Summary: Who We Are In Christ

Who We Are In Christ
~~Summary~~

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." ~ John 16:33

Well my friends? What we've done is lay the basic foundation of understanding on which you can build your entire relationship with Christ in your own mind. Within this writ is the knowledge to renew your mind to some basic Truth's of who you are "In Christ".

• You are a "new creation" IN/BY CHRIST!
• You are TOTALLY forgiven, past, present and future, "IN/BY CHRIST"! Incredible!
• You are made totally righteous "IN/BY CHRIST"!
• You are already reconciled "IN/BY CHRIST"!
• You are redeemed "IN/BY CHRIST"!
• You are sanctified "IN/BY CHRIST"!
• You are justified "IN/ /BY CHRIST"!
• You are totally loved by BY CHRIST"!
• You are part of the Body of Christ, "IN/BY CHRIST"!
• You are a Citizen of Heaven 'IN/BY CHRIST"!
• You already have eternal Life "IN God, "IN/BY CHRIST"!

So, my Brothers and Sisters All... Whenever you hear this fellow say, "It's all Jesus!", this contents of this book, summarized by the list above, is part of the reason I say, "It's all Jesus". Truly my family, it is all Jesus. As a rule of thumb, if anyone tries to teach you anything that requires "YOU" to do something to retain your salvation? Drop it like a rock. That teaching is deader than a hammer my friends. It's all Jesus. It's not about me... you... us... It's about Jesus. You can pack alot of meaning into three little words sometimes, can't you? Amen.

Now do me a favor. Go back to the beginning of Chapter One and read the part about the butterfly again... especially where the butterfly and God were talking... Read it slowly... Does it take on a different meaning to you now that you've read of the transformation Jesus has provided you? If it does, then the Truth in this book will be of growing and great benefit to you throughout the remainder of your earthly life. It would be best to read and re-read this book, time and time again, taking notes and praying all the while, until the reality of who you are in Christ has become who you are! My God... I have never, and will never again, experience anything like it in my mind, heart and spirit! I do pray this becomes a reality for you too!

Before we go, I'd like to tell you of a real experienced I encountered just a couple of weeks ago at the time of this writ (01/25/2009):

Due to circumstances beyond their control (maybe), I ended up with a dog. The name given her in her puppy hood was "Geish". She's some sort of Alaskan dog... very big... very powerful. To humans, she is the best natured dog! She's all the time acting like a puppy, wanting to play... plenty of energy...

But when another dog of any type or breed enters her domain, to her, one of them must die. You see, in her youth, her taskmasters were hard. They used her to dog fight. She was trained early on that every dog that comes within reach wishes to kill her... therefore she's learned to kill... It was the only way she could survive. It's like the natural part of her wants and is so loving and kind... But her nature has forever been altered because of the training she received when she was young.

Now it's needless to say, I must keep Geish tied at all times. I hate tying a dog or confining any animal. To me, it's a sad life for any creature to be all bound up, not free to do that which God intended. But because we live in a community of others, there is no choice. She must be kept, bound up by chains and 3/8 inch steel cable because of her gruesome training in her past.

Well a couple of weeks ago, and don't ask me how she did such a thing, she snapped the 3/8" cable that held her. My daughter Kalla was the first one to notice it. As she called us all to come and look, I could not believe my eyes to see her sitting across the creek here at my home (where she always stays), with about a 3 foot section of the cable still attached to the leather collar around her neck. She was walking around in her open lot just like normal, within the confines normally afforded her by her restraints... SHE DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS FREE!

Of course I realized I had to replace the cable IMMEDIATELY! So I immediately went across the creek to splice the cable together so she could be temporarily restrained until I could get a replacement. As I approach her when taking her food to her, she always comes to the limit of the restraints and bounces up and down of her front paws, excited because I am coming. She always pulls against the cable while she bounces, wanting to come further.

But not this time. As I approached her this time, she came to the usual place where she was usually stopped by the cable. I thought to myself, "Here is when she'll realize she is free, and I'll have a very hard time catching her." But I was amazed as she stood in that very same place, with nothing holding her back nor standing in the way of her freedom, and bounced up and down just like usual. She never made an effort to go any further than the usual spot. She never knew she was free, so her opportunity passed her by without her really even realizing it.

But you know what? Later that day, my splice broke. Again she was free... Again, she didn't realize it. I found another cable designed for a smaller dog that would restrain her until I could get a replacement. Once again, I went across the creek. As I approached her, I again wondered if she would figure out she was free. You know what? She did.

The second time I went to her, she went the limit as usual, then in her excitement, she went a little further than usual. About three feet further as a matter of fact. Suddenly, she forgot the excitement of seeing me coming as she realized for the first time that there was nothing holding her... The realization came slowly to her, thank God. For I would have never caught her had she bolted from me. But her excitement was building as she went further and further with her head down investigating everything with her nose that she had not gotten to investigate before! Finally, she knew she was free...

Sadly, I had to tie her back up because her past is still who she is.

So why do I give you my two week old dog story in such a lesson as this? Because even at the very minute I first saw Geish standing in her lot with her chains broken... even at the very second I was amazed she was still there, thinking herself trapped by things of her past... The Holy Spirit ever so clearly spoke to me and told me so, so very many people are the exact same way!

Some of you are trapped in the circumstances of your past. All of us are so different, with such different pasts... Our circumstances can vary greatly, but as with ALL error... all error in understanding leads to nothing else but bondage... in your mind you may be chained more tightly than Geish ever has been.

Some of you know not the Christ. Some of you may have even been trained up to hate Christ... trained to curse His name... trained to shed the blood of those who love Him... To you, I tell you with absolute certainty that Jesus loves you and He wishes to bring your heart unto Himself... He wishes that you would invite Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior. The Christ wants you to "turn to Him". You see, when you turn to the Christ, you also turn your back on everything you ever were in yourself... all your former beliefs... all your former faiths in whatever god you were told to worship... all the bad you had ever done... turn your back on it all. After all, really, you never had a love for any of it... It despises you... Therefore my brothers and sisters, turn your back on all of it and turn to the Christ! Invite Him into your heart and everything mentioned in this book will IMMEDIATELY become a part of you, growing daily in you, until you too, are gathered unto Christ and the rest of us at the Marriage Supper of The Lamb!

Christ has already dealt with all the bad you've ever done! If the Holy Spirit knocks at your heart's door at this very moment? That is the reviving power of The Holy Spirit bringing your heart to life enough to make your choice! DO NOT turn The Christ away now! He may never return unto you! Get on your knees right now, where ever you are and say this prayer along with me, but also? Have the meaning of these words in your heart as you cry out to The Christ!

Oh Christ! Oh my Lord Jesus! Right here, right now, there is a brother or sister of mine on their knees under the unction of the Holy Spirit seeking You Jesus as Lord and Savior! Receive the heart of this brother and sister of mine that they will be saved! Eternal Life in heaven will be theirs! Life on earth will be possible! Listen to their heart as I lead them in their prayer of heart unto You, The Christ!

(Please repeat this prayer with me and have it in your heart):

My Lord... At least I want to call You "MY" Lord! To You, The Christ I call out right now in my desperation. All my life I have believed nothing, or I have believed a lie. Jesus, I no longer believe these lies. I have a strange thing within me telling me You are my Way, my Truth and my Life! Oh Christ... I have been such a curse upon the earth! I have been such a sinner... such a bad person...

But I have been told, and I believe, that You will forgive me and forget about all that, and that You will fill me with Your Spirit so I can start in all newness of LIFE! I am told You will make me... different. You will make me alive, where I have been dead. You will make me into who YOU want me to be. You will provide for me everything I need to have a real relationship with You!

To The Christ, the Son of God, I believe You died a horrible death to pay for all my sins. By doing so, I realize You took Your own Father's wrath for MY sins, and the sins of the whole world! Oh God I can't imagine anyone ever loving me enough to do such a thing! You suffered unimaginable WRATH, being deserving of none of it, just so I might Live... forever! Thank You for such love as that, for me.

Oh Jesus... The Christ! I believe You are the most powerful Son of God! I believe all other gods to be false! I humbly ask You into my heart! Oh God! I turn my back on everything I have been and I turn to YOU alone for my salvation... for my very LIFE! Come into me Jesus! Come into me, The Christ! Fill me with the Promise of Your Holy Spirit!

Ohhhh God... The Christ! Thank You! Oh Lord! My Lord... Thank You! Oh my Lord... The Christ... From this moment on... I love... and I follow... only You!

To the Christ only, will I ever pray from here, on. Praise be the Name of The Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen & Amen!

My brother or sister? If you just said that prayer above, with the meaning of it in your heart, you have been saved! Your salvation is already complete. Jesus holds you never to let you go, and The Holy Spirit has sealed you unto eternity. It's hard to grasp, I know... But true, never-the-less. As far as your salvation goes? It's all Jesus.

