"Jesus' Finished Work revealed in Paul" cover page
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (II Corinthians 5:19a, 21 KJV) God himself reconciled the world. He did not impute our trespasses against us! How could we have missed the true meaning of this scripture? Could it be true? Surely it is, it's God's word! Paul is saying, regardless of how sinful a life we may have lived it does not matter. God is not holding our sins against us now, later, or ever, he never did. "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34a) God provided his own sacrifice by taking our sins and the total punishment for them in Christ, upon himself. You and I might (will) be made the righteousness of God in Christ this very moment, by believing in him and what he did for us and as us.
Think about it, God felt just as any parent does when a child is lost or missing. Especially, when our small child wanders away from us in a large crowd and becomes lost, even for a moment. It just feels like your heart will stop. We certainly do not waste any time asking why or placing blame! We immediately look for them, find them, and calm their fears. Joyfully we hold them in our arms of love and blot away every tear.
All that we became by being a lost descendant of Adam was blotted out. This included the handwriting of ordinances or written charges of the sin of Adam, along with our complete inheritance of his nature in us. Everything was taken out of the way, charged against Christ, and nailed to his cross. (Colossians 2:9-15) He gave his life for our life. Christ who knew no sin was made to be sin for us. By believing in Christ we might (will) be made the righteousness of God in him. God was not selling redemption to anyone. We certainly had nothing with which to buy redemption. The only way for anyone to have redemption, would be for God to give it to us, in Christ. God did not impute our trespasses unto us, for this was not his intention from the foundation of the world. God provided a way for us to be made righteous, without compromising his own righteousness. Our inheritance of eternal life in Christ then is accredited to or laid up for every one of God's children in advance. Now God has done all of this and provided a way even before we come to know or believe in him. God is diligently searching for us now. He has done everything he could possibly do in our behalf to find us. He revealed himself and his great love for us, in his blessed Son. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Is this scripture saying, we have redemption from sin and everlasting life by believing in and loving Christ who died for us? Yes! A thousand times, Yes!
When we believe in Christ we come to the knowledge of all that he suffered as us. We ask Christ to be our personal Savior. Then the most wonderful news, we inherit everlasting life. He fills us with the Spirit of truth. Then we receive everything God had laid up for us in Christ. We have become a new creature "in Christ." Christ has embraced, loved, and restored us to God. Being a believer our spirit is cleansed squeaky clean, for sure. Our spirit is filled with the Spirit and righteousness of God. The power, grip, hold and control of Satan in our spirit has been completely destroyed. Our spirit is now endued with the presence, power, and control of the Spirit of truth. Every born again believer is out of Adam and now, "in Christ."
Being born again we became a new creature in Christ. We have received the nature of Christ in our spirit. Then it seems that instantly, there is a war going on between our righteous spirit and our flesh. Very soon we realize our mind did not get cleansed. It is still filled with the memory of our past. We may even feel we have more wars than weapons. At times we may feel unsaved. Not to worry! When we're born again, wouldn't it be a terrible thing if God wiped our mind as clean as our reborn spirit? What if God wiped out all memory of our past deeds, and all life experiences? We would instantly become an infant. Beloved, God took all of this into consideration. God has made provision for our mind to become transformed. Our mind can become as pure and clean as our reborn spirit. This is all part of God's wonderful plan of redemption. Only God could ever cleanse our spirit. Only we can ever renew our mind to cleanse and transformed it with good memories that will last a lifetime.
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Paul teaches us we have been endued with the power of the Spirit of truth, in our spirit, to renew our mind which will transform our life. Believe it! We have this power through the presence of Christ in us. No matter what stage of life we are in when we come to believe in Christ. As a child or adult, our mind can be transformed beginning with that very moment in time. God did not say, "I will transform your mind." Rather, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2 KJV) Paul was speaking to the believers, to each one of those who were born again in spirit.
God has forgiven and remembers our sin no more. He looks for, encourages, and blesses every sign of spiritual progress. He does this with absolutely no condemnation of his children. God is too busy enjoying our lives. He looks for our strengths, with loving words for every accomplishment. "So do grandparents!" "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1) We no longer live in Adam. We do not practice sin which some of us were pretty good at. We do not live out of our mind and emotions. Now we live in Christ. We live out of the presence of Christ in our righteous spirit and practice righteousness day by day. Now we may not be good at it in the beginning, but we continue pressing toward the mark. (Philippians 3:14) We are preserved blameless, in spirit and soul and body for now we walk after the Spirit of truth. Just think, preserved blameless, what a blessed thought! I am as comfortable in the presence of God as my grandchildren are when they crawl up into my lap for loving. I know God enjoys you and I just as much. Do you think God would spoil these precious moments by finding fault or condemning us? No! A thousand times, No! God remembers that we are dust, and he loves us just the way we are. God loves us too much though to let us stay that way. God wants to see us grow up in Christ and become all he created us to be, i.e. "Conformed to the image of his Son."
