Hello To All:
My youth was spent, living on a small farm, in rural Minnesota. The winters were cold, with lots of snow. The summers were far too short. My father worked in a nearby city as a skilled tradesman. My mother, sometimes worked, but most often, stayed home to be a mother to her children. Our life was simple; and, by some standards, we were considered to be among the poor of the community; but, as a youngster, such things did not have much of an impact. We had food, shelter and clothing; and life, for the most part, was good.
My father, often, brought a newspaper home with him. I loved the comic strips! So, as soon as I had a chance, I would grab the paper and catch up on my favorites. One of those was called: "Pogo." The setting was the Okefenokee Swamp, of the southeastern United States. The characters consisted of the animals and critters common to such an area. Of course, these creatures were given human characteristics; and their interaction formed the basis for the comic strip.
Pogo was a possum. Unlike real life possums, he was pictured with a larger, rounder head and a not so pointy nose. He was the philosopher; a creature who had acquired a certain amount of wisdom; and one who served as an elder statesman, of the forest and swamp community. His wit, his straight forward logic, and his insightful humor, often made precise statements about our human condition.
The title, for this end of the year essay, is based on one of Pogo's most memorable and insightful statements: "We have met the enemy and he is us." While doing some research, to refresh my memories about Pogo, I came across a copy of the original comic strip that contained this quote, that has stuck with me, all of these years. The strip was published on Earth Day in 1971. It contained only two panels; but, the wisdom, contained in those two panels, is for all people and for all periods of history.
In the first panel, Pogo and his friend Porkypine, are carefully walking across an open area, toward a forest area. It seems that their goal is to get to the trees; but, they are having some difficulty in their journey. They are pictured as putting their feet down, one careful step at a time. Their arms are outstretched for balance. Their attention is divided between their goal of reaching the trees and the difficulty of the journey. In the midst of this, Porkypine says: "Ah, Pogo, the beauty of the forest primeval gets me in the heart." Pogo is leading the journey, and his response to Porkypine is: "It gets me in the feet, Porkypine." The first panel does not give us any insight into what is making their journey so difficult.
In the second panel, the two friends are taking a rest. They are sitting, on the ground, near the edge of the clearing. The forest is still on the other side of the clearing. Their goal, of reaching the trees, has not been achieved; and now, we can clearly see why. The clearing is littered with the castoffs and trash of the forest community. This is what they have had to walk through, to get to the trees. Porkypine is looking down at his feet, his hands resting on the ground; and then he says: "It is hard walking on this stuff." Pogo is looking at the clearing and across to the trees. His left elbow is resting on his knee; and his chin is resting in his hand, as he responds to the comment of Porkypine, by saying: "Yep son, we have met the enemy and he is us."
Some of you, as you have been reading this, may have been reminded of the recent essay titled: "Can we see the trees." That essay was written, before I had any awareness of the context of Pogo's memorable quote. Our Lord Jesus Christ is always full of surprises. Pogo and his friend were having trouble getting to the trees because of what they, over time, had done. It is in this context, of Pogo recognizing the consequences of his deeds and the deeds of the community, that he makes this statement, about the status of the community: "We have met the enemy and he is us."
Now, my beloved brethren, just as Pogo was compelled to take a hard look at reality and come to that epiphany moment of recognizing, and acknowledging the consequences of his actions and the actions of the community, that he was a part of: it is time for us to do the same.
In the case of Pogo and his friend Porkypine, they were litteraly trying to reach real trees. This was an Earth Day statement, meant to get our attention about the plight of the planet; and the impact of our deeds.
In the essay "Can we see the trees," the trees are a metaphor for the truth. The windowless rooms are meant as a metaphor for the things and deeds that both obscure the truth and make our journey to the truth, more and more difficult. This essay was written, in an effort to get us focused on our self-imposed bondage, that keeps us from the truth. Over the course, of the coming year, we shall take an in-depth look at this bondage.
