Exhortations

There are many exhortations in the New Testament. Nothing we say here wipes these aside. God’s standard of righteousness has not changed. His law still applies. He is not raising a family of transgressors. But in the gospel God has worked a way that it can be of grace, as He moves into our life and changes the nature and then living in us, without force, works in our heart that which is pleasing to Him.

So to the redeemed, the exhortations in the New Testament, that appear to be conditions, are seen to be fences of grace that keep us in the right areas, like fences around a play ground. Not only that, but God’s grace moves through those exhortations and provides the faith in the heart of the redeemed to respond and to live by them. “I will cause you to walk in My statutes and to keep them.” (Ezek 36:27). He speaks them into our heart and quickens us to follow them.

When we hear exhortations we hear with faith, not as it if it were by law. And we respond to them, not as by the works of law, but works or fruit of faith. So Jeremiah said God would write His law upon our heart. This means He puts His nature within us so that we walk in His ways. And John said we do not sin because His seed (nature) remains in us (1 John 3:9). The warnings, exhortations and conditions still exist, but they are fulfilled by the blood of Christ and by His life within us.

Here are a few examples:

By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain. (1 Cor 15:2).

Stand fast in the liberty where with Christ has made you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Gal 5:1).

If you continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel… (Col 1:23).

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. (Heb 2:1).

For if we sin wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. (Heb 10:26).

There are many other scriptures similar to these. Grace does not mean that these should not be preached vehemently. In fact, grace means that we should preach these all the more, knowing that God’s power works through them to change the hearts of the slothful and to bring us back to the Father’s way. We know that God’s people will respond to these and allow God to correct their ways. Therefore, we should preach these boldly to all people.

Exhortations are precious and they should be strongly used in preaching, but people should be made to understand that we do not respond to them by law through our own efforts and works, but that we should allow God space to work in us and to change our heart and attitude when needed. We should allow the revelation of that word within to move us on in grace.

God uses these exhortations to correct and guide His people in His ways. The word of God is profitable for correction, exhortation and reproof (2 Tim 3:16). A child of God has the nature in Christ that causes him to hear, understand and respond. The credit is not to us, but to the grace of God that works in us, by the Spirit of Christ whom God freely gave to us. Exhortations can do nothing unless God moves in us through them (Heb 6:3).

The exhortations of Christ only cause real change when they are used on the foundation of grace. Grace brings down the pride of man and enables us to hear what God is saying. When man is shown that he has no part in his salvation he is ready to hear God with humility. Only grace can produce the fruit that God is looking for, because only this allows God to do it in us. Only this produces love. Love is agape – meaning unconditional. The preaching of the law kills, but the rebuke of grace awakens the soul.

We must be diligent with regards to our faith and we must watch with regard to sin. We must walk in the fear of the Lord and watch not to give the enemy an opportunity. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling, not taking it for granted, diligently living out the plan that the Lord has for us, knowing that He is leading us and working in us.

We grow in grace. Paul said that he laboured more than all the apostles, yet not him but the grace of God that worked in him (1 Cor 15:10). Grace does not mean that we do less. It means that Christ and His work get the glory and not a humanistic faith.