There is yet another group I'd like to address. These are my brothers and sisters in Christ that have given their hearts to Christ and are born again children of God... yet they have yet to understand, without error, the terms of who they are "IN CHRIST". There are a great many among the modern day church that erroneously think they have certain things that are their own responsibility to uphold to "keep" their salvation. These people think it possible to lose their salvation... their eternal life in Christ. Folks? Salvation is from God. Anything from God is eternal. If one could lose their salvation, nothing about their life could be called eternal. We'd have to scratch the word "eternal" out of our bibles and replace it with "temporary", or add the word "possibly" to eternal. That's really kinda silly isn't it?

But for these people, I pray for courage.... Courage to take a new stand in your knowledge. It takes courage to admit you've preached error for maybe over 50 years in your ministry. I did for 12 years. What's the difference between you and I? Nothing. In all cases, all we can do is man up and make our new found knowledge of the Truth part of our personal testimony of God's faithfulness to bring us to the understanding of the Truth! It does take courage... So I pray for all of you that struggle in this manner my friends.

Now all that remains is for you all in whatever your back round, is to begin your life-long process of learning and growing in the knowledge of Truth in Christ. Please... begin this book all over again. Your mind has begun a "renewing" process to where it will consecutively and progressively be brought from it's darkness into the Light. This book... or better said the Godly Truth herein, will help your mind understand Godly foundations, on which all things spiritual will be built. It does not matter how long this takes. What matters is that every Truth offered up here for your understanding become a part of who you are. Spiritually, it has already happened. That is all Jesus. But struggling with your own mind (the flesh), is an ongoing process in which you will be victorious with the faith of a mustard seed and The Holy Spirit to guide you into Truth and away from error. In the Spirit, we have already been given all things (Ephesians 1:3). But your flesh will have to learn of it before you will be free in your mind. For concerning the flesh, it is not the Truth alone that sets you free... It is the "knowledge" of the Truth that sets you free to peace that surpasses all understanding and in the Joy of your salvation through the love you'll know God has for you (John 8:31-32 ; Proverbs 23:7 ; 1Corinthians 2:14
).

There will be a great and beneficial by-product of gaining this knowledge in Truth also. Where once you were trying your best to "positively" love yourself and others in mimicking to the best of your ability the love of God, now, you can know the REAL love of God. THAT will enable you to REALLY love your enemy, instead of just "trying" or "pretending" to, to the best of your own ability. This is a short paragraph, but I'm describing something right here that will transform you in every way... if you'll let it... if you'll stop long enough to think about what I'm saying... God's love toward you is the key that opens the heavenly floodgates, my friend. I pray you find these keys, and use them.

God bless you all in your quests, chasing after the very heart of God. I trust when you get there, you'll find it quite different than anything else you'll ever encounter.

I love you all. God bless, keep and protect you all... mentally, physically and spiritually. May you always follow the path of Truth, without error. Bless the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that provided all this to us.

~~Amen & Amen!~~

(Pt.12) Can We Really Have Eternal Life?

Who We Are In Christ
Can We Really Have Eternal Life? (Chapter 12)  
Questions Answered

My brothers and sisters, a question that haunts the minds of many people is, "How do I know for sure that I have eternal life?" It is a question that keeps many people in bondage (most times even unawares to themselves) to the fear of death. People "fear" death for many different reasons, but the one I will focus on here and now is, there are people fearful of death because they fear they have somehow "un-done" what God said He has "done" - and that is give us eternal life when we accept Jesus as God's Son, our Lord, our Savior, our Way, our Truth and our LIFE! The Bible is very clear when it comes to this issue. God never intended for us to doubt the quality of life Jesus Christ gives us both in the here and now, and eternally. In order for our identity to be secure in Christ, we MUST come to an understanding of what ETERNAL life really means. But rest assured, God answers these important questions through His Spirit and His Word.

As human beings, we find it easy to forget 

about how consuming God's Power is! 

Your salvation is HIS! And He'll never let you go.

There are so many people I know that have just started their precious walk with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Many of them are newly born again Christians who have turned their backs of faith on the religion of isLam. These people have been held "hostage" by the man-made imaginations of religion. They have always been told that their eternal existence was based on a set of "scales", that weighed the "good against the bad" performances in deed throughout their lives. If the scales were tipped the wrong way? They were doomed to an eternal hell. What a horrible place to be within one's faith. They could never be certain of anything concerning Heaven or Hell! But like the rest of us, if they were truthful within themselves, they knew it wasn't looking good.

These ex-islaMists need to realize the TRUTH of God's Word concerning their eternal life in Heaven with Him! They need to know it because God wants them to experience many things in their relationship with Him and He wants them to be certain of a great many things. Three of them being "eternal love, eternal fellowship and eternal "Life" with God, as people that have accepted Jesus as Lord, Savior, their Way, their Truth and their Life!

In a way, I wish the ex-islaMist were the only one I needed to address in this writ. But this writ is for every other "religion" in this world that is void of the full Truth of Jesus... But even further yet? I must also address a great many that have even accepted Jesus as Savior! Many people that view themselves as "Christians" need to learn the full Truth of God's Word, accept it by faith in their hearts, and stop "denying the power thereof" (1Corinthians 1:18 and 2Timothy 3:5), even though they may be doing so with the best of intentions.

Our eternal life, if correctly understood, has atomic impact on every aspect of our being, including this flesh. By knowing what God has already done for us in the Spirit, it will free us in the physical to do His bidding, which namely is to simply spread the Good News of The Gospels of Salvation in whatever form God has designed. If we have error in our understanding of our eternal life, hope and future? We'll spend our physical life chasing our own tails on the innumerable performance treadmills, and we will get... nowhere.

Our eternal life, if correctly understood, has atomic impact 

on every aspect of our being, including this flesh.

Brothers and sisters in Christ? Join me as we reveal the plain Truth of God's Word about that which we have to look forward, concerning our eternal citizenship in Heaven! It's nothing other than Good News for your heart, mind, body and Spirit! Bless God's wonderful Name! Don't be surprised if you find yourself absorbed with your mouth full-open as you realize, maybe for the first time in your life, that this earth - this existence - is NOT your Home. You have so much more with which to look forward! One day soon, you are going Home my brother! You are going Home my sister! Bless God! Let's learn a little more about that! Shall we? Amen.

"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." - 1John 5:11-13

Dear friends? Are any of you familiar with rocket science? Well neither am I. And you'll find none of it here as God's Words to us as born again believers explains ever-so-simply what is available to us as born again Christians. And not only what's available to us, but how we get it!

In the above scripture, God offers up to us HIS TESTIMONY concerning our eternal life, that we may once and for all understand something ever so critical to our own personal existence in mind, body and soul which in turn enables everything concerning our effectiveness in His ministry of spreading the Truth of The Good News to a hurting and dying world! GOD'S OWN TESTIMONY clearly tells us that 'IN CHRIST', we have 'ETERNAL LIFE'! If we have The Son, we have eternal life! For those that do not have the Son, they do not have life! Also, John wrote these things so we could know we have eternal life!

"John wrote these things so we could know we have eternal life!" - 1John 5:13

Do you have to gumption to read God's Word for what it plainly says? 

Or will you choose "religion" over relationship? If you do, you're going 

to miss the biggest point God makes in the entire Bible. 

God wants you to KNOW that you have ETERNAL LIFE!

How about it my brothers and sisters? Can you read the Words of God given to man and have the Spirit given faith to believe what It says? The enEmy wants to steal this understanding away from you! Will you allow it? Do you want to believe you have eternal life? If so, there's Good News! You can do so with a clear conscience because it is IN the Word of God! Here it is, right here in your Bible! You now have ETERNAL LIFE! Eternal means "without end"! You are IMMORTAL!

The next verse of scripture is no doubt the most notorious, the most preached upon, the most reflected upon, and perhaps to many, the most cherished scripture in all the Bible and with good reason. It reveals the subject matter of the entire Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. The Theme of the entire Bible is captured right here in this passage:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." - John 3:16

Folks? Think about it: What is salvation? 

Salvation is LIFE! If you don't have life, 

you're not saved from anything!

The sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf was the "preparation" for salvation!

Bless The Name of The Lord, Jesus Christ! The very motivation for God sending His own Son to die for our sins was God's Love for His children (that's you and I)... How absolutely incredible! When you stop to meditate upon that, does it awe you as it does me? That God would love "me" so much, that He would send His Son, Jesus Christ to die in order to pay the penalty for my sins? Even while I was yet an enemy (unsaved) of God? My sins were paid for by Jesus (Romans 5:10)? Folks? As hard as we may try, we can't understand that kind of Love, nor know the depths of which it reaches... But? We can understand that it exists, for God has just said so, hasn't He? Amen!