In the Western Church, we are most often like Pogo's friend Porkypine: we know what our goal is, but we fail to recognize the difficult nature of our self-imposed obstacles.
We tend to, as Western Christians, to blame all of the things outside of the Church, as the reason for our difficulties and our decline. The fact of the matter is: The worst enemy that the Western Church has - is the Western Church.
To make certain that I have your attention in this; let it be known to all the world, that empowered by Jesus Christ, I would stand in the midst of any assembly; and looking out at all in that assembly; I would say, for all to hear: Hear the word of the Lord, that takes us to the heart of our condition: "I have seen the enemy and he is us."
After His forty days in the wilderness, our Lord Jesus Christ called us to repent and believe the gospel. Here, at the end of this essay number forty, let the call go forth: Let us repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ.
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
P.S. After the first of the new year, I will be taking some time for personal reflection, regarding my own journey with Jesus Christ. Empowered by Jesus Christ, our next essay should be near the end of January. The journey is becoming more difficult. Please pray for me, that I will be faithful to the tasks, that Jesus Christ sets before me.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
I am crucified - Christ liveth in me!
Hello To All:
Today's posting, is the ninth in the series, titled: "I am crucified." Much ground has been covered; and there is much yet to be covered. The fullness of the truth, of the King's Book, in all of it's revelations, cannot be comprehended in just a short period of time. The path to victorious discipleship, in Jesus Christ, is not an easy path; in fact, without our comprehension of, and apprehension of, and application of, the focus of today's title - "Christ liveth in me" - we will continuously stumble, on this path to "victorious discipleship in Jesus Christ."
This is not the first time, that the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ, has been referenced, in this forum; nor will it be the last. Apart from Jesus Christ - we truly are nothing. The truth that "Christ liveth in me;" goes to the heart of my identity, as one who is a Christian. This proclamation of truth, can and should be made, by all those who are truly one with Jesus Christ.
Many of our postings, take on the length and weight of essays. Today will be short - more a moment of reflection - as the year draws to an end. Much of my own journey, has been a part of the postings, for this past year. As I personally look back, I can say, with certainty, that progress has been made, in my personal journey, with Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer, is that this same thing is true, for each of you, my beloved brethren.
The truth that - "Christ liveth in me" - will require a great deal of time and effort, to fully grasp the implications, and the realities, of this position that we have in Jesus Christ. Because of this, we will put off, until after the first of the year, our in-depth look at this eternal truth. In preparation for this, I ask that you take some time and review the postings of this last year; and if you have enough time - please go back and review all that has been written, since the beginning of this forum. I often do this; and find the process very helpful.
There will be one, final posting, for this year, coming sometime next week. It will be a bit weightier then this one. It will be the fortieth essay for this year. There is something important about the number 40. In the King's Book: Israel was in the wilderness for forty years and Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days. What will the message of essay number forty be? I can tell you this. It will be titled: "I have seen the enemy and he is us!"
Let us conclude this reflection, with the text, from the King's Book, that forms the basis for this current series. It is written, at Galatians 2:20 (KJV): "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Let us proclaim to the world, so that all may hear: "Christ liveth in me!"
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
Today's posting, is the ninth in the series, titled: "I am crucified." Much ground has been covered; and there is much yet to be covered. The fullness of the truth, of the King's Book, in all of it's revelations, cannot be comprehended in just a short period of time. The path to victorious discipleship, in Jesus Christ, is not an easy path; in fact, without our comprehension of, and apprehension of, and application of, the focus of today's title - "Christ liveth in me" - we will continuously stumble, on this path to "victorious discipleship in Jesus Christ."
This is not the first time, that the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ, has been referenced, in this forum; nor will it be the last. Apart from Jesus Christ - we truly are nothing. The truth that "Christ liveth in me;" goes to the heart of my identity, as one who is a Christian. This proclamation of truth, can and should be made, by all those who are truly one with Jesus Christ.
