Security and False Hopes

Apostolic affirmation of Christ’s cohabitation

eejoseph

Sometimes we are not aware of all the ways in which people try to twist us into pretzels to prove that we belong to Christ. They call up a host of external things and even a few internal ones. They try to make you think that you need to be perfect in everything you say and do. They make you feel guilty as if sin is always clinging to you. Paul makes it really simple. We know we belong to Christ because Christ is living with us Christ is in us.

Exhortations to the believers, 2 Corinthians 13:5ff

  • Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith;
  • examine yourselves!
  • (Or do you not) recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?
  • (But I trust that you will) realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.
  • (Now we pray to God that you) do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved,
  • (but that you) may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved.

For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. (2 Corinthians 13:5-8, NASB)

Your freedom to care at risk

Quote eejoseph

To all of us who believe in God (by whatever name) PLEASE DO NOT GIVE IN TO ISOLATION, INDOLENCE OR IGNORANCE
Our neighbours *are* our neighbours.

Do we know how many mighty individuals and empires are in the dust today because they had their own ideas about what it means to care for one another?

Hearty Security

eejoseph

Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.
Proverbs 4:23 CSB
https://bible.com/bible/1713/pro.4.23.CSB

Solomon’s dad felt he could nail down a sinless life (from some point onward!) by storing up (tsafan, צפן) God’s word in his heart. The whole assembly of Hebrews at Sinai, pledging to do what YHWH says, were not blessed with a heart that could contain God’s message.

Heart and soul, exceedingly

All the way to New Testament times few men, knew what it was to have God’s word on the inside. Prophets and wise men, not knowing what they were hearing, clung to reciting the words of God and adorning their bodies and clothing with bits of “Bible” quite literally.

One God is where security starts and we have seen that the people who say they are champions of all the right things have the hardest time getting past the first step. Only the bewitched believe that life comes from what goes into the heart or body.

Life comes from God, Solomon, but that is ok, you did not know, and Moses was not a big deal did you.

Source of life: heart and mouth

Did we not learn that the heart is the source of human badness?

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. Mark 7:21-22

For Moses wrote about life when he discussed the righteousness that is based on the law, namely, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. Solomon was a dismal failure in this regard.

But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down) or Who will descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Moses would not be surprised that now a new arrangement rules the life-flow. He predicted the shift to an effective word of faith.

But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:5ff