There is indeed no condemnation in Christ.
Yet for people like me who had been raised in such rigid religious conditions, shame and condemnation were the full-on norm in many homes.
I was raised that way.
No wonder I spent a great deal of my life running away from challenges and difficult people.
No wonder it was so difficult for me to take on challenges and challengers and venture into new exploits.
The fear of failure has a deeper root - and that root is condemnation.
No one wants to feel wrong, shamed, put aside, rejected.
That need for acceptance is so strong, that people would rather die than lose face.
Yes indeed, they would rather lose their lives than lose face. Such a recognition explains why ancient Romans soldiers would fall on their swords rather than be captured by the enemy.
Such also explains why most people would rather be in the coffin than give a eulogy at a funeral.
Today, I have learned without any doubt that there is not only no shame, no condemnation in Christ Jesus, but that this reception of the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness sets me free from all the reproaches of men and women in the world.
No one can lay a hand on us, no one can speak against us, for even if we have done wrong, we can know and believ that the grace of God superabounds, and that His righteousness leads us to His life working in our lives.
We do not have to fear our sins and shame, our past and future, for everything is all wrapped up in the grace of God, which works abundantly within us and teaches us to say "No!" to sin and yes to godliness.
People can't hurt me. They never could. Whatever reproach they try to visit on me, all of its receives the sharp check and rebuke from the blood of Jesus, which cleanses and speaks better things than the blood of Abel.
The sense of shame and hurt hit me frequently in my life. People would say weird or unkind things, or I was just all too ready to take what they said personally.
What is it about people? We will take things personally if we are convinced that there is always something wrong with us.
Now that I have the full assurance of the Cross, any sense of shame or hurt is automatically dismissed. Those feelings do not matter. Our hurts do not matter, for they do not define who we are before God.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
We Do Not Fight Anymore
No more fighting.
This is a hard concept for me.
I have been fighting for the longest time.
I have been fighting bad thoughts.
I was ashamed of what I was thinking and feeling.
I spent so much time trying to fix what was going through my mind, what my feelings were registering in my body.
So much unrest, so much frustration, I was fighting all the time.
Most people draw their inspiration from this verse:
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6: 12)
Now, let us read through this exhortation with some care. How do we intend to fight if we are called to lay hold onto eternal life at the same time? It does not make sense if we look at the English translation.
The original Greek communicates and exhortation to rest:
"Let the good fight of faith be fought."
What?
John gives us a better appreciation of this fight in his First Epistle:
"I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2: 12)
and then John reiterates:
"I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2: 14)
For the young men, John writes that they have overcome the wicked one. They are not fighting still. They are not still fighting. They recognize that the fight if over and they are winners.
Paul writes about this consummate victory that we have in Christ Jesus:
"37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. " (Romans 8: 37)
We are more than conquerors because we do not have to right, but Jesus has granted us the victory through His death, resurrection, and forever ministry at the right hand of God our Father.
Fatherhood, adulthood in the Body of Christ is no longer about fighting, but about seeing how great Jesus is, and to know Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2: 12-14)
The temptation for the longest time remained, however, for me to fight.
Now I know today that His Spirit fights, and wins. All I have to do is rest:
"16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)
and
"10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore. . ." (Ephesians 6: 10-14)
Paul did not say "Fight". He did state and repeat: "Stand". It's a fight of not fighting.
One could also call it a work to rest:
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)
We do not fight anymore, and we should not feel condemned or shamed of the thoughts and feelings which fly through our heads.
The last point, which I review from time to time.
The question would hit me repeatedly: "What are you going to do about it when you get angry again?"
That pressing sense of condemnation would hit me every time, and I felt oompelled in some way to answer it.
The answer was as easy as pointing back to the fullness of the Cross:
"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)
The weapons are mighty through God, not through ourselves or our efforts. He is the one fighting. We do not have to feel condemned, for in Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1)
We do not fight anymore, because Jesus Christ fought the fight and won it at the Cross. He defeated sin, the world, and the Enemy
John also speaks of this glorious hyper-victory in Christ:
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4: 4)
and then
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." (1 John 5: 4)
Why would we keep on fighting, since He has more than overcome every obstacle?
This is a hard concept for me.
I have been fighting for the longest time.
I have been fighting bad thoughts.
I was ashamed of what I was thinking and feeling.
I spent so much time trying to fix what was going through my mind, what my feelings were registering in my body.
So much unrest, so much frustration, I was fighting all the time.
Most people draw their inspiration from this verse:
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6: 12)
Now, let us read through this exhortation with some care. How do we intend to fight if we are called to lay hold onto eternal life at the same time? It does not make sense if we look at the English translation.
The original Greek communicates and exhortation to rest:
"Let the good fight of faith be fought."
What?
John gives us a better appreciation of this fight in his First Epistle:
"I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2: 12)
and then John reiterates:
"I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2: 14)
For the young men, John writes that they have overcome the wicked one. They are not fighting still. They are not still fighting. They recognize that the fight if over and they are winners.
Paul writes about this consummate victory that we have in Christ Jesus:
"37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. " (Romans 8: 37)
We are more than conquerors because we do not have to right, but Jesus has granted us the victory through His death, resurrection, and forever ministry at the right hand of God our Father.
Fatherhood, adulthood in the Body of Christ is no longer about fighting, but about seeing how great Jesus is, and to know Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2: 12-14)
The temptation for the longest time remained, however, for me to fight.
Now I know today that His Spirit fights, and wins. All I have to do is rest:
"16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)
and
"10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore. . ." (Ephesians 6: 10-14)
Paul did not say "Fight". He did state and repeat: "Stand". It's a fight of not fighting.
One could also call it a work to rest:
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)
We do not fight anymore, and we should not feel condemned or shamed of the thoughts and feelings which fly through our heads.
The last point, which I review from time to time.
The question would hit me repeatedly: "What are you going to do about it when you get angry again?"
That pressing sense of condemnation would hit me every time, and I felt oompelled in some way to answer it.
The answer was as easy as pointing back to the fullness of the Cross:
"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)
The weapons are mighty through God, not through ourselves or our efforts. He is the one fighting. We do not have to feel condemned, for in Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1)
We do not fight anymore, because Jesus Christ fought the fight and won it at the Cross. He defeated sin, the world, and the Enemy
John also speaks of this glorious hyper-victory in Christ:
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4: 4)
and then
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." (1 John 5: 4)
Why would we keep on fighting, since He has more than overcome every obstacle?
Saturday, July 25, 2015
The Spirit Wars with the Flesh -- Not Us
We have the life of Christ Jesus in us, those who believe on Him.
How wonderful a gift.
We are not supposed to fight with our flesh. We do not even identify with it anymore:
"16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)
Because of the perfect sacrifice of what Jesus did at the Cross, we are no longer under law, we are no longer under sin, but under grace (Romans 6: 14)
"To walk in the Spirit" means to identify with the Spirit, to allows His righteousness, peace, and joy to lead us.
I did not understand this revelation for the longest time.
I was assaulted by fears and tremors of the past and the future.
I also believed that I had to do something about those fears and worries.
Those fears and worries are not me. Those fears and worries belong to an old man, who I no longer identify with:
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6: 6)
and also
"20But ye have not so learned Christ; 21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4: 20-24)
Paul was not kidding with the Corinthians when he wrote to them this new wonderful revelation, either:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corintians 5: 17)
The Spirit of God lives in us, and He has granted us a new life, a new standing, and we are now sons of God (1 John 3: 1)
We have a new standing in Christ Jesus, and it has nothing to do with us:
"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-22)
We do not fight anymore, either.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6: 16)
In reality, we do not wrestle, but stand (Ephesians 6: 13).
Another translation bears out the true meaning of what Paul shares with the Ephesians:
"because we have not the wrestling with blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the heavenly places;" (Young's Literal Translation)
He does the wrestling. We rest in Him (Hebrews 4: 11).
How wonderful a gift.
We are not supposed to fight with our flesh. We do not even identify with it anymore:
"16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)
Because of the perfect sacrifice of what Jesus did at the Cross, we are no longer under law, we are no longer under sin, but under grace (Romans 6: 14)
"To walk in the Spirit" means to identify with the Spirit, to allows His righteousness, peace, and joy to lead us.
I did not understand this revelation for the longest time.
