"In Christ is man perfected and made complete." Christian Doctrine As Freedom, Not Control

[Lyfe]

And now that filth is in the church; not in the true Church, but it all the progressive, Scripture-twisting gatherings that call themselves churches.

Tragically the churches will have allot of blood on their hands by failing to teach and preach the gospel. I did allot of walking this past spring and summer. The city I live in is jam packed with what seems like a church on every corner. I wasn't engaged by a single person that sought to tell me about the gospel other than my roommate. That's a pretty big deal considering how many churches I live next to. This may sound critical, but I really believe every church that isn't emphasizing the need to evangelize and witness is a church with a leadership that needs to repent.

Most people believe in a type of universalism or that all paths lead to God and it's this sort of mass consensus that illustrates our failure to faithfully warn people like the early churches did. With all the churches in our country you would think everyone would have a basic understanding of the gospel, but we don't by still touting the notion that good people go to heaven. It's sad and frustrating, but it's the reality and sign of the times we are in. There is no knowledge of God in the land.

 

[Lyfe]

Gods word is meant to bring comfort and assurance to those who belong to him(by accepting and receiving his son Jesus Christ), but its also meant to bring people to repentance by convicting those who live in emnity and opposition to him. God can draw anyone just by giving them a revelation of his love and goodness, but allot of the time he sends a strong word to those who persist in rebellion and hypocrisy to get them to turn that he may have mercy and compassion on them and not be forced to enter into judgement. Paul under the inspiration of the holy spirit sent a strong rebuke to the coronthians, because they did not practice the truth or live according to how God calls his children to live . They were known for their carnality and lawlesness and by their very deeds and attitude were denying Christ. That strong word that Paul had sent in his first letter undoubtedly hardened some, but it also convicted many into abandoning their hypocrisy and coming to the knowledge of the truth that leads to repentance and a unity with Christ as the keeper and overseer of their soul.

2 Corinthians 7:9-11
Amplified Bible
9 yet I am glad now, not because you were hurt and made sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance [and you turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that you might not suffer loss in anything on our account. 10 For [godly] sorrow that is in accord with the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but worldly sorrow [the hopeless sorrow of those who do not believe] produces death. 11 For [you can look back and] see what an earnestness and authentic concern this godly sorrow has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves [against charges that you tolerate sin], what indignation [at sin], what fear [of offending God], what longing [for righteousness and justice], what passion [to do what is right], what readiness to punish [those who sin and those who tolerate sin]! At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

 

[Lyfe]

If we truly seek God and open up our heart to him we will also receive of his life giving sustenance(through prayer and the holy spirit). The Father will just nautrally begin to produce his fruit(within us) much like a healthy tree would bring forth it's good fruit, but when we are opening up our heart to 'the pollutions of this world[2 Peter 2:20]' then we become spiritually sick and whither and begin to loathe that feeling of deadness that comes as a result of being connected to a poisonous vine. This is why Jesus emphasized the need to abide in him, because a diseased tree cannot bear good fruit. Its only through Christ and the holy spirit that our soul can be connected to God who is the source of all life and everything that is good. This is why Jesus came that we may be reconciled to God and to have 'the communion of the holy spirit[ 2 Corinthians 13;4]' with him.

John 1:4 English Standard Version
4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men.

John 5:26 English Standard Version
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

John 15:4-6 English Standard Version
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Matthew 7:18 English Standard Version
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

Hosea 14:8 English Standard Version
8 O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.[a]
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 English Standard Version
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

[Lyfe]

"therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.[1 John 3:1]"

If you give your life to Christ and become born again then expect to not be understood by the world. People will often always perceive your ways and new condition as religious fanaticism and fail to interpret it as being from the result of Gods promise to pour out his spirit upon someone and give them a heart of flesh( as a result of real conversion). People will not understand why you prioritize interceding for souls and witnessing Gods kingdom above all else. They will not understand why you have lost all interest in the world and worldly pursuits. People will often accuse you of taking these things too far, yet Gods word promises real inward transformation as the result of his salvation. This is what Jesus meant when he spoke of being born again. This is what Paul meant when he said that as the saints we have the very mind(thoughts, outlook, priorites) of Christ. If the spirit of the living God is inside you then there is going to be a change and inner conformity to him and his ways. Its not religion, but just merely the spirit of Christ inside a person enabling and bringing about that transformation. It is a change of affections and direction. This isnt some great secret as its repeatedly expounded upon in The Bible, yet people have never taken the time to actually read it and the churches no longer teach on the essential themes pertaining to salvation.

