Grace For Grace

One of the most amazing characteristics of Jesus as revealed in His life on earth as the Son of Man is the ability to live in such deep humility. Although the Bible records the temptations of the devil towards Jesus in Matthew and Luke chapter four, the reality was, His three years in ministry was a series of temptations almost daily. We see this as revealed in Luke 4:13, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." The devil sought opportunity after opportunity to work at discrediting Jesus, yet Jesus humbly walked in pure grace. (John 1:17)

So, what is this grace that Jesus walked in? Grace is defined as, divine favor; good will; kindness; the free unmerited love and favor of God; the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from God; divine influence; God’s strength, ability or energy at work in the believer to do His will; the influence of the Holy Spirit in renewing the heart and restraining from sin. We see this defined in the scriptures, "For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13 AMP) "Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20 AMP)

Wow, think about that for a moment. The living God is effectively at work in every believer, our recreated spirit, strengthening, energizing, and creating in us the desire and the ability to do His will for His good pleasure. This is the amazing grace that Jesus walked in and we can too! Now, let us look at the word humble. Humble or humility is defined as, Lowly; modest; meek; submissive; opposed to proud (pride), haughty, arrogant or assuming; to mortify; to make humble or lowly in mind; to be meek and submissive to the divine will; freedom from pride and arrogance; humbleness of mind; act of submission. The following are some scriptures reveal the contrast between humility and pride...

"Though the Lord is exalted, He regards the lowly [and invites them into His fellowship]; But the proud and haughty He knows from a distance." (Psalm 138:6 AMP)..."A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor." (Proverbs 29:23 AMP)..."Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor." (Matthew 23:12 AMP)..."But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness]." (James 4:6 AMP)... "Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5 AMP)

As we can clearly see, it is very important that believers desire to live the life of Jesus not only in His teachings and actions (miracles, signs and wonders), but also in His humble character. This is the place where God can manifest His great grace in our lives where we can move in miracles, signs and wonders. When looking at the lives of the twelve disciples, we see how Jesus exposed their true character of pride and selfishness to bring them to the place of humility where grace could abound in their lives.  Let us look at a few of the incidences, revealed in the scriptures, where we see in the lives of the twelve disciples the lack of the grace of humility.

Once they had been disputing which of them should be the greatest. (Luke 9:46-48) Another time the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus for the seats on His right hand and on His left hand for her sons. (Matthew 20:20-23) Then, at the Last Supper, there was again a contention concerning who should be the greatest. (Luke 22:24-27) Not that there were not moments when they humbled themselves before the Lord. For example it was Peter who cried out to the Lord, "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8) We also see the disciples humble themselves when they fell down and worshiped Jesus when He spoke "peace" which stilled the storm. (Mark 4:35-41) However, as we see in the examples above, such occasional expressions of humility were far and few, which had often given way to their natural and spontaneous expression of the power of self. Like the disciples, though they lived with Jesus for three years, many believers today respond in the same manner. Although there may be an earnest and active religion in one’s life, for many, humility is still sadly lacking.

We see in the disciples a fervent attachment to Jesus; the Father revealing to them that Jesus was in fact the Christ, (Matthew 16:16-17); we also observe, they believed in Him, they loved Him, they obeyed His commandments; they had forsaken all to follow Him. (Matthew 19:27) When others went back, turned away from Him, (John 6:66), they continued to walk with Him to the point that they were ready to die with Him. (John 11:16) But deep down there was a dark power, the existence of a hideous nature of which they were hardly conscious, which had to be slain and cast out. It is even so for many today. 

We may find professors, ministers, various Christian workers, missionaries, teachers, etc., in whom the gifts of the Spirit are many and manifest, and who are the channels of blessing to multitudes, but of whom, when the testing time comes, it becomes a painful reality that the grace of humility is scarcely seen. We can all agree, humility is one of the chief and the highest graces yet one of the most difficult to attain. Although this may be true, walking in humility must become one of our first and highest efforts. We must permit the Holy Spirit to have His way in us causing us to realize more and more every moment of every day that we are partakers of the indwelling Christ, and He lives within us. (1 John 4:4)

For three years the disciples had been in the training school of Jesus. He had told them what the most important lesson was, "Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." (Matthew 11:28-29) Time after time He had spoken to them, to the Pharisees, to the multitude, of humility as the only path to the glory of God. (Matthew 18:1-5) He had not only lived before them as the Lamb of God in His divine humility, He had more than once unfolded to them the inner most secret of His life, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but so serve" (Matthew 20:28). He had washed the disciples feet, and told them they were to follow His example, (John 13:1-17), and yet, as mentioned above, at the Last Supper where this took place there was still the contention as to who should be greatest.

It is only by the indwelling of Christ (the Holy Spirit) in His divine humility that we become truly humble. The pride that we deal with came by way of the fall, from Adam. Pride is a part of our old nature and if we let it, it can rule us. On the other hand, humility is in the new nature which must be permitted to displace all pride so we become who we truly and newly are, new creations in Christ. All Christ's teaching of His disciples, especially that of humility, was in preparation for His entering into them, His divine nature. In His death He destroyed the power of the devil. (Hebrews 2:14) Jesus put away sin, and provided an everlasting, perfect and complete redemption.

What shall we say to these things? Let us pray to God that the pleasures of the world may not satisfy us; let us mortify the old nature; let us grasp the fact that the absence of this grace, humility, is the cause as to why the power of God is not manifesting in mighty works. Let the Holy Spirit reveal to us deep within, it is only when we, like Jesus, truly know and show that we can do nothing of ourselves, but the grace of God released will do it all. (John 15:5; 1 Corinthians 15:10) It is when the truth of the indwelling Christ, the Holy Spirit, becomes such a reality to us, and that we permit Him to takes His place in and through us, that the church will become the most beautiful and desirous living thing on earth. So, "Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you." (Isaiah 60:1)

Blessed in His Grace

A good biblical definition of grace can be found in Philippians 2:13, "For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure." (AMP) Notice, it is "God who is effectively at work in you." In other words this has nothing to do with our abilities or strength, but Gods ability, His strength, His energy working in us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the work of the Holy Spirit in us is to transform every believer more into the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18) This is an act of God's grace. Our only involvement in this is cooperating with Him in this wonderful work.

