Q: If we are created in Gods "image" why does the world see "us"?
A: We are not "created" in God's image. Only Adam and Eve were created in God's image (Gen 1:27). The rest of us, all mankind, are "born" in the image of Adam. Adam and Eve did not have any children prior to the Fall. Thus, we read "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth (Gen 5:3)." It says Adam had a son in his own image. Mankind is in the image of Adam. We are an image of what it is like not to have God. That is why we read that we are spiritually dead prior to salvation. When God created Adam it says that "the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (Gen 2:7)." The very life of God, His Spirit, was "breathed" into Adam. However, God warned Adam that he "must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Gen 2:17)." Well, we know that he did eat from the tree. The death He suffered was a spiritual death. God removed the life He breathed into Adam. Adam was alive physically, living to be 930 years of age (Gen 5:5), but dead spiritually in his sins.
This is the foundation of the Gospel message, our condition of being spiritually dead to God in our sins. But, salvation is the restoration of the life of God made available as a free gift through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we accept Christ we are born again. What is birth? It is life! We go from being spiritually dead in Adam to spiritually alive in Christ (see 1 Cor 15:22, Col 2:13). And because of Jesus' death on the cross, there is now no sin that can cause that life to leave the way it did Adam in the Garden. Thus, what we have is an eternal life. A life that carries us through this life, through death, and on into eternity. That is why the Bible says, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17)!" We are something totally different than what Adam and Eve were in the Garden. We have the life of God, the Holy Spirit, indwelling us and it will never leave. Amen! The Gospel is sin, death, forgiveness and life! (Rom 5:8-10) So, what the world sees is us engaging them with a love that is a reflection of the love God has shown towards us. And as God serves the world in love through us the lost might be saved because of it. Be blessed.
Q: What is the difference between walking in the "spirit" and not the "flesh"(old sinful nature)?
A: The difference between walking in the Spirit and not walking in the flesh is deciding on whether or not you are going to live a life of trust and dependence on the Holy Spirit or trust your ability to live a life of repentance and obedience. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Gal 5:16)." What is living by the Spirit? The Bible says in Titus 2:11-12 that it is the "grace of God" that "teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." Notice it didn't say "the law of god" teaches us. When you are trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide you He will not lead you to sin, gratifying the desires of the flesh, because you will be serving others in love. Therefore, you will not be sinning against them. You will learn to engage the world and others with the love you have received from God. The Apostle Paul showed us what it is like to live a life trusting in our own ability to be repentant and obedient. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Rom 7:15)." No matter how hard we try, no matter how much we love God, we can not live the Christian life in our own flesh.
How many times do we hear pastors say that if you love God you'll stop sinning? Or, if you love God, you will do what it is right and avoid what is wrong? Then they will search the scriptures to find things in order for you to do in order to be pleasing to God. What you will soon realize is that you cannot be pleasing to God by your best efforts to try and be more like Him. Satan deceived Adam and Eve with the same message. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen 3:5)." That is the same message many Christians are told and repeat on a daily basis. We need to be like Jesus, become better Christians or we have to stop sinning. All these things are our attempts to be like God through the knowledge of good and evil. Jesus said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mat 5:48)." He didn't say this to be encouraging. He said it to bury us so that we would realize we cannot be like God no matter how hard we try or no matter how much we say we love Him. "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Gal 5:6)." Our faith in the knowledge of how much God loved us in Christ causes us to rest from our self-righteous acts of trying to find ways to be like God. In turn, we are able to allow Him to serve others in love through us with the love we have received from Him. That is how we walk by the Spirit and not the flesh. Be blessed.
Q: What is a Christian's "purpose"?..And does it ever "Change"?
A: "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2)." Like Paul, my purpose as a Christian is to know Christ. God designed each and every one of us to have the need for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning and purpose to life. He designed us in such a way that only He could meet those needs in Him. As a wise man once said, "God in the man is indispensable to the life of the man." In other words, God indwelling us is the only way in which man can properly function. The mystery that God revealed to us "is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27)." The whole meaning of salvation, the entire purpose of the resurrection we just celebrated, is for God to once again be our very life the way He originally intended. Christians are often searching for purpose in life in order to fulfill those deep needs in their heart. It often times can lead them to sin because they end up looking for fulfillment in everything, but their God.
God gave us something so much more than what the world can offer through material and physical possessions. He gave us Himself! And in Him, we have everything we need for life and godliness (2 Ptr 1:3) and every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3). He did this so we would not seek from the world that which can only be received in Him. Thereby, freeing us from the bondage of sin and fleshly lusts in order to allow Him to serve the world in love through us. As He does this we by default end up bearing His fruit to the world. Remember the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, are the fruit of the Spirit, not our fruit. It is produced by God for others to enjoy. As we serve others in love, with the love God has given to us, His Light in us draws others to Him through us like a moth to a flame. God's will is that He is "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Ptr 3:9)." Our purpose is to allow Him to do that through us by resting in all that He has given to us. That is our purpose and it will never change. Be blessed!
Q: What is the "TRUE" meaning of "REPENTANCE"?
A: The idea of repentance can have many meanings. However, in the New Testament it is reserved for one who turns to the Lord. Therefore, true repentance is reserved for the moment of salvation. It is when an unbeliever realizes their condition of being dead in their sins and turns to Jesus Christ and His provision of spiritual life and forgiveness. True repentance is a one time act of salvation that can never be undone. That is why in the Gospel of Mark we read, ""The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news (Mk 1:15)!"" Ultimately, repentance is a change of mind towards what you believed about something. Christians often times use it in terms of how we feel about a certain sin we have been committing and that we desire to avoid. While there is nothing wrong with this we have to be careful of how we use it in our walk with the Lord. I have heard people say that repentance means "I used to commit a certain sin, but now I don't." To which I would respond, "What happens if you commit that sin again? Does it mean you never repented in the first place?"
This is a dangerous line to walk simply because it usually stems from the idea that the Christian life is to be one of completely eliminating sin from our lives. This is dedicating oneself to a life that they can never live. The only result of this lifestyle is feeling totally miserable, unloved and separated from your God. This is because you will discover that the more sin you rid yourself of the more sin reveals itself to you. The Bible says, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law (1 Cor 15;56)." What this means is that the more we try and find ways to do what is good and avoid what is evil the more we become mastered by sin. The Christian life is not about living a life of repentance and obedience to rules, laws and doctrines designed to modify our behavior or our desire to prove to God how much we love Him. The Christian life is a life of trust and dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide you from within as you serve others in love. And when the Holy Spirit is guiding you He is not going to lead you to sin. You will never stop sinning, but remember, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:11-12)." Be blessed.
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