For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. Hebrews 8:7, NIV We only emphasize that Christian life we are in is not based on another form of religious ritual but on a covenant. The question is what type of covenant are you in? Is it a covenant of religion or a covenant of love? It should be a covenant of love. Love is a person and that is God (see 1 John 4:16). The covenant we are in is a covenant based on who He is and not on who we are. It's based on what He has done and not on what we have done. When you sign an agreement form, you understand what type of covenant or agreement you are signing in. And this is the reason why still many Christians missed the true essence of Christianity. It's because they don't understand the covenant they are in. In result, many are so called Christians are still living a life like they don't have Christ. There's no real transformation happened. They think Christian...
Just our physical body grows, our spiritual life in Christ also grows. While our physical body have a usual growth, our spiritual life has an unusual growth. Physical growth requires no decision, our body automatically goes mature as the time passes by. On the other hand, spiritual growth requires decision on our part. We need to decide to grow in Christ to be spiritually mature and fruitful.
Spiritual maturity doesn't depend on age, but depends on a personal respond. Even you are young or old, we can be matured or immatured spiritually. The reason why many Christians are stuck on their spiritual growth, its because they don't receive the revelation to continue.
Why is spiritual growth a decision?
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 NIV
Just as our key verse says, from the time we received Christ, our spiritual journey doesn't end there. It continues by deciding to live our lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith through the gospel and overflowing with thanksfulness. All these things begins by deciding to continue. Receiving Christ as our Lord is not the end of our spiritual journey, it is only the beginning.
Deciding on our part is an act of faith. Since from the beginning of creation, God created us with the freedom to choose by placing in the garden the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord told Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17). That tree signifies our freedom to choose and still God respected today that freedom He has created for us. God wants our obedience comes from the heart and not comes from the rules. That's why deciding to continue is vital in our journey in Christ. Deciding to continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus is the way to spiritual maturity.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. John 15:9 KJV
We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). We are saved by God's unmerited favor through faith, faith is our respond to God's unmerited favor. Likewise, we should also continue in the same manner.
Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Acts 13:43 NKJV
Continuing in the grace of God signifies that we are believing in the grace of God. On the other hand, discontinue also signifies that we are not believing. Yes we cannot lose our salvation in Christ, but if we will not believe it, we will not benefit from it.
Thoughts Of The Day:
"Deciding to continue is vital in my journey in Christ"