To perceive we have or are overcoming, as in behaving like and living as a Christian by our actions and morals is one thing but to be delivered from ourselves, what we are in the Adam man is quite another. Overcoming by our behavior, including intellectual biblical awareness, so called bible training and studies often simply reflects upon ones self. A job well done, performed by the Adam nature, the old man [all that we naturally are] with its sin, lusts, ambitions, judgements etc. As ultimately, all be it perhaps with good intent, the Adam man's personas main object is the producing of feelings and experience a form of self satisfaction. "The Lord says. Cursed be the man that trust in man [himself], and makes flesh [feelings emotions the natural sinful moral nature] his arm [guiding force] " Jer. 15:5
Theses behavior's when taken up in the mind set of the old man we were are just a attempt at a purposeful godly alteration; the remaking of ourselves to act differently based upon and implemented by our unchanged perception of our established old Adam person hood; which Jesus Christ came explicitly not to change, but to put away forever. To then be replaced by His own self image as our new consciously defining quality.
The circumstances God provided man before the Spirit was give were on mans level [earthly or for the old Adam] but afterward [Pentecost] we are required for the sake of our own enlightenment, by God's word, to enjoy Him in His Son or as the word says "in a new and living way"; spiritual heavenly. "Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth" Col. 3:2. How may we accomplish this? Why is knowing this important?
To be "delivered" from what we are [natural men] on God's terms we must depend [have faith] on something outside of ourselves: exercising that faith and trust in a Man who has previously overcome what we were in our stead and perceive His work as establishing God's desire to reform us into a new creature seen in Jesus Christ His Son, in order to accept us. Thereby making us of necessity all new in His sight. And for us a God given opportunity to gain a new existence or conscious awareness of this fact, when realized by faith. A newness only available to us by counting on what God has done in His Son or faith in its truth. Of course we must know this as our Christian life! Even more we must live this as our Christian truth. So then by faiths perception we must learn to see ourselves in His [Jesus Christ] very person. This results in Christ living His life through us. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" Heb. 11:6.
Yes in fact we already have overcome what we are, in the Fathers judgmental view; by us being seen in His Son Jesus Christ and we applied there [in Him] by His actions in our stead, in which we become aware of or knowingly included in by our faith only. Then that spiritual transference being counted as righteousness, as our right standing with God. As to a individual accomplishment of this position we are simply left out of the picture. There is nothing we can do to acquire our overcomers status. Grace has provided all we need. Few know this type of deliverance but many are trying to work toward it. Or worse not even thinking about the need for it, as a awareness or as a conscious condition.
Most never know [this truth is seldom taught in todays church] the fact of their established personal righteousness in His Person, as to a life condition of their new creation heavenly existence; their new identity or Spiritual position; seeing themselves as a new creation. "To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face [all that He is for us] of Christ Jesus" 2 Cor. 4:6. Why is that?
Our station here is in the condition of the Adam flesh man, a morally sinful condition with all it's self centered concerns. The term "the flesh" is really the manifestation of sin in the yet unredeemed [heavenly transfiguration]Adam human body. No thinking Christian could deny we are is such a state. So as ones living in the condition of this sinful body without the benefit of a new creation heavenly awareness as prescribed by God, it is only natural the we would look to the contemplation of ourselves.
We can only see within the confines of the old or dead Adam personality without God's new message to mankind as the definitive circumstance defining our life. Our actions and preconceptions within are always looked to as a explanation of just who we are. Even for our relationship with the living God. This however when we remain confined to this mind set is not Christianity! "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all [including what you were] things have become NEW" 2 Cor. 5:17
Our deliverance, which comes from God in the form of the sacrifice of His Son is a practical matter also. So on some level there is a experience to be recognized, it is in a new identity to discover. Well just what is it we are delivered from, how do we proceed and what does it feel like? How do we get it?
To be delivered [brought from one place to another] we first must appropriate something! Become mindful of something new. Even more important we must adopt a new definition of ourselves. Just as God has given us one, that of His Son. This really is what Christianity is. Developing a completely new life as to the perception of our inner man; a new way of seeing ourselves. Without that we simply remain in the worldly mode of Adam. But this is not acceptable to the Father, as we have been remade by God in His Son's image for a purpose. We must discover that. Of course to know this is a process which is wholly the work of the Spirit of God, His life force within us. We must learn by the mental recognition of a biblical fact to, as the word tells us in Col. 3 "Put off the old man". This is not about behavior but about a new inner self recognition.
Just what are we being delivered from by Christ's Spirit which holds us in such bondage to the old Adam man condition as life? The answer is the flesh; or what we are in Adam as condition in our natural perception of ourselves and life around us. The present persistent sinful, self centered environment of our living a unaware earthly nature. Many of us knowing no other, and for the unbeliever "because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience" Col. 3:6.
But in order to be delivered from this physical/mental/spiritual confine first we must gain some knowledge regarding the flesh and the Adam man in order to develop the new identity in Christ the Father wishes for us, to separate ourselves from the natural. The Spirit has provided a way to do that which is most practical. His Word which is very descriptive, leaves no doubt and is really quite simple. But it is never the less a step by step process because our mind and sense of ourselves must change. Not a easy task! "And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" Col. 3:10.
The bible teaches us that the Adam man is sinful, fallen, unacceptable and finally for God's judicial purposes died upon the Cross with Christ in His representative sacrifice. But the flesh is another matter and is not to be confused with the Adam man who in God's view has been judged and is now gone forever; this is what redemption means. So we may now say along with Paul that he [the Adam man] is to be put off. For our true deliverance, which is a mental apprehension, is to be from the flesh, or our sinful moral condition. Of which not one bit of is not under God's judgement. Yet we are set free from by God's grace. "For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" Col. 3:3.
By coming to know God's Word as it describes our new creation nature "in heavenly places" we become spiritually and mentally disassociated from this man of flesh who is only deserving of judgment. We will be delivered from this condition by knowledge and by the Spirit in the adoption of our new creation nature as our Christian life definition. The Adam man and his flesh nature has been dealt with, faith sees to that. We no longer need align ourselves with what we were before being born again into a new life. But first we must become acquainted with the new man we have become in Christ. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation" 2 Cor. 5:17.
Adam was our father as to humanness. He was in the garden walking with God without sin. But because he was made in God's image as a reflection of God's mind, in his mental capacity, he could make choices and he did. He went his own way. This was called sin. Adam of old who is still on the earth now remains in us as a permanent condition leaving him outside of God's perfect holiness in and of himself forever. Hence the need for a new man, a new birth, a new inheritance. We right now [all men] are in and of that Adam man as a condition, and have inherited that same condition as natural men upon the earth.
Adam has not been made better by the new birth. Hence to be truly saved in Gods estimation we must be given a new nature, a new inheritance from a different source, from a New Man or second Adam. Which all believers were. But whom few have consciously occupied or even recognized. This new creation nature is a factual biblical spiritual reality. "As the branch cannot bear fruit itself, except it abide [live out our existence] in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me" John 15:4.
However this capacity of sin we have in ourselves resides in God's judgmental view in our flesh. A inherent by product of our nature while we are upon the earth. Flesh in our simple understanding is what we are made of. But in God's mind implies our moral personality, our conscience and our awareness of ourselves enclosed in and subdued by the natural mans sinful thought process. Sin is in us because we are here, we are alive. Adam was made of flesh in the garden but after the garden the flesh newly contained sin and had to be annulled from God's Holy perception. Therefore Adam became judged as worthy of death. He had to be done away with.
Adam, the man who sinned, was put away upon the cross. "There is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" Rom. 8:1. God in Jesus became flesh like Adam, but his flesh did not contain sin because His Father was not a Adam man as ours was. He had a Holy permanent inheritance. Therefore He qualified to replace us [He was the second or last Adam 1 Cor. 15:45] in a new and living way. He and we [us by spiritual transference] now by God's Grace had/have a different inheritance a different DNA if you will, which is wholly spiritual. Which God in His grace applied to us via [in permanent representation] His Son the moment we first believed!
The problem is we have trouble knowing the new man we are because it is now a spiritual station and wholly of the mind. Yes it is gradually reflected in the soul or actions when known, and the Father will conform us all. But that adventure is a road trod through desolate places [we must need it] where few venture to tread, preferring their known comfort zone which hold them in a vice like grip attached to the world of Adam the first.
So we had a man, Adam, who talked with God walked with God had open free unhindered communion with God; who then chose to sin. God still loved him, in his being just as before. But now because of the sin which was contained in him in his flesh, a moral condition, God could no longer accept him into fellowship into His eternal and glorious life. Which He greatly desires. As a matter of fact Adam had to be entirely done away with. Yes Adam was [we are] still fully capable of great and good works as a action. But now for the first time of great evil also. Making him [all of the Adam man] in God's view only evil or sinful; because the sin resided in his flesh the same location as the good, all of which is still with us today.
Now he [Adam] was cursed forever; not by God but by the presence of sin in him, even though capable of love and kindness. We still remain in that very same condition. Being born again does not remake the Adam man or remove the sin from his flesh and God does not grade us on a curve depending upon various good works, which we are very capable of. Then what are we to do?
The only possible answer is to first find redemption, [believe] then possess [by faith] eternal life, salvation; then the hard part, live consciously [by knowledge] in the transferred condition in which we were spiritually newly formed in God's mind; which is the express image of His Son Jesus Christ seated at His right hand. "That I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" Phil. 3:12. This is simply positional truth and identity in Christ realized and then reckoned upon or counted as true and rested in by faith. All contained in the mind as a apprehension of what we are now as Christians; new creatures, a new race delivered from the flesh because we finally apprehend this truth. Apprehension is our deliverance!
Thank God His Grace covers our ignorance of this truth and by simple faith we are secure forever. However to honor the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to live His life, we must become newly aware. Not many know this nor will they take this path because it requires a great sacrifice. Namely themselves, their familiar Adam nature whom they have simply accepted as their lot! "But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that wherein we were held" Rom. 7:6.
Along with Paul we must learn to say with biblical knowledgeable conviction; "within me, that is in my flesh there is no good thing". Then we might have a chance to knowingly internally actively live the life God wishes for us.
Yes the Father has a special delivery for you of a new life: all that you have to do is give up as to any godly value of establishing your presence with the Father in dependence on the Church life [works, fellowship, feelings of belonging], the family life, [being a good provider etc.] your moral rightness, your ambitions, your lusts for building God's kingdom here and any attachment as to any eternal or Godly value of anything what so ever in this world accomplished in and by your natural actions. After you have done all that then you must simply trust Jesus Christ in faith; as he is very straight forwardly presented in scripture as the only true definition of your life! Upon that conviction as a mind set Christ will live His life through you, requiring no work on your part and opening a new door to your enjoyment of absolute freedom. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Rom. 5:1.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
THE TIME IS NOW
The times we live in right now are the Christian age or the new Christian dispensation under grace. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ establishes this and the Epistles from Acts forward teach it. "Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus" Heb. 12:2. While this, the Christian Church age of grace is made mention of prophetically in the previous old earthly dispensation, which was under the law, there was no hint of the form it would take. Namely its under Grace, by faith, heavenly spiritual makeup, that constitutes the true reality of the Christian life. "We have received...the Spirit of God; that we might know the things that are freely given us of God" 1 Cor. 2:12.
The previous or earthly dispensation of the Law that guided the life of the Jew for over fifteen hundred years as recorded in the old testament was also the driving influence of the Synoptic recordings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Whose letters for the most part are really a continuation of the old testament or the earthly teachings of the prior period under the law. All these writings, the old testament as well as the synoptic four gospels, are written for the Christian but not too the Christian; at least as pertaining to his form and function in the carrying out or living the Christian life. Yet these legal admonitions spoken of before the Holy Spirit was given are often used by the church today for examples of proper Christian behavior. The sermon on the mount and so called beatitudes being most often sited as binding guides for the Christian life.
All these writers of the old age were entirely under the influence of the law, as to there understanding [mindset] in these historic recordings, including the disciples experience and observation, and later the Apostles synoptic recordings of those events. So how could they apply directly to the Christian under Grace? For instance: are we, the Christian too maintain a meek attitude for a earthly inheritance [Matt.5:5]? No never for our inheritance is not the earth its heaven [Phil. 3:20]. And besides the natural attitude which this verse is referring to can be only one of the earthly dweller as there was none other at that time! The bible says however for the Christian in this age; "Your life is hidden with Christ in God" Col. 3:3. Yes we live on the earth in our flesh but our true life according to the scriptures is in Christ in heaven. This is a important spiritual distinction which separate us from the earth; accessed by faith in His Word, not in our natural reasoning powers!
The previous earthly dispensation's influence was dominant in the teachings of Jesus. Which was directed toward those who were earthly Adamic or legal in nature. Just as recorded in the gospel writings, and so cannot be applied directly as a condition to those under grace. As the historic facts retold there all took place during the period of the Law. To and for those under it including Jesus pronouncements on the mount. In other words they were the times of the earth under the old testament age. Only a un-biblical, out of context, spiritualization of these strictly legal mandates would dare to assume they apply directly to the Christian as to life. As the Holy Spirit had not yet been given during the past times they referenced; despite Christ's presence on the earth just prior to the ending of the Law. Which was the previous rule of life. Jesus was born, lived and died under this very same Law so that it would not be over us. "Seeing that we have died [with Christ] to that which once held us in bondage, the Law has now no hold over us" Rom. 7:6a.
On the other hand one cannot but help to see the great change of God's manifestation to His children under His Grace, which only came after Pentecost. He changed our observation of Him by it's introduction. He was before, a unapproachable God of legality housed in a temple, hid behind a vale requiring sacrifice for sin on a regular basis, a God only of the Jews; allowing rituals and demanding the keeping of commandments to approach Him.
Yet in His Grace, by His Son's life and death, not by the Law, He fulfilled His own legal perfect demands. Making the way for the gift of His Grace by the light of the all new never before taught or even mentioned teachings of the spiritual or heavenly new creation life. A life to be lived only by faith, not the letter "The Law is not of faith" Gal 3:12. Us positioned wholly in Christ. A here to for unimaginable new revelation made known by Paul's letters as a completely new revelation to mankind, inspired by the Spirit of God. A never before thought of concept by the earthly Jew or Christ's disciples, and never taught by Jesus Himself. "So that we may render a service which, instead of being old and formal, is new and spiritual" Rom. 7:6b.
The self perception up until [and still remaining for many] then was strictly one of man becoming better, hoping to be pardoned of sin, while subduing the earth or waiting to be saved and set aside for God's work here. Or as most now simply waiting for our time to go to heaven. With the new messages of Paul however all that changed. Yet many are still influenced, interpret and are taught, as to the carrying out of their Christian nature, under the Law of the old earthly standing of men, even to this day. These teachings have influenced the modern church greatly and were first taught by the Roman catholic church. Encouraging parishioners to grasp and include that which is earthly and under the Law to capture them in a organization. "To him that does not work [not under Law] but believes in Him that justifies the ungodly [us] his faith [never Law, obedience, works, service or church membership etc.] is counted for righteousness Rom. 4:5.
Make no mistake if one is living inwardly and maturely today as a heavenly new creature in Christ as a individual Christian, in awareness of God's intentional putting to death of his Adam nature, he is also very aware of those wishing to make everything better around him and thus marking their actions as indications of their walk still in the old Adam personality. Trying to change things for God or even themselves in their natural or self centered earthly identification attempting to do the right thing. This has created for so many a dependence on self and adherence to the world system which much of the church has embraced. Opening the door to judgement of the church on the worlds terms. Just note the example and history of persecution of and also by the church. The world is filled with religious violence and over zealous works of the still remaining entrenched earthly culture of the old dispensation; not only seen in the Christian community [Rome] of the past, but throughout the religious[Islam] world today. They simply have not believed in God's Word. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" Heb. 10:22.
