure in his current state, which would be disastrous.
Secondly, coming to grips with this reality of depravity and Christ’s enabling of us to glory God in spite of this ought to lead us into doing what we were designed to do: worship and glorify our Maker. Now, non-believers may think that there is some other reason for their existence an/or refuse to glorify God but it’s made quite clear in the Bible that there will be those who glorify God as creatures receiving mercy and there will be those who glorify God (without knowing it/wanting to) as objects of wrath (Rom. 9:22-23). It’s a harsh reality but it’s Biblical. This leaves Christians with a very important task, to constantly turn their hearts to glorifying God in every now good (thanks to Christ’s reconciliation between God and man) thing they can do and experience. Because Christ died and made me right with God, I can now do things to God’s glory rather than towards accumulating wrath. I could attempt all the altruistic acts I could humanly do apart from Christ and it would all count as naught to God since it was not done in faith.
It’s important that people who are around us Christians see more to us than just “people who think everything is evil.” In a way, everything apart from Christ is evil and is sinful and is deserving of such wrath that no man in his natural state could ever accept it. No one likes to think that they are at fault, but until we come to realize how much we all need God’s grace, we will never move onto the only natural response which is to glorify Him (another thing made possible and good by Christ’s blood) once we have received it. Christians should be constantly aware of their depraved nature–just ask yourself, have you loved God today with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength? (Matt. 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27) But moreover, Christians also ought to rejoice and be glad and glorify Christ by boasting, not in carnal things but, in all the good things (and bad things turned by God for our good) they can experience and be a part of because of God’s grace.
May we, in every moment we wake and stand and breathe and beat and think and enjoy, be boasted about in Christ alone so as for you to give to God the glory due to Him.
In Christ alone my hope is found:
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This cornerstone, this solid ground:
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love! What depths of peace!
When fears are stilled. When strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in All–
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied.
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid–
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me!
For I am His and He is mine–
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death:
This is the pow’r of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
‘Til He returns or calls me home–
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
- In Christ Alone
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Note: This version is done by the Newsboys in case you were wondering. I haven’t heard any of their other stuff but Stephen says it’s pretty good so I’ll take his word for the rest of their stuff. This is also off the same WOW album as “Fairest Lord Jesus” done by Nathalie Grant (which is not that great actually, compared with the way Kat sings it, IMO), if you were wondering.