Is what are thought to be earmarks of a true child of God really earmarks of a true child of God?
Some people state with spiritual pride that the earmarks of a true
child of God is in "I" things. Lets take a look at some of these "I"
things that they think makes people a true child of God, but in reality
it makes people religious.
1. "I" always try to do the right thing. To believe that "trying" to do the right thing is indication that "I" can do something about making myself a true child of God. Being a true child of God is about BEING, not about "I" trying to DO. Being a true child of God is about relationship with God that is all God's doing and has nothing to do with my doing to bring myself into that relationship. Relationship with God is about intimacy with God, not me doing things through religion to have intimacy with God...that only makes me religious and more concerned about following rules that is believes to make me a good person.
Whether I define the "right thing" as law keeping, reading the Bible, abiding by denominational traditions, paying tithes, going to Sunday-go-meetings, standing for "christian causes", preaching, serving on the board, music leader, witnessing, etc., living by a code of conduct by following man-made rules is far below life living by Christ living through us. To live by the knowledge of what we know to be good is eating from the wrong tree, the "tree of knowledge" instead of eathing from the "tree of life"...Jesus.
The "I" doing the right thing is doing things independent of God. This independence causes us to decide for ourselves as to what is good or not good by keeping the religious rules that govern weather our actions are good or not. In contrast grace living is trusting in what God has already done, completed, finished by trusting Him from start to finish, not in what I can do to try to be good to maintain a relationship with Him. I do not try to walk in the right path, we follow where He leads for He will lead me in the right path (Ps 23:3). The choice is rules or relationship. We cannot reduce relationship to a set of rules. Live by rules and we're setting our-self up for failure, for any trying to keep law will stimulate sin and lead to death (Romans 7:5). Even when we do the right thing it’ll be the wrong thing because we are operating by an independent spirit instead of living by trusting the Spirit of God (Romans 14:23). But when we choose to abide in Christ and Christ abide in us...when He is our all in all...we will find our-self doing right because we are living right because we are living the Christ life, for it is not longer "I" that liveth but Christ living in me that does the work through me.
Stop your trying and let Christ do His living through you, if we live by the Spirit will cease our trying and live in His rightness.
Another supposed earmark to follow.
1. "I" always try to do the right thing. To believe that "trying" to do the right thing is indication that "I" can do something about making myself a true child of God. Being a true child of God is about BEING, not about "I" trying to DO. Being a true child of God is about relationship with God that is all God's doing and has nothing to do with my doing to bring myself into that relationship. Relationship with God is about intimacy with God, not me doing things through religion to have intimacy with God...that only makes me religious and more concerned about following rules that is believes to make me a good person.
Whether I define the "right thing" as law keeping, reading the Bible, abiding by denominational traditions, paying tithes, going to Sunday-go-meetings, standing for "christian causes", preaching, serving on the board, music leader, witnessing, etc., living by a code of conduct by following man-made rules is far below life living by Christ living through us. To live by the knowledge of what we know to be good is eating from the wrong tree, the "tree of knowledge" instead of eathing from the "tree of life"...Jesus.
The "I" doing the right thing is doing things independent of God. This independence causes us to decide for ourselves as to what is good or not good by keeping the religious rules that govern weather our actions are good or not. In contrast grace living is trusting in what God has already done, completed, finished by trusting Him from start to finish, not in what I can do to try to be good to maintain a relationship with Him. I do not try to walk in the right path, we follow where He leads for He will lead me in the right path (Ps 23:3). The choice is rules or relationship. We cannot reduce relationship to a set of rules. Live by rules and we're setting our-self up for failure, for any trying to keep law will stimulate sin and lead to death (Romans 7:5). Even when we do the right thing it’ll be the wrong thing because we are operating by an independent spirit instead of living by trusting the Spirit of God (Romans 14:23). But when we choose to abide in Christ and Christ abide in us...when He is our all in all...we will find our-self doing right because we are living right because we are living the Christ life, for it is not longer "I" that liveth but Christ living in me that does the work through me.
Stop your trying and let Christ do His living through you, if we live by the Spirit will cease our trying and live in His rightness.
Another supposed earmark to follow.
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