1 Thessalonians 4:4 (NASB20)
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
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In sanctification and honor, short, sweet, to the point, as to how one’s behavior is to be, so stands the bar one is to measure oneself against…Which bar, being so high, no amount of self-effort can be sufficient to bring it to pass….
But the way of the cross can….
Once one is willing to enter into one’s death with Christ on His cross by faith the way stands open before one…. For scripture does say if one’s eye offends one pluck it out, and again, if the hand offends, cut it off…
But Christ has done one so much the better, He has cut one off from the life one was born into when one was born into this world… He has cut the believer off from everything that could possibly cause and lead one into sin… He has not changed the nature of sin, or one’s fallen nature’s desire for sin, He has separated the believer from that fallen nature by taking the believer to death with Him…. He has put to death the believer, being crucified with Him is the greatest freedom one could possibly know, it is the entering into God’s rest…. Which is all accessed by the heart choosing it would rather die then sin, then the faith of the heart embraces its death with Christ and one is made free from sin by that faith….
Paul says he glorifies in nothing but the cross of Christ, because there is where he was put to death, it is there his freedom from sin, where freedom from himself is found….
Blessed are they that find that freedom….
A fellow believer, Not me
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In sanctification and honor, short, sweet, to the point, as to how one’s behavior is to be, so stands the bar one is to measure oneself against…Which bar, being so high, no amount of self-effort can be sufficient to bring it to pass….
But the way of the cross can….
Once one is willing to enter into one’s death with Christ on His cross by faith the way stands open before one…. For scripture does say if one’s eye offends one pluck it out, and again, if the hand offends, cut it off…
But Christ has done one so much the better, He has cut one off from the life one was born into when one was born into this world… He has cut the believer off from everything that could possibly cause and lead one into sin… He has not changed the nature of sin, or one’s fallen nature’s desire for sin, He has separated the believer from that fallen nature by taking the believer to death with Him…. He has put to death the believer, being crucified with Him is the greatest freedom one could possibly know, it is the entering into God’s rest…. Which is all accessed by the heart choosing it would rather die then sin, then the faith of the heart embraces its death with Christ and one is made free from sin by that faith….
Paul says he glorifies in nothing but the cross of Christ, because there is where he was put to death, it is there his freedom from sin, where freedom from himself is found….
Blessed are they that find that freedom….
A fellow believer, Not me
