"Are You Sin Conscious or God Conscious?"
Posted by Counselor Pro on Friday, May 17, 2013 Under: Spiritual Food
"Are You Sin Conscious
or God Conscious?"
"But of him (God) are YE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO OF GOD IS MADE UNTO US (to become; to come into existence) WISDOM (full of divine intelligence), and RIGHTEOUSNESS (standing upright), andSANCTIFICATION (consecration; purity), and REDEMPTION (released by full payment of the price of ransom)". 1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV (Capitals are mine for emphasis)
"THE SECOND ADAM"--JESUS CHRIST--CAME TO PAY THE PENALTY OF SIN, TAKING OUR PLACE
We were all born sinners and conceived in iniquity (Psalm 51). That was the beginning of our human condition, thanks to Adam and his fall, as "federal head" of the human race. But, "the second Adam"--Jesus the Christ--came to pay the penalty of sin, taking our place, paying the price by giving His life on the cross, that when we accept Him as our personal Savior, we inherit eternal life. When we repent--turning our back on our past; changing directions; doing a 180 degree turn by renouncing our sins--our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We are born again, as we are adopted by the Holy Spirit into the family of God.
WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE. THE SCRIPTURES TELL US TO "WORK OUT OUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING"
Now that we are converted, we must make a decision on how we are to live our Christian life on a daily basis. We have a choice to make. The Scriptures tell us to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling"--a holy reverential awe of God Himself, not the fear of self-condemnation. The Holy Spirit within us is there to convict us of sin and to warn us of its dangerous pitfalls. Sadly, many believers live under condemnation and are constantly repenting of a majority of their thoughts and deeds. After awhile they are sinning--"missing the mark of God's perfection"--so much that they start to doubt God's forgiveness, and even stop forgiving themselves. They live in torment. Their salvation is based on "their performance", instead of "trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross". Always trying to make themselves good enough for God, they miss the point, which robs them of their joy. Often their repentance is crying at the altar until they pray away conviction, and then continue to live as they did before. It's a vicious cycle.
WE ARE "IN" CHRIST JESUS. HE HAS "MADE US TO BECOME" WISDOM, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANCTIFICATION AND REDEMPTION
But, there is a better way to live. Instead of being "sin conscious", we need to be "God conscious". We are "in" Christ Jesus. He has "made us to become" wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments". We do not have to live "a negative Christianity", being in fear of losing our salvation by always looking at the temptations to sin. The key is "our love for Jesus". We do not want to displease Him, but instead do everything we know to bring Him joy. When we are so busy doing what we are supposed to do there will not be enough time left to do what we should not do. And, if we do fall, we instantly confess it to the Lord, and receive His instant forgiveness, grateful for His enduring mercy.
WHEN WE HAVE A GRASP AND A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THIS CONCEPT, WE WILL NOT WANT TO DEFILE OURSELVES WITH THE FILTHINESS OF THE FLESH
When temptation comes--and it does to all of us--we resist it by reminding ourselves, God, and the devil of who we are in Christ Jesus. The emphasis is on Who God is, instead of focusing on sinning. We decree that we are walking in wisdom, with "the mind of Christ", having access to divine intelligence. James encourages us, when he writes, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not (does not take it back)". God wants to bestow His wisdom on and in us liberally. He is desirous to remind us--as we remind ourselves--that "we are the righteousness of God in Christ (the Anointed One)". It is His righteousness, not ours, but it becomes ours when we are "in Him". This means we are "standing upright" in God's eyes. In Christ we are sanctified--"set apart from the world, and set apart unto God". When we have a grasp and a proper understanding of this concept, we will not want to defile ourselves with the filthiness of the flesh. And, furthermore, we are redeemed--bought back from Satan. with the full price of our pardon, which is the sinless blood of Jesus. So, my friend, what will it be--living with a magnified view of sin, or living with the knowledge of being surrounded by the presence of God, and not wanting to go back to low living? This is "taking the high road".
"But of him (God) are YE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO OF GOD IS MADE UNTO US (to become; to come into existence) WISDOM (full of divine intelligence), and RIGHTEOUSNESS (standing upright), andSANCTIFICATION (consecration; purity), and REDEMPTION (released by full payment of the price of ransom)". 1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV (Capitals are mine for emphasis)
"THE SECOND ADAM"--JESUS CHRIST--CAME TO PAY THE PENALTY OF SIN, TAKING OUR PLACE
We were all born sinners and conceived in iniquity (Psalm 51). That was the beginning of our human condition, thanks to Adam and his fall, as "federal head" of the human race. But, "the second Adam"--Jesus the Christ--came to pay the penalty of sin, taking our place, paying the price by giving His life on the cross, that when we accept Him as our personal Savior, we inherit eternal life. When we repent--turning our back on our past; changing directions; doing a 180 degree turn by renouncing our sins--our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We are born again, as we are adopted by the Holy Spirit into the family of God.
WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE. THE SCRIPTURES TELL US TO "WORK OUT OUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING"
Now that we are converted, we must make a decision on how we are to live our Christian life on a daily basis. We have a choice to make. The Scriptures tell us to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling"--a holy reverential awe of God Himself, not the fear of self-condemnation. The Holy Spirit within us is there to convict us of sin and to warn us of its dangerous pitfalls. Sadly, many believers live under condemnation and are constantly repenting of a majority of their thoughts and deeds. After awhile they are sinning--"missing the mark of God's perfection"--so much that they start to doubt God's forgiveness, and even stop forgiving themselves. They live in torment. Their salvation is based on "their performance", instead of "trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross". Always trying to make themselves good enough for God, they miss the point, which robs them of their joy. Often their repentance is crying at the altar until they pray away conviction, and then continue to live as they did before. It's a vicious cycle.
WE ARE "IN" CHRIST JESUS. HE HAS "MADE US TO BECOME" WISDOM, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANCTIFICATION AND REDEMPTION
But, there is a better way to live. Instead of being "sin conscious", we need to be "God conscious". We are "in" Christ Jesus. He has "made us to become" wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments". We do not have to live "a negative Christianity", being in fear of losing our salvation by always looking at the temptations to sin. The key is "our love for Jesus". We do not want to displease Him, but instead do everything we know to bring Him joy. When we are so busy doing what we are supposed to do there will not be enough time left to do what we should not do. And, if we do fall, we instantly confess it to the Lord, and receive His instant forgiveness, grateful for His enduring mercy.
WHEN WE HAVE A GRASP AND A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THIS CONCEPT, WE WILL NOT WANT TO DEFILE OURSELVES WITH THE FILTHINESS OF THE FLESH
When temptation comes--and it does to all of us--we resist it by reminding ourselves, God, and the devil of who we are in Christ Jesus. The emphasis is on Who God is, instead of focusing on sinning. We decree that we are walking in wisdom, with "the mind of Christ", having access to divine intelligence. James encourages us, when he writes, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not (does not take it back)". God wants to bestow His wisdom on and in us liberally. He is desirous to remind us--as we remind ourselves--that "we are the righteousness of God in Christ (the Anointed One)". It is His righteousness, not ours, but it becomes ours when we are "in Him". This means we are "standing upright" in God's eyes. In Christ we are sanctified--"set apart from the world, and set apart unto God". When we have a grasp and a proper understanding of this concept, we will not want to defile ourselves with the filthiness of the flesh. And, furthermore, we are redeemed--bought back from Satan. with the full price of our pardon, which is the sinless blood of Jesus. So, my friend, what will it be--living with a magnified view of sin, or living with the knowledge of being surrounded by the presence of God, and not wanting to go back to low living? This is "taking the high road".
In : Spiritual Food
