God Loves… Himself

If you will be the world’s favorite, you must neither be too like God, nor too like the devil. Sir Richard Hill

Here is a sad but very powerful truth that explains a lot in the true believer’s life. A true believer, on the one hand, may be liked in many ways, but s/he will never be the favorite of the world. A true believer may indeed be appreciated in some ways because of being kind to people and helping them, but s/he will never be the favorite of the world. For those who seek to be like God in all ways, the holiness that shines through them in what they do and what they don’t do will anger the world. Jesus told us that the world would hate His followers and John told us in his first letter that it should not surprise us if the world hates us.

John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

1 John 3:13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

The pride and self-love of the heart makes it hard for man not to seek to be honored and loved by the world, yet Jesus told us quite clearly that we cannot love the world and God at the same time (Mat 6:24). We will love one master at a time and the one we seek to please is our master. We will love the one and hate the other regardless if we think we can do both or not. It is difficult for a person that loves the honor of others to be disliked or mocked by them, but this is what the world does to the children of God who seek to be like Him.

The world loves basic morality and honesty, but only because it can be worked up by the flesh of man and can be thought of as worthy of praise to men. So the world does not like those who are too much like the devil because that treads on their own self-love, sense of safety, and makes them generally uncomfortable. What the world does not like, however, is that fact that all unbelievers are children of the devil. There is enmity between the children of the devil and the children of God, so the good and moral people of the world are at enmity with the true children of God and yet don’t want to be too close to the openly evil.

The world will love those who are not too much like God and yet not too much like the devil. The devil is set on deceiving people into thinking that they are believers, but true believers bother his children and provokes the enmity of their hearts. Men want to go on their easy way of life and not be too much like God and yet be religious and even very religious while they are deceived and on their way to hell. They simply don’t want to be disturbed in that.

That religion (if it must be called) which a man keeps to himself, or which is confined to acts of kindness towards the body, will never cause the least offence; but in proportion as any person is active in furthering the salvation of others, he is sure of making himself obnoxious to the eyes of the world. Sir Richard Hill

Here we see another reason that the deceived religious world hates true believers but has a lot of appreciation for religion that focuses on the outward things and even helping people in outward things. True Christianity knows and actually does deal with the hearts of men. True Christianity knows that men must be born from above or men will perish. True Christianity knows that you can be very moral in the outward sense and all of your morality is actually hatred toward God as it is an attempt to obtain self-righteousness. True Christianity knows that all the acts toward another in terms of their physical wants and “needs” may in fact just be helping that person on to hell.

True Christianity requires speaking to men about their souls and the fact that they are sinners by nature and that the best they can do is still sin. It requires speaking to men of their inability to do one thing to save themselves and that God will only save them by grace alone. When we speak of the cross of Christ and of grace alone, these things also make men obnoxious to worldly people whether they profess Christ or not. Those who are obnoxious to the world and to professing Christianity without true life seem to be rare. The “Christianity” that is taught today for the most part is nothing more than religious and moral worldliness with a few verses sprinkled there and there. What one must have is a people who are earnestly seeking the presence of God and don’t care what the person of the world (whether a professing Christian or not) thinks of that. The Lord Jesus Christ did not care what other thought of Him as He sought the will of the Father. Neither should we as we seek Him by grace alone.

If a man show not what is generally thought too great a conformity to the image of Christ, nor too little conformity to the ways of the world, that man will be idolized; but then it must be observed, that this love towards him does not arise from what the people of the world see in him agreeable to the temper of Jesus Christ, but from what they perceive in him correspondent with what their own sentiments and conduct, whilst the holy, wary walk of the true believer, is a thorn in the side of every counterfeit professer [old sp].      Sir Richard Hill

This is once again a very powerful comment on how much the world has entered into the professing Church. It is fine with the world and with professing Christianity for people to be moral, and perhaps even a stringent external morality at times, but a pursuit of true conformity to the image of Christ is hated. Men are thought to be too religious, too legalistic, and holier-than-thou when they want to be like Christ and seek to be like Him.

