i believe it will be simpler to number the posts from this point on. It will make it much easier for me in writing and easier for anyone who is reading them.
the last thing i want to add about the incident in my back yard is that i was never angry with my brother about what happened. we were playing and it was an accident..
and besides i got to ride in my oldest sisters lap in a vw beetle to the hospital. That was cool.
several years later we moved to a house in another town close by. where i live most of the towns are close by. this was a large two story house. and my grandmother was living with us. it was christmas time and i had been asking santa for a bicycle. and i got one. i also remember eating peanut brittle with my dad. i dont know why that memory sticks out in my mind but it does.
The most memorial thing about this house is that it burned to the ground right after christmas.
i was awaken one morning by my mother. i remember smelling smoke and she told me to run across the street to our neighbors and tell them to call the fire department. i did this and i remember being so embrassed about them seeing me in my footie p.j's
the fire took everything we had and all our christmas presents except my bike. i remember seeing it sitting in the front yard with the house burning down in the back ground. it was determined that an electrical space heater in my grandmothers room started the fire.
i still remember the firemen draging my grandmother out of the house because she did not want to go...
we then moved to another small town into what i have allways called the big brown house.
again it was two stories, and my grandmother was with us.
i have a lot of memories of this house.
i remember that it was at an intersection across from a service station that was managed by my cousin. i remember that across the main highway and down one block was my mothers sister's house.
one time my next oldest brother walked to my aunt's house to ask her if my mother could borrow a cigarette. the only problem with this was that it was about 3:00 am , my aunt did not smoke and everyone was sound asleep at both houses, including my brother. we allways thought it was a miracle that he did not get hit by a vehicle. of course it was the early 1960's and there were not that many vehicle around, especially at that time of the morning.
i also remember waking during the night and looking out one of the windows at the A&p grocery store that was near the house. my other brother, was working there unloading produce in the early morning. i would look out the window and miss him and feel sorry for him at the same time. i dont recall exactly why i felt sorry for him, but that feeling was strong.
i loved that house because i could ride my bike all over town, going much farther that my mother would have every allowed, if she had known how far away i went on that bike she would have beeten me and ran over the bike..
the service station was my favorite place in the world at that time. my cousin would let me help him pump gas, and clean windwhields and i would sweep up and hang out and make a nusience of myself. i occasionally skipped school to pump gas. another thing i dont think my mother ever knew.
at the rear of the service station was a construction company owned by the same family that owned the service station. i would spend time in the office hanging out and they would also let me ride in the dump trucks.
that sounds kinda wierd now but in that time it was not. it was a different world then. i was never mistreated and those people treated me like a little brother.
i was even allowed by some of the truck drivers to work the controls that raised the dump bed.
i can still remember what the two large metal handles that controlled the dump bed looked and felt like.... that was a wonderful, wonderful time.
i loved doing that kind of thing and i now realize why i'm drawn to that kind of job. the kind where your doing something with your hands and when you finish you can look at what you have accomplished. i got more satisfaction out of pumping gas and cleaning windshields and doing it the best i could than almost any job i have had since i was grown..
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Friday, March 17, 2006
Friday, January 20, 2006
Hard to remember...
As i have said before most of my life before 13 or 14 years of age i just do not remember. there are spots of light, like the A&W rootbeer story that are vivid to me , and then there may be years later when i have another spot of memory.
