Gal 2:20-21 I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.

Now there are two kinds of Christian. There are those who believe Jesus came to bring spiritual salvation and any thing else that he did was simply to prove that He was the Messiah. They were for that time and dispensation.

On the other hand there are those who believe that ALL the things that Jesus did are for His followers to do as well, and these things prove that Jesus has indeed passed ALL authority on to them and lives in them also.

One interesting example of the things that Jesus did is seen in Luke 5, verses 17-26. let's read that now.

Luk 5:17-26 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.

And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

We should first observe the power was on Jesus to heal, but because of the hardness of their hearts none of the original audience was healed! You can see the mindset of those people and what was on the minds of the Scribes and Pharisees when they heard what Jesus said to the man. They thought that what He said was "Blasphemy" and that "No man can forgive sins only God".

Now that we see their mindset, let's look at Jesus' question to them in the context of their religion. Jesus asked, "Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven" or to say, "Rise up and walk"?

In the Twenty-first Century someone could glibly say "Your sins are forgiven you" and possibly get away with it even though they had no authority to say so, but in Jesus' time under the Law everyone would have known that was impossible for a man; just as impossible as saying "Rise up and walk"! They would have known what the Law proscribed for having your sins covered, and it wasn't just saying a few words! An animal which had no blemishes had to be killed and your sins put on it. Innocent blood had to be shed for God to forgive you. This wasn't 'easy' words and just saying "Rise up and walk" was no more likely to get results in the normal scheme of things!

So both of the options in Jesus' question were impossible to a Scribe or a Pharisee. But, doing the impossible thing that they could see would be proof that He could do the impossible thing they couldn't see! So Jesus changed his command and said to the man, "Rise, Pick up your bed and go home".

Healing the sick supernaturally or forgiving the sins of sinners, both have the same difficulty in reality. Saying you can do one is just as "impossible" as saying you can do the other! If you have faith and authority to do one of them, you have faith and authority to do the other. That's the point that Jesus made to the Scribes and Pharisees and it should not be lost on us in the Twenty-first Century. If we think that one is easier than the other, then we don't have the same understanding of salvation that Jesus and the people of His time had.

To heal with 'the word' and to forgive sins with 'the word' are both only possible because "All" authority has been given to Jesus our Messiah and His power working through us can, in the same way, do both today. Jesus is here in the flesh.

2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers have entered into the world, who do not confess Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver, and an antichrist.

It's Jesus in us NOW, in our bodies, that enables us to live godly lives. We are so cleansed by the blood of Jesus that God can and does take up His abode with us and lives in us! Thus we are the temple of the Living God. So provided that we live according to the guidance of Holy Spirit the following applies...

As God is Love; we walk in love.
As God is Holy; we walk in holiness.
As God is Righteous; we walk in righteousness.
What is bound in heaven; we can bind on earth.
What is loosed in heaven; we can loose on earth.

Jesus LOVES us and lives in us! That is the reason we can live lives pleasing to Him. It's not we who do it but Jesus Christ in us. But, when we look at the examples in the Bible, God does not call us to live ordinary lives. We have to accept ALL of the call though!

Jesus has placed inside us the power to do all things. He strengthens us. Our role is to draw close to Him so that He can reveal to us what His great plans for us are and then go out in faith to do them.

As we pray to Him he answers us through Holy Spirit to our spirit. We have to listen to what Holy Spirit says.

When we see our calling and what we are in Jesus and the grace we have through Him we will through Holy Spirit in us be able to walk in righteousness. But we have to appreciate the covenant we are under and what blessings of grace we have in the New Covenant. That is the main message of "Basic Christianity 101".

Once you see what God has done for you and what you have been given you naturally want to pass it on to others. That is the message of "Basic Christianity 102". How to do it Jesus' way so that their conversion sticks.

But, as we teach others we must be following Jesus in our own walk. It must never become 'Do as I say but not as I do'! Holy spirit in us will lead us continually to learn about the covenant we were baptised into and of which we are a part and to use our authority to help others onto this same path; that is true. But, He will also show you how grace enables you to say 'NO' to all unrighteousness. He shows you how and enables you to live right to be an example to New-Christians and Non-Christians alike.

Tit 2:11-15 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

We will then exhibit the fruit that Jesus is growing in us.

Gal 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Holy Spirit will also show us how to avoid the "Works of the flesh". These are the things we did before we were Christians; when we were NOT living by grace through faith in Jesus. We can see where Paul make this plain in the letter to the Galatians, Chapter 5, verses 16 to 21.

Gal 5:16-21 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We are NOT now living according to the flesh and under the law. Those works of the flesh are not your natural lifestyle. They were when you were trying to live by the law, but now that/if you live by grace, and are led by the Spirit, you have a NEW lifestyle.

Rom 7:4-6 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Holy Spirit in us supplies the power and Jesus has given us the authority over Satan and all his cohorts so that we CAN live Holy lives unto God, and look forward to the wonderful future He has prepared for us in the fullness of His Kingdom..

There was a time when Jesus was asleep in a boat with His disciples having told them that they were going over to the other side of the lake. A storm blew up and the disciples woke Jesus up and told Him about the danger (They took the problem to God). Then they petitioned Him to do something about it (They prayed). Jesus then in love and mercy quieted the storm and stilled the waves (He answered their prayers). You can read the full report in Mark, chapter 4, verses 35-40.

Most people and Christians today would think of that as showing faith in Jesus overall in the face of overwhelming danger. They turned to God (Jesus) and put faith in Him to get them out of the situation didn't they? But what did Jesus say regarding their response to the problem?

Mar 4:40 And he (Jesus) said unto them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?

Some people say that when a storm blows over His children, God sometimes quiets the storm and sometimes He calms His child! But to say that is to miss the lesson and not see it from Jesus' point of view.

Having delegated the authority to us and put His Spirit in us, Jesus expects us to have His courage and to quieten the storm and still the waves ourselves. Not constantly be running to Him to do it for us. The just shall live by (Jesus' kind of) faith!

He empowers us to live righteous lives NOW and to do the things that He did (and even greater things) NOW and there is an even better future awaiting us which He has prepared for us!

And all of this we owe to the love and mercy of God. Indeed new every morning are the mercies of God. Great is His faithfulness. Super-abounding is His grace.

We are truly blessed because of the love of the God that we worship! He is worthy of ALL praise!

Attlee.

Basic Christianity 101.Click Here.
But, deliver us from the Evil One. Click Here.
Grace and Law in Ancient Israel. Click Here.
The Love Of God Click Here.

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