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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.
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