The might be made the righteousness of God is a present reality in our spirit, for we are made righteous. We truly possess and enjoy all that God had accredited to us, "when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ," and our spirit is cleansed. Our redemption cost Christ everything to purchase, then he gives it to us as a free gift. God had already forgiven the sins of Adam and us, in Christ. God's mind or memory was wiped as clean as the spirit of man is by the blood of the precious Lamb of God. Only the infinite mind of a holy and loving God could love us so much. God was willing to endure unspeakable suffering to redeem us. He laid down his own life, in Christ, and took it up again. God made it possible, that we might lay down the old life in Adam and take up our new life, "in Christ." God created us in his own image in the beginning, in spirit. Now "In Christ," God re-creates believers in his own image, the image of his only begotten Son, in spirit.
Christ revealed to the Apostle Paul that we are spirit. We have a mind and we live in a body. However, our driving force is the nature of Adam or the nature of Christ in our spirit. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thessalonians 5:23) The spirit of the believer was made the righteousness of God in Christ. The righteousness of God is love, joy, peace, and all the virtues of God's righteousness is in us. This is now what is true of us in our righteous spirit for they have been imparted into our spirit. Now we need to renew our mind to all of these virtues in our spirit and get them into our mind so they will become what is true of us in our mind. As we renew our mind to these virtues they can be developed, exercised, and put into practice to transform our lives in righteousness. By doing this we will no longer conform to the world's way of thinking but we will be transformed in righteousness. We will be conformed to all the things Christ is thinking and leading us to do. Now God has already cleansed the spirit of the believer. Then in (Romans 12:1-2) Christ revealed to Paul what we are to do with our mind. When we want God more than anything and we renew our mind, our memory, life experiences, skills, talents, and habits will begin to be transformed. The power endued by the Holy Spirit in our righteous spirit is now our driving force, for this is the endued power by the very Spirit of truth that Christ had promised. By the renewing of our mind, our personal relationship with Christ and others "begins" to be transformed. The renewing of our mind transforms our lives in all the good things of God which is the death, burial, and triumphant resurrection of Christ as our death, and burial to the world, and our resurrection to new life in Christ. (I Corinthians 2:16) "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But, we have the mind of Christ."
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The power endued by the Holy Spirit in our righteous spirit then guides our mind in all of God's righteous virtues, and our flesh follows bringing peace, joy, and spiritual power to overcome any trial or temptation.
Being "In Christ," we have faith in God for sure. More accurately as Adam Clarke Commentary has rendered it, "having the faith of God." (Mark 11: 22 KJV) "Not just faith in God, but the faith of God." We desire to reach people no one is reaching by teaching these precious ones, revealed truths, no one is teaching. This is not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. This is what is now true of us.Jesus' Finished Work revealed in Paul is the victory Christ won in defeating Satan and hell itself. He suffered there in his own spirit, as us, as you and I. Christ wiped out once and for all the curse, sin, and the sin nature dominating the spirit of man. The power of the old man or evil nature in us, was destroyed by Christ himself. Christ personally, by the power of the Holy Spirit in his own righteous spirit, overcame Satan. God is legally accrediting Christ' victory as our victory and has laid up righteousness in Christ as our inheritance to be received when we believe in Christ. In God's eyes it is as though sin had never happened. He has forgiven us and sees us as being in Christ. We are covered by the blood of his only begotten Son. Righteousness in Christ is reserved, laid up for, and received by, everyone who believes in God's only begotten Son. God has forgiven the world's original sin from Adam, in advance in Christ. He desires to give everyone in the world a new nature in spirit. By believing in Christ, we receive everything Christ accomplished in his death, burial, and triumphant resurrection for us, as our inheritance in Christ.
Praise the Lord, for everyone of us who believes in Christ, the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, actually receives a new nature in spirit. We begin to see growth in our spirit and in our own personal life experiences day by day. We are being mended. We are also maturing to the fullness of the statue of Christ, by the renewing of our mind. The Spirit of truth gently leads us every step giving us time to mend and mature without condemnation. God rejoices to see our first step, to see us walking and growing in Christ.
