Theology Explosion
Dear Friends,
Did you know that religion can kill you and make you kill other people? The most zealous ones stoned their prophets and made doctrines out of their religion (Matthew 15:9). If you have no love, power, or life in your religion, then you have the wrong religion.
Everyone is in a search to fill that God-shaped hole they received in the fall through Adam. In former letters I’ve shared my personal search. The glorious truth is that He had been searching for me. Now that we found each other, I had a voracious appetite for the Word of God. I was in need of a theology, and I wasn’t sure there was one to fit me. However, my patient Teacher gave me a desire for “sound doctrine.” I knew Who I believed, but He wanted me to know what I believed according to the scriptures (1 Peter 3:15). I didn’t want to fall into the old struggle, “If I feel it, I have it. If I don’t feel it, I don’t.”
Theology had been both boring and scary to me, especially the “die, die, die” part. I tried to die to my old self—repeatedly—but nothing worked. Thankfully, love found me and would not let me go. Now I was ready for theological soundness.
I love the verse, “You have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20). I wanted Him to teach me what I already knew but did not know that I knew (something like that).
May I present my theological explosion to you? Here it is:
“So Lord,” I asked, “What are those truths I should reckon on, which are already mine?”
And Jesus said,
Do you believe that the whole human race, including you, was in Adam when he fell? I am the Second Adam, Who took the human race into Myself when I died, and paid sin’s price, setting them free. I started a whole new redeemed race (creation), destroying the old Adam-Master (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).
“That’s awesome, Jesus, but why You and why so drastic?”
“Because by man came sin, so another man had to buy the birthright and return it back to lost humanity. That’s why I was born a man. And that’s why you needed to be born again.”
“Does that save us?”
“No. Man must believe and receive Who I am and what I did for him, as you have” (see John 1:12).
“But what’s this reckoning part? It sounds too easy. It seems like You did it all.”
I did. As Adam took you down into sin and Satan, I took you down into My death and burial. You were crucified with Me (Galatians 2:20). You were buried with Me (Romans 6:3-6). In addition, you arose with Me to walk in newness of life; literally, My resurrected life is joined to your spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). You are the temple that carries Me to your world, your family, the grocery store, and everywhere else! God was in me, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19, John 17:23). I took you out of God’s “no” into God’s “yes.” Never be caught again in Satan’s blame game (Romans 8:1). What I have begun in you I will finish (Philippians 1:6). Just tell the devil that there’s a God in you. He will flee.
“One more thing Jesus. Am I all through with ‘die, die, die’?”
No. You will always remain dead to sin if you reckon it so; however, death and life belong together. You are learning how to reckon on it; however, you will have choices to make in the death-resurrection process. This is “daily dying.” This is how your life will manifest Me to others. As your soul makes daily choices to say “no” to the world, the flesh, and the devil, you will immediately experience the Life of the Lord Jesus rising in you, that I may be seen and felt by others (see 2 Corinthians 4:10-12, 6:9).
“This will take me a long time to process. I can hardly fathom You and I joined together. I died and rose with You. I do see! I do see! I must reckon it to be done, not just dead to sin, but alive unto God! I’ve been to my own funeral and come back. Think of it!” (see Colossians 3:1-4).
“No, it won’t take you a long time to process. The Knower (the Holy Spirit of truth) is in you. You are alive to truth anytime, anywhere. My Words will always be Spirit and Life to you” (see John 6:63).
Nate Saint’s mother was told by two officers that her son was killed by the Auca Indians. Taking moments to process her human sorrow and move from the natural to the spiritual reality, she said, “No, officers, my son died two thousand years ago. Now would you come in for a cup of tea?”
Oh, sweet mystery.
Thanks for letting us share with you.
I love you,
Ruth Ann