The paradox of the Christian life.

1. We are dead but always dying.
2. We have entered but are always entering.
3. We have found but are always seeking.
4. We have encountered but are always seeking to encounter.
5. Our old man died but we are always putting him to death.
6. We were saved but are always working out our salvation.
7. We have arrived but we journey on towards our destination.
8. We are with Him but we journey on towards Him.
9. We are full but we are hungry.
10.We are clothed in white garments but are naked.
11.The Kingdom has come but the Kingdom is coming.
12.We are victorious but we surrender.

Consider the spiritual life of the Christian. Unless you are engaged in one paradox after another you must reconsider your walk with God. Religion is the opiate of those who in their own minds have arrived yet true Christianity is in a constant state of flux. And by state of flux I do not mean what that phrase typically means in the negative which is uncertainty. In the Lord we are sure but we always beware when we stand lest we fall. This is not a state of anxiety but rather one of diligence. We know from the Scriptures that the Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him which leads us to our first paradox. Seeking that which we have found. In John 15 Jesus says that "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me." This word abide is a continuous action verb meaning to continue to abide. In other words it is not a one time thing it is a state of being.

I want you to consider the paradoxes above and see how they apply to your life.

These are just a few examples of the paradoxical life in Christ. If you are genuinely saved then all of these paradoxes brings life itself. It is constantly moving and is alive with abundant life and draws you ever closer. If you are merely religious and have had no actual encounter with the living God and try to live the paradoxical life in Christ it will lead you to dissatisfaction and anxiety and away from God. Consider this, for the children of Israel the passage through the red sea was liberation and a way of escape. For the Egyptians it was death......bro Frank

Good word brother!

We were born of the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:5), but we must be continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

Amen Brother Frank.
An eloquent explanation of justification
and the continual journey of sanctification in Christ.

And it is the most exciting and best way, albeit a narrow way
that never allows us to take any glory or credit to ourselves for how
could we ever with our small finite minds grasp the infinite wisdom and knowledge of our mighty God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said to the disciples "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:7-8

It seems we have ultimate purpose but the route and ways are only seen on this side of eternity as "through a glass darkly" not a crystal clear vision. And the paradoxical must remain if we are to have faith and trust in Him.
Thanks for your personal understanding of these truths, Frank. As believers we truly do encourage and strengthen one another in the Lord.
Sis L

_________________
Leslie

Sister Leslie writes........

"And the paradoxical must remain if we are to have faith and trust in Him."

Amen sister...........bro Frank