Tue, Oct 25th - 12:29PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

   When I contact the psychological realm, I use the soul, the psychological part of my being.  The same principle applies in the spiritual realm, I must use the spirit.  Here is an illustration to help clarify this.  Suppose someone is speaking to me.  The sound is actual, it is real, but if I cover my ears and prevent the sound from entering into my ears then I become in essence deaf.  If I close my eyes then I can't see their lips moving as they speak and I can't try to interpret their words that way either.  Hearing sound requires physical organs which can sense sound waves being produced by something else.  The same applies to seeing objects.  The substance of the objects will always be there, I simply won't be able to sense them.  I can try to hear the colors, but will fail for I am using the wrong sensory organ. 

   How then can I contact God?  What organ do I use?  To determine the answer to these questions I must first see what kind of substance God is.  That will dictate what realm He is to be found in.  I Corinthians 15:45, II Corinthians 3:17, John 14:16-20, and John 4:24 all tell us that God is Spirit.  Can I then contact God with my physical body?  No!  Can I contact God with my psychological organ, the soul?  No!  The only part of me that can contact God is my spirit because God is Spirit.  John 4:24 says, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit."  God is Spirit and thus I am forced to relate to Him on that basis.  I can't worship or contact Him with my body or with my soul.  To fellowship with Christ means to do so spiritually. 

   Let's look now at John 3:6 where it says, "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  As believers in Christ I know that i am born again or regenerated.  But what does that mean?  It means, quire simply, that my spirit has been regenerated by the Spirit of God.  That which is born of the Spirit of God is spirit.  This tells me where I am born again.  I am born again in my spirit.  When I believed in Jesus Christ His divine Spirit came to dwell in my spirit.  His Spirit then quickened and imparted life to regenerate my spirit.  From that time onward He dwells within my spirit (John 4:24; Romans 8:16; II Timothy 4:22; I Corinthians 6:17). 

   When Jesus Christ came from heaven to dwell here on earth for 33.5 years, He came in bodily form.  He was God, and could do God-like things if He so chose to do so.  But His purpose in coming was to reveal to mankind who He was, what God's character was like, what His conduct was in relating to people.  God also came to provide mankind with the opportunity to be reconciled with Him over this issue of sin.  In all that Jesus Christ experienced and endured while being crucified, dying, and then resurrected, He became the life-giving Spirit.  Christ became that which could now come and live in my spirit.  But I must not think that it is only Christ who lives within my spirit.  No, it is all of the Godhead which resides within me on a daily basis.  Christ has grafted Himself into my spirit, this done in order that I may produce good fruit from rather plain root stock.  Thus I have become one with God in my spirit.  If, therefore, I know how to turn to my spirit, I can contact Christ.  Here lies the key!

   Those who do not believe in God, or in Christ, have only the physical body and the psychological life of their soul.  They have closed themselves off to their spiritual nature and thus can't have the eternal life of God in their spirit since that requires the reception of Christ as the eternal life into their spirit.  Unbelievers therefore must live by the soul or the body.  They can sense the physical world and they can experience all of the emotions possible to human beings.  But the spiritual realm is closed to them, in most cases not even believed in. 

   All of us, before becoming saved, existed in this state.  But now we have another life within us which is Christ Jesus Himself, and by this life we must learn to live anew.  We must turn to live in a different direction, from depending upon our soul to depending upon our spirit.  Depending upon emotions is to ride a perpetual wind-swept tidal wave which changes directions without notice.  Living life in such a fashion leads to stress, frustration, and depression.  To change this, we must live by the divine life in the spirit.

   Here is the reason why I must always turn to my spirit.  Christ is in my spirit, and if I would meet Him, I must turn to my spirit.  He is not to be found in my hip pocket, in my closet, or in my frustration and joy.  He is not to be found in the earthquakes, volcanoes, or the tornados of nature.  He is only going to be found within my spirit.  Before I do anything, say anything, or think anything, I must turn to my spirit.  If I can learn to do this, then what change I will be able to see in my life!

   What incredible news!  Christ Jesus is the Spirit, I have a spirit, and both spirits are now joined together!  Now I have the ability to experience the reality of all that Christ is to me.  In I Timothy 4:7-8 the apostle Paul points out that we are to exercise ourselves unto godliness.  Just as it is good to physically exercise our bodies, it is of benefit to spiritually exercise ourselves.  More attention ought to be paid to spiritual exercise than to physical exercise since the spiritual form yields eternal rewards. 

   That is all for today beloved.  There is plenty of food for thought contained in this post.  Take your time and study it out for yourselves.  Do not take my word for it!  May God richly bless you this day!

~Eric

Mon, Oct 24th - 1:11PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

The Proper Way to Call on the Lord?

   How should I call upon God?  I must call on Him out of a pure heart (II Timothy 2:22).  My heart, which is the source of my calling, must be pure, seeking only God Himself.  I must call with pure lips (Zephaniah 3:9).  I need to watch my speech and ensure that loose speech is not contaminating my message to the world.  If my speech is contaminated by impure patterns of speech, then it becomes difficult for me to call upon the Lord.  In addition to pure heart and pure lips I need to have an open mouth (Psalm 81:10).  I must audibly call out to God and give voice to my need/s.  I also need to call on the Lord corporately.  II Timothy 2:22 says, "But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."  Those of like mind, heart, and lips, must come together and call upon the Lord.  Psalm 88:9 informs me of the need to call daily upon the Lord, and Psalm 116:2 informs me that this calling is to go on during my entire lifetime.  There is to be no retirement from calling upon God. 

   Is all of this calling out to God simply doctrinal in nature?  No, it is quite practical.  I need to practice it daily and even hourly.  I ought never stop my spiritual breathing, I need to supply the vital flow of "spiritual air" to myself 24/7.  My hope is that many more believers, especially new ones, will begin practicing calling upon the name of the Lord.  There are many believers who have discovered that they can know Christ, that they can be brought into the power of His resurrection, that they can experience His spontaneous salvation, and that they can walk in oneness with Him by calling on His name.  You and I must always remember that we are able to call upon Christ 24/7, any place, in the presence of anyone.

The Human Spirit

   Many of us genuinely desire to experience all that Christ is and live by Him in all things.  We wish to walk in Him, just as we are told in Colossians 2:6.  So what is the key to experiencing Christ Jesus?

