The Reality of Life Found in Christ Jesus Part 3 THE ONLY WAY!
If I said the ONLY WAY to God is by Jesus Christ or through Jesus Christ, I would get a lot of agreement from even modern Christianity. There are those who believe there is more than one way to God and unfortunately, they are growing in numbers.
However, if I began to explain what it is that we are truly called to in Christ Jesus, how we are to live, what we are supposed to do or not do, the requirements of God in living the Christian life, it is here that there will be much disagreement and division. Frankly, I don’t care who disagrees with me, unless it is God Himself. God is the ONE who designed us, who created us to be certain types of creatures and it is to HIM that we should look to find out what it means to be Children of God and HOW that life is to come about. But I promise you once more, many toes will be stepped on, for what is commonly believed in most Christian circles IS NOT THE TRUTH!
Be prepared to lay down ALL of your pre-conceived notions and ideas, ALL of your understandings, your teachings, your doctrines, your beliefs, all the things you have been told by anyone, including myself. I know of no other way to say this without just being blunt; MOST of what we believe today as 21st Century Christians is not HIS ABSOLUTE TRUTH and in order to come into the life HE requires of us, ALL of these false things MUST be discarded COMPLETELY, we must empty ourselves of these things, or HE will NOT fill us with Himself.
I do not ask you, the reader to be the judge of what is written on these pages. I ask you to take all of it to GOD HIMSELF and ask HIM what HE says, HONESTLY! Do not expect Him to support you or me. We each must be willing to be wrong about what we believe in order to be taught HIS TRUTH. If we are not willing to be wrong, have a TRUE WILLINGNESS to be corrected about anything and everything we believe, then we hold a bias against whatever TRUTH there is on these pages, or anywhere else for that matter.
AND I must also mention the fact that we cannot trust ourselves for HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE BEEN WRONG? I can honestly say for myself, I have been very wrong about most things for most of my life. It is only when I became willing to admit that and willing to be taught His truth NO MATTER WHAT doctrine that truth destroyed that HE began to truly teach me all of these things. The Lord has shown me that HE will do the same for ANYONE who is willing to HONESTLY subject the things they believe to HIS INSPECTION and CORRECTION and will lay down EVERYTHING HE tells them is in error.
I guarantee that IF any person will do this with the Lord and HONESTLY lay down everything the Lord Jesus Christ shows them to be in error, that not only will He teach you HIS TRUTH, but that we will find MOST of what we currently hold dear comes from man and NOT GOD and is in error!
So, are you willing to go that direction? Are you willing to be this radical? Are you truly willing to throw away EVERYTHING that God points to, no matter how long you have held onto it, no matter how dear it is to you? If you are, HE WILL TEACH YOU HIMSELF. If you are not, well, you are clinging to deception, you do not love the truth and are headed down the wrong path already.
This is not rocket science. It is TRUE SPIRITUALITY in Christ Jesus. Jesus told us that IF we were going to be HIS DISCIPLES we HAD TO DENY OURSELVES, take up our cross (this refers to living a life of death to the FLESH LIFE) and FOLLOWING Jesus in the VERY SAME KIND OF LIFE HE LIVED.
How did Jesus live His life? Very simple, He only did and said the things the Father told Him to say and do; nothing more and certainly NOTHING LESS! We are to live in the very same way, saying and doing ONLY THOSE THINGS the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit tells us to say and do; NOTHING MORE and NOTHING LESS! If we are unwilling to deny ourselves and wait for HIM to tell us what to believe and how we are to live, then we are NOT His disciples in the FIRST PLACE!
Therefore, if we are unwilling to go to Him and have HIM Judge what is right and wrong in our lives and what we believe, we do not meet His criteria for being His disciples and are not following Him down the same path He walked. We are to be in this world as HE was in this world. The choice is ours. We can either live in TOTAL DEPENDENCE on the Lord, or we can continue to live as we always have. These words are addressed ONLY TO THOSE who are willing to LOSE THEMSELVES in Christ Jesus.
THE ONLY WAY!
Please pay close attention to what our brother Oswald Chambers is speaking of in this devotion.
From “MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST” Reading for Sunday 25th September 2011
THE GO" OF RELATIONSHIP" by Oswald Chambers
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Matthew 5:41
The summing up of Our Lord's teaching is that the relationship which He demands is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that there be not the slightest trace of resentment even suppressed in the heart of a disciple when he meets with tyranny and injustice. No enthusiasm will ever stand the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His worker, only one thing will, and that is a personal relationship to Himself which has gone through the mill of His spring-cleaning until there is only one purpose left - I am here for God to send me where He will. Every other thing may get fogged, but this relationship to Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not an ideal, it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has altered my disposition and put in a disposition like His own. Jesus Christ is the only One Who can fulfil the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally; as long as we have the dead set purpose of being disciples we may be sure we are not. "I have chosen you." That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we cannot get away from; we can disobey it, but we cannot generate it. The drawing is done by the supernatural grace of God, and we never can trace where His work begins. Our Lord's making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are easy to us naturally; He only asks us to do the things we are perfectly fitted to do by His grace, and the cross will come along that line always." (emphasis added)
We could search through this devotional and find many entries that would fit into this short work. But the purpose is NOT to glorify Oswald Chambers, rather it is to point us to our only answer for all things, JESUS CHRIST! Can we see and understand what is being said above? Do we understand that the Sermon on the Mount is TRULY how God expects us to live on this EARTH; right now? But neither you nor I can do this. Only Christ Jesus can live in this manner and it is to this we must direct our lives, our belief, our FAITH, that HE might TRULY, actually, and Experientially demonstrate His life in and through us so that EVERYONE who sees and hears us, will actually be seeing and hearing Jesus Christ Himself.