Many of our postings, take on the length and weight of essays. Today will be short - more a moment of reflection - as the year draws to an end. Much of my own journey, has been a part of the postings, for this past year. As I personally look back, I can say, with certainty, that progress has been made, in my personal journey, with Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer, is that this same thing is true, for each of you, my beloved brethren.
The truth that - "Christ liveth in me" - will require a great deal of time and effort, to fully grasp the implications, and the realities, of this position that we have in Jesus Christ. Because of this, we will put off, until after the first of the year, our in-depth look at this eternal truth. In preparation for this, I ask that you take some time and review the postings of this last year; and if you have enough time - please go back and review all that has been written, since the beginning of this forum. I often do this; and find the process very helpful.
There will be one, final posting, for this year, coming sometime next week. It will be a bit weightier then this one. It will be the fortieth essay for this year. There is something important about the number 40. In the King's Book: Israel was in the wilderness for forty years and Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days. What will the message of essay number forty be? I can tell you this. It will be titled: "I have seen the enemy and he is us!"
Let us conclude this reflection, with the text, from the King's Book, that forms the basis for this current series. It is written, at Galatians 2:20 (KJV): "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Let us proclaim to the world, so that all may hear: "Christ liveth in me!"
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Can we see the trees?
Hello To All:
Before we continue with the series of essays titled - "I am crucified" - we need to pause for a moment. We need to have a clearer understanding of what it is like to be a Christian in a western church. We need a better perspective of who we are! We need a word picture that gets us focused on our condition, in such a way, as to help us to see the trees!
Our text, for today, comes from Psalm 1:1-3, where we find written: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
What a wonderful picture, of what it is like to be one with Jesus Christ. But, what happens, to our understanding of this text, if we have never seen a tree? What happens, to our comprehension of what this text has to say, regarding our union with Jesus Christ, if we do not even know what a tree is? The answer, of course, is that our understanding and our comprehension, would be significantly reduced; and, perhaps, we would not have any understanding; and, perhaps, we would not have any comprehension. The fullness of our union with Jesus Christ, would be lost to us; the darkness of our understanding and of our comprehension, would blind us to the truth. How can we escape so great a darkness?
Before we can escape the darkness, we must first understand the nature of the darkness. Here is what the Lord our God has shown me, in and through His Son Jesus Christ.
Consider a room with no windows; a room of our own creation; a room filled with the things of our own choosing; a room defining what we believe to be true; a room that proclaims our personal comfort zone; a room that has set the boundaries of our personal status quo; a room that establishes the basis of our relationship with other believers and the world around us; a room that defines our relationship with the one and true and living God; a room that is largely built on the precepts and commandments of men; a room that has no windows! This room, is typical of what it is, to be Christian, here, in the western church!
If you are thinking that this is too strong an indictment; that in some way this is not right; then consider this: I have lived in this room. I am very familiar with the room with no windows. The description, of this room, goes right to the heart, of our condition.
Sometimes we venture forth, from our rooms, and visit the rooms of our friends. Sometimes we will even visit the rooms of strangers. Sometimes we will even gather in very large rooms. But always, the rooms do not have any windows. The rooms do vary, to certain degrees. We will often have discussions, regarding the merits of one room, as compared to another room. Sometimes, these discussions will be very lively and energetic, filled with differing opinions, regarding the proper characteristics, of this room without windows. But, typically, satisfied with our own position, we return to our own room: to the personal darkness, that we have embraced, as being the truth.
On occasion, when we venture forth, we find that the air is exceptionally clear. As we look out, over our city, filled with windowless rooms, we catch a glimpse of something strange. We see something; it appears as a sea of green, moving in the breeze. It is far away, on the very horizon, on the outer limits of our vision. It is the trees! It appeals to us. It touches our heart, in ways we do not understand. It calls to us. It holds out a promise of something greater then ourselves; and, at certain times, it even carries the suggestion, to our hearts, that, just perhaps, we do not have the fullness of understanding and comprehension, that we have convinced ourselves, that we do have. But, soon the mist returns; the vision is lost to us; and we return to our rooms with no windows. The fading vision, of the trees, is gone. The tugging, at our heart, has been replaced by the dark contentment of our windowless room; and we say to ourselves: all is well.
