It is quite obvious that before Eve and Adam knew right and wrong they lived in a neutral state. From the beginning they were designed to be containers of the Deity. However, there must have been a sparkle of independent self life in them since they chose their own will to His in this drama of cosmic proportions which is so vividly depicted in the first chapters of Genesis.
In their state after the fall they had become containers of the evil force which wasn’t the truth, but which had infected God’s crown jewel with its own self centeredness. Man’s self effort to become like God were plagued by shame and a profound sense of insufficiency. Man came to reject and despise his humanity which seemed so frail and marred in a world he desired to be perfect according to his image and by his own powers.
On the cross man was offered the opportunity to die from the consequences of the fall and return to his glory in the Father. Even though he now was a new creation and had died from his former state he still was plagued by self analyses and introspection. The pastors and teachers continued to preach self improvement to the new creation which, however, wasn't designed for such a task. He was created to contain I AM, and as a consequence of again containing the Deity he was now in a position to enter his former neutral position by a leap of faith which assured him that he was a perfect image of the Son.
Even though man became a new creation by faith he found it difficult to abandon his old ways. His efforts to make himself presentable to God were, however, preposterous and futile. God found it thus necessary in man's best interest and to see to that His will was fulfilled in man to lead him through tribulations and let him struggle on his own which ultimately would make him come to the end of himself and his independent self life.
In this utter darkness the Father could repeatedly show man his perfection in Him, and lead him to rest. From here on man would enter life as Him and thus finally find peace from shame and this nagging feeling of inadequacy. In accepting his humanity he could again experience the freedom in the original state of neutrality. To do so man had to become like a small child and behold life with the kind of innocence that trusts completely and which just is. Paradoxically, man has now entered fatherhood and found his life.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Rest
I am not a systematic reader of the Bible. The right word in my dealings with the scripture is spontaneous. I read whatever I fancy there and then, or I pick passages randomly. I was in a random mode this morning, and when my eyes fell on the page I had opened the following verses sprang out of the book:
"We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.” (Isaiah 26:1-2)
Isaiah must have been a tad surprised over this, because what he passed on says that those who keep faith will enter the new city of salvation. He might have been a bit dumbfounded as well hearing God utter something contrary to what he had been reared to obey, because the covenant he was subject to demanded perfection under the law to enter God’s salvation.
We all know that failing to observe the commandments and the law was called sin under the old covenant. Sin in the new dispensation must thus be not keeping faith. Paul confirms this in Rom 14:23: “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
My conclusion is obviously that we are not to be concerned with our works, doings, attitudes and so forth, but be preoccupied with faith only - which is Christ, who He is and who we are in Him. The reason why Jesus left us with His peace is found in verse 12 in Isaiah 26: “O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.”
Let us all enter His rest through faith, because it is finished!
"We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.” (Isaiah 26:1-2)
Isaiah must have been a tad surprised over this, because what he passed on says that those who keep faith will enter the new city of salvation. He might have been a bit dumbfounded as well hearing God utter something contrary to what he had been reared to obey, because the covenant he was subject to demanded perfection under the law to enter God’s salvation.
We all know that failing to observe the commandments and the law was called sin under the old covenant. Sin in the new dispensation must thus be not keeping faith. Paul confirms this in Rom 14:23: “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
My conclusion is obviously that we are not to be concerned with our works, doings, attitudes and so forth, but be preoccupied with faith only - which is Christ, who He is and who we are in Him. The reason why Jesus left us with His peace is found in verse 12 in Isaiah 26: “O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.”
Let us all enter His rest through faith, because it is finished!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Hvile 2
I går slo vi fast at synd i den nye pakt var å ikke holde troen (Jes 28:2). David forutså også at det ville komme en tid hvor synd ikke ville være det som stod mellom Gud og menneske: ” Salige er de som har fått sine lovbrudd tilgitt og sine synder skjult. Salig er det mennesket som Herren ikke tilregner synd.” (Rom 4:7-8)
Det er ganske klart at Davids profeti gjelder de troende fordi Johannes sa: ”Den som er født av Gud synder ikke, fordi det som Gud har sådd blir i ham og han kan ikke synde fordi han er født av Gud.” (1 Johannes 3:9) Det er i denne sammenhengen at vi kan forstå de følgende ordene skrevet av Paulus på et enda dypere plan: ”Det er derfor ingen fordømmelse for de som er i Kristus Jesus, de som ikke vandrer etter kjødet men etter Ånden. (Rom 8:1)
Det er nå klart at en person som ikke kan synde kan heller ikke oppleve fordømmelse, særlig nå når vi er klar over at synd er forbundet med tro og ikke noe annet. Den troende lever ved tro fordi han har tatt imot Kristus og er født på ny. Ingenting av hva vedkommende vil kunne komme til å gjøre vil tilregnes ham som synd. Dette er ren og uforfalsket nåde! Det er uforståelig for den som ikke er født på ny, og for mange av de som fortsatt er barn i åndelig forstand.
Paulus sa: ” Men alt er av Gud, han som ved Kristus forsonte oss med seg selv og ga oss forsoningens tjeneste. For det var Gud som i Kristus forsonte verden med seg selv, slik at han ikke stiller dem til regnskap for deres misgjerninger, og han betrodde budskapet om forsoningen til oss. Så er vi da utsendinger for Kristus, og det er Gud selv som formaner gjennom oss. Vi ber dere på Kristi vegne: La dere forsone med Gud! Han som ikke visste av synd, har han gjort til synd for oss, for at vi i ham skulle få Guds rettferdighet. (2 Kor 5:18-21)
Den ikke-troende er derfor fortsatt i synd fordi han ennå ikke har tatt imot Kristus i tro. Men, han er kun et lite skritt fra å bli erklært rettferdig og bli forsonet med Gud, slik som vi er.
Som vi alle vet syndet Jesus aldri. Når Johannes skriver: ”I dette er kjærligheten blitt fullendt hos oss: at vi har frimodighet på dommens dag. For vi er slik som han er i denne verden. (1 Joh 4:17) så er dette også et argument for vår fullkommenhet. Hvis vi er i denne verden slik som han var og er, og Han ble funnet uten synd, så er også vi uten synd i denne verden. Når dette verset taler om kjærlighet så er det ganske opplagt at Johannes refererer til Guds kjærlighet som nå er gjort fullkommen gjennom Hans uhørte nåde!
Det er ganske klart at Davids profeti gjelder de troende fordi Johannes sa: ”Den som er født av Gud synder ikke, fordi det som Gud har sådd blir i ham og han kan ikke synde fordi han er født av Gud.” (1 Johannes 3:9) Det er i denne sammenhengen at vi kan forstå de følgende ordene skrevet av Paulus på et enda dypere plan: ”Det er derfor ingen fordømmelse for de som er i Kristus Jesus, de som ikke vandrer etter kjødet men etter Ånden. (Rom 8:1)
Det er nå klart at en person som ikke kan synde kan heller ikke oppleve fordømmelse, særlig nå når vi er klar over at synd er forbundet med tro og ikke noe annet. Den troende lever ved tro fordi han har tatt imot Kristus og er født på ny. Ingenting av hva vedkommende vil kunne komme til å gjøre vil tilregnes ham som synd. Dette er ren og uforfalsket nåde! Det er uforståelig for den som ikke er født på ny, og for mange av de som fortsatt er barn i åndelig forstand.
Paulus sa: ” Men alt er av Gud, han som ved Kristus forsonte oss med seg selv og ga oss forsoningens tjeneste. For det var Gud som i Kristus forsonte verden med seg selv, slik at han ikke stiller dem til regnskap for deres misgjerninger, og han betrodde budskapet om forsoningen til oss. Så er vi da utsendinger for Kristus, og det er Gud selv som formaner gjennom oss. Vi ber dere på Kristi vegne: La dere forsone med Gud! Han som ikke visste av synd, har han gjort til synd for oss, for at vi i ham skulle få Guds rettferdighet. (2 Kor 5:18-21)
Den ikke-troende er derfor fortsatt i synd fordi han ennå ikke har tatt imot Kristus i tro. Men, han er kun et lite skritt fra å bli erklært rettferdig og bli forsonet med Gud, slik som vi er.
Som vi alle vet syndet Jesus aldri. Når Johannes skriver: ”I dette er kjærligheten blitt fullendt hos oss: at vi har frimodighet på dommens dag. For vi er slik som han er i denne verden. (1 Joh 4:17) så er dette også et argument for vår fullkommenhet. Hvis vi er i denne verden slik som han var og er, og Han ble funnet uten synd, så er også vi uten synd i denne verden. Når dette verset taler om kjærlighet så er det ganske opplagt at Johannes refererer til Guds kjærlighet som nå er gjort fullkommen gjennom Hans uhørte nåde!
Hvile
Jeg leser ikke Bibelen systematisk. Det er kanskje mer korrekt å si at jeg er en spontan leser. Jeg leser det jeg kjenner for å lese, eller jeg bare slår opp i Bibelen helt vilkårlig. Jeg var i det vilkårlige hjørnet i dag, og når blikket mitt falt på siden jeg hadde åpnet var det som om følgende vers hoppet ut av siden:
”Vi har en sterk by; Han reiser opp frelse som vegger og skanser. Åpne portene slik den rettferdige nasjonen som holder troen kan gå inn.” (Jesaja 26:1-2)
Jesaja må ha vært litt overrasket over dette, fordi det han bringer videre sier at det er de som holder troen som vil gå inn i den nye byen av frelse. Han må ha blitt ganske forbløffet over å høre Gud si noe som stod helt i motsetning til hva han hadde blitt oppdratt til å adlyde, fordi den pakten han var under krevde fullkommenhet under loven for å kunne gå inn i Guds frelse.
Vi vet alle at det å ikke overholde budene og loven ble kalt synd i den gamle pakt. Synd i den nye pakt må derfor være å ikke holde troen. Paulus bekrefter dette i Romerne 14:23: ”For alt som ikke er av tro er synd.”
Min konklusjon er opplagt at vi trenger ikke være bekymret over våre gjerninger,tjeneste, arbide, holdninger og så videre, men være opptatt av kun tro – som er Kristus, hvem Han er og hvem vi er i Ham. Grunnen til at Jesus etterlot oss med sin fred finner vi i vers 12 i Jesaja 26: ”Herre du hjelper oss til fred, fordi du har i sannhet gjort for oss alle våre gjerninger.”
La oss alle gå inn i Hans hvile, fordi det er fullbrakt!
”Vi har en sterk by; Han reiser opp frelse som vegger og skanser. Åpne portene slik den rettferdige nasjonen som holder troen kan gå inn.” (Jesaja 26:1-2)
Jesaja må ha vært litt overrasket over dette, fordi det han bringer videre sier at det er de som holder troen som vil gå inn i den nye byen av frelse. Han må ha blitt ganske forbløffet over å høre Gud si noe som stod helt i motsetning til hva han hadde blitt oppdratt til å adlyde, fordi den pakten han var under krevde fullkommenhet under loven for å kunne gå inn i Guds frelse.
Vi vet alle at det å ikke overholde budene og loven ble kalt synd i den gamle pakt. Synd i den nye pakt må derfor være å ikke holde troen. Paulus bekrefter dette i Romerne 14:23: ”For alt som ikke er av tro er synd.”
Min konklusjon er opplagt at vi trenger ikke være bekymret over våre gjerninger,tjeneste, arbide, holdninger og så videre, men være opptatt av kun tro – som er Kristus, hvem Han er og hvem vi er i Ham. Grunnen til at Jesus etterlot oss med sin fred finner vi i vers 12 i Jesaja 26: ”Herre du hjelper oss til fred, fordi du har i sannhet gjort for oss alle våre gjerninger.”
La oss alle gå inn i Hans hvile, fordi det er fullbrakt!
Et lite ord om det å ikke ta i mot fordømmelse.
(A brief word on taking no condemnation)
Av: Fred Pruit
Noen ga respons på artikkelen om fordømmelse og sa at fordømmelse ofte kom fra andres munn.
Takk for at du skriver tilbake. Jeg forstår at fordømmelse kan komme fra andre. I alle ting så lærer vi å flytte blikket til Gud som tillater alle omstendigheter som kommer i vår vei for vårt beste, og til det beste for alle som er involvert. Hvis vi kan se Guds gode hensikt, selv når vi blir behandlet dårlig eller urettferdig, så blir vi satt fri fra å la bitterhet og sinne strømme mot gjerningsmennene, men i stedet vil Guds kjærlighet strømme ut fra oss som gjengjelder ondt med godt.
Ettersom skriften sier til oss at vi skal betrakte andre større enn oss selv, noe som er en umulighet for oss rent menneskelig sett, men når vi i Kristus betrakter andre, uansett hvordan de er mot oss, som om Kristus er i dem, uansett om de tror på Ham eller ikke (det er en sak mellom dem og Gud), da vil vi derfor som tjenere av Kristus bli tjenere for disse andre, til og med disse som kanskje misbruker oss. Det betyr ikke at vi underkaster oss misbruk, men at vi uten å ta hensyn til våre handlinger eller reaksjoner er i stand til å kun se Faderen som virker fram alt i henhold til sitt eget råd og sin vilje. Det setter oss fri til å elske uten å betrakte våre behov som de fremste, og gjennom det å se Kristus i andre blir vi istandsatt til å ”tjene Kristus” i dem, og sette dem høyere enn oss selv, for Kristus er ikke herre såfremt Han ikke også er tjener. Så sett din lit til at Gud har deg akkurat der Han ønsker du skal være og har kun ditt beste i tankene.
Av: Fred Pruit
Noen ga respons på artikkelen om fordømmelse og sa at fordømmelse ofte kom fra andres munn.
Takk for at du skriver tilbake. Jeg forstår at fordømmelse kan komme fra andre. I alle ting så lærer vi å flytte blikket til Gud som tillater alle omstendigheter som kommer i vår vei for vårt beste, og til det beste for alle som er involvert. Hvis vi kan se Guds gode hensikt, selv når vi blir behandlet dårlig eller urettferdig, så blir vi satt fri fra å la bitterhet og sinne strømme mot gjerningsmennene, men i stedet vil Guds kjærlighet strømme ut fra oss som gjengjelder ondt med godt.
Ettersom skriften sier til oss at vi skal betrakte andre større enn oss selv, noe som er en umulighet for oss rent menneskelig sett, men når vi i Kristus betrakter andre, uansett hvordan de er mot oss, som om Kristus er i dem, uansett om de tror på Ham eller ikke (det er en sak mellom dem og Gud), da vil vi derfor som tjenere av Kristus bli tjenere for disse andre, til og med disse som kanskje misbruker oss. Det betyr ikke at vi underkaster oss misbruk, men at vi uten å ta hensyn til våre handlinger eller reaksjoner er i stand til å kun se Faderen som virker fram alt i henhold til sitt eget råd og sin vilje. Det setter oss fri til å elske uten å betrakte våre behov som de fremste, og gjennom det å se Kristus i andre blir vi istandsatt til å ”tjene Kristus” i dem, og sette dem høyere enn oss selv, for Kristus er ikke herre såfremt Han ikke også er tjener. Så sett din lit til at Gud har deg akkurat der Han ønsker du skal være og har kun ditt beste i tankene.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Image
The consequences of the fall were many and its repercussions are still very vividly manifested in the human race. The inclination towards acting and being like God has many facets. One of the more subtle expressions is our desire to mold people in our image. We have expectations when it comes to how we want others to be or behave, how they live their lives and how they are to express their spiritual life through attitudes and works. When they fail to comply with our image we subtly or more directly begin to condition them applying a diversity of manipulation techniques from our copious arsenal.
Until our minds are renewed we have great difficulties in acknowledging and recognizing how God's master plan is unfolded uniquely in each individual. God employs the truth in His molding process. The truth which plainly and straight forward addresses the question; "who am I?". This truth is the definite truth, because the source is the Creator of all things. In telling us the unprecedented truth about our value and who we are in Him we are drawn close to this Person who is everything contrary to manipulative. In this truth we breathe freely and in an instant we become this truth through faith.
The paths He leads us to follow are everything the religious world is not. When we fell our preconceived opinions concerning how things ought to be were formed according to the ideas of the ruler we now had submitted to. The record is very brief when it comes to what life in the garden was like. We only catch some glimpses of Eve and Adam having an intimate relationship with their Father. There is a great secret contained in this, because in this silence the potential of true liberty is. God doesn't have to abide to a receipt in His dealings with His precious children.
So, when you ask God, as Peter did, why He leads someone in a direction you don't approve of He will answer: ".......what is that to you? You must follow me." (John 21:22). Jesus' answer might seem harsh, but if we are to paraphrase it would be something like this: "Peter, everything I do is love and my love manifest itself uniquely in each and every individual. Therefore everyone will be led along different paths where they can trust me completely, because everything is woven in love." However, there is also an edge to His words, because if we are trapped in a rigid pattern of comparing ourselves with others we will not easily yield to His perfect ways.
To compare ourselves with others denotes that we still haven't entered His rest and His freedom. It falls thus natural to us to deny others to enter this liberty when we haven't tasted it for ourselves, and the temptation to begin molding others in our image is irresistible. In doing so we are proclaiming that we do not respect the individual, we do not understand love and we are unwilling to let others flourish in His light.
Until our minds are renewed we have great difficulties in acknowledging and recognizing how God's master plan is unfolded uniquely in each individual. God employs the truth in His molding process. The truth which plainly and straight forward addresses the question; "who am I?". This truth is the definite truth, because the source is the Creator of all things. In telling us the unprecedented truth about our value and who we are in Him we are drawn close to this Person who is everything contrary to manipulative. In this truth we breathe freely and in an instant we become this truth through faith.
