We have been reading in Galatians for the past couple of days. This book, more than any other, stresses God's great GRACE! After receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior simply by believing and receiving what He had done for them through His death, burial and resurrection from the dead (Romans 10:9-10), some of the early believers were demanding that new believers continue to follow the Jewish Law. They had begun to add certain "qualifications" to receiving the New Birth! We have seen some of that same thinking creeping back in these days. Have you ever heard someone say that a person must not have been REALLY born again because they fell into some sin? They are judging whether someone belongs to the Body of Christ and His church by what they see and hear. The problem is that many are looking at things THEY don't do as sin, but overlooking what THEY do that doesn't line up with God's Word as unimportant. Guess what? None of this took Jesus by surprise! HE knew that with our flesh nature every one of us would sin at some point, and sometimes on many points! We do NOT go to Heaven after this life because we were ever without sin! Only Jesus can claim THAT! WHEN we miss it, and we will, the Word tells us that we have an Advocate (1 John 2:1)! We also have the instructions in 1 John 1:9 that completely takes care of sin so that we do not have to live with the results of it, here, in THIS life!
9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
AMEN! The New Birth put us in a brand new RELATIONSHIP with the God of the Bible that cannot be changed! NO ONE can take us out of HIS hand! BUT, our FELLOWSHIP with Him can and will be affected by sin. Let's keep our fellowship strong by putting His Word first place. "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin for today goes along with this well!
"He restoreth my soul" (Psalm 23:3).
"I 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. And 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" (Rom. 12:1-2).
Writing to born-again, Spirit-filled Christians in Romans 12, Paul tells them to do something with their bodies and their minds. Man's spirit is born again at the New Birth, but he still has the same body and the same soul. He is to present his body to God, and he is to see to it that his mind is renewed. The Hebrew word translated "restoreth" in Psalm 23 and the Greek word translated "renewed" in Romans 12:2 have just about the same meaning.
For example, a valuable, antique chair which looks like a wreck can be restored. Afterwards it's still the same chair, but it has been renewed. A man's spirit is never restored; it's born again, or recreated. But his soul is restored when his mind becomes renewed with the Word of God. The greatest need of the Church today is for believers to have their minds renewed with the Word of God. It is the Word of God that restores souls, renews souls, and saves souls!
Confession: I see to it daily that my mind is renewed with the Word of God. Therefore, I am not conformed to this world. My mind is renewed to think like God thinks.
AMEN! We have the unique and precious privilege of being a member of God's family, called by His Name, with Heaven as our future home, and the Spirit of the Living God inside of us! Let's concentrate on THAT and give Him first place! Here is a new song by Hillsong United called "Captain":
Shalom in Him!
