Category Archives: Holy Spirit

Decision Making and Guidance, Eternal Life, Holy Spirit, Your Identity in Christ

Realign your Identity with The King of Kings

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

As a Christian, I take it seriously that I am and remain allegiant to the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. The book of Revelation, penned by the Apostle John, given to him straight from Jesus Christ in a vision, gives guide me the perspective of self-identity. When I read the scripture below, I think of the fascination many have with the Tudor Episodes, the historical plays of Shakespeare, the Game Of Thrones, and many others of this ilk. I also am a British history buff, and nerdy buff of the Baird, yet I am deeply humbled and awed when meditating on this scripture – I take it from John, written for me: Revelation 1: 4-7 NKJV:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Catch a Vision of the Son

I hope to help you realize that you are the masterpiece that scripture indicates that you are. Many Christians suffer from a Spiritual Identity Crisis that can undermine self-confidence and success in every area of life. Your effectiveness, as you seek to live your best life in a socially sensitive culture can be affected. Many look daily for recognition — some may seek approval by being liked on Facebook, for example. If we understand our identity as a son or daughter of God, we can retain our confidence while having no problem, insofar as we commit to discern how we are affected by and respond to the influence of our culture and its social media in the context of being an eternal spirit.

I have appreciated the guidance of Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and run my scheduled life by his outlined strategies. I appreciate His wisdom in areas relating to personal growth in my relationship to Jesus Christ, and in my business life. Behind The 7 Habits material, that sold over 25 million copies, lies Covey’s life view:

You and I are God’s own children. We have infinite potential, infinite worth, and we should not compare ourselves with others in any way on the basis of status, position, appearance, fashion, or any of the world’s value systems. All of these systems are false sources of self-definition, and we are surrounded by them. We live in a media-saturated world that continuously tries to define who we are. Unless we counteract these false scripts, they become deeply planted in our hearts and minds and also in the hearts and minds of our children.  Dr. Stephen Covey

It is important to identify ourselves correctly — define your sense of who you are as a redeemed child of God, purchased by Christ who gave His life for you — yes you were individually called into His kingdom.

If we don’t see our identity as a child of God, our view of ourselves can become shaped by culture. Covey aptly notes: “…if we do not have a deep sense of our true identity as a daughter or son of God the Father — if our basic sense of self, comes from other people, we may develop a false view of life, based on scarcity rather than God’s love or abundance”.

Give yourself an identity checkup.

If you were going to Toronto and you used a map of Vancouver, you would get lost. If you felt confused and sped up, you would get more deeply lost! Similarly, if we use a map of the culture for our life, directed by the scripting of others — of parents and friends without Christ, as a Christian we will get lost.  Conversely, all of your decision-making and planning can now be mapped using God’s GPS with His view of His children’s pathway — our heavenly mindmap. Let the Holy Spirit and the Word of God be your guiding principles in all that you do, going forward. Can you commit to this? Commitment can save you from being sucked back into the confusion of false identity.

The Psychologist James Marcia developed views on identity statuses, commitment to your identity being one,  expanded on here by Susan Krauss:

The four identity statuses are built from high and low positions on two identity dimensions. Dimension one is “commitment.” People high on commitment have a firm sense of who they are and feel strongly about the choices they have made. People low in identity commitment have an uncertain sense of self.  Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D., Psychology Today article

I like what Covey says: “A scarcity mentality is the tendency to define oneself in terms of being better than, or not as good as, another person”, yet if we know that we are a child of God the Father, as a brother or sister in Christ, we are protected from the world’s false ideology of self-identity. Don’t become a slave of others who try hard to define you through their filter of the world! YOU are a child of God!

We can get derailed from doing important thinking — self-examination important to our destiny. Krauss writes:

At the opposite pole on both dimensions, people low in commitment and exploration fit criteria for “identity diffused.” People high on exploration but low on commitment are in a category that Marcia called “moratorium.” This means that they have placed a hold on making the major decisions in their lives.  They’re thinking hard about what they want to do but aren’t ready to commit.

These scriptures below, beautifully depict you as a child of God.1  Hold them close and believe that you are indeed a masterpiece of God! I and my brothers and sisters in Christ are royal king-priests and queen-priests, and Christ is our King of Kings, a Royal priesthood. In identity, I am fully committed to Jesus as my Lord and King-Preist who loves me.

