Grace and Truth
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Matt 10:28 The Doctrine of "No Fear" cont... The removal of the Barrier between God and man removes the basis of fear

We are continuing in our study of the Doctrine of "No fear" per the mandate for the believer not to fear that is found in Matt 10:28,31; Rev 2:10; Isa 41:10; LXX.
The word translated "fear" in these passages is the Greek word "phobeo" in the imperative mood.
In the Matthew passage, Matthew records that TLJC presents fear in two ways, in a positive way as in fear, respect, awe, or reverence toward God and in a negative way as the emotional sin of fear that is a mental attitude sin.
Both are commands to the believer since they are both in the imperative mood of command in the original language. We started to look at the Lord's command not to fear first.
The emotional sin of fear is characterized by panic when one is in a dangerous situation or under sudden pressure. When someone is intimidated they are usually under pressure to compromise their norms and standards.
In such a state, the application of the principles of Bible Doctrine may become less important to the believer than the desire for security or self preservation.
We concluded last time with some of the aspects of the Barrier between God and man that were resolved by TLJC on the cross that provide the believer with a "no fear" relationship with God.
The source of fear is spiritual death that results in mankind's separation from God that was caused by Adam's Original Sin and is conveyed by imputation to all members of the human race. Gen 3:10; Rom 5:14; Heb 2:15;
The removal of the barrier between God and man resolves all of the spiritual issues that were created by the fall of Adam as the representative of mankind.
The removal of the barrier is the basis for the removal of fear. God has removed the barrier by the finished work of TLJC on the cross.
Last time we took up a brief study of the various facets of the barrier that God has removed through the work of TLJC on the cross that is made efficacious when one believes in him.
We looked at the barrier of Spiritual Death that resulted in mankind's total inability and total helplessness to create and maintain a relationship with God because of the genetically formed sinful nature to which Adam's original sin is imputed at physical birth that has been removed by God's solution, the substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross
We looked at the barrier of personal sins that occur when people are tempted by the indwelling sinful nature, and their volition chooses to sin and God's Solution where all sins of the human race were judged in the person of TLJC on the cross under the doctrine of Unlimited Atonement.
We saw the barrier of the Curse of the Law has that placed all mankind in the slave market of sin where we are held under the dictatorship of the OSN has been removed when Jesus Christ paid the ransom which purchased all humanity out of the slave market of sin and delivered them into the freedom of grace.
We saw the barrier of the Integrity of God where perfect righteousness demands perfect righteousness and perfect justice demands perfect justice has been removed by God's solution in the aspect of the saving work of Christ on the cross whereby the righteousness and justice of God are satisfied because of the imputation of the sins of mankind and their punishment to the body of TLJC.
Three additional facets of the Barrier are removed at the moment of salvation when anyone simply believes that TLJC is who the Bible reveals that he is. The Son of God.
The barrier of physical birth we are born with the genetic transfer of the old sin nature into every cell of our bodies. Adam's original sin is imputed to this sinful nature. We are physically alive but spiritually dead.
Born dichotomous, we have spiritual death in physical and soul life...we have body and soul but no human spirit.
John 3:6-7; - "That which is born from the source of the flesh is flesh and that which is born from the source of the Holy Spirit is spirit.
v 7 -"Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"
God's Solution is spiritual birth or being "born again." The mechanics of the second birth include the creation of a human spirit by God the Holy Spirit at the moment of faith in Christ and imputation of eternal life to that human spirit under the doctrine of Regeneration.
John 3:16 "For God unconditionally loved the world so much that it resulted in Him giving His Son, the uniquely-born One, for the purpose of assuring that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
The barrier of Relative Righteousness where Perfect God is perfectly righteous, imperfect man is totally unrighteous. Mankind cannot measure up to divine righteousness because we are born in sin. Therefore, all of mankind's attempts to achieve righteousness are only self-righteousness producing human good and evil.
Isa 64:6; All of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment …
God's Solution is described in Rom 4:22; -24; by the Greek word "logizomai" that means to credit something to someone's account.
At the moment of salvation by Grace through Faith alone in TLJC alone, the perfect righteousness of TLJC is credited to the account of the believer in the doctrine of Imputation with the result that the believer is justified or made righteous before God.
2Cor 5:21; He Who knew no sin was made sin as a substitute for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The barrier of mankind's position in Adam that occurred because of Adam's willful disobedience, that resulted in sin and spiritual death coming upon the entire human race.
Mankind's position in Adam requires condemnation from the justice of God at physical birth as spiritually dead. 1Cor 15:22a; - For as in Adam all die …(present plural active indicative of the Greek word "thanatos" they keep on dying).
God's Solution is the establishment of a new relationship with Christ. At salvation the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into Union with TLJC as described by the doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit resulting in the irrevocable assets being conveyed to the believer. Rom 11:29;
1 Cor 15:22b …so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (future plural passive indicative of "zoe" all who believe in TLJC receive life)
The first four facets of the Barrier were removed by the work of Christ on the cross for the entire human race, the last three are removed by the unbeliever's acceptance of the Lord's peace treaty through faith alone in Christ alone.
The end result is reconciliation, the removal of the insurmountable barrier of spiritual death, personal sins, the curse of the Law, the integrity of God, physical birth, relative righteousness, and position in Adam, that exists between God and man that God accomplished through the work of Christ on the cross.
2Cor 5:18-19; God … reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
v 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them …
Reconciliation means that God through Christ was able to lift totally depraved mankind up to the perfect standard of his righteousness that He has imputed to us.
The Church Age believer is able to take the divine operating assets that were also imputed at salvation, that are used to develop capacity righteousness.
This involves the utilization of the spiritual life invented, demonstrated, and proven by TLJC in the Incarnation and converting it into a spiritual reality in our lives.
Through spiritual growth believers gradually advance to a level of thinking that was characterized by TLJC during his Incarnation.
We begin to make decisions based on His example, empowered by His Word. We convert this thinking and decision-making into actions, which glorify Him by leveraging the provisions of our position, which were conveyed at salvation into our experience.
Virtue Love characterizes this spiritual life and as we have seen, Virtue love and Fear are mutually exclusive 1John 4:18;
Fear and the four spiritual mechanics of the spiritual life cannot coexist. The believer is either afraid in the cosmic system or courageous under the filling ministry God Holy Spirit.
Spiritual Mechanic #1 is the utilization of the Two Power Options of the spiritual life. The filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit and the PMA of spirit taught or epignisis Bible Doctrine.
Spiritual Mechanic #2 is the function of the Three Spiritual Skills, The filling of the Spirit, The metabolization of Bible Doctrine, and the deployment of the 10 PSD's in the soul.
Spiritual Mechanic #3 is the operation of Ten Problem-Solving Devices.
Spiritual Mechanic #4 is the execution of Three Stages of the Spiritual Life, Spiritual Self Esteem, Spiritual Autonomy and Spiritual Maturity with their corresponding cognitive functions of Cognitive self confidence, cognitive independence and cognitive invincibility.
The entropy and chaos of the kosmos and the people in it will present the believer with daily opportunities to decide weather they will spend their life, in satan's kosmic system or in God's divine power system.

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on 7/6/2008