Releasing Your New Purity Part I
Week five of Experiencing Christ Within explores the gifts of God given to us freely through Christ by faith. The first one is purity. And I can’t say it any better than Dwight Edwards…
“The Christian life isn’t hard; it’s flat impossible. It becomes possible only when God injects His fullness into His people’s hearts-which is exactly what he’s done in the New Covenant…The divine cleansing that God provides in the New Covenant-a new purity for which only God can receive credit-is the starting point for living out our Christianity…So what does this new purity mean for us? Why is it so important?
Edwards goes on to explain that if we want to appreciate our desperate need for this new purity, we must see God as He really is, not how we think He is!
Pop Quiz…If you were going to describe God to someone who’s never heard of Him before what would you say? Maybe words like “loving Father” or “Best Friend” might be used to describe God. Though this is absolutely true about God, it is usually not a person’s first encounter with the Creator of the Universe.
In Romans, Paul describes God as being a Holy and Righteous Judge. Check it out…Romans 1:18; 2:2-5; 3:5-6,19. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Edwards say, “One of the most common of these images is that of God who’s only love and kindness, a kind of deified Mister Rogers. God is love, but that isn’t all God is or all He’s capable of. It’s a shock for many believers to discover that His most fundamental attribute is not love but holiness-a perfect holiness that is the source of His righteous wrath.
The Bible shows us in many instances that those who encounter God for the first time, never run to him for a great big hug. Instead, because of God’s holiness, they fall at His feet or quake in His presence. Don’t believe me? Just ask Isaiah (6:1-5), Ezekiel (1:26-28), and Daniel (10:4-9) to name a few.
Take a moment to think about how you view God and ponder these thoughts until part II.
John White says, “We Christians are idolaters…We may not carve Him [God] out of wood, but we do try to forget the uncomfortable parts of Him and shape Him in to our own personal comfort
Ouch, anyone else feel the sting of this truth in their own lives?
Lord, help us see all of you! Not just the parts that are easy to embrace, but the truth of who You are, holiness, wrath and all. For when we truly see you as You are, then the weight of Your love and son’s sacrifice will have a powerful impact in our lives. Because the thought of a God who is so holy, reaching out to a sinful race and sacrificing His only son, sends a powerful message of a loving God. Thank you!
