Home Field Advantage

All teams prefer playing on their home field because of the added support of their loyal fans.  Though fans always want their team to win it is more difficult away from home where the crowd is opposed to them.  As Christians we are in a spiritual battle, not a game like football but rather a matter of life and death.  It might seem odd to use the term Home Field Advantage concerning our spiritual battle but I think using it will help to get across the point I want to make.    

Most of us are familiar with the spiritual weapons we have at our disposal but have we given much thought to the turf we battle on?  Those who are in Christ are seated with Him in heavenly places and battle from a place of victory in Him.  We in effect are driving out spiritual trespassers to recover and maintain territory that has been purchased for us by Christ on the cross.  The turf I am speaking of is truly knowing where we stand.  First, knowing for certain the territory belongs to us, and then battling from the victory of the cross.  

Though the cross was a legal victory Jesus was not legally obligated to give His life as a ransom, it was a battle waged by intense love for humanity. Believers who are motivated by duty or obligation and not a love for humanity will find themselves loosing battles that would otherwise be no battle at all when empowered with God’s favor.  Our home field is grace through faith and not the duties or obligations of the law. 

Since our enemy is a legalist his main tactic is to draw us into a battle over legalities.  The term legalism in Christian circles generally describes being focused on rules, regulations and outward actions.  It can also be defined as performance based Christianity, trying to complete through human effort which can only be accomplished by His Spirit working through us. Legalism is being sin conscious rather than God conscious and leads to being critical of others as well as our own failures.  To look at peoples failings and lack rather than the gold that is deep inside them.  When we look for faults in others we also become aware of our own.  This is an enemy strategy to set us against ourselves and one another based on performance.   A lack of faith and vision, not seeing what God is doing in the heart, can make us critical and even judgmental (legally minded) toward our self and others.                             

 In 2 Corinthians 2:11 Paul says we are not ignorant of his (the enemy’s) devices.  The word “devices” used there refers to thought or intellect.  The context of this passage concerns forgiveness, which is the act of releasing others from legal obligations.  The initial battle takes place in our thoughts as he tries to lure us into thinking in legal terms toward those who offend us and away from grace and faith.  If we measure others using legal obligation as our standard we find that we come under that same standard. 

The enemy’s turf is what I would call legal ground.  He reminds us of our past sin and tries to convince us we are unworthy or less than adequate for our calling.  He also reminds us of past hurts and wounds inflicted on us by others to convince us they should suffer for their sin.  If we agree with his accusations he has drawn us onto legal ground.  It is easy to agree with facts concerning the past but there is a greater truth than the facts.  The greater truth is Jesus Christ has paid all debts in full, even for those who have not acknowledged it yet.  On top of that He has provided favor and grace to empower the forgiven. 

The weapons of our warfare are much mightier than the legal weapons of old.  If we agree with the punishment of the law in place of mercy and grace we loose home field advantage and come under the same condemnation we desire for our offender.  Our enemy’s strategy is to turn us from the faith back to the law.  It was the law that required an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek and bless those who curse us and do good to those who spitefully use us.  (See Matthew 5)  It was the nature of the law that the offender pay back or suffer for their offence, but Jesus introduced faith and grace which responds in the opposite spirit. 

Kingdom authority was demonstrated as Jesus responded to the wind storm.  Rather than calling for an opposing wind of equal strength He spoke peace.  Faith’s response changed the atmosphere that produced the storm and eliminated it.  The same is true with offences.  The eye for eye and tooth for tooth of the law is like coming against a wind with an opposing wind in hopes of eliminating the storm.  Turning the other cheek and blessing those who wrong us is responding with peace, which has a powerful effect of stilling the storm.  It is the power of Kingdom peace that crushes Satan under our feet.  If we respond to offence in a legal way or with carnal weapons we forfeit home field advantage so to speak.  When we use the same strategy of our enemy we are no match for him but can actually cause a worse storm.   

