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At the gym today, I realized some self-imposed law attempted to have an influence on me. I’d been praying about this for a week or so. Gal. 5:9 (NIV) says, ““A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

In my thoughts, this ‘self-imposed’ law said I was spritually inadequate because I was not doing something that I was supposed to do. The ‘something to do’ was in regard to ministry. This could be the Lord right? Yes and no. Love does not manipulate. Jesus did not die on the cross to coerce me to salvation. If that is true then the rest of my spiritual walk is a reflection of this same Love. A love that even says I do not owe God back.

We I came to this realization, relief followed soon after. Relief? Wow. That tells me quite a bit. The law or self-imposed law has ability to create and enforce obligation. It can also deceive in attempt to say “it is the right thing to do.” In my walk, this has been a snare. I will walk in and say yes and run myself spiritually ragged as the enemy is waiting with a spiritual upper-cut to knock me down. If I am at rest in Christ, not complacency, then there is nothing to be relieved from because my mind and heart in Christ are guarded by His peace. Peace from the judgment and penalty of the law. Peace from no longer being under the curse. This rest enables me to do and be which is contrary to a coercive obligation.

So, self-imposed law seems to lead to stress. Out of stress, comes the other manifestations: fear, anxiety, doubt, sickness, anger, rage, malice, contempt, bitterness, and the like. If I am aware that I am under grace and not condemnation or judgment then I have peace. Paul says that ‘pressure’ or tribulation works patience or ‘an abiding under.’ Rom. 5:3, “And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;” James said in James 1:2-3, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

If faith is real in me, the pressure will only purify this faith each time. Each time pressure comes faith increases and builds on top of the previous occurrence or expounds and deepens the previous occurrence. Eventually, I grow in my faith and understanding in my soul¹ that God in me is not stressed, but possesses fullness to overflowing.

This past Monday, 02/09/09, I was locked out of my work laptop. I came to realize (the hard way) that my whole hard drive or file system was totally encrypted. So, you could see the data, or even an outline perhaps, but were unable to correctly make any sort of identification due to the data being encrypted. It kind of reminds me of a shadow. I can see it, but it has no substance. I can guess what it is, but really do not know what it is unless I can experience what makes the actual shadow.

The Encrypting File System (EFS) is a file system driver that provides file system-level encryption in Microsoft Windows (2000 and later) operating systems, except Windows XP Home Edition, Windows Vista Basic, and Windows Vista Home Premium. The technology enables files to be transparently encrypted on NTFS file systems to protect confidential data from attackers with physical access to the computer.¹

Col. 2:17 says, “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.”

I believe when the Old Testament prophets would prophesy about the Messiah and the good news to come they could see a shadow and were excited, but were unable to pinpoint exactly what they were pointing to? 1 Peter 1:10, “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you:”

Col. 1:26, “[Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:”

Paul speaks of the ‘mystery’ in his writings at least 17 times. The meaning of the Greek word for mystery means ‘that which is known to the initiated.’

One definition of ‘initiated’ is ” introduced to the knowledge of a subject.” The definition of the Greek word for repentance is literally after thought.

In Acts 9:4, Jesus reveals Himself to Paul. In Acts 9:6, Paul says, “And he said, Who art thou, Lord?” This is the affect of the after thought of the Son of the Living God unveiling Himself to Paul. At this moment, in salvation, we are immersed, drowned and “initiated” in Christ. We are introduced to a knowledge that has been kept hidden from ages and generations. It has been kept hidden for a long, long time. Possibly before time existed.

The key is in the revelation of Christ. This key decrypts or rather unveils God in His only Son. My old dead, encrypted life is dead. In Christ, the mystery is decrypted in me. This mystery initiates me into Him. This initiation changes who I am into a new creature of righteousness according to faith by grace. My life is renewed over and over. More and more knowledge by revelation of Christ is decrypted in me on the basis of the Word of God.

Rom. 12:3

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.“

I believe what Paul could be implying is we need to know who we are in Christ by faith through revelation and sometimes we have a tendency to ‘put law’ on ourselves in ignorance, arrogance, or by the flesh and we suffer unnecessarily for it. We suffer because it is not truth we are basing our thoughts on. Setting my mind on facts will get me as far as the facts reach.