I was assaulted by fears and tremors of the past and the future.
I also believed that I had to do something about those fears and worries.
Those fears and worries are not me. Those fears and worries belong to an old man, who I no longer identify with:
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6: 6)
and also
"20But ye have not so learned Christ; 21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4: 20-24)
Paul was not kidding with the Corinthians when he wrote to them this new wonderful revelation, either:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corintians 5: 17)
The Spirit of God lives in us, and He has granted us a new life, a new standing, and we are now sons of God (1 John 3: 1)
We have a new standing in Christ Jesus, and it has nothing to do with us:
"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-22)
We do not fight anymore, either.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6: 16)
In reality, we do not wrestle, but stand (Ephesians 6: 13).
Another translation bears out the true meaning of what Paul shares with the Ephesians:
"because we have not the wrestling with blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the heavenly places;" (Young's Literal Translation)
He does the wrestling. We rest in Him (Hebrews 4: 11).
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Taking No Thought -- Not Fighting Bad Thoughts
We do not have to fret about bad thoughts -- at all.
What would cause me the greatest consernation was that the bad thoughts would come and go, and just when I thought that I was freed of resentment, hurt, anger, or other deleterious feelings, then the bad thoughts would surface again.
A sense of anger and outrage would take over in my head and the headaches would follow.
I spent a great deal of my time trying to prevent bad thoughts.
I had so much more to learn about Romans 8: 1:
"There is now therefore no condemnation in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)
None whatsoever. Not a bid, not a smidgen.
We do not even have to feel guilty or feel condemned about what we are thinking.
Our thoughts are now His thoughts, for we are no longer in ourselves, but rather in Christ.
If we find ourselves meditating on something bad or something wrong, if we have lustful unhappy thoughts about times past or times to come, the answer is the Cross.
We are no longer trying to get rid of the bad thoughts, but instead we are called to receive more of His righteousness and grace into our lives.
This may seem like an obvious idea to some, but for all of us, especially those like me who grew up under such heavy legalism and cult teachings like Alcoholics Anonymous, this revelation meant so much to me.
I had spent so much of my time trying to fix, block, stop, hide the negative thoughts I was thinking.
I was too busy trying to stop the bad things that were going through my head.
What needed to be focused on, was the truth of the Gospel, that in Christ I am justified from all things, and that the law of Moses has been put aside and fulfilled for me.
The mind control and mind games of the Alcoholics Anonymous cult cannot be underestimated.
It is a cult, and a dangerous one, too, which teaches people that they have to control their thinking, watch out for what they say or do, or they could find themselves cut off from "The Sunlight of the Spirit".
Oh, I cannot relate enough times the mental pain that this awful cult has brought me and other people into.
The notion that you have to watch your thoughts and catch them before they tread down a certain path. Just terrible.
One of the most outstanding revelations for me especially was that He restores my soul. Not me -- He! Jesus Christ!
He causes us to prosper, He causes us to walk in His ways.
It has been a hard transition for me, no question about it. I have wanted to fix what I was thinking, have nothing but good thoughts going though my mind. It is a fight that I still want to fight much of the time. Resting in God's goodness is a hard thing to do, but it is not impossible.
In fact, He gives us more grace.
What would cause me the greatest consernation was that the bad thoughts would come and go, and just when I thought that I was freed of resentment, hurt, anger, or other deleterious feelings, then the bad thoughts would surface again.
A sense of anger and outrage would take over in my head and the headaches would follow.
I spent a great deal of my time trying to prevent bad thoughts.
I had so much more to learn about Romans 8: 1:
"There is now therefore no condemnation in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)
None whatsoever. Not a bid, not a smidgen.
We do not even have to feel guilty or feel condemned about what we are thinking.
Our thoughts are now His thoughts, for we are no longer in ourselves, but rather in Christ.
If we find ourselves meditating on something bad or something wrong, if we have lustful unhappy thoughts about times past or times to come, the answer is the Cross.
We are no longer trying to get rid of the bad thoughts, but instead we are called to receive more of His righteousness and grace into our lives.
This may seem like an obvious idea to some, but for all of us, especially those like me who grew up under such heavy legalism and cult teachings like Alcoholics Anonymous, this revelation meant so much to me.
I had spent so much of my time trying to fix, block, stop, hide the negative thoughts I was thinking.
I was too busy trying to stop the bad things that were going through my head.
What needed to be focused on, was the truth of the Gospel, that in Christ I am justified from all things, and that the law of Moses has been put aside and fulfilled for me.
The mind control and mind games of the Alcoholics Anonymous cult cannot be underestimated.
It is a cult, and a dangerous one, too, which teaches people that they have to control their thinking, watch out for what they say or do, or they could find themselves cut off from "The Sunlight of the Spirit".
Oh, I cannot relate enough times the mental pain that this awful cult has brought me and other people into.
The notion that you have to watch your thoughts and catch them before they tread down a certain path. Just terrible.
One of the most outstanding revelations for me especially was that He restores my soul. Not me -- He! Jesus Christ!
He causes us to prosper, He causes us to walk in His ways.
It has been a hard transition for me, no question about it. I have wanted to fix what I was thinking, have nothing but good thoughts going though my mind. It is a fight that I still want to fight much of the time. Resting in God's goodness is a hard thing to do, but it is not impossible.
In fact, He gives us more grace.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Eternal Sacrifice: Not One Day at a Time
Why would we live one day at a time?
The issue has nothing to do with taking care of and planning for tomorrow.
The issue has always been that we stress out and fret about tomorrow.
Jesus was very clear about our thoughts and tomorrow:
"31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The issue has nothing to do with taking care of and planning for tomorrow.
The issue has always been that we stress out and fret about tomorrow.
Jesus was very clear about our thoughts and tomorrow:
"31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." (Matthew 6: 31-34)
He has all our times, from yesterday, to today, and forever, in His hands.
He is the same, taking care of all times:
"7Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13: 7-8)
Everything rests on His gift of righteousness, and then the rest is added unto us.
His righteousness, howerver is nothing something that we work for, our that we seek with physical or mental ardor.
His righteousness is a gift:
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)
and also
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)
What marks the transition from Matthew to the Epistles? The Cross!
At the Cross, Jesus offered a full, final, forever sacrifice for our sins:
"Who being [Jesus] the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1: 3)
and
"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10: 12)
What stands out for me today, today! -- is that this sacrifice which Jesus offered is an eternal sacrifice, for the blood of Jesus cleanses (1 John 1: 7) and speaks (Hebrews 12: 24).
Jesus will be our high priest forever:
"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 6: 20).
There is no revisiting whether our sins are forgiven or not. There is no effort on our part, in what we do or think, what we read or feel. It is all about what Jesus did at the Cross.
Yet for years, I was convinced that what I said, did, the program that I was supposed to work (i.e. the Twelve Steps) would set me free.
Never.
As long as we keep believing that we have to confess our sins or grow through other dead works to be forgiven, we are basically saying that what Jesus did on the Cross was not enough, and that therefore it counts for nothing:
"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10: 29)
There is no room for disagreement on this issue. The blood of Jesus is a serious matter, and not open for debate.
There is none of this "One day at a time" nonsense to keep ourselves clean and pure before God.
No.
It is a once, for all, forever sacrifice which Jesus did at the Cross.
Now we have a better understand of what Paul means when He wrote:
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (2 Corinthians 10:5)
His obedience is forever. His blood shed for us cleanses forever.
Jesus is our high priest forever, an eternal sacrifice with eternal consequence.
Hallelujah!
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Condemnation and AA
Let's state the obvious.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a condemnation mill.
The whole program is dedicated to making people feel ashamed of themselves, even defining themselves by a sense of shame related to ongoing wrongdoing.
Imagine every day waking up and identifying yourself as "an alcoholic".
We are not defined by what we do, or even who we think we are.
Our identity must rest in something greater than ourselves, for we did not make ourselves nor do we even bring ourselves into the world.
When will men and women in the Body of Christ start identifying people in the truth, that they are kings and priests through what Jesus did, and that we are now in Christ, and therefore joint-heirs with Him?
We are no longer in ourselves, but rather in Christ.
Pastor Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, and Kenneth Ham have pointed out the new identity that we have in Christ Jesus.