God did not see only Jesus being crucified on the cross. He saw the entire world's sin and self, being crucified on that cross. Our old man was judged at the cross, found guilty, nailed to the cross, and was crucified there. Our sin and sinful nature of evil we inherited from Adam was crucified there in Christ. Oh the depth of the love of God. By believing in Christ we are made the righteousness of God, in him, in our spirit. Christ's crucifixion, death, and burial was the crucifixion, death and burial of the evil nature in our spirit. It was taken out of the way and buried. Christ's resurrection was our resurrection to new life. The very nature of Christ was vitally or actually received, implanted, and imparted into our spirit. Our spirit has been made the righteousness of God, in Christ. God's kind of righteousness. Now, that is righteous!
I often ask my grandchildren how much do you love me or do you know how much I love you? They will respond; more than you know Papa or more than anything in the world, thisssssssssssssssssss much! Words do not seem adequate to explain what is in our heart. The very essence of our innermost thoughts and love for each other cannot be explained. These must be understood in our spirit, or innermost being.
I said to my granddaughter the other day. Every time I hug her, hold her or show my love for her, that my love is not coming from my arms or hands. Although I embrace each grandchild with my arms. The love comes from my heart or spirit, from inside my true self. My love flows from my spirit to their spirit. I believe she discerned my heart. More importantly she discerns the heart of Christ. She knows, "Who she is and What she has, in Christ." In fact, all of our grandchildren love the Lord. Now that makes life worth living.
Think about it! "God was in Christ" (II Corinthians 5:19a) God was in the spirit of Christ, his true self, not his body or flesh. Christ's spirit was filled with God, the Holy Spirit. Christ brought his own mind and flesh under subjection to his own righteous spirit. Christ never yielded to temptation to bring forth sin. God was in Christ accomplishing his own will. Christ is now in us accomplishing the Father's will. Our spirit is filled with God, the Holy Spirit. We bring our mind and flesh under subjection to our righteous spirit.
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We no longer walk after the flesh, totally controlled by our mind and emotions, but we walk after the Spirit. We ever listen to the still small voice of Christ. We are indeed preserved blameless before God our Father.
Sometimes when we're tired it takes a moment for us to realize we're being tempted, drawn away, and enticed. Although we will be tempted and enticed at times, this does not mean that Christ has not already conquered sin. He has destroyed sin's power over us. Our old man was crucified, and our spirit itself is clean. For instance, you pick up your fork, and find food residue is still on it from your last meal. Now the fork itself on the inside is not affected. The stainless steel is still pure through and through. You will not want to use it though in it's present condition until the residue clinging to it is removed. You simply choose another to be used at present. So, with our righteous spirit even though God has cleansed it and it is pure within. We will not be able to be used as we should or bare fruit for the Master until the left over residue in our mind is cleansed away and removed.
Everyday we cleanse the residue from our fork by washing it. We use it over and over to nourish our body with food to grow and become mature. By the washing of the word we renew our mind in Christ to transform our life and become mature. We keep our mind clean for useful service to nourish ourselves as the body of Christ so we can bare much fruit for our Lord and Master.
What if we do happen to say or do something by mistake? That is, we say or do something before our righteous spirit is able to shift our mind into the gear of reality. We just confess it and receive cleansing from all unrighteousness. Then we move on as though it never happened. This is not to say, we would continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid. (Romans 6:1-2) God does not condemn us and neither should we condemn ourselves. Remember our spirit is clean and we are renewing our mind. We are not walking after the flesh but after the Spirit of truth.
Once I realize I'm being tempted I always immediately resist the temptation. Read (James 1:12-15) Here is what I do when tempted. I confess that I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. Satan will soon flee for he has to (go) when I confess Jesus Christ as Lord of my life. I begin to bless the situation or the person. I bless their family, their health, finances, and home. I try to think of anything and everything. I bless them for travel mercies, even their car. I think of the oil in their car engine as an anointing. I pray it will silently protect their vehicle, as the Holy Spirit silently protects us, to smoothly and safely carry them to their destination. By thinking on these things we immediately turn our thoughts to blessings. We take full possession of our authority given us in Christ, renewing our own mind, and send forth a blessing for the person as well. We love God so much we certainly do not want to enter into sin in any way, we just want to please him. (James 1:15a) "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin." There is no then. There is no when. The lust is simply never conceived in our heart to bring forth sin. By believing in Christ we have been made the righteousness of God in him. Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit we have been endued with power to overcome temptation. We do not conform to this world or the things of the world. We are transformed in righteousness. We are being conformed to the image of God's Son by the renewing of our mind to, "Who we are and What we have, in Christ" i.e. by everything that Christ accomplished through his death, burial, and triumphant resurrection as our death, and burial to the world and our triumphant resurrection to new life, in Christ. We no longer live, but Christ lives in us, and by the power of Christ's presence in our righteous spirit we overcome temptation. These instances become less and less as we are being mended and maturing in Christ by the renewing of our mind. "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31b-32) As we walk after the Spirit, we cannot possibly be defeated if we really know who we are and what we have through our union with Christ. We are ever or constantly walking in the light of the knowledge of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as our death and burial to the world, and our resurrection to new life, in Christ. Christ never leaves us for he is inside our spirit. We can't get closer than that. We are never alone!