One need not look far today to see the natural worldly Adam men's influence upon the current system and the church life. If this were not true and the Word of God and Christ as life with us simply resting in His grace, was the Christians conscious awareness of themselves, there would be no Christian sects declaring their way is the right way, busily preparing themselves for His return. Or denominations vying for a place of righteous prominence. There would not be a need for formulas to follow, weekly sermons to encourage us to live as Christians, towers of books, individual men being held up as light bearers, constant training sessions, repetitious prayers, never ending conferences. Not to mention the grievous differences [world ecumenical counsel of churches] to be attempted to be ironed out among the many variations of their so called christianity. And also there would be no need for spectacular showplaces [entertainment centers] to lure the flock. And certainty no disagreement as to what path to follow. We all could simply say;"Put on the whole armor of God [your faith in His overcoming all and us positioned in Him] that you may stand against [the world system] the wiles [pleasing the flesh] of the devil" Eph. 6:11.
The times of men who were and are dwellers of the earth are still with us even in the Church and they weave a very crooked path. Which the term religion [law, rules, traditions], including the secular worldly influence upon all men, [liberalism, progressivism, humanism] best describe. These earthly forces wish still, as in the old testament and synoptic times, to contain God here for themselves, or simply do not even acknowledge Him. Primarily thinking of Him unaware perhaps, for their own use or for the justification or substantiation of their behavior. Shaping Him into a form that best suits their selfish although well intentioned needs.
This does not make them knowing conspirators of these first Adam fleshly concepts or bad or of evil intent necessarily. Just so deeply unknowing of what could be if they knew the freedom of His life as their very own. They have traded the truth for the done away with old way; for their own natural satisfaction, embracing ignorance of the scriptural revelation for their own comfort so they may rest in what's familiar. Which in todays world [since the printing press] for the true Christian at least there can be no excuse.
The reason Paul and others throughout this Christian age have taught and strongly emphasized a embracing of a heavenly spiritual nature by faith only is because any other teaching can only be and does result in a earthly or religious and therefore legal in nature outcome. There is no room for resting upon His grace in faith when one is in the embrace of the earth and the laws of duty. Never seeing oneself in the light of heaven. In other words many Christians remain fastened to just what Jesus Christ came to do away with by His death on the Cross. They have ignored His very purpose. Specifically that He, first in fulfilling the Law, then killing [dying unto] the Adam man did away with any inheritance we received from Adam for the purpose of God's judgment or to partake in The Fathers inheritance. All passed unto us in His Son. Which changed forever His estimation of us, placing us in a entirely new race of men. A Godly glorified place in Christ, a Man [us included] at the Fathers right side. "That the name [His very life] of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you [seen by our acceptance of us hid in Him], and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" 2 Thess. 1:12.
Jesus entered heaven as our very representative, taking us there with Him in Spirit for a new life. "We were raised from among the dead" with Him. We now have a new status which rejects the old way entirely. Our obedience to rules and works, a need for constant emotional support and being nursed in a never ending immature state adds no value. As a life resting under grace lived through our souls [minds] by His Spirit requires only faith in the Words explicit acknowledgement of our heavenly nature resulting in a renewed mind. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" Eph.1:3.
The Father showed by the introduction of the all new, Christ's [a Man] very personhood in glory, as the object of our faith and we "hid in Him", or positioned in Him. A new way of evaluating oneself. Which is only achievable by faith in our presence in His Resurrection and Ascension. Which we were inclusively intended by God to be spiritual partakers of. "The Spirit takes what is mine and makes it know to you" John 16:15. This is the reality God has for us. Thus the Christian dispensation is heavenly spiritual. Our life and work is not here. There is a new way of observance, a new life which allows Christ to live His Life through us for any accomplishment here. It is found in a reevaluation and a exchange of the old nature for a completely new one, all carried out in the mind, by faith just as the bible teaches. "Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; 1 Pet, 1:8.
The condition for the new dispensation partaker is now one of faith [not works and obedience in the old Adam identity], in a new reality which only requires knowledge of it and a life of resting in faith of it as to its application. We need no longer wait in the Adam condition for relief from what we are in the flesh trying our best. We will never be free until we see the death of the Adam man of condition as transferred to the New Man of life, who is Christ Jesus and ourselves as partakers. This is a reality that must become a all consuming attitude! The only thing keeping us in place is our self centered comfort, held in by the constraints of what has become so familiar to us. Now is the time to enter heaven.
The previous or earthly dispensation of the Law that guided the life of the Jew for over fifteen hundred years as recorded in the old testament was also the driving influence of the Synoptic recordings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Whose letters for the most part are really a continuation of the old testament or the earthly teachings of the prior period under the law. All these writings, the old testament as well as the synoptic four gospels, are written for the Christian but not too the Christian; at least as pertaining to his form and function in the carrying out or living the Christian life. Yet these legal admonitions spoken of before the Holy Spirit was given are often used by the church today for examples of proper Christian behavior. The sermon on the mount and so called beatitudes being most often sited as binding guides for the Christian life.
All these writers of the old age were entirely under the influence of the law, as to there understanding [mindset] in these historic recordings, including the disciples experience and observation, and later the Apostles synoptic recordings of those events. So how could they apply directly to the Christian under Grace? For instance: are we, the Christian too maintain a meek attitude for a earthly inheritance [Matt.5:5]? No never for our inheritance is not the earth its heaven [Phil. 3:20]. And besides the natural attitude which this verse is referring to can be only one of the earthly dweller as there was none other at that time! The bible says however for the Christian in this age; "Your life is hidden with Christ in God" Col. 3:3. Yes we live on the earth in our flesh but our true life according to the scriptures is in Christ in heaven. This is a important spiritual distinction which separate us from the earth; accessed by faith in His Word, not in our natural reasoning powers!
The previous earthly dispensation's influence was dominant in the teachings of Jesus. Which was directed toward those who were earthly Adamic or legal in nature. Just as recorded in the gospel writings, and so cannot be applied directly as a condition to those under grace. As the historic facts retold there all took place during the period of the Law. To and for those under it including Jesus pronouncements on the mount. In other words they were the times of the earth under the old testament age. Only a un-biblical, out of context, spiritualization of these strictly legal mandates would dare to assume they apply directly to the Christian as to life. As the Holy Spirit had not yet been given during the past times they referenced; despite Christ's presence on the earth just prior to the ending of the Law. Which was the previous rule of life. Jesus was born, lived and died under this very same Law so that it would not be over us. "Seeing that we have died [with Christ] to that which once held us in bondage, the Law has now no hold over us" Rom. 7:6a.
On the other hand one cannot but help to see the great change of God's manifestation to His children under His Grace, which only came after Pentecost. He changed our observation of Him by it's introduction. He was before, a unapproachable God of legality housed in a temple, hid behind a vale requiring sacrifice for sin on a regular basis, a God only of the Jews; allowing rituals and demanding the keeping of commandments to approach Him.
Yet in His Grace, by His Son's life and death, not by the Law, He fulfilled His own legal perfect demands. Making the way for the gift of His Grace by the light of the all new never before taught or even mentioned teachings of the spiritual or heavenly new creation life. A life to be lived only by faith, not the letter "The Law is not of faith" Gal 3:12. Us positioned wholly in Christ. A here to for unimaginable new revelation made known by Paul's letters as a completely new revelation to mankind, inspired by the Spirit of God. A never before thought of concept by the earthly Jew or Christ's disciples, and never taught by Jesus Himself. "So that we may render a service which, instead of being old and formal, is new and spiritual" Rom. 7:6b.
The self perception up until [and still remaining for many] then was strictly one of man becoming better, hoping to be pardoned of sin, while subduing the earth or waiting to be saved and set aside for God's work here. Or as most now simply waiting for our time to go to heaven. With the new messages of Paul however all that changed. Yet many are still influenced, interpret and are taught, as to the carrying out of their Christian nature, under the Law of the old earthly standing of men, even to this day. These teachings have influenced the modern church greatly and were first taught by the Roman catholic church. Encouraging parishioners to grasp and include that which is earthly and under the Law to capture them in a organization. "To him that does not work [not under Law] but believes in Him that justifies the ungodly [us] his faith [never Law, obedience, works, service or church membership etc.] is counted for righteousness Rom. 4:5.
Make no mistake if one is living inwardly and maturely today as a heavenly new creature in Christ as a individual Christian, in awareness of God's intentional putting to death of his Adam nature, he is also very aware of those wishing to make everything better around him and thus marking their actions as indications of their walk still in the old Adam personality. Trying to change things for God or even themselves in their natural or self centered earthly identification attempting to do the right thing. This has created for so many a dependence on self and adherence to the world system which much of the church has embraced. Opening the door to judgement of the church on the worlds terms. Just note the example and history of persecution of and also by the church. The world is filled with religious violence and over zealous works of the still remaining entrenched earthly culture of the old dispensation; not only seen in the Christian community [Rome] of the past, but throughout the religious[Islam] world today. They simply have not believed in God's Word. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" Heb. 10:22.
One need not look far today to see the natural worldly Adam men's influence upon the current system and the church life. If this were not true and the Word of God and Christ as life with us simply resting in His grace, was the Christians conscious awareness of themselves, there would be no Christian sects declaring their way is the right way, busily preparing themselves for His return. Or denominations vying for a place of righteous prominence. There would not be a need for formulas to follow, weekly sermons to encourage us to live as Christians, towers of books, individual men being held up as light bearers, constant training sessions, repetitious prayers, never ending conferences. Not to mention the grievous differences [world ecumenical counsel of churches] to be attempted to be ironed out among the many variations of their so called christianity. And also there would be no need for spectacular showplaces [entertainment centers] to lure the flock. And certainty no disagreement as to what path to follow. We all could simply say;"Put on the whole armor of God [your faith in His overcoming all and us positioned in Him] that you may stand against [the world system] the wiles [pleasing the flesh] of the devil" Eph. 6:11.
The times of men who were and are dwellers of the earth are still with us even in the Church and they weave a very crooked path. Which the term religion [law, rules, traditions], including the secular worldly influence upon all men, [liberalism, progressivism, humanism] best describe. These earthly forces wish still, as in the old testament and synoptic times, to contain God here for themselves, or simply do not even acknowledge Him. Primarily thinking of Him unaware perhaps, for their own use or for the justification or substantiation of their behavior. Shaping Him into a form that best suits their selfish although well intentioned needs.
This does not make them knowing conspirators of these first Adam fleshly concepts or bad or of evil intent necessarily. Just so deeply unknowing of what could be if they knew the freedom of His life as their very own. They have traded the truth for the done away with old way; for their own natural satisfaction, embracing ignorance of the scriptural revelation for their own comfort so they may rest in what's familiar. Which in todays world [since the printing press] for the true Christian at least there can be no excuse.
The reason Paul and others throughout this Christian age have taught and strongly emphasized a embracing of a heavenly spiritual nature by faith only is because any other teaching can only be and does result in a earthly or religious and therefore legal in nature outcome. There is no room for resting upon His grace in faith when one is in the embrace of the earth and the laws of duty. Never seeing oneself in the light of heaven. In other words many Christians remain fastened to just what Jesus Christ came to do away with by His death on the Cross. They have ignored His very purpose. Specifically that He, first in fulfilling the Law, then killing [dying unto] the Adam man did away with any inheritance we received from Adam for the purpose of God's judgment or to partake in The Fathers inheritance. All passed unto us in His Son. Which changed forever His estimation of us, placing us in a entirely new race of men. A Godly glorified place in Christ, a Man [us included] at the Fathers right side. "That the name [His very life] of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you [seen by our acceptance of us hid in Him], and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" 2 Thess. 1:12.
Jesus entered heaven as our very representative, taking us there with Him in Spirit for a new life. "We were raised from among the dead" with Him. We now have a new status which rejects the old way entirely. Our obedience to rules and works, a need for constant emotional support and being nursed in a never ending immature state adds no value. As a life resting under grace lived through our souls [minds] by His Spirit requires only faith in the Words explicit acknowledgement of our heavenly nature resulting in a renewed mind. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" Eph.1:3.
The Father showed by the introduction of the all new, Christ's [a Man] very personhood in glory, as the object of our faith and we "hid in Him", or positioned in Him. A new way of evaluating oneself. Which is only achievable by faith in our presence in His Resurrection and Ascension. Which we were inclusively intended by God to be spiritual partakers of. "The Spirit takes what is mine and makes it know to you" John 16:15. This is the reality God has for us. Thus the Christian dispensation is heavenly spiritual. Our life and work is not here. There is a new way of observance, a new life which allows Christ to live His Life through us for any accomplishment here. It is found in a reevaluation and a exchange of the old nature for a completely new one, all carried out in the mind, by faith just as the bible teaches. "Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; 1 Pet, 1:8.
The condition for the new dispensation partaker is now one of faith [not works and obedience in the old Adam identity], in a new reality which only requires knowledge of it and a life of resting in faith of it as to its application. We need no longer wait in the Adam condition for relief from what we are in the flesh trying our best. We will never be free until we see the death of the Adam man of condition as transferred to the New Man of life, who is Christ Jesus and ourselves as partakers. This is a reality that must become a all consuming attitude! The only thing keeping us in place is our self centered comfort, held in by the constraints of what has become so familiar to us. Now is the time to enter heaven.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
HEAVEN IS HERE NOW
"For our citizenship is [present tense] in heaven, from which [present tense] we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body [transfigured upon His return to earth] that it may be conformed to His glorious body according to which He is able to subdue all things to Himself" Phil. 3:20.21.
The Bible makes itself clear we [born again believers] are not a earthly race, either as individual Christians or as a Christian community called the Church. All that we are is heavenly, all that we are is not here in its spiritual essence. This fact is made known to us by the knowledge we gain, then it is lived out by our faith of it's truth. What we are is found wholly in Jesus Christ the New Man who was rejected from the earth and who resides in heaven. This is a biblical fact whether we know it, feel it, or not. "He raised us up together [a present condition] and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus [a present spiritual position]" Eph. 2:6. The Holy Spirits work is to make us realize this.
Just what does this mean and how do I experience it? This is what you should be asking yourself! Most believers after the new birth remain [as their personal identity] in their flesh or Adam personality. This is the very man who Christ died unto [put away forever by death] for God's judicial satisfaction. His sacrifice was in order to obtain us judicially, thereby releasing us from a sentence of death. All for the Fathers judicial satisfaction, since all that is sin must die. He killed the old Adam man on the Cross to obtain us. And obtain us He did, by that event. Therefore we became, or had the choice to become, all new forgiven creatures in Christ. Thereby converting us into His identity, to a brand new creation, only seen in a Resurrected Man who is Christ.
Not becoming justified or displayed [works] by our Adam bodies actions. His fellowship, His identification of us could not in any way be aliened with the old Adam man we are in the flesh, a sinful condition. Not his [Adams] good and godly works or even his biblical/moral fortitude, service or church life nor any attempted change in the Adam personality would ever qualify him. You ask then How can I experience the biblical new creation heavenly order, live it as a active definition of my Christian life? Good question!
