SUB-CHRISTIAN SECTS
20/11/23 11:26
Many Believers struggle to understand that works of charity, private and public kindnesses may not be Godliness. Christ your life is Godliness. His Spirit in you makes you and all your efforts Godly. In this position we impart Christ’s spirit and life to all we do. Timothy Keller observed that, “It is one thing to know about the resurrection, and it is another thing, as Paul says, “to know the power of his resurrection,” (Philippians 3:10), to know it personally and experientially. Christ our life is the power of the resurrected Christ expressed as us.”
‘Realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you’ John 14.20.
The Kingdom that Jesus began is sourced in the trinitarian God. Godliness is God’s life as our life of the kind Paul describes in Romans Eight. Unless we are living in Christ’s Gospel and not some gospel of works, we are living in separation from God – even if what we have is Christianity and our own efforts at good works. Jesus fed the 5000 and in doings so imparted spirit and life from Himself is who spirit and life. The poor need more than food. They need to be fed in their spirit and liberated from religion as much as the rich. Real mission to the poor is accomplished when we are spirit and life rather than some self-effected self.
YOU INHERIT ONENESS
Our legacy is never separation. Out task is never the project of earning union with God through faithfulness to Jesus. We have union with God. This is our starting place.
‘Keeping close to Jesus’ as a motto, is a redundancy because you are in Jesus. Faithfulness to Jesus is living in this inheritance instead of trying to work-up some self-worth of our own. You have union with God in Christ. You have been drawn into His fellowship with the Father by the accomplishments of God.
SPIRIT AND LIFE - GIVERS
As life-givers – ministers of the new covenant - we are givers of this life when we live in this oneness. Not givers of life, when we do not. Thus, Jesus explains, ‘The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life’ John 6.63 NIV.
FLOW OF CREATIVE LIFE
Jesus’ ministry and words came from the Son of Man living in oneness with Father. “Torrance accepts and seeks to expound the formula derived from Basil that states that creation is from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.” (1) We are talking the resurrection-creative life that undoes the power and degradation of sin.
LIVING STREAM
This denotes that life, creative and restorative life flows from the trinity into those who believe. It flows best when it is un-impeded by religion and is a free flowing grace, spirit and life flowing from Father, through the Son and from the Spirit into you where it manifests as you and your ministry. Religion does not mediate Christ. Christ does. Live the spirit of sonship rather than the law of Adam/Moses.
(1) Myk Habets, Theosis in the Theology of Thomas Torrance.