Scripture articulates your identity and defines who you are. If you are not fully committed I appeal to you, consider who your potential below. You are:

BELOVED: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

A CHILD OF GOD: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)

DELIGHTED IN: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

FORGIVEN: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

WASHED CLEAN: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

FREE: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

ADOPTED INTO GOD’S FAMILY: “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:15)

CO-HEIR WITH CHRIST: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17)

RIGHTEOUS: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

NEW: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

A SAINT: “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)

SET APART: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.” (1 Peter 2:9)

AN AMBASSADOR OF CHRIST: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

A CO-LABORER: “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9)

A SWEET AROMA: “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15)

NEVER ALONE: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

A MASTERPIECE: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)

WONDERFULLY MADE: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)

BOLD: “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” (2 Corinthians 3:12)

HAVING GUARANTEED VICTORY: “You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.” (Psalm 18:35)

HOLDING A SECURED FUTURE: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

WHOLE IN CHRIST: “In Christ, you have been brought to fullness.” (Colossians 2:10)

1 I want to thank Ben Malcomson, Assitant to the Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks for compiling this scripture list — one of many on the Identity of Christians Listed Scriptures above are of the NIV. 

Holy Spirit, Sanctification: Living a Holy Life

The Pursuit of Overcoming sin

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2 ESV)

There is much evidence in the word of God that we are to overcome sin and live holy lives.

We can only achieve this with the indwelling light of the Holy Spirit; with the Spirit permeating our lives united as a church; as the pure Bride of Christ. The sanctification of the Spirit is the key process that brings the church “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2) to meet Jesus Christ face to face at His Second Advent.

Let’s look at ten scriptures presenting John’s teaching of “overcoming” in first John and then his prophecies imparted by Jesus to him for the church today in Revelation:

  1. 1 John 5:4
    “…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith”
    1 John 5:3-5 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter)
  2. 1 John 5:5
    “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God”
    1 John 5:4-6 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter)
  3. Revelation 2:7
    “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”
    Revelation 2:6-8 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  4. Revelation 2:11
    “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death”
    Revelation 2:10-12 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  5. Revelation 2:17
    “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it”
    Revelation 2:16-18 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  6. Revelation 2:26
    “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations”
    Revelation 2:25-27 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  7. Revelation 3:5
    “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels”
    Revelation 3:4-6 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
  8. Revelation 3:12
    “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name”
    Revelation 3:11-13 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
  9. Revelation 3:21
    “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne”
    Revelation 3:20-22 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
  10. Revelation 21:7
    “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son”
    Revelation 21:6-8 (in Context) Revelation 21 (Whole Chapter)

To add insight to these “overcoming” scriptures symbolising holy living, let’s look at Pauls view in Romans chapter eight. He makes it clear that the church is made up of true believers engaged in this sanctification process who are freed from any condemnation through their faith in Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee of their salvation:

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

“the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”  (Romans 8:4)

“if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:13-14)

Only those who walk in the Spirit can possibly overcome sin and the world. They are the residents of the Holy City now called the New Jerusalem that John referred to in our scriptural list.

The metaphor of our prefacing verse indicates that the church is prepared as a Bride, prepared to meet and enter a long-term allegiance of loving transparent, honest oneness with Him. This is in contradistinction to the people walking in the flesh in the Old Jerusalem who turned their back on Him. In God’s plan, the old Jewish ways were going to be transformed anew into spiritual allegories depicting greater truths; an abiding relationship with Jesus (with His Father) in the Spirit (see the metaphor of  Abiding in the Vine, John 15)

Jesus reveals in Revelation that His angel is trying to inform us of this important message to allow His Spirit to indwell our hearts. Listen, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches” (Revelation 22:16).

Church Assembly, Holy Spirit

Fellow citizens with God

“In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22 ESV)

The simplicity of this verse alerts and encourages every Christian that we have the presence of the living God with us. Let us reawaken to the reality of our placement in the church of Christ on earth.

The body of believers, the church, has been joined together and continues to grow in Grace together. Each part of the building, each believer, fits perfectly into the building, all the pieces being aligned with the cornerstone, Jesus Christ.

