Perhaps we should make a distinction between those under bondage to sin and those who have been freed from sin, circumcised of heart, and who are now new creations in Christ Jesus.
Reading the New Testament letters one will find numerous exhortatons describing actions believers are encouraged to take and evils they are admonished to avoid.
We can safely assume that every encouragement to act and every admoniton to abstain was given with the understanding that these actions were only possible through Christ living and working in and through them.
Why should we shrink back from warnings about dullness, apathy, laziness, neglect, and self deception? How often do we see exhortations to diligence, soberness, alertness, endurance, progress, and fruitfullness?
Have we developed an aversion to words like - "ought", "should", "must", "press in", "add", "lay hold", "be armed", "be ready"?
The ability to do any of these requires a moment by moment receiving help through the Spirit declaring the things of Christ to us. But God does make all grace to abound so that any believer can do anything Jesus, Peter, John, James, Jude or Paul said or wrote. These apostles understood that it would take their readers looking to Christ continually to walk in the truths they were calling them to lay hold of.
While it is true without doubt that apart from Him we can do nothing, it is equally true that we and, all who genuinely believe, can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Believers must ask, seek, and knock. Put off, put on, lay hold, add to, and do all of this diligently - and growth, progress, development, and capacity will be directly affected by the way each hearer applies the grace they have available. With the measure we use it will be measured. Growth and development is not automatic. Christian growth can become stunted and retarded, and the fault of this is not upon Christ, but fully upon us.
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Alan and Dina Martin
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