Jesus came to introduce grace by faith as the New Covenant way of dealing with personal offences.  The just shall live by faith and Jesus came to demonstrate how to achieve justice through grace and faith.  Legal justice requires the guilty to pay for their offences but Jesus taught and demonstrated that the innocent one pays the debt of the guilty.  This is a difficult subject to venture into because of the tendency to misapply this teaching.  I believe the main point of Jesus’ teaching is, do not respond to personal offences by returning evil for evil or by using the Old Covenant as our standard.  If someone is in gross violation of the law, we must forgive them and pray blessing on them but also allow the law to take its course.  God has ordained authorities who bear the sword and deal with the punishment of evil doers.  (See 1 Peter 2:14)  The main point of this article is to help us understand how our response affects our battle field.  We overcome evil with good and allow the Lord to work in the situation.  “Vengeance is mine I will repay, says the Lord”.  (See Romans 12:19)

Jesus said “forgive and you shall be forgiven, give and it shall be given unto you again, pressed down shaken together and running over it shall be returned to you.  With the same measure you use toward others it shall be measured to back to you again.”  (See Luke 6:35-38)  In this portion of scripture Jesus was speaking of offences and forgiveness.  It is often used in an offering teaching but actually He was teaching about responding with blessing toward those who offend us.  If we as God’s children only bless those who bless us we are not acting like our Father who heaps goodness upon those who do not deserve it.  The overflowing measure is a picture of favor and blessing being added to forgiveness.  The works of the Old Covenant law (eye for eye and tooth for tooth) canceled debts and balanced the scale of legal justice but left all parties involved with a zero balance in their account if you will.  They were forgiven debts of sin but left without grace to destroy the animosity and empower them to live free from offence.  The old way of the law could not clear the conscience or destroy the animosity that existed between offended parties, but grace through faith has the power to do so.  Only the sacrifice of Christ has the power to make peace.  (See Ephesians 2:15)   

Turning the other cheek is not turning a blind eye to evil as if nothing happened but to still the storm by responding in the opposite spirit.  Forgiveness is having your debt canceled but the added blessing of favor is like being given access to unlimited cash that we would never need to go in debt again.  We can love God and others only because He first loved us.  The same is true with forgiveness and grace.  Since He has forgiven and blessed us with favor we have access to His unlimited supply to use toward our selves and others.   

When God forgives us He always adds favor to it.  Forgiveness by itself is mercy, not getting the punishment we deserved but grace adds favor and blessing we do not deserve.  Forgiveness cancels the debt but leaves one with an empty account.  It brings us out of the red but not into the black where we experience abundance.  Favor brings us into the black by having access to an unlimited supply of God’s empowering grace.   Grace is defined as unmerited favor, something added beyond the requirement of law.  Legal minded Christians can forgive others because they know they have to but will not experience the favor of God on their own lives if they are not adding an unmerited gift of blessing to those they forgive.    

If we lack the empowerment of grace in our own lives it is likely because we have withheld it from others.  Acknowledging and repenting of that will reestablish our access to grace.  The measure we use determines the measure we will receive from.  Forgive and you shall be forgiven.  Give and it shall be given unto you again, pressed down shaken together and running over.  If forgiveness is all you want then just forgive others.  If you want an overflowing abundance coming and going through your life then always use the overflowing measure of grace and favor toward others.                

 

The Pharisees wanted Jesus to respond legally toward the woman caught in adultery but He responded with favor and grace.  Jesus’ words not only caused her accusers to run and hide but she was empowered to go and sin no more.  Jesus did not mix the law with grace.  Some have interpreted His words to be a command that put the onus on her own abilities to live righteously, but He in fact empowered her, not obligating her to the law.   His grace response not only sent her accusers away, but when He said “neither do I condemn you go and sin no more, He empowered her toward righteousness. The law could never eliminate sin through punishment nor could it empower anyone to live righteously but grace through faith absorbs the debt, empowers and blesses the offender. 

 

A legal mindset could misinterpret blessing someone who deserves punishment as wrong or even rewarding their sin, but in reality it is coming against evil with good by responding in the opposite spirit.  Sin is a reality and nothing to fool around with, but there is a greater reality in God’s Kingdom that overpowers sin, namely favor and grace. 

 

It is important to always add blessing to your forgiveness even if your offender doesn’t acknowledge having done wrong.  It will prevent animosity and assure that your own access to God’s grace is not hindered.  Our home field advantage is to avoid legalities, remain in the faith and dispense favor and grace as an added gift to those who do not legally deserve it.  Let’s not resort to the weakness and futility of the law through the use of legal measures, but respond with a measure that is pressed down shaken together and running over with undeserved grace and favor.  That will always give us home field advantage and give those in the grandstands of heaven something to shout about and cheer us on.