THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – Part 2

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THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – Part 2

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve IAUE, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve IAUE.

Shunning evil and choosing good is a natural by-product of the word of righteousness.  If we are still “choosing evil,” we are lacking experience in the word of righteousness.

Centuries of what I refer to as “pagan Christianity” has robbed the true church of its vitality and its intended influence in the world.  The introduction of the worship of pagan gods, the willful infiltration of pagan leadership and the resulting iniquity-creep into Christianity has all but destroyed the truth of the gospel. I know this is a powerful statement; but only spiritual blindness would allow for any defense against it.  Churches today that pride themselves of being superior fellowships use language straight out of Revelation 3 that describes the church of Laodicea.

Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

The Master warned his disciples, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees,” and the apostle Paul twice explained that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump;”  and, “Bad company corrupts good morals;” and, in an amazing close to the epistle of 1 John, a letter that is largely about the love of IAUE, John says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

The Scripture tells us to be holy as IAUE is holy more times than possibly any other single instruction in all of the Scripture.  Now, being holy does not mean something esoteric or super-spiritual. It does not require that we glow with the shekinah glory of IAUE.  It simply means that we are to be set apart. We are not to be like the rest.  We are to be the possession of IAUE for His purposes, for His use; and we are not to be available for use by others.  That is what “set apart” means.  By illustration, let’s imagine that Bob, Carol, Jim, and Susan are invited to my home for dinner and Jim is running a bit late.  If I tell them that they are welcome to get something to drink; but then I point to a particular glass and say, “That is Jim’s glass.”  No one but Jim will use that glass.  Why is that?  It is because it has been set apart for Jim’s use only.  Only Jim may use that glass because it is holy unto Jim.

If we apply to the Scriptures this definition of being holy, then we immediately understand why we should be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees; and why we should be conscious of the deleterious effect of choosing to spend time with people who are evil (of a bad nature and having corrupt morals).  The result will be compromise; and once we compromise, holiness will have been forfeited.  We are letting our glass be used by someone other than IAUE.  So, if we are given unto IAUE, what would you imagine would define our lives?  What kind of behavior?  What kind of speech?  What kind of attitudes?  These are not trick questions.  It is obvious that we would be righteous.  Our behavior, speech and attitudes would demonstrate the moral purity, love and compassion of IAUE.  We would be unconcerned about our own lives.

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Today, on a typical Sunday, congregations sit in pews (or folding chairs), following a predetermined “order of service” and go through the motions while oblivious or uncaring about the fact that there are “believers” in their midst (or are sitting next to them…or ARE them) who are living in fornication, adultery, pornography, unlawful business practices, cheating, stealing, lying…and maintaining secret lives in darkness.  We are unaware that our secret lives are in fact practices of worship of pagan deities.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve IAUE, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve IAUE.

This passage is at the end of the book of Joshua.  Joshua had led the people of Israel to overthrow 31 nations of giants, all of whom worshipped false gods (gods who were their pre-flood ancestors among the fallen watchers and the Nephilim.).  Joshua challenged the people to choose if they were going to serve the fallen watchers and the Nephilim from “the other side of the flood” or if they were going to serve the idols of the Amorites that were images of these pre-flood deities.  They needed to make a choice. They needed to declare the purpose and intention of their heart.  Joshua was in essence asking the people to declare their holiness; to declare unto whom their lives would be set-apart.  Once the choice was made that they were going to serve IAUE, compromise was not going to be an option without extreme consequences.

This passage of Scripture should remind us of the words of the apostle Paul.

Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto Elohim through Yahushua Messiah our Master.

This is our consecration to be holy, to be separated unto the purpose and will and use of IAUE.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto Elohim, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto Elohim.

This is the expectation of being set-apart.  We do not compromise by letting our bodies be used for purposes of unrighteousness.  In Romans 12:1-2, we understand that we are to offer our body as a living sacrifice to be used for His will and for His purposes.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? IAUE forbid.

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17 But IAUE be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

This explains there is no room for compromise.  Once set-apart, we cannot be used by another to serve their purposes.

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Like James tells us, “Faith without works is dead,” so too, holiness without righteousness is dead.  James challenges his readers to demonstrate the reality of their faith without works.  It cannot be done.  In like fashion, one cannot demonstrate holiness, one’s separation unto IAUE, without righteousness.  Righteousness, then, is the key.  It is the unquestioned object of our redemption.  There is no redemption without righteousness any more than there is faith without works.  There is no maturity in Messiah without an actively righteous life. 

