What's Become of You In Christ

What's Become of You In Christ:

36+ Things at the Moment of Salvation

"The old has passed away; 

behold, the new has come." 

(2 Cor 5:17b)

1. A believer is in the Eternal Plan of God, sharing the destiny of the Lord Jesus Christ. As such the believer is:
Foreknown: Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 1:2
Elect: Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:2
Predestined: Rom. 8:29,30; Eph. 1:5,11
Chosen in Christ: Matt. 22:14; 1 Pet. 2:4
Called: 1 Thess. 5:24

2. The believer is Reconciled:
By God, 2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:20
To God, Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:14f.

3. The believer is Redeemed: (purchased from the slave market of sin)
Rom. 3:24; Col. 1:14; 1
Pet. 1:18; Eph. 1:7.

4. The believer is removed from Condemnation: 
John 3:18; 5:24; Rom. 8:1.

5. The believer is under Grace and not under Judgment: (doctrine of Propitiation)
Rom. 3:24–28; 1 John 2:2.

6. The believer's sins are judged by the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross: 
Rom. 4:25; Eph.1:7; 1 Pet. 2:24.

7. The believer is made dead to the old life and alive unto God. He/she is:
Crucified with Christ: Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20
Dead with Christ: Rom. 6:8; Col. 3:3; 1 Pet. 2:24
Buried with Christ: Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12
Risen with Christ: Rom. 6:4; Col. 3:1

8. The believer is free from the law: 
Rom. 6:14; 7:4,6; 2 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 3:25.

9. The believer is adopted: (placed as an adult heir in the family of God)
Rom. 8:15; 8:23; Eph.1:5.

10. The believer is justified: (declared righteous)
Rom. 3:24; 5:1,9; 8:30; 1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:7.

11. The believer is regenerated: (born spiritually into the family of God)
John 13:10; 1 Cor. 6:11;
Titus 3:5. In regeneration the believers are:
Born Again: John 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:23
Children of God: Gal. 3:26
Sons of God: John 1:12; 2 Cor. 6:18; 1 John 3:2
New Creations: 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Eph. 2:10

12. The believer is made acceptable to God: 
Eph. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:5.
To make a believer acceptable to Himself, God sees to it that the believer is:
Made righteous: Rom. 3:22; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9
Positional Sanctification: 1 Cor. 1:30; 6:11
Perfected forever: Heb. 10:14
Made qualified: Col. 1:12

13. The believer is forgiven all trespasses: 
Eph. 1:7; 4:32; Col. 1:14; 2:13; 3:13

14. The believer is made nigh: (heavenly citizenship based on Reconciliation)
Luke 10:20; Eph.2:13,19; Phil. 3:20

15. The believer is delivered from the kingdom of Satan: 
Col. 1:13; 2:15

16. The believer is transferred into God's Kingdom: 
Col. 1:13

17. The believer is placed on a secure foundation: 
1 Cor. 3:11; 10:4; Eph. 2:20

18. The believer is a gift from God the Father to the Lord Jesus Christ: 
John 10:20; 17:2,6,9,11,12,24

19. The believer is delivered from the power of the Sin Nature: 
Rom. 2:29; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11

20. The believer is appointed as a priest unto God: 
1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6

21. The believer is under the care of God as a chosen generation and a protected people: 
Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9

22. The believer is given access to God: 
Rom. 5:2; Eph. 2:18; Heb. 4:14,16; 10:19,20

23. The believer is within the much more care of God; as such we are:
Objects of His love: Eph. 2:4; 5:2
Objects of His Grace: for salvation, Eph. 2:8,9;
for keeping, Rom. 5:2; 1 Pet. 1:5; for service,
John 17:18; Eph. 4:7; for instruction, Titus 2:12
Objects of His power: Eph. 1:19; Phil. 2:13
Objects of His faithfulness: Phil. 1:6; Heb. 13:5
Objects of His peace: John 14:27
Objects of His consolation: 2 Th. 2:16
Objects of His intercession: Rom. 8:34; 7:25; 9:24

