Forsaking (abandon) the Cross and going to other things is a serious matter indeed. It may not be the "Law of Moses," but it is laws we have devised ourselves. Therefore, you can not live a victorious life if you overthrow the message of Cross.
ANY DIRECTION THAT WE TAKE OTHER THAN THE CROSS OF CHRIST IS LAW!!!!!!
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Overemphasis on a couple of pieces of wood is a serious matter indeed. It may not be the pole with the bronze snake, but if you turn it into an object of worship, it is an idol you have devised yourself. Therefore, you cannot live a victorious life if you focus on the cross and forget Who died on it.
I believe the Gospel stated most concisely is "Jesus Christ" (or "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" .. 1 Cor 2:2), which includes His life, His death, and His Resurrection.
We're saved by God's grace alone (Sola Gratia), which is based upon/merited for us by Jesus, by what He did on our behalf, alone (Solus Christus). This includes the perfect, righteous life that He lived for us as a man (by which we are counted/declared righteous by God), His death on the Cross which He suffered in our stead (by which our sins are atoned for & forgiven, and the Father's wrath satisfied), and His Resurrection (again, all done by Him/for us
).So I believe you are correct about Him and what He did for us, because Jesus is our only innocence, our only righteousness, and the only atonement and satisfaction for our sins!
Here are some verses/passages that come to mind about this:
Romans 5
8 God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
2 Corinthians 5
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
~Deut
The message of the cross is central to the Gospel. At the same time the power of the Holy Spirit, as well as the power of the cross (and the blood that was shed) are all necessary for a victorious life. In other words, Gospel truth is rather comprehensive
Agreed..... In fact, throw out the cross, and we can't live very long at all.
As usual: your wisdom, practicality, and clearness shine in this post: I agree completely!
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST IS OUR SALVATION
(the cross was simply an instrument)
1. Leviticus 17:11, 14 (cp. Deuteronomy 12:23) “For the life of the flesh
is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an
atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement
for the soul…. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life
thereof …”
2. Hebrews 9:22 “Without the shedding of blood, there is
no remission of sins.”
3. 1 John 1:7″… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin.”
5. Exodus 12:13 “… and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,
when I smite the land of Egypt.”
6. Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …”
7. Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience …
8. Hebrews 10:19, 22 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus … Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience …”
9. Hebrews 13:12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify
the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
10. Romans 3:24-25 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
11. Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Romans 3:24-25 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
(the cross was simply an instrument)
1. Leviticus 17:11, 14 (cp. Deuteronomy 12:23) “For the life of the flesh
is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an
atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement
for the soul…. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life
thereof …”
2. Hebrews 9:22 “Without the shedding of blood, there is
no remission of sins.”
3. 1 John 1:7″… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin.”
5. Exodus 12:13 “… and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,
when I smite the land of Egypt.”
6. Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …”
7. Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience …
8. Hebrews 10:19, 22 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus … Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience …”
9. Hebrews 13:12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify
the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
10. Romans 3:24-25 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
11. Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Romans 3:24-25 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
No Believer can live a victorious life over sin, the world, the flesh, and the Devil, without the help of the Holy Spirit who functions entirely within the perimeters of the Finish Work of Christ, i.e., "The Cross", i.e., "The Blood of Jesus." All victory is found only in the Cross (Romans 8:2).
If we preach Jesus alone and ignore the Cross, that is another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). This is sin, a insult to God!
1 Corinthians 2:14-15 says, "14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
Romans 4:5 teaches us that God only awards Righteousness only on the basis of Faith in Christ and His Finished Work. Our Faith must be placed exclusively in Jesus, the Son of God, and Jesus, the Lamb of God to be awarded Righteousness. If we preach Jesus alone and ignore the Cross (the Lamb of God), that is another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). This is sin, a insult to God!
Every Word that God has ever spoken is “In Righteousness” (Proverbs 8:8), and therefore must be heard and received (Revelation 3:3) through Faith in the Cross of Jesus Christ, or we remain trapped in the Letter of the Law and forfeit the opportunity to walk in the newness of the Spirit. If this is not understood, there will only be a make believe spiritual walk and one might even have a name that they are alive, but Christ says they will be dead (Revelation 3:1). The Letter of the Law can only produce carnal Christians, and to be carnally minded is death (Romans 8:6). We must look to the Cross and live!
Proverbs 22:17 says, "Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge."
Bowing down one’s ear is to humble oneself and to hear the words of wisdom is to hear God’s Word as Truth (Proverbs 8:7), and “In Righteousness” (Proverbs 8:8), which results in a doing of the Word (James 1:22).
Those who don't build the Temple through Grace by Faith (Christ and Him Crucified) clearly shows they haven't totally surrendered their life over to Christ. Why? Because everything you do and everything you have will be that hinderance to you (Galatians 5:7 NKJV). They will not understand the Word of God or have the experience of God.