And that, my friends IS the Gospel of the Kingdom of God! This will only come about by Jesus Christ living His life through us. Time after time throughout the New Testament we are shown this and told this, but man has spiritualized these truths because in order to live them on this earth, we must stop living for ourselves utterly. We must become totally dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ for absolutely EVERYTHING; just like Adam and Eve were prior to the Fall; just like Jesus was absolutely dependent on the Father for everything and never did or said anything the Father did not tell Him to say or do.
Phil 2: 5Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained,
7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
8And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
9Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,
10That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
How often we have read these words, but do the really mean anything to us for our own lives? Have we even paid attention to the very words of Christ Jesus, the WORD OF GOD HIMSELF?
John 17: 13And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts].
14I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world.
15I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one.
16They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world.
17Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.
18Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
19And so for their sake and on their behalf I sanctify (dedicate, consecrate) Myself, that they also may be sanctified (dedicated, consecrated, made holy) in the Truth.
20Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching,
21That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.
22I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:
23I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.
(emphasis added)
Are these just words that sound nice or did Jesus actually mean to pray what He prayed? We are to be in this world in the same manner, with the same mission, walking the same walk, living the same life Jesus lived while HE was on the earth. If you do not believe me, then believe what the scriptures say.
I John 2: 5But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:
6Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.(emphasis added)
How many of us had heard this from a pulpit? How many people do we know preach this? How many people that we know LIVE THIS? Do you believe the Bible is absolutely TRUE? How do we know we are TRULY IN HIM?
If we say we abide in Him then we MUST walk in the VERY SAME WAY JESUS WALKED ON THIS EARTH! If we do not walk in that manner, then we are liars; and we are not in Christ.
Does this offend you? Are you angry at me for saying these words? I will ask you why? Is not the Bible absolutely true? The WHOLE BIBLE, not just the parts we are familiar with or those special verses we like, but even these hard verses that confront the hypocrisy in the modern Church; of which the whole world may not be familiar with specifically, but indeed the world does know a charlatan when it hears one.
The other problem that exists is this>>>> How are we to live in this manner?
Can anyone, can you, dear reader, can you change your nature? Can you change how you feel on the inside? Can you change what your self-life produces? Paul tried to do this and he found it was impossible.
Romans 7: 14We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.
15For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns].
16Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge and agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) and that I take sides with it.
17However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me.
18For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]
19For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.
20Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts], but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [fixed and operating in my soul].(emphasis added)
Here we have the intrinsic trouble that indwells all of mankind unless there is DIRECT INTERVENTION by God! It is for this very reason that everyone who attempts to keep the LAW, cannot ever keep it, not in their heart. It is why Paul had to say this was how he lived prior to meeting Christ Jesus, even though he stated that he was absolutely blameless when it came to the kind of righteousness the Law produced.
Philippians 3: 4Though for myself I have [at least grounds] to rely on the flesh. If any other man considers that he has or seems to have reason to rely on the flesh and his physical and outward advantages, I have still more!
5Circumcised when I was eight days old, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [and the son] of Hebrews; as to the observance of the Law I was of [the party of] the Pharisees,
6As to my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church, and by the Law's standard of righteousness (supposed justice, uprightness, and right standing with God) I was proven to be blameless and no fault was found with me.
7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ's sake.
8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
9And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law's demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
11That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. (emphasis added)
Can we understand what Paul is telling us? Paul explains how he had previously lived as a PHARISEE and kept the LAW; being blameless and having no fault in the way he lived. Yet, he admitted in Romans 7 that even though he appeared righteous on the outside, inside was a totally different story. No matter how hard he tried, he could not meet God’s righteous demands. He said, “I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]”
So Paul, a man who by the standards of the Pharisees, kept the Law, was blameless and had no fault, yet we find that later, after he had met Christ Jesus and was granted revelation knowledge, he recoginzed that he was a blasphemer and a very insolent man, having no true LOVE or UNDERSTANDING; he stood guilty before God and deserved the sentence of Death.
Then Paul met Jesus Christ. After many years of being taught directly by the Lord through the Holy Spirit, Paul understood there was a TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, “ but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One),”.
What is this? This is NOT imputed righteousness, this is REAL, EXPERIENTIAL Righteousness. It is the same kind of life that Jesus lived. Is this what we are taught today? Who do you know who lives like this?
AND, please notice this>>>> THIS TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS DOES NOT COME FROM OBSERVING THE LAW, BUT ONLY BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS! No, I am not ignoring those verses that speak about obeying the Lord’s commands. In fact, the kind of life I refer to is the ONLY WAY to TRULY obey His commands! Why do I say that? Because only Jesus Christ can obey the Sermon on the Mount and THAT is the kind of Life God requires!
Let me put this another way. We will go back to Ephesians 4:20-24.
Eph 4: 20But you did not so learn Christ!
21Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.(emphasis added)
Since we have been told that Jesus Christ is our Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption, and we KNOW we cannot produce righteousness that is like God’s ourselves, the ONLY WAY to put on this NEW NATURE that is created to be like God in TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS is to put on Jesus Christ Himself AFTER we have had our old corrupt, carnal nature crucified and totally put to death.