Earlier, I mentioned that I had lived in such a room; but, in May of 2010 (see postings of June 2010), our Lord Jesus Christ, yanked me from my room and took me to Haiti. In Haiti, He showed me the trees. My life changed. When I returned, the reality, of the trees, began to fade; but, I had seen the truth; I was no longer content with my windowless room (see postings of September 2011, titled: "Do I Believe?").
Thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, I now live, in a room with windows - lots of windows. As the light of Jesus Christ flows in, and fills my room, I find that the boundaries of the room are ever expanding. As I become more and more "conformed to the image of Christ, who is the image of God" - I find, that the room has become less and less constricting. As Christ increases and I decrease - the boundaries of the room, are even beginning to fade - as the realities of my union with Jesus Christ become ever more apparent. Once again, I can see the trees! Thank you Jesus.
I invite you, my brethren, to allow Jesus to put windows in your rooms.
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
Before we continue with the series of essays titled - "I am crucified" - we need to pause for a moment. We need to have a clearer understanding of what it is like to be a Christian in a western church. We need a better perspective of who we are! We need a word picture that gets us focused on our condition, in such a way, as to help us to see the trees!
Our text, for today, comes from Psalm 1:1-3, where we find written: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
What a wonderful picture, of what it is like to be one with Jesus Christ. But, what happens, to our understanding of this text, if we have never seen a tree? What happens, to our comprehension of what this text has to say, regarding our union with Jesus Christ, if we do not even know what a tree is? The answer, of course, is that our understanding and our comprehension, would be significantly reduced; and, perhaps, we would not have any understanding; and, perhaps, we would not have any comprehension. The fullness of our union with Jesus Christ, would be lost to us; the darkness of our understanding and of our comprehension, would blind us to the truth. How can we escape so great a darkness?
Before we can escape the darkness, we must first understand the nature of the darkness. Here is what the Lord our God has shown me, in and through His Son Jesus Christ.
Consider a room with no windows; a room of our own creation; a room filled with the things of our own choosing; a room defining what we believe to be true; a room that proclaims our personal comfort zone; a room that has set the boundaries of our personal status quo; a room that establishes the basis of our relationship with other believers and the world around us; a room that defines our relationship with the one and true and living God; a room that is largely built on the precepts and commandments of men; a room that has no windows! This room, is typical of what it is, to be Christian, here, in the western church!
If you are thinking that this is too strong an indictment; that in some way this is not right; then consider this: I have lived in this room. I am very familiar with the room with no windows. The description, of this room, goes right to the heart, of our condition.
Sometimes we venture forth, from our rooms, and visit the rooms of our friends. Sometimes we will even visit the rooms of strangers. Sometimes we will even gather in very large rooms. But always, the rooms do not have any windows. The rooms do vary, to certain degrees. We will often have discussions, regarding the merits of one room, as compared to another room. Sometimes, these discussions will be very lively and energetic, filled with differing opinions, regarding the proper characteristics, of this room without windows. But, typically, satisfied with our own position, we return to our own room: to the personal darkness, that we have embraced, as being the truth.
On occasion, when we venture forth, we find that the air is exceptionally clear. As we look out, over our city, filled with windowless rooms, we catch a glimpse of something strange. We see something; it appears as a sea of green, moving in the breeze. It is far away, on the very horizon, on the outer limits of our vision. It is the trees! It appeals to us. It touches our heart, in ways we do not understand. It calls to us. It holds out a promise of something greater then ourselves; and, at certain times, it even carries the suggestion, to our hearts, that, just perhaps, we do not have the fullness of understanding and comprehension, that we have convinced ourselves, that we do have. But, soon the mist returns; the vision is lost to us; and we return to our rooms with no windows. The fading vision, of the trees, is gone. The tugging, at our heart, has been replaced by the dark contentment of our windowless room; and we say to ourselves: all is well.