The word of righteousness (Hebrews 5:13) is the instruction in allowing the spirit of Yahushua within us to manifest his nature within and through our physical bodies.  It requires us to yield our bodies to him as a living sacrifice so his nature can be manifest in our lives.  What is his nature?  It is righteousness; moral perfection, purity of heart and mind; and the unmovable commitment to obedience to the will of IAUE.  This is the heritage of the saints in light; not unchallenged lives of sin and darkness while sitting in the pews of a church building on Sunday. What no one knows can kill us.  We must bring our lives into the light; and we must walk in the light. This is the Father’s expectation of all of His children.

THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – Part 1

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THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – Part 1

Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of Elohim; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The Holy Spirit has been cultivating for several weeks, now, the message that will occupy the next few posts in this blog.  I have not known how or where to begin this subject matter until this past week. I was asked a question by a new disciple of Messiah. “What do I do, now?”  This brother gave his life to Messiah just a few months ago; and he has been desperate to grow up and mature in Messiah.  It has been wonderful to watch such commitment to the Master in contrast to the sleepy masses of believers that fill church pews every Sunday morning who have never seriously reflected on this question. 

The intention of my friend’s question had to do with how to pursue whatever it was that Messiah was calling him to do…or to become.  My immediate and simple answer to him was, “Our life in Messiah is not about what we are to do or what we are to become; but rather, how we are to be.”  If we do as our Master commands and take up our stake (cross) daily to follow him; then we will walk in obedience to the will of IAUE each and every day; and our daily obedience will bring us to what we are to be doing and what we may be called to become.  Our focus is not to be on either of these outcomes; but rather on what we are to be each day.

This may come as a total shock and surprise to most “Christians,” but what we are to be is righteous. I want to use today’s Scripture text to sort of “back in” to explaining this.

Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of Elohim; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

The first thing I would like to note from this passage is the implied expectation that ALL disciples should eventually (and that it should not take long to arrive at this point) be qualified, at a minimum,  to teach new believers the foundational “first principles” of the word of IAUE; and of life as a disciple of Yahushua.  We see just a few verses later in Hebrews 6:1-2 that these first principles were:

Repentance from dead works.

Faith toward Elohim.

The doctrine of baptisms.

Laying on of hands.

Resurrection from the dead.

Eternal Judgment.

How would you do as an instructor to young disciples on these topics?

The writer of the book of Hebrews is actually rebuking his readers in this passage for their failure to mature as disciples; and he attributes their immaturity to just one thing.

Hebrews 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

This word, “unskillful” (apeiros) means “inexperienced.”  These immature disciples were still partaking of milk and not able and simply not qualified to partake of meat because they were without experience in the word of righteousness.  They should have been teachers by now; but they were still base-level students all because of their lack of experience with the word of righteousness.  Why do I say “base-level” students?  It is because this word “babe” is from the Greek word nepios.  In the Greek there are three words used for a child:  nepios, teknon and huios.  The huios are the matured children who have learned to do the work of their father (it is also translated “son.”)  The teknon are the juveniles who are children in training; but the nepios are infants, unable to do a thing for themselves, totally dependent upon others to care for them. For a person to be a disciple of Messiah and remain a nepios, it is an insult to the blood of Messiah and the grace of IAUE.  Such a rebuke from the writer could have been avoided had they simply become experienced with the word of righteousness.

Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

We will discuss “strong meat” at a later time.  What I want to focus on in this verse is that strong meat is for those of “full age” (teleios) – perfected/made perfect.  This idea of being made perfect is restated as those who have their senses “exercised” (quite literally – which implies a designed effort to train) to recognize the difference between good and evil.  There has been purpose of heart to develop even a natural discernment to accompany their spiritual discernment…but unto what end?  To shun the evil and choose the good, of course…to choose righteousness.

We have discussed at great length in other series in this blog how it is the Father’s intention that the nature of the spirit of his son placed within us should find through our renewed minds, avenues of expression in and through our physical bodies.  This was an early focus of our Master in his own childhood.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore IAUE himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Shunning evil and choosing good is a natural by-product of the word of righteousness.  If we are still choosing evil, we are lacking experience in the word of righteousness.

