Your post brings joy, Prayer Warrior!
Yes, feelings do not equal reality. And downward feelings tend to change Very Quickly when we return our focus to the love of God, and His presence in our lives.
This idea of "positional righteousness", if I understand what people mean when they use that term, how could that exist?
Doesn't this mean to treat as righteous that which is not righteous? OK, this would be the idea of Imputed Righteousness, being discussed elsewhere.
But I don't know that Imputed Righteousness addresses my OP.
Can we be one with an Holy God if we are not actually holy ourselves? Not positionally or imputed, but by virtue of having an holy nature, just as God's nature is holy?
And in Scripture I see where we've been recreated patterned after Him, in righteousness and true holiness. I see where we are partakers of His nature, having escaped from corruption.
We are in the Spirit, and we are to walk in the Spirit, I like to remind . . . we are the spirit children of God indwelling bodies of flesh of the Adamic creation. And though we inhabit within the Adamic creation, we are a new creation, a new humanity, who finds it's life in Christ, the Lord of Heaven, and we will transcend all things of this creation in the age to come.
And yet even in that reality . . .
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
My understanding is that being the spirit childen of God, sharing His nature, and told to renew my mind according to knowledge of Him, told to put on that new creation, or, here, walk in the Spirit, this is to say that the holy thing that God birthed, me, that I need to bring my celestial nature to bear in the terrestrial realm.
I have to put off the old man, that is, the way of living of the man from Adam, and put on the new man, the new and righteous and holy child of God.
Amen!!
I think the Bible gives us a number of ways to understand these things.
What you mention here, like Romans 12, offering your self a living sacrifice, being transformed as we refuse to be conformed.
Reckoning ourselves dead to sin, and alive unto God in Christ.
Faith is always the center, by the same faith that saves, by faith in Jesus we have access into the grace in which we stand.
I'm glad you mention this, it's really important. We can so easily drift! I find there's a sense of discomfort in my heart the moment I start to allow my focus to move off of God, and walking in faith in Him. This is where difficulties can be so important, as need more fully directs our faith towards our Father.
Yes He will, praise Him! Hebrews speaks of our putting into practice what we read in the word, and that by doing so, we will learn more of what is good and evil. And of course it's the Word of God that discerns within us.
For me more importantly, keeping the Word and worship throughout the day, this is what helps me to stay walking in the Spirit.
Anything that attacks our confidence in God that all things are working for our good. Anything that attacks our confidence that Jesus Christ is living His life in me, making my life as His, transforming me to be as He is, these thoughts are to be immediately detected and denied.
I've learned with myself that that first momentary flicker within that "something is wrong", with me, with anything, is the distant early warning that trouble is indeed coming, unless, that is, I remember, God loves me, and God is with me. And then all is well with me, and with all things.
One of my very favorite songs, I listen to this all the time . . .
I'm into Total Immersion!
Thank you!!
Much love!