Dr Myles Monroe of blessed memory stated in one of his books that if the sole purpose of salvation was to make heaven, then God would have taken the life of the saved immediately after the rebirth experience, at least He would have achieved His purpose. This is however not the case, because we are not just saved to go to heaven after our tenure on earth, but to live for God here on the earth.
The new man in Christ at the point of his rebirth experience is in the similitude of a new born baby who needs to be carefully nurtured and taken care of, so that he may grow in knowledge and awareness of who he is in Jesus Christ.
Collosians 3:10 [AMP]:
and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self—
At this delicate point in the life of the new believer, some preachers and believers alike introduce these new converts to laws or a list of dos and dont's instead of feeding them with pure spiritual milk.
1 Peter 2:2 [AMP]:
like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment].
The new man in Christ grows by knowledge of Who Jesus Christ is, what He [Christ] did on the cross, and how His sacrifice positions him for a better life and experience, and not through laws. One of the major goals of salvation is that the new man in Christ grows and continues to grow in the knowledge of Christ till he grows into the maturity of Christ, and this can only be achieved through knowledge.
2 Peter 3:18 [AMP]:
but grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory (honor, majesty, splendor), both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Furthermore, as food is to the natural man, so is the Word of God to the new man in Christ who has been reborn not after the flesh but by the Spirit of God. The continual intake of the Word of God into the Spirit of the new man in Christ leads to a constant and continual renewal of the mind, which helps in the sanitization and sensitization of the mentality of the believer.
Ephesians 4:23 [AMP]:
and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude].
However, this is why it is unacceptable for the new man in Christ to continue in his old ways of commiting acts that are deliberately sinful, because he is saved to live for God and please Him.
1 John 3:9 [AMP]:
No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.
THINGS TO NOTE:
1. Our maturity in Christ comes by knowledge.
2. The more light we receive through the Word of God, the better and faster our transformation and growth.
3. Religious laws and church dogmas impede the growth process of a believer, while they might be necessary for church organization and order, they should never become a substitute for the Word of God.
4. We must let go of the culture of self righteousness and the mentality of accusations were we become experts in condemning our brethren when they have not grown to our level of maturity in Christ. Everyone should be given an opportunity to grow.
5. In thesame way a father or a mother is to his or her child, we must learn to correct in love and be committed to the spiritual growth of our brethren in Christ.
.....TO BE CONTINUED.
Min. Awe Hilary
#TheMessenger
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