Paul Email -23Nov2013-Identity and Accountability

How you doin? More light reading today. Pun intended. Reading the Bible provides light. I can sense God taking me deeper and into the great unknown (where feet may fail). It's scary, mysterious, thrilling, and AWESOME!!!!!!! I feel stupid and excited at the same time. The Holy Ghost is revealing things to me that I do not understand yet. I know that I will receive revelation. 1 Corinthians 6 today.

Verse 2, "Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?" Paul is speaking about lawsuits among believers. But what a claim of our identity in Christ. What a proclamation. Verse 3, "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!" We are intended to reign on this earth. This is why I struggle so much with the old and new covenant. When I read these types of verses... my mind starts hearing the lies of my sinfulness and not the truth of my righteousness. That's a good word. The old covenant makes me sin conscious. The new covenant makes me righteous through grace and faith. COME ON!!!!!!!

Paul's not exactly coming in softly in this part of his letter. I would say he's rather harsh. Verse 5, "I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?" This is some serious accountability. Paul goes on to some serious edification and truth. Verses 9-11, "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." WOW!!!!!!! There is a significant list of things NOT to do. The edification and truth at the end is AWESOME!!!!!!! "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." This is worth repeating. The law leads to death. Grace washes me and sanctifies me by the Holy Ghost. COME ON!!!!!!! Be more conscious of grace and faith, instead of sin today.

PS   Stacey is very smart. As she watches me sitting across from her twisted up and struggling with breakthrough from the old covenant to the new covenant, she says "it has something to do with love". Matthew 22:36-40, Romans 13:9-10, Galatians 5:13-15, and plenty more speak of the greatest commandments. They speak of the greatest commandment

s defeating or over taking the law. So of course I ask "how do I get/do that". Galatians 5:22-26, "

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 WOW!!!!!!! Galatians 6 speaks of the "law of Christ". It's different then the old covenant law... that's a different email.