Dearest John and Doves all,,,ON TO PERFECTION
I received an e-mail from one of my correspondents, and he was concerned, as we all so easily become, about his "worthiness" in light of the coming return of our Lord. I sent him my response, and then thought well some Doves may benefit, as don't we often get into that "mood", especially when we are down-hearted for various reasons....read the following:
Hi ***,,,,,,,,,,We all do have this tendency to dredge up our past sins and lay them out as a reason for why God would reject us......I am older than you and therefore my list of sins is so much longer and uglier. Remember Jesus said of the woman from whom He had cast out seven demons, who washed His feet with her hair "she has sinned much, therefore she loves much". The reason for this is that the more we see our own sins and the vileness of them, the more we love Him, WHO TAKES THEM AWAY, who justifies us before the court of God. Here is a verse we must print out and carry with us wherever we go:
Heb 6:1 - Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Here Paul is telling us to "grow up", and get onto the things of perfection, and that one of the things that keeps us from moving on to perfection, is going BACK to the "milk" foundation of our faith, and continuing to throw up our sins, instead of building up on the structure. This is a hindrance to our progression on to perfection. AND is is a form of "denying" our Lord's finished work. That is, did He die for our sins or not? Did He finish this work? Some say no, you have to go to pergatory and work out what He was unable to work out? And some say we have to be "goodie-goodies", and pile up a heap of good works pleasing to God, to somehow try to impress Him. We cannot do that. Our works are as filthy rags to Him. As were the works of Cain, and the works of the pharisees. The only works that can come out of us is the work of Christ in us, as He is the vine and we are just the branches that the vine works through.
We have to squeeze through the "narrow place" and few there be that find it.....
Paul elsewhere gives us a hint:
Philipp 3:13 - Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
And Paul counted himself "the greatest sinner" because he had helped to kill the early Christians.
What Paul is teaching us, is that the more we dredge up and tangle with our "old, dead, sins", the more flotsam and jetsom we are trying to drag through the eye of the needle. At some point, we must step out that front door, and say truly and finally, "thank you Jesus", like the one-out-of-ten lepers who were healed. Then, with this baggage left behind, we can continue to "perfection". How does the Father and our Lord Jesus feel, when they see us moping about "I did this, and I did that", when the gift that was given is unwrapped, inspected, played with, and then the child says well that's very nice but I'm a bad boy and don't deserve this, and lays it aside to ponder how bad he is? Much rather, the Father and our Lord, would love to see the child jump up, and say "hey !. Wow !" Now I can go learn how to ride the two-wheeler ! " I will never have to ride this tri-cycle again ! "
That is what Paul in so many verses tries to teach us.......it is a growing up into Christ that we must do: "for those He fore-knew, He justified, and then sanctified, and then glorified". It is a process of growing up. He cannot do this work in us while we wallow in our past sins.
I have been as guilty of this as anyone I know, and I am beginning to see that it is a hindrance to our growth. Once that huge "thank you" comes out of us, and it is clearly a new and real revelation that He FINISHED the work of taking away our sins, then we can grow up, for Christians "say" this but they must come to believe it "in their hearts". Jesus said when we "hear" His words we must "do" His words. And that finished work includes past sins, present sins, and future sins, for remember He is our high priest in heaven - He continuously washes us from minute to minute of each day. This is His work. We cannot make it our work, and our hindrance, but leave it entirely to Him and trust that He will accomplish it. That is what He meant when He said "ye who labour, come to me and I will give you REST"...........our work is to let more and more of Him into our hearts, and push out the garbage....