Take 3.
Our flesh is corrupt.
Our spirit has been credited the righteousness of God.
There is sin leading to death and sin not leading to death because we are twofold... kinda weird.
We are redeemed, born again, made-pure-by-Christ-spirits stuck in wretched bodies-O-death.
Has the scripture about being a new creation ever bugged you? It has driven me crazy. How can I be a new creation and sin all the time? Why can't I just reflect what God is telling me I am?
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJ
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
If we cling to Romans 7... flesh in yellow, spirit in green...
Romans 7:16-25 NKJ
"If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."
"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."
"I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man."
"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
"I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
... I can believe I am a new creation.
1 John 3:5 & 6 NKJ
"And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin."
I hope the colors aren't making you dizzy...
Flesh cannot abide in Him. It is carnal and passing away. Our spirits are born again and abide in Him where there is no sin.
1 John 3:9 NKJ
"Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."
Makes sense, right? He gives us righteousness as a gift... how could we have His righteousness and sin? (The New International Version is super confusing here, because it states it so loosely that it, consequentially, becomes contradictory with the rest of the verses that talk about sin in 1 John and the entire Bible. Beware of the NIV... it exchanges the word "keep" with "obey" all over the New Testament. Check out the original languages and you'll find a huge difference between the two.)
1 John 4:15 NKJ
"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. "
I think the "him" right there should be yellow, but I'm not certain, yet.
1 John 5:18 NJK
"We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him."
1 John 5:11-13 NKJ
"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."
Here's how I understand it... since sin is lawlessness, and part of me is under law & part of me isn't, part of me sins continually and part of me doesn't.
With sin out of the way, guilt is out of the way... since we continue to sin in our flesh, Satan is constantly trying to guilt us out of faith. If we believe God, guilt dissapates and with our clean conscience we approach the Lord as our heavenly Father with the confidence He has given us in His wonderful gift of righteousness.
I believe this is the teaching about righteousness Hebrews 5:13 mentions.
Let's be green.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
So, I'm His child by grace, through faith...
What's my problem? Why do I keep screwing up? I don't feel like a child of God!
Romans 7:15 NKJ
"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."
Romans 7:19 NKJ
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice."
In the moment, we don't necessarily want to do what is right, but in retrospect, we hate what we did.
Interesting...
God loves us and calls us His children because we trust that Jesus is the Christ and died for our sins, but we hate what we do... and shouldn't we? (Luke 14:26)
I'm a wretch... as I pear into God's righteous character and all that the Bible calls us to, I find myself wretched. (Romans 7:24)
God agrees... we are wretched. He agrees so much that He sent a Savior to rescue us. Now we are just wretches on the outside. There's a mystery here. Prayerfully meditate on these verses...
Romans 7:22-24 NKJ
"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
Romans 7:25 NKJ
"I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
1 John 1:8 NKJ
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
1 John 3:6b NKJ
"Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him."
Okay, is anyone else confused... If we say we don't sin we are a liar... so the fact is we do sin. But, whoever sins doesn't know Him. But we just established that we are His children...
Is there sin that doesn't count... sin that isn't imputed on us?
James 1:15 NKJ
"Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
So, desire turns into sin, which brings death, right?
1 John 5:16 & 17 NKJ
"If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death."
So, there's two different kinds of sin... sin leading to death and sin not leading to death.
Let's discuss sin a bit more. What is it?
1 John 3:4 NKJ
"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."
Sin is lawlessness. So, God gives us laws, we break them, and it is called sin. The law is holy, just, and good, and we wouldn't have known what sin was without the law. Before the law came, sin was dead. Without a law, there is nothing to be lawless against. Once the law came, we broke it, sin sprang to life and we were headed for hell. Then Jesus' light shone upon us, we received Him, and we were born again. He fulfilled the law on our behalf and we are no longer under the law.
Romans 7:6a NKJ
"But now we have been delivered from the law..."
If sin is lawlessness and the law is removed (fulfilled), what happens to sin?
Romans 5:13b NKJ
"...sin is not imputed when there is no law."
Romans 4:15b NKJ
"where there is no law there is no transgression."
Romans 4:8 NKJ
"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."
Now, wait a minute... didn't 1 John 1:8 say that we are liars if we say we have no sin?
Yes, and it's true. God clarifies through Paul...
Romans 7:25b NKJ"...with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
We do sin in the flesh.
