For Christians, Romans Chapter 8 is undoubtedly our victory chapter. Those led by the Spirit have put to death the deeds of the body by believing and becoming children of God, who have received the Spirit of Adoption, which bears witness to this truth. As children of God, we are clothed in the garment of righteousness, never to be found afraid, naked, and hiding from God. In other words, we are no longer trapped in the “I’s” of Adam. Why? "..we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but have received the Spirit of Adoption, by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father'.” Jesus bore our shame, despising it all the way to the cross, and “it (righteousness) shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” God will never be angry with His children nor will He ever shake His head in disappointment of those who belong to Him. On the contrary, He will go out of His way to love and affirm us all the way home."I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God!" No Longer Slaves.
The significance of the Holy Spirit extends beyond a single purpose. His role in the redemptive plan encompasses various aspects of the believer from conviction to regeneration to baptism and the ongoing process of sanctification. He is God, infinite in power and wisdom. We, who are finite and limited in our comprehension can only partially grasp His complete role. However, scripture provides us with glimpses into His significance. Two of the most crucial aspects highlighted here are: first, He imparts new life within believers; and second, He serves as our seal of promise of the blessed assurance of eternal security.
After Christ’s resurrection and before His ascension, He instructed His disciples, numbering around 120, to remain in Jerusalem until they were endowed with power from on high, enabling them to embark on the mission to preach the gospel throughout the nations. Prior to the cross, all of His disciples scattered and abandoned Jesus due to fear of persecution. This command to wait for divine power was pivotal to the success of their mission.
Only the Triune God knows the exact moment He initiated His extraordinary work of mercy followed by grace within us. Perhaps His divine calling was already at work in our hearts and minds even as infants. Just as God breathed life into Adam transforming him into a living being, the new law (principle) of the Spirit breathes new life into our old Adamic spirit, giving us a born again spirit that is now alive to God. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words, the old adamic nature died, making us brand new in our spirits.
God is merciful and full of grace without a doubt. "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works." (Psalms 145:8-9) For His mercy endures forever. (Psalms 136) Mercy is often times defined as 'not getting what we deserve'. Grace as 'getting what we don't deserve'. Before the born again experience we receive God's mercy, but after regeneration, we receive nothing but His abounding grace. (Romans 5:1, 20; 2 Corinthians 9:8). Most of the apostle Paul's letters begin with a salutation of grace and peace as he is addressing born again saints.
Let me preface by stating, Christians live life always in not getting what we deserve, that's the glory of the gospel. It's a given. Because of God's mercy we are saved by His grace through faith. If you are born again, never again will you ever have to worry about "O God I hope you have mercy on me for what I just did!" That was appropriate for David but not for new covenant saints. "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,..." (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:4-9)
Foretold by prophets during the Old Covenant was the dispensation of grace which gave birth to the church, Christ body of believers - Christians. Although prophesied, the church age remained hidden and a mystery to His chosen people until the fullness of time when God would send His Son, born of a virgin and born under the law to redeem those under the law. Believing the hidden mystery of the 'gospel of Christ' brings new life to our dead spirits which enables us to fulfill all the righteous requirements of the law.
As prophesied by Exekiel and Jeremiah, new covenant saints also receive a new heart, cutting away the stoney heart and giving us a heart to obey God. The new heart we receive is not referring to the organ that pumps blood but to the part of us that defines our true identity. It's that part of who we really are and only ourselves and God sees. With the Holy Spirit indwelling inside believers, we are now adopted sons and daughters of God, baptized into the body of Christ. (Galatians 3:26; Romans 8:14-17; John 1:12-13; 1 john 3:1; Ephesians 1:5; Genesis 12:1-2; Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 36:28 and, Jeremiah 31:33-34).
Although received by only a few of God’s chosen people, as most did not believe Jesus Christ was their long-awaited Messiah, this promise of the Holy Spirit would primarily descend upon the Gentiles, making us Gentiles the inaugural recipients of new life and the blessing of the Holy Spirit’s transformative power. This blessing provides us with eternal reconciliation and peace with God. "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."(Hebrews 10:14).
The Holy Spirit of Adoption assures us of this blessing. The Gentiles were never excluded from God’s loving redemptive plan but were an integral part of Elohim’s foreknowledge and determinate counsel before the foundation of the world. First, He had to create a people through which our Redeemer would come, the Jews. "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3).
Just as that dead car battery we discussed earlier needs an outside power source to regenerate it back to life and to make it useful, the Holy Spirit's power regenerates our spirits making us useful as part of Christ body and His workmanship. Our external power source is God, and instead of merely regenerating the same old battery, we receive a brand new one. Who can comprehend the wisdom and power of God and the wonder working power of the blood? As new creations born from above we are no longer slaves to sin. Since we're no longer bound by sin, it is rendered powerless.
As we grow in knowledge of truth, worship, and praise, He, the Holy Spirit of God, transforms us inside out, making us act and speak more like our big brother and Lord, Jesus. “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Hebrews 2:11). There is no such thing as a Christian hypocrite. (Thanks, Lynn!) You are what God says you are even if you don't yet know it. You will always remain what God says you are even if you act, look and talk like a pig, you're still His beloved lamb.
In the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, the verses “…who is the guarantee;” and “given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee;” use the word “earnest” instead of “guarantee.” In Strong’s Concordance, the word “earnest” is defined as a pledge, specifically part of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest. For instance, it states, “This word originally meant ‘earnest-money’ deposited by the purchaser and forfeited if the purchase was not completed…. in the New Testament, it is used only of that which is assured by God to believers; it is said of the Holy Spirit as the divine pledge of all their future blessedness, and in Ephesians, it says, ‘particularly of their eternal (everlasting, endless) inheritance.’”
Christ released us from being prisoners of sin and eternal separation from God. As proof of His purchased possession of us who believe, He sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise who assures us of our inheritance and who bears witness of our redemption back to God.
When we become born again, God infuses His Spirit within us serving as an earnest guarantee of salvation and embraces us as His own children. If you have the indwelling Holy Spirit, you are united with Jesus Christ, making all of God’s promises in Christ a resounding “Yes, and Amen.”(so be it). The blessing bestowed upon all the earth far surpasses anything our finite minds can comprehend.
While we can only taste a fraction of the blessings, even what we can grasp is immense. Simply worship your way into the presence of God, and you will experience life abundant and riches beyond anything this world can offer. Nothing, nothing and I mean nothing compares to Him. Not all the money in the world. No sex, no drugs, no alcohol, no power and no fame will ever deliver or satisfy what all of mankind long's for - God!
The promise of the Holy Spirit gives us new life and He also is the One who baptizes us into the body of Christ. He transforms us. He sets us apart for His purpose. He empowers us. He gives us gifts. He guides us. He teaches us. He reveals to us. He warns us. He intercedes for us. He speaks to us and for us. He bears witness to us of who we really are in Christ as children of God. He affirms us and may very well be the One who rises up within us enabling us to experience the very presence of God.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,..” (Ephesians 3:20). Oh yea, and don't let me forget, the Holy Spirit also makes us fruity! "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."(Galatians 5:22).
I pray you are beginning to see the significance in Galatians 3:14-15. The Holy Spirit regenerates our old spirits making them alive to God and dead to sin, but He also serves as our covenant seal of God's promises. What I just now realized as I'm sitting here writing this site, is the Holy Spirit does not seal us as I believed He did. I was wrong. I just re-read scripture and saw who does the sealing. It's God! Let's review scripture again. “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
In Revelation 5:2-3, the scripture speaks of an impending progressive judgment upon the earth, which will be revealed on sealed scrolls. Only one person was deemed worthy to open the scrolls. "Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” Regardless of whether we perceive ourselves being sealed with melted wax from a Roman seal, vacuum-sealed, or sealed in a jar, God is the one who performs the sealing, and only He possesses the authority to break the seal that binds His children.
We are SEALED by God with the Holy Spirit of Promise with Christ in God up north in the third heaven. "...even when we were dead in trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," - Ephesians 2:5-6. When scripture says, "...made to sit together in the heavenly," I believe it is revealing to us as born again believers, our spirits are complete and finished; redeemed and saved thereby making us sit at home united with our Lord in the heavenlies.
Who He Foreknew He Predestin-ed; Call-ed; Justifi-ed; Sancitifi-ed and, Glorifi-ed. (Romans 8:29-30). It is finished and we are finished in spirit and in truth. Nothing happens to our spirits when we are absent from the body and present with the Lord. "...and you are complete in Him," (Colossians 2:10). The spirit is saved and sanctified. Our souls are being saved and being sanctified.
The scriptures mentioned above are among the most profound ever written about the security of salvation and eternal life for Christians. Since we acknowledge no one above God, He alone is the one who justifies a person. As Christ was condemned in the flesh for all humanity and now resides at the right hand of God, this signifies the completion of His work and His authority. Furthermore, He intercedes for us, ensuring that nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever separate us from God in Christ Jesus. There is victory in Jesus! These verses, spoken by God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the great Apostle Paul, penned by a scribe named Tertius, are what make us More Than Conquerors!