24. The believer is part of Christ's inheritance:
Eph. 1:18

25. The believer is a beneficiary of the inheritance from God: (an heir of God and a joint-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ)
Rom. 8:17; Eph. 1:14; Col. 3:24; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4

26. The believer has a new position in Christ: 
Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:4; 1 Cor. 1:9; 3:9; 2 Cor. 3:3,6; 5:20; 6:1,4

27. The believer is the recipient of eternal life: 
John 3:15; 10:28; 20:31; 1 John 5:11,12

28. The believer is a member of the family of God: 
Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19

29. The believer is Light in the Lord: 
Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:4

30. The believer is united with the Father: 
1 Thess. 1:1, cf. Eph. 4:6
He is united with Christ: John 14:20, cf. Col. 1:27
A member of His Body: 1 Cor. 12:13
A Branch in the Vine: John 15:5
A Stone in the Building: Eph. 2:21,22
A Sheep in the Flock: Eph. 2:21,22
A part of His Bride: Eph. 5:25-27
A Priest in His Kingdom: 1 Pet. 2:9
He is united with the Holy Spirit Rom. 8:9; 8:29

31. The believer is the recipient of the ministry of the Holy Spirit:
Born of the Spirit: John 3:6
Baptized by the Spirit: 1 Cor. 12:13
Indwelt by the Spirit: John 7:39; Rom. 5:5; 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Gal. 4:6; 1 John 3:24
Sealed by the Spirit: 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:30
Recipient of Spiritual Gifts: 1 Cor. 12:11; 12:27-31; 13:1,2

32. The believer is glorified in Christ: 
Rom. 3:20

33. The believer is made complete in Christ: 
Col. 2:10

34. The believer is the possessor of every spiritual blessing: 
Eph. 1:3

35. The believer is the recipient of a human spirit: 
Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 2:12; 2 Cor. 7:13; 1 Thess. 5:23; Eph. 2:5

36. The believer has access to all Bible truth through the Grace system for Bible understanding
and Christian growth: 
Col. 2 and Eph. 4
A Saint of the new species: 2 Cor. 5:17

(Credit for this list goes to Lewis Sperry Chafer.)

And This is Eternal Life...

Ultimately, God wants, and even longs for, fellowship with us. 

Intimate

Personal

Deep

And this is eternal life, 

that they know you the only true God, 

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 

(John 17:3)

...these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. 

For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 

(1 Corinthians 2:10)

Jesus answered him, "

If anyone loves me, 

he will keep my word, 

and my Father will love him, 

and we will come to him 

and make our home with him. 

(John 14:23)

and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, 

that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

(Ephesians 3:19)

He is In Me (Journal Entry September 25, 2012)

In me.

The One and Only Holy Spirit is dwelling in me. Christ, the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world, God's only begotten Son, is in me, as I am in Him. 

If I love Him, which I do, He and the Father, my Brother and my Father, will come and make their home in my heart. I do love Him so. 

But, my flesh is weak; though the tapes are old.

I cling to my will until I realize it is as vapor in the air. I'm scared, Father. I want to pray, "Help me die to myself and live for You!" But, I fear, as a result, as a means of helping me do just that, all that is comfortable and familiar to me in this world will be stripped away, perhaps violently. 

I'm scared to lose worldly things, Father.

Because You love me, You will show me, even convince me, Your grace is sufficient. I don't need "things" to know the joy, peace, and love that only can You give. I can safely detach from the lustful idea and shallow desire that material "goods" will ultimately satisfy me. 

I can let go. I can detach. For You are with me. You are in me.

Then will I fully appreciate Your goodness and Your kindness. You have not given me a Spirit of fear. Rather, You have given me a Spirit of adoption as a son, by which I can cry out, "Abba! Father!"

The truth is, when I believed in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and trusted Him for my soul's salvation, You gave me a gift beyond compare: Yourself. The very Spirit inside You is now in me.

Journal Entry Sept 25, 2012

This Marvelous Journey into God's Hand and Heart (Letters to My Father - January 21, 2017)

Dear Father (Jan 21, 2017),

Yes! Absolutely I love You. You know I love You. But, what I need to emphasize in my writing is why. I learned to love You by learning the truth from Your word by Your Spirit.

