Post by beloved on Sept 25, 2007 22:42:10 GMT -5
Dying to Live
2. Corinthians 5:17 Put away [our] former way of life, [our] old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and...........
Sin is a delusion. It is forever promising life, and can never carry give it. Sin is death. You can try to squeeze life out of it all you want, change it's name, say it doesn't exist, and you will still get nothing to show for it in your life but death. Part of being able to "Put away.." the sin in our lives is to recognize and bring ourselves to fully understand that it is a lie that can't bring anything good to us.
Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
We put on the new self by:
- changing our attitudes toward our sin
- meditate on who we are now in Christ; righteous and holy by His blood atonement
by Neil T. Anderson in "Repenting of Religion- turning from judgment to the love of God
Romans 6:11
In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.
When you count yourself dead to sin, you are doing what the Bible refers to as "repentance" (metanoia). Most Christians today believe it to have a meaning close to that of shame and remorse for our sins, followed by a prayer of forgiveness. However, that is not what "repentance" means. It means "to turn around".
As long as you try to correct your behavior out of your fear of a wrathful God's punishment, or to please him, you will fail at repentance. True repentance is not produced by fear, but by love.
"It is the love of God that brings us to repentance." Once you realize that God is not with holding the "goods" from you, but is the loving Father who truly knows best and is trying to shield you from death, then you can come to a place of real repentance, because then you want to quit for yourself; not for anyone else (including what you think God wants from you).
Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind.
How do we renew our minds? What does that mean?
It means that we change our beliefs. We change how we see ourselves by acknowledging who Christ has made us to be. We change how we see others and their value becomes more important to us than ours. We change how we see God. We convince ourselves of His great and unconditional love for us through His Son, instead of focusing on our short comings and believing He's mad at us. His love is a power healing force in our lives, if we let it be.
Colosians 3:5 and 7
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. You use to walk in these ways in the life you ONCE lived.
When we do that we live from our true source center- Christ. When we die to ourselves we learn what it means to be truly human, alive, awake, and FREE!!! We die to live!!!!!!
2. Corinthians 5:17 Put away [our] former way of life, [our] old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and...........
Sin is a delusion. It is forever promising life, and can never carry give it. Sin is death. You can try to squeeze life out of it all you want, change it's name, say it doesn't exist, and you will still get nothing to show for it in your life but death. Part of being able to "Put away.." the sin in our lives is to recognize and bring ourselves to fully understand that it is a lie that can't bring anything good to us.
Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
We put on the new self by:
- changing our attitudes toward our sin
- meditate on who we are now in Christ; righteous and holy by His blood atonement
The old self is corrupted and deluded by its lusts, as Paul says, for it lives under the lie that life is to be found by violating God's prohibition and by living out of its own empty center. It is deluded into thinking that life can be found in what we do and what we get. This lie is what we must put off if we are to experience the fullness of life that defines our new self. And we do it by bringing our thoughts, and thus our feelings and actions, into alignment with the truth of who we are in Christ.
Romans 6:11
In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.
When you count yourself dead to sin, you are doing what the Bible refers to as "repentance" (metanoia). Most Christians today believe it to have a meaning close to that of shame and remorse for our sins, followed by a prayer of forgiveness. However, that is not what "repentance" means. It means "to turn around".
As long as you try to correct your behavior out of your fear of a wrathful God's punishment, or to please him, you will fail at repentance. True repentance is not produced by fear, but by love.
"It is the love of God that brings us to repentance." Once you realize that God is not with holding the "goods" from you, but is the loving Father who truly knows best and is trying to shield you from death, then you can come to a place of real repentance, because then you want to quit for yourself; not for anyone else (including what you think God wants from you).
Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind.
How do we renew our minds? What does that mean?
It means that we change our beliefs. We change how we see ourselves by acknowledging who Christ has made us to be. We change how we see others and their value becomes more important to us than ours. We change how we see God. We convince ourselves of His great and unconditional love for us through His Son, instead of focusing on our short comings and believing He's mad at us. His love is a power healing force in our lives, if we let it be.
Colosians 3:5 and 7
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. You use to walk in these ways in the life you ONCE lived.
This death experience is what Jesus was referring to when he taught, "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 10 : 39). When we die to the self centered experience of the serpents lie, we find what real life is. When we crucify the self that compulsively tries to fill its own emptiness by striving, we find our true self that receives fullness from God for free and hat joyfully overflows with this fullness toward others............ We are to experience our true self that is united with and participates in the life of Jesus Christ.
When we do that we live from our true source center- Christ. When we die to ourselves we learn what it means to be truly human, alive, awake, and FREE!!! We die to live!!!!!!