ShawnMann's MySpace Blog | Ezekiel 18:23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

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ShawnMann

Last Updated: 12/3/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 27
City: Oak Harbor
State: Washington
Country: US
Signup Date: 12/31/2003

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December 27, 2009 - Sunday

Who are you?
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I had a conversation with my Dad. We read:

"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we shold be called children of God ; and we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet manifested what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him even as he is. And every one that hath this (the)hope on him purifieth himself, even as HE is pure."

Then we spoke about the fact that it says "if" Christ is manifested, not when, and about Jesus being manifested through individuals and through a corporate body.

We probably spoke for about an hour, and all this stuff just flowed out of me. It was mostly about dealing with sin and our identity in Christ. That when we come to a stumbling block, we should not address it as a person of the world, who may or may not practice that sin, but as a child of God, who's nature puts that kind of activity beneath them. Like offering rancid meat to a man with a gourmet lobster dinner. If we really believe that we have been crucified with Christ, then we believe that our old nature (sin, and selfishness of the flesh) is dead and what is now living is Christ in us ("it is no longer I who live, but Christ"). So when we get to a situation when we are tempted to sin; like being cut off in traffic, treated rudely and offended by someone, a chance to look lustfully after some attractive person, or whatever the case may be, when we are in that situation and we are presented with the choice to follow our flesh/selfish nature and sin, or follow our Father's nature (led by the Holy Spirit, acting in selfless love like Jesus) then we should view the sin as something that is not really an option. We should have an identity check. "Am I a slave of sin who reacts bassed on my flesh, or am I a child of God who acts out of His love?".

At this point, it's really about faith. Do you really believe that Jesus' sacrifice has bought you (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23) that you have been set free from sin (Revelation 1:5)? Do you really believe that you have died to sin and are alive in Christ (Romans 6)? Is God really your father? Well, if He is your Father then you have inherited certain genetic traits from Him. Holiness. Love. Purity. So when you are faced with those sins just remember who you are, and see those sins for what they really are, rancid meat. Sin feeds the dead man within you, but eat from Christ, and you will nourish the spiritual man.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

"...Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood" Revelation 1:5

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

15What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6

The Parable of the Talents