In my last two blogs I explained the transition process from the old to the new and that we have two natures. The new is the heavenly man who we are in Christ; the only acceptable man. I explained by the despair of being in the old we may be led to the Word's revelation of the new or heavenly, which is entirely unique and new. This is a Godly ours by grace lived out by faith mental perception of ourselves, our true destiny by God's desire. The Holy Spirit waits patiently for us to gain the awareness of the utter lack of value [toward the things of God] of the dead Adam man we live in as a condition.
However this revelation is not merely academic leading to a performance on our part. It comes by the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes of understanding to a new and renewed mind. We are introduced to our new heavenly identity by studying His Word turning our attitude toward God's life and ways, His Mind. Our purpose now by God's standard is to see ourselves as the new creatures of heaven having power within Christ, not merely earthly Christian workers waiting here gratefully in our weak condition [as identification] to go to heaven.
We will by a new revelation then begin to see ourselves as strangers and sojourners on the earth, not a part of it; we will become aligned with God's very thoughts by this knowlwdge. "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off [living in the old identity] are made near by the blood of Christ" Eph. 2:13. The object we must now learn to look to is a heavenly image, who is Christ and ourselves as part and parcel of His very being.
We then begin to establish our own true new creature identity to fit the new order which God has already positioned us in as he observes us in His Son in heaven; His own recognition of us seen only in Jesus Christ. By His spiritual and Resurrected Mans representation of us in heaven. This is not a condition of feeling for a emotional experience, but one of knowing our new heavenly nature by biblical revelation and then counted upon in faith! "Now are you children of light" Eph 5:8a.
If we do not gain this understanding as to heavenly positional status, enter it as life by pursuing it with all our hearts effort, we have no choice but to remain in the sinful self centered Adam personality even as a Christian. Grateful for salvation yes, Christians yes, functioning as church members, perhaps even serving, giving etc. But having no victory, not overcoming [by a new self perception] the flesh. Not by a altered behavior, but as to a new identity; God's mandate, His very intention for His Children. Anything else is therefore experiential in the flesh and therefore temporary, of no value. No sense of the total glory we share with Christ in heaven.
We actually remain unidentified when in the Adam nature in God's judgement as this man is dead. Both as to our true self, the new creation heavenly being and to God, as He can have no fellowship with that old man what so ever. Even though His love and blessing is never the less lavished upon us even in our Adam sinful condition all by His by Grace. Also by His Grace through faith do we and He see the real and new creation, the rightful saint clothed in Jesus Christ. That is where His Love and fellowship for us exists! "Walk [live out you life] as children of light" Eph 5:8b. Why do we not join Him there?
Most Christians have great difficulty with this biblical fact because they do not believe it of themselves, they see and experience [define themselves] only by the drama of the natural flesh emotions and are held in their sinful condition by their own non-biblical failed self perception. They really are not exercising their mind not receiving the Holy Spirits message. Having refused by ignorance the revelation of His Word as to their true identity.
They have no in-depth understanding of Paul's teachings on the all important aspect of their true Christian being and positional presence with God in glory [the doctrine of a heavenly in Christ identification] because they are mostly busy with worldly affairs which are really centered in themselves. They will only believe what they feel or take comfort in, what they have accomplished on the earth. Paul's main frustration was in dealing with this the Adam mans earthly condition. "My little children of whom I travail [attempting to help them understand their true nature] in birth again until Christ be formed in you" Gal, 4:19. Which is simply a Godly mental perception of their heavenly nature intended for all Christians.
The institutional church of today will never teach this doctrine as a way of life. Because it not only does not know it as a truth, but also this type of institution has become a accepted Christian religious comfort zone, spooning out pabulum, which has become the norm in many churches today. They are steeped in traditions and a worldly image, and this worldly church has a steak in not upsetting their own apple cart or comfort zone. Which would happen if they were to enter into proclaiming and learning just what the new heavenly creation is. As a heavenly biblical teaching would prove very challenging to teach to a chronically biblical immature flock. Which due to the lack of challenge presented them is most common.
The reformers influence of old while accomplishing much [salivation by faith alone and not church affiliation] still carries the burden given it by Rome. A earthly concept of the church improving the world and the individual Christian as needing simply to be remade by constant urging to live the Christian life by his behavior. So the church now prominently teaches the sprucing up of the old Adam so we look and feel more Christian to the world and ourselves. These are not bad or even always un-Christian things but often unknowingly are simply used as substitutes. Not teaching The Fathers true desire for us; a Christ centered heavenly position with only Him as our object and Him known to us as our internal self image; our true conscience as to the reality of the Christian heavenly form of life.
However if we know a heavenly positional identification, one of us "hid in Christ": a new recognition of the true self changes everything. Service, good neighbor teaching, emotional entertainment worship and obedience to a prescribed behavior can be good and even godly. The problem is this is just not a good definition that will led us to Christ's personal self image for our selves as all new heavenly creatures. A all new definition which will end in knowing Christ as life. "Who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" Eph 1:3b. The knowing of a perfect presence of our eternal life as contained in and with Christ in heaven is the all important message or mental perception Paul had received as revelation to pass on to the believer. "The Spirit of truth takes what is mine and will make it known to you" Jn. 16:15.
We must come to realize that training the flesh to respond to salvation in the many man centered traditionalized accustomed ways is found to be entirely useless as a God contact as to a defined life in Christ. Because it is wasted on a dead Adam man. Oh the activities might be good things and even blessed by the Father, often quite enjoyable. But of course even the world can and does take part in this kind of formula called good works. But the natural Adam man in the world or the Christian remaining in Adam's old identification can never live merely by his actions in the God ordained heavenly identification. Much to his great loss of joy and the very life The Father wishes for him.
We may find by faith that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is Himself in His Manhood present in heaven as our complete identification and soul representation. God has found a way that He may manifest Himself and inclusively bring us into a new spiritual creation that qualifies us to be in His presence. Thus God's glorious way has consciously opened heaven by The Spirit; to the man who has hopelessly lost earth and his allegiance to the old man of the it. The blessed truth that heaven is here now comes by the Words revelation of a heavenly new in Christ positional identification only available by faith. A new life for all those who believe and have the faith of it's true reality as revealed by the Word of God. "Walk [actively live in faith dependent upon] the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill [live in the old nature as definition] the lust of the flesh Gal. 5:16.
The Bible makes itself clear we [born again believers] are not a earthly race, either as individual Christians or as a Christian community called the Church. All that we are is heavenly, all that we are is not here in its spiritual essence. This fact is made known to us by the knowledge we gain, then it is lived out by our faith of it's truth. What we are is found wholly in Jesus Christ the New Man who was rejected from the earth and who resides in heaven. This is a biblical fact whether we know it, feel it, or not. "He raised us up together [a present condition] and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus [a present spiritual position]" Eph. 2:6. The Holy Spirits work is to make us realize this.
Just what does this mean and how do I experience it? This is what you should be asking yourself! Most believers after the new birth remain [as their personal identity] in their flesh or Adam personality. This is the very man who Christ died unto [put away forever by death] for God's judicial satisfaction. His sacrifice was in order to obtain us judicially, thereby releasing us from a sentence of death. All for the Fathers judicial satisfaction, since all that is sin must die. He killed the old Adam man on the Cross to obtain us. And obtain us He did, by that event. Therefore we became, or had the choice to become, all new forgiven creatures in Christ. Thereby converting us into His identity, to a brand new creation, only seen in a Resurrected Man who is Christ.
Not becoming justified or displayed [works] by our Adam bodies actions. His fellowship, His identification of us could not in any way be aliened with the old Adam man we are in the flesh, a sinful condition. Not his [Adams] good and godly works or even his biblical/moral fortitude, service or church life nor any attempted change in the Adam personality would ever qualify him. You ask then How can I experience the biblical new creation heavenly order, live it as a active definition of my Christian life? Good question!
In my last two blogs I explained the transition process from the old to the new and that we have two natures. The new is the heavenly man who we are in Christ; the only acceptable man. I explained by the despair of being in the old we may be led to the Word's revelation of the new or heavenly, which is entirely unique and new. This is a Godly ours by grace lived out by faith mental perception of ourselves, our true destiny by God's desire. The Holy Spirit waits patiently for us to gain the awareness of the utter lack of value [toward the things of God] of the dead Adam man we live in as a condition.
However this revelation is not merely academic leading to a performance on our part. It comes by the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes of understanding to a new and renewed mind. We are introduced to our new heavenly identity by studying His Word turning our attitude toward God's life and ways, His Mind. Our purpose now by God's standard is to see ourselves as the new creatures of heaven having power within Christ, not merely earthly Christian workers waiting here gratefully in our weak condition [as identification] to go to heaven.
We will by a new revelation then begin to see ourselves as strangers and sojourners on the earth, not a part of it; we will become aligned with God's very thoughts by this knowlwdge. "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off [living in the old identity] are made near by the blood of Christ" Eph. 2:13. The object we must now learn to look to is a heavenly image, who is Christ and ourselves as part and parcel of His very being.
We then begin to establish our own true new creature identity to fit the new order which God has already positioned us in as he observes us in His Son in heaven; His own recognition of us seen only in Jesus Christ. By His spiritual and Resurrected Mans representation of us in heaven. This is not a condition of feeling for a emotional experience, but one of knowing our new heavenly nature by biblical revelation and then counted upon in faith! "Now are you children of light" Eph 5:8a.
If we do not gain this understanding as to heavenly positional status, enter it as life by pursuing it with all our hearts effort, we have no choice but to remain in the sinful self centered Adam personality even as a Christian. Grateful for salvation yes, Christians yes, functioning as church members, perhaps even serving, giving etc. But having no victory, not overcoming [by a new self perception] the flesh. Not by a altered behavior, but as to a new identity; God's mandate, His very intention for His Children. Anything else is therefore experiential in the flesh and therefore temporary, of no value. No sense of the total glory we share with Christ in heaven.
We actually remain unidentified when in the Adam nature in God's judgement as this man is dead. Both as to our true self, the new creation heavenly being and to God, as He can have no fellowship with that old man what so ever. Even though His love and blessing is never the less lavished upon us even in our Adam sinful condition all by His by Grace. Also by His Grace through faith do we and He see the real and new creation, the rightful saint clothed in Jesus Christ. That is where His Love and fellowship for us exists! "Walk [live out you life] as children of light" Eph 5:8b. Why do we not join Him there?
Most Christians have great difficulty with this biblical fact because they do not believe it of themselves, they see and experience [define themselves] only by the drama of the natural flesh emotions and are held in their sinful condition by their own non-biblical failed self perception. They really are not exercising their mind not receiving the Holy Spirits message. Having refused by ignorance the revelation of His Word as to their true identity.
They have no in-depth understanding of Paul's teachings on the all important aspect of their true Christian being and positional presence with God in glory [the doctrine of a heavenly in Christ identification] because they are mostly busy with worldly affairs which are really centered in themselves. They will only believe what they feel or take comfort in, what they have accomplished on the earth. Paul's main frustration was in dealing with this the Adam mans earthly condition. "My little children of whom I travail [attempting to help them understand their true nature] in birth again until Christ be formed in you" Gal, 4:19. Which is simply a Godly mental perception of their heavenly nature intended for all Christians.
The institutional church of today will never teach this doctrine as a way of life. Because it not only does not know it as a truth, but also this type of institution has become a accepted Christian religious comfort zone, spooning out pabulum, which has become the norm in many churches today. They are steeped in traditions and a worldly image, and this worldly church has a steak in not upsetting their own apple cart or comfort zone. Which would happen if they were to enter into proclaiming and learning just what the new heavenly creation is. As a heavenly biblical teaching would prove very challenging to teach to a chronically biblical immature flock. Which due to the lack of challenge presented them is most common.
The reformers influence of old while accomplishing much [salivation by faith alone and not church affiliation] still carries the burden given it by Rome. A earthly concept of the church improving the world and the individual Christian as needing simply to be remade by constant urging to live the Christian life by his behavior. So the church now prominently teaches the sprucing up of the old Adam so we look and feel more Christian to the world and ourselves. These are not bad or even always un-Christian things but often unknowingly are simply used as substitutes. Not teaching The Fathers true desire for us; a Christ centered heavenly position with only Him as our object and Him known to us as our internal self image; our true conscience as to the reality of the Christian heavenly form of life.
However if we know a heavenly positional identification, one of us "hid in Christ": a new recognition of the true self changes everything. Service, good neighbor teaching, emotional entertainment worship and obedience to a prescribed behavior can be good and even godly. The problem is this is just not a good definition that will led us to Christ's personal self image for our selves as all new heavenly creatures. A all new definition which will end in knowing Christ as life. "Who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" Eph 1:3b. The knowing of a perfect presence of our eternal life as contained in and with Christ in heaven is the all important message or mental perception Paul had received as revelation to pass on to the believer. "The Spirit of truth takes what is mine and will make it known to you" Jn. 16:15.
We must come to realize that training the flesh to respond to salvation in the many man centered traditionalized accustomed ways is found to be entirely useless as a God contact as to a defined life in Christ. Because it is wasted on a dead Adam man. Oh the activities might be good things and even blessed by the Father, often quite enjoyable. But of course even the world can and does take part in this kind of formula called good works. But the natural Adam man in the world or the Christian remaining in Adam's old identification can never live merely by his actions in the God ordained heavenly identification. Much to his great loss of joy and the very life The Father wishes for him.
We may find by faith that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is Himself in His Manhood present in heaven as our complete identification and soul representation. God has found a way that He may manifest Himself and inclusively bring us into a new spiritual creation that qualifies us to be in His presence. Thus God's glorious way has consciously opened heaven by The Spirit; to the man who has hopelessly lost earth and his allegiance to the old man of the it. The blessed truth that heaven is here now comes by the Words revelation of a heavenly new in Christ positional identification only available by faith. A new life for all those who believe and have the faith of it's true reality as revealed by the Word of God. "Walk [actively live in faith dependent upon] the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill [live in the old nature as definition] the lust of the flesh Gal. 5:16.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
THE FIRST SHALL BE LAST
In my last blog I concentrated on the personality or indwelling presence of the old man the first Adam in us; the permanent sinful condition of our flesh. This first Adam man and flesh is the biblical descriptive term for the inheritance we have, the human condition which is ours from our father Adam the first; who was banished forever from the garden because he chose to go his own way. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" Rom. 5:12.
From him we acquired our nature and by him came sin, condemnation and death. Mankind was by Adam's actions sentenced to a dreadful fate by God. This is the fall of man, which is continuous. We established last time and the bible confirms that this is the Adam man [the old] in which we, all of mankind, live in as mortals. "For as in Adam all die" 1 Cor. 15:22 a.
This condition is not cleared up or made to no effect by God's work in His Son, as a application to our mortal human natural condition upon the earth at least. In other words what Adam did [sin] and the results [death, condemnation and evil] was made true to and in all of his posterity upon the face of the earth and this condition is ours to keep as long as we dwell here. It is however for many a condition maintained throughout all eternity.
Thus the most horrible of fates is forever true for the unbeliever, to be left always in the awareness of death, not in God's presence. But as we know by Grace this is not so for the believer who will be transfigured, become like Christ, and indeed in spirit has His life now, but after physical death sheds any connection with the flesh. "Even so in Christ all [believers] shall be made alive" 1 Cor. 15:22 b. But never the less the results of sin by Adam the first is a active condition in which we all must suffer in our flesh condition together while upon the earth, believer and unbeliever alike.