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son (*Matts Note: the preparation for salvation), much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Matt's Note: SALVATION IS LIFE! We are given LIFE through the RESURRECTION of Christ!)" - Romans 5:10

Lades and gentlemen? My brothers and Sisters? To those that worship Allah, Buddha or any Deity other than the Real God and His Son, Jesus Christ? Romans 5:10 makes a statement so profound... so incredible... so powerful... so loving and Graceful, that even many children of God fail to understand what it is saying in the flesh of man! It describes a fact about what Jesus accomplished for us that absolutely separates Jesus from any other man-made, man-drempt, man-imagined god in this world and beyond! Here is something Jesus did for us in which no other god can lay claim. God has never allowed saTan to tell such a lie, therefore I can only guess God never will allow saTan to tell such a thing. And if saTan can't spread this lie, then it might very well be considered blasphemy if man denied the power of this scripture here in Romans 5:10 !

While we ALL were yet sinners (UNSAVED; UN-BORN AGAIN IN SPIRIT; DEAD in Spirit & heart), Jesus paid the price for our sins, ALL of our sins, with His life! Wow! Can your god say that? Has he ever made that claim? Has your god ever said he loved you enough to take your sin away forever despite you being his enemy? Oh my Ever-Loving God! Of course not! Not once has any other god EVER made such a claim!

Do you want to know why no other god has claimed to have paid for your sins even while you were yet his enemy? You want to know the top three reasons why your god has never said that?

One is that any other god besides the God of Abraham is nothing more than man's imaginations. In any other God? There is no reality... only imagination.

The second reason you never heard of any other god doing this is because these man-made gods are all designed for control. Men want to control other men. To do this, men must remain in bondage to the man claiming to have the knowledge. No other subject has better results in the total control of men than that of religion.

A good third reason? There is no love where there is only imagination. No other god could possibly love you, because in reality, there is no other god.

In the scripture above that speaks to the world, God has again went out of His way to make certain things undeniable concerning the POWER of what Christ did! It tells us that believing in Jesus SAVES us from perishing! It tells us that when we believe in Christ, we have ETERNAL LIFE! But we need to get something straight:

Jesus paid the price for all your sins before we were even born! Look at Romans 5:10 again! Look at it hard! The harder you look at it, the longer you look at it, the harder it is going to be for you to deny the power thereof! There are two specific things mentioned there: your sins being reconciled and your life... your ETERNAL LIFE! They are two separate things! The forgiveness of your sin by God through the Blood of Jesus is NOT salvation! Again, look hard at Romans 5:10! The forgiveness of your sin was your "preparation" for salvation, making it possible that you be saved!

But even after you were forgiven of your sin, you are still... what? DEAD!  So what do you need to be saved? You need LIFE! You need LIFE! You need ETERNAL LIFE! Temporal life will be no good to you in the long run. You need ETERNAL LIFE to be saved! Thus? That's why Jesus demonstrated to us His Resurrection! He DEMONSTRATED the ETERNAL LIFE He offers to us!

As against the grain as what I'm about to say is to so many teachings of error out there, not one man or woman will go to the eternal lake of fire because of any fleshly sin they've committed here on this earth except one: their rejection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said that sin was unbelief in Him (John 3:18).

If you properly understand Romans 5:10 and John 3:16-18, you will understand that what you need to be born again in the Spirit (saved by God's Grace), is that you need to repent... but you need not repent of every sin you've ever committed or will commit in the future. My friends? You couldn't do that if you tried with all your might (and many are trying hopelessly to do just that). Your sins were paid for while you were yet an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). If you wish to be born again, repent of your unbelief in Jesus Christ (John 3:18). In doing that, you will thank Him eternally for the forgiveness He has already provided you, and you will welcome Him into your heart as your Lord, your Savior, your Way (of life spiritually), your Truth and your LIFE (eternal)! Oh my God! When you realize THIS Truth, even your physical being will be atomically impacted! You'll be changed forever into a "new creature"! Oh my God, what a Gift! Praise His Name Forever!

Eternal Life is just that - it is eternal. If eternal life could be lost, it would have to be called "temporal life". We can be 100% secure in the fact that the eternal life we have been given in Christ can never be taken away from us! Note: This is not "thus saith Matt"! This is the EXACT Words of God, Himself!

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never parish; no one can pluck them out of my hand" - John 10:28

This author can certainly understand why the book of John is many people's favorite book in the Bible. It is dedicated to telling every born again believer the exact terms of our relationship with God as well as all the fine details. And what fine details they are! Bless God!

According to scripture, only God has the power to give eternal life. Once we have that "eternal" life, we can never perish! No one (including self here, because we, ourselves are a person) and no thing can cause us to lose this eternal life because we would have to pluck it out of God's Hand wouldn't we? Do you actually think so much of yourself that you think it possible to overpower God and do something HE says cannot be done? Think about it friends. Of course you can't. No one can.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord" - Romans 6:23

Some more detail in comparison form: The wages of sin is death. The GIFT of God is eternal life. Eternal life can ONLY be found in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when you received Christ Jesus, what did you receive? Ahhhh-hahahaha! Now you're getting it! Amen!

Wages are earned, but a gift is given freely. In his best efforts, man can only earn death and destruction (we know all about that don't we?). Eternal Life cannot be earned. It can only be given freely by God to those who will accept it by repenting of their lack of faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:18-19).

"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" - Romans 6:11

We can know, as born again believers in Christ, that we have eternal life because sin has been dealt with once and for all. If sin had not been forgiven and taken away, every time we sinned we would once again "die spiritually"! Think about it! Every time we sin, we would again die spiritually if it were not already dealt with! And what does Romans 6:11 say? Scripture says to "consider yourselves ALIVE to GOD in CHRIST JESUS"! DEAD to SIN - ALIVE to GOD! ALIVE! LIFE! That's what you have in Christ - LIFE! You see dear friends, it truly is "all about Jesus". In Jesus Christ, we have LIFE! By realizing this reality, we can know we have life even when we sin (and we will, we ALL will, despite our best efforts).

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." - John 10:10-11

saTan comes to steal (take away), kill and destroy. Jesus came to give us "life to the full", or full life. This Truth is manifest in God's Word in plain as black and white. Which "doctrine" are you following in your life? Do you have life to the fullest in Christ? Or do you allow saTan to come and steal it away from you every day? Tough questions for sure and quite hard to face. Never-the-less, you need to realize the Truth about what you have or don't have. Please be honest with yourself, and in your intellect as you search this out!

"The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 5:21

Sin's reign leads to death. That is all God's Law can do for us individually. It makes it possible for us to know the difference between right and wrong. Without God's Law, there would be no such thing as right and wrong. Thus? The Law came so we would know that our transgressions only increase. Under the judgment of God's Law, there is but one verdict for each and every one of us: Guilty.

But Grace (Jesus Christ) came to reign over sin, bringing us righteousness to each and every individual that accepts Him. Also, in Grace (Jesus Christ), we have eternal life! Is that not what the scripture just said? Amen & Amen!

"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." - John 6:40

Oh my friends and family! I want to laugh out loud in the Joy the Truth of the scriptures provide! According to this scripture in John 6:40, what is the will of The Father, God? That everyone that believes on His Son, Jesus Christ will have ETERNAL LIFE and He (God) Himself will raise us up on our last day! Oh! How can it be refuted any longer even by the most educated? Folks? In Christ, we HAVE eternal life! I don't know about you, but when I realized this, it totally changed my attitude toward death, and it forever affected my relationship with God! Now I know I am secure. I am forever God's property and no one or nothing else will ever change that! Talking about freedom? It is true that the "knowledge" of the Truth will set you free! Amen!

Friends? Eternal life is found only in Christ. No where else can It be found. Therefore, since Christ lives in us, we have eternal life. The two cannot be separated. Eternal life begins the moment we accept Christ into our hearts by faith as our Lord, our Way, our Truth and our LIFE. Understanding this reality will free us from the fear of death and give us an eternal perspective on life.

Properly understanding the Truth of God's Word concerning your salvation will change your life forever... It will truly enable you to then be "Motivated By Grace" alone! Amen!

(Pt.8) You Are Sanctified!

                                                                                

~God's Power is made PERFECT in our

weaknesses by His Grace~ 2Cor. 12:9

 

You Are Sanctified!
 In Search Of Our Identity (Part 8)
Questions Answered

To be sanctified means to be "set apart" or to be "made Holy". As a child of God, you have been made 100% Holy by and ONLY by the blood of Jesus. Despite differences of opinion, the Bible clearly tells us that holiness is not something we can attain by our own good works. Like salvation, holiness is a free gift that is given to all who put the faith in Christ Jesus.

"...yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach --" - Colossians 1:22

Here's some foundational Truth concerning our identity in Christ. CHRIST... notice God's Word says "CHRIST" reconciled us to God through His physical death. As a result of ONLY this action by Jesus, we are now seen as a "Holy" person! We will NEVER again be condemned by God because we are forever now seen as "holy, blameless, and BEYOND REPROACH!" Glory! Is it starting to dawn on you yet just how magnificent the work of Christ toward us as Savior really is? Glory to His Name!

