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Just saw a very interesting show tonight called “Lie to me” and a thought came to mind, “Our bodies are not purposed to keep or hold things that are not true even if the things are subjective in the mind, heart and soul such as lies.”

In the show, the main actor, Dr. Kal Lightman, observes and discerns whether or not people are lying based on body language. Their tongues would lie, but their bodies were unable to contain the untruth. The untruth would manifest itself it some way either in the face, gesture, tone of voice, choice of words, or body. My wife brought up a good point. Some people can lie and pass lie detectors. They are pathological liars. I believe these individuals are either possessed or oppressed by the enemy who is the father of lies. There is no regard for authority, love, or truth in their hearts or minds. They are reprobate¹.

Didn’t plan on it, but this blog builds on Residence.

In Christ, if our bodies are the temple and dwelling of the Spirit of Truth then the things which are not true or real cannot live or dwell there such as lies, deceit, bitterness, disease, death, malice and so on.

All of the aforementioned manifestations of the flesh and curse have a common denominator, fear. Perfect love casts out fear. When perfection comes the little becomes nullified².

This perfect love is revealed in Christ. Love is not able to deceive, lie, hold grudges, impart or desire disease for someone, or be malicious. It is not fearful in itself and therefore is not compelled to emote itself out of fear. Love emotes itself out of its fullness. There is no fear or lack in love.

Prior to Saturday night, 01/17/09, I noticed something different in my walk. I asked the Lord that night, “What happened?” I felt He told me, “I do not dwell in unforgiveness.”

The Hebrew definition of the word bitter is “the headwaters of a river are only a trickle and have stagnant pools causing the water to be bitter.”

Paul say in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 to not extinguish or quench the Spirit. Reading 1 Thessalonians and chapter 5 give indications of how this can occur. To me, putting law on oneself or another is similar to extinguishing a fire.

The word says the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth. Jesus said He is the truth. Ephesians says, “The truth is in Jesus.”

If Jesus died on the cross as an act of forgiving my sins then unforgiveness is not truth. Unforgiveness for whatever reason, according to His will, is non-existent at the cross in His flesh. Love does not keep any record of wrong. It cannot do so. It is not truth. Unforgiveness is not intrinsic with Love and Truth. Otherwise, Christ died in vain, but He did not. He died for my sins to redeem me. He resurrected to give me newness of life and to be a new creature of righteousness by grace in Him.

One might read this so far and say, “Well, I need to forgive. I must.” In ourselves, we cannot forgive ourselves much less anyone else. Jesus did not try to forgive us or exercise His forgiveness half-heartedly. He forgave because of His will. He came to do and did the will of the Father. Col. 3:13 says, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

I can only give someone something that I have or something that has been given to me from someone else. Christ has given Himself. In the gift of Himself and everything He has done He has given absolute forgiveness.

At my salvation, I am dead on arrival into Him. Who I was is dead. Unforgiveness has no power over a dead person. At my salvation, I was spiritually immersed into Christ and received by revelation through grace and faith His divine, priceless, free gift of forgiveness.

I forgive because I have received and understand by faith the revelation of Christ in me. In this revelation, there is infinite fullness according to His nature. Part of this fullness is His forgiveness rooted in Love. This forgiveness, truth, love and grace continually changes me and grows in me.

My willingness makes you righteous.

And is in the continual act of making you righteous.

Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“

Hebrews 10:10

“And by that will (Christ’s will in Heb. 10:7), we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

In Rom. 12:2,

PROVE means “to test or examine something with the object of the test being to display or prove the genuineness of that which is tried.”

GOOD means “describes that which is “good” in its character or constitution or beneficial in its effect.”

ACCEPTABLE means “that which causes someone to be pleased. It is something which is well approved, eminently satisfactory, or extra-ordinarily pleasing.”

PERFECT means “an adjective which describes some entity which is finished, brought to its end, lacking nothing necessary for completeness.”

The above four things happen by “being transformed by the renewing of our minds” in Christ by hearing and hearing the word of God.

So, I can be in the good will of God. An example could be having the desire to preach or give to the poor.

I can be in the good and acceptable will of God. An example could be having the desire to preach or give to the poor and acting upon it by arbitrarily going to Africa and doing so.

Lastly, by grace, I can be in His good, acceptable and perfect will. An example of this could be having the desire to preach or give to the poor and knowing that the Holy Spirit is unctioning or compelling you to do so in Australia and then doing it.

If am in the good, acceptable and perfect will of God I am in His purpose and mine in Him. I am a righteous creature created by Him functioning, living, and fulfilling the Creator’s purpose which is my purpose in Him.

All of this happens by revelation, grace and faith in His love.

A boundary, point, or line of demarcation gives the one who trespasses knowledge of the rule and the purpose of the rule.

Gal. 3:24 (YNG), “So that the law became our child-conductor — to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous,”

The purpose of the law is for those who trespass it, 1 Tim. 1:9. If I am in Christ, it is not for me to live by. If I live and walk in the Spirit, I actually establish the law through grace and love, Rom. 3:31. God gave us the law. He created and establish it according to His will and nature. How would I know covetousness, lust, or envy is not good unless I was told? The knowledge of Ex. 20:7, 15, 17 makes me conscious of of these sins prior to knowing Christ, Rom. 3:20.