Since God is love by nature He had the desire to fellowship with man. To give the believer by His grace escape from the natural condition to enable that fellowship. Which for Him, as He is perfect, is only possible in a perfect sin free enviourment. It was therefore necessary for Him to change our very being and make us a perfect new creation or what we could not be in the flesh; because He is perfect so we too must be made perfect. A reworked forgiven old man could not possibly qualify in his natural state.
Therefore He made we who believe to be new creatures, forming a new race of men of new spiritual beings. The new man we were made to be is accessed and made known to the believers mind only by faith in the Son of God as the source and the essence of that new man. And is manifested in us by being knowingly [renewed mind] identified and positioned in Him. Enabling the new creature we are by Spirit to be understood only by the power of faith, all by God's plan.
So we needed.... had to have, one who like Adam the first from mankind's human beginning on earth could provide a new linage, a new DNA of Spirit if you will. We had to have a new Man, a New Adam to inherit this new nature from; this time one of Spirit not flesh, us becoming entirely new by Spirit, now being viewed by the Father within that new Man; applied to us by Grace. "So it is written, the first man Adam became a living being [flesh]. The last Adam [Christ] became a life giving spirit" 1 Cor. 15:45
The Son of God the Last Adam provided that for all of mankind by His death in substitution for us, [all of us] unto sin and the old Adam man. This is called redemption, a strictly judicial event, albeit one of great sacrificial love. However this did not change man in His natural capacity to sin, or go his own way [be self-centered]. But it did give man a opportunity to choose life or death. For God would not interfere with His creations independence as man was made in the very image of God Himself and therefore is inherently granted the right of choice..
Christ's sacrifice did though provided a way of satisfaction for God to be pleased in a judicial sense, regardless of how man would choose. This is called propitiation or satisfaction, which applies directly to those who believe. This gift is afforded [by grace received] to the Christian by his belief. By this judicial event we could be declared not quilty, making available to all of mankind the possibility of a new life of spirit which the bible calls the new creation. "Whom [Christ] God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith" Rom. 3:25
This propitiation made by the Son on our behalf opened the door for a completely new reassignment for the human man of faith, who trusts in the Son of God by that faith. God now became able to view us in totality as new men, inheritors of a new nature formed and residing in heaven in His Son, not upon the earth in a restored old Adam flesh. Yet the new creation life is able by the Holy Spirit to occupy [in the mind] this same mortal body here on earth; changing us, not in condition but in capacity by the renewing of the mind.
Our new status is derived from and held [who we are in God's eye's] in the possession of and in the very person of a New Man. A Man of a different order all together than us. The bible refers to Him as the Last Adam, who is Christ Jesus, who was rejected from the earth, who is now in heaven. We were not remade or given a capacity to be holy or good in our old condition. Jesus Christ is the soul individual representing us, becoming our newness, a new Man before God for God's judicial satisfaction and for all those who trust Him in representation, regardless of our behavior in the flesh, good or bad. "As we bore the image of the man of dust [flesh Adam] so shall we also bear the image [by representation in God's judgment of Christ] the image of the heavenly Man" 1 Cor. 15: 49.
The key to discovery of our heavenly new creation position in Christ is, as I pointed out in my last blog, to first despair of the old man we are by condition. The new man who we have become in Him, "hid [positioned] in Christ" is found and lived in, in the realm of the spirit, known to the renewed mind only by faith; then applied by the mind to our mortal souls. By this factual biblical revelation of the mind we may find we are in God's estimation absolutely separate from the old or the flesh man whom we move about the earth in. We may live in this New Man by faith and only by faith. "The spiritual is not first, but the natural and afterward the spiritual" 1 Cor. 15:46.
The old is the man who works, worries, struggles and tries to be obedient, attempts to not sin, sees his participation in a social and active service church life as his primary Christian experience, perhaps even satisfied there. The new is he who rests in freedom knowing by the Holy Spirit who he is and the place he holds forever in Christ as his life and by faith is completed by his identification in glory in Jesus Christ. But willing still to suffer in and acknowledge his natural condition here on earth. Separating the role of the first Adam to death [he died on the cross with Christ] in order to live in the First Man for life.
In Heaven he [the believer] is seen by the Holy Creator God directly in Christ. As the bible says, we as born again believer's are heavenly/spiritual. "It is sown a natural body, it is raised [co-resurrection with Christ in representation of us] a spiritual body" 1 Cor. 15:46. It is of the utmost importance we come to see this positional status as the definition of just who we are and no longer remain sanctified to the old nature which God needed to suffer and die unto because of mans sin. Shall we remain in that old condition, not learn to redefine ourselves as new in Christ? Heaven and God has in fact forbidden it! "As was the man of dust so are those of dust and as is the hevenely man so also are those of the heavenly" 1 Cor. 15:48.
This new man identification does not require us to perform in any special moral way by legal obedience. Nor is it necessary to follow a formula some call churcheanity or a prescription fostered upon us by other men. All of our change as to conduct, worship, prayer and Church will flow naturally from the love of Christ by His Holy Spirit naturally and with ease as we become more and more aware of the lofty heavenly position we hold in Christ as life! In fact just as God says in His Word; we will no longer even have a conscience which defines us under any quilt as to any sin at all, at least as it is applied to our Christian existence in the heavenly new man we are. "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies" Rom. 8:33.
"Of Him are you in Christ Jesus, whom of God is made unto us.....sanctification" 1 Cor. 1:30. This verse tell us about the new man or new creature we are. Its says Christ by His actions on earth [death burial, resurrection and ascension] took us into Himself spiritually, identified us in/as Him. It further tells us that Jesus Christ Himself is the actual sanctification or separation of the believer, not our behavior, our works or our life style. He is displaying us before God in heaven in His person, at God's right hand. A position we hold from the moment we first believe whether we choose to remain in the immaturity of the first Adam man or not.
The reason this fact is so hard for us to understand is because we are held mentally [until relieved by the Word's revelation] within the boundaries of our old nature by the fact we live and indeed are alive on earth in the flesh; who demands feelings, experience and law or works/service to justify just who he is. This flesh man is left by his own heritage only and always in a state of sin of which he constantly struggles to escape from. Whereas the new creation grace nature is only to be experienced by Faith. God's Grace is given and made known to us as those of a new nature by revelation and that very faith. By the Word we are told we are a brand new race of men, sin free because we are only viewed and judged in Christ Jesus..... as God looks upon His Son. "Having predestined us unto [contained within] the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to Himself [positioned and seen within] according to the good pleasure of His will" Eph. 1:5
Faith is described in Hebrews as invisible but as substance and evidence it is the revelation of the Word of a spiritual reality. The only principal God has set forth for us to live in His Son by. True of us whether we know it or not.
The Christian life in the New Man is nothing short of the life of the Lord Jesus, it is a heavenly new life. "Set you mind on thing above for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears [comes into our life] then you will also appear with Him in glory" Col. 3:2,3,4. It is His life reproduced in us, a new life that's not to be confused with the flesh life. But a life held lived and represented as a heavenly life, us as one in Spirit with the Savior of the world. "For we are His workmanship, created [the new man] in Christ Jesus" Eph. 2:10. We may see this and rest there by faith of it as true, no need for any other proof by action.
This is the true conversion that all Christians have been made into in and by the Son of God. The first man of death has been made new by his all inclusive death on the Cross with the Lord Jesus. We have been made eternal, perfect, all new, by the Last Man the giver of Life. Who is in fact our very life in heaven and by faith upon the earth. This truth by faith, our faith, will then be manifest in our mortal bodies despite its sin nature. Thus the first Adam man of sin soul is changed, becoming the last new man of life, even while he dwells upon the earth.
From him we acquired our nature and by him came sin, condemnation and death. Mankind was by Adam's actions sentenced to a dreadful fate by God. This is the fall of man, which is continuous. We established last time and the bible confirms that this is the Adam man [the old] in which we, all of mankind, live in as mortals. "For as in Adam all die" 1 Cor. 15:22 a.
This condition is not cleared up or made to no effect by God's work in His Son, as a application to our mortal human natural condition upon the earth at least. In other words what Adam did [sin] and the results [death, condemnation and evil] was made true to and in all of his posterity upon the face of the earth and this condition is ours to keep as long as we dwell here. It is however for many a condition maintained throughout all eternity.
Thus the most horrible of fates is forever true for the unbeliever, to be left always in the awareness of death, not in God's presence. But as we know by Grace this is not so for the believer who will be transfigured, become like Christ, and indeed in spirit has His life now, but after physical death sheds any connection with the flesh. "Even so in Christ all [believers] shall be made alive" 1 Cor. 15:22 b. But never the less the results of sin by Adam the first is a active condition in which we all must suffer in our flesh condition together while upon the earth, believer and unbeliever alike.
Since God is love by nature He had the desire to fellowship with man. To give the believer by His grace escape from the natural condition to enable that fellowship. Which for Him, as He is perfect, is only possible in a perfect sin free enviourment. It was therefore necessary for Him to change our very being and make us a perfect new creation or what we could not be in the flesh; because He is perfect so we too must be made perfect. A reworked forgiven old man could not possibly qualify in his natural state.
Therefore He made we who believe to be new creatures, forming a new race of men of new spiritual beings. The new man we were made to be is accessed and made known to the believers mind only by faith in the Son of God as the source and the essence of that new man. And is manifested in us by being knowingly [renewed mind] identified and positioned in Him. Enabling the new creature we are by Spirit to be understood only by the power of faith, all by God's plan.
So we needed.... had to have, one who like Adam the first from mankind's human beginning on earth could provide a new linage, a new DNA of Spirit if you will. We had to have a new Man, a New Adam to inherit this new nature from; this time one of Spirit not flesh, us becoming entirely new by Spirit, now being viewed by the Father within that new Man; applied to us by Grace. "So it is written, the first man Adam became a living being [flesh]. The last Adam [Christ] became a life giving spirit" 1 Cor. 15:45
The Son of God the Last Adam provided that for all of mankind by His death in substitution for us, [all of us] unto sin and the old Adam man. This is called redemption, a strictly judicial event, albeit one of great sacrificial love. However this did not change man in His natural capacity to sin, or go his own way [be self-centered]. But it did give man a opportunity to choose life or death. For God would not interfere with His creations independence as man was made in the very image of God Himself and therefore is inherently granted the right of choice..
Christ's sacrifice did though provided a way of satisfaction for God to be pleased in a judicial sense, regardless of how man would choose. This is called propitiation or satisfaction, which applies directly to those who believe. This gift is afforded [by grace received] to the Christian by his belief. By this judicial event we could be declared not quilty, making available to all of mankind the possibility of a new life of spirit which the bible calls the new creation. "Whom [Christ] God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith" Rom. 3:25
This propitiation made by the Son on our behalf opened the door for a completely new reassignment for the human man of faith, who trusts in the Son of God by that faith. God now became able to view us in totality as new men, inheritors of a new nature formed and residing in heaven in His Son, not upon the earth in a restored old Adam flesh. Yet the new creation life is able by the Holy Spirit to occupy [in the mind] this same mortal body here on earth; changing us, not in condition but in capacity by the renewing of the mind.
Our new status is derived from and held [who we are in God's eye's] in the possession of and in the very person of a New Man. A Man of a different order all together than us. The bible refers to Him as the Last Adam, who is Christ Jesus, who was rejected from the earth, who is now in heaven. We were not remade or given a capacity to be holy or good in our old condition. Jesus Christ is the soul individual representing us, becoming our newness, a new Man before God for God's judicial satisfaction and for all those who trust Him in representation, regardless of our behavior in the flesh, good or bad. "As we bore the image of the man of dust [flesh Adam] so shall we also bear the image [by representation in God's judgment of Christ] the image of the heavenly Man" 1 Cor. 15: 49.
The key to discovery of our heavenly new creation position in Christ is, as I pointed out in my last blog, to first despair of the old man we are by condition. The new man who we have become in Him, "hid [positioned] in Christ" is found and lived in, in the realm of the spirit, known to the renewed mind only by faith; then applied by the mind to our mortal souls. By this factual biblical revelation of the mind we may find we are in God's estimation absolutely separate from the old or the flesh man whom we move about the earth in. We may live in this New Man by faith and only by faith. "The spiritual is not first, but the natural and afterward the spiritual" 1 Cor. 15:46.
The old is the man who works, worries, struggles and tries to be obedient, attempts to not sin, sees his participation in a social and active service church life as his primary Christian experience, perhaps even satisfied there. The new is he who rests in freedom knowing by the Holy Spirit who he is and the place he holds forever in Christ as his life and by faith is completed by his identification in glory in Jesus Christ. But willing still to suffer in and acknowledge his natural condition here on earth. Separating the role of the first Adam to death [he died on the cross with Christ] in order to live in the First Man for life.
In Heaven he [the believer] is seen by the Holy Creator God directly in Christ. As the bible says, we as born again believer's are heavenly/spiritual. "It is sown a natural body, it is raised [co-resurrection with Christ in representation of us] a spiritual body" 1 Cor. 15:46. It is of the utmost importance we come to see this positional status as the definition of just who we are and no longer remain sanctified to the old nature which God needed to suffer and die unto because of mans sin. Shall we remain in that old condition, not learn to redefine ourselves as new in Christ? Heaven and God has in fact forbidden it! "As was the man of dust so are those of dust and as is the hevenely man so also are those of the heavenly" 1 Cor. 15:48.
This new man identification does not require us to perform in any special moral way by legal obedience. Nor is it necessary to follow a formula some call churcheanity or a prescription fostered upon us by other men. All of our change as to conduct, worship, prayer and Church will flow naturally from the love of Christ by His Holy Spirit naturally and with ease as we become more and more aware of the lofty heavenly position we hold in Christ as life! In fact just as God says in His Word; we will no longer even have a conscience which defines us under any quilt as to any sin at all, at least as it is applied to our Christian existence in the heavenly new man we are. "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies" Rom. 8:33.
"Of Him are you in Christ Jesus, whom of God is made unto us.....sanctification" 1 Cor. 1:30. This verse tell us about the new man or new creature we are. Its says Christ by His actions on earth [death burial, resurrection and ascension] took us into Himself spiritually, identified us in/as Him. It further tells us that Jesus Christ Himself is the actual sanctification or separation of the believer, not our behavior, our works or our life style. He is displaying us before God in heaven in His person, at God's right hand. A position we hold from the moment we first believe whether we choose to remain in the immaturity of the first Adam man or not.
The reason this fact is so hard for us to understand is because we are held mentally [until relieved by the Word's revelation] within the boundaries of our old nature by the fact we live and indeed are alive on earth in the flesh; who demands feelings, experience and law or works/service to justify just who he is. This flesh man is left by his own heritage only and always in a state of sin of which he constantly struggles to escape from. Whereas the new creation grace nature is only to be experienced by Faith. God's Grace is given and made known to us as those of a new nature by revelation and that very faith. By the Word we are told we are a brand new race of men, sin free because we are only viewed and judged in Christ Jesus..... as God looks upon His Son. "Having predestined us unto [contained within] the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to Himself [positioned and seen within] according to the good pleasure of His will" Eph. 1:5
Faith is described in Hebrews as invisible but as substance and evidence it is the revelation of the Word of a spiritual reality. The only principal God has set forth for us to live in His Son by. True of us whether we know it or not.