But with our spirits, we are slaves of righteousness (willing slaves).
Romans 6:18 NKJ
"And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
We are His children. We sin everyday in the flesh... our flesh is corrupt and it will die. Our true life is hidden in Christ and has been made righteous.
Romans 5:17 calls it a "gift of righteousness".
Romans 4:5 states that our "faith is accounted for righteousness".
God justifies those who have faith in Jesus Christ... If He provides our righteousness, He is imputing His righteousness upon us! Not some sub-par righteousness... the righteousness of God! (Romans 3:22 & 26)
Righteousness comes to us through faith, by grace.
I believe practicing righteousness means living by faith or practicing faith.
1 John 3:7 NKJ
"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous."
Let's tie it back in. When we don't feel like a child of God, it's probably a lack of faith. We can take God at His Word when He says righteousness comes through faith, and those who believe in Jesus are born of Him.
Making a conscious choice to trust Him, and stepping out in faith... we can rest assured that we are His.
What about the dual sin thing?
Romans 7:15 NKJ
"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."
Romans 7:19 NKJ
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice."
In the moment, we don't necessarily want to do what is right, but in retrospect, we hate what we did.
Interesting...
God loves us and calls us His children because we trust that Jesus is the Christ and died for our sins, but we hate what we do... and shouldn't we? (Luke 14:26)
I'm a wretch... as I pear into God's righteous character and all that the Bible calls us to, I find myself wretched. (Romans 7:24)
God agrees... we are wretched. He agrees so much that He sent a Savior to rescue us. Now we are just wretches on the outside. There's a mystery here. Prayerfully meditate on these verses...
Romans 7:22-24 NKJ
"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
Romans 7:25 NKJ
"I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
1 John 1:8 NKJ
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
1 John 3:6b NKJ
"Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him."
Okay, is anyone else confused... If we say we don't sin we are a liar... so the fact is we do sin. But, whoever sins doesn't know Him. But we just established that we are His children...
Is there sin that doesn't count... sin that isn't imputed on us?
James 1:15 NKJ
"Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
So, desire turns into sin, which brings death, right?
1 John 5:16 & 17 NKJ
"If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death."
So, there's two different kinds of sin... sin leading to death and sin not leading to death.
Let's discuss sin a bit more. What is it?
1 John 3:4 NKJ
"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."
Sin is lawlessness. So, God gives us laws, we break them, and it is called sin. The law is holy, just, and good, and we wouldn't have known what sin was without the law. Before the law came, sin was dead. Without a law, there is nothing to be lawless against. Once the law came, we broke it, sin sprang to life and we were headed for hell. Then Jesus' light shone upon us, we received Him, and we were born again. He fulfilled the law on our behalf and we are no longer under the law.
Romans 7:6a NKJ
"But now we have been delivered from the law..."
If sin is lawlessness and the law is removed (fulfilled), what happens to sin?
Romans 5:13b NKJ
"...sin is not imputed when there is no law."
Romans 4:15b NKJ
"where there is no law there is no transgression."
Romans 4:8 NKJ
"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."
Now, wait a minute... didn't 1 John 1:8 say that we are liars if we say we have no sin?
Yes, and it's true. God clarifies through Paul...
Romans 7:25b NKJ"...with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
We do sin in the flesh.
But with our spirits, we are slaves of righteousness (willing slaves).
Romans 6:18 NKJ
"And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
We are His children. We sin everyday in the flesh... our flesh is corrupt and it will die. Our true life is hidden in Christ and has been made righteous.
Romans 5:17 calls it a "gift of righteousness".
Romans 4:5 states that our "faith is accounted for righteousness".
God justifies those who have faith in Jesus Christ... If He provides our righteousness, He is imputing His righteousness upon us! Not some sub-par righteousness... the righteousness of God! (Romans 3:22 & 26)
Righteousness comes to us through faith, by grace.
I believe practicing righteousness means living by faith or practicing faith.
1 John 3:7 NKJ
"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous."
Let's tie it back in. When we don't feel like a child of God, it's probably a lack of faith. We can take God at His Word when He says righteousness comes through faith, and those who believe in Jesus are born of Him.
Making a conscious choice to trust Him, and stepping out in faith... we can rest assured that we are His.
What about the dual sin thing?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Yup
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God!"
"Beloved, now we are children of God..."
These verses in 1 John chapter 3 give us the assurance that we are God's children... maybe.
