The HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST. What a beautiful truth this is that Jesus is still a human with a body and humanness. But.................I think we need to be careful to clarify just what this means as to His being still fully human and yet fully God with all of the fullness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in Jesus presently.
While it is clear that Jesus is a man...still, and a man who still possesses His humanity we need to be careful to say what this is NOT saying. Jesus lived in the fallenness of Adam through Mary. He had human nature from her and the fall. He had and experienced all the darkened mind and fallenness in Adam that we all do but without sin.
Now with Him being resurrected and ascended to the Father's right hand His humanness is a bit different than what he experienced here on this earth. He is a man to be sure. Paul calls him , " ...the man Jesus Christ". Jesus is fully human even now. However, He does not experience the same human passions He experienced here on this earth under the sway of the devil and the nature derived from the first Adam. He is Human. He is not anything which would have been operative here on this earth under the nature of the fall. Therefore, he does not , nor would he lust, desire to sin, nor does he have any inherent desire to sin in any way we humans do here on this earth in this earthly "tent". Jesus is not going to get drunk, curse, sware, lust, overeat, or anything else we humans are known to do in "OUR" HUMANITY and fallenness.
Jesus UNDERSTANDS our frailty and weaknesses as humans. He has been here. As God in the humanness of Jesus in the heavenlies Jesus has already experienced and tasted all of the evil things human nature had to throw at Him, tempted in all areas, yet without sin. He still is without sin, but He is still Human. And always will be. forever pure and Holy and God. And Saviour.
Jesus example is that as He is we shall be. We shall be human forever. Able to experience the things in God's love that humans experience. We will keep our individual identity forever. We will be able to do things that humans do. Eat, drink, play, walk, have fun and experience pleasure. ( Ps. 16:11). But we will not be some "Casper the friencly Ghost" in some invisible spirit body, but we will be us. Real. Human. And Glorified. What God has in mind for us to do as we continue living in our humanity, will be revealed in due time by our loving Father.
waiting to have real fun,
blessings,
Pastor Paul.
www.newlifewcg.org
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
TELL THEM YOU 'LOVE' THEM !!!
Dreams, as you know, can be seem quite real as one sleeps. A dream I recently had caused me to write this blog as I hope it inspires all of us to do what we should. In the dream one of my very dear acquaintances unexpectedly died at the age of 50. Having shown NO signs of illness prior his wife came to me to tell me he had had a seisure the day before. I asked her how he was. To my disbelief and shock, she said he was DEAD. I could not believe it at first. He seemed so vibrant and full of life. He loved fishing, making lures, baseball, college football, writing, and loving his family. I loved him as a dear friend and mentor.
Now I am not writing here to describe how he was now immediately in heaven with the Lord (which he would have been !), I am writing to all of us to simply say that we never know from one day to the next if we will see another person alive. That includes friends, husbands, wives, children, relatives, or anyone else in our bank of acquaintances we love. NOW, my point here is this. "When did you last, or if ever, tell these persons in your life that you LOVED them. Really LOVED them?" Maybe you never have or at least it has been a long time since you did.
Some men think it too 'mushy' or unmanly to tell another man , friend, or relative that he LOVES the person. Jesus shows us that it is HIGHLY appropriate for a man to express his love for his friends who are men. Jesus even asks Peter, " Do you LOVE me?". Are we any less or more that what Jesus exemplifies?
I tell you today, tell those you love that, " You love them!" Learn how to say, "I love you!" And mean it!!! Verbalize it. Say it. Tell them. TODAY !!!
Tomorrow may be too late.
blessings,
I love you ,
Paul
Now I am not writing here to describe how he was now immediately in heaven with the Lord (which he would have been !), I am writing to all of us to simply say that we never know from one day to the next if we will see another person alive. That includes friends, husbands, wives, children, relatives, or anyone else in our bank of acquaintances we love. NOW, my point here is this. "When did you last, or if ever, tell these persons in your life that you LOVED them. Really LOVED them?" Maybe you never have or at least it has been a long time since you did.
Some men think it too 'mushy' or unmanly to tell another man , friend, or relative that he LOVES the person. Jesus shows us that it is HIGHLY appropriate for a man to express his love for his friends who are men. Jesus even asks Peter, " Do you LOVE me?". Are we any less or more that what Jesus exemplifies?
I tell you today, tell those you love that, " You love them!" Learn how to say, "I love you!" And mean it!!! Verbalize it. Say it. Tell them. TODAY !!!
Tomorrow may be too late.
blessings,
I love you ,
Paul
Sunday, October 4, 2009
WHY MANY CHRISTIANS 'HATE' GRACE
Why some Christians 'Hate' Grace. If that doesn't sound like a contradiction of mammoth proportions then I don't know what it is! Why would I or anyone say that? Grace is what we are saved by. Grace is an extension of God's Love. Grace is God's Gift to humanity which allows salvation in Jesus and life with God forever. How could anyone 'hate' Grace?
A brief review is in order here. Jn.3:16-17, "God loved the world of humanity so much that He gave His only begotten son for the salvation of the human race." ( My personal loose translation.) All of humanity was adopted into the life of God through Jesus before the foundation or creation of the world. (Eph.1:3-14). In Adam all humanity Died, but in Jesus the same all humanity are made alive with Jesus. I Corinthians 15:22. AND, are made alive in Jesus through His resurrection and seated at the right hand of the Father WITH Jesus. Eph.2:6.
