Getting Back To One Lord, One Faith, And One Father Over All

If you had an OFF switch how many ways would you want to use it? What attitudes and actions would you want to escape? How many bad choices in life would you want to leave behind? How many ways would you want to separate from improper ownership, unnecessary obligations or faulty thinking?

We have a perfect “off switch”; it’s called the “Cross”.

When Paul the Apostle talks about the “Cross of Christ” he is bringing focus upon the death of Jesus, followed by His burial and resurrection. That one event not only redeemed us back to God, but it also brought transformation to our way of life. You see; Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection became the place of our own death, burial and resurrection. No, we didn’t die physically; but rather Jesus supernaturally took us into His own death so that we could come to know His life.

Colossians 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

2 Corinthians 5:15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

This is so very profound and represents the foundation of salvation; “Out with the old and in with the new”. Think about this; we were invited to leave behind the old life with its many hang-ups and enter into the life of the Savior. On that special day the power of God moved upon our hearts, minds and actions and the Holy Spirit took up residency.

The release from worldly burdens invited a peace and rest not known to the natural man. With physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual burdens now gone we found a different purpose in life where the glory of God shines within our hearts and within our smiles.

Now maybe you have heard this message before; but quite frankly it’s not a message that ever gets old. Once you’ve been liberated from the flesh, the world and the Devil there is an excitement and a hunger for wanting more of Jesus.

New Personal Freedoms

So if one confession brings peace and joy can we then hope in gaining even more salvation? Some would say; “we already have it”, but what’s been missing from our understanding?

The Word says we are “being saved”

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The New Testament writers often admonished believers to seek change as they embraced the faith. Much of their instructions included a plea to set at bay the old life and make way for the new. Paul the Apostle is the greatest proponent of this message because he understood that the Cross of Christ retained valuable transformative power.

Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Paul is even clearer as to how we put to death our fallen nature:

Romans 8:11-13 … if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Such a simple ongoing trust in the power of the Cross and the Holy Spirit’s ability to bring change is not well known to the Church. Yes, we once experienced radical change so very long ago, but then resigned to pursuing other Christian interests. Yet to lose sight of the fundamentals means we also leave behind life by the Spirit.

Remember the role of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into all truth. Within that relationship we acknowledge our shortcomings and He then provides us the cure. Yet the cure is also creating a stronger bond of trust in God alone. This continued exchange with deity represents walking by the Spirit? The only interruption to this walk of faith is rooted in natural man’s confusion about who’s in charge.

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.