We are a new creation:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
Paul affirmed this necessary revelation for the deeply dysfunctional Corinthian church, but in his Epistle to the Romans, he clearly informed people that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8: 1)
and then
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)
Too many people in this world are carnally minded. They look at their feelings, instead of the truth of God's Word.
It's just that simple. "I don't feel saved. I don't feel that God loves me."
That does not change one thing about the truth.
In fact, we need to rest from the need to feel, to think, to have, and to do in order to recognize the truth of who God is and all that He does.
The Word of God speaks to our minds, not our feelings, anyway:
"1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 1-2)
It's not about our feelings at all. It's all about minds' renewal, or repentance to the Word of Truth.
Condemnation kills, and AA is all about condemnation, making people continue to feel bad about themselves and their actions, past or present. The truth sets us free (John 8: 32), and the truth is that there is no reason for us to feel bad and keep feeling bad about the wrong things which we or other people have done.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a condemnation mill.
The whole program is dedicated to making people feel ashamed of themselves, even defining themselves by a sense of shame related to ongoing wrongdoing.
Imagine every day waking up and identifying yourself as "an alcoholic".
We are not defined by what we do, or even who we think we are.
Our identity must rest in something greater than ourselves, for we did not make ourselves nor do we even bring ourselves into the world.
When will men and women in the Body of Christ start identifying people in the truth, that they are kings and priests through what Jesus did, and that we are now in Christ, and therefore joint-heirs with Him?
We are no longer in ourselves, but rather in Christ.
Pastor Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, and Kenneth Ham have pointed out the new identity that we have in Christ Jesus.
We are a new creation:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
Paul affirmed this necessary revelation for the deeply dysfunctional Corinthian church, but in his Epistle to the Romans, he clearly informed people that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8: 1)
and then
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)
Too many people in this world are carnally minded. They look at their feelings, instead of the truth of God's Word.
It's just that simple. "I don't feel saved. I don't feel that God loves me."
That does not change one thing about the truth.
In fact, we need to rest from the need to feel, to think, to have, and to do in order to recognize the truth of who God is and all that He does.
The Word of God speaks to our minds, not our feelings, anyway:
"1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 1-2)
It's not about our feelings at all. It's all about minds' renewal, or repentance to the Word of Truth.
Condemnation kills, and AA is all about condemnation, making people continue to feel bad about themselves and their actions, past or present. The truth sets us free (John 8: 32), and the truth is that there is no reason for us to feel bad and keep feeling bad about the wrong things which we or other people have done.
No Need to Retaliate
The grace of God is indeed a wonderful thing.
Today, I recognize that I do not need to retaliate against anyone.
The goodness of God so far outstrips the hurt and setbacks of others.
For the longest time, I was so easily and upset by the remarks which other people made to me.
A sense of outrage, a sentiment of "payback" was dominant.
Most importantly, a sense of shame and condemnation would follow me around because I did not take down people who had been mean, rude, or downright unpleasant.
I still have not answered the question yet -- where this "pay-back" mentality came from.
But the more that I meditate on the truth that the Lord is my shepherd, the less I feel the need to make people pay for their wrongdoing.
The gift of righteousness is really something, and something that we keep receiving.
This revelation is quite new to me. Still is.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5: 17)
This is a gift which we keep on receiving, for that little word "receives" carries in it the intense, large revelation of ongoing reception.
For the longest time, I had the upsets and wars in my head, the sense of frustration, pressure, and shame that I had to do something about how I felt.
I had to talk to someone, I had to write something, or I had to payback people for hurting my feelings.
Oh brother, the pain never ends if we are constantly looking at how we feel, and making those sentiments the final authority in our lives for, well - just about everything.
That need for retribution goes all the way back to the fact that many of us simply do not believe what the Bible says.
"Vengeance is mine. I will repay" (Deuteronomy 32: 35)
Yet a sense of condemnation used to follow me around a lot if I did not make people payback. Then there was the never-ending kicking-myself.
Laura Schelsinger put it well in a title for one of her books: "How could I let you do that?"
The answer is in that one word "I" and breaking free into a better, true identity:
"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)
We are not trying to get rid of every bad feeling in our lives any more, for everything that we have in this life is a gift from God and His Son Jesus, Life personified and made real to us.
There is no need to retaliate when we understand that in Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1).
Today, I can relate why I felt the way that I did. I grew up with someone who was constantly fighting with people, taking everything personally.
Yet even then, why do people take everything so personally in the first place?
If we do not believe that every sin and shame and bit of condemnation has been eaten up, paid for in full at the Cross, what else can we expect but to take people down a notch?
As long as we walk around with a false or a poor identity, convinced that we are still wrong in some way or about something, we will feel a need to retaliate against others.
Now, what does all of this have to do with AA?
The program imposes on its members a sense of shame and condemnation all the time. Every time that a person feels bad, they have to run to someone and get rid of that bad feeling. The Tenth Step is probably the linchpin of the whole cult, teaching people that they must remain at the mercy of their feelings, constantly doing something about their anger, sadness, and all the rest.
What a nightmare for me growing up, forced-fed this cult as if this is the way to live life.
There is no need to retaliate, there is no reason to be angry all the time, there is no need for me to apologize for how I feel or do not feel anymore.
Today, I recognize that I do not need to retaliate against anyone.
The goodness of God so far outstrips the hurt and setbacks of others.
For the longest time, I was so easily and upset by the remarks which other people made to me.
A sense of outrage, a sentiment of "payback" was dominant.
Most importantly, a sense of shame and condemnation would follow me around because I did not take down people who had been mean, rude, or downright unpleasant.
I still have not answered the question yet -- where this "pay-back" mentality came from.
But the more that I meditate on the truth that the Lord is my shepherd, the less I feel the need to make people pay for their wrongdoing.
The gift of righteousness is really something, and something that we keep receiving.
This revelation is quite new to me. Still is.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5: 17)
This is a gift which we keep on receiving, for that little word "receives" carries in it the intense, large revelation of ongoing reception.
For the longest time, I had the upsets and wars in my head, the sense of frustration, pressure, and shame that I had to do something about how I felt.
I had to talk to someone, I had to write something, or I had to payback people for hurting my feelings.
Oh brother, the pain never ends if we are constantly looking at how we feel, and making those sentiments the final authority in our lives for, well - just about everything.
That need for retribution goes all the way back to the fact that many of us simply do not believe what the Bible says.
"Vengeance is mine. I will repay" (Deuteronomy 32: 35)
Yet a sense of condemnation used to follow me around a lot if I did not make people payback. Then there was the never-ending kicking-myself.
Laura Schelsinger put it well in a title for one of her books: "How could I let you do that?"
The answer is in that one word "I" and breaking free into a better, true identity:
"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)
We are not trying to get rid of every bad feeling in our lives any more, for everything that we have in this life is a gift from God and His Son Jesus, Life personified and made real to us.
There is no need to retaliate when we understand that in Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1).
Today, I can relate why I felt the way that I did. I grew up with someone who was constantly fighting with people, taking everything personally.
Yet even then, why do people take everything so personally in the first place?
If we do not believe that every sin and shame and bit of condemnation has been eaten up, paid for in full at the Cross, what else can we expect but to take people down a notch?
As long as we walk around with a false or a poor identity, convinced that we are still wrong in some way or about something, we will feel a need to retaliate against others.
Now, what does all of this have to do with AA?
The program imposes on its members a sense of shame and condemnation all the time. Every time that a person feels bad, they have to run to someone and get rid of that bad feeling. The Tenth Step is probably the linchpin of the whole cult, teaching people that they must remain at the mercy of their feelings, constantly doing something about their anger, sadness, and all the rest.
What a nightmare for me growing up, forced-fed this cult as if this is the way to live life.
There is no need to retaliate, there is no reason to be angry all the time, there is no need for me to apologize for how I feel or do not feel anymore.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
No Condemnation in Christ Jesus -- at All
For so long, I had this lingering sense of shame in my life.
I kept thinking that there was something more that I needed to do in order to be OK.
I cannot believe that amount of time that I wasted going around and around in quiet places to calm this sense of shame in the back of my mind.
The only thing that I knew as a motivation for so long was. . . condemnation, shame, guilt.
I just had no idea that those feelings were tied to that condemnation.
Yes, there was fear. There was the dread of torment of wrongdoing all the time.