The next bright spot is several years later. I'm about 6 or 7 and we are living in another house in another city. but we are still having problems with prowlers, i suppose as a result of the bank robbery my father commited. you would think that people would get the idea that if we had any money we would be spending it, like on decent houses or nice cars or clothes without holes in them. anyway we were living in this house that has an attached shed next to it. because of the lay of the land in the back yard you could step up onto the roof of the shed, as easily as climbing a short stair. you could then walk on the roof of our house. i recall waking up one night to a disturbance. i go into the living room and my entire family is standing around looking at the ceiling. my mother has a broom in her hand and she is knocking on the ceiling with the broom handle... there is a pause and then someone knocks back. There was someone on the roof of our house.
so my family decides that my oldest brother should run next door for help. this vote was taken without his consent or approval. this was evidenced by my mother literally shoving him to the front door, opening it, and shoving him out and then pulling the door closed behind him. my brother was not stupid, he knew that his only hope was to get help because my mother was not going to let him back in no matter what. So he ran, i believe faster than he ever had before. he was running so fast that when he got to our neighbors front porch he jumped up on it, slid past the front door, through the furniture there and completely off the other side. the neighbor hearing the commotion of my brother came out to see what animal was on his porch.
eventially the police arrived. but of course by then the prowler was gone. the next day i and everyone else saw the muddy footprints that led from the back yard, up to the roof..
I have another memory of that house so it must be around that time because we often did not live in one spot long.
I recall my oldest brotherand, The same one from the previous memory, and i was playing in the back yard of that house. my brother had a pole, it was long and sharp on one end.. You know boys will play with anything. My brother was throwing the pole like a javelin. i remember my mother coming to the back door and telling my brother to stop throwing the pole before he hurt me.. Well life being what is is my mother had no more that stepped back into the house then my brother threw the pole into the air and it came down right onto my head. I remember that it hurt some but i was not knocked out or anything. My brother knew more than i because he turned pale as a ghost. and i noticed something running down into my eyes. my brother came over to me and told me to go into the house and find my sister. i still didnt know what was going on especially when i saw my brother running as hard as he could into the woods behind our house. i walked into the kitchen and my mother or sister or both was there washing dishes . i remember screaming and i remember someone taking the dish cloth that was being used to do the dishes and putting it on my head.. i also remember my mother running through the house yelling " my babys gonna die" !!
Well i discovered at an early age that head woulds, even small ones, bleed profusely. the gash i had on my head resulted in a trip to the emergency room for me and several nights spent living in the woods for my brother. my sisters tell me that that was a smart thing for my brother to do because my mother was not , at that point in her life, into forgiveness.. my poor brother..
The next bright spot is several years later. I'm about 6 or 7 and we are living in another house in another city. but we are still having problems with prowlers, i suppose as a result of the bank robbery my father commited. you would think that people would get the idea that if we had any money we would be spending it, like on decent houses or nice cars or clothes without holes in them. anyway we were living in this house that has an attached shed next to it. because of the lay of the land in the back yard you could step up onto the roof of the shed, as easily as climbing a short stair. you could then walk on the roof of our house. i recall waking up one night to a disturbance. i go into the living room and my entire family is standing around looking at the ceiling. my mother has a broom in her hand and she is knocking on the ceiling with the broom handle... there is a pause and then someone knocks back. There was someone on the roof of our house.
so my family decides that my oldest brother should run next door for help. this vote was taken without his consent or approval. this was evidenced by my mother literally shoving him to the front door, opening it, and shoving him out and then pulling the door closed behind him. my brother was not stupid, he knew that his only hope was to get help because my mother was not going to let him back in no matter what. So he ran, i believe faster than he ever had before. he was running so fast that when he got to our neighbors front porch he jumped up on it, slid past the front door, through the furniture there and completely off the other side. the neighbor hearing the commotion of my brother came out to see what animal was on his porch.
eventially the police arrived. but of course by then the prowler was gone. the next day i and everyone else saw the muddy footprints that led from the back yard, up to the roof..
I have another memory of that house so it must be around that time because we often did not live in one spot long.
