~ Jeremiah Called Jesus Christ God! ~
Scripture ~ “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.
~ Binary Natures: Old or New ~
Series Comment ~ When it comes to spiritual paths it is strictly a binary choice.
(1) It is a choice between the True or False. “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6). [See Post #1 in this series.]
(2) It is a choice between Do or Done. Jesus said, “It [the work of salvation] is finished!” (John 19:30). Your Doing can add nothing to what Christ has Done for you. [See Post #2 in this series.]
(3) It is your choice between Religion or Relationship. Religions are geared toward self-effort whereas Christianity is an intimacy with the only One who can save. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). [See Post #3 in this series.}
The Old Nature ~ “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18a).
“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). …
The New Nature ~ … “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:25-32).
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him” (1 John 3:16-19).
Comment ~ These passage contrast the sinful nature we were all born with and the new nature we have received at the time of second birth into the family of God. As a believer we have both natures and have multiple binary choices as to which nature we will follow.
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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~ God Is Accessible ~
This Series ~ This series of posts looks at some of the many attributes of God. Generally, we move in alphabetical order.
Introduction ~ The first time my wife and I were in London outside Buckingham Palace I turned to my wife and said, “I think I’ll give the queen a call and tell her we would like to stop in for a cup of tea with her.” A couple near us overheard the comment and looked at us very strangely.
Another time when we were outside the U.S. Whitehouse I commented to my wife, “I’m going to give the President a call and let him know that we would like to come in and enjoy a cup of coffee with him!
As absurd as both of those comments are as Christians we can come into the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Scripture ~ “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Question ~ Are you in that privileged state of access?
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.
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