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17 ESV)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13 ESV)

I may have been saved and born again many years ago. But, I didn't understand from Scripture just how thorough and consistent is Your message of Your amazing grace. I didn't fully appreciate just how rock solid is the assurance of my salvation from Your word.

But, now that I do, the blessings of that knowledge are my responsibility. They are also a tremendous privilege. You know I've spent years and hours studying these things and other doctrines. It took a long time to undo the assumptions I previously held tightly.

But, I sought You and You rewarded me. I have been blessed with a wonderful pastor/teacher, used by the Spirit to guide me into all truth, even the deep things of God. Now it's time to share what I've learned. This is the real essence of my blog title, Revelations For Life.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10b)

[It's as if God is telling me...] Do not be afraid to teach, go deep, and stay off the surface. Seek to exhaust doctrinal topics, such as salvation by grace. Ask the questions I had and answer them directly. Let my yes be yes and my no be no. Illuminate the coherency of God's perspective of humanity's problem and its condition with God's solution, desire, and eternal plan.

[Back to addressing my Father...] Let everyone who asks know the reason for the hope that is in me. May I answer with all gentleness and patience, compassion, clarity, enthusiasm, and boldness. If I have gained any insight from Your word of truth, Father, grant me the courage to declare it boldly and make it plain to everyone.

You know I love You, Father. Now I desire to let the world know why. May they also know the abundance of joy and peace that comes from knowing You, not as the world gives, but as You give.

All my love,
Dwight
(w/ minor edits)

Dear Reader,

I had tons of questions about being Christian both before and after I was saved. The phrase I just uttered, "I was saved," was loaded with questions.

• Saved? Saved from what?
• Why do I need to be saved?
• How can I be saved?
• What does it mean to be saved?
• What does it mean to "work out your salvation?"
• Is salvation the same or different from being born again?
• Who can be saved?
• What of my sins before I'm saved?
• What of my sins after I'm saved?
• Does salvation have any prerequisites?
• Was salvation always available?
• How does salvation differ in the OT versus the NT?
• Is salvation permanent or temporary?
• Can my salvation be lost? If so, how? If not, why not?
• When can I consider it done?
• How can I be sure I'm saved?
• What is not salvation?
• What does 'salvation by grace' mean?
• Is there anything keeping me, or anyone else for that matter, from being saved?
• Were only certain people chosen to be saved?
• What about infants and those with cognitive challenges who can't comprehend the gospel?
• Who will not be saved? Yikes! Why not?
• Is there an unpardonable sin? What is it? Have I committed it?

Those questions are just a small sample of the ones I studied in His word. This is only the doctrine of salvation. I tried to address one common assumption in my post, "Can a person's lifestyle condemn them?" But, there are many other doctrines. In all of them I wanted to understand these things from His perspective. I didn't want to grab something just because it sounded good and holy. I was hungry and thirsty for the Bread from Heaven and the Living Water only He could provide, no matter how good the filet mignon and Maine lobster tail sounded on an empty stomach. I had a soul to feed.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 

(2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 

(2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)

I learned to delight in Him as He provided answers, and that made me want to learn more. Surely, he gave gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers. But, I would still question what others taught to see if it was true. The title alone was not enough.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who [diligently (KJV)] seek him. 

(Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 

(Ephesians 4:11-14 ESV)

I frequently checked myself by examining my motives and asking, "Why do I believe what I believe?" Was I simply following what sounded good from someone who seemed like an authority on the matter? After all, they studied it for years, went to seminaries, had Masters and Doctorate degrees. (And yet, there's no shortage of authorities who disagree.) Or maybe they were among the poor and serving the suffering with profound compassion. Maybe they were popular on TV or the Internet and in books and appealed to the masses. Could they all be wrong?

Or did I confirm what was being said by reading and studying the Scriptures myself, and seeing if His Spirit was testifying with my spirit that these things were so? You may be familiar with some of my other posts about "Why Scripture?" and "Scripture Q&A." (If not, please check those out.) Those lessons were a large part of my starting point. Let this moment be another point at which I do my best to teach what I know for anyone who is asking or seeking.

