“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2
If your experiences are any thing like mine when it comes to religion, you were taught that we are to keep ourselves from temptations and if we mess up, we only have ourselves to blame.
If your experiences are any thing like mine when it comes to religion, you were taught that we are to keep ourselves from temptations and if we mess up, we only have ourselves to blame.
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:" 2 Peter 2:9
It was preached, or heavily implied, that the major burden of our living appropriately was upon us, and that we could somehow manage to get it right with our own human efforts. Then if we were successful at living godly, our Father would reward us and bless us. But here we see the Truth that it is Jesus Who is the One Who knows how to deliver us from temptations. We are plainly told by our Father that it is Jesus Who is the One Who ever lives to intercede for us and that Jesus is the One Who saves us to the uttermost. We rarely hear sermons that boldly proclaim that Jesus is the only One Who causes us to walk righteously. Yet the Truth is that Jesus is our only Shepherd and the Shepherd is responsible for the sheep; the sheep are not responsible for the sheep.
Think of it like this: the truth is that if a sheep leaves the flock there is a great chance that it will be killed or injured. It’s kind of a law of nature: stay and be blessed or leave and die! But the responsibility of the safety of the sheep falls on the shepherd and not on the sheep to fulfill the righteousness of this law! There are things that as Christians we have to do, yet it is the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus within us that causes us to do them; Jesus is our only Shepherd! If the Holy Spirit can get this hope in the Church that Jesus is the only One responsible for us, then Jesus will begin and finish the faith that will allow us to walk justified to the uttermost. Then through the faith of Christ peace will come and the Church will really rejoice in the fullness of our Father's hope, and we will actually rejoice in the glory of God. We will experience the power of a life fully lived because we are saved to the uttermost, partakers of our Fathers Divine Nature, acting fully and completely with the Mind of Christ.
Our Father has given us Himself and all other things that pertain unto life and godliness to enjoy, and He has given them richly to us. As long as people believe that it is with their own power that they keep themselves from temptation, then they will always live at some level of condemnation and failure. As long as people believe that faith is a human ability to believe God, they will never achieve the peace of God that passes all understanding. Faith is our Father's force working within man that allows the power of the Kingdom of Heaven to be realized and lived in! Hope in these Truths will never leave us ashamed and such hope will never disappoint us.
Our Father has given us Himself and all other things that pertain unto life and godliness to enjoy, and He has given them richly to us. As long as people believe that it is with their own power that they keep themselves from temptation, then they will always live at some level of condemnation and failure. As long as people believe that faith is a human ability to believe God, they will never achieve the peace of God that passes all understanding. Faith is our Father's force working within man that allows the power of the Kingdom of Heaven to be realized and lived in! Hope in these Truths will never leave us ashamed and such hope will never disappoint us.
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