I still had the hard thoughts of wrongdoing overtaking me.
I had to do something about the bad feelings in my life, I had to answer the lies and frauds in my life, too.
The enemy attacks us with lies and frauds all the time.
All we need is the Word of God to remind us of all that He has done for us.
The negative questions, the fearful apprehensions, would stir up and I would resort to fighting them off with the word.
Now I can tell you that I felt guilty just for having those fearful thoughts. Yes, I felt bad about feeling bad. Not any more.
The gift of righteousness is the crucial basis for receiving everything else, including assurance about the future.
I could read the word at length, but the sense of shame was still all too prevalent. I could not quiet those fears with recurring fights to the Word.
I had to rest in the truth of all that Jesus did at the Cross, that He had already paid for everything at the Cross. The not-so merry-go-round of fighting with my feelings all could have been stopped with the full assurance of the grace of God.
The next line of thinking that would assert itself in my mind: "how do I fight off this shame and fear in the future? What if I start feeling this way again"?
The answer to every fear once again lies in the truth of God's Word: "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want". That statement answers everything.
It has been the hardest struggle for me not to avoid sin, but rather to reject fighting with feelings of condemnation, and recognizing that they are lies which do not deserve any notice. A preserve sense of perfection had been so dominant in my life, the need to fight and fix and have perfect feelings. No room was permitted to feel guilty or shameful.
Besides, the Word of God had declared the fullness of His presence in my life, and that was all that was needed.
I kept thinking that there was something more that I needed to do in order to be OK.
I cannot believe that amount of time that I wasted going around and around in quiet places to calm this sense of shame in the back of my mind.
The only thing that I knew as a motivation for so long was. . . condemnation, shame, guilt.
I just had no idea that those feelings were tied to that condemnation.
Yes, there was fear. There was the dread of torment of wrongdoing all the time.
I still had the hard thoughts of wrongdoing overtaking me.
I had to do something about the bad feelings in my life, I had to answer the lies and frauds in my life, too.
The enemy attacks us with lies and frauds all the time.
All we need is the Word of God to remind us of all that He has done for us.
The negative questions, the fearful apprehensions, would stir up and I would resort to fighting them off with the word.
Now I can tell you that I felt guilty just for having those fearful thoughts. Yes, I felt bad about feeling bad. Not any more.
The gift of righteousness is the crucial basis for receiving everything else, including assurance about the future.
I could read the word at length, but the sense of shame was still all too prevalent. I could not quiet those fears with recurring fights to the Word.
I had to rest in the truth of all that Jesus did at the Cross, that He had already paid for everything at the Cross. The not-so merry-go-round of fighting with my feelings all could have been stopped with the full assurance of the grace of God.
The next line of thinking that would assert itself in my mind: "how do I fight off this shame and fear in the future? What if I start feeling this way again"?
The answer to every fear once again lies in the truth of God's Word: "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want". That statement answers everything.
It has been the hardest struggle for me not to avoid sin, but rather to reject fighting with feelings of condemnation, and recognizing that they are lies which do not deserve any notice. A preserve sense of perfection had been so dominant in my life, the need to fight and fix and have perfect feelings. No room was permitted to feel guilty or shameful.
Besides, the Word of God had declared the fullness of His presence in my life, and that was all that was needed.
No Condemnation in Loss
The Bible is full of stories about people who did wrong things, and lost things, but God is gracious enough not only to restore what was lost, but to give us something so much better.
I have lost jobs, money, etc, in many ways
A few years ago, I was the victim of an Internet scam.
I was kicking myself for the longest time, and even until recently, I was so fearful about spending any money on anything.
I was afraid to lose money, I used to think.
Today, I take a step back, and realize that I felt guilty, ashamed, and condemned about a number of things in my life. So many things.
I felt guilty about wrong things which I had said and done, about things which I had thought and felt.
Today, because of the Cross, because of the Blood of Jesus, I recognizes that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, at all, ever.
Yet condemnation will give way to doing wrong, stupid, and foolish things. We will get afraid of our past failures, then try to hold ourselves so that we do not make those mistakes again. Guess what? We make those failures again.
I had spent money badly in the past. I know understand why.
I had been tricked once, and I understand why it had happened. I also realize that He is holding the universe together, my Daddy God, and therefore I do not have to live with a poverty mindset, that there will be nothing if I spend something once in a while.
I am not trusting finite man to protect me. I see the infinite loving God looking out for me.
I also accept that God is not going to rain down money. He cannot do that, since no one can prosper on the outside if they refuse to prosper from within. God does not throw wealth upon us if He knows that our bad mental state will lead us to spend foolishly and live heedlessly.
God our Father is infinitely interested in our full and forever prosperity. Not just for ourselves, though, but for others.
So, loss is not the issue for us, even if it is our fault. God has paid for all our sins. All of them. He is taking care of us, and He invites us to sows the seeds of good will and talent in our lives to bless others.
Wow. There is no condemnation in Christ, and I can now reap the joy of knowing the grace of God toward us, that Christ became poor that through His poverty we might be right (2 Corinthians 8: 9)
I have lost jobs, money, etc, in many ways
A few years ago, I was the victim of an Internet scam.
I was kicking myself for the longest time, and even until recently, I was so fearful about spending any money on anything.
I was afraid to lose money, I used to think.
Today, I take a step back, and realize that I felt guilty, ashamed, and condemned about a number of things in my life. So many things.
I felt guilty about wrong things which I had said and done, about things which I had thought and felt.
Today, because of the Cross, because of the Blood of Jesus, I recognizes that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, at all, ever.
Yet condemnation will give way to doing wrong, stupid, and foolish things. We will get afraid of our past failures, then try to hold ourselves so that we do not make those mistakes again. Guess what? We make those failures again.
I had spent money badly in the past. I know understand why.
I had been tricked once, and I understand why it had happened. I also realize that He is holding the universe together, my Daddy God, and therefore I do not have to live with a poverty mindset, that there will be nothing if I spend something once in a while.
I am not trusting finite man to protect me. I see the infinite loving God looking out for me.
I also accept that God is not going to rain down money. He cannot do that, since no one can prosper on the outside if they refuse to prosper from within. God does not throw wealth upon us if He knows that our bad mental state will lead us to spend foolishly and live heedlessly.
God our Father is infinitely interested in our full and forever prosperity. Not just for ourselves, though, but for others.
So, loss is not the issue for us, even if it is our fault. God has paid for all our sins. All of them. He is taking care of us, and He invites us to sows the seeds of good will and talent in our lives to bless others.
Wow. There is no condemnation in Christ, and I can now reap the joy of knowing the grace of God toward us, that Christ became poor that through His poverty we might be right (2 Corinthians 8: 9)
No Condemnation in Not Punching Back
I used to eat myself up with shame and hurt because I had failed to stand up for myself in certain situations.
People had taken advantage of me, for example, or tried to hurt me.
Some people deliberately went out of their way to make me feel bad.
During my time as a school teacher, for example, or in my current job, I was dealing with students and co-workers who were the most abusive people.
I was scared to do anything deliberate and direct, for fear of retaliation.
In reality, the basis for those fears was condemnation, pure and simple.
A sense of guilt and shame about losing my job, or looking bad, of not having support or not being able to pay the bills, was so pervasive in my life.
Even when I had forgiven the people who had harmed me in my life, a sense of shame and condemnation would still creep up in my life.
"How could you put up with that abuse? Why didn't you do something about it?"
I could easily answer that question then and now: I did not feel cared for, and that sense of aloneness in the world also comes from condemnation, the sense that I had to work to make sure that God was in my life, and I had to ensure through my efforts that He stayed with me.
How wrong I was then, for today I recognize without reserve that the LORD is my shepherd, and in Him I shall not lack. It really is a matter of trust, pure and simple.
Now that I trust that He has my back, and my front, and all around (read Psalm 139 for more information), then I realize that I do not have to fear reproach, revenge or reprisal if I speak my mind on an issue.
Still, even if I failed because I was not aware of my rich inheritance in Christ Jesus, there is still not condemnation. None.
There is no shame if we failed to punch back at abusive behavior in the past. None.
There is no reason for us to worry about our failures in the past, for they have all been paid for, along with all our future failures, too. They have been paid for.
