Random thoughts (sin)
Sin:
Believing any deception that is less then what God says or believes of you could satisfy more then what He has already provided for you….
Was the first sin the apple or was it the lie that they were anything less then perfect already and that God was holding out on them.
“If you DO this you can become this…”
Adam thought by DOING he could BECOME …
Someone said earlier today that “it is anything that displeases God” I have issues with that idea. I argue or believe He doesn’t see the things that we do or have done that would displease mortal man. He already died and forgave all sin. As far as the east is from the west “who is man that God is mindful of him?” His thoughts are full of you, as the sands of the sea, He knows the hairs of your head! Romans 6:10-11 He died once for all sin.
1 John 4:17 GOD’S WORD® Translation
God’s love has reached its goal in us. So we look ahead with confidence to the day of judgment. While we are in this world, we are exactly like him.
Martyn Lloyd Jones has a paraphrase of the above verse:
“What’s true of Him is true of you.”
Francois Du Toit says it like this “He (Jesus) is not an example for you but of you.” He came up behind me put his arms around me and spoke this to me. It was impactful to say the least.
John Crowder speaks about freedom from the sin nature. Three years ago i would have thought this was heretical but after experiencing what could be called a revelation of my identity as being defined by what God days about me rather than finding it in anything less i see how that can be.
I used to concentrate on overcoming my sin nature, i would strive and contrive to push past the garbage to succeed but to only fall short every time. To become centered on Him at what he says about me is freeing. Knowing i am a new creation and sin is not debited against me and grace credited to cover all my failures. It draws one in to want more.
Just my random thoughts
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Do you need some spiritual Dr. Phil time?
Martyn Lloyd Jones has made the statement “What’s true of Him is true of you.” many times over. If I say this to people I often get the odd stare or the reaction of What! It seems to many to be heretical, but is it?
1 Jonn 4:17 and 1 John 2:8 both have the verbage stating as he is we are also and which is true in Him and in you. Is it so brazen a statement? Or are we just believing less than what we are called to be?
We were created in God’s very image. I’m not saying we are gods but yes we are definitely more than we have been lead to think. We are like Him, we are more spirit based and eternal than we are physical. He is our source. He is our dad. We are his heirs and as his heirs we can walk in that place of sonship and authority.
The prodigal son and his brother never lost that relationship bond to their father. They both were full heirs at all times. They both were decieved into thinking less than that and because of that, they both needed some Dr Phil time (ie. Identity counseling) to be restored to their original relationship to their father.
Do you need some spiritual Dr. Phil time?
1 John 2:7-8
ESV
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Mirror Word
7 My beloved family, I know that the words I write to you here may not immediately remind you of Moses; this does not mean that it is a new doctrine, it is the ancient conversation that echoes God’s voice prophetically! It is indeed the very conclusion of the word which you have heard from the beginning!
8 And yet it is a glorious new message that I am writing to you! You may ask, “How can that which is old also be new?” Herein is the secret of its newness: whatever is true of Jesus is equally true of you! The days of the dominance of darkness as a reference to human life, are over! The true light surely shines with bold certainty and illuminates your life as it is unveiled in Christ.
(The word kainos means, fresh, recent, unused, unworn, of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of. The freshness of this encounter is celebrated in a fellowship of exactly the same oneness enjoyed between the Father and the Son! The word parago suggests that darkness no longer has any sway over you. The word ede, even now: – already, by this time; from ē [pronounced ay] an adverb of confirmation; assuredly: – surely; and dē [pronounced day] which is a particle of emphasis or explicitness; now, then, etc.: – also, and, doubtless, now, therefore.)
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Exposition of Romans (MP3 Series) by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones | Monergism
Exposition of Romans (MP3 Series) by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
I have personally been impacted by Martyn Lloyd Jones commentary and teaching on Romans immensely. I encourage you to dig into these. He has a 14 volume commentary on Romans that is kinda awesome. If I had the ~$300 to drop right now I would have it in my library right now. I am in the proces of picking a volume up here and there.
I recommend diving into Romans 5-8 to begin with. Stay there for two to three months. It will change your life. Hold your theology loose, let God help you keep the life and sift out the stagnant parts. In the past 14 months I have let God shake my foundation. He has, oh he has. It is and has been the best thing I have ever let happen.
No New Testament epistle is more foundational to the faith than Romans, and no exposition of Paul’s letter is more insightful than that of Lloyd-Jones.
Drawn from his messages at Westminster Chapel from 1955 to 1968, this masterful series of sermons blends evangelical interpretation with practical applications to provide sound doctrinal teaching on this fundamental document. This series is also available in Hardcover.