We MUST remember that the Ephesians were True Christians. Paul thanked God for them. Yet they had NOT attained the fullness that is found in Christ Jesus, otherwise Paul would not have prayed for them in Chapters 1 & 3 as he did, nor would he have instructed them to put on this NEW NATURE if they already had it from being saved! Plus, there is this knowledge that Paul is NOT referring to IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS but rather Paul is speaking of TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, demonstrable righteousness; it is observable and it is real, it is not just how God sees us, it is the very same kind of life Jesus lived.
Let us learn a lesson from the natural world. Man has trained many different kinds of animals. We have been able to do amazing things with these creatures, often performing acts that are totally foreign to the natural animal. When would a bear ride a motorcycle on its own? Yet despite all of this training and the fantastic things these animals are able to do, they remain and retain their original natures. I have heard it said by many animal trainers that no matter how much training the animal has received, no matter how familiar they are with humans, put them in the right kind of circumstances and their animal natures will take over.
I have seen this demonstrated many times. Once, we were near Phoenix visiting a big cat park in Scottsdale. One of the tigers there had been raised by hand, from a cub, having been hand-fed with bottles by the one of the owners. Yet, these people showed how, if they violated the rules the natural animal lived by, they would immediately come to their natural defenses, becoming a dangerous wild animal. The man got so close to being attacked and mauled by the tiger that if he had taken one more step, he would have been lunch instead of the piece of meat the tiger had in his paws already.
Yet, when the lady who had-fed the tiger approached in a proper, unthreatening manner, this huge 600 pound tiger allowed her to put his head in her lap even while he was still eating that piece of meat. It was all in the way he was approached as to whether or not he would be a wild creature or a familiar friend.
Perhaps I have not conveyed that particular story very well, but the fact remains, that given the right circumstances, a huge male tiger could either respond as he would in the wild or as a “pet”, but the wild nature always remained inside.
This is NOT true Christianity. The above description is that of how the Pharisees lived and how almost all Christians live in this day. We cannot show in nature a change of nature because it just does not happen. But the Bible speaks of the lion laying down with the lamb and the child playing at the den of a viper. This describes a TRUE CHANGE of nature; and it is THIS KIND of change of nature that is supposed to happen in the lives of all true Christians.
Unless and until there is an actual, experiential change of nature, the old nature remains and will continue to produce the same fruit it has always produced!
Galatians 5: 19Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,
20Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),
21Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (emphasis added)
Who is Paul writing to? The Galatians. Are these Galatians, Christians?
Galatians 1: 1PAUL, AN apostle--[special messenger appointed and commissioned and sent out] not from [any body of] men nor by or through any man, but by and through Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and God the Father, Who raised Him from among the dead--
2And all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:
3Grace and spiritual blessing be to you and [soul] peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah),
Well, it certainly seems that Paul was talking to Christians, especially since later in the book he speaks of the possibility of their leaving Christ due to their practice of KEEPING THE LAW!
Therefore, we see Paul is speaking to Christians and warns them what the fruit or doings (practices) of the flesh are. Then he also warns them that WHOEVER does things like this, whoever lives a life where they practice the works of the FLESH, WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
But my friends, the trouble is, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks; and the fingers type, and fruit is produced. Jesus also warned us that it is from the HEART these evil things come and it is this kind of thing that will condemn people in the sight of God.
The answer appears to be to rid our lives of this kind of practice. Unfortunately, WE cannot do this ourselves. This should be obvious to all of us by now. That is what Romans 7 is all about. No amount of law keeping, no amount of compliance to the LAWs of God, will EVER change the heart; and it is from the heart that ALL of these sins have their origin. The heart vine, will produce the fruit that comes from its nature. As long as these sins remain inside of us, as they did in the lives of the Pharisees; as they do today in the lives of the vast majority of Christians, we have had the heart transplant God spoke of in Ezekiel 19 and 36 referred to in previous articles.
What this means is exactly what Paul said. Even though he had complied with all the LAWS of God and kept them to the point of being absolutely blameless and faultless, his life was a stench in the nostrils of God; and so are the lives of anyone who attempts to obey God’s laws and commands. It is not in man to walk in obedience to God. As Jesus said, without HIM, we can do NOTHING!
I have spent a good deal of time on this so that we might all recognize that the verse is true. Our righteousness is as filthy rags before God and no matter how carefully we THINK we are keeping His Laws and Commandments, we will fail! And, what is more, God does NOT overlook this, because HE has provided the means whereby ALL of this is dealt with, a pure heart and obedience to God’s will.
Yes, we must have a PURE HEART! What does that mean? What does pure mean? It means absolutely clean, nothing else there to tarnish it. 100% PURE water contains ONLY WATER. If we have a PURE HEART in God’s sight, it is because HE has absolutely cleansed it from ALL SIN and there remains NO MORE SIN IN IT! If it is truly clean, it will NOT produce more sinful reactions; in other words, it will not perform the practices of the FLESH as listed in Galatians 5, nor anything else that defiles the heart.
If we take 1000 ml of water, remove only 1 ml and replace it with 1 ml of untreated sewage, then shake it all up. It is now 99.99% pure, but would you drink it? I suggest you do not as it would likely make you very ill if not kill you. Yet that is what we are asked to believe in, and live, a life that is NOT pure and PRETEND as though it IS pure. Yet, as Paul suggests in Galatians 5, that kind of life leads to death.
Only GOD can make our hearts this clean, but this clean they MUST BE. Below, I am copying a number of verses throughout the Bible that speak about a pure heart and how this is the only kind of heart that is acceptable to God.
Psalms 24: 3Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.
Matthew 5: 8Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous--possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
I Thessalonians 3: 12And may the Lord make you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another and for all people, just as we also do for you, 13So that He may strengthen and confirm and establish your hearts faultlessly pure and unblamable in holiness in the sight of our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) with all His saints (the holy and glorified people of God)! Amen, (so be it)!
