In writing my last blog, suffering being the subject matter, and prompted by the Spirit, I begun to see the vast and all important depth of necessity of understanding one must come to; to more clearly see their life in Christ, and to understand the sacrifice made by Jesus, as well as our seeing the wisdom of God, in the use of the very thing which resulted [ sin and suffering] from our failure in obedience as humans, to value and receive the love gift the Father presented us in the garden. Just think of it, we were placed in perfect harmony with God, with only goodness before us, we choose to turn away and seek our own self sufficient way, and by that act before a perfect God became unacceptable for fellowship once enjoyed. The Father certainly knew this would happen and it was a part of His plan , as we know we were predestined before the foundation of the world to be saved from this very thing. And in the overwhelming wisdom of God, He choose to use the very nature we found ourselves in by our own act, irredeemable in the flesh, sinful, and subject to suffering, to bring us to glory in heaven ,seen in His Son as perfect sons and daughters. How could this be? Only a perfect loving Father would devise such a work.
Since all the suffering we will find in our lives is experienced in the flesh and seems to rule there, perhaps we should look at what the flesh is, how it works and how to deal with it in order to find the freedom promised in the new birth. Paul wrote to the Galatians for the specific purpose to teach them that only in the spirit [ the faith developed in their mind] would they find the power to live the Christian life,and for them to realize that power , the flesh must be held inactive [ by that developed identification faith]. Well how can this be done? Paul answered; it is in the the power of the the crucifixion and death of Christ, for that is what freed us from sins dominion ,which is found only in the flesh. When we received Christ, we received a crucified Man and by that His power to overcome. We are united and identified with a suffering servant Christ, and Him crucified, one with Him in the Fathers sight. And by that gift we are called upon to intelligently and with self volition come to count upon that fact and be identified with Him. " They that are of Christ have in virtue of their excepting the crucified One as their life, given up their flesh to the Cross, which is the very essence of the person and character of Christ as He now lives in heaven; they have crucified the flesh with its passions and lust" Rom. 6:11. This my friends is the accomplished fact for every Christian . We only must learn to count it as true and then we will have the power to, even in weakness, and suffering, live in the victory of the Second Man, Jesus Christ.
As I write this blog, and see these truths to have been given more light in my own life, I struggle with what words I can use to help effect a life changing metamorphoses in my readers. I wish with all my heart for us all to know Him as their identity, not merely as a supplement, but a supplanting truth to live in. I know in my own Christian experience for many years I simple lived in struggle and sin not knowing in my conscious mind,[ my defined spirit] that I was held and hidden in Christ; that Biblical unavoidable truth, was simply not real to me. I guess you could say I was lost in the admiration of my justification, not intimately realizing my life in Jesus Christ. The thing that changed all that was need, my intense spiritual suffering as a believer, not seeing the promised change in my justified saved walk. It was at the bottom of that need spiral that the Holy Spirit began to revel the Son as life. Therefor I am grateful for suffering. I pray that you my dear readers not need the deep pain I was in, but that you realize the very real ever present weakness and propensity for sin found in the flesh life walk and use that understanding as a spring board to a life identified with the Holy Son of God, our true victory and life
We were designed and perfect from the beginning. Created to contain the image of the Tri-Union God. We are so like God that we have volitional free will, and it is us who are responsible for who and what we become. It is with great wonder that I have learned along the way that God has seen from the first how all the ups and downs of mankind, from the utter sinfulness of the antediluvian world, which He had to destroy in the flood, to the road traveled by Abraham, and Moses, and His Caring for the tribe which would bring the Saviour by establishing the Law and a mantel of protection over the Hebrews. And now we find ourselves, still in that very same self centered flesh condition as Adam.
Miles Stanford said it this way. " Our Father leaves the Adamic life and nature within for the same reason that He positioned us in Adam in the first place. Then, it was in order that we might have a personal and responsible part in our salvation, enabled by His Grace to choose the Saviour and thereby pass from death Into life. Now, that same Adamic life plays an important role concerning our spiritual growth. Satan's work in the garden contributes to God best. The personal needs generated by the indwelling sinful life are designed by the Father to turn us from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness".
Much of the first part of this blog was inspired by the writing of Andrew Murry. I now leave you with the beautiful word of J. B. Stoney. Regarding that which is available to us in our Adamic state of being. "I am a tree of a particular quality; that quality is a personal love to my Lord, and now I make all the elements-air, light, earth, water-cooperate with me in expressing and developing this quality. What a beautiful tree!May you allow nothing to hinder the growth of this tree of life, for sure I know that nothing short of it will meet the desire of your heart. Sometimes a tree seems to be hindered from the situation in which it is placed; but its vitality is proved as well tested by rough winds and cold shade to which it is disposed".
Again, very insightful.
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