   Let's begin with an illustration.  Before I can enter a room with a locked door, I must know the key, how to use the key, and have the key in my possession.  Similarly, before I can enter into the reality of experiencing all the fullness of Christ Jesus, I must know the key and how to use it.  If I know what that key is and how to use it, I possess that which can unlock the "door." 

   Let us look at I Thessalonians 5:23.  "And the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved completely, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Man is composed of three parts: spirit, soul, and the body.  They are three distinct and separate parts of each individual human being. 

   An easy distinction is made between the body and the soul.  But it becomes more difficult for me to distinguish the soul from the spirit.  By and large most of us have given in to thinking that the spirit and the soul are identical.  But this verse quoted very clearly states that they are all distinct one from another, the conjunction "and" is what joins them in association with one another. 

   Here is another verse that speaks to this issue: "For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12)."  Soul and spirit are not one and the same, they are capable of being divided asunder.   My soul is my soul and my spirit is my spirit; they are not interchangeable. 

   Now in the universe there are three different worlds, or realms: the physical, the psychological, and the spiritual.  Because i am of three different parts, I am able to contact these three different realms.  The physical realm is contacted through the sensory organs of my physical body: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching.  Then there is the spiritual world which we can't contact through our physical senses.  This realm can only be contacted, and sensed, through our own spirit.  It is through our spirit that we become able to sense God.

   Then there is also the psychological realm, a realm which is neither physical nor spiritual.  If someone gives me a brand new home on twenty acres of beautiful land, it fills me with happiness and excitement.  Is this physical or spiritual in nature?  No, it belongs in the psychological realm along with joy, sorrow, love, and hate.  The English word psychology comes from the Greek word psyche which translates as "soul" in the New Testament.  Psychology is simply the study of the soul.  Man has been created in three parts in order that he might contact three different realms.

   But there is still more!  The soul is composed of three parts as well.  One of the parts is the "emotion" (Deuteronomy 14:26; Matthew 26:38); another part is the "mind" (Joshua 23:14; Psalm 139:14; Proverbs 19:2); and the third part is the "will" (Job 7:15; 6:7; I Chronicles 22:19).  The emotion part contains such things as love, hate, joy and sorrow.  The mind contains such things as thoughts, ideas, concepts, and considerations.  The will is where we make decisions, choices. 

I will stop right there for today beloved.  Next time I will continue with these thoughts and make some choices as to what I would like to communicate to you.  In other words, my soul shall be quite busy!  Grace and peace be with you all today!

~Eric

Fri, Oct 21st - 1:22PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

Purpose of Calling?

   Why do I need to call upon the name of the Lord?   First of all, I need to call upon God in order to become saved (Romans 10:13).  Calling out loudly helps me become saved in a richer, quicker, way.  Psalm 116 tells me that I may partake of the Lord's salvation by calling on Him:  "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord (vs 13)."  In this Psalm I find that calling on the Lord is mentioned four times.  In Isaiah 12:2-4 I am also told that the way to draw water from the springs of salvation is to call upon the name of the Lord. 

   How many of us have failed to audibly call upon the name of the Lord?  Ever shouted out to God, hollered to Him in your hour of need?  If you have never done so, then you probably have not enjoyed the lord in a rich, fulfilling way.  I have discovered that I feel best when I have been carrying on audible conversations with God, He and I have thrashed out several thorny problems over the years.  Sometimes I think back to when I first saw Fiddler on the Roof and witnessed Tevia talking to God out loud, and I laugh.  Because there I am! 

   Another reason for calling upon the name of the Lord is to be rescued from distress as it says in Psalm 18:6; 118:5.  I can be rescued from trouble this way (Psalm 50:15; 86:7; 81:7), and from sorrow and pain (Psalm 116:3-4).  When do most stubborn people end up calling upon God?  In times of sorrow and pain, when trouble surrounds them and threatens to sweep away everything which they hold dear, then they cry out to God to help them.  Why wait?  We wait because when life is rosy and comfortable it is easy to argue against calling to God for anything, why do we even need Him?  But when trouble comes like a tsunami, no one will need to tell us to call on Him, we will do so spontaneously.

   Calling upon the name of the Lord is also the way for me to participate in the Lord's abundant mercy.  The more that I call upon Him, the more I enjoy His mercy (Psalm 86:5).  Another reason to call upon the Lord is to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17a, 21).  Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit has already been poured out, past tense; we simply need to agree to receive Him by calling on the name of Christ.

   In Isaiah 55:1 it says, "Ho!  Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money; come, buy and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."  Jesus Christ is the Living waters of salvation, I need to come to Him and be supplied with all of these things.  But what is the way to "eat and drink the Lord"?  Isaiah gives us the "way" in verse six of the same chapter, "Seek Jehovah while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near."  Jehovah is near to us today and He can be found.  Now is the time to call upon Him and receive salvation for the time draws ever nearer when He will no longer be near and will not hear any calls.  That time is when He has returned to earth to rule over mankind.  So, seek God early and diligently, calling upon His name in faith. 

   Will I be shorted by God when it comes time to receive of His riches?  Romans 10:12 says that the Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him.  Refuse to call upon Him and you will not receive the riches that you ought to have.  God is rich, He is near, and He is available.  He is the life-giving Spirit from I Corinthians 15:45b.  Because God is omnipresent, I can call upon Him 24/7.  I call upon Him and He comes to me as the Spirit of God, and I enjoy His riches which He bestows upon me.

   First Corinthians is a book which is all about the enjoyment of Christ.  Chapter twelve finds Paul telling us how to enjoy Him.  In verse three we find that we are to be calling out "Jesus is Lord!"  Verse thirteen tells us we were all given to drink one Spirit.  This phrase means that upon salvation we take the Spirit in to ourselves and we become saturated with Him.  To be saved and baptized in the Spirit is the initiation of the mingling and happens once for all time.  To drink the Spirit is a continuation and accomplishment of this mingling and in essence is perpetual, eternal.  This does however, require us to call upon the Lord and draw "water" from His well to satisfy our spiritual thirst.

   That is all for today.  Next time I will write about the right way to call upon the Lord.  Until then, may God richly bless you in all that you attempt to do today!  May you cheerfully spread His Gospel to those willing to listen.