It is okay to be some religious to even a fair amount religious just as long as you have enough of the world to temper you and make you acceptable. The world cannot stand those who have very little to almost none of the world in them or in their practices and living, because that is to be different than they are and it appears to stand in judgment of the world. Men can even appreciate a minister who is religious and will not do all that they do, but they don’t want one who is like Christ who is the God they hate.

It appears that the quote above is dealing with religious professors primarily if not exclusively. A minister that speaks well and is like the world at the same time (though not too much since we want our ministers to be a little better than we are) will indeed be idolized. This can be seen by all the mega-“church” pastors. They can dress like the world and act like the world as long as they don’t go too far. As long as a minister preaches a message that encourages people in their little sins (in their own minds) and will not condemn them in their worldly pursuits, that man can go far and will be greatly loved by the people.

But as Sire Richard Hill notes, that is not a true love that flows from a love for Christ. Even the worst of sinners love those who love them, though that is not a true love that comes from God and is not the love that is the fruit of the Spirit. When people love a minister because he will water his message down for the sake of being loved, they love him (again, not a biblical love) because he goes along with their behavior and ideals. People love to have their ears tickled with nice and easy messages that do not prick their consciences and wake them up from their spiritual and physical slumbers.

This is also true about professing Christians in general as well. As long as the professing Christian is nice and easy to get along with and is not too different from the general people and their general morality, that person can get along with people quite well. However, when a Christian stands for the truth and attempts to walk in holiness, those around that person will be irritated and some will simply be mad. It must be pointed out that the unrighteous, whether they are professing believers or not, are confronted with Christ whether in word or life, it will irritate them and arouse their enmity toward God. Every true believer is indeed an irritant to every professing but false believer, and perhaps more irritating to the professing believer than to the worldly person with no profession.

What happens, then, is that the believer will be hated, mocked, and generally made fun of. The true believer does not play well with others and as such is not liked. This shows how much the world and counterfeit believers hate Christ all the time and simply want to be at peace with their own unbelief. This should also tell true believers that all good must come from Christ as their flesh will not make anyone uncomfortable in this way. This should also show true believers how much they need grace to live for Christ as it is His grace in them that shines forth His glory through them. Believers need to rest in the righteousness of Christ and not what other people think of them. The true believer in the modern day is surrounded by worldly people and counterfeit professors who are at enmity with God. They cannot expect to live at peace.

As the praise of true religion is not of men but of God, so there certainly is a thing called Religion which will please the world, whose praise is not of God but of men; but the downright libertine and the real Christian will both be disapproved of, though the latter more than the former.      Sir Richard Hill

One of the reasons that true religion that is of God and from God is not praised by men is that of the source and result of the Law and of grace. The glory of God and how He loves Himself is set forth in His Law and far more in the Gospel. But men want a law that they can keep so that they can have a religion which the world can be pleased with and with which they have the power to keep. True religion is not praised by men because it strips them of all ability to keep the Law and has a Law and a Gospel which declares the glory of God and the world hates God.

There are many disputes about what the Law is and the extent of the Law, not to mention whether the Law has been done away with. But according to the Bible the Law operates differently than the world and the religion of men thinks it does, and so does the Gospel of grace alone. If we can strip away all the vain wrangling that men have about the Law and look at it from a couple of aspects, it may help us to see the nature of true Christianity and of the glory of the Law.

In terms of getting at the heart of the matter, and without trying to get at all the disputes that have been raised about the Law and about the Gospel, the Law has one work to do and the Gospel has another work to do. The religion that is praised of men but rejected by God views the Law as the commands that God has set out and that men have the ability to keep that Law. While orthodoxy rightly rejects that idea in terms of justification and leaves justification to the Gospel, the religion of men loves this because that gives them the control and power to be saved by their own righteousness and works. However, among the orthodox the idea of keeping the Law has crept into sanctification. This also leads to a religion praised by men but is not acceptable to God. In sanctification we are not driven to Christ alone and grace alone in this manner, but instead we are told that Christ and grace helps us as we pursue sanctification. In this way sanctification is to some degree according to the power and ability of man.

