Separating conscious from the condition of our old Adam is the chief goal of the evil one. His wish is for man to be slaves to the system of Adam [natural life] we have created ourselves. He does this by encouraging men to become more and more world friendly accepting the system as good, tolerating it as inescapable. Adjusting our Christianity to fit its needs. Soon we become more and more comfortable with what at one time might have been judged by Christianity or common morals, as unacceptable or even evil. Incorporating the worlds ways into religious ritual and enjoyment. So what shall we do? How then shall we live?
I think the most accommodating way to look at this is to come to believe despite our surroundings, we are simply on God's destiny. This does not necessarily allow one to accept or compromise with evil, but allows freedom to choose God's way. We are after all joined with His Spirit and He's involved in all that transpires in our daily life. However, its awareness of His guiding residence that releases the power it makes available to us for lives lived in Jesus Christ. In Choosing God and not the natural as a defining mentality we must learn something new as true. The Object of our thought must become Jesus Christ and He becomes the power! Our mind on Him is where victory awaits; He in us,we in Him. "For you have died [as a Adam man] and your life [now] is hid [identified/positioned] with Christ in God'.....How do we make this knowledge the constant motivator for life?
I think much of the relief from world weariness comes by knowing the differences between realize and reckon. To realize is simply the intellect becoming aware of something, i.e. I realize I am born again. To reckon, a bible term, is to count that something as true, which changes the potential of everything. The kicker is that we first must gain enough maturity via The Word, to search out the truth, making sure were not just realizing it. Then we may enter solid ground. Sounds like a noble goal: but how is this first realized and then reckoned?
First of all one must come to know himself and accept their flaws as part and parcel of this life "sin is in the flesh" or the old Adam. Then if we so dare to forgive ourselves as God has, we may find a new life in Christ; by what the Word says about the New Adam, us as seen in Christ; as our position, not our condition which is one of flesh "For it is impossible to please God in the flesh". These two distinctions of man must be understood! Now we search the Scriptures and then seek out trusted bible scholars for clarity. My favorite in Miles Stanford [the green letters] and my second is William R Newel's, Roman's verse by verse. By that route you might stand a chance of being introduced to the Doctrine of Position/identification and then discover your identity in Jesus Christ Himself; then find freedom from the self condition or sin nature, at least in the application to who you really are as a Christian by faith. The Word of God reckons as true that we are only seen by the Father in the Son. "But we with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image[us seen as Christ] from glory to glory, even as the Spirit of the Lord" 2 Cor. 3:18. By our belief in that as true our conscious may be made clear.
We take our position by becoming aware of the bibles Words as truth, as in reckon. Then by that as a platform we enter into the mind of God, via His Word. We must learn concepts and doctrines such as position/identity etc. At least be curious as to how they may effect our faith, to begin to understand. After all we would not fathom out any knowledge on any subject without first having a basis or platform for assigning the new information mentally. The bible is directed at mankind spiritually, to the mind as the primary way for man to know what and who God is. Then the discovery of a new nature in Christ. Yes His Grace is all consuming. But if you care to reckon to believe, grow, and have freedom from this world and yourself, and you accept God as real; then you can rest, positioned in Him, by reckoning His Words as God breathed in your Bible, describing who you are.I don't know about you but that sounds very appealing to me!
All of this reckoning is accomplished by spirit/mind only. We must reckon [count as true] when the Word tells us we are "Hid in Christ". We adopt this as our thought of ourselves. Its a living Word, and we are enlivened, when the Word is entered with a preconceived determination to discovery truth. And then believe or reckon as true what it says. " For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" 2 Cor. 4:6. All of our spiritual problems are solved by simply knowing first and then believing the Word of God.
It seems to me Christians are always trying to be what they are, or think they should be. This can be attributed to a realization on their part of what they have been told the bible says about them. Few really know The Word as it is reckoned, counted as true, and personally applied to them. If they did then they would discover their only description is "they are alive in Christ". Making their behavior [works, duty, feelings and experiences] in comparison inconsequential, at least as to what defines them in the inner man, in the eye's of God. " As He [Jesus in heaven as a man] is so are we in this world". This is the new nature applied to us by The Father.
My friends we cannot be good enough, kind enough, humble enough or do anything like Jesus would have done at any time! Not on this earth, not in this flesh! Well then you say: should we not even try? The answer is a resounding "yes", we should stop trying. We are all so under the cloud of what the institutions we attend say we should be, or impressions from books we read, and the truth is we mostly do not know ourselves. Ask yourself this: When I self define my personnel presence and self awareness, do I see a Christian who hopes for heaven, but lives a accepting worldly comprise and is mostly motivated by feelings and experiences? Or can I explain my inner man as one who's total range of hope is based upon one object, Jesus Christ and myself seen by The Father in Him, as reckoned by The Word of God in faith only? If you long to answer yes to the second then you must become consumed with The Word! And believe it is true, especially when it references your position in Christ to be apprehended by faith. "All things are yours....and you are Christ's and Christ is God's" 1Cor. 3:21,23.
Not to be too blunt: but I think the church largely is a failure as it now stands in its overall image, and too often perceived self improvement roll, as its function on this earth: but there is nothing new about that. I believe that all the churches tendencies to disappoint its name is because of a wordily system influence, and simply always has been. People are kept in cheap grace and easy believeism, or as in times of old, fear. The natural mans friendly or necessary methodology to hold and gain power. With the perception they are doing God's work; but they are operating in their flesh, perhaps not evil, but shall we say compromised. This is simply what we have asked for. They have sunk to our level. They are there to accommodate us. Because many Christians choose to count there flesh experiences as the defining mark of their christian life. Leaving little room for faith in the true Word. "For we walk by faith not by sight" 2 Cor. 5:7.
It is entirely necessary for true Christians to at least desire to know Christ as intimately as possible. None could come closer than if one were envisioning or reckoning themselves as in Christ; for all the purpose and desire of The Father concerning us, we are just that, as seen by Him in His Son.. "Looking away[from all that would distract] to Jesus" Heb. 12:2 amp.. If the desire of The Father were ones greatest wish[as should be]we would begin to see the truth. All this rests on a commitment to faith. Providing we can reckon, or count it all and always, His Word true. My friends let us not merely espouse faiths values, but actually act upon them in our mind's perception of ourselves "hid in Christ". Your job now simply is to step forward on the Words road to freedom not expecting anything only trusting.
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