Our New Year’s Resolution

The kingdom of God means the rule of God in our lives. When we confess Jesus Christ as Lord, he demands that we surrender all to him. So we say, “I am in the kingdom of God. I embrace the rule of God. In every aspect of my life, I am under the rule of Jesus Christ.” And those who are God’s elect will go to a church where the gospel is preached. The Holy Spirit himself will guide us to such a church.

We want to consider certain propositions based on Ephesians 5:18–6:4. Then we will make a commitment to live accordingly every day. Do not make this commitment without wanting to fulfill it. Of course, it is understood that we may stumble. But then we live by repentance and faith all of life, a truth that Luther correctly understood. We all sin, but then we repent and God will forgive us, and we keep on living for God.

Propositions

1. Every true believer must live daily a Spirit-filled and word-directed life. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That means, “With me, you can do all things I want you to do.” In fact, Paul says, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). There are several imperatives (commands) in this text. For example, Paul says, “Do not get drunk on wine . . . instead, be [being] filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). The word is plêrousthe. It is a present passive imperative, which means it is a continuous filling. We are to be continually filled with Spirit—to be daily energized, enlightened, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore say goodbye to the idea that we cannot do what God tells us to do. God abounds grace to us so that we may abound in every good work. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God, who works in you both to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12–13).
2. We face many temptations in life, and we must resist the devil in the Spirit’s power and the power of the word. This is what Jesus himself did. He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and was full of the Spirit, and did everything by the Spirit, including dying on the cross. Jesus did not do anything without the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit begat him, and the Holy Spirit raised him from the dead. So also, our Christian life from beginning to end, is by the Spirit.
   Jesus did everything by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Scripture. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he said, “It is written.” This is not subjectivism claiming to be Spirit power. If we are filled with Holy Spirit, we will obey the Scriptures (Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16). Being filled with the Holy Spirit means we will be energized by the Holy Spirit every day to deal with every issue of life (see Luke 3:21–22; 4:1-2, 14, 18). Even when we are arrested for the sake of the gospel, the Holy Spirit will speak through us (Matt. 10:19). Read the book of Judges (Judges 6:34; 14:6, 19). The Holy Spirit came upon the judges and made them able to do what God asked them to do. So we will face many temptations in life, but we must resist the devil in the power of the Spirit and the word (1 Cor. 10:13).
3. The Holy Spirit leads us in the way of the word. This is why we must read the word of God regularly. We follow a daily reading schedule in which we read through the New Testament twice a year and the Old Testament once. We preach the gospel regularly in the church. Why? Because the Holy Spirit leads us in the way of the word.
4. There is one baptism in the Holy Spirit and many daily fillings with the Holy Spirit. Baptism is not repeatable. It is once for all (see Acts 2:4; 8:17; 9:17; 10:44; 19:6). Yet there are many fillings (Acts 4:8, 31; 6:5; 7:55). We face difficulties every day; they come straight from the devil. The Spirit of God makes us competent to deal with every issue. God baptizes us in the Holy Spirit and fills us continually with the Spirit so that we may oppose the devil and obey King Jesus even to death. Jesus himself said, in essence, “Deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow me to death” (Matt. 16:24).
5. God’s people are continually filled with the Holy Spirit as they obey and pray. Jesus said, “If you who are evil know how to give good gifts, how much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit” (Luke 11:13). What we need is the Holy Spirit, not a lot of money. But obedience is a required condition. God does not hear the prayer of the wicked, the disobedient, the arrogant, the independent, the self-sufficient.
6. Being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) is the key condition to enable us to do the following:
   a) To worship God aright (Eph. 5:18–21).
   b) To edify the saints (1 Cor. 14; Col. 3:15–17). Whenever we come together, we have responsibility to build others up, not come and go without speaking to others.
   c) To live a successful married life (Eph. 5:22–33; Col. 3:18–19).
   d) To have a successful family life (Eph. 6:1–4).
   e) To have a successful work life so that we can provide for our families, including our parents and grandparents (Eph. 6:5–9; 1 Tim. 5:8).
   f) To enjoy a successful personal life (Eph. 5:22–26).
7. John Calvin said, “What God demands by his word, he bestows by his Spirit.” God will not accept laziness; he takes away all excuses from our mouths. And I will add to Calvin, “to all who believe.” Faith is important (Acts 1:8; Eph. 1:18–20, 3:20–21, Phil. 1:29; 3:10). Through the Holy Spirit, we experience resurrection power (Phil. 3:10). The greatest manifestation of God’s power took place, not at creation or during the exodus, but when God raised his Son from the dead. That same power is available to us.
