108.0 An Old Testament Example: In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we are shown an historical picture of the Hebrew people as they became immersed in their Exodus journey. In that reading we are actually given a great object lesson for New Testament believers. That lesson has to do with the wilderness area which lay between Egypt, their departure point, and the Land of Promise, in Palestine, their ultimate destination.
Here is how Moses, himself, assessed that wilderness journey in Deuteronomy, chapter 8. He says, "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."
108.1 The Two Shaping Forces of the Wilderness: There are two dimensions of that redemptive Jewish journey which stand out above all others. First, it was a time of Separation to God. And second, it was a time of Humiliation before God. These two shaping forces played a key role in transforming the Hebrew people into God's holy (thoroughly devoted) people.
And, we can also notice these same two shaping impacts operating within the New Testament redemptive journey - to that same end. We typically find these molding influences, as was the case in that Jewish journey, working simultaneously to draw from the New Testament believer, a whole new perspective on life and a beautiful new level of responsiveness to God.
108.2 Sister Wind #1, Separation - From & To: And notice, with regard to the idea of Separation, that this condition is a two sided coin. Israel's movement into the wilderness simultaneously involved both a "from" and "to" facet. The withdrawal movement from the Egyptian world was actually in lockstep with their movement toward God and the new and better world that He had planned for them.
And, that is also precisely how godly separation works in these New Testament times. We, as the Church of Jesus Christ, are called to, as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians, chapter 6, " 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."
So, we are called upon to separate ourselves - in heart (in values) - from the "worldly" economy. The "world," or the "worldly," are simply terms used in the Bible, and commonly used by the Church, to denote anything in the physical economy that refuses to recognize and/or respond to God.
But notice, while we are called upon to be separated from the world; at the same time, the ultimate purpose is to move closer to God. The idea, of course, is to simply create a condition which enables the believer to embrace God in a more personally intimate way and on a much more meaningful level.
So, there it is. Always, along the authentic redemptive pathway there comes this from/ to decision and movement, intended to bring us to this place of personal seclusion with our Creator.
108.3 The Residual Blessing: And, we should note that this initial wilderness seclusion actually results in a life-long, residual blessing. This happens because, even though the this wilderness experience, itself, will eventually pass into our rear-view mirror, the love of drawing aside to God in a very private and personal way never will. This very fulfilling relational practice will remain, actually, forever.
And, when we parse the reason, it's not "rocket science," really. These times of seclusion with our Creator/ Savior remain precious to us because, once tasted, the joy, renewal, and meaning which these times yield, become addictive. How could this tender, one-on-one closeness with God not become spontaneously ingrained as the most cherished aspect of our personal relationship with Him.
108.4 The New Testament Definition: But again, this very enhanced personal access springs first from that separation dynamic involved in our New Testament wilderness experience. And, that experience is always defined by a true withdrawal of the heart from a God-ignoring world (withdrawal = a willful ejection of the world's ugly distractions and values).
And, that movement then simultaneously results in the motion toward a personal seclusion with God (to carefully focus on His ways and values). Thus, this New Testament Wilderness is much more about the trajectory of the heart than the traversing of geography.
Again, God's own loving directive from the pages of the New Testament is quite clear and succinct, " 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."
108.5 Behold The Patriarchs: This transformative wilderness time is easily identified in the biblical narrative. From Moses, to Abraham, to Jesus, to Paul, the Apostle, we can easily notice this prominent wilderness period occurring in the life of the godly.
It is a time when they withdraw from their normal worldly fragmentation and give themselves to God in a more focused and deeply personal way. And, this period of personal seclusion became for them, as it does for the New Testament believer, a very defining, or perhaps better said, re-defining time.
108.6 The General Idea: So, the path to heart-oneness with God always goes right through this "Wilderness Of Separation." Jesus, Himself, was called the Nazarene, meaning, "the separated one or the branch." And, the Spirit of Christ, operating upon the believer will certainly draw each of us to his or her own personal wilderness experience. Then, in that place of personal seclusion, will occur something else: the mother of all reality checks.
108.7 Sister Wind # 2, Humiliation: The wilderness time of the redemptive process also involves a much greater level of personal exposure. This personal "outing" of all that we truly are, causes us to come to know both ourselves and God much better. The short name for this somewhat stressful exercise is simply, Humiliation - the second great shaping influence which God employs as part of the redemptive process.
This "Humbling Process" is what Moses describes above when, again, he said about that Jewish Exodus journey, "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know..."
108.8 The Driving Motive Behind the Humbling: And, the motive for this humbling is also revealed. Moses continues, "that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."
The simple truth is that humanity is notorious for having a small awareness level when it comes to reality. Very often, we assume that we have a complete picture, when, in fact, we do not.
So, for example, we go to a new job expecting to "make our mark" quickly. And, because we think we know exactly what needs to be done, we plunge right in to "work our magic." And, when the situation "goes South," we are forced to analyze what went wrong.
All too often, we come to the very problem that we are discussing as the cause. We discover that we simply did not have a good grasp of the larger reality, we did not see the whole picture. We thought we knew - but we didn't.
So, the office politics, or the quirkiness of the boss, or the unwritten rules of the business, "ate our lunch." Those things were the part of the picture of which we were ignorant; even though, we thought we saw it all.
That same shortcoming also exists for humanity on the metaphysical plane. In fact, it is probably safe to say that it is at its worst there. When it comes to our relationship with God, especially in the beginning, we always think we "get it," but we never really do.
So, it is this very flawed awareness level, especially regarding who we really are in relationship to who God really is, that is Humanity's chronic and universal failing. Thus, the "The Humbling Process" becomes necessary.
108.9 Humiliation's Essential Purpose, Place, and Benefit: Though somewhat counter-intuitive, the actual elevating purpose of our wilderness humiliation is still what it always was. And, the personal process is for us, exactly what the corporate process was for the emerging Jewish nation in that original Exodus wilderness. It is, as Moses indicated, to make us "to know," to help us see the larger picture. So, the humbling process, even today, remains a somewhat painful reality check that introduces us to the true picture of our smallness as compared to God's bigness.
In truth, this humiliation is not pleasant. It is not easy to endure. And, it is not negotiable. Thus, this humbling process is always a part of the redemptive wilderness experience which is always a part of the authentic redemptive pathway.
But, this expanded humbling is, at its conclusion, beneficial in the extreme. This often scary, troublesome, hang-on-for-dear-life experience not only enlightens us, but it brings us in close, it facilitates a deep, and intimate, and accurate knowing of our God - and of ourselves, for that matter. Thus, this humbling process ultimately forges the strongest kind of relational bond - one based in truth.
108.10 The Nitty-Gritty Mechanics: It works like this. As we are forced to see our own frailties and shortcomings, our arrogance begins to melt away. We start to see the part of reality that we were unaware of before - our own smallness, again, in comparison to the hugeness of God. Thus, our awareness of the actual reality becomes enlarged and more accurate, albeit, through a bit of personal discomfort.
In simple terms, the humbling process just makes us "little in our own sight." We were always small, but the problem was we simply couldn't see it. Through this time of divine humbling, we not only discover this reality, but we are also able to truly actualize it within ourselves.
108.11 The Wilderness Transformation: And, this true, and more pervasive and profound humility has the power to transform the human existence. So, as we experience it, we are positioned to become people of real gravity, import, and character.
And, indeed, it is only on the back side of this wilderness of our separation, having fully endured the humbling process, that we can experience that high plane of personal intimacy with our Creator/ Savior God.
So, there they are, the two great preparatory forces of our definition in Christ. Separation and Humiliation, these are "The Sister Winds," working in concert to push us forward in the redemptive process. They empty us of our self, that we may ultimately be filled with Spiritual essence of the Living Christ and thereby know a true heart-oneness with God.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
109. - God's Ultimate Remedy
109.0 The Initial Purpose of the Spiritual Merger: In the redemptive process, the Spiritual baptism is first aimed at fixing an intolerable reality for the believer. It is the existence of that "evil inner twin" who remains within all believers - even after our genuine conversion to Christ.
This is that stubborn, subconscious part of us, which resolutely refuses to voluntarily embrace the Lordship of Christ. Thus, initially, the believer's conscious mind of faith is forced to coexist with this remaining stubborn subconscious mind. The apostle, Paul, in his writings, refers to remaining subconscious stubbornness as the "old man," the "carnal nature," or "the flesh."
And, Paul paints a starkly clear picture of this "carnal us" in Romans, chapter 7 where he says this. "I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
Every believer experiences this relentless chronic pressure toward involuntary waywardness, after their conversion. It is simply brought on by this residual subconscious desire to be still self-determined in life.
So, just as Paul describes above, with our conscious mind we have given ourselves to God. But, in our subconscious mind (what Paul calls, our members), this still carnal self wreaks constant havoc upon all the good intentions of our conscious faith.
This is that stubborn, subconscious part of us, which resolutely refuses to voluntarily embrace the Lordship of Christ. Thus, initially, the believer's conscious mind of faith is forced to coexist with this remaining stubborn subconscious mind. The apostle, Paul, in his writings, refers to remaining subconscious stubbornness as the "old man," the "carnal nature," or "the flesh."
And, Paul paints a starkly clear picture of this "carnal us" in Romans, chapter 7 where he says this. "I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
Every believer experiences this relentless chronic pressure toward involuntary waywardness, after their conversion. It is simply brought on by this residual subconscious desire to be still self-determined in life.
So, just as Paul describes above, with our conscious mind we have given ourselves to God. But, in our subconscious mind (what Paul calls, our members), this still carnal self wreaks constant havoc upon all the good intentions of our conscious faith.
Thus, though we can see the high road of God's pleasure, this subconscious evil twin keeps us from walking it consistently. So, every day we fight this inner battle, our conscious mind subscribing to God's way, but our subconscious mind refusing to go along - always attempting to push us off course and opposing us with a thousand subversive ploys.
109.1 The Struggles of the In-between: So, if this is newness of heart and life, who needs it - right? But, this is not the ultimate newness that Christ offers. It is just the very temporary condition in which we find ourselves between the moment of our conversion and the moment of our Spiritual merger with the believer-empowering Living Christ.