The paths He leads us to follow are everything the religious world is not. When we fell our preconceived opinions concerning how things ought to be were formed according to the ideas of the ruler we now had submitted to. The record is very brief when it comes to what life in the garden was like. We only catch some glimpses of Eve and Adam having an intimate relationship with their Father. There is a great secret contained in this, because in this silence the potential of true liberty is. God doesn't have to abide to a receipt in His dealings with His precious children.
So, when you ask God, as Peter did, why He leads someone in a direction you don't approve of He will answer: ".......what is that to you? You must follow me." (John 21:22). Jesus' answer might seem harsh, but if we are to paraphrase it would be something like this: "Peter, everything I do is love and my love manifest itself uniquely in each and every individual. Therefore everyone will be led along different paths where they can trust me completely, because everything is woven in love." However, there is also an edge to His words, because if we are trapped in a rigid pattern of comparing ourselves with others we will not easily yield to His perfect ways.
To compare ourselves with others denotes that we still haven't entered His rest and His freedom. It falls thus natural to us to deny others to enter this liberty when we haven't tasted it for ourselves, and the temptation to begin molding others in our image is irresistible. In doing so we are proclaiming that we do not respect the individual, we do not understand love and we are unwilling to let others flourish in His light.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Metal
This was his worst nightmare coming through. Mr. Johnsen felt like crying. He didn't know how he could have been so stupid as to permit them inside his modest apartment. The two guys towered over him. Long hair, earrings and denim and leather. Their t-shirts said Metallica and Megadeh, respectively. Weren't that rock bands that sacrificed cockerels to the devil on the stage? He had read about this somewhere. Only monkeybrains listened to that kind of music!
He beaconed them to follow him to the living room, because there he would be closer to the phone. The police could be at his apartment in five minutes. Those guys wouldn't kill him immediately. They would torture him slowly, so the police would have plenty of time to save him from his tormentors.
The two guys followed after his wheelchair.
'Nice apartment', the one with the dark beard said when they placed their large bodies in the couch. The poor thing shrieked from the sudden strain.
Well, You won't find much of value here, Mr. Johnsen thought.
Instead he said with the most steady voice he could muster, 'What can I do for you guys?'
'Well, Peter over here has something to say, haven't you Peter?'
'Huh?'
'Peter is a man of few words, you see. But, he is an awesome writer. His thesis on the gospel of John is something of the most profound I have ever read.'
Mr Johnsen could vividly imagine that that paper was probably the only thing that idiot had ever read, and it most likely took him a couple of years. Gospel of John, was that an unknown aphocypic book? No one knew the bible better than Mr Johnsen. What else could he fill his time with. He doubted that those devil worshipers had ever read the Bible. A thesis? Mr Johnson renounced the idea as ludicrous.
He found it, however, strange that they didn't swear more. He had imagined that people like that would use a rather colorful language, to put it mildly.
'Peter, can't you tell the man what you saw tonight, the angel thing.'
Most likely an angel from hell, Mr Johnson thought.
'Yeah', Peter managed to utter.
'An angel came and gave you a message, didn't he?'
'Yeah.'
'He said something about Mr. Johnsen here.'
'Yeah, he did.'
'As a result you sold some of your valuable music, didn't you?'
'Yeah, I did.'
'We are rather poor you see, Mr. Johnson, but when a thing like this occur we have to try to be of some help. Right, Peter?'
'Yup'
Mr. Johnson had this unpleasant feeling that somewhere along the road he had been somewhat mistaken. He wasn't sweating profoundly anymore, and he sensed that he was intrigued by the conversation between the two guys.
'Can't you tell Mr. Johnson what the angel said?'
'He said that Mr. Johnson who lived in the second apartment in Billaway Street was very lonesome and poor, and that God was sending us two to cheer him up and bring a present to Mr. Johnson.'
'Well, and here we are.'
Mr. Johnson was rendered speechless, and he felt a most unwelcome lump in his throat.
'Peter, it is time to hand Mr. Johnson the gift.'
Peter put his hand inside his leather jacket, and for a moment Mr. Johnson thought he would bring out a gun. It was an envelope, which Peter prudently lay in Mr Johnson's lap.
'I am afraid we have to go now, but we will pay you a visit tomorrow as well, if you don't mind.'
Mr. Johnson just nodded.
As they left he could hear the one with the beard say to his companion, 'Austrian Death Machine is playing at the Dome tonight. Wanna go?'
Mr. Johnson gave the envelope his attention. He opened it very gingerly. In his opinion one could never be too careful. Slowly he pulled out $500, and then the dam burst and tears found their way and moistened his cheeks. When he read the accompanying note written with a steady hand he began to sob uncontrollably. Plainly it stated; 'God Loves You'
He beaconed them to follow him to the living room, because there he would be closer to the phone. The police could be at his apartment in five minutes. Those guys wouldn't kill him immediately. They would torture him slowly, so the police would have plenty of time to save him from his tormentors.
The two guys followed after his wheelchair.
'Nice apartment', the one with the dark beard said when they placed their large bodies in the couch. The poor thing shrieked from the sudden strain.
Well, You won't find much of value here, Mr. Johnsen thought.
Instead he said with the most steady voice he could muster, 'What can I do for you guys?'
'Well, Peter over here has something to say, haven't you Peter?'
'Huh?'
'Peter is a man of few words, you see. But, he is an awesome writer. His thesis on the gospel of John is something of the most profound I have ever read.'
Mr Johnsen could vividly imagine that that paper was probably the only thing that idiot had ever read, and it most likely took him a couple of years. Gospel of John, was that an unknown aphocypic book? No one knew the bible better than Mr Johnsen. What else could he fill his time with. He doubted that those devil worshipers had ever read the Bible. A thesis? Mr Johnson renounced the idea as ludicrous.
He found it, however, strange that they didn't swear more. He had imagined that people like that would use a rather colorful language, to put it mildly.
'Peter, can't you tell the man what you saw tonight, the angel thing.'
Most likely an angel from hell, Mr Johnson thought.
'Yeah', Peter managed to utter.
'An angel came and gave you a message, didn't he?'
'Yeah.'
'He said something about Mr. Johnsen here.'
'Yeah, he did.'
'As a result you sold some of your valuable music, didn't you?'
'Yeah, I did.'
'We are rather poor you see, Mr. Johnson, but when a thing like this occur we have to try to be of some help. Right, Peter?'
'Yup'
Mr. Johnson had this unpleasant feeling that somewhere along the road he had been somewhat mistaken. He wasn't sweating profoundly anymore, and he sensed that he was intrigued by the conversation between the two guys.
'Can't you tell Mr. Johnson what the angel said?'
'He said that Mr. Johnson who lived in the second apartment in Billaway Street was very lonesome and poor, and that God was sending us two to cheer him up and bring a present to Mr. Johnson.'
'Well, and here we are.'
Mr. Johnson was rendered speechless, and he felt a most unwelcome lump in his throat.
'Peter, it is time to hand Mr. Johnson the gift.'
Peter put his hand inside his leather jacket, and for a moment Mr. Johnson thought he would bring out a gun. It was an envelope, which Peter prudently lay in Mr Johnson's lap.
'I am afraid we have to go now, but we will pay you a visit tomorrow as well, if you don't mind.'
Mr. Johnson just nodded.
As they left he could hear the one with the beard say to his companion, 'Austrian Death Machine is playing at the Dome tonight. Wanna go?'
Mr. Johnson gave the envelope his attention. He opened it very gingerly. In his opinion one could never be too careful. Slowly he pulled out $500, and then the dam burst and tears found their way and moistened his cheeks. When he read the accompanying note written with a steady hand he began to sob uncontrollably. Plainly it stated; 'God Loves You'
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Roots
A friend of mine recently said something along these lines: The Holy Spirit has a huge job convincing people that they are perfect in Christ. I gave my approval, but I didn’t quite understand how profound her statement was before now.
There seems like there exists a common misunderstanding among many believers which says that God has to fix the parts of my personality that I don’t like. These personal traits make their presence known when we are facing some kind of affliction. We therefore assume that God leads us through these seasons in order to disclose the parts of us that need a fix.
When we are going through these periods we often experience some sort of condemnation which relates to our reactions and behavior. Wrongly we then think that The Holy Spirit is working in our lives to make us more like Jesus in terms of behavior.
The objective of these kinds of tribulations is, however, the opposite. God is showing us through them how deep the roots of condemnation go. When life is quiet and the world is smiling towards us it requires a simple act of faith to believe that we are perfect in Him. However, when the gale is coming our way our belief system is shaken.
When Jesus promised us liberty and an abundant life it is imperative that the roots of condemnation are exposed so that we can experience this quality of life. Condemnation cripples us, it robs us of our boldness and it makes life generally miserable. God cannot help us to accept the totality of His grace if we are not aware of these concealed roots which have found their way to the innermost places of our being. They can only be revealed when we are going through a tribulation which triggers patterns of reactions we despise and brings forth condemnation and shame. It is in this position of helplessness that the Holy Spirit can whisper His life-giving words to us.
We are in fact imitating Eve in the garden when we say that we are not perfect, and are in need of a fix. We really want to be good, and we often conclude that the new creation isn’t perfect to the degree we had expected. We want God to better us so that we can resemble the image of Jesus we carry in our minds. If Eve hadn’t found any faults with her being she wouldn’t have been tempted to eat from the wrong tree.
When God says we are perfect He wants us to be secure in this truth. He encourages us to accept every part of us as a perfect image of Him without having any remnants of condemnation. This is a profound mystery, because when we accept ourselves as He accept and love us we find that this is the most efficient behavior modification there exists. When this is said I feel it is important to observe that God is more preoccupied with life than behavior and reactions.
It is on this background that we can be happy when we face an affliction, because its sole purpose is to liberate us from shame which ruin our relationship with God, and it empowers us to clearly hear our Father say: “This is my beloved daughter/son in whom I am well pleased.”
There seems like there exists a common misunderstanding among many believers which says that God has to fix the parts of my personality that I don’t like. These personal traits make their presence known when we are facing some kind of affliction. We therefore assume that God leads us through these seasons in order to disclose the parts of us that need a fix.
When we are going through these periods we often experience some sort of condemnation which relates to our reactions and behavior. Wrongly we then think that The Holy Spirit is working in our lives to make us more like Jesus in terms of behavior.
The objective of these kinds of tribulations is, however, the opposite. God is showing us through them how deep the roots of condemnation go. When life is quiet and the world is smiling towards us it requires a simple act of faith to believe that we are perfect in Him. However, when the gale is coming our way our belief system is shaken.
When Jesus promised us liberty and an abundant life it is imperative that the roots of condemnation are exposed so that we can experience this quality of life. Condemnation cripples us, it robs us of our boldness and it makes life generally miserable. God cannot help us to accept the totality of His grace if we are not aware of these concealed roots which have found their way to the innermost places of our being. They can only be revealed when we are going through a tribulation which triggers patterns of reactions we despise and brings forth condemnation and shame. It is in this position of helplessness that the Holy Spirit can whisper His life-giving words to us.
We are in fact imitating Eve in the garden when we say that we are not perfect, and are in need of a fix. We really want to be good, and we often conclude that the new creation isn’t perfect to the degree we had expected. We want God to better us so that we can resemble the image of Jesus we carry in our minds. If Eve hadn’t found any faults with her being she wouldn’t have been tempted to eat from the wrong tree.
When God says we are perfect He wants us to be secure in this truth. He encourages us to accept every part of us as a perfect image of Him without having any remnants of condemnation. This is a profound mystery, because when we accept ourselves as He accept and love us we find that this is the most efficient behavior modification there exists. When this is said I feel it is important to observe that God is more preoccupied with life than behavior and reactions.
It is on this background that we can be happy when we face an affliction, because its sole purpose is to liberate us from shame which ruin our relationship with God, and it empowers us to clearly hear our Father say: “This is my beloved daughter/son in whom I am well pleased.”
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wolf Days
They called it the Wolf Days. It was the two weeks of the year when the days were short and the dark reigned. Snow would accumulate and the days could be freezing cold. Not that I bothered. I had been roaming the region a month. I knew most of the people fairly well by now. It was a small and close knit society. The area was former Indian territory. The small ridge to the west of the little town had been a sacrificial site to the gods. In those times Indians from a wide area had gathered for the annual ceremonies.
The young generation was more or less oblivious to what had taken place on that hill. None of the older people talked much about it either. Fifty years had passed since the last time there had been any activity among the pine trees. Then a devoted group had tried to rekindle the old traditions. Blood had been spilled and most of those involved were still languishing in jail. Their attempt to recreate the old mystery sect had of course occurred during the Wolf days. I had been one of those who had witnessed the mess they had caused.
The legend had it that it was during those weeks that the wolves assumed human shape and mingled with the native Indians. The wolves abducted small children who they intended to raise as their own. The weakest ones would become food for the perpetually hungry wolves. The Indians came to believe that the wolves' behavior was induced by evil spirits. They had thus initiated rituals which they believed would mitigate the spirits. Now things were stirring again, and only a few struggled against what might become a new era in the district's rather dull history. I was there to overview everything, and take care of the troublemakers.
I had carefully made my preparations for the mission I was to undertake . My six knifes were sharpened. Each of them had a unique elaborate pattern carved in the handles. I knew every one of them intimately. I knew how they felt in my hand. I knew how they balanced in my palm, and I had tossed them thousands of times until I could hit a target with the most astounding precision. No wonder I had been commissioned the task. I was after all one of the most experienced, and had a long record of handling possible trouble very efficiently.
Late evening would provide the perfect timing. Most people would be tired after a long day and their guard would be down. Many years in the business had provided me with the necessary insight in when to strike. The person I had appointed my first victim had annoyed me immensely since my arrival. I hated everything he represented, and it would be a pure joy to cripple him. The thought made me elevated, and gave my existence a sense of purpose.
The moon was full, the air was crisp, and it was quiet inside their house. The kids were sleeping. He was reading, and his wife was down in the basement folding laundry. Not that it would have mattered if they were together. I would have accomplished my mission without any hesitation anyway. Circumstances couldn't stop me now. My favorite knife was lying steadily in my palm. I wasn't nervous. I believed this would be as easy as usual. Most of them were ignorant of the truth. As I entered the room I quietly positioned myself in front of him. He apparently didn't recognize my presence.
The knife's name was Condemnation. I tossed it with all my might aiming at his heart. To my astonishment the knife hit something resembling an invisible wall, and fell to the floor without doing any harm to the man in the chair. Then he opened his mouth and the power of the word he uttered hit me with a force prior unknown to me. My other knives mystically dissolved, and I stumbled backwards shaken by the impact. Then he said it again, and in an instant my hands and feet were in chains, and I knew I was damned.
The young man had whispered Jesus twice.
The young generation was more or less oblivious to what had taken place on that hill. None of the older people talked much about it either. Fifty years had passed since the last time there had been any activity among the pine trees. Then a devoted group had tried to rekindle the old traditions. Blood had been spilled and most of those involved were still languishing in jail. Their attempt to recreate the old mystery sect had of course occurred during the Wolf days. I had been one of those who had witnessed the mess they had caused.
The legend had it that it was during those weeks that the wolves assumed human shape and mingled with the native Indians. The wolves abducted small children who they intended to raise as their own. The weakest ones would become food for the perpetually hungry wolves. The Indians came to believe that the wolves' behavior was induced by evil spirits. They had thus initiated rituals which they believed would mitigate the spirits. Now things were stirring again, and only a few struggled against what might become a new era in the district's rather dull history. I was there to overview everything, and take care of the troublemakers.
I had carefully made my preparations for the mission I was to undertake . My six knifes were sharpened. Each of them had a unique elaborate pattern carved in the handles. I knew every one of them intimately. I knew how they felt in my hand. I knew how they balanced in my palm, and I had tossed them thousands of times until I could hit a target with the most astounding precision. No wonder I had been commissioned the task. I was after all one of the most experienced, and had a long record of handling possible trouble very efficiently.
Late evening would provide the perfect timing. Most people would be tired after a long day and their guard would be down. Many years in the business had provided me with the necessary insight in when to strike. The person I had appointed my first victim had annoyed me immensely since my arrival. I hated everything he represented, and it would be a pure joy to cripple him. The thought made me elevated, and gave my existence a sense of purpose.
The moon was full, the air was crisp, and it was quiet inside their house. The kids were sleeping. He was reading, and his wife was down in the basement folding laundry. Not that it would have mattered if they were together. I would have accomplished my mission without any hesitation anyway. Circumstances couldn't stop me now. My favorite knife was lying steadily in my palm. I wasn't nervous. I believed this would be as easy as usual. Most of them were ignorant of the truth. As I entered the room I quietly positioned myself in front of him. He apparently didn't recognize my presence.
The knife's name was Condemnation. I tossed it with all my might aiming at his heart. To my astonishment the knife hit something resembling an invisible wall, and fell to the floor without doing any harm to the man in the chair. Then he opened his mouth and the power of the word he uttered hit me with a force prior unknown to me. My other knives mystically dissolved, and I stumbled backwards shaken by the impact. Then he said it again, and in an instant my hands and feet were in chains, and I knew I was damned.