With that, let us consider the following two scenarios. The first is what we could say is a good day spiritually. What I mean is, you get up promptly when your alarm goes off and have a refreshing and profitable time reading the Bible and praying. Your plans for the day generally fall into place, and you sense the presence of God with you. To top it off, you unexpectedly have an opportunity to share the gospel with someone that the Holy Spirit has quickened in you who is truly searching. As you talk with the person, you sense the Holy Spirit helping you and also working in this persons heart who then accepts Christ as Lord and Savior. You return home feeling excited that Gods grace was at work in you and also at work with the person that had just accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. 

However, the second day in this scenario, is just the opposite. You don't arise at the first ring of your alarm. Instead, you shut it off and go back to sleep. When you finally awaken, it's too late to have a time in the Word and to pray. You quickly gulp down some breakfast and rush off to the day's activities. You feel guilty about missing your devotional time, and things just generally seem to go wrong all day and as the day rolls along, you become more and more irritable. To top things off, you do not sense God's presence in your life and then an unexpected opportunity to share the gospel with someone who seems to be interested in accepting Christ as Savior presents itself. You do not feel the Holy Spirit's prompting, you fumble at your words, the person does not receive Christ. Finally, you return home, tired and disappointed. 

In a sense, we could call one day a good day and the other a bad day. How do we suppose we would look at both days? Let's look at the following questions as to how we would feel about these two scenarios. Would we enter those two witnessing opportunities with a different degree of confidence? Would we be less confident on the bad day than on the good day? Would we find it difficult to believe that God would bless us and use us in the midst of a rather bad spiritual day? If you answered yes to those questions, you have lots of company among believers. Many believers would be less confident of God's blessing while sharing Christ at the end of a bad day than they would after a good one. Is such thinking justified? Does God work that way? The answer to both of these questions is no! Why? Because God's blessing does not depend on our performance or feelings. 

Why then do so many believers think this way? It is because they believe that God's blessing on our lives is somehow conditioned upon our performance. If we have performed well and had a good day, we can assume we are in a position for God to bless us. We know God's blessings come to us through Christ, but we also have this vague but very real notion that they are also conditioned on our behavior. The point of this good day, bad day scenario is this; regardless of our performance, we are to always and in all things, depend on God's grace, His ability, His strength, His energy working in and through us, through the Holy Spirit. 

The good news in this, is, the gospel message is God's grace is available to us on both our best days as well as our worst days. This is true because the Lord Jesus Christ fully satisfied the claims of justice and fu1ly paid the penalty of a broken law when He died on the cross as our substitute. Every day of our Christian experience should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone. We are not only saved by grace, but we also live by grace every day. This grace comes through the meritorious work of God in Christ. Look what the Holy Spirit reveals to us through the Apostle Paul, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2) 

A significant part of the Mosaic Law was the promise of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). Some Christians live as if that principle applies to them today. But Paul tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4) 

Christ has already borne the curses for our disobedience and earned for us the blessings of obedience. As a result we are now to look to Christ alone, not Christ plus our performance, but simply Christ for God's blessings in our lives. We are saved by grace and we are to live by grace alone. When we pray to God for His blessing, He does not examine our performance to see if we are worthy. Rather, He looks to see if we are trusting in the merit of His Son as our only hope for securing His blessings. The Apostle Paul, when speaking to certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers tells them, "for in Him (Christ) we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) So, let us let go of all the self-labors and works and bask in the amazing grace of God. Let us no longer do, to live, but live and do for His glory.

His Grace Is Freedom

The Fourth of July in the United States is known as Independence Day. Independence Day has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of celebrating Independence Day goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-1783). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies accessed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, Independence Day has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. Although the United States celebrates Independence Day as a day of freedom from Great Britain's oppression of those days, one is not truly free until they confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as Savior.

Today in the United Stated we often forget that, in declaring independence from an earthly power, our forefathers made a forthright declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. The closing words of the Declaration of Independence solemnly declares, "With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." The fifty six courageous men who signed that document understood that this was not just high sounding rhetoric. They knew that if they succeeded, the best they could expect would be years of hardship in a struggling new nation. If they lost, they would face a hangman's noose as traitors. But notice, their dependence was not upon their abilities, but upon Divine Providence. They knew that without divine intervention, their desire for freedom would never happen. History reveals that all the signers of the Declaration of Independence had a Christian/religious background; 32 Episcopalian/Anglican; 13 Congregationalist; 12 Presbyterian; 2 Quaker; 2 Unitarian or Universalist; 1 Catholic.  

Of the fifty six, few were long to survive. Five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes, ransacked, looted, occupied by the enemy, or burned. Two lost their sons in the army. One had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six died in the war, from its hardships or from its bullets. Whatever ideas you have of the men who met that hot summer in Philadelphia, it is important that we remember certain facts about the men who made this pledge. They were not poor men, or wild-eyed pirates. They were men of means, prosperous men, wealthy landowners, substantially secure in their prosperity and respected in their communities. But they considered liberty much more important than the security they enjoyed. They pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. They fulfilled their pledge. They paid the price. And freedom was won.

Someone once said, "To be born free is a privilege. To live free is an awesome responsibility." Yet freedom is never free. It is always purchased at great price. Take a moment and ponder the greatest price ever paid for freedom. The price that was paid at Calvary nearly two thousand years ago by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to purchase man's freedom. In a similar way, the forefather's of this country were also ready to pay a great price for freedom not only for themselves, but for all who would come to the United States to become citizens of this "One nation under God." Little did John Adams know how significant his words would be when he spoke to his wife, Abigail, on the passing of the Declaration of Independence, "I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states; yet, through all the gloom I can see the rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means."

To those who sacrificed for our freedom, the end was worth the painful means. Where would we, who are citizens of the United States of America, be today if there had not been those who counted the cost of freedom and willingly paid for it? Where will we be tomorrow if men and women of integrity do not come forward today and once again pay the price to reclaim a dying America? The only way this can be accomplished is for the church in the United States to do two things. First, we must humble ouselves and do the very thing that the LORD spoke to Solomon, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) Secondly, what Jesus spoke to the apostles (and for all believers) before departing His earthly ministry as the Son Of Man to return to the Father, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 19-20)

We may look at the American revolution and think that it was a struggle against natural forces, but the reality is, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood." I believe the forefather's recognized this. I pray that the church in the United States would also recognize this and respond to God's call, 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Matthew 28:19-20. 

I believe that a great awakening is coming that will fulfill the prophecy of Habakkuk, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (Habakkuk 2:14) I also believe God is calling every believer to change, because He wants to take us into another dimension or level of glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18) There are dimension of glory that exist that we do not know of or have entered into. Areas of creative miracles where we will see body parts grow where there were none; Birth defects instantly healed; Dominion over the forces of nature; People raised from the dead; and more salvation's than the world has ever experienced. I believe a time is coming where we will enter into these dimensions of glory and they will be the norm. I say these things because like me, I want to stir you up to seek God and His glory. 

