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It breaks my heart that so many assume there is still some kind of indictment against them as they strive day after day to maintain self-holiness, something which cannot be satisfied with that which is of the flesh, no matter what kind of religious spin it’s labeled with. They are ignoring the real life which is within them, that is THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord.
“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" cannot, will not be contained, controlled or defined by the delusion brought on by the fleshly mind. It demands that who you really are in Christ is not made up of a blend between the two, flesh and spirit, but of a life that cannot help but see through the conclusions of the law of sin and death.
Your old self was crucified with Jesus and is no longer valid in the sight of God. Dead is dead. Resurrected unto life is eternal life. It is no more YOUR FLESH who lives, but Christ Jesus who lives in you. There is nothing more you can do but believe Him. Christ Jesus is reigning in you now. You have but to rest in His working out His purpose in you.
Some of you have been so influenced by the religious Christian mindset that it's gonna take a strong shaking in your life by the Father for you to see that LIFE is within you. Some of you are so afraid because you think that you would not "serve" God if you were truly free in Jesus. Such wonderful freedom in Christ sounds too good to be true. You are afraid because you have been desperately struggling to live a "holy" life and are barely hanging on most days. It seems that to live in complete liberty would be the undoing of all your efforts and it frightens you because you think that God sees you according to your efforts.
When Jesus declared freedom to Israel, he could not get around without dealing with the religious leaders and teachers of the day, as well as with the whole religious system. Nor can we avoid the bondage of religion that has established itself in the perception of those around us. While the darkness pushed by the bondage of this world’s religious perceptions causes much confusion and oppression, it ends up making the freedom of Christ shine all the more clearly. \
/ (Hallelujah, thank YOU, LORD JESUS!)Some proclaim that grace provides a license to sin and that unchecked grace makes Christians licentious. No way! On the contrary; Legalistic Christianity causes that problem!!
So many have been taught that Christians need to somehow balance freedom with responsibility to overcome or keep sin at bay. This is just another religious lie that pulls you away from the only reality that can deliver you.
But what about that famous Bible verse in Romans 6:1, “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” Preachers will point out that Paul answered the question with the negative “God forbid!” and then suggest that he wrote those words to warn believers against the dangers of living in the very freedom of Christ he told them to stand firmly in. The truth is that many don’t understand both the question and the answer as written in the Bible.
Beloved friends, we need to realize that if too much freedom gives believers a license to sin, then too much Jesus will do the same. Is it possible that the thing that saved us from sin could actually lead to a license to sin? Give me a break! Anyone who suggests such things does not understand liberty, Jesus Christ, or the law.
When Paul speaks of putting the old self to death, it is not stated as some kind of program or process to follow. His words are intricately connected to our recognition of Christ in having already accomplished our new life out of the old. We put off the deeds of the old man by shedding the lie that we are still bound by them. We are not under obligation to the flesh, but we often find ourselves giving into the lie of the world around us.
I pray that this Resurrection Sunday, this Easter Sunday, you would see the miraculous gift the Father has given us, abundant life in Christ Jesus, and that you are indeed set free!
Happy Easter, my brothers and sisters in Christ!!
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