I Timothy 1: 5Whereas the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.6But certain individuals have missed the mark on this very matter [and] have wandered away into vain arguments and discussions and purposeless talk.7They are ambitious to be doctors of the Law (teachers of the Mosaic ritual), but they have no understanding either of the words and terms they use or of the subjects about which they make [such] dogmatic assertions.
2 Timothy 2:22 Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.
(How many people do you know have a pure heart? If you don’t know any, can you even say you have fellowship with other Christians?)
Titus 1: 15To the pure [in heart and conscience] all things are pure, but to the defiled and corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are defiled and polluted.16They profess to know God [to recognize, perceive, and be acquainted with Him], but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable and loathsome, unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious, and [they are] unfit and worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.
(If a person were to speak like this today, would we consider them walking in love?)
Notice this>>>> If we are truly righteous on the inside; if our hearts are actually PURE, the ALL THINGS are pure. That means the person with a PURE HEART will NOT VIOLATE God’s Laws, God’s Commands, God’s WILL in reality; EVER! It does NOT mean, they will “keep the Law” since that is NOT using the Law for the purpose it was designed.
1 Peter 1:22 Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy ] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart.
How many of us LOVE our Brothers and Sisters from a PURE HEART?
No amount of LAW KEEPING, no amount of TORAH OBEDIENCE, no amount of complying with the COMMANDMENTS of GOD will EVER purify our hearts. This is NOT using the LAW LAWFULLY; it is not using the LAW for the purpose for which it was designed.
I Timothy 1: 8Now we recognize and know that the Law is good if anyone uses it lawfully [for the purpose for which it was designed],
9Knowing and understanding this: that the Law is not enacted for the righteous (the upright and just, who are in right standing with God), but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who strike and beat and [even] murder fathers and strike and beat and [even] murder mothers, for manslayers,
What is the PURPOSE of the LAW? We are told in the scriptures.
Galatians 3: 19What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added [later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt] because of transgressions and [to make men more conscious of the sinfulness] of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it [the Law] was arranged and ordained and appointed through the instrumentality of angels [and was given] by the hand (in the person) of a go-between [Moses, an intermediary person between God and man].
20Now a go-between (intermediary) has to do with and implies more than one party [there can be no mediator with just one person]. Yet God is [only] one Person [and He was the sole party in giving that promise to Abraham. But the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity was dependent on both].
21Is the Law then contrary and opposed to the promises of God? Of course not! For if a Law had been given which could confer [spiritual] life, then righteousness and right standing with God would certainly have come by Law.
22But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him].
23Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),
24So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.
25But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).
26For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.
27For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.
28There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed], then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise. (emphasis added)
Are we to believe this or not? Or should we rather believe what men have taught us, that we are to read the Bible, see God’s Commandments and do them? Yet the Bible tells us that THIS way of DOING is not the correct way, it is in error and anyone who lives in this manner is actually separating themselves from Christ Jesus; they have fallen from GRACE and are now required by GOD to obey ALL the LAW as it is listed in the Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. We are either to live by FAITH that Jesus Christ will change us totally on the inside or we are to live by LAW keeping all of the Commandments that Moses gave which is impossible.
Not only this, but as we have already seen ANYTHING that does not come by FAITH is SIN! The Bible says this, so why do we not accept it? The Bible has told us that THE LAW was there UNTIL CHRIST CAME! It was only there to teach us what SIN (the principle of sin) was. Now we are to LIVE BY FAITH, not by following a list of rules, not by keeping commandments which the Bible says IS NOT FAITH!
Please understand that I am not against God nor His commands. In fact, if anyone was honest and read what I have written throughout all of this, they would have to admit I am not advocating living anyway we want and saying we have not sin. That is also a lie. As I mentioned and Paul wrote, NO ONE who follows the way of the flesh WILL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD! But as is written in the scriptures, no amount of righteousness that man can produce by compliance will ever be enough to please God, it is NOT by the works of the Law but ONLY by FAITH that ANY man, ANY man who has ever been born will ever be justified and declared righteous.
But today, due to the life of Christ Jesus, we can not only be justified, not only be declared righteous by faith, but we can receive a NEW NATURE that is the very same as the Nature of Jesus Christ, but ONLY by Faith! It will never come from our works of righteousness for those will NEVER be enough for God. This TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS comes BY FAITH ALONE. Faith in Christ Jesus, faith the Jesus will indeed circumcise the whole, corrupt, carnal nature and replace it with His own PURE HEART, just like the Father promised in Ezekiel 19 & 36, thus causing us to walk in the very will of God!
But NOT by our keeping the LAW, which is not faith. Faith receives because it trusts, relies on, and totally depends on the Father to keep His word and perform it HIMSELF in our lives, thus making us walk a walk that is JUST LIKE JESUS!
Please forgive me for repeating myself. This is very important for all of us to understand and I knew there would be some opposition to His truth. I have tried to present this in several ways so that all might be able to get a grasp of what God has done for us. Despite this, there will be some who will do whatever they can to discredit these words. There will be attacks on my character; accusations will flow from the lips of those who should be praising God.
There will be at least one more of these articles on the Reality of Life Found in Christ Jesus. It becomes difficult to articulate some of these deeper spiritual truths. All who have found these words to be encouraging, who have been challenged and the Lord has confirmed in your heart what you have read in these pages, please pray for me that I might truly be able to write what it is that HE desires to bring forth. Unless HE does it, it will never be done.