I want to be clear to avoid people from falling into any sort of guilt trap. Not everybody who has been born again and belongs to God is at the same place in their walk which is why we shouldn't compare ourselves to others, but there is a definite promise in the scriptures for God to sanctify every son and daughter who he receives. Its all according to Gods timing, sovereinty, and what he has called us to and how much we yield to or resist his leading. The more that one allows the word of God to cleanse and sanctify their heart, the more time they spend with God in prayerful communion, the more they fast, the more the trials they endure then the more along they will be in the sanctification process of becoming who God has intended them to be in Christ. Its all on Gods oversight and according to his dictation, but I am confident in saying that if someone has truly been brought into the kingdom(as a true son or daughter) then the holy spirit will lead that person into prayer and communion with God and he will also eventually lead them to his word(to further reveal himself and his ways) in order to bring about that intended transformation and sanctification of the heart. We should only expect further alienation from the world the longer we walk with Christ in and through the work of the holy spirit.

 

[Lyfe]

People think that they are good enough on their own to go to heaven. God's word says that he is holy and dwells in unapproachable light. Holy means sanctified and set apart from all that is considered to be indecent and with taint or defect. The Bible reveals that man in his present condition is fallen and has been corrupted, defiled, polluted, and unclean(in mind, heart, body, soul, and spirit) which makes him unable to be brought near to a holy and pure God. God's eternal glory can never be corrupted by the stains and corruptions of sin. The great news is that God through Christ offered a means for us to be ransom and cleansed through the shedding of his blood. There is purification from all uncleanness and spiritual pollution by the holy blood of Jesus. Gods word calls us to be holy in body, soul, and spirit which suggests that we can become tainted and defiled by sin on a metaphysical or spiritual level. We see and perceive our reality in 3D, but God is able to look into the dimension of the soul and and see the true condition of our heart. We have all become defiled through the pollution's of sin and the world. The body eventually dies, but the spirit lives on. It's through the blood of Christ that our soul and spirit(the eternal part of us) receive the necessary washing to one day dwell and live in the presence of God for eternity. We can only come near to God through the way he gave us. That way is Christ.

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:14

In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13

 

[Lyfe]

The children of men(natural birth) led under the inspiration of "the spirit of the world[ 1 Corinthians 2:12]" will by their default and fallen nature come to value, prioritize, and pursue:

- Prosperity
- Success
- Reputation and Status
- Good life
- Pleasure
- Man made help and self improvement
- The world and the things of this world
- counterfeit spiritualities, man made philosophies and knowledge, and doctrines of demons

The children of God(spiritually born again) led under the inspiration of the holy spirit[Romans 8, Galatians 5] will by their default and restored nature come to value, prioritize, and pursue:

- Communion and pray time w/ Father God
- Renewal and spiritual understanding from the source of truth(the words of God)
- Understand the importance of prioritizing making Jesus and the kingdom of God known
- Grieved and broken over sin, because its contrary to their new nature in Christ through the holy spirit
- Seek sufficiency and strength and power in God through the holy spirit
- God and the things of God

God's word calls us to test the spirits and examine ourselves. Which direction and what spirit are we being led by?

1 Corinthians 2:10-16

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.[a]
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.



@Artful Revealer

 

[Artful Revealer]

15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

 

[Lyfe]

It's vital for people to know that when someone truly comes to Christ they become spiritually reborn by receiving who scripture refers to as 'the helper' ' and ' the comforter'. These passages are in reference to the holy spirit and what he does is regenerate someones heart and make his abode within them at the moment of conversion. People can't distinguish the world from the christian any longer, because many have never acctually heard the gospel or come to repentance by giving their life to Christ. There is also a group of souls who have been born again, but quench the holy spirit through their friendship with the world and all it's customs and entertainments. It's when God's children come out of the world and start communing with him through prayer and renewing themselves(through his word) that the ministry of the holy spirit just begins to comes alive within someone. The only way to experience God and the life he intended for all his holy saints is to come out of the world and to stop quenching the power and unction of the holy spirit. It's only when this happens that the body of Christ can truly begin to impact the world once more just as the early disciples did.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. John 14:16-17 Amplified Bible

Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Amplified Bible

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin]. Ephesians 4:30 Amplified Bible

But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error]. 1 John 2:20 Amplified Bible

 

[Lyfe]

There are allot of teachings on the need for self denial and crucifying the flesh(and it's carnal impulses), but I think the simple solution is to just be filled with the holy spirit. We are called to keep our lamps burning and this can only be done by continually taking them before God to receive of him.

