Sheep & Goats

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me."

Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"

The King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.

Then He will also say to those on His left, " Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me."

Then they themselves also will answer, "Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?"

Then He will answer them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me."These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 25:31-46 (NASB).

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You know what? The more I read this and think about it the more obvious it becomes! It used to confuse me quite a bit, and I think I mostly ignored the implications because I didn't have any idea how this was supposed to fit into grace.

First, consider WHEN this was spoken.

It was AFTER these significant encounters with the religious establishment of the day:

The Pharisees and the Sadducees (along with the scribes and lawyers) had ganged up on Jesus with a series of "Catch-22" questions where any answer he gave would trap him. It didn't work. For somehow, Jesus was able to evade their deceptions by turning their logic back on them. Their attempts backfired on them so bad that they were put to shame in front of all the people. The religious leaders had done this to themselves. Then Jesus denounced the whole religious leadership in front of everybody where he repeatedly called them "hypocrites", and exposed their religious game to all.

Don't miss this! The best that man could come up with was unmasked in front of all as being a total LIE. Those who were supposed to be the representatives of God were declared to be the masters of EVIL and were to be held accountable for all the evil done by their predecessors.

Where did this leave the rest of them? The leaders must have been grinding their teeth at him! The people must have been totally disillusioned! The disciples knew that their connection with Jesus left them no where else to go, and yet they didn't have the faintest idea what Jesus was up to ... they must have had fear growing within them at each moment.

Jesus then began telling his disciples about things to come and how it would go from bad to worse! He warned them to watch out for those who would try to mislead them. And how they would become hated by people everywhere.

He told a few stories:

The first was about the ten virgins. Five were "foolish", five were "wise". What made the difference? The oil. Five didn't think they needed it and didn't take any, but five did and had what they needed when the bridegroom came. Don't look too deep at this, for it was a simple picture of something they would have been familiar with. Overlooking the need for the OIL is what made the one group "foolish" and caused them to miss the wedding. Having the OIL is what made the other group "wise" and gave them access to the wedding.

The second story was about the "talents" (which was money). Three men were given a different quantity of money based on their ability to produce a profit. Two of the men had used the money and had come back with a profit for their master, but the third man hid the money given to him and gave it back with the excuse that he was afraid he might lose it. The two were rewarded and the third was cast out. Jesus was not teaching about the importance of handling money here, he was telling a story that they would have instantly related to. Two men valued the money while the third saw it as a inconvenience.

Jesus was like the oil that was overlooked by the "foolish" and held to by the "wise". Jesus was like the money that had been treasured by some and feared by another. It's real simple when you don't dissect it and look for all kinds of "principles" to learn from it. The disciples would not have been trying to "over- spiritualize" these stories like we do. They probably found themselves thinking, "How could you forget to take something as important as oil with you?" and "Why would someone bury the money instead of making a profit?"

When did they connect the obvious? Was it right away or was it after the Spirit opened their eyes? I imagine that they would have "sensed" something right away that they just couldn't put into words. But later, they would describe Jesus as "the stone that the builders rejected" that became the very "cornerstone" of the building of God!!

Now, we have the story of "the sheep and the goats".

Is this story supposed to be establishing a piece of a "time-line" so that we can go find all the other pieces and try to fit them together into one seamless chronology? I used to think so. It not only created numerous contradictions, it also created contentions with those who had different viewpoints. But mostly, I missed the obvious because I was looking for something that wasn't there!

When does "the Son of Man come in his glory"? Are we to assume that he doesn't come in his glory until some future time? When was Jesus glorified? Didn't Jesus say, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified? (John 12:23)" shortly before his crucifixion? Didn't he also repeat that claim just after Judas went out to betray him? "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him; if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in Himself, and will glorify him immediately! (John 13:31&32)"

Jesus was glorified in the very place that all mankind despises: the condemnation of death! The death of a condemned sinner.

"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 3:8-11)

Set your mind at ease for there is no other judgment that God holds to other than Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.

Jesus spoke of this as something future because AT THE TIME it was future for Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The nations are now gathered before him for he is the one and only distinction between people!

What is this "separation" based on? Birth ... nature. Sheep and goats traveled together and shepherds had to separate them for different reasons at different times. Jesus speaks of himself as a shepherd who divides the nations by whether one is a sheep or a goat.

The thing that was said to the sheep was the same thing that was said to the goats except for one crucial distinction: the sheep did give food and drink and clothes to Jesus while the goats did not. ALL the sheep are said to have done this, while ALL the goats are said NOT to have done this.

Is it suggested that the doing of these things caused the sheep to be sheep, or is it suggested that NOT doing these things caused the goats to be goats? No. They were not separated by deeds but by nature. Very important.

But there's something more obvious here. THE REACTIONS.

The sheep hear the pronouncement and are surprised, saying, "When did we ever do such a thing for YOU?"

The goats hear it and are offended by his denial of their assistance, and they said, "When DIDN'T we do this for you?"

Remember what led up to all this? Remember the encounters with the self-righteous religious leaders? I'm sure it was still fresh on the minds of these disciples as they had been listening to what Jesus was telling them. I'm sure they were still taken back by the hatred of those who had made such wonderful claims of "righteousness".

Jesus' words to them were not for informations' sake, for the disciples would soon be standing face to face with these religious men ... and the reality of the nature of the "goats" would hit them hard. All the warnings were about the "pretenders" who would try to deceive them.

They would also need to be prepared to recognize the "sheep" who would claim no righteousness of their own. Why? Because the tendency is to listen to "claims" instead of to "reality".

That is why we have come to wrongly judge who the "sheep" are based on verbal "professions". For when we listen with the ears of the Spirit, which we have been given, then we hear the voice of the sheep as they are taken by surprise when we speak of the work of Christ in them. We also begin to suspect that many "professions of faith" may be nothing more than false claims of a "spirituality" that is easily offended when it is not given enough attention.

