The Spirit of Sonship — Part 2

Our Heavenly Father in Christ is not that hard taskmaster or that stern terrorist that is being marketed from some church pulpits—  demanding that you fast for 80 days in order to be clean or spiritual enough to come close to Him, demanding that you keep the law in order to be godly (be like God) or just waiting in the wings to whack you with punishment and let Satan have a go at you when you mess things up. If you would like to know what God is like, look no further than at Christ in the gospels-- when He walked the earth as Man. Colossians 2:9 says of Him-

"For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]."

Another version says: 

“All of God lives fully in Christ (even when Christ was on earth)."

And now see what the Bible says says of Christ who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily  in Acts 10:38: 

“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with great power; and He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.”

Healing ALL, beloved. That is what your Father in heaven is like. Not a single one among the people who FREELY received healing, provision and deliverance from Christ in the gospels was even born-again! He never asked anyone whether they had quarreled with their spouse or their level of obedience before healing, saving or delivering. He never told anyone to go and fast for 70 days before blessing the work of their hands or saving them from demonic oppression. He gave no terms and conditions whatsoever for freely saving, healing and delivering all who came to Him. The people whom He FREELY healed and provided for were ALL like those street kids wiping windshields for money. Even the idol-worshipping Canaanite woman with the severely demon-possessed daughter and the multi-god worshipping Roman centurion with the sick servant FREELY benefitted from His Grace aka undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. How much more you and I who have been purchased with the priceless blood of Jesus to become children of “the God of all Grace?” --

Where did we get this notion of our Heavenly Father as one who will only bless, save and deliver based on man’s ability to produce good and fast for 70 days in exchange for His freely-given goodness when the same God’s word Himself tells us that “There is none good but God?” Of ourselves, we cannot produce an iota of good! These preachers even contradict themselves, singing the song:

“It's not by works of righteousness but by His Grace alone (3x)

I am complete in Him.”

Grace above is undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour! Beloved of God, God's Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him: 

"God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone."

Verse 14 of the same Titus 2 tells us His job description: 

"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." 

Anyone who thinks that he can achieve as much as a tittle of the above job description of Christ or that "at least I am not sinning or doing bad" is deceiving himself according to the order of Peter who thought he could never deny Jesus and just a beneficiary of God's mercy like self-righteous Job before his calamites began.

Like Job, Peter too had no idea that the only reason why he was standing was because God's mercy was still propping him up from devolving into horrid sins and calamity and preventing Satan from sifting him like wheat; like many today who think they are being good or walking uprightly by their own self-discipline and determination, Peter did the "every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" thing - he thought that his Maker was wrong and that he had knowledge superior to that of Christ concerning the matter of his then-upcoming denials and the "none good" state of man of himself-- that trust in self to stand or be good (be like God) is what opens the door for Satan to sift a person like wheat for the good that he claims to possess when Christ says--

"There is none good but God." 

So let he that is standing take heed lest he falls. Christ is the sole reason for our righteousness or justification before God and eternal salvation, even from God's wrath as it is written in Romans 5:9-

"Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the wrath of God through Him."

Yet the same "pastor" who sings that sweet song about how we are made complete, not by works of righteousness, but by God's grace alone, he tells us to go and achieve the job description of Christ in Titus 2:14 above using useless human effort (the arm of flesh) -- to do all sorts of "works of righteousness" such as fasting for 70 days and "dependence on the law for the attainment of godly traits" in order to be complete and in order to get God who gives us all things FREELY with Christ to save and to deliver? Isaiah 64:6 describes such works or self-produced righteous acts (self-righteousnesses, really) of men which many attempt to present to God as why He should bless, save and deliver thus—

“We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight." Isaiah 64:6.

Not man’s sins o, but all those 70 days fast and obedience that many try to present to God and presume should get them favour from God. That is akin to reasoning like Job who thought that it was his ability to not commit sins and his good works that was keeping him prosperous and keeping his children alive, until God showed him reality— that it is by His mercy that we are not consumed by horrid sins and calamity. Let’s not be like Peter who disagreed with Christ’s description of man as “none good” and so think that we have some good in us to keep as much as a tittle of the law. That trust in self is what opens the door for Satan to sift a person like wheat for the good that he claims to be when Christ says—

“There is none good but God.”

Let us take our cue from David who wrote in Psalm 16:2–

“I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Believer, whether we are “50 years in Ministry” or “born-again five seconds ago,”  see the only reason why you and I are not wallowing in the vilest sins and Job-type calamity right now written for us in 1 Corinthians 10–

12 “So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall. 13 We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously."

If God were  not screening and filtering…. There is nothing like a Christian that has been in the ministry for 50 years and so should “know better than to do that.” Until we receive our new bodies at the Rapture, man has the flesh in him. Can flesh do anything by itself? Christ Himself is the “Skeleton” who upholds us in His Righteousness and the Life that we now live in the flesh. We need Him to stand as much as the vilest offender. Apart from Him, all are “none good” and can do nothing. Trusting Him as our Righteousness is the only difference between “the righteous” and “the wicked.” 

Anyone who puts as much as an atom of trust in his ability to keep the law in order to be godly is the “wicked.” Only Christ’s blood suffices for acquittal before God the Righteous Judge, no additives of arm of flesh or human effort-driven  “menstrual rag” righteousnesses required. See Romans 5:9-

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

All who have Christ as their righteousness get to escape being counted among "the wicked" and not because we did anything to deserve it but through Christ's blood alone. This is Grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. 

Continues in Part 3