"...who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity..." ~ 2 Timothy 1:9

This passage of scripture is perfectly clear. We ARE called to a "Holy" life. But are we Holy because of ANYTHING we have done? Not according to scripture, which means the Truth of the matter is, our holiness cannot ever come from our actions, but our holiness is ALWAYS provided ONLY by God's purpose for us, and God's Grace, which is in and through Jesus Christ!

The "reason" we are made Holy is for God's own purpose. You know what that is? God wanted to save us from an eternity in hell! God wants us to be with HIM forever! God wants to USE us in what time we have left! THAT'S God own purpose! Amen & Amen! And God provided this even before the beginning of time (eternity)... That kinda tells us we've never caught Him by surprise doesn't it? I know it's impossible for us to understand "how" God knows all this, but through faith? We "know" it never-the-less. Glory to our Father! What a God!

So... Could "we" ever have anything to boast about concerning our "holiness?" Could we EVER live in such a way as to be considered "holy" by our own doing? No rocket science to it... Absolutely not! But what we will experience is our flesh being more and more "subdued" by the Holy Spirit of God, bringing even surprise to ourselves sometimes. We will grow in the character of Christ... We will mature... We will go from m ilk to the meat... Our minds and hearts will be continually transformed... And the speed at which this will occur will depend greatly on your desire to "submit" yourself to God's Instruction... THAT is "living by the Spirit"! What a glorious process to behold... a treasure beyond compare... an honor... An Honor to participate as a child of God! Thank You Jesus!

"By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:10

Oh... My... GOD! No, I'm not using the Lord's Name in vain here! Folks? Can you see the Good News all over this scripture? The sheer POWER of the totality of Christ's Work toward us is incredible! For many, it's unbelievable (sadly)... Friends? There is enough power in this one verse to alter your life forever if you'll just hear what has been said!

We... are ...made ... HOLY through the sacrifice of the Body of Jesus Christ... ONCE AND FOR ALL! Precious Lord! Could that one statement be perfectly true?!!? Think about something please... What does, "Once and FOR ALL" mean to you? To me? It says that our "holiness" has been provided by Jesus Christ from now on, without end! ... Forever! It is FINISHED! This kinda suggests our "holiness is COMPLETE" doesn't it? Ummm... YEAH!

Now one more question: "Is there anything you as a man or a woman can do that would overpower what Jesus did here for our holiness?" Are you more powerful than God? Can you change the "once and for all" part with any human element in your possession? Well friends. Some may think they can, but I rest in knowing that what God hath put together, no man shall separate! Amen! Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 10:10, 1 Peter 3:18, Jude 1:3, Jude 1:5 ! ...and Amen!

Friends and family? In light of all these "once and for alls" and all the other Truth in Scripture presented up to this point, are you willingly ready to continue to present your teaching of mis-understanding of that one verse that would put God's people back on that "performance treadmill" that is ever-so-similar to the one the Jews trod on before the Messiah ever came to us? If so? Shame on you. Shame on you indeed! That may be strong verbiage, but not nearly as strong as what the Bible says. The Word of God says that "to anyone, man or angel, that would teach a different gospel, may he be accursed!" ...

"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:8-10

Like I said... Strong verbage... But this is an important topic.

"For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren..." - Hebrews 2:11

Look at this scripture for a moment please. What family is referred to here? The family of God. How can Jesus be called our "Brother"? Because He (Jesus) who sanctifies, and those who are sanctified (you and I) are all from one Father. If we are part of the same family with Jesus and Jesus is our Brother, how should this affect our relationship(s) with other believers? Should we not all consider ourselves all of the same family? If it relies ONLY on what Jesus has done for us (provided our sanctification), are we not of the same family? Friends? Yes we are. That Truth cannot be changed whether we believe it or not, understand it or not, dis-agree with it or not... It doesn't matter... Truth says we are ALL, as believers, in the same family of God!

"To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, Saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:" - 1Corinthians 1:2

The Corinthian church as you may know, had many problems. Paul wrote 1st and 2nd Corinthians to address these problems. One of the major concerns of Paul was the sexual immorality that was being tolerated. Despite the severe immorality that was going on within the Corinthian church, Paul still identifies them in his address by "those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy". Now that's a far cry from how most churches would approach things such as that today, huh?

Despite being acutely aware of the conditions of extreme immorality within the Christian Church at Corinth, Paul still reinforces the fact that they "ARE SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST and called to be Holy!" Now to back step just a second, what were they called to be? That's right. HOLY! Let's ponder something for a second... According to this scripture, what do ALL of us that have called on the name of Jesus have in common? Without doubt, the commonality is, we are ALL in the family of God! I don't know about you all folks, but I myself will never get over this. I mean, I enjoy this life as much as the next person, but it pales ever-so-much knowing that when this is all over (I die and leave this earth) that I have an eternity to look forward to that is so wonderful it can't enter the mind of man (and we have some pretty smart people on this earth)!

Realizing within your mind and heart that you ARE holy, not that you must "work" for the status, should begin to totally transform your life... IF it is important to you at all... I mean, isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus has already done what many men teach you have to attain on your own? Your Holiness? Taken care of? THAT'S part of what man should mean when he speaks of man's Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless." - Ephesians 5:25-27

Here, the Bible says Christ gave Himself for us as an act of love. That's amazing in itself, but here's what many in the world fail to understand: The RESULT of this action is what makes us holy! When Christ died for us on the cross and was raised from the dead into life, the avenue to be made holy was provided right then and there! All that was then needed is for us to accept It! THAT's where our holiness lies folks! In the works of CHRIST! Not the works of Matt! Not the works of Grant! Not the works of Markus, James, or anyone else! Our holiness does NOT rely on the works of man in ANY fashion! It's ALL JESUS! People have been wondering for years what I mean when I say, "It's all about Jesus." This expose', when concluded in it's 13 chapters, will explain just what I was saying... And yes, it really is that simple.

Look at some of the adjectives used in this passage describing US, the people that have been born again in Christ! In this scripture alone:

• HOLY
• RADIANT
• CLEANSED
• WITHOUT STAIN, WRINKLE, OR ANY OTHER BLEMISH
• BLAMELESS

Please examine this list and ask yourself is it possible that YOU, through all your works, could EVER achieve this? If you're honest with yourself, and according to God, the answer is, "No". And that goes for each and every one of us! But in reading this scripture, isn't it wonderful to realize that CHRIST has done it for you? Amen! Yes it is! It will transform your mind, and thus your life if you let it! Imagine a life where you no longer have to worry about "measuring up" to the standards of holiness (perfection) through the various performances on the various treadmills "religion" would seek to impose on you! Glory to God! Now THAT is DELIVERANCE! Amen!

Will you continue to "chase your own tail" 

by continually asking for Christ's forgiveness 

that has already been given you?

 

So. If GOD sees us this way, would it be presumptuous to see ourselves in the same way? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, God WANTS you to realize this! He WANTS you to understand what JESUS did for you! I am quite sure it breaks His heart to see His children unknowingly sell Jesus short of what He accomplished! Also, by fully realizing what Jesus has done for us, we no longer will waste time in a vicious circle trying to obtain what we've already been given... Holiness! THEN, we can move continually forward in the ministry God intended for us all! Instead of needlessly chasing our own tails in that we continually are begging forgiveness for that which we've already been forgiven, we can spend our time THANKING God for the forgiveness we already have! AND we can now pray about other matters that are forefront in our lives at the moment!
Folks? This whole expose' is so we can all discover within ourselves a wonderful, life-changing Truth that is thousands of years old in relation to our physical reality, but It is timeless Truth in eternity. Please give this entire series it's due, in that you'll save it, re-read it, take your time in study of this Truth about your salvation if you have been truly saved by Jesus...

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." - 1Corinthians 6:9-11

Scriptures such as these frequently throw people for loops in their understanding of their future because they do not know for certain what scripture reveals about our "New Identity in Christ". Here is why:

According to these verses, who will not inherit the Kingdom of God? You can go through the list. It's a long one isn't it? Now, do you see yourself "in the flesh" anywhere in there? I do. The Corinthians most certainly could... To be brutally honest? You should be able to see yourself in there too. Scary? You bet! Had it not been for our Savior, we wouldn't stand a chance. The reason I say that is, notice what Paul also says about our identity. After all, the Corinthians and us... we have alot in common don't we? Maybe our flesh is much more subdued to the things of Christ than these Corinthians were, but we're still far from perfection aren't we?