~Eric

Thu, Oct 20th - 2:15PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

   "The gradual disappearance of the idea and feeling of majesty from the Church is a sign and a portent.  Our God has now become our servant to wait on our will.  "The Lord is my shepherd," we say, instead of "The Lord is my shepherd," and the difference is as wide as the world."

                                    ~A. W. Tozer 

   It is possible for a Christian to live by the moment in God's presence by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.  When sin comes to frustrate my fellowship with God I may instantly confess it to Him and claim His prevailing blood.  Fellowship with God is instantly restored.  There does not need to be any wasted time.  I can never exhaust the supply of Christ's blood, nor can I exhaust the power of the blood of Christ.  His blood both cleanses me of every past sin and of every sin that I can ever commit thereafter. 

   By the power of Christ's blood I can enjoy a conscience free from the stain of guilt.  I can come boldly before God's throne with full assurance of faith as Hebrews 10:22 says.  By the blood of Christ my conscience can be free from guilt.  It is sort of like cleaning a dirty window and being able to clearly see everything outside once more.

   All accusations of Satan can be overcome by the power of Christ's blood.  As strong as his accusations may be, the blood Christ is the stornger.  Christ's blood is my weapon by which to defend myself against Satan's attacks.  So I must never, ever, throw away my belief in Christ and His sacrifice made on my behalf (I John 1:7).

Call upon the Name of the Lord.

   What does this mean?  Is this merely praying to Him?  In some instances, yes it is.  The Hebrew word for call means to call out to, to cry unto, to cry out.  The Greek word for call means to invoke a person, to call a person by name.  Obviously it is to call a person by naming him audibly.  No silent prayer can suffice in this case.  Audible calling upon God is necessary if I wish to live a life that is pleasing to Him. 

   Looking in the Old Testament we find a couple of prophets who can help us see what "calling upon the Name of the Lord" means.  In Lamentations 3:55-56 we find Jeremiah saying, "I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, from the lowest pit.  You have heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my breathing, at my cry."  Isaiah 12:2-6 shows us this prophet saying, "God is now my salvation; I will trust and not dread; for Jehovah is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.  Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation, and you will say in that day, Praise Jehovah; call upon His name!...Sing to Jehovah...Cry out and give a ringing shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."  How may God become my salvation, my strength, and my song?  By calling on His name out loud, to praise God, to sing hymns, to cry out, and to shout with joy.  All of these match the calling mentioned here by these prophets.

   As best we can determine, calling upon the Lord began in the third generation of the human race with Enosh who was a son of Seth (Genesis 4:26).  Calling upon the Lord's name continued throughout the Bible with Abraham (Genesis 12:8), Isaac (Genesis 26:25), Moses (Deuteronomy 4:7), Job (Job 12:4), Jabez (I Chronicles 4:10), Samson (Judges 16:28), Samuel (I Samuel 12:18), David (II Samuel 22:4), Jonah (Jonah 1:6), Elijah (I Kings 18:24), and Jeremiah (Lamentations 3:55).  These prophets not only called on the Lord, they also prophesied that others would call on His name (Joel 2:32; Zephaniah 3:9; Zecharia 13:9).  We may know about Joel's prophesy about our receiving the outpoured Holy Spirit, but how many of us remain aware of the fact that reception of that outpouring requires calling on the name of the Lord?  God pours out His Holy Spirit upon us when we cooperate by calling upon His Name and requesting this outpouring.  He does not force this upon us unbidden. 

   In the New Testament calling on the name of the Lord was practiced as well.  It began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21).  While Stephen was being stoned in public, he was calling upon the name of the Lord (Acts 7:59).  Saul of Tarsus received authority from the chief priests to bind all that called on the name of the Lord (Acts 9:14).  And evidenced by the numbers of believers which Saul arrested, there was widespread calling upon the Lord.  It had become a sign, a mark, that they were indeed Christians.  Thus today, if we desire to come to be known as Christians, we must call on the name of the Lord in order to be so marked.

   In Romans 10:12-13 Paul the apostle stressed this fact about calling upon the Lord.  To do so guarenteed one to become saved from one's sins.  In II Timothy the apostle urged  the young man to pursue spiritual things with those people who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2:22).  So during the first century believers practiced calling on the name of the Lord frequently.  It was a major reason why they became know to be Christians.  How regrettable it is today that this has become so neglected among the Christian community at large.  God wants us to call upon His name so that we may enjoy the riches of His life as He intends.

   That is all for today beloved!  I hope that this can provide you with some direction in making corrections in your personal life as a Christian.  It has for me. 

Tue, Oct 18th - 3:25PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

   Sometimes after I confess my sin and apply the blood of Christ I may continue to feel bad inside myself.  Is this an indication that my sin is not forgiven by God?  Or that the blood of Christ does not work for me?  Or that I must "do" something extra?  The answer is:  No!

   Where do these feelings come from then, what is their source?  The source is God's enemy, Satan.  In order to understand why this is, we must understand who Satan is and what he does.  Satan is the "devil," which in Hebrew means "accuser."  Revelation 12:10 refers to him as "the accuser of our brothers...who accuses them before our God day and night."  Satan spends a good part of his time accusing God's children.  It has become sort of his job.  God didn't ask him to do this, nor require him to do this.  Satan has simply taken it upon himself to accuse believers in Christ incessantly.

   In the story of Job in the Old Testament this truth is revealed to us.  Job was a righteous man, and feared God (Job 1:1).  But it is recored that Satan appeared before God to accuse Job in front of Him.  In JOb 1:9-11 we can see how Satan twists the words to bring about an intent that never was there to begin with.  Satan implied that Job only loved God because God gave him everything.  Satan claimed that Job had, in effect, been bribed by God to love Him.  Take it all away from this man and then we will see how his true feelings surface!  Satan believed that Job would end up cursing God.  But it did not happen that way.

   In the book of Zechariah, the high priest, Joshua, stood before God and Satan stood at his right hand "to be his adversary (3:1)."  Joshua was said to be clothed with filthy garments, which speaks of his poor, sinful condition before God.  How often does Satan use my poor condition to fling accusations at me?  Daily, hourly?  This action implies that Satan is not only God's enemy, but that he is my enemy as well.  Every time that I come to God, Satan is there to resist my coming by throwing accusations at me and about me. 

