Growing closer to God Part 8

Christian Living Depends on Christ Learning.

I am a true believer in that you cannot learn the deepest secrets of the bible reading the bible only. First we understand that the Holy spirit brings enlightenment and truth and second we know we should not waste our time reinventing the wheel. In our current day and age information is literally at our finger tips. to many Christians are still eating baby food because they are trying to peel back layer of the bible people already peeled. Now reading books shouldn’t ever subsititute the reading of your bible, but rather they should come into agreement with your bible.

You can’t have a relationship if you aren’t constantly learning about the person you are with. The same is true about God. So with that Paul uses as a turning point in our relationship with God. Everything up to this point is what Paul refers to as infant faith. Meaning, it’s what people need to know about what Christ did for them.

Justification:

Christ Died for me

He died for the forgiveness of my sins

He paid sins penalty

He saved me from death

These are the answers I look for in anyone who wants to be baptised. This is the extent of the quiz.

But in order to grow in faith we must from from

Justification to IDENTIFICATION

Identification

I die with him daily

I die unto sin

I can live a free life through him

I become more like him

This is where Paul is getting us too between Romans chapter 6 and Romans chapter 8. A mature Christians understands and lives this concept:

Everything that happened to Christ Happens to us daily.

This is good news because although he dies-we die. He rose from the dead-We rise from the death to self. (significance of Baptism)

He sits in Heavenly places _According to

We sit in Heavenly places

There are three concepts conveys to the mature Chrsitian and they come from the three middle verses.

Paul wants us to know

Victory, Liberty, and Security.

Victory

Romans

Romans 6:1–6 ESV

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

We were a slave to sin. I find it interesting that people believe that if they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior they are some how bound by his rules. Satan has people convinced that by doing what you what when you want you are living a free life. I hear non believers state that they won’t accept Jesus because they don’t want to live by his rules.

If this were true I don’t see why non believers get married. Life would stink if I saw my marriage more as a cage that keeps me from the love of other women rather than a privliage that I get to be with this women and only this women every day of my life. When I said I do my life is no longer my own. There are rules of engagement and if I see those rules as limiting instead of liberating my marriage isn’t going to last all that long. My wife liberated me from the dread of the open market. I no longer and a slave to the wooing of multiple women trying to find a wife. When I was a teen I worked one for my car and two so I could afford to woo girls. The reality is my wife loves me when I’m poor and when I have money. I don’t see marriage as a cage I see it as a gift I am grateful for.

The same is true with God. Men listen—you may not be ablet o watch porn, catcall every hottie that walks by, or go to the bar and drink yourself silly. Women you may not be able to cat call every man, ring up multiple credit cards, get sloshed on cheap wine. BUT both of you are liberated from disease that comes from STDS. Heart break that you really never get over. Credit card debt that will haunt you till the day you die. And you are free from the pain of hangovers and empty wallet syndrom when you a realized you drank your paycheck away.

There is victory in Jesus. I don’t have to pay the penalty of sin now in the physical world or later because through Christ I have victory.

But here’s the catch: Victory can only come when you are liberated, and not bound up.

Liberty

Romans 6:7 ESV

For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Anyone remember that old song. My chains are gone…I’ve been set free....My God may savior....Has rescued me.

When you are bound by sin you cannot get fight to obtain the victory. I don’t know how many of your tried, but you cannot fight when your hands and feet are chained or shackled.

But I want you to notice something—Pauls states for “one” notice the little “o.” We know when we read our bible when it capitalizes the subject of a sentance chances are it’s about God, but this little “o” has a big impact because it’s meant for you and me.

It’s stating that if I die my chains, that sin had me bound up in are no longer there. Meaning

I am not sinning because I have to. I am sinning because I want to.

There is a difference between a sex slave and a prostitute. One is forced the other is not. Prior to our liberation we are forced to sin. It’s our very nature. It’s like getting a happy dog to stop wagging its tail. It’s impossible., but now we are liberated so that we may obtain the victory over sin.

When I drank I drank to escape my problems. The issue was not only did my problems not go away, I either got sick or hungover. The issue was still there. Now when I bring Christ my problems. The bible tells us that he will help us find a way out if we are obediant and willing to listen. so not only do my problems go away, but I am not hungover. That’s liberation.

We are free to fight and the beautiful part of it is we are guaranteed the victory If we fight as Christ.

Not only do we have victory, We have liberty so we can free secure our victory, but we are also given security.

Security

Romans 6:8–11 ESV

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:8 ESV

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Romans 6:

Please don’t accept the term security to mean eternal security. There are some who believe that once we accept God we cannot go to hell no matter our choices after such acceptance. This isn’t true. It’s a lie. The security Paul talks about cannot be divorced or seperated from the first part of verse 6 and the second part of the same verse.

If we have died with Christ---we will live with Him

Luke 9:23 ESV

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

To take up ones cross is the very death Christ died. And Jesus tells us to die daily. Meaning you can lose your salvaiton if you chose to give it up, but no one, not even Satan can snatch you from his hand. No one in this physical world or in this Spiritual world can take you out of the hand of God, but you can walk yourself into their chains.

But free Will. If I’m God I love him and I don’t want him to leave. But lets say my wife chose to leave me. I wouldn’t beat her into submission. That’s not love that’s fear. And perfect love casts out all fear. My security lies behind my boundry. I want my wife to stay with me. I desire my wife. But she knows she is free to go at any time. I won’t force her to stay with me. Why? because that’s no life to heaven. Heaven wouldn’t be heaven if we were bound by chains so we couldn’t leave. It’s our desire to be with God that liberates us from sin, so that we can enjoy the victory over death, and have security knowing I cannot be stolen by Satan and his sin traffickers.