Crucified with Christ

February 22, 2016

Devotions:

        The Law was given to reveal sin and to point people to the mercy of God. Inside before Christ men were evil and corrupt.  And we still see this today amongst unbelievers.  All of our actions come from our soul and who is in control, our flesh and the programming of sin or our born again spirit. 

        “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

        “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”  ‭Matthew‬ ‭15:19-20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

        We cannot perform to gain God's approval. Under the Old Testament the Israelites could not keep the Law just like we cannot. The Law pointed to the need for God's mercy.  In the New Testament Paul says that the Law's purpose is to point us to Christ. 

      “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”  ‭Galatians‬ ‭6:14-16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

        When we are born again God does a work in our hearts.  Through the Law we die to the Law so that we can live for Christ.  Through the cross we die to the world, we are no longer members of this world but we belong to another.  We become a new creation in Christ.  A creation that knows no sin because we are of God and His holy seed is in us.  This is who we are. The more we live in His presence the more we understand and experience His love. We are justified, made righteous in Christ, that is who we are as new creations. 

        What we put into our hearts regularly is what will come out.  Jesus said that a good tree will produce good fruit and a bad tree will produce bad fruit.  We have been made good trees.  The more we believe the truth and throw off the lies that we are no good sinners then more the good fruit will come forth.