But change is an individual choice. We must ask the Holy Spirit to give us the grace, that is, the desire and ability to do God’s will, to help us change, but we also must work at bring change. It may take some time, it may even be painful or difficult process for some, but it is worth the effort, because with God all things are possible. Food for thought: Change is not really change until it is genuine and lasting. So, let us do like the forefather's of this country who were willing to give up all and trust that God would bring freedom. Let us no longer be conformed to the world, remain stagnant and frustrated with life trying to please man? But, let us let God’s Word transform us into the image of Christ from glory to glory to please God. As we choose the latter, not only will we understand true freedom, but God will also use us to set the captives free... 

By The Grace Of God

The Apostle Paul says of himself, "But by the grace of God I am what I am..." (1 Corinthians 15:10) Paul tells us that it is by the favor of God that he is all that he is. All of his success; all of his ability; all that he is can be traced to God alone. In other words, Paul no longer identifies himself as Saul of Tarsus, his old nature, but as an Apostle, not called and appointed by man, but by God himself, the new nature. (Galatians 1:1) Paul was in tune with God. He further tells us, "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." (Galatians 2:20)

This is a very powerful scripture and it is important for believers to comprehend its fullness.  As it was with Paul, it is the same for the believer. How we formerly identified ourselves no longer applies. We are to identify ourselves with Christ. For instance when a person is asked to describe themselves, they usually mention race, religion, cultural background or social distinctions. But Paul was not associating himself with those things anymore, although he did mention these things to show where he came from. (Philippians 3:5-6) This did not mean that he was not a Jew in the natural sense, but now the overriding factor in his life was his identification with Christ. His identity was no longer determined by his physical heritage, social standing or racial distinctions. It is the same with every believer. Our identity lies in the fact that believers are all children of God, we are in Christ and Christ is in us.

Although we can be thankful for our physical heritage, we must be far more grateful for our  spiritual heritage in Christ. The significance of this highly essential truth cannot be overstated. When a person becomes born again, they are completely forgiven and are immediately given a new nature, the very nature of God (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Peter 1:4) Furthermore, Paul tells us, "For we are His workmanship, (masterpiece) created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) Believers are now citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) Peter tells us that believers, "...are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Unfortunately, many people have had a very difficult childhood. Many are raised in a dysfunctional family. Their identity and perception of themselves were formed and programmed into their minds through the natural orders of this world. But for many, even when they receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, and are elated with this good news, generally, are never led away from associating with the old self. They are never brought to a place of seeing themselves how God the Father truly sees them. They tend to struggle in this new life as a Christian not knowing this simple but very important truth, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) They are no longer products of their past, but made completely new in Christ. Note, "...old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Not renovated, not patch up, not a hybrid, but are completely made new, a new creation like Christ Himself.

So, how can one come to the place of being set free from their past and live a victorious life in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2) Believers are to be transformed (metamorphosed) by the renewing of their mind. Renewing the mind does not come naturally. There is no delete button that erases the past programming of the mind. We have to consciously come to know God's Word so that we can truly understand and know who we are from God's perspective. This does not come by-way-of intellectual knowledge, but by applying faith in the integrity of God's Word, that is, believing and acting on what God says in His Word. Of course to believe and act on God's Word requires revelation.

The renewing of the mind is a process. Changing the old way of thinking that has been constantly rehearsed in the mind does not go away because we wish it away. Knowing who we are in Christ and knowing how the Father sees us is not theology or theory nor the power of positive thinking. It come by-way-of a revelation of truth (God's Word) through the Holy Spirit and then exercising faith in this new revealed knowledge. Reason being, a persons faith will not exceed the revelation that they have. 

If you are struggling with your past, who you were before you became born again, then all you need to do is, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:7-11) God has some wonderful things that He has for you. All you need to do is believe and receive them, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24) PTL   

Amazing Grace

God spoke through two of the major prophets in the Bible, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, revealing His plan to establish a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. However, this New Covenant would not be limited to Israel and Judah alone, but it would also open the door for the justification and restoration of all mankind (John 3:16, Romans 1:16) God calls it a New Covenant because it would fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant and also accomplish what the Mosaic Covenant could only point to. The most incredible thing that this New Covenant reveals is that it has absolutely nothing to do with any human endeavor. 

"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD, ' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."  (Jeremiah 31:31-34) 

"Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God...For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." (Ezekiel 11:19-21, 36:24-28)

I have emphasized the key component of the New Covenant. God says, "I Will." Again, this has absolutely nothing to do with any human endeavor. God has made Himself responsible to establish and uphold the New Covenant. (Hebrews 7:22) The New Covenant will no longer be laws and commands written on tablets of stone but a covenant placed within a new transformed heart of flesh as and object of His infinite love. (2 Corinthians 3:3)  He is not going to become our God only in a general sense, but all that there is in God will belong to those who are in this New Covenant with Him, (John 16:15) He has also made Himself completely responsible to keep us, bless us, honor us, provide for us and love us, etc. (Matthew 6:25-32). As much as He is our portion, we are also His portion (John 15:5) Those under the New Covenant shall know God as Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They will come to know Him personally as a man knows his wife. They will know His will, nature, character, purposes and plan all because He will open the door of communion and fellowship with Him and those under this New Covenant. (John 14:5-10, 26, 17:3, 20-26, 1 John 1:3)

God said, "I will forgive them and will remember their sin no more" that is all sin, transgression and iniquity will be blotted out and never mentioned again (Isaiah 43:25, Acts 2:38) He will take people from among the nations, because salvation is for all people (John 3:16, Romans 1:16) He will sprinkle clean water and cleanse His New Covenant people with the water of His Word. (Ephesians 5:25-28) His people will be given oneness of heart manifested through God’s love (John 13:34, John 17:21) He will put a new spirit in these New Covenant people, that is, God will transform the dead human spirit and completely recreate it (2 Corinthians 5:17) and to put the icing on the cake, He will put His Spirit within them. (John 14:16-17) What does this all mean to you and I? The New Covenant is based on pure grace and nothing else but grace. According to the Bible, grace is defined as, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) another translations says it this way, " For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire."

