Romans 3:23-26 (Amplified) says that, "Since all have sinned and are fallen short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives, All are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy),through the redemption which is (provided) in Christ Jesus." Verse 25 goes on, "Whom God put forward (before the eyes of all) as a mercy seat and propitiation by His Blood (the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received) through faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment." Verse 26 says, It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has (true) faith in Jesus."
We've had a difficult time accepting the full scope of the awesome grace of God. Even though grace has been freely given all things through Jesus, we have a difficult time placing our faith in its power of cleansing. We struggle with our past life and where we came from. We believe that in the eyes of a Holy God, we always seem far below where we know we should be in our lives. We cannot seem to reach out far enough with our faith in Jesus, to receive all that grace has provided for us.
Although grace has now put us into a place with God that only Jesus has had until now, we still can't seem to believe it can be true. Ephesians 2:6 (Amplified) says, "And He raised us up together with Him (Jesus) and made us sit down together (giving us joint seating with Him) in the heavenly sphere (by virtue of our being) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
The natural mind can't take in the fullness of the truth this statement holds. Our unrenewed mind thinks only on who we were and not on who He has made us to be in Jesus. This is why your faith is so important in our walk with our Father. Even though, by His grace, He has removed everything that we were, we still struggle to believe what we are now by this wonderful grace.
And, even though we know our sin has been completely done away with, we still struggle with our own conscience. We still struggle with the old sin conscience and can't accept the whole truth of grace by our faith. Even though all of these things are now ours by His grace, we won't allow ourselves to receive them in our lives.
Romans 5:1-2 (Amplified) tells us, "Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us (grasp the fact that we) have (the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy) peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." Verse 2 says, "Through Him also we have (our) access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God's favor) in which we (firmly and safely) stand. And let us rejoice and exalt in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God."
According to this scripture, we are to (by faith) experience and enjoy God's glory, here and now in our new lives. Once we reach out by faith to dare accept what Jesus has done for us, we can walk in a place of joy and glory in our Father's presence. We can (by faith) finally accept what His grace has provided for us. Then we can begin to understand what Paul said in Romans 12:2 (Amplified) which says, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), (fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs) but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude) So that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)."
Until we renew our minds by His Word, we can never release our faith into what His grace has freely given. Paul said that, "As we renew our minds by the Word, we can then prove for ourselves what God's perfect will is for us in His sight." When man was separated from his Heavenly Father in the Garden of Eden, it saddened the Father greatly. His great love was now limited in what it could do for the children He loved so much. Sin separated His children from Him and He could only enter into their lives by so much. Even the Law and the blood of goats and bulls could only allow God limited entrance to His people.
This great love of God couldn't and wouldn't be denied and His grace has provided everything through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This great love is no longer limited in its ability to bring God's children back into His presence. Romans 8:38-39 (Amplified) says, "For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
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