Starla Ellison
As I was reading through some Scripture this morning, these words from Paul spoke to me:
"But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray FROM the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ"- NASB
The original Greek says,
"I am afraid however, lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve in the craftiness of him, might be corrupted in the minds of you FROM the simplicity and the purity- IN CHRIST".
I am afraid, as Paul, that many believers have been deceived. I don't believe many believers have been TOLD the whole gospel. Oh, they have been told they are sinners and need forgiveness of sins. They were truly drawn by the Holy Spirit to come to Christ to receive forgiveness of sins through His blood shed on the cross. And they did.
But then what? Many were "discipled". They became good servants of God. Many came to love Him. They became good church attenders, good givers, good do-ers. They became good at quoting the Bible.
And yet many, and I was one, was not taught this:
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
What does that even mean to you? You were crucified with Christ?
What about this? When is the last time someone (preacher, teacher, friend) spoke these verses to you?
Romans 6
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Friends, THIS IS the whole gospel. Most of us have only been told a portion- and that is
WHAT CHRIST JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU
The rest of the gospel is what God did TO YOU, IN YOU through Christ death, burial, resurrections and ascension- and I'll go even as far to say- PENTECOST!
We've wrapped the simplicity and purity of being IN CHRIST to- well, the serpent sure has deceived much of the church. But hey, we are good attenders, good givers and good do-ers aren't we?
Just this week when I was cleaning someone's house, the fellow that owns the house said this to me,
"Why hasn't anyone told me of the Abundant Life? I didn't know what it was!" John 10:10
Folks, Christ in us is the rest of the gospel- the Abundant Life.
Don't let anyone deceive you FROM the simplicity and purity that you have IN CHRIST. You are IN Him and HE is IN you!
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