The young man had whispered Jesus twice.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Sight
It was the seventh time that morning that he studied his face in the mirror. Neither this time could he find any traces of what he thought he had caught a glimpse of when his drowsy face had been reflected in the bathroom mirror just after he had left the warm quilt. Yes, he had taken a drink or two too many last evening. This had become a bad habit, he knew that much. But, after his wife had left with their two kids he had turned to alcohol for solace. Last evening had not been an exception.
There had been many a night where the excruciating pain had rendered him in a fetal position. The stupor helped him to forget. He still managed to carry out his work in a reasonably satisfactory way. The job which he had loved and which he had given himself to was now nothing more than a mean to pay his bills. The long hours had slowly but surely ruined his marriage.
He had been more curious than scared this morning. Now, however, he considered the whole experience as nothing more than an impression constructed by a brain affected by a bad hangover. All the same, he couldn't quite let it slip. He had had mornings like this before where his head had been numb from a night's alcohol intoxicated sleep, and when he woke nothing in particular had occurred. The more he pondered it the more difficult it became to pinpoint exactly what he had seen, or where he had seen it.
He went to work after two mugs of coffee. His breath was probably a lethal weapon, but he didn't care. He would be working alone in his office until lunch when he would grab a sandwich at the café around the corner. From then on there would be several dull and tedious meetings in which he was obliged to attend. What he found peculiar during the day was how differently people now responded to him, more friendly in a way. As far as he could see he acted as usual. He was the customary uninspired self.
At home he microwaved his dinner and placed himself in front of the television. He had found a station that was broadcasting something which they called the grace gospel. He had never been a religious man, but the way those people presented the gospel had caught his attention. Last evening they had spoken about accepting Christ, and he had followed along as they had prayed something they called the salvation prayer. He hadn't felt any different afterwards, and had thus renounced everything as a moment of foolishness. This evening the headline was Christ living in you. He watched a couple of minutes before he switched to a sports channel. He felt as though they had let him down.
The evening passed as usual until the urge for a glass of something became too strong. He went to the bathroom to empty his system before he would fill it up again with liquids that would render him unconscious of this world's hardships. He cast a casual glance in the mirror as he went past, and then he saw it again. It was in his eyes. It was as somebody was inside him peeking through his pupils. Then it struck him. Well, to be more precise; it was more like a revelation. In his eyes he saw Christ. The one he had invited inside the previous day had now found a dwelling place within him, and he knew somehow that from now on everything would change.
There had been many a night where the excruciating pain had rendered him in a fetal position. The stupor helped him to forget. He still managed to carry out his work in a reasonably satisfactory way. The job which he had loved and which he had given himself to was now nothing more than a mean to pay his bills. The long hours had slowly but surely ruined his marriage.
He had been more curious than scared this morning. Now, however, he considered the whole experience as nothing more than an impression constructed by a brain affected by a bad hangover. All the same, he couldn't quite let it slip. He had had mornings like this before where his head had been numb from a night's alcohol intoxicated sleep, and when he woke nothing in particular had occurred. The more he pondered it the more difficult it became to pinpoint exactly what he had seen, or where he had seen it.
He went to work after two mugs of coffee. His breath was probably a lethal weapon, but he didn't care. He would be working alone in his office until lunch when he would grab a sandwich at the café around the corner. From then on there would be several dull and tedious meetings in which he was obliged to attend. What he found peculiar during the day was how differently people now responded to him, more friendly in a way. As far as he could see he acted as usual. He was the customary uninspired self.
At home he microwaved his dinner and placed himself in front of the television. He had found a station that was broadcasting something which they called the grace gospel. He had never been a religious man, but the way those people presented the gospel had caught his attention. Last evening they had spoken about accepting Christ, and he had followed along as they had prayed something they called the salvation prayer. He hadn't felt any different afterwards, and had thus renounced everything as a moment of foolishness. This evening the headline was Christ living in you. He watched a couple of minutes before he switched to a sports channel. He felt as though they had let him down.
The evening passed as usual until the urge for a glass of something became too strong. He went to the bathroom to empty his system before he would fill it up again with liquids that would render him unconscious of this world's hardships. He cast a casual glance in the mirror as he went past, and then he saw it again. It was in his eyes. It was as somebody was inside him peeking through his pupils. Then it struck him. Well, to be more precise; it was more like a revelation. In his eyes he saw Christ. The one he had invited inside the previous day had now found a dwelling place within him, and he knew somehow that from now on everything would change.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Kindness
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God (Col 1:10).
This is just one of many examples in the scriptures where the believer is encouraged to grow in knowledge of God. It is then reasonable to assume that our perceptions of God are both lacking and biased until we get to know Him better. When we attempt to make a consistent theology about God we often run into something which apparently seems as a insurmountable problem. If God is love why are there so much evil in this world, and if He is good how can we then understand all the Old Testament passages which literally are flooded in blood?
It might seem as we are faced with the same question as Adam and Eve in garden. Is God really trustworthy? Is He who He claims to be? There is no doubt that the evil one attempts to question God's character whenever the possibility arises. If God is love, how could that wonderful family loose their kid? We can all hear the echo of this question ring in our consciousness.
Two scriptures are very relevant in this context. Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9). And, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Col 1:15). From this we can infer that an examination of Jesus will provide us with ample information about God and His character. We find that during Jesus' short period among man He was preoccupied with doing good. His main concern was restoring, alleviating and healing the human race from its sufferings under a malign system. This also became His destiny, because it "pleased" God to crucify His own son for a better good, our salvation.
We are now treading on rough ground. Found God it pleasing to punish His beloved son, or was it the solution to man's salvation He found pleasing? This is an important question we must examine. Isn't it likely that He who works everything to good for those who love Him, finds the opportunity to turn something which seems evil into something good pleasing? The devil machinated Jesus' death, but God found it pleasing because He could turn it into something good.
Let us return to the Old Testament. Can we understand the scriptures with human wisdom? Can we interpret all the passages in the Old Testament literally? Paul says,
"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words" (1 Cor 2:13). If so, we can assume that to much of what we apply a literal approach can only be acknowledged through spiritual lenses. Many OT passages thus become passages that provide us with tools to understand our spiritual walk and life. The narratives become more than mere historical facts.
There are many things in this world which we do not understand. When we search the scriptures for answers we are often faced with seemingly impossible paradoxes. This issue about God's kindness in a wide context also easily rises contention among brothers and sisters. Many has experienced very difficult times, and there are many opinions on the matter. If we do not approach this with wisdom and love we can easily rip open old wounds, and even be perceived as callous.
My simple solution to this is that I walk not according to appearances, but faith. If God says He is love then my simple solution is to accept His word as the ultimate truth. I have also discovered that when I encounter paradoxes which are beyond the capacities of my human mind I am drawn towards God who is my security in a world which I do not quite understand. Paul says that "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Cor 2:12). God's principle objective in this world is to make us understand grace, what He has given us and who we are in Him.
There have been written several volumes on this issue, so this note can by no means do the subject justice. Steve McVey has, though, written some insightful blog articles on this.
This is just one of many examples in the scriptures where the believer is encouraged to grow in knowledge of God. It is then reasonable to assume that our perceptions of God are both lacking and biased until we get to know Him better. When we attempt to make a consistent theology about God we often run into something which apparently seems as a insurmountable problem. If God is love why are there so much evil in this world, and if He is good how can we then understand all the Old Testament passages which literally are flooded in blood?
It might seem as we are faced with the same question as Adam and Eve in garden. Is God really trustworthy? Is He who He claims to be? There is no doubt that the evil one attempts to question God's character whenever the possibility arises. If God is love, how could that wonderful family loose their kid? We can all hear the echo of this question ring in our consciousness.
Two scriptures are very relevant in this context. Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9). And, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Col 1:15). From this we can infer that an examination of Jesus will provide us with ample information about God and His character. We find that during Jesus' short period among man He was preoccupied with doing good. His main concern was restoring, alleviating and healing the human race from its sufferings under a malign system. This also became His destiny, because it "pleased" God to crucify His own son for a better good, our salvation.
We are now treading on rough ground. Found God it pleasing to punish His beloved son, or was it the solution to man's salvation He found pleasing? This is an important question we must examine. Isn't it likely that He who works everything to good for those who love Him, finds the opportunity to turn something which seems evil into something good pleasing? The devil machinated Jesus' death, but God found it pleasing because He could turn it into something good.
Let us return to the Old Testament. Can we understand the scriptures with human wisdom? Can we interpret all the passages in the Old Testament literally? Paul says,
"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words" (1 Cor 2:13). If so, we can assume that to much of what we apply a literal approach can only be acknowledged through spiritual lenses. Many OT passages thus become passages that provide us with tools to understand our spiritual walk and life. The narratives become more than mere historical facts.
There are many things in this world which we do not understand. When we search the scriptures for answers we are often faced with seemingly impossible paradoxes. This issue about God's kindness in a wide context also easily rises contention among brothers and sisters. Many has experienced very difficult times, and there are many opinions on the matter. If we do not approach this with wisdom and love we can easily rip open old wounds, and even be perceived as callous.
My simple solution to this is that I walk not according to appearances, but faith. If God says He is love then my simple solution is to accept His word as the ultimate truth. I have also discovered that when I encounter paradoxes which are beyond the capacities of my human mind I am drawn towards God who is my security in a world which I do not quite understand. Paul says that "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Cor 2:12). God's principle objective in this world is to make us understand grace, what He has given us and who we are in Him.
There have been written several volumes on this issue, so this note can by no means do the subject justice. Steve McVey has, though, written some insightful blog articles on this.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Free Will?
In the garden the first man could select fruit from every tree, except one. He enjoyed full liberty within a system of boundlessness, because He was in God who Himself is limitless. The first man could choose according to his own free will among the fruits from the trees in the garden. He also had the option to move outside the limit, that is, God, and eat from the forbidden fruit. However, immediately he did so he fell out of God and the boundlessness God offered in Him.
When the first man chose outside God his options became severely restricted, because he could now only choose within the realm of the evil one. In addition he was given the illusion that he now had an entirely free will, since he had left God. He believed the lie that God was the one who had sat boundaries for him. Moreover, man became a slave of the evil one. Not entirely, obviously, since Jesus could ask the blind man in Mark 10.51, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man had the opportunity to accept Jesus and by that be restored.
There is more to this story than being able to see in the material realm. The point is that as long as we are outside God we are blind to the realities of the spiritual world. When Jesus is revealed to us by His father we are brought into a position where we can choose to enter God's kingdom. We are reinstated into the Garden where we again can enjoy the freedom in our Father, now healed from our blindness.
When Jesus says in Matt 16:25: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it", he offers man a solution to his predicament. He says that as long as you are not in me you are living in an illusion of liberty and free will. There is only in me true liberty can be found. In me you can exercise both your true humanity and your true spirituality. When you are in me you are a perfect expression of me and I am living the new life as you.
Outside Jesus there is no free will. Even the fact that He is our redeemer must be revealed to us. We find in the scriptures that Paul and the other NT writers often addressed the you in us when they sketched the outlines of the new life. It might seem like the Apostles regarded the saints as in a position to make choices according to their new identity. But, there are limitations, because "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive." says Paul in 1 Cor 10:23.
Do we have a free will? To me there might seem as I have a free will. However, God is all in all. As a new creation I am in my Father and He is in me. He lives His life as me. In this context He is the life-giver and sustainer of everything. In His grace He might have given me a free will within the boundaries of Him, which anyway provide limitless opportunities to live. What is important is to take the leap of faith and believe that we have yielded to His will and that we are as He is in this world. So, if I by faith has given up my own will, I have found it according to Matt 16:25.
As you are well aware of now I am reasoning in circles, and I am encountering paradox after paradox. My final conclusion is that this is an enigma, and I truly don't know whether I have a free will or not. Anyway, this is just my musings on the subject.
When the first man chose outside God his options became severely restricted, because he could now only choose within the realm of the evil one. In addition he was given the illusion that he now had an entirely free will, since he had left God. He believed the lie that God was the one who had sat boundaries for him. Moreover, man became a slave of the evil one. Not entirely, obviously, since Jesus could ask the blind man in Mark 10.51, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man had the opportunity to accept Jesus and by that be restored.
There is more to this story than being able to see in the material realm. The point is that as long as we are outside God we are blind to the realities of the spiritual world. When Jesus is revealed to us by His father we are brought into a position where we can choose to enter God's kingdom. We are reinstated into the Garden where we again can enjoy the freedom in our Father, now healed from our blindness.
When Jesus says in Matt 16:25: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it", he offers man a solution to his predicament. He says that as long as you are not in me you are living in an illusion of liberty and free will. There is only in me true liberty can be found. In me you can exercise both your true humanity and your true spirituality. When you are in me you are a perfect expression of me and I am living the new life as you.
Outside Jesus there is no free will. Even the fact that He is our redeemer must be revealed to us. We find in the scriptures that Paul and the other NT writers often addressed the you in us when they sketched the outlines of the new life. It might seem like the Apostles regarded the saints as in a position to make choices according to their new identity. But, there are limitations, because "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive." says Paul in 1 Cor 10:23.
Do we have a free will? To me there might seem as I have a free will. However, God is all in all. As a new creation I am in my Father and He is in me. He lives His life as me. In this context He is the life-giver and sustainer of everything. In His grace He might have given me a free will within the boundaries of Him, which anyway provide limitless opportunities to live. What is important is to take the leap of faith and believe that we have yielded to His will and that we are as He is in this world. So, if I by faith has given up my own will, I have found it according to Matt 16:25.
As you are well aware of now I am reasoning in circles, and I am encountering paradox after paradox. My final conclusion is that this is an enigma, and I truly don't know whether I have a free will or not. Anyway, this is just my musings on the subject.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Design
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:4)
When God creates a new earth and a new heaven all the things which have made life difficult will be gone. Frank Friedman said in a sermon; "We are designed for the garden." But, for now our mortal bodies are still in this world. When we are sojourners in an environment we are not designed for we will either perish or reign. There is only One who can encounter tribulations unperturbed. And it is His power which enables us to reign in a hostile environment.
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. (Col 1:9-11)
God's power builds character in us. A character which face everything this world has to offer with a supernatural joy. God is all in all, and He is the sustainer of everything. Why is He sustaining a world which evidently is evil? Isn't it because of His patience with the disobedient? Isn't it because He wants everyone to be saved? God is in control. We can by faith see His hand in everything. His eternal purposes are beyond us. When the scripture says He is love our only option is to believe this, and as we come to know Him we know He is love. And it is His love which carries us through this temporal world.
Paul answers why we still are in this world in Ephesians 3:8-12; Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
The last sentence clearly accentuates our union with Christ. In Him (that's Christ) and through faith in Him (that's me).
It is God's kindness which leads to repentance (Rom 2:4). With the comfort we receive we comfort others. His love which is expressed in our goodness in this chaotic realm will make an impression on people's lives. God is mighty to manifest Himself in even the bleakest circumstances as us. It is in His power that we move and exist.
Since we are designed for the garden life there is no wonder why people who inhabit an apparently unjust world will raise their hands in anger towards God, and blame Him for all their misery. We know better by the grace of God.
When God creates a new earth and a new heaven all the things which have made life difficult will be gone. Frank Friedman said in a sermon; "We are designed for the garden." But, for now our mortal bodies are still in this world. When we are sojourners in an environment we are not designed for we will either perish or reign. There is only One who can encounter tribulations unperturbed. And it is His power which enables us to reign in a hostile environment.
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. (Col 1:9-11)
God's power builds character in us. A character which face everything this world has to offer with a supernatural joy. God is all in all, and He is the sustainer of everything. Why is He sustaining a world which evidently is evil? Isn't it because of His patience with the disobedient? Isn't it because He wants everyone to be saved? God is in control. We can by faith see His hand in everything. His eternal purposes are beyond us. When the scripture says He is love our only option is to believe this, and as we come to know Him we know He is love. And it is His love which carries us through this temporal world.
Paul answers why we still are in this world in Ephesians 3:8-12; Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
The last sentence clearly accentuates our union with Christ. In Him (that's Christ) and through faith in Him (that's me).
It is God's kindness which leads to repentance (Rom 2:4). With the comfort we receive we comfort others. His love which is expressed in our goodness in this chaotic realm will make an impression on people's lives. God is mighty to manifest Himself in even the bleakest circumstances as us. It is in His power that we move and exist.
Since we are designed for the garden life there is no wonder why people who inhabit an apparently unjust world will raise their hands in anger towards God, and blame Him for all their misery. We know better by the grace of God.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Life
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. (John 5:26)
One of the erroneous teachings which abounds in the church today is that everything God has done for you is despite of you. This implies a God who reluctantly has restored man. This is not the truth about a God who is love. Everything in this giant rescue operation is because of you. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
When the scriptures say God is love, which is agape, that means love for others. It is the same love which now is our fabric. In the same way as Jesus did we find ourselves in situations where we communicate His love and our actions are love for others, because our desire for them is to experience the same kind of life as we are partakers of. In this perspective we can more easily perceive that Jesus died because of us. The best part is, though, that His resurrection was also because of us so that we can partake in the same quality of life as He has.
One of the temptations we encounter in this regard is that we do not experience that these qualities manifest frequently in our own lives. However, we do not live by appearances. We live by faith. Our first experience with this kind of faith was when we received Jesus. That was fairly easy compared with believing we are Christ. In our Christian walk we come to recognize that there are several levels of faith.
As we behold increasingly more of the beautiful scenery which surrounds us, and is in us, we acknowledge that He calls into being things which are not seen. The things we didn't see when we where farther down the hill are now clear to us. For us the ongoing transformation is now. He has seen what we are all the way, and now we are able to align what we see with what He sees. Faith has become knowledge. We also realize that we are not of this world, and that we as well are empowered to call things into being by faith which we yet do not see.