Now. With that little review there do you begin to see why some, if not many Christians, 'hate' Grace? Well, let me tell you. This Grace which saves all of us is a gift from God not based on anything we humans can do to warrant or earn it. It is a gift. Eph.2:8. And, it is a gift for ALL. The price was RIGHT. The payment has been made for the whole world. I Jn.2:2. Sin is FORGIVEN. So, Grace applies to all people of all time of all places in all circumstances...simply, ALL. IF Grace applies to all, then it applies to ALL sinners, ALL sin, ALL evil done by humans, ALL disobedience, ALL broken laws of God, ALL anything that opposes God due to our hostile hearts against the God of Love. ALL !!!!!!!!!
The Christians of whom I wrote above in their smug self-righteousness of spiritual satisfaction within themselves due to their EFFORTS to be 'good' Christians simply can not believe that all those other lawbreakers, evil people, non church going heathen could possibly be covered by God's Grace and if one were to tell them that all these perverts were just as covered as they are then their immediate response would be," If that is Grace and it covers THEM, then I 'hate' Grace. Their response would likely be, " Then how in the "hell" would evil men ever be put into our favorite place of damnation and torture, HELL FIRE ? Something has to be done with all those 'bad' people!" Oh, I can hear them now.
Above, I did not finish the quote of John 3:17. "For God did not send His Son into the world to CONDEMN the world, but to save it."
Those who want Grace for themselves and not for the Most Sinful of the world miss completely the whole purpose of Grace in the first place. For in reality, We ALL are the MOST SINFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. If you haven't lately, go into your house and take a long look at the person in the mirror and realize that the love of God and His Grace covers all the people in the world who look like your kind...the human kind. Humanity. God's children. The ones Jesus died for and has made all the provisions for them to live with the Father forever. I ask you the same question Jesus asked Martha in John 11, " Do you believe?" She did !!! Do you?
Paul Kurts
www.newlifewcg.org
www.pastorpaulsinteractiveblog.blogspot.com
Madison, Alabama
256-468-8081
God Bless,
Pastor Paul
A brief review is in order here. Jn.3:16-17, "God loved the world of humanity so much that He gave His only begotten son for the salvation of the human race." ( My personal loose translation.) All of humanity was adopted into the life of God through Jesus before the foundation or creation of the world. (Eph.1:3-14). In Adam all humanity Died, but in Jesus the same all humanity are made alive with Jesus. I Corinthians 15:22. AND, are made alive in Jesus through His resurrection and seated at the right hand of the Father WITH Jesus. Eph.2:6.
Now. With that little review there do you begin to see why some, if not many Christians, 'hate' Grace? Well, let me tell you. This Grace which saves all of us is a gift from God not based on anything we humans can do to warrant or earn it. It is a gift. Eph.2:8. And, it is a gift for ALL. The price was RIGHT. The payment has been made for the whole world. I Jn.2:2. Sin is FORGIVEN. So, Grace applies to all people of all time of all places in all circumstances...simply, ALL. IF Grace applies to all, then it applies to ALL sinners, ALL sin, ALL evil done by humans, ALL disobedience, ALL broken laws of God, ALL anything that opposes God due to our hostile hearts against the God of Love. ALL !!!!!!!!!
The Christians of whom I wrote above in their smug self-righteousness of spiritual satisfaction within themselves due to their EFFORTS to be 'good' Christians simply can not believe that all those other lawbreakers, evil people, non church going heathen could possibly be covered by God's Grace and if one were to tell them that all these perverts were just as covered as they are then their immediate response would be," If that is Grace and it covers THEM, then I 'hate' Grace. Their response would likely be, " Then how in the "hell" would evil men ever be put into our favorite place of damnation and torture, HELL FIRE ? Something has to be done with all those 'bad' people!" Oh, I can hear them now.
Above, I did not finish the quote of John 3:17. "For God did not send His Son into the world to CONDEMN the world, but to save it."
Those who want Grace for themselves and not for the Most Sinful of the world miss completely the whole purpose of Grace in the first place. For in reality, We ALL are the MOST SINFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. If you haven't lately, go into your house and take a long look at the person in the mirror and realize that the love of God and His Grace covers all the people in the world who look like your kind...the human kind. Humanity. God's children. The ones Jesus died for and has made all the provisions for them to live with the Father forever. I ask you the same question Jesus asked Martha in John 11, " Do you believe?" She did !!! Do you?
Paul Kurts
www.newlifewcg.org
www.pastorpaulsinteractiveblog.blogspot.com
Madison, Alabama
256-468-8081
God Bless,
Pastor Paul
Friday, October 2, 2009
WALKING IN THE FLESH AND IN THE SPIRIT
I am doing something a little different this time for my blog. Rather than write a more lengthy blog on this subject, I am offering to send to any of you who request by E:mail these two articles on WALKING IN THE FLESH AND WALKING IN THE SPIRIT. An explanation of Romans 7 and 8 in part.
This is a very freeing and encouraging two papers as you will see. All I ask is that you request them from my E:mail address at:
Paul.Kurts@wcg.org
I look forward to hearing from all of you and I shall reply with the papers attached as soon as I receive your request.
blessings,
Paul
www.newlifewcg.org
Madison, ALabama
This is a very freeing and encouraging two papers as you will see. All I ask is that you request them from my E:mail address at:
Paul.Kurts@wcg.org
I look forward to hearing from all of you and I shall reply with the papers attached as soon as I receive your request.
blessings,
Paul
www.newlifewcg.org
Madison, ALabama
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
