End to Elevator Christianity — E.A. Johnston

The Inconsistent Life of “Elevator Christianity”

The Christian life, lived in the flesh, is similar to an elevator, in that our walk with God is more up and down, rather than having any consistency. One day, you're doing great, you're enjoying the top floor of the penthouse suite in victory, but then, incredibly, the next day, you're down in the basement of despair by falling into sin.

In this inconsistent up and down walk with God is all you know. You long in your heart for consistency. You long to have a life of victory in Christ Jesus, but it seems it's completely out of your reach and beyond your power, hence the term elevator Christianity.

But the good news, friends, is that there can be an end to elevator Christianity, and it can be found in the Word of God and by the Spirit of God. Turn in your Bibles, friends, to the book of Romans. We will be in chapters 7 and 8.

Romans 7 and 8: Two Contrasting Spiritual Conditions

Romans chapter 7, for many, is hard to understand and kind of like being stuck in a miry bog once you get in there. It's a struggle to get out, but listen to me, friends. We're going to look at it today and dig in it and figure it out and pull through it and get on over to Romans chapter 8, where the victory is.

There are two men that emerge out of these two chapters of Romans, Romans 7 and 8. Two men. And they are like night and day. The man of Romans 7 is the wretched man. I feel so many of us can relate to that one.

The man of Romans chapter 8 is the consecrated man, who for many is but a hope for attainment, but never realized on a consistent basis. Well, let's look at this man of Romans 7, the wretched man. We see three things about him.

Number one, he is a regenerate man. Number two, he is a frustrated man. And number three, he is a inconsistent man. Well, let's look at this first aspect that he is a regenerate man. For we read in Romans 7, 17.

Now then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. This is the language of a regenerate man. He is aware of his sin nature. He is also aware of the fact that he is powerless to do anything about it.

In verse 18 says, For to will is present in me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. Well, here is a man in desperate need of deliverance, but tries he may. No matter how many vows to God, how many promises to God, how many new resolutions he makes to God to gain the higher ground.

He does so, maybe for a little while, but it isn't long where down he goes again into the basement of defeat. And this brings us to point number two. He's a frustrated man. In verse 24 we read, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

The Frustrated Believer’s Inability to Live Victoriously

One can sense the frustration in the Apostle Paul's voice as he laments over his inadequacy to live the Christian life with more consistency. Romans chapter seven is the Apostle Paul's heart cry to God for relief from this body of death, meaning this continued failure to have a consistent walk with God.

He realizes both his impotence to live a victorious life and his inability to attain it, although he is a regenerate man who delights in God's law, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man.

He finds this continuous battle waging war within and keeping him from attaining as much sought after prize of victory. But I see another law in my members worn against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

And this is the source of his frustration. Many Christians believe that once they have renewed will, they will have a revitalized walk. But sadly, often this is not the case. The sin nature is not eradicated in conversion and our renewed will is not enough to do good.

But how to perform that which is good, I find not, he cries. But we are given a new disposition for holiness implanted in us by the Holy Spirit to understand spiritual things in our walk with and service to God.

Yet it is God's work to work in us. We see this from Philippians 2 .13, which declares, For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Between the two stands a cross and the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul is appearing to say in so many words, Oh, why isn't God working to will and do in me at this moment?

What is the missing element? And of course, this is all answered in Romans chapter 8, and the answer is the Holy Spirit. For there is a vast vacancy in Romans chapter 7, in that the mention of the Holy Spirit or the name of Christ do not appear once.

No wonder Paul is lamenting his impotence to live for Christ in a life of victory. He's attempting to do this himself in the flesh. Well, it can't be done. Here is a fact, friends, that you can write down in the margin of your Bibles and make it big, plain and straight.

The fact is that the Christian life is impossible to live in the flesh. It can't be done. It'll always result in frustration and failure. So the third aspect we see of this wretched man of Romans 7 is that he is an inconsistent man, inconsistent in his walk with God.

