All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
When I Am Down
When you feel down, beat-up or overwhelmed, what does God use to pick you up and get you through?
Lord Bless,
LT
TheNET Coordinator
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Bev,
As born-again child of God you may face discipline for bad behavior, but need not fear condemnation. God will work on us to draw us back into alignment with Him when we go astray.
Your motivation is love and the desire to please God ... Amen!!! We are all works in progress (Philippians 1:6)
Lord Bless,
LT
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Bev,
Here is an example from my life. When I was 14 I owned a car that I was planning to fix up as my personal hot-rod. My parents used poor judgment in allowing me to possess the keys when they were away. I took it for a number of joy rides before the fateful day that I rolled it at 70 mph. I was unhurt (except pride). The cop took me home after calling my dad and telling him what had happened. The 30 minutes I waited for my dad to arrive was a high anxiety time. I had no idea what kind of discpline was coming, but knew it was coming. At the same time I knew that my dad would not hurt me or disown me. I deserved the correction that was coming, but the worse part of it all was the fact that I had disppointed my dad. Disappointed as he was I knew his actions would be driven by his love for me, not hate.
I have more confidence in my heavenly Father than in my earthly dad to do the right thing towards me in every situation.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Amanda,
Keep in mind that salvation inludes:
From the NIV Bible Dictionary:
JUSTIFICATION (Heb. tsedheq, tsadheq; Gr. dikaioo, to make valid, to absolve, to vindicate, to set right). Justification may be defined as "that judicial act of God by which, on the basis of the meritorious work of Christ, imputed to the sinner and received through faith, God declares the sinner absolved from sin, released from its penalty, and restored as righteous." It is being placed by God in a right relationship with himself (see RIGHTEOUSNESS). The doctrine is found in Paul's letters, chiefly those to Galatia and Rome.
As a reversal of God's attitude toward the sinner because of the sinner's new relation in Christ, justification is: (1) a declarative act by which the sinner is declared to be free from guilt and the consequences of sin (Rom 4:6-8; 5:18-19; 8:33-34; 2 Cor 5:19-21); (2) a judicial act in which the idea of judgment and salvation are combined to represent Christ fulfilling the law on behalf of the sinner (Matt 10:41; Rom 3:26; 8:3; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; 1 Tim 1:9; 1 Peter 3:18); (3) a remissive act in which God actually remits sin in complete forgiveness (Rom 4:5; 6:7); and (4) a restorative act by which the forgiven sinner is restored to favor through the imputation of Christ's righteousness (Rom 5:11; 1 Cor 1:30; Gal 3:6).
Four basic essentials in the act of justification are taught by Scripture. Justification involves:
A. Remission of punishment, in which the justified believer is declared to be free of the demands of the law since they have been satisfied in Christ (Rom 4:5) and is no longer exposed to the penalty of the law (6:7).
B. Restoration to favor, in which the justified believer is declared to be personally righteous in Christ. Mere acquittal or remission would leave the sinner in the position of a discharged criminal. Justification implies that God's treatment of the sinner is as if that one had never sinned. The sinner is now regarded as being personally righteous in Christ (Gal 3:6). There is not only acquittal but also approval, not only pardon, but also promotion.
C. Imputed righteousness of God, which is granted the justified believer through Christ's presence. Salvation in Christ imparts the quality and character of Christ's righteousness to the believer (Rom 3:22-26; Phil 3:9). Christ is made the Justifier through whom a new life is inaugurated in the believer (1 Cor 1:30).
D. New legal standing before God in which, instead of being under the condemnation of sin, the justified believer stands before God in Christ. Christ takes the place of the sinner, the place of curse (Gal 3:15), being made sin (2 Cor 5:21) and being judged for sin; the believer now stands in Christ's righteousness (Rom 3:25) and is viewed as a son (Gal 4:5).
The ground on which justification rests is the redeeming work of Christ's death. The inherent righteousness of Christ is the sole basis on which God can justify the sinner (Rom 3:24; 5:19; 8:1; 10:4; 1 Cor 1:8; 6:11; Phil 3:9; Titus 3:7).