We are everything the word says we are, but we cannot acknowledge all of this through faith immediately. As our faith grows through tribulations, suffering, joy, encouragement, love and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit our mindset and outlook are renewed, and slowly but surely we understand that all the wonderful truths displayed in the Bible are us.
The principle aim of God's love is to create life. Not an ordinary life, but an abundant life. One of the characteristics of this life is that it is everlasting. The most tremendous thing about this life is, however, that we are given to have life in ourselves. This is truly an amazing and overwhelming gift. And God doesn't regret this; For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom 11:29).
Since God is love He necessarily also enjoys relations, fellowship and friendship, which all are manifestations of love. So in order to make this possible we inevitably needed to have life in ourselves with a perfectly functionally I, who can respond to His love. This I is a perfect mirror of Him, it is both Him and I, that is, He as us because we partake in the Christ life. He is the One who is all in all, and the one who is sustaining all things by the power of His word (Hebr 1:3). In the middle of all this we are!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Christ is formed
My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,....(Gal 4:19)
Paul was indeed consternated over the Galatians' return to the law. This group of fresh believers had accepted Christ by faith, but now someone had told them that they needed to watch their steps. Sanctification called for hard work, they learned from these wolves who had infiltrated their church. Now that they were saved it was required of them to keep the law. What an evil lie!
The Galatians had obviously been formed in Christ the day they received Christ by faith. Otherwise Paul wouldn't have used the word "again". They had experienced wonderful miracles by simply hearing the faith. They had also been given the Spirit by faith.
What we can infer from this is that it is the law which in fact impedes Christ being formed in us! Since the tree of good and evil represents the law and consequently separation there is no wonder that observance of the law has this effect. It is by faith that God can do His work in us! Christ in us is the mystery Paul discloses in Col 1:27. What a wonderful mystery this is!
Jesus faced the same limitations and temptations as we do, but Peter recognized Him as Christ anyway. When we live by faith people will recognize us as Christ in the same manner as Peter recognized Jesus as Christ. Let the Holy Spirit lead you to this level of faith and you will see it being manifested in your life. Yes, there will be some faith struggles along the way, but their purpose is to ground you in this truth.
Before we were born again we were nothing, and in an instant when we receive Christ we become Christ. From nothing to everything. This is indeed a mystery. If we assume that the garden in Eden is a type of Christ, then we now have returned to our original state, which is union with Him.
What a generosity! What a love! Our father is awesome!
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal 2:20)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Temptation
Genesis 3:1 plainly states that the serpent was more subtle than any beast that the Lord God had made. Whether the serpent is God's convenient agent or not is a fascinating discussion, but a bit off topic today. Yesterday we claimed that the serpent's principle agenda is to tempt people to do good. But, why does he try to seduce people in that direction?
We know that immediately after Jesus had received His confirmation from God at the river of Jordan He was led into the wilderness to be tempted. God had said over Jesus: "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased!". If I am to paraphrase this it would go something like: "This is my son who is perfect, I have accepted Him just as He is and I love Him more than anything."
God had breathed His life into Adam so that Adam became a living being. Adam was an image of God. We find in Genesis 1 that God blessed Adam and Eve, and the record says that God saw that everything He had done was very good. The five other days He saw that everything was good. When humans entered the scene it was very good, in other words, perfect.
We often associate temptation with deeds and thoughts. The Devil made me do that, or the devil tempts me to think like that. If he can perpetuate that illusion he has the upper hand, and we are unable to disclose what he is really doing. So, what is his actual objective? Why did he tempt Adam and Eve to do good? Why was Jesus tempted immediately after the baptism?
It is about identity. What the serpent really says is that we are not good enough. He accuses God of lying when God says everything is perfect. He claims that we have to improve God's perfect creation. In this context Jesus' forty days in the wilderness is a repetition of what happened in the garden. Would Jesus renounce His identity, just as Adam and Eve, or would He by faith bring to light the serpent's subtle temptations? God knew the outcome, but the rest of the creation must have been in utter suspense.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebr 4:15)
In every respect means that the serpent tried every possible approach to make Jesus renounce His identity as the beloved one, as a perfect image of God. Jesus, however, stood firm and could with confidence exclaim: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Sin is basically to renounce our identity as perfect in Him. When we as Jesus can say that whoever has seen me has seen God we are in perfect harmony with God's word and we have a living, transparent relationship with our Father based on the ultimate truth.
Why did God say everything was very good after He had breathed His life, that is, His Spirit into Adam and Eve? Why did He wait until the baptism before He blessed Jesus in the way he did? Simply because it is His Spirit who gives us life. It is His Spirit who is perfect in us as us. And, in order to receive the Spirit we have to be born again by accepting Christ by faith. This is the restoration Jesus died for to accomplish - new creations living the Christ life by faith.
(Of course, Jesus was already born by the Spirit, but the Spirit came over Jesus as a dove as an example to us.)
Paradis
I dag følte jeg meg ledet til å lese de første kapitlene av 1. mosebok igjen. Plutselig stod 3:22 ut: ” Herren Gud sa: «Nå er mennesket blitt som en av oss og kjenner godt og ondt. Bare det nå ikke strekker hånden ut og tar av livstreet også og spiser og lever evig!”
Som vi alle vet ble Adam og Eva plassert i hagen i Eden. God sa til dem at de ikke skulle spise av treet som ga kunnskap om godt og ondt som stod midt i hagen. Der stod også livets tre. De kunne spise fra hvilket som helst tre i hagen, unntatt det ene. Dette verset indirekte sier at Adam og Eva spiste fra alle trærne unntatt livets tre. Detter er ikke bare merkverdig, det er ytterst rart. Dette har dog store konsekvenser for oss som nå blir ledet tilbake til den type liv som hagen representerer.
Dette verset i 1. mosebok åpenbart bekrefter 1. Kor 15:45; ” Det første mennesket, Adam, ble en levende sjel. Den siste Adam ble en ånd som gir liv.” Vi er nå i en bedre stilling enn hva Adam var i, fordi vi nå eter av livets tre som er Kristus. Jeg tror Kristus er noe mer enn en person. Ordet Kristus innebærer også en spesiell type liv som blir opprettholdt av den samme guddommelige kraften som reiste Jesus opp fra graven. Vår frelse er evig sikret i Ham. Adam, derimot, kunne bli gjort om til støv igjen (1. mos 3:19), fordi han ikke hadde ett av treet som gir evig liv. Noas ark er også et bilde på vår evige forsikring i Ham. Husk at det var Gud som lukket døren bak Noa (1. mos 7:16).
Jeg tror de to trærne representerer to bilder. Treet om kunnskap om godt og ondt står for adskillelse, med andre ord løgnen om at vi kan opprettholde liv utenfor Gud. Livets tre er dermed et bilde på enhets eller unions livet; Han i meg og jeg i Ham. En perfekt balanse av liv som samarbeider mot det ypperste mål som er overflodslivet i frihet – livet i hagen – hvor vi er fullkomne og perfekte i Ham, det gjelder både ånd, sjel og kropp. Der er det ingen syndig natur vi må stå imot, intet kjøtt å overvinne. Dødsstøtet mot begge disse fant sted på korset. Våger vi å tro dette?
Et annet interessant aspekt med alt dette er at Adam var gitt i oppdrag å herske over jorden, det materielle. I den nye tidsalder, hvor vi som er sønner og døtre av den levende Gud spiser av livets tre, er vi forfremmet til å herske i den åndelige verden også. Husk at vi nå er satt i himmelen med Ham. Dette er definitivt et mysterium.
Som vi alle vet ble Adam og Eva plassert i hagen i Eden. God sa til dem at de ikke skulle spise av treet som ga kunnskap om godt og ondt som stod midt i hagen. Der stod også livets tre. De kunne spise fra hvilket som helst tre i hagen, unntatt det ene. Dette verset indirekte sier at Adam og Eva spiste fra alle trærne unntatt livets tre. Detter er ikke bare merkverdig, det er ytterst rart. Dette har dog store konsekvenser for oss som nå blir ledet tilbake til den type liv som hagen representerer.
Dette verset i 1. mosebok åpenbart bekrefter 1. Kor 15:45; ” Det første mennesket, Adam, ble en levende sjel. Den siste Adam ble en ånd som gir liv.” Vi er nå i en bedre stilling enn hva Adam var i, fordi vi nå eter av livets tre som er Kristus. Jeg tror Kristus er noe mer enn en person. Ordet Kristus innebærer også en spesiell type liv som blir opprettholdt av den samme guddommelige kraften som reiste Jesus opp fra graven. Vår frelse er evig sikret i Ham. Adam, derimot, kunne bli gjort om til støv igjen (1. mos 3:19), fordi han ikke hadde ett av treet som gir evig liv. Noas ark er også et bilde på vår evige forsikring i Ham. Husk at det var Gud som lukket døren bak Noa (1. mos 7:16).
Jeg tror de to trærne representerer to bilder. Treet om kunnskap om godt og ondt står for adskillelse, med andre ord løgnen om at vi kan opprettholde liv utenfor Gud. Livets tre er dermed et bilde på enhets eller unions livet; Han i meg og jeg i Ham. En perfekt balanse av liv som samarbeider mot det ypperste mål som er overflodslivet i frihet – livet i hagen – hvor vi er fullkomne og perfekte i Ham, det gjelder både ånd, sjel og kropp. Der er det ingen syndig natur vi må stå imot, intet kjøtt å overvinne. Dødsstøtet mot begge disse fant sted på korset. Våger vi å tro dette?
Et annet interessant aspekt med alt dette er at Adam var gitt i oppdrag å herske over jorden, det materielle. I den nye tidsalder, hvor vi som er sønner og døtre av den levende Gud spiser av livets tre, er vi forfremmet til å herske i den åndelige verden også. Husk at vi nå er satt i himmelen med Ham. Dette er definitivt et mysterium.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Works
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (John 10: 37-39)
It is interesting to note that Jesus doesn't qualify His works as good or evil, except when He refers to His miracles. Elsewhere He relates to His works as done in God. In Thayer we find that the word ἔργον - ergon, which is translated as works has a connotation which means that there are different qualities of works. When Jesus says look at my works, he could just as well have said, look at my life. His genuine, transparent life!
I am afraid we again have to return to Eden to understand this. The serpent is very subtle when he tempts Adam and Eve, Jesus and us. We are tempted in the same manner as they were. The serpent's principle objective is not to tempt us to do evil, but to do good. This is the basic religious idea; contrasting good and evil, and thus entice people to do good. The law is a perfect example of good, and it efficiently discloses our attempts to be like God in our own powers as futile.
The devil and our flesh, which are in opposition to God, want to be independent sources of life, that is, perpetuate the lie that we live separated from God. In the religious mind this is made conspicuous by the notion that I have to get out the way so God can live through me. The problem with this idea is that it contradicts Jesus' promise that we will find our true life when we believe in Him. In a true life there is room for me. There it is a full functional I, but at the same time this I is God perfectly manifested in our mortal bodies. In this standing there exist no good or evil, just life which appears in many forms, but where the foundation wall is love.
Until we accept Christ there is no foundation wall. Until we experience and get a more profound understanding of God's love our attempts to love are deemed to fail. We might call it love, but there is always a hidden agenda behind what we do. We love because He loved us first, and when we feel safe and sound in his love we enter His love, and we become love. In His love we can accept ourselves and love ourselves and by that fulfill Jesus command that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Every command Jesus issued He fulfills in us as us by us abiding in Him.
The idea that Christ lives as us might easily be turned around, and we can say that I live as Christ (Matt 16:16). An evident paradox which we accept by faith, and which can only be revealed by the father. It is here that we can experience life in its various mode of expressions without condemnation. We can accept our joy and our anger. In this position we can even understand the Old Testament scriptures which portray God's anger as a part of life. However, God is love and His anger is devoured by His love, just as our anger isn't a perpetual state of mind. We occasionally get angry, but we now that that is just an expression of life. It is the religious idea about good and evil which kindles condemnation.
I do not imply that we are God, but we are gods (John 10:35). Only God is God. He is our source, our life and the one in full control, the omniscient one we can trust whatever circumstance we face. How do you react when a human likens itself to God? Do you scream "blasphemy", such as the pharisees? Perhaps you need to ponder it a bit? That is perfectly alright. The Holy Spirit is your teacher and the one who convinces you about the truth.
Works spring forth from rest. Adam and Eve's condition before the fall is a type of this life which is pure and simply life where there is no focus on what we do, but who we are in Him. Here there is room to be ourselves, to accept ourselves just as we are accepted by God. When Jesus was baptized and begun His public service God declared over Him; "This is my son in whom I am well pleased" before Jesus had done a single recorded work.
When the disciples asked Jesus what works they must do to be doing the works of God Jesus simply stated: Believe in me! This was evidently the nucleus in Jesus' works as well; believing in His father. That's the simplicity of the new life! This is grace; the return to Eden where we are, in the same manner as He is (I AM)!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Unsearchable
Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8).
Paul evidently makes a contradictory statement here. Is it possible to explore something which is unsearchable? Can plain words explain the riches of Christ? If God is spirit can mere words express His being, His existence and our position in Him?
We know that the Pharisees employed a literal approach to the scriptures, and they couldn't find the Person who sustains everything and who is all in all. It seems, though, that an additional source is needed, who of course is the Spirit. This is what often causes strife; persons who try to understand what only can be grasped by revelation oppose those who have declared their dependence upon the Spirit to understand what can only be perceived on a spiritual level.
A question which is sensible to raise in this context is whether or not the Spirit is confined to only animate the written word, or can He give us insights which transcends the word, but which do not contradict it? The written word is limited in scope, even when we take into consideration all what has been written about God's kingdom during the centuries. The written word is a finite quality. Unsearchable is definitely infinite.
The answer to our question must obviously be yes. There exist no limits for Him, and our Father apparently has made everything in such a way that He is the one who discloses what He wants to be known about Him at a certain time, or in accordance with a person's level of maturity in the Christian walk. Isa 45:3 puts it like this:
I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
God has hidden His treasures in the darkness. In other words we are unable to see them if not He lights them up, or lead us to the secret places. And those of us who have gotten acquainted to His generosity know that He is more than willing to share with His precious children the secrets of life.
Paul must have known that to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ was mission impossible for a human. I believe Paul rested in this simple fact: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26)
This is a liberating truth, because everyone of us can now anticipate the Spirit speaking to us individually and teach us about the depths of God. And isn't it so that as we get to know Him better this will increase our hunger to know Him more intimately? The more He discloses of His beauty and our inheritance as saints the more we are pulled towards Him. And the more we have the more we will get, because we are led to intensify our searching. What can He do except give us our heart's desire? And we are His heart's desire!
As we now are aware of the truth that He is unsearchable we can meet every day with an expectancy of a new revelation about Him from Him. Can you hear your Father whisper words of life to you? More than that, can you see things which you cannot describe with words? Things beyond this temporal world? You might ask: Why me? As my dear friend John Bunting says: Why not me?
If the riches of Christ is unsearchable, that is, limitless, then consequently also His love is limitless. You might as Paul assert that you are the least of God's people. Well, then you also are more than qualified to preach His limitless love by the gifts you are furnished with. In Math we do calculations on infinite integrals and sequences which surprisingly yields a finite answer. It is as all the power of the infinite nature of the original function is stored in that figure. Yup, that figure is you!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Paradise
Today I felt led to read the first chapters of Genesis again. Suddenly Genesis 3:22 stood out: "And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."
As we all know Eve and Adam was placed in Eden. They were commanded not to eat from the tree of good and evil which was placed in the middle of the garden where also the tree of life was. They could eat from any tree, except the one mentioned. What this verse implies is that Eve and Adam ate from all the different trees except the tree of life. This is not only remarkable, it is indeed very odd. This has, however, huge implications for us who are now led back to the type of life the garden represents.
This verse in Genesis evidently confirms 1 Cor 15:45; "Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit." We are in a better position than Adam was, because we now feed from the tree of life, which is Christ. I believe Christ is something more than a person, it also denotes a quality of life which is powered by the divine power which raised Christ from the grave. Our deliverance is eternally secured in Him. Adam, however, could be turned into dust again (Gen 3:19), because he hadn't eaten from the life-giving tree. The Ark is also a type of our eternal security in Him. Remember, it was God who shut Noah in (Gen 7:16).
I think the two trees represent two types. The tree of good and evil denotes separation, that is, the lie that we can sustain life outside God. The tree of life is then a type of the union life, He in me and I in Him. A perfect harmony of life and corroboration to achieve the ultimate goal, which is the abundant life of liberty of the garden where we are complete and perfect in Him, that is, spirit, soul and body. No sinful nature to deal with, no flesh to conquer. A death blow was dealt to both of those on the cross. Do we dare to believe it?
Another interesting aspect with all this is that Adam was commissioned to hold dominion over the earth, the material sphere. In the new dispensation where we, as sons and daughters of the living God, are feeding from the tree of life are promoted to reign in the spiritual sphere as well. Remember, we are now seated in the Heavenly places. This is indeed a mystery.
As we all know Eve and Adam was placed in Eden. They were commanded not to eat from the tree of good and evil which was placed in the middle of the garden where also the tree of life was. They could eat from any tree, except the one mentioned. What this verse implies is that Eve and Adam ate from all the different trees except the tree of life. This is not only remarkable, it is indeed very odd. This has, however, huge implications for us who are now led back to the type of life the garden represents.