Jesus said to his disciples, "I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now." (John 16:12) Christ taught his disciples everyday for three years. They still couldn't get it, but wait! Christ promised he would send the Comforter, the Spirit of truth who would guide them into all truth, and he did!
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The Spirit of truth is now present in our spirit. He has helped us discern the very essence of Jesus' heart. There were so many innermost spiritual truths that Christ desired to teach his disciples at that time, and could not. They could not bear them until the Spirit of truth dwelled inside them, so he could guide them into all truth. The guide leads us, he does not force us. The Spirit of truth has patience and only reveals as much as we can bear at one time. Our own spirit is indeed filled with the Spirit of truth. The Spirit of truth realizes though we are dealing with our human mind, and wants to help us transform it, so He can reveal truth to us. For instance, we do not force feed our child or infant. When our infant is full they will spit out the food, no matter how nourishing or good it may be, yet without condemnation. We know they are full.
We will discover these truths are revealed mostly in the epistles of Paul. As we study we will understand in our heart or spirit God's great love for us. I'm sure God will reveal them in you, in your very own spirit or innermost being. As you study daily seeking the actual truth, he will reveal them as he did to Paul. We can take in only so much at one time. However, we may feed upon God's word until we are satisfied, everyday.
The revealed word here in this study, is the spiritual insight or revelation Paul received from the Glorified Christ on the Damascus road, and throughout his lifetime. (Acts 26:16) "But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee." Please notice: ("in the which I will appear unto thee") Paul reveals to us what he received by addressing seven areas in the life of the believer. He explains to us, "Who We Are and What We Have in Christ." When this becomes clear, the faith problem is settled. This is not by what we've accomplished, but by what Christ has accomplished for us, in his death, burial, and resurrection, as our death, burial, and resurrection that he revealed in Paul.
God created Adam in his own image with the divine nature in his spirit, for man was the temple of God. Adam was created with a magnificent mind to be creative himself. For Adam to be wise enough to name everything he had a wonderful mind indeed. (Genesis 1) God's plan was for man always to be conformed to the image of his Son. (Romans 8:29) God desired that man choose to love and obey him from the heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5) Then Adam lost the divine nature through disobedience. (Genesis 3) Through the wrong nature in man's spirit, his imagination was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5) Then came Noah and the flood. (Genesis 7:11) However, God's plan never changed to restore the divine nature in man and all he had lost through the fall of Adam. Then came Abraham and the promise through his seed, not as of many, but as of one seed, Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:16) Then Moses, the Law, the Ark, and the tabernacle in the wilderness. (Exodus) Then the Judges, the prophet Samuel, and the first king. (I Samuel) This would be followed by many prophets and kings. In time the stone temple was built in Jerusalem. (John 2:18-22, Acts 7:48) Then came John the Baptist preaching the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)
Jesus Christ then began his work to destroy our wrong nature from Adam and get it out of man. He came to restore the divine nature in man's spirit which is the true temple of God, not made with hands. God never dwelled in the tabernacle or temple. He would meet the high priest there for the sin offering, but never dwelled there. "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet." (Acts 7:48a and 17:24-31)
Jesus through his death, burial, and resurrection finished his work. He implanted and completely restored the kingdom of heaven on earth in the spirit of every believer. (John 5:36) Remember this spiritual kingdom was not of this world and was as visible as it would ever be, then, now or ever. Each believer in this spiritual kingdom was then sealed through the indwelling of that Holy Spirit of promise. (Ephesians 1:13-14) Now the presence of God would no longer come to the high priest in the temple at Jerusalem for the sin offering. Christ had become the final sin offering and had taken care of that forever. "And behold, the veil in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." (Matthew 27:50-54) Jesus Christ, our High Priest forever, sacrificed his own blood once for all, when he offered up himself as the final sin offering. (Hebrews 9:12-15) Christ' flesh was rent as was the veil, and carrying his own blood through the veil into the Holy of Holies opened the way to everyone that believeth in him our High Priest forever who makes intersession for us.