   Nothing will spiritually cripple me, as a believer, more than accusation.  If I listen to Satan's accusations I am powerless.  All of the strength within me drains away and I am left stranded on a lonely windswept beach with nowhere to go.  I find it difficult to fellowship with others and even harder to pray to God.  I have become isolated, alone.  It is not what God has intended for me.

   This is Satan's subtlety.  He never appears in his true form crying, "Hey, I am Satan!  Now I am going to condemn you!"  Satan is much cleverer than that.  He comes and accuses me within myself.  He even tricks me into thinking that his accusations are coming directly from God Himself!

   How can I distinguish between God's true enlightening in my conscience and Satan's accusations?  There are three ways:  1)  First, God's light supplies me while Satan's accusation drains me.  When God speaks to me of my sins, I may feel very naked and wounded, but, I am also supplied and encouraged to draw close to God and apply the precious blood of Christ.  Satan's accusations, meanwhile, are totally negative.  The more I listen to Satan the harder it becomes to pray, I feel depressed, empty, and thoroughly discouraged.  I will surrender and give up.  2)  God's speaking is always specific, Satan's condemnation is quite often general.  Sometimes I may be tricked into believing that I am just tired, or that I have had a rough day.  Other times, I may just have a general impression that I am not right with God.  But in searching my conscience, I find no specific sin that would cause me to be separated from God.  Or perhaps I wake up with a feeling of depression or a feeling of uneasiness toward God.  All of these general feelings that have no apparent source in sin are of Satan and should be rejected.  When God speaks, He is specific and positive.  When Satan speaks, he is very often general and negative.  3)  Any uneasy feeling which remains after I confess and claim the blood of Christ is of Satan.  God's demand is at once satisfied by the blood.  But Satan is never satisfied.  He wishes to keep me confessing all of the time.  Satan's accusations are just like a dripping faucet, they interrupt my thoughts and my actions.  They prevent me from getting a good night's sleep.  I must always remember that Satan wishes to sow seeds of discord and chaos while God wishes to build up and encourage, creating fellowship.

   In Revelation 12:10-11 we read, "The accuser of our brothers has been cast down...And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony."  The word of my testimony is just my declaration that the blood of Christ Jesus has cleansed me from every sin and that this blood has defeated SAtan.  By speaking boldly in this fashion Satan's accusations are overcome and flung down. 

   My Christian life is a kind of warfare.  Satan is my adversary and prowls about the world like a ravening lion, seeking whom he can devour (I Peter 5:8).  Since I am in a kind of warfare, then it stands to reason that I need to be protected by a kind of armor, doesn't it?  An important defensive weapon is the blood of Christ.

   That is all for today beloved.  Next time I shall write about how I can live a daily life full of God's presence.  Grace and peace to you all until then!

~Eric

Mon, Oct 17th - 3:19PM

BASICS ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

Guilt in My Conscience

   The second crucial problem that I have is with myself.  Within me, in my conscience, there is a heavy load of guilt.  How many young people today are burdened with both real guilt and perceived guilt?  Guilt is a huge problem with mankind.

   Sins offend God on the one hand and defile us on the other.  Guilt is the stain of sins on my conscience.  When I was young my conscience was only stained a little bit.  But as I grew older these stains accumulate and eventually will cover up who I really am.  I will not be able to see life clearly around me for the stains cloud and/or block my discernment.  Guilt affects all aspects of my personal life, as well as my business life. 

   Nothing can clean away this stain from my conscience.  Not even an atomic bomb can erradicate the stain of sin from my conscience.  My conscience needs the precious blood of Christ Jesus to cleanse itself of this stain from guilt. 

   Hebrews 9:14 reminds us, "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"    The blood of Christ is enough to purge, cleanse, my conscience from every guilty stain: both actual and perceived. 

   How does the blood of Christ cleanse guilt from my conscience?  If I happened to receive a speeding ticket I have three problems.  That's right, three problems.  First, I broke the law; second, I owe the government the fine; and third, I have a copy of the speeding ticket to remind me of the fine.  I can't just throw away the ticket and not pay it.  The police have a copy also and they will arrest and prosecute me eventually. 

   Whenever I sin here is what happens.  First, I have broken God's Law; I have done something to offend God.  Second, I owe God's Law a debt, or fine.  Romans 6:23 tells me that the wages of sin is death.  It is an extremely stiff fine, impossible for me to pay.  Finally, I have guilt living within my conscience which is a nagging reminder of how I have offended God.  I can attempt to remove the guilt by denying to myself that God is real.  I can attempt to negate the consequences by rationalizing my actions away.  But I can't eliminate the fact that God still exists and that He will require payment once I am apprehended and judged by Him. 

   Now for the good news.  When Christ Jesus died on the cross His death fully met all of the requirements of God's law for me.  My debt of sin has been paid, and fully.  But only if I accept the fact that Christ came and did that for me, and that He is God indeed. 

   So the first two problems I have have been solved:  God is no longer offended, and the debt of sin has been fully paid by Him.  But what about my conscience?  Guilt still remains as a stain on my conscience, just like the pink copy of my speeding ticket.  I can't escape from it.

   Here is where the blood of Christ Jesus cleanses my conscience.  Christ's death paid my sin-debt but His blood sacrifice wiped out the record of that debt.  Any evidence of my offence is wiped clean, my guilt also can be wiped clean because God not only forgives, He also forgets.  He will not bring up any of my forgiven sins in the future. 

   Do not think that after God has forgiven your sins that He may one day spring them all upon you by surprise and accuse you of them.  No, God has a very short memory when it comes to forgiven sins.  Our problem often is that of not choosing to forgive ourselves after being forgiven by God.  Jeremiah 31:34 reminds us of God's approach to forgiveness.  If God is willing to forget your sins, why not you? 

   Christ Jesus died around two thousand years ago, His blood has already been willingly shed and is available 24/7 to cleanse your conscience.  Commit a sin, there is no need to wait nor any need to find someone to confess it to.  Waiting doesn't improve the power of the blood.  Finding another person to confess the sin to doesn't improve it's power either.  The blood of Christ is all-powerful.  Through Christ's blood the problem of guilt is solved for us.

That is all for today my friends.  Next time I shall write about accusations coming from Satan, our adversary.  Hope you come back for that!  May grace fill your choices today, and that the peace of Christ governs your actions.

