Spiritual Fruit

OK, so I know this may be a difficult concept to grasp, but the Fruit of the Spirit is the *Spirit's* fruit, not what we strive to produce. :) If you can't get that one right, you'll help God make Ishmaels.

The Holy Spirit Convicts Us! Wait....What???

This started as a response to some good comments on God's wrath, but turned into a full-fledged blog. Enjoy!


We are well aware of Romans 3:23,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

and John 16:8,

"And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment".


But my questions are these: What is the glory of God referred to in Romans 3:23? And since the verse also refers to our actions (e.g., sinning, falling short), is its context Old or New Covenant? Does the Holy Spirit convict us of our sinful actions?

The obvious answer to the first question is that the glory of God is Jesus Christ. The Father glorifies the Son. In comparison to Jesus, as God in the flesh, who deserves all glory, mankind failed to equal Him both in NATURE and OBEDIENCE. Thus, we see that Romans 3:23 is to be seen in context of the Old Covenant requirements--we disobeyed AND death reigned in our nature.

So then, where is the solution to Romans 3:23? Well, you read on, that's how it works! Look at Romans 3:24-25:

[All who fell short of God's glory but now believe in the righteousness from God through faith in Jesus Christ are now] "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed"

That confirms the clarification of John 16:8 found in John 16:9 - "concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me". So, does the Holy Spirit convict us of sin? Yes, but I believe that in context of the New Covenant the Holy Spirit convicts all mankind--believer and non-believer alike--in regard to unbelief in Jesus Christ, who perfectly fulfilled God's standard for righteousness and is the sole satisfaction of God's wrath upon disobedience.

But you say, "Jeremy, the Holy Spirit does convict me about my individual sinful actions!" Well, you can choose to believe that if you like, but it's not what John 16:9 says. Of course, there is another possibility as to why you would feel convicted about not obtaining the standard of the Law you just broke. Could it be...Satan? He is the accuser, and since he loves to categorize people, it fits perfectly with your guilty conscience. He would never want you to know that you have been redeemed completely and cleansed of ALL unrighteousness.

And just to clarify about the wrath of God: I believe that the sacrifice of Jesus has fully satisfied God's wrath and brought peace between man and God. But we need to clarify a distinction between wrath for having broken covenant, and wrath for unbelief.

Obviously, the issue is whether or not one chooses to believe and accept Christ's work and its completeness for themselves. If Jesus perfectly and fully fulfilled the Law Covenant, then the wrath of God for man's failure to obey the terms of the Law Covenant has been fully satisfied. Second Corinthians 5:19 states He doesn't impute man's transgressions to them, and I believe He is only able to do that because the Covenant has been fulfilled by a representative of all mankind.

Jesus freely and fully received God's wrath for our failure to comply to the Law Covenant both in nature and obedience. Why can't we freely and FULLY receive God's grace for Jesus' perfect compliance to the Law Covenant both in nature and obedience? (see next blog!)

Thus, the only sin left which will receive the wrath of God is unbelief, which come upon unbelievers on the Day of Wrath. Paul, of course, gives whole lists of behaviors that are sinful, but at the beginning of those lists is always a statement that reveals man's unbelief in God or even in Christ as the Messiah, i.e. the propitiation. Those lists are significant, to be sure, but they list the results of unbelief.

In short: the only sin God will hold mankind accountable for is unbelief in Jesus. All wrath for man having broken the Law Covenant has been fully received by Christ. This why we are to be ministers of reconciliation. This is quite different from teaching that points out peoples' sins. Yes, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of its sins, but usually that is never fully explained to reveal that sin is unbelief (John 16:9 - "because they do not believe in me").

That should change our whole concept of what constitutes sin in New Testament context. It should also allow us to begin to believe in the infinite possibilities with God on our side, as opposed to constantly dealing with the sin issue.

"My people perish where there is no vision." (See my next blog!)


Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

...If Anyone Repents?

"...I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous...." 1 John 2:1


I'm sorry, I think I just misread that verse. Did it say "if anyone sins"? I thought it was supposed to be "if anyone repents".