But what we must see, however, is that neither the Law nor the Gospel have the power to do anything apart from the work of Christ and His Spirit. The issues we must deal with regarding the Law and sanctification are in many ways the same as with justification. If no man can earn any part of his justification before God, then why do we change the pattern with sanctification? All grace is in Christ and there is nothing acceptable to God apart from what grace works in the soul. The Law has no power to open the eyes of man to sin and no man has the power and ability to keep the Law apart from grace. It is Christ in His office as Prophet that by grace teaches man the inward nature of the Law and it is Christ who gives men grace to open their eyes. Sanctification is by grace alone as there is nothing man can do to earn merit or sanctification apart from Christ. As the Scripture so plainly teaches us, Christ is our sanctification. We are to seek Him and the holiness that comes from grace.

The Gospel has no power to open the eyes of men to Christ and grace, but instead it is grace that must open the eyes of men to sin and then to Christ and the Gospel of grace alone. Men that are blind don’t have the faculty of sight, so men who are spiritually blind have no faculty to see by the Law or by the Gospel apart from the work of God in them. The real issue in the religion that pleases the world is that man has the power in both the Law and the Gospel. In Christianity, it is God alone in Christ by grace alone who justifies men and sanctifies men according to His good pleasure. Men hate God and so they hate Christianity which utterly depends on Christ and grace for all things at all times. Apart from Christ working in men there is nothing they can do that is good. Men hate that and teach against that in many ways, and one of those ways is teaching the responsibility of man to keep the Law of God.

Must men love God and be like Christ in His keeping of the Law? Yes, that is true and that only comes by grace. But no man has any ability to please God apart from grace working this in the soul. Men are obligated to pursue holiness, but they have no ability to do so apart from grace working that in them. This is what men hate, yet this is what Christians who know their own hearts love. They go to Christ who is full of grace to receive “for of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” Regardless of what pleases men we must live to please God and that means living upon Christ alone and the grace which is in Him and comes from Him alone.

As the praise of true religion is not of men but of God, so there certainly is a thing called Religion which will please the world, whose praise is not of God but of men; but the downright libertine and the real Christian will both be disapproved of, though the latter more than the former.   Sir Richard Hill

True religion (true Christianity) is all about Christ and Christ alone. The only way to obtain Christ and to drink of the water of life is by grace alone. There is nothing in religion apart from the true Christ that can do anything but draw the wrath of God, yet there is nothing in Christ that does not draw the praise of God. On the other hand, the religion of the world that is apart from the true Christ will draw the praise of men, yet all that is of the true Christ will draw the wrath of man.

When the Lord Jesus, who is the shining forth of the glory of God, came and dwelt among men, that glory that He was full of was a glory that was full of grace and truth. He was in one sense grace incarnate and love incarnate, yet He was hated by men and most particularly hated by the most religious of men. It appears from the New Testament that the more religious a man was (in accordance to the religion of the day) the more that person hated Christ. Not much has changed today. The followers of Christ are hated and the more like Christ they are the more they will be hated and mistreated in some way, and that from religious people.

Christianity is all about the glory of God manifested in the grace of God to His children by and in Christ. All the paths of true Christianity are covered with the pure gold of pure grace which is in Christ alone, though the paths of religion and false Christianity are littered with fool’s gold. Those who love themselves and refuse to bow to the true Christ and true grace will follow the paths of fool’s gold which includes the praise of men. This praise of men comes in the form of praise for how nice and reasonable these people are. This praise will say that these people accept the tenants of science and reason. This praise will say that these are modern people who understand how the Bible cannot be taken literally. Oh how the praise of men is so attractive to those who love themselves.

The religion that pleases men hates true Christianity and will not be reconciled with it, and this shows how the religion that men approve of is really a way to hate God and man retain his own self-righteousness. The concept of self-righteous seems to be reserved (for the most part) for those who are outwardly proud of the way they avoid outward sin. But the Scriptures use the term to refer to those who trust in themselves in any way. The religion that pleases men can be an orthodox version of justification and sanctification which relies upon men to be responsible. This stress on the responsibility most often hides some great truths of Scripture and gives men a way to trust in themselves and their own righteousness. As long as men think (without clear instruction) that there are things they must do to be sanctified, they will do them and rest in them and so have a hidden righteousness that they trust in.