The difference is simple:

"Goats" are those whose nature is found in the fallen Adam, though they claim to not be too far gone. They are under the false belief that they can and do produce "righteousness" and are quick to make it known in whatever way they can. When they "perform" their deeds they want their due credit. They don't want their true nature and/or deeds revealed for what they are, but instead they want their deeds to appear "righteous".

"Sheep" are those who are born of God, and will readily admit to having come from the fallen Adam. Christ is their life. They are not aware of the work of God in them for the most part and instead become more and more aware of the fact that they cannot produce righteousness ... and often say so. Christ is their boast, not themselves.

I hope this is of some help to you.

By Jim Minker

INWARD SUBSTITUTION

By: James M. Campbell

Christian thought has concerned itself almost exclusively with the idea of outward substitution; that is, the substitution of the sufferings of death of Christ for man's offenses. It has looked upon Christ as taking the sinner's place; being wounded for his transgressions, and bruised for his iniquities; but has in too large a measure overlooked the equally important doctrine of inward substitution; that is, the substitution of Christ for self, the substitution of the new man for the old man, the substitution of Christ's will for man's will, of Christ's power for man's impotence, of Christ's righteousness for man's sinfulness. With the idea of Christ taking the sinner's place ought to be connected the idea of Christ taking His place in the sinner.

Laying bare the hidden spring of action within his own breast, Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ, yet I live; and yet no longer I, but Christ liveth in me." (Gal. 2:20)

In this inward substitution a change of spiritual center is involved. When the old life-center of selfishness is destroyed, a new life-center of heaven-born love is formed. Henceforth there is within the soul a new principle of action; a new source of authority is acknowledged; a new King sits upon a throne. Self sinks out of sight, and no man is seen "save Jesus only." Said the great German reformer, "Should any one knock at my breast and say, Who lives here?' I should reply, 'Not Martin Luther, but the Lord Jesus."' Is not every Christian heart a house in which Christ lives, a house in which He is Master? Every one in whose heart Christ is Master of the house, can say, "It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me." His old life has become a thing of the past; no longer does he call himself his own; no longer does he seek his own ends in life; no longer does he workout from self as a center, or work in to self as a center. Christ is now the Lord of his life; every thing within him is under His control; he has no interests separate from His; he holds himself in constant readiness to carry out His slightest wish; whereas once he proudly said, "Not His will but mine be done;" now he meekly says, "Not my will but His be done." The indwelling Christ is the center from which he allows Christ's character to be worked out; the center to which he allows Christ's character to be worked into his behavior; he lives from Christ; he lives for Christ.

From: The Indwelling Christ. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company. 1895.

Grace

We Have Been Shot

by Robert Capon

Speaking on the first few verses of Romans six......... Whether [we] behave or misbehave, [we] are dead from start to finish but for [him]. Unchanging, unswerving, [he] goes on being [our] resurrection, the one center at which [our] sins are always forgiven. . . . Only an idiot, the Apostle says, could ever confuse that with permission (to sin). St. Paul is not talking about morality at all; morality is for the living. He is talking about death, and the only thing that makes sense when you have to deal with the dead is resurrection. He is not pointing out some possible course of action whose permissibility might be a matter of debate; rather he is pointing a metaphysical impossibility: you can't get away from a love that will not let you go. . . . It is not that sin SHOULD not have dominion over us but that it CANNOT, for its power has been destroyed by Jesus. It reigns in our death, of course, as it always did; but what is that? What is it to have sway over a valley of dry bones? The main thing is that sin does not reign over Jesus, and Jesus is our life. But consider the death to which the Apostle refers: death does not rise, only life does. He does not ask this rhetorical question to tell us we OUGHT not to continue in sin. He does it to tell us we CANNOT. And for a very simple reason: we are dead. We have no "I," no living ego, no effective, vivifying, interambient self with which to make the attempt. . . . There is no "we" to do any continuing, whether in sin or anything else. We have not lost our powers, we have lost our identity. We are not enfeebled; we are shot. There is, as we finally find when we try to rouse ourselves to love Him, simply no one there. . . . "How can a nobody choose to continue in nothing? Talk sense, man, or don't talk at all." There is only one "I" now, when we hear our own voice speaking at the center of His life: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

"City on a Hill"

Charlotte, North Carolina---My Home---Known as the "City on a Hill"



Mat 5:14 "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill."

