Even though many have the zeal to follow the Lord, a lack of clarity hampers them from running a good race. In this issue, let us find out how the authors of the New Testament define this race that is marked out for us.
CHAPTER 1. BEFORE CONSECRATION
CHAPTER 2. AT THE CONSECRATION
CHAPTER 3. AFTER CONSECRATION – TILL DEATH
CHAPTER 4. AT RESURRECTION
IN CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 1. BEFORE CONSECRATION
(2) We received the good news of the gospel from the workers of Christ.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom 10:14-15)
(3) Those workers gave us the foundational doctrines of Christ that form the foundation of true Christianity (for a detailed study See Grace – June’11:Blossom43). This is the knowledge we gain about God and His Christ.
….the elementary teachings about Christ …the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment (Heb 6:1-2)
- Repentance from acts that lead to death – An acknowledgment that we are born sinful and can never justify ourselves through our own efforts and hence we need to repent & turn to God who freely provides salvation through the merit of the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
- Faith in God – An unshakeable faith in Yahweh, the Only God (with no pagan beliefs like Trinity) and a zeal to do works of faith to prove our faith (even under hostile conditions, like Jesus did).
- Instructions about cleansing rites – Understanding baptism as a consecration to die to the world and to live only for Christ as his Church, running for the heavenly calling, presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God.
- The laying on of hands – A belief in the anointment of the Holy Spirit (done during Paul’s days by the laying on of hands) and also a clear understanding that the Holy Spirit is the power of God and not a person. Also a comprehension of why some miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit (like tongues etc.) were given to the Early Church and a realization that they have ceased now.
- The resurrection of the dead – A belief that by means of the ransom price paid by Jesus on the cross, all who die in Adam shall rise again in Christ (both the just and the unjust) and those who did not accept Christ earlier would get another chance under favorable conditions (with Satan bound) in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth ruled by Christ and his bride (the Church).
- Eternal Judgment – A belief that God would ultimately judge justly and those who do not repent even during their second chance in the Kingdom would go to second death. An understanding that false doctrines like Hell and eternal torment are not in God’s plan.
None can claim to be a Christian unless they have this foundation of Christ i.e. understand and believe in the aforementioned foundational doctrines of Christ.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11)
CHAPTER 2. AT THE CONSECRATION
(4) After hearing the foundational doctrines from the workers of Christ, those who have been called by God enter into the baptism covenant by consecrating themselves to a life serving God (John 6:37,44, Rom 8:28-30).
At our consecration, we gain many privileges.
(4.1) We gain the right to confess our sins and seek forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ. God graciously forgives us and purifies us in the name of His Son.
…the blood of Jesus, his [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9)
Of course, seeking forgiveness and purification from God for our sins is not a one-time thing that happens just at the consecration. It’s rather a continual daily action that we need to do. As we can never become perfect in our flesh, we know we are sinners in the sight of God every single day (See 1 John 1:8,10, Rom 7:7, James 2:10) and that’s why our Master instructed us to seek daily forgiveness when he taught us the Lord’s Prayer.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us (Matt 6:11-12 NIRV)
(4.2) We are reckoned righteous through our faith in Jesus and are able to stand before God’s throne of grace.
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Rom 1:17)
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Rom 3:22)
(4.3) Therefore, we gain the right to approach God with confidence and pray to Him.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:14-15)
(4.4) We are anointed by the Holy Spirit and start speaking the word of God boldly because the Holy Spirit kindles a zeal in us to proclaim the good news to the world that is in a spiritually poor state.
..they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31)
..the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven (1 Pet 1:12)
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor (Isa 61:1 / Luke 4:18)
Yes, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth promised by Jesus to help the church in proclaiming the gospel. It sanctifies us i.e. sets us apart for serving God and His truth (Greek biblical word for sanctify = hágios = set apart). We also gain the right to ask for more of the Holy Spirit so that we grow in the truth & serve more as a gospel worker of Christ in the truth. Yes, when we serve the gospel, we are essentially walking by the Spirit. Listen to Jesus:
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17 NIV) Make them ready for your service through your truth; your teaching is truth.’ (John 17:17 NCV)
Ask and it will be given to you…For everyone who asks receives … how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11: 9-13)
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)
(5) But we are supposed to be running a race from the moment of our consecration. Paul advises us (baptized church members) on this race that brings us the crown of eternal life:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run…to get the prize (1 Cor 9:24)
…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Heb 12:1)
We see here that Paul instructs us to forego not only our sinful lives but as a matter of fact ALL (even lawful) worldly matters (everything that hinders), and instead focus on running with perseverance the race marked out for us, for this is the race that would ultimately win us the heavenly prize of eternal life and kingship.
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13-14)
How consistent is Paul in his message! And what a wonderful model for us to follow! Yes, forgetting what is behind (all earthly things), he says, he presses on in his race towards what is ahead i.e. the heavenly prize. And this is the same race that Paul declares at one point that he has finished and thereby won the crown of righteousness.
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:7-8). And Paul implores us to do the same.
(6) Yet, how can we do the same, if we don’t know what that race is? So, what is this race marked out for us?
When the rich man asked Jesus what he should do to win eternal life:
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)
So, it becomes clear that, if one wants to achieve eternal life, there is really only one way to do it – By following Jesus Christ. Then the next question arises: So how does one follow Jesus Christ? Jesus himself answers:
He [Jesus] said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God“ (Luke 9:59-60).