So many times, I had felt under such heavy bondage to provide for myself fully, and thus to put up with untold amounts of abuse and disrespect. "If I speak up to my boss then I could lose my job, and then I will have no money, and I will have to scrounge and fight for another job. No!"
All of those ruminations were lies based on the Big Lie that God was still angry at me.
Today, I recognize that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, at all. No one can shame me or make me feel bad, and they do not have my permission to do so, because Jesus Christ ate up all the shame, guilt, and condemnation at the Cross.
There is no room for such hurt and hatred in anyone's mouth. A supervisor told me that no one has a right to be rude, at all. Ever.
I liked that. When I understood that, and when I took into account that I had nothing to fear from man, whether reprisal or reproach, it made it so much easier to punch back, to assert, to call people to accounts for their bad behavior.
People had taken advantage of me, for example, or tried to hurt me.
Some people deliberately went out of their way to make me feel bad.
During my time as a school teacher, for example, or in my current job, I was dealing with students and co-workers who were the most abusive people.
I was scared to do anything deliberate and direct, for fear of retaliation.
In reality, the basis for those fears was condemnation, pure and simple.
A sense of guilt and shame about losing my job, or looking bad, of not having support or not being able to pay the bills, was so pervasive in my life.
Even when I had forgiven the people who had harmed me in my life, a sense of shame and condemnation would still creep up in my life.
"How could you put up with that abuse? Why didn't you do something about it?"
I could easily answer that question then and now: I did not feel cared for, and that sense of aloneness in the world also comes from condemnation, the sense that I had to work to make sure that God was in my life, and I had to ensure through my efforts that He stayed with me.
How wrong I was then, for today I recognize without reserve that the LORD is my shepherd, and in Him I shall not lack. It really is a matter of trust, pure and simple.
Now that I trust that He has my back, and my front, and all around (read Psalm 139 for more information), then I realize that I do not have to fear reproach, revenge or reprisal if I speak my mind on an issue.
Still, even if I failed because I was not aware of my rich inheritance in Christ Jesus, there is still not condemnation. None.
There is no shame if we failed to punch back at abusive behavior in the past. None.
There is no reason for us to worry about our failures in the past, for they have all been paid for, along with all our future failures, too. They have been paid for.
So many times, I had felt under such heavy bondage to provide for myself fully, and thus to put up with untold amounts of abuse and disrespect. "If I speak up to my boss then I could lose my job, and then I will have no money, and I will have to scrounge and fight for another job. No!"
All of those ruminations were lies based on the Big Lie that God was still angry at me.
Today, I recognize that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, at all. No one can shame me or make me feel bad, and they do not have my permission to do so, because Jesus Christ ate up all the shame, guilt, and condemnation at the Cross.
There is no room for such hurt and hatred in anyone's mouth. A supervisor told me that no one has a right to be rude, at all. Ever.
I liked that. When I understood that, and when I took into account that I had nothing to fear from man, whether reprisal or reproach, it made it so much easier to punch back, to assert, to call people to accounts for their bad behavior.
No Condemation in Christ Jesus, Period.
I hated being hurt by people.
I walked around for a long time with a grudge, a chip on my shoulder the size of a boulder.
Ouch.
It is painful to go through life thinking that you have to one-up everyone, teaching them a lesson every time they hurt your feelings.
Come to think of it, how painful it is to go through life having to keep your feelings and thoughts in place, hoping that no one easily offends you.
For the longest time, I could not understand why I was so easily hurt, easily pained, easily offended.
I just could not understand why other people seemed to have all this power over me.
The bad thoughts and comments of others, they seemed to take away my peace so easily.
Today, because of a deeper revelation of the righteousness of God in Christ, I understand what glory and power we have in this promise:
"There is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8: 1)
There is no condemnation at all, ever, and forever.
All the shame, guilt, and condemnation were paid for at the Cross.
There is to be no more consciousness of sins, at all.
We are set free from sin and death.
So today there is no room, there is no excuse for us to feel bad, to feel ashamed, even when we feel, even if we do not measure up to certain standards, even if we try something and yet it does not work.
I looked back over many of the struggles in my life., Whether I was struggling to pay my bills, or get along with other people. .
And worst of all, when other people had taken advantage of me and hurt me. . .
That last part had brought me into the greatest bondage for the longest time.
A sense of shame had followed me for the longest time about people who had done great wrongs to me, and I had felt so trapped, that I could not do anything about it - or at least I had believed that.
First, I was under the condemnation of "what will I do, or what will they do?" if I stood up to abuse or did something about the wrong things that people were doing.
Then there was the shame that followed, because I had failed to do something, anything about the abuse:
"You should have said this, you should have done that. etc. . . ."
The more that I understand the grace of God in my life, the more that I see how He has provided everything for me, and that I have all things and more in my life because of Him, the less I find myself getting angry or hurt about the things that other people have done to me.
His grace indeed is sufficient for me:
"9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)
Another revelation which buttressed this truth of the Grace of God? That the Lord is my shepherd and therefore I shall not want (Psalm 23:1). His peace and presence in my life have nothing to do at all with what I am thinking or feeling. It is all dependent on what Jesus did for me, not what I do for Him.
The sense of fear, panic, pressure, depression, all the rest -- it was all indeed a manifestation of condemnation, shame, a sense of guilt and wrongdoing which had weighed so heavily in my life.
All of that was borne of a sense of condemnation, and until now, I was constantly fighting with the other feelings. Yes, I had been listening to sermons from Pastor Joseph Prince for a long time about fighting against condemnation, that the gift of righteousness is absolutely crucial and essential in our walk with Christ Jesus and our growing in grace.
I just never understood how far growing in grace would take me, and what fights would need to be fought in order to walk in the truth.
When John wrote "Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers", he was not kidding. Everyone of us must walk in the truth of the Gospel, in no condemnation, in order to have His prosperity in all other facets of our lives.
If we walk around in a sense of fear or panic, if we walk around with a sense of regret and loss, all of that is a mere manifest of condemnation, that we are doing something wrong, and have to pay or work off that debt.
Wow. All of this revelatory beyond anything that I could have ever understood. Ever.
I walked around for a long time with a grudge, a chip on my shoulder the size of a boulder.
Ouch.
It is painful to go through life thinking that you have to one-up everyone, teaching them a lesson every time they hurt your feelings.
Come to think of it, how painful it is to go through life having to keep your feelings and thoughts in place, hoping that no one easily offends you.
For the longest time, I could not understand why I was so easily hurt, easily pained, easily offended.
I just could not understand why other people seemed to have all this power over me.
The bad thoughts and comments of others, they seemed to take away my peace so easily.
Today, because of a deeper revelation of the righteousness of God in Christ, I understand what glory and power we have in this promise:
"There is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8: 1)
There is no condemnation at all, ever, and forever.
All the shame, guilt, and condemnation were paid for at the Cross.
There is to be no more consciousness of sins, at all.
We are set free from sin and death.
So today there is no room, there is no excuse for us to feel bad, to feel ashamed, even when we feel, even if we do not measure up to certain standards, even if we try something and yet it does not work.
I looked back over many of the struggles in my life., Whether I was struggling to pay my bills, or get along with other people. .
And worst of all, when other people had taken advantage of me and hurt me. . .
That last part had brought me into the greatest bondage for the longest time.
A sense of shame had followed me for the longest time about people who had done great wrongs to me, and I had felt so trapped, that I could not do anything about it - or at least I had believed that.
First, I was under the condemnation of "what will I do, or what will they do?" if I stood up to abuse or did something about the wrong things that people were doing.
Then there was the shame that followed, because I had failed to do something, anything about the abuse:
"You should have said this, you should have done that. etc. . . ."
The more that I understand the grace of God in my life, the more that I see how He has provided everything for me, and that I have all things and more in my life because of Him, the less I find myself getting angry or hurt about the things that other people have done to me.
His grace indeed is sufficient for me:
"9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)
Another revelation which buttressed this truth of the Grace of God? That the Lord is my shepherd and therefore I shall not want (Psalm 23:1). His peace and presence in my life have nothing to do at all with what I am thinking or feeling. It is all dependent on what Jesus did for me, not what I do for Him.
The sense of fear, panic, pressure, depression, all the rest -- it was all indeed a manifestation of condemnation, shame, a sense of guilt and wrongdoing which had weighed so heavily in my life.