License

by Dan Stone

Does the union life emphasis upon "spirit as ultimate reality" encourage license? Directly or indirectly this question is asked of me more than any other. My first response is the same as Paul's: "Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!" (Rom. 6:15). My second response is that I prefer to label as "growing pains" that which others call license. Some might prefer to say that what looks like license is God's unique way of working His truth into our inner consciousness. At any rate, this subject cer­tainly needs further clarification, for to many observers union life teaching appears at times to encourage license. When people first hear union life or spirit teaching, they tend to express the only point of view available to them. Because they are entrenched in a dualistic outlook, they just naturally tran­slate what they hear as an encouragement to sin. Society trains us to be objective persons (see-aters) who distrust the unseen, the spiritual, or the metaphysical. We are the products of the educational system in which we grew up. Unfortunately, that system has taught us to judge by outer appearances, even though Jesus expressly warned against it. "Judge not according to ap­pearance, but judge righteous judgment" (Jn. 7:24). In addition, society has dictated certain standards of conduct for each peer group. These standards are enforced by a reward system which we might call the law of rewards. Each peer group extends or withholds favors to its members based upon their conduct. The system is totally based upon performance, on outer actions. Since the system is the dispenser of approval and rewards, persons governed by that system are led to believe that the system is inherently sacred. From such a belief these persons naturally but erroneously conclude that spiritual maturity, begun in grace, can somehow be completed in works. Of course, union life teaching intrudes as an unwelcomed contradiction to the law of rewards. Another error emerging from our compliance with the law of rewards is the ridiculous notion that we can somehow repay God for His redemptive work. We are led down the path of "commit­ment to Christ," of "consecrated self," and of a myriad other designations for the same dead-end. We become enmeshed in the Romans seven syndrome of attempting to do good, but we seldom attain the desired inner consciousness of satisfaction. Our attempts to discipline ourselves or refrain from doing "wrong" end with equally disappointing results. The only way our frustration can ever be appeased is by comparing our meager actions with someone else's failure; or by excusing our failure in the light of another's grosser wrong. We find comfort in measuring ourselves by our intentions and others by their ac­tions. That approach gives us an outside possibility of overcom­ing the Romans seven syndrome. To those who hear union life teaching and know they have heard truth, the "eyes of the heart" (Eph. 1:18) have been en­lightened. They have taken the Spirit's bait. They differ now in their inner consciousness, for they are becoming "see-through­ers" rather than "see-at-ers." Though the Spirit is beginning His work in the inner man, the new see-through-er does not yet live from a fixed inner con­sciousness. He vacillates between a new awareness of his fixed union with God and an old consciousness of separation from God. But in the process his perspective on life is moving from the level of what is visible to the level of the invisible, which is spirit. During this period of vacillation, some spectators will inevitably conclude that the believer has fallen into license if his conduct fails to conform to the acceptable pattern of the peer group. This license may take the form of smoking, social drink­ing, swearing, using make-up, being divorced, an unacceptable sexual practice, or a hundred other activities. The spectators are even more appalled when the believer now takes these devia­tions not as gross license, but as God's intended path for him! What is happening? The believer is moving into a fixed inner consciousness by personally experiencing and acknowledging the Spirit's work in his humanity. I am the first to admit that many who hear union life teaching initially interpret it as a green light for increased permissiveness. Some people need to experience a total overthrow of their old standards. But in time they will put aside promiscuous activities, for they will realize that those outer crutches offer nothing more than a new bondage. This process will appear as license to those who only perceive reality on the performance level. However, what is needed at this juncture is not condemnation, but a patient awareness that God is at work producing a fixed inner consciousness in each believer. As the inner consciousness becomes his fixed consciousness, the see-through-er discovers in himself the full identity of the One he contains - his "not I but Christ" spirit. Colossians 2:9,10 says, "For in Him [Christ] all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have come to fullness of life." Since all the fullness of deity dwells in Christ, and Christ dwells in the believer, the fullness of deity (at least qualitatively) dwells in each believer. Union life trusts the Spirit to woo and illumine each individual to the awareness of his true position in Christ. We know that God uses alternatives in this matter-life to cause us to know Him, to act, or to do whatever He desires from us at the moment. God means us to have the results of our actions. But these results have the purpose of leading us into a fixed inner consciousness of oneness. Admittedly, some actions appear to plunge the per­son into further fires of purification. However, these experiences are personal and private, and we dare not judge by unrighteous judgment what God is doing in another's life. To do so is to tread on holy ground. We must see that life's actions are designed to purge a person from dualistic living - from separate seeing, from separated choices. These fires of purification drive him to see all outer con­duct as the work of the Spirit. The home-base for the see-through-er is the awareness of his own life as an expression of God, the other-lover. This position knows no reward system for good conduct. This path results in a death for us, and in life for others. "So death works in us and life in you" (Il Cor. 4:12). Paul also calls it a weakness (II Cor. 12:5, 9, 10). No one seeks this type of "death"; it is thrust upon him. It is the life for which God has been preparing him. It is summed up in the statement, "a body have you prepared for me" (Heb. 10:15). Temporary excursions into what objective persons call license is but a chapter in the preparation for throne living. Again, the principle is not life unto life, but death unto life for others. "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (Jn.12:24). Life for others comes spontaneously as the container (the person) be­comes fixed in his real reason for being. Jesus said, "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 10:39). Remember my earlier statement, "The work of the Holy Spirit for each person is private and personal." The work of the Spirit is to transfer one's perspective from temporary appearances to spirit-reality. He is transferring us into the fixed inner conscious­ness that the spirit realm is the realm of ultimate reality. As a form of Christ, the see-through-er exists for others. The see-­through-er has moved from seeing temporary, outer appear­ances as reality to seeing permanent, inner spirit-reality. We need not be side-tracked by the seeming inconsistency of outer conduct, for in the spirit realm God has produced the finished product. Outer conduct is never the yardstick for Holy Spirit persons whose inner consciousness is fixed on the perma­nent reality. Jesus' own outer conduct was a puzzle to the religious community of His day. Most of them rejected Him. Union life persons know themselves to be available to God for His purposes, even in the apparent inconsistencies. Union life does not encourage license. However, it does see through the temporary outer events of our lives to the inner working of the Holy Spirit. This teaching accepts as the work of the Spirit what some may call license. It speaks the word of faith: "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His own good pleasure"(Phil. 2:13).

The Mystery of Union

By: Dan Stone

Paul's teaching to believers focused on a great mystery. To the church in Colossae he wrote of

"...the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:25-27)

Christ in us. That is our only expectation of experiencing and expressing the glory of God. Elsewhere, Paul expressed the mystery in another way:

"But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him." (I Cor. 6:17)

Actually, the words with Him aren't even in the original Greek. The translators added them for clarification. So:

"The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit."

He or she, a spiritual being, who is joined to the Lord, is one spirit. There are two... they are one. You and He are one.

We are one spirit with God. We function as one. We are not absorbed into the Lord, however. There is an I and there is a He, but we are joined to Him and we function as one. It is a function of cooperation, like a union of gears that mesh together. Our union with God doesn't mean that we are so swallowed up in God that we lose our identity. But neither is there a separation. Rather, the two function as one for the purposes of the greater one, God.

He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. That is a mystery. One plus one equals one. How can that be? The divine and the human are one.

Until we know and live out of our union with Christ, we will never fully manifest the life of God within us. Some of it will inevitably shine through now and then, despite us. But for the most part we will manifest our own merely human life.

