|
Home
Archive
April
March
February
Comments
and/or Questions
|
Friday, April 4,
2008
Impossible
Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (5) And have tasted the good word of
God, and the powers of the world to come, (6) If they shall fall away, to
renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son
of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (KJV)
Do you remember how you were first saved
and entered into the realm of the Spirit? This new found life of love, joy,
peace; was it something you did that made it happen or was it someone you
believed in that made it happen? So if you entered this realm with this
simple thinking would not it be safe to say that in order to remain in this
realm it would take a simple faith in Christ to keep you there? And yet
with as simple as God made His plan of salvation why do so many fall away
again, backslide as some say, and are putting the Lord’s plan of salvation
for them to an open shame because they are no longer operating in His realm
but trying to mix faith and the works of the law, which is like the term
awfully good. The carnal mind is enmity with God and cannot be renewed into
the things of God because it is foolishness to those that are in the flesh.
Some people don’t like pointing the attention to our heavenly Father, but
rather enjoy keeping the spotlight on themselves and their works, thinking
God needs their help to accomplish His work.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 But the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
(15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged
of no man. (16) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (KJV)
When one is still trying to operate in
the things of God according to their own thoughts and ways they will miss
the mark and fall away. If one is not able to receive the things of God
then obviously they are not going to do those things that are pleasing to
Him, but rather they will continue in their quest to satisfy their own
carnal desires. Again we see the word discerned; it’s this lack of
discernment that causes many to fall back into the abyss of the flesh and
its dead end desires. While many should be teaching and instructing others
in the realm of the Spirit they have need that one teach them again the
spiritual meaning of the word of God. And rather than operating with the
mind and understanding of Christ they are no longer able to function in His
realm.
Romans 10:1-5 Brethren, my heart's desire
and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. (2) For I bear
them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
(3) For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to
establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God. (4) For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth. (5) For Moses describeth the
righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things
shall live by them. (KJV)
Have you ever gone back and read what the
Lord thinks of our own righteousness? How about the term self righteous,
which is not very flattering either? So why do so many miss the mark and
enter this realm of mission impossible? Once again we see that their carnal
thinking gets in the way and distorts the true meaning of God’s plan of
salvation for mankind. Rather than submit themselves to right standing with
God, which is only in Christ and that new creation being brought forth,
many fall away again by trying to establish their own. As we see in verse 4
Christ is the end of the law because He fulfilled it without sinning so
that we wouldn’t have to be held in bondage to it any longer. But as one
sees in the end of verse 4 it is only works by a simple belief, nothing
else. So in the end those who try to establish a relationship with the
Father by the law are those that choose to live or try to live in something
that is dead and should be left for dead. Again Church, without faith it is
impossible to please God and once you have stepped out of the realm of
faith or try to add anything else besides faith, like works, you have now
fallen under the title of a transgressor.
Romans 6:3-6 Know ye not, that so many of
us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (4)
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been planted together in
the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection: (6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin. (KJV)
When you think of baptism, do you just
think of the water ritual or are you able to discern the true meaning of
what our Lord was demonstrating and the spiritual implications of it? Again
we see similar to circumcision that it is not the outward one that the Lord
is looking to, but it is that new creature or creation within you that is
important. When you are baptized into Christ you are immersed into His plan
of salvation, a new way of life that the believer should be eating,
drinking and partaking of spiritually, not just some one and done ritual.
You have now been baptized and have entered a whole new realm of thinking
as well as living, a realm of faith no longer based on your works. You have
been planted like a seed into the fertile heavenly ground so that the
living waters could bring life to the new creation within you so that
Christ could again be resurrected within you and do those things that are
pleasing to God through you. You no longer have to be a servant of sin,
falling away into sin, but rather a new creation in Christ. Is your old
nature buried with Him and left for dead so that you can be a partaker of
the new nature, or are you hanging around the graveyard and digging up the
dirt? Remember our God is not a God of the dead, spiritually, but a God of
the living. So where are you finding life today; is it in Christ or are
still trying to do it by the works of the law which are no longer alive and
in play but dead and nailed to the cross of Christ?
Galatians 3:27-29 For as many of you as
have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28) There is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (29) And if ye be Christ's,
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (KJV)
Have you truly put on Christ or are you
just a put on? Those that have truly been baptized, immersed in His living
waters, will be walking in a newness of life and not the oldness of the
letter which kills and causes one to fall away. If you are truly Christ’s
then it can only be by believing in His promise of salvation and not of
works.
Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body, and
one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One
Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through all, and in you all. (KJV)
As we saw in Hebrews 6 that one of the
things that was causing people to fall away was their lack of discernment
concerning the doctrine of baptisms. While many still hold to the outward
ritual, which one do you believe our Lord is concerned with? Paul narrowed it
down to one baptism, which can only be established by one faith and belief
in our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you truly baptized into Christ and have put
Him on which makes all things possible to them that believe, or are you
still holding to the old laws and rituals that make it impossible to please
Him?
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are
we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (KJV)
I will let you decide and discern for
yourself so that you no longer will have to fall away, but be able to stay
seated in the heavenly places in Christ. God bless and hold fast.
|
