FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE FIRST
PRINCIPLES - III
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of
Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and
of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment.
REPENTANCE
FROM DEAD WORKS - 2
What
are dead works? They are works that 1)
do not originate with life; and 2) bear fruit that do not have life. More specifically, however, what works in
particular are being referenced here?
Dead works is a term that relates to man’s efforts to appease or to
satisfy IAUE. (All of man’s religions and philosophies ultimately are nothing
more than dead works. We have learned to
do dead works from childhood. It is
instinctive to the flesh to offer something of our own doing or our own making
in hopes that it will please IAUE on our behalf.)
Take
Cain and Abel, for example. Both men
brought an offering before IAUE; but Cain’s offering was rejected? Why is this?
It is because he brought the produce of the ground that he had worked
and tilled. Abel brought the firstlings
of his flock. Cain offered the fruit of
his own labor, his own work to IAUE; while Abel offered an innocent life,
making no appeal to IAUE on the basis of the goodness of any action or work on
his own part. Cain sought approval
through his works. Abel sought approval
through IAUE’s mercy.
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Yahushua Messiah,
even we have believed in Yahushua Messiah, that we might be justified
by the faith of Messiah, and not by the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Here
is the first part of our revelation of Messiah in this principle of “repentance
from dead works.” It is that no one is
justified (made righteous…acceptable before IAUE) based on obedience to the
Law. The only vehicle through which
righteousness is obtained is “by the faith of Messiah.” That does not mean OUR faith in Messah. It means HIS faith. When we believe in Yahushua Messiah, we are
actually trusting in “his faith” that we are justified (declared righteous) through
the effectual working of his faith. In what
did/does Messiah have faith? It is that
what he did in his life and his obedience to IAUE even unto being impaled to death,
satisfied the claims of divine justice upon the sins of man. Yahushua BELIEVES in this; and he literally staked
his very life upon it. Every aspect of our
entire redemption is based on the faith of Yahushua Messiah.
Galatians 2:17 But
if, while we seek to be justified by Messiah, we ourselves also are
found sinners, is therefore Messiah the minister of sin? IAUE forbid.
18 For if I build again the things
which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
These
are the dead works…still clinging to do’s and don’ts in the law to make one’s
appeal to IAUE for acceptance. For those
of us who are not Jews by birth, it is the works we do to attempt to make IAUE
accept us. To offer such works to IAUE is to negate our reliance upon the faith
of Yahushua. Our acceptance before IAUE
is either based upon our works or it is based upon the faith of Yahushua
Messiah. It is not a hybrid of the two.
Romans 3:20 Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of
sin.
21 But now
the righteousness of IAUE without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the
law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of IAUE which is by
faith of Yahushua Messiah unto all and upon all them that believe: for
there is no difference:
Galatians 3: 21 Is the
law then against the promises of IAUE? IAUE forbid: for if there had been a law
given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the
law.
22 But the
scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Yahushua Messiah might be given to them that
believe.
Here
is the second part of our revelation of the person of Yahushua Messiah in the
principle of “repentance from dead works.”
If we believe in Yahushua Messiah, relying upon the effectual working of
HIS faith for our right-standing with IAUE, then we have united with Messiah in
his death and resurrection. This is not
some positional concept; an imaginary illustration intended to reveal some
spiritual truth. Literally, the life that was birthed within us when we were “born
again,” is in union with Messiah Yahushua; and he is literally in union within
us.
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be
one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in
me, that they may be made perfect
in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them, as thou hast loved me.
IAUE
was in Yahushua when he was on the earth bodily; and Yahushua was in IAUE. In the exact same way, we are in Yahushua
Messiah and he is in us. Picture the
image of baptism. If you are immersed in
water, you are IN the water. If while
you are submerged in the water, you inhale, the water would then be IN you; so
you could then say that you were in the water and the water in you. This is the mechanism of our union with
Messiah, and his union with IAUE.
So,
how does this relate to repentance from dead works?
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.
When
we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, it is Messiah that does the
works. It is HIS life within us that is
being expressed in our life. Yahushua
has faith that if we believe in him, and trust in his faith, that he will be
able, personally and literally, to continue to do the works of the Father
through us and in us; not for the purpose of appeasing the Father; but to
please the Father, and to accomplish His will in the earth.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Messiah
Yahushua unto good works, which IAUE hath before ordained that we should walk
in them.
The
principle of repentance from dead works is a revelation that all works for the
purpose of satisfying and appeasing IAUE are ended by the faith of Yahushua;
and when we place our reliance upon Messiah’s faith…when we have faith in HIS
faith, Messiah not only clothes us with his own righteousness unto the satisfying
of the Father; but he also continues to live through us to do the will of His
Father. We repent, turn from, even the
slightest hint of doing anything at all with a view that it will put us in good
standing with IAUE Elohim; because Yahushua’s faith has accomplished everything
for our acceptance before IAUE.
Any
time we walk in the flesh and deny the life of Yahushua from manifesting in our
bodies, we are tempted to “do something” to win back that sense of favor before
IAUE that our guilt has caused us to forfeit.
The principle of repentance from dead works tells us that we must refuse
to go down that road; and instead, we renew our faith in the faith of Yahushua
Messiah. The only works we are now to do
are the good works produced by letting the life of Messiah have free reign in
our mortal bodies to continue doing the works of his/our Father, IAUE Elohim.
[A
revelation, by its very nature, is not something a man can give to another
man. These are just my words on a page,
my effort to provide the reader with enough information to take before the
Father and ask Him to reveal the essence of this principle of repentance from
dead works. If you read this post and assimilate
the information presented, you will not possess the revelation; because the
revelation is seeing in Yahushua Messiah something you have not yet seen; and
only the Father can open the eyes of your understanding to see it. Please do not read this series of posts and
just learn doctrine. Take each lesson
before the Father and ask Him to reveal His Son in you through these
lessons. Without that revelation, you
will only possess doctrine; and that is not what is necessary to lay a
foundation. These first principles are
venues for understanding the fullness of who Yahushua Messiah is.]
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
Even
though we have moved on to a different subject matter, we can never leave this
basic concept; for this is what IAUE desires more than anything else in all His
creation.
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