But note, this "in between" period of time is not merely some random aberration which escaped God notice. This time actually serves very important purposes in God's redemptive plan.
This period of inner struggle is the time when serious believers confront that remaining subconscious desire to be self-directed. This is that inner "wilderness experience" where we become profoundly humbled as we are confronted by our own, undeniable inabilities and failings. And, this is a time when we are extensively emptied of that subconscious mindset of prideful self-assurance in preparation for our merger with the Living Christ.
Thus, in this disconcerting "Wilderness of the In Between" we are made desperate by our frustrations. And, resulting from this desperation, an indispensable turning point occurs - the point where we humbly reach out for divine deliverance. And in that humble outreach, this inner wilderness is then wonderfully transformed int the place where we are gloriously completed in the Living Christ.
Thus, this initially difficult inner wilderness ultimately turns into a new and bright beginning place for the believer. In the end, it comes to mark the location where the New Testament believer personally experiences that transformative "mystery which has been kept secret since the foundation of the world." Paul, in his writing, describes that mystery in these simple terms, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
109.2 A Summary: So, it truly is simple, really. The "demon-self" who lives deep beneath the surface of our conscious mind, even after conversion, has no intention of ever embracing the Lordship of Christ. The Bible says of this incorrigible, subconscious mindset that "it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be."
109.1 The Struggles of the In-between: So, if this is newness of heart and life, who needs it - right? But, this is not the ultimate newness that Christ offers. It is just the very temporary condition in which we find ourselves between the moment of our conversion and the moment of our Spiritual merger with the believer-empowering Living Christ.
But note, this "in between" period of time is not merely some random aberration which escaped God notice. This time actually serves very important purposes in God's redemptive plan.
This period of inner struggle is the time when serious believers confront that remaining subconscious desire to be self-directed. This is that inner "wilderness experience" where we become profoundly humbled as we are confronted by our own, undeniable inabilities and failings. And, this is a time when we are extensively emptied of that subconscious mindset of prideful self-assurance in preparation for our merger with the Living Christ.
Thus, in this disconcerting "Wilderness of the In Between" we are made desperate by our frustrations. And, resulting from this desperation, an indispensable turning point occurs - the point where we humbly reach out for divine deliverance. And in that humble outreach, this inner wilderness is then wonderfully transformed int the place where we are gloriously completed in the Living Christ.
Thus, this initially difficult inner wilderness ultimately turns into a new and bright beginning place for the believer. In the end, it comes to mark the location where the New Testament believer personally experiences that transformative "mystery which has been kept secret since the foundation of the world." Paul, in his writing, describes that mystery in these simple terms, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
109.2 A Summary: So, it truly is simple, really. The "demon-self" who lives deep beneath the surface of our conscious mind, even after conversion, has no intention of ever embracing the Lordship of Christ. The Bible says of this incorrigible, subconscious mindset that "it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be."
Thus, there is really only one option for dealing with this "trouble-making twin" of ours. This incorrigible us must be subdued by one stronger than he or she is. And, that subjugation must take place on the most primary governing level of our core person, where that evil twin lives and operates. And that is the first thing the Living Christ does for the believer through the Spiritual merger.
109.3 - The Spiritual Merger, Target Event of the New Testament: This literal merger with the character essence of the Living Jesus is, indeed, the Target Event of the New Testament.
Our ultimate success, the thorough renewal of both our core person, our life condition, as well as a true heart-oneness with God, absolutely depends on successfully tapping into the vitality of the Living Christ. All else in Christian Redemption, including the moment of conversion, is actually arranged around and pointed toward this subsequent event in the redemptive process.
109.4 - The Final Piece In The Puzzle: And, this Spiritual merger with Christ is, indeed, "the long secret," the great mystery, the dazzling final piece of God's redemptive puzzle which has been held in reserve from the beginning until these New Testament times. But now, it has been revealed as the ultimate and completing experience for the believer.
Paul says as much in Colossians, chapter 1, where he makes these comments to that Church, "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
109.5 - Thorough Renewal, In Real Terms: This personal merger with Christ is today exactly the same as it was for the disciples of Christ, more than 2000 years ago. It is this mystical event which makes the redemptive plan come to life in the very real terms of our everyday life. This personal connection to the Living Christ is the power to move past mere forgiveness, to a completely renewed value system, and a consistent, reality-based righteousness, and an accurate life-view which matches God's in a true heart-oneness.
From this divinely enabled merger springs a real freedom from that lingering, chronic, and divisive waywardness of a heart which would keep us from that consistent and durable heart-oneness with God. And, this empowering merger with Christ also provides a durable personal elevation and an ever increasing, God-pleasing fruitfulness in our character.
So now, in these New Testament times, as we have better understood the implications of this long awaited, redemptive mystery, the words of Jesus, from John, chapter 15, become even more powerful and inspiring. There He said, " ...I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit... Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing..."
110. - The Spiritual Merger Magnified
110.0 - A New Setting: Now, let's do something. Let's change the setting on our microscope, so to speak, because of the mysterious nature of this phenomenon of Spiritual Baptism and its pivotal importance in the actual transformation of the believer. Let's look more carefully at this event.
110.1 - The Living Christ, Our Strong Guide: As we have already noted, God's redemptive agenda not only requires the means of forgiveness and reconciliation for His creature, but also the means of real renewal. For that reason, it is impossible for a believer to experience the completion of God's redemptive work without experiencing the reality of the Spiritual merger with the Living Christ.
So, this Spiritual merger with the character essence of the Living Christ becomes an indispensable part of the redemptive process. The New Testament speaks of this transformation through Christ in such passages as 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. There the Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Peter, in his epistle, also refers to this marriage of natures in 2 Peter, chapter 1, where he says, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust".
Jesus also speaks of this mysterious communion which exists between the Savior and the truly devoted believer in John, chapter 14. He says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."
110.2 The Implications: Throughout the New Testament, this remedy for the human frailty is mentioned. Consider the implications of all of this for the believer.
In simple terms, it means that the believer is no longer consigned to past failures. Rather, the devout believer now enjoys the real possibility of a consistent, every day, reality-base righteousness born of the empowering character essence of the Living Savior now living within him or her.
110.3 - Explaining The Mechanism of the Connection: So, our personal transformation, in the real terms of our everyday life, truly becomes enabled at the point of this Spiritual merger with Christ. And, the mechanism of this phenomenon is easily understood through the use of an analogy drawn from the study of physical genetics.
Consider the DNA code of the physical body. This genetic message entirely defines our basic physical characteristics. And, it is there, in an infant, (mostly unexpressed) form from the very moment of our conception. But, this encoded genetic message only fully expresses itself with time. So, also, is the Spiritual process.
Through our Spiritual merger with Christ, we become mystically connected to what might aptly be described the "character DNA" of Christ. And through that Spiritual connection, His character code becomes replicated within our own character essence in that primordial, or, largely unexpressed form.
But, instantly, this new Christ-based character encoding does change our character potential and our developmental direction. And, ultimately, as in the physical process, this new character DNA, will entirely define (or, in the redemptive sense, entirely redefine) our mature character essence.
In the physical, the more basic element within DNA is the gene. Our new Christ-based character DNA, is also composed of a system of more basic elements. Very simply, those elements are the divine values.
And again, as in the physical, there will also be environmental impacts, challenges, and setbacks, etc. which occur in the character development process in Christ. Nevertheless, these struggles in no way discount the process. They are, in fact, an important part of it.
So, with time, this new and empowering "Christ code" within the core person of the believer will, indeed, find its mature expression. It will eventually bring him or her to the mature, God-pleasing character image of Christ. Paul describes that believer completion this way in Ephesians, chapter 4, where he says," ... unto a perfect [mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..." [Brackets added]
110.4 - Back To That Evil Twin: Now, about that evil, subconscious twin. At this point, we can expand the thought that we brought out earlier. The thought was that this lingering subconscious desire for self-determination must be overpowered and arrested.
The idea was that this subconscious essential sin value would never voluntarily unseat itself. So, the overpowering and removal from power of this sin value, on that most primary governing level of the heart, is exactly what the Living Christ does His character essence integrates with that of the believer through the Spiritual baptism.
Very simply then, it is the first mission of the Spiritual merger and the Living Christ to deal with this lingering subconscious mindset of self-determination within our core person. And, He does it handily through the Spiritual merger and the resultant sharing of the divine value system.
It works like this. As a natural outflow of the value sharing facet of the Spiritual merger the strong faith value of Christ enriches the more frail faith value of the believer. Thus, the faith of the believer is strengthened by the divine faith of the Savior.
The apostle, Paul, described this phenomenon this way in Galatians 2:16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
And in that same chapter he wrote this, " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives 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."
And, in a more general way, but still alluding to the same redemptive remedy, the apostle said this in Romans, chapter 5, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
So, as a result of the believer's now Christ-empowered faith value, that subconscious argument is immediately settled. This happens because this stronger, Christ-enriched faith value (God's will be done in my life), now operating within the believer, is easily able to establish itself as the now always dominant value on that most primary governing level of the believer's core person.
Thus, the subconscious sin-value of self-determination now loses that strategic ascendant position and thus its ability to dominate in the believer's subconscious. Now, the believer's new Christ-enriched faith value is always ascendant on both the conscious and subconscious level of his or her heart.
So, where before, the default subconscious motive was self-determination, now it is one of profound humility of influence before God. No more, as long as he or she wishes, will the believer be governed on that most primary governing level of their heart by the impulse for self-government.
As long as the believer chooses to do so, he or she is free, empowered by the Living Christ, to consistently choose Christ-Governance over his or her life, and to do so with the whole heart. And, this Christ-empowered freedom positions us to expell the sin motive on the more secondary levels of our heart and life - truly enabling us to very literally become a new and godly creature in Christ - both inside and out.
110.5 - But Note, It's Not Just Trying Harder or Learning More: As a final thought, for the reasons that we have just outlined, the spiritual maturity which the Living Christ brings to the believer can never be thought of as merely a growth process or expanded human effort or learning. As noted, the spiritual merger with Christ certainly initiates a personal growth process. But, to be clear, it is not merely a growth process - and never can be. A new creature in Christ is the function of an actual Spiritual integration with the living character essence of Christ, not simply trying harder, learning more, or living longer.