This verse in Genesis evidently confirms 1 Cor 15:45; "Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit." We are in a better position than Adam was, because we now feed from the tree of life, which is Christ. I believe Christ is something more than a person, it also denotes a quality of life which is powered by the divine power which raised Christ from the grave. Our deliverance is eternally secured in Him. Adam, however, could be turned into dust again (Gen 3:19), because he hadn't eaten from the life-giving tree. The Ark is also a type of our eternal security in Him. Remember, it was God who shut Noah in (Gen 7:16).
I think the two trees represent two types. The tree of good and evil denotes separation, that is, the lie that we can sustain life outside God. The tree of life is then a type of the union life, He in me and I in Him. A perfect harmony of life and corroboration to achieve the ultimate goal, which is the abundant life of liberty of the garden where we are complete and perfect in Him, that is, spirit, soul and body. No sinful nature to deal with, no flesh to conquer. A death blow was dealt to both of those on the cross. Do we dare to believe it?
Another interesting aspect with all this is that Adam was commissioned to hold dominion over the earth, the material sphere. In the new dispensation where we, as sons and daughters of the living God, are feeding from the tree of life are promoted to reign in the spiritual sphere as well. Remember, we are now seated in the Heavenly places. This is indeed a mystery.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Flesh
In the Bible we often run into the term "flesh". The word is employed in chiefly two contexts. Firstly, it is used when the Bible draws a dividing line between was is spiritual life and what is human life. Human life expresses itself in a material world. In addition to having a spirit humans are also furnished with a soul and a body. For a get a clearer understanding of the second aspect of the use of the word we will utilize the following Thayer definition: "The flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God." The first use of the term defines an unique existence. The second use of the term is closely related to how this existence is displayed in deeds and outlook.
When we are now to prove without a shadow of doubt that Christians are dead to the flesh we will obviously be speaking of the second use of the term. The motivation behind this article is that there exists a common misunderstanding amongst many believers which holds that they are still influenced by the flesh in thoughts, desires, deeds etc. We will start out by examining John 3:6 which says, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Most Christians can agree on that we died with Christ on the cross, and that we were raised with Him in His resurrection, and that we in the instant we accepted Him as our savior received a new spirit and thus was born by the Spirit. If we then claim that we are still operating from the flesh we are obviously illogical and self-contradictory in our mindset.
Rom 7:5 states plainly; "For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death." "While we were", is evidently past tense. Something we were and are not now! We are those who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:4), if we have accepted Christ by faith. Paul elaborates on this fact in Rom 8:9, "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."
Our last proof in this article will be Gal 5:24, "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." The flesh is indisputable dead. A dead thing holds no power whatsoever over someone, except if a person is living in the past and refuses to accept a new reality. We have perhaps all met persons who are still heavily influenced by dead persons. So the principle of the renewing of the mind also applies in this context.
In 2 Cor 5:16 Paul takes all this a step further: "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer." What he states here has so far-reaching consequences in regard to our new lives and how we view Christ that it would take several volumes to explore it. Suffice for now is to say that we now through faith can regard ourselves as spiritual beings expressing the risen Christ in a material world. We are not duplicates of Christ, but expressions of everything what that title entails. We are beings in our own right, but a new kind compared to what we were before we were born again. We are now true sisters and brothers of the resurrected Christ, each with our own unique personality, and we are partakers of the same divine power which raised Him from the death.
G4561
σάρξ
sarx
Thayer Definition:
1) flesh (the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones and is permeated with blood) of both man and beasts
2) the body
2a) the body of a man
2b) used of natural or physical origin, generation or relationship
2b1) born of natural generation
2c) the sensuous nature of man, “the animal nature”
2c1) without any suggestion of depravity
2c2) the animal nature with cravings which incite to sin
2c3) the physical nature of man as subject to suffering
3) a living creature (because possessed of a body of flesh) whether man or beast
4) the flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. (Rom 7:5)
in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:4)
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Rom 8:9)
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. (2 Cor 5:16)
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:24)
When we are now to prove without a shadow of doubt that Christians are dead to the flesh we will obviously be speaking of the second use of the term. The motivation behind this article is that there exists a common misunderstanding amongst many believers which holds that they are still influenced by the flesh in thoughts, desires, deeds etc. We will start out by examining John 3:6 which says, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Most Christians can agree on that we died with Christ on the cross, and that we were raised with Him in His resurrection, and that we in the instant we accepted Him as our savior received a new spirit and thus was born by the Spirit. If we then claim that we are still operating from the flesh we are obviously illogical and self-contradictory in our mindset.
Rom 7:5 states plainly; "For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death." "While we were", is evidently past tense. Something we were and are not now! We are those who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:4), if we have accepted Christ by faith. Paul elaborates on this fact in Rom 8:9, "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."
Our last proof in this article will be Gal 5:24, "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." The flesh is indisputable dead. A dead thing holds no power whatsoever over someone, except if a person is living in the past and refuses to accept a new reality. We have perhaps all met persons who are still heavily influenced by dead persons. So the principle of the renewing of the mind also applies in this context.
In 2 Cor 5:16 Paul takes all this a step further: "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer." What he states here has so far-reaching consequences in regard to our new lives and how we view Christ that it would take several volumes to explore it. Suffice for now is to say that we now through faith can regard ourselves as spiritual beings expressing the risen Christ in a material world. We are not duplicates of Christ, but expressions of everything what that title entails. We are beings in our own right, but a new kind compared to what we were before we were born again. We are now true sisters and brothers of the resurrected Christ, each with our own unique personality, and we are partakers of the same divine power which raised Him from the death.
G4561
σάρξ
sarx
Thayer Definition:
1) flesh (the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones and is permeated with blood) of both man and beasts
2) the body
2a) the body of a man
2b) used of natural or physical origin, generation or relationship
2b1) born of natural generation
2c) the sensuous nature of man, “the animal nature”
2c1) without any suggestion of depravity
2c2) the animal nature with cravings which incite to sin
2c3) the physical nature of man as subject to suffering
3) a living creature (because possessed of a body of flesh) whether man or beast
4) the flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. (Rom 7:5)
in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:4)
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Rom 8:9)
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. (2 Cor 5:16)
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:24)
Monday, November 9, 2009
Discernment
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom 12:2).
In our formative days, before we got to know Christ, and later when we observed the law, we had a clear idea of what was good and what was evil. This knowledge was derived from the tree of good and evil. We thought we were like God and judged accordingly. In the new dispensation we get, however, an increasingly understanding of that eating from the forbidden tree equals spiritual death, and we will ultimately turn to the tree of life, which is Christ.
Those notions which we learned in our childhood days still influence our ability to discern. We are often enticed to assess from this obsolete perspective. It is when we encounter grace that everything changes. Moral and ethics which are powered from the tree of good and evil we come to understand are void conceptions in the liberty of the spirit. We need new perspectives of judging ourselves, the temporal world and the spiritual world.
God made man in His image. Man reflected God from the outset perfectly. God gave man some faculties which would manifest God, the spirit, in a material world. Man was given emotions. He could express joy, happiness, tranquility, love, desire, anger, hate, irritation and so forth. When Adam fell man began to consider some of his faculties more prominent than others. We began to discern between good feelings and bad feelings. Some of our emotions were considered more noble than others. We classified what we did; either as good or evil.
In the new dispensation, however, we can no longer judge our emotions or what we do according to our preconceived notions. By faith we now come to accept every part of us as a perfect expression of God. Because everything is now determined by which spirit who dwells in us and reigns in our lives. More than that; if we live in separation, that is, me for God, this will be our vantage point, and our aptitude to discern will be immature.
By the renewal of our mind we will as the spirit leads come to acknowledge by faith that we live in union with God. He in us and we in Him. It is here that we are enabled to discern what the will of God is, and He is more than capable of expressing Himself through every single faculty we are furnished with. As a consequence we completely accept our soul and its diversity.
It is no longer a question about which emotion is most noble, but which emotion God expresses Himself through in this particular situation. We come to hate what God hates, we find joy in the same things that delight God. We cry with those who grieve. We speak harshly to those we are led to oppose. This spirit led life is impossible to comprehend when we are eating from the tree of good and evil. Paul put it like this; "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual" (1 Cor 2:13).
We are now beginning to eat solid food as the author of the epistle to the Hebrews observed ; "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Hebr 5:14). We need constant practice, because it takes time come to terms with a new reality, and God is our teacher in this process.
If we judge life by our old measuring stick we are an easy prey to erroneous believes. Basically we can say that evil in this new context of life is everything which are not of God. What we earlier judged as good, is not necessarily good in an eternal perspective. It is only in Him that we are enabled to understand that everything we encounter in this life is an opportunity for Him to be glorified through us.
Everything done from separation, that is, my works, no matter how noble, is evil. Every beacon we navigated after are, thus, now gone. To our dilemma there is only one solution; accepting by faith that we are in union with God, that we are perfected in Him and that as He is in this world so are we. Here we can rest and let Him perfect His work in us and express Himself through us.
In our formative days, before we got to know Christ, and later when we observed the law, we had a clear idea of what was good and what was evil. This knowledge was derived from the tree of good and evil. We thought we were like God and judged accordingly. In the new dispensation we get, however, an increasingly understanding of that eating from the forbidden tree equals spiritual death, and we will ultimately turn to the tree of life, which is Christ.
Those notions which we learned in our childhood days still influence our ability to discern. We are often enticed to assess from this obsolete perspective. It is when we encounter grace that everything changes. Moral and ethics which are powered from the tree of good and evil we come to understand are void conceptions in the liberty of the spirit. We need new perspectives of judging ourselves, the temporal world and the spiritual world.
God made man in His image. Man reflected God from the outset perfectly. God gave man some faculties which would manifest God, the spirit, in a material world. Man was given emotions. He could express joy, happiness, tranquility, love, desire, anger, hate, irritation and so forth. When Adam fell man began to consider some of his faculties more prominent than others. We began to discern between good feelings and bad feelings. Some of our emotions were considered more noble than others. We classified what we did; either as good or evil.
In the new dispensation, however, we can no longer judge our emotions or what we do according to our preconceived notions. By faith we now come to accept every part of us as a perfect expression of God. Because everything is now determined by which spirit who dwells in us and reigns in our lives. More than that; if we live in separation, that is, me for God, this will be our vantage point, and our aptitude to discern will be immature.
By the renewal of our mind we will as the spirit leads come to acknowledge by faith that we live in union with God. He in us and we in Him. It is here that we are enabled to discern what the will of God is, and He is more than capable of expressing Himself through every single faculty we are furnished with. As a consequence we completely accept our soul and its diversity.
It is no longer a question about which emotion is most noble, but which emotion God expresses Himself through in this particular situation. We come to hate what God hates, we find joy in the same things that delight God. We cry with those who grieve. We speak harshly to those we are led to oppose. This spirit led life is impossible to comprehend when we are eating from the tree of good and evil. Paul put it like this; "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual" (1 Cor 2:13).
We are now beginning to eat solid food as the author of the epistle to the Hebrews observed ; "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Hebr 5:14). We need constant practice, because it takes time come to terms with a new reality, and God is our teacher in this process.
If we judge life by our old measuring stick we are an easy prey to erroneous believes. Basically we can say that evil in this new context of life is everything which are not of God. What we earlier judged as good, is not necessarily good in an eternal perspective. It is only in Him that we are enabled to understand that everything we encounter in this life is an opportunity for Him to be glorified through us.
Everything done from separation, that is, my works, no matter how noble, is evil. Every beacon we navigated after are, thus, now gone. To our dilemma there is only one solution; accepting by faith that we are in union with God, that we are perfected in Him and that as He is in this world so are we. Here we can rest and let Him perfect His work in us and express Himself through us.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Sin is no longer an issue for the believer
"Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.” (Acts 13:41)
David saw this and prophesied about it:
"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, (the child)
and whose sins are covered; (the young man)
blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." (the father) (Rom 4:7-8)
John writes about three levels of maturity in 1 John 2, where each step is a further enlightenment (renewing of the mind) on God’s “to good to be true” work:
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. (v.12)
What is alarming is that very few, preachers included, know or believe in this amazing truth that all their sins are forgiven.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. (v. 13)
The evil one’s principal weapon is condemnation, but the young men has overcome his accusations whatsoever they might do, because their sins are covered.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. (v. 13)
The fathers have an intimate knowledge of God and know that “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9)
Of course, God's "to good to be true" work is much more than this question about sin. It's also about Christ who is our life and His agape love which to a certain degree is almost unfathomable for the human mind, and which defy all human experience.
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.” (Acts 13:41)
David saw this and prophesied about it:
"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, (the child)
and whose sins are covered; (the young man)
blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." (the father) (Rom 4:7-8)
John writes about three levels of maturity in 1 John 2, where each step is a further enlightenment (renewing of the mind) on God’s “to good to be true” work:
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. (v.12)
What is alarming is that very few, preachers included, know or believe in this amazing truth that all their sins are forgiven.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. (v. 13)
The evil one’s principal weapon is condemnation, but the young men has overcome his accusations whatsoever they might do, because their sins are covered.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. (v. 13)
The fathers have an intimate knowledge of God and know that “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9)
Of course, God's "to good to be true" work is much more than this question about sin. It's also about Christ who is our life and His agape love which to a certain degree is almost unfathomable for the human mind, and which defy all human experience.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Perfect?
There is a desire within everyone of us to live life to the fullest. The major impediment most of us face in accomplishing our goal is this nagging feeling of being found wanting. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews asserts that every believer is perfected in Christ (10:14). We can easily accept that by faith when it comes to our spirits. However, more often than not, we think that this doesn't apply to our soul and bodies. Our emotions fluctuate. We have good days and we have bad days. There are days when we are irritated, and we even perhaps hurt someone close to us. Our enemy employs that as an evidence to convince us that we are not perfected. Wait a minute! What is the law of faith? Isn't it that we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7)?
Was He who was found without sin ever irritated? We know that Jesus could be very harsh with religious people. But, did He ever treat His best friends in a way that might be hurtful to them? We do not know much about his days as a carpenter, but there are some verses which are a bit difficult to glean the meaning from if we do not consider the possibility that Jesus was a bit irritated. We find a passage in Luke 9 which says that a man had a son who often was seized by an evil spirit. The disciples had tried driving it out, but to no avail. When the man tells Jesus about this, Jesus exclaims:
“O unbelieving and perverse generation," ……, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." (v. 41)
Not the style we usually associate with Jesus in his relation with the disciples. Despite His outburst, He immediately afterwards healed the boy. Jesus walked by faith and not sight. He knew that "whatever is not from faith is sin" (Rom 14:23). When Jesus walked the earth He had a soul and a body. There are plenty of examples in the scriptures that He had emotions which fluctuated in accordance with the situations He faced. However, He lived His life in God, in the same manner as we live our lives in Christ. He was a perfect expression of God. If you have seen me you have seen God, He said with confidence - the confidence of faith. As a believer you are in a position to claim that if you have seen me, you have seen Christ. Do you have the boldness to believe this? There is a whole world which is dependent on our faith, which yearn to see what life is. When we live by faith Jesus has promised that we will be rivers of fresh water - life.
In 2 Kings we find that Elisha performed a miracle and healed the water in Jericho. He used salt to make the water pure. Salt in this context means that God's life flowed through him. When God is our source we are salt and light in this world, and life flows from us. Healing the water must surely have been a great moment for Elisha. But, not long afterward some boys teased him. We find the account in 2 Kings 2:23-25:
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
What a change! From the overwhelming feeling of success to blackness - from faith to unbelief. Elisha was undoubtedly very annoyed by what the boys shouted at him. If he had had faith in that his soul also was perfect in the Lord, he wouldn't have been affected by them calling him names. As we walk in the Lord we have the same power to either bless or curse as Elisha. We are perfected by faith. However, when we use our words to curse we kill, and we have stepped out of faith. We have let unbelief take hold of us and we then easily become tossed by the wind (James 1:6). This obviously is one of the reasons why our faith must grow. We are all in Christ, but some has a strong faith, others haven't.
Assume that in my interaction with my kids I use harsh words. My curse may have a negative effect on my children at the time, they may internalize it and believe the lie that I have uttered. It could cause them damage for many years if they believe the lies that the world tells them. Not only can my words hurt them, they can also hurt me, causing me to lose my boldness in Christ. The Elisha case demonstrates how life can be quenched.
Jesus' love towards the disciples far outweighed His harsh words. His love made them flourish. His resurrection life in them now, that is, you and me, makes our surroundings flourish. When we live by faith we will be a perpetual source of life. Faith brings forth life, God's life.
On a side note: When our kids were small I was still under the law, and I also had a terrible temper. One day I felt very bad. Bad conscience and condemnation reigned in my depressed state of mind. Then God spoke His life giving words onto me: "To your children you are best father in the world!" Since then I have had a supernatural peace when it comes to my relation to my children. God is in control. He is perfectly able to nullify every harsh word I have ever said and, moreover, if I was a perfect father my children would never have needed God.
(This article has been enriched by invaluable inputs by Jessica Robertson and Fred Pruitt)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Repentance
To repent = μετανοέω = think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider.
The Greek word also carries the meaning of aligning ones thoughts with God’s.
My different repentance experiences have been as follows:
From New Age to Jesus. That was a relief because I didn’t have to save myself any longer.
From law to grace. That was indeed a tremendous relief.
From the idea that God was stingy, to seeing His generosity. Boy, that was a relief.
When I grasped that even sanctification wasn’t a work of mine, I was immensely relieved.
