No Need For Sacrifice

Human beings will many times feel the guilt of their sins. When this happens we want to do a good deed or some other self-made sacrifice to make ourselves feel righteous instead of guilty. This type of sacrifice is not a good practice for Christians. We must learn to rely on the righteousness of our Savior. Because of what Jesus has done for us the Bible says; And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. Heb 10:18 (NLT) This means that there is nothing that we can do to be righteous, other than having faith in the righteousness of Christ. Learning that our salvation is not merely a legal transaction between God and man is vital. Salvation includes a life-long spiritual renewal for each individual. The righteousness of Christ’s atoning sacrifice extends itself through the Spirit into the source of our new life. Our relationship with God is based on His grace and OUR FAITH. Here-in lays our problem! Us.

Every human has tried to be righteous at some time or another. Many times it involves some generous act toward other people. Americans tend to think about doing good deeds as a sacrifice for their sins. This is a situation where we really need God’s understanding. So you see, (regular) faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. James 2:17 (NLT) This Bible passage is making it clear that Christian faith produces good deeds as a bi-product. Our deeds are not planned by us but are spontaneous when we are joined with the Lord and doing His will. The type of faith we are talking about is only available to a person who relies on the Holy Spirit to become one with their own spirit. When we join together with God’s Spirit our new nature develops. This new nature, by design, will have the correct type of faith. Now every part of God’s righteousness can be produced in our new life including justification, sanctification and glorification. Our new robe of righteousness is provided by Jesus Christ.

We could say that for us to make a sacrifice that pleases God is impossible for many different reasons. But a simple way to look at it is that the Spirit living in us is turning us into the sacrifice (becoming one with Jesus) that God is looking for. If we become the final sacrifice then how would we make another sacrifice? This explains what Paul was saying; And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:1-2 (NLT) God-like righteousness is our necessary goal. There is no other way to live with God. Righteousness is the state commanded by God and He has commanded that we find our righteousness in Jesus Christ.

The gift of righteousness is greater than we can ever describe. The fact that there is no other sacrifice that can be made to God with any meaning is one way of stating the greatness of Christ’s righteousness. The covering of righteousness for our life was sent down to us when the Holy Spirit came to dwell inside of us. Faith in this righteous covering is necessary if we are to avail ourselves of the free gifts of God. When we received the robe of righteousness it was spotless but in this world we get dirty spots on it. Through our faith we must ask Jesus and the Spirit to forgive us and remove the spots. This verse gives us the idea; If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (KJV) In the Old Testament people were required to offer sacrifices for their sins but today it is essential that we keep our robe clean in order to be right with God.

God has always looked forward to the day when humans would find righteousness. When He sent John the Baptist to preach repentance it was a beginning step we need to find righteousness. When Jesus set us free from our past sins it was to find a place that a new life of righteousness could increase. We seek to find the perfection of God in our life. We become the sacrifice but we do not make sacrifice. We must become truth and not merely find truth. John said it this way; Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 1 John 3:7 (NLT) This is all possible when the Holy Spirit becomes one with our spirit. The Spirit makes Jesus real in us and “Christ is righteous. If we allow our spirit to become one with Jesus today we will never have the need for another sacrifice. (That is asking God for righteousness)

 

 

 

 

We Are Not Our Own

Remember, in every situation of our life we actually belong to a higher power. Our natural way of thinking is that we are alone and no one really understands or cares about anything in our life. A worldly person may be right but this cannot be true for a person of real faith. Paul says to us; Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. 1 Cor 6:19-20 (NLT). We have been purchased twice although we do not think of it this way. The first time when God created us as his own and the second time was when Christ was sacrificed on the cross so that the Spirit could come to live in us. If we built something with our own hands and then were to purchase it a second time, we would certainly feel that it belonged to us. This paper will attempt to show how unreasonable it is for Christians to live for themselves. Because we belong to God, his Word is clearly asking us to spend our complete life serving Him.

The world around us has been developed over the years to impart a powerful attraction to our natural senses. In fact, it is impossible for any natural person to resist every worldly appeal that is offered to them during their life. The denying of earthly desires is our main obstacle to the righteous life God desires. When we include the denying of self-will, which is also impossible, there is certainly no way to please God. Fortunately, the Spirit can provide the power to overcome every impossible thing in our life. You are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. 1 Cor 7:22-23 (NLT) In this verse Paul includes a warning about the world that is not in the first verse. We must not allow ourselves to be enslaved by the world for any reason because a Christian has been purchased again by their original owner. Because we are born in sin, the world owns us for a while but if we ask God to redeem us the world no longer has the legal right to ask us to be part of its plans.

Jesus first began his ministry with an outline of the way people should live their lives here on earth. This is one small part of that sermon; “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Matt 6:24-27 (NLT) Because a true Christian does not belong to himself, our owner will take care of all life’s problems. This wonderful truth is difficult for us to accept in our everyday life. This new life of doing God’s will is going to bring reproach and unpopularity into our life at times. Truly, Christians do not belong to themselves and we must always follow the leading of the Spirit.

 God accomplishes his care of us by sending his Spirit to live inside of us. As we recognize that we belong to Him rather than ourselves, He begins to change our natural ways. Many modern Church members do not understand the power that is intended to guide their lives. The best passage explaining this power is located in the first part of Romans chapter eight. Let’s look at some highlights. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you. Romans 8:2 (NLT) Even a beginner Christian understands that being free from the power of sin is salvation 101. Having knowledge that the power in us is greater by far, than the power of sin is good but we must act it out in our lives. In this next verse we see; The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. Romans 8:11 (NLT) It is hard to imagine but the same power that brought Jesus back to life is living in us. He is called the life-giving Spirit.

We are never forced in to a relationship with God. It is a privilege that we are allowed to become a child of God. This is why it is so important for us to make the correct decisions for God. For example; But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. Romans 8:13 (NLT) We like to blame anything else for our sins but very plainly it is “YOU” that are instructed to put sin to death. Yes, the power comes from God when we are successful at killing sin out of our life. This is why allowing the Spirit to operate on our behalf is absolutely necessary when we want to please God.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14 (NLT) God’s children must not direct their own paths. Our nature without the leading of the Spirit is a recipe for disaster. The worst part is that we will deceive ourselves into believing that we are doing so well when we are not listening at all. 

In fact, the Word of God says that without the leading of the Spirit we will never see God. The Scripture says; (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Romans 8:9 (NLT) This is why many people will not accept the teaching of the Spirit; they want to continue believing that anyone acknowledging the Savior is eternally saved and everything else in the Bible is simply a suggestion. Obviously, if the Spirit is living in someone they will want to live a life of service to God. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. Romans 8:5 (NLT) When we please the Holy Spirit, it automatically pleases Jesus and the Father. It’s great that we can please all three at one time. There are many church people today that are planning and living their life to fulfill their own goals. These fence riders are usually spiritually unfulfilled.

When we are adopted into God’s family it means that by the Spirit we can become one with the trinity. No part of God is withheld from his commitment to humans. You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16 (NLT) We cannot fully grasp the idea that the Almighty is offering us a chance to belong to his family. Our adoption  means we are welcome in His house and to everything He owns. Living our life for Him is not much of a price to pay. In fact, once a person gives the Spirit control of our life, our commitment seems to be a wonderful privilege. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Romans 8:17 (NLT) Suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ is the life a Christian must be ready to accept. Is this the life that we are living every day, knowing that we belong to another?