Again in Rom. 12:16.

“Be not wise in your own conceits.”

According to His grace and faith in us, we should not allow self to have an excessively high opinion of itself. Godly confidence yes, conceitedness, no. In doing so, there is a potential to set yourself up to compare yourself because your thought basis is not founded on revelation and truth rooted in the Word.

If I know who I am in Christ then I won’t think more highly of myself than I ought. My identity is found in Him. In doing so, conceitedness, arrogance, and pride are quenched. These are not truth.

John 1:5

“And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

Rom. 6:15-16, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”

Rom. 6:17, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.”

The saints and believers at Rome believed what Paul spoke to them from their heart. I don’t think it was just that they believed him, but it says that a ‘form, pattern, example’ of doctrine was delivered to them. I believed it was delivered as rhema word. It had to be. Paul confirmed his apostleship and doctrine with signs, wonders and miracles. He spoke living word to them. This living word affected them in their believing even. 1 Thess. 2:13 speaks of the word being received, heard and working in the hearer. This is osmotic obedience. It is obedience rooted in grace and imparted in the revelation of Christ in us. I believe it is our will being diffused and absorbed into His willingness by revelation of Him in us! My willingness becomes His and vice versa. This obedience draws us and grows in us in holiness and unto holiness. I believe this is what Paul says in Romans 6:19, “…even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” How? Osmotic obedience through revelation.

Osmosis seems to be when a lesser concentration is partaking of a greater concentration until both are equal. We are partaking of Christ in us by hearing and hearing the word until the word eventually becomes us! The Word became flesh. Now, the flesh is becoming Word!

I believe the word ‘obedience’ has had a negative connotation sometimes in church. The connotation being legal, fire and brimstone, “you have to do this or else”, and so on. That has been some of my experience at least.

The Greek word of obedience is a compound word of ‘under’ + ‘to hear’. This is what Paul is describing in Rom. 6:15-23 as well as the first half of Romans.

Under whose authority do I hear?

What do I listen to that compels me to do and be?

If I solely listen to me then I am an anarchist. I am a law unto my self. What I say goes. I listen to no one else. This is also the flesh that Paul describes. Ultimately, the old nature which is called the ‘sinful nature’ is rooted at the garden of Eden when the enemy deceived Eve and Adam willfully sinned. So, the old nature is under the authority of the enemy, Eph. 2:2.

In Christ, that old nature is dead. In Him, I am a creature of His righteousness and substance. First I hear. Then I hear what the word of truth is actually saying according to the quickening of the Spirit of God in me. In hearing this word, I am hearing what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. I am under His authority. I am under His grace.

As He reveals Himself in me, I grow more in this grace that I am under. The grace is Eph. 1:19, “…the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power…”

If I have no power in my life then what am I believing?

This power in us according to faith and grace in Christ Jesus creates His willingness in us. His willingness makes us righteous not works. Walking in His willingness in us is a total contrast than walking presumptuously, Matt. 7:21-29. If His willingness is in me then my walk is not hard to walk. Persecution and tribulation is always there, but the actual walk according to His willingness internally is not a tight rope walk.

We walk and live in the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is their is great liberty. Liberty to serve one another in love.

Rom. 6:2, “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

At salvation, we were immersed and drowned to death at baptism. In Him, we do not have the ability to live in something that no longer has power over us. For example, naturally speaking, if my legal record is clean then I am not capable of staying in prison according to the justness of the law or really the justness of the One giving the law.

We died with Christ at the cross. In this death, the power of sin¹, the judgment and guilt of the law or even self-imposed law, does not have authority over us. We have been translated into the kingdom of God’s only Son. Who we were prior to knowing Christ is dead. The power of the law can no longer judge a dead person. The dead person or ‘old man’ is not capable of living anymore. The one who does live is Christ in us by His faith, Gal. 2:20.

Death was inoculated in Him at the cross. We partake in this inoculation. He gives us His immunity to death now as a free gift because He is LOVE! He is more than that!

Rom. 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Neither sin or its power has dominion over us in Christ.

