Put On

Romans 13:11-14 (ESV Strong's)

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

The light has entered the darkness and the night is far gone. When we receive the light, we put on the Lord Jesus Christ and become the light of the world. 

Fulfilling The Law

Romans 13:8-10 (ESV Strong's)

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

We fulfill the law when we filled with the Holy Spirit. Every person has the potential to be a child of God. We are all vessels filled with the Spirit of God, or empty vessels waiting to be filled. Love of the other fulfills the law just as Jesus fulfilled the law. We are complete when we abide in Him. 

But By My Name

Exodus 6:2-4 (ESV Strong's)

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.

Their covenant with the Lord involves a land on the earth. 

The New Covenant involves the Spirit of the Lord. He is our inheritance. 

The descendants of Adam would become sojourners when Adam was removed from the Garden of Eden. The ground was cursed and the Garden was turned into the wilderness it is today. This is true materially and spiritually. They will return when they acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and their King. 

The promised land is their return to the Garden of Eden, when they are reconciled to God. 

Is Owed

Romans 13:7 (ESV Strong's)

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

We owe everything to our Lord. He deserves our honor, respect, and worship. He has earned it as our Creator and Savior. His life is perfect. No one else can measure up to Him. Even Satan can understand this. 

We owe it to ourselves to be who we are because we owe it to the Lord. 

Be Genuine And Hold Fast

Romans 12:9 (ESV Strong's)

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Romans 12:21 (ESV Strong's)

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Paul is telling us we have the obligation to be different and to be like Christ, to will and do as He has shown us. We are given His Spirit to help us on the way as we follow in His footsteps. 

Genuine love is made manifest in the life of a disciple of Christ because of the Holy Spirit. He is the mark of God in our bodies, the spiritual circumcision of the New Covenant. We are sealed into His life by His life. 

According To The Measure

Romans 12:3-8 (ESV Strong's)

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

The gifts of faith and grace are given to all children of God. The measure of faith and grace given differs from child to child. These are the components needed for the body of Christ. There is no need to compare ourselves to others because we are all in Christ. He is the incomparable one who has and will judge us in all righteousness. Through His grace, we will be like Him. 

Be Transformed

Romans 12:2 (ESV Strong's)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We are transformed by the word of God which brings us into the mind and Spirit of Christ. The word will guide us in this process and open our hearts to the heart of God. To be like Him is to be good, acceptable, and perfect in the eyes of God. In doing so, we are pleasing to Him. 

Your Spiritual Worship

Romans 12:1 (ESV Strong's)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

In the Old Testament, Israel would worship God through the sacrifice of animals in place of their own, a sacrifice of death. It is an atonement of the dead to the living God. 

In the New Testament, the body of Christ worships God through the sacrifice of our own bodies, a living sacrifice that celebrates the life of the living God. 

We must pass through death of self to reach the life of God. It is the work of the Spirit. 

Otherwise

Romans 11:19-22 (ESV Strong's)

19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Do not take the kindness of God for granted. His mercy is renewed everyday. We are to renew our minds and hearts each day as we continue our transformation into the new creation of God. 

Paul reminds us that we choose or do not choose God with every step we make. Let us be wise in every choice, lest we are led otherwise. If we are led by the Spirit, we will not lose our way. 

Their Full Inclusion

Romans 11:11-12 (ESV Strong

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

The way of the salvation of the world came through the Jews. Israel has not been cast aside and forgotten. When Jesus returns, their eyes will opened and they will return to full inclusion in the kingdom of God. 

From the Gentiles will come the Bride of Christ and the temple of the new Jerusalem. The Bride will be part of the light of the world and Israel will be the twelve leaves on the tree of life that will be for the healing of the nations. 

Taking The Kingdom Of Heaven

Matthew 11:12 (ESV Strong's)

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

The violent force that brings the kingdom of heaven into our hearts is the Holy Spirit. The proclamations of John prepared the way for Jesus and the Spirit. Jesus prepared the way for the Holy Spirit who comes from heaven like the sound of a mighty, or violent, rushing wind. The power of the Spirit opens the doorway to heaven, and by Him we enter the kingdom. We do this in the way of Christ. 

Acts 2:1-4 (ESV Strong's)

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

We speak with tongues of understanding made possible with the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Shown Myself

Romans 10:17-21 (ESV Strong's)

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;

with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;

I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Lord has chosen the foolish in the world to reveal Himself and into all the earth. That’s how the word got to you and me. 

Making A Name

Genesis 11:1-4 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

1 Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

Revelation 2:17 (ESV Strong's)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

The natural man has only the miry clay of mortal life to fashion into bricks in order to build a tower that reaches into heaven. There is only one structure that provides safe passage from here to there. It begins with the cornerstone who is Christ and is shaped with the white stones of those who overcome the world. 

We can make a name for ourselves, but it is nothing compared to the new name we will receive from the Lord. 

Who Calls

Romans 10:13 (ESV Strong's)

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 Genesis 4:26 (ESV Strong's)

To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.

The salvation of man has always been the Lord. This was true before Christ came and is true today. The revelation of God began with the Father, that we would know that He is God. The revelation of God continues with the Son, that we might see the face of God. Finally, the revelation of God is through the Holy Spirit, that we might become the face of God. 

He has called us so that we might call on Him. 

A New Name

Genesis 2:20 (ESV Strong's)

The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

Revelation 2:17 (ESV Strong's)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

The Bride of Christ is the suitable companion for Jesus when He returns to the earth to rule His kingdom. Each one of us will receive a new name that befits the new creation of mankind into the image of God. We will see Jesus and be like Him, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. 

The hidden manna may refer to the intimate knowing and relationship of the two who have become one. Heaven and earth are joined together in the final work of creation. 