Please! By all means, do not settle for popular opinion or the status quo. Neither is a school of thought correct merely because it is narrow path. Verify everything in God's word.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 

(Acts 17:11 ESV)

The truth is not popular. You might think it would be. But not God's truth. Not only do people want to inject their own positive human goodness into it, which is not necessarily God's perspective. But, the enemy of God also wants to distort this information and is very good at it. That's partly why we have so many denominations, yet little unity. (See the reference from Ephesians 4 above.)

Tradition also, no matter how solid or how long, is not an indication of truthfulness. It might feel good because it's familiar, or look divine because it's been going on forever. But, God's word breaks through traditions to give a much deeper meaning to being Christian.

Be humble and open to what God has to say in His word, and do not go beyond what is written. Everything He wants us to know has already been written in the Scriptures. There's no need to go outside the Bible for additional information, as if He left out some critical piece or clue to a puzzle. Rather, some outside information may be useful in helping us understand Scriptures, this blog included. But any outside information should be tested by the word of God, including this blog.

Lastly, as you assimilate the word of God and His thoughts and heart into your own mind and heart, you will be able to discern what is His will, and recognize what is not. This is not to puff us up in anyway. Rather, we should have the same attitude as that of Christ Himself: humility.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

(Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)

All that being said, I will continue on to my next set of lessons, a series which I will call "Salvation 101." Please join me on this marvelous journey into God's hand and heart.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 

(John 10:27-29 ESV)

In Christ,
Dwight

PS - I use a Bible program called e-Sword available from www.e-sword.net from which to read, study, and quote Scripture. While I sometimes need to understand the Greek and Hebrew words of the original texts (dictionaries also available in e-Sword), the English Standard Version (ESV) is one I found to be a decent translation to understand the thought God is expressing. ESV copyright says I can quote from it, just so long as I note its origin when giving the verse. Note also, I may have underlined part of a verse for emphasis, but generally I intend to emphasize the whole passage.

We need to remember it's about understanding God's thoughts on His terms. Is the correct translation in John 14:23, for example, obey or keep? What's the difference? We cannot automatically assume we know. What if the thought, upheld by the definition of the Greek word being translated, means "to guard" or "to protect." The thought is then different than simply doing what you're told to do. We should seek to understand the context, the thought being expressed, and perhaps visit a Greek dictionary to make critical distinctions. Remember, He is trying to tell us something that we have not thought to ask. We are carnal; He is spiritual. It's information we couldn't even imagine.

I also refer to the KJV, NKJV, NIV, and NASB on occasion. I feel the ESV and NIV in comparison, along with some Greek dictionaries, best accomplish this, understanding His thoughts, trying to be as literal as is readable. I tend to avoid translations that have taken the liberty of injecting their own thoughts into the text, such as MSG, NLT, TLB, and CEV. I feel they often dilute or miss the significance of what is being communicated. I am very careful about the dictionaries, concordances, and commentaries I use. Again, the emphasis is on understanding God's thoughts. I do not entertain books celebrated by certain denominations as being equivalent or more important than the Bible, nor do I consider and church denominations to be on equal footing or greater than the authority of God.

To My Non-Christian Friends...

I want to apologize to my non-Christian friends.

To be clear, I'm apologizing on behalf of a group of people that doesn't even realize it needs to apologize. Yet, they are all loosely connected by a title that should mean a lot more, "Christian."

• I'm sorry for the unkind and horrible things said and done by many religious hypocrites in the name of Jesus Christ, who would never commend or condone such behavior or attitudes. Those people have given Christians a bad name.

• I'm sorry if it's challenging for us to be close friends simply because the label I apply to myself, "Christian," associates me with self-righteous religious organizations or shallow worldviews that are often self-serving, proud, hypocritical, and judgmental. For they have given Christianity a bad name.

• I'm especially sorry if you are offended by Christ not because of what He said and did, but because of what others who claim to be faithfully following Him arrogantly declare as justification for their own moral superiority. 