All of that was borne of a sense of condemnation, and until now, I was constantly fighting with the other feelings. Yes, I had been listening to sermons from Pastor Joseph Prince for a long time about fighting against condemnation, that the gift of righteousness is absolutely crucial and essential in our walk with Christ Jesus and our growing in grace.
I just never understood how far growing in grace would take me, and what fights would need to be fought in order to walk in the truth.
When John wrote "Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers", he was not kidding. Everyone of us must walk in the truth of the Gospel, in no condemnation, in order to have His prosperity in all other facets of our lives.
If we walk around in a sense of fear or panic, if we walk around with a sense of regret and loss, all of that is a mere manifest of condemnation, that we are doing something wrong, and have to pay or work off that debt.
Wow. All of this revelatory beyond anything that I could have ever understood. Ever.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
The Big Challenge: "AA Helped Me Get Sober!"
The biggest defense for AA relies on the argument that "Alcoholics Anonymous helped me get sober!"
Granted, there is a small percentage of people who go to AA meetings, get sober and stay that way.
A good number of them, however, have to take one or two medications.
The mental problems, the emotional anguish connected with Alcoholics Anonymous is beyond telling.
Someone very close to me was heavily involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, and she was working "the program" until she died, mostly likely from a passive suicide.
Any program which teaches people that they are alcoholic, that they cannot trust their thinking, that they must turn their will and lives to some elusive "higher power", in reality, a projection of God based on one's limited experience, ultimately replaced by the groupthink of AA members in a specific meeting.
At any rate, the very people who get sober and stay sober, manage that state not because of the meetings, or the Twelve Steps, or any other aspect of Bill Wilson's self-serving cult.
Those individuals likely would have gotten sober, with our without AA.
The empirical studies, the scientific research, all of the erudition on AA cannot confirm that there is anything in this program which leads to sobriety and long life.
Nothing at all.
For those who are sharing the truth about this awful cult, and meet people who charge that the program works, simply remind them that the very low retention rate, combined with diverse studies on the subject, affirm that the few individual who manage to stay sober while staying in AA do so not because of AA.
Period.
The grace of God does so much more than Alcoholics Anonymous ever could provide. Not only does the eternal forgiveness provided by the Cross remove guilt and shame, but the gift of righteousness inspires life, eternal life, and that more abundantly.
More than that, we receive a new status, a new identity. Not broken alcoholics defined by our failures, but sons of the living God defined by Jesus' Finished Work at the Cross.
AA may help a small group of people get sober from alcohol, but the pain and shame, plus the frustration and rancor of AA meetings, will show that sobriety of alcohol is a big fat nothing which grants no peace or joy in AA members.
AA never helped anyone get sober, and actually diminishes the quality of individual lives.
Granted, there is a small percentage of people who go to AA meetings, get sober and stay that way.
A good number of them, however, have to take one or two medications.
The mental problems, the emotional anguish connected with Alcoholics Anonymous is beyond telling.
Someone very close to me was heavily involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, and she was working "the program" until she died, mostly likely from a passive suicide.
Any program which teaches people that they are alcoholic, that they cannot trust their thinking, that they must turn their will and lives to some elusive "higher power", in reality, a projection of God based on one's limited experience, ultimately replaced by the groupthink of AA members in a specific meeting.
At any rate, the very people who get sober and stay sober, manage that state not because of the meetings, or the Twelve Steps, or any other aspect of Bill Wilson's self-serving cult.
Those individuals likely would have gotten sober, with our without AA.
The empirical studies, the scientific research, all of the erudition on AA cannot confirm that there is anything in this program which leads to sobriety and long life.
Nothing at all.
For those who are sharing the truth about this awful cult, and meet people who charge that the program works, simply remind them that the very low retention rate, combined with diverse studies on the subject, affirm that the few individual who manage to stay sober while staying in AA do so not because of AA.
Period.
The grace of God does so much more than Alcoholics Anonymous ever could provide. Not only does the eternal forgiveness provided by the Cross remove guilt and shame, but the gift of righteousness inspires life, eternal life, and that more abundantly.
More than that, we receive a new status, a new identity. Not broken alcoholics defined by our failures, but sons of the living God defined by Jesus' Finished Work at the Cross.
AA may help a small group of people get sober from alcohol, but the pain and shame, plus the frustration and rancor of AA meetings, will show that sobriety of alcohol is a big fat nothing which grants no peace or joy in AA members.
AA never helped anyone get sober, and actually diminishes the quality of individual lives.
Monday, July 6, 2015
What Rest is About: Righteousness
What is rest all about in the Bible, anyway?
No, it is not about sitting down and doing nothing all day.
In fact, laziness betrays a deep unrest in our lives.
"As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed." (Proverbs 26: 14)
The connotations throughout this verse, in the original Hebrew, speak of condemnation and pain.
This verse affirms the sense of condemnation as the source of sloth in people's lives, too:
"The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets." (Proverbs 22: 13)
Whatever the motivation of the person in the verse, whether petty excuse or true fear, why does the Proverb writer write about "a lion in the streets" as opposed to a robber, or a hurricane?
Because a lion in the streets speaks of God's judgment.
So, what is rest about, then, if it is not sitting down and doing nothing?
It is about resting from dead works to make ourselves righteous before God the Father.
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God," (Hebrews 6: 1)
Repentance is about more than not sinning. It is about believing that we are OK with God and no longer spending our time trying to make ourselves right before God through our actions.
And that is exactly what I had been doing for a long time. I kept thinking that there was still something more that I needed to do to be OK in God's eyes.
All of that is wrong. All of that denies that Jesus did a perfect work at the Cross.
There is no reason for us to go around and around trying to make ourselves OK, let alone feel OK in what we do. All of that starts with Him who has been from the beginning. Period.
No, it is not about sitting down and doing nothing all day.
In fact, laziness betrays a deep unrest in our lives.
"As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed." (Proverbs 26: 14)
The connotations throughout this verse, in the original Hebrew, speak of condemnation and pain.
This verse affirms the sense of condemnation as the source of sloth in people's lives, too:
"The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets." (Proverbs 22: 13)
Whatever the motivation of the person in the verse, whether petty excuse or true fear, why does the Proverb writer write about "a lion in the streets" as opposed to a robber, or a hurricane?
Because a lion in the streets speaks of God's judgment.
So, what is rest about, then, if it is not sitting down and doing nothing?
It is about resting from dead works to make ourselves righteous before God the Father.
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God," (Hebrews 6: 1)
Repentance is about more than not sinning. It is about believing that we are OK with God and no longer spending our time trying to make ourselves right before God through our actions.
And that is exactly what I had been doing for a long time. I kept thinking that there was still something more that I needed to do to be OK in God's eyes.
All of that is wrong. All of that denies that Jesus did a perfect work at the Cross.
There is no reason for us to go around and around trying to make ourselves OK, let alone feel OK in what we do. All of that starts with Him who has been from the beginning. Period.
I Needed to Know that He is Always There
Today, I do not doubt for one second that I am the righteousness of God in Christ.
In fact, I was taught about this early on in 2008, and preachers like Joyce Meyer even encouraged me to look for examples of all the blessings accorded to me in the Bible because of my status as righteous in Christ.
The problem was that I looked at my feelings as the final source of righteousness.
That is not the source of our peace or standing before God.
The Word of God declares who we are.
Still, I have been going on about my status in Christ Jesus, and I have learned so much about my new identity in Christ.
Yet I was still concerned about the future.
I knew that I was going to heaven. I knew that He was my Daddy, even.
Yet I still had this weird lingering pain about the future, and I was constantly fighting with fears in my head - how do you know that He will be there for you tomorrow?
Then I would feel guilty and upset about those emotions, and struggle to get out of them.
What is the answer to all of these emotions? How do these struggles end?
Well, let's consider that Paul went through all of these hurts and setbacks himself:
"14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." (Romans 7: 14-20)
I -- I -- I -- I. Aye Aye Aye!
We need to get out of looking at ourselves, and seeing how little we measure up in so many things.
The answer lies in the first verse of the next chapter:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8: 1)
That's all there is to it.
Now, looking full circle at this conflict in my life, I find that even though I knew that I was made the righteousness of God in Christ, I recognize that I did not understand how deep this righteousness delved and seeped into my life.