In the Old Testament, repentance for sins involved the intense, laborious process of sacrifice. You had to offer your sacrifice at a prescribed time, in a prescribed place, and in a prescribed manner. Your sacrifice was VERY carefully inspected by the priest. Only after passing numerous tests would your sacrifice be accepted and your sins covered. You could walk away with a clear conscience, knowing that it was the sacrifice ITSELF which had adequately covered your guilt and transgression.

Repentance in the New Testament is different. The Greek word for repentance is "metanoia" and it means to change one's mind. It means to change one's belief system from being based on the law sacrificial system (which involved repeated sacrifices), to that of the grace given by the one perfect Sacrifice: Jesus Christ.

After you've changed your mind and accepted the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, He remains your representative, because He remains in the Father's will in purpose, thought, and action (see the Amplified version of 1 John 2:1).

So, even if you do sin, because you are in Christ, your status before the Father does not change. This salvation is to all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, and is not a general salvation for all of mankind. See the following verses:

Hebrews 9:28: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (italics mine)

John 6:28-29: "Therefore they said to Him, 'What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?'Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'"(italics mine)

Romans 1:6: "And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ."

Because repentance in the New Testament involves changing your mind about who Jesus Christ is and the placing of your trust and faith in Him, there is no amount of self-punishment or good deeds that will atone for your sins.

Simply believe He adequately took away your sins (John 1:29). The only work you are called to do is to see where that belief will take you in life and watch how God will work through you.


Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

The Incomparable Comparison

I was reading Romans 5:16 and realized I found a comparison. Here is the verse:

"The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification."

So, if I were to write the first half of the verse in a simple comparison, it might look something like this:


One Transgression (i.e., an improper action) + Judgment = Condemnation


OK, that I understand, because we all understand and are accustomed to hearing that if we do good, we'll get good, and if we do bad, we get bad.

But, look at the second part of that verse:


Many Transgressions + (inferred Judgment) + FREE GIFT = Justification


First, I'd like to say that judgment is not a bad thing. In the case of this verse and its internal comparison, judgment is simply the method by which an action is tested against a standard. But what really gets me is this:

1). these two parts of the verse are not the same, as it says in the Amplified version: "Nor is the free gift at all to be compared to the effect of that one [man's] sin"--which simply means that our sin and His free gift cannot be compared; and,

2). shouldn't the second part be more like this???:


Non-transgressions (i.e., PROPER ACTIONS) + (inferred Judgment) = Justification


This tells us that the free gift of God trumps not only one transgression, but many...even all transgressions. That's power!!!!

I hope I was able to write out my thoughts clearly enough for you to follow them, but know this: God's gift of righteousness to you is absolutely FREE to you. It is so powerful, so all-encompassing, that by its very nature, the free gift to you eliminates all transgressions: past, present, AND future.


Grace=Peace,


Jeremy

In Accordance With Grace

So one of my new favorite verses is Romans 4:16, which says:

"For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all...."

God clearly defines for us how we are to relate to Him and thereby obtain all the benefits He has to offer us: only through faith are we able to rightly relate to Him and receive His promises for us. In the context of Romans 4:16, this grace is given to all who place their faith in God, whether a Gentile, or a Jew whose status before God formerly depended on the Law.

This biblical faith stands firm in its belief that God justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5) merely on the basis of belief. (By the way, in the Old Covenant, God called those who justified the ungodly an abomination (Proverbs 17:15). That'll mess with your under-appreciation of Grace.)

I love how the Amplified Bible translates Romans 4:16: "[inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith". WOW!!! Did you see that word "outcome"? In other words, faith in God can bring us nothing but the promises of God!

Until this point I've referred in a general sense to "faith in God". But mentioning only the person's name leaves out the substance of any reason for faith in them. Along with their name, their characteristics must also be numbered. In the case of God, we have faith in His goodness, in His kindness, in His faithfulness toward us, etc, because He IS goodness, He IS kindness, He IS faithfulness, etc.