~Eric

Fri, Oct 14th - 1:12PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

Precious Blood of Christ Jesus

   To maintain my physical life, I need certain basic things such as water, oxyen, food, clothing, and shelter.  In addition, within the amounts of food that I consume, I require certain amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  Without these things my physical life will suffer greatly and can even lead to death.

   The same applies to my spiritual life.  It requires certain basic elements in order to survive.  Without these basic elements I will find it difficult to survive as a Christian in a world that either does not know Christ, or else it rejects Christ outright.  Living in a hostile environment requires that I obtain these basic elements on a regular basis in order that I may survive.  One of these elements is the blood of Christ.

   What is so special about His blood?  Why do I need it?  I need it because essentially, man has three basic problems.  Even as a Christian I still carry around the fallen human nature which marks all of mankind.  So day after day, I can still be plagued with these three problems.

   The three problems involve three parties:  God, myself, and Satan.  With God it involves separation.  With myself it involves guilt.  With Satan it involves accusation.  These are the three biggest problems facing anyone, especially Christians.

Separation From God

   When Adam sinned, he immediately hid from God.  Before he sinned he was in God's presence every day, enjoyed speaking with God and listening to God.  Sin always results in separation from God.  This principle is at work even in our relationships with other people.  Example:  My daughter and I enjoy each other's company each day.  We tell each other jokes, funny stories, and share chores around the house.  Then my daughter breaks house rules by being dishonest about where she has been, and whom she has been with.  She knows that she has lied about her actions, and that she has broken the house rules concerning conduct.  She may feel guilty, and to avoid having to answer hard questions she may then separate herself from my presence as much as possible.  In being separated from me she may than experience Satan coming and accusing her of being a "bad daughter,"  of being an untrustworthy person, of being unloveable by her father, etc., etc..  This also leads her to isolate herself from me.  Is she going to be a happy individual living in this conditon?  No, she will not.  She will become defensive at any sort of questioning from me.  I won't be able to honestly ask her when she will be home after her soccer game, or after studying at the library.  She will become irritable and hostile because of the guilt and built up stress.  This is how parent-child relationships end up falling apart and they become separated from each other.  Satan uses the sin to hammer a spiritual wedge into the damaged relationship.  This is what is meant by "giving Satan place."  Open the door and give Satan an inch, he will shove the door open and take a mile. 

In Isaiah 59:1-2 we can read, "No, Jehovah's hand is not so short that it cannot save; Nor is His ear so heavy that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have become a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear."  I must remember that when Adam sinned, God did not say, "Adam what have you done now?"  No, He asked "Where are you, Adam?"  God knew where Adam was, but He was asking in order to allow Adam the opportunity to respond.  God is more concerned with the fact that sin/s have separated me from Him rather than which sins I have committed since all sin separates me from God.  God loves me, but He hates my sin.  As long as my sin remains, God must stay away.  For God to come close, my sin must go away.  How am I to do that?

   In the entire universe there is onl one thing that takes away sin:  the blood of Christ Jesus.  Hebrews 9:22 says, "And almost all things are purified by blood according to the law, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."  This point is proven in Exodus as well as it is illustrated there.  Some of the children of Israel may very well have been every bit as sinful as those of the Egyptians.  Yet when God sent the angel of death to slay all of the firstborn across all of Egypt, He did not say, "When I see your good works, fat bank accounts, huge mansions, and fancy automobiles, I will pass over you, leaving you unharmed."  God did not require the Israelites to pray, do penance, or even promise to behave.  God commanded them to slay a Passover lamb and to sprinkle its blood on their doorposts.  God never looked to see what kind of people were in the house; when He saw the blood He passed over that house.

   That Passover lamb illustrated Christ Jesus, who was yet to come.  John the Baptist declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!"  Jesus is the Lamb of God and by His precious blood all of my sins have been taken away and forgotten by God.  God forgives me and forgets that I ever did sin against Him.  He does not bring them up at a later date and fling them back into my face.  No accusations come from God, that is what Satan resorts to as he attempts to manipulate my feelings.

   What am I to do when I sin and feel like I am no longer close to God?  I should simply confess that sin/s to God directly and believe that the blood of Christ has taken that sin away as well.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)."  Upon confession of sin all distance between me and God is gone, I am reconciled with Him.

   The blood of Christ is primarily for God's satisfaction, not mine.  When He looks at me He sees the blood sprinkled upon me and He knows that I am accepted and not to be condemned.  Just as the Israelites could not see the blood outside on the doorposts when the angel of death passed over them, so too I can't see the blood of Christ upon myself when God gazes upon me.  I am to have peace knowing that God is satisfied with seeing Christ's blood applied to me.

   Later in the Old Testament it is accounted how once per year the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat of the ark (Leviticus 16:11-17).  No one else could go in, only the High Priest.  This was an illustration of Christ, who after His resurrection, went up into the heavenly tabernacle and sprinled His own blood before God as the payment for my sins (Hebrews 9:12).  No one can look up into heaven and see that blood, yet it is up there.  It remains there speaking on my behalf.  This blood solves my problem toward God.

   If God esteems the blood of Christ sufficient to remove my sins, can I do the same thing?  Can my requirement be higher than God's?  No, I must simply confess, "O, God, thank You that the blood of Christ has taken away all of my sins.  Since You are happy with this, then I am happy as well."

   That is all for today beloved.  Next time I will address the point of feeling guilty in my conscience, which is the second problem.  Grace and peace be with you.

~Eric

Wed, Oct 12th - 1:37PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

   You and I have now reviewed the assurance of our salvation, how we know that we are saved.  We have also reviewed the security of our salvation, how we can never lose our salvation.  Unfortunately, very many believers in Christ are content to go only this far:  to have salvation but have very little joy or enjoyment of that salvation.

   My earlier friend with the great wealth stored up in the bank vault may have the assurance that he is rich, and he may even have the cecurity of knowing that his deposits are safe.  But if he refuses to spend any of it and is content to live a pauper's life, we would feel that he does not have the enjoyment of those riches.  Objectively he is wealthy, but in his practical experience he has nothing.