Exposition of Romans (14 Volume Set)
by Martyn Lloyd Jones
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Belief & Identity
Believing what God already believes about you will change everything!
His beliefs about you are so much greater than anything you will even be able to remotely comprehend!
Let Him establish your identity no other source. All others sources for your identity are inferior. His beliefs and view of you are perfect. Rest in that thought…..
2 Corinthians 3:18
The days of window-shopping are over! In him every face is unveiled. In gazing with wonder at the blueprint likeness of God displayed in human form, we suddenly realize that we are looking at ourselves! Every feature of his image is mirrored in us! This is the most radical transformation engineered by the Spirit of the Lord; we are led from an inferior mind-set to the revealed endorsement of our authentic identity. Mankind is his glory!
A mirror shows what is directly in front of it. It does not show a past or future version of what is in front of it but that which is there at that immediate moment. He is mirrored perfectly in us, we are mirrored perfectly in Him right now.
He is my identity! What’s true of Him is true of you!
(The word, anakekalumeno, is a perfect passive participle from anakalupto; ana, a preposition denoting upward, to return again, and kalupto, to uncover, unveil. The word, katoptrizomenoi, is the present middle participle from katoptrizomai, meaning to gaze into a reflection, to mirror oneself. The word metamorphumetha is a present passive indicative from metamorpho; meta, together with, and meros, form. [The word commonly translated for sin, hamartia, is the opposite of this as ha, means without, and meros, form.] The word, eikon, translates as exact resemblance, image and likeness; eikon always assumes a prototype, that which it not merely resembles, but from that which it is drawn; doxa, glory, translates as mind-set, opinion from dokeo, authentic thought. Changed ‘from glory to glory’, apo doxes eis doxan; eis, a point reached in conclusion; apo, away from, meaning away from the glory that previously defined us, i.e. our own achievements or disappointments, to the glory of our original design that now defines us. [Paul writes in Romans 1:17 about the unveiling of God’s righteousness and then says it is from faith to faith. Here he does not use the word apo, but the preposition, ek, which always denotes source or origin.] Two glories are mentioned in this chapter; the glory of the flesh, and the unfading glory of God’s image and likeness redeemed in us. The fading glory represented in the dispensation of the law of Moses is immediately superseded by the unveiling of Christ in us! Some translations of this scripture reads, “we are being changed from glory to glory.” This would suggest that change is gradual and will more than likely take a lifetime, which was the typical thinking that trapped Israel for forty years in the wilderness of unbelief! We cannot become more than what we already are in Christ. We do not grow more complete; we simply grow in the knowledge of our completeness! [See Col 3:10] We are not changed “from one degree of glory to another,” or step by step. How long does it take the beautiful swan to awaken to the truth of its design? The ugly duckling was an illusion! Whatever it was that endorsed the ‘ugly duckling’ mindset, co-died together with Christ!)
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What if…
What if? I have learned a lot about looking at churches and people. Don’t!
There is a God that has already provided the breakthrough. He had a plan and finished that plan prior to Genesis. He completed his work and has been resting ever since. He asks us to enter His rest as well. That is all. He (being outside of time) planned the fall, the cross, the redemption, and the grace for it all to happen. Adam’s fall was not a mistake. I have or am entering into the realization of this and it is beyond liberating and captivating. I also have gotten beyond looking to a person or group to speak my past, present, or future identity. My bi-polar Christianity is a thing of the past. The only view God will ever have of me is that of forgiven, holy, pure…. this has set my spirit free.
Romans 8:1
Therefore there is now no more condemnation fir sin for those who are (found) in Christ Jesus.
Or
Now the decisive conclusion is this: every bit of condemning evidence against us is canceled. My identity is (and can only be) found in Him.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
The Lord and the Spirit are one; his Lordship sanctions our freedom. A freedom from rules chiseled in stone to the voice of our redeemed design echoing in our hearts! The days of window-shopping are over! In him every face is unveiled. In gazing with wonder at the blueprint likeness of God displayed in human form, we suddenly realize that we are looking at ourselves! Every feature of his image is mirrored in us! This is the most radical transformation engineered by the Spirit of the Lord; we are lead from an inferior mindset to the revealed endorsement of our authentic identity. Mankind is his glory!