In Christ, the guilt and penalty of sin is not imputed or reckoned to my account ever because who I was is dead. That dead person cannot be judged. The law can only judge those under it living in the flesh. Those who are under grace and in the Spirit are no longer under its judgment  Who am I in Christ is resurrected and not under law, Rom. 5:13. On the contrary, I see many Christians ‘under law’ and condemnation when the Word says they are not. I they somewhere along the road they received an impotent, diluted, legal teaching or doctrine that implies they are not worthy, they are not doing enough, God is not satisfied, settle for less, at least you’re going to heaven, this is it there is nothing more, and they are stuck there in this cancerous doctrine.

Paul says in Gal. 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

In Eph. 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

Obeying a to-do list is like keeping the Old Covenant, but our righteousness is in Christ by His faith in us.

Matthew 13:6, “But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.”

If the Word received is received only as an emotional reaction and not spiritual truth then it may not have root in the recipient. In plant life, when there is no root the green of the plant is seen fairly quickly, but if root is taken the process seems to take longer because the seed goes deeper. The deeper the root the less likely the plant will wither away.

In Matt. 13:20-21 Jesus says regarding verse 6, “this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.”

The root is in Jesus, Eph. 3:17, Col. 1:23.

A root cannot grow in me if I do not know the purpose of plan of the seed. I must see the seed and know its potential. The seed grows in me. A seed grows according to the amount of sustenance it is able to receive. The seed in me requires the sustenance of the word of truth and revelation. The seed grows by grace and not self-strength. If the seed is rooted in self and dead works it will soon wither away.

Christ is the Word, John 1:1. He is the seed, 1Pet. 1:23, Gal. 3:16.

When He reveals Himself He is revealing the seed. The revelation of this seed causes the growth and not what I do.

Acts 16:5, “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.”

I have been hearing in church that only ~5% of the youth today are receiving Christ. If the churches in Derbe and Lystra grew in faith, and increased in numbers daily then what is so different now?

In my opinion, the difference is Paul and Silas. Okay, but they are in glory with the Lord. Their body’s are in the ground awaiting resurrection. Correct, but is the office or function dead in which they were greatly used? Something is different. Also, other countries seem to have greater outpouring’s of the Spirit and gifts. What foundation are we building “Christianity” on in the west? Insomuch, that the youth are not drawn to it. The bible says that the Father draws all men to Him. What is happening? Are the offices or functions of Paul and Silas types dead? Are they really still even needed? Ask the youth.

If the body of Christ is not full stature then is Ephesians 4:11-16 still in accordance with the will of the Father? How will the body grow to FULL STATURE? Do we ignore these verses of the New Covenant in Ephesians? Are they relevant for 2008? Is Jesus really the same yesterday, today and forever?

Could it be the church is not partaking of the fullness of God and thus limiting its full growth potential? Where is the church mentioned in the book of Acts?

Back in August, I wrote the blog An oracle within. It was about the Greek word epignosis. Here is a short quote on epignosis. It is the word “knowledge” in 2 Peter 3:18.

“Epignosis is a strengthened or intensified form of ‘gnosis’ and conveys the thought of a more full, larger and thorough knowledge. It also conveys the idea of an intimate and personal relationship than the simple term. Full, perfect, precise knowledge thus signifying a more complete, more thorough, larger knowledge than that found in gnosis.”¹

A short definition could be “knowledge that is learned through experience.”

Today, I discovered the Hebrew word for knowledge in Habakkuk 2:14. I then referenced the word in the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon. I highly recommend this lexicon for Hebrew word studies. It is awesome. Here is the excerpt for the word knowledge:

The phrase “door to the eye” reminds me of Paul, the Hebrew of Hebrews^₂, when he says in Ephesians 1:18,

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,”

So, if I perceive something with my eyes or even with the ‘eyes of my understanding’ then the act of perceiving or observing something creates an experience. The word experience in the Greek sometimes means proof. My experience is proof. My experience with the Living Son of God is proof. This proof is my witness to others that the door to their eyes may be opened also. My antiquated, mental, intellectual doctrine may disagree with revelatory truth, but my heart is enlightened. In Christ, unregenerate thinking is renewed and changed because the person whose mind it is IS NOT the same person anymore. They are different. They are growing in the mind of Christ, 1 Cor. 2:16. They are new creatures in the grace, faith, and righteousness of Christ, 2 Cor. 5:17.

This blog builds on the Envy not good blog.

I was reading in Acts 13:44-45 and it says,

“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.”

The same thing occurred with Jesus in Mark 15:10. So, I started to notice that envy is much bigger than I first thought. What’s interesting is that the public doesn’t frown up on it, but in some situations it seems like if you are envious then you’re goal oriented. That is my opinion. What is certain though is that it is not talked about very much in public or the church. What is talked about is lust, greed, stealing, and drug or alcoholic addiction. Another personal opinion.

I prayed and thought about what is part of envy’s lie? This is what came to mind.