How can one come to Jesus to learn from Him, who is gentle and lowly in heart, when He is presented along with God as being harsh and cruel? Indeed, why would anyone come to Him then?

But, that is not the way I learned Christ. I wish to share what I've learned from Scripture that's actually quite refreshing. I could remember thinking after some sermons, "How could the good news sound so bad?" I learned if the good news does not sound great, it's not the gospel.

I don't judge you or condemn your beliefs. On the contrary, I respect whatever faith and lifestyle you choose. Your choices are your responsibility, just as mine are my responsibility. All are welcome!

I'm simply asking for a chance. I'm pleading for bits of your time as I post herein. I've posted a lot of Bible lessons already, if you're interested. But, from here on out, at least for a while, I plan to post some of the hundreds of my personal prayers. They're short, so it shouldn't take long to read.

I desire for you to see my love for the Father and for Christ, and understand why I've persisted in seeking Him in a religious world that puts self-gain before truth and grace.

So, please give my writings some thought. I hope you stick around. I hope you are refreshed. Likewise, feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts and heart with me, or ask any questions. I'd love to hear from you.

Lastly, there are things for which I am not ashamed and will not apologize. Here are two examples:

1. I wholeheartedly believe in Christ.
2. If I have not love, I am nothing.

Yes, I am a Christian. But, I'm sure that doesn't mean what you've been told it means. I know, I've been there. Please accept my sincere apologies to you, my friend, and read on.

Your Friend,
Dwight

Amazing and Sad

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)

It's amazing, and sad, how the teachings of the traditions of people as doctrine has kept people away from Jesus Christ. Many are offended at the mere mention of His name because loud, religious, arrogant hypocrites claim to have equal authority (implicitly or explicitly) as God and impose all sorts of rules and requirements for behavior modification and blind submission to that false authority.

Yet, Christ went all out to completely remove the barrier of personal sins from reconciliation with the Father, and the Father was completely satisfied with that work.

If people would humbly give Christ a chance apart from rituals and sacrifices, maybe they would see the beauty, patience, loving care, mercy, and grace of a Person who wants nothing more than to have intimate fellowship with them.

Maybe then they would believe, trust, and learn from Him in the Scriptures, and know real love and truth for the first time.

Freedom in Christ

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:1, 13, 16 ESV)

Gorgeous view of the bay near sunset from Route 64 bridge heading west toward home from Nags Head, NC, where I spent the day with my friend Steve and his family. Wonderful time. Lovely family. Good man.

Beautiful scenery, too. Reminds me of freedom. In this case, freedom from a huge, deceptive lie.

The yoke of slavery was not slapped around my neck and bolted while I was distracted or unconscious. Rather, I walked in to a popular outlet that sold them for a tithe, eyes wide open, and admired their sturdy, aromatic, and decorative qualities. I thought it would be good to wear one and it would look good on me, or I in it.

So I slipped it on. At first, I took it off and put it on as the mood fit. Eventually, I wore it all the time, even sleeping with it on.

After a while, however, something didn't seem right. Its qualities I once admired, I noticed, were merely external. I wasn't becoming sturdier. I was starting to look like a hypocrite to those who knew me, including myself.

In addition, it was feeling tighter, even if only in my mind. When I went to adjust it, I noticed it was stuck. It had fused with the skin of my neck.

I had to make a choice. Would I scrub it off by the washing of water with the Word? Or would I try to ignore the discomfort, think of something else, busy myself with rituals, and get used to it?

I knew the former choice would be a path of pain and suffering before it got better. It might even leave scars. Likely so, but still I clung to the hope of it getting better.

I knew the latter choice would be torture. I couldn't pretend my heart matched the appearance or ever would. I was no longer motivated to fit in. Besides, I couldn't ignore the slow tightening of the yoke like a noose; it would eventually strangle me.

Freedom came with a fight.

For some battles, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you in the separation process. I was wielding weapons of warfare I hadn't yet been trained to use. I was cocky as a toddler with a red cape and a pencil-sword. And just as annoying.

