Sleepwalking part 3
Let's track this: We see a verse like Romans 6:23 (NLT), "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord," and we think it's an if-then statement. "If I sin then I'm doomed to die." But the truth of the matter is, on the day ADAM sinned HE died. And since, at that point, we were in him... we died. Look at Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." We WERE dead because of sin. Until the cross. Remember now, God put man to sleep, and then Jesus came to wake him from sleep. We WERE dead in our trespasses and sins, but then God made a NEW Covenant--all by Himself, but with us included in it--to not remember our trespasses and sins. He wiped the slate clean. He justified us. And, contrary to popular belief, that doesn't mean "just as if I'd never sinned." It means "I'm a new creature and I HAVE never sinned." And not only that, it means I CANNOT sin. Because I'm awake now. Awake to who I really am in Christ. Who Christ really is in me. No longer am I picking flower petals and hoping against hope that I land on, "He loves me," instead of, "He loves me not." Now I know and believe the love of Christ. I've received it and I'm releasing it. Now I'm not sleepwalking through life, trying to do the best I can with what I've got. Now I know what I've REALLY got. I'm not taking what the world has to offer because I'm living in, and out of, the Kingdom! I'm no longer worried about a man-centered, performance-based religion where God is some distant, angry taskmaster who is making a list and checking it twice. I've moved out of that Old Covenant and into the New Covenant. I've woken up to the truth of the matter. Not religion but relationship. Unconditional love from a Father to His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. And guess what else: Even if I mess up, I'm not disqualified. I don't revert back to being a sinner. That's not my default position. I don't keep the wolves away from the door by acting a certain way. It's not, "Get right or get left." It's not, "Turn or burn." When I mess up I'm still the righteousness of God in Christ. Now I can simply learn from that mistake and grow because of it. Upward and onward. Upward and God-ward! I'm not sleepwalking anymore. I know I already said that, but it's kind of the whole point of this Rant series. I'm not just going through the motions. I'm not stuck in a rut--which is just a grave with both ends kicked out. I'm not dead in my trespasses and sins anymore. I've been quickened. Brought back to life. And not just any life. Not our old life. When God wiped the slate clean He wasn't hitting the reset button and then saying, "Good luck with your second chance." He didn't just give us life... He gave us HIS life. Jesus gave His life FOR us, and gave His life TO us. So that we could experience His life as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. So that the light that He is--the light that WE are--might shine, and not only wake US up, but wake up those we come into contact with. Not with rules and regulations. Not by telling people what's wrong with them. But by mercy, and grace, and love. By telling people what's RIGHT with them. Telling the TRUTH in love. The truth that IS love!