The instrumental cause of justification is faith, as the response of the soul to God's redeeming grace (Rom 3:28). Faith is the condition of justification not in that it is considered meritorious, but only as the condition by which the meritorious work of Christ is accepted by the sinner. The final ground of justification is the completed, finished, sufficient work of Christ atoning for the sinner in his redeeming work on the cross.
REGENERATION (Gr. palingenesia). Regeneration has as its basic idea "to be born again" or "to be restored." Though the word is actually used only twice in the NT (Matt 19:28; Titus 3:5), many synonymous passages suggest its basic meaning. Related terms are "born again" (John 3:3, 5, 7), "born of God" (1:13; 1 John 3:9), "quickened" (Eph 2:1, 5), and "renewed" (Rom 12:2; Titus 3:5). Regeneration is the spiritual change wrought in people's hearts in which their inherently sinful nature is changed and by which they are enabled to respond to God in faith.
Regeneration is, therefore, an act of God through the immediate agency of the Holy Spirit operative in man (Col 2:13), originating in him a new dimension of moral life, a resurrection to new life in Christ. This new life is not merely a neutral state arising out of forgiveness of sin, but a positive implantation of Christ's righteousness in man, by which he is quickened (John 5:21), begotten (1 John 5:1), made a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), given a new life (Rom 6:4) and the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
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Did Peter need another bath or was he clean, except his feet? Did Jesus proclaim him clean or dirty when he needed a foot washing?
Lord Bless,
LT
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Bev,
Yes, I thought some might like that little twist ... not my fault, they should have known better! What were they thinking :-)
God is good!!!
Lord Bless,
LT -
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Amanda,
Good summary.
Might I aks what you mean by "Maybe its too late?"
Lord Bless,
LT
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Amanda,
Do you really think that Tozer meant "eat, drink and be merry?" I trust not.
What do you think really is the point of the ship illustration?
Lord Bless,
LT
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Amanda,
Why is it important for us to make our calling and election sure? Is it because God does not elect us but we must elect ourselves? Is it to see if God has really elected us? Is it to make sure we deserve to be elected? Is it to see if we have been disqualified from being elected? Is it to see if we have escaped the corruption of the world and therefore are entitled to the promises of God?
The Bible is clear that we are saved by grace through faith. This teaching is thread throughout the whole of the N.T. and is also seen in the O.T. as well. We cannot accept that to be saved requires grace and then to stay saved requires work. If that were true then minimally salvation is by grace and works. That is contrary to Scripture. There is a right way to live. I cannot say that often enough. Grace does not mean that we can live any way we please without there being any consequences. The key is being assured that losing our salvation is not one of those consequences. We could go through the list of things that happen to us at the moment of being born-again, but we will save that for another day.Regarding the specific question. God does not need to “prove” Himself or His promises to satisfy man. They are as sure as the Giver of the promise and unshakable. We need to come to a point of assurance regarding our salvation. God knows the truth, but one who fears loss of salvation will operate out of fear and this will hinder their work and growth. We need to come to the point that we know we are saved and that we can now move forward out of love with the desire to please Him. Too many hang on the balance ever evaluating their worth and work hoping they are saved. If my salvation depends on me I am doomed!!! If salvation requires something of us (to the exception of one thing) to acquire and keep it we would have no hope.
Much has been debated about God’s sovereignty and freewill. I have stated that I am neither Calvinist or Armenian. I believe freewill and the sovereignty of god coexist. I also have stated that I do not believe that we really have freewill, but rather liberties, because God has the authority to trump any choices we make and intervene any time He chooses to intervene. At the same time because man has liberties God is not guilty of negligence if He does not intervene.
What about the calling? God does the calling, the convicting and the revealing. Man’s only real part is in the surrender unto God. Some view this of God others think it is a choice God has given man. I am of the later group.
The truth is simply God knows whether a person is saved or not. The person who is unsure about their salvation or retention of it are handicapped. They will be afraid to live for Christ for fear of failure. When I know I am saved eternally I am free to live for Him without fear facing whatever trial comes my way, including persecution.
I will add one more things in this section. If a person believes that they can lose their salvation then they cannot proclaim that they are saved. They can only proclaim that at this given moment they are safe. This is not semantics. One must ask one’s self if they are saved from hell or only safe from going to hell at the moment, but who knows about tomorrow.
