Page 14 - lifeandgrace
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based on the spirit. Look at the scripture quoted above: “so that we serve not under the old written code
but in the new life of the Spirit."
If we are stubborn and will not do things God’s way, we will fail. But if we desire to walk in the
Spirit, by the Spirit, we will overcome because He desires that we overcome. He wants our relationship
to Him to be based solely on the Spirit and not on rules and laws. With rules and laws we will never get
beyond “religion” and God does not want a “Christian Religion”. He wants a living relationship with
sons and daughters of the King. In short, God wants a family, and He will have it one way or another. He
wants all things to be centered in Christ.
If we yield every part of our being to Christ, reach out to Him to live His life in us and through us and
as us, He will do it. To the world it will look like we are doing everything, but just as Paul teaches in
Galatians 2:20, it will actually be Christ doing it. Each day I get up and go about my business knowing
and trusting that He is living in me, through me and as me. If I do indeed sin or make mistakes or do
other than His desires, I can absolutely trust the Holy Spirit to tell me quickly. If I need to repent, I can
repent and correct anything I have caused to affect my relationship. Meanwhile the Lord will not be
angry with me or sad or any such thing. He will be waiting until I return to the warm relationship we
have established. I do not need to wring my hands or beg God’s forgiveness or wonder if somehow He
now hates me or is disappointed in me. I can trust in my relationship with Him which is totally based on
His Son - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I do not need forgiveness because when I accepted Jesus
Christ as my Savior, I appropriated the forgiveness available to me because of His blood. His blood paid
for all my sins past, present and future. I may need to repent which only means to change direction and
once again go the way of the Lord. But I do not need more forgiveness - I am totally forgiven in Christ.
Now someone will ask: Rene, do you mean we do not in any way keep God’s laws? My answer,
“Yes, we do - but not by reading the scripture as a law study and applying will power.” God has made a
provision. He has made a New Covenant in the Blood of Jesus. (Heb 8:10 RSV) "This is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their
minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
Heb 10:16-18 (RSV) "This is the covenant that I will make with them after
those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them
on their minds, 17then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their
misdeeds no more.” 18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer
any offering for sin.
Most people do not understand the New Covenant in His Blood. But it is simply that God is going to
put God’s Laws (His laws for us) on our hearts. We do not need to try to keep external laws and rules but
we will appropriate the ones written on our heart. And Jesus will cause us to keep these laws. That is His
Covenant in His Blood!!! The Jesus within us will keep God’s laws or we might say that He will cause
me to keep them because they are a part of me.
At this point, people always want to point to this scripture: (Jer 17:9 RSV) “The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?" And that is a true picture of our old
heart. But we have died and been born again by the Spirit, and God has given us a new heart. Here in
Ezekiel is the description of our new heart: (Ezek 36:26 RSV) "A new heart I will give you, and a new
spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of
flesh."
God has written His laws on my NEW HEART that Jesus will keep in me, through me, as me. Our
new relationship with God is all based on Grace and not on Performance. It is all Grace. It is not a
relationship based on works. When we needed redemption, God did it all. The shedding of the Blood of
Jesus, God’s only Son, paid for the sins of the whole world. It was all God. That is Grace.
but in the new life of the Spirit."
If we are stubborn and will not do things God’s way, we will fail. But if we desire to walk in the
Spirit, by the Spirit, we will overcome because He desires that we overcome. He wants our relationship
to Him to be based solely on the Spirit and not on rules and laws. With rules and laws we will never get
beyond “religion” and God does not want a “Christian Religion”. He wants a living relationship with
sons and daughters of the King. In short, God wants a family, and He will have it one way or another. He
wants all things to be centered in Christ.
If we yield every part of our being to Christ, reach out to Him to live His life in us and through us and
as us, He will do it. To the world it will look like we are doing everything, but just as Paul teaches in
Galatians 2:20, it will actually be Christ doing it. Each day I get up and go about my business knowing
and trusting that He is living in me, through me and as me. If I do indeed sin or make mistakes or do
other than His desires, I can absolutely trust the Holy Spirit to tell me quickly. If I need to repent, I can
repent and correct anything I have caused to affect my relationship. Meanwhile the Lord will not be
angry with me or sad or any such thing. He will be waiting until I return to the warm relationship we
have established. I do not need to wring my hands or beg God’s forgiveness or wonder if somehow He
now hates me or is disappointed in me. I can trust in my relationship with Him which is totally based on
His Son - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I do not need forgiveness because when I accepted Jesus
Christ as my Savior, I appropriated the forgiveness available to me because of His blood. His blood paid
for all my sins past, present and future. I may need to repent which only means to change direction and
once again go the way of the Lord. But I do not need more forgiveness - I am totally forgiven in Christ.
Now someone will ask: Rene, do you mean we do not in any way keep God’s laws? My answer,
“Yes, we do - but not by reading the scripture as a law study and applying will power.” God has made a
provision. He has made a New Covenant in the Blood of Jesus. (Heb 8:10 RSV) "This is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their
minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
Heb 10:16-18 (RSV) "This is the covenant that I will make with them after
those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them
on their minds, 17then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their
misdeeds no more.” 18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer
any offering for sin.
Most people do not understand the New Covenant in His Blood. But it is simply that God is going to
put God’s Laws (His laws for us) on our hearts. We do not need to try to keep external laws and rules but
we will appropriate the ones written on our heart. And Jesus will cause us to keep these laws. That is His
Covenant in His Blood!!! The Jesus within us will keep God’s laws or we might say that He will cause
me to keep them because they are a part of me.
At this point, people always want to point to this scripture: (Jer 17:9 RSV) “The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?" And that is a true picture of our old
heart. But we have died and been born again by the Spirit, and God has given us a new heart. Here in
Ezekiel is the description of our new heart: (Ezek 36:26 RSV) "A new heart I will give you, and a new
spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of
flesh."
God has written His laws on my NEW HEART that Jesus will keep in me, through me, as me. Our
new relationship with God is all based on Grace and not on Performance. It is all Grace. It is not a
relationship based on works. When we needed redemption, God did it all. The shedding of the Blood of
Jesus, God’s only Son, paid for the sins of the whole world. It was all God. That is Grace.