The building’s purpose is also described: it is a holy temple for the Lord. The church becomes a holy temple because of the presence of the holy God. The word used for “temple” here refers to what was the inner sanctuary (the Most Holy Place) in the Jewish Temple. The union of God with people, and the unity of previously alienated people with one another, could only occur through Christ: “all things were created through him and for him” – all creative powers and energy and mind flow “from him and through him and to him…to him be glory forever” (Colossians 1:16; Romans 11:36)

Being part of the universal church of believers (aside from doctrine or creed), I am part of this temple wherein God dwells via His Spirit. All believers are “members of the household of God”. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us yield to the Holy Spirit as the great unifier of His people as we praise and worship Him daily for all of His benefits. We are indwelt by the Living God!

“For through him we all have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Vss 18-19)

Discernment and Thinking, Holy Spirit, Wisdom & Knowledge

Only the Holy Spirt teaches the Wisdom of God

“no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit” (1 Cor 2:11-13 ESV)

We will be looking at scripture written by the apostle Paul. I had the privilege of tracking his journey in Greece. I spent two days in Corinth photographing the old ruins of the ancient city. I met other Christians on a similar journey at the inn where I was staying. One thing all Christians have in common is the ability to perceive that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth. They also understand that they have come into a universal family of God that joins them via His Spirit and the Bible.

Corinth-Greeceb - smallweb

The gospel—God’s wisdom—is foolishness to those that do not have the Holy Spirit. “Where is the one who is wise?” and further  “Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Cor 1: 20 ESV)

Here the apostle Paul is simply saying that without the Holy Spirit a man cannot perceive wisdom or guidance for the scriptures:

“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe…but we preach Christ crucified…to those who are called…Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men”. (1 Cor 1: 21-25 ESV)

The gospel message, by its very simplicity, appears foolish to those who think themselves wise by human standards. Paul was a brilliant scholar. He could have overwhelmed his audiences with arguments, statistics, and brilliant ideas. Though he may have risen in intellectual assent on the stage, he would not be motivating saving faith.

Faith that depends on clever arguments and debate will eventually be undermined if another logical argument or more influential teacher comes along. Faith grounded in the power of the Holy Spirit, however, cannot be undermined. The simple message of Jesus Christ, who had been crucified for the world’s sins is a simple, direct message that moves men’s hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit (2:4).

Preachers and teachers of the Word of God do not depend on using wise and persuasive writing or preaching to change people’s hearts. That happens only by the work of the Holy Spirit. The power of a person’s conversion occurs not because of any teacher or the preacher but through the Holy Spirit when the hearer allows Christ into His mind via the Holy Spirit by opening up ones’ heart to God’s transforming power.

A simple message dependent upon the Holy Spirit’s power for its effectiveness is what helps people see their own sinfulness, rebellion and stubbornness when standing against or ignoring the guidance of God via the Holy Spirit about His Son’s death on the cross to engage a process of reconciliation.

There are many brands of human wisdom in the world which distract from the core message to simply trust the power of God for our salvation. The Gospel message of Christ is not like teaching philosophy, not dependent on models of behaviour or demographic scores of what nationality or US state is the happiest, social media algorithms, marketing metrics, scientific theory or debating speculative notions, for these never saved anyone. The kind of wisdom that belongs to this world offers nothing. It only offers  “a regression to an idolatrous concept of God, and a transformation of the love of God into a relationship fitting an alienated character structure”. Thus, the teacher of God’s wisdom, unlike worldly wisdom is not taught in order to impress anyone.

Because of the Holy Spirit’s guidance, believers can grasp this secret wisdom of God, referring to God’s offer of salvation to all people made available through Jesus’ death on the cross. This plan was “secret” because only through God’s wisdom and the insight given by his Spirit can people begin to comprehend it. Attempting to understand this plan with human wisdom and through philosophical discussions will take people nowhere. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can reveal it (2:10).