What is the condition of we? The end of Chapter 2 states, "everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." What does it mean to practice righteousness?
What is righteousness? Isn't it to do what is right? To practice justice?
So, if I do what is right I am a child of God?
What if I make a mistake? What if I sin? Do I lose my "God's child" position? Do I jump in and out of His family? 1 John 1 states, "If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Romans 3:10 quotes the Old Testament, "There is none righteous, no, not one."
So, if I sin, and I'm not righteous, what can I do to become and stay a child of God?
How can I earn His affection/ His favor?
When does doing what is right, what is good, become more about us and our pride and less about our relationship with a righteous God? And what does this performance have to do with love?
I went down the path of trying to please God with my abilities. I found out that I don't have much ability.
When I failed, I picked myself back up and tried harder. When I sinned, I confessed and pushed through, to try to do better and stop my sin. Wherever I went, sin was right there with me. I couldn't shake it.
I still can't, and neither can you- believe it or not (1 John 1). We can't make ourselves good enough for a holy God. And our understanding Father knows it and wrote it in His Book.
Have you tried to give unconditional love to someone else? Has it ever become conditional... loving them based on how they treat you? Jesus said to love our enemies... He set an example for what is righteous. He elevated the Old Testament law to a new spiritual level. "You have heard it said... but I tell you...". Jesus told a number of people to leave their lives of sin, and to go and sin no more. Is this possible? Can we make it through a day without sinning? Or, more precisely, can we make it through a day obeying the greatest commandments which sum up the Law and the Prophets... to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love others as we love ourselves? Jesus even elevated the second commandment to, "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).
Check out 1 John 1:8 & 10
Did God give us the commandments so that we could obey our way to pleasing Him, and earn the title, "His child"? Can we love others as Jesus loves them? I don't think Jesus is requiring the impossible from us. We just need Him to accomplish it in us... because apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15). When I set out to do something "for Jesus", because He deserves it, I owe it, and He requires it... I don't get very far. When I set out to trust and receive Him, He works in my life and His power flows through me naturally... not of my own striving- all I'm doing is sitting at his feet. (Romans 4:5)
Jesus told Martha that only one thing is needed and Mary had chosen that one thing and it wouldn't be taken from her... what was it?
What did Jesus answer when He was asked, "What must we do to do the works which God requires?"
Our motives reveal the value of our works. Prideful motives (which abound, and deeper than we realize) reveal truly ugly works (even though they may appear good to the world). Christ-centered motives reveal beautiful works (even though they may not be as glamorous to the world). Each work will be shown for what it is, because God's judgement is based on truth, not appearances.
Consider a few scriptures:
Galatians 3:19 NKJ
"What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator."
Romans 3:19
"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
Romans 5:20
"Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more"
Galatians 3:24 NKJ
"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Philippians 3:9 NKJ
"and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith"
Galatians 2:21 NKJ
"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
These scriptures remind me that striving to obey God's law, His commands, is a broken road that I cannot accomplish the way I "should"...
Deuteronomy 6:17 NKJ
"You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you."
Deuteronomy 6:25
"Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us."
The law hasn't passed away. It is still relevant, even though the world doesn't acknowledge it. It declares what is right and the world will be judged by what is right.
Matthew 5:18 NKJ
"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."
Luke 16:17 NKJ
"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."
This scares me. And it should, because under the law, I am broken. There is a solution, however.
Matthew 5:17 NKJ
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."
Romans 3:20 NKJ
"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
1 John 1:9 (& Proverbs 28:13)
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Check out Ephesians chapter 2 (vs. 4-9) & Philippians 3:8-9.
So, what does it mean to practice righteousness?
Hebrews 10:14
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
Romans 3:21-24
"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
I submit for your consideration that practicing righteousness means practicing belief... willingly choosing to place your faith in Christ's atonement... His imparted righteousness on our behalf. James reminds us that faith without works is dead, as works do follow genuine faith (naturally, not contrivingly), but Hebrews also has something to say concerning this...
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Romans 3:28
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."
Jesus fulfils the law for us and in us... we naturally love others as He works His love in us, and we participate in the greatest commands through Him.
In conclusion, we are children of God because He brought us to faith in Him. It is not contingent upon our performance. It is contingent upon His grace and mercy and our acceptance of Him.
1 John 5:1a
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..."
Let's practice righteousness
"Beloved, now we are children of God..."