In the same breath, Paul told the Corinthians that all those evil things is what they "were" (past tense). Now it may strike many of you as strange, as it first did me, that Paul would say these Corinthians were no longer unrighteous in their fornications, their idolatry, adulteries, their "girly-man" actions, homosexuality, thieving, covetousness, drunkenness, reviling, swindling etc., etc., etc. . Now were these Corinthians still participating in this stuff? This perversion? Yes they were! Yet their "Identity In Christ" is secure! They are born again! They are saved! Hey... Don't get upset with me... It's the Bible that says it, not me.

Now that most of you are really upset, let's shed some light on a few other things, shall we? Now what has just been described here? "A license to sin!" you might say... Well? Let's see what else Paul had to say. You see, we fail to understand much of what the Bible has to offer us because we don't take the time nor put in the effort to grasp it in it's entirety! Too many times we stop short in our studies and miss the main points of many a conversation in the Bible! Let's not do that here. Let's get it all... We need to. We need to understand our Identity in Christ before we can clearly understand anything else in the proper perspective, which is "God's Perspective"!

"He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." - Ephesians 4:28

Ok. Take a look at this Scripture, please. What is God's response to a child of God who has stolen? Well? ... ... . He instructs us we must steal no longer, but work, so we will have even something to share with others! Does he call such a person a thief? Noooo! He couldn't call us a thief, as that would contradict who we are, which is a person inherent to the Kingdom of God! But let's not lose sight of why we are Saints... It's was only by our acceptance of Jesus Christ, and Jesus being who He is that enables that!

Again, what does God tell us to do if we have been stealing? He tells us plainly to "steal no longer". God says, "Work!, so you can GIVE!" God clearly teaches us that He wants us to bear fruit, and we must realize we CAN bear the fruit if we'll learn of God and His ways, and humble ourselves to the authority of The Holy Spirit inside us. For if the Holy Spirit is inside you, He will let you know when you do wrong, and He will want you to "change your ways" (repent)!  So? Why fight it? Why be miserable? REPENT-> (agree with God that you have done wrong)<-! And experience the blessings of God through the fruits that will come forth through you as God's Tool! Amen!

Now don't you find it odd God doesn't say, "Get on your knees straight away and beg Me for My forgiveness!" ??? It might surprise you to know the Bible never tell us anywhere in it's text for us to beg for forgiveness. Why should you beg for something that was given over 2000 years ago? The knowledge of this fact is more than clearly displayed in Jesus Himself when he made the statement in John 3:18, that "sin" is "unbelief in Jesus!" There was many a call unto the Lord to restore the "Joy" of salvation, but never was there a call to restore "salvation".

Rather than a standard to be lived up to, the holiness of God is a "Gift" that has been given to all who believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ. As we have clearly seen, whether or not we want to humble ourselves to it, we are sanctified ONLY through our faith in Jesus Christ, NOT by our "good works"! Therefore, our "identity" is based on what HE has done rather than what "we" do! And I for one am dog gone glad of it!

God does not "need" us to carry out His work in this world. Yet, in His sovereignty, He has "chosen" to "use" us. Through sanctification, He has "set us apart" for that purpose. We are a VERY PRIVILEGED people, knowing that God, at any time, can and will use us to share His Life and Love to those around us.

Is it starting to mean a little more now when you say, "Glory to You Father God! You alone are WORTHY!" ??? Amen & Amen!

Next Up? "You Are JUSTIFIED IN CHRIST!"

(Pt.7) In Christ You Are REDEEMED!

In Christ, you are REDEEMED!
Who We Are "In Christ" 
In Search Of Our Identity (Part 7)
Questions Answered

As children having walked out the door for an evening of fun, parents have been known to say, "Remember who you belong to." Perhaps the parents were hoping that the knowledge of who you were and to whom you belonged would influence your decision-making process, should you be tempted with the ways of this awful world.

I think too, that through our identity in Christ, God reminds us "who we belong to". As children of God, we have been redeemed. Now I don't know about you, but my understanding of exactly what it means to be redeemed used to be somewhat fuzzy. To "redeem" someone literally means to "buy back", then to "set free".

There is a famous story of how a man once saw a slave on the open market. The bids were quite high for this particular slave because he was very physically fit, able to do the work of two men supposedly. But also, this man's wife and child were for sale as slaves. During the slave trade, families were frequently split up at auctions, as it was rare the whole family would be purchased by the same owner...

However, in this particular case, this man out-bid all others at this particular auction and gained the deed to the slave. This particular man also out bid the crowd on the slaves wife and child. For all practical purposes, he had deed to a male slave, the slave's wife, and the slave's child.

Upon completing payment, the slave owner stood with deeds of parchment in hand, and his slaves before him. As the owner looked into the eyes of this family, he then took ink in hand and did what he had intended to do all along... He signed the "deeds" of ownership, accompanied by a signed statement that the persons in these deeds were now "set free" by the owner.

You see, if a slave owner wished it so, he could set his slaves free... totally free... and this action was irrevocable. No one else was allowed to legally enslave these people again once the owner had set them free.

The owner of the slaves then handed his signed and sealed documents of freedom to each of the three in the family. Looking into the eyes of the male slave, he simply said, "You are now free." ...

How do you feel, knowing you have literally 

been "bought back" by Jesus, Himself?

Try if you can, to imagine a man who's entire family was caught up in a society that endorsed human slavery... and try to imagine what happened within the heart of the "used-to-be-slave" when suddenly and quite unexpectedly he realized he AND his family were free... What do you think the ex-slave felt toward the man that had just paid quite a high price for his entire family, then without any personal benefit from them what-so-ever, he just "gave them away" to freedom?

This is a true story. And the man that purchased the slaves was quite a famous man... that ended up having quite the key role in freeing ALL slaves in the United States of America... His name was Abraham Lincoln.

The Incomparable Christ

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." ~ Colossians 1:13-14

What a powerful, loving statement in the Word of God! We have been "rescued" from the dominion of darkness by Christ, Himself! We have now been transferred out of darkness, INTO the KINGDOM of God's Son, Jesus Christ! In THIS Kingdom, we have redemption, which is the forgiveness of sins! According to this scripture? We ALREADY have redemption! The verbiage is PAST TENSE!We have been "bought back"! It's DONE! We are FREE from DARKNESS!

How does that make you feel? Toward the One who "bought you back" from darkness, then "set you free"?

"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." ~ Galatians 4:4-5

Here we are told that God sent His Son Jesus into the world to redeem (buy back) those that were under the Law (you and I). Jesus did this for us so that we would receive "full rights" as children of God. Why is it important that we fully understand this? The list is almost endless, but to start, it is so we can rest assured of just who we are in Christ that we may have the peace of heart, boldness in spirit to deal with the flesh that resides within us all, and perseverance to endure this spiteful world. We are supposed to understand that we are now free to "live by the spirit" (which has eternal life by the power of Christ), despite this flesh that will one day die and pass away. But, even though it will remain with us for a little while (our flesh), it is, can, and will be dominated by the Holy Spirit that now resides in us as born again Christians! Will we ever be "perfect" in this flesh? Probably not... But there will most definitely be "major changes" and it (our flesh) will be more and more subdued as we "mature" in the power of the "Spirit of God"! Glory! How absolutely INCREDIBLE!

"The Robe and The Ring"

"But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;

I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."'

"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'"

"But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate." ~ Luke 15:17-24

Even though you could never deserve 

God's acceptance, what does the story of 

"The Prodigal's Son" in God's Word confirm for us all?

In the story of the prodigal son, the son took his inheritance and squandered the wealth on the ways of this world. After he squandered the money, he came to a place to where he found himself eating with the pigs. In reference to the verses above, what can we conclude in how the son felt about his relationship with his father? Well? Scripture plainly says his thoughts were that he had so greatly sinned against heaven and in the sight of his father, that he thought himself no longer worthy to be called his son... And you know what? He was right. He wasn't "worthy" enough! Now the son simply desired to be as one of his fathers servants.

But? As was the case, the father had something totally different in his heart. In the heart of the father was celebration because a son that had been lost was now found. Did the father feel as if the son was no longer "worthy" to be his son? The fact that the best robe and the ring was fetched for the son, was symbolic of all rights of son-ship being restored to the son... You see, it wasn't up to the son, but the father as to whether or not the son would remain his son!

With all that is within me, I must conclude that our heavenly Father feels the same way about us IF our heart was ever given to Him in earnest. Even though we may, for this reason or that, go off and sin and/or to do our own things, from God's vantage point, does this make us slaves again, or are we still His sons/daughters? Scripture tells us that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God! How extraordinary!

When you sin (notice I said, 'when'), do you sometimes feel exactly the way the prodigal son did -- that you are no longer worthy to be called God's son/daughter? If you're anything the way I was, you may fall prey to that self-condemnation, not fully realizing that it is up to GOD to determine such a thing... And that He has told us what His determination is already concerning His children!

God redeemed us so we would have full rights as His sons and daughters. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for us to fully understand that we HAVE BEEN redeemed!