Again, Jesus was clear in John, chapter 15: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." So, absent a personal merger with Jesus Christ, which brings the vitality of "the Vine," (His empowering character essence) the believer is left without any real possibility of reaching a "God-approvable" state of completion.
To be sure, human effort can, in some measure, make us wiser and enable us to live somewhat more consistently than if we did not try at all. But, such effort cannot bring us true Heart-oneness with God. Thus, it cannot enable the truly intimate communion of an actual oneness of heart. It cannot enable us to conquer the sin impulse in our subconscious. It cannot bring us to the empowering faith of Christ. And, it cannot bring the profound peace which flows only from an undivided heart.
110.1 - The Living Christ, Our Strong Guide: As we have already noted, God's redemptive agenda not only requires the means of forgiveness and reconciliation for His creature, but also the means of real renewal. For that reason, it is impossible for a believer to experience the completion of God's redemptive work without experiencing the reality of the Spiritual merger with the Living Christ.
So, this Spiritual merger with the character essence of the Living Christ becomes an indispensable part of the redemptive process. The New Testament speaks of this transformation through Christ in such passages as 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. There the Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Peter, in his epistle, also refers to this marriage of natures in 2 Peter, chapter 1, where he says, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust".
Jesus also speaks of this mysterious communion which exists between the Savior and the truly devoted believer in John, chapter 14. He says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."
110.2 The Implications: Throughout the New Testament, this remedy for the human frailty is mentioned. Consider the implications of all of this for the believer.
In simple terms, it means that the believer is no longer consigned to past failures. Rather, the devout believer now enjoys the real possibility of a consistent, every day, reality-base righteousness born of the empowering character essence of the Living Savior now living within him or her.
110.3 - Explaining The Mechanism of the Connection: So, our personal transformation, in the real terms of our everyday life, truly becomes enabled at the point of this Spiritual merger with Christ. And, the mechanism of this phenomenon is easily understood through the use of an analogy drawn from the study of physical genetics.
Consider the DNA code of the physical body. This genetic message entirely defines our basic physical characteristics. And, it is there, in an infant, (mostly unexpressed) form from the very moment of our conception. But, this encoded genetic message only fully expresses itself with time. So, also, is the Spiritual process.
Through our Spiritual merger with Christ, we become mystically connected to what might aptly be described the "character DNA" of Christ. And through that Spiritual connection, His character code becomes replicated within our own character essence in that primordial, or, largely unexpressed form.
But, instantly, this new Christ-based character encoding does change our character potential and our developmental direction. And, ultimately, as in the physical process, this new character DNA, will entirely define (or, in the redemptive sense, entirely redefine) our mature character essence.
In the physical, the more basic element within DNA is the gene. Our new Christ-based character DNA, is also composed of a system of more basic elements. Very simply, those elements are the divine values.
And again, as in the physical, there will also be environmental impacts, challenges, and setbacks, etc. which occur in the character development process in Christ. Nevertheless, these struggles in no way discount the process. They are, in fact, an important part of it.
So, with time, this new and empowering "Christ code" within the core person of the believer will, indeed, find its mature expression. It will eventually bring him or her to the mature, God-pleasing character image of Christ. Paul describes that believer completion this way in Ephesians, chapter 4, where he says," ... unto a perfect [mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..." [Brackets added]
110.4 - Back To That Evil Twin: Now, about that evil, subconscious twin. At this point, we can expand the thought that we brought out earlier. The thought was that this lingering subconscious desire for self-determination must be overpowered and arrested.
The idea was that this subconscious essential sin value would never voluntarily unseat itself. So, the overpowering and removal from power of this sin value, on that most primary governing level of the heart, is exactly what the Living Christ does His character essence integrates with that of the believer through the Spiritual baptism.
Very simply then, it is the first mission of the Spiritual merger and the Living Christ to deal with this lingering subconscious mindset of self-determination within our core person. And, He does it handily through the Spiritual merger and the resultant sharing of the divine value system.
It works like this. As a natural outflow of the value sharing facet of the Spiritual merger the strong faith value of Christ enriches the more frail faith value of the believer. Thus, the faith of the believer is strengthened by the divine faith of the Savior.
The apostle, Paul, described this phenomenon this way in Galatians 2:16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
And in that same chapter he wrote this, " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives 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."
And, in a more general way, but still alluding to the same redemptive remedy, the apostle said this in Romans, chapter 5, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
So, as a result of the believer's now Christ-empowered faith value, that subconscious argument is immediately settled. This happens because this stronger, Christ-enriched faith value (God's will be done in my life), now operating within the believer, is easily able to establish itself as the now always dominant value on that most primary governing level of the believer's core person.
Thus, the subconscious sin-value of self-determination now loses that strategic ascendant position and thus its ability to dominate in the believer's subconscious. Now, the believer's new Christ-enriched faith value is always ascendant on both the conscious and subconscious level of his or her heart.
So, where before, the default subconscious motive was self-determination, now it is one of profound humility of influence before God. No more, as long as he or she wishes, will the believer be governed on that most primary governing level of their heart by the impulse for self-government.
As long as the believer chooses to do so, he or she is free, empowered by the Living Christ, to consistently choose Christ-Governance over his or her life, and to do so with the whole heart. And, this Christ-empowered freedom positions us to expell the sin motive on the more secondary levels of our heart and life - truly enabling us to very literally become a new and godly creature in Christ - both inside and out.
110.5 - But Note, It's Not Just Trying Harder or Learning More: As a final thought, for the reasons that we have just outlined, the spiritual maturity which the Living Christ brings to the believer can never be thought of as merely a growth process or expanded human effort or learning. As noted, the spiritual merger with Christ certainly initiates a personal growth process. But, to be clear, it is not merely a growth process - and never can be. A new creature in Christ is the function of an actual Spiritual integration with the living character essence of Christ, not simply trying harder, learning more, or living longer.
Again, Jesus was clear in John, chapter 15: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." So, absent a personal merger with Jesus Christ, which brings the vitality of "the Vine," (His empowering character essence) the believer is left without any real possibility of reaching a "God-approvable" state of completion.
To be sure, human effort can, in some measure, make us wiser and enable us to live somewhat more consistently than if we did not try at all. But, such effort cannot bring us true Heart-oneness with God. Thus, it cannot enable the truly intimate communion of an actual oneness of heart. It cannot enable us to conquer the sin impulse in our subconscious. It cannot bring us to the empowering faith of Christ. And, it cannot bring the profound peace which flows only from an undivided heart.
111/112 - Two Kinds Of Righteousness
111.0/112.0 - Righteousness In Christ: Now, let's consider the two distinct kinds of righteousness that Christ brings to the believer. One is Imputed Righteousness, and the other is Reality Based Righteousness. These two different benefits are rooted respectively in the dual roles that Christ plays in the redemptive work as the Dying Christ and the Living Christ. So, let's begin with Imputed Righteousness, which is rooted in the work of the Dying Christ.
111.1/112.1 - Imputed Righteousness: The Dying Christ enables forgiveness and thereby reconciles us to the Father. But, here is the rest of the story. His sacrifice not only brings forgiveness and reconciliation, but it also provides the initial protection of Imputed Righteousness.
Again, Imputed Righteousness is a type righteousness which has no basis in the believer everyday reality. Instead, it is a righteousness which is simply based in the absolution which we receive through the Cross. So, imputed righteousness is merely an assign righteousness, given to us simply because Christ's death on the Cross clears the slate of charges against us.
Paul describes this in Romans, chapter 4. There he says, "... But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.'"
So, in reality, the believer, herself, is not actually righteous. She simply enjoys the assignment of righteousness in the mind of God, due to the atoning work of the Dying Christ.
We should probably also point out that this initial benefit of Christ's death on the Cross is somewhat transitional in nature. This preliminary protection anticipates a time when the believer will enter into a Reality Based Righteousness in her life.
111.2/112.2 - Reality Based Righteousness: Eventually, the believer, in the power of the Living Christ, does, indeed, enter into a reality based righteousness in his life. This reality based righteousness, as the name indicates, is based in the believer's true lifestyle reality. It is a real righteousness that is brought to life and enabled by the power of the Living Christ as He lives within the disciple. In short, the Living Christ empowers the believer to actually live a consistently righteous life.
It is accurate to say that Imputed Righteousness always remains the believers safety net. But, it is also true that as the believer matures in the power of Christ, His sufficiency renders that necessity into a constantly diminishing one. This is true because, as the power of Christ begins to express itself in the believer, he or she begins to exhibit an expanding righteousness which is actually based in fact.
Sometimes, in life "two bridges" are, indeed, required to complete a crossing. So it is in the course of the redemptive journey. It requires both Imputed Righteousness and Reality Based Righteousness.
111.1/112.1 - Imputed Righteousness: The Dying Christ enables forgiveness and thereby reconciles us to the Father. But, here is the rest of the story. His sacrifice not only brings forgiveness and reconciliation, but it also provides the initial protection of Imputed Righteousness.
Again, Imputed Righteousness is a type righteousness which has no basis in the believer everyday reality. Instead, it is a righteousness which is simply based in the absolution which we receive through the Cross. So, imputed righteousness is merely an assign righteousness, given to us simply because Christ's death on the Cross clears the slate of charges against us.
Paul describes this in Romans, chapter 4. There he says, "... But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.'"
So, in reality, the believer, herself, is not actually righteous. She simply enjoys the assignment of righteousness in the mind of God, due to the atoning work of the Dying Christ.
We should probably also point out that this initial benefit of Christ's death on the Cross is somewhat transitional in nature. This preliminary protection anticipates a time when the believer will enter into a Reality Based Righteousness in her life.
111.2/112.2 - Reality Based Righteousness: Eventually, the believer, in the power of the Living Christ, does, indeed, enter into a reality based righteousness in his life. This reality based righteousness, as the name indicates, is based in the believer's true lifestyle reality. It is a real righteousness that is brought to life and enabled by the power of the Living Christ as He lives within the disciple. In short, the Living Christ empowers the believer to actually live a consistently righteous life.