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(Genesis 14:18) "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God." The bread represented Christ's body and the wine Christ's blood. (Hebrews 6:20) "Whither the forerunner is for us entered (even) Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
After his resurrection, Jesus instructed his disciples to wait for the Spirit of truth. He would come and take up his abode in the spirit of the believers to endue them with power from on high for we are the temple of God. (I Corinthians 3:16 KJV) "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20b-21) This is what the disciples did not understand for they were expecting the coming Messiah to usher in a military conquest and, "literal reign of the Messiah in unequalled splendor," a visible kingdom on earth. Finally they began to more fully understand when the Spirit of truth actually indwelled them with power from on high, as evidenced on the day of Pentecost and in the life of Steven. Steven being full of the Spirit, faith, wisdom and power was able to see the spiritual kingdom of heaven within his own spirit clearly, for he had entered into it. Steven answered the high priest and expounded to all that sat on the council explaining it in detail. He gave them the complete history of the spiritual kingdom of God from the beginning. They completely rejected everything Steven brought to light and the truth of the nature of God's kingdom. Christ had endured the physical penalty for sin in his flesh and won the complete victory defeating Satan and all principalities and powers. Christ had also won the spiritual conquest over the kingdom of darkness and set the captives free in his spiritual kingdom of light and was reigning in unequaled splendor. They just could not bring themselves to believe that Jesus of Nazareth, only a carpenter's son for goodness sake, could have possibly been the promised Messiah. (Acts chapters 6 thru 8) Steven was filled with the Spirit of truth. His face was as the face of an angel. (Acts 6:15) Jesus' love compelled him to stand at the Father's right hand as Steven was being condemned. Who do you suppose was caring for the cloaks of those throwing the stones? Saul was one consenting unto Steven's death. It was Saul of Tarsus, Steven's own cousin. (Acts 7:55-60 and 8:1) Little did he realize it at the time, but this very same Saul of Tarsus would receive the revelation of the Glorified Lord Jesus Christ within his own spirit and even the mystery hid from ages and from generations not many days hence. (Acts 26:13-18) (Colossians 1:26)
In God's great love for the believers Saul was persecuting, no angel was sent. Jesus himself appeared from heaven in the form of a bright light to speak to and confront Saul face to face. (Acts 1:9-11 and 9:1-6) Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus, and those with him on the Damascus road. Saul was yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.
The truth is, Jesus Christ appeared from heaven at this time to reveal in Saul's spirit or innermost being, the kingdom of heaven. The very kingdom Christ had already implanted and restored in the spirit of the believers. It was a present reality in the spirit or innermost being of those Saul was then persecuting.
Saul watched as they stoned Steven's body, but the kingdom of heaven within his own spirit, was untouched. (Romans 8:38-39), says nothing can separate us from the love of God. Christ's work, given to him by his heavenly Father, to restore God's spiritual kingdom was finished. (John 17:4) Christ shed his own blood once, for all mankind. Then in his death, burial, and triumphant resurrection over Satan and hell itself, Christ established his kingdom. (John 17:21-22) Christ was made king with all power in heaven and in earth. Christ destroyed all powers and principalities that could ever break the seal of heaven itself in the believer's spirit. Then He sealed them with the Spirit of promise to indwell those who believed in him. The believers in Christ's spiritual kingdom were in the world for sure, but they were not of the world. (Luke 18:36-38)
At the time Saul just could not see or enter this spiritual kingdom because he was not yet born again in spirit. It was the same case with Nicodemus, a teacher of the Law. "be born of water and of the Spirit." Read (John 3:3-5) When Saul was persecuting the believers, the body of Christ, he was actually persecuting Jesus himself. Christ the head of his body is at the right hand of his heavenly Father and we are his body, the body of Christ on earth. (I Timothy 1:13) The wrong nature of ignorance in unbelief was in Saul's spirit dominating him at that time. Praise the Lord, it was taken out of the way when the Glorified Christ took up his abode in Saul's heart or spirit.
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Read in (Galatians 1:12,16 KJV) "For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by revelation of Jesus Christ." "To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood;" Jesus' love was flowing from His Glorified Spirit or heart into the spirit of Saul. This is what I meant when I said my love for my grandchildren flows from my spirit into their spirit.