Eventually, I acknowledged the fight was inward, not external. I wasn't going to be able to release the yoke by yanking and criticizing it. Nor was I wrestling with the flesh and blood of those who sold it.

I became more focused on fighting the good fight, contending for the faith in my own mind and heart. The Word of God would provide the armor I needed for the real battle.

As I focused, new skin on my neck provided healing from the inside out, becoming transformed by the renewal of my mind and heart. The yoke lost its grip as I shed the old layers of lifeless cells.

One day, it just slipped off and fell. My yanking it was only counter-productive; a lesson I had to learn. I stared at the crumpled yoke, with its claw marks and stains of dried blood lying in a heap at my feet, wondering why I ever admired it.

Then I looked up to the heavens and smiled, recognizing the Word coming alive within me. Healing and transformation had come as I humbly abided in Him. Not to impress, for that was the lie. Not to judge others or be judged by others, for that was the deception. But to know the truth.

The Son had set me free and I was free indeed.

Can a person's lifestyle condemn them?

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19 ESV)

For a good friend (thanks for the chat)...
Can a person's lifestyle condemn them?

Answer: No! 
In God's eyes, it is not behavior that condemns a person.

Condemnation is the judgment declared by God for the trespass of one man, Adam. The rest of us were born condemned; God established that as well. Condemnation is not the result of personal sin, whether bad choices, disagreeable lifestyles, or immoral behavior. We cannot become condemned any more than we can decide to be born. Truth is, we didn't decide to be born. In the same way, we didn't become condemn by our decisions or actions. Everyone born of Adam is condemned. One trespass led to condemnation for all. One man's disobedience made us all sinners.

Justification, on the other hand, is the righteousness that comes only from God. It is made available to us as a gift because of the righteous deeds of another man, Jesus Christ. Jesus was not "born of Adam," and, therefore, was not born condemned. Justification is not, and cannot be, the result of moral behavior, good choices (except one*), decent living, loving others, judging others, or hating sin. We are not justified based on what we do. All the work required to live a righteous life acceptable to God was lived by that one man, Jesus Christ. Through His righteousness we have justification and life. By His obedience, we are made righteous.

* What is the one "good choice?" God declared a simple solution to go from condemnation to justification; believe in His only Son, Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. That's it; choose to believe in Him and the sacrifice He made on your behalf, which means to trust Him for your soul's salvation. Humbly turn the responsibility over to Him and rest in Him. There is nothing at all any person can do to earn salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith, a gift of God, not of works.

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Romans 4:4-5)

Adam disobeyed God by his own free will. Yet, we all are paying the price as God declared: in Adam, we were all born condemned. From God's perspective, no one is better than anyone else or has any advantage. So why do we think a behavior or lifestyle is going to make a difference?

Christ obeyed God, His Father, on His own free will. In Him, we can be born again to justification. No one is disqualified because of what they did or did not do; anyone can be saved. This is life, the new life, which is reconciliation to God, and God set the standard for that life.

He made this offer because He "so loved the world." He "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4)

Don't reject Him because of what arrogant people say and do. Accept His pure love, motivation, mercy and grace because of what He has said and done for you.

Trust Him for the salvation of your soul. It's your choice to accept His offer. You'll be glad you did.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.” Romans‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭ESV

Think about it...

If you are already condemned at birth, how could you possibly do something to earn condemnation afterwards? Can you become more condemned? Of course not. If you have a sin nature because you were born in sin (through Adam), you cannot get a sin nature from sins you personally commit. Everybody is already a sinner at birth. There is no earning the title.

It would be like earning a belly button after you are born. Your belly button is there because you were born with it. There is nothing anyone could do to earn or deserve a belly button.

Likewise, you cannot do anything righteous because that is not who you are at birth. It's not in your nature to be or do anything that would cause God to take notice. And He knows this. He doesn't expect you to do anything to earn righteousness. It cannot be done. What He can do, and does in salvation, is give you His. The righteousness that God requires is the one He gives you by grace through faith. It is a gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.