Romans 5:12-13,

“¹² Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

If something or rather someone cannot die because their nature is immortal then death cannot affect them or have any influence. This was and is true now with and in Christ according to His power towards those who believe¹.

Verse 13 above says “sin is not imputed when there is no law.” If death is by sin according to verse 12, then death is not imputed², reckoned or set to one’s account in Christ.

In Him, my conscience is purged from dead works. Dead works. Truly, in Him, I am being separated from death more as I grow in Him who is life³. In Him, I am becoming life according to the revelation of Him in me. In Him, I share in His death, but only to resurrect and live in continual newness of life daily. His will in me desires life for all because of love.

Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Obeying a religious to-do list does not impart life. Revelation by hearing and hearing the word imparts life.

In Christ, we have a super-nature.

Heb. 11:3, “Through faith we understand and perceive with the mind…”

Col. 1:6 (KJV), “Which is come unto you, as [it is] in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as [it doth] also in you, since the day ye heard [of it], and knew the grace of God in truth:”

Col. 1:6 (NIV), “that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”

The Greek word for “knew” & “understood” is ἐπιγινώσκω or epiginōskō. It means “to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly.”

It seems that when Christ reveals Himself this quickened word and knowledge creates faith which is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. This faith is not blind. I did not accept Christ as my Lord and Savior blindly. I accepted Him in my heart and life knowingly with understanding.

This understanding of the word quickened by the Holy Spirit to my spirit commingles with my soul, mind and will. In this understanding of His will by faith, my image is renewed and changed continually to be like Him. In this regeneration¹, Titus 3:5, I supernaturally bear His fruit and righteousness by faith through grace. I am not forced to bear His nature. I am not obligated to bear His nature because His nature is in me.

Isn’t this what Paul says? In Gal. 1:16, “To reveal his Son in me…”

If the same Son of God of Heb. 1:2-3 and Col. 1:14-22 truly dwells in me and you then for us to bear His nature is not far fetched, but reality.

This blog builds on A work which you will by no means believe. This previous blog talked about ‘newness’ a little bit. I found another blog that touched on it as well in One New Man.

Matt. 9:17 the Lord says, “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break,
and the wine runs out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine
into new bottles, and both are preserved.”

New for ‘new wine’ refers to the age of the wine.
New for ‘new bottles’ means,

1. new
    a) as respects form
        i. recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn
    b) as respects substance
        i. of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of

Same Greek word for new is ‘newness’ in Romans 6:4.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Through the LORD‘s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

In our understanding apart from Christ, our definition of “great” in ‘Great is Your faithfulness’ is small. It is. Think of something great in your life. Now apply that to God’s faithfulness. That doesn’t even make sense. In our attempt to understand God, we apply our small language and definitions to describe God’s nature. God is more than words, but words that are quickened by the Holy Spirit have His depth and understanding, Heb. 4:2.

I believe ‘great’ in this context is infinitely great. There is no end to His nature of mercy and compassion. I believe this is why “spiritually hearing” is crucial, essential, vital and fundamental in Romans 10:17.

Got sidetracked. Apologies. Back to newness. The other point in the Lamentations scripture is His mercies and compassions are new every morning. How? Why? Guess I just answered it by attempting to describe ‘great’. Also, our definition of full or fullness is limited when it comes to the ‘God-kind’ of faith. Are we talking about filling a cup metaphorically? Filling a pool, ocean, galaxy, universe, dimension?

I believe Paul describes fullness in various scriptures.

Here is one in Eph. 1:10, “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him:“

What are all things in Christ? Col. 1:16-17 says all things were created by Him and for Him that He might first in all things. All things created by Him are held together or consist by Him as well. This is fullness in every universe to every molecule.

In this context and definition, His nature is self-sufficient in His fullness. In His fullness, His compassions and mercies are new everyday. This is applying God’s eternal and just nature to “days” in our existence in time. If His nature is infinite and eternal then Lam. 3:22-23 most definitely is true.

How does this apply to you or me? Who we were died with Christ on the cross. That person is dead and can no longer live. Who we are now is immersed, drowned, and diffused into Christ by revelation of Him according to the Word of God. In this knowledge of Him in us, we become righteous apart from works and are willing to exercise His will because of the affect of this supernatural, unearthly revelatory knowledge.

