Hi Chris,
Yes, it is an awesome feeling to know that although we still sin, it is our sinful nature (which we shall always have, so long as we are stuck in these bodies of flesh) that causes us to do these things, as our beloved apostle Paul teaches us in the epistle to the Romans, and not us, personally, as we want to do God's will. Satan uses guilt and shame constantly against us, to rob us of our joy in the salvation that Christ gave us, trying to make us think that it is what we do that makes the difference to our Lord, instead of what Christ did on the cross.
We ARE complete in Christ, at the moment that we believe our gospel of salvation, which came from our Lord, the risen Christ Jesus. Nothing else neeeds to be added, in order for us to be reconciled to God the Father. What an awesome feeling of peace and rest that allows us to enter into!
Chris, if I could urge you to read anything, it would be the book "The Plot" which I have made reference to in other posts, both here and on Grace Teacher. It is available from Grace Teacher, as well as at http://www.enyart.com.
This "completeness" that you are referring to was especially a joy for me, as I had come to Right Division from a Pentecostal church. I had at first looked on that experience as a waste of 2 1/2 years of my life, but the Lord has made me to see that I was there for a reason. I do not know if you know it or not, but they teach that you can lose your salvation, which goes against the teachings of our apostle Paul, in the Gospel of the Grace of God. I believe that this mistake comes from the failure to rightly divide the word of truth, as we are taught to do in 2 Tim. 2:15. It WAS possible for the Jews to lose their eternal security, as it was based on FAITH + WORKS = SALVATION. As you know, the Jews were required to do many works, in addition to having faith, such as water baptism, circumcision, observing feasts, etc. We, in the Body of Christ, are not required to do works for salvation, but rather, shall be rewarded according to our works, as Paul teaches us in 1 Corin. 3:11 to 15.
Complete in Christ, even though we shall never be sinless. Knowing that we ARE complete in Christ and sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph. 1:12 to 14) WILL help us to sin less. What an awesome God we serve!
Darryl |
