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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

Born Free

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Anytime that we discuss freedom as it relates to believers in the kingdom of God, we must realize that freedom means different things to different people!

In Acts 22, an incident in the life of Paul powerfully illustrates the New Testament truth regarding Christian freedom in the kingdom of God!

Paying a High Price!

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. (As a Roman Citizen or a FREE man, Paul had rights!) And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this FREEDOM. And Paul said, But I was born FREE. —Acts 22:25-28 (KJV)

Freedom meant something totally different to the Roman captain than to Paul.

Many today believe that their Christian May freedom is obtained by ‘paying a high price’—hard work, moral discipline, personal sacrifice! They think that if you sacrifice much in zealous pursuits of Christian discipline, you are ultimately rewarded with victory and freedom.

But I like what Paul said, “Maybe your freedom cost you a high price, but I was born FREE.” Before we can understand and experience true freedom, we have to know that it’s not something we obtain through personal sacrifice, we are born into it!

That doesn’t mean that our freedom was without cost. It came at a very high cost—THE LIFE OF THE SON OF GOD. The degree to which you understand and believe in the freedom you are born into in Christ is the degree of true freedom you will experience in everyday life!

Freedom of the Heart

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he [man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

“Thinketh” means “to calculate; to put a valuation on.” “What” and “who” we value in our hearts determines where we go and what we become! Therefore, the way I believe about God and our relationship, controls the way I see and relate to myself and others.

Before we can understand and experience true freedom, we have to know that it’s not some- thing we obtain through personal sacrifice, we are born into it!

True Freedom Starts at a Heart Level!

All the experiences of our lives, can be directly linked to the condition of our hearts or our belief system! (Prov. 4:20-23)

You can be a God-fearing, Holy Spirit-filled, Bible-quoting, morally-disciplined Christian, living in a reclusive commune! But if your beliefs are still deeply rooted in performance religion, you’ll never be free from the destructive behaviors and bondage that dominate your life.

Unfortunately this is the sad reality of many Christians in the church today.

Knowing the Truth Will Set You Free

The Jews served God based on performance religion that unknowingly kept them in bondage. Jesus said to them:

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? —John 8:31-33 (KJV)

They didn’t even recognize the religion they were in. They thought that everything was just great!
They served God under a system governed by rules, regulations and performance that could never make them acceptable before God. This is what they needed to be set free from, and it’s the same for many today.

Jesus said, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” That truth is relationship with God—free from legalism, self- righteousness and the guilt of the law! Jesus came to give us freedom and abundant life in Him. Celebrate the freedom you were born into every day!

Blessings, Arthur

703. Born Identity: You Are Sanctified

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Hollow religious teaching will declare you’re saved by grace (justified), but being sanctified is a gradual, progressive, life-long process which must work at in order to become more set apart before they reach the finish line . It’s time to change our thinking. Consider that through the cross God has already gifted you with sanctification and this is the starting line. Whew! It’s the ultimate head-start, and now you can run from here.



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702. Born Identity: You Are Righteous

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Sadly, most believers in Jesus Christ have been taught they are identified as sinners and have failed to realize the gift of God’s righteousness that has been inherited by faith, apart from works. The Jewish people pursued righteousness under the law by trying to keep the Ten Commandments, plus 603 other commands and rules from the law which came through Moses. Yet they never attained a state of righteousness through that law. Nobody was righteous under that system… not one. On the other hand, Gentiles who weren’t even chasing after right standing with God attained righteousness by faith. We have been gifted with His righteousness. In Him, we are in a state or condition that is acceptable to God because of what Jesus did for us (and not what we do for Him). It is not progressive, nor does it increase or decrease based upon our performance or behavior. Growing in our understanding of this grace that has been poured out upon us - and abides in us - now empowers us to outwardly reflect the light of Jesus Christ.



