Jesus said in John 10:10 (Amplified), "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy, I came that they may have and enjoy Life, and have it in abundance (to the full, til it overflows)." Every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, has received this abundant Life that He came to give us. No person who is born-again, lacks anything in this Life. Some haven't received a lot, while others got much, but we have all received the same abundant Life, through Jesus.
The most important thing anyone can ever hope to obtain in this world, is to be born-again, but what do we do with this abundant Life on this side of Heaven? We've struggled with our new creation person, because we've receive abundant Life, but don't know how to live it. It's like using a horse like Secretariat to pull a vegetable cart. He's still a horse, but he was bred and destined to be a Tripe Crown champion.
We've been born of the Most High God, to be sons and daughters in His family, but we still function as mere men and women. Paul wrote to the Church in 1corinthians 3:1 (Amplified), saying, However, Brethren, I could not talk to you as to Spiritual men, but as to non-spiritual men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates, as to mere infants in the new Life in Christ, unable to talk yet." What is this new Life and what is our role in it? Does it mean we only live like we did before being born-again? Or, is there something in this Life that we, as mere men and women are yet to discover by His Word?
Most of us have stopped doing what we perceived as sin and wrong doing in the flesh, but we've never entered into the new Life that Jesus gave us. God's people are mostly still as sick as those in the world, have the same divorce rate as the world and are just as distressed as those in the world. Most of us aren't anymore successful in reaching God, than those in the world. If God answered our prayer for salvation when we were lost in sin and death, then why would we doubt that He would answer our prayers, especially now that we're His children?
We read about one of the greatest advantages of this new Life in 1John 1;3 (Amplified), which says, "What we have seen, and ourselves heard, we also are telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And this fellowship that we have which is a distinguishing mark of Christians with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah)."
Gaining fellowship by this new Life, doesn't mean that we go to Heaven when we die, but means the Father will teach us how to life this new Life, here on earth. Fellowship isn't just praying, but is the ability to learn from and talk with our Father, like Jesus did in His earthly ministry.
As He spent time talking with and listening to the Father, Jesus gained access into the secrets that govern this planet by the Wisdom of God. Jesus said, "I only do what I see the Father do and say what I heard the Father say." Jesus received Wisdom for everything He was to do, while in His earthly body, by fellow -shipping with His Father. Jesus was in constant fellowship and was faithful to hear from Heaven. We've gained the same ability with the Father, in this new Life with Him.
We've been afraid of overstepping our place with the Father and haven't entered our place as family. We call Him, "Father," but we act like we don't belong in His family, while we're still here on earth. We don't become family when we get to Heaven, but were made family when we were born-again. How do we walk as family, while we are here? This is the struggle we have, while walking in these flesh and blood bodies.
Hebrews 5:13-14 (Amplified) says, "For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of Righteousness, of conformity to the Divine will and purpose, thought and action, for he is a mere infant, not able to talk yet. But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to Divine or human law."
The Doctrine of Righteousness isn't something the senses will allow in us, but the Truth of God's Word says we have "been made the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus." We can only know the Doctrine of Righteousness, by having faith in what God has said about us. The unrenewed mind will always compare our old man/woman and his/her righteousness to the God kind of Righteousness, leaving us to "feel" like we're still unrighteous in God's eyes.
We've invented our own laws of what we think are righteous, but God doesn't receive any of these. Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospel, a Righteous which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith, and leading to faith, disclosed by the way of faith that arouses to more faith. As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
The above scripture tells us that if we're to be righteous in God's eyes, then we'll have to receive it on God's terms, by faith in His Word and the Finished Work of Jesus. When we work to become righteous, it shows that we haven't received it on God's terms and haven't received the Righteousness He ascribes. The faith God speaks about here, is trusting in what He says about us, more than what the world or the enemy says about us. We must learn to put our faith in what God ascribes about our righteousness, instead of having more faith in what others say.
If anyone should know what it takes to be Righteous in God's eyes, then it is God. When we yield to His Truth about righteousness, we will stop the torment and lies of the adversary in our lives. Hebrews 9:14 (Amplified) says, "How much more surely shall the Blood of Christ, Who by virtue of His Eternal Spirit (His Own pre-existent Divine Personality) has offered Himself as an unblemished Sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the Ever Living God." We can only have a pure conscience before God, when we have faith that Jesus Sacrificed His Blood as an Offering for our sin, so we were made righteous before God. There's no other way to clean your conscience, enough to give us the boldness to come before Him and confidently stand in His Presence. This is the Righteousness that God ascribes.
This Righteousness is a Gift from God and He doesn't accept rituals and works. God accepts it on the terms of His Grace, not by Law or works. Romans 5:17 (Amplified) says, "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense), death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive God's overflowing Grace (unmerited favor), and the free Gift of Righteousness, putting them in right standing with Himself, reign as kings in Life through the One Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
We must understand and have faith in the right standing we have with the Father, by Jesus' Righteousness, in order to live this new Life that Jesus came to bring us. When we understand that we are righteous, then our faith in everything else will begin to fall into place. As long as you "feel" like you're unrighteous and still a sinner, you won't have faith in your inheritance.
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