The Christian life in the New Man is nothing short of the life of the Lord Jesus, it is a heavenly new life. "Set you mind on thing above for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears [comes into our life] then you will also appear with Him in glory" Col. 3:2,3,4. It is His life reproduced in us, a new life that's not to be confused with the flesh life. But a life held lived and represented as a heavenly life, us as one in Spirit with the Savior of the world. "For we are His workmanship, created [the new man] in Christ Jesus" Eph. 2:10. We may see this and rest there by faith of it as true, no need for any other proof by action.
This is the true conversion that all Christians have been made into in and by the Son of God. The first man of death has been made new by his all inclusive death on the Cross with the Lord Jesus. We have been made eternal, perfect, all new, by the Last Man the giver of Life. Who is in fact our very life in heaven and by faith upon the earth. This truth by faith, our faith, will then be manifest in our mortal bodies despite its sin nature. Thus the first Adam man of sin soul is changed, becoming the last new man of life, even while he dwells upon the earth.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
DISCOVERING THE OLD TO ASSOCIATE WITH THE NEW
The other day I had a conversation with a client in my barber chair which was most revealing. He said to me, as we discussed the Christian experience, something like this; "I go to church and hear many good things such as; we should trust God no matter what might be our daily experience, we should exercise our Christianity in our behavior or moral standing, we must always forgive others, be kind and honest". Then he said; "after church I go home with a new enthusiasm, however soon I am confronted with who I really am when I look in the mirror and I know I cannot live up to the status or standards I am told I must". He simply realized that; "All men are sinners and fall short of the glory of God", "If we say we have no sin in us we are liars".
The problem is we Christians, if our mind is not totally dulled down by self preoccupation with the things of the world, someday will wake up to realize we are just incapable of living up to the preachers Sunday morning admonitions to promote and encourage a certain standard for us to follow. This man then told me he has left the church, although still a self described Christian. Why? He could not seemingly live up to it's expectations or simply fit the mold and presentation of Christianity as seen from the pews. His good works were never consistent, his morals were not up to par.
He was constantly disappointed with himself and saw himself surrounded by possible hypocrites like him, many observably more aligned with the world than he, yet complacent even happy in their church/social comfort zone. He was not capable of holding to the standard of the church or the bibles teachings as to moral behavior or it's idealism of the faith and neither was anyone else surrounding him, at least in his judgement, so he simply gave up on the church as a place to formulate his Christian disposition.
Does this sound familiar? It sure did to me! And if it doesn't you might consider the dulled down statement above. What is the problem? Is it that the teaching/preaching is not accurate? No not necessarily. These are all good things and often even biblical. The problem is in how we apply them. Or I should say to which man we apply them too.
You see the bible teaches we have two natures to deal with. The bible calls them the old man or first Adam and the new man or last Adam. The first [our current condition as human men and women] is declared by the bible to be born into sin. " Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered the world; and so death [the natural Adam mans condition] by sin; and so death passed upon all men" Rom. 5:12. The last man or new Man however counters death for us; " In Him you were also circumcised [separated] with a circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body of the flesh [deaths curse removed replaced by His representative status] by the circumcision of Christ [on the cross]; having been buried with Him" Rom. 6:4.
It is entirely our choice which man or identity/personality we cultivate. Understanding the difference will be the most important thing the believer will ever do. The first the old Adam man, who is declared judicially dead by God, but however remains functioning in the old Adam condition in which all of mankind are included, Christian or not. We all live in these sinful human bodies while on the earth. All fully capable and culpable believer and non- believer alike in our subjection to the old Adam sin nature. The non-believer simply has no idea of his condition. Unfortunately many believes also choose ignorance. Men living without exposure to the new creature he is in Christ by faith is condemned to remain in a lifestyle of carnality. " For they [anyone] that are after the flesh [of earthy position not mentally acknowledging their heavenly identification] do mind the thing of the flesh".
This old man is only escapable by a new mental enlightenment or revelation of our position or identity [new men] as a new creature in Christ, which we may approach and live in only by faith. Opening a door for the transformation of the soul. "And do not be conformed [staying in the old Adam mind set] to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, [not behavior, morals, works or church life] that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God" Rom, 12:2. Never looking for any verification or validation of it by action or works good or bad from the Adam nature, as we cannot escape the human condition, which is sinful and self centered. Its all from a fresh biblical new creature mental approach from which the soul may change, to a new identification.
If we do not accept by the faith principal God's redefinition of us by the renewing of our mind. Learning from the Words revelation that we are new creatures seen in His Son; we will remain in what Paul described a carnal [immature, old Adam] state. Even worse we will live a worldly controlled existence as the old dulled down man, not even knowing how the Father sees us as completely identified in His Son. This is the absolute worse condition a Christian can live in! He will have no possibility to honor God in this position. Not knowing his own identity as viewed by the Father. As his own self perception when limited to the old man is one that makes him incapable of living the life God has designated for the Christian; even sacrificed His Son for, that His children might see and know themselves in the light of Jesus Christ's life, who is at His right hand in full representation of us.
The escape from the old lies in our self perception, nothing more. "Set you mind on things above...for you have died [judicially] and your life [the eternal life view of you by God] is hidden [positioned, represented] with Christ [in heaven] in God" Col. 3:2,3. This is not a theoretical view of our being which we may observe and look up to in gratitude. No this is the actual condition of what we are before God, as he has made us to be so in His Son. It is only approached and lived by revelation then by faith as truth of who we are as Christians.
Living in the old man as identity the believer is taken up by his own self-consciousness rather than the Father's own scriptural revelation of Himself. His revelation is one thing our self consciousness is quite another. " Oh wrenched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body [old Adam] of this death?" Rom. 7:24.
Nothing should be more foreign and distasteful than a Christian centering his testimony always around his feelings about himself. Or even his emotional devout sincerity for his salvation, remaining a worshiper but never going through the veil of the earthly church life, having never reach the end of his self centered old Adam. "It is for the effectual displacement of all this, and to transfer the heart to a entirely new center, a heavenly spiritual reality, that the revelation of the old man is divinely necessary for our souls". "The father is come in to our life to detach us from that which is our natural [old man] center, that He may link our affections with another Person....even with the glorified Lord Jesus Christ...and make Him everything to our hearts, so that our association with Him may be known, [new man] and may become the deep abiding joy of our souls".
It simply cannot be said too much.... All Christians must learn to; "Set your affections [mind] on things above....for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" Col. 3:2,3. Our life is not here we are citizens of heaven....therefore we must come to know ourselves thoroughly in the old man condition of death, to associate with the new man [be consciously reassigned] we are in Jesus Christ as our life!
The problem is we Christians, if our mind is not totally dulled down by self preoccupation with the things of the world, someday will wake up to realize we are just incapable of living up to the preachers Sunday morning admonitions to promote and encourage a certain standard for us to follow. This man then told me he has left the church, although still a self described Christian. Why? He could not seemingly live up to it's expectations or simply fit the mold and presentation of Christianity as seen from the pews. His good works were never consistent, his morals were not up to par.
He was constantly disappointed with himself and saw himself surrounded by possible hypocrites like him, many observably more aligned with the world than he, yet complacent even happy in their church/social comfort zone. He was not capable of holding to the standard of the church or the bibles teachings as to moral behavior or it's idealism of the faith and neither was anyone else surrounding him, at least in his judgement, so he simply gave up on the church as a place to formulate his Christian disposition.
Does this sound familiar? It sure did to me! And if it doesn't you might consider the dulled down statement above. What is the problem? Is it that the teaching/preaching is not accurate? No not necessarily. These are all good things and often even biblical. The problem is in how we apply them. Or I should say to which man we apply them too.
You see the bible teaches we have two natures to deal with. The bible calls them the old man or first Adam and the new man or last Adam. The first [our current condition as human men and women] is declared by the bible to be born into sin. " Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered the world; and so death [the natural Adam mans condition] by sin; and so death passed upon all men" Rom. 5:12. The last man or new Man however counters death for us; " In Him you were also circumcised [separated] with a circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body of the flesh [deaths curse removed replaced by His representative status] by the circumcision of Christ [on the cross]; having been buried with Him" Rom. 6:4.
It is entirely our choice which man or identity/personality we cultivate. Understanding the difference will be the most important thing the believer will ever do. The first the old Adam man, who is declared judicially dead by God, but however remains functioning in the old Adam condition in which all of mankind are included, Christian or not. We all live in these sinful human bodies while on the earth. All fully capable and culpable believer and non- believer alike in our subjection to the old Adam sin nature. The non-believer simply has no idea of his condition. Unfortunately many believes also choose ignorance. Men living without exposure to the new creature he is in Christ by faith is condemned to remain in a lifestyle of carnality. " For they [anyone] that are after the flesh [of earthy position not mentally acknowledging their heavenly identification] do mind the thing of the flesh".
This old man is only escapable by a new mental enlightenment or revelation of our position or identity [new men] as a new creature in Christ, which we may approach and live in only by faith. Opening a door for the transformation of the soul. "And do not be conformed [staying in the old Adam mind set] to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, [not behavior, morals, works or church life] that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God" Rom, 12:2. Never looking for any verification or validation of it by action or works good or bad from the Adam nature, as we cannot escape the human condition, which is sinful and self centered. Its all from a fresh biblical new creature mental approach from which the soul may change, to a new identification.
If we do not accept by the faith principal God's redefinition of us by the renewing of our mind. Learning from the Words revelation that we are new creatures seen in His Son; we will remain in what Paul described a carnal [immature, old Adam] state. Even worse we will live a worldly controlled existence as the old dulled down man, not even knowing how the Father sees us as completely identified in His Son. This is the absolute worse condition a Christian can live in! He will have no possibility to honor God in this position. Not knowing his own identity as viewed by the Father. As his own self perception when limited to the old man is one that makes him incapable of living the life God has designated for the Christian; even sacrificed His Son for, that His children might see and know themselves in the light of Jesus Christ's life, who is at His right hand in full representation of us.
The escape from the old lies in our self perception, nothing more. "Set you mind on things above...for you have died [judicially] and your life [the eternal life view of you by God] is hidden [positioned, represented] with Christ [in heaven] in God" Col. 3:2,3. This is not a theoretical view of our being which we may observe and look up to in gratitude. No this is the actual condition of what we are before God, as he has made us to be so in His Son. It is only approached and lived by revelation then by faith as truth of who we are as Christians.
Living in the old man as identity the believer is taken up by his own self-consciousness rather than the Father's own scriptural revelation of Himself. His revelation is one thing our self consciousness is quite another. " Oh wrenched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body [old Adam] of this death?" Rom. 7:24.
Nothing should be more foreign and distasteful than a Christian centering his testimony always around his feelings about himself. Or even his emotional devout sincerity for his salvation, remaining a worshiper but never going through the veil of the earthly church life, having never reach the end of his self centered old Adam. "It is for the effectual displacement of all this, and to transfer the heart to a entirely new center, a heavenly spiritual reality, that the revelation of the old man is divinely necessary for our souls". "The father is come in to our life to detach us from that which is our natural [old man] center, that He may link our affections with another Person....even with the glorified Lord Jesus Christ...and make Him everything to our hearts, so that our association with Him may be known, [new man] and may become the deep abiding joy of our souls".
It simply cannot be said too much.... All Christians must learn to; "Set your affections [mind] on things above....for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" Col. 3:2,3. Our life is not here we are citizens of heaven....therefore we must come to know ourselves thoroughly in the old man condition of death, to associate with the new man [be consciously reassigned] we are in Jesus Christ as our life!
Sunday, October 4, 2015
DRIVEN BY DESIRE
There is a very important even vital assignment for the natural man as he dwells on the earth. Yes the Adam man in the flesh, with all his sin's and weakness is used by our Father to glorify His Son. The natural sinful Adam man can contribute to the plan of God. How?
We as natural men and women may gain a spiritual component in Christ even in our self-centeredness. Yes He is our opposite, He is Spirit, Holy, Pure and True but He is also a Man, a Man before the Father, a perfect New Man in heaven. It is His presence there as a Man that establishes ours! "Alive unto God in Jesus Christ" Rom. 6:11.
The thing about our sinful nature, in being used by God for His glory, is that his very weakness as a flesh man is of most paramount advantage; sins despair, mans corruption and self centered nature drives him toward complete failure as to the things of God. The Adam man in his flesh nature has no capacity for holiness or even a relationship with Christ within himself. Coming to know this as fact is the primary prerequisite and condition for man in his discovery of Jesus Christ as life. We then may finely come to a place of our deepest need which serves God's plan for us.
Then comes a desire derived from the depth of our pain, the realization of our total inadequacy in our own efforts to gain Christ. Now we have a chance for a greater knowledge of God and therefore eventually at least for those who are truly humbled by their own nature. And by the negative results of our dependence on the works of the flesh [worldly, earthly, natural mans efforts] our spiritual heavenly position in Christ may be found.
God uses our very sin nature to motivate us toward faith in His Son as our conscious [alive to God in Christ] new creation life. We discover Jesus Christ the New Man and ourselves positioned in Him, for a spiritual life here. He is the object who is at God's side in glory representing our very being as new creatures. We may transfer to Him by faith of that truth. Him making us perfect by our valuation found in His Son, in the view and full satisfaction of The Father.
This is the position and status we hold forever in Spirit, assigned there despite our sinful condition as Adam men here on earth. We then could say we are driven by our own nature toward salvation, then a eventual realized new conscious existence as heavenly creatures. The advantage for us being we now serve God in a new creature defined attitude of ourselves, not our own self interest. This is God's intent for man!
Paul knew this truth well, and he should be the Christians primary example in the embrace of ourselves living in a new spiritual positional heavenly creation existence by faith; our true and only valid biblical designation, us as one Spirt with Jesus Christ; as to our true place, in co-existence with Christ in the Fathers estimation.
Paul's epistles messages were written primarily toward that end. So that we might discover our true heavenly nature as defining our Christianity. "We ourselves had the sentence of death in ourselves [reckoning upon Christ's Death as our own as to the natural man] that we should not have trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead" 2 Cor. 1:9. Putting no confidence in works, obedience, the church life, training, overcoming or our own personal accomplishments. For we are co- resurrected with Jesus Christ know to us by and in faith to a new life in glory represented and carried on by Him there as we live in our mortal sinful conditioned bodies here.
Paul was kept in Constant weakness as to himself by his thorn in the flesh. He had a positive weakness you might say. He did not engage his will by a resolution to bear his suffering as men are prone to do. But he used his weakness, engaging it as a means to gain Christ. We are not talking here [for us] of a physical thing [I believe Paul perhaps was not also]which man could stiffen himself under to bravely carry on.
No our own and Paul's inherent positive weakness is the knowing recognition of the sentence of death upon the natural and the suffering that brings to all that the earthly Adam man is in himself. Which is our condition [sinful] in which we actively reside in here on earth, born of God or not. In that respect we are all the same. Mankind is dead by Christ on the Cross, all of mankind. We must [only Christians can] reckon that true in faith. Therefore all of natural mans old Adam [us not identified in our mind as new creatures positioned in Christ as our total identification] accomplishments [even Christians] are voided of value; literally of no consequence to God! The realization of that condition [totally sinful, unacceptable] within ourselves [ God sees us as dead by His Son] being the only way to freedom from our worldly obligations or mans personal attempt to be reconciled with God by works. As Paul said "Always dying for Jesus sake" should be our calling.
