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.
Living as Heirs of God
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
If we are ever to lay claim to and enjoy our inheritance as children of God, an inheritance which includes everything that God has (“all that I have is thine”—Luke 15:31; 1Corinthians 3:22–”Everything belongs to you”), we must know without a doubt that we are not flesh and blood (see Born of Spirit)—for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Corinthians 15:50).
The Man Born Blind
In John 9 is the record of the healing of the man born blind, one of the many healings brought into manifestation by Jesus on the Sabbath. I say “brought into manifestation” rather than “performed by” since Jesus didn’t actually “heal” the man’s eyes. Jesus’ consciousness of the man’s true spiritual identity that cannot experience blindness and the man being “touched” by that consciousness is what caused the man to see.
Understanding Scripture
When the lawyer came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded, “What is written in the law? how readest thou?” We have to ask ourselves the same question, “How are we going to read what is written in Scripture?”
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.
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.
It Is Finished
Jesus has issued to us the most appealing of all invitations:
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
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.
Curse of the Law
This morning I was awakened by a dream in which I had made a u-turn in the middle of a two-lane road as I was driving. The driver immediately in front of me had made the same turn with no repercussions. There was a bus, not a police car, behind me. As soon as I made the turn, I stopped, as did the bus. The driver of the bus “arrested” me as if he were an officer of the law. I “explained” that I was from another state and that I saw the car in front of me do it. But inside I knew I was guilty, knew it even before I made the turn. It was at this time I woke up.