The Word of Life part 2
Here's where I think "religious folk" get in trouble: We make Christ too complicated. We lose the simplicity of it. We set up all sorts of hoops that people have to jump through "in order to be saved." Or "in order to be reconciled." And, listen, I just got done Ranting not too long ago about BEING what we already be. I get that receiving the gift that we've already been given. But the truth is the matter is we ARE saved. We ARE reconciled. It's a done deal. It is finished. And to me, the really tragic part is when we preach salvation in the context of "being saved from eternal damnation in hell." Matthew 1:21 (NLT) spells it out, "And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." What did Jesus save us from? OUR SINS! Our unbelief. He saved us from the lie that says we have to do in order to be. And how did He save us from our unbelief? By giving us something to believe in! By giving us HIMSELF, LOVE, to believe in. He came AS the Word of Life in order to GIVE us life. And not just any life, but HIS life. He made us partakers of the Divine Nature by pouring His Spirit out on all flesh. He equipped and empowered us to receive the love of God--the love that IS God--by giving us the Holy Spirit (our love receptort). I really believe God has only ever said one thing: Let there be light. And watch this: God IS light, and a Spirit, and a consuming fire, and love. So when He said let there be light, He was saying let there be love. Let there be the Holy Spirit. Let there be a consuming fire that burned up everything except itself. The burning bush in the wilderness that burned but wasn't consumed. Love doesn't consume love. It feeds on love, and it grows. We receive it and release it. We recieve it BY releasing it. This idea that the word of God condemns sinners to that firey after life is so abhorrent to me. Jesus said He didn't come to condemn the world but that it might be SAVED through Him. He said He came that we might have LIFE and have it more abundantly. He didn't come to judge us. The Father committed all judgment to the Son. Jesus wrapped us all up in Himself, and then He was judged--righteously. Which means we all were judged righteously. The judgment of God was not a death sentence, or a prison sentence, but a LIFE sentence! We make this "Christianity" about every and any thing else. When it's about life. Jesus is the Word of God. When God spoke He said Jesus. And then the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And the Word took up abode IN us. Jesus is the Word of life. When God spoke He said, "Life, life, and more life!" He said, "Love, love, and more love!" It's that simple. WE make things complicated. WE make the Word of God of none effect through our traditions. And that brings it right back to BEING what we already be. To letting the truth be true for us, simply by knowing it and believing it. Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. Life comes from hearing the Word of life! And that's what life is for--living! To live is to love and to love is to live. Jesus empowered us to love by loving us. He empowered us to live by giving us His life!