God bless you all! a bondslave in Christ Jesus, Dirk
If I said the ONLY WAY to God is by Jesus Christ or through Jesus Christ, I would get a lot of agreement from even modern Christianity. There are those who believe there is more than one way to God and unfortunately, they are growing in numbers.
However, if I began to explain what it is that we are truly called to in Christ Jesus, how we are to live, what we are supposed to do or not do, the requirements of God in living the Christian life, it is here that there will be much disagreement and division. Frankly, I don’t care who disagrees with me, unless it is God Himself. God is the ONE who designed us, who created us to be certain types of creatures and it is to HIM that we should look to find out what it means to be Children of God and HOW that life is to come about. But I promise you once more, many toes will be stepped on, for what is commonly believed in most Christian circles IS NOT THE TRUTH!
Be prepared to lay down ALL of your pre-conceived notions and ideas, ALL of your understandings, your teachings, your doctrines, your beliefs, all the things you have been told by anyone, including myself. I know of no other way to say this without just being blunt; MOST of what we believe today as 21st Century Christians is not HIS ABSOLUTE TRUTH and in order to come into the life HE requires of us, ALL of these false things MUST be discarded COMPLETELY, we must empty ourselves of these things, or HE will NOT fill us with Himself.
I do not ask you, the reader to be the judge of what is written on these pages. I ask you to take all of it to GOD HIMSELF and ask HIM what HE says, HONESTLY! Do not expect Him to support you or me. We each must be willing to be wrong about what we believe in order to be taught HIS TRUTH. If we are not willing to be wrong, have a TRUE WILLINGNESS to be corrected about anything and everything we believe, then we hold a bias against whatever TRUTH there is on these pages, or anywhere else for that matter.
AND I must also mention the fact that we cannot trust ourselves for HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE BEEN WRONG? I can honestly say for myself, I have been very wrong about most things for most of my life. It is only when I became willing to admit that and willing to be taught His truth NO MATTER WHAT doctrine that truth destroyed that HE began to truly teach me all of these things. The Lord has shown me that HE will do the same for ANYONE who is willing to HONESTLY subject the things they believe to HIS INSPECTION and CORRECTION and will lay down EVERYTHING HE tells them is in error.
I guarantee that IF any person will do this with the Lord and HONESTLY lay down everything the Lord Jesus Christ shows them to be in error, that not only will He teach you HIS TRUTH, but that we will find MOST of what we currently hold dear comes from man and NOT GOD and is in error!
So, are you willing to go that direction? Are you willing to be this radical? Are you truly willing to throw away EVERYTHING that God points to, no matter how long you have held onto it, no matter how dear it is to you? If you are, HE WILL TEACH YOU HIMSELF. If you are not, well, you are clinging to deception, you do not love the truth and are headed down the wrong path already.
This is not rocket science. It is TRUE SPIRITUALITY in Christ Jesus. Jesus told us that IF we were going to be HIS DISCIPLES we HAD TO DENY OURSELVES, take up our cross (this refers to living a life of death to the FLESH LIFE) and FOLLOWING Jesus in the VERY SAME KIND OF LIFE HE LIVED.
How did Jesus live His life? Very simple, He only did and said the things the Father told Him to say and do; nothing more and certainly NOTHING LESS! We are to live in the very same way, saying and doing ONLY THOSE THINGS the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit tells us to say and do; NOTHING MORE and NOTHING LESS! If we are unwilling to deny ourselves and wait for HIM to tell us what to believe and how we are to live, then we are NOT His disciples in the FIRST PLACE!
Therefore, if we are unwilling to go to Him and have HIM Judge what is right and wrong in our lives and what we believe, we do not meet His criteria for being His disciples and are not following Him down the same path He walked. We are to be in this world as HE was in this world. The choice is ours. We can either live in TOTAL DEPENDENCE on the Lord, or we can continue to live as we always have. These words are addressed ONLY TO THOSE who are willing to LOSE THEMSELVES in Christ Jesus.
THE ONLY WAY!
Please pay close attention to what our brother Oswald Chambers is speaking of in this devotion.
From “MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST” Reading for Sunday 25th September 2011
THE GO" OF RELATIONSHIP" by Oswald Chambers
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Matthew 5:41
The summing up of Our Lord's teaching is that the relationship which He demands is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that there be not the slightest trace of resentment even suppressed in the heart of a disciple when he meets with tyranny and injustice. No enthusiasm will ever stand the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His worker, only one thing will, and that is a personal relationship to Himself which has gone through the mill of His spring-cleaning until there is only one purpose left - I am here for God to send me where He will. Every other thing may get fogged, but this relationship to Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not an ideal, it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has altered my disposition and put in a disposition like His own. Jesus Christ is the only One Who can fulfil the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally; as long as we have the dead set purpose of being disciples we may be sure we are not. "I have chosen you." That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we cannot get away from; we can disobey it, but we cannot generate it. The drawing is done by the supernatural grace of God, and we never can trace where His work begins. Our Lord's making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are easy to us naturally; He only asks us to do the things we are perfectly fitted to do by His grace, and the cross will come along that line always." (emphasis added)
We could search through this devotional and find many entries that would fit into this short work. But the purpose is NOT to glorify Oswald Chambers, rather it is to point us to our only answer for all things, JESUS CHRIST! Can we see and understand what is being said above? Do we understand that the Sermon on the Mount is TRULY how God expects us to live on this EARTH; right now? But neither you nor I can do this. Only Christ Jesus can live in this manner and it is to this we must direct our lives, our belief, our FAITH, that HE might TRULY, actually, and Experientially demonstrate His life in and through us so that EVERYONE who sees and hears us, will actually be seeing and hearing Jesus Christ Himself.