Basically, God's grace is God giving us what we do not deserve such as, forgiveness, healing, provision, long live, eternal life, His ability, etc. However, it was Him, He alone made the decision to do everything it would take to satisfy justice and completely restore humanity to what He had intended before the fall. Not only did He do what He said He would do as He spoke through the prophets, but the amazing attribute of grace is He has given the believer His ability and the desire to do His will. Well, how can we implement this wonderful, amazing grace into our daily lives? "Therefore, having been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2 )

Every believer can walk daily in the abundance of grace that God has if we are willing to "walk by faith and not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) Notice carefully to what Paul says, "walk by faith." Simply reading and meditating on God's Word is not enough to build our faith. It only creates a capacity for faith. Faith is only built when believers acts upon God's Word through their daily lives and daily speech. James says it this way, "...I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:18), that is, acting on God's Word. This is the kind of faith that pleases God (Mark 11:22-24) As we yield to the work of the Holy Spirit giving us revelation of God's Word we will become completely convinced that His Word is one hundred percent true and we no longer base His Word on experiences or a manifestation. We believe and act on God's Word because God’s Word says so, period. All believers must be fully convinced of this fact, "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19) May, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.    

 

 

Grace, Grace

Years ago I read a story about a world renown zoo that purchased a great brown bear to become one of its exhibits. The zoo had purchased the bear from a circus where the bear had been confined to a small metal cage. Hour after hour and day after day the bear would pace back and forth from one end of the cage to the other. The zoo had a bear compound consisting of acres of lush, green grass, trees and a pool of fresh drinking water. The bear would be fed three times a day and would have nothing to do but to enjoy its new home. The day came when the bear arrived at the zoo and the zoo-keepers took him to his new habitat. When they opened the cage to release the bear to their surprise the bear continued to walk back and forth within the confines of the small cage. The zoo-keeper tried various things to coax the bear from the cage but it would not leave. Finally, the only solution that was left was to put some kerosene soaked rages on a pole light them and stick the fiery pole through the bars of the cage. This intimidated the bear to jump out of the cage and into his new home. The bear looked around but to the zoo-keepers amazement, the bear began to pace back and forth as though he was still in the small metal cage. Suddenly it dawned on the attendants that although the bear was released from its "metal prison" it still remained in a "mental prison."

Like the bear in this story, many Christians find themselves in a very similar dilemma. They have become accustomed to accepting thoughts of failure and defeat in various areas of their life. They are convinced that that things will never change. This type of thinking has crippled many born again, spirit-filled children of God who truly love the Lord. When they face some of the difficulties of life, they find themselves settling for far less than what God has for them. There are generally two reasons why believers entertain this type of thinking. First, they accepted the opinions of man (father, mother, siblings or others) who have spoken harsh condescending words over them for most of their life and or secondly, they have listened to sermons that provide believers with a steady diet of "you are nothing more than a sinner saved by grace who is weak and is incapable of ever pleasing God." They have been inundated with so many rules and regulations that they are held captive to this mental prison. However, the truth of the matter is, there is a powerful attribute of God that He has made available to all of His children that has freed them from this mental prison, it's called grace.

Philippians reveals grace this way, "For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire." (Philippians 2:13 Wey) I like to define it this way. Simply put, grace is the free unearned, unmerited favor of God that gives the believer the ability and desire to do God's will. God's grace is free, it is a gift, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8) As we grow to understand how this free gift from God works in and through our lives, we will find ourselves living in the freedom that the Father has provided through Jesus Christ.

Grace can be seen from two sides. First, it is the free unearned, unmerited favor of God for the believer. The truth is, we deserve nothing good, however, God working through Christ  has provided His amazing grace for all believers. His grace provides, forgiveness, healing, provision, peace, hope, eternal life; the list goes on and on. The other side of grace is, grace gives the believer the ability and desire to do God's will. So not only is God's grace upon the believer for his/her benefit, but it also works through the believer accomplishing God's will for the benefit of others. We need to keep this balance in mind so that we do not take the grace of God to an extra-biblical level. Many preachers in their efforts to present the message of grace to free the enormous number of believers held in bondage to rules, regulations, defeat and failure find themselves teaching grace from an unbiblical extreme. Unfortunately, we have done this very thing in the church in the past with such things as the discipleship movement and the faith teaching (to name a few). Just because something sounds good or sounds right doesn't mean that it is. This is why it is so important for believers to search the scriptures themselves to see if these things are so.

God's grace is available to all of His children. We receive grace through faith, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace..." (Romans 4:16) not through anything that we can do, "And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work." (Romans 11:6) We simply reach out and receive it by faith and thank God for His free gift of grace. So if you need God's favor in your life, if you need God's ability in your life and if you need a desire to do God's will, just receive His grace. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)     

Who Did That

One of the saddest phrases that comes forth from a Christians mouth when life trials come or a tragedy happens is, "God, why did you let this happen!" It is as though somehow God takes pleasure in the agonies that take place in humanity. Many will even say, "God is sovereign" (which He is) which to them means that God does whatever He wants whenever He wants, even if it means operating contrary of His Word. Many come this conclusion because they have been taught to think this way by church leaders who reason through life's adversities rather than exercising faith in the integrity of God's Word and understand what is actually going on. Peter tells us, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." (2 Peter 1:2-3)

Notice that God has given the believer "all things that pertain to life and godliness." This means that believers should have an understanding of how God operates in this life. He is a God of blessings and life not of tragedy and death. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) and "...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)  In both of these verses the word life means, "life as God has it; that which the Father has in Himself." Although redemption is much far reaching than most in the church today understand, notice that one of the reasons for the incarnation was to give humanity life as God has it, life which the Father has! From this, to say that God has some mysterious purpose in the tragedies that happen in humanity, especially to the believer, His child, comes down to this, "My people are being destroyed because they don't know me." (Hosea 4:6)

Looking back on 2 Peter 1:2-3, notice that grace and peace are multiplied to the believer in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Also notice that all the things that God has given the believer that pertain to life and godliness, also comes through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. This connects with what the Holy Spirit spoke through Hosea. One of the ways that people, even Christians, blame God for permitting tragedies or saying that tragic things are a part of God divine purpose is because they do not know Him, meaning, His nature, character, will, purposes and plan. Of course terrible things happen on the earth, but it is not God's will nor are they some sovereign purpose of God that we will never understand. We must stop blaming God for things that are not His will nor a part of His divine purpose. Sure God can use a tragedy and turn it for good, but to say that He somehow permits tragic things to happen to fulfill some mysterious purpose of His is utter nonsense. It would be like saying that Jesus did not fully satisfy justice for humanity, so God uses tragic situation to complete mans redemption.

