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We've all heard the expression, "So and so is his own worst
enemy." It is commonly used to express the fact that a person's own attitude or
action is working against him. By what he is thinking, or by what he is doing, he is
actually hindering his ability to make any progress in some endeavor. He has deceived
himself and is actually doing to himself what an opponent would do to him. As such, being
"his own worst enemy" he not only does things that directly oppose him achieving
some objective, he actually cooperates with any who would want to see him fail. Most of
the time this is done in ignorance. It is obvious that to deceive ourselves and oppose
ourselves does not make sense. Few things could be more foolish than to stand in your own
way. So usually we are ignorant that we are doing this, not realizing that we have been
deceived into thinking that what we are doing is really beneficial, when in truth it is
not. However, to oppose ourselves in any endeavor is not only foolish, it is serious. Not
only do we hinder our ability to make progress, we actually assure that no progress can be
made until we change our minds. When we oppose ourselves we are ensnared in a trap of our
own making, and we remain ensnared until we stop opposing ourselves. Hence, as the
expression rightly says, when we oppose ourselves we are the "worst enemy" we
could possibly have. It would be bad enough if opposing ourselves
was something limited to just the affairs of this life. But it is not. Unfortunately, it
is a common Christian affliction. We have a tendency to think that self-deceit and
self-opposition would be a trait of the unsaved, as in Acts 18:6 where the unbelieving
Jews "opposed themselves, and blasphemed." However, it should not come as
a surprise to us that a Christian can also deceive himself, oppose himself, and so hinder
his edification. Paul encountered it frequently throughout his ministry and we find him
dealing with examples of it in our epistles. For example,...
"Let no man DECEIVE HIMSELF. If any
man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be
wise. (I Corinthians 3:18)
"For if a man think himself to be
something, when he is nothing, he DECEIVETH HIMSELF." (Galatians 6:3)
As astounding as it sounds, Christians are often their own "worst
enemies," especially when it comes to making progress in the "godly
edifying" God wants us to have. Often times Christians "oppose themselves"
in this area, playing right into the hand of Satan and his policy of evil against us.
In II Timothy 2, the apostle Paul deals with Timothy about this very
thing. In so doing, he shows that instead of it being an uncommon thing, it will be
frequently encountered throughout this dispensation of grace.
"But foolish and unlearned
questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
And the servant of the Lord must not
strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
In meekness instructing THOSE THAT
OPPOSE THEMSELVES; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of
the truth;
And thatthey may recover
themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
(II Timothy 2:23-26)
It is evident from this passage, that Christians who "oppose
themselves" are going to be a common breed. Timothy had a large number to deal with
and Paul taught him how to respond to them. However, Paul also makes it evident here that
when a Christian opposes himself it is a very serious problem. He has played right into
Satan's hands without a fight. He has fully cooperated with the Adversary, and it has
landed him in the "snare of the devil." And, amazingly, he doesn't even know it.
To oppose ourselves, therefore, is a very foolish, detrimental and
dangerous thing to do. It is also costly, especially in the terms of edification. For the
precious promised fruits of godly edification are forfeited by us for no other reason than
that we ourselves foolishly hinder ourselves from obtaining them.
How is this done?
Just how is it that a Christian can oppose himself and hinder his
edification? What comprises it? Simply put a Christian opposes himself when he thinks
differently about edification than God does. In particular, when in his thinking he
opposes the very things necessary to achieve godly edifying. Self-deception and
self-opposition are activities of our mind. Hence, when we think differently than God does
about the very things He says are necessary for our edification, then we oppose ourselves
and hinder our edification.
Edification, of course, is a function of the word of God. Consequently,
the things God says are necessary for our edification are things about our attitude and
approach to His word. Hence, it is our thinking about the word of God and how we handle it
that is the issue in whether we oppose ourselves or not.
3 Issues
As Paul deals with the problem of Christians opposing themselves, he
naturally deals with the very things God says are necessary for godly edifying to occur.
Though pointed out and described in various ways, there are primarily three of these.
Opposition in our thinking to any or all of them means we are opposing ourselves and
hindering our edification. Briefly described, they are as follows:
Opposition to the authority and power of the
word of God
Astounding as it may sound, Christians are often guilty of thinking
differently than God does about the authority and power of His word. Instead of
recognizing its final, absolute, and exclusive authority in our lives, we often only give
it lip-service. Our own ideas of what we think the truth is, along with popular opinion,
the traditions of men, and the dictates of society, often have far more of an influence
upon us than what the Bible actually says. When confronted with the fact that our thinking
is contrary to what God says in His word, we often struggle to get away from what God says
in order to retain our own preferred ideas. In this we are like many of the Corinthians,
who had yet to knock human opinion and man's approbation off of the pedestal and replace
it with the word of God. We need to heed what Paul said to the Corinthians,...
"Let no man deceive himself. If any
man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he maybe wise.
For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in his own craftiness.
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts
of the wise, that they are vain." (I Corinthians 3:18-20)
Godly edifying is not something the wisdom of this world can produce.
Nor will our own ideas, judgments, or experience-based opinions produce it. In fact, they
will hinder it. The wisdom of this world, along with our own ideas and experiences, are
actually strongholds of opposition to the truth. Paul described them as such in II
Corinthians.
