Mulling it Over - Romans 8:18-25 Part 1: Of Suffering and Longing

Another month has gone by and we have come back around to Mulling Over Romans chapter 8. This chapter is full of information that is pertinent to our walk with Christ and to our future with Him. I know it can be hard to think about the future when our days are so full of the present, but one day we will know fully our inheritance in Christ Jesus. As it is, our lives at this point are merely reflections of Christ, and many of us have dirty mirrors. God is often trying to clean those mirrors with a glorified bottle of Windex and a rough cloth, and that can make us uncomfortable, but remember our goal is to be like Christ, so clean on Father, clean on!

Image by Simon Kadula from Pixabay

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
— Romans 8:18-25 (NASB 1995)

This is a longer section so we’ll take it a chunk at a time.

For I consider…

I wanted to take these three words by themselves because they are so important. One of the things I often hear Christians accused of is that they don’t think. They take the scriptures, and the historicity of their belief system on blind faith. While it is true that we are walking by faith, it is also true that we, with the Holy Spirit’s help, are able to think just as intellectually about our faith as someone who has studied for years and has multiple degrees.

Webster’s Online Dictionary defines the word consider in the following ways: to think about carefully; to think of especially with regard to taking some action; to take into account; to regard or treat in an attentive or kindly way; to gaze on steadily or reflectively; to judge or classify; regard; suppose; reflect or deliberate.

When we look at the book of God, the Bible, we need to consider what we are reading. We also need to look at life and consider what it means, and how what we are doing, or going through pertains to our faith, or how our faith pertains to it. We aren’t meant to just bull doze our way through life giving no regard to how our actions or words are affecting the people around us.

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

In this particular passage the word consider relates directly to the words that follow.

…that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

I have been emphasizing this idea of suffering over the last few months, not because I am trying to be a downer, but because suffering is inevitable. We all, at some point in time, will suffer. We will know illness, loss, grief, sadness, anger, fear and the overwhelming reality of a busy life in a chaotic and fallen world. It is not bad or wrong to consider our suffering.

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
— I Peter 4:12-13 (NASB 1995)

Paul, however, did not want us to be solely focused on our suffering. In fact, He says that whatever we are currently suffering through is not worthy to be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. Let’s just sit there for a minute.

Think about all the bad stuff you have been through. Some of you have lived through the typical minor inconveniences life offers like, car break downs, the fridge stops working, or the toilet backs up. Others have walked a bumpier path. You have lost a job, a home or been through a divorce. Still others have seen suffering in the form of addictions, jail time, death of a loved one, or a chronic, incurable disease. No matter what the suffering, it is not worthy of being compared to the glory that awaits us! Isn’t that amazing? What hope is ours that the suffering we are going through on this planet will pale in comparison to the joy and glory we will know when we see Jesus face to face.

For the anxious longing of creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

Have you ever thought about the fact that the world: the trees, birds, fish, animals, rocks and so on have longings? Is it possible for creation to be anxious as it waits for the revealing of the sons of God? Stay with me here. I am not talking about something weird or spooky. Let’s back up a minute.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1). If God created them, don’t they have His signature on them in a similar way that we have His signature on us. Granted we are human beings and we are made in the image of God, while creation was not, but that does not mean that creation is unable to recognize its creator and recognize the position of humanity as its caretaker.

There is a reason creation waits eagerly which we see in the next verse.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope…

The creation did not want to be cursed. It enjoyed its relation to its Creator and to its caretaker. It rejoiced in the growing and the greening, the fullness and the fellowship. When sin came into the world, God didn’t just send Adam and Eve out of the the beautiful garden of Eden, but the creation changed. It became rife with weeds and thorns. Where once all animals lived in harmony, now certain animals became predators and all others became prey. In addition, creation no longer bore the fruit of the relation between it and its Creator, but was subject to futility, disease, rot and death.

Image by Ilo from Pixabay

But God…

In hope…

…that the creation itself will also be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

This was God’s hope from the foundation of the world. He knew it all before it began. He knew when He set into motion the creation of a planet and the filling of that sphere of rock and stone with all that is living, and breathing, moving and reaching…He knew that His beautiful creation would suffer and die. So He also created the plan, the One, the Savior, the Son. It was only by this, the gift of pure, unselfish love, that the whole of creation would be able to be set free. But, it will not happen until we are face to face, fully knowing as we have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12); when we become His perfect reflection.

Next time we will continue our look at this section of Romans 8 by looking at the Groaning and the Hope.

Have a great weekend!

Mulling it Over - Romans 8:3-4 - Easter Thoughts

When I study scripture, one of the first things I do is exactly what I do here with you, I take the verses I am studying apart. Words are important. How those words are used is important. Obviously, we are looking at English words, not the original language of Hebrew or Greek, so the words have already been translated into a form for us. It would definitely be advantageous if we could read the Bible in it’s original language to truly understand the nuances and meanings of some of the words, but I trust God. I know that the book that He allowed to be translated into our language is just as true and powerful as the original documents that were penned so many, many years ago.