If we are opening up our hearts to God by seeking him through prayer and drawing near to him like the early disciples did in "Acts 4" did then the spirit of Christ will just animate and enable us and bear his fruit through us. If we feel like we are always fighting our flesh then it's likely we have quenched the spirit in some way or another or given the enemy a foothold in our lives, because true liberation (from sin and its control over our mind and thoughts) comes from abiding in Christ and walking in the spirit. It's not enough that we crucify our flesh the focus should be on resembling Christ and we resemble him most when we are just filled with his spirit. The ministry of the holy spirit will just begin to flow out of a person. Focusing on crucifying our flesh will leave someone focused on their self when it's the spirit of Christ that seeks to interact with and engage humanity to bring them a fragrance of God's love, warmth, and kindness.

 

[Lyfe]

The biggest lie that people believe in is that they don't need God and that their life is just fine without him. There are many who do well for themselves and insist they already have everything they could ever possibly want and need, but the reality is that we are always only one tragedy away from a broken spirit and this is a part of a person that only God himself has the ability to interact with and remedy. You can medicate and seek out all the various forms of self help, treatment, and therapy, but these things do not have the power or ability to reach into and "regenerate" the human soul and spirit. God's way of healing someone is through divine and supernatural restoration of what has already been damaged within them. It deals with the wounds a person cannot see. The wounds that are beyond the reach of moral support and man made rehabilitation programs. The wounds that result from a world that has been separated from God through sin and rebellion.

We were brought into existence by the very breath of God and made in his image. The soul and spirit were not designed to find sustenance apart from him. We were not designed to live apart from God. The Bible is very unique in that it gives account of a God that conjoins a person to himself by coming to dwell inside them in order to be with them intimately ( through the holy spirit). None of the other popular beliefs speak of a God that offers himself up as a ransom (out of his infinite love) in order that a person may be completely pardoned for all their wrongdoing. No other God offers up a means to have relationship with him by unifying a person to himself within their very soul and spirit.

We are reconciled to and become one with God when we call upon him and receive Christ(through repentance and faith). His spirit and ours become one, we are betrothed(tied, knit, conjoined) to him on a spiritual level and in this way we become whole and complete. God created us to know him and walk with him and receive of him. Until a person acknowledges that their sin and unclean condition separates them from this type of union with God and until they acknowledge that Christ is the only one who can remove this barrier(that separates them from God) their soul and spirit will remain cut off and in spiritual darkness. They will never receive the healing and divine restitution that they truly need to be a whole and complete being as God had originally designed them to be. They will eventually die in their sin and pride and remain cut off from God forever. This is why we need Christ. He gave himself up and opened a way for us to be reconciled back to God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21
English Standard Version
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[a] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

[Lyfe]

God The Father calls all of his adopted children( in Christ) to come out of the world and to be separate. It's impossible for a person who is truly born of him(through the holy spirit) to find rest and be at peace while following the course of this world, because when one opens themselves up (spiritually) to the pollution's of this world they will in effect quench the holy spirit. They will also begin to whither(for not abiding in Christ) just as the scripture talks about. There are some who may not realize it, but that sense of inner distress and heaviness felt when drifting back into the world comes from the soul that is depriving itself of the sustenance it needs to thrive and feel alive. We can't receive of Christ(through the union we have with him in the holy spirit) like we were meant to if we are still yoked to the world system.

Psalm 63:1
English Standard Version
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
63 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul THIRSTS for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a DRY and WEARY land where there is NO WATER.

John 15:5-6
English Standard Version
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and WITHERS; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

John 7:38-39
English Standard Version
38 Whoever believes in me, as[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of LIVING WATER.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

1 Thessalonians 5:19
Amplified Bible
19 Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.

Matthew 13:22
Amplified Bible
22 And the one on whom seed was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the worries and distractions of the world and the deceitfulness [the superficial pleasures and delight] of riches CHOKE the word, and it yields NO fruit.

Hosea 10:12
Amplified Bible
12 Sow with a view to righteousness [that righteousness, like seed, may germinate];
Reap in accordance with mercy and lovingkindness.
Break up your uncultivated ground,
For it is time to seek and search diligently for the Lord [and to long for His blessing]
Until He comes to RAIN righteousness and His gift of salvation on you.