To have faith in anything other than Christ’s Work at the Cross for any provision from the Lord is to sow iniquity and to reap nothing but that which is vain (Proverbs 22:8).
Romans 4:5 teaches us that God only awards Righteousness only on the basis of Faith in Christ and His Finished Work. Our Faith must be placed exclusively in Jesus, the Son of God, and Jesus, the Lamb of God to be awarded Righteousness. If we preach Jesus alone and ignore the Cross (the Lamb of God), that is another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). This is sin, a insult to God!
Every Word that God has ever spoken is “In Righteousness” (Proverbs 8:8), and therefore must be heard and received (Revelation 3:3) through Faith in the Cross of Jesus Christ, or we remain trapped in the Letter of the Law and forfeit the opportunity to walk in the newness of the Spirit. If this is not understood, there will only be a make believe spiritual walk and one might even have a name that they are alive, but Christ says they will be dead (Revelation 3:1). The Letter of the Law can only produce carnal Christians, and to be carnally minded is death (Romans 8:6). We must look to the Cross and live!
Proverbs 22:17 says, "Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge."
Bowing down one’s ear is to humble oneself and to hear the words of wisdom is to hear God’s Word as Truth (Proverbs 8:7), and “In Righteousness” (Proverbs 8:8), which results in a doing of the Word (James 1:22).
Those who don't build the Temple through Grace by Faith (Christ and Him Crucified) clearly shows they haven't totally surrendered their life over to Christ. Why? Because everything you do and everything you have will be that hinderance to you (Galatians 5:7 NKJV). They will not understand the Word of God or have the experience of God.
To have faith in anything other than Christ’s Work at the Cross for any provision from the Lord is to sow iniquity and to reap nothing but that which is vain (Proverbs 22:8).
When there were animal sacrifices for sin, it was the blood of the animals that counted for cleansing of sins, yet even that could not cleanse us of all sin, it is the Blood of the Lamb of God only. To give too much credit to the cross is like worhipping th e altar and not what is upon it, our Lord. I believe. God bless you always.
The Blood of Jesus - The Cross - The Finished Work = SAME!!!!!!! Anyone who does not hear and receive this is not hearing in truth and righteousness (Proverbs 8:7-8), but by the letter of the law. See post #12 how righteousness is awarded.
The answer you seek, is found in the Cross. Jesus Christ is the solution for mankind - there is no other! It takes the Power of God to set the captive free. Many bypass the Cross for their solutions and Grace is cancelled. These problems we face are too severe to be talked out of anybody. Bondage (taskmasters are demon spirits that come to afflict - Exodus 1:11) can be broken only by the Power of God. This is why Jesus had to come from Heaven and die on the Cross in order that the power of sin may be broken. Sin has a power behind it and his name is Satan.
If a Christian will and their efforts to live for God is in anything except Christ and the Cross, i.e., Finished Work, The Blood of Jesus (Romans 8:2), Satan can override your will and force you to do things you don't want to do and trying not to do (Ephesians 6:12). Our willpower is routed in flesh. This is why Jesus said deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow me (Luke 9:23). In other words, receive my benefits daily I have provided for you.
The Christian is doomed to failure if he thinks he can face the sin business and simply say yes or no. That's not the way it works. Those who try that (and almost all have) will conclude by failing every time. You may win for awhile, but after awhile, you're going to fail.
Now, stop and think about this for a moment: If it were possible for us to defeat sin and the attacks of Satan by willpower, then Jesus would not have had to come down here and die on a Cross. He could have merely taught us how to function within our willpower, and that would have solved the problem.
However, He didn't do that, did He? The truth is, the problem of sin is so deadly that it took the Cross to defeat this monster, and even then, we have to have the help of the Holy Spirit to get this thing done. That's why Paul said, "But if the Spirit (Holy Spirit) of Him (God the Father) who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He who raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom. 8:11).
This tells us that sin is so powerful that it takes the same power to overcome this thing as it did to raise Jesus from the dead, which, of course, is the power of the Holy Spirit. Understanding that, we should come to the conclusion that our personal willpower is totally inadequate.
However, most Christians little understand the victory of the Cross and try to do this thing on their own, which always results in failure.
The majority of Christians know nothing about the Cross of Christ for sanctification. Justification delivers us from the penalty of sin, while sanctification delivers us from the power of sin. The Cross of Christ is as necessary for sanctification as it is for salvation (1 Cor. 1:18).
Because we are in this body of flesh, as Paul said, "We have not been perfected yet (Philippians 3:12-13)," and because we have a enemy within and a enemy without (the world, the flesh, and the Devil), you can still get tired of trusting. This is why the scripture says:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
JSM
If a Christian will and their efforts to live for God is in anything except Christ and the Cross, i.e., Finished Work, The Blood of Jesus (Romans 8:2), Satan can override your will and force you to do things you don't want to do and trying not to do (Ephesians 6:12). Our willpower is routed in flesh. This is why Jesus said deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow me (Luke 9:23). In other words, receive my benefits daily I have provided for you.