More on this next week.

RIGHT THINKING - 2

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RIGHT THINKING - 2

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of IAUE, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto IAUE, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of IAUE.

Understanding that as disciples of Yahushua we actually have the spirit of Yahushua dwelling within our bodies, animating the life of our body (see last post), we understand why it is our reasonable service to offer our body to him.  It is “right thinking” to consider as reasonable that we should allow our Master to live through us as he pleases. It is “right thinking” for us to get out of his way by putting an end to our persistence in living our lives as we please.

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve Elohim and mammon.

It is interesting that this verse appears to contrast Elohim and mammon as the only options to be our master. It is also interesting to note that “mammon” was transliterated and not translated from the Greek manuscripts.  The Greek word used here is “mamonas.”  This was not an English word at the time of the English translation of the Scriptures.(Have you ever heard anyone use this word in a sentence who was not referencing this verse?)  Some contemporary English translations of the Scripture render this word as riches, money, wealth and possessions.  It literally means “treasure” in the sense of the thing(s) in which you place your trust.  Following are the verses that precede this one, which will give us a better context for understanding the meaning and role of these two masters.

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

We are instructed not to “lay up” “treasures” on earth.  This is literally, “Do not accumulate valuables in repositories on earth,” for they can be taken away from you by thieves.  Valuables accumulated in heaven cannot be depreciated nor are they accessible to thieves that they might be stolen from you.  More importantly, the place where you keep your repository of valuables is where your affections will be.

Then this passage says something quite intriguing. “The light of the body is the eye.”  A “single eye” is one that allows the light within man’s spirit to be seen; and it is manifested by giving generously. If a person’s eye is dark, he has cut off the light within his spirit (if there is any) from being seen by others, from helping others; because his own needs and success are regarded as more important to him.  He is stingy because his treasure is here on earth; and the more he gives away, the less he has left for himself.

You may be wondering why I have gone on what appears to be a long “rabbit trail,” discussing this issue of mammon; but this passage lays out a clear presentation of right and wrong thinking, showing the consequences of each.

As disciples of Yahushua, the light of the world is residing within us.  To the degree that our heart, our affections, are seated in all that he is to us, his light will shine through our lives to others.  As long as we are still clinging to things in this world that we hold dear, that we trust in, rely on, cling to…we block the spirit of Yahushua from manifesting his glorious life through us to others.  We have chosen a different master after all has been said and done.  Wrong thinking has taken over our minds, and we have ceased
abiding in the vine.  We become dried up and good for nothing but to be gathered together and cast into the fire (John 15).

2 Corinthians 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Master, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of IAUE.

Paul explains to the Corinthian disciples that when a person turns his heart to Yahushua Messiah, when he affections are turned from this world to the Master, reading the Scriptures will be like looking into a mirror to reflect back to us the nature and character and attributes of the spirit of Yahushua that is within us; and it will change us outwardly to become more and more like him.

When Philip asked Yahushua to show him the Father, Messiah answered him, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  Then he continues on to explain that the Father was in him, and he was in the Father.  Messiah offered his body a living sacrifice to IAUE long before he rendered his body a physical sacrifice for the sins of man.  Consequently, there was no hindrance to the Father who was living inside of him from being demonstrated in the physical life of Yahushua. (John 14:7-12)  A few chapters later (John 17), Yahushua prays for us to experience that exact same unity that he has with the Father…him in us, and the Father in him…that we might be one.  This is the heritage of the saints in light…but it is a heritage that can never manifest if we are still serving two masters.  “Right thinking” understands this.

That brings us, finally, to our second verse.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of IAUE.

The simplest way of expressing this verse within the context of our study would be:  STOP being like the world.  Learn “right thinking” so the spirit of Yahushua within you can live freely through your body.

So important was this concept to the wisest man who ever lived that Solomon twice said: 

Proverbs 14:12, 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.

We must have an anchor to that which we hold to be truth.  The world’s truths change from generation to generation and from culture to culture.  Untold thousands through the ages have invested in things and have laid up in store things which the next generation or even the next modification of culture or change in technology no longer valued at all; or which others dispossessed from them through theft, fraud or other means. The world currently holds nothing of value except the souls of men.  The moment we realize this, the less difficult it will be to relinquish our grasp on our own life and release ourselves into the trustworthy care of the spirit of the Master Yahushua living within us.