I look back at all the years I looked to people to tell me who I was. I look back at all the years I strove to try to attain a footing before God. The years (30+) where my bipolar relationship with God was based on my works. Looking in a mirror shows not the past or the future but what is in front of it at that exact moment. “Every feature of his image is mirrored in us!” We were made in his image. I am complete in him NOW. We can believe that by praying over our food it is sanctified immediately. We believe that if we pray and accept Christ we are saved on the spot. Why do we continue to think that our sanctification, our justification, or or righteousness has to be a long drawn out process. If I can believe for food to be sanctified immediately why not people?
Romans 6:10-11
His appointment with death was once-off. As far as sin is concerned, he is dead. The reason for his death was to take away the sin of the world; his life now exhibits our union with the life of God.
This reasoning is equally relevant to you. Calculate the cross; there can only be one logical conclusion: he died your death; that means you died unto sin, and now live unto God. Sin-consciousness can never again feature in your future! You are in Christ Jesus; his lordship is the authority of this union.
He doesn’t have to be crucified again every time someone sins. He died once for all sins. He forgave them all one time never to look back at them or see them again. He only sees man forgiven (forever and ever). That is his only view of you! To be found in him is the key here. Looking at Romans 3:18 we are found in him because he is found in us. Man is made in his image we are the only being compatible for him to be in. His image is our identity. He is my identity. I am his address. He is my blueprint.
“What’s true of him, is true of you.”
Martyn Lloyd Jones
“He is the I am in you.”
Francois Du Toit
“He’s not an example for you but of you.”
Uknown
Through the work of the cross we were given our original identity back, the curse of the law was broken. We were co-crucified, co-buried, co-resurrected, and given the free gift if our redeemed innocence. We can do nothing to attain it, it is a gift freely given. Enter into his rest.
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Did not require a plan “B”
The fall was not a mistake, was part of the plan, the law was necessary to show that man needed God. If man was able to succeed and attain position before God on mans merit than Jesus’s death on the cross would never been needed. His death revealed the life IN HIM, being found IN HIM is amazing. I’ve heard it preached that Adam messed up and God had to pull out plan B and mop up the mess.
2 Corinthians 3:14-15
The work of the cross is freeing! He created all mankind and forgave all mankind at the same time. Step into accept this free gift. The only view God has or ever will have of me is forgiven and righteous IN Him. The act of the cross restored all mankind to its original identity! A re-genesis into redeemed innocence!
My identity is IN HIM, only he can define who I am. He is the not an example for me but of me!
“What’s true of Him, is true of you. ”
Martyn Lloyd Jones
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What’s up with Sodom
I was wasting time surfing Facebook this week and I saw a post that grabbed my attention. It was a question, the question was :
“What was the sin of Sodom and Gamorah?”
You saw the typical answers; pride, immorality, homosexuality, messing with angels, idolatry, disobedience, sex outside of marriage, etc. It made me think, what was their sin?
Was it homosexuality? Was it pride? Was it immortality? At the root I say nope. The root of sin is a deception in my opinion. Believing a lie. Sin in its essence is man saying that man can do something without God. Think about it. Man trying to gratify or or satisfy his own desires or needs.
Sin is tied back to mans striving to achieve on his own accord, believing the lie or deception of self. In the garden Adam’s sin was believing he could be like God by the enlightenment of eating of the the apple. He thought if he did something he could do or be something. Under the law forgiveness required a sacrifice an action on mans part. Jesus came and destroyed the law. He wiped out the need for action on man’s part. We were co-crucified and co-resurrected with him. In this we were restored to our original identity, a redeemed innocence.
Here’s the kicker! Adam was already like God! He was made in God’s image. He believed the original lie and that lie was he was not like God and satan made him think if he did something on his own accord he could attain a god like status.
Now for our kicker! We are also made in God’s image. I’ve said it before and if you come back a month later you will probably see it again. Martyn Lloyd Jones (1899-1981) said “what’s true of Him (God) is true of you.” Jesus the final Adam said “if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the father.”
We are in a better position then Adam ever was. He walked with God. God now resides within man. His address is you. Most people believe the lie that God is far off and we must struggle, strive, and strain to get God to even consider giving his attention to us. Do you not understand that God left the heavenlies to pursue man. We aren’t pets we are his sons and daughters. He knew you and justified you into his righteousness before the world was formed. The only thing required of us is to accept the free gift of his grace and acceptance. He even supplies the faith to believe it.
There is a God and he likes you and sees you pure and sin free (spotless) and that is the only view of you!
That is all for now…
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Alive in….death
“We can do nothing, it is all of God… If God had not quickened us we should still be dead. A dead man cannot give himself life. God quickened us, and because God has put new life into us we are alive in Christ Jesus, and in the realm of the Spirit.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
(Romans – The Sons Of God)
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