   And that is the condition of way too many Christians today.  They are saved, but day to day living is lacking the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8).  But God's intention is that we not only have Christ, but that we enjoy Him, even to the uttermost (John 10:10; Philippians 4:4).  "The thief does not come except to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly."  "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice."  The normal condition of a Christian is to exult with joy unspeakable and full of glory; to live an abundant life and not one of paucity.  This does not mean that each believer is meant to become wealthy in material things but to become rich spiritually. 

   The reality is that all of us will have times when we do not have this overflowing joy in our lives.  Does this mean that we have lost our salvation?  No it does not!  Our salvation is based upon God and not upon ourselves.  But we most certainly can lose our joy.

The Loss of Joy

   What then can cause us to sometimes lose our joy?  The very top item is sin.  Joy depends upon our having unbroken fellowship with God, but sin always separates us from God and causes God to hide His face from us (Isaiah 59:1-2).  Another item is grieving the Holy Spirit.  "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30)."  When we are redeemed, saved, born again, we become God's temple and have His Spirit living within us (I Corinthians 6:17; Romans 8:9,11,16).  This is not a "force" or a "thing" but it is a living person, Jesus Christ Himself (I Corinthians 15:45; II Corinthians 3:17; 13:5).  And like every other living person He has feelings and attitudes.  So when we speak or do things contrary to Him, He becomes grieved within us.  When He becomes grieved in this fashion our spirit also becomes grieved and we lose our joy.  We may still experience times of happiness but they will be fleeting and we will be left with an overwhelming sense of uneasiness and unsettledness in our life. 

Maintaining Joy in our Life

   Our salvation is just like a huge rock, immovable, but the joy of our salvation is more like a delicate flower which requires the most meticulous cultivation of its environment in which to flourish.  Allow in pollutants and the flower will wilt and die.  It is something which we must work at cultivating and nourishing.  This "flower" would grow best if it were to remain close to the "rock" where the shade provided by its stature protects the flower from the scorching rays of the sun.  Allow the flower to stray out too far from the protection of the rock and it will end up exposed to the elements and will eventually die.  The same can be said of our joy in relation to our salvation.

   How to maintain our joy then?  First, by confessing our sins, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:7,9)."  By confessing our sins to God His blood cleanses us, and our fellowship with Him is restored in whole.  After King David sinned he prayed in Psalm 51:12 for restoration of fellowship with God in salvation.  We do not need to wait for the proper time.  There isn't a special day of the week for confession of sins to God.  There is no special person to whom you must go to confess your sins.  Go to Christ Jesus and confess your sins to Him alone, His precious blood was spilled out in order to cleanse you from every sin and He shall forgive you of them today.

   Secondly, we can take God's Word as our spiritual food.  Jeremiah said in 15:16 that God's words were found and that he ate them.  He further stated that God's Word became to him the joy and rejoicing of his heart.  Often we find that after reading and praying upon God's Word our heart is just brimming over with enjoyment and satisfaction.  Christians ought to continually feed and feast on God's Word (Matthew 4:4) so that they obtain joy in life and become mature believers.

   Third, we can pray.  Often after opening up our heart to God during times of fervent prayer we sense a deep joy and contentment within ourselves.  Isaiah 56:7 tells us that God will cause us to rejoice in His house of prayer.  Genuine prayer is not the recitation of familiar or memorized words and phrases.  Genuine prayer is a pouring out of our heart and soul to God.  John 16:24 declares to us that we are to ask and receive in order that our joy be made full.  Without prayer we can't achieve full joyfulness in our lives. 

   Lastly, we can fellowship with other believers in Christ Jesus.  Great enjoyment is gained by a Christian when he/she is together with others who also love and enjoy Christ.  First John 1:3-4 says, "That you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.  And these things we write that our joy may be made full."  Fellowship is not a duty, it is an enjoyment that is the greatest joy on earth. 

   That is all for today beloved.  Next time I am going to write about the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  See you all then!

~Eric

Tue, Oct 11th - 1:02PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

We Become God's Children.

   When we are saved, we not only receive something; we also become something.  We become children of God, born of His eternal life (John 1:12-13).  Human fathers may take back a gift they have given to their children, but they can never take back the life which he has imparted.  The child may misbehave, but the child is still the father's.  In like fashion we are God's children.  We may have many weaknesses and may require His discipline, but our weaknesses and sins can't change the fact that we are His children.  By our second birth we received eternal life, the indestructible life, the life of God, the life that can't ever die.  Once we are reborn we can never be "un-born."

   Continuing our look into reasons for feeling secure of our salvation we find one is God's strength.  God is unwilling to allow anyone or anything to snatch us away from Him.  Here is what Jesus said, "And I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand (John 10:28-29)."  The hand of the Father and the hand of the the Son are one and the same.  Not only is God stronger than Satan, He is also stronger than we are and of all the peoples of the earth combined. 

   We must realize, and understand, that God never changes.  If it were possible to lose my salvation then I would have lost it a long time ago.  As finite beings we go through many, many changes over the course of our lifetimes.  One day we are passionate in serving God, the next day we are dispassionate to the things of God.  Our salvation is not based upon our ever-changing feelings, or emotions in general.  It is rooted and grounded in a God who is unchanging in His love and faithfulness toward us (Malachi 3:6).  James 1:17 tells us, "The Father of lights, with whom is no variation or shadow cast by turning."  Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "His compassions do not fail; they are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness."  He who loved us enough to save us surely loves us enough to keep us in that same salvation. 

   Christ Himself promised to keep us, uphold us, and to never leave us.  People may frequently be unrighteous in keeping their promises to us.  Christ Jesus will never fail to accomplish what He has pledged to do.  "Him who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out (John 6:37)."  "I shall by no means give you up, neither by any means shall I abandon you (Hebrews 13:5)."  The promises given here are unconditional: "By no means."  Under no circumstances will God ever cast us out or cease to support us.  This is His faithful promise, soberly given to us who choose to believe.

   That is our security for our salvation.  We have God's selection, His predestination, His calling, His love, His grace, His righteousness, His life, His strength, His unchanging faithfulness, and His promises as the foundation, collateral, and security of our salvation.  We can therefore declare, "I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard my deposit unto that day (II Timothy 1:12)."

   Well, that rounds out looking at why we have security in our salvation.  Next time I shall write down some things concerning how to obtain joy, what causes us to lose joy, and how to maintain joy in our lives.  May grace and peace clothe you, may the light of Jesus's smiling face light up your day, and may you be a shining light in the life of at least one person this day!

