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Alive From The Dead

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 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. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”Romans 6:12-14

All unrighteousness is sin, and these things the Lord hates; "haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to do harm, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”Proverbs 6:16 Sin is missing the mark of God's righteousness and righteousness is a gift we receive freely by faith in Christ thus we see the importance of the command to believe. When our nature was that of sin, its wage was death, we were walking dead people, the end of things is death. However when we believe in Jesus we are raised from the dead, made alive in Christ Jesus, the end of things is Life.

But 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.”Romans 6:22

We do not live under the letter of the Law, but under grace, as grace reigns through this free gift of righteousness, like a seed planted, righteousness produces fruit that leads us unto sanctification and its end is Life. As the “good news” is sown in peace, so is righteousness, it is developed as we enter into God's rest, and we enter into rest by trusting in Him, therefore the fruit of righteousness is trust and rest. The letter of the law kills but it is the Spirit that gives life thus when we submit to rules and regulations as attempts to subject the flesh we produce legalism, such does not produce Life, but death. Legalism is against the process of transformation that God gave Paul revelation of. It is why grace is important, not as a means to continue in sin, but a place to stand before God boldly, as we are being transformed into the image of Christ, from glory to glory.

"The greatest among you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."Matthew 23:11

Teachings of authority that demand absolute obedience, that neglect understanding and the proclamation of truth contradict the authority of the new covenant in Christ, our Lord. These love money, thus the focus on doctrines opposite of godly authority, were leaders are not servants of all, but lords. It teaches that faith and obedience is increased through tithing and giving, while it is the Word of God that will author and perfect faith. Jesus warns of these, you will know them by their fruit. He gives us the picture of godly leadership, as does the Psalm of David, of the good shepherd who leads the children of God into green pastures and living waters, trust and rest, who would lay down his life for the sheep. Like, the call to Peter from Jesus, to feed the sheep and the prayer to the Father that they not be taken out of the world but protected from the evil one from ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing, such is the call of godly men.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”Ephesians 2:7-8

There were none righteous, no not one, all were dead in sin, but God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, who condemned not man, but sin in the flesh. Sin dwells in the flesh Paul writes, it wars against the mind bringing us into captivity to evil desires, thus the carnal mind can not subject itself to God's laws. The child of God must be renewed in mind by the Spirit and truth. The letter of the law kills, the Spirit gives Life. This process occurs during sanctification. The reasonable service Paul writes is sanctification so if the Church is so busy serving and doing good works, bypassing this reasonable service it is out of the will of God. We are not saved by works, and the workmanship is not the good works, but the sanctified vessel created beforehand for good works, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”Romans 12:2

Sanctification we see in the teachings of baptism, of presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”Romans 6:5 It is the key to Life, the fruit of righteousness leads to sanctification and its end, life, thus an organization that doesn't lead men into Life, is not a ministry of Christ. Sanctification is the solution to the problem, as those who are Christ Jesus will overcome, those who are not will depart from us as they were never of us, Paul writes. The mindset of the American Church produces a ripe environment not for sanctification but for ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing. While disguised under obedience or lordship the telling sign is the focus on teachings of authority that contradict being servants of all, of building trust, that domineer and control, teaching absolute obedience without understanding and a mindset of serving and sacrifice that promotes self-interests and excuses away wrong. A hireling cares not for you, but for their own personal gain, you are expendable in such a organization. Those in Christ Jesus, these are being sanctified in truth, they do not kill people with rules and regulations but lead them unto Life.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”John 17

We see the great commission, it can be summed up in this, “sanctify them in the truth” and often overlooked, the command to baptize. Such gives testimony to water, to sanctification that leads to Life, raising dead people to Life in Christ Jesus. It is the will of the Father that those chosen, are made alive, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise him up on the last day." John 6:39 The Father draws them, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”John 6:44 Like the serpent lifted up, those who look to Jesus will be made alive. “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

It is the truth that sanctifies us. Jesus is the truth and He sanctified His flesh, so that we might know the Father and be sanctified in truth. John 17 And this is our reasonable service, sanctification, and its end is Life. In Christ Jesus men are being made alive from the dead.

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