As I have said many times, in many different places, for twelve years in my walk with God, I had mis-understood my salvation. I had adopted the attitude that, "If I make it to heaven God? That will be fantastic! But if I don't, I'm going to do for You what I can anyway." That was the best I could do. You see, I had thought myself no more than a "hired man". But God? He finally showed me that He stood before me with the best robe! He stood before me with the ring! Undeservedly, I accepted the robe and the ring that only HE could offer me... I have never gotten over that, and I'm quite sure I never will... That totally overwhelms me in my flesh every time I dwell and meditate on it... What a loving God we serve!

Where are you in your understanding? Do you think yourself a "hired man/woman" of God? Or are you ready to wear "The Robe and the Ring?"
__________________________

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." ~ Romans 6:15-18

There is constant criticism concerning the teaching of Grace and our truthful identity in Christ is that it gives a "license to sin". As a fellow I know would say, "We don't need a license to sin. We did that just fine without one." But? I do suppose it is a valid question. I remember asking it myself before I understood God's Grace.

And so it must have been even in Paul's time. You see, the Jews, steeped in the Law of God asked the same questions. Paul's reply was clear and very concise: "By no means!" To further elaborate , Paul used the idea of slavery so everyone could visualize in their minds what should be going on in the heart of the recipient of God's Grace.

In this explanation, Paul makes some interesting points concerning "slavery". First, you "offer" yourself to someone to "obey" him as if a slave. In this particular case, we have two clear choices as to who will enslave us, which would be slavery to sin which would ultimately lead to death, or slavery to "obedience" (unto Jesus Christ, of which Jesus only had two commandments) which leads to righteousness (the righteousness that can only be seen through the blood of Jesus and enabled by our acceptance of the Life Jesus demonstrated for us through His Resurrection).

We all know that when we were lost, we were definitely "slaves to sin". No rocket science there is there my friends? But by "obeying the gospels", what have we willingly become slaves to? That's right... The "Righteousness" (Jesus Christ) mentioned above. We can also thank God for The Holy Spirit, for without Him, subduing the flesh would be a total impossibility and neither could our minds be "renewed".

What Paul describes here and in many other places in the New Testament is "freedom". This freedom, as has been described elsewhere is a total freedom. But, as is always the "context" of the Gospel (Good News), anytime freedom is mentioned describing the born again believer in Christ, it is ALWAYS A REFERENCE TO FREEDOM FROM SIN! Some of us have been blessed with the understanding that spiritually we have been freed from sin entirely, and this was what Jesus dealt with over 2000 years ago to "prepare" us for salvation. Jesus has already paid the price for every sin in all the world, in all time frames, forever! IT (dealing with sin) Is Finished!

But in the here and now? In this flesh? Evidence of this is a gradual physical process of which the physical manifestations become more and more evident as our minds and hearts grow in the "renewal" process... Our flesh is actually becoming more and more "subdued" by the Holy Spirit as we choose to be more and more "obedient" to the will of God in our character. Since we have been "set free" (freedom) from the law of "sin and death" it wouldn't make a bit of sense to return to a lifestyle of sin would it? Truly, when we really realize the Truth about our redemption in Christ, we can then realize that by faith we simply do not have to participate in sin any longer the way we did before. Before we were born again, we had no real choice according to our nature... Now? It's quite different, praise God! We are literally free in our spirit NOT to sin!

So? Spiritually, freedom from sin is a matter of history for the born again. Physically? It is an ongoing process made possible only through our willingness to obey God, and that is only possible through the ministry of the Holy Spirit within us all... Physical obedience to the ministry of the Holy Spirit promotes what is described as "living by the Spirit"! Amen!

"Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." ~ 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

In the previous segment we discussed Paul's address to what was going on in the Corinthian church at the time, which namely was an "abuse of God's Grace". The Corinthian church mis-understood their new-found "freedom" in Christ. Their flesh grabbed hold of the idea that "Now we can do as we please without fear of judgment from God!" (my paraphrase). Paul sought to address this error in understanding, thus, the scripture above is one instance where Paul attempts to explain to us what our basic "motivation" should be in our hearts and minds so our flesh will be properly directed (subdued) by the Holy Spirit. He does this by explaining some very important facts about the changes that should occur within the born again believer.

In this particular instance, the issue of promiscuous sex within the church is being addressed because it was literally rampant within the Corinthian church at that time (*Oh how horrible! That wouldn't be possible today among believers would it?). But the basics that explain the Truth of Grace not only sheds light on this error in understanding of sex, but also lays the foundation of the believers "motivation by Grace" which enables our freedom "NOT" to abide in sin!

Paul starts by making a distinction between sexual sin and all other sins, in that sexual sin is against the body, where as all other sin is outside the body. Paul implies this should be especially despicable to us as born again believers because we sin against the "temple" of the Holy Spirit, which "lives" in... US!

He also teaches us that "our bodies are not our own"... In all things this is true, not only in the arena of sexual sin. Then Paul goes even deeper into our understanding to explain "we are not our own" because "we have been bought with a price"! Friends? What "price" was that? What was the only thing valuable enough to "purchase you" from the kingdom of eternal darkness? How absolutely incredible that God's Son, Jesus... God Himself would shed His own blood to buy us back...

Now how does that make us "feel" in our hearts? Has it been said so much, by so many people, for such a long time , that we no longer have a "debt of appreciation" of what God did? Ok... So we're imperfect... But we have God's Grace... All things are lawful, right?

"I have this feeling of being fed up with a great many things in this world. I'm tired of how I'm treated. There are even a few types of people I hate, and others I hate what they do. I'm that way, and I'm free to do so!"

True enough, all things are lawful to the born again believer. Freedom wouldn't be freedom if God's Law remained in judgment of any part of our lives... But the "Law of The Spirit" also says, "not all things are profitable" to the character, integrity and purpose of God which is inside each and everyone of us through the ministry of The Holy Spirit (of Whom we now belong)!

So? Clutch all your imperfections that you have come to treasure! Hold them as tightly as you can in both arms! Then walk into the shadow of the cross and look into the eyes of Jesus and see if His Grace allows that you should keep them for a lifetime... Search the heart of God... then search yours... Do you possess a "debt of gratitude" for the Sacrifice made on your behalf so that you can now know what it is to "LIVE" and eternal life made available to You through Jesus, expressed to us through His glorious resurrection?

"So? Clutch all your imperfections that you have come to treasure! Hold them as tightly as you can in both arms! Then walk into the shadow of the cross and look into the eyes of Jesus and see if His Grace allows that you should keep them for a lifetime..."

That is what Paul was trying to tell us... He was trying to tell us this in hopes that we could tap into the Holy Spirit within us that is more than able to enable us to "Glorify God in our bodies"... Amen & Amen

But that's not nearly all:

"Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." ~ Galatians 4:6-7

My God! I cannot find the words to adequately express the power and the love God has for us that He would not only save us, but He would actually "send forth the SPIRIT OF HIS SON" into our hearts! Friends? How can we have JESUS living and breathing inside of us and hold our bibles in one hand and our hate and/or disdain for others in the other (Wow. This question just kicked my teeth in)? How can we read and study the things of God and sneak out the house for a sexual encounter with someone besides our mate? How can we hold our bibles in one hand and hold ANY sin in the other hand? As ugly a thing as it is to admit, the way we do this is with the flesh. And THAT is exactly what we are to engage in battle with the Holy Spirit at our stead! We can make headway in defeating and subduing our flesh through the Spirit of God's Son that lives within us! Spiritually that battle has already been won... But in this flesh? Well, stand in the shadow of the cross and see what the Spirit of Jesus has to say to you. Eh?

But we also need to know that God knew of everything we would be through Him? And He also knew everything we would not be and He has delivered us through it all if we are truly born again... Can you imagine? We are no longer slaves to sin... We have been given the gift of Son ship. We have been made sons and daughters of God! We are an "heir"! You know "heirs" inherit things... And our ultimate inheritance is eternal life as sons and daughters of God!

If the Truth of these scriptures doesn't stir an "undying debt of gratitude" within you my friends, I would take a serious look at myself, for there is something terribly wrong with our condition... It will be up to you and God to find your motivations by Grace in all things...

Knowing we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus and having been set free from the law of sin and death enables us to fully enjoy the "riches of God's love and Grace" with a heart free of all malice and immorality, despite any momentary lapses we may have in this learning process. In light of the fact that despite all the obstacles saTan would have you think exists, you have totally been "redeemed". it just wouldn't make any sense what-so-ever to go back to our lives of bondage!

Glory To God! All praise belongs to Him! All honor! All Glory! Thank You Jesus for Who you are to us... Our Savior, our Teacher, our Grace... our Motivation!

Amen & Amen!

~~Next? "In Christ, You Are Sanctified!"~~

(Pt.6) Who We Are In Christ: We ARE Totally Righteous

Who We Are In Christ

We Are Totally Righteous!