When I understood that God isn’t angry I became very, very relieved.
When I discovered the mystery, Christ in me; I was relieved beyond measure.
When I have had glimpses of my inheritance as a son, I have been joyfully relieved.
Each new discovery about the height and the width of God’s love has been reassuringly relieving.
Finding out I was dead was a dreadful relief, but being raised up as a new creation was a supernatural relief.
Discovering my new identity was a wonderful relief.
When I was convinced that my salvation was eternally secured, I became relaxingly relieved.
My experience has been that repentance equals experiencing relief. Instances when I have repented in the religious sense of the word (i.e. remorse, regret, and etc.) have almost, without exception, been a disaster because it has led to rededication; new promises and more works to satisfy a Person who already is gratified. In retrospect, I can see that those instances did not change me a tad.
He has transformed me, and each transformation has been a consequence of love followed by a sigh of relief on my part.
My latest act of repentance was yesterday. My thoughts went as follows: “I don’t quite understand this; why are so many responding to the stuff I write, and why are there so many out there who asserts I am a blessing to them? I am just a simple teacher from Norway” Then a familiar voice interrupted: “You, my silly boy, have you read anywhere that Jesus said He was just a simple carpenter from Nazareth?” I grasped the point immediately, and repented with a sigh of relief. (Btw, God speaks Norwegian fluently)
(Thanks to Jessica Robertson for proofreading the manuscript)
The Greek word also carries the meaning of aligning ones thoughts with God’s.
My different repentance experiences have been as follows:
From New Age to Jesus. That was a relief because I didn’t have to save myself any longer.
From law to grace. That was indeed a tremendous relief.
From the idea that God was stingy, to seeing His generosity. Boy, that was a relief.
When I grasped that even sanctification wasn’t a work of mine, I was immensely relieved.
When I understood that God isn’t angry I became very, very relieved.
When I discovered the mystery, Christ in me; I was relieved beyond measure.
When I have had glimpses of my inheritance as a son, I have been joyfully relieved.
Each new discovery about the height and the width of God’s love has been reassuringly relieving.
Finding out I was dead was a dreadful relief, but being raised up as a new creation was a supernatural relief.
Discovering my new identity was a wonderful relief.
When I was convinced that my salvation was eternally secured, I became relaxingly relieved.
My experience has been that repentance equals experiencing relief. Instances when I have repented in the religious sense of the word (i.e. remorse, regret, and etc.) have almost, without exception, been a disaster because it has led to rededication; new promises and more works to satisfy a Person who already is gratified. In retrospect, I can see that those instances did not change me a tad.
He has transformed me, and each transformation has been a consequence of love followed by a sigh of relief on my part.
My latest act of repentance was yesterday. My thoughts went as follows: “I don’t quite understand this; why are so many responding to the stuff I write, and why are there so many out there who asserts I am a blessing to them? I am just a simple teacher from Norway” Then a familiar voice interrupted: “You, my silly boy, have you read anywhere that Jesus said He was just a simple carpenter from Nazareth?” I grasped the point immediately, and repented with a sigh of relief. (Btw, God speaks Norwegian fluently)
(Thanks to Jessica Robertson for proofreading the manuscript)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Faith
The ”name and claim” theology was important in that sense that it brought forward faith as an important component of the Christian walk. The movement unearthed principles which are imperative in the new dispensation. I made a search for the word faith in NIV and got 286 hits, and that was just in the NT.
What caused the “name and claim” movement to flounder was that their understanding of faith was based on separation. The whole issue became a matter of own works and not resting in Christ. Separation in our context is me doing. Union, however, is Him doing in me as me. In this perspective we “name and claim” not to fulfill our own desires, but His desires, which is me for others, i.e. agape.
To believe that we now live in union is an issue of faith, that is, His faith imparted to us. However, His faith can be of no benefit if it’s not received with faith. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it”. (Hebr 4:2)
In this position of faith His wants become our wants. His desires become our desires. When we believe this our faith has grown to a mature level and we are enabled to acknowledge Ephesians 4:5: “There is one Lord, one faith,….” and Gal 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. Notice: “…by the faith of the Son…..” Now we clearly see that His faith is our faith.
In other words we have the same faith as God. On what level does God’s faith operate? Rom 4:17 provides the answer: …….in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Since Jesus was the firstborn of many sons and daughters we can with confidence state that He was an example of us. Jesus only did what He saw His Father do. How did He know what His Father was doing? He knew by faith. He had a profound understanding of and faith in that God perfectly expressed Himself through His son.
We also find Jesus exclaiming that He could do nothing of Himself, and further on, that He was in His father and His father in Him – evidently the union life. Trusting in faith in the indwelling life of the Father Jesus could do the most spectacular miracles without first having to go through a long period of ambivalence – is this just me, or is it you God?
Norman Grubb puts it like this:
As Jesus said, “Ask…seek…knock, and it shall be opened unto you” So to my asking I add taking and receiving. Indeed as I get used to taking by the word of faith, I hardly notice I’m asking – one is almost dissolved into the other. So I move right in and speak the desire into reality. How? By that word of faith which “calls the things that be not as though they were”, which is said to be God’s form of faith (Romans 4:17), and therefore mine. I speak that word. When it is on the mundane human level that I speak any such word, I then go on to fulfill it. This time I am recognizing that it is God speaking that word by me, and so He goes on to fulfill it – and it is precisely the same as when He brought the visible creation into being by the word of His Son. (Summit Living; Oct 27)
What caused the “name and claim” movement to flounder was that their understanding of faith was based on separation. The whole issue became a matter of own works and not resting in Christ. Separation in our context is me doing. Union, however, is Him doing in me as me. In this perspective we “name and claim” not to fulfill our own desires, but His desires, which is me for others, i.e. agape.
To believe that we now live in union is an issue of faith, that is, His faith imparted to us. However, His faith can be of no benefit if it’s not received with faith. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it”. (Hebr 4:2)
In this position of faith His wants become our wants. His desires become our desires. When we believe this our faith has grown to a mature level and we are enabled to acknowledge Ephesians 4:5: “There is one Lord, one faith,….” and Gal 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. Notice: “…by the faith of the Son…..” Now we clearly see that His faith is our faith.
In other words we have the same faith as God. On what level does God’s faith operate? Rom 4:17 provides the answer: …….in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Since Jesus was the firstborn of many sons and daughters we can with confidence state that He was an example of us. Jesus only did what He saw His Father do. How did He know what His Father was doing? He knew by faith. He had a profound understanding of and faith in that God perfectly expressed Himself through His son.
We also find Jesus exclaiming that He could do nothing of Himself, and further on, that He was in His father and His father in Him – evidently the union life. Trusting in faith in the indwelling life of the Father Jesus could do the most spectacular miracles without first having to go through a long period of ambivalence – is this just me, or is it you God?
Norman Grubb puts it like this:
As Jesus said, “Ask…seek…knock, and it shall be opened unto you” So to my asking I add taking and receiving. Indeed as I get used to taking by the word of faith, I hardly notice I’m asking – one is almost dissolved into the other. So I move right in and speak the desire into reality. How? By that word of faith which “calls the things that be not as though they were”, which is said to be God’s form of faith (Romans 4:17), and therefore mine. I speak that word. When it is on the mundane human level that I speak any such word, I then go on to fulfill it. This time I am recognizing that it is God speaking that word by me, and so He goes on to fulfill it – and it is precisely the same as when He brought the visible creation into being by the word of His Son. (Summit Living; Oct 27)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Into His Likeness
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor 3:18)
This verse raises an important question. If we are being transformed into His likeness, what is He like?
1 John 4:8 says God is love. The Greek word John employs in this context is Agape, which means self for others love, or me for others, if you like. This is the opposite of Eros – self love. Agape gives without expecting anything in return. It’s always concerned with others. To the human mind its interest in others is absurd, and its generosity is outrageous. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Paul lists its various expressions:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
There was a period in my life where I thought this was the standard expected of me. However, this is a perfect description of God. Into this likeness I am being transformed when I’m with unveiled face see His glory.
When I was under the Law, and its commandments were my mirror, I was transformed into the likeness of the Law, which fruit is intolerance, rigidity, self-love, boasting, condemnation etc.
We humans also have this nasty inclination towards molding God into our image, and we become the image we have made or believe in, which doesn’t even have the remotest likeness of God.
The beauty of the above verse in that when I get to know God more intimately, and repent from my erroneous believes and perceptions of Him, and see Him as He truly is, I am being transformed into the same image by faith. Moreover, I come to understand that the fruit of the Spirit is His making – He expressing Himself as me when I rest from my own works acknowledging He is the Spirit.
(For a full exposition of the different aspects of love which Paul lists see Paul Anderson Walsh’ excellent and life giving book: Until Christ is Formed, which is book 1 in the Safe & Sound series)
This verse raises an important question. If we are being transformed into His likeness, what is He like?
1 John 4:8 says God is love. The Greek word John employs in this context is Agape, which means self for others love, or me for others, if you like. This is the opposite of Eros – self love. Agape gives without expecting anything in return. It’s always concerned with others. To the human mind its interest in others is absurd, and its generosity is outrageous. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Paul lists its various expressions:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
There was a period in my life where I thought this was the standard expected of me. However, this is a perfect description of God. Into this likeness I am being transformed when I’m with unveiled face see His glory.
When I was under the Law, and its commandments were my mirror, I was transformed into the likeness of the Law, which fruit is intolerance, rigidity, self-love, boasting, condemnation etc.
We humans also have this nasty inclination towards molding God into our image, and we become the image we have made or believe in, which doesn’t even have the remotest likeness of God.
The beauty of the above verse in that when I get to know God more intimately, and repent from my erroneous believes and perceptions of Him, and see Him as He truly is, I am being transformed into the same image by faith. Moreover, I come to understand that the fruit of the Spirit is His making – He expressing Himself as me when I rest from my own works acknowledging He is the Spirit.
(For a full exposition of the different aspects of love which Paul lists see Paul Anderson Walsh’ excellent and life giving book: Until Christ is Formed, which is book 1 in the Safe & Sound series)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Worthiness
And Paul and Barnabas spoke out plainly and boldly, saying, It was necessary that God's message [concerning salvation through Christ] should be spoken to you first. But since you thrust it from you, you pass this judgment on yourselves that you are unworthy of eternal life and out of your own mouth you will be judged. [Now] behold, we turn to the Gentiles (the heathen). (Acts 13:46 Amplified)
We readily understand from this verse that God judges anyone worthy of eternal life due to His grace and goodness. There are, however, people who consider themselves unworthy of God’s gift. What many of them have in common is their desire to earn eternal life by own works, that is, observance of the law.
This question of worthiness also applies to those who have accepted the initial gift of salvation, but believe they are unworthy of God’s abundant life and blessings. I have met many who think God is not for them, that He doesn’t answer their prayers and that He is unwilling to speak to them. The common denominator between those is condemnation.
The faith struggle is a competition between the seen and the unseen. If we put our faith in what we see we are doomed to erroneous believes and condemnation, because we all fail. But, what we see isn’t the truth. The truth is what God says about us. Do you believe you are sanctified, holy, perfect, above reproach, cleansed and saved? Anyway, this is what God says, and He cannot lie! You are in fact so worthy that you and He are joined together in the Spirit! You are so worthy that Christ lives in you! You are so worthy that Christ lives as you!
We readily understand from this verse that God judges anyone worthy of eternal life due to His grace and goodness. There are, however, people who consider themselves unworthy of God’s gift. What many of them have in common is their desire to earn eternal life by own works, that is, observance of the law.
This question of worthiness also applies to those who have accepted the initial gift of salvation, but believe they are unworthy of God’s abundant life and blessings. I have met many who think God is not for them, that He doesn’t answer their prayers and that He is unwilling to speak to them. The common denominator between those is condemnation.
The faith struggle is a competition between the seen and the unseen. If we put our faith in what we see we are doomed to erroneous believes and condemnation, because we all fail. But, what we see isn’t the truth. The truth is what God says about us. Do you believe you are sanctified, holy, perfect, above reproach, cleansed and saved? Anyway, this is what God says, and He cannot lie! You are in fact so worthy that you and He are joined together in the Spirit! You are so worthy that Christ lives in you! You are so worthy that Christ lives as you!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Glory
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor 3:18).
The perfection of the law shone in Moses’ face, but it brought condemnation and dead to those who attempted to reflect its glory. They became reflections of the law; unbending, religious, hard hearted and judgmental. The law states mercilessly: There is something wrong with you! You are found wanting!
But, God declared a new and better way – Christ. Those who yield to Him become reflections of Him with ever increasing clarity and glory. Christ states with mercy: You are perfect in Me, and I am perfect as you. There is not enough love in your life? Look to Christ! By the way, my friend, when you say you lack love, which measuring stick do you utilize? The Law or Christ? God invites and welcomes you to enter His rest in faith – the dwelling place where you realize that Christ is all in all, and it’s here the transformation takes place where Christ in you becomes everything the Law cannot.
The perfection of the law shone in Moses’ face, but it brought condemnation and dead to those who attempted to reflect its glory. They became reflections of the law; unbending, religious, hard hearted and judgmental. The law states mercilessly: There is something wrong with you! You are found wanting!
But, God declared a new and better way – Christ. Those who yield to Him become reflections of Him with ever increasing clarity and glory. Christ states with mercy: You are perfect in Me, and I am perfect as you. There is not enough love in your life? Look to Christ! By the way, my friend, when you say you lack love, which measuring stick do you utilize? The Law or Christ? God invites and welcomes you to enter His rest in faith – the dwelling place where you realize that Christ is all in all, and it’s here the transformation takes place where Christ in you becomes everything the Law cannot.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Paradoxes
To many there might seem as the Bible is full of contradictions and paradoxes. However, as the HS illuminate the word the believer begins to see how everything aligns, how the old testament contains shadows and allegories of what were to come.
Even so, there still remain some paradoxes which can only be acknowledged and understood by faith. That we are both two persons in one and at the same time being two persons is a mystery. The Christian life can only be lived from a position of oneness, that is, a union with Christ where He is a perfect expression of himself through us. Dan Stone puts it like this: “You are the expression of Him in your own unique humanity.” This includes everything we are and do because it isn’t about doing good or evil - feeding from the tree of good and evil - it is about doing the truth, which is Christ as/in us. “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:21)
On the other hand it is impossible to have a relation with yourself only. We were created for relations and a relation requires at least two persons. In this position you can talk to God, He talks to you and you can experience His embrace of love which empowers you to love Him back.
Even so, there still remain some paradoxes which can only be acknowledged and understood by faith. That we are both two persons in one and at the same time being two persons is a mystery. The Christian life can only be lived from a position of oneness, that is, a union with Christ where He is a perfect expression of himself through us. Dan Stone puts it like this: “You are the expression of Him in your own unique humanity.” This includes everything we are and do because it isn’t about doing good or evil - feeding from the tree of good and evil - it is about doing the truth, which is Christ as/in us. “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:21)
On the other hand it is impossible to have a relation with yourself only. We were created for relations and a relation requires at least two persons. In this position you can talk to God, He talks to you and you can experience His embrace of love which empowers you to love Him back.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
All things work together for good!
Ever since I became a Christian I have had a limited understanding of Rom 10:28:
We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. (Amplified)
It is usual to assume that this verse just applies to Christians who are facing opposition or are going through some kind of affliction. However, if we believe that we are made perfect (Hebr 10:14) and that Christ lives as us (Col 1:27) this verse obviously has a wider application.
Everything we are and everything we do are manifestations of God in this world, which means God can use everything to further His will among us. A simple illustration might illuminate my point: Assume I reject someone, either unwittingly or purposely. At first glance this might seem as evil. However, since all my works in Him are truth (John 3:21) this is an opportunity for God to perfect His work in this person, either leading him another step to the end of himself which is the point where that person will redirect his glance towards God, or this can be an opportunity for God to come forth as the only person who is perfect in every sense, and who never rejects anyone. In other words this can lead a person into greater freedom and a more profound experience of God’s love.
From a temporal perspective I might seem imperfect, but that is not God’s perspective. He says I am made perfect. I hold that as a truth which has the power to make me rest from my own works. When I do something which from an earthly perspective might seem as evil or stupid I trust God to work His good plan in both me and the person or group who is affected by my doings. From an eternal perspective everything we do will further His gracious plan in our lives.
A profound understanding of this verse and its implications, something which only the Spirit can disclose, have the power to imbue complete self-acceptance into a person’s life. Furthermore, this might lead us to an understanding that in every aspect of life God is in control and that He works in every circumstance which you and I face, both those we regard as good and those we regard as evil. As we grow in maturity our aptitude to discern spiritual matters will increase. We are not longer colored with our prior understanding of things which originate from feeding from the tree of good and evil. The tree of life, which is Christ, will be the position from where we evaluate life.
This also sets us free from judging others, whether they are Christians or not, whether they preach grace or not, whether they have a profound understanding of union or not, because God is all in all.
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:6, KJV)
We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. (Amplified)
It is usual to assume that this verse just applies to Christians who are facing opposition or are going through some kind of affliction. However, if we believe that we are made perfect (Hebr 10:14) and that Christ lives as us (Col 1:27) this verse obviously has a wider application.
Everything we are and everything we do are manifestations of God in this world, which means God can use everything to further His will among us. A simple illustration might illuminate my point: Assume I reject someone, either unwittingly or purposely. At first glance this might seem as evil. However, since all my works in Him are truth (John 3:21) this is an opportunity for God to perfect His work in this person, either leading him another step to the end of himself which is the point where that person will redirect his glance towards God, or this can be an opportunity for God to come forth as the only person who is perfect in every sense, and who never rejects anyone. In other words this can lead a person into greater freedom and a more profound experience of God’s love.