It is accurate to say that Imputed Righteousness always remains the believers safety net. But, it is also true that as the believer matures in the power of Christ, His sufficiency renders that necessity into a constantly diminishing one. This is true because, as the power of Christ begins to express itself in the believer, he or she begins to exhibit an expanding righteousness which is actually based in fact.
Sometimes, in life "two bridges" are, indeed, required to complete a crossing. So it is in the course of the redemptive journey. It requires both Imputed Righteousness and Reality Based Righteousness.
113. The Nature Of Grace
So, let's just look at the recognized definition of the word "Grace." Webster's Dictionary defines Grace as, "Seemingly effortless beauty, ease and charm of movement, proportion, or form; a charming quality or characteristic." Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary defines it as, "Any excellence, characteristic, quality, or endowment."
The Greek word which is translated as grace every time, save one, in the New Testament is "Charis." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament , a widely and highly regarded work, gives this definition for that word, "That which affords joy, pleasure, delight." Strong's Dictionary of the Greek New Testament - also a very highly regarded work gives this meaning: "Graciousness (as gratifying) of manner or act."
113.1- The Simple Meaning of Grace: The correct idea of grace is simple, then - just as these reputable lexicons render it. These and other dictionaries define grace, in short, as simply a kind of "innate goodness" (innate meaning, from the beginning, or occurring originally or naturally.)
So, the idea being conveyed in these books speaks simply of a naturally occurring or characteristic goodness. Thus, these dictionaries give us a much broader definition of grace than is involved in the popular idea of simply "unmerited favor."
And, that is the way grace should be understood in the New Testament. It is the naturally occurring or characteristic goodness within God's nature. God is "graceful," or naturally good.
113.2 - The Common Language: We should point out that the Bible does not have its own special meanings for the words which it contains. In fact, just the reverse is sought after by translators of the Bible. The translator seeks to have a broad and accurate knowledge of the common usage in both the from and to language being translated.
This is necessary so that words can be employed accurately with regard to their commonly held meanings. In any reputable translation of the Bible, every effort goes toward this accurate rendering into the commonly held usage.
So, redemptive accuracy is far better served when one understands grace as the general references render it. It is simply a naturally occurring goodness.
In the New Testament, then, the word grace usually speaks to us of that naturally occurring goodness, and, in some cases, the products of it, as occurring in the nature of God, and by extension, also in that of man.
113.3 - The Authentic Role Of Grace: When we correctly understand the true nature of grace, the stage is then set to understand the wonderful role which grace plays in the transformation of the believer. And, that extremely valuable and absolutely essential insight is entirely lost through the "unmerited favor" definition.
113.4 - How Grace Comes - What Grace Does: So, here is how Grace, when correctly understood, can be seen to profoundly change, in very real terms, and for the very much better, the believer's here-and-now, daily life. It works as follows.
As we are merged with the Living Christ, after our conversion, then grace, like faith, is another one of the character qualities of Christ's nature which is transferred to the believer. In other words, that naturally occurring goodness, the same innate goodness which guided the design of God's redemptive plan, and the same goodness which exists in the character essence of Christ is then also embedded in the character of the believer through the Spiritual merger.
And our access to this naturally occurring goods brings a spectacular change to the way God's people are governed and guided in their here-and-now, day to day life. Paul confirms this transition to a new and beautifully effective means of personal government by his statement in Romans, chapter 6.
He says there, "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." With this statement, Paul affirms that in these New Testament times we have transitioned from the external government of the law to the internal government of grace.
In the Living Christ, we are now guided by a naturally occurring and compelling goodness; more precisely, the goodness of Christ, expressing itself within the believer. And, this profound change brings a wonderful new simplicity to the believer life.
Now, he or she simply responds to those natural inner urging's of goodness as the means of ordering and directing his own faithful steps. In this way, grace becomes an effective internal replacement for the awkward and ineffective external law.
113.5 - A Vastly Superior Way: Obviously, this is a far superior method of governing our daily lives. It is one that fits naturally where the external law did not. And, it is entirely the gift of the Living Christ living within the believer's character essence.
How very logical it is when you think about it. God has found a way to bring effective personal government to the human heart. It is the easy government of His own naturally occurring goodness. It is the much more intuitive government of instinctive goodness, which flows from the nature of the indwelling Spirit Christ.
What could be more normal? As the good impulses of Christ course through the believer's heart, he now serves God, in authentic goodness, with the same natural affinity with which he once served sin.
So, where, previously, the dark urges of the rebellious motive of self-determination designed our daily decisions and our life-course - now our actions and direction are determined by the naturally good impulses of "the inner law" - the law of Christ's grace within.
And, to be sure, this gracious new form of heart-government does not make us a law unto ourselves. Rather, it wonderfully attunes us to God's highest law - His own heart.
113.6 So, That's What God Meant: Oh, so that's what God meant when He said this in both the Old and New Testament. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes; and, you will keep My judgments and do them." So, it is grace, not mercy, which really produces the insights, wisdom, and more effective and comfortable heart-government that truly elevates us, and correctly directs our daily steps, and designs the good solutions which life often requires.
Thus, faced with a choice between the non-heart-impacting idea of mercy, and the idea of a life-altering access to God's naturally occurring goodness - we should always choose the authentic idea of grace. Indeed, that accurate understanding of grace is the "golden goose" which yields the precious, every day treasure of natural goodness to the believer.
114. What Place Works
114.0 Ridiculous Paranoia: Since the time of the Reformation, the Church has been unadvisedly paranoid about connecting good works to faith, as though this somehow diminishes the vitality of faith. However, in fact, works complete faith.
James, in the second chapter of his epistle, makes it quite clear that this is true. He indicates that the expression of faith (influential humility before God), in the form of obedient works, is not only possible, but expected. He also indicates that a faith that cannot express itself in actions is "dead." The direction which James give us is that we are to experience a faith that does, indeed, express itself in obedient actions.
He says it like this, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
"But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God.
"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Obviously, the teaching of the scripture is that people cannot gain heaven by their own self-determined good works. But certainly, those God-directed works resulting from humble obedience, designed by grace, and prompted and empowered by the faith of Christ operating within us, are of the greatest value. And, they are a natural necessity to God's plan for his people and a truly responsive faith.
As James indicates, these works are a true indicator of a living faith. And they are certainly not a threat to it. These Christ-directed works are faith expressed, and thus faith made complete.
James, in the second chapter of his epistle, makes it quite clear that this is true. He indicates that the expression of faith (influential humility before God), in the form of obedient works, is not only possible, but expected. He also indicates that a faith that cannot express itself in actions is "dead." The direction which James give us is that we are to experience a faith that does, indeed, express itself in obedient actions.
He says it like this, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
"But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God.
"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Obviously, the teaching of the scripture is that people cannot gain heaven by their own self-determined good works. But certainly, those God-directed works resulting from humble obedience, designed by grace, and prompted and empowered by the faith of Christ operating within us, are of the greatest value. And, they are a natural necessity to God's plan for his people and a truly responsive faith.
As James indicates, these works are a true indicator of a living faith. And they are certainly not a threat to it. These Christ-directed works are faith expressed, and thus faith made complete.
115. - God Is Love - But What Kind
115.0 How God Loves Us: Now, let's consider the nature of God's love. We do this because it is essential that we understand not just that God does loves us, but how he loves us. His redemptive agenda and the destiny of our soul are is obviously very much impacted by that reality.
115.1 The Trilateral Nature Of God's Love: So, we begin by understanding that God's love has a trilateral nature. God loves us with a love that is based in His nature. He loves us with a love that is based in His position. And, He loves us with a love that is based in His expectation of performance.
115.2 Conditional vs. Unconditional: To accurately understand God's love, one must understand all three facets of it. Always, it exists in these three ways - at the same time. And, because this is true, God's love is sometimes conditional and sometimes unconditional.
115.3 God's Love Based In His Nature: So, let's begin with the aspect of God's love which is based in His nature. This is the tender, unconditional love that we hear so much about; and, it fully fits the popular description. It is the love of John 3:16. It is a forgiving love, a securing love, a welcoming love, an unconditional love. It is the love of the open arms of God.
This is the kind of love that we were exposed to in our infancy and earliest childhood from our parents. It is this kind of love that we give our children in their infancy. But, this is not the love that entirely rears and matures our children, nor us as God's children. Another kind of love is required for that.
115.4 God's Love Based In His Position: God's raising and rearing kind of love for His children involves the love that is based in His position as the Governing Creator. To explain this aspect of God's love involves a simple statement. It is this: God always loves us in the context of His larger responsibility to His creation. In other words, God's love for us, individually, is always set in His larger awareness of His responsibility to the whole of His creation.
It is this aspect of God's love, the position based love, the love of the Governing Creator, that places Him on the throne of judgment. It is this position based love that causes Him to look beyond just the immediate needs of the individual child. To be always a God of love, He must attend to the higher and larger concerns of the whole of His creation.
It is this same kind of positional love which causes us, as parents with a larger responsibility, to say no to our children for their own good, to punish them for their wrong doing, or to refuse to give them a position above principle or what is right.
Good parents will always love their children on some level with that unconditional love which loves - no matter what. But, that is not the love that supersedes in the realm of our larger responsibility to them and to society. There, the rearing love of our parental position becomes ascendant - or should.
The same is true of God's love for mankind. On the most primary level, God loves us irrevocably as His dear children. It is a very basic and unconditional love that is ever there. But, though it is always there, it is ultimately subservient to God's positional love, which is based in the context of His larger responsibility to His larger Creation.
And, this position based love of the Governing Creator is very much a conditional love. And, it does, indeed, express itself accordingly. So, this is the love that we encounter as God rears His children and manages the affairs of His larger creation.
115.5 God's Love Based In His Expectation of Performance: Finally, let's consider the aspect of God's love that is based in performance. This is the love of John 14:21 and following where Jesus said this:
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.
"Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, 'Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?'