All this exercise [acknowledgement of the death of our Adam man by faith] goes on down here in the one who has been conscious of being caught up in paradise. Paul was taken up to heaven, "a man in Christ". We are also taken up, by faith, positioned in Christ there by a co-ascension lived by faith in that as biblical truth. Which is every bit as valid, as to knowing a complete change of identity, as Paul's experience was. Therefore "No confidence in the flesh"
If on the one hand, we touch the infinite privilege of "a man in Christ," as Paul, we must be prepared to be the other; to view ourselves as dead as to any value toward God as earthly self assigned Adam men; co-crucified with Christ; for the discipline of God [natural mans suffering in our condition as sinners] which bring about death in and upon what we are naturally. So that we may prove the grace of the Lord by acknowledging our death in Christ actively and learn how divine power is perfected in human weakness.
Many Christians are too strong to know what this means. Will and energy, service and works, are now the primary example of the Christian. This is the worlds way taught to us by the compromised churches; whose primary mission is serving the flock and bettering the world. Many do not yet know that a great many things effective in the world are not so in the things of God. For we are a new race of new men, heavenly, spiritual, who must learn to live by faith in that which is and was accomplished by Jesus Christ. All else is of no value what-so-ever. There is nothing lasting or true in ourselves under our own power, no matter how good our labor nor the religious spiritual feelings we may experience in our acts.
Divine power does not work alongside of human power. Human power must be set aside so that divine power may be conducted by the Holy Spirit. In our prayers for divine power the answer will most likely be the experience of our utter weakness, our self perceived nothingness as natural men and women. This is the humbling necessary for a godly life, as preparation for His use on this plane of existence while enclosed in a natural human body.
The power of man must be set aside. The Lord said to Paul and us...."My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness". Therefore it is from the ashes of weakness, distress and persecution like Paul that we are to gain the desire to be driven toward the glory of a life outside of ourselves to know a life positioned and identified in Jesus Christ Himself, by faith and only by faith!
We as natural men and women may gain a spiritual component in Christ even in our self-centeredness. Yes He is our opposite, He is Spirit, Holy, Pure and True but He is also a Man, a Man before the Father, a perfect New Man in heaven. It is His presence there as a Man that establishes ours! "Alive unto God in Jesus Christ" Rom. 6:11.
The thing about our sinful nature, in being used by God for His glory, is that his very weakness as a flesh man is of most paramount advantage; sins despair, mans corruption and self centered nature drives him toward complete failure as to the things of God. The Adam man in his flesh nature has no capacity for holiness or even a relationship with Christ within himself. Coming to know this as fact is the primary prerequisite and condition for man in his discovery of Jesus Christ as life. We then may finely come to a place of our deepest need which serves God's plan for us.
Then comes a desire derived from the depth of our pain, the realization of our total inadequacy in our own efforts to gain Christ. Now we have a chance for a greater knowledge of God and therefore eventually at least for those who are truly humbled by their own nature. And by the negative results of our dependence on the works of the flesh [worldly, earthly, natural mans efforts] our spiritual heavenly position in Christ may be found.
God uses our very sin nature to motivate us toward faith in His Son as our conscious [alive to God in Christ] new creation life. We discover Jesus Christ the New Man and ourselves positioned in Him, for a spiritual life here. He is the object who is at God's side in glory representing our very being as new creatures. We may transfer to Him by faith of that truth. Him making us perfect by our valuation found in His Son, in the view and full satisfaction of The Father.
This is the position and status we hold forever in Spirit, assigned there despite our sinful condition as Adam men here on earth. We then could say we are driven by our own nature toward salvation, then a eventual realized new conscious existence as heavenly creatures. The advantage for us being we now serve God in a new creature defined attitude of ourselves, not our own self interest. This is God's intent for man!
Paul knew this truth well, and he should be the Christians primary example in the embrace of ourselves living in a new spiritual positional heavenly creation existence by faith; our true and only valid biblical designation, us as one Spirt with Jesus Christ; as to our true place, in co-existence with Christ in the Fathers estimation.
Paul's epistles messages were written primarily toward that end. So that we might discover our true heavenly nature as defining our Christianity. "We ourselves had the sentence of death in ourselves [reckoning upon Christ's Death as our own as to the natural man] that we should not have trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead" 2 Cor. 1:9. Putting no confidence in works, obedience, the church life, training, overcoming or our own personal accomplishments. For we are co- resurrected with Jesus Christ know to us by and in faith to a new life in glory represented and carried on by Him there as we live in our mortal sinful conditioned bodies here.
Paul was kept in Constant weakness as to himself by his thorn in the flesh. He had a positive weakness you might say. He did not engage his will by a resolution to bear his suffering as men are prone to do. But he used his weakness, engaging it as a means to gain Christ. We are not talking here [for us] of a physical thing [I believe Paul perhaps was not also]which man could stiffen himself under to bravely carry on.
No our own and Paul's inherent positive weakness is the knowing recognition of the sentence of death upon the natural and the suffering that brings to all that the earthly Adam man is in himself. Which is our condition [sinful] in which we actively reside in here on earth, born of God or not. In that respect we are all the same. Mankind is dead by Christ on the Cross, all of mankind. We must [only Christians can] reckon that true in faith. Therefore all of natural mans old Adam [us not identified in our mind as new creatures positioned in Christ as our total identification] accomplishments [even Christians] are voided of value; literally of no consequence to God! The realization of that condition [totally sinful, unacceptable] within ourselves [ God sees us as dead by His Son] being the only way to freedom from our worldly obligations or mans personal attempt to be reconciled with God by works. As Paul said "Always dying for Jesus sake" should be our calling.
All this exercise [acknowledgement of the death of our Adam man by faith] goes on down here in the one who has been conscious of being caught up in paradise. Paul was taken up to heaven, "a man in Christ". We are also taken up, by faith, positioned in Christ there by a co-ascension lived by faith in that as biblical truth. Which is every bit as valid, as to knowing a complete change of identity, as Paul's experience was. Therefore "No confidence in the flesh"
If on the one hand, we touch the infinite privilege of "a man in Christ," as Paul, we must be prepared to be the other; to view ourselves as dead as to any value toward God as earthly self assigned Adam men; co-crucified with Christ; for the discipline of God [natural mans suffering in our condition as sinners] which bring about death in and upon what we are naturally. So that we may prove the grace of the Lord by acknowledging our death in Christ actively and learn how divine power is perfected in human weakness.
Many Christians are too strong to know what this means. Will and energy, service and works, are now the primary example of the Christian. This is the worlds way taught to us by the compromised churches; whose primary mission is serving the flock and bettering the world. Many do not yet know that a great many things effective in the world are not so in the things of God. For we are a new race of new men, heavenly, spiritual, who must learn to live by faith in that which is and was accomplished by Jesus Christ. All else is of no value what-so-ever. There is nothing lasting or true in ourselves under our own power, no matter how good our labor nor the religious spiritual feelings we may experience in our acts.
Divine power does not work alongside of human power. Human power must be set aside so that divine power may be conducted by the Holy Spirit. In our prayers for divine power the answer will most likely be the experience of our utter weakness, our self perceived nothingness as natural men and women. This is the humbling necessary for a godly life, as preparation for His use on this plane of existence while enclosed in a natural human body.
The power of man must be set aside. The Lord said to Paul and us...."My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness". Therefore it is from the ashes of weakness, distress and persecution like Paul that we are to gain the desire to be driven toward the glory of a life outside of ourselves to know a life positioned and identified in Jesus Christ Himself, by faith and only by faith!
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
RESPONDING TO OUR NEW IDENTITY
Christianity is really quite a simple thing. We came to Christ [often in great need] we asked Him to enter our life in that same need, be it great or small. We then simply believed that He had entered our life and gradually gained faith by learning [knowledge] over time that what happened to us was eternal and true; all the work of The Father; all by Grace, [no work on our part] just as God declares in the bible. "For by Grace you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" Eph. 2:8.
However we also soon became aware that the negative circumstances of life still prevailed. We got sick, our children disappointed us, we had many troubles in this life etc. When those circumstances came upon us our former joy was overridden. If you are normal you became discouraged. You asked God to intervene and often He did. But there is always a new problem, a new event to replace the last trying episode. We know from the Words of Jesus that tribulation will be ours on earth always. We want relief of course. How may we find it? Cannot we be happy and free by doing something different with ourselves? Perhaps not.
The Word of God however does promises us a different spiritual life than the life we experience in the flesh. But this difference does not come by our action, but by faith in a specific event; the Life and Death of Jesus Christ and our co-death and co-life in/with Him; heavenly/spiritual, a mental acknowledgement of a sustained faith in Jesus Christ as the object of that life. "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision [status, church work or personal accomplishment] avails anything, nor uncircumcision [the natural mans self righteous life] but a new creature" Gal 6:15. How may we tap into this promise live as a new creation to honor Him; not to please ourselves. The very purpose and intent for us from our Father. We must make it ours. What are we to do to establish His identity as our own in a conscious way?
Will we find comfort from the storm by a new behavior, a renewed determination, service and commitments? Really what amounts to a self righteous feeling. Perhaps on some level, in our natural emotions we might, at least for a time. But is this God's way? Not according to His Word. We are Spirit dependent. "God has from the beginning [think creation] chosen you to salvation though sanctification [separation unto a life in His Son] of the Spirit and belief of the truth' 2 Thess. 2:15.
Then what are we to do? Can we even do anything ourselves to make it all better? Or to be the Christian we think we must be. There is a challenge now before us, we must now; "Study to show yourselves approved unto God" 2 Tim 2:15. "A workman that is not ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God" 2 Tim. 2:15.
L.S. Chafer founding president of Dallas seminary had this to say regarding mans natural propensity towards the fleeting value of law and works: which includes service and the busy church/ community life; at least as a application to forming our Christian duty and functional church life in a attempt to establish our Christianity: "Any aspect of life or conduct which is undertaken in dependence on the energy and ability of the flesh is, to that extent, purely legal in character, whether it be the whole revealed will of God, the actual written commandments contained in the Law, the exhortation of grace, or any activity whatsoever in which the believer may engage. Dependence on the arm of the flesh [natural effort] is consistent with pure Law; dependence on the power of God [His View and estimation of us seen in His Son] is necessary under pure Grace [no effort or action on our part, only that of faith in our position in Christ Jesus]. Since there is no provision for the flesh [natural Adam mans work on earth] in God's plan for a life under Grace, the Law [works, self effort, service etc. done in our Adam identity] is done away with".
Well then how in the world are we to pursue our Christianity? Find, understand and live in this new race of men on earth we have become. Could it be we must embrace a new identity to explore a life under pure Grace, a entirely new perception of ourselves just as described in His Word? Is it all really as simple as a new mental attitude, to gain a new self image, a perception of ourselves as the new creation we are; "Hid in Christ". "Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which [His and our co-death and co-life together in glory] Christ has made us free" Gal. 5:1
Yes this in fact is the case. The word I think which best describes the new creation life, as a realized pursuit, is motivation! What is our life mental/spiritual motivation? How do we measure our self perception? Have we learned and began to become the saint the Word of God describes as identified with Jesus Christ, living under the freedom of pure Grace self identified in His Son? As Paul we must say; "God.... called me by Grace to reveal His Son in me" Gal. 1:15,16. What is our world view Adam's or God's, as we observe and live in the visible? Do we reveal Jesus Christ in our mental perception of our own being?
I fear few have even considered exploring a completely new description of themselves. Let alone applying to themselves a position or identification in glory. Made known clearly by God's revealed view of the saint in His Word: as a partaker of a heavenly citizenship, inherited by us, as to the exact status of His Son in Glory. But the Word says we must know and live this attitude in order to live life's true purpose under Grace. "For He has made Him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteous of God in Him" 2 Cor. 5:21.
"The Law is not of faith" Gal. 3:12. "The Law will break you grace will make you". There is nothing more sure than the steps we take in life guided by the Spirit and the Word under Grace. Yet there is nothing more difficult, as to our discernment of the Spiritual walk, in separation by Grace [sanctification] than winding our way through all that surrounds us in this world.
The motivation to change usually comes by pain, weakness, suffering. We might by God's grace suffer enough in mourning the natural Adam, who is only and always sin. Perhaps then we will learn to see the Christian life when accompanied by the world, performing good works in a attitude of a worker for Christ here, making the world a better place, the counterfeit system not fully rejected, brings about only death as it will always fail. But once we see this death as true of us and therefore no hope in a natural earthly environment for our souls, as self definition, we will find that by Jesus Christ Grace is revealed as to its power to bring awareness of a completely new life by faith. God waited for us to need Him more deeply. Now by a new revelation we have gained something most important. The new creature life found only in Christ as our soul's object. But then comes responsibility.
Our new power, new creature identity, born to a entirely new race, becoming by faith heavenly men and women, requires a recognition of that responsibility. Which was first brought about by God's sovereign act in the new birth. Now we must act! Not in self effort, but in trust and faith that God will ultimately conform us into the image of His Son by the change in our identity, by gaining new knowledge from His Word and the consequent change of character to our soul.
That is to our personality, our self description of our being; fully in our converted conscience recognizing and reckoning upon accepting by faith the truth of God's intent, that we live only by a conscious faith that His Word is true in a literal sense when we are told: "Put on the new man" Eph. 4:24
God operates along this line of thought, this is His will and desire; it is moral and requires a obedience of faith as to the recognition of just who we are by the new birth. Now Jesus Christ by the Word and by the Spirit has become our Object, our Teacher; meekness and lowliness as learned of Him. We sow to the Spirit in this way and walk in the Spirit by our new recognition of the heavenly positional life in Christ. All of this is connected to a moral responsibility on our part and must be maintained by faith ever seeking His knowledge, knowing His mind, to enjoy the freedom of the new creation life in Christ.
We cannot simply reconcile Spirit/faith/identification mentally, or work out our responsibility and His sovereignty as to His choice to see us only in His Son, us as new heavenly creatures identified in Christ, like a puzzle. Or make it a self determined work to gain it's understanding as a mental pursuit. But we can live in it spiritually by faith. This requires a maintenance and a constant awareness of two humbling facts derived exclusively from God's Word. The Adam man we are, in all its efforts on the earth is seen as a dead thing by God. Faith and trust in His promise that by His holy Spirit all that we are now newly in His Son will be maintained by Grace forever. By that truth exercised as a mental attitude we may attach a true value to what we have become in Christ Jesus! We may respond to who we really are. "That I may know Him and the power of His Resurrection" Phil. 3:10.
However we also soon became aware that the negative circumstances of life still prevailed. We got sick, our children disappointed us, we had many troubles in this life etc. When those circumstances came upon us our former joy was overridden. If you are normal you became discouraged. You asked God to intervene and often He did. But there is always a new problem, a new event to replace the last trying episode. We know from the Words of Jesus that tribulation will be ours on earth always. We want relief of course. How may we find it? Cannot we be happy and free by doing something different with ourselves? Perhaps not.
The Word of God however does promises us a different spiritual life than the life we experience in the flesh. But this difference does not come by our action, but by faith in a specific event; the Life and Death of Jesus Christ and our co-death and co-life in/with Him; heavenly/spiritual, a mental acknowledgement of a sustained faith in Jesus Christ as the object of that life. "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision [status, church work or personal accomplishment] avails anything, nor uncircumcision [the natural mans self righteous life] but a new creature" Gal 6:15. How may we tap into this promise live as a new creation to honor Him; not to please ourselves. The very purpose and intent for us from our Father. We must make it ours. What are we to do to establish His identity as our own in a conscious way?