Now I do.
The fight is still on, but we are called now to fight the good fight of faith in which we believe all the good promised by Christ Jesus, accomplished for us at the Cross.
As for the questions about whether He would be there or not, now I understand today that that fight rested on the wrong believing that His presence in my life depended on how I felt or what I was thinking.
Done.
In fact, I was taught about this early on in 2008, and preachers like Joyce Meyer even encouraged me to look for examples of all the blessings accorded to me in the Bible because of my status as righteous in Christ.
The problem was that I looked at my feelings as the final source of righteousness.
That is not the source of our peace or standing before God.
The Word of God declares who we are.
Still, I have been going on about my status in Christ Jesus, and I have learned so much about my new identity in Christ.
Yet I was still concerned about the future.
I knew that I was going to heaven. I knew that He was my Daddy, even.
Yet I still had this weird lingering pain about the future, and I was constantly fighting with fears in my head - how do you know that He will be there for you tomorrow?
Then I would feel guilty and upset about those emotions, and struggle to get out of them.
What is the answer to all of these emotions? How do these struggles end?
Well, let's consider that Paul went through all of these hurts and setbacks himself:
"14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." (Romans 7: 14-20)
I -- I -- I -- I. Aye Aye Aye!
We need to get out of looking at ourselves, and seeing how little we measure up in so many things.
The answer lies in the first verse of the next chapter:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8: 1)
That's all there is to it.
Now, looking full circle at this conflict in my life, I find that even though I knew that I was made the righteousness of God in Christ, I recognize that I did not understand how deep this righteousness delved and seeped into my life.
Now I do.
The fight is still on, but we are called now to fight the good fight of faith in which we believe all the good promised by Christ Jesus, accomplished for us at the Cross.
As for the questions about whether He would be there or not, now I understand today that that fight rested on the wrong believing that His presence in my life depended on how I felt or what I was thinking.
Done.
I Needed to Know that He is Caring For Me Always
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28: 20)
What stirring comforting words from the Bible, right?
Of course!
Yet for me, the struggle in my mind took me to the place where I believed that His presence in my life depended on how I was feeling, or what I was thinking.
So, the game every day was to keep my feelings in check, to make sure that I never lost my cool, so to speak, and never permitted my mind to wander.
I still find myself getting into the fight from time to time, getting assaulted with the questions which seem to demand some kind of answer:
"What are you going to about this or that? What is going to happen tomorrow? How do you know that He will be there for you?"
On and on and on.
The truth is, that I was worried only because I was convinced that I had to feel a certain way to ensure that He would be there for me?
What was pushing this constant sense of demand and panic in my life?
Condemnation. I would feel bad if I felt bad, and I would panic if the bad feeling emerged, trying to struggle my way out of them.
Paul was not kidding when he wrote to the Romans (and all of us who believe in Jesus):
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)
It really hurts to be in bondage to your feelings, to believe that every time you feel bad, or there is tension in your head, that you have to do something about it in order to be OK with God.
It really sucks, and I want out!
Thank you Jesus, for providing the way, which Paul had already, already, (all ready?) outlined at the beginning of chapter 8:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8: 1)
That's it. No discussion. Either you believe it, or you don't.
Now, the next problem which emerged for me.
There have been times in my life where an extended sense of pain and panic had existed for so long. I kept thinking and wondering ahead of time, "what am I going to do when I feel this way or that way? How do I get out of it?"
And that litany of questions was so painful, because I had to answer them, or at least I thought that I had to answer them.
Today, now, at this time, I recognize that all of those questions have been answered fully, once, for all, forever at the Cross:
"1Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: 2But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 1-6)
We are set free from all our sins, forever, and any sense of shame or condemnation has no place in our lives because of what Jesus did at the Cross.
So, this issue of condemnation, tied in with the feelings associated with it, and I was a basket case, chronically trying to remove a sense of shame and frustration from my mind.
The answer to all questions is what Jesus did at the Cross, pure and simple. Because of the Cross, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. None.
I must admit that fighting with those feelings had become such a habit, that I am almost not really used to NOT fighting with my feelings.
What stirring comforting words from the Bible, right?
Of course!
Yet for me, the struggle in my mind took me to the place where I believed that His presence in my life depended on how I was feeling, or what I was thinking.
So, the game every day was to keep my feelings in check, to make sure that I never lost my cool, so to speak, and never permitted my mind to wander.
I still find myself getting into the fight from time to time, getting assaulted with the questions which seem to demand some kind of answer:
"What are you going to about this or that? What is going to happen tomorrow? How do you know that He will be there for you?"
On and on and on.
The truth is, that I was worried only because I was convinced that I had to feel a certain way to ensure that He would be there for me?
What was pushing this constant sense of demand and panic in my life?
Condemnation. I would feel bad if I felt bad, and I would panic if the bad feeling emerged, trying to struggle my way out of them.
Paul was not kidding when he wrote to the Romans (and all of us who believe in Jesus):
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)
It really hurts to be in bondage to your feelings, to believe that every time you feel bad, or there is tension in your head, that you have to do something about it in order to be OK with God.
It really sucks, and I want out!
Thank you Jesus, for providing the way, which Paul had already, already, (all ready?) outlined at the beginning of chapter 8:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8: 1)
That's it. No discussion. Either you believe it, or you don't.
Now, the next problem which emerged for me.
There have been times in my life where an extended sense of pain and panic had existed for so long. I kept thinking and wondering ahead of time, "what am I going to do when I feel this way or that way? How do I get out of it?"
And that litany of questions was so painful, because I had to answer them, or at least I thought that I had to answer them.
Today, now, at this time, I recognize that all of those questions have been answered fully, once, for all, forever at the Cross:
"1Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: 2But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 1-6)
We are set free from all our sins, forever, and any sense of shame or condemnation has no place in our lives because of what Jesus did at the Cross.
So, this issue of condemnation, tied in with the feelings associated with it, and I was a basket case, chronically trying to remove a sense of shame and frustration from my mind.
The answer to all questions is what Jesus did at the Cross, pure and simple. Because of the Cross, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. None.
I must admit that fighting with those feelings had become such a habit, that I am almost not really used to NOT fighting with my feelings.
No More Sense of Sin: Stand Free From the Shame
I have struggled with headaches in my life for a long time.
Why have these headaches persisted?
I had believed also that these headaches would indicated that God was not happy with me, and therefore I had to do something about them.
This ongoing fight within my head, my mind, all of it kindled a sense of sin and shame, as though I had done something wrong which needed to be fixed.
That sense of "wrongdoing", I soon realized, is in itself wrong.
Paul was not mincing word or messing with us when he declared with such wonderful, blessed boldness:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8: 1)
There is no condemnation. Period.
There is no condemnation. None.
If there are troubles in our lives, the first thought in our minds should NEVER be:
"What have I done wrong, to deserve this sad outcome?"
Never!
For God is not punishing our sins, nor He is going after us for any wrongdoing in our lives.
Why? Not because God has gone soft on sin, has become unjust in extending arbitrary release from consequences.
The payment for all our sins took place at the Cross:
"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)
We need to keep in mind that Jesus did not die for our sins in the past, but for all our sins, -- even the ones which have not committed yet, because. .well, think about it: where were all our sins when Jesus died on the Cross? They were in the future.
Now, the requirements of the law were also against us, not because the law is bad, but because sin in us is so bad, that the blood of Jesus had to pay for it fully and eternally.
The blood of Jesus cleanses (1 John 1: 7), and He rests forever as our Mercy Seat and High Priest forever:
"1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 1-2)
The Book of Hebrews explains at great length who Jesus is and what He has done (and is doing now):
"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec," (Hebrews 6: 20)
followed by:
"12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." (Hebrews 10: 12-13)
This is such a new concept to me, in that for the longest time the sense of upset and pain in my head had been the "guiding prod" for so long in my life.
We are not supposed to wrestle or fight against the sense of sin and shame in our lives at all. That sense of demand in our lives has no place whatsoever, for all of it is a dead manifestation in our flesh of the sin and guilt which Jesus Christ put away forever at the Cross, and represents on our behalf at the right hand of God the Father.
