Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Resentment, Frustration, and Now Exhilaration Part II

The most clear and convincing and victorious statement on this could not be clearer:

"38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romanss 8: 38-39)

Paul, like many believers, had to be "persuaded", in that his mind had to be renewed to the truth of Christ Jesus, based on His Word and His Work (Romans 12: 2). He grew in grace and knowledge of the Lord, and thus he knew His Love, because God is love (1 John 4: 8), and the more you know Him, you will know and believe how much He loves you.

At any rate, this notion that how we feel, or what we think, or anything else can separate us or cut us off from the sunlight of the Spirit is nothing but evil lies.

Jesus died on the Cross not just to get rid of, to pay for all of our sins (Colossians 2: 13), but to give us His life, as well:

"[Jesus] gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2: 14)

"Redemption" speaks of being bought back and reclaimed by the proper owner. We were meant to be with God and for God to live with us for all time, yet the Fall of Man, from Adam's sin, corrupted us with sin, and thus the separation between God and man had to be repaired by Jesus Christ, God made man, the Word made flesh.

In Romans 8, where Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God, he includes a key element too often left out in our churches:

"14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8: 12-17)

We have nothing to fear because He has made us children of God, he has adopted us! In fact, God the Father loves us as much as Jesus:

"23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17: 23)

We understand this better the more that we understand who we are, and whose we are:

"10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

and

"17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

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