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Post by elizabeth on Dec 26, 2017 19:03:07 GMT
Hello williamhawk, welcome to Raptureforum.
The new birth is a miraculous spiritual experience. The Holy Spirit opens our spiritual eyes to the gospel. We see and understand how Christ was crucified for our original, (or adamic) sin, and suffered and bled and died for our sins, past, present, and future (til the day we die, or are raptured). We accept Him into our heart, and hopefully see His total love, grace and mercy towards us.
We are no longer under the law, we are under grace; we do not look to the ten commandments, we look to Christ. The more we look to, and focus on Christ, the more Christ like we will become. It certainly will not happen overnight, but eventually we find besetting sins become less of a problem; though they will exist til our last day on earth for we do not lose our adamic nature, it co exists with our new spiritual nature.
And thinking we have to work at something to be a Christian, or be a better Christian, is wrong. That is the job of the Holy Spirit in you, just keep your eyes on Christ. As we were not able to be saved without the Holy Spirit, neither are we able to walk without the Holy Spirit. Regardless of your path, you are now eternally secure.
Personally, I struggled with besetting sin badly for decades. Then I learned to just trust that the Holy Spirit would work in me, to make me more like Christ, and I would just look to the Lord and trust Him. I relaxed, stopped freaking out about my sin problem, and over the years, I noticed an improvement. I've been saved for about 40 years. I'm so thankful for the grace and mercy of our God.
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Post by elizabeth on Dec 26, 2017 19:34:12 GMT
williamhawk, I just went to check out the devotion sites I go to and this was one of them. I thought it appropriate to post here also: TOUCH NOT! - December 26, 2017 "I, through the law, am dead to the law" (Galatians 2:19). The law will not touch us if we do not touch it. "We were born in the first Adam. He was responsible before God to stand in righteousness. He failed. We were responsible in him and we failed. We sinned in Adam (Romans 5:12, 19). What did God do about it? He gathered us up into the Last Adam, and we died in Him. God allowed His holy law to condemn us utterly and the law, seeking to slay us, found us in Christ on the Cross and set upon us and slew us." -W.R.N. "'Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth' (Romans 7:1), but when it has cursed him and killed him the law has no more to say to him; and we 'are become dead to the law by the body of Christ' (Romans 7:4), for we have died judicially with Christ on the Cross. The new life which we have in Him comes to us from Him in heaven, the risen and glorified Man before the Father." -H.F.W. "There prevails a notion that the Lord Jesus was keeping the law for us and establishing our righteousness when He was here below. Now His life was necessary to vindicate the Father and His holy law, as well as to manifest Himself and His love; but the righteousness that we are made in Christ is another thought altogether not the law fulfilled by Him, but the justifying righteousness of the Father founded on the Lord Jesus' death, displayed in His resurrection, and crowned by His glory in heaven." -W.K. "The Ten Commandments require no life of prayer, no Christian service, no evangelism, no missionary outreach, no Gospel preaching, no life and walk in the Spirit, no union with the Lord Jesus, no fellowship of saints, no hope of salvation, and no hope of heaven." -L.S.C. "Now we are delivered from the law" (Romans 7:6). Miles Stanford, None but the Hungry Heart, pembrokebiblechapel.com/fair use for education and discussion purposes
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Post by elizabeth on Dec 26, 2017 19:41:54 GMT
This was the devotional today on the other site I go to. I thought the theme fit so I'm posting this here too: Spurgeon Devotional Dec 26 He is able . . . to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him.—HEB. 7:25. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.—Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.—He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.—Is any thing too hard for the Lord! Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. John 14:6. -Acts 4:12.John 10:27,28. -Phi. 1:6. -Gen. 18:14.Jude 24,25. www.ccel.org/meditatefair use for education and discussion purposes
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