The AA cult must indeed be condemned and removed from churches, for like the other Judaizing frauds perpetrated against the Body of Christ during Paul's ministry. That awful cult perpetuates a sense of sin and wrongdoing. Every time that a person gets angry or loses their temper, they have to work hard and do something about the negative feelings.
No. Jesus did a perfect work, and in no wise can our feelings or thoughts somehow cut us off from God.
Once again, Paul could not have been clearer:
"There is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus."
The sense of sin is itself a shame, a sham, and thus a total scam to rob God's children of their Christ-bought liberty.
Paul blasts the Judaizers (which would have included Bill W. if he were alive then):
"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:" (Galatians 2: 4)
and then
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5: 1)
Why have these headaches persisted?
I had believed also that these headaches would indicated that God was not happy with me, and therefore I had to do something about them.
This ongoing fight within my head, my mind, all of it kindled a sense of sin and shame, as though I had done something wrong which needed to be fixed.
That sense of "wrongdoing", I soon realized, is in itself wrong.
Paul was not mincing word or messing with us when he declared with such wonderful, blessed boldness:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8: 1)
There is no condemnation. Period.
There is no condemnation. None.
If there are troubles in our lives, the first thought in our minds should NEVER be:
"What have I done wrong, to deserve this sad outcome?"
Never!
For God is not punishing our sins, nor He is going after us for any wrongdoing in our lives.
Why? Not because God has gone soft on sin, has become unjust in extending arbitrary release from consequences.
The payment for all our sins took place at the Cross:
"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)
We need to keep in mind that Jesus did not die for our sins in the past, but for all our sins, -- even the ones which have not committed yet, because. .well, think about it: where were all our sins when Jesus died on the Cross? They were in the future.
Now, the requirements of the law were also against us, not because the law is bad, but because sin in us is so bad, that the blood of Jesus had to pay for it fully and eternally.
The blood of Jesus cleanses (1 John 1: 7), and He rests forever as our Mercy Seat and High Priest forever:
"1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 1-2)
The Book of Hebrews explains at great length who Jesus is and what He has done (and is doing now):
"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec," (Hebrews 6: 20)
followed by:
"12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." (Hebrews 10: 12-13)
This is such a new concept to me, in that for the longest time the sense of upset and pain in my head had been the "guiding prod" for so long in my life.
We are not supposed to wrestle or fight against the sense of sin and shame in our lives at all. That sense of demand in our lives has no place whatsoever, for all of it is a dead manifestation in our flesh of the sin and guilt which Jesus Christ put away forever at the Cross, and represents on our behalf at the right hand of God the Father.
The AA cult must indeed be condemned and removed from churches, for like the other Judaizing frauds perpetrated against the Body of Christ during Paul's ministry. That awful cult perpetuates a sense of sin and wrongdoing. Every time that a person gets angry or loses their temper, they have to work hard and do something about the negative feelings.
No. Jesus did a perfect work, and in no wise can our feelings or thoughts somehow cut us off from God.
Once again, Paul could not have been clearer:
"There is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus."
The sense of sin is itself a shame, a sham, and thus a total scam to rob God's children of their Christ-bought liberty.
Paul blasts the Judaizers (which would have included Bill W. if he were alive then):
"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:" (Galatians 2: 4)
and then
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5: 1)
Not We, But He Restores Our Soul
The main focus of the AA cult is man, and man fixing himself.
Regardless of whatever Bill W. may have claimed, AA is not about God, but about ourselves.
The whole program invites people to believe in their own conception of God (ultimately, to believe in themselves or their past experiences).
The program then puts all the impetus on individuals to maintain their connection and contact with God, as though He is so easily offended or abused, and can move away.
The Eleventh Step clearly states that through prayer and meditation men and women tried to improve their contact with God.
Yet if this "god" that people believe in, is ultimately a matter of their own conception, then what exactly are they getting in touch with in the first place?
I do not want to believe in some deity who emerges from my own head, the same way that Athena was brought into the world out of the head of Zeus.
God created us, defined us, conceived of us, not the other way around.
Why is this revelation especially important?
Because He is also in the business of restoring our souls -- will, mind, and emotions:
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Regardless of whatever Bill W. may have claimed, AA is not about God, but about ourselves.
The whole program invites people to believe in their own conception of God (ultimately, to believe in themselves or their past experiences).
The program then puts all the impetus on individuals to maintain their connection and contact with God, as though He is so easily offended or abused, and can move away.
The Eleventh Step clearly states that through prayer and meditation men and women tried to improve their contact with God.
Yet if this "god" that people believe in, is ultimately a matter of their own conception, then what exactly are they getting in touch with in the first place?
I do not want to believe in some deity who emerges from my own head, the same way that Athena was brought into the world out of the head of Zeus.
God created us, defined us, conceived of us, not the other way around.
Why is this revelation especially important?
Because He is also in the business of restoring our souls -- will, mind, and emotions:
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (Psalm 23: 1-3)
The Lord is our Shepherd. The sheep do not lead the Shepherd. The Shepherd leads the sheep.
Not only that, but the Shepherd is well aware of where we are going, even when we cannot begin to understand His plans for us.
Furthermore, He is leading us, he is causing us to rest, and He is restoring our soul.
It is not our job to fix, repair, or compensate for our souls. That is His job!
God wants our souls to prosper:
"2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)
How do we prosper? In fact, the verse above speaks of prosperity as a passive act. We do not prosper our souls, but rather our souls are prospered, that is, the prosperity is brought to us.
The Psalmist prayed for this blessing long ago:
"Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity." (Psalm 118: 25)
Today, this prosperity, this salvation has come to us in Christ Jesus and all that He has done for us at the Cross:
" 3For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3 John 3-4)
How do we prosper in our souls? When we walk in the truth, and throughout the Bible the truth is all about the Gospel of Grace:
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 32)
and
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:" (Galatians 1: 6)
and then
"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" (Galatians 2: 14)
And thus:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2: 8)
We do not restore our own souls. The Lord does that. We are not responsible to fix our feelings and thoughts in order to be accepted before God, and to know that He is caring for us.
He is our Shepherd, and thus we trust, know, and believe that we will not lack. Then we see how he causes us to be feed and rested, and then the restoration of our souls comes under way.
This restoration process begins and ends with His perfect work at the Cross.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Not Progress, But Perfection (In Christ)
In AA meetings around the world, members and participants will hear:
"We claim progress, not perfection"
The Bible wants us to rest in something else, and something so much better:
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)
How are we perfected? By our efforts? Not at all. - By the grace of God!
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 4-9)
In the same passage above, we learn about the rich and wonderful heritage which we have also received in Christ Jesus.
We are taken from dead in our trespasses, to alive and seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Forget progress, the notion that we have to work from one place to another, that it is a slow ascent of struggle and self-effort to get from good to better.
No. Not only is there no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1), but every sin has been condemned in our flesh, and we are granted a new spirit and a new standing:
"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." (Romans 8: 14-15)
Today, we are not trying to make ourselves better, for God our Father gave us the best, Jesus, that in Him we may His best:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)
When Jesus rose from the dead, He announced to Mary:
"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (john 20: 17)
John would write in his first epistle:
"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)
and finally
"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)
Why settle for progress in our efforts, which can produce nothing? Today, let us rejoice that Jesus has perfected us forever in His blood, by His Work on the Cross, and made us one with Him!
"We claim progress, not perfection"
The Bible wants us to rest in something else, and something so much better:
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)
How are we perfected? By our efforts? Not at all. - By the grace of God!
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 4-9)
In the same passage above, we learn about the rich and wonderful heritage which we have also received in Christ Jesus.
We are taken from dead in our trespasses, to alive and seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Forget progress, the notion that we have to work from one place to another, that it is a slow ascent of struggle and self-effort to get from good to better.
No. Not only is there no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1), but every sin has been condemned in our flesh, and we are granted a new spirit and a new standing:
"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." (Romans 8: 14-15)
Today, we are not trying to make ourselves better, for God our Father gave us the best, Jesus, that in Him we may His best:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)
When Jesus rose from the dead, He announced to Mary:
"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (john 20: 17)
John would write in his first epistle:
"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)
and finally
"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)
Why settle for progress in our efforts, which can produce nothing? Today, let us rejoice that Jesus has perfected us forever in His blood, by His Work on the Cross, and made us one with Him!
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