What could be a scary thought for some? How bout' this--The thought that as a Christian you can do whatever you want......scary?
Consider this Bible verse:
"All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." 1 Corinthians 10:23
All things are lawful for me? That flies in the face of traditional thinking about Christian morals, rights and wrongs--Doesn't it?
You see as Christians we are no longer slaves to the law. In amazing mercy, Jesus was the sacrifice that allowed us to be forgiven of our sins by no work of our own. So that we were no longer subject to trying to live up to God's perfect standards (the laws) And we were given the Christ's life in exchange for our own by the grace of God.
So we are truly free to do whatever we want, because the law no longer applies to us. Woo hoo! Now that's freedom! It's so sad to see so many people that see the Christian life as a life that is summed up by a comment such as:
"If you're a good Christian, everything is a sin"
This is the definitely one of the most incorrect yet universally accepted doctrines of the secular, and sadly, Christian world. I guess this verse was skimmed over.
Before you get crazy and start to plan your debaucherous plight through every forbidden pleasure imaginable, pay attention to the rest of the verse. When you read the rest you start to get a handle on why this isn't so scary after all. "but not all things are helpful...but not all things edify."
You have the freedom to do whatever you want. But what will keep you from doing the things that aren't "helpful" and don't "edify"? Well, remember when I said that you received the life of Christ in exchange for your own at salvation?
Christ's life is the key. You won't have to worry about what is right or wrong. You don't need laws to tell you. Your identity is a righteous one, so your natural nature is to glorify God and to do the things that please him!
You have a little thing called a conscience that lets you know when you're messing up. And God is able to keep you from stumbling. A personal relationship with God will keep you from sin.
Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk in the Spirit and [then] you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Don't get it twisted and try to Not fulfill the lust of the flesh to walk in the spirit.
For some reason, probably due to their engrained behavior orientated nature, most people read this verse as "if you don't fulfill the lust of the flesh then you'll be walking in the spirit." or at least that's how most people put it to use.
Most Christians see their Christian walk as one where they try to reach the righteousness of God by trying to make their behavior fall in line first. Relying on our power to bring us to the spiritual place we want to be at is a mistake and most often leads to failure.
Tis' a shame I say. If this were a math equation you would have an order of operations that must be followed to get to the correct answer. The order of operations isn't behaving like a Christian to walk in the spirit. It is walking in the spirit, then you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Your behavior will fall in line when you are "walking in the spirit." Because the object of your concern will be your righteous father. You are allowing him to express his life through you and he knows no other way than to do it righteously and avoiding "the lusts of the flesh" or sin.
That's one of the keys to being successful in most anything in life. Your Focus. Look around for my other article, "your Focus determines your reality", to find out more about how your focus is Crucial to the success of any endeavor.
I hope this article has challenged you to look at the object of your faith Jesus and opened up communication with him over this "scary thought", I look forward to hearing from you!
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Who Else Wants to Experience The Abundant, Care-free Life of Being a Better Christian Day In and Day Out and Experiencing the Guiltless Joy of Living Life Without Limits or Having to Worry About Following a Bunch of Uptight Rules?" Click Here> http://www.christthroughme.com/ctmbook.html
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
elite cleaning services Mundelein ..This statement sounds incredible. ASK and it shall be given.... Read More
Uh, oh. I'm in trouble now. I found God. Now... Read More
As communion was being passed this morning, I listened to... Read More
I honestly am not sure why this hit me so... Read More
In Corrogue I am seeking the source of inner beauty.This... Read More
The normal Aquarian preoccupation with rational science is clearly seen... Read More
Do you go to God seeking His will for your... Read More
2 Corinthians 6:17-6:17For God so loved the world, that He... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
In His graciousness, God has blessed us to enter a... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
Chaos: "complete confusion" and "the formless void before the creation... Read More
Surveys show that religion and spirituality play a central role... Read More
Burn out, it can happen to anyone. Some of the... Read More
"Ask and it shall be given" is a phrase we... Read More
"In the sixth century of the sixth millennium, the gates... Read More
Who is God? This question would sound awkward to 80%... Read More
It's human nature to point a finger when we think... Read More
If I speak in the tongues of men and of... Read More
We all hear of the concept of the "Enlightened Master",... Read More
Lately I have become aware of a new truth that... Read More
I know God will not give me anything I can't... Read More
The expression "Spiritual Enlightenment" has been used often in reference... Read More
The Planetary Spread is an excellent layout to use when... Read More
The good that Paul writes about is a commitment of... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Mundelein ..Recently I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond".... Read More
Everyone is busy nowadays. It's hard to find time for... Read More
My mentor, a brilliant Ph.D, with a powerful marriage counseling... Read More
Action dakini gets everything done. When wanting and grasping hold... Read More
In the interest of mankind the Angels are delivering messages... Read More
I have discovered as I grow older in Christ Jesus... Read More
One of the biggest myths to evolve in the growing... Read More
I was in the bank's vault. The Brink's armored truck... Read More
Obviously, if you really want to learn about the meanings... Read More
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,... Read More
I have, in my opinion, the world's perfect job. Just... Read More
One cannot make a decision in the moment of now.... Read More
Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
I had visions of my daughter for about five years... Read More
I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. Maybe you've heard... Read More
Realisation and repeated memorization of the true knowledge is the... Read More
We make sense of our world via the senses. The... Read More
One does not have to live long to realize that... Read More
Since the beginning of time mankind has pondered, who God... Read More
The psalms of the Bible are a literary treasure chest... Read More
Jesus said, "No one can see the Kingdom of Heaven... Read More
My thoughts can get a little edgy at night. Possibly... Read More
(Channelled)Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth.What has love got to... Read More
I can't boast about my culinary skill, because I just... Read More
The gate of every year is the begining of that... Read More
Spirituality |