I recall my oldest brotherand, The same one from the previous memory, and i was playing in the back yard of that house. my brother had a pole, it was long and sharp on one end.. You know boys will play with anything. My brother was throwing the pole like a javelin. i remember my mother coming to the back door and telling my brother to stop throwing the pole before he hurt me.. Well life being what is is my mother had no more that stepped back into the house then my brother threw the pole into the air and it came down right onto my head. I remember that it hurt some but i was not knocked out or anything. My brother knew more than i because he turned pale as a ghost. and i noticed something running down into my eyes. my brother came over to me and told me to go into the house and find my sister. i still didnt know what was going on especially when i saw my brother running as hard as he could into the woods behind our house. i walked into the kitchen and my mother or sister or both was there washing dishes . i remember screaming and i remember someone taking the dish cloth that was being used to do the dishes and putting it on my head.. i also remember my mother running through the house yelling " my babys gonna die" !!
Well i discovered at an early age that head woulds, even small ones, bleed profusely. the gash i had on my head resulted in a trip to the emergency room for me and several nights spent living in the woods for my brother. my sisters tell me that that was a smart thing for my brother to do because my mother was not , at that point in her life, into forgiveness.. my poor brother..
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Back to the original story
O.K. my dad is in prison for bank robbery and my mother has 6 kids and no means of support..
what about the money from the robbery you say, well most of it was given back . what was not given back is what my family spent to pay the rent and buy groceries..
interestingly enough for months after my dads photo and name appeared in the papers we had prowlers.
my mom said she thought that is was people who thought we still had some of the money hid around the house and wanted it. there were people under our house and wandering around our yard reqularly at night. and of course this scared the crap ( fine scottish verbage) out of us kids.
most of this i dont remember but bits and pieces do come through. i remember being scared because someone was outside our house at night. times were hard then, hard enough that people would steal from a woman and 6 hungry kids..
I vividly remember my mothers going to work at an A & W rootbeer restaurant. i remember this because she would have to work until late at night and i remember that she would wake us kids up when she would come in to feed us. they would let her bring home the left over food for us and i remember like it was last night the smells and the taste of the mama and papa burgers and the way they looked wrapped in the foil they came in. mom would bring home root beer in glass jars and we would have our main and sometimes only meal of the day late at night.. that was some of the best food i have ever eaten..
what about the money from the robbery you say, well most of it was given back . what was not given back is what my family spent to pay the rent and buy groceries..
interestingly enough for months after my dads photo and name appeared in the papers we had prowlers.
my mom said she thought that is was people who thought we still had some of the money hid around the house and wanted it. there were people under our house and wandering around our yard reqularly at night. and of course this scared the crap ( fine scottish verbage) out of us kids.
most of this i dont remember but bits and pieces do come through. i remember being scared because someone was outside our house at night. times were hard then, hard enough that people would steal from a woman and 6 hungry kids..
I vividly remember my mothers going to work at an A & W rootbeer restaurant. i remember this because she would have to work until late at night and i remember that she would wake us kids up when she would come in to feed us. they would let her bring home the left over food for us and i remember like it was last night the smells and the taste of the mama and papa burgers and the way they looked wrapped in the foil they came in. mom would bring home root beer in glass jars and we would have our main and sometimes only meal of the day late at night.. that was some of the best food i have ever eaten..
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Take a Moment
this is something i have been working on. I feel that i'm supposed to publish it here. i does not have anything to do with my childhood, but it is about my life now.
Please take a moment to consider it. thks
Sin, Justification, Sanctification and Grace:
B.Mac2005
Sin: For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God,
No One is Righteous, no not one.
Everyone, saved or unsaved, commits sin in some form, manner or way. There are too many verses and too much physical evidence to argue that point.
Saved people commit sin but are not Sinners.
Unsaved people are sinners. The difference is how God views and deals with what we all do. Sinners will stand before the Great white throne judgment some day and be found guilty of sin and sentenced to death. People who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by faith will not. Why...
Justification: is our Right standing with God, and is often synonymous with righteousness.
Justification:
A forensic term, opposed to condemnation.
As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law. Ro 5:1-10
It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness, active and passive, of his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ
Rom 10:3-9.
Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a righteousness which perfectly and for ever satisfies the law, namely, Christ's righteousness 2Co 5:21 Rom 4:6-8
The sole condition on which this righteousness is imputed or credited to the believer is faith in or on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is called a “condition,” not because it possesses any merit, but only because it is the instrument, the only instrument by which the soul appropriates or apprehends Christ and his righteousness Rom 1:17 Rom 3:25,26 Rom 4:20, 22 Phi 3:8-11 Gal 2:16.
(eastons)
Works of the law (our behavior) will never bring us justification. Ro 3:20-22
Justification occurs when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and express and demonstrate our faith in Him.
It is the RESULT of faith.
*FAITH is (A)THE ONLY CONDITION OF JUSTIFICATION.*
"the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from PERFECT obedience to the law" Ro 5:1-10 (eastons)
SO:
Justification arising from faith in Jesus Christ is the KEY to our relationship with God. It allows a perfect God to adopt as children imperfect, sinful people. It is based SOLELY upon FAITH in Jesus Christ and not by any type or form of WORKS. It determines how God perceives and RELATES to US and how God views our ACTIONS/WORKS. regardless of our perception of their being "Good or Bad".
then:
Sanctification:
(Old Testament Holy- from same root)
To separate from the world and consecrate to God. (isbe)
Saint: one who belongs to God, without indication of their moral condition.
We are foreordained to be conformed to the image of God's Son. Rom 8:29
Carrying on to perfection, (complete Christ like-ness) the work begun in Justification.
Christ is the Goal. Rom 8:29
We are to grow in Him. Eph 4:15
He is to be formed in us. Gal 4:19
We are to behold Him and be changed into his image 2Co 3:17
This is an Active Process by Which the Life is Made Holy.
It can only begin after justification has occurred, and will continue until the christian stands before Jesus the Christ in heaven. ONLY then will it be completed.
Perfect sanctification will never, ever, never occur while the believer is here on earth.
Ro 7:14 Phil 3:12 Pr 20:9 Ecc 7:20
The question of sanctification,(ie) the Christian life. Is not what we do, but
WHAT ARE WE BECOMING..
There is much to sanctification but for this discussion the emphasis is on the fact that it is accomplished by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in every TRUE Christian, and that IT IS A PROCESS.
NO ONE but our Lord and Savior has or ever will live a sin free life on this earth.
At this point of our Christian life is where we and others expect and often demand to see the Fruit of the Spirit or works.
Here we must balance what is clearly said in Gal 2:16. about faith being the Key and Eph 2:10 which clearly says we were created for good works.
There would seem to be a contradiction, but we know that the bible does not contradict itself so a study of the verses shows that Gal 2:16 deals with the works of the Law. but we being saved and justified Christians are no longer under the law. Rom 3:21-28, 4:1-8 , 4:13-15
so the works mentioned in Eph 2:10 are not works of the Law, but fruit of the Holy Spirit prompted by love and faith.
What’s the difference?
Works of the Law are required for forgiveness and acceptance from God. THESE ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED FOR THOSE WHO HAVE APPROPERATED THEM BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. Rom: 4:13-15. 5:13...
Fruit of the Holy Spirit are acts that are prompted by the Holy Spirit and result because of our love for Jesus and for our fellow man.
They are not required, they are desired, for the effect they have on our souls and on others.
And THEY ARE OFTEN NOT THE SAME ACTS REQUIRED UNDER THE LAW.
STRICT OBSERVANCE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, FOR INSTANCE, IS NOT PROOF OF EITHER SALVATION OR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.
THE GOOD WORKS THAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR US, AND US FOR, WOULD OBVIOUSLY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OUR SINFUL FLESH, OUR PERSONALITIES AT THE TIME HE PLANNED FOR US TO DO THE WORK AND EVERY OTHER FACTOR OF OUR LIVES.