It is certainly true that Scripture puts many obligations upon human beings, but one of those obligations is to realize that they have no strength to keep the least of God’s commands in their own strength. Another of those obligations is that men are to glorify God in all they do and this can only be done by His strength which dwells in men by grace alone. This shows us that the obligations that men are under is to turn from all actions that are done in the strength and motives of flesh and do them in the strength which God provides by grace. Sadly enough, then, in stressing man’s responsibility and doing that without the utter helplessness and inability of man in doing those commands of God, a system of works for righteousness is being set forth. This system of works is said to be sanctification or perhaps man’s duty to God, but underneath it is the inescapable result of self-righteousness.

Men hate grace and love their own power. Men hate the sovereignty of God and love their own choices. Men hate the sovereignty of grace and love their own ability to work as they please. Men hate the sufficiency of God and love their own sufficiency. Men hate the ability of God and love their own ability. In looking at this from this light, one can see that true Christianity operates upon the basis of man’s inability of grace alone from salvation to and through glorification. Any teaching, then, that teaches men to work from their own ability is not true Christianity. It is incredibly rare to find the Gospel of grace sounding forth that will teach men how unable they are to perform the least work for self-righteousness and their utter need for grace to be saved and gragrace to be sanctified. How incredible it is that something that is taught so plainly in Scripture is so plainly ignored.

The enmity there is in the fallen heart of man to God will ever show itself against Christ’s faithful people. Self-love and self-deceit are the parents of this hatred which the world shows toward real Christians.
Sir Richard Hill

It is a surprise to men when the teaching of Scripture regarding man’s enmity toward God is taught to them. It is almost always denied, though in ways that shows the reality of the enmity. In one sense the Scriptures are full of the enmity of man toward God and His people. We can see this from Genesis 3 when the curse was announced on the serpent (Satan) and that curse was that God would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the woman. Throughout the Old Testament there was constant war between the seeds. This enmity toward God is seen in the enmity of the heart toward His people.

We see this teaching in Scripture that sinners are at enmity with Him and are in fact His enemies in several ways. First, and perhaps most obvious, when people are friends of the world they are in fact enemies of God. James 4:4 is quite clear that friendship with the world is hostility toward God and that those who want to be friends with the world makes him or herself and enemy of God. This teaching, while hated like many of the true teachings of Christianity, is clear and unequivocal. It is not just the obvious worldly people that are enemies of God, but also those who want to be friends with the world. This is a very sobering teaching. Regardless of whether a person has prayed a prayer or walked an aisle or confirmed a creed as true, friendship with the world means a person is hostile to God and is an enemy of God. Again, that teaching must sink into our hearts and the sobering reality of it must drive us to grace which alone can reconcile us to God by Christ alone. But we continue to see the masses wanting Christ (in name) and the world at the same time. It simply cannot be.

James 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

This enmity toward God comes out against “Christ’s faithful people.” The enmity toward God is not seen in those religious people who are friends with the world, but only the faithful followers of Christ. The fieriest of darts that Satan fires are also against true believers and he fires those at times through religious people who are friends with the world. While it may not appear to be the case, especially with those who are nice and outwardly religious who perform many religious duties, the enmity is there. Perhaps it does not come out with the strength that one expects, but the enmity is there and it is seen. True Christians are hated by many and will always be hated because of Christ. Jesus warned His people that if they hated Him they will hate His people (you) as well. But again, Jesus warned His people and His people are the faithful followers of Christ. They can expect persecution in some way and they will be hated because of their stand for the truth.

All those in the world are full of self-love and self-deceit. When a person is told that s/he must repent of this self-love and love God, this teaching will be hated. When a person is told that s/he is full of self-deceit and that person must repent of that self-deceit and look to Christ as reality and Truth, that teaching will be hated. The hatred of that teaching will then be turned on the one who is speaking the message. Again, we have to remember that there is enmity in the hearts of the people we are talking to. They will hate the truth when they first hear it. This is one of the things that is so concerning about the message of the modern day. People are not offended by it and the enmity they have in their hearts does not come out when they hear the modern message. The professing “Church” of the day has watered down the message of the Gospel of the glory of God so much that the enmity that is in the hearts of the people is not given cause to rise. If the enmity is there, it will come up when the truth is taught.