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; [the performance condition] and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him [response based in performance]. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.'" [Brackets added]
The love described here is a love that requires, even demands, something from us in the way of performance or reciprocation. This kind of love must be earned, even from God. It is not given except in response to merit. Thus, this type of God's love is also very much a conditional love.
The New Testament makes it clear that this expression of God's love will only be experienced by those who merit it. Consider, for example, in addition to the verses above, The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14 and following). Then simply continue reading in that same chapter of Matthew, the teachings of Jesus on how He will separate the "sheep" from the "goats" (Matthew 25: 31 and following). These references speak of an expression of love from God that is only given as a response to performance or merit.
115.6 Conclusions: So, God's love is unconditional; but, it is also very conditional in the ways that we have described. Like the sky, the sun and the clouds, the different types of God's love are always there together, and yet they are different to serve different needs.
To understand God's love only as unconditional will never really explain the real God with which we have to do. But, when we see His love in this three dimensional way, we can very accurately understand the God that is love and more accurately anticipate His actions and responses.
115.1 The Trilateral Nature Of God's Love: So, we begin by understanding that God's love has a trilateral nature. God loves us with a love that is based in His nature. He loves us with a love that is based in His position. And, He loves us with a love that is based in His expectation of performance.
115.2 Conditional vs. Unconditional: To accurately understand God's love, one must understand all three facets of it. Always, it exists in these three ways - at the same time. And, because this is true, God's love is sometimes conditional and sometimes unconditional.
115.3 God's Love Based In His Nature: So, let's begin with the aspect of God's love which is based in His nature. This is the tender, unconditional love that we hear so much about; and, it fully fits the popular description. It is the love of John 3:16. It is a forgiving love, a securing love, a welcoming love, an unconditional love. It is the love of the open arms of God.
This is the kind of love that we were exposed to in our infancy and earliest childhood from our parents. It is this kind of love that we give our children in their infancy. But, this is not the love that entirely rears and matures our children, nor us as God's children. Another kind of love is required for that.
115.4 God's Love Based In His Position: God's raising and rearing kind of love for His children involves the love that is based in His position as the Governing Creator. To explain this aspect of God's love involves a simple statement. It is this: God always loves us in the context of His larger responsibility to His creation. In other words, God's love for us, individually, is always set in His larger awareness of His responsibility to the whole of His creation.
It is this aspect of God's love, the position based love, the love of the Governing Creator, that places Him on the throne of judgment. It is this position based love that causes Him to look beyond just the immediate needs of the individual child. To be always a God of love, He must attend to the higher and larger concerns of the whole of His creation.
It is this same kind of positional love which causes us, as parents with a larger responsibility, to say no to our children for their own good, to punish them for their wrong doing, or to refuse to give them a position above principle or what is right.
Good parents will always love their children on some level with that unconditional love which loves - no matter what. But, that is not the love that supersedes in the realm of our larger responsibility to them and to society. There, the rearing love of our parental position becomes ascendant - or should.
The same is true of God's love for mankind. On the most primary level, God loves us irrevocably as His dear children. It is a very basic and unconditional love that is ever there. But, though it is always there, it is ultimately subservient to God's positional love, which is based in the context of His larger responsibility to His larger Creation.
And, this position based love of the Governing Creator is very much a conditional love. And, it does, indeed, express itself accordingly. So, this is the love that we encounter as God rears His children and manages the affairs of His larger creation.
115.5 God's Love Based In His Expectation of Performance: Finally, let's consider the aspect of God's love that is based in performance. This is the love of John 14:21 and following where Jesus said this:
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.
"Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, 'Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?'
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; [the performance condition] and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him [response based in performance]. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.'" [Brackets added]
The love described here is a love that requires, even demands, something from us in the way of performance or reciprocation. This kind of love must be earned, even from God. It is not given except in response to merit. Thus, this type of God's love is also very much a conditional love.
The New Testament makes it clear that this expression of God's love will only be experienced by those who merit it. Consider, for example, in addition to the verses above, The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14 and following). Then simply continue reading in that same chapter of Matthew, the teachings of Jesus on how He will separate the "sheep" from the "goats" (Matthew 25: 31 and following). These references speak of an expression of love from God that is only given as a response to performance or merit.
115.6 Conclusions: So, God's love is unconditional; but, it is also very conditional in the ways that we have described. Like the sky, the sun and the clouds, the different types of God's love are always there together, and yet they are different to serve different needs.
To understand God's love only as unconditional will never really explain the real God with which we have to do. But, when we see His love in this three dimensional way, we can very accurately understand the God that is love and more accurately anticipate His actions and responses.
116. - Sharing In The Essence Of Christ
116.0 - A Daily Vitality: A truth that is implicit to the life and ministry of the Messiah is that God is capable of living within the human form. The Dying Christ took the human form in order to reach out to humanity in the love of the Cross. We should also note that the Living Christ also resides in the human form - ours.
And, as the Living Christ lives within the believer, He imparts a daily vitality that strengthens the disciple in every necessary way. Paul said it this way, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life [a daily vitality] to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." [Brackets added]
Here is a Summary of some of the benefits which flow from Christ living within the believer as discussed earlier:
116.1 - Character Fruit: It is our merger with the Christ's character essence which enables the believer to actually bear godly character fruit as discussed earlier. Again, Paul describes this fruitfulness in Galatians, chapter 5, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."
116.2 - The New Birth in Real Terms: This spiritual partnership is also the means to experience the new birth in real terms. Paul writes of this aspiration in Romans, chapter 12, where he says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
116.3 - A Reality Based Righteousness: This oneness with Jesus is the power to fulfill, not just the letter, but the very spirit of the law. Paul indicates this in Romans, chapter 8, where he says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (KJV)
116.4 - God's Vision Enabled: This mysterious merger with Christ enables the realization of God's redemptive vision of intimacy with His people. Paul wrote of this in 2 Corinthians, chapter 6, "For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'
"Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."
116.5 - A New Creature: Again, this superimposing of Christ's character essence over that of the disciple is like giving him a new spiritual DNA code which completely redefines him. With time, this "Christ-code Overwrite" literally makes of the believer a new creature. Paul says as much in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
116.6 - An Empowered Faith: As a result of the Spiritual baptism, rather than being limited to just his own faith, the believer will now be integrated into the faith of Christ. As Paul said in Galatians, chapter 2, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ..." (KJV).
And consider this from Ephesians, chapter 2. Paul says, "For by grace [God's natural goodness] you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." [Brackets added]
116.7 - Power Over The Sin Motive: It is the divine integration that rewrites the believer's day-to-day reality. In effect, Christ, upon entering the believer, firmly establishes the faith instinct (God's will be done) as the ascendant value in the believer's heart. Paul says it like this in Romans, chapter 8, "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
116.8 - True Holiness: As our new, Christ empowered faith expresses itself within, it brings a deeply satisfying rest to the soul of the believer. No longer is the disciple suspended between two opposing heart governments. Now, he or she tastes the deep sweetness of true holiness, which is very simply, an undivided, singularly dedicated heart, a heart with one primary devotion - God's pleasure.
Again, Paul writes of this transformation in Ephesians, chapter 4, "...that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness."
And, as the Living Christ lives within the believer, He imparts a daily vitality that strengthens the disciple in every necessary way. Paul said it this way, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life [a daily vitality] to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." [Brackets added]
Here is a Summary of some of the benefits which flow from Christ living within the believer as discussed earlier:
116.1 - Character Fruit: It is our merger with the Christ's character essence which enables the believer to actually bear godly character fruit as discussed earlier. Again, Paul describes this fruitfulness in Galatians, chapter 5, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."
116.2 - The New Birth in Real Terms: This spiritual partnership is also the means to experience the new birth in real terms. Paul writes of this aspiration in Romans, chapter 12, where he says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
116.3 - A Reality Based Righteousness: This oneness with Jesus is the power to fulfill, not just the letter, but the very spirit of the law. Paul indicates this in Romans, chapter 8, where he says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (KJV)
116.4 - God's Vision Enabled: This mysterious merger with Christ enables the realization of God's redemptive vision of intimacy with His people. Paul wrote of this in 2 Corinthians, chapter 6, "For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'
"Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."
116.5 - A New Creature: Again, this superimposing of Christ's character essence over that of the disciple is like giving him a new spiritual DNA code which completely redefines him. With time, this "Christ-code Overwrite" literally makes of the believer a new creature. Paul says as much in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
116.6 - An Empowered Faith: As a result of the Spiritual baptism, rather than being limited to just his own faith, the believer will now be integrated into the faith of Christ. As Paul said in Galatians, chapter 2, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ..." (KJV).
And consider this from Ephesians, chapter 2. Paul says, "For by grace [God's natural goodness] you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." [Brackets added]
116.7 - Power Over The Sin Motive: It is the divine integration that rewrites the believer's day-to-day reality. In effect, Christ, upon entering the believer, firmly establishes the faith instinct (God's will be done) as the ascendant value in the believer's heart. Paul says it like this in Romans, chapter 8, "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
116.8 - True Holiness: As our new, Christ empowered faith expresses itself within, it brings a deeply satisfying rest to the soul of the believer. No longer is the disciple suspended between two opposing heart governments. Now, he or she tastes the deep sweetness of true holiness, which is very simply, an undivided, singularly dedicated heart, a heart with one primary devotion - God's pleasure.
Again, Paul writes of this transformation in Ephesians, chapter 4, "...that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness."
116.9 - Enduring Peace: Just as He said He would, the Living Christ also brings peace with God to the believer. This is the peace that Paul speaks of in Romans, chapter 5, where he says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
But notice, it is an enduring peace based in the all-sufficient strength of Christ within, the peace that comes from truly conquering the discord created by the impulse for self-determination. It is not the pretentious peace of acquiescence to that impulse.
But notice, it is an enduring peace based in the all-sufficient strength of Christ within, the peace that comes from truly conquering the discord created by the impulse for self-determination. It is not the pretentious peace of acquiescence to that impulse.
117.- The Antichrist Doctrine
117.0 - Normal vs Abnormal: The true path of the redemptive work is a bright path of immediate elevation for the believer. It is a logical, understandable path of cooperation and participation on the believer's part. And, out of that cooperation and participation grows a strong and intimate, every day relationship to the Father, the Savior, and the Holy Spirit. This is the normal result of following the true redemptive path.