Jesus said, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;" (John 14:7) and "He who has seen Me has seen the Father;" (John 14:9) Jesus is not saying that these men were not his disciples, but that they did not have an accurate knowledge of his nature, character, will, purposes and plan, which was actually the Father's. God has given us His Word, the Bible, so that the believer can know His nature, character, will, purposes and plan. We should start by looking at the four gospels. In them we will discover that Jesus is a perfect reflection of the Father's nature, character, will, purposes and plan which is to save, heal, deliver and bring abundant life to humanity not tragedy and death. Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18) but He does not use His authority to override mans will nor does He use His authority to operate contrary to His Word.

How can one honestly believe that our heavenly Father somehow has a sovereign purpose or plan to have one of His children perish at the hand of a drunk driver? It was the will of the drunk driver to reject what was right for what they knew to be wrong. It was the will of the drunk driver to get behind the wheel of a car and cause this tragedy. God will not stop people from exercising their will. He didn't in the Garden of Eden nor does He do it now. He does not force people to do His will, so yes, He does permit tragic things to happen, but it certainly is not His will or His divine purpose. Never forget, that sin has its consequences and unfortunately many innocent people suffer for it. Also let us not forget that Satan's hatred for God and humanity is the motivator behind such heinous things.

God is certainly in control, (sovereign) but He Himself is limited in that control, "As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress." (Job 37:23) and "...For You have magnified Your word above all Your name." (Psalm 138:2) God does everything on absolute legal grounds and within the parameters of His Word so that none (man, angels, Satan or demons) can accuse Him of not being just or blame Him for permitting things to happen that are contrary to His nature, character, will, purposes and plan. He is limited by His own Word as well as the choices of man. Even in the Garden, God did not encroach Adam's will (free choice) to commit treason and yet God was just as sovereign then as He is now and will ever be.

Throughout Israel's history scripture clearly shows us that they rejected God through their poor choices which were not God's will nor some divine purpose of God and we see that they received the consequences of those choices and yet God remained sovereign. God has made a way for man to be free from sin and Satan through Jesus Christ, but it does not mean that all people will Chooses God's plan of redemption, thereby permitting the destructive nature of sin and Satan to still have their way in humanity. Another thing to consider is that God is also limited by the choices that believers (the church) also make that are contrary to His Word. The church is the Body of Christ and therefore it is the voice and power of God on earth.

The Lord has given the church (believers) authority over sin and Satan. We must use this authority to enforce and uphold what Jesus has provided through His death, resurrection and glorification. We must stop taking tragedy on the chin and stand on God's Word knowing that God does not have some divine purpose in the destruction of His children. My friends, blaming our Great Heavenly Father for these things breaks my heart and brings me to tears. God's ingenious plan of redemption liberates all men and provides abundant life right here on planet earth while we wait in hope for the glory of heaven. Don't believe me? Study and meditate on God's Word being led by the Holy Spirit and see for yourself the true nature, character, will, purposes and plan of God and be set free. For who Jesus has set free (being born again) is completely free.

It's All Grace

We can define grace as, the free unmerited favor of God to the undeserving and ill-deserving. Grace cannot be earned, it cannot be worked for, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8) God is able to make His favor, His strength, His ability, His energy, His grace, flow in abundance in and through us, and that we are being so perfectly supplied by Him that we have all sufficiency in all things.

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter says it this way, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:2-4 ) Therefore, let’s rid ourselves of reasoning and exercise our faith giving God’s Word the right-of-way in all things.

Paul also tells us, "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God." (2 Corinthians 9:10-11) The fruits of righteousness are not only right conduct, that’s a given, the fruits of righteousness are also the very same kind of fruit that we see in the four gospels which reveal the ministry of Jesus in His Words and actions. For believers to increase the fruits of your righteousness in their lives they must have a superiority complex rather than an inferiority complex meaning. This means letting go of all guilt, condemnation, unworthiness, and inferiority and letting God’s Word loose in us to transform us. As God's Word is loosed in us, it will reveal who we truly are in the mind and eyes of our heavenly Father. It will free us from the old things, the old ungodly habits, thoughts and actions and we will live in true freedom, as His New Creation sons and daughters.

Our Heavenly Father desires, “the eyes of our understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power  which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:18-23)

Everything God did in Christ is ultimately for the benefit of the church, every believer. The Apostle John tells us, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." (John 1:16) Our confession is no longer of weakness, lack and or failure which is contrary to what God has made us when He recreated us. Instead, we confess, God is my Father and I am His child; Satan's dominion over me has been broken and I have the very Nature and Life of the Son of God in me now; I am a partaker of the Divine Nature; I have passed out of death into Life; I know I am a child of God which makes me an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ; I can stand in Gods presences without guilt, shame, condemnation, unworthiness and or inferiority because He has declared me the righteousness of Himself in Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The Holy Spirit through the writer of Hebrews encourages us in saying, "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21) What a tremendous Word of encouragement. How liberating this can become to the one who dares to confess what he is in Christ; what Christ is in him/her and knows without wavering, just how wonderful the Father truly see us. Our Heavenly Father has a exceedingly great inheritance for His children, so let Him live His Life in and through us so we can enjoy our share of our inheritance in Christ. Shout, THANK YOU LORD!!!

Completely New

Becoming a New Creation in Christ is not the work of psychology, philosophy, theology or of any human ability. It is a work of God Himself. "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." (1 Peter 1:23) "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:18) "Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:13) I labor this because most believers have been preached at for so many years that they are poor, miserable creatures that are unworthy and unfit to please God, because after all you are nothing more than a sinners saved by grace. It has created sin consciousness, a sense of unworthiness that has taken root to where God’s Word has little to no effect to transform the believer.

However, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) These things can only be believed when we look at God’s Word without prejudice and through a heart of faith. For example, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3) We believe this simply because God’s Word says it is so. We do not question it with any prejudice, but fully accept it, though we were not present during creation.