“And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:13-14)

You may ask who is the Holy Spirit? God is three persons in one—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God became a man in Jesus so that Jesus could die for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead to offer salvation to all people through spiritual renewal and rebirth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, his physical presence left the earth, but he promised to send the Holy Spirit so that his spiritual presence would still be among mankind (see Luke 24:49). The Holy Spirit first became available to the disciples after the Resurrection on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

Only the Spirit can reveal to believers God’s profound nature and wonderful plan, especially that formerly hidden mystery that is now revealed—salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Just as a person cannot penetrate another person’s thought processes, so “no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit” (2 Cor 2:11) The only way to know God is to know his Holy Spirit, to have him in one’s life. The only way to obtain the Holy Spirit is to accept, by faith, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The Holy Spirit is a distinct person, yet one in essence and function with God the Father.

 

 

Atonement of Christ, Authority of the Bible, Holy Spirit, New Covenant, Sanctification: Living a Holy Life, Spirit Led Leadership Today, Temptation

The New Covenant transcends the Old Covenant

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39 NIV)

There are many faith-building stories in the Old Testament (OT) – a redemptive narrative of God’s salvation, particularly for Abraham’s children, the Jews, had become the most perceptive to the Word of God speaking to them. Abraham was one of the first men in his era to begin to discern the presence of God, His principles, and His leading via prophetic insight. He was asked to leave the Ur of the Chaldeans and move to an entirely new land in Canaan (see Genesis 11:31;12:1; 12:1 ESV)

Those living in that time, before Christ, were recorded by the prophets in the OT narrative. They were not entirely aware that some of their major stories and symbols were revelatory of the coming cross and death of Jesus Christ. The narrative of their life did not hold a lot of value as epistemological tools (ways of knowing) for them. They did not then know about the New Covenant (NC) truth that would be unpacked from their story after the event of the cross when the redemptive ransom would be paid by Christ for the true atonement for all man’s sin.

How they knew, what they knew, why we now know, was not as evidently true for them then, because the symbols and shadows about the future reality took time and guidance by the apostles to apprehend.

The cross of Jesus Christ brought awareness to Jews and all of mankind, as the New Testament (NT) prophets compared the old narratives beyond the limits of that historic knowledge. Apostle Paul was the man chosen by the resurrected Jesus to reveal to the world, first, the importance of the cross and secondly, a new way of comprehending the past in light of the arrival of Christ. In the letter to the Ephesians he confidently wrote of his inspiration given to him from Jesus, fully aware that a new perception, not previously made known, was dawning in the kingdom of God:

“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” (Eph. 3:4-5 ESV)

As we look at the Old Testament narrative, we find that many of the symbols are types of the progression towards a fuller understanding of principled thinking – as mankind was led by God to see life through the paradigm of love – the basis of a new inner motive operandi – a new process of reformation of the character of mankind motivated by love.

Prior to the New Testament, when Jesus came on the scene, there were many true events depicted as living symbols of Jesus Christ acted out in real life such as:

  • Abraham obeying God, ready to offer his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah replaced by a lamb caught in a bush;
  • The sacrificial lambs being killed morning and evening in the Jerusalem temple;
  • The day of Atonement once a year where bulls, goats, and sheep were slaughtered to appease the sins of the Israelite as guilt offerings.

These living symbols were revealed as Bible stories  – narratives, later to be revealed by the apostles as shadow-types designed to lead us to understand fully that the advent and mission of Jesus Christ was to redeem man. This plan was established even before the ancient narratives were enacted in life: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:3-4 ESV)

The plan to redeem man had begun before sin entered. Jesus came to fulfill the ancient symbols by offering His life, as the anti-typical atonement for sin: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith” and “He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Rom. 3:25 NIV; Eph. 1:9-10 NIV)

Paul made it clear that the purpose of Christ was only to be understood much later, “to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment” (vs. 10) The priesthood of the temple would bring Jesus before Pilate with the intent to have him killed. What they did not understand was that the narrative of the priesthood was coming to a climactic ending in actionable reality. The “Lamb of God”, as the Apostle John referred to Jesus, was about to be slain in the place of all sinning mankind to “take away the sin of the world” and make the final at-one-ment for man – to free man from the penalty of death – to openly reconcile him to God, His Father.

Jesus said “it is finished” on the cross just as He died. The curtain to the Most Holy place in the Jerusalem temple, into which only the High Priest could enter once a year, was torn in two. This indicated the winding down of the Old Covenant period – the closing of the educative narrative for that period that had been used as a tutor – as a guide to lead us to Christ.