The Christian is doomed to failure if he thinks he can face the sin business and simply say yes or no. That's not the way it works. Those who try that (and almost all have) will conclude by failing every time. You may win for awhile, but after awhile, you're going to fail.
Now, stop and think about this for a moment: If it were possible for us to defeat sin and the attacks of Satan by willpower, then Jesus would not have had to come down here and die on a Cross. He could have merely taught us how to function within our willpower, and that would have solved the problem.
However, He didn't do that, did He? The truth is, the problem of sin is so deadly that it took the Cross to defeat this monster, and even then, we have to have the help of the Holy Spirit to get this thing done. That's why Paul said, "But if the Spirit (Holy Spirit) of Him (God the Father) who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He who raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom. 8:11).
This tells us that sin is so powerful that it takes the same power to overcome this thing as it did to raise Jesus from the dead, which, of course, is the power of the Holy Spirit. Understanding that, we should come to the conclusion that our personal willpower is totally inadequate.
However, most Christians little understand the victory of the Cross and try to do this thing on their own, which always results in failure.
The majority of Christians know nothing about the Cross of Christ for sanctification. Justification delivers us from the penalty of sin, while sanctification delivers us from the power of sin. The Cross of Christ is as necessary for sanctification as it is for salvation (1 Cor. 1:18).
Because we are in this body of flesh, as Paul said, "We have not been perfected yet (Philippians 3:12-13)," and because we have a enemy within and a enemy without (the world, the flesh, and the Devil), you can still get tired of trusting. This is why the scripture says:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
JSM
Who is ignoring the cross? Nobody here. We're just not making it the idol that Swaggart has.
I have faith in Jesus, the Creator and Redeemer, and in what He accomplished ON the cross.
How about you? Where is your faith: in Jesus, or in a wooden instrument of execution?
Thank you all for these posts! As a “new” Christian these provide encouragement. I recently read Chan’s book and it warped my thinking at times, into fear/works based which I’m still battling with (please keep me in your prayers!). The thought will come as I’m reading scripture (e.g. reading through Mark 11 and the fig tree.) “I need to bear fruit! Otherwise I’m on the wide road” - trying too hard, fear driven. I then remind myself what He already started/finished for me. I wish I never read that book: it places much on fear, emotions and what you must do.
Could someone explain the fig tree? I am mediating on this today. I have an understanding and want to test my understanding.
Could someone explain the fig tree? I am mediating on this today. I have an understanding and want to test my understanding.
I think I figured this out, please disregard
Read verses following (context!)
The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders were not sincere seekers of truth but appeared as such. Not about the bearing of fruit but the false appearance of having fruit. False, self promoted righteousness
If you bypass the Cross (The Lamb of God-The Blood of Jesus) you enter death!
The Believer must understand that when God doesn't see the Believers heart exhibiting Faith in His beloved Son "The Lamb of God" in whom He is pleased, you have chosen another Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4) which produces strange fire and strange incenses.
When Aaron's sons Nadab & Abihu, Priests of God, ordained of God, called by God, and anointed by God - failed to take coals of fire from the Brazen Altar (A Type of Calvary), but from another source, and put those coals of fire on the Golden Altar, which sat immediately in front of the Veil, which hid the Holy of Holies, where God dwelt between the Mercy seat and the Cherubim. They were devoured by fire from the Holy of Holies. In other words, to do such was, in effect, to bypass Calvary, which God could not tolerate.
Man can come before God only on one premise, and that is by and through the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That and that alone, which the Brazen Altar and its Sacrifices typified, gains entrance to God in any Form. When Jesus said, “No man cometh to the Father but by Me,” He was speaking of what He would do at the Cross of Calvary, which would make all of this possible (John 14:6).
JSM
The Believer must understand that when God doesn't see the Believers heart exhibiting Faith in His beloved Son "The Lamb of God" in whom He is pleased, you have chosen another Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4) which produces strange fire and strange incenses.
When Aaron's sons Nadab & Abihu, Priests of God, ordained of God, called by God, and anointed by God - failed to take coals of fire from the Brazen Altar (A Type of Calvary), but from another source, and put those coals of fire on the Golden Altar, which sat immediately in front of the Veil, which hid the Holy of Holies, where God dwelt between the Mercy seat and the Cherubim. They were devoured by fire from the Holy of Holies. In other words, to do such was, in effect, to bypass Calvary, which God could not tolerate.
Man can come before God only on one premise, and that is by and through the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That and that alone, which the Brazen Altar and its Sacrifices typified, gains entrance to God in any Form. When Jesus said, “No man cometh to the Father but by Me,” He was speaking of what He would do at the Cross of Calvary, which would make all of this possible (John 14:6).
JSM