Image by Robert C from Pixabay

Last month we looked at the first two verses of Romans 8, which reminded us that we do not stand condemned if we are in Christ Jesus, and the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the Law of sin and death. Let’s continue our study by looking at verses 3 and 4.

3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
— Romans 8:3-4 (NASB 1995)

As we move into Easter weekend and contemplate what our Lord Jesus did for us, it is apropos that we look over these two verses.

Let’s change it up just a little bit this week and instead of going through this phrase by phrase, let’s look at what we can learn about the Law in these two verses.

1 - The Law was weak - The Law, given in the Old Testament to Moses on the mountain, was given as both a mirror and a shadow. It was given as a mirror to reflect sin. The whole point of the Law was to point out and remind people they are sinners, separated from a Holy God.

Image by Med Ahabchane from Pixabay

The Law was also a shadow of the spiritual reality. The reality is that we cannot save ourselves. No matter how much we try to obey the law, we still fall short of God’s holy identity. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There is only one way to have right standing with this Almighty being and that is through the sacrifice of blood. That sacrifice came through His son, Jesus.

2 - The Law was flesh - Everything that the law encompassed in the Old Testament had to do with deeds of the flesh. The sacrifices, the portions, the building, the lineage, the priesthood, the garments, the tabernacle and temple furniture and ornamental pieces, the commandments…all of it had to do with this life, in this flesh. Even today, we are all about doing, or what can be done or accomplished in our flesh.

Don’t get me wrong, doing is good and it absolutely should be a part of our lives as human beings and as Christians. However, the ability to save ourselves has nothing to do with our flesh. Even Paul in the book of Galatians reprimands the Jews who are trying to add to the gospel by telling new converts to Christ they have to be circumcised. (See Galatians 3 and 4.)

3 - The Law and the Flesh are associated with sin - God created Adam and Eve with fleshly bodies, but in the Garden of Eden that flesh was meant to be enjoyed, and used to take care of the animals and all the things that God had created. Sin came about when Eve, tempted by Satan in his serpent form, wanted to taste the fruit that was forbidden. It was the desire of the flesh that caused her and her husband to fall. If they would have immediately ran to their loving Father with their fleshly desire, not only would they have remained pure, but then sin wouldn’t have been given reign in the flesh. As it was, they were cast out of the Garden and became painfully aware of now frail and sinful their flesh was.

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

From that first connection of flesh to sin, came about the need for the Law, a shadow of what was to come in the fleshly form of Jesus Christ who would take away the sins of the world.

4 - The Law was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ - God in His great goodness and fathomless love provided! Isn’t it amazing that the very God with whom we in our flesh, broke covenant, was prepared from before the foundation of the world to provide the needed, perfect and unblemished lamb to be a sacrifice for our darkened hearts. Not only did he provide the perfect sacrifice, but it came in the person of His own son, Jesus Christ. In this, He and the Father were one. The son did what the Father wanted, because the Son loved the Father and loved us.

Image by Raheel Shakeel from Pixabay

Christ was made flesh and dwelt among us…it is important that we understand He had to take on flesh for His sacrifice to fulfill the requirement of the Law. The Law required a fleshly sacrifice particularly for the atonement of sin. What was a shadow in the Old Testament became a reality in the New Testament. The Old Covenant was set aside for the New Covenant.

What a blessing is ours, for we were born in the time of the New Covenant, or the New Testament. We are not dependent on our own flesh to be one with God. The requirement of the law is fulfilled in our flesh because Jesus became flesh, and was the perfect sacrifice for all. Now we live, not according to the law of the flesh, but the law of the Spirit.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s post. Have a beautiful Easter weekend! Until next time, keep seeking Him.

The Buds of Hope

There are things weighing on me this morning. Life is heavy at times and I know I am not alone in saying, i wonder when and if it will get better. This is not the first time I have addressed the idea of hope on this blog. You can see my original post titled, Elusive Hope, here.

For some reason the idea of hope has been coming to the forefront more and more. Maybe it is the pandemic and how everyone is hoping for the day it will be over, and we will be able to return to a more normal life. It could also be the state of our world, and our country. There is so much unrest, hatred, and uncertainty. You might be personally struggling with a health issue, a job loss, the death of a loved one, a divorce, mental illness or abuse. When we really start thinking about the bad stuff we can easily get overwhelmed. Is it any wonder that so many people are on anti-anxiety meds and pain killers. How do we have hope when our desires have been crushed beneath the waves of disappointment? How do we keep the light of hope alive when the darkness is so dark?

Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay

Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay

Revisit Sunday, and look for the buds!