And that, my friends IS the Gospel of the Kingdom of God! This will only come about by Jesus Christ living His life through us. Time after time throughout the New Testament we are shown this and told this, but man has spiritualized these truths because in order to live them on this earth, we must stop living for ourselves utterly. We must become totally dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ for absolutely EVERYTHING; just like Adam and Eve were prior to the Fall; just like Jesus was absolutely dependent on the Father for everything and never did or said anything the Father did not tell Him to say or do.
Phil 2: 5Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained,
7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
8And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
9Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,
10That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
How often we have read these words, but do the really mean anything to us for our own lives? Have we even paid attention to the very words of Christ Jesus, the WORD OF GOD HIMSELF?
John 17: 13And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts].
14I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world.
15I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one.
16They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world.
17Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.
18Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
19And so for their sake and on their behalf I sanctify (dedicate, consecrate) Myself, that they also may be sanctified (dedicated, consecrated, made holy) in the Truth.
20Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching,
21That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.
22I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:
23I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.
(emphasis added)
Are these just words that sound nice or did Jesus actually mean to pray what He prayed? We are to be in this world in the same manner, with the same mission, walking the same walk, living the same life Jesus lived while HE was on the earth. If you do not believe me, then believe what the scriptures say.
I John 2: 5But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:
6Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.(emphasis added)
How many of us had heard this from a pulpit? How many people do we know preach this? How many people that we know LIVE THIS? Do you believe the Bible is absolutely TRUE? How do we know we are TRULY IN HIM?
If we say we abide in Him then we MUST walk in the VERY SAME WAY JESUS WALKED ON THIS EARTH! If we do not walk in that manner, then we are liars; and we are not in Christ.
Does this offend you? Are you angry at me for saying these words? I will ask you why? Is not the Bible absolutely true? The WHOLE BIBLE, not just the parts we are familiar with or those special verses we like, but even these hard verses that confront the hypocrisy in the modern Church; of which the whole world may not be familiar with specifically, but indeed the world does know a charlatan when it hears one.
The other problem that exists is this>>>> How are we to live in this manner?
Can anyone, can you, dear reader, can you change your nature? Can you change how you feel on the inside? Can you change what your self-life produces? Paul tried to do this and he found it was impossible.
Romans 7: 14We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.
15For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns].
16Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge and agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) and that I take sides with it.
17However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me.
18For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]
19For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.
20Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts], but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [fixed and operating in my soul].(emphasis added)
Here we have the intrinsic trouble that indwells all of mankind unless there is DIRECT INTERVENTION by God! It is for this very reason that everyone who attempts to keep the LAW, cannot ever keep it, not in their heart. It is why Paul had to say this was how he lived prior to meeting Christ Jesus, even though he stated that he was absolutely blameless when it came to the kind of righteousness the Law produced.
Philippians 3: 4Though for myself I have [at least grounds] to rely on the flesh. If any other man considers that he has or seems to have reason to rely on the flesh and his physical and outward advantages, I have still more!
5Circumcised when I was eight days old, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [and the son] of Hebrews; as to the observance of the Law I was of [the party of] the Pharisees,
6As to my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church, and by the Law's standard of righteousness (supposed justice, uprightness, and right standing with God) I was proven to be blameless and no fault was found with me.
7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ's sake.
8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
9And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law's demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
11That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. (emphasis added)
Can we understand what Paul is telling us? Paul explains how he had previously lived as a PHARISEE and kept the LAW; being blameless and having no fault in the way he lived. Yet, he admitted in Romans 7 that even though he appeared righteous on the outside, inside was a totally different story. No matter how hard he tried, he could not meet God’s righteous demands. He said, “I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]”
So Paul, a man who by the standards of the Pharisees, kept the Law, was blameless and had no fault, yet we find that later, after he had met Christ Jesus and was granted revelation knowledge, he recoginzed that he was a blasphemer and a very insolent man, having no true LOVE or UNDERSTANDING; he stood guilty before God and deserved the sentence of Death.
Then Paul met Jesus Christ. After many years of being taught directly by the Lord through the Holy Spirit, Paul understood there was a TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, “ but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One),”.
What is this? This is NOT imputed righteousness, this is REAL, EXPERIENTIAL Righteousness. It is the same kind of life that Jesus lived. Is this what we are taught today? Who do you know who lives like this?
AND, please notice this>>>> THIS TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS DOES NOT COME FROM OBSERVING THE LAW, BUT ONLY BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS! No, I am not ignoring those verses that speak about obeying the Lord’s commands. In fact, the kind of life I refer to is the ONLY WAY to TRULY obey His commands! Why do I say that? Because only Jesus Christ can obey the Sermon on the Mount and THAT is the kind of Life God requires!
Let me put this another way. We will go back to Ephesians 4:20-24.
Eph 4: 20But you did not so learn Christ!
21Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.(emphasis added)
Since we have been told that Jesus Christ is our Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption, and we KNOW we cannot produce righteousness that is like God’s ourselves, the ONLY WAY to put on this NEW NATURE that is created to be like God in TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS is to put on Jesus Christ Himself AFTER we have had our old corrupt, carnal nature crucified and totally put to death.
We MUST remember that the Ephesians were True Christians. Paul thanked God for them. Yet they had NOT attained the fullness that is found in Christ Jesus, otherwise Paul would not have prayed for them in Chapters 1 & 3 as he did, nor would he have instructed them to put on this NEW NATURE if they already had it from being saved! Plus, there is this knowledge that Paul is NOT referring to IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS but rather Paul is speaking of TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, demonstrable righteousness; it is observable and it is real, it is not just how God sees us, it is the very same kind of life Jesus lived.