I’m still confused about sanctification, too. I find it difficult to believe that a whole lot of people will be going to heaven who have been saved but not sanctified.Your view is too narrow. Let me explain. There are several aspects to sanctification. There is the positional and there is experiential. At salvation we experience positional sanctification. We are in spiritual unity with Christ. His holiness and righteousness have been imputed into us and our sins laid on Him at the cross. Though we experience a positional sanctification, found in Him, we also have the need to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to live for Him in this live and overcome the flesh. This is experiential sanctification. This is the part that starts out as a crisis and then moves on to the progressive stage. The progressive stage is experienced over a lifetime as we grow and experience new things. In the experiential side we have the fullness of His Spirit which brings the empowerment to carry out the right choice of turning from sin and turning to God. Many people enter into the salvation experience and stop. They may desire to live for God, but find their ability to do so actually is an inability. The apostles were not sent out on their mission unto they were endued with power from on high. As stated before, this was not a receiving of the Holy Spirit, but an empowerment by the Holy Spirit that enabled them to live their lives in a godly manner.
BTW, Tozer believed in both the freewill of man and the sovereignty of God. The illustration shows that we have liberties on board as the world heads toward the designated end.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Amanda,
No need to apologize. You are not upsetting me. I will work with you as best I can for as long as it takes on AAG, or as long as you feel that my interaction is of help to you.
When having a problem praying, pray any way. When struggling to obey, seek to obey any way. A tip that helps me when I struggle with focusing during prayer, I put on headphones and listen to background music. This helps me focus. I understand your distractions are of a different type that what I am referring to, but it might be worth a try anyway.
Regarding choices. We make numerous choices each day. I do not believe God had already chosen for me to sit and type this out. That is part of the liberties God gives us.
Regarding the dreams. I am very cautious about attributing activity or things to demons without some clear indication that it actually is demonic. I would pray for clarity in this. You can pray for peace and seek guidance and comfort as you attempt to discern the nature of these dreams. Are they natural or spiritually driven? I know that is what you want to know, but I am trusting God will reveal the answer to you.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Amanda,
OK. I'm not buying it. Not yet anyway.
I am glad you are not buying, because I am not selling … :-)
You have asked several questions that are of several different topics so I will categorize them.
Sanctification:
Christ in you the hope of glory. We ask Him in when we are born again, not afterwards. That moment of regeneration is new life in Christ and Christ in us and Christ our only hope.
The Holy Spirit indwells us at the moment of new birth and we are positionally sanctified. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a separate act and is part of the experiential part of sanctification. Jesus brings many different blessings into our life as we learn to walk in submission to Him and place our trust in those areas of life. Some of these areas are protection, provision, health, wisdom, to name a few. Faith is multifaceted, but that is another topic.
Salvation and the retention of our salvation:
What does it mean to believe for a little while and then fall away? Is that the same as having your faith in God completely destroyed and living in fear and doubt, wondering if He does care or if we can be saved from our sins?
The seed that fell on the first path clearly does not denote a believer. The seed that fell on the second path is not a believer either. They possessed no root, life giving source.
Atonement: Limited or complete?
It is commonly preached that He forgives past sins, but that we have to do something about these present sins ourselves.
Romans 3:25, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
The compilation of Scripture that relates to the atoning work of Jesus teaches that Jesus payment is for all sin and this includes past, present and future sin. The manner by which this is accomplished is repentance. Repentance is a change of mind and thus coming into agreement with God regarding sin and is emphasized in John 16:8-11 through the work of the Holy Spirit. We then move forward with the desire to live a right way for the right reason.Sanctification:
Sanctified by faith-what does that mean here in this verse?There is a positional sanctification that comes with the new birth. You are set apart for God and marked as His.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Amanda,
Jesus did not do away with the Law, He fulfilled it and nailed the written code that stood against us to the cross. There is a right way to live (according to God's Word, which includes the principles revealed through the Law) and a right reason to do so (because of love).
I go back to the motivation. Am I seeking to obey because I fear condemnation if I fail or do I seek to obey because I love God and seek to please Him. Much of what is taught is all about the fear of failure and being cut-off. The Bible speaks differently.
Lord Bless,
LT
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