The problem is, for the most part we have no idea where our thinking is getting in the way of our Master living his life through us. That is why we need to be regularly reading the Scriptures, speaking to the Father and listening to His Spirit…all with a sense of urgency to remove all obstacles to the glory that is within us.  Notice how Paul puts it:  “that we might prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim.”

I have heard some use this verse to suggest that there are three levels to the will of IAUE.  What Paul is telling us is that the will of IAUE is good, acceptable and perfect; and that understanding it should be an urgent objective in the life of the disciple.  There isn’t a half-way-to-perfect, “good” will of IAUE.  We either do His will or we fail to do His will.  The word “acceptable” in this verse means “well pleasing.”  Paul is explaining how doing the will of IAUE is seen by Him, not by us.  To IAUE, doing His will is good to Him, well-pleasing to Him, and perfect…the fullness of what He desires from His children.

Right thinking will align us to desiring to know IAUE’s will in order to allow him who died for us to live through us.  Some people have expressed, “Well doesn’t this make me little more than a zombie?  I am alive, but I am not living.  Someone else is living in my body.”  The short answer to this question is, “No!”  This is a participation.  We are being changed from glory to glory as we learn to more effortlessly allow Messiah’s life to be manifest through our own life.  Yahushua asks us to take up our cross every single day.  We make this choice every day because He has become our treasure; and experiencing his life working through us is the grandest experience available to man on earth!

2 Corinthians 4:6 For IAUE, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of IAUE in the face of Yahushua Messiah.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of IAUE, and not of us.

We cannot think rightly as long as we are still being programmed by this world.  We cannot successfully become the light of the world while our thinking suppresses his light within us.  We must choose this day and every day whom we will serve and not back down from our choice.  The Master is still on a mission to save lives. He has not placed his spirit within us in order to know what it feels like to earn a million dollars, go to Disneyland, ride on jet skis, climb Mt. Everest, etc.  He had the opportunity to gain the whole world, but he turned it down.  He relinquished his rights to all things in order to do the will of his Father.  He is no longer here in person; but we are; and he wants to continue doing his Father’s will in us and through us and by us.  The only way he can accomplish that is if we possess and act upon right thinking.

RIGHT THINKING - 1

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RIGHT THINKING - 1

Romans 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of IAUE, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto IAUE, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of IAUE.

A dear friend of mine many years ago told me that when you see “therefore” in the Scriptures, you have to go see what it is “there for.”  Romans 12 begins with, “I beseech you therefore.”  This means that what Paul was about to say was predicated on what he had just said.  Romans 11 explains the mystery of the gospel…IAUE’s brilliant plan of reuniting both the lost house of Israel and the House of Judah into one body acceptable and in covenant with Him; and that we who have been grafted in to the new covenant (which includes the Gentiles and the lost ten tribes of Israel) should be living in such a way that the mercy of IAUE expressed through our lives would woo the House of Judah to their Messiah. “Therefore,” unto that end, we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice to IAUE; and we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

Let’s first examine this “reasonable service,” of presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to IAUE.  Right thinking begins with understanding why this is a reasonable service…something we should be expected to do.

First, ask yourself, “What is a sacrifice?”  Throughout the Scriptures it refers primarily to the offering of the life of an animal in exchange for something, or as an expression of worship.  It is something that once sacrificed is no longer yours to take back and to do with as you please.  The life of it has been rendered unto IAUE.  We are to offer our bodies as a “living” sacrifice; which means, our sacrifice does not result in the death of that which is presented to IAUE; but it DOES mean that our use of it is no longer ours to do with as we please. It has been given to IAUE as a free will offering.  We relinquish our rights to our body as fully as we would as if it were a corpse.  We are dead to our own life and alive unto IAUE.

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Messiah constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

These verses explain the justness of the exchange made in our sacrifice.  Messiah died for us that we might live; so in living, it is reasonable to live for him who died to make our life possible.  This is right thinking; but it is not the only reason, however, that this is a reasonable request.

James 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Man is comprised of spirit, soul and body. As James clearly states above, the life of our physical bodies is sustained by our spirit.  When our spirit leaves our body, our body no longer is alive.  We call this “giving up the ghost,” today. When man exhales his last breath and his spirit departs, his body becomes a corpse.  It is the spirit of man that animates his physical body.  