When I say revisit Sunday, I am referring to this past Sunday when we celebrated Easter. As I posted last week, the death of Christ had to happen as payment for our sins, but without the resurrection, the payment would have been meaningless. The resurrection is the event that gives us hope. Let’s look at a few scriptures.

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
— Romans 5:1-5 (NASB)

This passage talks about the peace we have with God, through Jesus Christ. It also talks about hope. Note verse 2 says, “…and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.” In this verse it says that our hope is in the future glory of God. What good does that do us now? Keep reading. Verse 3 says, “And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;” As it blends into verse 4 it continues, “and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”. The fact that one thing leads to another is obvious in how the sentence is put together. Tribulations and troubles, bring about perseverance and perseverance brings about character, and character, brings about hope. We can conclude from those verses that hope does not happen on it’s own. It comes about when we place our faith in Jesus Christ. From there we struggle, persevere and become more godly. This is where true hope happens.

However, the passage goes on. Verse 5 confirms, “and this hope does not disappoint.” Why doesn’t it disappoint? This hope is not grounded in those things we wish for, which change just as frequently as the weather in the midwest. This hope is grounded in the love of God which is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Let’s go back to buds. As my heart was feeling somewhat heavy this morning, I noticed as I was driving back from dropping my grandson off at school, the trees were in full bud. There are not actual leaves or flowers on the trees yet, but there are definitely visible buds. It suddenly struck me, that just as the trees reliably bud again each spring, God’s love is always blooming in my heart. I may not feel that it is there. I may not feel like there is hope, but hope is not a feeling. Hope is a fact. Hope in God is just as reliably true as my hope in spring returning again; in fact, more so.

Hope is a bud. It is a kernel of life, just waiting to open and spread its beautiful fragrance for all to smell. Hope is just as present in the hospice room as it is in the birthing room. Hope is not elusive, it is certain. This hope is in the Lord.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
— I Peter 1:3 (NASB)

Be Encouraged! Remembering Jesus.

During this time of unrest, pandemic chaos and general fear I have been trying to focus on encouragement. We all need encouragement in difficulty and this is no exception. We do not know what each day will hold, whether it be the boredom of the same old routine and not being able to travel, visit or just enjoy those things in life that involve being around other people, or it may be the fear of having to go to your job as a server, retail worker, or essential worker. We do not know when we might get into a volatile situation arising from misunderstanding or the tensions of racial disparity and lack of options for communicating clearly and with kindness. Whatever, you are facing today, I hope this post will bring you back to center and remind you why you can be encouraged.

Last week I did a post called, Be Encouraged! Remembering God. If you haven’t read that post just click on the link. I looked at four reasons we can be encouraged by remembering who God is. This week I would like to look at who Jesus is and why these characteristics can be a source of encouragement.

Jesus is fully man.

Image by ariyandhamma from Pixabay 

Image by ariyandhamma from Pixabay

Why would the fact that Jesus was a man be an encouragement to us? His humanity proves He is completely able to understand our humanity. Think about what it took for Jesus, who is equal with God, to become a man. It would be like you or I decided to become an ant. Becoming a man took Jesus from the realm of heaven where He is an all powerful being, God’s only Son, to a realm where He was confined and felt hunger, fatigue, pain and even sadness and fear. Obviously, Jesus was still fully God and how the two of these things worked together is a mystery, but they did. Jesus gets you!

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
— John 1:14 (NASB)
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
— 1 Timothy 2:5 (NASB)
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
— Philippians 2:7 (NASB)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
— Hebrews 4:15 (NASB)

I love the photo above. I think this statue of Jesus with the children, really shows His engagement as a fully human individual. He is on their level, talking to them and acknowledging their value and worth. Just think what a better world we would be living in, if we all engaged with each other in this way.

Jesus is fully God.

Image by Karin Henseler from Pixabay 

Image by Karin Henseler from Pixabay

This is an encouragement to me, because all that Christ did as man would be nullified, if he wasn’t also, fully God. Being God, He was there at the beginning when the world was formed into existence and life was breathed into man. Being God, He was present in heaven when Satan decided he too wanted to be as powerful as God. Being God, He knew the depth of the power and glory being this divine individual gave Him, yet, He gave it all up to do His Father’s will and to save us.

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
— Colossians 2:9 (NASB)
I and the Father are one.
— John 10:30 (NASB)
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
— Colossians 1:19 (NASB)
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
— Hebrews 1:3 (NASB)

Jesus does what we can not.

Image by Couleur from Pixabay 

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

There are many things Jesus does that we can not, but I wanted to look at three and talk about why remembering that can be encouraging to us.