The New Covenant entirely replaces the Old Covenant

The New Covenant period was instituted at the cross as Jesus noted at the last supper to his disciples: “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Lk. 22:20 NIV) It had been prophesied by Jeremiah: “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.” (Jer. 31:31 NIV)

Paul confirmed this: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 11:25 NIV)

  • The new covenant is superior to the old Christ was the antitypical ransom offering, High Priest and mediator for man before God the Father: “the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.” (Heb. 8:6 NIV)
  • The new covenant makes the old covenant obsolete: “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” (Heb. 8:13 NIV)

Christ died to ransom mankind from the sins of the ancient and prior generation and our current lives: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15 NIV)

The new covenant is not a mere continuation of the old covenant, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” (Heb. 8:7 NIV) It is “not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant.” (Heb 8:9 ESV) It all comes down to the arrival and death of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all the symbols of the ancient children of God from Abraham on: It is now to the new covenant – the new agreement – “to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (vs. 12:24)

New principles, new thoughts expressed in new action supersede historical narrative. Nobody worries that a child is ignorant of the numerous laws of physics allowing him to suspend himself vertically while happily pedaling his new bicycle.

The life of Christ and His teachings, and His unwarranted death were instrumental, moving us radically from the historic dependence on the OT narrative of living symbols into functional realities with simpler principles for mankind’s more abundant life. This requires a new motivational drive to enable us to live freely by a new maxim of love. Love informs the New Covenant between God and mankind and leads the renewed man to care for his fellow man. The child, while riding his bike does not review the laws of aerodynamics or propulsion. He just engages in life, lives joyfully, loving his new experience, and thankful for his new gift.

A Covenant means an Agreement

It was prophesied that a new agreement was coming in the future, “not like the agreement I made with your forefathers.” At the Cross, upon His death, the curtain was torn in two, symbolizing that the old Jerusalem with its priesthood with the daily sacrificial slain lambs (symbolic of the coming death/ransom of Christ) now had been replaced by the New Jerusalem temple of the New Covenant, now a Spirit-led temple of united minds in Christ: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 ESV; 2 Cor. 6:16; Rev. 3:12 ESV) This took the prophetic insight of men like the apostles Peter, Paul, and John, to see the deepest unrecognized historic epistemological value.

The kingdom is predicated on united like-minds who can fathom the love maxim Christ taught in His Royal law, which had always been latent and prophesized by a few yet misunderstood in the OC era: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts [i.e. minds], and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Heb. 8:10, 16) Further: “But now that Christ has come, we don’t need those laws any longer to guard us and lead us to him.” (Gal. 3:25)

Love is the maxim of law that guides the balance of right action, justice and mercy. Jesus taught that “on these two laws”, love for God and love for man – hang all the OT moral laws – the Decalogue (10 commandments), and the OT’s forward-looking prophetic books. Jesus taught that “all scripture” (symbolically: the Rock from which poured water for the Jews in the wilderness, Lion, Lamb, Father, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor, Life, Water of Life, Spirit as the Wind, Wisdom, Messiah, Teacher, etc.) revealed insights about Him and His coming final Atonement and the New Covenant.

God put into effect a different plan

The essence of the new agreement, which I refer to as the Manifesto of God’s Love, was to help men realize that they cannot base their lives on exterior laws and check-lists and must evolve out of this fear-based bondage to written law into a love-based covenant (the Jews had 613 laws, the 10 commandments being central). Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders added many interpretations and burdens such as “you cannot carry your mat on the Sabbath”. To avoid legalism, we must understand that we are not saved by keeping the law. We will express the Spirit-led guidance that fulfills the law of God when we agree with the Spirit to engage our will to obey; and if we come short of obeying, immediately repent of any sin. Christ our Advocate is ready to hear our confession of sin, and our turning from sin: “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John  2:1).

And our walk with Christ will indicate that the Spirit is achieving grace within us, acknowledging that the law is holy, just and good: “the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”. (Rom. 8:4 ESV) Any obedience to the law of God is achieved in us only if and when we submit and cooperate to obey God’s Spirit, as the Spirit does the work within – not by legalistic efforts, works or braggadocio that we keep the law. Even if you worship on the 7th-day Sabbath – the 4th commandment – give the Spirit of Jesus Christ the glory – Sabbath-keeping will not save you, only Jesus does that for you, first on the cross, and ongoingly He saves you from desiring to commit sin (if you allow Him to achieve this work within by obeying without hesitation).

