Thinking more about the cycle of sin lately and what's happening in terms of how law and grace kind...
Thinking more about the cycle of sin lately and what's happening in terms of how law and grace kind of respond to it - what is God addressing in all of that.
Just kind of struck me to start distinguishing between an inner spiritual submission and an outward more physical submission. That's where Jesus and His work in us becomes really amazing for my mind, and I can really begin to see why He is the only way.
We can't make our hearts right. We can choose to do what God says despite what we feel, and there's obviously a place for that, but it's not God's heart to make us do anything. We can see that from the very beginning when He gave us a choice.
Here's a spiritual truth new to me - until our hearts yield in love and honor of God, we cannot obey Him regardless what we do. And when our hearts are yielded in love and honor of God we can't disobey Him despite what we don't understand, have the opportunity for, or know. We may be wrong, but because of Who He is and our need, we can stay in His will just by truly trusting and depending on Him. There's a real grace in the last given our starting point is fallen and corrupt. "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." That's not only a grace of God, it's an absolute necessity for us because we are starting deoendent on mercy. That's the only way we can "do" anything for Him if you really think about it.
A heart yielded to God in love and honor knows it's need for mercy. It just naturally recognizes God as God. If you know you're need for mercy, you really cannot presume to be able to do anything. It's so fundamental, but the way we have to interact with God in His creation as His creation makes this truth really hard to grasp. I think because we are so far from anything powerful within us that God who is all powerful constantly provides for us, we don't see our need because of how our fleshly hearts perceive His mercy. We think His mercy is our worth or ability.
Thought about this when I saw my dog demanding that we open the door to let him in the house. He thinks he is the boss and has power to make the door open because we do it for him - he doesn't realize we have to do it for him because he's just that helpless. He thinks he has power he doesn't have because of the power we use for him in love and mercy. He thinks we're the servant and he's the master. That's one way how our idea of doing and praying becomes idolatrous toward God I think.
I think this is what's happening over and over as we cycle through sin, repentance, sin, repentance ..... We tend to resort always back to self, then there's the consequences, then God's mercy and power saves us, then that gives us a false sense of self-security that we can somehow do, and so the cycle is a heart not yielding, loving, honoring God in truth and us not dying to self, truly recognizing our state of need.
Here's where I think things start making a whole lot of sense - if we were submitted to God in our hearts, yielding our will to Him in truth and love, we would never have needed the law. I think thats the level of obedience Jesus accomplishes for us. That's makes it easier for me to understand why we are dead to the law, alive in the Spirit; and what that means.
We are so completely in line with God's will through Jesus Christ, His will will become ours if we submit to the process of sanctification through His Spirit. There should be no distinction between God's will and ours. We should not need to be commanded to obey - seems extreme, but if you look at scriptural history and prophecy, that's where we're called to be I really think.
Spiritual submission is not just obedience, it's dying to self and living for God. It's a real baptism and resurrection in us spiritually, only accomplished through the work of Jesus for us and in us. We cannot make our hearts new except through Him, and how He does it is something I don't think we can understand anymore than how He made the world. It's just submission in trust in terms of what we "do". That's the kind of obedience God is teaching us because His love is really the only thing doing anything as far as we are concerned. We can really do nothing. I really think I'm kind of starting to understand it. I just think it's amazing to see very literally how Jesus breaks the cycle of sin when we yield our spirits to His and believe and accept Him. It's an entirely different kind of obedience than "doing". I'm thinking of it as a spiritual obedience at this point. I really think all of this is about the idea of us having enough understanding about Him to have a willing desire in wholeness in heart and will toward Him.
Anyway, hope this makes some sense. I kind of fumble around with the same ideas in a cycle myself. It's really idolatry He's dealing with in us in terms of how law and grace are interacting I think. we are completely reliant on grace. I think that's where we find the wholeness of heart, mind, and doing through Jesus and maybe that's what all this cycle of sin and need and repentance as dealt with by Torah and faith is about. It's when God does through us that we obey, so it is never about anything we can do. That's amazing to me cause doesn't that just reflect our entire state in life - God did and does, so we are and live. It's always the same with Him, absolutely amazing to me how He never changes in His ways for and toward us.
Really just seeing the grace of God for us and what that means. He just wants us to see the love in what He wants and does for us, so made a way for us to choose instead of just obey. His grace just in giving us a choice to choose Him. What a beautiful and wonderful heart in our God.
We need to see His love for us as more about Him and who He is, than us. We need to love and want Him more than the blessings He gives. So, we are called to be wiling to give up everything including our own lives, for His sake. Makes so much sense to me now, and I think that dynamic of choosing God or just wanting God's blessings is a primary issue in all of this cycle of sin, self, repentance, blessing, cursing, life, death,.... just makes sense that we have to die to self to really "see" and love God - to really understand why He should be chosen by us. We can't "see" Him and His heart for us until we love the way Jesus teaches us to through dying to self. God has never done anything for His own sake, so how much Jesus has to teach us to be able to understand the heart of God! And I really believe that's what all of this is about - God revealing His heart toward man. There's just so much selfishness and confusion within us that prevents us from seeing it that Jesus helps us just sort through our fallen nature through sanctification and salvation. I think it's amazing how He does things. All things are possible for God. if He can deal with the inner heart and motives of man, why do we question what else he can do? Really puts things in perspective for me.
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