1 Peter 1:14-16 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
This next passage is a long one but once I started reading I couldn’t cut it any shorter, the truth is powerfully real here….
Colossians 1:3-29 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing- as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.1 He is a faithful minister of Christ on your2 behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks1 to the Father, who has qualified you2 to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by1 him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation1 under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
So God started to break this down…
Christ took in Himself all of creation, human and non-human. At the cross redeeming all in Himself to the Father. Therefore all things have been redeemed/ bought back by Father to Himself.
No man/woman or any created thing for that matter, does Father see outside of His Son, His Son being in Him, therefore no thing outside of Himself. Hence any declaration of His own character is also His declaration of who He sees us to be. Therefore all men/women whether saved or unsaved is forgiven and redeemed, they are pure, holy, blameless, and righteous.
Remember in “The Shack” Papa says, that we cannot live like we are unloved unless we live in a reality of being loved. It’s the same way, we cannot live un-holy, un-blameless, or un-righteous unless the each of those things exist in fullness and reality.
Nothing we can do or not do, can change the reality that we are holy, blameless and righteous. We can however, most often displayed in our actions and attitudes, live like we are un-holy, un-blameless, and un-righteous.
So basically it boils down to accepting reality and then living in accordance with it. Which is who God is the I AM, He is what is. We rejecting Him by fleshly nature choose to live outside of what is and live in what is not.
In the garden when mankind ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he ceased to know no longer solely good (God lk 18:19) and there eyes were opened to the realm of evil, what is not. It’s a view of deduction and negativity by nature for it must reduce everything to be outside of God. And it is in this reality of seeing, but not truly seeing, for we are seeing what is not, rather than what is.
In God’s commission of Paul He speaks to Him of one of the primary reasons for which He is sending him out. The opening of the eyes.
Acts 26:18 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
It’s the turning from seeing what is apart from God (Light), therefore darkness. And having our eyes opened to truly see by Light (God) , goodness (God). Him revealing Himself.
-kinda a sub-point under this is the fact that forgiveness is also a reality, the preaching of the gospel is not the preaching of the recognition of condemnation and the need for forgiveness, but rather the reality of the declaration of forgiveness given, that needs only to be received.
Now why does He say these things about us when He knows that we choose to live outside of them? in order to empower us to live within them. Apart from the declaration of them being reality we don’t even have the option to live within them, cause apart from Him they don’t exist. He has taken us and everything else for that matter into Himself and said “live like we are all together in me, cause we are.”
Alright sorry, I kinda got on a bit of a roll there… all that to say why God says we are those things when so often we live like they are not true.
….getting back on track how does that affect me and how I live.
Drastically, but amazingly passively.
Everything He has said about us is also a declaration of Himself and all those things are impossible outside of Himself cause they don’t exist and they are also intricately a part of Himself. They are Him. Therefore the only way for me to truly receive those things is to receive Him, and live as if I truly abide in Him
John 15:1-11 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
-Notice He calls all men branches regardless of whether they choose to abide or not, they are in Him and part of Him yet they choose to not abide in Him.
-Then He says if you keep my commandments (me getting in Him the Word living and written and therein marinating) it is thereby that we abide both in His love but also in Him cause He is Love.
I have absolutely no responsibility to be holy, blameless, or righteous, apart from accepting it as true and then choosing to abide in Him by abiding in the Word, and then out of me/us will flow rivers of Life (Him). Thereby fulfilling His declaration of us.
Don’t know if any of this made sense, but I think it’s a start in the right direction….
You are Holy, Righteous, and Blameless, live in the Joy (your strength) of your Lord =D
