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True or False? As a Christian, I can do nothing.
True or False? As a Christian, I can do nothing. However, Christ can supernaturally do things through me.
Two weeks ago, our Pastor said that when he got saved and then tried to live the Christian life, he couldn't do it until he realized that “he could do nothing”. He said he realized he could do nothing but that Christ could supernaturally do things through him.
This past week a visiting guest speaker filled in for our Pastor. He too taught the same doctrine that, “he could do nothing”, but that Christ can supernaturally do things through him.
The two verses the Pastors used to make their point were these: John 5:19b which says, “the Son can do nothing by himself …” and John 15:5b which says, “apart from me you can do nothing.”
So I decided to study the Bible and see if they were taking these two verses out of context.
Let's read the passages where these two verses are found. Here is the first passage.
John 5 verses 16 to 47 say, “16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
End of quote
Let's review the story here. The Pharisees were angry with Jesus because Jesus was working on the Sabbath and because Jesus called “God” his father. In his own defense Jesus says that he doesn't do what he wants to do, but rather he does what his Father wants him to do.
Let's look carefully at John 5:19 “Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
First of all we need to remember that Jesus is God. And so Jesus could see clearly what his Father wanted him to do and Jesus said that is what he did – Jesus said, “he (Jesus) can do only what he sees his Father doing.” So this is not a case of Jesus not being capable of doing something but rather a case of Jesus being obedient.
Let's take the second verse John 15:5b which says, “apart from me you can do nothing”, and read the passage it is taken from.
John 15 verses 1 to 8 read, “1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
End of quote
Let's review the story here. Jesus is using an analogy of a fruit tree to describe our relationship to Him. If we read the whole verse John 15:5 it is clear Jesus is talking about obedience. We have to remain in Him. Let's read it. John 15:5 says, “"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
It is clear from these passages that Jesus is not telling us we can't do anything. Instead Jesus is clearly telling us we can do what God wants us to do – which is to obey!
So often I hear the verse that says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, twisted around to read “I can't do anything but Christ can do all things through me”.
Let's read the passage where this verse is found. Philippians 4:12-13 says, “12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. “
Let's review the story here. Paul is saying that he has been through hard times and good times, but he says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”.
Again it is clear that Paul was the one doing the work, out of love and obedience for Christ, and Paul was strengthened by Christ.
Paul explains how we need to obey when he says in Galatians 5:15-17, “ 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
Paul says to “walk in the Spirit” so that we don't fulfil the lust of the flesh and end up biting and devouring one another.
This concept of “walking in the Spirit” is again referring to obeying God.
Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
Jesus said in John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
Jesus said in John 14:23, “Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
Jesus said in John 15:10, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.”
Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
So by obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ, we “walk in the Spirit” and we “abide in Christ”. But what are those teachings of Christ that we need to obey?
Here are a few situations where the Jews asked Jesus a similar question and Jesus's had a simple reply.
Matthew 22:37 to 40, “ 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 19 verses 18b to 19, Jesus said, “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Peter says that when we keep Christ's law of loving our others, we purify ourselves. In 1 Peter 1:22, Peter says, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.”
John, in 1 John 2 verses 5 and 6 say that when we obey Christ's word, God's love is truly made perfect in us. In other words when we obey Christ's law, we love others. Why? Because Christ's law instructs us to love others. Here is 1 John 2:5 which reads, “5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”
John says in 1 John 5:2-4, “2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
Paul in Romans 7:4 says that we are supposed to bear fruit to God. He says, “So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.”
And Paul in Galatians 6:2, says, “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
And Paul in Romans 10:4 said that, “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
The original sin was when the devil wanted to be like God. The next original sin was when Adam and Eve wanted to be like God. We too want to be supernatural like God. We want God to work supernaturally through us – that is like God. But it takes humility to admit God does not supernaturally control us. It takes humility to admit that it is simply obedience – we need to obey God.
If God said that He supernaturally controls us, I would believe God. But the truth is the Bible does not teach that. The Bible teaches we are to obey God and when we do, Christ and the Holy Spirit will encourage and give us strength.
Why is it so important to point out this false doctrine in our Christian culture today? Because if the devil can trick Christians into thinking they don't need to obey and that somehow they are on auto pilot and all are robot's of Christ and that if Christ wants them to do something He will "call" them to do it and so if they don't hear the "call" they can continue on their merry way through life, doing nothing, as long as they read their Bible every day and go to church on Sunday - if the devil can trick Christians into thinking they have no responsiblity to do the good works they are called to do - then the devil has stalemated God and the church becomes useless.
But if the church would teach the truth that every Christian has a responsiblity to obey God and do good works, then maybe the church would be effective.
Every Christian can and should obey the law of Christ. But that law is not hard. That law doesn't include condemning the GI in Iraq who looks at Playboy, or the married couples who uses erotic materials to help their marriage, or those millions of girls that had abortions, or those millions who drink, smoke, and chew.
The law of Christ that we should keep is to believe in Jesus and then obey the laws in the Bible - not the ones made up by the church. The laws in the Bible are not overbearing. They are simply, don't steal, don't commit adultery, don't lie to hurt another person, don't covet things that are not yours, don't get drunk, don't be a homosexual, don't murder, don't commit incest, and love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself, and believe that you are a sinner who deserves to go to hell, and believe that Jesus is God's son and that Jesus died for your sins and you will be saved! (There may be other moral laws in the Bible that I left out ...)
We can tell people what God's laws are but we shouldn't condemn people who do not keep our own personal convictions that go beyond what God says in the Bible. For example, I might personally think it is wrong for me to drink, but I shouldn't condemn others who drink because God does not condemn them. Now if they get drunk, then yes God does condemn that ... you get the idea.
Amen!
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