Until we know union, we are constantly confronted by the illusion of separation. "God is up there; I am down here. How do I draw close to God? Give me a plan. Give me a program." Plenty of people are ready with the answers. "Read your Bible. Pray. Study. Witness. Tithe. Take communion. Here are the plans. Here are the programs."

But once you know your union with God, there's nothing left for you to do. Oh, you may still do some of the outer things. But you aren't doing them to get close to God. You and God are one. There is no more separation.

When you begin living out of your union with Jesus Christ, you move beyond Christ plus anything, no matter how good it might be. ...We live and move and have our being in God, who is our life. We are saved by His life. He is our life.

Christ lives out His life in us ­ funny old you, funny old me. We have all kinds of different shapes, forms, and fashions, all kinds of interests, all kinds of diversity, all kinds of uniqueness. Praise the Lord. We don't have to look like, act like, talk like, or be like anybody else again. We are free to be ourselves. People see us, but we know it's Jesus living through us.

From: Stone, Dan, The Rest of the Gospel: When the partial Gospel has worn you out. Dallas: One Press. 2000. pgs. 80-82.

Fear, Another Standard of Relating?

(I have a friend who responded to my previous post, "Does the Spirit Remain?", with the following thoughts:

I have been unresponsive to your teachings because I am processing, as it were. You have been hammering away at legalism and I know I teach the same things, but I feel a certain check.This recent forward(and I know to whom you refer) is a good touch stone for a limited blip of a response........What I am suggesting is that we, and I do mean "we", because I previously stated that I teach the same things, "we" must consider the whole enchilada. The fear of the Lord did not disappear under the new covenant. It is mentioned many times in the New Teastament, and it means what it says! By that I mean the word for fear does not translate into some warm fuzzy, reader friendly thing.And there are many examples.It was not an evil spirit that snuffed out Annanias and Sapphira! John (the disciple Jesus loved, the one who was most intimate) fell at His feet as though dead when he saw him as He is.......Couple that with the carnal life styles of so much of the church and I personally see room for error to continue to run rampant.

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My Response:
I think we need to be careful because we may now use Fear, as the Law has been used in the past, as a Standard of relating to God.... I will call it, "The Law of Fear." It is my contention, that we only relate/connect with God by the In-Christed "Life," Becoming Who We Already Are.

Rom 7:4-11 "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me."

Rom 5:20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more

Rom 3:20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

2Co 3:6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

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It is interesting how we Christians continue to hold up a Standard/Measuring stick(Law)other than the Standard/Law of Jesus Christ. For we have bought into this mentality, that apart from a governing standard, rule, work,(fear) etc.....we will quickly fall away into carnality. I am here to announce to each of you, that if you do Raise up a Standard, other than the Standard/Law of Christ, you will surely fail. Let me try to explain!

Below, I am going to list some of the things that the "Law" was purposed by God to accomplish.

[Hear me, I am not condoning poor behavior, I am emphatically stating, it will never get better by trying....(Do's and don'ts).]
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Purpose of the Law
1. Sinful passions aroused by the Law

2. Come to know sin through the Law.

3. Increases sin, (But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind), The Law came in so that the transgression would increase.

4. The Law ultimately brings Death. (But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound (the Law).... for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

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My friend Dan Stone put it this way, "Do you realize that Law and Grace can never flow together. You can never marry the two. Paul challenged the Galatians saying, You have to make a choice, Galatians. Are you going to live under law, or under grace? Paul wasn't saying that if they stepped back into the law, they wouldn't be saved anymore. But he was telling them, "If you go back to the law, you're giving up the way of grace. Now, let me tell you something about the way of the law, Galatians: you have to keep it all."

They couldn't just pick out the law they wanted to keep. That's what I used to do. I'd pick out those parts of Mosaic Law, Sermon on the Mount law, Baptist law, my personal law, and whatever other law I thought I could keep at least some of the time. I didn't see that law and grace are mortal enemies. I didn't see that you can't live under both.

It made sense to me to be religious. It made sense to be an external Christian, trying to keep an external set of rules. I couldn't do anything else, because I had always been an external person. So were you. We all grew up as external people, defining ourselves in relation to other persons, things, and events that told us who we were. That's why as new Christians we were so prone to asking external questions: "What should I do?"

There's no life in the law. The only thing the law tells you is what you ought to do, but can't do. It will never relinquish its demand that you ought to do it, because it's a divine ought-to; God gave it to Moses. We'll keep ourselves under that divine ought-to, and the condemnation and death ministers (2 Corinthians 3), until we learn to live from the Person who dwells within us. Because there's nothing in our flesh that wants to say, "I can't do it. I can't keep the law through my own effort." Everything in our flesh says, "I want to try to do it, and with God's help maybe I can do it."
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Do you realize that every time you begin to place yourself back under a Standard/Law, the entire "law" process begins again. Sin is aroused, made Known, Increased, Embellished, and Ultimately brings Death. Now, if you are a believer, you have embraced a mere illusion perpetrated by the devil, and this is not God's reality because you are dead to sin, and alive to Jesus Christ. Whenever you begin to seemingly fall away or live carnally, you have placed yourself back under the law with a view toward the dead..... the law does what it was designed to do. But, God has said that you are no longer under the Law but under Grace, Rom 6:14. And sin cannot be imputed to your account, when there is no law, Rom 5:13.

Stop living in the devil's fantasy land and begin embracing the Reality of Jesus Christ." ....it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Rom 8: 1-2.

Consider this, If you ever feel condemned by yourself or another, I am here to declare it is not from the Lord but from the devil.

It is my prayer that the church will begin to embrace the Reality of who God says we are versus the illusion the devil wants each of us to succumb to. The only way to live the Victorious/Supernatural "Life" is by another, Jesus Christ.

It’s really a matter of becoming who we ALREADY ARE in Spirit, in Christ... bringing that finished work to manifestation in our individual and corporate Life. Let us press on to the ‘mark’ of manifesting the Life of Christ in the world, “because as He IS, so are WE in this world.” (1 John 4:17)

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I would like to end this message with some words from my friend, Paul Rupe.

