Birth Truths vs Growth Truths

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Brothers and Sisters who are hungry to know the One who loves them immeasurably, Jesus, Savior, Substitute, Lamb of God, King of kings,

One of the most important elements in growing spiritually as a Christian, is the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the self-life, the old sin nature (osn) to the believer.

Our osn is the fleshly carnal life with which we are all born. It is the ‘carnal life of the first Adam’
 1. dead in trespasses sins’ -Eph 2:1,
 2. thoroughly corrupt before God -Gal 5:19-21
 3. the life where ‘nothing good dwells in me’ -Romans 7:17

Plato said ‘Know thyself,” and he was half right. Paul wrote, “Not I, but Christ!” and he was all right. In order for us to truly get to know the Savior and begin growing in an intimate knowledge and fellowship with Him… we must come to know thyself. This can be confused with introspection and is not what I mean. This comes through the Holy Spirit revealing truth in our daily experiences and through the word of God.

When I came to know Jesus, not just know about Him in my mind, but know Him beyond religion, I was 25. Before He found me I was religious and read my Bible, taught Sunday school, attended church and loved God. At least this is how I would have described it. I kept a list of don’ts. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t swear be good. But I was empty inside and ready to try everything I had refused previously. After all if ‘being good’ entails this much misery, why be good?

Then I was born again. Free. A new person.  The Holy Spirit began to reveal ‘sin’ in my life. Like coming into a dark room, I could only see the big messes and dirt until the Light came in. He, in His gentleness, used a dimmer switch a little at a time convicting me of sin and cleansing me in His precious blood. The most difficult was when He began to reveal not only my sin, but my osn. The part of me that was proud and deceitful and selfish and fearful. OUCH! He showed me my Romans 6 and 7 self!

Regarding my salvation I was occupied with Jesus death and resurrection and the cleansing and forgiveness in Jesus shed blood. Then I began to realize there is so much more to our Christian life than just ‘birth truths’ there are growth truths that most people never embrace. They know nothing of ‘Not I, but Christ’ Gal 2:20. They see crucifixion, but not personally for them, it relates to Jesus death for them.

‘knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him’ Romans 6:6 (osn)

God says we are risen with Christ. (Col 3:1, Rom 6) If you desire resurrection power in your Christian life, for His glory, it must be preceded by your death. Where there is no death there can be no resurrection. This seems far afield from Bible study, praying, serving at church. We can do all these things in the flesh for our osn can be right at home in church! We can be busy with religious acts and never know anything about  ‘Crucified with Christ’ or ‘Raised with Christ’! These truths are all through the scriptures but our osn has a way of ignoring truth, to our detriment. We do not want the Cross to interfere with our living. We will not be willing to take up our cross until ‘self’, our osn becomes intolerable to us.

The flesh will only yield to the cross; not to all the resolutions you may make at a conference, not to any self-effort, not to any attempted self-crucifixion; only to co-crucifixion, crucified together with Christ. Galatians 2:20  PBP

Through the crucifixion of the old man with Christ the believer has been made dead unto sin, he has been completely freed from sin;s power, he has been taken beyond sins’s grip, the clain of sin upon him has been nullified. This is the flawless provision of God’s grace. R. P

But to become a reality in our lives we must lay hold of it by faith, moment by moment. Our part is not production but reception. Hear what you just read! I  am dancing!

Some fail to grow deep in Christ because they are pressured to ‘grow’ before there is an awareness of a need to grow, before there is a spiritual hunger to be like Christ, there must be deep, thorough, and long preparation, if there is to be authentic growth and the reality of a truly Christ centered life in us.

I have shared this before it is so good! “Our sins were dealt with by the blood, we ourselves are dealt with by the Cross. The blood procures our pardon, the Cross procures deliverance from what we are in Adam. The blood can wash away my sins, but it cannot wash away my old man: I need the Cross to crucify me—the sinner.” WK

 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live;^[ do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:11-14

O LORD the God who saves me, I cry out to You. May my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my cry. Your Son went to the Cross, alone, as our Substitute to die for our sins, as our Representative He took us with Him, that we might be dead to sin and alive with You. Give us understanding that we may appropriate these Truths for we long to be like Jesus. Redeemer, Lover of our souls, where else would I go? You alone know the way that we take, You never misunderstand us, or criticize us, or shame us and I am in awe. I exalt You. Keep me and lift me up. Thank You Holy One. I pray in the Name above all names, Jesus.

Much love to all my sisters and brothers,

az