After writing the contemplation “Living as Heirs of God” yesterday, I had a further revelation of righteousness without the law—which is the core of the Gospel. When Adam entertained the first thought of being separated from his Father, he began to make laws for himself that he believed would help him regain his Father’s love and acceptance. He developed a conscience which constantly accused him for his inability to keeps those laws. He became afraid of His father, fearing His wrath and judgment.
The Resurrection Body
Early this morning I awakened suddenly from a very vivid dream that I immediately knew was of spiritual significance.
I was with my husband in a house busy doing something unimportant (I don’t remember what) when all at once I remembered that we had a baby that we hadn’t seen or heard for a very long time.
I was afraid to go look in the crib because I knew I was going to find our dead baby. Of course I had to do it; but when we looked, there was no baby there. Now I knew I had to report it to the police, who would ask all sorts of questions. How could I tell them that I had just forgotten the baby?
The Realm of Spirit
The Jews had a very strong attachment to this material, flesh and blood realm. They believed that life was in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) and also that their sins could not be forgiven without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). They believed that God “visited the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation” (Numbers 14:18) (see What’s in Your DNA?).
Denying Christ
There are two Greek words for “deny” in the New Testament.
720. ἀρνέομαι arneomai, ar-neh´-om-ahee; perhaps from 1 (as a negative particle) and the middle voice of 4483; to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate: — deny, refuse.
and
533. ἀπαρνέομαι aparneomai, ap-ar-neh´-om-ahee; from 575 and 720; to deny utterly, i.e. disown, abstain: — deny.
Double-Mindedness or Stability
As I have already written in so many of these contemplations, I grew up in a very orthodox Church and family and took upon myself a concept of a God of wrath and judgment that struck terror in my soul. I spent over 50 years attempting to love this God and feel loved by Him. I didn’t dare question anything I had been taught because I was so frightened of being deceived.
A Perfect Heart
I awakened early this morning with 2Chronicles 16:9 running through my head:
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
Mercy upon All
Since I heard the word from the Lord that I should arrange my life so that I will be free to read, meditate and write (see Following Christ and Minimalism), I’ve had difficulty finding peace doing all the other “good” things which present themselves to me as a means of escaping the awesome responsibility I feel when writing what I believe are revelations from God. But last night before I could fall asleep, I once again committed myself to continue doing that which I feel called to do, relegating everything else in my life to a place of secondary importance.
No Restraints
August 25, 2017
Because I was working on the contemplation How We Experience God (beginning with Adam and Eve), I was just systematically reading the book of Genesis. I read that immediately after the flood God had compassion upon mankind, knowing that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (8:21).He again gave man dominion over all the rest of creation and even gave him permission to eat meat (9:2-3).
All Things to All Men
I was reading the book of Titus where Paul is giving Titus instructions about the qualifications for the elders that he is to “ordain” “in every city.” I wondered why this was even included in Scripture as I began to see how many doctrines have come from Paul’s words (both here and in many of his other letters containing instructions), doctrines that have come from reading these scriptures by the “letter” rather than the “Spirit,” doctrines which have put people under the law and in bondage, the very thing Paul warned us against in so many of his writings.
Assuring Our Hearts Before Him
This is the second in a series of studies on the book of 1John. I would like you to read From the Beginning before reading this one.