Too many believers ‘feel’ comfortable glorifying sin or wrong doing or missing the mark, rather than glorifying righteousness. It’s seen in their social media posts or heard in their conversations or testimonies. They may for example feel validated being transparent or keeping it real, which only points to the self-absorbed flesh rather than God or His Kingdom.
The word of God says this: “[t]here is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death,” (Proverbs 14:12). Death in this example is seen as the absence of the Light and Life. It points away from the righteousness that Jesus Christ imputed ‘in’ the believer which says, “[f]or our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God,“ (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Apostle Paul goes on to say in Romans 1:17, that the just or the righteous shall live by faith…not the flesh.
Sadly, many believers aren’t living by faith because they’re either ignorant of the truth or they’re comfortable living according to their sin conscious (John 3:19). The sin conscious describes the old nature, the carnality of man, what man, since birth, has been socialized into or the fleshly nature. When we were born into this world, we were born into sin due to the fall of Adam, after he ate of the tree (Genesis 3:6,7). Dark, evil thoughts, lust, comparisons, opinions, gossiping, hate, discord, jealousy, sexual sins, disrespect, lies, hypocrisy and such like formed how we treated or thought of ourselves or others.
But then Jesus, the last Adam, born sinless, became our Redeemer, suffered and was crucified worst than any criminal upon the face of the earth; when He died, was buried and arose again, He did it triumphantly, victoriously with all Power in His hand!
Now the believer who is born again, through water baptism, fully emerged, has identified with Christ’s death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and His resurrection from the dead. Upon coming up from the water, symbolically, the old nature has been buried and the life of the believer has become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Nonetheless, the believer has to go through the process of maintaining his or her born again nature. Reading the word of God and disassociating oneself from ungodly things, activities and often people has to take place. Why? Because the born again believer is living under a new rulership, the Kingdom of God. In His Kingdom there’s pure righteousness, faith, joy and peace… which the world doesn’t have, and never will.
Next, it’s the responsibility of the born again believer—not a preacher, Apostle, Bishop, Teacher or such like—to keep his or her life pure or to live in righteousness (Psalm 119:9). The believer is never to depend upon a (wo)man to be taught to live holy. Rather, it’s Holy Spirit, who after baptism, becomes the Teacher of all truths, and righteousness.
Depending upon Holy Spirit brings assurance to righteous living for the believer. As well, continual intimacy in the presence of God will not only renew the old way of thinking (thoughts of evil, retribution, tit-4-tats…), it will also bring transformation. In other words, the believer will no longer have tastes for things outside of the Kingdom of God or what pleases Him (Romans 12:2).
Imagine hearing messages that uplift—describing who you are in Christ or being told that you’re free from sin and are servants of righteousness (Romans 6:18). As born again believers, we must daily wash away traditions of men, religion and or legalistic messages—under the law words that we were socialized into. These are designed to keep you a slave to obey or are mental entrapments to what you’ve been freed from (Romans 8:2).
Believer, you are righteous and perfect (Matthew 5:48). You do have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Remember, it’s your responsibility to maintain this righteous way of thinking so that you can grow…from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB; Philippians 2:5). Don’t look back to the old nature. It’s dead and buried. And by all means, let no one, it doesn’t matter who they are, dig up before you, the carnal nature—glorified sin. Rather, tune your spiritual ears unto righteousness. For it is written, “[l]et anyone who has ears to hear, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:6). ~Joanna High
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