The GREAT Exchange is a concept that is familiar to many Christians.
We are commanded in the Bible to "put on Christ"
Because Jesus has shed his blood and given his life for us, we are able to take what He earned through His perfect life, death, resurrection, and Lordship. This is the difference between Biblical Christians and New Agers or believers in Unity. New Agers and Unity believers tend to believe that there is a kind of free-floating Christ-consciousness that we can sorta get and attain to in a gnosticky, eastern kind of way. But we can only put on Christ if we have accepted that He died for our sins. It's not we have to earn Christ-Consciousness, but we have to acknowledge the power of His shed blood, and that the Holy Mediator who came in the Flesh died for us. Through Christ, we have the mind of Christ, the peace that passes all understanding, and "all things." It is not true that Christians "mature" into Christ. God's blessings are not given to the "mature"..it is given to those who receive them and walk in them and put on Christ.
This morning I used the transformation prayer. I realize I tend to be very impatient with people who haven't suffered and yet who get good things. And I asked God to go to that root time when it all began, the time where I felt someone got something without deserving it. I put aside (which is what forgiveness means) that old thinking as part of the old man. And I put on the new man of Christ and declared that from now on I'm filled with the power of God and I now rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. So now I no longer require good to happen only to good people but that God's favor and mercy can fall on anyone, even those who might be considered deserving. For if I cage my world in such a way that good can only happen to those who deserve it, then good can only happen to me if I deserve it. So am free from that emotion. Trying to keep track of all the thoughts that come and taking them captive to all that is Christ and putting on Christ. So I've cleaned my soul of some crap this morning. Will see.
We have so many difficult and contradictory stuff going on in our spirits. The Holy Spirit was sent to give us light to show us these contradictions. He came "that the thoughts of many shall be revealed" and He also came that we may see the GREAT LIGHT, the kind of Life God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We have to do our part. God has done His. Our part is the receiving of TRUTH and LIFE and the putting on of Christ. One does not grow in holiness in the worldly way. In Christianity, one dies more and more to self so that Christ can life in you and through you. So you have to put on Christ and put away "the old man." (The old man is not only about sin. The old man is how the world does things. Even the desire to be very holy and good and to use our righteousness is still part of the "old man's" ways.
Hard to get a prayer answered when a part of you is battling against getting that very prayer answered. Having a philosophy that treats others one way but treating one's self differently. Iniquity. Inequity. We know the truth in our minds and we aim to love in truth mentally but if we are to live in a whole kinda way, in spirit and in truth, all our heart has to be unified and must bow to what our minds know. Trying. God bless and keep you.
11It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of hisresurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin.8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Romans 6:3-8
We are commanded in the Bible to "put on Christ"
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:14
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27
Because Jesus has shed his blood and given his life for us, we are able to take what He earned through His perfect life, death, resurrection, and Lordship. This is the difference between Biblical Christians and New Agers or believers in Unity. New Agers and Unity believers tend to believe that there is a kind of free-floating Christ-consciousness that we can sorta get and attain to in a gnosticky, eastern kind of way. But we can only put on Christ if we have accepted that He died for our sins. It's not we have to earn Christ-Consciousness, but we have to acknowledge the power of His shed blood, and that the Holy Mediator who came in the Flesh died for us. Through Christ, we have the mind of Christ, the peace that passes all understanding, and "all things." It is not true that Christians "mature" into Christ. God's blessings are not given to the "mature"..it is given to those who receive them and walk in them and put on Christ.
This morning I used the transformation prayer. I realize I tend to be very impatient with people who haven't suffered and yet who get good things. And I asked God to go to that root time when it all began, the time where I felt someone got something without deserving it. I put aside (which is what forgiveness means) that old thinking as part of the old man. And I put on the new man of Christ and declared that from now on I'm filled with the power of God and I now rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. So now I no longer require good to happen only to good people but that God's favor and mercy can fall on anyone, even those who might be considered deserving. For if I cage my world in such a way that good can only happen to those who deserve it, then good can only happen to me if I deserve it. So am free from that emotion. Trying to keep track of all the thoughts that come and taking them captive to all that is Christ and putting on Christ. So I've cleaned my soul of some crap this morning. Will see.
We have so many difficult and contradictory stuff going on in our spirits. The Holy Spirit was sent to give us light to show us these contradictions. He came "that the thoughts of many shall be revealed" and He also came that we may see the GREAT LIGHT, the kind of Life God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We have to do our part. God has done His. Our part is the receiving of TRUTH and LIFE and the putting on of Christ. One does not grow in holiness in the worldly way. In Christianity, one dies more and more to self so that Christ can life in you and through you. So you have to put on Christ and put away "the old man." (The old man is not only about sin. The old man is how the world does things. Even the desire to be very holy and good and to use our righteousness is still part of the "old man's" ways.
Hard to get a prayer answered when a part of you is battling against getting that very prayer answered. Having a philosophy that treats others one way but treating one's self differently. Iniquity. Inequity. We know the truth in our minds and we aim to love in truth mentally but if we are to live in a whole kinda way, in spirit and in truth, all our heart has to be unified and must bow to what our minds know. Trying. God bless and keep you.
12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
13If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13
In the same way that we put off sin and put on Christ's holiness (by faith, and by committment), we also put off sickness and put on Christ's health. Because God sent His word and Healed us.
4Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4,5
No comments:
Post a Comment