Will we find comfort from the storm by a new behavior, a renewed determination, service and commitments? Really what amounts to a self righteous feeling. Perhaps on some level, in our natural emotions we might, at least for a time. But is this God's way? Not according to His Word. We are Spirit dependent. "God has from the beginning [think creation] chosen you to salvation though sanctification [separation unto a life in His Son] of the Spirit and belief of the truth' 2 Thess. 2:15.
Then what are we to do? Can we even do anything ourselves to make it all better? Or to be the Christian we think we must be. There is a challenge now before us, we must now; "Study to show yourselves approved unto God" 2 Tim 2:15. "A workman that is not ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God" 2 Tim. 2:15.
L.S. Chafer founding president of Dallas seminary had this to say regarding mans natural propensity towards the fleeting value of law and works: which includes service and the busy church/ community life; at least as a application to forming our Christian duty and functional church life in a attempt to establish our Christianity: "Any aspect of life or conduct which is undertaken in dependence on the energy and ability of the flesh is, to that extent, purely legal in character, whether it be the whole revealed will of God, the actual written commandments contained in the Law, the exhortation of grace, or any activity whatsoever in which the believer may engage. Dependence on the arm of the flesh [natural effort] is consistent with pure Law; dependence on the power of God [His View and estimation of us seen in His Son] is necessary under pure Grace [no effort or action on our part, only that of faith in our position in Christ Jesus]. Since there is no provision for the flesh [natural Adam mans work on earth] in God's plan for a life under Grace, the Law [works, self effort, service etc. done in our Adam identity] is done away with".
Well then how in the world are we to pursue our Christianity? Find, understand and live in this new race of men on earth we have become. Could it be we must embrace a new identity to explore a life under pure Grace, a entirely new perception of ourselves just as described in His Word? Is it all really as simple as a new mental attitude, to gain a new self image, a perception of ourselves as the new creation we are; "Hid in Christ". "Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which [His and our co-death and co-life together in glory] Christ has made us free" Gal. 5:1
Yes this in fact is the case. The word I think which best describes the new creation life, as a realized pursuit, is motivation! What is our life mental/spiritual motivation? How do we measure our self perception? Have we learned and began to become the saint the Word of God describes as identified with Jesus Christ, living under the freedom of pure Grace self identified in His Son? As Paul we must say; "God.... called me by Grace to reveal His Son in me" Gal. 1:15,16. What is our world view Adam's or God's, as we observe and live in the visible? Do we reveal Jesus Christ in our mental perception of our own being?
I fear few have even considered exploring a completely new description of themselves. Let alone applying to themselves a position or identification in glory. Made known clearly by God's revealed view of the saint in His Word: as a partaker of a heavenly citizenship, inherited by us, as to the exact status of His Son in Glory. But the Word says we must know and live this attitude in order to live life's true purpose under Grace. "For He has made Him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteous of God in Him" 2 Cor. 5:21.
"The Law is not of faith" Gal. 3:12. "The Law will break you grace will make you". There is nothing more sure than the steps we take in life guided by the Spirit and the Word under Grace. Yet there is nothing more difficult, as to our discernment of the Spiritual walk, in separation by Grace [sanctification] than winding our way through all that surrounds us in this world.
The motivation to change usually comes by pain, weakness, suffering. We might by God's grace suffer enough in mourning the natural Adam, who is only and always sin. Perhaps then we will learn to see the Christian life when accompanied by the world, performing good works in a attitude of a worker for Christ here, making the world a better place, the counterfeit system not fully rejected, brings about only death as it will always fail. But once we see this death as true of us and therefore no hope in a natural earthly environment for our souls, as self definition, we will find that by Jesus Christ Grace is revealed as to its power to bring awareness of a completely new life by faith. God waited for us to need Him more deeply. Now by a new revelation we have gained something most important. The new creature life found only in Christ as our soul's object. But then comes responsibility.
Our new power, new creature identity, born to a entirely new race, becoming by faith heavenly men and women, requires a recognition of that responsibility. Which was first brought about by God's sovereign act in the new birth. Now we must act! Not in self effort, but in trust and faith that God will ultimately conform us into the image of His Son by the change in our identity, by gaining new knowledge from His Word and the consequent change of character to our soul.
That is to our personality, our self description of our being; fully in our converted conscience recognizing and reckoning upon accepting by faith the truth of God's intent, that we live only by a conscious faith that His Word is true in a literal sense when we are told: "Put on the new man" Eph. 4:24
God operates along this line of thought, this is His will and desire; it is moral and requires a obedience of faith as to the recognition of just who we are by the new birth. Now Jesus Christ by the Word and by the Spirit has become our Object, our Teacher; meekness and lowliness as learned of Him. We sow to the Spirit in this way and walk in the Spirit by our new recognition of the heavenly positional life in Christ. All of this is connected to a moral responsibility on our part and must be maintained by faith ever seeking His knowledge, knowing His mind, to enjoy the freedom of the new creation life in Christ.
We cannot simply reconcile Spirit/faith/identification mentally, or work out our responsibility and His sovereignty as to His choice to see us only in His Son, us as new heavenly creatures identified in Christ, like a puzzle. Or make it a self determined work to gain it's understanding as a mental pursuit. But we can live in it spiritually by faith. This requires a maintenance and a constant awareness of two humbling facts derived exclusively from God's Word. The Adam man we are, in all its efforts on the earth is seen as a dead thing by God. Faith and trust in His promise that by His holy Spirit all that we are now newly in His Son will be maintained by Grace forever. By that truth exercised as a mental attitude we may attach a true value to what we have become in Christ Jesus! We may respond to who we really are. "That I may know Him and the power of His Resurrection" Phil. 3:10.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
DEATH TO US ALL
"I am learning to set aside in death everything in me which hinders the manifestation of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ".......Just what does that mean? Is this God's desire for all Christians? If so How may we accomplish it?
There is a conventional societal collar being worn by the Christian today. We are held firmly by a self developed natural Adam self conscious tradition. By that development [if succumbed too] we have simply become members of a moral world betterment organization, or worse a self-improvement cult. This is a great restraint upon the spiritual liberation we need to live a life in Christ Jesus. However according to the Word of God; by embracing our own death upon the cross we will find the freedom that He has accomplished for us by His Sons death upon that same Cross.
For the bible tells me so: Paul said of his ministry, "Death working in me works life in you". "For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh". The sake word here is that Jesus Christ might live in you as a conscious reality by your informed acknowledgement of His life replacing yours in the Fathers estimation. Because He died and we co-died with Him as natural Adam men and women: the work of His Cross. As Paul said of the apostles; "So that death works in us, but life in you". Jesus' all encompassing representative death was what he was referring to, as well as their worldly suffering due to their display of Christ as life in their walk.
Again Paul said; "Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death"? He was acknowledging his sin nature and his need for deliverance from it. We all must come to realize this as Paul did! Then accept our natural condition as earthly men just like Paul. But the deliverance from the sinful nature, which is our condition as natural men, for us and Paul comes by faith in another's accomplishment and in no other way!
Our Father knows that we are weakness incarnate; that we can do nothing. The trouble is that we do not know it. So He must bring us to the place where we see that we are utterly weak and helpless. His will, will be served, when we come to know everything about the first Adam man [us] must be put to death. Not by our action, but by our faith that we are in fact dead in The Fathers eye's as natural Adam men by Christ's representing us in His own Death.
We hold onto him [the natural first Adam] for dear life. He is all we know, at least until we know of our own death, positioned and identified in Christ. We work and serve, pray and sing, go from one conference or meeting to another all in search of a final reckoning, a sound self satisfied standing. The more we try the greater our weakness is manifest. Romans seven makes this very clear indeed.
"It is God who works in you" We are delivered by death [our own on the cross] so that the Father's will, will be done in us. In other words we are actually delivered and have life by the faith that all that we are as natural Adam men has died with Christ. By acknowledging this true truth we become free from doing the will of ourselves.
The Lord Jesus Christ is to manifest His Resurrected life through and in us, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit". Note in this new Christ life we are to live in the Spirit. He is only alive in us consciously as a action, by faith in a Spiritual event and a Spiritual life of faith that we are "Hid in Christ Jesus". No feeling, work or self righteous action on our part will ever accomplish this.
If we could live His Resurrection life by keeping commands, by works, or by experiences it would be forming a god man in the flesh or what the Adam man totally failed at. The world of good behavior, self righteousness, training, overcoming and law keeping cannot form His life in us. It is only by a faith that conducts His "death to us all" and a new creation life by and in His Spirit. So it is also only by a knowledgeable faith that we may say as Paul, speaking of his deliverance from self; "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord".... that we may have the freedom to live unto Christ Jesus on earth and forever!
There is a conventional societal collar being worn by the Christian today. We are held firmly by a self developed natural Adam self conscious tradition. By that development [if succumbed too] we have simply become members of a moral world betterment organization, or worse a self-improvement cult. This is a great restraint upon the spiritual liberation we need to live a life in Christ Jesus. However according to the Word of God; by embracing our own death upon the cross we will find the freedom that He has accomplished for us by His Sons death upon that same Cross.
For the bible tells me so: Paul said of his ministry, "Death working in me works life in you". "For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh". The sake word here is that Jesus Christ might live in you as a conscious reality by your informed acknowledgement of His life replacing yours in the Fathers estimation. Because He died and we co-died with Him as natural Adam men and women: the work of His Cross. As Paul said of the apostles; "So that death works in us, but life in you". Jesus' all encompassing representative death was what he was referring to, as well as their worldly suffering due to their display of Christ as life in their walk.
Again Paul said; "Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death"? He was acknowledging his sin nature and his need for deliverance from it. We all must come to realize this as Paul did! Then accept our natural condition as earthly men just like Paul. But the deliverance from the sinful nature, which is our condition as natural men, for us and Paul comes by faith in another's accomplishment and in no other way!
Our Father knows that we are weakness incarnate; that we can do nothing. The trouble is that we do not know it. So He must bring us to the place where we see that we are utterly weak and helpless. His will, will be served, when we come to know everything about the first Adam man [us] must be put to death. Not by our action, but by our faith that we are in fact dead in The Fathers eye's as natural Adam men by Christ's representing us in His own Death.
We hold onto him [the natural first Adam] for dear life. He is all we know, at least until we know of our own death, positioned and identified in Christ. We work and serve, pray and sing, go from one conference or meeting to another all in search of a final reckoning, a sound self satisfied standing. The more we try the greater our weakness is manifest. Romans seven makes this very clear indeed.
"It is God who works in you" We are delivered by death [our own on the cross] so that the Father's will, will be done in us. In other words we are actually delivered and have life by the faith that all that we are as natural Adam men has died with Christ. By acknowledging this true truth we become free from doing the will of ourselves.
The Lord Jesus Christ is to manifest His Resurrected life through and in us, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit". Note in this new Christ life we are to live in the Spirit. He is only alive in us consciously as a action, by faith in a Spiritual event and a Spiritual life of faith that we are "Hid in Christ Jesus". No feeling, work or self righteous action on our part will ever accomplish this.
If we could live His Resurrection life by keeping commands, by works, or by experiences it would be forming a god man in the flesh or what the Adam man totally failed at. The world of good behavior, self righteousness, training, overcoming and law keeping cannot form His life in us. It is only by a faith that conducts His "death to us all" and a new creation life by and in His Spirit. So it is also only by a knowledgeable faith that we may say as Paul, speaking of his deliverance from self; "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord".... that we may have the freedom to live unto Christ Jesus on earth and forever!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
WHAT MAY COME OUR WAY
"Let us go and get past the elementary stage....advancing steadily toward the completeness....that belongs to spiritual maturity" Heb. 6:1, Amp.
"So many rest content with the thought that their sins are pardoned, and that they are in the path of life, but know nothing of a personal attachment to the risen Lord Jesus Christ as their life, or of faith that lives in the invisible and walks with the Father".
The thought of providence [the visible] and its relationship to faith [the invisible] has been on my mind of late. Thoughts once again inspired by Mr Stoney of long ago.
First however we must establish what faith is. "Faith is us resting on the known mind of the father which He has by His Word communicated and assured that whatever the difficulties in the way of fulfillment, or however great the opposition it, His perfect will for us, will ultimately be established". The continuation of His established will is found or often seen in providence, that which comes our way in life, and of course always by His Word. We may depend on and even trust God's providence seeing Him in the visible, but that is not faith. Yes God is the Lord over providence. However our faith in His presence there is what glorifies and honors Him.
Our faith can never be based upon what is seen. This is the great problem with experiential religion today. For if that were possible then there would be no need to rise above the seen things of this world by faith, as the Word declares we are to do. If His truth and His joy is found in a seen or experienced thing then righteousness would always be in that which the world or we produce. This simply cannot be true, as He has condemned the world and is not of this world. We and He have died to it in Christ and are citizens of the heavenly realm, now a unseen thing only accessible by faith, as to that being our condition and position before God.
So if we go to faith in the invisible as our rock, accepting the agent of providence as its extension, we may then trust that everything that comes our way, despite the confusion or anarchy of so much around in the visible, is from the mind of our God and is indeed divine providence. Therefore faith is the only course to know true godly progress, not in the works we see or do; no matter how moral, biblical or godly. This in my estimation is the only principle [faith] upon which the Christian man or woman of action may live to their selves in Gods path. That is if one wishes to live a life in Jesus Christ consciously.
Our Father has not deserted the earth in His condemnation of it. He keeps it in check by His providence. This is a different thing than faith, which rests on the mind and is found in the will of our Father conducted in us. But they work hand in hand and we may find godly power in the adoption of faith and providence's inevitable path as a valid view of our position as Christians. We may, I believe, gain a sort of control over the future by the acceptance that God is thoroughly in that which comes our way, with faith being our compass.
By His providence and power The Father controls the disorder of the world systems, even in the seeming confusion of providence's fateful path. Our faith however is applied in the undisturbed region of His mind and within His unalterable will, upon our identification in His Son. His will waits and may be seen in that which comes our way in the providence which forms us as receivers of His blessings and conduits of His will.
God has no other choice than this method for our growth and progress. If He left man to himself or by suppression controlled him, then He would effectively be supporting Satan. No He [God] is the only source of ultimate power and He must check it and control it as His wisdom and ultimate purpose require. The Fathers providence brings that which comes our way all in His timing and by His supreme will. We only need wait upon Him in our experience and trust Him in faith.
Nothing can be plainer than that faith is far higher and a more spiritual path than providence or experience. Faith is the the only true path. Faith is to be intelligent and assured....but often the providence of God is mysterious.
It is not that we are to disregard providence...but we are not to surrender faith for it by relying only upon experience. If we are walking in a intelligent informed biblical faith in a persistent way His providence will confirm our path. We may know by this kind of faith that God is always there in what may come our way.
"So many rest content with the thought that their sins are pardoned, and that they are in the path of life, but know nothing of a personal attachment to the risen Lord Jesus Christ as their life, or of faith that lives in the invisible and walks with the Father".
The thought of providence [the visible] and its relationship to faith [the invisible] has been on my mind of late. Thoughts once again inspired by Mr Stoney of long ago.
First however we must establish what faith is. "Faith is us resting on the known mind of the father which He has by His Word communicated and assured that whatever the difficulties in the way of fulfillment, or however great the opposition it, His perfect will for us, will ultimately be established". The continuation of His established will is found or often seen in providence, that which comes our way in life, and of course always by His Word. We may depend on and even trust God's providence seeing Him in the visible, but that is not faith. Yes God is the Lord over providence. However our faith in His presence there is what glorifies and honors Him.