Earlier, I mentioned that I had lived in such a room; but, in May of 2010 (see postings of June 2010), our Lord Jesus Christ, yanked me from my room and took me to Haiti. In Haiti, He showed me the trees. My life changed. When I returned, the reality, of the trees, began to fade; but, I had seen the truth; I was no longer content with my windowless room (see postings of September 2011, titled: "Do I Believe?").
Thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, I now live, in a room with windows - lots of windows. As the light of Jesus Christ flows in, and fills my room, I find that the boundaries of the room are ever expanding. As I become more and more "conformed to the image of Christ, who is the image of God" - I find, that the room has become less and less constricting. As Christ increases and I decrease - the boundaries of the room, are even beginning to fade - as the realities of my union with Jesus Christ become ever more apparent. Once again, I can see the trees! Thank you Jesus.
I invite you, my brethren, to allow Jesus to put windows in your rooms.
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I am crucified - Yield yourselves unto God!
Hello To All:
We are into a new month, as we continue our great adventure of: "victorious discipleship in Jesus Christ." If you are a first time visitor, I invite you to open up last months blog archive, and look over the first seven essays, in this current series, regarding the reality that: "I am crucified with Christ."
With today's posting, we continue in our examination of what the King's Book means, when it says: "Submit yourselves unto God." Our last posting took a hard look at this reality; and if you haven't already done so, I invite you to take another look, at our last posting.
Two of my favorite copies, of the King's Book, are older copies, from the middle of the last century (about the same age as I am). They are both King James Versions and contain helpful dictionaries and concordances. One of them defines submit as: yield to and surrender; words that are extremely relevant, as we continue examining our relationship to Jesus Christ.
Please take a moment to ponder these definitions, while I take some time to speak, to those of you, who may not have a personal copy of the King's Book. Some of you are readers, from countries where Bibles are difficult to come by. Some of you are readers, who may not have the resources to purchase a Bible; and there may be a variety of other reasons for limiting or denying your access to a copy of the King's Book.
In order to better facilitate private communication, with those of you who are interested, I have included my email address, in the title block and description for this blog. If you are in need of a Bible; send me an email; and I will do what I can to get you a copy of the King's Book, in the language of your choice. Whenever I pray for my family - I also pray for all of you, who are readers of this blog. Our Lord Jesus Christ, has given me this work of helping, each of you, on your own journey with Jesus Christ. Being God's instrument of getting a copy of His Book, into your hands, is one of the privileges that I have, in serving Jesus Christ. So please, communicate your needs; and allow the Lord our God to use me, to do what He enables me to do, to satisfy that need. Can we say thank you Jesus and Amen?
Now, back to today's posting: "I am crucified - Yield yourselves unto God." Our beginning text comes from Romans 6:13: "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."
Our text sets two paths before us: the path of unrighteousness - the path of righteousness. One path - the path of unrighteousness - is the path of willful sin - the path of death. As it is written (Romans 6:23a): "The wages of sin is death..." The other path - the path of righteousness - is the path of willful obedience to God - the path of life. As it is written (Romans 6:23b): "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Our text, from Romans 6:13, speaks of yielding. To yield, is to give absolute primacy to whatever or whoever is being yielded to. The whatever or whoever, that has been yielded to, now has absolute sovereignty over the circumstance and the moment of the yielding. When we yield - we give up control to something or to someone, other then ourselves. When we yield, we are saying yes to one thing and no to another. When we yield to unrighteousness - we are saying no to God and yes to sin. When we yield to righteousness - we are saying no to sin and yes to God.
