What could be a scary thought for some? How bout' this--The thought that as a Christian you can do whatever you want......scary?
Consider this Bible verse:
"All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." 1 Corinthians 10:23
All things are lawful for me? That flies in the face of traditional thinking about Christian morals, rights and wrongs--Doesn't it?
You see as Christians we are no longer slaves to the law. In amazing mercy, Jesus was the sacrifice that allowed us to be forgiven of our sins by no work of our own. So that we were no longer subject to trying to live up to God's perfect standards (the laws) And we were given the Christ's life in exchange for our own by the grace of God.
So we are truly free to do whatever we want, because the law no longer applies to us. Woo hoo! Now that's freedom! It's so sad to see so many people that see the Christian life as a life that is summed up by a comment such as:
"If you're a good Christian, everything is a sin"
This is the definitely one of the most incorrect yet universally accepted doctrines of the secular, and sadly, Christian world. I guess this verse was skimmed over.
Before you get crazy and start to plan your debaucherous plight through every forbidden pleasure imaginable, pay attention to the rest of the verse. When you read the rest you start to get a handle on why this isn't so scary after all. "but not all things are helpful...but not all things edify."
You have the freedom to do whatever you want. But what will keep you from doing the things that aren't "helpful" and don't "edify"? Well, remember when I said that you received the life of Christ in exchange for your own at salvation?
Christ's life is the key. You won't have to worry about what is right or wrong. You don't need laws to tell you. Your identity is a righteous one, so your natural nature is to glorify God and to do the things that please him!
You have a little thing called a conscience that lets you know when you're messing up. And God is able to keep you from stumbling. A personal relationship with God will keep you from sin.
Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk in the Spirit and [then] you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Don't get it twisted and try to Not fulfill the lust of the flesh to walk in the spirit.
For some reason, probably due to their engrained behavior orientated nature, most people read this verse as "if you don't fulfill the lust of the flesh then you'll be walking in the spirit." or at least that's how most people put it to use.
Most Christians see their Christian walk as one where they try to reach the righteousness of God by trying to make their behavior fall in line first. Relying on our power to bring us to the spiritual place we want to be at is a mistake and most often leads to failure.
Tis' a shame I say. If this were a math equation you would have an order of operations that must be followed to get to the correct answer. The order of operations isn't behaving like a Christian to walk in the spirit. It is walking in the spirit, then you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Your behavior will fall in line when you are "walking in the spirit." Because the object of your concern will be your righteous father. You are allowing him to express his life through you and he knows no other way than to do it righteously and avoiding "the lusts of the flesh" or sin.
That's one of the keys to being successful in most anything in life. Your Focus. Look around for my other article, "your Focus determines your reality", to find out more about how your focus is Crucial to the success of any endeavor.
I hope this article has challenged you to look at the object of your faith Jesus and opened up communication with him over this "scary thought", I look forward to hearing from you!
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Who Else Wants to Experience The Abundant, Care-free Life of Being a Better Christian Day In and Day Out and Experiencing the Guiltless Joy of Living Life Without Limits or Having to Worry About Following a Bunch of Uptight Rules?" Click Here> http://www.christthroughme.com/ctmbook.html
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..There are many contradictions in life and none more easily... Read More
With another year full of family events coming upon us,... Read More
The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes... Read More
Life is like an obstacle course in which we run... Read More
Stress is amazingly persistent, even seductive. We get used to... Read More
When the storms in your life are raging, just believe,... Read More
Sometimes, in traveling a path, we discover a short-cut, and... Read More
As I sit here and ponder my existence my heart... Read More
"A common jar of clay can never become a noble... Read More
1. Gabriel means: "God is my strength" or "God is... Read More
I can see the cops coming! They're a good thousand... Read More
As human beings it is inherent to want to self-actualize... Read More
Dreams take us not into ourselves, but out of ourselves.... Read More
The Apocalypse, or unveilling, is the name given to the... Read More
Worldwide extensive research is being published related to the mind-body... Read More
In the responsibility we have as Christians, we are displayed... Read More
INTRODUCTIONSpiritual affirmations are positive, statements of intention, that facilitate manifestation.... Read More
In Corrogue the air is chill and the frost is... Read More
One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when... Read More
The word "psychology" is the combination of two terms -... Read More
The human body is surely a miracle of God's creation.... Read More
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;I... Read More
Military personnel at a U.S. prison in Guantanamo, Bay, Cuba... Read More
You can think of your Animal Totems as imaginary guides... Read More
Does this ever happen to you? You ask God for... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..The Birth of Jesus Christ18 Now the birth of Jesus... Read More
Life, no matter how we choose to look at it,... Read More
Some may ask, is there any truth to have a... Read More
God said, "Thou shalt not?" and we continue to tell... Read More
One of the most difficult barriers... Read More
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the... Read More
Have you ever heard something that really "resonated" with you?... Read More
*Advice on living a humane and compassionate life.According to text... Read More
Faith is the remarkable force that gives us the empowerment... Read More
Oxford dictionary defines PRAYER as "a request for help or... Read More
There are many contradictions in life and none more easily... Read More
The Angelic realms have been very active throughout the human... Read More
Every month I usually sit down and write an article... Read More
Hopefully you're reading this article because you're intrigued by the... Read More
Last Friday night, I met a Christian at a prayer... Read More
Many look outside of themselves for an experience of the... Read More
Each of us has far more potential to serve the... Read More
Now, I will recount in full what happened to me... Read More
As a Coach and Psychotherapist I have found that the... Read More
Most forms of psychotherapy I know either tries to help... Read More
For some of us, EVERY DAY IS HALLOWEEN!!! If you... Read More
Whenever, we have a task or project to carry out... Read More
The dictionary defines the word forgive as: [to pardon, as... Read More
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in... Read More
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me,... Read More
Spirituality |