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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Fruit Is Change, #7
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3—NIV)
Is Paul to be obeyed? Is he speaking in the Name of Christ? Are we to obey Paul or not? Does it really matter as far as our salvation is concerned?
Christ will not be formed in us except as we, with the help of the Spirit, do what Paul has commanded. If Christ is not formed in us the fruit of His moral Character will not be borne in our personality. If the fruit of Christ's moral Character is not borne in us we have no part in the Kingdom of God.
Saying we can be saved apart from becoming a new creation in Christ's image is like claiming we can be healed and yet remain sick. It is just like that!
There is no salvation apart from moral transformation. Moral salvation is what the Kingdom is; what salvation is; what eternal life is.
What is the Kingdom of God?
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 14:17—NIV)
The Kingdom of God is not a place, such as Heaven, it is a state of being.
The Kingdom is always righteousness. Apart from righteousness we have no part in Jesus Christ. Imputed righteousness is to serve until actual righteousness is created in us as Christ is formed in us.
The Kingdom of God is always peace—a deep, lasting peace that the adamic nature never can know.
The Kingdom of God is always joy—joy that remains in us during the most difficult situation.
The human race can never experience such righteousness, such peace, such joy. Only in Christ are there lasting righteousness, peace, and joy. These are the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of the believer. Such a nature does not come from us but from Christ who is being formed in us.
When we turn the Christian salvation into a ticket to Heaven we miss the whole point. The Gospel is the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy that soon is to come to the earth.
Many of God's people of today are not bearing the fruit of the Kingdom, the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Kingdom. They want to serve Christ but do not know how. They want to grow in Christ, in the Kingdom of God, but they do not know how. They are not being taught the Bible. They are being taught our Christian traditions.
The next time you listen to someone preach, see how much of the message is an exposition of the Bible text and how much is a repetition of our traditions. Then you will know why the churches are so weak spiritually and morally.
To be continued.