Consider this, from Ephesians 4:24: "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Here, we have an example, of what the King's Book has to say about or positional reality: Our identity in Christ Jesus - that is our "new man" - is "created in righteousness and true holiness."
Consider this, from Romans 10:3: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Here, we have an example, of what the King's Book has to say about our wilful reality: The "righteousness of God" - must be "submitted" to. This submission, this yielding, is an act of our Christ empowered, willful obedience to God our Father.
The positional reality, our identity in Christ; and, in the case of today's text, "our righteousness unto God," will not be manifested, without our Christ empowered willful submission to God our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is why our text says: "yield yourselves unto God."
In closing, my beloved, let us all ask ourselves the question: Which path are we choosing?
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
We are into a new month, as we continue our great adventure of: "victorious discipleship in Jesus Christ." If you are a first time visitor, I invite you to open up last months blog archive, and look over the first seven essays, in this current series, regarding the reality that: "I am crucified with Christ."
With today's posting, we continue in our examination of what the King's Book means, when it says: "Submit yourselves unto God." Our last posting took a hard look at this reality; and if you haven't already done so, I invite you to take another look, at our last posting.
Two of my favorite copies, of the King's Book, are older copies, from the middle of the last century (about the same age as I am). They are both King James Versions and contain helpful dictionaries and concordances. One of them defines submit as: yield to and surrender; words that are extremely relevant, as we continue examining our relationship to Jesus Christ.
Please take a moment to ponder these definitions, while I take some time to speak, to those of you, who may not have a personal copy of the King's Book. Some of you are readers, from countries where Bibles are difficult to come by. Some of you are readers, who may not have the resources to purchase a Bible; and there may be a variety of other reasons for limiting or denying your access to a copy of the King's Book.
In order to better facilitate private communication, with those of you who are interested, I have included my email address, in the title block and description for this blog. If you are in need of a Bible; send me an email; and I will do what I can to get you a copy of the King's Book, in the language of your choice. Whenever I pray for my family - I also pray for all of you, who are readers of this blog. Our Lord Jesus Christ, has given me this work of helping, each of you, on your own journey with Jesus Christ. Being God's instrument of getting a copy of His Book, into your hands, is one of the privileges that I have, in serving Jesus Christ. So please, communicate your needs; and allow the Lord our God to use me, to do what He enables me to do, to satisfy that need. Can we say thank you Jesus and Amen?
Now, back to today's posting: "I am crucified - Yield yourselves unto God." Our beginning text comes from Romans 6:13: "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."
Our text sets two paths before us: the path of unrighteousness - the path of righteousness. One path - the path of unrighteousness - is the path of willful sin - the path of death. As it is written (Romans 6:23a): "The wages of sin is death..." The other path - the path of righteousness - is the path of willful obedience to God - the path of life. As it is written (Romans 6:23b): "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Our text, from Romans 6:13, speaks of yielding. To yield, is to give absolute primacy to whatever or whoever is being yielded to. The whatever or whoever, that has been yielded to, now has absolute sovereignty over the circumstance and the moment of the yielding. When we yield - we give up control to something or to someone, other then ourselves. When we yield, we are saying yes to one thing and no to another. When we yield to unrighteousness - we are saying no to God and yes to sin. When we yield to righteousness - we are saying no to sin and yes to God.
Consider this, from Ephesians 4:24: "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Here, we have an example, of what the King's Book has to say about or positional reality: Our identity in Christ Jesus - that is our "new man" - is "created in righteousness and true holiness."
Consider this, from Romans 10:3: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Here, we have an example, of what the King's Book has to say about our wilful reality: The "righteousness of God" - must be "submitted" to. This submission, this yielding, is an act of our Christ empowered, willful obedience to God our Father.
The positional reality, our identity in Christ; and, in the case of today's text, "our righteousness unto God," will not be manifested, without our Christ empowered willful submission to God our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is why our text says: "yield yourselves unto God."
In closing, my beloved, let us all ask ourselves the question: Which path are we choosing?
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
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