This knowledge is new everyday according to His nature and fullness. This implies our nature and who we are grows in newness continually and even daily by grace in the Spirit of Holiness.

Acts 13:40-41

“Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:
‘ Behold, you despisers,
Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days,
A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.’”

Paul was quoting from Habakkuk 1:5.

In the previous verse, Acts 13:39, he said, “and from all things from which ye were not able in the law of Moses to be declared righteous, in this one every one who is believing is declared righteous;”

So, what if someone told you it to you this way?

“God is love. He loves you. He sent His Son to this world to become like you, to become an ultimate sacrifice for you, to resurrect for you, and to sit down at the right hand of the Father for you. You do not owe Him anything even though He died for you. His will is that you know Him and the Father and become like Him.”

My response to this in the past was, “Awesome. So, what do I need to do?”

I believe this is the Lord’s response now. I believe this is what Paul was saying in verses 39-41.

The response is,

“You do not have to do anything.”

This is a work which you will by no means believe.

Do you believe what I just wrote?

My part which is really his part in me is to believe Who He is and what He has done. Really though, I believe because He enables me to believe according to His nature. It is because of who He is.

So, what about helping the world? What does the church do? Paul describes what we do now in Christ beautifully in Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

My life is His life in me, but is my life because my identity is hid and found in Him. The true nature of my identity is His righteousness unto holiness by faith through grace in me. This happens by revelation of Him through hearing first, then hearing His word.

Then I am compelled by “1 Corinthians 13 Love” through faith. This faith is His faith according to the Greek and King James version in me. This faith grows as He reveals Himself inwardly. Paul said God works in us effectually, 1 Thess. 2:13. It is Christ’s work, energy and power by revelation and knowledge of Him. This life is different and no comparison to a life without Him.

It is newness of life. Newness is new everyday not one time. God is not old. Old is something that is based on time. Death exists in time. He resurrected from death. Death has no hold on Him and never did. Newness is according to His fullness in Him and in us by infinite revelation of Him in us. Newness is what everyone desires. New clothes, houses, hair style, car, job, exercise, vacation, relationships, etc. Nothing “created” can compare to the Creator.

The Pharisees tested Jesus asking is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? After His reply, this was their reaction.

Matthew 22:22, “When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.”

The Sadducees tested Him as well giving a hypothetically story of a woman who marries seven brothers. She marries the first, he dies, marries the second, he dies, and so on. The question was whose wife is she in the resurrection?

Their reaction to his response.

Matthew 22:33, “And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.”

So, what was so marvelous or astonishing in what He said?

In each of the above occurrences, neither the Pharisees or Sadducees approached the Lord in faith. They approached him in envy, arrogance, indignation, assumption, pride and self-righteousness sincerely expecting to entrap Him in their understanding of their doctrine. They did not live their lives in faith, but lived their lives by what they saw and thought they had understanding because they were able to entrap and burden others.

When they approached Christ they did not believe who He was and is. He spoke of the things He heard from His Father. He replied with undeniable, absolute, and apprehending truth.

John 1:5, “The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

Eph. 4:18, “They are darkened (shadowed) in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance (lack of knowledge of real truth) that is in them due to the hardening (callous) of their hearts.”

According to scripture, the law of Moses is typified as a shadow. Legalism does not make the shadow. Christ is the body that makes the shadow!, Col. 2:12. A shadow dims an area leaving less light. Less light could imply less understanding. Our lives are hid in Christ. We are not under shadows anymore, but in light. This light is in us. It is not hidden anymore, but revealed.

They marveled and were astonished because initially they did not believe. Truth and light was shone brightly to their minds, hearts and conscience. Real revelation has this affect. Heavily diluted revelation is barely revelation if it is even it all. It is not as real, fresh, authentic, burning, consuming, invigorating, or life-changing.

I believe a day is coming when those who are in Christ will speak the word and people will walk backwards from you when you speak it to them because of the “realness” of what you are speaking. It is real because truth is always real. He is truth. Real truth sets me free!