It is a power beyond himself and tries he may with all sincerity of heart and tear stains of repentance upon his Bible. He cannot make it on his own. He needs a power and an ability higher than his own.

Deliverance Through Dependence on God

We find this power in Romans chapter 8, and we not only find it, we learn how to appropriate it. God allows the regenerate man failure to teach him his utter dependence on God and not himself. When self tries to push its way in through self-effort, better resolutions, more promises and vows to God that only get broken time and time again, this is nothing but inconsistency.

How many times, friends, have you made a vow or promised to God that you couldn't keep and you could not keep it because the sin nature still remains warring within, making you do that you would not? Well, what's the answer?

Where is the freedom from this body of death? If I am looking to a power, if I'm lacking a power, then tell me what it is. Show me how to get it. I'm sick and tired of this up-and-down life of sin and despair, failure and failure.

The good news is that when a Christian gets the point of crying out, Oh, wretched man that I am, well, that's a good starting spot. It's a confession and recognition of man's inability to live the Christian life in the flesh.

Out of brokenness comes obedience. The wretched man of Romans 7 is a man bound in a weary prison of self and defeat. In Romans chapter 8, we find a man who has entered in and appropriated a higher power from the Spirit of God to gain the power and victory of obedience, power of a consistent walk of holiness unto the Lord.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Well, hallelujah. Now God works the will and do in us, but this is not a permanent gift to God once given. It has to be appropriated moment by moment every day as powers received from the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life.

This brings us, friends, to the aspect of the Spirit-filled life. We see this command from Ephesians 5 .18,. And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. So the man of Romans chapter 8 is a consecrated man.

We see three things about this man. Number one, he is a Spirit-filled man. Number two, he is a man under the Lordship of Christ Jesus. And number three, he is a man of consistency. Well, let's look at these one by one.

He's a consecrated man because he is now a Spirit-filled man, a Spirit-led man. We get a sense of this from Romans 8 .13, which states,. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

This is not man doing this. This is the Holy Spirit doing this. The Holy Spirit gives the victory. When the heart is opened wide to receive Him, desirous for self to be dethroned, that's when the Holy Spirit comes in and reigns there on the throne of the heart.

The Holy Spirit must not just be resident, friends. The Holy Spirit must be president, and He must be president at all times. He is mortifying the deeds of the body, hour by hour, moment by moment, as their utter reliance and dependence is upon Him.

To many believers, their walk with God is up and down in a life of inconsistency. The Spirit is within them, but the flesh rules the life. Well, I'll never forget something that I read about R .A. Torrey.

He commented, If you want more of the Holy Spirit, He has to have more of you. To give the Spirit first place is of utmost necessity. We read that the person whom this deliverance comes is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Thank God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, this speaks of Christ's Lordship in our life. To draw the net on this principle of the Spirit-filled life, we must turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter 3, in verses 15 through 18.

Christ’s Lordship Brings Liberty

But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, or don't miss that, friends.

This text can read, and where the Spirit is Lord, there is liberty, meaning when Jesus is Lord, there is liberty. When self is dethroned, and another enthroned there, the Lord Jesus Christ ruling and reigning in the life, then there is liberty.

God's doing it. The Lord is doing it by His Spirit in us. It is the Christ life for the self life. Gone once and for all is that dreaded monstrosity of self and elevator Christianity, for where the Spirit has its rightful place in our life, there is power, vitality, and victory.

For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. While our entire outlook has been changed, where we once sought to struggle and lift ourselves up to a higher level of living by reformation, by making vows and determination, we soon learned that that had the flesh in it, and it was doomed to failure.

But when we are filled by the Spirit, we give the Holy Spirit first place in our life beneath the Lordship of Christ, then it is He who works to will and to do in us, summed up in Romans 8, 13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

A Spirit-filled life is where the Holy Spirit is ruling and reigning on the throne of the heart, and it is He who gives us a higher power over sin, so we can have a life of consistency to God, to bring Him glory, and to bring an end to elevator Christianity once and for all.