Think about this way, if you are born again, do you wake up every morning and question whether or not you are saved? No! Why not? Because one day, you responded to the Holy Spirit and God's Word that says, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10) You have accepted this truth without prejudice, therefore you are saved. There is absolutely no difference when it comes to who we are in Christ, who Christ is in us and how the Father truly sees us. We simply accept these truths without prejudice because God’s Word says these things are so. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) "Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21)

Our approach towards God’s Word should always be the Father speaking to us. It should never be like the message from an ordinary book. It should be as real to us as though the Lord is standing in the room speaking to us personally. The Word is filled with the very life of God. The writer of Hebrews records, "For the Logos of God is a living thing, active and more cutting than any sword with double edge, penetrating to the very division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, scrutinizing the very thoughts and conceptions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 Moffatt)

Because God’s Word is a living thing, it feeds our recreated spirit and imparts faith to our recreated spirit also. To have faith in the Father and to have faith in Christ is to have faith in His Word. The Word has the authority of God in it then, now and forever. It has the Righteousness of God in it, it has the power to save the unsaved, heal the sick and feed our hungry spirit. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) So, I want to admonish us as Paul did, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." (Colossians 3:16) Therefore, the more we apply faith to God's Word and act upon it, the more it will become real to us and the more freedom we will experience in Christ. "...man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 8:3)   So, let us feed on God's Word daily... 

It Has Been Put Away

The word substitute means, "a person or thing acting or serving in place of another." This is precisely what God did through Jesus Christ for the benefit of all humanity. Jesus was our Substitute. He died under our Judgment, in our stead, because He was made sin with our sin. This took place because "For God so loved the world..." (John 3:16) "There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10) "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) It was God in Christ that took man's liability, because no human could ever fix the sin problem, escape judgment and stand right with God. Therefore, when one accepts Christ, there is no judgment for him or her. "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him (Christ)." (John 3:18 NLT) In the mind of justice, we died to sin and its dominion when we died with Christ. "For he who has died has been freed from sin." (Romans 6:7)

In the mind of God, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, brought us into a perfect oneness with Christ. Just as Jesus conquered death by submitting to it, "I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." (John 10:17-18), we, the new creations in Christ, conquer Satan by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus. In the same way that we have died to sin, according to Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; Romans 8:32; 1 Peter 2:24, disease and sickness do not belong to the new creation either. Jesus not only had our sin nature laid on Him, but He had our diseases laid on Him also. When He put sin away, He put sickness and disease away. "By His stripes we are (were) healed."

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all." (Romans 6:10) Christ has died once for all as our sin Substitute. He, in judgment, met the demands of justice for us. He took sin, sickness, disease and the curse of the law to hell, the place of judgment, the place of suffering and put them completely away! Now, for those who put their trust (faith) in Christ, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10) becomes a current reality. The New Living Translation say it this way, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." The Father now sees every believer in beauty and perfection in Christ. "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." ( Colossians 3:3) Once a person receives Christ as their LORD and Savior, their old nature is executed, it died.

The theory of our dying daily with Christ comes from 1 Corinthians 15:31, "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." Paul is not talking about going to the cross of Christ again and again to continuously die to Christ or to die to sinful habits. He was actually saying, due to his mission for Christ, he was constantly living in the presence of physical death; He was in danger of losing his physical life on a daily bases. The fact is, we died once with Christ and now we live with and in Him. His perfect Redemption is ours; His perfect Righteousness is ours;
All He is and did is ours and all we are is His! "God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself." (Ephesians 1:22-23 NLT) This is "Good News."

The Father made us one with Himself in Christ, "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).(Ephesians 2:5) "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses." (Colossians 2:13) "God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did." (Romans 4:17) "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." (Ephesians 1:4) In the mind of God, before the foundations of the world, He chose us, and though dead in our trespasses, He made us alive in Christ, holy and without blame before Him in love. In other words, God counted us New Creations, His sons and daughters, before the foundations of the world simply because He counted the things that were not as though they were, and they became. PTL...

The moment a person confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and receives Him as Savior, the new birth, the new creation and everything tied to and associated with redemption becomes an instant reality. Now believers may not know these facts, but that does not change them in any way. "Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous." (Romans 4:25 YLT) We could not have been declared righteous unless Jesus Himself satisfied the claims of justice and therefore declared righteous Himself. Therefore, if He was made righteous, then all who confess Him as our LORD, accept Him as Savior, receive eternal life and are automatically made righteous that moment. To add to this, believers can dominate the forces of darkness in the Name of Jesus.

This has nothing to do with our works, but, Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]. (Ephesians 3:20 AMP) It is God at work in and through us, because, sin, sickness, disease and the curse of the law have been put away through our wonderful Substitute, Jesus Christ our LORD.

A Permanent Ending

 Death is defined in various ways. One definition is "a permanent ending to that which was alive." The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, concerning a believers former life before Christ, and their new life in Christ, tells us, "For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." (Romans 6:7-8) This literally means "he that has died" in a physical sense. Note that the physical truth points to the spiritual truth. What the Holy Spirit wants all believers to completely understand is that, has been freed from sin, means, justified, acquitted, absolved, freed from sin, period. That as Christ was once dead but now lives to God, and will no more die, so we, being dead to sin, but living unto God, should not obey sin, but should live only to God, not only in the next life but now! The believers identification with Christ (his/her union with Christ) is noted throughout Romans, "Died with Him" (Romans 6:3, 8)…"Buried with Him" (Romans 6:4)…"United together with Him" (Romans 6:5)…"Raised with Him" (Romans 6:4-5)…"Crucified with Him" (Romans 6:6)..."Alive with Him" (Romans 6:8). Believers need to see not only Christ’s substitution in these things but also our identification with Him in these thing. Paul goes on... 

"Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts."  (Romans 6:9-12) Reckon means, to not imagine or count something true that is not true. In verse 11 we see another faith declaration. Let's declare, "I conclude that it is true, I am dead to sin, and I am alive, I have life in Christ Jesus my Lord." The believer is to allow Christ, as King, to reign over him or her, not sin. Although the law of sin has not yet been eradicated from the believer, because the believer still has a mortal body that is subject to physical death, (physical death is the last enemy to be destroyed, 1 Corinthians 15:26), there is the constant need to say no to sin and yes to life in Christ Jesus. Paul now gives us very detailed instructions concerning our new life... 

"And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Romans 6:13) This is our identification with Christ’s death and resurrection. Sin is a spiritual law and needs a person, their body, as an instrument to express itself. The heart of the whole matter concerns yielding the body's members as an instruments of sin or instruments of righteousness. God will not encroach our choice, but exhorts us to live in a higher level of life which is actually true freedom. This life, simply put, is a life by grace through faith. The more we recognize how to live in the grace of God, the more freedom that we will experience. The following scripture makes this completely clear.  