Questions Answered (Pt.6)

 
My Dear Brothers & Sisters... Not only do we receive forgiveness through our faith in Christ, we also receive "righteousness" -- the righteousness of "Christ". Through faith in Christ, we "exchange" our unrighteousness for "His" perfect righteousness.

Everything concerning our 

"Identity in Christ" is 

ALL about Jesus!

 

Resting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ frees us from the impossible task of trying to keep ourselves "clean" before God. How many of us understand this? How many of us have been taught by various religions influenced by Catholicism that we must "perform" to maintain our very salvation? Let's take a look at a few scriptures that will hopefully clarify a few things in our own minds:

Romans 3:21-22 ~ But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

As always, scripture is what so many would consider painfully clear in what it says concerning out righteousness. It says plainly that righteousness is from God. Not in what you do, what I do, or what anyone else does. Our righteousness is from God!

This scripture also reveals that we cannot become righteous by observing the Law. Scripture says our righteousness from God is "apart from the Law". So, if our righteousness does not come from the Law, where does it come from? Kinda easy to figure when looking at the above scripture: Our righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to ALL that believe! Notice belief is different than faith... All the demon believe, but they lack faith. They believe in Jesus, and had faith in satan... See the difference? Our righteousness come from Christ when we both believe and have faith in Christ... Amen...

2 Corinthians 5:21 ~ "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Christ did not have any sin within Him but God made Christ to be sin on our behalf. In taking that sin of ours, Christ took it "all". Not one sin was left behind for us to scuffle with. What do you truly think would happen to the world if Christ had left one sin for us to conquer on our own? Well, I don't think He would have had too much trouble building the new city... There wouldn't be anyone to occupy the place (Heaven).

It's important to take note of in our hearts and minds, that because of that special exchange Jesus made on our behalf, and ONLY because of that loving and painful exchange did "we" benefit from obtaining the very "righteousness of God" - "IN CHRIST"! It is only "IN CHRIST" this is obtained!

So... If we have actually become the righteousness of God by being born again, how righteous are we? We are FULLY, 100%, without lacking anything, with nothing to add, we are FULLY and TOTALLY Righteous, In Christ! Nothing left to even improve upon concerning your righteousness that Jesus has provided you and I.

Romans 4:5 ~ "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness..."

Here is some simple facts that "religion" tends to disagree with in one form or many others:

God justifies the wicked. Man is not justified by any aspect of his works. He is justified by trusting in God. "Faith is credited as righteousness to those who believe in Christ." No person can gain righteousness through their good works. Not Pope John, Mother Teresa, Mother Mary, nor Matt nor anyone else. It is "God's" Righteousness of which we are given!

Romans 5:17 ~ "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

What a wonderful scripture!!! ... As a result of one mans sin, "death" had reign over us. Everyone was affected by this sin of one man. NO ONE was excluded from the dreaded judgment as a result of the sinful nature (our guarantee that we WILL sin). This is the most dreadful news to mankind... As there was but one verdict on the day of judgment... "Guilty!"

But the next part demonstrates the saving power of a loving, mighty and Graceful God: If we receive His Grace (Jesus Christ), one of God's gifts to us is "His" righteousness! This righteousness "reigns in life"! That means we are now free to live with the knowledge that we have an eternal acceptance that cannot be challenged by anything on this earth or beyond... We are "free"... Set apart from the wages of sin and death, because no longer are we identified as "sinners"... We are now identified as sons and daughters of God... Saints forevermore! Glory to God! Our mind have a hard time wrapping around that little tid-but of Truth doesn't it?

Philippians 3:8-9 ~ "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith..."

As Paul was all too famous for, he weighs in on the subjects of righteousness by faith in Christ as opposed to righteousness by the Law (obeying the 10 Commandments among other Laws) in the above scripture. Paul says that righteousness that comes from obeying the Law as "rubbish" (trash). Not that obeying God's Law is a bad thing... Not at all! But "our ability" to achieve righteousness through perfect obedience? It's not even a remote possibility. No human on earth, except Jesus Christ, was or ever will be able to obtain righteousness through perfect obedience. NONE! It makes no matter how "good" we think we are... On our own, the best we will ever do is be a stench in God's nostrils...

The only righteousness Paul found valuable was "the righteousness that comes 'from God' on the basis of faith"! Who's righteousness would you rather have? Be honest... Look deep within yourself. Is there ANY given time when you think you could measure up on your own? I'm talking right now, even if you've been a Christian for 40 years... If you started right now, could you perfectly adhere to the perfect Law of God?

For years, I was asked if I "had sin in my life that I sought to justify" through my understanding of God's Grace. You see, there are people I know right now that actually think this whole concept of God's Grace is to accommodate a sinful lifestyle (license to sin). And for quite a while I denied having sin in my life. My answer would always be, "No."

What an incredible lie.

The facts of the matter is, no matter how hard I try, and whether you want to admit it or not, no matter how hard "you" try, we will NEVER stand perfect before the Law of God! Therefore, yes. I do have sin in my life. I have re-occurring sin in my life... And so do you... Each and EVERY ONE of you... THAT, coupled with the Truth God is trying to communicate to us, is the reasons why we need to correctly discern this matter of God's Grace... It will be the ONLY thing that frees your spirit and allow you to live joyfully in God's Service, both in this physical life, and our spiritual lives to come!

"Yes. I do have sin in my life. I have reoccurring sin in my life... And so do you... Each and EVERY ONE of you... THAT, coupled with the Truth God is trying to communicate to us, is the reasons why we need to correctly discern this matter of God's Grace... It will be the ONLY thing that frees your spirit and allow you to live joyfully in God's Service, both in this physical life, and our spiritual lives to come!"

As revealed in the scripture above, the only way to receive the righteousness of God is by faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary, for you and for me. A most important question we can now ask ourselves in the light of the combined Truths of the Gospels is, "Are we willing to give up our feeble efforts and 'rest' in His free gift of righteousness today?" IF you are standing 100% in the righteousness of "Jesus Christ", you are 100% acceptable to God!

 

"The only way to receive the righteousness of God 

is by faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary!"

Ephesians 1:6 ~ "...to the praise of the glory of His Grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."

This scripture reveals that God's acceptance of us is NOT something we can establish on our own, but rather it is Jesus Christ that has provided our acceptance. When we realize we are truly only accepted and made righteous through God, we should be able to relate to Him freely, willingly and with assurance that His acceptance of us cannot be threatened.

"A most important question we can now ask ourselves in the light of the combined Truths of the Gospels is, 'Are we willing to give up our feeble efforts and 'rest' in His free gift of righteousness today?' IF you are standing 100% in the righteousness of "Jesus Christ", you are 100% acceptable to God!"

It is important to understand that the righteousness of God is not just another gift He gives us. Righteousness is given in the form of a person - Jesus Christ, the "Righteous One"! Glory to God! Can I get an amen up in here?!?!

Romans 1:16-17 ~ "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

Why is Paul not ashamed of the Gospel? Because it is the power of God! The Gospel reveals the righteousness of God from faith... to FAITH! You receive the righteousness of God... BY FAITH! Those that have received the righteousness of God are now to live... BY FAITH! Are we now resting in the righteousness we have received from God, as a child of God... BY FAITH?

Scripture is as clear as the noon day sun after a good rain, that NO ONE will ever be declared righteous in God's sight through obedience to the Law of God (the most famous and motivational being the 10 Commandments). So, God, in His Grace and Mercy, did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He imputed to us His righteousness by coming to live in us!

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption (1Corinthians 1:30). As a result? We stand in His presence totally and eternally loved and accepted.