Let us learn a lesson from the natural world. Man has trained many different kinds of animals. We have been able to do amazing things with these creatures, often performing acts that are totally foreign to the natural animal. When would a bear ride a motorcycle on its own? Yet despite all of this training and the fantastic things these animals are able to do, they remain and retain their original natures. I have heard it said by many animal trainers that no matter how much training the animal has received, no matter how familiar they are with humans, put them in the right kind of circumstances and their animal natures will take over.
I have seen this demonstrated many times. Once, we were near Phoenix visiting a big cat park in Scottsdale. One of the tigers there had been raised by hand, from a cub, having been hand-fed with bottles by the one of the owners. Yet, these people showed how, if they violated the rules the natural animal lived by, they would immediately come to their natural defenses, becoming a dangerous wild animal. The man got so close to being attacked and mauled by the tiger that if he had taken one more step, he would have been lunch instead of the piece of meat the tiger had in his paws already.
Yet, when the lady who had-fed the tiger approached in a proper, unthreatening manner, this huge 600 pound tiger allowed her to put his head in her lap even while he was still eating that piece of meat. It was all in the way he was approached as to whether or not he would be a wild creature or a familiar friend.
Perhaps I have not conveyed that particular story very well, but the fact remains, that given the right circumstances, a huge male tiger could either respond as he would in the wild or as a “pet”, but the wild nature always remained inside.
This is NOT true Christianity. The above description is that of how the Pharisees lived and how almost all Christians live in this day. We cannot show in nature a change of nature because it just does not happen. But the Bible speaks of the lion laying down with the lamb and the child playing at the den of a viper. This describes a TRUE CHANGE of nature; and it is THIS KIND of change of nature that is supposed to happen in the lives of all true Christians.
Unless and until there is an actual, experiential change of nature, the old nature remains and will continue to produce the same fruit it has always produced!
Galatians 5: 19Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,
20Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),
21Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (emphasis added)
Who is Paul writing to? The Galatians. Are these Galatians, Christians?
Galatians 1: 1PAUL, AN apostle--[special messenger appointed and commissioned and sent out] not from [any body of] men nor by or through any man, but by and through Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and God the Father, Who raised Him from among the dead--
2And all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:
3Grace and spiritual blessing be to you and [soul] peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah),
Well, it certainly seems that Paul was talking to Christians, especially since later in the book he speaks of the possibility of their leaving Christ due to their practice of KEEPING THE LAW!
Therefore, we see Paul is speaking to Christians and warns them what the fruit or doings (practices) of the flesh are. Then he also warns them that WHOEVER does things like this, whoever lives a life where they practice the works of the FLESH, WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
But my friends, the trouble is, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks; and the fingers type, and fruit is produced. Jesus also warned us that it is from the HEART these evil things come and it is this kind of thing that will condemn people in the sight of God.
The answer appears to be to rid our lives of this kind of practice. Unfortunately, WE cannot do this ourselves. This should be obvious to all of us by now. That is what Romans 7 is all about. No amount of law keeping, no amount of compliance to the LAWs of God, will EVER change the heart; and it is from the heart that ALL of these sins have their origin. The heart vine, will produce the fruit that comes from its nature. As long as these sins remain inside of us, as they did in the lives of the Pharisees; as they do today in the lives of the vast majority of Christians, we have had the heart transplant God spoke of in Ezekiel 19 and 36 referred to in previous articles.
What this means is exactly what Paul said. Even though he had complied with all the LAWS of God and kept them to the point of being absolutely blameless and faultless, his life was a stench in the nostrils of God; and so are the lives of anyone who attempts to obey God’s laws and commands. It is not in man to walk in obedience to God. As Jesus said, without HIM, we can do NOTHING!
I have spent a good deal of time on this so that we might all recognize that the verse is true. Our righteousness is as filthy rags before God and no matter how carefully we THINK we are keeping His Laws and Commandments, we will fail! And, what is more, God does NOT overlook this, because HE has provided the means whereby ALL of this is dealt with, a pure heart and obedience to God’s will.
Yes, we must have a PURE HEART! What does that mean? What does pure mean? It means absolutely clean, nothing else there to tarnish it. 100% PURE water contains ONLY WATER. If we have a PURE HEART in God’s sight, it is because HE has absolutely cleansed it from ALL SIN and there remains NO MORE SIN IN IT! If it is truly clean, it will NOT produce more sinful reactions; in other words, it will not perform the practices of the FLESH as listed in Galatians 5, nor anything else that defiles the heart.
If we take 1000 ml of water, remove only 1 ml and replace it with 1 ml of untreated sewage, then shake it all up. It is now 99.99% pure, but would you drink it? I suggest you do not as it would likely make you very ill if not kill you. Yet that is what we are asked to believe in, and live, a life that is NOT pure and PRETEND as though it IS pure. Yet, as Paul suggests in Galatians 5, that kind of life leads to death.
Only GOD can make our hearts this clean, but this clean they MUST BE. Below, I am copying a number of verses throughout the Bible that speak about a pure heart and how this is the only kind of heart that is acceptable to God.
Psalms 24: 3Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.
Matthew 5: 8Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous--possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
I Thessalonians 3: 12And may the Lord make you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another and for all people, just as we also do for you, 13So that He may strengthen and confirm and establish your hearts faultlessly pure and unblamable in holiness in the sight of our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) with all His saints (the holy and glorified people of God)! Amen, (so be it)!