Since we are complete and finished in our spirits, united with Christ and SEALED, 1 John 4:17 makes perfect sense: “…because as He (Jesus) is, so are we in this world.” When God looks down on us, He not only sees us in His Son, but I believe He also see's our finished regenerated spirits and us already glorified. As He looks down on his children with and in Christ, He says, "That's my girl, she's my child!" and "That's my boy, He's my son!" All of God's thoughts toward us are good always. (Psalms 139:17-18). On the other hand, maybe He doesn't look down on us, but rather across at us. Where are we in the mind of God?
Let's take some time to really mediate and process this truth and not just breeze over what happens when we become born again. The sin nature dies, and all our sins are paid for at the cross. We are born of God, born of the Holy Spirit. As children of God we inherit God's divine nature instead of the sin nature we originally inherited from Adam. We are circumcised with the cutting away of a hard heart toward God and given a new heart that loves God and others. We are freely given all things from God. I don't know of anything richer and more secure!
And lastly at that moment of regeneration, we become one with the Holy Spirit, one with Christ, in God for scripture says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) "....having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity." (Ephesians 2:15-16).
If we can understand all that takes place in the born again experience, we will never ever allow anyone, human or demon to tell us we can lose our salvation. Christ died for those who recognize their need for help. He died for the poor, the mourning, the hungry, the ungodly. He died for those without strength or hope. He died for the sinner. God is not going to undo what all He's done to save us and to bring us back to Himself, and we won't be boasting to Him and others about all we did to keep ourselves saved. And even if we think or been taught otherwise, He won't condemn us for it.
God, the Spirit, cannot dwell in an unclean vessel! Since God cannot transfer a sinful nature to our regenerated spirits, what kind of regenerated spirits do we obtain from God? When we are born into the world, we come with spirits that oppose God, dead in sin and trespasses. As Christians, we receive God’s divine nature, as stated in 2 Peter 1:4. Once we truly begin to meditate on truth, we should take scripture literally, as it says: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." "And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin." (1 John 3:5, 8-9).
Until now, I always understood, "..and in Him there is no sin...as meaning God is sinless, and that is true. However, in context, perhaps scripture is saying “…no sin exists for Christians in Christ Jesus.” This takes us to a deeper level of understanding of what God has done and who we are in Christ Jesus. Since He is an overcomer, so are we. More Than Conquerors. Instead of simply sitting in the congregation as sponges, taking in words word for word, we should allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth, rightly dividing the word of God and asking questions because he who ask, will be given, and he who seeks, will find, and those who knock, the door will be open.
Since we all recognize we sin, we will preach, teach and interpret the above scripture to say, "We can not practice sinning." Some versions of the bible use the word practice. With human nature trying to lean to it's own understanding rather than revelation from God, we change the above two scriptures to fit our finite minds. Is it just possible that our spirits which are one with the Holy Spirit can't sin? "But what about 1 John chapter one?" someone will ask. What I know without a doubt is, at least the first chapter of 1 John especially verse nine, applies only if Christians go to other Christians to proclaim or declare the Word of life to them.
Would you go to your Pastor and say, "Pastor, we saw Him, we touched Him, the Word of life and we want to proclaim (or declare) Him to you so that you too can have fellowship with us and with the Father? Then one will say, "Yea, but it speaks in plural pronoun, like 'we'. And you would be correct, but who do you know stands in the pulpit stating "You have sinned; you need to repent; you need to recognize your sin?" In certain situations we always include ourselves. "We have all sinned..." How many times do we have to be cleansed of ALL unrighteousness?
The moment one believes he/she becomes the righteousness of God. We don't lose our righteousness because our soul decides to sin, if so, we would have to be reborn again. "...he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." Can the Holy Spirit sin? We remain clean before God always. (Hebrews 10:19-22) and (1 Corinthians 6:11) "But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."Again, we can sin in our souls, which encompasses our mind, will, and emotions. I do all the time especially in the realm of my thoughts.
Although I have no control over it, I sin in my dreams, but I believe it's a demon speaking to my spirit suggesting thoughts in hopes of my following through on those thoughts. But that's why we're told to get our minds renewed in the truth of God's word. The more we get our minds renewed in God's word, the less we will sin and the less we'll want to sin. And when we do, because we will, remember we are being transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory and we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous. He's not only defending us before the Father, but He also imputed to us His righteousness.
God is immutable and knows the end in the beginning. There will never be an occasion where God will be caught off guard and slaps His hand on His forehead and says, "OMG, God, I can't believe she did that, I never would have thought. I'm shocked!" Scripture says He knows what we're going to say before we say it. (Psalm 139:4-5); (Isaiah 65:24) and (Matthew 6:8).
When we comprehend this precious, priceless gift from God, the more we want to please Him. Not use the gift as a cloak of vice. When we do sin we should remind ourself's, we are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus and washed clean in our spirit and that is the truth. "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2).
If you read the above two verses in context with all of 1 Peter prior to this verse, it becomes clear what God is saying regarding the suffering Christ endured in the flesh and our ceasing from sin. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit." Christ did the physical suffering so we who believe would not have to, but being born again involves a brokeness. "...And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:44). We, too have put to death the deeds of the body, (the flesh), and made alive by the Spirit.
Some assume the above scripture refers to after we have received our new heavenly tents, but I think otherwise. These mortal bodies receive life the moment of regeneration. I've heard a couple of well known bible teachers say, "If you teach the word of God the way it's intended, some will accuse you of giving people a license to sin," and I concur, they have and will. Jesus spoke this truth better than anyone can, "...the truth makes us free and who the Son set's free is free indeed." (paraphrased) It's liberty and rest. We don't need a license to sin, it's our Adamic nature because we're slaves to sin before regeneration. We come into this world chained to do things we don't want to do, and not do the things we want to do with no license, just ask the Apostle Paul.
The apostle Paul anticipated this very thought from his Roman readers of giving people a license to sin and so he addressed the thought head on by stating, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" and "knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin," and "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace...."(Romans 6:2, 6-7, 14). Grace makes us not sin whereas the law brings about sin. "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law."(1 Corinthians 15:15). This is not taught Sunday's or Wednesday's perhaps because of (1) a lack of revelation or; (2) fear of losing security and, (3) a lack of faith to believe God when He says, "... being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" and "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."
I used to say all the time when I knew very little, or was simply repeating what I heard preached, taught and told, "I've been crucified with Christ, but I sure can resurrect that old sin nature", but now I know better. NO, we can't resurrect that old Adamic sin nature and because we are still getting our minds renewed in the soulish realm, we think we're sinning in our spirit but we are not. If we're sinning in our spirits after becoming born again, we would have to be born again and again and again each time we sin all the way to heaven, but Christ died ONCE. He is not coming back to die over and over again and again or as Hebrews states, "...He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world, but now, ONCE at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Hebrews 9:26). Here what the word of the Lord is saying!
The word perfect in the above scriptures is defined as 'to complete' or 'to finish'. I believe scripture is clear. When rightly divided by other scriptures, such as those that describe us as 'dead to sin', 'new creations', 'having died to what we were held by', 'we were buried with Him...into death', 'raised to newness of life', and 'the old has passed away', we must conclude that we cannot put ourselves on the cross, crucify ourselves or bury ourselves, therefore we cannot reach down to hell and resurrect our old sin nature.
I’ll reiterate. The more truth we comprehend, the less inclined we become to sin. When we do sin, I suggest we dedicate a significant amount of time to reading and rereading Hebrews, particularly chapters 7-10. These chapters compare the old covenant, which required daily and yearly sacrifices that could never attain perfection in terms of the conscience, to the blood of Jesus, which eliminates sin and the conscience of sin, as well as the awareness of sin. The King James Version of the Bible uses the term “evil conscience.” We should not go around saying, "Woe is me, I'm so unworthy, I sinned again God, how can you put up with me? If you’re struggling to achieve victory in your spiritual journey, remember that you’re a child of God and have received the Spirit of adoption. Don’t hesitate to boldly cry out to your Father, Abba. "....for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
I’ve often pondered the reason behind God’s choice of us as His workmanship rather than perfect angels. Most recently as I pondered the thought, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, asking, “Who better to communicate with another kinsman on the path of redemption, deliverance, and healing?” Angels yearn to delve into these profound matters, but humanity experiences them firsthand. God has chosen to utilize broken and imperfect humans to accomplish His work on Earth. This should be encouraging. He is aware that we will stumble all the way to heaven. Noah was an alcoholic, Jacob was a deceiver and manipulator, David was an adulterer and murderer, Rahab was a prostitute, Paul consented to the death of Christians, and Peter denied the Lord three times. As Christians, we find ourselves in good company, and none of us possesses absolute perfection in the realm of our mind, will and emotions, nor will we attain it, until we're home.
"I have been crucified with 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 for me." (Galatians 2:20). I remember being told to memorize this scripture so I did, but had no idea what it meant. I think perhaps there are many who have not yet understood what this verse is saying, and it's meaning extends even deeper when we come to the revelation that our lives are not our own. I'll say it again, what this scripture means is ONCE we believe, God places our sin nature upon the cross with Christ and He crucifies it, buries it and sends it to hell and there it remains and we can't resurrect him. Spiritually our Adamic nature surely died!
