Long time no post so here goes. My latest God thoughts: question:
Is Christianity a religion of commitments?
It would defanently seem so, I mean lets be honest everything seems to come down to commitments nowadays. How often have you heard a preacher end his sermon and then call on anyone who wants to respond to recommit or commit his life to Christ, or they will make a similar call to get serious with a certain sin, or to do something they know they ought to be doing. Many times they ask us to silently make the commitment or even they ask everyone to bow there heads and those who make the commitment keep there heads up so as to avoid being embarrassed.
Does that remind anyone of the old testament? Remember when the people of Israel cried out to moses and before God that they would keep all of the law? It was a complete failure.
This is not the way in the new covenant. How much failure have we been a part of and how many broken commitments have we struggled through? True new covenant Christianity is not a religeon of commitments or promises to God. Jesus taught not to make an oath at all.
Its not about men making a commitment as in the Old testament. Its about God making a commitment to us.
Christianity is not a religion of men making commitments, it is a family of people literally approaching the throne of God to receive grace and help TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THEMSELVES. All the commitments no matter how much you mean them will lead to failure until you approach the throne of God through the blood crusted way of our Saviour, our high priest, behind the veil, and receive for free the grace in time of need, will you see victory. I have come out of great sin in my past and upon my conversion I have seen great victory over addiction and bondage and none of those victories were by my commitments but all were given freely when I approached the throne of God with nothing to say for myself but "please help Father."
Please see Jer 31& 32, Ezekial 36, and the book of Romans. As long as a citizen does not know there rights the authorities can abuse them, but when you know your rights they cannot bother you. In the same way in the Spirit a child of God is a citizen of heaven and unless they know there rights they will continually be harassed by the enemy and will not be free.
Its not what we do but what God has done through Jesus Christ.
Protocal : The only appropriate way to approach God is through the blood of Jesus. Don't approach with your commitments, its not your ability to hold onto Him but His ability to hold onto you. Put your trust in His hand not yours and when you see failure and sin in your life take the hand of God and go to the cross together.