Removing the Yeast

I have been reading and thinking about faith and works and the New Covenant recently after attending a seminar by Neil Rhodes. It brought me back to some things I wrote nearly a year ago when I was reading through Galatians.

Paul was telling the Galatians not to stray from a faith-based gospel to a works-based gospel because there is no life there. In Galatians 5:9 Paul uses 'leaven' or 'yeast' as a metaphor for a works mentality 'A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough' and it got me thinking again about the effect that yeast has on our faith.

I went back to the Old Testament where the laws were written regarding yeast during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Exodus 12:15 'For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel'

At the very beginning of the Feast, all the yeast had to be removed from the house. The yeast of a works-based salvation has to be removed from a believers life as we come to Christ. We have to acknowledge the utter failure of our self-effort to save us or make us righteous.

In the Old Testament the yeast was cleared before the Passover was celebrated. The Passover is, without doubt, a picture of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross for our sins. So before we can truly celebrate Jesus' sacrifice on the cross we must put an end to the idea that works and self-effort play any part in our salvation.

If works could have saved us then Christ's death on the cross was unnecessary. We will only celebrate Christ's sacrifice when we realise that no matter how good we are, it is not good enough to save us. When I think about this, I am so, so thankful for the price Jesus paid for me because I would never have been able to pay it myself.

Once we see this and rely on Christ's sacrifice, we can never go back to righteousness by works. In other words we should not reintroduce yeast once it has been removed. Do not be fooled into reintroducing the idea that you can earn your salvation by doing works or keeping the Law. It is not true. We are justified by faith alone. Gal 5:5 'For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.' We wait by faith.

Paul writes in Gal 5:9 that even "a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." even a little works/self-effort is dangerous as it will eventually work its way into other areas of faith.

I was reading a little about how yeast works and I read that it feeds on sugar causing it to be consumed and break down. The yeast 

of a works gospel has the same action. It will cause the break down and consumption of faith with devastating results for our grace-gospel.

Grace and works cannot co-exist. Like yeast, works will consume our trust in grace.

Paul exhorts the Galatians in this very idea in chapter 5, verse 1.

'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.' The works mentality is a yoke. It makes us slaves to obeying the Law but we cannot, so we become slaves to trying to keep all of the Law. It is a slavery that cannot be satisfied.

I was teaching a bible study to the younger youth and we looked at this verse in Ephesians 2:8-9 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works so that no one can boast'

That sums it up for me. Once we accept that we have not contributed to our salvation by our good works, then we are free to trust fully 

in the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. It is equally liberating and humbling and it makes me want to praise Him all the more.

Tonight my prayer is this: 'Lord remove any traces of self-effort from my life that I do not take glory from your perfect salvation.'

Be blessed xx

The Light of the World

Matthew 5:14-16

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

I have been thinking about this verse since before we went as a team to Latvia in August. When we got to Latvia, it was also the theme for the camp we attended as part of our mission trip.

Firstly let me explain that I have heard this verse a thousand times as a Christian. It has always been tied to evangelism and outreach and cited as the main reason and motivation for both.

The problem for me is that I am not a natural people person. I am shy and introverted and the traditional idea of evangelism fills me with dread. I have visions of walking up to complete strangers in the street and beginning a 'conversation' about Jesus and salvation. This is possibly my worst nightmare and I have only been involved with this kind of evangelism a few times in my Christian life.

I have wrestled with this over the years flip-flopping between feeling guilty for not participating and feeling rebellious at the idea that I should have to participate.

Anyway recently the Lord has been speaking to me about this whole area of evangelism and this verse has been the centre of it for me. 

Jesus was speaking to his disciples and he tells them that they 'are the light of the world.' I have so often heard these verses used in reference to speaking light as we witness to the world but Jesus doesn't say that. He says you 'are' the light of the world. I know it's a small difference but to me this is huge. Jesus doesn't say we have to become the light or speak about the light, he says we (already) are the light of the world.

The crux of the matter is this; when we belong to Jesus we have his presence within us, making us the light of the world. No matter the situation we are in, he is with us. When I walk into a room full of non-believers, something is different because I have carried the presence of the living God into the room in me. Because He is in me, there is light in that place. Before I even say a word, the presence of God is there. I don't have to announce the light, it is there in me. 

I was thinking of this in terms of a lightbulb. A lightbulb doesn't have to announce itself, it just is a light. It is the power that flows through it that makes it shine. I am like that lightbulb. When the power and presence of the Lord is flowing through me, then I will shine and give light 'to all who are in the house.'

Now I'm not saying that we don't need to speak about our faith in Jesus but that speaking does not equal giving light. Jesus is the light in us and where we are, He is, therefore where we are there is light. 

The Lord has been speaking to me about spending time in His presence in order to kindle that light and in that way the light will shine brightly for all to see. I am not merely to speak about his light but I am the lamp that contains it. If I am to carry the light and the presence of God into every situation then I must allow his light to shine bright and unhindered in my life.

When the Lord is present in a life, that life will be changed and will produce works that are visible to all who look on. This is the light that we are to give forth before men - the light of our Christian deeds, born out of a regenerated heart and a renewed mind. This is not about simply speaking the gospel but a more challenging call to live the gospel so that God may be glorified. 

I once heard a preacher say that we do not know the effect we have on the world around us simply because we carry the presence of God with us. We don't know how that light has affected the darkness around us without us ever uttering a word. 

I am excited to continue pondering this thought. I am the light of the world. When I go to work, when I meet people in the shops, when I walk into a room full of strangers, I am bringing the presence of God in there and I have no idea what darkness will flee because of His light. It is liberating for me to understand this simple thought. I can stop feeling guilty because I'm not a good speaker of the gospel, instead knowing that his presence in me and my living according to that truth is a far better witness than I could ever speak in words.