We are all like lambs, and whether we realize it or not, we all need a Shepherd. We have One seated at the right hand of God, signifying the work is finished. Now, He serves as our Good Shepherd who will lead us all the way home. He is our Great High Priest forever, our Mediator, our Intercessor, and our Advocate—the Righteous. He is also our BIG BROTHER!
Growing up during a time when trick-or-treating was still considered safe, I eagerly anticipated the holiday. (I no longer celebrate Halloween since it is defined by everything dark, death, fearful and evil) But as a child, Halloween promised a bag full of treats. Initially, our parents would take us door-to-door, covering only a few blocks in our neighborhood. However, as we grew older, we were allowed to go out with our older brother, who took us farther than we had ever been before, resulting in even more treats. Back then, there was no fear of predators or tainted candy; our only concern was getting lost. My parents and us younger ones always felt assured of returning home because we knew our older brother knew the way back.
On the Sunday morning of Jesus’ resurrection, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb and was surprised to find the body of Christ gone. Mary is now standing alone, weeping not only over the death of Christ but also over the missing body. Shortly afterwards, the resurrected Lord called out to her, "Mary!" In John 20:17 He says "...but go to My brethen, (which are believers) and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." We are now sons and daughters of God as our new Father and Jesus as our big brother.
The adoption we receive as sons and daughters of God is not one created as a legal parent-child relationship where no biological one exists. The adoption of the child does not share the DNA of the parents. But we who are born again partake of His DNA. His blood flows through our veins.
We now BELONG and the Holy Spirit within bears witness that we are now children of God. Order has now been reestablished in us with the Triune God. No more chaos, no longer slaves to fear, but slaves of righteousness. We are now made to sit down with Christ resting at home in the heavenlies. All that was broken has been healed and sealed forever! We have Sonship with God the Father, united with our big brother God the Son and, have God the Holy Spirit who goes alongside us as our Helper.
"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."(1 John 3:2). "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."(John 1:12-13). The proof of being children of God is the Holy Spirit and since we are now sons and daughters of God, we are now heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ.
We all comprehend the concept of inheriting from our parents and understand upon their deaths, heirs inherit all their possessions. "The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein." (Psalms 24:1). While it’s possible to limit our understanding to the inheritance of the earth, its contents, and the universe, I believe the term “heirs” carries a deeper and more profound meaning. 1 Peter 1:4 tells us we have, "..an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,.."
This heavenly inheritance is not material possessions but our Lord’s sinless nature fully manifested. Although we are currently in a state of partial perfection, we will eventually attain full perfection. While comprehending this concept may be challenging, we will be just like our big brother, although He will still be Lord. As children of God, and because God is love, He affirms and treats each and every one of us as if we were His only child, despite having millions of others.
In the New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance, the word “heir” in Hebrew is called “yaresh,” which means “a primary root to occupy (by driving out previous tenants and possessing in their place).” WOW! He drove out the sin nature, and possesses us with His divine nature! It also means “to seize, to inherit, to rob.” As a verb, it conveys “to inherit, subdue, take possession…” The concordance further explains that "this root can also represent the status of having something as one’s permanent possession, which can be passed on to legal descendants", or “take over as a permanent possession.” "Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:7).
We are the offspring of God possessing Him as He possesses us with the guarantee of the Holy Spirit marking us and sealing us. Heirship is not about owning things, it's about our identity as children of God - His offspring inheriting His nature. This is not a position we hold, it is a reality we own. We have heirship with God our Father and co-heirship with our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit bears witness of this truth and serves as our earnest guarantee.
These two verses hold an immensed principle that we must not overlook, but first let me preface by stating during this dispensation of grace, very rarely is a person possessed with demons unless the person has invited them in, but that’s not the point here. I've heard some preach the above scripture stating what will happen if a Christian doesn't straighten up and behave. Wrong, so completely wrong. It's just the opposite. Once we believe, we are cleansed, and filled with the full measure of the Holy Spirit, not empty on the inside. The above verse initially would have made no sense to these Jews who understood nothing about being born again, but Christ didn't ascend without followup with His disciples who continued the message of the gospel which brought in a new era - the body of Christ, the Church.
If a demon can inhabit a believer, when a believer asserts this scripture, "Greater is He who is in me, than he that is in the world", which spirit is the person referring to within themselves? (1 John 4:4). Once the church was birthed, this scripture would have served as a warning to the Jews from Jesus that when the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, repent and be born again, or worse consequences could ensue. And on the day of Pentecost 3,000 Jews were saved with more to follow.
It's as though our regenerated spirits have been transported back in time before humanity’s fall.
I apologize for using this metaphor, but every time I read this verse, I can’t help but be reminded of Fred Flintstone picking up his pet dinosaur and planting him outside the house onto the porch at night. God has literally and spiritually picked us up out of the depths of sin and darkness, and out of Adam, and planted us inside Jesus permanently, not outside the house but becoming an integral part of His house, as part of His church, the body of Christ. He's our foundation and all the bricks (members) are built off of Him. Try pulling one of those bricks out and see what happens. We have Heirship. We have Sonship. And we have an eternal Membership into the true house of God, made by God.
The Apostle Paul speaks in great detail to the church of Corinth on how we who are born again are united as members of the body of Christ. He expounds on how each of us are called by God for a specific reason and as members of His body, each member plays a valuable role in completing the church. One member may be an eye and another an ear, but how can the eye hear if it says I have no need of an ear? Christ's church will continue to grow until God says that's it, but ONCE you're in His body, you can't be plucked out or His body would no longer be complete.
This scripture penned by the apostle Peter to the dispersion of Jews contrasts the old covenant which brought sin, condemnation and death, with the new covenant bringing an abundance of grace and life. In the old covenant the people of God were burdened with daily and yearly sacrifices of dead animals, priests who perished, and a temporary tabernacle, all of which were susceptible to corruption and decay. Their glory was fleeting compared to the new covenant of being born again to a living hope with an eternal High Priest seated at the tabernacle crafted by God, with a guarantee of glory that never fades away. Since these scriptures are written in our new covenant, they undoubtedly apply to Gentiles as well as Jews.
The word HOPE is first found in the book of Ruth. It's meaning is powerful when you understand the book of Ruth and how God has chosen yet another historical event to speak to all the earth of His redemptive plan and the hope that lies before us. I say yet another historical event, because the Triune God has been declaring the redemptive plan in bits and pieces starting in Genesis 3:15 and extends all the way to Revelation.
The Israelites were instructed by God not to marry interracially in order to maintain their unique calling by God as a separate people of God, a holy nation. Ruth, a Moabite woman, became part of the ancestral lineage of King David and our Lord, Jesus Christ, through marriage to a Kinsman Redeemer named Boaz. Boaz was a distant relative of Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi through her deceased husband, Elimelech. Even in their disobedience God would not turn away His love and faithness toward His chosen people but continued to offer mercy, grace and blessings.
Our society teaches us that the word “hope” implies wishful thinking. However, as mentioned in the book of Romans chapter five, our hope does not disappoint us because God has given us His Holy Spirit as a tangible earnest assurance of eternal life. The word “hope” used in the Bible when referring to our security is a confident hope, a living hope and our blessed assurance.
In Dr. David Jeremiah’s Study Bible on page 1751, his commentary to Hebrews 18-19, says - “Ordinary hope is a state of mind whereby one faces uncertainty with varying shades of expectation, depending on how the prospects look (“I hope it rains tomorrow”). But Christian hope is a fact - a firm expectation - that believers can lay hold of, like an anchor. This hope in turn lays hold of a person so that they have confidence in all that has been promised. The mariner’s anchor is cast down into the depths of the sea; the believer’s anchor is cast upward to the inner sanctuary of heaven, where it lays hold of Christ and cannot be moved.”
All religions, sects and cults have a hope with 'varying shades of expectation,' and are based on self-effort and 'dead works.' Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, even Judaism, Sikhism, Bahá'í Faith, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and sadly to say Catholicism which is a form of Christianity. Also included is Jehovah Witnesses; Mormons; Freemasons; Black Hebrew Israelites and Scientology all believe there is something we must DO to obtain eternal life. Protestant Christianity and it's belief in the Triune God and the born again experience that eridicates the sin nature making us children of God says, it's not what we do, but who we believe and can only be obtained as a gift. Romans 4:27 - 5:21 makes this point so very clear. It's so amazingly simply but most will miss it.
I confidently HOPE as you are reading this site, if you are one of those who is born again but have been told "once saved, always saved" is a fallacy, you are beginning to tear down those untruths and stand firm on the Word of God that boldly speaks of our blessed assurance. Yet another hymnal we loved to sing. My former Pastor's father, a Pastor, passed away and up until the home going, all I could think about in my head was the hymn, Blessed Assurance. Guess what the grandson played at the home going? If you guessed, Blessed Assurance, you're right!