"When looking at the word "Fear" which in the Greek is "Phobos" which means "Fear, dread, terror" its important to remember that it also has the meaning of "Reverence."

As I've grown in grace I find myself keeping the finished work of Christ in the forefront of my thinking when it comes to verses that don’t really seem to line up with the message of God’s grace.

When comparing scripture with scripture it's easy to see that God is love 1John 4: 8, that there is no fear in love because perfect love casts out all fear (1John 4:18.)

So Acts 9:31 can't mean a kind of fear that shrinks back in terror from the Lord being afraid of what He might do to us if we mess up. If it does then not only are these verses in direct conflict with Paul's message of our righteousness in Christ, but also they are in conflict with the verse that you had mentioned.

What is the fear of the Lord? I believe that in order to correctly divide God's Word on the subject we only find one option in reference to these verses that speak of fearing the Lord.

I believe that the option is understanding that when it says "fear" then the writer was talking about "Reverence" for God and a "Dread" of doing something that would make Him sad because we love Him so much(because He first loved us.)

Again, the "fear" these writers mention is not...

A fear of God's retribution because there is no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1.)

Running around trembling at the thought of God - The children of Israel trembled when they thought about God but God has delivered us from that servile kind of fear (Romans 8:15.)

Trying to gain God's acceptance by doing good deeds and abstaining from the evil ones - because God's acceptance is by grace, not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9.)

So again, my take on it is that the fear of God is a reverence for God and a dread of doing anything that would cause Him grief because we know He loves us."


"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but the love of the Lord is the finished end."

Does the Spirit Remain?

Just last week, I had the opportunity to listen to a teaching by a theologian I greatly admire and respect. I have had the privilege of knowing this Gentleman for some time and if I were to mention his name, I am quite sure many of you would know of him. With that said, and with honor being given where honor is due, I would now ask that each of you contemplate with me, the following thoughts/ideas regarding this teaching below and possible fallacies surrounding it.

The whole premise of this man's message centers around being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and being aware of the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, thus ensuring that the Spirit/Dove remains and does not fly away or leave. One of the passages referenced in this teaching is John 1:32-33.

Joh 1:32-32 John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him."I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me,'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit'."

The idea being conveyed here is the need to position ourselves in such a way, that ensures the Spirit of God remaining upon us, as it did with Jesus in the above quoted passage. Encapsulated within this thinking is the correlation that we can flow in and out of the anointing of God, by virtue of our actions/inaction, behavior, etc.... And I quote; "If we expect the dove of the Spirit to remain, it is surely essential that all we are does nothing to cause the Dove to flutter away."

Firstly, I know that the above synopsis is brief, but I believe you can begin to generally understand the implications of this particular message. It is not my intention to disparage this wonderful man of God, however, I humbly believe it is time to begin gently correcting inaccuracies and moving in greater progressive revelation which brings both truth and freedom.

It is apparent to me, that many Christians today still seemingly relate to God by shadows/types(unfulfillment), than by that which is real, Jesus Christ (fulfillment). Let me humbly explain. Everything in the Old Covenant shadowed or typified that which was to come, Jesus Christ. In the Old Covenant, we related to God externally, by keeping rules and regulations. ... It was a book religion, wholly influenced by the Letter of the Law. I truly believe, the deceiver has influenced many good Christians today, into embracing an illusionary world thwart with imaginary shadows and types of which will never bring ultimate fulfillment in any real sense.

You see, the message above still believes we have something to do with this "life" we live here on planet earth. Listen to a few familiar scriptures which begin to establish who we are and how we are to" live."

Gal 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Col 1:27 "to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory".

2Co 13:5 "....Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you...."

Thought, if I no longer live but Christ lives in me and the "Life" I do live is by faith( pistis-faith,..important word) in the Son of God and if the "Life" I live is by Another, Jesus Christ which we know the Spirit has remained upon. What makes any of us believe that we have anything to do with the Spirit remaining or departing?....... We don't, praise God because Christ Jesus (Christos-Anointed) is my "LIFE"!!!! Child of God, do not be duped into believing that you have anything to do with staying (rightly- related) to God, thereby influencing the Spirit to remain. Jesus Christ fulfilled every requirement to keep you in right- standing (righteous) and He resides within you. He did everything you could never do, even on your best day. Aren't you glad you don't have to? It is Finished!! Believe it!! Rejoice!!

One scripture continues to reverberate in my Spirit as I have contemplated the above teaching.

Luke 18:8 "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

Notice it did not ask if He would find obedience........But (Pistis-Faith-Belief) which He so Graciously supplies.

Child of God, rest in the assurance and Finished work of the cross. It is no longer I who live but Christ (the Anointed) lives within me. The Spirit Remains!!

Stop Cheating on Jesus!

Rom 7:4-6 "So, my friends, this is something like what has taken place with you. When Christ died he took that entire rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb, leaving you free to "marry" a resurrection life and bear "offspring" of faith for God. For as long as we lived that old way of life, doing whatever we felt we could get away with, sin was calling most of the shots as the old law code hemmed us in. And this made us all the more rebellious. In the end, all we had to show for it was miscarriages and still births. But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God."(msg)

Know, child of God, you are no longer married to the Law but to another, Jesus Christ. Paul confirmed, "because we have died to what controlled us (the law), so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code."

I like how John Moneypenny communicated truth concerning Mr. Law, and I quote:

"If you are trying to live up to the righteous requirements of the law given to Israel, it’s time for you to leave it all behind. You, the new man, would not want to commit adultery in your earthly marriage, would you? Then, why would you continue day in and day out committing adultery in your spiritual relationship with Christ? You are married to Him now. You are no longer married to Mr. Law (Rom. 7:1-6). Stop cheating on Jesus! Rest in what He has already done to make you righteous and be confident that He is always at work in you now to do as He pleases. He is faithful and He will do it."

