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What is it to be mature? What do
you need to know to be considered mature?
the mature, who by constant use have trained
themselves
. Anyone who lives
on milk
is not acquainted with
the teaching about righteousness. So, you need to know the
teaching about righteousness to be a mature Christian. Otherwise, you will
not be able to distinguish good from evil.
Paul tells us that there were those
who did not know the righteousness that
comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to
God's righteousness. He also tells us if
there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. But if
righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
That is why the Gospel is GOOD
NEWS. For in the gospel a
righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith
from first to last and Even the
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and
upon all them that believe.
So our righteousness is from
God and is Jesus Christ, Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins. He
is unto us righteousness: of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption.
The purpose of Jesus dying was that
righteousness might be imputed unto them because he
hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. It is said to be the
gift of righteousness.
In Christ you are a new
creation or a new man.
And that ye put on the new man, which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness. We
are not to try to attain this, but to understand this is who we ARE in
Christ. We are to live in the knowledge of who we are in Christ. In our
hearts we are assured and we have on the
breastplate of righteousness as part of the whole
armor of God that we may withstand the attacks of the accuser.
When we sin, the Holy Spirit
convicts us, but If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. As I always say, quickly in and quickly
out. Get back to who you really are and Brothers,
stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your
thinking be adults. In other words, BE MATURE.
When we sin we are accused and
condemned by the accuser of the brethren.
Satan suggests that you are showing who you are by sinning, but Paul says, If
I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it
is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
That is, when I mind the things of the flesh
I am not being myself in Christ and the law of sin controls my flesh, but the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of
sin.
Thus, you should Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things because The
mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life
and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's
law, nor can it do so, but those
who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the
Spirit desires.
In other words, BE WHO YOU REALLY
ARE IN CHRIST. That doesnt change when you sin. You sin when you mind
the things of the flesh. When you do sin, understand the teaching
about righteousness, that you are not acting in accordance with
who you really are. Confess that it is a sin and move on in the truth of
who you are in Christ Jesus, your RIGHTEOUSNESS.
So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the
flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ
be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life
because of righteousness - the righteousness which was imputed
to you when you were born again. Remember, you are the
righteousness of God in him. That is who you really are.
Now BE WHO YOU ARE and you
will be a MATURE Christian.
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