These verses in 1 John chapter 3 give us the assurance that we are God's children... maybe.
What is the condition of we? The end of Chapter 2 states, "everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." What does it mean to practice righteousness?
What is righteousness? Isn't it to do what is right? To practice justice?
So, if I do what is right I am a child of God?
What if I make a mistake? What if I sin? Do I lose my "God's child" position? Do I jump in and out of His family? 1 John 1 states, "If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Romans 3:10 quotes the Old Testament, "There is none righteous, no, not one."
So, if I sin, and I'm not righteous, what can I do to become and stay a child of God?
How can I earn His affection/ His favor?
When does doing what is right, what is good, become more about us and our pride and less about our relationship with a righteous God? And what does this performance have to do with love?
I went down the path of trying to please God with my abilities. I found out that I don't have much ability.
When I failed, I picked myself back up and tried harder. When I sinned, I confessed and pushed through, to try to do better and stop my sin. Wherever I went, sin was right there with me. I couldn't shake it.
I still can't, and neither can you- believe it or not (1 John 1). We can't make ourselves good enough for a holy God. And our understanding Father knows it and wrote it in His Book.
Have you tried to give unconditional love to someone else? Has it ever become conditional... loving them based on how they treat you? Jesus said to love our enemies... He set an example for what is righteous. He elevated the Old Testament law to a new spiritual level. "You have heard it said... but I tell you...". Jesus told a number of people to leave their lives of sin, and to go and sin no more. Is this possible? Can we make it through a day without sinning? Or, more precisely, can we make it through a day obeying the greatest commandments which sum up the Law and the Prophets... to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love others as we love ourselves? Jesus even elevated the second commandment to, "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).
Check out 1 John 1:8 & 10
Did God give us the commandments so that we could obey our way to pleasing Him, and earn the title, "His child"? Can we love others as Jesus loves them? I don't think Jesus is requiring the impossible from us. We just need Him to accomplish it in us... because apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15). When I set out to do something "for Jesus", because He deserves it, I owe it, and He requires it... I don't get very far. When I set out to trust and receive Him, He works in my life and His power flows through me naturally... not of my own striving- all I'm doing is sitting at his feet. (Romans 4:5)
Jesus told Martha that only one thing is needed and Mary had chosen that one thing and it wouldn't be taken from her... what was it?
What did Jesus answer when He was asked, "What must we do to do the works which God requires?"
Our motives reveal the value of our works. Prideful motives (which abound, and deeper than we realize) reveal truly ugly works (even though they may appear good to the world). Christ-centered motives reveal beautiful works (even though they may not be as glamorous to the world). Each work will be shown for what it is, because God's judgement is based on truth, not appearances.
Consider a few scriptures:
Galatians 3:19 NKJ
"What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator."
Romans 3:19
"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
Romans 5:20
"Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more"
Galatians 3:24 NKJ
"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Philippians 3:9 NKJ
"and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith"
Galatians 2:21 NKJ
"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
These scriptures remind me that striving to obey God's law, His commands, is a broken road that I cannot accomplish the way I "should"...
Deuteronomy 6:17 NKJ
"You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you."
Deuteronomy 6:25
"Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us."
The law hasn't passed away. It is still relevant, even though the world doesn't acknowledge it. It declares what is right and the world will be judged by what is right.
Matthew 5:18 NKJ
"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."
Luke 16:17 NKJ
"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."
This scares me. And it should, because under the law, I am broken. There is a solution, however.
Matthew 5:17 NKJ
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."
Romans 3:20 NKJ
"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
1 John 1:9 (& Proverbs 28:13)
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Check out Ephesians chapter 2 (vs. 4-9) & Philippians 3:8-9.
So, what does it mean to practice righteousness?
Hebrews 10:14
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
Romans 3:21-24
"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
I submit for your consideration that practicing righteousness means practicing belief... willingly choosing to place your faith in Christ's atonement... His imparted righteousness on our behalf. James reminds us that faith without works is dead, as works do follow genuine faith (naturally, not contrivingly), but Hebrews also has something to say concerning this...
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Romans 3:28
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."
Jesus fulfils the law for us and in us... we naturally love others as He works His love in us, and we participate in the greatest commands through Him.
In conclusion, we are children of God because He brought us to faith in Him. It is not contingent upon our performance. It is contingent upon His grace and mercy and our acceptance of Him.
1 John 5:1a
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..."
Let's practice righteousness
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