8. All delegated authorities, including parents, pastors, and others, must govern by the word of God for the good of those under them. We have no right to govern outside of the word.
9. Covenant obedience results in blessing; disobedience in curse (Deut. 28). This principle is still true.
10. Those in authority and those under authority are equal in God’s sight. It is true that, in God’s order, wives must submit to their own husbands and children should obey their parents for their success in life. But all are equal in God’s sight. The illustration is the economic Trinity in accomplishing salvation for sinners. (PGM) The Son submits to the Father, and the Holy Spirit submits to the Father and the Son. Thus, even our children are equal to us because they are created in the image and likeness of God.
11. All must submit to one another. I submit to my wife, children, and grandchildren as occasion demands. If my wife asks me to do something, I will do it right away because that is also an aspect of the text, “to submit to one another.” So my children and grandchildren may come and ask me to pray for them, and I will pray for them. Whatever they say, as long as it is the right thing, I will do it.
12. A wife must submit because God said the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 5:22, 1 Cor. 11:3). The head has a responsibility to provide for and direct the body. If a man does not provide for his family, he is worse than an unbeliever. So I do provide for my family, and for others too. I provided for my parents when they needed it. It was my responsibility. The head not only directs, but he also provides. And he is also responsible for the spiritual growth of people under him.
13. The husband must love his wife, not according to his standard but God’s. The standard is given in Ephesians 5:25. He must love her as Christ loved his bride, the church, and died for her justification, sanctification and glorification. This is the most difficult command in this passage. In fact, Paul directs nine verses to husbands, while he only directs three verses to wives and three to children. So we see the great responsibility of a husband and father.
14. The husband must also be the spiritual leader in his family. He is prophet, priest, and king under Christ (Deut. 6:1–9; 11:18–21).
15. The husband, being under Christ, must answer to Christ for his wife and children. Husbands must give Christ an account for their families just as pastors are to give to God an account for those under their care. That is why those pastors who will not preach the gospel will be dealt severely by Christ on the day of judgment.
16. If we do not live according to Ephesians 5:18–6:4, we are disobeying Christ our King. If a husband does not love his wife, he is disobeying Christ the King. If a wife does not submit to her husband, she is disobeying Christ the King. If children do not obey their parents, they are disobeying Christ the King. If a father provokes his children, he is disobeying Christ the King. But beware: King Jesus will discipline those who confess him as Lord. When we say, “Jesus is Lord,” we are saying, “I will obey Christ all my life.”
17. All in the family must do all things in view of their confession, Iêsous Kurios (Rom. 10:9; Phil. 2:11). So the wife must submit to her husband as to the Lord (Eph. 5:22c) even as the church submits to Christ (Eph. 5:24). The husband must love his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25). Children must obey their parents as to the Lord (Eph. 6:1). All must submit to one another in the fear of Christ (Eph. 5:21). Servants must obey their masters as to Jesus (Eph. 6:5). Masters must treat their servants right in view of their Master and ours, the Lord Jesus Christ, in heaven, who is the Judge of all (Eph. 6:9). We must not pretend that this Lord Jesus Christ is asleep and does not see what we do. He sees everything, and we all must answer to him on the last day and in this life.
18. All the commands in this text are present imperatives.
    a) Mê methuskesthe (do not be drunk);
    b) Plêrousthe (be being filled continually);
    c) Hupotassesthe (submit continually);
    d) Agapate (love continually);
    e) Agapatô (love continually);
    f) Hupakouete (continually obey parents);
    g) Tima ( continually honor);
    h) Mê parorgizete (do not provoke);
    i) Ektrephete (nourish your children). Parents are to feed their children, not only with physical food, but also with the bread of the word of God. It is true that children have physical bodies, and, therefore, we must take care of them with food, clothing, housing, medical care, and so on. But beyond that, we are to regularly give them the word of God. So at least two times a day, we are teaching the word and enforcing it by discipline. Discipline itself has two meanings: one is to teach and the other is to enforce what we teach. The book of Proverbs speaks about using corporal punishment so that children will obey. That is why we are told, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

In Nehemiah 9:38 we read, “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.” Covenant renewal appears in the Bible often. It is the right thing to do. Let us make this binding New Year’s resolution to Jesus Christ our King:

By the grace of God, we take this oath in the presence of the triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—on this Lord’s Day, January 3, 2016, that we, members of Grace Valley Christian Center, would daily be filled with the Holy Spirit and governed by the word of God, so that we may worship our God, edify God’s saints, nourish and cherish our marriages, and train our children in accordance with Ephesians 5:18–6:4.

May God help us to walk in accordance with this oath, that we may be blessed in this new year and forevermore!