Not so different of a question, really.
All must be in the context of Christ and who we are IN HIM.
In another thread, I wrote this:
Originally Posted by Grace777x70
In " security" develops "maturity" just like in all relationships.
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Originally Posted by JGIG
YES!
A child who grows up in a home where they are constantly fearful of being disowned will mess up more, will rebel more, will be dysfunctional - because that's not how God designed us to function.
God designed us to function from a place of absolute security - our position with Him is based on His love for us and who we are in Christ and His faithfulness as our High Priest. In Him we are loved and we are secure, and can grow and mature in His care.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. (from 1 Jn. 4)
One need only to look at families around them to see the differences in the children . . . of course everyone is an individual, but overall, families full of consistent grace, love and stability (and by stability I mean spiritual stability - there are always all kinds of ups and downs in life) produce joyful, balanced children. Families where there are conditions and threats attached to expectations produce fearful, insecure, and sometimes very angry children. They may have success in life because they've been pushed, but they will have little if any real relationship with their parents and may struggle relationally with others, as well as a lack of joy. Thankfully there is a second chance at a spiritual family in Christ for folks from families like that!
Thanks be to God that He is a kind, consistent Father, and that we have a Perfect, Permanent High Priest Who is able to empathize with our weaknesses - and intercedes for us anyway \o/! (Heb. 4, 1 Jn. 2)
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Our responses in life and ability to go out and be who God designed us to be is because we can depend on our security in Christ and His Work.
Then no matter what we face, we can lift it up to HIM and say, "I choose to trust YOU in this circumstance/temptation/desire/tragedy/trial/joy/sucess, because YOU are GOOD and YOU LOVE me." And then even if the circumstance doesn't change, our ABILITY to deal with it (or minister through it)
in Christ with honor and integrity and love because of Christ in us comes in the Fruit HE produces in and through us.
So yes, it is ALL Christ.
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (from Acts 17)
-JGIG