Title: The Gift of Perfection (4)
Series: Weakness Is Your Greatest Strength
Author: Eddie Snipes
Text: Romans 8:1
The goal of the Christian life is not for you to become a better person, nor is it for you to do more good deeds. Nor is it a pathway for you to stop sinning or defeat bad habits.
Like everyone else, you are probably struggling to overcome something in your life. You probably have times when you feel like a spiritual failure. Sadly, Christianity is usually taught as though it were mere religion. People are taught to try harder, sin less, and are scolded or shamed when they fall short of the perfect standard they should be living by.
The truth is that you are not commanded to raise up your behavior and strive to be perfect. This misunderstanding arises when the Old Testament is mixed with the New Testament. Mixing the old with the new creates a confusing religious belief system. The Old Testament was designed to prove to man that he can never be good enough to become acceptable to God. The Bible calls the Old Testament law, the ministry of death,1 the ministry of condemnation,2 and the yoke of bondage that even the religious elite could not keep.3
The old law was based on the old covenant that came to an end when it was fulfilled by Christ. You now are in the promise that there is NOW no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The purpose of faith is not to keep the law, but to walk in the spirit, outside of condemnation.
The truth is that we walk by faith in what has already been given to us through Christ. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Through this word, we have these amazing gifts from Christ's finished work:
- You are not trying to overcome, you are already an overcomer.4
- You are not trying to be holy, you are already holy.5
- You are not trying to become sanctified, you are already sanctified.6
- You are not trying to become perfect, your inner man is already perfected.7
- You are not trying to e ...
Series: Weakness Is Your Greatest Strength
Author: Eddie Snipes
Text: Romans 8:1
The goal of the Christian life is not for you to become a better person, nor is it for you to do more good deeds. Nor is it a pathway for you to stop sinning or defeat bad habits.
Like everyone else, you are probably struggling to overcome something in your life. You probably have times when you feel like a spiritual failure. Sadly, Christianity is usually taught as though it were mere religion. People are taught to try harder, sin less, and are scolded or shamed when they fall short of the perfect standard they should be living by.
The truth is that you are not commanded to raise up your behavior and strive to be perfect. This misunderstanding arises when the Old Testament is mixed with the New Testament. Mixing the old with the new creates a confusing religious belief system. The Old Testament was designed to prove to man that he can never be good enough to become acceptable to God. The Bible calls the Old Testament law, the ministry of death,1 the ministry of condemnation,2 and the yoke of bondage that even the religious elite could not keep.3
The old law was based on the old covenant that came to an end when it was fulfilled by Christ. You now are in the promise that there is NOW no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The purpose of faith is not to keep the law, but to walk in the spirit, outside of condemnation.
The truth is that we walk by faith in what has already been given to us through Christ. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Through this word, we have these amazing gifts from Christ's finished work:
- You are not trying to overcome, you are already an overcomer.4
- You are not trying to be holy, you are already holy.5
- You are not trying to become sanctified, you are already sanctified.6
- You are not trying to become perfect, your inner man is already perfected.7
- You are not trying to e ...
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