However, over time a very attractive, but false, path has become very popular. Indeed, this path of the "Corrupted gospel" is bogus; and, it leaves the believer empty and defeated. But, it is, indeed, deceptively attractive. So, for a time, let's define and discuss "The Sad Path" in an effort to expose its deception and its devastating consequences.
The corruptions to the authentic Gospel, which we are about to discuss, could actually be traced historically. But, we will not do that here. We will simply expose the issues as they presently stand.
Also, please note, these corrupted and corrupting ideas to God's authentic redemptive agenda are so subtle that they are all but transparent. Because of this, they have already gained wide acceptance across the whole of the modern Evangelical Church, cutting now across all denominational lines.
Something so widely embedded is not easily challenged; but, in fact, it is easily exposed. So, I will expose it. Then you, the reader, will decide what is your correct course.
117.1 - The Essential Idea: The foundational belief of this deceptive approach to redemption is easy to grasp. It simply contends that, "The sin value (motive) always remains dominant over the faith value (motive)." In other words, mankind, even redeemed mankind, is not capable of rising above the sin impulse and its outward expressions in his daily lifestyle. This is the Prime Tenet of this "corrupted gospel."
This idea is then extended to the conclusion that if man is not capable of rising above the sin impulse, a just God cannot and does not require him to do so. So, the believer comes to think that the work of Christ makes him or her, entirely "non-responsible" with regard to sin. Non-responsible here denotes a state in which the believer is simply unaware of a compelling responsibility.
This truly is an accurate description of the widespread condition across the modern Evangelical Church. A vast segment of the contemporary Evangelical Church embraces the non-responsible idea. And, this impact cuts across most all denominational lines, in their grassroots membership, if not in their theology books. So, the modern church has largely come to believe that, even for believers, disappointing God is just part of the daily human existence, and to be generally expected.
117.2 - We Must Rethink It: It is easy to see the influence that the non-responsible approach has had on our thinking in the modern Church. In previous sections, we have already looked at the true nature of some of the key concepts in the authentic redemptive plan: Sin, Faith, Grace, Righteousness, and God's Love. But notice how those concepts are often reshaped by the non responsible approach to redemption.
It goes something like this: "Because I, even as a believer, cannot live above the impact of the sin motive , then grace has to mean mercy. And, righteousness has to be always and only imputed. And, God's love has to be always and only unconditional. And, faith can require no expression in works. These things have to be true, because these definitions leave me without responsibility for my failures, which is the only way for me survive divine scrutiny."
Obviously, if one believes that the sin impulse always dominates over the faith impulse, then this careful redefining of key terms must occur in order to enable the non-responsibility of the believer. But, all of these re-definitions are either misleading, partial truths or complete errors. And certainly, they are all devilishly corrupting to God's authentic redemptive design.
117.3 The Original Expectation: Certainly, in order to substantiate the idea that a believer is not held responsible or accountable for his or her sinful realities, a radical revision to the authentic Gospel becomes absolutely necessary. This is true because that original redemptive teaching never holds any expectation that a believer would peacefully coexist with dominant sin in an atmosphere of non responsibility.
Rather, the ancient and authentic expectation was the careful conquest of sin, in both its inner and outer forms, as discussed in previous sections. So, when we subscribe to the idea of a defeated coexistence with sin, it changes everything.
117.4 The Norm Of The "Revised Gospel": We can look to the writings of Paul for a perfect picture of what this revised redemptive plan considers the normal and unalterable human condition. Paul says in Romans, chapter 7: "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
"If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
The condition that Paul describes here is what might be called "Incorrigible Sin." The picture that he paints is exactly the circumstance that the non-responsible approach would tout as the normal human condition, even for a believer.
In fact though, this is that very abnormal, "in between" condition as we have noted in previous sections. And, Paul shows in the very next chapter of Romans, chapter 8, how the believer is wonderfully delivered from this deplorable "carnal condition."
So, let's explore to its conclusion this "wretched" condition that Paul describes. Let's do this, not only to expose the errors of this corrupted gospel, but also because it affords us the opportunity to bring together, in a very lineal, summary form, the ideas from previous sections which we have already discussed in previous sections.
117.5 The Carnal State, "The Big In Between": What is really being described in chapters 7 and 8 of Romans is the spectacular deliverance of the believer from the domination of sin, by the Living Christ. But, Paul begins where we are reading in chapter 7 by simply describing the dilemma which requires that deliverance.
So, he is, here, showing the condition that exists after the believer's conversion, but before the believer experiences God's full remedy for sin through his or her spiritual merger with the Living Christ. Obviously, Paul is describing a very frustrating state. So, it prompts him to cry out, in the end of chapter seven, in a vicarious way for all who are experiencing this difficult condition, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
The condition which Paul is describing is a state that has come to be called the "Carnal State" or "Carnal Christianity." He actually provides something of a label for it, himself, when he says, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin ..." Again, this is the state of the believer between the time of conversion and the time of his or her spiritual baptism into the Living Spirit Christ.
Paul goes on to describe this state more fully in chapter 8 when he says in verse 5 and following, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." So, as we've seen in previous sections, indeed, the "evil twin" lives.
117.6 The Dominance of Sin: Taking all of this together, we can understand several things about this carnal state. First, we understand that this is a state in which the believer is still being primarily governed by what Paul calls, "the law of sin which is in my members."
This is Paul's way of referring to that essential sin value within our subconscious which remains, even after conversion, as discussed earlier. It is what can be described as the essential sin motive, or the subconscious sin attitude. These are all just terms which refer to that same subconscious sin essence, that original, subconscious sin value (the love of self-determination) from which all other sinful motives and behavioral actions spring.
The result of this defeating subconscious sin value is the frustration and helplessness which Paul describes in Chapter 7. Again, he says, "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members [subconscious], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." [Brackets added]
117.7 The Conscious vs. The Subconscious: So, again, on the most primary level of her heart, the believer who is in this condition is still being governed by the impulse of self-determination (essential sin). And, even though she chooses to serve God on the conscious level, yet the disciple is defeated on this subconscious level, where she is powerless to exercise control. So, though it has been driven from legitimacy on the conscious level of her mind, sin continues to rule at the subconscious level where the believer is without real resource.
117.8 The Consequence of Carnality - Death: In chapter 8, Paul also describes several consequences which attach to this condition of latent sin. He indicates that, if left addressed, this subconscious sin essence will ultimately bring death. He says, "For to be carnally minded is death..."
117.9 Enmity With God: Further, he notes that this subconscious sin constantly brings stress and division between the believer and God. This is true because, down deep, in that yet incorrigible subconscious region of his heart, the believer is still in rebellion against God. Paul also indicates that this is the reason the believer cannot please God.
He says, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
117.10 Torn Between Two Governments: It's no wonder that Paul would describe this condition as "wretched." In this carnal stage, as we have seen, the believer is literally being torn between two governments in her core person. Essentially, as Paul describes, the believer can see the high road of faith; but, this dominating subconscious "sin voice" forbids her to walk it.
117.11 God's Purpose Served, A Time of Humbling: While this is obviously a difficult period for God's child, we have already seen that God does, nevertheless, use this experience to achieve his redemptive ends. This becomes a time of separation and humbling for the believer. It is during this time and through these experiences that the believer confronts this remaining, base inner nature, and is prepared to receive the remedy for it in the form of his Spiritual merger with the character essence of the Living Christ.
Again, as the followers of Christ allow the Savior to lead them through this somewhat stressful personal exposure, they are able to recognize their own inadequacies. Through these discoveries, they become depleted of their confidence in their own self-sufficiency. And, as Paul describes, in this humbled state, the believer then begins to cry out for deliverance. So, Paul cries out for us all, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
117.12 The Answer Does Come: Ultimately, it is this humbled, desperate, insistent, consecrating cry for help that the Living Christ responds to. Jesus describes this insistent plea very well in Luke, chapter 11. There, He encourages the believer to stubbornly ask and seek and knock until the answer comes in the form of this liberating Spiritual merger.
Jesus says there, "... ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened... If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
And, Paul celebrates this deliverance in chapter 8 of Romans where he says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
117.13 It's God's Call: But, before we further explore God's answer for this carnal condition, let's consider some final thoughts concerning this carnal state. We should note that the carnal state has no predetermined end. There is no set time frame for this condition.
Again, the length of the carnal state is largely controlled by two factors: the effectiveness of the separation and humbling process, and the intensity of the believer's pursuit of the Spiritual merger with the Living Christ.
A casual investment on the part of the disciple can perpetuate this state indefinitely. And a complete unwillingness to experience this "personal wilderness time" will certainly have the same effect.
In any case, however, the end point is entirely determined by God. This "Wilderness experience" is finished only when He says it is finished. We are enough humbled, and emptied, and consecrated, and ready to experience this Spiritual connection to the Living Christ, only when God decides that we are.
117.14 The Alternatives Are Not Good: The alternatives to achieving this completion, however, are not acceptable, at all. A believer who becomes, as Jesus once put it, "offended," and refuses to work through the difficulty of this humbling time, will inevitably choose one of two courses. He or she will fully succumb to the pressures of subconscious sin and return to a course that is entirely self-determined.
Or, the believer will remain suspended in this carnal state indefinitely, unwilling to invest at the level required to succeed. In this case, the believer continues to consciously subscribe to the Lordship of Christ, but remains subconsciously enslaved to the self-serving agenda of his or her subconscious love of self-determination (essential sin).
117.15 The End Result Is The Same: The end is the same in both cases. It is death. In the first case this punishment is due to an outright return to the sinful life-approach of self-determination. For whatever reason, the "offended" believer determines that "it just isn't worth it," and consciously returns to a self directed lifestyle. It may not be an ugly lifestyle. But, it is still self-guided and it will, therefore, draw the judgment of God.
In the second case, where the believer balks at the required investment level, but does not entirely retreat, still, God's judgment comes. This happens because of the subconscious defiance which remains unaddressed. So, either way, the existence of a dominant sin value, whether on the conscious or the subconscious level, draws the same judgment from God, ultimately.