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701. Born Identity: You Have Been Perfected

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It’s been said that “nobody is perfect.” While that may be true from a behavioral perspective, it shouldn’t be confused with who God has already made us to be as believers in Jesus Christ. You have been perfected, not by how well you perform or by the things you do, but by what Jesus did on our behalf. Perfection was a necessary requirement, but we will never achieve this status based upon our works and behavior. While behavior improvement can gradually take place in our lives and result in good and positive results - it has nothing to do with having already been perfected in Him. Growing in our understanding that Jesus has already made us inwardly complete will likely result in beneficial, outward changes with what we do. But we should avoid getting this backwards or it will lead to frustration, guilt and fear. God demanded perfection, not progress. Therefore, He provided a Substitute, not a goal.

We borrowed the last part above from our friends at The Grace Cafe Podcast, and we mentioned them on this podcast. We recommend that you give them a listen!



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700. Podcast 700 – Growing in Grace Highlights

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Just a couple of months ago we celebrated 14 years of the Growing in Grace podcast. This week we hit another milestone - our 700th Growing in Grace podcast! To create a special edition of the podcast, both Mike and Joel have dug into the archives to share some "highlights" from past Growing in Grace podcasts. We truly enjoy sharing our hearts every week regarding this wonderful gospel of grace, and we hope you enjoy hearing these gospel nuggets.



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696. The Spirit Vs. the Flesh (Walking in the Spirit)

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“The law is not of faith.” This word from Paul is a central theme throughout the book of Galatians. It needs to be kept in mind as we look through the letter, including chapter 5 as the apostle compares the Spirit to the flesh. Believers in Christ who had been freed from the law are no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Although we can be tempted with the works of the flesh that Paul lists in Galatians 5, it is those who are of the flesh that will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (unbelievers). They are stuck in “works” mode… which may appear as sinful and at other times it may appear as Godly. This is not a passage on living “good enough” to inherit eternal life. We’ve all continued to struggle with being perfect… we still may have moments of anger, quarrels, jealousy, impure thoughts, etc. Fear not! God is always with you and He desires to be our helper during those times.

The Galatians were earlier accused of having fallen from grace because they were trying to be perfected by the law of works (Galatians 3:3 & 5:4). As children of God, we receive an inheritance as a gift because we are an heir, not because we are living in a way that is going to be considered morally acceptable. This is not to diminish or disregard the importance of behavior - Paul’s exhortation is for us who are in Christ to behave in a way that reflects the true righteous nature of who we’ve been born to be in Christ. This is not accomplished by our empty efforts of trying to produce our own fruit, but by the Holy Spirit within us. Now we can bear His fruit, apart from the law of works.



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Who is Man?

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Throughout my years as a Christian, I’ve observed that most of the struggles believers face have their origin in the inaccurate or erroneous beliefs we hold regarding the true nature and character of God.

Just as there is a grossly inaccurate belief in the hearts of many believers regarding the true nature and character of God, there is also an equally destructive and crippling view regarding the true value, worth, dignity and identity of man.

If we are not taught a proper, biblical sense of identity and self-worth, we will seldom experience God in an intimate and meaningful way!

And if what we believe about the Bible, God, and ourselves doesn’t agree with the revelation of the gospel in the New Testament, we may never experience God’s Word working consistently and effectively in our lives!

Establishing a Biblical Self-Worth

Religion and legalism have caused many to lose track of their true identity and worth, leaving them stripped of a healthy, biblical sense of who they are.

Traditionally we’ve been taught that being human is either evil, weak or deeply unspiritual. In many ways, true “spirituality” is believed to be about denying, disowning and escaping our humanity through legalism and moral discipline

Something Other than Human

As Christians, we’ve been encouraged to disown our basic humanity by doing all we can do (prayer, fasting and imposing moral disciplines) to reject our human emotions, passions and instincts!

As a result, many believers struggle to reconcile who God is and who they are as human beings!

For so many, it’s almost unthinkable that a holy God would have any connection with their deepest human dreams of enjoying everyday life. But it’s only in our union with God that we discover the fulfillment of being human!

If we correctly interpret Scripture, we find that God’s whole purpose for creating us is to be HUMAN. In the eyes of God, the very fact that we are HUMAN defines our true identity and value to God!

For so many, it’s almost unthinkable that a holy God would have any connection with their deepest human dreams of enjoying everyday life. But it’s only in our union with God that we discover the fulfillment of being human!