Paul, fulfilling his divine commission to preach the gospel, witnessed the birth of new believers wherever he traveled. After nurturing these converts, he embarked on new journeys to continue his mission. While I won’t delve into the specifics, at some point, Paul sent letters to these churches, in order impart - "... doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Paul's letters were primarily aimed at correcting doctrinal errors, providing encouragement, and offering practical advice for living out the Christian faith. Each letter written by Paul reflected specific challenges and circumstances faced by the respective church communities.
The book of Ephesians, an epistle written by Paul to the Christians in Ephesus, addresses their wealth, walk, and warfare. The final chapter explores our identity and how we emerge victorious in the daily spiritual battle against the enemy of our souls. We are called to stand firm in Jesus, putting on the full armor of God, as a dressed Roman soldier.
One of our weapons is the helmet of salvation, which shields our minds from enemy attacks of lies that attempt to convince us there’s no hope. However, we’re not ignorant to their tactics. Two other pieces of armor are the breastplate of righteousness and the shield of faith. In essence, when we wear our armor, we’re fully protected and can stand firm in Christ during the day of evil. For a christian, the evil day is a day where the enemy attacks our identity in Christ, along with our confident hope that awaits us. As we discussed earlier, another weapon we use when we sin is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God used against the attacks on our salvation and righteousness, just as Jesus taught us to do during His wilderness testing.
In Joyce Meyer's "#1 New York Times bestselling author" book, "Battlefield of the Mind", she writes about a person who found out through a vision from God, that everytime the word of God was spoken, demons would jump back until eventually fleeing. (paraphrased re-call).
The helmet of salvation is clearly seen as our covering to protect our minds from believing anything that would suggest salvation is a wishful hope.
The book of Hebrews was written to Messanic Jews who were facing significant opposition and persecution from fellow Jews who clung to the strict Old Covenant laws of Judaism. These Messanic Jews were contemplating returning back to Judaism, which would involve repeating the old ceremonial law of animal sacrifices. The author of Hebrews strongly urges them to continue on the path of perfection, as the New Covenant was established on far superior and enduring promises that not only eliminates sins but also makes believers perfect in their conscience.
Chapter four of Hebrews delves into the concept of a rest that remains for believers. It highlights that during Moses’ time, the Israelites, God’s chosen people, failed to enter into the rest God offered, due to an evil heart of unbelief. The author of Hebrews urges these Messanic Jews to avoid repeating the same mistake of disbelief that prevented their forefathers from entering God’s rest. Instead, he encourages them to advance in their confession of faith. The symbolic meaning behind the rest God offers becomes evident when we understand Christ’s ministry and His completed work at the cross.
This enables us to cease from our own efforts and works of righteousness and simply believe the gospel that proclaims 'Christ paid it all'. Again, the hymn is in the book. We sing the song, but it seems to be a common misconception that there is something we must do. Nothing more is required. God rested on the seventh day not because He was tired. He rested because the work was finished and all man needed to do was enjoy God and the finished work God created.
The superiority of Christ surpasses those of the angels, Moses, and the Aaronic priesthood and the tabernacle because Christ, as the Son of God, offered Himself as the living sacrifice and shed His eternal blood and now sits at the right hand of God, making intercession for us as our Great High Priest forever. The writer tells these Hebrews it is impossible for them to return to the symbolic and temporary sacrifices of the past, when the true living sacrifice of the Lamb of God, God Himself, was offered. Can you think of any better sacrifice than God offering Himself? By them going back, there remains no other sacrifices because Christ is the eternal and final sacrifice.
This is a crude analogy, but let me use an earthly example to illustrate my point. Imagine being a farmer who receives from a seller the world’s finest soil that never depletes its nutrients. This soil remains perfect and consistently yields high crops without any effort. The farmer doesn’t need to change the soil or add nutrients because it maintains its optimal condition for production every season.
However, the farmer decides he wants to return to his old soil, which depletes, ages, and requires new nutrients each planting season to produce crops. The seller of the perfect soil informs the farmer, “Sir, if you return to that old soil, there’s no other or better soil available. It’s impossible to return to that depleted soil and then come back for mine because that’s inferior soil and it won’t yield as much as my soil. If you don’t want my soil, there’s nothing else for you.” I understand this analogy may be crude, but I hope it conveys my point.
Now, let’s consider the book of Hebrews. It never suggests a born again believer can lose their salvation or their security in Christ Jesus. It simply says, it's impossible to go back to animal sacrifices when the true Lamb's blood was shed and His blood not only cleanses us, but removes sin and an awareness of sin. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."
It’s essential to comprehend scripture within its context. Many false religions establish doctrines based on a single or two verses. While they may have done so, they remain in error and face the risk of divine wrath. These Jews were contemplating reverting to the past instead of progressing towards the ultimate Lamb’s sacrifice. In context, it’s impossible to do so and then return to the cross. In addition, this scenario is not related to a baby Christian who may have been deceived by the enemy as a result of ignorance of God’s word, who then chooses to go back into the far country as a backslider.
Why would anyone want to revert to daily and annual animal sacrifices that could never absolve sins and could only provide temporary coverage? Such practices are impossible! The temporary shadow has been replaced by the true Lamb in the fullness of time. If a born again, regenerated, crucified, blood-washed, buried and raised to newness of life, born of God and the Holy Spirit, given a new heart, a new spirit and sealed with the Holy Spirit (take a deep breath), could lose their salvation, then Luke 15 would have to be removed from the Bible.
This book of Hebrews presents another intriguing instance where a word is repeated multiple times within a specific section of the Bible. The word is “ONCE.” According to one search conducted, the word “ONCE” appears 59 times in the Bible. While this may seem insignificant on its own, its significance is amplified in Hebrews, where it is used eleven times, eight times in just four chapters.
By comprehending the significance of the word “ONCE” in Hebrews and a few other books, we can dispel many misconceptions surrounding this priceless, ETERNAL, and FOREVER GIFT bestowed upon all mankind by God through Christ's ONE time offering. FYI - The Amplified bible (and maybe others) use the phrase, "...once and for all... This is a total misinterpretation of scripture and takes on an entirely different meaning. The statement, 'ONCE-for-all' clearly states Christ's one time death paid the price for all sin, as opposed to 'finally' He paid the price. For the learner or new babe in Christ the significance for Christ ONCE offering could be missed in this version of the bible.
We often hear within Christian circles about the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement that occurs annually. Before the destruction of the temple, on this day, the people’s sin debt is atoned for through three offerings: a bull and two goats. A bull was sacrificed for the High priest and his family, while a goat was sacrificed for the people’s sins, and another goat, called the scapegoat, would bear the sins of the people. The High Priest would symbolically place the peoples sins on the scapegoat which was then sent out into the wilderness, as far as the east is to the west, to never be seen or remembered again. But there was always next year. The first goat's blood was shed because God said, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement." (Leviticus 17:11) "And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.” (Exodus 24:8)
This festival, Yom Kipppur, was observed only once a year, and only the High Priest could enter the tabernacle behind the veil into the very presence of God, offering atonement. What is rarely mentioned, is the daily sacrifices offered by the priests to God. Hang out in Deuteronomy and Leviticus for a little while and you'll see sacrifices never ceased. There were no chairs inside the tabernacle to sit down and rest, because there was no rest. These offerings included sin, grain, burnt offerings, peace offerings, and drink offerings. They also encompassed trespass offerings, purification offerings, vow offerings, thanksgiving offerings, freewill offerings, and I may have left out some offerings.
Hebrews contrasts the daily and yearly sacrifices with the ONCE-for-all sacrifice of Christ, who is now seated at the right hand of God. There's a high chair in the tabernacle made my God signifing Christ's finished work and by it, His authority, power and rule. No more sacrifices are required, as alluded to when Christ uttered the three most significant words ever spoken, "It Is Finished!" Propitiation has been made. The best way I know to define propitiation is using the word 'satisfied' in its place. In other words, God is fully satisfied with Christ atoning sacrifice. Imagine someone saying, "I know what you're saying is true, but I rather go back to animal sacrifices. I don't want the real image, I want the shadow of the image instead." Can you see how illogical that consideration is? Which is exactly what these Messanic Hebrews were considering doing due to their intense persecution from Jews who refused to believe Jesus was their Messiah.
After the blood of Jesus was shed, the separation between man and God was literally torn down. Anyone who believes the gospel and becomes born again, and because the veil is now gone, can come into the very presence of God without fear and can come anytime and any day! "...unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ."
To this day, most Jewish people continue to await their Messiah. They are blinded by the Old Covenant, unaware and often refusing to believe we're under a new covenant, even as prophesied by major prophets during the Old Covenant. We possess new wine (the shed blood of Jesus) and new garments (clothed in righteousness). The law was given to Moses approximately 430 years after Abram, the patriarch, who was blessed by the King of Salem and Priest of God Most High, Melchizedek, signifying a priesthood that would be forever distinct from the Aaronic priesthood, as King David described.
Sadly, most Protestant churches continue to teach and preach the Ten Commandments, despite the New Testament explicitly stating it has ceased. They firmly believe that, while we are under God’s grace, we are still bound by the moral law and are determined to uphold this belief. A neighbor invited me to attend her church and gave me a time of 8 am to be ready. Upon our arrival, there were only a few cars in the parking lot, so I asked about the church’s start time. She informed me that it began at 9:30 am and wanted to ensure that we were not late.