Jesus was not in his flesh and blood body when he appeared to Saul. Jesus was Glorified and in Spirit, he was revealed in Saul's spirit. Saul became a new creature in Christ. He was filled with the Spirit of truth. His name would become Paul the Apostle. (Acts 9:17-20) Jesus revealed this mystery to Paul hidden from ages and from generations, "which is Christ in you the hope of Glory." (Colossians 1:25-29) Evidenced here, Paul could then see or had entered into this kingdom. He was no longer expecting the "literal reign of the Messiah on earth," for he was (presently) or (immediately) experiencing the spiritual kingdom of heaven (within his own spirit.) In Paul's passion for Christ, being a believer, realizing "Who he was and What he had in Christ," went about everywhere as did Steven, proving that this is very Christ. (Acts 9:1-43)
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus. He began to reveal himself to the disciples. (Luke 24:27) "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:44-49) They rushed back to tell the others and Jesus stood in the midst of them. Jesus said to them in Verse 44 "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." Verse 49 "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." Then in God's own timing, thank God forever, Christ and this mystery of God's spiritual kingdom was completely revealed in Saul of Tarsus.
We need to grasp the total significance of the Glorified Lord Jesus Christ appearing to Saul. This was after Christ had been on earth, went through his death, his burial, and the total triumph of his resurrection. Then Christ had been seated at the right hand of his heavenly Father making intercession for us. "We must remember that when Paul preached, the New Testament was not yet written. Paul preached from the prophets and the law. However, the gospel was the result of Paul's revelation of Jesus Christ and message which embodied Christ's death, burial and triumphant resurrection and the spiritual kingdom of God established in the spirit of the believers."
In this study we will also see more clearly how the Apostle Paul, desired to reveal to the body of Christ and to the world all that the Glorified Christ had revealed in him. He would spend the rest of his life preaching, teaching, and writing most of the new testament to reveal these truths. We must have the desire and initiative to search for these truths, it's not just automatic for us. In the epistles of Paul we discovered the complete revelation of Jesus Christ explained in detail, being revealed to us there. We're seeking to comprehend the complete significance of this revelation to be able, to live and move and have our being in Christ to bare much fruit in this spiritual kingdom of light.
The significance of this revelation can only be summed up in this way. "The Bible is a revelation of Jesus Christ from cover to cover. Every book, chapter, and verse reveals Christ. The personal appearance or revelation of Jesus Christ himself in Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road, being the climax of who Jesus actually is in our spirit, the spiritual kingdom of heaven on earth." "which is Christ in you the hope of Glory." (Colossians 1:27b) (Acts 26:16) "But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee." Saul yielded his life to Jesus as Lord and was made a minister and witness just as the believer is made the righteousness of God in Christ. Not only did Saul understand who Jesus truly was, but Jesus would appear to him time and time again revealing himself in Saul.
Saul of Tarsus would in time become Paul the Apostle. Jesus would appear again and again to teach Paul, so he in turn could teach and nurture the believers in their spiritual growth. Each time Christ appeared Paul had more and more light, and so with the believer. We realize the Glorified Christ has appeared from heaven. We also need to spend much time seeking to understand everything Christ revealed in Paul.
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I'm not sure if we fully understand, that this revelation is one of the most important events in history. Seeing the fields are white unto harvest for Christ's kingdom, precious people need to hear these truths Paul received. "Jesus Christ the Messiah is reigning in unequalled splendor on the throne of the heart or in the spirit of every born again believer. We are the kingdom of heaven on earth, not made with hands." This is the revelation revealed in Paul. "for, behold the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21b) We no longer live out of our mind and emotions. It's not simply heading in a different direction. We live in a new dimension. We live out of our righteous spirit which is filled with, and guided by, the Spirit of truth.
1st God said to Adam, "thou shalt not eat of it." Adam did it anyway and look at all the pain and suffering this would cause. 2nd God did not impute our sins unto us or Adam and make us suffer the punishment we deserve. Christ would have to be made sin for us and suffer the full punishment as us. 3rd Jesus said it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power.
