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| Church in Hungary |
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Is this the cross of your life or some other? If this one frames us, we know with the mind a once and forever done-by-another-for-me deal, (perfect passive indicative tense). The present tense “knowing” practically effects the destroying of the “The body of which sin has taken possession.” All of it enables me to not be a slave to sin.
Jamison, Faucet, and Brown cite our new relationship with Christ and says: “The apostle now grows more definite and vivid in expressing the sin-destroying effectiveness of our union with the crucified Savior.” So that “all that we were in our old unregenerate condition, before union with Christ,” “was” crucified with Him. Henceforth, we are not in bondage to sin.
So, we have been baptized into Christ, creating this joining together with Him, who had taken my sin on His body first and then to a cross where He died; and so sin died then, making my unification with Him a sinless, new life reality, which I can experience as the Spirit gives me the illuminating awareness of these facts written in the Bible? Yes.
Now, I wanna push persistently toward this practical reality by affirmation, this awareness by concentration, this Spirit by surrender, these truths by meditation, this understanding by application, and these historical facts by study. First century Christians distinguished it thoroughly before water baptism took place. Vital it is to any functional fruit of The Spirit in sanctification, transformation, conforming to Christ’s image, displaying the nature of Christ, resisting sin, defeating the devil, pleasing of God by faith, Bema-Seat confidence, witnessing to others, winning souls, etc.etc. love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
Is it clear? “You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” “The love of Christ constrains us, for we thus judge that if one died for all, then we are all dead.” “I am crucified with Christ…” This is not a performance; it is an immersion into an eternal actuality with full cognizance of where I physically live now, having obliterated and disowned the influenzce of the old sphere. God does not address that old-dude! God does not refer to him or she, God does not strive with it, and God does not struggle with it or even recognize it. God killed it and gave us a new existence in Him.
So, lets shift gears, when I go to God posing as my old guy, I miss communion. It’s like this; I say, “I need a car” and God says “I’ll give you everlasting life.” I say “I need health” and God says “I paid for all of your sins forever.” I say, “I cant function mentally” and God says “you’re complete in Him.” We think, “how does that relate to my present need?” Well the need for car and health and sanity greatly finds alteration when I learn to apply the other stuff. We call this “context” or “perspective.” God delivers us through perspective.
Let’s ponder. A person suffering from P.T.S.D. (post traumatic stress disorder), has built a context that is other than God’s redemption. We are compassionate to these. Why? Our love may help to orient the one to the new framework of God. If it does, they will be healed. Problem with these precious fellows: their unique point of view is now comprised of bodily sensations and mostly central nervous system dysfunctional fear. Extreme caution and alarm enthrone themselves in their new milieu and just assume rule. To help these ones, we have to help transfer their roots to the green acres of God’s farm.
What comprises this farm field view? First is the truth of the basic depravity of man, the curse on creation, and the subsequent skewed-brain-interpretation of events. We got to start there. Second would be the amazing Redemption by the Benevolent Savior. This second work reversed depravity, beat the curse, and now can straighten out my discernment.
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