As as result, I decided to attend Sunday school. I believe the lesson was about love, so I raised my hand and asked if I could connect some dots. The teacher agreed, and I read Romans 13:9-10. I then proceeded to explain that the New Testament says that love fulfills the law. Since God has given us the ability to love Him and our neighbors, we are less likely to commit adultery, murder, steal, bear false witness, or covet. The room fell silent, almost as if you could have heard a pin drop.
This is a large well-known Protestant denomination. Based on their reaction to my statement straight from the bible, I suspect they still teach the ten commandments. It wasn't too long ago when I too had to endure a message series on the ten commandments. It is exactly what scripture says it is, "condemning" and "kills". They probably have never heard "For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God", "It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience." (Hebrews 7:18-19; 9:9). You can not draw near to God when you have a sin (evil) conscience. My only response to the Sunday school class after the long silence was, “I’m simply reading from the Bible. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote it, not me.” They then began to giggle.
The Son of God’s ONCE-for-all sacrifice paid for mine and your sins some two thousand years ago! He paid for all sin, for all people, for all time! Only the eternal God could pay the price for sin from Adam going forward which is exactly what the scripture below is telling us. God did not ignore previous sins committed and don't forget, in the mind of God, Jesus was slained before the world was created.
Now believers can "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22). This epistle written around 60-70AD, is written for the sake of all future believers and it says we are clean - future tense.
Please don't think this scripture is saying we have to get our heart right or you'll miss what God wants His children to know. He gives us new hearts that are true hearts and it is the blood of Jesus that removes the evil, sin conscience and washes us clean, so we can come just as we are! "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24). God wants His children to know, in His sight we are His favorite child and He delights in us and wants us to come before Him boldly with full assurance of faith.
Listening to Andrew Wommack, he was saying a father must not be a very good father if the child comes to him and says, "I know I've done what you told me to do, I didn't make my bed today, I forget to take the trash out and mow the yard, and I my thoughts weren't so pure, but please could you feed me dinner today, I'm hungry?"(paraphrased). This is a reflection of how we often treat God. In some instances, we’re advised to approach God with a “right heart” or to refrain from communion until we’ve sought forgiveness, fearing that doing so might lead to illness or death. However, I believe these scriptures convey the opposite message. They encourage us to come to God with full assurance of faith not by our own obedience or righteousness, but rather by the obedience of Christ and His righteousness imputed to us who believe. We are commanded to approach God boldly knowing He is a rewarder. We tend to center our focus on ourselves, but it's not about us at all. It's all about Him, (the Father); Him, (the Son) and Him (the Holy Spirit).
I shared the Tim Tebow story with a Christian in the presence of the same individual who expressed a desire to earn their salvation, whom I’ll refer to as Earn-ee. After recounting the story to the Christian, Earn-ee remarked to both of us, “God doesn’t communicate to me like He does you two.” My initial inclination was to respond that it was because she was not His child. God is not obligated to respond to anyone except those who believe and accept His free gift of salvation. He does however knock on the door of hearts with an invitation to accept His gift. With the Holy Spirit present to convict the person of sin in order to bring the person to true repentance, the moment a person utters the words of the gospel from the depths of their heart, not merely from their intellect, God speaks and answers.
The old covenant could not fully atone for our sinful nature, and the law only revealed our sins. There was a constant reminder of sins because they were only covered temporarily not eliminated.
It's important to understand as a result of the fall, all of mankind was left with preoccupied thoughts of a sin awareness (consciousness), always conscience of good and evil, right and wrong. Remember the "I's " of Adam which left us with a self-centered, self-absorbed, self-conscious and self-awareness of SELF which is pride and pride is sin.
He-has-perfected-forever-those-who-are-being- sanctified. WHAT? Please be clear on the truth. Upon our immediate regeneration, our spirits are instantly liberated from an evil conscience that is perpetually aware of sin. God is love and loves us and created us for relationship and He doesn't want anything standing in the way of His children coming to Him.
King David wrote "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. (Psalm 66:18). Although applicable during David's time, this verse was during God's dispensation of law and deliberate sin was punishable by stoning to death, but wasn't God merciful and gracious even back them. "Moreover, the law entered that the offense (sin) might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more."(Romans 5:20) "For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God." (Hebrews 7:18-19). O how I pray the church would get out of the gospels and into the meat of the word!
Without the absence of the sin conscience we all will run and hide from God and He knows that. Scripture is clear. It is the wonder working power of the blood of Jesus. Another song we sing but do we apply it mentally. You can be born again and on your way to heaven and if all you do is open your bible on Wednesday's and Sunday's, and if you're content with that, that might be all you will comprehend. Most people forget what was preached or taught shortly after leaving church. But for those who seek more knowledge, more will be given.
We're free from the burden of guilt, the feelings of inadequacy, overwelming shame and SIN. Confessing sin is great if a person feels the need to do so, but you will not hear that from God the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit if you are a child of God. Why? It would be in direct conflict with God's word. 'As far as the east is to the west and remembered no more."(paraphrased). Why would God or the Holy Spirit confront us about sin, when Jesus, our Advocate declares to the Father, "Not guilty" as the accuser of the brethren accuses?
There’s a distinction between “awareness of sinning” as a child of God and a “consciousness of sin” and an “evil conscience.” I understand this because I experienced it firsthand. As a prodigal child for almost three decades, living in the far country, I was acutely aware of my sinful choices. However, this knowledge of sinning never prevented me from calling out, “Abba, help me!” My unwavering heart confidence in my God and Father, and Lord Jesus Christ, coupled with the divine process of my new birth, ensured that I never wavered in my belief that I was a child of God - even while wallowing in the pig sty.
Just two weeks after my born-again experience, I met a high school classmate who invited me to church. To my surprise, she and her church claimed that since I hadn’t spoken in tongues, I wasn’t truly born again. I firmly believe that God gave me such an incredible born again experience not only because of that encounter but also because of many other occasions where my unwavering faith would be tested. My high school classmate was undoubtedly mistaken.
The church foundation taught me of the Trinity, so I already knew Christ lives. So after hearing the gospel of salvation, then being convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit and confessing my sinfulness, I experienced a profound sense of the weight and breadth of sin rising from the bottom of my belly, upward toward my shoulders, and finally out of my body from the top of my head. I recall thinking about how heavy that mass was that left my body. A mass I didn't know I had until I felt it leave. I remember saying, "I can breath!" You bet I could breathe because the Holy Spirit had just breathed the breath of life back into me. Upon regeneration at the age of 19, I was delivered from six years of smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, with no desire to do either again until the far country. God in His foreknowledge, gave me such a powerful born again experience because He knew 30 years later I would have to first come to the end of myself and say, “I’m going back home,” then take by faith the deliverance He had given me those 30 years ago in order to be free from those addictions.
It pains me to say this, but I acquired an evil conscience and a sin consciousness from church, likely due to the influence of perhaps meaningful leaders. Incorrect teachings, rooted in authoritarianism and strict obedience to the pastors instilled in me thoughts of shame and fear of God for the first time ever, even during three decades of far country living. I was so covered in condemnation that I didn’t even want to approach His presence anymore. I would question myself, “What if He doesn’t hear me?” or “He’s probably so disappointed in me,” or “I might get in trouble with Him.”
In all of my 30 years in the far country, I never considered such questions. I instinctively knew from my heart who my God was and who I was as His child, without wavering. Even when I cried out to God for help, which happened many times, "He's been my fourth man in the fire time after time...," I never said, "O God forgive me for all my sins", and then proceeded to ask for help because, I had not been indoctrinated with untruths. Some will say and have said, "That was God's mercy." I disagree. It was because of the faithfulness of our God, His abounding grace, along with the finished work at the cross, and the fact that “God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable.” Irrevocable? Yes, 'not able to be changed, cannot be canceled, unaltered and is binding'.
Let’s take a closer look at the definitions of conscience and conscious so we can compare them with scripture.
The blood of Jesus Christ and the born again experience removes both a conscience and consciousness of sin immediately upon regeneration. I would not have learned praise and worship had it not been for that church, but I also acquired baggage from it. That's why God so attentively spoke to me in various ways to help me pull down the fear that kepted me from His presence. So when I say I know the difference, I lived it! My story of how God showed up and showed out because of His faithfulness and love for His reckless, wayward, far country living, prodigal child would cause one with incorrect teaching to say, not possible! "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." (2 Timothy 2:13) "For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He put Luke 15 in the bible for everyone, but He put Luke 15 in the bible just for me. It's hard to hold back the tears of gratitude whenever I hear "Reckless Love" by Cory Asbury.
People attend church for various reasons. Some are compelled to do so because it’s a tradition passed down through generations. Others find solace and a sense of cleanliness in the church environment. And then there are those who avoid church, believing they must first cleanse themselves before attending. For a born again Christian, the moment one is regenerated brings an instinctual and spiritual realization that being with believers is where we truly belong. This innate sense of belonging to the family of Christians is a part of our new nature as stated in John's epistle. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from ALL sin.” (1 John 1:7).