When we are born into this world, our spirit is in darkness, alienated from the life and light of IAUE.  This is our heritage from Adam who transgressed the Law of IAUE and condemned all of his descendants to sin and death. We have no truth in the core of our being directing us to know IAUE and to do His will.  Our lives are orchestrated (manipulated) by what we can see, taste, hear, smell and feel of the natural world around us.  It was for this reason that it was necessary that one be born into this world apart from the seed of man to be qualified to deliver us out of darkness; because light could never be the heritage passed down to an offspring from a parent who was born in darkness.

When Yahushua died and rose again, he removed the sin issue between IAUE and man by paying in full the penalty/price our sin required.  When we trust in Yahushua by faith, and bow our knee to him as our master, we are “born again.”

John 1:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Yahushua by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from Elohim: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except Elohim be with him.

3 Yahushua answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Elohim.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Yahushua answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Elohim.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

When we are “born again,” the spirit that animated our bodies from birth is dismissed.  We are given a new spirit…a new life that is uniquely ours and is created in light and in union with IAUE.  Paul says if anyone is in Messiah, he is a “new creature.”  We become something in an instant that did not exist before the moment of our new birth.

David prophesied of this.

Psalm 102:18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise IAUE.

Now, here is where it begins to get really exciting; and forms the foundation of right thinking in this matter of the reasonableness of our offering our bodies as a living sacrifice to IAUE.

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Messiah, seek those things which are above, where Messiah sitteth on the right hand of IAUE.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Messiah in IAUE.

Here, Paul explains something extraordinary.  First, he declares that Messiah Yahushua is sitting on the right hand of IAUE.  We know this from many other Scriptures in the New Testament…that he ascended before his disciples in Acts 1, and was received by the cloud and taken to sit at the right hand of the majesty on high.  That is where our Master is, physically, right now, and where he has been for nearly 2,000 years.  Notice, however, that he goes on to say that we are dead; and that our life is hidden with Messiah (who is sitting at the right hand of IAUE in heaven) in IAUE.  The newly created spirit which would be what should be animating our fleshly body, isn’t actually in our physical bodies. It is hidden with Messiah right now in the throne room of IAUE.  So, what is animating our bodies?  How is it that we are still alive if our new born spirit is not in our body?

Colossians 3:4  When Messiah, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Paul says that it is Messiah who is our life.  He explains this in more detail to the Galatians.

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Messiah: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Messiah liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of IAUE, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The apostle acknowledges that he died with Messiah and that despite his union with his death (see Romans 6), his body is still alive; but it isn’t HIM that is living in his body, now; it is Messiah who lives in him.  It is the spirit of Yahushua Messiah that is animating his fleshly body.  His newly created spirit is not what is animating his body.  That spirit is in the throne room of IAUE hidden in Messiah.  

If we can grasp the reality that when we came to Messiah and first trusted in Him, and united with him in his death and resurrection, that the spirit of Yahushua himself took the place of the spirit of darkness that had formerly animated our body from birth unto that moment, we must understand that we are alive solely because his spirit lives in us.  The master who walked the shores of Galilee and preached the truth to the masses, who healed the sick and who cast out demons, resides in our mortal bodies. He is the life force within us that keeps us alive, today.  He has the opportunity to live out that amazing life of righteousness and power through every single one of us if we just get out of his way.  It is reasonable that we would let him do it.  How do we do that?  We do it by offering him our bodies as a living sacrifice.  We are dead to our bodies; allowing him to live his life in us and through us, using our bodies as he would as if it was his own body.  This, if you have not figured it out by this point, is why the Scriptures refer to us as “the body of Messiah.”  We literally are.

Getting out of his way is the big problem; and that goes straight to our need for right thinking; and that is what the second verse in our opening passage of Scripture is all about.  We will look into that in our next post.

Q&A – WHY DO BELIEVERS STILL SIN? - 6

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Q&A –  WHY DO BELIEVERS STILL SIN? - 6

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Freedom from sin is what Messiah died and rose again to produce in our lives.  IAUE desires a family that walks in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:5-7). Such a life is the natural product of the true gospel.

Today, I want to discuss a reason why believers still sin that we ALL know; but we generally do our best to ignore. We see (above) in our summary statement from our last post, that IAUE wants us to walk in the light as He is in the light.  This idea is obvious to anyone who has embraced even a false gospel of Messiah.  The testimony of Scripture from the Garden of Eden to the inauguration of the millennial reign of our Master is replete with commands to walk uprightly before IAUE. 

