Mar 25
Spiritual Life - the Law and absolutes
This may shock you, but here can be no deep, true, pure, spirituality without absolutes. Absolutes give us the boundaries of spirituality and keep us from innocently transitioning to pseudo spirituality in our desperation to know what spirituality really is. To not have absolutes of any kind will always results in lawlessness, a loss of unity, and eventually anarchy. There can be little if any personal direction and social unity without absolutes.
CONSCEQUENCES
When we begin to explore the world of absolutes, we begin to see that for each absolute there is a consequence. If there is no consequence, there is no absolute. What we face at the moment may be an option, but options do not carry the same kind of consequences that absolutes carry. The consequences to an absolute may be beneficial (a blessing) or harmful (a curse) to the individual depending on whether they violated or adhered to the absolute.
GOD’S ABSOLUTE OF LOVE
“For God so “loved” … He sent His Son.” Absolutes are about love not punishment. What Jesus did in taking the form of man, freely giving his life for man, raising from the dead, as well as taking the keys to death, hell, and the grave was not only miraculous, but monumental. In essence Jesus, if you believe what He did, returned man’s right standing with God. If one does not believe in His light, then one continues to be not only subject to the darker powers of this world, but also becomes a pawn of the darkest power. Sadly, perhaps unknowingly they have made this darkest power their god (notice lower case “g”).
In other words, Jesus re-established the absolute of God’s love ruling the world. This rule is called the “Kingdom of Heaven.” Here, as His Kingdom comes and His will is done, the benefits of the Kingdom are not only seen, but experienced. You see, without God’s absolutes the Kingdom of God does not rule and the benefits of the Kingdom do not come.
THE HEART NOT THE HEAD
Absolutes have their greatest benefit when they are held in the heart and not in the head. With the Law of the Old Testament, absolutes were held in the head. Periodically the One, True, Pure, Holy Spirit would visit individuals, and most of the time that Spirit of God mostly visited the prophets, priest, and kings. But, remember with the advent of the infilling or ingesting of the One, True, Pure, Holy Spirit, it is now possible for God’s Spirit and His absolutes to be within, to be written on Hearts of flesh. [If you are new to this blog, you may want to check prior postings for explanations of this ingesting of the Spirit)
Most who believe they are spiritual will have to overcome their tendency to resist this line of thinking and stop running from absolutes in order to enter into the deeper spiritual life. You will need a little time to do this, so…..
Part II will come in tomorrow’s post. It may rock your soul, but your spirit will rejoice. Again, you will need a little time to digest this post before the next post will take root – be sure to read it. Yes, I mean tomorrow’s posting – smile.
Blessings,
John Paul
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So glad you pointed God’s love as an absolute. Everything He does is out of love, for He IS love.
Funny, there are many who don’t want “absolutes”. Yet, if you think about it, if we all lived by God’s absolute laws, we wouldn’t have the problems we have in this world.
But since none of us could live up to His absolute laws - we are all sinful - His absolute love took over and took the punishment for our sin.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s post!
Renae
http://www.renaebrumbaugh.com
http://rbcoffeetalk.blogspot.com
The deeper spiritual life, to me, is one that absolutes are indeed the outflow of the inner life relationship with God.
But those ‘absolutes’ can be summed up to this, that someone would love God with all of their being. When we do that, we don’t need a rule book to determine rules, laws, or absolutes. Quite simply, the absolute lives IN US. I agree with your stating of this indwelling truth.
Whats interesting about these blogs, is that sometimes I feel this grinding inside me, and a loud ‘WHAT!!!” shouting from inside me. But then, there is this beautiful cascading water that flows there after.
I am going to kindly disagree in regards to absolutes in general. I do not beleive that anarchy would transpire completely if absolutes were not adhered to because I also do not beleive that the kingdom of God is not in total rule if a person does not abide by that kingdom.
To me, the Kingdom of GOD is always, always, always in rule whether it is accepted as such or not. Much like criminals might not accept the laws of the land in America, and they are thrown into jail for their trespasses, a person could choose to not adhere to the kingdom, but the kingdom still reigns.
When you stated, “Here, as His Kingdom comes and His will is done, the benefits of the Kingdom are not only seen, but experienced. You see, without God’s absolutes the Kingdom of God does not rule and the benefits of the Kingdom do not come,” you determined that the benefits of the kingdom don’t come if a person is not in the will or the kingdom. But i would say that if ‘all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose” the simplicity of the kingdom manifesting comes from the power of someone just acknowledging that kingdom is already in rule and reign.
Satan can do nothing unless he petitions God, and even satan is in the pawning hands of God, being played for all he is worth to bring about the greatest cleansing in the earth. The more he comes againt the ‘beleivers’ or ’saints’ the more those saints purge the darkness and draw into the saviour love. The more they pull into the saviours love the more they align with the kingdom already reigning, and they speed the return of Christ.