GOD IS SOUVERGN. HE KNEW AT THE MOMENT OF SALVATION/ JUSTIFICATION EVERY SIN WE WOULD EVERY COMMIT AND FACTORED IT INTO HIS PLAN FOR US AND OUR WORKS.
IN DOING THIS HE DOES NOT CONDON THE SIN; HE USES IT IN HIS PLAN, SHOWING HIS ABSOLUTE POWER.
So.
We are former sinners who have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ. God imputes justification to us by our faith, accomplished by the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ. Then the Holy Spirit enters us and the PROCESS of sanctification begins. But What about The sins that the believer commits, or the good works that the believer does not commit?
Grace:
Unmerited Favor.
Unmerited Mercy.
Unmerited Power from (Of) God.
An attitude on God's part that proceeds ENTIRELY from within Him, and that is not conditioned, earned, affected in any way, by the objects of His favor (Us).
Rom 5:1, 2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3-5 and not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
And perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Grace allows us to come into God's presence. And Grace compels, entices us to go into God's presence.
Grace is the Holy Spirit within me EMPOWERING me to deal with a sin filled world,
A life of past and future wrong choices, sin and disappointment.
Grace appropriated is A life with an absolutely unworldly Peace and Joy.
Grace is my ice cream from God. The more I have the more I want.
Grace causes/allows me to smile and praise God when my life is absolutely not where I thought it would be at this time of my life.
Grace is a warm hug from the strongest, warmest most loving arms.
A rigid definition of Grace is hardly possible, but still a single conception is actually present in almost every case where “grace” is found - the conception that all a Christian has or is, is centered exclusively in God and Christ, and depends utterly on God through Christ.
The kingdom of heaven is reserved for those who become as little children, for those who look to their Father in loving confidence for every benefit, whether it is for the pardon so freely given, or for the strength that comes from Him who works in them both to will and to do. (isbe)
Gal 5:4 And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his wonderful kindness.
Grace is not a license to sin.
Grace is not an excuse to sin.
Grace is a Perfect God's way of dealing with his children, whom he loves dearly but who are not now mature, nor will they be mature until they come to be with him.
So is it O.K. to sin NO
Rom 6:1, 2 so what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?
I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?
So:
It means that I as a Christian must allow God to live through me so that the life I live is really his, and sin, then is a non issue.
Can I do this?
Sometimes I can, sometimes I can not, or more honestly I just don’t.
Selfishness it has been said is the single vilest part of the human personality and is the basis for all sin. I am a witness to that!!
But no matter what sins I commit or good works I don’t do, I KNOW that God loves me and he will forgive me as long as I confess my sins, and repent from them
1 Jn 1:9, Ja 5:16, Mat 4:17, Mat 11:20, Luk 13:3
BECAUSE I have faith in Jesus Christ.
Col 2:6-19, 3:1-3 msg.
My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him.
You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ.
Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.
When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in--insiders--not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin.
If it's an initiation ritual you're after, you've already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ.
When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive--right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven,
The slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's Cross.
He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.
So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days.
All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.
Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are.
They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
so, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it?
"Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!"
Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention?
Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.
Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.
Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life.
Conclusion:
This simple study came about by the prompting of the Holy Spirit as I began a study of the book of Romans. My study of that book will not be complete for some time.
I don’t know if this study is intended more for me or others and honestly that is God’s work. The writing and the study is the blessing for me.
I love my Lord Jesus So very much; I must by faith do what He asks.
AND YOU!
Please take a moment to consider it. thks
Sin, Justification, Sanctification and Grace:
B.Mac2005
Sin: For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God,
No One is Righteous, no not one.
Everyone, saved or unsaved, commits sin in some form, manner or way. There are too many verses and too much physical evidence to argue that point.
Saved people commit sin but are not Sinners.
Unsaved people are sinners. The difference is how God views and deals with what we all do. Sinners will stand before the Great white throne judgment some day and be found guilty of sin and sentenced to death. People who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by faith will not. Why...