"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14) Paul is clear that the believer can live a victorious life in Christ. Sin does not need to have dominion (reign as king) over the believer. The believer can have dominion (reign as king) over sin. This does not mean that the believer has reached a state of sinless perfection, but rather the believer no longer needs to be ruled or dominated by sin. The believer is not under the law, that is, the dominion of the law of sin as the context is dealing with, nor is the believer under the law to Moses (see Romans 7), but the believer is under grace, which is actually being under the law to Christ. Grace is a higher and stronger law.

Grace as defined as, "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." (Philippians 2:13 AMP) Simply put, grace is the free gift of God given gratuitously which is undeserved and unmerited, overflowing with superior love, superior favor and divine influence that gives believes the ability and desire to do God’s will, to fulfill His purpose, and is the source of all the benefits believers receive, which is released through faith. What we have seen here in Romans 6 is the sanctification and identification of the believer in and with Christ. Sanctification is the operation of the new law of life in Christ Jesus, a higher spiritual law, which makes us free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

Therefore, in the mind of God, when Christ was crucified, we were crucified; when Christ died, we died; when Christ was buried, we were buried; when Christ spent three days and three nights as our substitute in hell, we were in Him until the claims of justice were fully met; when Christ met the claims of justice, our old satanic, sinful nature was put away; when Christ was raised, we were raised; when Christ ascended, we ascended; when Christ sat down on the throne with all things under His feet, we also sat down on the throne with all things under our feet; as Christ lives, we also live; we are no longer slaves of sin; we have been freed from sin, and should walk in the newness of life! When believers come into the full knowledge of these things, we will experience what is commonly known as revival, but it will be normal Christianity, which is really true Christianity. The Christianity that we read in the Acts of the Apostles, filled with God's presence, glory and power. In other words, the way Christianity was intended to be until Christ returns. The grace of our LORD Jesus Christ be with you all...

Brand New

Christ is the incarnate Substitute, that is, the crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended, and glorified Lord! Because of Him, all men may go free with no wrath of God and no penalty for sin placed on them. God offers a free pardon to all men, all people. The cost of this freedom is absolutely free to all people, however, it cost God everything. No one can buy it, earn it, we do not deserve it, nor can anyone work for it. It is freely given, because it is all of grace. In other words, as it has been said, "it is God's riches freely given to man, at Christs expense." Satan has been defeated, man has been redeemed, is now declared righteous, and is in right standing with God. All men are judicially and legally set free from sin, guilt, condemnation, unworthiness, inferiority and the punishment of sin, which is death. However, all of this can only be received on God's terms, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

No longer do we identify with our "old nature" but with our new nature which is in Christ as we will see played out in Romans chapter six. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1-2) If a believer is "dead to sin," it is impossible for him or her to live in sin. If a person lives in sin, then he or she is not dead to it and knows nothing of the true grace of God. The aspect of death is not only physical but also a spiritual state, (not to mention, eternal death) and is spoken here as being "dead to sin," that is, separation from sinful living. Therefore, the expression "dead to sin” speaks of the way that the believers spiritual state is separated unto God from the sin in which he/she formerly lived. Notice that Paul never states that "sin is dead to us" but that we are "dead to sin." The law of sin or the principles of sin is still present in the believer, but it can be rendered inoperative as the believer walks after the higher law. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)

Paul now asks another question. "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:3) We need to ask ourselves the same question, and in doing so, also ask, do we truly believe this? The believer became "dead to sin" by being united with Jesus Christ, that is, baptism into Christ. Baptism here refers to immersion into His death. Believers are to see in Calvary not only Christ’s death for him or her, but also his or her death. Every believer by spiritual union with Christ, enters into His death and in water baptism, testifies his or her identification with His death. It goes on, "Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4) Christ was raised up from the dead by the power of the Father. (Ephesians 1:19-21) In this, the believer is also raised up. Christ rose to walk in newness of life. The believer also rises to walk in newness of life, the new nature, not in the oldness of the old life.

Again, believers, by applying faith to God's Word are to, "put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24) and, "put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him." (Colossians 3:9-10) Believers are to lay aside, renounce, render inoperable the old man and "walk in newness of life" which was instantly imparted at the moment of regeneration. The Holy Spirit seals this reality by saying to us, "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:5-6)

If one can believe that they were united together in the likeness of Christ’s death, then we also are to believe that we are also in the likeness of His resurrection. Notice the tense here. Not, is crucified with Him, but, was crucified with Him. The same truth is brought out in Paul's revelation of this very thing, "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." (Galatians 2:20) This is very important to grasp. This is where faith arises and says, "my old man (old demonic, fallen, spiritually dead, sinful nature) was crucified with Christ and now I have a new nature, Christ lives in me and now I live by faith in Him!"

The Centenary Translation of Romans 6:6 puts it this way, "For this we know, that our old self was crucified with Christ, in order that the slave of sin might be destroyed; so that we should no longer be in slavery to sin." Although I am virtually saying the same thing again, let's make this verse a faith declaration, that is, "I died with Christ, the o1d man, that sinful nature, that was a partaker of spiritual death, died with Christ and now I am no longer a slave to sin." The reality is, by nature, we were born as slaves to Satan and sin. Now, the believer is no longer a slave to Satan and sin but servants, even sons and daughters of God in Christ. The word "destroyed" in this verse means, made void, made without effect; to bring to naught, vanish away, put away, put down, abolished, to cease, rendered inoperative, or inactive. When the body of Jesus was crucified, died, and was rendered inactive, inoperative, the believer's body of sin is the same because of his or her union with Christ in His death. Therefore, we are no longer serving sin but serving Jesus in this brand new, recreated, born again, supernatural life provided by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.PTL...

A Comprehensive Redemption

God established His brilliant plan of redemption through Jesus Christ and it is through Christ alone in which man is saved. Due to Christ's meritorious work as man's Substitute, God now has the legal right to give man eternal life. It is not based on what man can do to earn all the fullness of redemption, it is given by God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Every law, whether the law of Moses or the religious laws that man has placed in the church, are no longer a means of becoming righteous as we will see. "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets." (Romans 3:21) Up to this point in Romans, Paul has expressed and exposed to man his condition as a helpless sinner under wrath and judgment, unjustified, guilty, condemned, and under the death penalty. But now, Paul tums to what God has done for all mankind through Jesus Christ.