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it (Mark 8:34-35)
Following Jesus’ answer, Paul clearly defines the race:
I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me —the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace (Acts 20:24)
I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain (Gal 2:2)
He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
From these verses, we understand that the race marked out for us is ‘the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace’. Indeed, our spiritual race is doing works of the gospel. Works of the gospel include spreading the gospel message and also serving to enrich/strengthen the faith of fellow brethren. Therefore, let us run the race marked out for us!
CHAPTER 3. AFTER CONSECRATION – TILL DEATH
(7) What happens when we start running the race marked out for us i.e. serving the gospel?
(7.1) As we saw earlier in this issue (para 4.4), when we do gospel work, we are essentially walking by the Spirit (Acts 4:31, 1 Pet 1:12, Luke 4:18). So, we reap the fruits of the Spirit when we suffer for the gospel as we encounter a world that is hostile to the true gospel of Christ. Even nominal Christendom is against the original gospel that does not support falsehoods like hell/trinity. These sufferings and tribulations for the sake of the gospel produce perseverance and experience in us resulting in fruits of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we learn obedience to God, and love & mercifulness to our fellow creations, just as Jesus learnt when he suffered for the gospel (Heb 5:8, 2:17). So the more we suffer for the gospel, the more we grow in the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
..you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:41)
..rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (1 Pet 4:13-16)
..boast in the tribulations, knowing that the tribulation doth work endurance; and the endurance, experience; and the experience, hope; and the hope doth not make ashamed, because the love of God hath been poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that hath been given to us (Rom 5:3-5 YLT)
..the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Gal 5:22-23 NLT)
So, as we walk by the spirit by doing works for the gospel, we will grow in the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We thus escape from the desires of this world because our focus will be on doing God’s work.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16)
(7.2) When we do gospel work, we also fulfill our priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel and thereby get ourselves further sanctified.
He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God (Rom 15:16)
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:5)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood…that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Pet 2:9)
In the Old Testament type, the priests became more holy as they touched the holy things inside the tabernacle.
You shall consecrate them [the things inside the holy places] so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy (Exodus 30:29)
In the New Testament anti-type, we, the royal priests are also made more holy as we handle the holy message of the truth when we proclaim the gospel, the professing of our hope.
Having, therefore, brethren, boldness for the entrance into the holy places, in the blood of Jesus, which way he did initiate for us — new and living, through the veil, that is, his flesh — and a high priest over the house of God, may we draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having the hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having the body bathed with pure water; may we hold fast the unwavering profession of the hope.(Heb 10:19-23 YLT)
Even Jesus Christ sanctified himself by carrying out God’s will. He was sent to the world by God to testify and sacrifice himself for the truth. Now, Jesus has sent us into the world to do the same. It was his sacrifice (which sanctified him) that made us righteous, thus making us eligible to serve God & be sanctified. That’s why he declared that he sanctified himself so that we too might be sanctified!
I [Jesus] must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent (Luke 4:43)
As you [God] sent me into the world, I [Jesus] have sent them [the Church] into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified (John 17:18)
(7.3) When we serve the gospel, we prove our faith and thereby win the crown of life.
What good is it… if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?… You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder….As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead (James 2:14,19,26)
What are the deeds that prove our faith? Paul and Peter answer below unambiguously.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Rom 10:9-10)
Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Cor 9:16)
..rejoice in asmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name ( 1 Pet 4:13-16)
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.( 1 Pet 1:6-7)
I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage —with great patience and careful instruction…. endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:1-2,5-8).
(8) If we run this race marked out for us till our last breath like Paul did, then we will win eternal life, kingship and a home in heaven.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal… Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him (2 Tim 2:8-12)
the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Cor 9:22,23)
(9) With straightforward Biblical evidences, we saw how the New Testament writers define the race marked out for us. Gospel work is indeed our spiritual race that wins us the crown of eternal life. As we saw earlier, works of the gospel include spreading the gospel message and serving to enrich/strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Some might ask, ‘What if I don’t have any talent to do gospel work?’ To them, we lovingly answer, ‘Do not be alarmed or afraid. The author and perfecter of our faith has made provisions for that as well.’ How wonderful is he!
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.”…And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:7-8,11-15).
Paul says that Christ has given each one of us different gifts/talents to be used in his gospel work. Consider Stephen for an example! He was in-charge of food-distribution in the church (See Acts 6:5) – a talent he used to contribute to the gospel work. But we know what kind of gospel glory he achieved in the end! (See Acts 6:12-15, 7:1-60) Yes, once we start using our talents in any possible way for the sake of the gospel, God will open up doors for us to achieve even more. Therefore, let us run this race with confidence believing that God has endowed every one of us with an appropriate talent to be used in doing His gospel work. Let us start working to build each other up in our most holy faith to carry the good news of Christ to the people of the world, the same way a worker of Christ once did, to bring it to us! Truly, let us always remember what our Master said:
Whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it (Mark 8:35)
This article took an approach of relying less on explanation and more on direct scriptural evidence. In another article, let us look into the wholesome purpose of running this gospel race. What are the things we achieve by running this race? Why does God want us to run this gospel race essentially giving up our whole life for its sake? Why do we have to build each other up in the church? Why do we have to work to spread the good news to the world right now? Won’t they just hear it during the Kingdom? How does one become Christ-like? In that article, let us take the same direct scriptural approach to bring out the harmonious simplicity of the truth in seeking those answers. Praise be to God!