GOD's resplendent glory, fully on display. GOD awesome, GOD majestic.

Posted by Hello

Dead-End Street

(Rom 8:4-6) "And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them--living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life."
(msg)

Wow, I know most of my past involved trying to be good enough to please God. It seemed the harder I tried, the more I would ultimately fail. It went like this; Do Good, feel Good, Do Bad, feel Bad! What I did not consider/understand was the illusion I had bought into. You see,"..apart from Christ I can do nothing"....... but for some reason, I believed God needed a little help. My problem was, I still had a view toward the dead, mixing Old Covenant regulations with New Covenant "Living."

Child of God, know that obsession with self and Doing is a Dead-End Street. You are delivered from that dead life. Now Live in the freedom appropriated by the cross and enjoy the benefits of a New Covenant "Life."

".....Christ- In you, the hope of glory." Not, you- in- you.............. Do not try to understand this mystery, just believe!

"The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense."(msg)

Trust in Christ, Not the Law

FREE FROM THE YOKE OF SLAVERY

By Bob George

Under the law we become hypocrites. The word comes from the Greek theatre. A hypocrite is not an imperfect person; a hypocrite is an actor, a pretender. What made the Pharisees hypocrites was not their faults: It was their pretense that they were righteous. It was teaching one thing and doing another. But that is what law will always produce: people who are always hiding their real selves, always acting, always pretending, and never being real.

But what happens when we are set free by grace? One of the most common testimonies I hear is, "For the first time in my life, I am free to just be myself! I'm free to be me."

The ultimate consequence of living under law is outright rebellion ­ when you give up because of the hopelessness of ever making it.

Time and time again, I have seen these people who have been branded as "rebels against God" or "back-slidden Christians" come out of their chairs in excitement and joy as they learn for the first time about the incredible grace, love and acceptance of God in Jesus Christ.

In all my years as a Christian, I have never heard anyone say, "I've had it! I am sick to death of the love and grace of God. I'm sick of other Christians loving and accepting me. I'm giving up this Christian life." No I've never heard that. But I couldn't count the number of Christians I've known who have given up because of being under law, who have been broken by the crushing burden of trying to be good enough to earn God's acceptance, who have been mangled by the competition, the judging, and the demands to conform to some group's standards. "We'll accept you if you look like, walk like, talk like, and act like us." And the implication is always, "And God will, too." So what are we to do?

Jesus Christ came to free us from the burden of the law by calling us to a life united with His. We are beloved, accepted children of God, who have been called to His "banquet table" to experience Jesus Christ living in and through us every day. Abundant life is not "pie-in-the-sky" or nebulous theory. It is real, and it is ours for the taking if we will only believe. Let's not settle for anything less.

From: Classic Christianity. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers. ©1989.

Frontier Theology

Interesting perspective! I am not sure if I embrace this entire view, but I found the excerpt intriguing.

below is a book excerpt of Wes Seeliger's "Western Theology," from servant.org, with adaptations by Brennan Manning as found in his "Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus," p.37ff

There are two views of life and two kinds of people. Some see life as a possession to be carefully guarded. They are SETTLERS. Others see life as a fantastic, wild, explosive gift. They are PIONEERS. The visible church is an outfit with an abundance of settlers and a few pioneers. The invisible church is the fellowship of pioneers. To no one's surprise there are two kinds of theology. Settler theology and pioneer theology. Settler theology is an attempt to answer all the questions, define and housebreak some sort of "Supreme Being," establish the status quo on Golden Tablets in cinemascope. Pioneer Theology is an attempt to talk about what it means to receive the strange gift of life and live! The pioneer sees theology as a wild adventure, complete with indians, saloon girls, and the haunting call of what is yet to be.

The Wild West offers a stage for picturing these two types of theology. Settlers and Pioneers use the same words but that is where it stops. To see what I mean--read on.

THE CHURCH

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the church is the courthouse. It is the center of town life. The old stone structure dominates the town square. Its windows are small. This makes the thing easy to defend, but quite dark inside. Its doors are solid oak. No one lives there except pigeons and they, of course, are most unwelcome.

Within the thick, courthouse walls, records are kept, taxes collected, trials held for bad guys. The courthouse runs the town. It is the settler's symbol of law, order, stability, and most important--security, The mayor's office is on the top floor. His eagle eye scopes out the smallest details of town life.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the church is the covered wagon. It is a house on wheels--always on the move. No place is its home. The covered wagon is where the pioneers eat, sleep, fight, love, and die. It bears the marks of life and movement--it creaks, is scarred with arrows, bandaged with bailing wire. The covered wagon is always where the action is. It moves in on the future and doesn't bother to glorify its own ruts. The old wagon isn't comfortable, but the pioneers could care less. There is a new world to explore.

GOD

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--God is the mayor. The honorable Alpha O. Mega, chief executive of Settler City. He is a sight to behold--dressed like a dude from back East, lounging in an over-stuffed chair in his courthouse office. He keeps the blinds drawn. No one sees or knows him directly, but since there is order in the town who can deny he is there? The mayor is predictable and always on schedule.

The settlers fear the mayor but look to him to clear the payroll and keep things going. The mayor controls the courthouse which in turn runs the town. To maintain peace and quiet the mayor sends the sheriff to check on pioneers who ride into town.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--God is the trail boss. He is rough and rugged-full of life. He chews tobacco, drinks straight whiskey.The trail boss lives, eats, sleeps, fights with his men. Their well being is his concern. Without him the wagon wouldn't move--the pioneers would become fat and lazy. Living as a free man would be impossible. The trail boss often gets down in the mud with the pioneers to help push the wagon which frequently gets stuck. He slugs the pioneers when they get soft and want to turn back. His fist is an expression of his concern.