Justification: is our Right standing with God, and is often synonymous with righteousness.
Justification:
A forensic term, opposed to condemnation.
As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law. Ro 5:1-10
It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness, active and passive, of his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ
Rom 10:3-9.
Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a righteousness which perfectly and for ever satisfies the law, namely, Christ's righteousness 2Co 5:21 Rom 4:6-8
The sole condition on which this righteousness is imputed or credited to the believer is faith in or on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is called a “condition,” not because it possesses any merit, but only because it is the instrument, the only instrument by which the soul appropriates or apprehends Christ and his righteousness Rom 1:17 Rom 3:25,26 Rom 4:20, 22 Phi 3:8-11 Gal 2:16.
(eastons)
Works of the law (our behavior) will never bring us justification. Ro 3:20-22
Justification occurs when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and express and demonstrate our faith in Him.
It is the RESULT of faith.
*FAITH is (A)THE ONLY CONDITION OF JUSTIFICATION.*
"the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from PERFECT obedience to the law" Ro 5:1-10 (eastons)
SO:
Justification arising from faith in Jesus Christ is the KEY to our relationship with God. It allows a perfect God to adopt as children imperfect, sinful people. It is based SOLELY upon FAITH in Jesus Christ and not by any type or form of WORKS. It determines how God perceives and RELATES to US and how God views our ACTIONS/WORKS. regardless of our perception of their being "Good or Bad".
then:
Sanctification:
(Old Testament Holy- from same root)
To separate from the world and consecrate to God. (isbe)
Saint: one who belongs to God, without indication of their moral condition.
We are foreordained to be conformed to the image of God's Son. Rom 8:29
Carrying on to perfection, (complete Christ like-ness) the work begun in Justification.
Christ is the Goal. Rom 8:29
We are to grow in Him. Eph 4:15
He is to be formed in us. Gal 4:19
We are to behold Him and be changed into his image 2Co 3:17
This is an Active Process by Which the Life is Made Holy.
It can only begin after justification has occurred, and will continue until the christian stands before Jesus the Christ in heaven. ONLY then will it be completed.
Perfect sanctification will never, ever, never occur while the believer is here on earth.
Ro 7:14 Phil 3:12 Pr 20:9 Ecc 7:20
The question of sanctification,(ie) the Christian life. Is not what we do, but
WHAT ARE WE BECOMING..
There is much to sanctification but for this discussion the emphasis is on the fact that it is accomplished by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in every TRUE Christian, and that IT IS A PROCESS.
NO ONE but our Lord and Savior has or ever will live a sin free life on this earth.
At this point of our Christian life is where we and others expect and often demand to see the Fruit of the Spirit or works.
Here we must balance what is clearly said in Gal 2:16. about faith being the Key and Eph 2:10 which clearly says we were created for good works.
There would seem to be a contradiction, but we know that the bible does not contradict itself so a study of the verses shows that Gal 2:16 deals with the works of the Law. but we being saved and justified Christians are no longer under the law. Rom 3:21-28, 4:1-8 , 4:13-15
so the works mentioned in Eph 2:10 are not works of the Law, but fruit of the Holy Spirit prompted by love and faith.
What’s the difference?
Works of the Law are required for forgiveness and acceptance from God. THESE ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED FOR THOSE WHO HAVE APPROPERATED THEM BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. Rom: 4:13-15. 5:13...
Fruit of the Holy Spirit are acts that are prompted by the Holy Spirit and result because of our love for Jesus and for our fellow man.
They are not required, they are desired, for the effect they have on our souls and on others.
And THEY ARE OFTEN NOT THE SAME ACTS REQUIRED UNDER THE LAW.
STRICT OBSERVANCE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, FOR INSTANCE, IS NOT PROOF OF EITHER SALVATION OR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.