In fact, if you are working or trying to earn your salvation or a righteous standing before God, that is the same as refusing the gift. It's as if He is trying to freely give you something and you're insisting you need to do something for it. When you truly understand this gift giving, then your soul can truly be at rest, as in the title of this blog: "you will find rest for your soul." (Matthew 11:29)

Think about it some more...

Absolutely, you are responsible for your own sin. But in Romans 5:12, "All sinned" is not separate or new information than Romans 5:18 (quoted above). The point Paul is making is that sin came into the world and was spread to all people through one man, Adam. Another way to say the same thing is condemnation came into the world and was imputed to all people through one man, Adam.

What then would be the difference between personal sinning before one is saved and after one is saved? Does either condemn a person? No, absolutely not. One who is not saved is already born condemned before they even commit a personal sin. One who is saved through justification in Christ cannot become condemned.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

More thoughts...

No one earns salvation. Can anyone reduce their personal sin enough so that God would say, "Okay, that's good enough, you're saved." Likewise, can one increase their personal sin enough to become condemned after they are saved? No, since salvation and justification are based on the works of God, one's behavior cannot undo what God has done. Hypothetically, if a person born in Adam never committed a personal sin, they would still be just as condemned at birth and in need of a Savior..

Besides, people both lost and saved alike commit personal sins. Those actions don't change their status of being lost or saved. Both condemnation and justification are on God's terms, not ours. If God declares in His word people are condemned at birth, and that salvation is a gift, then it must be so.

Christ already paid the full price for everyone's sins because "He is the propitiation for our sins, but not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). And He, in Christ, is "reconciling the world to Himself, not counting man's trespassing against them" (2 Cor 5:19).

Now THAT'S Good News!‬‬

Now We Know Where to Get Answers

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Scripture makes it clear that it is the one and only source for the truth that is God's reality. It is literally His words. It also makes the formula for coming to the full knowledge of the truth plain and simple: 1) believe He exists, and 2) believe He rewards those who seek Him. And He wants both...

[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)

Humans simply won't have "ears to hear" (spiritual information) if they don't believe He exists. He is incredibly patient and knows how much truth we can understand and assimilate.

He will meet us wherever we are in our walk with Him, or even if we don't yet know Him at all. If we create capacity for His thoughts, He will faithfully fill it.

How does one create capacity? Simple, with humility. Be teachable. If you have the attitude of, "Oh, I know that already," we're telling Him to stop talking because we're not listening.

What will He fill this capacity with when we listen? Knowledge of Himself, Christ, and truth, slowly and gently, and eventually His deepest thoughts, which were actually meant for our glory before the ages. Let's earnestly seek what He wants to give us: Himself!

But [among the mature] we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. (1Co 2:7)

How does one seek Him? Diligently. What does that look like? At first, it just looks like showing up to hear His words in Scripture. Then, He has much to say and it takes time, so be consistent in showing up and with the intention to learn. Finally, we sharpen our focus as His thoughts start to become our thoughts as we are transformed.

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. (Romans 12:2)

Now that we know where He is, where His wisdom can be found, we can approach Scripture like a treasure hunt, because that's what it is. This is where the fun begins. We can ask Him all sorts of questions if we approach His word with humility (teachable) and faith (trusting He will tell us the answer). In fact, I would strongly suggest if you think you already know the answer to basic questions, think again. The depth and richness of His word may surprise you.

In the next series of devotions, we'll start looking at some of these questions. I hope you join me on this wonderful journey into the relationship of a lifetime, an eternal lifetime...

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

Just Show Up

This Ted Talk resonates with me in many ways; I'm passionate and curious about ideas concerning creativity, genius, inspiration, and wisdom. As a Christian, I know what, rather Who, is this elusive source. He is God. But to many, it (He) is elusive because it (He) defies definition by people without God. They "believe" in something mysterious that can't be explained, such as an energy, and because it can't be defined in their terms, they believe God is the same thing as mystery. It's mysterious so it must be God, they reason. At best, they barely have a loose understanding of Him based on worldly perspectives, such as religions and popular opinions. Yet, there's much more to Him than moral rules, principles, guidelines, prophecy, physical healing, energy and mystery.