First, understand that man's basic need was and is righteousness, that is, the ability to stand in the Father's presence without the sense of guilt, condemnation, unworthiness or inferiority. The Apostle Paul declares that God has unveiled a new source of righteousness which is witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even though God has revealed His righteousness apart from the law, that righteousness is not contrary to the law or against it. As far as God is concerned, the Law, Prophets and Christ set forth His righteousness; "even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference." (Romans 3:22); "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17)

Now we know where or to whom our faith is applied, Jesus Christ. This is very important to grasp. Why? The reality is, most believers tend to have more faith the day they received Christ than they have since. This may be the main reason why so many live under guilt, condemnation, unworthiness or inferiority. For believers to live free of these enemies, we must apply faith that what God said is absolutely true and then apply or act upon His Word. Notice: The righteousness of God is “to all and on all who believe.” This is an open invitation to the entire world, that is, to all people everywhere, who believe. This believing, or faith, in Jesus Christ is not just mere mental assent, or intellectual knowledge. To believe in or on the Lord Jesus Christ is; to adhere, cleave to, trust in, to have faith in, to rely on. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31 AMP)
This applies across the board with every area of life as a Christian. 

Next we see, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) All have sinned; All are guilty; all have transgressed; all are lawless; all have fallen short; none measure up to the perfection of God, the glory of God and the divine standard of God's righteousness. However, "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24) Being justified freely by his grace. Justified means "made righteous, acquitted; made and declared right; freed from guilt and blame, and therefore, freed from the penalty and punishment of sin's guilt. At Calvary, the law was honored, sin was judged, death was dealt with, and pardon was made available. Therefore, we see that God is gracious without being unjust, and He is just without be ungracious. This redemption, this buy back, the purchasing of, has been provided in and through Jesus Christ. "whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed." (Romans 3:25)

God Himself had foreordained Christ to be the Lamb from and before the foundation of the world. Jesus was set forth to be a sin Substitute, on the ground of faith and His blood. God did this to show His righteousness because He had been passing over the sins of Israel for fifteen hundred years. Now it is demanded that the penalty be paid. Jesus met that penalty and paid or redeemed the promises that were made each year by the High Priest on the great Day of Atonement. In effect, Jesus cashed in 1500 years of promissory notes and brought redemption to every man who had been blood-covered under the First Covenant as we see, "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:12 ) Note that this redemption is an Eternal Redemption. When Christ carried His blood into the Most Holy Place of heaven and the Supreme Court of the Universe accepted it, man’s redemption became a completed, comprehensive and eternal thing.  

"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:13-14 ) Notice that the blood of bulls and goats only cleanses the flesh, the outward man. It did not cleanse the heart. It did not make man a New Creation. "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:15) Jesus died for the sins of those living under the First Covenant that had been covered by blood from year to year, that they might have their share in the inheritance of redemption through Christ.

Finally, these things bring clarity to us in this, "He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." (Hebrews 9:26) Again, God has dealt with the sin problem. Therefore, the sin problem is ended and the sinner, Jew and Gentile, has the legal right to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, because God so loved him that He gave him His only begotten Son. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) Note very carefully that in this New Creation, the man who accepts Christ receives eternal life. Spiritual death, the nature of the devil, is driven out. The believer is given a new nature, that is, his spirit is recreated and given God's nature. (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Peter 1:4) All of this is for this one purpose, "to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:26)

God is righteous and the righteousness of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. The only way that a person can become righteous in the eyes of God, is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and His blood. It is upon simple faith in Jesus Christ, that is, acting upon what God has said in regard to His Son. Now we can understand that we were justified, declared righteous, freely by his Grace, through the redemption God worked in Christ. So then, if Christ has fulfilled the law and the righteousness of the law, then whosoever believes and receives Christ, (in the biblical sense), the righteousness of the law is also fulfilled in him or her. Shout hallelujah!!!

A New Beginning

With the new year almost upon us, many see New Years day as not simply the beginning of a new year, but as a new beginning for themselves. We see the reality of this by the many resolutions that people make on New Years. A New Year's resolution is basically a decision to do or not do something in order to accomplish a personal goal or break a habit. It comes at a time when people look back at the past year and make an effort to improve themselves as the new year begins. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that only 8% of people who make New Years resolutions succeed in keeping them. This means that 92% of all New Years resolutions fail. Why? Mostly, people make unrealistic resolutions and or they are not really prepared mentally to fight off doubt and continue with their goals. But what about believers? Should they make New Years resolutions? There is certainly nothing wrong with making New Years resolutions, but the same conditions that bring failure still exist, unless believers put their trust fully in the Lord.

The Bible tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) Even the Apostle Paul learned a lesson of trusting the Lord in a greater way while he was being buffeted by a messenger of Satan. The Lord revealed to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9) Paul's response is quite interesting, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)

All believers, like the Apostle Paul must rely upon God's grace to get them through every area of life not only New Years resolutions. A good definition of grace found in the Bible goes like this, "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." (Philippians 2:13 AMP) and, "Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]." (Ephesians 3:20 AMP)

Another area to consider is to fully know and understand who believers are in Christ; who Christ is in the believer; and how the Father sees them. When believers come to a full knowledge of these three things, they will understand what Jesus meant when He said, "nothing is impossible to those who believe." (Mark 9:23) Knowing these things sets believers free from shame, condemnation, guilt, unworthiness and inferiority. They will walk in a freedom that will cause them to not make resolution but to rely on God's grace to overcome and live victorious. For instance, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)  "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:6)

The old nature, the old person that you were prior to your salvation is gone. The Bible shows us that God has not made any provision for the old nature but to crucify or executed it. You have been made completely new in Christ and have right standing with God. (Keep in mind that it is one's spirit, not their soul, ie, mind, will and emotions, and not their body that has been recreated) These things only come one way, "by grace through faith." (Ephesians 2:8) This mean, every believer one day must come to the place where their own faith has grown and has brought them to know without doubt, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15) This is actually a realm of Christianity that few believers come to. Not because they do not desire to have this level of faith, but, it is mostly due to a lack of studying and meditating on God's Word which builds the believers faith and renews their mind. (Romans 10:17, 12:2)

When believers apply these things in their life it will change their behavior and thought patterns which in turn will cause them to have the desire and ability to accomplish the purposes and will of God. This is grace in action. These things are not self imposed, but Holy Spirit inspired. The Apostle Paul tells us to, "...Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16) So you see we do not have to make New Year resolutions to only have them fail. We can live in the power, favor and ability, the grace of God, everyday through faith in Jesus Christ to overcome every obstacle of life and do the impossible where others may fail. So this New Years, do not make a New Years resolution per se, but, "...lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of you." (Philippians 3:12) My prayer for you, as the Apostle John said, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2) Have a safe and Happy New Year...