THE GOOD WORKS THAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR US, AND US FOR, WOULD OBVIOUSLY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OUR SINFUL FLESH, OUR PERSONALITIES AT THE TIME HE PLANNED FOR US TO DO THE WORK AND EVERY OTHER FACTOR OF OUR LIVES.
GOD IS SOUVERGN. HE KNEW AT THE MOMENT OF SALVATION/ JUSTIFICATION EVERY SIN WE WOULD EVERY COMMIT AND FACTORED IT INTO HIS PLAN FOR US AND OUR WORKS.
IN DOING THIS HE DOES NOT CONDON THE SIN; HE USES IT IN HIS PLAN, SHOWING HIS ABSOLUTE POWER.
So.
We are former sinners who have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ. God imputes justification to us by our faith, accomplished by the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ. Then the Holy Spirit enters us and the PROCESS of sanctification begins. But What about The sins that the believer commits, or the good works that the believer does not commit?
Grace:
Unmerited Favor.
Unmerited Mercy.
Unmerited Power from (Of) God.
An attitude on God's part that proceeds ENTIRELY from within Him, and that is not conditioned, earned, affected in any way, by the objects of His favor (Us).
Rom 5:1, 2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3-5 and not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
And perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Grace allows us to come into God's presence. And Grace compels, entices us to go into God's presence.
Grace is the Holy Spirit within me EMPOWERING me to deal with a sin filled world,
A life of past and future wrong choices, sin and disappointment.
Grace appropriated is A life with an absolutely unworldly Peace and Joy.
Grace is my ice cream from God. The more I have the more I want.
Grace causes/allows me to smile and praise God when my life is absolutely not where I thought it would be at this time of my life.
Grace is a warm hug from the strongest, warmest most loving arms.
A rigid definition of Grace is hardly possible, but still a single conception is actually present in almost every case where “grace” is found - the conception that all a Christian has or is, is centered exclusively in God and Christ, and depends utterly on God through Christ.
The kingdom of heaven is reserved for those who become as little children, for those who look to their Father in loving confidence for every benefit, whether it is for the pardon so freely given, or for the strength that comes from Him who works in them both to will and to do. (isbe)
Gal 5:4 And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his wonderful kindness.
Grace is not a license to sin.
Grace is not an excuse to sin.
Grace is a Perfect God's way of dealing with his children, whom he loves dearly but who are not now mature, nor will they be mature until they come to be with him.
So is it O.K. to sin NO
Rom 6:1, 2 so what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?
I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?
So:
It means that I as a Christian must allow God to live through me so that the life I live is really his, and sin, then is a non issue.
Can I do this?
Sometimes I can, sometimes I can not, or more honestly I just don’t.
Selfishness it has been said is the single vilest part of the human personality and is the basis for all sin. I am a witness to that!!
But no matter what sins I commit or good works I don’t do, I KNOW that God loves me and he will forgive me as long as I confess my sins, and repent from them
1 Jn 1:9, Ja 5:16, Mat 4:17, Mat 11:20, Luk 13:3
BECAUSE I have faith in Jesus Christ.
Col 2:6-19, 3:1-3 msg.
My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him.
You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ.
Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.
When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in--insiders--not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin.
If it's an initiation ritual you're after, you've already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ.
When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive--right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven,
The slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's Cross.
He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.
So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days.
All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.
Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are.
They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
so, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it?
"Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!"
Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention?
Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.
Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.
Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life.
Conclusion:
This simple study came about by the prompting of the Holy Spirit as I began a study of the book of Romans. My study of that book will not be complete for some time.
I don’t know if this study is intended more for me or others and honestly that is God’s work. The writing and the study is the blessing for me.
I love my Lord Jesus So very much; I must by faith do what He asks.
AND YOU!
Friday, July 22, 2005
I'm still around
No i have not forgotten about this blog, nor do i think anyone is actually reading it, but i'm working on something now. i will post soon. and then i will continue my story.....
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