Not all Christians agree on everything in scripture, and outside of the fundamentals that's okay, but what we do agree on and what we are able to convey is fellowship and love for the brethren because we have the same Father, the same Lord, the same Spirit, and the same baptism. When Mary greeted Elizabeth her cousin, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, scripture says "the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." We all expect to meet fellow christian's in church, but outside that environment, on an elevator, a trail walk, or just in passing, it's as though the spirit inside of us, emerged with the Holy Spirit, leaps for joy when we encounter a brother or sister in the Lord. Jesus said the world would know us for our love for one another. This gives us Heart Confidence.
Who We Became as a result of the fall has now been removed permanently as a result of God's Response and the reasonable act of Our Response making us Who We Become as children of God, allowing us to cry out to God our Father without fear and without shame as stated in our victory chapter of Romans 8:15. - “Abba, Father!”
Now I understand I might upset some individuals who firmly believe in continuing to agree with a specific interpretation of scripture that aligns with their teachings. I'm not one of them. I want revelation from the Holy Spirit, not man. Throughout my life, I’ve been taught that the aforementioned scripture emphasizes the importance of persistence in seeking God to answer prayers. I believe this interpretation has been misconstrued for as long as I can recall and even generations before me. For your reference, please refer to Luke 11:5-13 and 18:1-8. There is no instance ever, where someone had to resort to persistently begging God to save them.
Before we proceed, I have a quick question. Does the scripture explicitly state to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking? However, that’s how we interpret and have been taught to understand it. There might even be some Bible versions that include the “ing” in those words, but I don’t believe that’s accurate.
The moment we ask as His children He already has a resounding yes, and amen, and He already knows what we're going to ask before we ask. God has already seen our entire life span from beginning to end. Everything has already been provided for us since the foundation of the world. God is so good, and I believe He actually gives us the faith to believe Him before we ask. I think our faith gets suppressed and covered by the cares of this world, by incorrect doctrine and of course by our adversary, the devil and as James epistle tell us, we ask amiss! (James 4:3). "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." (2 Corinthians 1:20). Scripture states if we ask, it will be given, period. If we seek, we will find, period. If we knock, the door will be opened, period.
What we tend to do typically is what we've been taught - to read the verse as if it's progressive. I don't believe that's intended. Yes, the bible says to pray without ceasing which I think is more of a prayerful mind, and there is a reason for that, but that does not mean we plead and beg and be a constant drip of annoyance just to get our prayers answered. 1 John 3:14 says "And whatever we ask we receive from Him." Romans 8:38 says "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" and what about Matthew 18:19; 21:22; John 14:13-14; John 15:7 and on and on.
God offered His greatest gift in order to reconcile us back to Himself. If He does the greater, offering His Son, would He not do the least, answer our prayers? In the above scriptures, Jesus proceeds to give a rhetoric, almost ridiculous question of “Would your earthly father being of sin (evil) give you a stone for bread, a serpent for fish, or a scorpion for an egg?” Everyone knows the answer. He uses the most ludacris question to expound on the logical and reasonable assurance of Him hearing and answering prayers. The question is so outlandish that no response is necessary. The key verse we should focus on is the last verse. Will He find anyone who will ask in faith and believe you have what you ask for?
The story of the friend asking for bread to feed his guest, held immense significance during that era reflecting Jewish culture, and it serves as a stark illustration of the friend’s true nature. Imagine a friend who, in the face of someone’s dire need, closes the door on them. The judge portrayed as unjust, is merely annoyed with the woman. Jesus’ message to the reader contrasts the unjust judge and the friend who is not a friend, to our heavenly Father who is a just Judge and who is a faithful Friend who sticks closely by us and One who is always willing to give and never closes the door. This point is also reinterated in Matthews gospel of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount chapter 6:25-34 where He tells the crowd to seek the righteous of God and everything else will be added. "Don't worry." If you're born again you are the righteous of God. In the sermon on the mount Jesus says, if God arrays the lillies with such beauty, clothes the grass of the field and feeds the birds, which is the least, certaintly He will take care of the greater, His children.
Christ died for us so we can have relationship with our Creator God who is now our Father, not to be mean to us. We've been given boldness to enter into the presence of God by the blood! Let's not forget earlier my mentioning my hesitation to approach God because of what I heard in the pulpit and thinking I must be a total disappointment to God. The very thing God has delivered all mankind from is shame (nakedness) and fear of God to those who believe. Sad to say, it is the very thing many will try to instill and enslave in you. Let me take this moment to share with you what God said to me about my thinking He must be sending me SMH (shaking my head) messages.
As a graphic designer, Photoshop is our primary tool for design. Years ago, a third-party developer introduced a filter called “Page Curl.” This filter allowed users to select the corner of a flat electronic page in a document and apply the filter. The filter was designed to transform the corner selection into what appeared like the page turning or folding over, similar to turning a physical book.
In a dream, God used the Page Curl metaphor to show me that a corner of my righteousness had been pulled down. It wasn’t severed but rather pulled over, which was how the enemy was attacking. In other words, Almighty God spoke to me through a dream, saying, “You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Pull that corner back up to cover the exposed part. Additionally, in a separate dream, God revealed that we defeat the enemy through the blood of the lamb and the power of our testimony. God is for all of us, regardless of our salvation status, until the last Gentile. Judgment will follow.” (Matthew 5:45) "...for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:45).
Is our heart growing confidently, not in ourselves but in God?
How often do we skip over and rarely look closely at the above and profound verse, "...having obtained eternal redemption." How do you define "eternal redemption"? Until the next sin? That's not eternal.
I was invited to a neighbors 80th birthday party and one of the fun games during the party was asking the offsprings' questions to see who knew their mother the best. One question was "How many times has mommy been baptized?" The answer was 3 or 4 times.
Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and the church I attended held a baptismal sermon emphasizing the significance of water baptism in saving us. Water baptism is meant to be an outward expression to the world that we have undergone a transformation on the inside and been raised to a new life. However, if you are a unregenerate sinner when you are baptized, you will emerge as a wet, unregenerate sinner. Many people have been misled into believing otherwise. I grew up attending church, singing in the youth choir, and getting baptized as a child, but I don’t recall ever being taught the gospel or being informed that we must be born again. Nevertheless, once we are born again, we are born again forever, eternally. Water baptism should only ocur once after newness of life.
For quite some time, I would quote the first part of the above scripture to unbelievers to share with them we die once and then judged. This is true, since there's no such thing as reincarnation or purgatory. The Judgement Seat of Christ for all believers judged purely on what we did here for Christ, never for sin, and the Great White Throne judgement for all unbelievers. In context, I believe there is a deeper meaning to the above scripture which gives us heart confidence. It's referencing Christ one-time sufferings and then to be judge for all sin, for all people, for all time. Let’s not forget scripture says, “If I be lifted up…I'll draw all judgement to myself.” (paraphrased). "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment." (1 John 4:17-18). God, through Jesus Christ has removed fear of Him and fear of condemnation.
"...God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin (the old adamic sin nature, unregenerated): He condemned the sin nature in the flesh that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who [are born again]..."(Romans 8:3b). What? We fulfill the law? Yea, bud! I struggled for years reading Romans and seeing the word “flesh” as define as a baby Christian as I was told by many, and every time I got to verse nine, it would stop me and I would say in my heart something is not right. I remember being told once, "You're walking in the flesh which is not pleasing to God. He's going to take His Holy Spirit from you."
I had limited knowledge of scripture at the time, but I did know that God never takes back His gifts. I'm amazed by how many churches teach the word 'flesh' in Romans as a baby Christian. Whenever they did, I would quote to others or in my mind, "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (Romans 8:9). Take the time to reread all of Romans chapter 8, replacing ‘sin’, ‘flesh’, and ‘carnal’ with ‘baby Christian’ and see how it fits. It doesn’t! Not only does it not fit, but it clearly conveys the very opposite of Romans 8:1, which states that there is no condemnation.
Finally hearing the correct teaching, everything from that point forward flowed and my spirit with the Holy Spirit agreed. Flesh is defined differently in at least three instances in the new covenant. In the book of Roman's “sin,” “carnal,” and “flesh” always refers to the unregenerated natural man born of Adam, not a baby Christian. Baby Christian belongs in the Corinth church. Flesh is mentioned also by the apostle Paul in the epistle written to the Philippi church when he struggled with going home to be with the Lord or stay which would be more needful for his congregation. Flesh in this instance merely refers to our earthly body.
The law could never bring us heart confidence. It only reminded us of our sin. Scriptures says the law kills. The law brings about wrath. The law is condemning, not to mentioned, it's a curse! (Galatians 3:13).
There is a rest for the people of God and this rest offered has nothing to do with Saturday's or Sunday's. The rest God offers is about believing and ceasing. God rested on the seventh day because there was nothing else needed to be done. Look at the order of creation. So it is with salvation. The Triune God provided everything to save us, so that when Christ said "It Is Finished!" He sat down. Where is the rest and where is the peace God offers us if we are constantly confessing and constantly be reminded of sins? Satan is the accuser of the brethren saying, "Go ahead, it won't hurt anyone, no one will know, besides you deserve it...," and after entrapment and the act is performed then he'll say in first person pronoun if you are a believer, "Look at me, I'm pathetic, I'm a hypocrite and God certainly won't have anything to do with me. I'm filthy and disgusting." But that is the voice of a demon, never of God, NEVER! Again, God already knows everything we will ever say or do and He still died for us.