Initially, envy says nothing is wrong with you until it tells you something or someone else is better and you lack it. Then it says there is something wrong with you. The something or someone better can be one of two things: a lie or truth. In either case, envy seems to enable self-strength (which leads to idolatry) to acquire what it thinks it lacks, but is not able to ever be satisfied. No peace or rest.

What also is interesting is in the Hebrew and Aramaic the noun word of envy is envy, but the verb word is jealousy. The noun almost seems like a passive seed and jealousy is its active fruit.

In God’s nature, love does not envy. Love is aware of itself and who it is. If I know who I am in Christ then envy has no power. In my identity in Christ, by grace and according to the word of truth, I cast down envious and vain imaginations that are contrary to who I am because I know they are not true. Love is all self-sufficient.

Hope is created by faith through the revelation of Christ in us. His hope is constantly churning an engulfing, consuming, eager expectation in the believer by grace. This hope is totally contrary in nature to envy. Love always hopes and perseveres. It never fails. Love hopes for a good report. Love eagerly expects good things to happen and wants good things to happen to others and not just itself. Love is all self-sufficient, but not self-seeking.

I need to realize the Lord does not say things just say them. I thought I realized that when He recently told me, “I am separating you. You are a different person. You are not who you were anymore.”

Acts 13:2 says, “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

A quote from PreceptAustin.org regarding “separate” or “set apart”:

Set apart (aphorizo from apó = off from, apart + horízo = mark out the limit) means to mark off the boundaries, to appoint, set one apart for some purpose. It is used of the final separation of the righteous from the wicked (Mt 13:49; 25:32); of the separation of the disciples from the world (Lk 6:22); and of the setting apart of apostles to special functions (Acts 13:2). In sum, setting apart indicates the separating of an individual for specific service.¹

There has been a desire growing in my heart to preach, teach, evangelize, minister the word, move in the gifts, and start a home group. After reading this verse in Acts, the lights came on.

In the past, I have tried to make this happened and failed. Now, things are coming to fruition and I am persuaded will continue according to His good and perfect will as they already have. Glory! Thank you Lord!

God does not hold grudges. He is not resentful towards us. He is just in His justness. His nature is righteousness. In our fallen nature and unregenerate mind, we apply our finite carnality to His omniscience and omnipotence. We attempt to apply our nature to His. This distorts our perspective of His will towards man.

So, what if I “sin” as a Christian?

In Christ, we are even forgiven prior to the actual act of sinning. So, I can sin and be forgiven? If you do you will be miserable once you have tasted the goodness of God there is no comparison. Read Romans 6.

Peter says, 2 Pet. 2:22,

Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”*and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

Jesus says in Rev. 3:15, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

If our liberty is used as an occasion to the flesh corruption is left, Gal. 6:8. One is also left with one’s own self-judgment. In the goodness of God and His mercy, the Father sent His only Son to die for our sins. He could have turned us into fruit flies, but instead became a man like us, talked to us, lived with us and loved us and still loves us. His name shall be called Emmanuel, Matt. 1:23. If He does not condemn me then why should I condemn myself? Paul did not even judge himself, 1 Cor. 4:3. Christ’s love does not keep record of wrongs. So, walking in self-judgment or self-condemnation is not walking in His love, truth or our true nature and identity.

2 Corinthians 5:17,

“Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

We are immersed into Christ at salvation. Jesus talks of two foundations houses are built on in Luke 6:47-49.

If we are immersed into Christ and taught only a small portion of another small portion of the riches we have in Christ, and are told that our Christian lives are based on what we expect of ourselves we are doomed for perpetual failure, no lasting transformation, no victory, no peace and great spiritual depravity and hunger.

No wonder I keep remembering is a good blog reference regarding works and why we can get caught up in them.

If my spiritual walk is based on a ‘self-imposed law’ in my heart then I will rebuild a pseudo-spiritual walk built on my performance, Col. 2:18, 23. In the act of performing, I am demonstrating and proving to myself I can’t do it. I can’t keep the law. This one of the purposes of the law which is to show you YOU can’t do it.

So, why am I slowing killing myself walking a thin line? I believe it is happening because ANOTHER gospel has been preached. This OTHER gospel will put you under a curse and make you work for everything in your life and never be satisfied. Paul speaks of “another gospel” to Corinth and Galatia. In the epistle to the Galatians, he says this OTHER gospel bewitches you like a snake looking at a bird ready to consume. This is also akin to, “Who has charmed you or who has put a spell on you?”

What is next then if this is true? How do I get rid of this other gospel? DO NOTHING.

There is nothing you or I can do to make ourselves anymore righteous. Do not try to do nothing. Just do nothing. Jesus said, “He who has ears let him hear.” If you think I’m crazy I am okay with that, but this is sound doctrine. Paul said, “We are fools for Christ yet you are so wise.” Why?

In Luke 12:27, was Jesus really concerned if we were going to have provision for clothing? Or was He also saying something else?

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”

We are clothed in His righteousness, Rev. 19:8, 1 Cor. 1:30.

In Him, by His will and grace, through His faith in us not our works are we able to put on Christ, Rom. 13:14, Gal. 3:27, Eph. 4:24. The new man is made by revelation of God’s only Son.