Near You

Romans 10:8-10 (ESV Strong's)

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

The words of the Law are beyond us, in that it is impossible for man to keep them. The word of faith brings the salvation of God within reach for all of mankind.

The word spoken into our lives needs a word of confession from the one who receives it. Belief justifies and confession saves. Hearing and doing reflects the perfection of the word of God. 

The word has drawn near. We must make it our own. 

A Helper Fit For Him

Genesis 2:20 (ESV Strong's)

The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

Revelation 2:17 (ESV Strong's)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

The Bride of Christ is the suitable companion for Jesus when He returns to the earth to rule His kingdom. Each one of us will receive a new name that befits the new creation of mankind into the image of God. We will see Jesus and be like Him, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. 

The hidden manna may refer to the intimate knowing and relationship of the two who have become one. Heaven and earth are joined together in the final work of creation. 

The End

Romans 10:1-4 (ESV Strong's)

1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Having zeal for the Lord without knowledge will not result in the righteousness of God. Having faith without the fruit of faith won’t get you as far as you want to go. Christ is the end of the law and he is at the end of a faith that bears fruit. 

Righteousness That Is By Faith

Romans 9:30-32 (ESV Strong's)

30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,

How fitting it is that the Ten Commandments were written on stone tablets. One might say this became the stone of stumbling for Israel. The law given through Moses did not save them, but exposed their weakness and need. 

The work of righteousness is faith and belief in Jesus and acting in that belief. That is the only way to receive the righteousness of God. Any other way is self righteousness. 

To Make Known

Romans 9:22-26 (ESV Strong's)

22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’

and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”

26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’

there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

God gave His light to mankind to reveal the riches of His glory and mercy He has prepared for us. This was His intent from the beginning. We all can come to the Lord as His “beloved”. He invites us beyond salvation and into an intimate, everlasting relationship based on love. 

Counted As Offspring

Romans 9:6-8 (ESV Strong's)

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

Not all of the children of Abraham are counted as his offspring who are the children of the promise. Adam was the first son of God, and his descendants will inherit the promised land. Jesus is the second Son of God, and His offspring will inherit the kingdom of heaven. 

Isaac was the son of promise. Jesus was the promised one who is the Son, the seed of Abraham. We are the harvest from that seed. 

More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:35-39 (ESV Strong's)

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All things work for the good of those who love the Lord, for all things are part of the life He has given us. The Spirit works within us regardless of what we encounter, good or bad. It is through this life that serves as our wilderness journey that we are able to learn of God and to choose to be with Him. 

When we respond to His love, we are more than conquerors because we become the sons of God. 

According To His Purpose

Romans 8:28-30 (ESV Strong's)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Our spirits come from God and are placed in these earthly bodies according to His purpose. He foreknew us all before we entered creation. He did so that we might be made in the image of His Son. This is accomplished by His Son laying down His life for us so that we would lay down our life for Him. He calls all of us to join Him in an everlasting life of love and light. 

Some do and some don’t. He chose us that we might choose Him. He does so for His glory and ours. 

In Our Weakness

Romans 8:26-27 (ESV Strong's)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

As children of God, there is much to learn about Him and ourselves. We begin our lives in the Spirit helpless as newborns from our rebirth into His life. The Spirit intercedes and nurtures us as we grow in spirit into the maturity of Christ. He is the Spirit of God who is with us and leads us on our journey home. 

As We Wait

Romans 8:20-23 (ESV Strong's)

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Creation will be finished with the redemption of the bodies of those who have received the firstfruits of the Spirit. The glory of the children of God will be revealed as the sons of God. The harvest will be reaped and what began with the planting of the Spirit will yield the full measure of the work of Christ. We in the body of Christ will be made in His image. 

Children of God

Romans 8:14-17 (ESV Strong's)

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

If we follow in the footsteps of Christ as led by the Spirit, we will be heirs with Christ and glorified with Him. I’m not sure what exactly happens if we don’t follow in His footsteps, but I don’t want to find out. 

If we are led by the Spirit, we will can be assured we are children of God. The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who become as innocent as a child. The grace of Christ can make that happen. 

Who Dwells In You

Romans 8:9-11 (ESV Strong's)

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Within each believer there is the tension between the light of God and the darkness of man. It is the work of the Spirit to separate the two and let the truth of the light prevail. Faith in the Lord will enable us to overcome the world and the shadow of death. The Spirit will raise us up in the life of Christ and our flesh will be transformed into the redeemed flesh of Jesus Christ. 

The Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ is the same Spirit who dwells in us. We are one. 

In The Flesh

Romans 8:7-8 (ESV Strong's)

7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Man without the Spirit is dominated by the flesh. The whole of man is contained in these mortal bodies which will fade and fall back into the earth. Death is the opposite of the life of God, and is thus opposed to it as light is to darkness. For that reason, those whose minds are set on the darkness of the flesh cannot please God. 

It wasn’t until the Son of God entered the flesh of man that the light of God could be truly seen. It will show the way out of the grave that awaits us and into the presence of the Lord. 

Who Will Deliver Me

Romans 7:19-25 (ESV Strong's)

19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

When a person becomes alive to Christ, the light of God enters the darkness within that person. The light is not compatible with darkness, so God begins to separate the two. This new creation takes place in the soul and begins to manifest in the world. This separation process is the sanctification of the believer which continues until we are transformed into the image of God. We will see Christ as He is and we will be like Him. 

Righteous And Good

Romans 7:11-12 (ESV Strong's)

11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Sin becomes sin by transgressing the will of God. If there was no God, there could be no sin. 

The Law and commandments of God are holy because He is Holy. They are righteous and good because He is righteous and good. They reveal the need for a holy solution for the problem of mankind. The problem of mankind is being apart from God. It is through grace that we can become righteous and good, and thereby be reconciled with Him.