117.16 Go On Child: Of course, the obvious implication is that it is simply unacceptable for the believer to retreat, as a matter will, from the redemptive process. Rather, the disciple is expected to move through this "big in between." The intent is that the believer would experience a successful completion in the Living Christ, ultimately coming to an undivided heart that is fully and consistently faith-expressive.
117.17 A Successful Completion: Now, we move deeper into chapter 8 of Romans to discover this successful completion for the believer. Here, Paul begins to fully describe the liberating answer to this agonizing carnal condition. In doing so, he completely discredits the idea that man is hopelessly consigned to the sin impulse.
The apostle begins with a celebratory statement. He says, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! " Then he sums up the old condition: "So then, with the [conscious] mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh [the subconscious mind] the law of sin." [Brackets added]
117.18 Promise Kept: Captives Free: Then, he starts to expose the full wonder of the Savior's work. He tells us that, as believers, we are no longer condemned.
But notice, this freedom from condemnation comes through responsible, faith expressive behavior, not the lack of it. Paul says it is because we walk after the Spirit, not the flesh. He says that this Spirit enrichment has set us free from the dominating law of the sin instinct.
He says it this way, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
117.19 Why The Law Couldn't Work: Paul also shows us why the law could not adequately govern the human heart. He indicates that the law depended on the voluntary cooperation of the flesh, humanity's wayward subconscious. And, as we have seen, this will never happen because the carnal mind is ever the antithesis of the godly mind.
So, those subconscious, selfish appetites defeat us in exactly the way that Paul described in chapter 7. But, now he exposes the better remedy - the Christ's empowerment of the believer through their merger with His living character essence. Paul also notes that this remedy is so successful that we are able to keep, not just the letter, but even the righteous intent of the law.
Paul says it this way, "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
117.20 The Stark Difference: Then, Paul continues to expose the stark difference in the believer before and after the deliverance offered by the indwelling Christ. He also speaks of how very indispensable the divine merger is to the believer.
He says, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
"So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
117.21 Confirmation of "the Quickening": Now Paul confirms that we can conquer the latent sin impulse through the Holy Spirit. He says, "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life [a daily vitality] to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." [Brackets added]
Then Paul concludes. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
117.22 - Now, What About That Non-Responsible Thing: Obviously, what Paul describes in these chapters is not a defeated believer who is consigned to a hopeless coexistence with dominating sin. Rather, he describes the graceful deliverance from that condition, a deliverance which is immediately available to the believer in the Living Christ.
So, it was never God's plan to give up on the human potential, dismantle the impact of His moral laws, and remove from us all responsibility for our behavior. His plan has never been about an acceptable "broken-ness."
So, the corrupted gospel touting the non-responsibility of the believer is really nothing more than an errant and delusional, pop-gospel. It encourages the believer to be spiritually lazy and nonparticipating. It places all present responsibility for his or her success on the Dying Christ. And, it virtually ignores the significance and promise of the Living Christ - seeing the Resurrection as being without any real, here-and-now benefit to the believer.
In doing so, it would leave the believer unempowered; and indicate this impotent state to be normal. In this way, the believer is left very far under-invested, when great investment is actually called for. This corrupted gospel does not even come close to discribing God's authentic redemptive agenda. Instead, it is the delusional ploy of God's adversary to subvert the souls of humanity. This is not the Gospel of Christ. It is the anti-christ gospel.
John gives us the litmus test that clearly exposes this false gospel in his first epistle when he writes, "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world."
Jesus Christ does, indeed, live in the flesh - first in His own, as our Messiah to suffer the Cross. But secondly, He comes to live in the believer's fleshly form, to empower and renew the believer. But, the corrupted gospel denies this reality, entirely.
117.23 An Odd Reversal Of Thought: Nevertheless, by widely embracing, the gospel of the non-responsibility of the believer as its practical, everyday, working idea of Christian redemption the modern Evangelical Church has largely come to the oddest reversal of thought. Consider the following.
As discussed earlier, in large numbers, actually cutting across all denomination at the grassroots level, we have come to widely embrace two significant thoughts. First, we have come to believe in and be comfortable with the idea that even a devout believer in Christ cannot consistently live above the sin impulse or it's real expressions, even for a single day.
Then, when we add to that, the tenacious contention that our faith needs no expression in works to be validated, we come to a very awkward extension. It is this:
"Sin must be a necessary expression in the believer's daily life, but faith need not be."
What a sad gospel we have come to if such dark, up-side-down belief system is the best we can do. What a sad and and completely inadequate message to offer to a needy world.
The approval of a peaceful and comfortable coexistence with dominant sin in one's life is not really to be found anywhere in the writings of the New Testament. Nor is an invisible, impotent faith described or approved there.
These are merely devilish and deluded philosophical inventions of pop-theology and preaching. And, while such teachings may momentarily create an easier and more self indulgent religious experience, they will certainly never bring us to the truly elevating path which actually leads to a vibrant heart-oneness with God in the Living Christ.
Nor, will these bogus teaching even come close to getting us past that ultimate judgement bar of God. These dark teachings are but the pavings of The Sad Path of self-delusion.
However, over time a very attractive, but false, path has become very popular. Indeed, this path of the "Corrupted gospel" is bogus; and, it leaves the believer empty and defeated. But, it is, indeed, deceptively attractive. So, for a time, let's define and discuss "The Sad Path" in an effort to expose its deception and its devastating consequences.
The corruptions to the authentic Gospel, which we are about to discuss, could actually be traced historically. But, we will not do that here. We will simply expose the issues as they presently stand.
Also, please note, these corrupted and corrupting ideas to God's authentic redemptive agenda are so subtle that they are all but transparent. Because of this, they have already gained wide acceptance across the whole of the modern Evangelical Church, cutting now across all denominational lines.
Something so widely embedded is not easily challenged; but, in fact, it is easily exposed. So, I will expose it. Then you, the reader, will decide what is your correct course.
117.1 - The Essential Idea: The foundational belief of this deceptive approach to redemption is easy to grasp. It simply contends that, "The sin value (motive) always remains dominant over the faith value (motive)." In other words, mankind, even redeemed mankind, is not capable of rising above the sin impulse and its outward expressions in his daily lifestyle. This is the Prime Tenet of this "corrupted gospel."
This idea is then extended to the conclusion that if man is not capable of rising above the sin impulse, a just God cannot and does not require him to do so. So, the believer comes to think that the work of Christ makes him or her, entirely "non-responsible" with regard to sin. Non-responsible here denotes a state in which the believer is simply unaware of a compelling responsibility.
This truly is an accurate description of the widespread condition across the modern Evangelical Church. A vast segment of the contemporary Evangelical Church embraces the non-responsible idea. And, this impact cuts across most all denominational lines, in their grassroots membership, if not in their theology books. So, the modern church has largely come to believe that, even for believers, disappointing God is just part of the daily human existence, and to be generally expected.
117.2 - We Must Rethink It: It is easy to see the influence that the non-responsible approach has had on our thinking in the modern Church. In previous sections, we have already looked at the true nature of some of the key concepts in the authentic redemptive plan: Sin, Faith, Grace, Righteousness, and God's Love. But notice how those concepts are often reshaped by the non responsible approach to redemption.
It goes something like this: "Because I, even as a believer, cannot live above the impact of the sin motive , then grace has to mean mercy. And, righteousness has to be always and only imputed. And, God's love has to be always and only unconditional. And, faith can require no expression in works. These things have to be true, because these definitions leave me without responsibility for my failures, which is the only way for me survive divine scrutiny."
Obviously, if one believes that the sin impulse always dominates over the faith impulse, then this careful redefining of key terms must occur in order to enable the non-responsibility of the believer. But, all of these re-definitions are either misleading, partial truths or complete errors. And certainly, they are all devilishly corrupting to God's authentic redemptive design.
117.3 The Original Expectation: Certainly, in order to substantiate the idea that a believer is not held responsible or accountable for his or her sinful realities, a radical revision to the authentic Gospel becomes absolutely necessary. This is true because that original redemptive teaching never holds any expectation that a believer would peacefully coexist with dominant sin in an atmosphere of non responsibility.
Rather, the ancient and authentic expectation was the careful conquest of sin, in both its inner and outer forms, as discussed in previous sections. So, when we subscribe to the idea of a defeated coexistence with sin, it changes everything.
117.4 The Norm Of The "Revised Gospel": We can look to the writings of Paul for a perfect picture of what this revised redemptive plan considers the normal and unalterable human condition. Paul says in Romans, chapter 7: "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
"If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
The condition that Paul describes here is what might be called "Incorrigible Sin." The picture that he paints is exactly the circumstance that the non-responsible approach would tout as the normal human condition, even for a believer.
In fact though, this is that very abnormal, "in between" condition as we have noted in previous sections. And, Paul shows in the very next chapter of Romans, chapter 8, how the believer is wonderfully delivered from this deplorable "carnal condition."
So, let's explore to its conclusion this "wretched" condition that Paul describes. Let's do this, not only to expose the errors of this corrupted gospel, but also because it affords us the opportunity to bring together, in a very lineal, summary form, the ideas from previous sections which we have already discussed in previous sections.
117.5 The Carnal State, "The Big In Between": What is really being described in chapters 7 and 8 of Romans is the spectacular deliverance of the believer from the domination of sin, by the Living Christ. But, Paul begins where we are reading in chapter 7 by simply describing the dilemma which requires that deliverance.
So, he is, here, showing the condition that exists after the believer's conversion, but before the believer experiences God's full remedy for sin through his or her spiritual merger with the Living Christ. Obviously, Paul is describing a very frustrating state. So, it prompts him to cry out, in the end of chapter seven, in a vicarious way for all who are experiencing this difficult condition, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
The condition which Paul is describing is a state that has come to be called the "Carnal State" or "Carnal Christianity." He actually provides something of a label for it, himself, when he says, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin ..." Again, this is the state of the believer between the time of conversion and the time of his or her spiritual baptism into the Living Spirit Christ.