 

[Lyfe]

God has a broad and general will(applicable to every son and daughter that he receives through adoption), but he also a plan, purpose, and mission that is unique to each and every individual member of his body.

God's general will is for the healing and restoration of his people. It is also to mold us( as a potter molds clay) into the image and stature of Christ who is the archetype of the perfect man. Christ was perfect and it's God's will for us to be just like him. It is for us to follow him and learn his ways. Christ was the perfect expression of love. He did everything blamelessly and out of an uncompromising love and righteousness, always, at all times(without fail).

God is more concerned with our development and who we are and what we become in this life than he is concerned about providing someone with a good life, success, renown, and many possessions. It's not that God is against one owning possessions or enjoying their time on this earth, but it will never be at the expense of Christlikeness. This is what God values and holds dear to him above all else. There is nothing more precious to him than this. God is interested in creating beauty and perfecting and beautifying his beautiful house!

Isaiah 60:21-22

English Standard Version

21 Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified.[a]
22 The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the Lord;
in its time I will hasten it.

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. Psalm 110:3

I will beautify my beautiful house. Isaiah 60:7

 

[Lyfe]

God's word teaches that through redemption in Christ a person becomes spiritually restored(remade into his image) and born again from above. God "regenerates" a persons heart and undoes the damage that occured at the fall of man. God heals a person by dealing with the infection of sin and how it brought a mutation and deviation from his original design. In Christ is man perfected and restored! Jesus did more than come to tell us we have to do right. He said we must be born again(through the holy spirit) for our connection to God to be restored! He came to free us from the deviation and sickness of sin and its hold over us!

John 3:3
Amplified Bible
3 Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

John 3:6-7
Amplified Bible
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’

John 1:12-13
Amplified Bible
12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 13 who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].

1 John 3:9
Amplified Bible
9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because [a]God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.

Romans 6:5-7
Amplified Bible
5 For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 We know that our old [a]self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. 7 For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin.

Titus 3:5-6
Amplified Bible
5 He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

 

[Lyfe]

People usually see "sin" as a type of offence and act of disobedience, but if you study God's word it is described as being more of a terminal disease( of the soul) and a sepsis(infection) than anything else. Sin twists and warps the mind, it darkens, corrupts, and dictates the thoughts, it enslaves and leads people into endless foolish and harmful pursuits. Sin is deviation and the corrupting of God's original design! There is an infection and disease that has passed to all men as a result of the original humans disobeying God and consuming the fruit that brought death and decay into the world. No matter how pleasurable sin is in the moment it always brings sickness. How many people are on antidepressants nowadays? How many kids grow up without their fathers? How often do people get divorced? Why are there so many people out there that no matter how hard they try they just can't stop wrecking their lives?The more that sin increases in a land the greater sickness and destruction it brings.

Jesus came to PUT AWAY sin. He came to SET HIS PEOPLE free from their sins. He came to DESTROY THE WORKS of the Devil. Jesus did more than proclaim a message of being good and doing good when he came into the world. He came to open up a means for our connection to God to be restored as it was before the fall of man. He came to destroy the power of sin at work within our members and to heal this disease that is destroying and polluting the whole of creation. Jesus calls us to serve him in newness of life and this is only possible when a person turns to him in genuine repentance and faith and becomes born again by the holy spirit. Only then can we be whole and complete and restored back to the image of God! Apart from him we will remain a part of the version of humanity that became sick and corrupted at the fall. Sin is the disease. The holy blood of Jesus is the only remedy!

...But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:26

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Romans 11:26-27
English Standard Version
26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”

Romans 6:5-7
Amplified Bible
5 For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 We know that our old [a]self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. 7 For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin.

1 John 3:5-6
Amplified Bible
5 You know that He appeared [in visible form as a man] in order to take away sins; and in Him there is [absolutely] no sin [for He has neither the sin nature nor has He committed sin or acts worthy of blame]. 6 No one who abides in Him [who remains united in fellowship with Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin. No one who habitually sins has seen Him or known Him.


1 John 3:9

Amplified Bible



9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because [a]God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.

 

[Lyfe]

...when ALL one has is Christ one has ALL their SOUL could need! We are spiritually nourished and enriched, made perfectly sufficient, whole, and complete IN him! If you have him then the spirit of God(the holy spirit, the spirit of Christ) is LITERALLY inside you! What more could a person need than God BRINGING IN all of HIS all his completeness, sustenance, and riches? He is the SOURCE of everything. Oxygen, water, the sun, all of it!

