Not like the Old ? (2)

NOT like the Old ? Someone once said "IF it is too complicated to explain, it is just too complicated" and I replied, "Wait - we can't explain NEW BIRTH, God in us, being led by the Spirit, and God dying for mankind . . .but I think each concept is important !"

Besides - LIFE is pretty complicated psychologically, biologically, sociologically, and even meteorologically, but if we don't make knowing all about everything ultimately important, we can even enjoy the process of discovery. Problem is - we make Biblical discovery a matter of heaven and hell - and sometimes it IS ! However - much of our study is simply maturation processes.

So - "not like the Old" is a study - but "knowing Jesus" is what the Salvation concept is all about. My problem is - if we do not know about how processes are Biblically explained, we may very well be repeating someone else's misunderstanding and needlessly burdening people with guilt and fear. Allow me to use one concept to explain. Paul taught "we are not under law, but under grace" and many in Christendom HASTEN to teach that indeed we ARE under law after all. Well - I wonder why Paul even bothered to write that. Let's just leave out Romans 6:14-15; Galatians 5:18; as well as most of Galatians 3. Wouldn't it be better to study what it means to be not under law, instead of dismissing it ? My personal opinion is - "many" Christians are so afraid of grace they teach against it. After all, if we cannot "guilt motivate" our bunch, we'll loose them to _______ . (Fill in the latest cult, liberal agenda or even atheism or agnosticism.)

Well - sorry, but I think God wrote it down through the Holy Spirit as He influenced people, and He wants it down the way it is written. So- how do we explain "not under law" and why do we need to ? First-there must be a reason why God did it. But - the BIGGER point is, as long as we focus on us, there is another truth concept we are missing out on entirely which is God's way of doing it and explaining it in the Bible.

Romans 3:21 introduces a "totally different" concept from law in which God revealed His righteousness. Paul wrote it down as "the faith of Jesus Christ" . . .verse 22 - which we access by faith in what Jesus did - or faith in God's promise - Jesus ! Notice how verse 24 explains it - "they are justified freely by His grace as a gift, through the Redemption which is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation through faith in His blood to be received by faith"

Result - verse 27 - "what becomes of our boasting ? It is EXCLUDED" (Explained by Paul as how faith operates - v.27ff.) Problem is - we sometimes think faith focuses on us . . .but the original concept focuses away from us. Notice that Paul calls this "faith apart from works of law".

So-what does "under grace" mean then ? It goes back to our definition of faith - we "put ourselves under" the one to whom we respond - with the basic concept of Mary's response - "May it be to me, even as You have said" so as Paul later explained (Romans 6:1ff.) - we have died to running our own life - and as Mary exampled - we let God do as He will for Life - Paul referred to that in Philippians 2:13 as "God is at work in you to will and to work" - that is the normal Christian Life. (Note that "willing and working" is how to say ALL - and God does it !)

So - what is God's plan for your life - to run it Himself ! (After all, He did buy and pay for it - seems like He has the right to run it - doesn't it ? That is explained a little more in Ephesians 2:10 - "we are His project" - so maybe we need to allow God to continually work on His project !

Under grace also means we are not under law - so that is why there is "no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" - we're freed from law . . .and are totally under grace . . .more to come