If portions of the part 3 post sounded shocking to you then wait to you read this one. Previously I stated that once we have gained the liberty that Jesus promised to give us that we can do whatever we want to. I wrote:
we are set free we can smoke and drink all we want. We can tear up and fight all we want. We can do anything that we want to…
The reason that this is true and the fact that I now want to point out is that doing these actions, contrary to popular belief, are not actually sin but the result of sin.
Woah! Did I just read that right? Yes, you did. What we have to realize is that sin, at its root, is not some particular action that a person may do. This is what the Pharisee’s thought and it was one of the reasons that they got tied up in endless lists of laws. Sin is not some particular action but, at its root, is unbelief. And unbelief leads to those actions. In Mark 7:18-23, Jesus said:
Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?
What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.
This root of unbelief is something that is internal to the individual and no one can see it but God. But what we can see people do, and the things that we incorrectly label as sin, are the external actions of people. So then what I am simply stating is that belief or unbelief are internal states of the individual and the external actions of the individual are the result of being in this state. Holding onto unbelief is the true sin and when we have unbelief it causes external actions that we visually oriented humans can see and that we condemn. But what God condemns is not so much these external actions but the unbelief, or internal root in us that caused us to perform the outward actions. In John 16:7-11, Jesus says:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
See? What is being judged is the lack of belief.
Now if I might continue the thought that I started in part 3, in Jesus we have complete and total liberty because, now catch this, He provides faith! Jesus is the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:2). As we receive faith, the tugs and desires of unbelief gradually fade away. Of course there are ups and downs, lefts and rights, u-turns and spin-outs, and the Christian walk can sometimes feel more like a roller-coaster than a leisurely stroll down the path (I often wonder why we call it a Christian walk instead of a Christian climb) but if we can let go of self-condemnation, stop trying to do it all ourselves, and just embrace this wonderful relationship with God, allowing His Holy Spirit to enter us and provide us faith, then the external signs of our internal condition should change as the internal changes from unbelief to belief as God provides us faith.
So let me say that another way so you do not miss it. The problem with many of our Christian walks is that we continue to focus on trying to stop sinning on our own. Stop focusing on that! What we need to do is focus on Jesus and a relationship with Him and, as we spend time with Him, He will provide faith and eradicate unbelief. As our relationship with God improves and increases, as we spend more and more time with Him, our faith will increase and our lack of faith will decrease. As a natural byproduct of decreased unbelief, the external signs of unbelief will fade. Try it out!
My third book is Gabriella and Dr. Duggan’s Secret Dimensional Transport Machine. Here are the kindle, Amazon print, and nook links.
My second book is A Prayer Warrior’s Guide: How to Pray for People for Divine Healing and here are the kindle, Amazon print, nook and BN print links.
My first book is The Indwelling: An Introduction to a New Relationship With God and here are the kindle, Amazon Print, and nook links.
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