From a temporal perspective I might seem imperfect, but that is not God’s perspective. He says I am made perfect. I hold that as a truth which has the power to make me rest from my own works. When I do something which from an earthly perspective might seem as evil or stupid I trust God to work His good plan in both me and the person or group who is affected by my doings. From an eternal perspective everything we do will further His gracious plan in our lives.
A profound understanding of this verse and its implications, something which only the Spirit can disclose, have the power to imbue complete self-acceptance into a person’s life. Furthermore, this might lead us to an understanding that in every aspect of life God is in control and that He works in every circumstance which you and I face, both those we regard as good and those we regard as evil. As we grow in maturity our aptitude to discern spiritual matters will increase. We are not longer colored with our prior understanding of things which originate from feeding from the tree of good and evil. The tree of life, which is Christ, will be the position from where we evaluate life.
This also sets us free from judging others, whether they are Christians or not, whether they preach grace or not, whether they have a profound understanding of union or not, because God is all in all.
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:6, KJV)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Desire
But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. (Jude 17-19)
Jude asserts that there are ungodly desires, and then there obviously also must exist godly desires. Those who are driven by ungodly desires follow mere natural instincts. Natural instincts allude to the old nature, the Adam nature, which lives in separation and which is governed by the impulses it receives through its bodily senses. And, most importantly; those who are in this state do not have the Spirit – they are not born again.
The saint, however, is governed by his spirit which is now merged with God’s Spirit. As the believer’s mind is renewed by a continually revelation about his new identity in Christ he will become more attentive to the fact that he is no longer governed by the temporal world. He is living the spirit life, where the Spirit is the nucleus which governs the soul and its desires. He, thus, by faith can be assured that his desires are aligned with God’s desires. There is no longer separation, but union in the spirit.
Jesus was not afraid to encourage the believers to trust their desires: “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)
Jesus can voice this with confidence and boldness, because He knows the truth. The truth which has the power to liberate us: who we are in the resurrected Christ. Jesus came so we could experience an abundant life. The thief, however, steals and murders. His main objective is, of course, to prevent the believer from living this life. A major area of attack is our desires. The evil one says: “Don’t trust your desires!”, “Who do you think you are?” and “You egoist!” The last lie really scorches the believer, and renders him in a state of unbelief, that is, focusing on himself rather than his source, which is the Spirit. The liar knows that if the believer trusts his desires and live accordingly he will reign in life, and his impact on a fallen world will increase dramatically.
Remember that when God created a desire within Joshua and his friends to enter the Promised Land He gave them a vision about a place which overflowed with milk and honey. If your desires carry a notion about blessings to you, remember God’s characteristics are generosity and love. Are you desires common? Well, God is a common God for common people.
Jude asserts that there are ungodly desires, and then there obviously also must exist godly desires. Those who are driven by ungodly desires follow mere natural instincts. Natural instincts allude to the old nature, the Adam nature, which lives in separation and which is governed by the impulses it receives through its bodily senses. And, most importantly; those who are in this state do not have the Spirit – they are not born again.
The saint, however, is governed by his spirit which is now merged with God’s Spirit. As the believer’s mind is renewed by a continually revelation about his new identity in Christ he will become more attentive to the fact that he is no longer governed by the temporal world. He is living the spirit life, where the Spirit is the nucleus which governs the soul and its desires. He, thus, by faith can be assured that his desires are aligned with God’s desires. There is no longer separation, but union in the spirit.
Jesus was not afraid to encourage the believers to trust their desires: “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)
Jesus can voice this with confidence and boldness, because He knows the truth. The truth which has the power to liberate us: who we are in the resurrected Christ. Jesus came so we could experience an abundant life. The thief, however, steals and murders. His main objective is, of course, to prevent the believer from living this life. A major area of attack is our desires. The evil one says: “Don’t trust your desires!”, “Who do you think you are?” and “You egoist!” The last lie really scorches the believer, and renders him in a state of unbelief, that is, focusing on himself rather than his source, which is the Spirit. The liar knows that if the believer trusts his desires and live accordingly he will reign in life, and his impact on a fallen world will increase dramatically.
Remember that when God created a desire within Joshua and his friends to enter the Promised Land He gave them a vision about a place which overflowed with milk and honey. If your desires carry a notion about blessings to you, remember God’s characteristics are generosity and love. Are you desires common? Well, God is a common God for common people.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Nemo knows, do you?
By Alan Hiu
Have you ever think of those fishes in the ocean? Even though the water in the ocean is salty, the bodies of these ocean fishes are not affected by the sea water. Their fleshes are fresh and not salty. When we cook them for our meals, we still need to put salt to make them tasty. Hmmm… interesting right?
For all I can understand is that, these fishes are alive! They just live out their life as fishes in the ocean! Nobody ever taught them on how to be fishes in the ocean. They just have the ability to pursue life in the ocean because they are not rebellious. They obey the instinct given by the Creator!
Christians are the same. We are righteous because of Jesus’ Finished Work. This mighty divine exchange had already happened at the cross. If we are believers, we are new creations. As new creations, we just need to live out our righteous life, the abundant life given by our Lord.
We do not need to perform to deserve our righteousness anymore! To be radical, we don’t even need to be taught on how to live a righteous life; because the Holy Spirit is already in us convicting us of righteousness! If we are those Christians who still choose to perform to deserve our righteousness, we just promote among ourselves another form of religion. We are worst then those fishes in the ocean, as we are rebellious to our Savior. It is sad to see that majority of the body of Christ today still try to live like a Christian (be righteous) instead of living out their Christian life (righteous life)!
If those fishes are trying to perform to be fishes in the ocean, life will be tough and they will end up dying in the ocean. Look at those dead fishes. In order to prevent them from decaying, they are preserved through seasoning with salt. This kind of fishes is called preserved salted fish! We can try our best to preserve them, but they are dead, being seasoned with salt, laid under the sun to be dried and end up hanging in the grocery shop for sales. Salted fish do not have the life to choose for themselves what they want and where they want to be. They are just helpless and being manipulated.
If we are Christians and still trying to be a Christian, we are as good as those salted fish. Religious people will try to preserve us through their religious teachings, demanding our performance to be righteous. We are being seasoned by their legalistic salt, laid to dry on the stones and bound by our religiosity from choosing what we want and where to go. We are also helpless and live a manipulated life in a religious kingdom…
Our Lord loves to use natural things of this world such as fish, bird, bread, stone, serpent, fig tree, lilies in the field to teach the mystery of His truth. His grace is ever present and fully lavished in our midst. Out of His outrageous grace, He lavishes His Spirit to convict us of righteousness. We need to come to our senses and respond to His conviction that we are righteous by faith not by work. Only through our establishment in His righteousness then we can start to appreciate His grace!
Romans 5:21b ~ so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Grace can only reign in a believer who is Jesus conscious and righteousness conscious. If we are still full of sin consciousness, we have fallen back into law and we end up trying to justify ourselves through our law keeping and self effort.
Galatians 2:16 ~ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Once we can understand that it is all about His grace, we will start receiving His abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness and we will reign in life through this one Man, Jesus Christ.
I do not want to be a salted fish. I do not want to be a Christian being preserved and manipulated by religion. I want to be those fishes in the ocean knowing that they are fishes belong to the ocean and just following the instinct given by the Creator. I want to be a Christian knowing that I am forever righteous and live out the righteous life that my Savior had given me! He had come to give me His abundant life and He had told me that His sheep knows His voice! I just want to click on to His frequency of Grace and receive the abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness.
Even Nemo knows that he belongs to the ocean not aquarium… As for me, I know I belong to Jesus not religion. Hmmm... what about you? Nemo knows, do you...?
Have you ever think of those fishes in the ocean? Even though the water in the ocean is salty, the bodies of these ocean fishes are not affected by the sea water. Their fleshes are fresh and not salty. When we cook them for our meals, we still need to put salt to make them tasty. Hmmm… interesting right?
For all I can understand is that, these fishes are alive! They just live out their life as fishes in the ocean! Nobody ever taught them on how to be fishes in the ocean. They just have the ability to pursue life in the ocean because they are not rebellious. They obey the instinct given by the Creator!
Christians are the same. We are righteous because of Jesus’ Finished Work. This mighty divine exchange had already happened at the cross. If we are believers, we are new creations. As new creations, we just need to live out our righteous life, the abundant life given by our Lord.
We do not need to perform to deserve our righteousness anymore! To be radical, we don’t even need to be taught on how to live a righteous life; because the Holy Spirit is already in us convicting us of righteousness! If we are those Christians who still choose to perform to deserve our righteousness, we just promote among ourselves another form of religion. We are worst then those fishes in the ocean, as we are rebellious to our Savior. It is sad to see that majority of the body of Christ today still try to live like a Christian (be righteous) instead of living out their Christian life (righteous life)!
If those fishes are trying to perform to be fishes in the ocean, life will be tough and they will end up dying in the ocean. Look at those dead fishes. In order to prevent them from decaying, they are preserved through seasoning with salt. This kind of fishes is called preserved salted fish! We can try our best to preserve them, but they are dead, being seasoned with salt, laid under the sun to be dried and end up hanging in the grocery shop for sales. Salted fish do not have the life to choose for themselves what they want and where they want to be. They are just helpless and being manipulated.
If we are Christians and still trying to be a Christian, we are as good as those salted fish. Religious people will try to preserve us through their religious teachings, demanding our performance to be righteous. We are being seasoned by their legalistic salt, laid to dry on the stones and bound by our religiosity from choosing what we want and where to go. We are also helpless and live a manipulated life in a religious kingdom…
Our Lord loves to use natural things of this world such as fish, bird, bread, stone, serpent, fig tree, lilies in the field to teach the mystery of His truth. His grace is ever present and fully lavished in our midst. Out of His outrageous grace, He lavishes His Spirit to convict us of righteousness. We need to come to our senses and respond to His conviction that we are righteous by faith not by work. Only through our establishment in His righteousness then we can start to appreciate His grace!
Romans 5:21b ~ so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Grace can only reign in a believer who is Jesus conscious and righteousness conscious. If we are still full of sin consciousness, we have fallen back into law and we end up trying to justify ourselves through our law keeping and self effort.
Galatians 2:16 ~ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Once we can understand that it is all about His grace, we will start receiving His abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness and we will reign in life through this one Man, Jesus Christ.
I do not want to be a salted fish. I do not want to be a Christian being preserved and manipulated by religion. I want to be those fishes in the ocean knowing that they are fishes belong to the ocean and just following the instinct given by the Creator. I want to be a Christian knowing that I am forever righteous and live out the righteous life that my Savior had given me! He had come to give me His abundant life and He had told me that His sheep knows His voice! I just want to click on to His frequency of Grace and receive the abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness.
Even Nemo knows that he belongs to the ocean not aquarium… As for me, I know I belong to Jesus not religion. Hmmm... what about you? Nemo knows, do you...?
Monday, August 17, 2009
The real purpose of law vs grace
By Fred Pruit
We must realize that being confronted by the law is part of God's process. It is not something we engineer, i.e., set up a instruction course for new believers, with Course One being "The Law." It does not work like that. It is simply because we are all caught in separation, that is, living as if we are independent, self-relying selves, apart from God, who run our own lives. And in that condition, everything seems to be "outside" us. God is outside us. His law is outside us. The devil is outside us, and his deeds are outside us. That is what it is according to our consciousness. Everything is "over-against us," so to speak. So, for God to speak to us, and to begin to draw us our of our separated, "just-me," mindset, toward a union ("My Father and I are one") mindset, He must seemingly come to us as if out of that separation, and trigger something in us, by that separation, that puts us on the road to our real true lives, which are only found in Him as expressions of Him in union with us.
And that is where the Law comes in. The law is representative, in an outer way, of what God is like and what those who live in Him are like. Because of our separated consciousness, our first reaction to the law is to look at it and then back at ourselves, comparing ourselves with it. And we instantly find we do not measure up. God's standards are high -- impossible, actually -- but at that stage of the game we do not know it yet. We start to approach life in God the same way we barrel in on any project. Just acquire and master the right information, and we become successful. The tried and true formula for the world, and we think that will work in God, too! So we get big notebooks and big Bibles and take copious notes and underline or highlight half the New Testament.
We may believe wholeheartedly in "grace" at that point. But at the same time we read the admonitions of Paul or the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and we still cannot help but see them as separate from us that need to be added to us. And eventually, we will come to a brick wall. No one comes to Christ but by the schoolmaster -- the law. God ordains it. It is part of His system. His path.
God has a very distinct purpose for the law, and no one comes through to the Promised Land without going through the wilderness of the law. Everyone goes through it -- even while living unconsciously in grace. For instance, Abram & Sarai. Abram was already "righteous" by his believing the promise of God. But he attempts himself to make the promise happen (work of the law) by taking Sarai's maid, Hagar, in an attempt to obtain the heir through her. Paul even says later that Hagar points to the earthly Jerusalem, the covenant of bondage, i.e. the law. But God does not reject Abram through it. In fact, there is no record in Genesis of the Lord God even reproving Abram for this act of self-effort. Why? Because he is walking in God's righteousness, i.e. grace, even when he ignorantly commits an act of self-effort. He was at least trying to bring forth the promise of God, i.e. the Seed which should bless all nations.
Of course the Seed came through Isaac, when God appeared to Abram and changed his name to Abraham in his 99th year -- 14 years after the Hagar/Ishmael incident. Again, there is no reproof. All indications are that Abram had thought during all that time Ishmael was the promised son and his rightful heir. He was, after all, of his own body. Of his own seed. But he was a child of a bondwoman, not the true wife. In Abram's day even the child of the bondwoman could have been the heir had there never been a son by Sarai, but God said no. Suddenly God appears and renews the Promise, which Abram had believed 25 years earlier, changes his name to Abraham, and tells him he will have a son by Sarai, whose name now changes to Sarah.
But again, no reproof to Abraham. He goes through the experience of self-effort, the law, with God even promising an inheritance to Ishmael, by which he is brought to the Promise -- the birth of Isaac. Ishmael comes of self-effort. Isaac comes by Promise -- the gift of God.
My point is that both were necessary. There must be, for one thing, the contrast. And the contrast is not really about law and grace. Law and grace are really just two word-concepts that point to a greater and deeper issue -- the deepest issue there is: the law and grace issue is really about self-in-separation, or self-in-union.
Self-effort (acting by the flesh, the law) is not the root problem. Self-in-separation is the root problem, from which self-effort proceeds. So we must go beyond the "effort" to the self which attempts the effort. Nothing wrong with effort. It is just the self that generates it.
The law exposes self-effort, which is not really solved until we see that Christ in the self is the answer. Not the self discovering something, still separate from it, called "grace," but by the discovery/revelation that we are now this unified self, Christ and I as one self, grace being the chief attribute of that relationship, but grace meaning much more than unmerited favor. Grace is just another word for, "I will be a well of water springing up into everlasting life in you." Grace is just another term for, "So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
To be born of the Spirit is ultimately to realize that we in the Lord are not two, but one, and we ourselves in our humanity as outer expressions of the One Who is our inner life. As branches on a vine, but in that vine/branch relationship, the branch is but a branch expression of the Vine. It has no separate life of its own. And the Life, effort, grace, spirit, that proceeds through the vine into the branches to bring forth much fruit, is but One life in all the branches, the Same life, manifesting in many forms and branches. That is the key. We have no separate self-hood, but only find not just the source of "effort" in God, but the source of Self in God also.
That is the ultimate purpose of the law. The law IS separation. It testifies that we are separate, by the "shoulds" and "oughts" it demands of us. The law says, "You are not, and you should be ...." And when respond to the law by agreeing with it, that we "should" or "should not" do or be something, we are testifying to the lie that we are still separate from God, and not dead to sin, contradicting Romans 6:2 and Romans 7:4, and that Christ's work is still lacking in us. By the law, the devil deceives us that we can ADD TO the work of Christ already done, and gain by our efforts the righteousness of God and do His works. So we make a great effort to become like Christ, finally hitting that impenetrable brick wall, and falling on our faces, saying it is impossible, hopefully, which then enables the true life that we always have been since we came to Christ, really, to come forth. We must grow into a consciousness of this fact, and the law is just what does it. So it is absolutely necessary. Without that confrontation with what we essentially "are not," we cannot come into the solid fixing of who "we are!"
Oneness of self is found in the will. Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me." He had only one will -- the will of the Father. That is union. No separation. Distinction in office and manifestation, but no separation inwardly. The only time Jesus exhibited a temptation to a separate will was in Gethsemane -- and He rejects having a separate will -- he denies it by saying, "Not my will, but thine be done." So in Jesus there was no separate "my" will. Only a will unified in the Father, One Will, One Life, One Person, expressing and manifesting, by the Son and the Cross of the Son ("Lamb slain from the foundations of the earth"), through everything and everyone in creation.
We cannot make this happen in ourselves except finding by the Spirit a "nothingness" of will in ourselves, and the faith that now God's will is our will, and we have, by faith, no separate will from Him. We join Jesus' word regarding Himself, making it ours as well: "My meat is to do the will of Him Who sent me, and finish His work." Now let us also note this: oneness of will, which is where oneness originally occurs, still cannot produce the outflow of the life of God in us. As Paul said, "For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Rom 7:18). That is where the Life of the Spirit comes in, Romans 8, which we will save for a later discussion.