1 - Redeemed - the word redeem means to free from captivity by payment of a ransom. When sin came into the world, we were all under the penalty of that choice in the Garden, the penalty of enslavement to Satan and eventually both physical and spiritual death. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins He redeemed us. He bought us out of captivity and set us free.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—
— Galatians 3:13 (NASB)
so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
— Galatians 4:5 (NASB)
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
— Titus 2:14 (NASB)

When we were under the thumb of our enemy we were slaves to fear, anxiety, frustration, anger, hate, deception and numerous other feelings and emotions that kept us bound. If we are redeemed by Jesus we are free of those things. We have a choice to not be held captive by the darkness of evil.

Pixabay - shackle

2 - Justified - The word justify means to show to be just or righteous. When we decided to believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, He immediately justifies us before His Father. He shows His Father His nail pierced hands, and feet and his sword pierced side and God recognizes the sacrifice made and the blood spilt for our sakes.

being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
— Romans 3:24 (NASB)
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
— Romans 5:1 (NASB)
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
— Romans 5:9 (NASB)
Image by Lisa Johnson from Pixabay 

Image by Lisa Johnson from Pixabay

3 - Sanctified - This word means to set apart and free from sin. It is my belief that redemption is a one time event, when we put our faith in Christ, where as, sanctification is ongoing. Jesus continually frees us from sin. We are able to sin less and less, because of this act of sanctification.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
— Hebrews 10:14 (NASB)
By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
— Hebrews 10:10 (NASB)
Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
— John 17:17 (NASB)
Pixabay - Bible

Redemption, justification and sanctification are all part of the enveloping love of Christ. Knowing that He did, does and will do these things gives me great comfort. I do not have to strive to be perfect, His blood has made me so. This leads me to the final point I want to make.

Jesus’ peace is perfect.

Probably the thing we are struggling with most during this difficult time, is the ability to have peace. Peace is not something that comes easily. Most often we have to fight for it, just like over the centuries we have had to fight for the freedoms and peace of nations and peoples. However, peace is definitely something worth fighting for. In a spiritual sense, peace must come from a source, much like a lake, river or stream is only full when it is fed, either by rain showers or a hidden spring. Our hidden spring is Jesus.

You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
— Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33 (ESV)
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
— Psalm 4:8 (ESV)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
— Romans 5:1 (ESV)
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay 

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

I have found the best way to have peace during troubling times is to redirect my thoughts from the overwhelming deluge of media voices and turn them back to Jesus and His word.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
— Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV)

Be encouraged, God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ is with you and they do not change. Their care is constant, their love is sure, their forgiveness true, and their peace unfathomable. Draw on it.

Traits of A Godly Person: A Look at Two Passages

This week, I want to continue my introduction to the traits of a Godly person by looking at two passages, 2 Peter 1:1-11 and Galatians 5:16-26. Just a few weeks ago, we finished a Mulling It Over series on 2 Peter 1:1-11. It was this series that got me thinking I should follow that up with a series on the traits of a Godly person.

Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

When I speak of Godly traits, I am talking about the characteristics outlined in scripture that are those traits that God desires of us. These are traits like love, brotherly kindness, faith and so on. Let’s review 2 Peter 1: 1-11

1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
— 2 Peter 1:1-11 (NASB)

In this passage we see nine Godly traits: diligence, faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.

The other passage I want to stew over is in Galatians.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
— Galatians 5:16-26 (NASB)

In order to fully understand these passages and fully grasp the traits that each is referring to, we must understand the work of the Holy Spirit.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

When a person accepts the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ he or she is choosing to place their faith in His person and His work. As a person He is fully God and fully man. His work, didn’t just consist of pertinent teachings such as kindness and love, but it included the most important work of all, that of bridging the gap between a Holy, Perfect, God and a fallen, sinful humanity. That is why He died on the cross. It was for us, to make atonement or a payment for the wrongs that all of humanity has done since Adam and Eve chose to eat of that tree in the garden.

Image by jaaannnaaa from Pixabay

Image by jaaannnaaa from Pixabay

When you place your faith in Him, we then receive the person of the Holy Spirit. This is the third person of the trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each are uniquely different, yet all are of one mind and being. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to walk the Christian life. Sure people can be good, and love and be kind, but it is only these traits that are done in the Spirit of the triune God that truly last.

Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay

Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay

The other thing that this bond with the Holy Spirit does is allows us access. We have access to God the Father, a direct tram to the throne room, so to speak. We have access to the forgiveness and cleansing of Jesus and we have access to a powerhouse of God-given ability to live life, but life more abundantly. The Holy Spirit is in essence, the mover and shaker of the God-head. Obviously, there is controversy over how the Spirit conveys His work, but no matter how you look at it, the Holy Spirit helps us to live a Godly life.

Next week, we’ll look a bit more closely at this relationship between us, the Holy Spirit and His ability to manifest Godly traits in our lives. I hope you’ll join me.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. If you have the time, leave a comment below. Have a great day.