Here is the main idea I want to present: only the type of faith based on the stability of God can have the outcome of obtaining promises. In other words, if I choose to believe that my performance will bring the promises of God to me, then I will constantly shift and be unstable in my confidence to receive said promises. But when I place my faith in God's person and His characteristics, I can safely rest in His stability to bring me those promises. That is why our righteousness comes through our faith in His gracious nature (remember also that He IS Grace). It is His grace which (and it is He who) is stable and can never fail. Both His person and His grace overcome my doubts and shifting confidence...not to mention my inability to perfectly perform.

One more idea: the thought that scoring a 90% or 95%, or even 99% on performing righteously before God and thus qualifying us to receive reward has no basis in scripture whatsoever. The penalty for missing the mark on perfect obedience is obvious: it is death. There is no slap on the wrist, no second or third place,...no "I'll do better next time" mentality.

Under law, you either obey perfectly, or you don't. If you do, you get the promises. If you don't, you lose, and losing means death. This is why we need grace to bring us under a totally contrasting and new system (not a mixture). Our position is secure under His personhood and His grace. He is our security to receive all His promises and remain in right relationship with Him.

~Jeremy

Abundance

I am for the message of Grace--utterly and totally. No one with whom I have spoken has a problem with God's grace in their life. They accept it, they preach it, and they know that God is gracious to them.

But here's the issue: Exactly just how gracious is God to us? What type of grace does He offer us?

I find that most people who believe God is gracious to them believe so because they were taught He is gracious. I also see that they tend to believe that grace in their life is some general application of God's goodness--some surface-level, benevolent nature within God to be kind, but with strings attached to the kindness toward you.

No one preaches, and therefore no one hears about abundant grace. I'm talking about overflowingly excessive, crashing-wave, bunker-busting, deepest-pit-filling, grace.

I'm talking about grace that does not keep records of wrongs. It doesn't say "you're forgiven" and then murmur "you better shape-up or ship-out". This grace doesn't remind you of the Laws of God that you've broken--or even might break, if you aren't careful. Instead, this abundant grace only reminds you of God's goodness and kindness--without obligation on your part. Your sin-debt was paid, and you have not been brought into a relationship with God where you have to pay Him back for His kindness to you. He set you free so that you could be totally free. And this Grace doesn't assume you might take advantage of that freedom.

No one says that the supremacy of His grace and kindness far exceeds the repulsiveness of sin. No one says His grace specifically targets our most horrendous acts and darkest deeds. We don't hear that His grace abounds toward us. We believe there are limits—that God's grace cannot excuse the most terrible thing I've done or thought, or am. That's right: this Grace is even not limited by the sinner's nature. His Grace sought you out while you were still hostile to it.

Until you realize and accept as a free gift God's abundant grace toward you and His righteousness for you, you will never know how much He truly loves you.

Consider Romans 5:17: "...those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

I am like Isaiah, Daniel, and Peter...all who were terrified by God's holiness, but whose sins were atoned for by Christ. I once was under the curse of the Law because of Adam's transgression, but because of Christ's obedience I now am under Grace and have eternal life. The old me passed away with Christ, and I now live as a new creation.

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...." 2 Cor. 5:19.

God's Goodness

We all know that every person is capable of doing something "good". For example, it is good to donate to charity and to help others, one should also be kind to others, but those actions do not necessarily mean the person acting is in his nature "good".

We see that God's goodness is something the whole world experiences everyday. Whether the world realizes it or not, there are, separate from all the unfortunate events in the world, daily acts of God's kindness.

Ultimately, the issue is not whether or not God's goodness is seen. It is not enough to say "I have seen God's good acts". We must be able to not only say we believe God is good, but most importantly, we can only truly and rightly say He is good if we know Him.

"Our awareness of His goodness is in direct relation to how well we know Him" (quoted from Banning Liebscher). The revelation of His nature of goodness disarms our fears and brings into a closer relationship with Him, thus we trust Him because we know He is good.

If we don't completely trust Him, then we don't really know Him.

It's not about the rules.

Watch this video through the link below. I was blown away when the speaker mentioned someone who had been praying for him and how through this person he experienced the love of Jesus.

http://www.everystudent.com/videos/christian.php