When it pleased God…to reveal
His Son in me… —Galatians 1:15-16
{CHAMBERS} “[…] I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision;
I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me
that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. […] Redemption
means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in
Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His
teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper
action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the
Cross of Christ. […] The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new
nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. […] Just as the
nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit
entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And
redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that
through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the
Holy Spirit.”
{ELGIN} Sin entered in through the first Adam. Redemption entered in through the second
Adam, Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:45)
Pretty simple. So why is it so
hard to live in that redemption? The truth is that it is not, so long as you are
willing to lay your life down and live by the faith and the power of the
Spirit. You --- cannot live the new life
through determination and effort. You
can only live the new life through submission and sacrifice. We must stop trying to “be good” and allow
Him IS good to live through us. The word
Father means Source. God is the source
of all that is good. It is by His grace
that we are saved through our faith. Do
not be content with a mediocre Christian existence. And it’s not attending church that makes you
a better Christian. You can sit in a pew
with a hard heart just as easily as you can sit on your sofa at home. Another conference is not the answer. Yielding your heart to God is the answer. Picking up your cross daily and following
Jesus is the answer. Offering yourself
as a living sacrifice is the answer.
Living by faith. Walking by the power
of the Spirit. Not leaning on your own
understanding but trusting God is the answer.
Do you need other Christians to help, most probably. A cord of three strands is not quickly
broken! But you can hang out with Billy
Graham with your hard heart to no avail.
And this culture, this fallen world will certainly harden your heart
toward the things of God. Don’t kid
yourself. Don’t pretend. We all struggle with this malady. Friend we all need more Jesus. He is the way, truth, and life.
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