I once heard a lovely Christian say to me, "Yea, but we got to turn from our wicked ways." I would venture to say 'wicked ways' is in reference to God speaking to His chosen people in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that says, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." In just re-reading this, it makes no sense to apply this scripture to new covenant saints; the same ones who are blameless, holy and above reproach. New testament (covenant) saints have turned from their sinful (wicked) ways and are forgiven and there's no land to be healed! God was speaking to Israel, not Christians.
There's a cliche I've heard many times within christian circles that states with regard to abortion and homosexuals/transgenders, "If God doesn't punish America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah." I don't believe America or any other country is under God's judgement during, GRACE, GRACE AND ABOUNDING GRACE. We have to stop mixing the two covenants. There’s a significant distinction between the two and we need to stop thinking we are the new Jews.
Christ warned us against mixing new wine in old wineskins and attempting to mend a new piece of cloth onto an old garment. These two are incompatible. We are saints because Christ serves as our propitiation, which means He fully satisfied God’s wrath and judgment against the sin nature and all sins. God told the Israelites to be holy for He is holy and to set themselves apart as His chosen people. They couldn't. We, on the other hand are set apart inwardly and spiritually by the power of God as evident in our newness of life. If God judges believers for future sins we forgot to confess or the one we didn't know we committed, after judging Jesus, it would imply He is unjust, and in a legal system as well as God's court of law, it would constitute double jeopardy.
All of the bible is God's love letter to all mankind because He wants us to know of His love for us. He wants us to have a heart full of confidence in what He has done to restore everything back to GOOD and VERY GOOD. The author of Hebrews makes this point so very clear.
Imagine the tent God instructed Moses to make in the wilderness. I'm sure trenches were created but still, since sacrifices were made daily and they didn't have sanitation and running water from hoses, what must have been the most overwelming stench in the air? BLOOD! In addition the people were carrying animal sacrifices to the tent every day. If it wasn't yourself carrying a pigeon, Heiman your neighbor was. "Oh no what did Heiman do today, he was just here yesterday!" Constant reminders of sin. If it wasn't Elyokum, then it was Melech from the Asher clan. Either you or your neighbor was atoning daily. There’s a profound message conveyed here about cultivating heart confidence instead of being constantly reminded of one’s sins. Please don’t miss it!
You won’t find this knowledge in the gospels. It’s not there. Regrettably, you won’t find this knowledge preached because most seem to spend their time teaching on what Jesus said in the gospel accounts. You’ll only discover this knowledge when you start reading and studying Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Paul’s other epistles, as well as Peter and John’s epistles. To be honest, if you only read the gospels, you’ll become ignorant and find yourself trying to merge two different covenants. You’ll read and hear, "If you don't forgive, God won't for you." instead of what's accurate for the born again christian: "Forgive for Christ has forgiven you. Someone will convince you of robbing from God if you don't tithe and tithe on your gross income. Am I suggesting not tithing? Absolutely not! I'm not convinced tithing to get back is the proper reason to tithe.
"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26) We live in an age where the love of money is more prevalent than ever before. Government officials focused on obtaining money over governing. An all out malicious attempt to steal peoples identity and bank account information is rampant all for the love of money.
As born again believers, our wealth and riches transcend the fleeting monetary gains of this world that hold no eternal value. I once heard Dr. David Jeremiah say if the gospel you preach can not be preached in a third world country, it's not the gospel (paraphrased). God has never promised new covenant saints earthly riches. What He has promised us is eternal riches and on earth, to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, open the prison to those who are bound, comfort all who mourn, give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and called righteous. These truths, although found in the old covenant do belong to new covenant saints because this was a foretelling of future promises.
Have you ever been bound by something and the Lord set you free? It's priceless. As a born again christian, our wealth is spiritual in Christ Jesus making it a wealth of treasures that will never deplete or depreciate but will last forever. Let us examine some of our heavenly bank account. God's not for anyone playing the lottery for millions but He has promised to supply all our needs, not necessarily wants. If all a person thinks about is earthly possessions and "Keeping up with the Joneses", something's wrong. We're called to set our minds on things above not earthly things. (Colossians 3:1-1). That does not mean we can't enjoy all things while here on earth. It's more about where your heart is.
So what are some of our riches in Christ Jesus?
Let's look at why we're so rich!
After having completed my first two years of electives at Kent State University, I was now in the Art Building taking major courses. During those first two quarters of 1977, which would have been winter and spring quarters, Rod and Ron witnessed to me the gospel. One Saturday evening, during that spring quarter, I found myself on my knees, heartbroken after a breakup. I was seeking joy and peace these two young men told me I could have through Jesus Christ.
Although at the time I didn't realize it, the voice speaking was God, the Holy Spirit. He began to convict me of my sins. After He revealed to me things I had done, I broke down in tears, confessing, “I am a sinner!” Let me preface here by saying a very important truth - when the Holy Spirit convicts a person of sin, He knows exactly how to do it in a loving way to draw the person to God. The voice of a demon will condemn a person of sin causing the person to want to run and hide from God.
Realizing I've sinned against a holy God, I asked God to forgive me, knowing in my heart Jesus died for my sins and rose. Monday morning on my way to the Art building, with Rod coming from the direction of the Art building, we came with speaking distance and he said, “Good morning!” I replied, “Good morning to you!” His next immediate response verbatim was, “Something is different about you. Oh my God, you've received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!” Thirty years later, I found Rod on social media and asked him how he knew. He simply said, “I saw a light on the inside of you.” Immediately upon regeneration we begin to reflect the hope of glory, Christ in us!
The moment we become born again is the moment we begin to reflect His glory! The world can't see the inward change that has taken place in a believer, it's spiritual, but they can see outwardly a difference. For the believer sin doesn't taste the same. As we feed our spirits spiritual food - the bible, assembling with saints, prayer, praise and worship, more glory emanates and illuminates. Scripture says even the spouse will be converted by the conduct of the believer.
Chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians is a very power chapter as Paul is not only defending his apostleship from the accending Lord as proven by changed hearts, but also and more importantly, the difference between the old covenant which included the law written on stone tablets (the ten commandments), that kills and is a ministry of condemnation and death compared to the new covenant through which the Spirit gives life, is undefiled, uncorruptible and instead of fading away, it grows.
When Moses would come down from Mount Sinai, his faced shone with the glory of the Lord, but was also fading and for that reason, he would put a veil over his face so the people could not see the glory passing. The veil illustrates the transition from the old covenant, which was marked by law and separation, to the new covenant, which offers direct access to God through Christ."For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious." (2 Corinthians 3:11).
In the first section of this site we looked at “Who We Were,” prior to man's fall. Consequently, we had to examine “Who We Became” from God’s perspective, which resulted in us becoming sinners. As stated earlier, "We are not sinners because we break God's laws. We break God's laws because we're sinners." Since we have a good God, we have a But "God's Response" to our predictament which states "..all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23).
To substantiate the evidence of our sinful nature, we examined our children’s behavior, recognizing we must teach our children to share and be truthful as these are acquired behaviors. Lying is a sin and being selfish and self-centered does not orginate from God. Jesus condemned lying when He declared, “Satan is the father of lies.” There are two instances where God explicitly addresses lying as a clear indication that it is not of God but of Satan.
Just some FYI. Someone decided to label these seven abominations as the ‘seven deadly sins’, as if there are only seven. All sin is deadly unless one receives forgiveness by God.
After God's Response, we embarked on a journey to Rome to discern what Our Response should be in lieu of all God has done for us: simply believe the gospel. By believing in the gospel of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, we transitioned to “Who We Become” as children of God, receiving a wealth of gifts which include, but not limited to mercy, grace abounding, faith, hope and love, redemption, liberty, forgiveness, newness of life, justification, sanctification, righteousness, eternal life, the promise of the Holy Spirit, and so many more enormous promises,...... above all we could ask, think or imagine.
What do you suppose those young men experienced when the God Man, Jesus the Christ approached them and said, "Follow Me!" After 20 years in the far country, I fell to my knees, crying for about an hour, reflecting back on all the mistakes I made when I chose to become His prodigal child. Suddenly, I was stopped in my weeping and enveloped in the agape love of God, which seemed to expand beyond the width, length, depth and height of the room. I said, "O my God, is this your love for me?" Then, I heard the voice of God say "Yes Sheree', I love you,!"
Even as I write this, tears well up in my eyes because of the overwhelming love of God that compels me. All Mighty God, Creator of heaven and earth called me by my preferred middle name and spoke to me the most powerful words I needed and would need. Moreover, He allowed me to experience His unconditional love for me. There are certain aspects of God’s word that remain unchanged regardless of the dispensation we’re in because they inherently don’t need to.
