Humility/Dependence

Humility/Dependence

I learned about predestination two summers ago…. I learned it as head knowledge then, however it wasn’t until last summer that it hit my heart. We have nothing to boast in, nothing at all- our faith was a gift, our desire for God is a gift- Romans 9:16… the spiritual points we reach are always by the grace of God, no one has ever taken a step in right direction without him. Today I have been looking at the nature of man, according to the bible…. The gospel flows through this in a beautiful way.

Firstly, we were created by God, from the dust- it is head knowledge for me, not really an owned perspective, that this body is a gift from God…. Our life is also a gift from God… our bodies are good, they are wonderful, as God created them- all good things come from above. It’s a really interesting perspective, that the world once was perfect- God created all things, including man, and it was good. Man was good…. Which means God was living inside him, through him… as all good things come from above- this includes any righteousness found in man. But the world fell with the bite of an apple… God could no longer live in man as he was fallen…. So the world got its illness, of which it is still dying… the world is such a sick and disgusting place….

Genesis 2:7      Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 1:27   So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Psalm 139:14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

The world is fallen… we are slaves to sin. Paul expresses this very well, even while he is saved- the battle wages within him, sinning though he does not want to- Paul is a slave to sin. Now I know this very well, I have loved Romans ever since I read it at camp 2 years ago… I loved the gospel- the slave saved by grace. However, researching it today has given me a better perspective of “slave to sin”

A slave to sin, every intention of our deceitful heart, is evil. There is no righteousness in the flesh whatsoever.

Mathew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false   witness, slander

Romans 3:10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

Jeremiah 17:9 the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Genesis 6:5    The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Mark 7:20-23 and he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Without God… we look much different….

Jesus came to die for our sins, freeing us from our burden of sin- though our flesh is still a slave to sin, we are freed from the death that we deserve. Now that we are made pure- God may once again live inside of us… and then and only then can we show true righteousness- not because of us… but because of the Holy Spirit within us

Ephesians 1:11-12        In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.