JESUS

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--Jesus is the sheriff. He is the guy who is sent by the mayor to enforce the rules. He wears a white hat--drinks milk--outdraws the bad guys. He saves the settlers by offering security. The sheriff decides who is thrown in jail. There is a saying in town that goes like this--those who believe the mayor sent the sheriff and follow the rules won't stay in Boot Hill when it comes their time.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--Jesus is the scout. He rides out ahead to find out which way the pioneers should go. He lives all the dangers of the trail. The scout suffers every hardship, is attacked by the Indians, feared by the settlers. Through his actions and words he shows the true spirit, intent, and concern of the trail boss. By looking at the scout, those on the trail learn what it really means to be a pioneer.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the Holy Spirit is a saloon girl. Her job is to comfort the settlers. They come to her when they feel lonely or when life gets dull or dangerous. She tickles them under the chin and makes everything O.K. again. The saloon girl squeals to the sheriff when someone starts disturbing the peace. (Note to settlers: the whiskey served in Settler City Saloon is the non-spiritous kind.)

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the Holy Spirit is the buffalo hunter. He rides along with the wagon train and furnishes fresh, raw meat for the pioneers. The buffalo hunter is a strange character--sort of a wild man. The pioneers never can tell what he will do next. He scares the hell out of the settlers. Every Sunday morning, when the settlers have their little ice cream party in the courthouse, the buffalo hunter sneaks up to one of the courthouse windows with his big black gun and fires a tremendous blast. Men jump, women scream, dogs bark. Chuckling to himself, the buffalo hunter rides back to the wagon train.

THE CHRISTIAN

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the Christian is the settler. He fears the open, unknown frontier. He stays in good with the mayor and keeps out of the sheriff's way. He tends a small garden. "Safety First" is his motto. To him the courthouse is a symbol of security, peace, order, and happiness. He keeps his money in the bank. The banker is his best friend. He plays checkers in the restful shade of the oak trees lining the courthouse lawn. He never misses an ice cream party.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the Christian is the pioneer. He is a man of risk and daring--hungry for adventure, new life, the challenge of being on the trail. He is tough, rides hard, knows how to use a gun when necessary. The pioneer feels sorry for the town folks and tries to tell them about the joy and fulfillment of a life following the trail. He dies with his boots on.

THE CLERGYMAN IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the clergyman is the bank teller. Within his vaults are locked the values of the town. He is suspicious of strangers. And why not? Look what he has to protect! The bank teller is a highly respected man in town. He has a gun but keeps it hidden behind his desk. He feels he and the sheriff have a lot in common. After all, they both protect the bank.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the clergyman is the cook. He doesn't furnish the meat--he just dishes up what the buffalo hunter provides. This is how he supports the movement of the wagon. He never confuses his job with that of the trail boss, scout or buffalo hunter. He sees himself as just another pioneer who has learned to cook. The cook's job is to help the pioneers pioneer.

THE BISHOP

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the bishop is the bank president. He rules the bank with an iron hand. He makes all the decisions, tells the tellers what to do, and upholds the image of the bank. The settlers must constantly be reassured of the safety of their values. The bank president watches the books like a hawk. Each day he examines all deposits and withdrawals. The bank president is responsible for receiving all new accounts. This is called "the laying on of hands."

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the bishop is the dishwasher. He does the chores so the cook can do his job. He supports the cook in every way possible. Together the cook and dishwasher plan the meals and cook the food provided by the buffalo hunter. They work as an interdependent team in all matters related to cooking. Humming while he works, the dishwasher keeps the coffeepot going for the pioneers. Though the dishwasher has an humble task he is not resentful. All pioneers realize that each man's job is equally important. In fact, in the strange ways of the pioneer community, he is greatest who serves most. (A bishop is the servant of the servants of God. If the servants of God are cooks, what else would a bishop be?)

In SETTLER THEOLOGY, faith is trusting in the safety of the twon: obeying the laws, keeping your nose clean, believing the mayor is in the courthouse. In PIONEER THEOLOGY, faith is the spirit of adventure. The readiness to move out. To risk everything on the trail. Obedience to the restless voice of the trail boss.

In SETTLER THEOLOLGY, sin is breaking one of the town's ordinances. In PIONEER THEOLOGY, sin is wanting to turn back.

In SETTLER THEOLOGY,salvation is living close to home and hanging around the courthouse. In PIONEER THEOLOGY, salvation is being more afraid of sterile town life than of death on the trail. The joy of the thought of another day to push on into the unkown. It is trusting the trail boss and following his scout while living on the meat provieded by the buffalo hunter.

The settleers and pioneer portray in cowboy movie language the people of the law and the people of the Spirit. In the time of the historical Jesus, the guardians of the ecclesiastical setup, the scribes and Pharisees and Saduces]es, had esconded themselves in the courthouse and ensaved themselves to the law. This not only enhanced their prestige in society, it also gave them a sense of security....Some men want to be slaves...Jesus wanted to liberate his people from the law--from all laws...

..If we are not experiencing what Paul calls "the glorilous freedom," then we must acknowledge that we are not fully under the sway of His Spirit.

---

When Death becomes "Life"

CHRIST FORMED IN US

By: Maxie Dunnam

"In Christ," "in union with Christ," "Christ dwelling in our hearts" ­ these recurring phrases capture Paul's conviction of the good news. Fullness of being, the fullness of God himself, is ours through Christ who indwells us. It is in this reality of the indwelling Christ that my understanding of spiritual formation is rooted. It is in this reality of the indwelling Christ that prayer as a specific act and prayerful living, for me, has taken on fresh, vibrant, and powerful meaning.

It was the passion of Paul's life ­ and I believe should be the passion of every Christian ­ to be formed in Christ. He stated this passion in a graphic way to the Galatians, using the metaphor of a mother giving birth to a child. "I am in travail with you over again until you take the shape of Christ" (Gal. 4:19 NEB).

Recall Jesus' metaphor of the vine and the branches. "It is the (person) who shares my life and whose life I share who proves fruitful. For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5 Phillips).

In a Christmas Day sermon in the fourteenth century, Meister Eckhart put the truth in focus.