I am only concerned with the now time. The precious moments I have right now, to share this good news. I would not want to waste a single moment. And he said unto them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." (Acts 1:7) We pray the day of the Lord will not come too soon. We will love people into the kingdom and not preach condemnation, doom and gloom. We want to have a chance to share and explain in detail with everyone who may not know of the love of God and the inheritance laid up for us in Christ. (I Thessalonians 5:1-2) "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2b)
Jesus said to the woman at the well, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him." (John 4:23) "in spirit and in truth; " "Our spirit, God's truth." We desire to be a true worshipper right now. We want to have the nature of Christ in our spirit. Our greatest desire is to have the endued power of the Spirit of truth in our righteous spirit to guide our mind as we renew it to all the virtues of Christ Jesus. We are preserved blameless in spirit, and mind, and body unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Thessalonians 5:23)
The question is not, What Would Jesus Do? ( WWJD ) Rather it is, What Did Jesus Do? ( WDJD )
The truth is, God was in Christ doing everything to save us. He came to restore us to a right relationship with God, he himself alone. There was absolutely nothing we could do to save or help ourselves. God was not selling redemption to us and we did not have anything with which to buy our redemption from him.
Now think about it, how could sin have any affect upon Jesus whatsoever? Jesus was always obedient to his heavenly Father. Well, God would have to make him to be sin, who knew no sin. Likewise, for righteousness to be in us, we have to be made the righteousness of God in him. God has to give it to us, in Christ!
Jesus was crucified as us. Jesus died as us. Jesus was buried as us. Jesus suffered in hell, won the victory and was resurrected to new life as us. This was indeed the first resurrection for us. All Jesus has asked us to do is believe it, believe in him and the complete victory he won, as us, in our place, and inherit his free gift of everlasting life. We do believe all these things. In our passion for Christ, we desire with everything within us, that our gift be developed day by day to the measure of the fullness of the statue of Christ by the renewing of our mind. We desire to become mature in Christ and bare much fruit in his blessed kingdom.
Everyone born again is a member of the body of Christ on earth. In fact, Christ the head of his body is at the right hand of the Father instructing each member of his body, his own body on earth. We have been commanded to go into all the world as a member of the body of Christ and teach this good news of the kingdom of heaven implanted and restored inside our own (spirit) to every creature. This good news will set them free.
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Ok! Some things we are not to know. However, there are some things concerning the now time we desperately need to know, now. 1st We need to know who Jesus Christ is and believe in him, being reborn in our spirit, now. 2nd We need to know the truth of the gospel message of Jesus Christ, now. 3rd We need to know who we are and what we have in Christ by what Christ has accomplished in his death, burial, and resurrection, now. These will all become clear to us, as we study the finished work of Christ in scripture.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;" (Matthew 6:33a) We see God's kingdom through believing and the new birth. (John 3:3) Nicodemus just could not grasp being born again for he was thinking of a physical kingdom and physical rebirth. Jesus was speaking of a spiritual kingdom with the spiritual rebirth of his spirit. Jesus had to use a different approach to explain it to him, even though he was a teacher of the law. We enter into the kingdom of God when we are born of the Spirit of truth in our spirit, and we are made the righteousness of God in Christ. (John 3:5) We enter into, are made to be, and live out of, the righteousness of God in our spirit. This is what is true of us on the inside, a present reality.
Although we cannot see this kingdom or observe who is in this kingdom until we speak to someone and know their heart. This spiritual kingdom of God is in our spirit, now, today. We can now teach others what must happen in them to see or enter the kingdom of God. They can receive the peace within their own spirit and life they are so desperately looking for in all the places of the world and haven't found it.
In our passion for Christ, being a believer, we know "Who we are and What we have in Christ." We will also go about everywhere as did Steven and Paul, proving that this is very Christ. (Acts 9:1-43) We can now live, and move, and have our being in Christ. Living out of the power endued by the Spirit of truth in our righteous spirit we will bare much fruit. In our life as a believer, "The written word gives us instructions for life. The spoken word gives us a clearer understanding of the instructions and produces knowledge. The revealed word in us and the renewing our mind with spiritual knowledge, gives us power to live out of the endued power of the Holy Spirit in our righteous spirit, with the same power, authority, and victory Christ had in himself."
I have a passion to understand, and quest for truth. I desire to go beyond words and understand the heart of Christ. For instance, when Peter asked about forgiveness of seven times. Christ said no, no, seventy times seven. You see it was not seven or seventy, it was the unlimited forgiveness of God. (Matthew 18:22)
Then when Martha came to meet Jesus after Lazarus had died. She said, if thou had been here Lazarus would not have died. Then Jesus said to her, he will rise again. She said, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, "I Am the Resurrection, and the Life." (John 11:21-26)
I truly believe that I have absorbed deep into my innermost being that Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life. Peter and Martha at that time were living out of their senses or mind and emotions. The Spirit of truth had not yet been given. Peter or Martha just did not fully understood the heart of Christ. If they had understood his heart they would not have been asking such questions or been confused. I do not want anyone to be confused about anything. I want everyone right now to fully understand. I want them not only to understand Christ's word, but what Christ truly wants to reveal from His Spirit to our spirit. After receiving the Spirit of truth, Peter and Martha were endued with power to understand Christ' spiritual kingdom within their own spirit. The Spirit of truth could then guide both of them into all truth as was evidenced in scripture. They no longer lived out of their senses, mind or emotions only. They lived in the Spirit dimension of life by living and moving and having their being in Christ.