Our faith can never be based upon what is seen. This is the great problem with experiential religion today. For if that were possible then there would be no need to rise above the seen things of this world by faith, as the Word declares we are to do. If His truth and His joy is found in a seen or experienced thing then righteousness would always be in that which the world or we produce. This simply cannot be true, as He has condemned the world and is not of this world. We and He have died to it in Christ and are citizens of the heavenly realm, now a unseen thing only accessible by faith, as to that being our condition and position before God.
So if we go to faith in the invisible as our rock, accepting the agent of providence as its extension, we may then trust that everything that comes our way, despite the confusion or anarchy of so much around in the visible, is from the mind of our God and is indeed divine providence. Therefore faith is the only course to know true godly progress, not in the works we see or do; no matter how moral, biblical or godly. This in my estimation is the only principle [faith] upon which the Christian man or woman of action may live to their selves in Gods path. That is if one wishes to live a life in Jesus Christ consciously.
Our Father has not deserted the earth in His condemnation of it. He keeps it in check by His providence. This is a different thing than faith, which rests on the mind and is found in the will of our Father conducted in us. But they work hand in hand and we may find godly power in the adoption of faith and providence's inevitable path as a valid view of our position as Christians. We may, I believe, gain a sort of control over the future by the acceptance that God is thoroughly in that which comes our way, with faith being our compass.
By His providence and power The Father controls the disorder of the world systems, even in the seeming confusion of providence's fateful path. Our faith however is applied in the undisturbed region of His mind and within His unalterable will, upon our identification in His Son. His will waits and may be seen in that which comes our way in the providence which forms us as receivers of His blessings and conduits of His will.
God has no other choice than this method for our growth and progress. If He left man to himself or by suppression controlled him, then He would effectively be supporting Satan. No He [God] is the only source of ultimate power and He must check it and control it as His wisdom and ultimate purpose require. The Fathers providence brings that which comes our way all in His timing and by His supreme will. We only need wait upon Him in our experience and trust Him in faith.
Nothing can be plainer than that faith is far higher and a more spiritual path than providence or experience. Faith is the the only true path. Faith is to be intelligent and assured....but often the providence of God is mysterious.
It is not that we are to disregard providence...but we are not to surrender faith for it by relying only upon experience. If we are walking in a intelligent informed biblical faith in a persistent way His providence will confirm our path. We may know by this kind of faith that God is always there in what may come our way.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
A CLEAR VIEW
The primary legacy of man has been the obfuscation of God's Word. Obfuscation: the obscuring of intended
meaning in communication, making the message confusing, willfully
ambiguous, or harder to understand.
The natural Adam man constructs his life view according to himself, his interests. He is bound by his nature to do so, there simply is no other choice for him. We Christians are members of the natural Adam family as a condition, therefore we are guilty of carrying on Adams self serving failure also. He went his own way.
We are self centered creatures and cannot escape our own destiny. In this way we are much like a animal. We all see what we see in the frame of reference of what and where we are at the moment we receive the information or stimulus. This is our identification as sinful humans. Its called being self centered. Yes Christians too!
That is why true Christianity is forever and always contrary to the natural inclinations. Christianity requires only and always faith in the actions on another. Faith will not be proved by our feelings or actions, choices or morals as natural men. Within ourselves we do not have the capacity to form a godly or even a good choice, we only like to think we do. As a matter of fact it may take a life time to internalize faiths message, as the Adam man must forge the road of a indeterminate quality of his own faith.
A contemporary and worldly example of the typical Adam mans self serving for us to consider is the current global financial system we have all embraced. It is debt based; all money issued is in the form of a interest bearing note, a debt instrument, including cash produced from those debts. We all know debt must be repaid and we all should know that debt which is used for a non-productive purpose like transfer payments, deficit spending, welfare, wars and a large centralized bureaucracy etc. poses no return and therefore cannot be serviced by any proceeds from it, as this type of debt produces none. It cannot even be paid off, it must ever be expanded to continue to support itself.
This type of money creation has no value added [unlike a loan to build a factory] and is not true capitalism; which means savings or earnings applied. Yet we persist in believing the lie that continued deficit spending and debt expansion will keep us fat and happy. Like a dog if one continues to feed it, it will eat and eat, even to its own destruction. The mathematical law of exponents [how many times a number is multiplied] proves a crushing collapse must come with unlimited debt expansion, as all debt must be serviced and repaid. That is its nature.
You see my friends we only see things from the perspective of that which pleases us best at any given time, even if we lazily and simply absorb another mans opinion on matters of truth or volunteer to be victims of the current system and make it ours; which is most often the case.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how one can know a true truth. There is only one truth about any one thing, at least in essence. There are not many true views of God's word, only one true one. In the case of our relationship with God it is critical that our own perspective [self centered desires] and the absorption of others self serving opinion not get in the way of that truth; a most difficult, perhaps even impossible task. How then shall we proceed?
One might say just read and believe the bible, pray a lot, do good things, don't sin too much.....well OK that's pretty good. But what about the basic dilemma? All of mans questions are answered according to his own self wish perspective. Hardly a bookmark for true truth in that schematic; which is defined as: a drawing showing relationship between two designs. Here it is God's and man's. There is a big difference! Our only job as Christians is to discover what is truly true by the Holy Spirit, or God's design.
That is why dear saints I go on and on about faith. Granted we may have a misplaced faith even a silly faith or a faith in something that's not possible or true like our monetary system. Us continuing on living successfully in a debt based economy and not suffer the pay off call. It would be so easy just to say read this or that bible verse or go to church and then believe and all would be well.
However I think the answer to our issue [Adams dilemma] lies in a specific hope or a need applied. A defining awareness of our weakness and corruption as Adam men. You see one does not seek faith if one does not need it first. That needful condition is the precursor to faith. But knowledge of the truth must then be consistently and aggressively sought. If one truly seeks he will find because the Holy Spirit will provide the truth. God's nature demands it.
Thankfully even a misplaced or erroneous belief is a tool used by a loving God to bring us into the freedom of truth when we finally suffer enough and admit to it's lie or the error of our way. As those in pursuit of a misplaced goal hopefully soon do, bringing need. At least this is true for those whom God knows will finely receive His true truth. Of course eventually all of mankind will. But why wait?
Often the result of a practical path to discovering God leads us down a crooked trail. This is merely a human reality. One day we wake up and discover that the road we were on is not taking us to the place we hoped to be, even though we may be morally correct in many of our life choices. Then despair comes forward, weakness prevails. We question the story we once thought so true. Often having been lead there by well meaning men whom we respect; who suffer our same condition. If one is simply satisfied he has already succumbed to his condition. Our only hope is the Holy Spirit allows pain and suffering to arise.
We then begin to hear something new that our ears formerly could not. We come to see that the problem is in our nature, not merely our understanding alone. We have to move out of the way. We may now enter upon a new road; one of faith that has been made clear in the life and death of another Man, Jesus Christ.... For that exact purpose [us finding our life in Him by faith] God has placed us in His consideration positioned in His Son.
God knows mans condition far better than we. He, by His love for the being or essence of each and every individual predestined to receive Him and all others for that matter, provided a way for us to enjoy Him in a present reality, one of truth, seen only by faith in it [the truth] specifically. His plan was not to remake our Adam man with his sinful condition. Pound it into submission. He simply became us and provided the way for us in Himself. Really the only logical way of satisfaction for a perfect being who is love and by His nature must demand perfection. He could not have possibly used us. We only need the hope of faith in that exact truth to realize it. But we must use our mind to prove it to ourselves!
Now by faith we are asked to exercise our mind, to choose to live our life by His provision of His identity. Learning to recognize our condition, but having faith in our position which is identified by God as in Christ. We the Christian, have been absorbed or placed into Jesus Christ by The Fathers design. Is it possible we can truly believe this as our only true and real form of life? Ask Paul.
The Father is non-material and we have become also non-material or spiritual by being born again. Our life is found in Spirit, not a changed Adam man. This requires faith at the outset, we call that justification. It is all a matter for the mind. The only way to God and eternal life is through the minds door as shown by His Word. Why then do we enter the futility of a discovery according to mans perception and not God's? Because we always will seek the easy path.
His Son identified with us for the purpose of pleasing the Father, that He [The Father] might fellowship with us forever. He [The Son] went to the cross, died and came back in Resurrection all in representation of the Adam man. He Ascended in that same status....a Man in the flesh is now at the right hand of God and His presence there is applied to us. Only faith will see that. No work will do. But then how do we live it now, in our Adam condition?
Can we believe this is true? Can we apply it to ourselves? Is it possible God sees us only in His Son? Can we stop being committed to remaking the Adam man and learn to rest in the position and identification of the New Man Jesus Christ as our inheritance? These are all good and worthy questions we must all at some point ask of ourselves. We must prepare a answer by faith. But first knowledge shows the way. Faith in a truth is the only way to please God. His Word provides the answers.
Hope and need paves the way for the clear view....weakness and failure are the fuel for the journey. The end of ourselves is the beginning of life. Faith applied along the way by His Word as the resting place will provide the sanctuary. There is no other way.
The natural Adam man constructs his life view according to himself, his interests. He is bound by his nature to do so, there simply is no other choice for him. We Christians are members of the natural Adam family as a condition, therefore we are guilty of carrying on Adams self serving failure also. He went his own way.
We are self centered creatures and cannot escape our own destiny. In this way we are much like a animal. We all see what we see in the frame of reference of what and where we are at the moment we receive the information or stimulus. This is our identification as sinful humans. Its called being self centered. Yes Christians too!
That is why true Christianity is forever and always contrary to the natural inclinations. Christianity requires only and always faith in the actions on another. Faith will not be proved by our feelings or actions, choices or morals as natural men. Within ourselves we do not have the capacity to form a godly or even a good choice, we only like to think we do. As a matter of fact it may take a life time to internalize faiths message, as the Adam man must forge the road of a indeterminate quality of his own faith.
A contemporary and worldly example of the typical Adam mans self serving for us to consider is the current global financial system we have all embraced. It is debt based; all money issued is in the form of a interest bearing note, a debt instrument, including cash produced from those debts. We all know debt must be repaid and we all should know that debt which is used for a non-productive purpose like transfer payments, deficit spending, welfare, wars and a large centralized bureaucracy etc. poses no return and therefore cannot be serviced by any proceeds from it, as this type of debt produces none. It cannot even be paid off, it must ever be expanded to continue to support itself.
This type of money creation has no value added [unlike a loan to build a factory] and is not true capitalism; which means savings or earnings applied. Yet we persist in believing the lie that continued deficit spending and debt expansion will keep us fat and happy. Like a dog if one continues to feed it, it will eat and eat, even to its own destruction. The mathematical law of exponents [how many times a number is multiplied] proves a crushing collapse must come with unlimited debt expansion, as all debt must be serviced and repaid. That is its nature.
You see my friends we only see things from the perspective of that which pleases us best at any given time, even if we lazily and simply absorb another mans opinion on matters of truth or volunteer to be victims of the current system and make it ours; which is most often the case.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how one can know a true truth. There is only one truth about any one thing, at least in essence. There are not many true views of God's word, only one true one. In the case of our relationship with God it is critical that our own perspective [self centered desires] and the absorption of others self serving opinion not get in the way of that truth; a most difficult, perhaps even impossible task. How then shall we proceed?
One might say just read and believe the bible, pray a lot, do good things, don't sin too much.....well OK that's pretty good. But what about the basic dilemma? All of mans questions are answered according to his own self wish perspective. Hardly a bookmark for true truth in that schematic; which is defined as: a drawing showing relationship between two designs. Here it is God's and man's. There is a big difference! Our only job as Christians is to discover what is truly true by the Holy Spirit, or God's design.
That is why dear saints I go on and on about faith. Granted we may have a misplaced faith even a silly faith or a faith in something that's not possible or true like our monetary system. Us continuing on living successfully in a debt based economy and not suffer the pay off call. It would be so easy just to say read this or that bible verse or go to church and then believe and all would be well.
However I think the answer to our issue [Adams dilemma] lies in a specific hope or a need applied. A defining awareness of our weakness and corruption as Adam men. You see one does not seek faith if one does not need it first. That needful condition is the precursor to faith. But knowledge of the truth must then be consistently and aggressively sought. If one truly seeks he will find because the Holy Spirit will provide the truth. God's nature demands it.
Thankfully even a misplaced or erroneous belief is a tool used by a loving God to bring us into the freedom of truth when we finally suffer enough and admit to it's lie or the error of our way. As those in pursuit of a misplaced goal hopefully soon do, bringing need. At least this is true for those whom God knows will finely receive His true truth. Of course eventually all of mankind will. But why wait?
Often the result of a practical path to discovering God leads us down a crooked trail. This is merely a human reality. One day we wake up and discover that the road we were on is not taking us to the place we hoped to be, even though we may be morally correct in many of our life choices. Then despair comes forward, weakness prevails. We question the story we once thought so true. Often having been lead there by well meaning men whom we respect; who suffer our same condition. If one is simply satisfied he has already succumbed to his condition. Our only hope is the Holy Spirit allows pain and suffering to arise.
We then begin to hear something new that our ears formerly could not. We come to see that the problem is in our nature, not merely our understanding alone. We have to move out of the way. We may now enter upon a new road; one of faith that has been made clear in the life and death of another Man, Jesus Christ.... For that exact purpose [us finding our life in Him by faith] God has placed us in His consideration positioned in His Son.
God knows mans condition far better than we. He, by His love for the being or essence of each and every individual predestined to receive Him and all others for that matter, provided a way for us to enjoy Him in a present reality, one of truth, seen only by faith in it [the truth] specifically. His plan was not to remake our Adam man with his sinful condition. Pound it into submission. He simply became us and provided the way for us in Himself. Really the only logical way of satisfaction for a perfect being who is love and by His nature must demand perfection. He could not have possibly used us. We only need the hope of faith in that exact truth to realize it. But we must use our mind to prove it to ourselves!
Now by faith we are asked to exercise our mind, to choose to live our life by His provision of His identity. Learning to recognize our condition, but having faith in our position which is identified by God as in Christ. We the Christian, have been absorbed or placed into Jesus Christ by The Fathers design. Is it possible we can truly believe this as our only true and real form of life? Ask Paul.
The Father is non-material and we have become also non-material or spiritual by being born again. Our life is found in Spirit, not a changed Adam man. This requires faith at the outset, we call that justification. It is all a matter for the mind. The only way to God and eternal life is through the minds door as shown by His Word. Why then do we enter the futility of a discovery according to mans perception and not God's? Because we always will seek the easy path.
His Son identified with us for the purpose of pleasing the Father, that He [The Father] might fellowship with us forever. He [The Son] went to the cross, died and came back in Resurrection all in representation of the Adam man. He Ascended in that same status....a Man in the flesh is now at the right hand of God and His presence there is applied to us. Only faith will see that. No work will do. But then how do we live it now, in our Adam condition?
Can we believe this is true? Can we apply it to ourselves? Is it possible God sees us only in His Son? Can we stop being committed to remaking the Adam man and learn to rest in the position and identification of the New Man Jesus Christ as our inheritance? These are all good and worthy questions we must all at some point ask of ourselves. We must prepare a answer by faith. But first knowledge shows the way. Faith in a truth is the only way to please God. His Word provides the answers.
Hope and need paves the way for the clear view....weakness and failure are the fuel for the journey. The end of ourselves is the beginning of life. Faith applied along the way by His Word as the resting place will provide the sanctuary. There is no other way.
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