TO BE SPIRITUALLY MINDED IS LIFE AND PEACE {Part 2}

TO BE SPIRITUALLY MINDED IS LIFE AND PEACE

{Part 2}

This is a continuation of my study on 2/23/2023 

Now as I stated in my study on the 23rd, when I was first Saved I was so completely joyous and happy. 

But the more I went to Church the more guilty I would feel. I knew absolutely nothing about Christianity Of The Bible. I just watched people and I tried to copy them. But when I was at home things were so different. I would lose my temper and out would come the vilest of words. I could not understand how I could be Saved if I was so mad and cussing. So I tried my best to stop, but that just made it worse. Someone told me that a lady went down to the altar and left her anger, so I tried that, to no avail. I was NOTHING like those people in Church. This would keep on until I would go back down to the preacher to be Saved all over again, I did this two more times. 

I have been Baptized three times. 

But still, all I carried with me was guilt. 

What changed? I am glad you asked. 

I had a sister in law that had a Bible Trivia game, yes a game. It had easy questions for the beginner to harder questions for the more mature. As I said I knew nothing about The Bible. She would ask me the so-called easy question and I would get upset because I did not know the answer. She told me not to be upset, and that everyone has to start somewhere. So when she asked the question, we would read the story in The Bible. She also knew of a Bible study group and I started to go. 

I started a Bible study. I did not know that you are actually supposed to read your Bible for yourself. I had been in Church for years by now and I was just starting to learn.  

So if anyone of you remembers I have a bad back, which means that I am home a lot. I had nothing but time, so I started to read my Bible, a lot. As I grew in knowledge, I grew in Grace. What I mean is The knowledge of The  Grace Of Jesus, As My Christ. 

I read The Old Testament a lot and I would get so bogged down in guilt because I could never measure up. I Started To Pray" Lord Please Open The Word That You Want For Me To Read Today". The New Testament would fall open. I left it up to The Holy Spirit to show me where I needed to be reading. I found myself doing this more and more often. I started reading Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, then I moved into Romans and Hebrews. I always tried to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John over and over so I could know Jesus. But now the other Epistles were where I was being led to read. So I did. 

That is where I began to understand Grace. 

I had already read about Jesus and His Sacrifice several times, but I did not understand why and how it helped me today. I knew I was going to Heaven when I died, but what about now, today? That is where the other Epistles I mentioned come in. 

One of the questions I asked was, 

Could Jesus Christ Save A Sinner Like Me? 

I found this Scripture in, Romans 5:6-8 

For When We Were Yet Without Strength, In Due Time Christ Died For The Ungodly. For Scarcely For A Righteous Man Will One Die: Yet Peradventure For A Good Man Some Would Even Dare To Die. BUT GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US.

One of my questions was, 

Could Jesus Christ Keep Me Saved Or Did I Have To Do That Myself, 

I found the Words that Jesus said in John 10:27-30 

MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE, AND I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW ME: AND I GIVE UNTO THEM ETERNAL LIFE; AND THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH, NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN PLUCK THEM OUT OF MY HAND. MY FATHER, WHICH GAVE THEM ME, IS GREATER THAN ALL; AND NO MAN IS ABLE TO PLUCK THEM OUT OF MY FATHER'S HAND. I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE. 

So after that question was fully answered I went on to why I could not quit sinning, maybe I  was not repenting right. Because I felt so much guilt all of the time. 

This is where I found the Scriptures, 

1 John 3:1-9

Behold, What Manner Of Love The Father Hath Bestowed Upon Us, That We Should Be Called The Sons Of God: Therefore The World Knoweth Us Not, Because It Knew Him Not. Beloved, Now Are We The Sons Of God, And It Doth Not Yet Appear What We Shall Be: But We Know That, When He Shall Appear, We Shall Be Like Him; For We Shall See Him As He Is. And EVERY MAN THAT HATH THIS HOPE IN HIM PURIFIETH HIMSELF, EVEN AS HE IS PURE. Whosoever Committeth Sin Transgresseth Also The Law: For Sin Is The Transgression Of The Law. And Ye Know That He Was Manifested To Take Away Our Sins; And In Him Is No Sin. WHOSOEVER ABIDETH IN HIM SINNETH NOT: WHOSOEVER SINNETH HATH NOT SEEN HIM, NEITHER KNOWN HIM. Little Children, LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU: HE THAT DOETH RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RIGHTEOUS, EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS. He That Committeth Sin Is Of The Devil; For The Devil Sinneth From The Beginning. FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.

WHOSOEVER IS BORN OF GOD DOTH NOT COMMIT SIN; FOR HIS SEED REMAINETH IN HIM: AND HE CANNOT SIN, BECAUSE HE IS BORN OF GOD. MAN, you talk about an eye-opening Scripture, this was it. This Scripture says EVERY MAN THAT HATH THIS HOPE IN HIM PURIFIETH HIMSELF, EVEN AS HE IS PURE, 

WHOSOEVER SINNETH HATH NOT SEEN HIM, NEITHER KNOWN HIM, 

LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU: HE THAT DOETH RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RIGHTEOUS, EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS, 

WHOSOEVER ABIDETH IN HIM SINNETH NOT, 

WHOSOEVER IS BORN OF GOD DOTH NOT COMMIT SIN, 

FOR HIS SEED REMAINETH IN HIM: AND HE CANNOT SIN, BECAUSE HE IS BORN OF GOD, 

FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL. 

What these Scriptures are saying is, 

If Your Hope Is In Jesus Christ The You At Pure, EVEN AS HE IS PURE. 

If Your Hope Is In Jesus Christ then You Are Righteous, EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS. 

If Your Hope Is In Christ Jesus Then You Do Not COMMIT SIN. 

If Your Hope Is In Christ Jesus Then You, CAN NOT SIN, BECAUSE HIS SEED REMAINS IN YOU. 

AND HIS SEED IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

So I asked myself, Is My Hope In Christ Jesus? YES! 

My anger has been taken away, and so have my guilty feelings, I HAVE BEEN TRULY SET FREE! I am TEMPTED, BUT I SING A SONG OF PRAISE OUT LOUD AND the devil flees and tries something else later. 

James 4:7 

SUBMIT YOURSELVES THEREFORE TO GOD. RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. 

The Sum Of This Part Of This Study Is, GRACE. 

You Are Born Again Of The Spirit Of God, So That Makes You Born Of God EVEN AS CHRIST JESUS IS. 

If You Believe That Jesus Is The Son Of God, Then You ARE Saved. 

And Because Your Hope Is In Him, Then You ARE A Child Of God Too, EVEN AS JESUS IS. 

You ARE Pure, EVEN AS JESUS IS. 

You ARE Righteous EVEN AS JESUS CHRIST IS. ALL BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES WITHIN YOU FOREVER AND YOU CAN NOT SIN! 

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:11 

AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU: BUT YE ARE WASHED, BUT YE ARE SANCTIFIED, BUT YE ARE JUSTIFIED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, AND BY THE SPIRIT OF OUR GOD.

You were a sinner, BUT NOW YOU ARE WASHED, SANCTIFIED, JUSTIFIED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, AND BY THE SPIRIT OF OUR GOD.

LIVE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GRACE! 

Donna K Purifoy 

2/24/2023