Luke 17:20-21
King James Version
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.

John 4:23-24
King James Version
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.

Romans 5:5
English Standard Version
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 14:17
King James Version
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Hebrews 13:5-6
English Standard Version
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“THE LORD IS MY HELPER;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

Psalm 84:11
English Standard Version
11 For the Lord God IS A SUN AND SHIELD;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
NO GOOD THING does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

Ephesians 5:29
English Standard Version
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but NOURISHES AND CHERISHES IT, just AS CHRIST DOES THE CHURCH,

Isaiah 26:3
English Standard Version
3 YOU KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.

Ephesians 5:18
English Standard Version
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, BUT BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT,

 

[Lyfe]

The most precious and beautiful prayer to God is when one acknowledges they have sinned against him and grieved his heart. It is when a person genuinely turns to him in repentance and calls upon the one he sent to bring lost souls unto himself(Jesus Christ). God's word says that there is JOY in heaven amongst the angels of God when one sinner repents. It brings pleasure and joy to the heart of God in the way that a parents heart would rejoice after their kid returns home after many years.

God will ALWAYS rush in SPEEDILY and answer the prayer of the one who is broken over their sin and seeks after his salvation and HIS ways! He meets him who joyfully works righteousness, he says, "Here I Am!" It's his good pleasure to give the penitent the kingdom!

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to ALL who call on him IN TRUTH. Isaiah 145:18

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! Psalm 66:18-20

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2

Draw near to God, and HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Proverbs 28:13

Isaiah 58:6-9
English Standard Version
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:
TO LOOSE THE BONDS OF WICKEDNESS,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed[a] go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 THEN shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and YOUR HEALING SHALL SPRING UP SPEEDILY;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 THEN you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and HE WILL SAY, ‘HERE I AM.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. Acts 26:20

 

[Infinityloop]

"In Christ is man perfected and made complete."

The scriptures teach us that Christ was the perfect man and also that man as a created being only reaches perfection in Christ. We come to further learn through the word of God that this is only accomplished by the power and working of the indwelling holy spirit. I always hear people tell me that they arent interested in religion when I tell them that turning to Christ is their ONLY HOPE for redemption and reconciliation to God. Its not that I am religious or even that I seek to go above and beyond in this regard, but rather my continual emphasis on Jesus is from a truth that is brought to light in the bible. This truth is that Gods purpose( as revealed in scripture) is to conform his adopted children to the image of his son Jesus Christ. Nothing less. If you are a child of God then trust that The Father is working and will always work to bring this about toward you. He does this through sanctification and regenerating the human heart by the supernatural working of the holy spirit. God has sovereign oversight over his elect and disciplines them as sons and daughters, he molds them, he is the potter and we are the clay and always watches over their way. His eyes are always upon them and his heart never forgets them. His intent was to create a new man and this divine extension of grace that allows us to be partakers of this new heavenly nature is only made possible by the work of Christ. People find your zeal for Christ and the things of God strange and even begin to distance themselves from you and treat you like an alien, but as the word of God says the world knows us(the children of God) not, because it knew him(Christ) not. The world will not receive you, because as the Bible reminds us there are children of the flesh and the children born of the spirit. The world and culture of today would very much perceive Jesus to be overly religious when in fact Jesus was the fullness of God in bodily form. God is pure and cannot ever be corrupted, God is holy, he is so far above sinful man that its as his word says there is none like him. God cannot and will not ever partnership with evil or wickedness of any sort. He cant be tempted with evil. He will never tell you sin is ok. His nature and good and holy character never changes. Instead God commands that people stop doing wickedly and harming themselves and others through their sinful ways and even offers the perfect grace and ultimate solution to fix the problem of sin and bondage to sin. He sets us free from the power and domionion and desire of sin by the holy spirit. The more God sanctifies us and refines us by the holy spirit the less worldly we become and the more we become like him who created us, he who is perfect in holiness and righteousness. This is not religion. This is simply what happens when one truly gives their life to Christ and becomes spiritually reborn from above(at the moment of salvation). This is what it means to be born again of the spirit. This is what the bible refers to as regeneration. This is biblical salvation. God gives us a new heart and puts his spirit within us at the moment of salvation. He brings us near to him and adopts us as children. Religion demands external regulation whereas Christ brings internal transformation(of the inner person) by the power of the indwelling holy spirit. God created us to be like him, to be taught of him, because God is perfect. Perfect in love, perfect in holiness, perfect in righteousness, perfect in knowledge wisdom and discernment, perfect in patience, perfect in compassion. He commands all men everywhere to repent and turn to him(through Christ) for the remission of sins that their sin may be BLOTTED OUT. He calls us to fellowship and sonship and that if we turn at his reproof he will pour out his spirit upon us and manifest himself to us. He will inwardly transform and sanctify us with newness of life and the gift of the holy spirit. In receiving Christ as our personal lord and savior through repentance and faith our standing with God changes from "rebel" and "sinner" to "accepted, beloved, justified, and son/daughter of The Most High God." The Father gives us a heart to know him and teaches us how to walk with him.