In the old covenant God stated "A single witness shall not suffice for a charge against a person, except on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be established." (Deuteronomy 19:15). The law or principle remains valid during this dispensation. "...by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." (Matthew 18:16). After a few moments of feeling God’s love, it was as if His love had suddenly vaccum out from the room, leaving it back to normal. However, in a matter of seconds, He breathed back into the room His love as if to bear witness of Himself to me, so I would know, that I know what I experienced. He bore witness of His love because He is love, and because I was His child, not illegitimate, and because I was about to undergo severe chastisement to come to the end of myself.
It would take some 8-10 more years of suffering and God's chastening of His wayward child before I would say, "I'm going back home to my Father's house", and as I began to grow and share all God had done for me, I began to realized without a doubt, God chose that exact season of my life, at that exact smallest measure of time, and at my worst season, to tell me and let me experience His love for His lost lamb, because He wanted me to know His love is not based on me, but on Himself and me in Christ as a believer and His adopted child and to endure the chastening to bring about "...the peaceable fruit of righteousness..." (Hebrews 12:11). He loved me so I could love Him back.
What an amazing God we have! Imagine the experience of returning to Eden. There are no words to adequately describe the indescribable joy and fulfillment that awaits when God’s children will once again dwell in the Garden. The song “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe beautifully captures this profound thought. Here are a couple of verses....
"I can only imagine. What it will be like. When I walk by Your side. I can only imagine. What my eyes would see. When Your face is before me. I can only imagine Yeah. Surrounded by Your glory. What will my heart feel? Will I dance for You Jesus. Or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your presence. Or to my knees, will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine. I can only imagine,.."
The mere thought of being in His presence forever is enough to fill us with awe. However, I am certain there will be even more when we get home. Personally, I believe our souls and bodies are not capable of absorbing the fullness of God’s goodness while we are still on earth, just as a sinner can not stand in His presence. In our earthly bodies, we would likely be torched by His glory, which is why I AM told Moses when he asked to see His glory, “Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you,... ’ ...But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’” The Lord then said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’” I believe we only experience a small glimpse of Him here on earth, but even that portion we do encounter leaves us with an abundance of peace, joy, love, and so much more.
The ultimate goal of the Triune God for the believer is GLORY Hallelujah, back in Eden where everything is good and very good and remains that way FOREVER!! First we're going to the chapel to consumate our union with Christ! But even before the Bride (the Church) marries the Bridegroom (Christ), we have already seen Him to those already in heaven, then those risen from sleep and finally those still alive when we are caught up in the clouds and since we have seen Him, we are like Him - again in glorified bodies. Whom He foreknew, His also,....glorified with an inheritance stored up in heaven for us.
The Bible declares that we are God’s inheritance, just as He is ours. We inherited a sinful nature from Adam, so we will inherit God’s sinless nature, ensuring that "...our whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." While I may not fully grasp the intricacies of this concept, most teachers and theologians believe that our bodies, which are buried into the ground or even cremated, will be resurrected without sin. Regardless of the method of resurrection, in our final state, we will receive glorified bodies, similar to Jesus’ resurrected body, free from sin. These bodies will be able to appear without any physical limitations and will have the ability to consume and digest God’s food without any concerns about preservatives or calories.
We will become perfect as He is perfect, embodying all that is good, pure, noble, just, lovely, righteous, honest, kind, patient, gentle, and truthful. We will reflect the very glory of God in every aspect of our lives.
However, it is my belief based on scripture, none of these qualities will hold any significance to us since we won’t have anything to compare them to. In others words, God will not only remove all sin, He will also remove every remembrance of this life, therefore we will not know impatience, unrighteousness, unlovely, unjust, bad, evil and unkind or lying about cookies and saying, "Mine!"
Allow me to take a few paragraphs to explain why I believe there will be no remembrance of this life in the life to come. This section is truly about the confident hope, joy and the glory coming to us who believe, and although these next few paragraphs may seem grim, look at what lies before us as Christ did, looking at the joy that would follow.
As I understand, there are aspects of the book of Revelation that are not in chronilogical order, but perhaps there are some verses that are in order. Prior to the above verse, in chapter 20, scripture reveals how the dead will be judged according to their works at the Great White Throne judgement. We know this to be a judgement of non-believers. Those who refused God's gift of salvation.
Keep that event in you mind, while we go to 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 which says, as a reprimand from Paul, saints were taking other saints to seculiar courts to be judged when judgement should be kept within the confines of the church, and so Paul writes, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" v3 "Do you not know that we shall judge angels?" Now back to Revelation 21:4, saints will have been in heaven during the seven year tribulation on earth, undergoing the Judgement Seat of Christ and the marriage supper in our new glorified heavenly bodies free from sin, so why would God need to wipe away tears, death, sorrow, crying and pain?
He will wipe away all pain because we might witness all non-believers condemned to death. During that time, we will judge those who have hurt us, such as the person who stole my first Facebook page, kept my name on it, and began posting vile videos. We will also judge fallen angels who have relentlessly attacked us. Truth be told, not everyone we know and love will receive the free gift of eternal life, as Jesus himself said, with the words “wide and narrow.”
If that’s the case, we’ll be overcome with tears and immense sorrow as we witness our loved ones condemned. The anguish we’ll endure over the friend, neighbor, or family member we prayed for, pleaded with, and became their living nightmare as we persistently sought their acceptance of salvation, all in vain. The mere thought of this happening is too difficult to comprehend, however when we rightly divide the word, scriptures seems to suggest this possibility. If this is indeed true, let’s contemplate the glory that will follow at the end of the age when the tears and sorrow are wiped away, as well as all remembrance of this life, and what we will have witnessed during judgement. Our hope is "...while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)
I created this site to disbel fallacies because it is the truth that make us free. Truth is God and God is truth. With that in mind, I believe we will not remember loved ones as our loved ones in the new heaven and new earth. My reason: my mother may have on her death bed received salvation and might be standing along side me in heaven, but maybe daddy didn't make it - he's at the Great White Throne to be condemn to the second death. If I know mommy is with me, wouldn't it stand to reason I would also know daddy is not? Wife will not join again with spouse. Can you imagine a heaven where we are all looking for and never finding the one we knew would be with us? "Hi Honey, you made it! Yes dear I'm here, but where are our kids?" Every remembrance of this place and every person who rejected God will be erased from our memory forever.
Jesus rebuked the Sadducees, who tried to trick Him by presenting an arbitrary scenario based on the Mosaic law of marriage. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. The law stated that if a husband died without a child, his brother should marry the widow to ensure the birth of an offspring to care for her and preserve their family name. The husband and six of his brothers married the same woman, passed away, and still no child was born. Eventually, the widow passed away. The question posed to Jesus was, “Who will be the husband of the wife in heaven?” Jesus responded, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage,..."
Everything that is from Satan will be locked away in hell and removed from our memory. There won't be opposites. Good verses evil. Right verses wrong. Unholy, unrighteous, untruthful. The "un's" will be gone! We will be fully clothed in righteousness and free from shame, and the "I's" of Adam gone forever. That's why Scripture instructs us not to focus on what we see and earthly things but rather, "...seek those things which are above, where Christ is,....Set your mind on things avove, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2). Even though it may be painful to consider, part of "...bringing many brethren to glory", is the fact that all this mess will be gone from our remembrance.
Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve walked upright exuberating the very glory of the Lord. It only makes sense that God will restore everything back to what is was when we gave him GLORY in everything we did. Scripture is clear, "..compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward"; "from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God"; "...that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory"; "The body is sown in corruption, it is raiseed in incorruption. It is shown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.," "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory". Please don't misunderstand. We will not be gods and there are aspect of God Almighty that no one will share, but an apple seed can only produce an apple, therefore God's children can only produce the glory of God.
There will be no more decay, garbage, smog, or swamps. Trees without leaves and dead leaves will disappear, eliminating the beautiful fall colors that symbolize a dying season. Crime, evil, temptation, hatred, racism, greed, inequality, income disparities, and all forms of negativity will cease to exist. No more sickness or disease. We will be completely free of fear, and the shame of nakedness will be eradicated permanently. All living creatures will revert to being herbivores and once again be subject to humans, as described in Isaiah 11:7-8: “…a nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.” Although I will be able to reach my destination instantly, I will be riding a cheetah.
We will be in the present of God which means we will experience perpetually prefect agape love, peace and joy and will be able extend the same to all, no conditions attached. The law of reciprocity will be geniune and pure, with no thoughts of love will only be given if returned. We'll all have duties and responsibilities for at least the first one thousand years. By the way, in new heaven and a new earth, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, our Savior will reign. Guess where? It may be a surprise to many but in Jerusalem, after all in His humanity He is a Jew.
In the new heaven and new earth, all divisions, including nationalities, ethnicities, races, colors, and cultural identities, will be eliminated as we know it to be on earth. Jews and Gentiles will be one - united, but will maintain our multi-shades and colors of skin. " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28).
Scripture states that the earth groans, and so do we, believers, who yearn for restoration and the reestablishment of order, as we return to Eden. Let’s allow scripture to speak for itself.
We who believe our blessed and God will not reverse it! "... may the God of peace....make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."