There is enmity toward people on moral issues, whether they are Christian or not, but not on the Gospel of grace alone and Christ alone. We are told that we are to present the Gospel simply and clearly so that people can understand. The problem with that, however, is that when we simplify things so much people don’t see their own hearts and the true character of God and the Gospel. The so-called “Christian” message is then kept watered down in order for people not to get angry and leave the church. Perhaps this is just another way of deception of keeping the Gospel and the character of God hidden from people as they take the religious way to hell.

How long might one live with some persons who are looked upon as very good Christians, and not know whether they had any souls or not!   Sir Richard Hill

Christianity is rare in modern America, if not in the world. So much false religion, which includes so many branches that thinks of itself as Christian, is rampant in the nation. Perhaps it would be much more accurate and to the point to say that so much false religion that things itself as Christian is rampant in the professing churches. It would also be accurate to say that so much false religion that thinks of itself as Christian is rampant in the pulpits in the professing churches and in the conferences of the day. One could say, in line with the quote above, how long might one live with some elders and preachers who are looked upon as very good Christians and elders and not know whether they had any souls or not.

It seems that as long as a person is a moral person and makes some kind of profession of faith in Christ or at least of a creed that person is considered to be a Christian. If a person is involved in social activities and is involved in a professing church that person is a really good Christian. In other words, it appears that as long as a person is moral and is involved in something thought of as Christian that person is considered to be a Christian. But Scripture is full of places where men are to search themselves to see if they are Christians and of standards to discern if one is a Christian or not.

But taking the name of Christian upon oneself in baptism or profession is a far different thing than being one that God has taken, regenerated, and made that person a partaker of divine life in Christ. No one who has the slightest idea of what hell is really wants to go to hell, but the truth of the matter is that if people had even a slight idea of what heaven would be like they would not want to go to heaven either. Heaven is a place that is all about the greatness and glory of God in Christ. Heaven is a place where the angels fall before the living God and cry out about His holiness and glory constantly and they love it. Heaven is a place where proud and self-centered people would hate because it is not about them. Heaven is a place where those who love their own self-righteousness and good works will hate because only the righteousness and works of Christ will be exalted there.

If heaven is a place as given above, then we can know that not many people on earth have heaven (Christ) in them now. People would rather talk about themselves and their own works rather than the righteousness of Christ. People would rather exalt themselves and seek honor for themselves in “church” and all other places rather than abase themselves and honor and exalt Christ. It is also true that some love to abase themselves but in doing so they are seeking honor and glory in a different way. In many ways this shows how the statement of Sir Richard Hill (from above) is so accurate and is a devastating point. True Christianity is at such low ebb today that a person can be thought of as a very good Christian without even being one. True Christianity is at such low ebb today that a man can be considered to be an outstanding minister and not even be a true Christian. True Christianity today is at such low ebb that a man can be a successful minister and speaker at conferences selling millions of dollars of books and tapes while not even being aware of the nature of true Christianity.

The nature of Christianity is not easily faked with those who truly have Christ, but those who are without Christ in truth are easily deceived. True Christianity is not just about a benevolent God who winks at sin and hopes we will get better, but it is about a holy, holy, holy God who hates sin and His justice and wrath is only satisfied by Christ. This infinitely glorious God takes sinners and dwells in them and works Himself and His glory in them because of Christ and by the Spirit. It takes a spiritual eye to see the truth and reality of this, though the natural man will hate the true Christian and perhaps may think of the true Christian as narrow at best and perhaps even as a heretic. Jesus said that His followers would be killed by those who thought they were serving God. People should and even must examine themselves to see if they have Christ in truth or whether they are deceived. Jesus warned that many would be deceived and He also warned that many would strive to enter in and would not be able. While those were not nice and polite things (according to modern thinking) to say, incarnate love (Jesus Christ) spoke them. So many today are satisfied with being nice and not satisfied with the rudeness of true Christianity. It may be rude to say, according to modern thinking, but those people hate God and Jesus His Son.