Romans 9:32 (NASB20)
Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though they could by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
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Scripture is putting forth that not pursuing righteousness by faith, but by thinking one can achieve the same by self effort is that which causes one to stumble… This same stumbling is spoken of elsewhere in scripture as the ‘offense of the cross’… And again this same truth is put forth when Paul was accused of preaching a Gospel of ‘let us do evil that good may come’… For these are the efforts of the self life trying to understand something of God.. Not knowing that unless faith is that that reaches out towards God, the self life will be what try’s to reach out towards God…
Human understanding accused Paul of preaching a Gospel of let us do evil that good may come… Human understanding was offended by the cross of Christ… Human understanding thought it could achieve by its own efforts what alone faith could produce…
These are examples of the self life getting involved in what is not in its purview, where faith alone is that that can reach out to God and touch Him… Thereby does the efforts of self become a stumbling stone, the cross an offense, the Gospel misunderstood… For not pursuing God by faith alone produces all these adverse effects in life, which they can not help but produce, for they are the natural effects of the works of the life of self….
Pursuing God by faith alone is that which bypasses this stumbling stone, this being offended, this misunderstanding of what the Gospel is…. For the Gospel is a trusting in God by faith, a trusting in God to form Christ in one, a trusting in God to grow the new birth in one, a trusting in God to manifest the Divine nature in one… All these are pointing to the same truth, that being, the Life of Christ really and truly coming to life in one, that being that life that sins not, that being what faith in God alone can produce…
For the heart either is reaching out to God in faith or it isn’t, the fruit of that faith or lack of the fruit of that faith will be the Christ being seen in one or not… For unless it is a work of faith, it is a work of self, the proof being the Christ that is formed in the life, that which work can be seen and tasted in life by another… Christ or self, faith or self effort, all things falling into one of these two…
For the Gospel of faith is a real faith that reaches out after a real God so that He may really a truly grow the new life, this new birth that sins not in one… If this life that sins not is not being brought to life, the stumbling stone has been stumbled over, self effort has the rule in life, and self will be what one knows till the faith of the heart turns to God and steadfastly maintains that faith… Christ in one will be understood in word only, an impossible knot to untie, till the self life ceases its own effort to serve God and by the faith of the heart alone reaches out after God and refuses to let Him go till He makes one a new creation, created in righteousness, by righteousness, for righteousness….
For all the pursuing of God but by faith, is jumping on the hamster wheel, proud of one’s own efforts, thinking one is moving, but not, just spinning the wheel till futility sets in, and the eyes of faith turn Heavenward....
Be blessed in pursuing God by faith and receiving the growing of the new life that sins not….
A fellow believer, Not me
Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though they could by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scripture is putting forth that not pursuing righteousness by faith, but by thinking one can achieve the same by self effort is that which causes one to stumble… This same stumbling is spoken of elsewhere in scripture as the ‘offense of the cross’… And again this same truth is put forth when Paul was accused of preaching a Gospel of ‘let us do evil that good may come’… For these are the efforts of the self life trying to understand something of God.. Not knowing that unless faith is that that reaches out towards God, the self life will be what try’s to reach out towards God…
Human understanding accused Paul of preaching a Gospel of let us do evil that good may come… Human understanding was offended by the cross of Christ… Human understanding thought it could achieve by its own efforts what alone faith could produce…
These are examples of the self life getting involved in what is not in its purview, where faith alone is that that can reach out to God and touch Him… Thereby does the efforts of self become a stumbling stone, the cross an offense, the Gospel misunderstood… For not pursuing God by faith alone produces all these adverse effects in life, which they can not help but produce, for they are the natural effects of the works of the life of self….
Pursuing God by faith alone is that which bypasses this stumbling stone, this being offended, this misunderstanding of what the Gospel is…. For the Gospel is a trusting in God by faith, a trusting in God to form Christ in one, a trusting in God to grow the new birth in one, a trusting in God to manifest the Divine nature in one… All these are pointing to the same truth, that being, the Life of Christ really and truly coming to life in one, that being that life that sins not, that being what faith in God alone can produce…
For the heart either is reaching out to God in faith or it isn’t, the fruit of that faith or lack of the fruit of that faith will be the Christ being seen in one or not… For unless it is a work of faith, it is a work of self, the proof being the Christ that is formed in the life, that which work can be seen and tasted in life by another… Christ or self, faith or self effort, all things falling into one of these two…
For the Gospel of faith is a real faith that reaches out after a real God so that He may really a truly grow the new life, this new birth that sins not in one… If this life that sins not is not being brought to life, the stumbling stone has been stumbled over, self effort has the rule in life, and self will be what one knows till the faith of the heart turns to God and steadfastly maintains that faith… Christ in one will be understood in word only, an impossible knot to untie, till the self life ceases its own effort to serve God and by the faith of the heart alone reaches out after God and refuses to let Him go till He makes one a new creation, created in righteousness, by righteousness, for righteousness….
For all the pursuing of God but by faith, is jumping on the hamster wheel, proud of one’s own efforts, thinking one is moving, but not, just spinning the wheel till futility sets in, and the eyes of faith turn Heavenward....
Be blessed in pursuing God by faith and receiving the growing of the new life that sins not….
A fellow believer, Not me