We do understand that Christ has all power in heaven and in earth. We will live out of the endued power of the Spirit of truth in our righteous spirit, in victory. We do trust him completely, and take no thought for tomorrow for God will meet our needs. What if Martha had been endued with this power when Lazarus died? She would have realized it does not matter how things look to us with the naked eye or if the circumstances in our lives or in the lives of others are completely dead and buried. Christ is the Resurrection and the Life. Christ knows everything about us and has all power to meet our needs in this life and in the life to come.
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You see "faith is the substance of things hoped for" "the evidence of things not seen." Think about it, "the substance" so it must be more than just a feeling or assurance. It has substance, not even mentioning the evidence. Could it be that the substance and the evidence of our faith is the Spirit of God's own dear Son Jesus Christ, in our spirit the hope of Glory? God accomplished everything he set out to do to establish his spiritual kingdom on earth in the spirit of the believers, in and through the spirit, person, and life of Jesus Christ. Christ's spirit was filled with God, the Holy Spirit. "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." (II Corinthians 5:19a) Now Christ is in our spirit, person and life which is filled with God, the Holy Spirit to bring as many precious people as possible to a saving knowledge of this spiritual kingdom within us, i.e. by everything Jesus Christ accomplished in his death, burial, and triumphant resurrection as our death, and burial to the world, and our triumphant resurrection to new life, in Christ. Here are three examples:
1st You have a new car, of course with a new engine. Although the engine is squeaky clean and has tremendous power and performance capabilities, yet without the fuel it remains idle. It is the fuel flowing through it that produces the power and performance desired. i.e. so with the Holy Spirit in our own spirit.
2nd You have the best stainless steel cookware money can buy. The cookware although it is new and clean and has the capability to cook at the correct temperature the most healthy and delicious foods can do nothing but sit idle on the stove top. It is only as the cook puts all of the correct ingredients into it that produces the healthy foods for our enjoyment and growth that are served to others out of it.
3rd You have the latest high tech vacuum cleaner ever developed. The brand new vacuum can only look nice until it has the power plugged in and running through the motor to produce the performance needed to use all of the cleaning features built into it to meet the need.
The spirit of every believer is like the engine, cookware, and vacuum. We are new creatures and squeaky clean for God has cleansed our spirit and filled it to the brim with the Spirit of truth. Now it is evident that we need to perform as God has planned for us to do. Then God instructs us further to renew our minds to all the virtues of God that has been placed into our spirit. By renewing our mind to all of these virtues and capabilities we will no longer conform to the world. We will indeed be transformed in every area of our life and become a vessel unto honor meet for the Masters use to produce much fruit in his spiritual kingdom.
(Hebrews 13:20-21) "Now the God of peace, that brought (again) from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." In this very scripture we see that God carried out completely his plan and established his spiritual kingdom in our (heart) spirit for us to become the body of Christ to continue his work of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. This is not some future kingdom to be established for it is in our hearts today. It is not where or when we will reign with Christ. We are in Christ reigning with Christ in his spiritual kingdom with all power in heaven and in earth today! This is true of ever believer.
We share this email study freely, with no intention to publish this in any way. All the spiritual truths God has revealed in us, we've included. We've tried to capture these in written word easy to be understood. The email attachment of "Jesus' Finished Work revealed in Paul" is free. This is a labor of love. There is no "agenda" and again, there is no charge. These studies are absolutely Free! We desire to become all things to all people, seeking an entrance into the life of someone. We pray these truths will be understood in their innermost being. The comprehensive study attachment begins with an Introduction, followed by (24) Chapters. There are 75 pages in all and everything may be printed, forwarded, edited, shared, emailed, copied, or used in any way you may desire. Use in your personal devotions, prayer meetings, youth meetings, prayer breakfast, women's and men's groups, etc. Once you receive this email attachment study you may use it freely. Our burden (Passion) is to email this to you. Please use this study as a thought starter and add your spiritual insight into it as you study. Share it in your walk or ministry, and ask others to share it with everyone in their family and friends, and on, and on. For a free copy, email us at: thefinishedwork@knology.net
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