"We are celebrating the feast of the Eternal Birth which God the Father has borne and never ceases to bear in all Eternity: whilst this Birth also comes to pass in Time and in human nature But if it takes not place in me, what avails it? Everything lies in this, that it should take place in me."

The Word is to be enfleshed in me. Christmas Day is every day. Emmanuel, God with us, is a daily and continuous event.

From: Alive in Christ

Old Rule-Keeping (Audio)

The Complements of Grace

"The grace of God was realized in Jesus Christ, and continues to be the expression of God's action in Jesus Christ."

"God's grace in Jesus Christ is not partitive. It always involves the full and complete expression of God. Never can we speak of a "measure of grace," as if grace could be measured out quantitatively and dispensed or distributed in parcels. The Christian does not receive a "measure of grace" at regeneration, to be followed subsequently by a "second work of grace." When God acts He acts in the completeness of His own Being.

The full grace-expression of God is to be seen in every facet of His activity in Jesus Christ. Grace is evidenced in incarnation, redemption, conversion, justification, sanctification, ministry, eschatology, etc. Christianity is entirely by the grace of God.

"The prophets had prophesied of the grace that would come" (I Peter 1:10). Such grace was "realized in Jesus Christ" (John 1:17), when "grace was freely bestowed on us in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). "The grace of God was given to us in Christ Jesus" (I Cor. 1:4), when the "grace of God appeared bringing salvation" (Titus 2:11). This salvation was effected for man when "by the grace of God Christ tasted death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9). By the death of Jesus Christ the price of the death consequences for sin was paid; divine justice was served and executed. Mankind was "bought with a price" (I Cor. 6:20), that they might be invested with the very life of God in Christ.

In regeneration the grace of God enacts His divine life within the spirit of an individual upon the response of faith. In such a conversion Christians commence to be "saved" by the grace of God. "We are saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus" (Acts 15:11). "He saved us and called us with a holy calling according to His purpose and grace which was granted in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 1:9). "For by grace we have been saved through faith" (Eph. 2:5,8).

Simultaneously the grace activity of God in Jesus Christ effects the justification of the believer. We are "justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ" (Rom. 3:24). We are "justified by His grace" (Titus 3:7). Justification must not be considered as only a legal or forensic declaration of righteousness which God has "put on the heavenly books" to explain our "position" in Christ. A Biblical understanding of justification must always convey the ongoing activity of God's righteousness in the Christian by His grace.

Protestant theology in general has tended to develop an event-centered concept of grace, tying grace either to the objective event of redemptive grace, or to the subjective event of conversion grace, saving grace or justifying grace. Limiting grace to an historical event or to an existential event of decision-making creates a static concept of grace. To tie grace particularly to a space/time event is to miss the continuous dynamic of God's grace activity in the living Lord Jesus. We must avoid this event-centered concept of grace that casts God's action primarily into a past-tense perspective. Joe Carson Smith notes this tendency,

"There is an unfortunate tendency to focus upon grace as a 'threshold factor' in the Christian life, limiting the concept of grace to our doctrine of conversion. ...Most of the New Testament passages about grace do not deal with grace as a threshold factor in salvation. Rather, God's grace is presented as pervasive in the life of a Christian."69

The Christian lives day by day by the grace of God. The entire sanctification process whereby God's holy character is manifested in our behavior is enacted by God's grace. This is why Paul encourages Christians to "continue in the grace of God" (Acts 13:43). "The grace of God has appeared,...instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:11,12). We progressively "grow in grace" (II Peter 3:18) as we continue to allow God's grace activity to function in our behavior.

God's grace is the basis of our Christian identity: "I am what I am by the grace of God" (I Cor. 15:10). God's grace is the basis of our standing: "this grace in which we stand" (Rom. 5:2). God's grace is the basis of our behavior: "in the grace of God we have conducted ourselves in the world" (II Cor. 1:12). God's grace is the basis of our living: by the "abundance of grace we reign in life through Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17) by the "grace of life" (I Peter 3:7). God's grace is the basis of righteousness expressed in our behavior: "grace might reign through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21).

God's grace is the basis of holiness: "He called us with a holy calling...according to His purpose and grace" (II Tim. 1:9). God's grace is the basis of our strength for living: "Be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ" (II Tim. 2:1) for "it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace" (Heb. 13:9). God's grace is the basis of our speech: "Let your speech always be with grace" (Col. 4:6).

God's grace is the basis of our sufficiency: "My grace is sufficient for you" ((II Cor. 12:9). "God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed" (II Cor. 9:8). God's grace is the basis of dealing with the trials, tribulations and hardships of life: "grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). "You have suffered for a little while...the God of all grace...will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you" (I Peter 5:10).

God's grace is the basis of all Christian ministry: "serve one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (I Peter 4:10). God's grace is the basis for everything in the Christian life.

Even unto the future God's grace is the operative, that because God is eternal and His grace continues forever. "Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 1:13).

God's grace is as broad as God Himself, His every expression. Grace must not be limited to redemptive grace or regenerative grace or conversion grace or justifying grace. When grace is defined predominantly by the benefits bestowed by God in Christ rather than by the dynamic Being of God in Christ, it degenerates into a "fix-it" commodity, rather than the ever-present and continuous dynamic of God's activity expressing His character.

The grace activity of God always maintains consistency with the character of God. God never acts "out of character." The character of Christ will be evidenced by the "fruit of the Spirit" which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Gal. 5:22,23).

Christianity is the grace of God. The gospel is the message of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Paul thus refers to it as "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24) and the "word of His grace" (Acts 14:3; 20:32). Writing to the Colossians, Paul refers to the "word of truth, the gospel" and their having "understood the grace of God in truth" (Col. 1:5,6). Grace is what distinguishes Christianity from all man-made religions as the activity of God in Christ functions within humanity. It is imperative that we maintain a Christocentric understanding of grace."

( Excerpted from:The Grace of God, by James A. Fowler)

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