I Timothy 1: 5Whereas the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.6But certain individuals have missed the mark on this very matter [and] have wandered away into vain arguments and discussions and purposeless talk.7They are ambitious to be doctors of the Law (teachers of the Mosaic ritual), but they have no understanding either of the words and terms they use or of the subjects about which they make [such] dogmatic assertions.
2 Timothy 2:22 Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.
(How many people do you know have a pure heart? If you don’t know any, can you even say you have fellowship with other Christians?)
Titus 1: 15To the pure [in heart and conscience] all things are pure, but to the defiled and corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are defiled and polluted.16They profess to know God [to recognize, perceive, and be acquainted with Him], but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable and loathsome, unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious, and [they are] unfit and worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.
(If a person were to speak like this today, would we consider them walking in love?)
Notice this>>>> If we are truly righteous on the inside; if our hearts are actually PURE, the ALL THINGS are pure. That means the person with a PURE HEART will NOT VIOLATE God’s Laws, God’s Commands, God’s WILL in reality; EVER! It does NOT mean, they will “keep the Law” since that is NOT using the Law for the purpose it was designed.
1 Peter 1:22 Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy ] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart.
How many of us LOVE our Brothers and Sisters from a PURE HEART?
No amount of LAW KEEPING, no amount of TORAH OBEDIENCE, no amount of complying with the COMMANDMENTS of GOD will EVER purify our hearts. This is NOT using the LAW LAWFULLY; it is not using the LAW for the purpose for which it was designed.
I Timothy 1: 8Now we recognize and know that the Law is good if anyone uses it lawfully [for the purpose for which it was designed],
9Knowing and understanding this: that the Law is not enacted for the righteous (the upright and just, who are in right standing with God), but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who strike and beat and [even] murder fathers and strike and beat and [even] murder mothers, for manslayers,
What is the PURPOSE of the LAW? We are told in the scriptures.
Galatians 3: 19What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added [later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt] because of transgressions and [to make men more conscious of the sinfulness] of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it [the Law] was arranged and ordained and appointed through the instrumentality of angels [and was given] by the hand (in the person) of a go-between [Moses, an intermediary person between God and man].
20Now a go-between (intermediary) has to do with and implies more than one party [there can be no mediator with just one person]. Yet God is [only] one Person [and He was the sole party in giving that promise to Abraham. But the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity was dependent on both].
21Is the Law then contrary and opposed to the promises of God? Of course not! For if a Law had been given which could confer [spiritual] life, then righteousness and right standing with God would certainly have come by Law.
22But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him].
23Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),
24So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.
25But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).
26For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.
27For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.
28There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed], then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise. (emphasis added)
Are we to believe this or not? Or should we rather believe what men have taught us, that we are to read the Bible, see God’s Commandments and do them? Yet the Bible tells us that THIS way of DOING is not the correct way, it is in error and anyone who lives in this manner is actually separating themselves from Christ Jesus; they have fallen from GRACE and are now required by GOD to obey ALL the LAW as it is listed in the Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. We are either to live by FAITH that Jesus Christ will change us totally on the inside or we are to live by LAW keeping all of the Commandments that Moses gave which is impossible.
Not only this, but as we have already seen ANYTHING that does not come by FAITH is SIN! The Bible says this, so why do we not accept it? The Bible has told us that THE LAW was there UNTIL CHRIST CAME! It was only there to teach us what SIN (the principle of sin) was. Now we are to LIVE BY FAITH, not by following a list of rules, not by keeping commandments which the Bible says IS NOT FAITH!
Please understand that I am not against God nor His commands. In fact, if anyone was honest and read what I have written throughout all of this, they would have to admit I am not advocating living anyway we want and saying we have not sin. That is also a lie. As I mentioned and Paul wrote, NO ONE who follows the way of the flesh WILL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD! But as is written in the scriptures, no amount of righteousness that man can produce by compliance will ever be enough to please God, it is NOT by the works of the Law but ONLY by FAITH that ANY man, ANY man who has ever been born will ever be justified and declared righteous.
But today, due to the life of Christ Jesus, we can not only be justified, not only be declared righteous by faith, but we can receive a NEW NATURE that is the very same as the Nature of Jesus Christ, but ONLY by Faith! It will never come from our works of righteousness for those will NEVER be enough for God. This TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS comes BY FAITH ALONE. Faith in Christ Jesus, faith the Jesus will indeed circumcise the whole, corrupt, carnal nature and replace it with His own PURE HEART, just like the Father promised in Ezekiel 19 & 36, thus causing us to walk in the very will of God!
But NOT by our keeping the LAW, which is not faith. Faith receives because it trusts, relies on, and totally depends on the Father to keep His word and perform it HIMSELF in our lives, thus making us walk a walk that is JUST LIKE JESUS!
Please forgive me for repeating myself. This is very important for all of us to understand and I knew there would be some opposition to His truth. I have tried to present this in several ways so that all might be able to get a grasp of what God has done for us. Despite this, there will be some who will do whatever they can to discredit these words. There will be attacks on my character; accusations will flow from the lips of those who should be praising God.
There will be at least one more of these articles on the Reality of Life Found in Christ Jesus. It becomes difficult to articulate some of these deeper spiritual truths. All who have found these words to be encouraging, who have been challenged and the Lord has confirmed in your heart what you have read in these pages, please pray for me that I might truly be able to write what it is that HE desires to bring forth. Unless HE does it, it will never be done.
God bless you all! a bondslave in Christ Jesus, Dirk