When you say "freedom", what exactly do you mean?

Because Freedom or Liberty as commonly/widely understood are liberal concepts originating from secular philosophers in Europe during the 17th century leading up to the French Revolution (the original sin of modernity).
Freedom/liberty in this commonly understood sense is fundamentally a liberal idea which treats the human being as an "individual" in an atomized society divorced from greater meaning. From there capitalism, secularism and consumerism come into place.

Earlier precedents to "freedom/liberty" in this common sense, included some of the Gnostic groups, and different heresies that were stamped out by the Catholic Church (such as the Brethren of the Free Spirit).

 

[Lyfe]

When you say "freedom", what exactly do you mean?

Because Freedom or Liberty as commonly/widely understood are liberal concepts originating from secular philosophers in Europe during the 17th century leading up to the French Revolution (the original sin of modernity).
Freedom/liberty in this commonly understood sense is fundamentally a liberal idea which treats the human being as an "individual" in an atomized society divorced from greater meaning. From there capitalism, secularism and consumerism come into place.

Earlier precedents to "freedom/liberty" in this common sense, included some of the Gnostic groups, and different heresies that were stamped out by the Catholic Church (such as the Brethren of the Free Spirit).

Freedom from sin as well as the law and all it's legal demands.

 

[Lyfe]

All throughout scripture there are references to JOY and how God gives it to his people. We can't experience the joy of salvation and the joy of the holy spirit when we are sowing to the flesh(living in sin) and continually grieving him. King David described sin as a "weight" on his soul that was too heavy for him to bear. It was when he took his iniquity to God and renounced it that he was restored. It's only when we confess our sins to God and walk in the spirit that we begin to feel alive and inwardly experience the joy of The Lord. The Joy of the Lord is our strength! It is how we persevere against all the odds! If you are able to sing hymns and smile despite people always reaffirming their disdain for your God and your beliefs then you have discovered the secret and fountain of strength that's needed to stay the course! We CANNOT live the life we are called to and persevere without THE JOY OF THE LORD.

Psalm 31:10
English Standard Version
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
MY STRENGTH FAILS "BECAUSE" OF MY INIQUITY,
and my bones waste away.

Psalm 38:3-4
English Standard Version
3 There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
THERE IS NO HEALTH IN MY BONES
"BECAUSE" OF MY SIN.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

Ephesians 4:30
English Standard Version
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Psalm 32:3-5
English Standard Version
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
MY STRENGTH WAS DRIED UP[a] as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

If we are living in sin we quench the holy spirit and AS a result our strength to enjoy and walk in the freedom God has given us DRIES UP! Jesus said if we don't ABIDE we will DRY AND WHITHER!

 

[Lyfe]

There is RENEWAL and RESTORATION in the presence of God. If someone is IN CHRIST they now have ACCESS to come near to God and RECEIVE healing! We can only come near to a holy and perfect God by being purified and sanctified by the blood of Christ!

Let us then with confidence DRAW NEAR to the throne of grace, THAT WE MAY RECEIVE mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Draw NEAR to God, and HE WILL DRAW NEAR to you. James 4;8

But as for me, THE NEARNESS of God is my good; Psalm 73:28

times of REFRESHING may COME FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD Acts 3:20

Blessed is THE ONE YOU CHOOSE AND BRING NEAR, to dwell in your courts! We shall be SATISFIED with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! Psalm 65:4

For you make him most blessed forever; YOU MAKE HIM GLAD WITH THE JOY OF YOUR PRESENCE. Psalm 21:16

YOU MEET HIM who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Isaiah 65:4

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15