Good and Evil, set in motion from the fall, is simply part of the greater thing called life, and the constant spiral to closer mergence of heaven. I guess the reality is that few people want the kingdom to be the true kingdom, and so they continue on in the ways of the dark one, but the kingdom of heaven still reigns, they just joined forces with the renegade criminals of Gods kingdom. Satans gang can run the streets pretending Jesus isn’t Lord, but they will eventually be locked up, in ‘tartaroo’ the dungeon for demons..
TO me, the only total ‘absolute’ that i truly beleive 100% is the indwelling Christ, as long as he is on the throne in my heart, all the other absolutes, and other stuff come through his orders.
After writing all of this out, I realize, that maybe I really actually get what you are saying, but the way its termed is just throwing me for a loop. Religious jargon to me, sometimes is just a stumbling block, i have to jump over…
John Paul,
Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I need this. My spirit is willing and my flesh is week. I am ready for my soul to be removed from it’s throne and for the Spirit to take His rightful place. I love you man, Nina
Checkmate, whether lil dark pawns like it or not!
Brave, Bravo and Angles sing Holy Holy Holy
as the saints join in.
Love excitement with my first moments on this ‘puter
John Paul…
I don’t know many blogs, but this is by far, the best and fastest paced one…
Sir, you strike a wonderful blow to my heart…for all whom you have loved…your reward is imeasurable…
God Bless!
JPJ,
“Absolutes have their greatest benefit when they are held in the heart and not in the head. With the Law of the Old Testament, absolutes were held in the head.” So well stated!
I don’t know the scripture reference but heard this one time about David saying: “enlarge my heart that I may run after your commandments.” Paul Keith Davis in one of his messages used this scripture and an illustration with the story of a famous horse with a very large heart that could run really fast. Sorry, I don’t remember the whole thing. If anyone does, please feel free to add or to comment.
It’s interesting that David was a forerunner who had captured living in the Spirit. He also said “I meditate on your law day and night” because he knew that the very essence and heartbeat of God was also righteousness and justice. It flowed from God. The law (absolutes) of the OT was a logical outworking of the very person and essence of who God is but unfortunately “were held in the head” rather than the heart by most of the people.
Bring it on!
Amen, Nina. Amen John Paul.
JP what is your take on distinction between the “Kingdom of Heaven” and the “Kingdom of God”? It is mentioned both ways in the Word.
Dake says they differ, but I have yet to understand it.
God bless
David
Thank you so much for this one. A wonderful expression of truth.
This one is absolutely awesome!!
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:10-12 NIV
I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.
I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame,
for I delight in your commands because I love them.
I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love,
and I meditate on your decrees. Psalm 119: 45-48 NIV
Hi, John Paul!! I’m actually currently reading the book “Burning Desire” by S.J. Hill, and in it, the author addresses this very issue of the absolutes of God (not as he termed it, but for the sake of discussion) from His seat of love. By this I mean that Hill points out that God has always been love; whether He addresses sin or rewards righteousness, He is forever and consistently love. And that love is the basis from which He gave the 10 Commandments, which Hill calls a marriage contract. So far, I just LOVE this book. Have you read it? You probably have…If not, I recommend it!
Jesus’ heart burns for us as the Bridgegroom God. Out of that burning desire comes His “absolute” intolerance for sin and His insistence on having all—not some, not most, but all—of us. There is no room for improvement in His devotion to us. It is absolutely real, absolutely perfect and it will not change, sway, increase or vary. Aren’t you relieved!??!? :0)
Love you!
Sharine
KK,
Ps 119.32
Thank God for E-Sword!
JP,
What is a amazing to be that what an amazing God we have, that we would send His only Son to Die for us and then raise Him up just to have fellowship with Him. What is a amazing is about a God who wants to share in His Radiance and Glory, and be partakers in that. 2 Corinthian 3 (I think, About Moses and his faced veiled.) God wanting to share all Himself with us. Yet, are we willing to be partakers of all of Him and what He really has for us…thus meaning do reall totally be dead.
Some leadership at my former Christian fellowship would label confrontation coming from concerned members as “your opinion”. There have been manifestations there of moral deficiency and lawlessness. I lived off spiritual fat stores for awhile and interceded for them, eventually God told me to move from there. He moved me to a Christian Fellowship that is bearing the fruit of the intercession I was making for the former. God is not mocked and I am so undone by His love, that He’d allow me to eat the fruit of my labour. It was a “suddenly”.
Enlarge my heart that I may run after your commandments
There is another prayer of King David that literally transformed me and the way I think.
A former pastor of mine talked about King David’s prayer…
“Lord create in me a clean heart…”
He took a minute to teach on that word “create” …
The word that King David used for create is the same word that was used in the creation account.
Basicaly, from out of nothing God created….He spoke creation into existance.
I took a look at my life and said, I need this creation to take place in my heart. And I’m not the same person I had been when I first prayed that prayer.
This “ingesting” thing…I think I have an idea of what that’s about. If I look at the physical and see how that relates with the spiritual. Just thoughts…hmm…
Lord of all creation, enlarge my heart and that I might engage with my heart and not my head!
Very beautiful Sarah! From glory to glory.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”
Thank you for answering the call on your life.