~Eric

Thu, Oct 6th - 1:02PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

The Security of Salvation

   Once a person has received the assurance that he/she is really saved, they may stop and think, "I know that I am saved today, but what about tomorrow?  Is it possible for me to lose my salvation?"  For this person it is no longer a question of assurance but one about security.

   A person with millions of dollars in the bank has the assurance that the wealth is theirs.  But if the bank insists on leaving their vault unlocked, this person will have an urgent problem with the security of their money.  They know they are wealthy today, but they will be unsure about being so tomorrow.

   It is easy to think that our salvation is like that wealth in the bank.  Is it truly something which we have now but may lose at any moment in the future?  The answer is no.  Ecclesiastes 3:14 provides us with security: "I know that whatever God does, it will be forever."  Our salvation is irreversible.  Once we are in the hand of Christ no one and nothing is able to remove us from God.  Our salvation is eternal for its very basis is the very nature and person of God Himself.

Salvation Was Initiated by God.

   "You did not choose Me, but I chose you (John 15:16)."  Salvation was God's idea, not ours.  In eternity distant we were chosen and even marked out by God (Ephesians 1:4-5).  Since God knew what our choices would be, He chose to call us out from the rest of the world.  Romans 8:29-30 is the passage which informs us of this high calling by God.  Since it was God's plan to save us, it is also His plan to keep us in that salvation.  It is impossible for God to choose to abandon those whom He has called to salvation. 

God's Love and Grace are Eternal.

   What's more, God's love and grace toward us are not conditional or temporary.  It was not love from our side that saved us, but love from God's side (I John 4:10).  He loves us with an eternal love (Jeremiah 31:3).  His grace was toward us in eternity past, before the world even began (II Timothy 1:9).  When Christ Jesus loves us, He loves us to the uttermost (John 13:1).  No sin, failure, or weakness on our part can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35-39).  We may lose spiritual rewards, but we do not lose our salvation.

God is Righteous.

   Our salvation is anchored not only upon God's love and grace, but even more upon God's righteousness.  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 89:14).  If God were to be unrighteous, His throne would lose its foundation.  So, if our salvation in any way involves God's righteousness, it is very, very, strong indeed.

   If I run a red light and are given a $50 fine, that fine is a righteous penalty, and the law of the land demands that I pay it.  If a civil judge simply overlooks my offense and releases me without having to pay, he is an unrighteous judge.  It is not a matter of whether or not the judge loves me; he is bound by the law to collect the penalty.

   Likewise, our problem before God before we became saved was a legal one.  We had broken God's law by our sin and had thus incurred the law's righteous judgment.  According to God's law, the penalty for sinning is death (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4).  It is not a matter of God loving us, overlooking our sins, and forgetting about the law's judgment.  For God to ignore the law, and His character, would jeopardize His throne.  God is bound by His own law to judge sin for His law originates from His very character.

   What to do, what to do?  Since God desired to save us and since we could not pay the debt of sin ourselves without ceasing to exist, He in His infinite mercy decided to pay the debt Himself.  Jesus the Christ, the Incarnate God, came to die on the cross to pay the debt for our sin.  Having absolutely no sin Himself, He alone was qualified to die this substitutionary death.  His death, being considered by God as ours, was acceptable to God, and He raised Him from the dead.  Now when we believe in Christ, His death is counted in God's sight as our own.  In this way our debt of sin is righteously paid, and we are redeemed and reconciled back to God.

   But, can God take back this salvation which Christ has purchased for us with His very blood?  No!  To demand that the debt be paid a second time would constitute unrighteousness and God is not unrighteous.  The same righteousness which orignally called for our condemnation now calls for our justification.  Even a worldly judge would not demand the same penalty be paid twice.  God's Word declares that when we are saved by God, He shows us His righteousness (Romans 1:16-17; 3:25-26).

That is all for today beloved.  Next time I will post about how we have become God's children.  May you have a glorious day and feel the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

~Eric

Wed, Oct 5th - 1:25PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

The Assurance of Salvation

   If you have recently experienced receiving Christ, you may very well have had times when you doubted the reality of receiving Him; you may have doubted if you were really saved.  Without the real assurance of salvation as your foundation upon which to build your life, it is difficult to grow and experience the deeper things of the Christian life.  However, the Bible states that it is possible to know absolutely, without question, that you are a saved person.  How? 

"I have written these things to you that you may know that you have eternal life, to you who believe on the name of the Son of God (I John 5:13)."  Notice the terms used here.  "That you may know" and not "that you may think."  There is no need to wait until we die to find out, this assurance is ours to enjoy today, and every day.

   There are three ways to achieve this assurance of salvation.  1)   God says so.  The very first means of assurance is God's Word.  Man's word often is untrustworthy but God's remains sure and steadfast.  From Hebrews 6:18 and Numbers 23:19 we find out that it is impossible for God to lie.  Furthermore, whatever God says stands firm forever (Psalm 119:89).

   God's Word is neither vague nor intangible.  It plainly states what God expects from each of us, what our choices are, and what the consequences of our choices will be.  The Bible is God's very Word, inspired by Him (II Timothy 3:16).  It was memorized and passed down from generation to generation, then written down on scrolls, and finally written down in book form by inspired individuals.  And yet we can take this Word, believe this Word, and trust this Word.

So what does God say about salvation?  In John 3:16, 14:6, Acts 10:43 and 16:31 God says that the way of salvation is a person, Jesus Christ.  He says that whosoever believes that Jesus Christ is God and has risen from the dead and confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord of all is saved.  He says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:9-13).  I ask you this:  Have you done this?  Have you believed in Christ and confessed openly that He is your Lord?  Have you called upon the name of Christ?  If you have, you are really saved, you have repented of your sins.  God says so.

   2)  The Holy Spirit bears witness.  Not only do we have God's Word outside of us telling us we are saved, but we also have a witness inside of us telling us that we are saved.  What the Bible speaks to us from without, the Spirit confirms from within us.  I John 5:10 says, "He who believes unto the Son of God has the testimony in himself." 