Ted Talk - Elizabeth Gilbert - Your Elusive Creative Genius

God wants to reveal Himself in many ways because He wants people to notice Him. Why? Is it for bragging rights? Is it merely to bring glory and honor to Himself? No. It's because He has a uniquely special and personal message for us, and He wants to capture our attention so that we'll listen.

This particular Ted Talk reminded me of the verses that describe Scripture as God-breathed or given by the inspiration of God (2 Tim 3:16-17), depending on the translation. He is not elusive, from the humble, that is. For He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6), and we are to seek Him and His righteousness before all the temporal things of this world (Matt 6:33).

What's amazing is He has blessed us with the responsibility of ambassadorship. He has privileged us with the joy of being a part of His plan. He loves us so much, by including us in the process, we see with the eyes of our hearts the power of His amazing grace. He wants us to share in the glory of His Son, to comprehend the riches of our inheritance in the saints, to rejoice with Him like the Father of the prodigal son, and sing with the angels in heaven, when even a single sinner repents and believes.

Furthermore, we are no longer children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but rather speak the truth in love, (Eph 4:11-16) when as believers we finally come to understand what is the Father's plan and what is our role in it, and then get comfortably fitted with His armor (Eph 6:11-20). When we are fitted with His armor and use it, by application we can experience the working of His great power within us to His ends. And when we experience this power, His power working through us to His good pleasure, suffering takes on a whole new meaning, and we welcome the opportunity to share in Christ's suffering, to die to self, and to live for Him.

We are given this honor by grace, a true gift from God, working through faith when we put on the shoes of peace, and courageously carry the scroll of His will on our tongues to any who would listen, or in this case, read.

Yes, there is work for us after salvation, which does not earn or maintain our salvation. Recall salvation is only by grace through, not by any works (Eph 2:8-9). So, if He did all the work required for us to be saved, what is our job in salvation? To just show up (Romans 12:1). Like Mary choosing the better thing than Martha, we need to listen to God speaking. 

Writers like Elizabeth Gilbert might be confident in thinking this "elusive creative genius" is a "glimpse of God" and shout "Olé!" But, she seems clueless as to why God would share a glimpse of Himself. She seems to recognize something significant was happening, caused by a higher power or energy. But there was no attempt to understand it. It was more about paying attention to the burning bush in her heart than it was about the voice coming from the burning bush. 

It reminds me to be intentional and diligent in seeking Him. Step one is just showing up to hear Him through Scripture, humble, teachable, not arrogant or proud or thinking I already know the answers.

Lastly, why Scripture? Simple, John 17:17. As Jesus prayed to His Father for the disciples and those who would believe in Him, which is us as well as others, through their word, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." Yes, we shall be sanctified in the truth, His word is truth, the Bible is the word of God, and the Spirit of Truth will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). All truth is everything we need. There's no need to accept truth as energy or some mystery. All truth is everything He wants to say to us. 

We don't get our special calling in isolation, nor from popular opinion or from human religious practices. His calling for us is already described in detail in the word of truth. It is definitely not a do-now and find-out-later arrangement. His whole eternal plan is laid out from A to Z, and there is a basic to a more advanced sequence to understanding the information provided. 

For example, Paul had some issues to address with the church in Corinth in his first letter to them. He describes some of these issues in 1st Corinthians chapter 1. Chapter 2 is a parenthetical chapter where Paul lets out what he would love to be discussing instead. He can't, however. Prerequisite information to understanding those things in chapter 2 has not been met. How do we know? Chapter 3 tells us exactly that: 

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV)

God is patient and the Spirit of Truth is a patient teacher. When we show up to humbly listen and learn is important, even critical. That means reading and studying God's word in Scripture, prayerfully, and allowing the Spirit or Truth to guide us into all truth, one step at a time. (A cliche comes to mind; don't put the cart before the horse.) This is what it means to diligently seek Him. We come to see the treasure of knowledge and wisdom that are hidden in Christ. And then it will all makes sense and harmonizes beautifully. At last we can understand His grace, His desires and His love.

:-Dwight