Walking in the light and living righteously go hand in hand.  They are not the same thing; but you cannot have one without the other.  It is so simple; and yet it is overlooked almost completely by believers, today.

1 John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that IAUE is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

John 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Darkness defines the realm out of which we have been delivered…rescued by Yahushua Messiah.  He took us out of the “kingdom” of darkness and placed us into the “kingdom” of light.  These are two distinct and opposite jurisdictions, each having their own sovereign and overseers. 

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

1 Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

When one walks in the light, by his/her own choice they are yielding their bodies as instruments of obedience unto righteousness (Romans 6:16).  By choosing to walk in darkness, we yield our bodies as instruments of sin unto death.

2 Corinthians 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Act 26:18  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto Elohim, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Notice the comparison of “darkness” to “the power of Satan,” in that verse.  This is the idea I want to develop.  In the light, nothing is hidden or concealed.  The very object of the dark is concealment; and it is in hiding one’s unrighteous behavior that the enemy of our souls gains power over us.

It is a rare believer who has never conducted a covert life, deliberately concealing activities from their family and friends and fellow believers with whom they interact on a regular basis.  Before them, they are godly respectable followers of Messiah…maybe even pastors and teachers and leaders in the church; but secretly, they are enjoying the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), knowing full well they are walking in rebellion to their King.  They believe their own deception that as long as they are living good lives in public, they can do whatever they want when not in the public eye. This darkness is an open door to “principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places.”  Paul tells us we are to wrestle AGAINST these demons, not play with them.

It cannot be proclaimed too seriously or too passionately, how destructive doing ANYTHING in darkness is to the life of the believer. If we have done something in secret that we should not have done; we should immediately find someone with whom we can bring it into the light; so the enemy is not given the time, opportunity and power to create an entire structure of deceit within us; and develop within us a secret lifestyle of sin.

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

The next verse tells us how best to establish the lifestyle that will protect us from hiding anything in our life.

14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

The fear of IAUE is our protection.  One cannot fear IAUE and harden their heart against the righteousness of IAUE at the same time.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of IAUE is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Proverbs 14:27 The fear of IAUE is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Proverbs 16:6  By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of IAUE men depart from evil.

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of IAUE tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

This post is designed to answer the question, “Why do believers still sin?”  It is because they do not bring everything in their life into the light. As long as they entertain ANYTHING that is deliberately kept secret from others, concealed so no one might find out, they are essentially acting as a double agent.  They pretend to be the servant of Yahushua, a faithful believer fellowshipping with the saints of IAUE; but secretly they are actively serving the king of darkness.

Now, one reading this might say to himself/herself, “I am not killing people.  I am not committing adultery.  I am not breaking the law by anything I am doing.  I am not a bad person.”  Did you lust in your heart for someone?  Did you lie to someone?  Did you speak in anger at someone?  Are you holding resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness toward anyone?  Are you having private communications or spending time with someone you don’t want others to know?  In fact, are you doing anything you don’t want others to know?  That is the very definition of walking in darkness.

How do you deal with such secrets, such acts done in the dark?  You bring them to the light…immediately.

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I know the remedy that most Christians understand is 1 John 1:9, to confess their sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing of their unrighteousness; but this is believed to be confessing to IAUE.  Well, this should come as no surprise…He already knows.  The ones to whom you NEED to confess are your brothers and sisters in Messiah.  They are the ones who are being hurt by your deception.  The subject of that chapter of Scripture is how to enjoy and maintain fellowship with IAUE and with your brothers and sisters in Messiah.  Having secret lives, doing things in the dark, injures your fellowship with the body of Messiah.  The Scriptural remedy is to bring it into the light, to confess your faults to one another, so there is absolutely nothing you are hiding.  They very idea of wanting to prevent others from knowing something about us should be the trigger to confessing it.  IAUE is light; and in Him is NO DARKNESS at all.  That is how we should be living.

I think it is interesting to note that one might say they are not secretly enjoying the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh; and yet it is the pride of life that is the most powerful obstacle to confession.  We fear what others may think about us; how we may be degraded in their eyes from the kind of person we want them to think we are; but in reality, we need their help to keep us the kind of person IAUE wants us to be.