   After we receive Christ, sometimes we may not feel saved.  Irregardless, if we check within the deepest part of ourselves, with our spirit, we find a kind of inner witness, an assurance, that we are children of God.  "The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16)."  It is very difficult to declare verbally that you are not a child of God if you, in reality, are a child of God.  Why?  Because the Holy Spirit dwelling within you bears witness continually that you are indeed a child of God.

3)  Our love for the Brethren is proof.  The third means of assurance is our love for other believers in Christ Jesus.  I John 3:14 says, "We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers."  A saved person senses a desire to fellowship, to enjoy Christ with others who are saved.  It is one of the clearest signs of a saved person.  This love transcends the cheap, selfish "love" that we find throughout our current culture.  It is a love which is impartial, it does not esteem one over another.  It is the real oneness and harmony the world longs for and yet can't attain through its efforts.  Yet it is ours when we receive Christ Jesus.  It leads to unity of thought, heart, and efforts. 

So by these three witnesses: God's Word, the Holy Spirit's inner witness, and our love for fellow believers, we may know and be known to be really saved from our sins.

Next time, God willing, I shall post about the security of salvation.  Grace and peace be with you!

~Eric

Tue, Oct 4th - 12:54PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

Man's Regeneration

   Since Christ Jesus has given the life-giving Holy Spirit, man can now receive God's life into his spirit.  Biblically this is called regeneration "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (I Peter 1:3)."  "Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3)."  We can see then, that without spiritual rebirth through accepting Christ's resurrection one can't see the kingdom of God for it is of the divine realm and divine things are discerned by those who possess the divine life.  Thus, one obtains the divine life through becoming regenerated through the resurrection of Jesus.  Man must repent to God and believe wholeheartedly in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21; 16:31).

God's Full Salvation

   After regeneration, believers need to be baptized if at all possible (Mark 16:16).  This verse points out that there are two parts to salvation.  One can't be baptized without believing and expect forgiveness of sins.  One can believe and not be baptized, however, it is to be saved only inwardly without an outward affirmation of the inward salvation.  Moreover, the water baptism should be accompanied by a spiritual baptism, even as the children of Israel were baptized in the sea and in the cloud (I Corinthians 10:2; 12:13).  This was accomplished during the parting of the Red Sea with the Lord encompassed within the pillar of cloud. 

   Then God begins the lifelong process of gradually engrafting Himself as life from the believer's spirit into his soul (Ephesians 3:17).  This process is called transformation (Romans 12:2) and requires human cooperation (Philippians 2:12).  The believer cooperates by allowing the Lord to spread into his soul until all his desires, thoughts, and decisions become one with those of Christ Jesus.  Finally, at the return of Jesus Christ, God will completely fill the believer's body with His life.  That will be the time of glorification (Philippians 3:21), which is implied by the word "will."  This tells us that it is something yet to come, for our bodies have yet to be transfigured and conformed to the body of Christ's glory.  So rather than being empty and damaged in each part of ourselves, we are filled and saturated with the life of God.  This is God's full salvation, something which we will not attain until after Christ returns in all of His glory.  Upon receiving this life from Christ a believer needs to attend Christian worship services and bible studies in order to be nourished by the life of God so that they may grow spiritually.  In fellowship with other believers in the Body of Christ a believer can enjoy the riches of the presence of Christ. 

That is all the time I have today for this study beloved!  I encourage you all to study out those passages cited, to study other verses that are suggested by these scriptures so that you gain a more complete picture in your mind about regeneration, transformation, and glorification.  May grace an peace be with you today!

~Eric

Sun, Oct 2nd - 6:48PM

BASIC ELEMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE

Wonder why you are alive in this world?  Wonder what the purpose of your life is?  I suggest that there are six keys that can unlock this mystery.

1.  God's Plan

   We can learn in Romans 8:29 that God really desires to express Himself through man.  In order to accomplish this, God created man in His own image, as accounted in Genesis 1:26.  Just as a glove is made in the image of a hand to contain a hand, so also Man is made in the image of God to contain God.  By receiving God as his content, man can express God (II Corinthians 4:7).

2.   Man

   To fulfill His plan, God made man as a vessel (Romans 9:21-24).  This particular vessel is composed of three parts:  body, soul, and spirit (I Thessalonians 5:23).  Please envision three concentric circles, the body is the outermost circle with the soul as the next circle and with the spirit as the innermost circle of the three.  The body contacts and receives the things of the physical realm around it.  The soul, the mental faculty, contacts and receives the things of the psychological realm.  And the spirit, the innermost part of a person, was made to contact and receive God Himself (John 4:24).  Man was not created to merely contain food in his stomach, or to contain knowledge in his mind, but to contain God in his spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

3.   Man's Fall

   But unfortunately, before man could receive God as life into his spirit, sin entered into him (Romans 5:12).  Sin deadened his spirit (Ephesians 2:1), made him an enemy of God in his mind (Colossians 1:21), and changed his body into sinful flesh (Genesis 6:3; Romans 6:12).  And so sin damaged all three parts of man, separating him from God.  In this condition man could not receive God.

4.  Christ's Redemption for God's Dispensing

<God> -------> Incarnation ---> Human living ---> Crucifixion    Resurrection --->

                                                                                           |           /

                                                                                           |         /

                                                                                           |       /

                                                                                       Burial 

----> Ascension, life-giving Spirit given

                                                           \

                                                              \

                                                                 \

                                                               To dwell within Man

I hope that you can follow this diagram.  Man's fall did not deter/stop God from fulfilling His original plan.  In order to accomplish this plan, God had to become a man called Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14).  Then Christ had to die on the cross to redeem man (Ephesians 1:7), thus removing his sin (John 1:29) and bringing him back to God (Ephesians 2:13).  Finally, during the resurrection, He became the life-giving Spirit (I Corinthians 15:45b) so that He could dispense His unsearchablely rich life into man's spirit (John 20:22; 3:6). 

That is all for tonight beloved!  This breaks things down to very basic elements for consumption by those who have an unclear notion of what the basic problem is with mankind and what the solution must be to fix mankind's brokenness of spirit.  This brokenness creates conflicts which then forces upon mankind flight/denial or blame/assault choices in attempting to resolve the conflicts.  As we have seen during the past forty years, the blame/assault choices have lead to murder, slander, battery, and finally to litigation which makes lawyers very, very wealthy.  The culture of litigation must be broken and recreated into peacemaking and reconciliation of disagreeing parties. 

~Eric