“We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours—except that ours are sinful—and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins” (Rom 8:3 TLB) and “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (vs. 14) The secret is to be led by God by His Spirit every moment and yield your will to obey on whatever point Jesus Christ speaks to you via your conscience.

The problem with human nature is that man wants to interpret how others should live. The Jews had prescribed additional add-on laws as to how to keep the Sabbath, for example, even though Jesus debunked these additional commandments of men, referring to Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath…made for man” (Matt. 12:8) His purpose was to create one new humanity based on love and living in peace. And this New Covenant was accomplished “by setting aside…the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity…thus making peace” (Eph. 2:15 NIV)

Jesus lived out love in the now

Jesus displayed love in action among His disciples and the people right up to the cross, precisely to show the effect of love on mankind to motivate them differently in the heart and mind and conversely, to reveal the injustice, blind sightedness, sin, scheming and gross deceit expressed in the intense hatred of those who tried to block and discount Christ’s New Covenant teachings. Why? To protect their priestly system, pontifical life, popularity, and prestige and their economic survival with large temple incomes extracted from the people.

We need to look at Jesus as a man to see His glory as our creator (Col. 1:15-19) who came as an incarnated man to this earth to express the character of the Father’s love to man plus and show His new agreement of reconciliation to man. We must look at the entire OT bible leading up to His arrival on the scene, only through NC eyes, else we see it as a gory mess, and get trapped in the old narrative.

We must transcend the tutoring narrative of the old covenant once we are led to Christ and through His life and teaching to be reconciled to God as One people united with Him via His Spirit.

Holy Spirit, Jesus in Life, Sanctification: Living a Holy Life

Sanctification message of the New Covenant

glen001-sm By Glen R. Jackman

“To those who are elect…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” (2 Peter 1:1-2)

What do the theological terms justification and sanctification mean? Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing in righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us. The Apostle Paul taught that our righteousness continues as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He leads us in life:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”. (Romans 8: 1-4 ESV)

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Clearly continued walking with Christ led daily in the Spirit is the only way to be distinctly separated from and saved from the corruptions of the world and the flesh and enter into the process of becoming holy, recognizing that we have inherited eternal life, demonstrated firstly in our lifestyle here and now:

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ”. (Romans 8: 6-9 NIV)

The either/or choice is clear We need to allow Grace  to reign in our life, not sin. Paul has formed a clear message: “just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (Romans 5:21) John impresses us with the importance of knowing the source of Life personally. Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6) Salvation is only experienced in our lives while we remain in Christ and live our life through Him led by the Holy Spirt in a born again experience.

In the parable of the vine, Jesus makes this clear as He teaches the dependency of union to our life link just as the vine is necessary for the life of the branches: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NAS) A Christian life is unrealistic if not submitted entirely to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

God has numerous legal and judicial terms regarding the potential of falling into apostasy and into judicial scrutiny in the New Testament as taught by the Apostles. He has revealed throughout the entire Word, that He sees everything that resides in our heart. He often calls us in scripture to listen, repent, return to Himself, be born again, and submit to the Holy Spirit and be reformed unto personal spiritual obedience in godliness (some call it victory over temptation with the Holy Spirit of Christ leading in our lives). We see this with regard to Christ’s call to the Laodecian Church in the Book of Revelation to which many Christians can identify:

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. (Revelation 3: 15-22)

Many scriptures advocate the necessity of forming a disciplined approach to responsible sanctification only achievable by the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are cautioned of the need to be one with God while one with Christ (read John 17).

I believe the entire Word is sufficient to lead us to eternity via the Spirit actualizing the Word in our submitted obedient lives. This is the sanctification teaching of Christ in the New Covenant.

If we walk in the Light we are safe and we can enjoy Peace and Life now even in this world: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

Holiness is a lifelong journey of letting God lead instead of Satan

Aiming at holiness and living a sanctified life is a process that we are to persevere towards as Paul notes: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 12-14)