Praise the Name of The Lord, Jesus Christ!

~~~Coming Up Next? We Are Reconciled~~~

"What 'motivates' You?"

(Pt.5) ~ Who We Are In Christ: Not Guilty?

Who We Are "In Christ"
In Search Of Our Identity~(Part 5)
Not Guilty?
Questions Answered

Folks? By now you've either decided to investigate these facts for yourself, or not. It is my sincerest prayer that you have decided to approach all of this by the unction of the Spirit, and a free~will intellect seeking to understand the most you can about God and our relationship with Him.

That being said:

Having a proper understanding of our identity in Christ greatly depends on how we view God's forgiveness toward us. If we see ourselves as unforgiven or not worthy of forgiveness, in my opinion, it perverts our understanding of God's love. In a world where forgiveness has to be earned or paid for, complete and unconditional forgiveness is sometimes difficult to understand, especially by those of us that have been taught otherwise. However, the scriptures will tell us that this is the way God has forgiven us.

Please listen to what will be said here very closely, and make your mind up for yourself concerning God's forgiveness. Please know, that without Truthfully understanding God's forgiveness, we'll never really understand one of the most important things about our God, and our relationship with Him. This holds true no matter what your view.

When Christ died on the cross, His last words were, "It is finished." In other words, "The payment for sin has been satisfied." Please make no mistake here. When Christ came to us here on this earth, He was on a multi-task mission. One part was to purge Heaven of satan's sin (another whole topic in itself), and the other was to save US! One of the things He came to do for us was to adequately deal with our sin.

Sin exists for us in three time frames... past, present and future. If Christ had failed to deal with any one of these, it would be impossible for Him to "save" us from anything! Right? But He was successful in all phases of His mission, both upon this earth and in heaven. THIS is the freedom we have as children of God.

2 Corinthians 5:19 says, God is "no longer counting men's sins against them."
"All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name." ~ Acts 10:43

This scripture reveals that all the prophets testified about Jesus. It also says that the way we receive forgiveness of our sins is to "believe" in Jesus. In light of this verse, the prophets in the Old Testament were expecting the Messiah to bring us to a place of forgiveness. Jesus fulfilled that expectation in all ways.

According to this verse, when we put our faith in Christ, what do we receive? Our forgiveness. After this, there is no need to seek and re-seek that which has already been given you! Thus, a huge part of our "new" identity in Christ is that we are a "forgiven" person. But let's not stop here.

"I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." - Acts 26:17-18

Glory To God! Let's take a minute and see what was said here! Paul makes it clear that his mission is to "open their eyes". He says that before coming to Christ we are under satan's power. Upon putting our faith in "Christ Alone", we WILL receive forgiveness of sins, removing us from the power of satan! We are also "sanctified" (found not guilty!) because of and through our faith in "Christ Alone!"

If we are forgiven and sanctified (found not guilty) when we put our faith in"Christ", their is no need to be sanctified (found not guilty!) and forgiven at any subsequent time after our salvation! Glory To God! When we become children of God, we receive Forgiveness and Eternal Life as part of our Godly Inheritance! Thank You, God, for what you have done for us! Amen!

"For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!" - Colossians 1: 13, 14

What has God rescued us from? The dominion of darkness! If it were not a done deal, this scripture would have read, "in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, if you constantly ask for it!" Sound a little funny to you? Me too! Plainly, "In Christ", we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins! We were redeemed at the point of having faith (believing in and accepting) Christ. We were forgiven at the same time. According to this verse, our forgiveness and redemption are already ours. We DO NOT need to ask for them on a daily basis.

In light of all the previous scriptures mentioned in this particular writ, it is quite clear that our forgiveness was complete on the day we put our faith in Christ. Are we willing to rest in the fact that we are totally forgiven and that there is nothing we can do to "add" to His forgiveness? It's a very important question. The conclusion you have may completely transform your relationship with God. Give it some deep thought!

'Then He adds, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer ANY sacrifice for sin"!- Hebrews 10:17, 18

As plain as this scripture is, many do not have the courage to look into the Truth because of "previous mis-understanding through teaching". God WILL NOT remember our sins any longer. He won't remember them because they have been forgiven!

If God has forgiven our sins and remembers them no more, how then, should "we" look at our sins? As forgiven and forgotten. This understanding does something for the believer that nothing but the Truth can... It sets you FREE! You are now FREE to fully realize your "FREEDOM" from sin and REST in the TOTAL ASSURANCE in your FUTURE! Realizing this, is there anything to be "fearful" of in your relationship with God? NO! NO! NO! And what does scripture say about this other than "PERFECT LOVE DRIVES AWAY FEAR!" GLORY!

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is NOT made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:18, 19

According to this verse, anyone who remains "fearful" in their relationship with God has an underlying problem. Most of these problems are the direct result of mis-understanding God's intentions and works toward you. Instead of the love of God being the most abundant and prevalent thing in our hearts and minds toward God and others, we are "fearful". Fearful of God's judgment... We wonder at what times He may look at us in "acceptance" and when He looks upon us with "rejection". We know we are less than perfect... But if we think God's acceptance of us hinges on our "performance" or our ability to beg, we'll miss the greater part of how He really feels about us and what He, in His all-knowing deity, has really done for us to insure our eternal well-being.

There is something that "drives out fear": Love. This whole scenario can be best explained by examining the parallels in the traditional Jewish Wedding. When Christ calls us "His Bride", He is speaking in terms that everyone back then would have understood. The Jews are God's chosen people. By examining this traditional ceremony, we can more fully understand what God is saying to us.

There are a few things that are revealed through this custom, some of them quite astonishing and new to our understanding. It is a topic in itself and one I hope to blog in the future, but the point I wish to immediately focus on here, is that Christ FIRST chose US to be His bride. We, then, make a decision to accept His marriage by being "born again". Thus, we love Him because He "first loved us!" Glory To His Name! As a born again child of God, we now await to drink from the "fourth cup"... the cup of "consummation" which now awaits us in Heaven, to be shared between us... and Christ... GLORY!

So, with this "Bride and Groom" theme that is most dominant in scripture and the "love - fear" Truth that is brought forth in the scripture above, we can discern a few different things:

• If we are "fearful" in our relationship with God, we are not "perfect in love".
• We cannot be fearful and loving at the same time
• Should any bride "fear" the Groom? No!
• We love God ONLY because He first loved us.
• Correctly understanding or mis-understanding God's love and forgiveness affects "every" circumstance and action governing our lives as Christians.
• If you can fully realize you are forgiven, it will take away your fear of God's judgment, assure you of your eternal acceptance, and set you free to live the life God intends for you in total peace, joy, love and certain confidence that God has dealt with your sin -- "Once And For All!"

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold "unswervingly" to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful" - (Hebrews 10: 19-23)

Wow! Jesus opened the way for us to the Most Holy Place by His life's blood sacrifice for our sin. The "Most Holy Place" is the very Throne Room of God! Jesus is our "Great Priest!" Knowing that you are forgiven should give you "full confidence" to approach God! The ONLY thing that cleanses us from a guilty conscience is "being sprinkled" by the blood of Jesus! We can now draw near unto God faith a sincere heart and an attitude of "full assurance" that we have been sanctified (found not guilty) and eternally accepted by God as a child of God!

In verse 23, it's important to note that "Jesus" is the One that is faithful... NOT us! So, then, it is very important for us to realize that we are totally forgiven! If He had left any part of our salvation up to us, rest assured, we would have screwed it up... It's inevitable!

"In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence" - (Ephesians 3:12)

Starting to dawn on you yet? The ONLY way we can approach God in freedom and confidence is in Jesus and our faith in Him (which includes what He has done for us). To approach God in freedom and confidence means you must "KNOW" you have been accepted by God, "once and for all"! That freedom is ours to be had!

We have seen that our relationship with God should be greatly affected by the forgiveness Christ has provided. Is there any reason why you are not experiencing freedom and confidence in your relationship with God? If so, are you willing to let go of it and by faith accept the fact that as a child of God you are totally forgiven?

Our understanding of God's forgiveness has a lot to do with how we treat other people, also. If we have never experienced God's love and forgiveness for ourselves, it would be very hard to be a loving and forgiving person toward others. Make sense to you?

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God FORGAVE you..." -- (Ephesians 4:32)

As you can well see, the way you view God's forgiveness toward you will surely determine how you apply the wisdom of the above scripture to your life. This scripture points out that we are to forgive others as Christ "forgave" (notice the past tense that is very specific in this scripture) us. God forgave us because of His kindness and compassion toward us. If God has forgiven us totally and unconditionally, we SHOULD forgive others in the same way... But do we? How often do we require that the other person "ask" our forgiveness before we "try" to forgive them? How often do we put forth our best effort to forgive and seek forgiveness just because we think it a "command" that our very salvation hinges on? And even when we "try" to do these things, how often are we really successful?

If we see ourselves as unforgiven, or conditionally forgiven, being constantly in danger of punishment, just like sinners who have never been saved, how will we treat others? I don't need to answer that one for you... But if we see ourselves as totally forgiven, how then would you treat others? You could easily learn that it is within you to have forgiven most trespasses before they even occur... Making the process an already done deal... Drastic difference isn't it?

"Therfore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience! Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord "forgave" (past tense) you." -- (Colossians 3:12 & 13)

This is very revealing wisdom in that it describes God's chosen people as people clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience... A people that bears with one another and a people that forgives all grievances between themselves... Forgiving each other in the same manner as God forgave them... Oh. And this is done in the "heart" of His people. It's not referring to "lip service" here. Does this accurately describe us? If not, we've missed something very important in our understanding of God. A forgiving spirit is totally natural for God's people. This is because it is the personality of Christ in the believer.

Christ forgave us of "all" our sins. So, we are to forgive ALL grievances we have against others... ALL... "Once and for all"... This means those of the past, those of the present, and yes, those of the future. Your reward will be "YOUR" freedom!

Forgiveness is at the very root of our identity in Christ. His unconditional love for us that He demonstrated by dying for us on the cross is what gives us the power to draw near unto God... And to love others ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~