For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:3 NASB

Now, we have seen, Christ came to satisfy the righteous requirement of the law for us, and, in completely fulfilling it in His own flesh, we, in our belief in His work, are baptized into His work, His death, burial, and resurrection.

There is, however, a working out of the process of our faith.  As Paul called those who were new to the faith “babes”, and “carnal”  (1 Corinthians 3:1), he also wrote to the Galatians, who were yet learning, of how he was in great labor of prayer until Christ was formed within them.

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Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:17-20

God’s original standard to Adam was holiness.  And, in failing that, by one man’s sin, death came to all.

God’s standard to Moses was holiness.  He who broke the smallest commandment was guilty of all, and hence deserved death.  He who sinned under the law deserved death, and even Gentiles, who were not aware of the law, proved that they were indeed under the law, for they demonstrate that the law itself was written on their hearts, so that their own hearts condemned them.  Therefore, he who sinned with the law, and he who sinned without the law, both perished because of it, for failing to meet God’s standard.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

Finally, we come to the New Covenant, and for some reason, people think things have changed.  And, indeed they have changed, quite a bit, but God’s desire and conditions for complete fellowship really have not.

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Only let us live up to what we have already attained

Philippians 3:16

I am glad that Martin Luther posted His 95 thesis to the door.  Despite what other things he may have gotten wrong, including anti-semitism, he saw faith, and knew it was worth losing everything else in his entire life to not only obtain it himself, but to have it overflow and spark a revolution.

I am also glad, however, that John Wesley was not satisfied with the Lutherism of his day.  In this conversation between Wesley and Count Zinzendorf, the two saw eye to eye.  John Wesley separated from the Moravians after this conversation, and was known for his holiness church of Methodism.  What Martin Luther had brought forth with justification by faith, Wesley saw a step to sanctification, to holiness, not in exclusion to it.  What Count Zinzendorf couldn’t see, John Wesley couldn’t deny, and so they had to part ways.

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 In his last days old Dr. Bressee [the founder of the Nazarene church] would preach from church to church one message: “Keep the glory down.” Why? He knew that if they ever lost it they were finished.

–R T Kendall, The Anointing

Probably every genuine move of God was birthed in something special.  In every move, there was something Beyond the text of the written Word, Beyond the meetings, Beyond the men, that made a difference.

If we understood that the Gospel is more than words on a page, that it is more than a natural man can understand (John 3:3-5), that it is the unseen, spiritual realm that makes a difference (Colossians 1:16), we would be much closer to the glorious overcoming church of Ephesians 4:13.

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Seek first the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33

The Kingdom is invisible, in the heavens (John 3:3).  It is the unseen dominion, greater and more sufficient than the natural, which, from its excess, overflows into what we can see.

What we can see, feel, and experience is not the Spirit.  What we can see is not the Kingdom.  What we touch with the soul and body is but our response to God.

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