Paul goes on to describe this state more fully in chapter 8 when he says in verse 5 and following, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." So, as we've seen in previous sections, indeed, the "evil twin" lives.
117.6 The Dominance of Sin: Taking all of this together, we can understand several things about this carnal state. First, we understand that this is a state in which the believer is still being primarily governed by what Paul calls, "the law of sin which is in my members."
This is Paul's way of referring to that essential sin value within our subconscious which remains, even after conversion, as discussed earlier. It is what can be described as the essential sin motive, or the subconscious sin attitude. These are all just terms which refer to that same subconscious sin essence, that original, subconscious sin value (the love of self-determination) from which all other sinful motives and behavioral actions spring.
The result of this defeating subconscious sin value is the frustration and helplessness which Paul describes in Chapter 7. Again, he says, "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members [subconscious], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." [Brackets added]
117.7 The Conscious vs. The Subconscious: So, again, on the most primary level of her heart, the believer who is in this condition is still being governed by the impulse of self-determination (essential sin). And, even though she chooses to serve God on the conscious level, yet the disciple is defeated on this subconscious level, where she is powerless to exercise control. So, though it has been driven from legitimacy on the conscious level of her mind, sin continues to rule at the subconscious level where the believer is without real resource.
117.8 The Consequence of Carnality - Death: In chapter 8, Paul also describes several consequences which attach to this condition of latent sin. He indicates that, if left addressed, this subconscious sin essence will ultimately bring death. He says, "For to be carnally minded is death..."
117.9 Enmity With God: Further, he notes that this subconscious sin constantly brings stress and division between the believer and God. This is true because, down deep, in that yet incorrigible subconscious region of his heart, the believer is still in rebellion against God. Paul also indicates that this is the reason the believer cannot please God.
He says, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
117.10 Torn Between Two Governments: It's no wonder that Paul would describe this condition as "wretched." In this carnal stage, as we have seen, the believer is literally being torn between two governments in her core person. Essentially, as Paul describes, the believer can see the high road of faith; but, this dominating subconscious "sin voice" forbids her to walk it.
117.11 God's Purpose Served, A Time of Humbling: While this is obviously a difficult period for God's child, we have already seen that God does, nevertheless, use this experience to achieve his redemptive ends. This becomes a time of separation and humbling for the believer. It is during this time and through these experiences that the believer confronts this remaining, base inner nature, and is prepared to receive the remedy for it in the form of his Spiritual merger with the character essence of the Living Christ.
Again, as the followers of Christ allow the Savior to lead them through this somewhat stressful personal exposure, they are able to recognize their own inadequacies. Through these discoveries, they become depleted of their confidence in their own self-sufficiency. And, as Paul describes, in this humbled state, the believer then begins to cry out for deliverance. So, Paul cries out for us all, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
117.12 The Answer Does Come: Ultimately, it is this humbled, desperate, insistent, consecrating cry for help that the Living Christ responds to. Jesus describes this insistent plea very well in Luke, chapter 11. There, He encourages the believer to stubbornly ask and seek and knock until the answer comes in the form of this liberating Spiritual merger.
Jesus says there, "... ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened... If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
And, Paul celebrates this deliverance in chapter 8 of Romans where he says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
117.13 It's God's Call: But, before we further explore God's answer for this carnal condition, let's consider some final thoughts concerning this carnal state. We should note that the carnal state has no predetermined end. There is no set time frame for this condition.
Again, the length of the carnal state is largely controlled by two factors: the effectiveness of the separation and humbling process, and the intensity of the believer's pursuit of the Spiritual merger with the Living Christ.
A casual investment on the part of the disciple can perpetuate this state indefinitely. And a complete unwillingness to experience this "personal wilderness time" will certainly have the same effect.
In any case, however, the end point is entirely determined by God. This "Wilderness experience" is finished only when He says it is finished. We are enough humbled, and emptied, and consecrated, and ready to experience this Spiritual connection to the Living Christ, only when God decides that we are.
117.14 The Alternatives Are Not Good: The alternatives to achieving this completion, however, are not acceptable, at all. A believer who becomes, as Jesus once put it, "offended," and refuses to work through the difficulty of this humbling time, will inevitably choose one of two courses. He or she will fully succumb to the pressures of subconscious sin and return to a course that is entirely self-determined.
Or, the believer will remain suspended in this carnal state indefinitely, unwilling to invest at the level required to succeed. In this case, the believer continues to consciously subscribe to the Lordship of Christ, but remains subconsciously enslaved to the self-serving agenda of his or her subconscious love of self-determination (essential sin).
117.15 The End Result Is The Same: The end is the same in both cases. It is death. In the first case this punishment is due to an outright return to the sinful life-approach of self-determination. For whatever reason, the "offended" believer determines that "it just isn't worth it," and consciously returns to a self directed lifestyle. It may not be an ugly lifestyle. But, it is still self-guided and it will, therefore, draw the judgment of God.
In the second case, where the believer balks at the required investment level, but does not entirely retreat, still, God's judgment comes. This happens because of the subconscious defiance which remains unaddressed. So, either way, the existence of a dominant sin value, whether on the conscious or the subconscious level, draws the same judgment from God, ultimately.
117.16 Go On Child: Of course, the obvious implication is that it is simply unacceptable for the believer to retreat, as a matter will, from the redemptive process. Rather, the disciple is expected to move through this "big in between." The intent is that the believer would experience a successful completion in the Living Christ, ultimately coming to an undivided heart that is fully and consistently faith-expressive.
117.17 A Successful Completion: Now, we move deeper into chapter 8 of Romans to discover this successful completion for the believer. Here, Paul begins to fully describe the liberating answer to this agonizing carnal condition. In doing so, he completely discredits the idea that man is hopelessly consigned to the sin impulse.
The apostle begins with a celebratory statement. He says, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! " Then he sums up the old condition: "So then, with the [conscious] mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh [the subconscious mind] the law of sin." [Brackets added]
117.18 Promise Kept: Captives Free: Then, he starts to expose the full wonder of the Savior's work. He tells us that, as believers, we are no longer condemned.
But notice, this freedom from condemnation comes through responsible, faith expressive behavior, not the lack of it. Paul says it is because we walk after the Spirit, not the flesh. He says that this Spirit enrichment has set us free from the dominating law of the sin instinct.
He says it this way, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
117.19 Why The Law Couldn't Work: Paul also shows us why the law could not adequately govern the human heart. He indicates that the law depended on the voluntary cooperation of the flesh, humanity's wayward subconscious. And, as we have seen, this will never happen because the carnal mind is ever the antithesis of the godly mind.
So, those subconscious, selfish appetites defeat us in exactly the way that Paul described in chapter 7. But, now he exposes the better remedy - the Christ's empowerment of the believer through their merger with His living character essence. Paul also notes that this remedy is so successful that we are able to keep, not just the letter, but even the righteous intent of the law.
Paul says it this way, "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
117.20 The Stark Difference: Then, Paul continues to expose the stark difference in the believer before and after the deliverance offered by the indwelling Christ. He also speaks of how very indispensable the divine merger is to the believer.
He says, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
"So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
117.21 Confirmation of "the Quickening": Now Paul confirms that we can conquer the latent sin impulse through the Holy Spirit. He says, "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life [a daily vitality] to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." [Brackets added]
Then Paul concludes. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
117.22 - Now, What About That Non-Responsible Thing: Obviously, what Paul describes in these chapters is not a defeated believer who is consigned to a hopeless coexistence with dominating sin. Rather, he describes the graceful deliverance from that condition, a deliverance which is immediately available to the believer in the Living Christ.
So, it was never God's plan to give up on the human potential, dismantle the impact of His moral laws, and remove from us all responsibility for our behavior. His plan has never been about an acceptable "broken-ness."
So, the corrupted gospel touting the non-responsibility of the believer is really nothing more than an errant and delusional, pop-gospel. It encourages the believer to be spiritually lazy and nonparticipating. It places all present responsibility for his or her success on the Dying Christ. And, it virtually ignores the significance and promise of the Living Christ - seeing the Resurrection as being without any real, here-and-now benefit to the believer.
In doing so, it would leave the believer unempowered; and indicate this impotent state to be normal. In this way, the believer is left very far under-invested, when great investment is actually called for. This corrupted gospel does not even come close to discribing God's authentic redemptive agenda. Instead, it is the delusional ploy of God's adversary to subvert the souls of humanity. This is not the Gospel of Christ. It is the anti-christ gospel.
John gives us the litmus test that clearly exposes this false gospel in his first epistle when he writes, "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world."
Jesus Christ does, indeed, live in the flesh - first in His own, as our Messiah to suffer the Cross. But secondly, He comes to live in the believer's fleshly form, to empower and renew the believer. But, the corrupted gospel denies this reality, entirely.
117.23 An Odd Reversal Of Thought: Nevertheless, by widely embracing, the gospel of the non-responsibility of the believer as its practical, everyday, working idea of Christian redemption the modern Evangelical Church has largely come to the oddest reversal of thought. Consider the following.
As discussed earlier, in large numbers, actually cutting across all denomination at the grassroots level, we have come to widely embrace two significant thoughts. First, we have come to believe in and be comfortable with the idea that even a devout believer in Christ cannot consistently live above the sin impulse or it's real expressions, even for a single day.
Then, when we add to that, the tenacious contention that our faith needs no expression in works to be validated, we come to a very awkward extension. It is this:
"Sin must be a necessary expression in the believer's daily life, but faith need not be."
What a sad gospel we have come to if such dark, up-side-down belief system is the best we can do. What a sad and and completely inadequate message to offer to a needy world.
The approval of a peaceful and comfortable coexistence with dominant sin in one's life is not really to be found anywhere in the writings of the New Testament. Nor is an invisible, impotent faith described or approved there.
These are merely devilish and deluded philosophical inventions of pop-theology and preaching. And, while such teachings may momentarily create an easier and more self indulgent religious experience, they will certainly never bring us to the truly elevating path which actually leads to a vibrant heart-oneness with God in the Living Christ.
Nor, will these bogus teaching even come close to getting us past that ultimate judgement bar of God. These dark teachings are but the pavings of The Sad Path of self-delusion.
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