"(For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (II Corinthians 10:4-5)
Our imaginations, natural thinking, and experiences are often in
opposition to what God thinks. However, God's word is designed to change our thinking,
renew our minds, and produce godly edifying. Yet if we give our imaginations, natural
thinking, or experiences precedence over what God says, our minds become a stronghold of
resistance to godly edifying.
Edification, once again, is a function of the word of God effectually
working in us as we believe and go by what it says because God says it. What He
says goes, regardless of what we think or experience. Consequently, if we do not submit to
what God says, we oppose our own edification. The degree to which a Christian places
greater value upon his own ideas and experiences, or upon the opinions, traditions,
doctrines, and judgments of men, is the degree to which he opposes himself.
Opposition to "rightly dividing the
word of truth"
Godly edifying not only requires submission to the authority and power
of the word of God, we must also handle the Bible as God tells us to. If we handle the
Bible improperly, contrary to the way God tells us to, we will also oppose ourselves and
hinder our edification.
In view of the fact that God has a two-fold plan and purpose, not
everything in the Bible is describing what God is doing with us today. The vast majority
of the Scriptures pertain to the outworking of God's plan and purpose with the nation of
Israel. However, God has temporarily suspended His program and dealings with Israel, and
brought in a new and different dispensation when He raised up Paul as a brand new apostle.
We, today, live in the dispensation of the grace of God. We are members of God's "new
creation," the "one new man," the church the body of Christ, and Paul is
our apostle. Accordingly, it is in Paul's epistles , Romans through Philemon , that God
sets forth what He is doing with us in this dispensation.
In view this, as Paul commands in II Timothy 2:15, we must "rightly
divide the word of truth" in order to handle it properly.
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (II Timothy :15)
To "rightly divide" something means to make the division in it
that separates it into two proper portions. And this is exactly what must be done with the
Bible, "the word of truth," in view of God's two distinct and different
programs. We cannot act as if there is no difference between God's program for Israel and
His program for us today. There is, as is plainly evident. What's more, no amount of
disregard for the facts will alter this. Instead, we only deceive ourselves and thereby
oppose ourselves when we do try to disregard this. Wherefore, "godly edifying"
will not take place if we fail to obey God's command to acknowledge and honor the great
dispensational change He has made.
Opposition to edification
The third of the three ways that we oppose ourselves when it comes to
our edification has to do with our attitude towards edification itself.
It is evident that God places great value upon our edification. In fact,
to say it that way is to put it mildly. For in truth God longs for it. Indeed, everything
He has done for us in this dispensation testifies to this. Consider, for example, that in
this dispensation He is treating us as "sons" so that we may be taught
directly by Him. Hence, He has given us the Holy Spirit, "that we may know the
things that are freely given to us of God." In accordance with this, we have
"the mind of Christ," with the unheard of privilege of being
mutual-counsellors together with God. He has taken us into His privy counsel and desires
us to delight with Him in the genius of His "manifold wisdom" now on
display. For this reason He has "abounded unto us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known unto us the mystery of his will." He has revealed unto us His
"hidden wisdom," the "deep things of God," so that we
can thrill with Him in the excellency of what He is doing. All His "treasures of
wisdom and knowledge" are ours to enjoy with Him, as He teaches us about them and
we understand them. Moreover, He has seen to it that all of this knowledge can be ours,
for He has recorded it in "the word of truth" and as such has preserved
it for our edification.
Without a doubt, God longs for our edification. It is precious in His
sight. The question now is, Is it precious in our sight? It certainly ought to be. We
ought to desire it more than anything.
In I Corinthians 15, as Paul provided corrective doctrine regarding the
truth of the resurrection of the dead, he reproved the Corinthians with these words:
"Awake to righteousness, and sin
not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I SPEAK THIS TO YOUR SHAME." (I
Corinthians 15:34)
Most of the Corinthians did not look upon edification like God does.
They thought little of it, as do many Christians today. It's a shame when Christians don't
know what God wants them to know. It's a shame because every provision has been made by
God for us to know. Moreover, as a father who enjoys the "sonship" of his child,
God has made it evident that He craves the intimacy of fellowship that comes from us being
like-minded with Him. No wonder Paul would say to the Corinthians, "for some have not
the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame." For it is a shame, pure and
simple.
A popular slogan of our day says, A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
How much more is this true for a Christian, who, though he has "the mind of
Christ," does not share God's love for edification. That truly is a mind being
wasted.
Obviously, if we do not value and esteem our edification as much as God
does, then we ourselves stand in the way of being edified. We foolishly oppose ourselves,
hindering our possession of one of the very things for which Christ died , "godly
edifying."
No one enjoys it more when we oppose ourselves than Satan himself. He
knows that the key to thwarting our edification lies in our attitude and approach toward
the word of God. His policy of evil against us dedicates itself to corrupting how we ought
to think. However, like a soldier who captures a position without firing a shot, so Satan
has no struggle whatsoever with a Christian who readily cooperates with how he wants him
to think. He walks right into "the snare of the devil" and Satan easily fulfils
his desire of keeping him from being edified. When we oppose ourselves we truly are our
own worst enemy. |