So then we appreciate those who are still out there in their wilderness of the law, knowing that by that the Father is working in them to bring them to the end of themselves through self-effort, that they might come to know Him in union. They are still under the grace, because they believe in Him. Yes, they are temporarily diverted, but they have to walk through a huge howling wilderness, in the middle of which is the Mountain of the Law, in order to go across and get to the edge of the Promised Land.
They are being made into who they are by that journey. One way to see the children of Israel and their journey across the wilderness is as a type of our life's journey. The generation that is "cursed," and cannot ever enter the land, we note, is the generation born in Egypt -- in the separated consciousness of independent, self-effort self. It was born under the devil's rule. That is the consciousness of self that cannot approach the mountain, in which mountain Moses, who knows union and grace, can walk up and down and be in the midst of the fire and smoke at the top. They are flesh-self, self-effort self, and of course when they get to the edge of the Promised Land they cannot go in, and are only conscious of themselves as grasshoppers, rather than living out of the provision and strength of God. That false consciousness of self cannot help itself. It MUST be that, for it cannot really stand in God. "No flesh shall enter my presence."
So they are rightly sent back into the wilderness for another 38 years. And then at the end of that 38 years, that generation has all perished in the wilderness -- just as Moses' false sense of self perished in his 40 years in the wilderness before the Burning Bush -- now they have been conditioned by the wilderness -- the law -- to finally enter the land. You might say, well, that generation has died. Yes, it has, but a new generation, not born in Egypt, but born in the wilderness, has now taken its place. This new generation never knew the separation and self-effort of Egypt, but as a type of the new self, the self united in Christ as one self with him, that generation walks across the Jordan, under the leadership of Joshua (also a type of Christ -- Moses as the lawgiver who cannot go into the land because he offended in one point), and they walk across the Jordan ON DRY GROUND and begin to take the land, to "possess their possessions."
All of that process must be. We don't engineer it, as I said above. But God sees to it. We cannot help responding to the law in self-effort, because that is who we believe we are. Therefore we must be confronted by the law. We must think we can do it. We must go through the wilderness of failure of trying to do it. We must come to that end of ourselves as separate selves, finally arriving at oneness, union, with the Life within us, so that we are not separate in ourselves trying to be something, but unified in ourselves as "I AM," that Christ might now be expressed by us.
That is the purpose of the law. So we see the Father having His will here. We get people out of it when we can, and leave the others in it for their appointed time.
One more word about this false consciousness of self I have mentioned. One person, considering that "self," wrote me that he was finding in himself all sorts of corruption, self-attention, jealousy, pride, etc. That is not an uncommon approach to our self-life. But ultimately, we must find our way through that myriad of lies through to the truth of who we really are.
Though we may have thought our whole lives we were imprisoned inside this wall of hopelessly self-centered self, and that if we were ever to get out of it would take years of effort, years of dealing with every little foible, idiosyncrasy, tendency, the real truth is that it is as simple and quick as this: Boom-shakalackala boom-shakalackala, you're released! (I hope you get my humor -- I'm trying to tell you that "POOF!", your captivity is over!)
That stuff is not real. That false consciousness of self is not real. That's the whole deal with it. We think this caricature the devil has sold us as our own identity, which for short we call "independent self," is us, what we've become, who we've been. But that's really the lie of the whole thing. It is a false thing. It has no life. We are not that. Once seen for what it is, it falls away into the nothingness it always has been, quicker than the Wicked Witch of the West melts in The Wizard of Oz!
Listen, this Romans reality is really the truth. We have died with him in baptism, the old everything that we were, and we rose new beings in His resurrection, being raised by the same Spirit that raised Him from the dead. The instrument of my humanity, my whole being, is now an instrument of righteousness (Rom 6:4-11). When Christ died and he became sin for us, we became the righteousness of God in him.(2 Cor 5:21)
It only awaits our saying, "Oh my, Lord, look what you've already done and I've missed it!" You were made righteousness in Him when you came into His kingdom, and from the eternal side of things, you were in Him Who was slain before the foundations of the earth. Your life has always been hid in Christ in God. It has only awaited your arrival to claim it.
All those things you see about yourself -- that's not the new man. That's a confession of an old man. You are not any of those things. It is a lie that you are any of that.
You are complete in Him. That means that spirit, soul and body have been made whole, by virtue of Him Who has come to claim you wholly as His dwelling place. What was wrong with you was your former master, whom you no longer serve.
The key to this whole life is faith. Christ has completed His work. See it whole now! That is faith.
Your life is Christ. Your "self" is not about protecting itself. Your self is not corrupt. Your former self was corrupt, but that self no longer exists -- it died in the death of Jesus. So who is saying you are naked?
Your true self is united to Christ, and he is none of those things. Your true life is even now complete in grace and oneness.
So I encourage you to realize that old self died, and all its attributes to which you are still confessing are yours, died with it, and has been replaced by a new master, indweller, and nature. Before you and I were of the nature of wrath, but now we are partakers of the divine nature, and we have everything there is to have pertaining to it, as the apostle Peter affirmed.
When an accusatory voice tells you you are corrupt, or out for attention, have questionable motives, you don't have to listen to that anymore. The source of Who you are, and your real identity, is in Christ, a new creation, all things new, and therefore you live in the motives of God, the love-for-others-drive of the Father. He is your source, not some non-existent former wisp of a ghost self! Live in the glory and freedom of the LIVING GOD, and not in the lower strata of separated self concerned only for itself, consumed with itself, whether it be its righteousness or its sin.
Begone with that false self. That isn't you and doesn't run you. Christ "runs" you!
You are the light of the world, the salt of the earth! Believe it!
We must realize that being confronted by the law is part of God's process. It is not something we engineer, i.e., set up a instruction course for new believers, with Course One being "The Law." It does not work like that. It is simply because we are all caught in separation, that is, living as if we are independent, self-relying selves, apart from God, who run our own lives. And in that condition, everything seems to be "outside" us. God is outside us. His law is outside us. The devil is outside us, and his deeds are outside us. That is what it is according to our consciousness. Everything is "over-against us," so to speak. So, for God to speak to us, and to begin to draw us our of our separated, "just-me," mindset, toward a union ("My Father and I are one") mindset, He must seemingly come to us as if out of that separation, and trigger something in us, by that separation, that puts us on the road to our real true lives, which are only found in Him as expressions of Him in union with us.
And that is where the Law comes in. The law is representative, in an outer way, of what God is like and what those who live in Him are like. Because of our separated consciousness, our first reaction to the law is to look at it and then back at ourselves, comparing ourselves with it. And we instantly find we do not measure up. God's standards are high -- impossible, actually -- but at that stage of the game we do not know it yet. We start to approach life in God the same way we barrel in on any project. Just acquire and master the right information, and we become successful. The tried and true formula for the world, and we think that will work in God, too! So we get big notebooks and big Bibles and take copious notes and underline or highlight half the New Testament.
We may believe wholeheartedly in "grace" at that point. But at the same time we read the admonitions of Paul or the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and we still cannot help but see them as separate from us that need to be added to us. And eventually, we will come to a brick wall. No one comes to Christ but by the schoolmaster -- the law. God ordains it. It is part of His system. His path.
God has a very distinct purpose for the law, and no one comes through to the Promised Land without going through the wilderness of the law. Everyone goes through it -- even while living unconsciously in grace. For instance, Abram & Sarai. Abram was already "righteous" by his believing the promise of God. But he attempts himself to make the promise happen (work of the law) by taking Sarai's maid, Hagar, in an attempt to obtain the heir through her. Paul even says later that Hagar points to the earthly Jerusalem, the covenant of bondage, i.e. the law. But God does not reject Abram through it. In fact, there is no record in Genesis of the Lord God even reproving Abram for this act of self-effort. Why? Because he is walking in God's righteousness, i.e. grace, even when he ignorantly commits an act of self-effort. He was at least trying to bring forth the promise of God, i.e. the Seed which should bless all nations.
Of course the Seed came through Isaac, when God appeared to Abram and changed his name to Abraham in his 99th year -- 14 years after the Hagar/Ishmael incident. Again, there is no reproof. All indications are that Abram had thought during all that time Ishmael was the promised son and his rightful heir. He was, after all, of his own body. Of his own seed. But he was a child of a bondwoman, not the true wife. In Abram's day even the child of the bondwoman could have been the heir had there never been a son by Sarai, but God said no. Suddenly God appears and renews the Promise, which Abram had believed 25 years earlier, changes his name to Abraham, and tells him he will have a son by Sarai, whose name now changes to Sarah.
But again, no reproof to Abraham. He goes through the experience of self-effort, the law, with God even promising an inheritance to Ishmael, by which he is brought to the Promise -- the birth of Isaac. Ishmael comes of self-effort. Isaac comes by Promise -- the gift of God.
My point is that both were necessary. There must be, for one thing, the contrast. And the contrast is not really about law and grace. Law and grace are really just two word-concepts that point to a greater and deeper issue -- the deepest issue there is: the law and grace issue is really about self-in-separation, or self-in-union.
Self-effort (acting by the flesh, the law) is not the root problem. Self-in-separation is the root problem, from which self-effort proceeds. So we must go beyond the "effort" to the self which attempts the effort. Nothing wrong with effort. It is just the self that generates it.
The law exposes self-effort, which is not really solved until we see that Christ in the self is the answer. Not the self discovering something, still separate from it, called "grace," but by the discovery/revelation that we are now this unified self, Christ and I as one self, grace being the chief attribute of that relationship, but grace meaning much more than unmerited favor. Grace is just another word for, "I will be a well of water springing up into everlasting life in you." Grace is just another term for, "So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
To be born of the Spirit is ultimately to realize that we in the Lord are not two, but one, and we ourselves in our humanity as outer expressions of the One Who is our inner life. As branches on a vine, but in that vine/branch relationship, the branch is but a branch expression of the Vine. It has no separate life of its own. And the Life, effort, grace, spirit, that proceeds through the vine into the branches to bring forth much fruit, is but One life in all the branches, the Same life, manifesting in many forms and branches. That is the key. We have no separate self-hood, but only find not just the source of "effort" in God, but the source of Self in God also.
That is the ultimate purpose of the law. The law IS separation. It testifies that we are separate, by the "shoulds" and "oughts" it demands of us. The law says, "You are not, and you should be ...." And when respond to the law by agreeing with it, that we "should" or "should not" do or be something, we are testifying to the lie that we are still separate from God, and not dead to sin, contradicting Romans 6:2 and Romans 7:4, and that Christ's work is still lacking in us. By the law, the devil deceives us that we can ADD TO the work of Christ already done, and gain by our efforts the righteousness of God and do His works. So we make a great effort to become like Christ, finally hitting that impenetrable brick wall, and falling on our faces, saying it is impossible, hopefully, which then enables the true life that we always have been since we came to Christ, really, to come forth. We must grow into a consciousness of this fact, and the law is just what does it. So it is absolutely necessary. Without that confrontation with what we essentially "are not," we cannot come into the solid fixing of who "we are!"
Oneness of self is found in the will. Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me." He had only one will -- the will of the Father. That is union. No separation. Distinction in office and manifestation, but no separation inwardly. The only time Jesus exhibited a temptation to a separate will was in Gethsemane -- and He rejects having a separate will -- he denies it by saying, "Not my will, but thine be done." So in Jesus there was no separate "my" will. Only a will unified in the Father, One Will, One Life, One Person, expressing and manifesting, by the Son and the Cross of the Son ("Lamb slain from the foundations of the earth"), through everything and everyone in creation.
We cannot make this happen in ourselves except finding by the Spirit a "nothingness" of will in ourselves, and the faith that now God's will is our will, and we have, by faith, no separate will from Him. We join Jesus' word regarding Himself, making it ours as well: "My meat is to do the will of Him Who sent me, and finish His work." Now let us also note this: oneness of will, which is where oneness originally occurs, still cannot produce the outflow of the life of God in us. As Paul said, "For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Rom 7:18). That is where the Life of the Spirit comes in, Romans 8, which we will save for a later discussion.
So then we appreciate those who are still out there in their wilderness of the law, knowing that by that the Father is working in them to bring them to the end of themselves through self-effort, that they might come to know Him in union. They are still under the grace, because they believe in Him. Yes, they are temporarily diverted, but they have to walk through a huge howling wilderness, in the middle of which is the Mountain of the Law, in order to go across and get to the edge of the Promised Land.
They are being made into who they are by that journey. One way to see the children of Israel and their journey across the wilderness is as a type of our life's journey. The generation that is "cursed," and cannot ever enter the land, we note, is the generation born in Egypt -- in the separated consciousness of independent, self-effort self. It was born under the devil's rule. That is the consciousness of self that cannot approach the mountain, in which mountain Moses, who knows union and grace, can walk up and down and be in the midst of the fire and smoke at the top. They are flesh-self, self-effort self, and of course when they get to the edge of the Promised Land they cannot go in, and are only conscious of themselves as grasshoppers, rather than living out of the provision and strength of God. That false consciousness of self cannot help itself. It MUST be that, for it cannot really stand in God. "No flesh shall enter my presence."
So they are rightly sent back into the wilderness for another 38 years. And then at the end of that 38 years, that generation has all perished in the wilderness -- just as Moses' false sense of self perished in his 40 years in the wilderness before the Burning Bush -- now they have been conditioned by the wilderness -- the law -- to finally enter the land. You might say, well, that generation has died. Yes, it has, but a new generation, not born in Egypt, but born in the wilderness, has now taken its place. This new generation never knew the separation and self-effort of Egypt, but as a type of the new self, the self united in Christ as one self with him, that generation walks across the Jordan, under the leadership of Joshua (also a type of Christ -- Moses as the lawgiver who cannot go into the land because he offended in one point), and they walk across the Jordan ON DRY GROUND and begin to take the land, to "possess their possessions."
All of that process must be. We don't engineer it, as I said above. But God sees to it. We cannot help responding to the law in self-effort, because that is who we believe we are. Therefore we must be confronted by the law. We must think we can do it. We must go through the wilderness of failure of trying to do it. We must come to that end of ourselves as separate selves, finally arriving at oneness, union, with the Life within us, so that we are not separate in ourselves trying to be something, but unified in ourselves as "I AM," that Christ might now be expressed by us.
That is the purpose of the law. So we see the Father having His will here. We get people out of it when we can, and leave the others in it for their appointed time.
One more word about this false consciousness of self I have mentioned. One person, considering that "self," wrote me that he was finding in himself all sorts of corruption, self-attention, jealousy, pride, etc. That is not an uncommon approach to our self-life. But ultimately, we must find our way through that myriad of lies through to the truth of who we really are.
Though we may have thought our whole lives we were imprisoned inside this wall of hopelessly self-centered self, and that if we were ever to get out of it would take years of effort, years of dealing with every little foible, idiosyncrasy, tendency, the real truth is that it is as simple and quick as this: Boom-shakalackala boom-shakalackala, you're released! (I hope you get my humor -- I'm trying to tell you that "POOF!", your captivity is over!)
That stuff is not real. That false consciousness of self is not real. That's the whole deal with it. We think this caricature the devil has sold us as our own identity, which for short we call "independent self," is us, what we've become, who we've been. But that's really the lie of the whole thing. It is a false thing. It has no life. We are not that. Once seen for what it is, it falls away into the nothingness it always has been, quicker than the Wicked Witch of the West melts in The Wizard of Oz!
Listen, this Romans reality is really the truth. We have died with him in baptism, the old everything that we were, and we rose new beings in His resurrection, being raised by the same Spirit that raised Him from the dead. The instrument of my humanity, my whole being, is now an instrument of righteousness (Rom 6:4-11). When Christ died and he became sin for us, we became the righteousness of God in him.(2 Cor 5:21)
It only awaits our saying, "Oh my, Lord, look what you've already done and I've missed it!" You were made righteousness in Him when you came into His kingdom, and from the eternal side of things, you were in Him Who was slain before the foundations of the earth. Your life has always been hid in Christ in God. It has only awaited your arrival to claim it.
All those things you see about yourself -- that's not the new man. That's a confession of an old man. You are not any of those things. It is a lie that you are any of that.
You are complete in Him. That means that spirit, soul and body have been made whole, by virtue of Him Who has come to claim you wholly as His dwelling place. What was wrong with you was your former master, whom you no longer serve.
The key to this whole life is faith. Christ has completed His work. See it whole now! That is faith.
Your life is Christ. Your "self" is not about protecting itself. Your self is not corrupt. Your former self was corrupt, but that self no longer exists -- it died in the death of Jesus. So who is saying you are naked?
Your true self is united to Christ, and he is none of those things. Your true life is even now complete in grace and oneness.
So I encourage you to realize that old self died, and all its attributes to which you are still confessing are yours, died with it, and has been replaced by a new master, indweller, and nature. Before you and I were of the nature of wrath, but now we are partakers of the divine nature, and we have everything there is to have pertaining to it, as the apostle Peter affirmed.
When an accusatory voice tells you you are corrupt, or out for attention, have questionable motives, you don't have to listen to that anymore. The source of Who you are, and your real identity, is in Christ, a new creation, all things new, and therefore you live in the motives of God, the love-for-others-drive of the Father. He is your source, not some non-existent former wisp of a ghost self! Live in the glory and freedom of the LIVING GOD, and not in the lower strata of separated self concerned only for itself, consumed with itself, whether it be its righteousness or its sin.
Begone with that false self. That isn't you and doesn't run you. Christ "runs" you!
You are the light of the world, the salt of the earth! Believe it!
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