The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"I Cannot. I Can!"
Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ live in an interesting duality of "I cannot" and "I can."
"Without Me, ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).
"We are weak in Him" (II Corinthians 13:4).
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).
"I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29).
I cannot! I can through Christ! Both spiritual sensibilities must fill our hearts and minds as we seek to trust and obey God. Indeed, His standards are so high that we could not begin to fulfill them by ourselves. "His way is perfect" (II Samuel 22:31). Never, however, did our Lord expect or call us to fulfill His will by ourselves. He rather imparted the Spirit of His Son to our hearts when we believed. Thereby, He leads and enables us to godliness as we trust and submit ourselves to Him. "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 6:10). "I cannot" underlies such grace regarding our earthly vessel. However, we recognize our human members and faculties serve as the temple of His divine presence and enabling. Thereby, we join Paul in his affirmation, "I can… through Christ!"
This understanding is vital. If we believe ourselves to be independently capable of even the slightest act of godliness, we will crash upon the rocks of futility. Conversely, if we do not believe ourselves capable of obedience through Christ, we will surrender to passivity and fail to avail ourselves of the indwelling Holy Spirit's enabling grace. Indeed, the Christian life involves not Christ alone, or ourselves alone, but rather the Spirit of the Lord Jesus walking in us so that we might walk through Him.
"I will dwell in them and walk in them" (II Corinthians 6:16).
"Walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6).
I recall a discussion with a young man who struggled with the Scriptures' lofty commands, as we all do at times. "I just can't consistently do them!" he cried. I told him that I fully understood the challenge he faced, and that he was half right in his cry of futility. "It is true that apart from the Lord Jesus, you cannot obey God's commands." I let that thought sink in, and then continued. "However, the truth of the matter is that as a born again Christian, you are not apart from the Lord Jesus! No, He dwells in you by His Spirit to enable all faithfulness and godliness. He lives in you so that you may live through Him. Therefore, let your awareness of "I cannot" serve as the basis of confidence and faith: "I can, through Christ!"
The New Testament epistles declare this blessed duality of Truth throughout their pages, both directly and implicitly. We must affirm the reality, humbly acknowledging both our weakness and the power of God as dual realities in our walk with Him. The truth eliminates all notions of pride and self-sufficiency regarding faith and faithfulness. It also eliminates all excuses for unbelief and disobedience in its affirmation of "Christ, the power of God" and "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (I Corinthians 1:24; Colossians 1:27).
"I cannot." Apart from Christ, nothing could be truer regarding a standard so high that even the smallest step of true obedience extends far beyond our stride. "Walk, even as He walked" commanded the Apostle John, a mandate that surely seems the most fanciful of hopes upon first consideration (I John 2:6). Further contemplation in the light of Scripture, however, ushers us beyond hope unto confident assurance as we "look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). "I can, through Christ!" In and through our blessed Lord, the will of God looms before us with bright promise as we trust in His presence, leading, and enabling, joining Paul in the affirmation, "I also labor, striving according His working, which worketh in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29). We kneel and remove our shoes on this holy ground of a life far beyond our inherent abilities. We then arise and adorn our feet with "the Gospel of peace," whereby Christ's inherent ability leads us to "walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh" (Exodus 3:5; Ephesians 6:15; Galatians 5:16).
God's purposes involve not the eradication of our humanity, whereby we would lose our distinctive personhood He created, and for which He died. He rather works to redeem our humanity, whereby He indwells and empowers us as we freely trust and submit to Him. He does not do His will for us. He does, however, work mightily in us to serve as the power whereby we live through Him. "I cannot?" Certainly, if we reference ourselves as if apart from Christ. "I can?" Absolutely, as we labor, strive, walk, and work as spiritually united to Him and enabled by His indwelling and vibrantly active presence.
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."
(I John 4:9)
"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
(I Corinthians 15:10)
Weekly Memory Verses
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11)
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