SKELETON IN A TUXEDO

SKELETON IN A TUXEDO

Nothing could be more comical or inappropriate than to dress a skeleton in a tuxedo, and yet it is a pretty good description of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ when he tries to please the Lord by his own human good works.

When a person believes in Christ, he receives eternal life ... regardless of the dispensation (period of time) in which he lives; however. God's plan and purpose for believers is not the same for every age. Theologians call this present dispensation the Age, during which are various mysteries that were hidden from Old Testament prophets. In past ages, the Holy Spirit came upon certain men for a specific task, and He could be taken away as in the case of king Saul; but in this age. God the Holy spirit identifies (baptizes) every believer into Christ at the very moment he believes in the Son of God as his Savior ... this is a permanent indwelling, although the Holy Spirit may be grieved or quenched when we are out of fellowship with Him. Jesus Christ also indwells our body, and in Paul's letter to the Colossians, he revealed this mystery in the following way;

"The mystery that has been hidden from past ages and generations is now made known to His saints; to whom God would reveal the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:26-27)

As a new creation 'in Christ', God has a plan for the believer and desires to do everything for him; however, Satan, who is the god of this world, will do everything in his power to distract the believer and keep him from finding and following God's will and purpose for this new life.

As a new 'creature in Christ' we must obey the command given to us in Romans 6:4 which is: "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism unto death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Just as a newborn baby desires nourishment, a new babe in Christ' will normally have a desire for "the sincere milk of the Word of God" by which he may grow spiritually. (1 Peter 2:2) It will be only natural for him to seek to be with other believers, so he will look for a local church. Par too often, he will find himself in a church that places him in bondage to man-made rules and regulations that are not found in the scriptures and a church that will offer very little of the spiritual food he desperately needs for growth. Instead of being given solid spiritual food on a regular basis, he will often become involved in a program that produces human good works rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to produce works that are acceptable to God. In many cases, the new believer is asked to sign his name to a paper saying he will abide by the rules presented to him in order to be an acceptable member of that assembly, ('been there, done that' for a short time in my early Christian life, so I'm not making this up)

Christ has made us free, but men want to put us under bondage. It is important that we learn, metabolize and apply God's truth (Bible Doctrine) and not be taken in by what others may require of us; therefore it is absolutely necessary for us to study the Word of God on a daily basis and live our lives in obedience to what the scriptures say. One day, after Jesus had been speaking sternly to a group of very religious Pharisees who were trying to discredit Him, there were some other Jews standing by who believed in Him, and He said to them: "If you continue in My Word, you will indeed be My disciples; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32)

In Galatians 4:9, the apostle Paul asked his listeners who had become involved in legalism why they were allowing themselves to be placed again under the bondage of slavery by the legalizers in Galatia. And then in Galatians 5:1 Paul commanded them to: "Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has set you free, and don't be entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

As born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must learn that when we are controlled by our sinful nature we are carnal and live 'in the flesh'. In Romans 8:8, Paul said "they who live in the flesh cannot please God". When we are. not in fellowship with the Lord, we can only produce human good deeds. Human good is part of our sinful nature; therefore our works are not acceptable to God, and they will be burned when we are evaluated at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Only what God the Holy Spirit produces in our lives when we are in fellowship with the Lord is considered good in His sight In Ephesians 2:8-10 Paul reminds believers: "For by grace you have been saved ... through faith, and that faith is not from ourselves, but it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of producing good works that were ordained in eternity past, that we should walk in them."

We must also know and believe that the Bible is the very mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) The Lord has provided his thoughts in written form so that we may get to know Him and how He minks about everything. You will not mature in a short period of time ... it takes years to gain God's wisdom, just as it takes years for a person to mature as a human being; so when you express a desire in your mentality to learn about Him, the Lord will provide a pastor-teacher who has a working knowledge of the original languages of scripture and will be able to build you up in the faith.

What does the Lord expect of a believer in order to maintain fellowship with Him? We must keep short accounts with the Lord by naming any known sin to God the Father. Here are a few verses that express that truth:

"If we confess (name) our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded." (James 4:8)

"He who covers his sins shall not prosper; but he who confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)

And the following verses are just a few that tell us how a believer living in the Church Age should be clothed:

"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the
flesh." (Romans 13:14)

"For we know that if our earthly house (body) were dissolved, we have a house not made with hands, but one that is eternal in the heavens. In this life we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our resurrection body. (2 Corinthians 5:1-2)

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the craftiness of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:11-12) Then Ephesians 6:13-18 describes the armor we are commanded to put on, and it embraces the sum total of Bible Doctrine for our lives.

"As servants of God, you are free; but do not use your freedom as a cloak of maliciousness." (1 Peter 2:16)

"All of you are subject to one another, and be clothed with humility." (I Peter 5:5b)

Believers ... surely none of us want to be considered by those around us to be a 'skeleton in a tuxedo', as that does not attract unbelievers whom the Lord will send to you from time to time.
You need to be ready always to give an answer that may cause them to believe in Jesus the Christ.

Written by Lois Delnay

Layout and web work Doris Miller,Wesley Miller
11/04/2009