God’s Eternal Intentions, Plans, and Purposes

According as he hath chosen us in him (Christ) before the FOUNDATION of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. —Eph. 1:4-5 (KJV)

God’s eternal plans have always been for us to find our origin and identity in Jesus Christ!

EMMANUEL—God with Us!

Who, although being essentially one with GOD and in the form of GOD [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make GOD GOD], did not think this equality with GOD was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like MEN and was born a HUMAN BEING.—Phil. 2:7-8 (AMP)

EMMANUEL—God One of Us!

Therefore God will never be ashamed of you being part of His family!

For the one (God) who makes men holy and the men who are made holy SHARE A COMMON HUMANITY. So that he is not ashamed to call them his BROTHERS … And again …in these words: ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given me’. Since, then, “the children” have a common physical nature as HUMAN BEINGS, he (God the Son) also became a HUMAN BEING, so that by going through death as a MAN he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; …It is plain that for this purpose he (God the Son) did not become an ANGEL; he became a MAN, in actual fact a descendant of Abraham.—Hebrews 2: 11-18 (Phillips)

Therefore, the gospel is an emphatic declaration that GOD NOT ONLY LIKES HUMAN, BUT LOVES HUMAN!!

HE ACTUALLY BECAME ONE!

690. Christian Catch Phrase Alert: Identifying Ourselves as Followers of Jesus

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One of the things that we often focus on here at Growing in Grace is built around helping believers in Christ to understand the identity we now have in Him as a new creation. Sadly, people are seldom taught they are righteous, holy, complete, forgiven, perfected, saints, etc.

But a catch phrase that is often used to identify us as believers: We are “followers of Jesus.” Just exactly what is a follower of Jesus today? Get ready for a wide variety of different answers because it’s one of those talking points within Christianity which people don’t think too much about. Typically, we might think it has to do with following the teachings of Jesus. But as previous programs have revealed, Jesus often taught things related to the Old Covenant which targeted Jewish people who were under the law - impossible demands - now made obsolete since the cross.

Almost all references to those who were followers of Jesus are found in the four books of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)… people who literally and physically followed Jesus from one place to the next. But their following ceased at the cross as they were relocated to a New Covenant where they would be led by God’s Spirit. You’re not merely a follower, you are a child of God, living in union with Him.



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689. Guaranteed to Fail: Working at Becoming More Like Jesus

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Anyone who has spent much time in the church world has probably heard that the primary goal for the Christian is to work at becoming more like Jesus. It sounds logical, doesn’t it? Sermons tend to shine from such a message with a typical backdrop of people shouting “Amen!” But seldom will you find a consistent model on exactly what it means to become more like Jesus through what we do, although most will have their preconceived ideas or assumptions. The general idea religion presents is that we gradually and progressively improve by our works and lifestyle choices. We’re told that improved morality will make us more like Christ. This approach has believers turning the gospel inside out as we work to achieve the impossible. It will benefit us to realize we’ve been born of God and have received an inheritance that has already made us like Jesus - completely righteous and holy just as He is - even while we’re in this world. These qualities we have inherited as children are gifts provided by grace, not our attempts to improve the flesh through human effort.



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Top Picks of 2018

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Happy New Year from the Growing in Grace podcast! We'll return in 2019 with brand new weekly Growing in Grace episodes, but this week's topic is the Top Picks of 2018. Mike and Joel have both independently selected two of their favorite episodes from this past year.

We'll start with this pick from Mike: Dead to Sin, Alive to Righteousness. (Podcast 655).



"This is one of my personal favorite Growing in Grace podcasts in 2018. It quickly and simply covers a handful of topics that are commonly misunderstood within the vocabulary of legalistic religious circles:

Under grace, can we just go out and do whatever we want?
Sin, repentance, and struggles.
Understanding who you are: The righteousness identity of a believer.
Already forgiven and sins taken away."

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Joel's first pick comes from a 17 part series that we did called "Summarizing the Scripture." As we were nearing the end of the series, we did an episode called Contradictions or Different Covenants? (Podcast 645).



"I like this episode because it's a great summary of the differences between the Old and New Covenants, and we talk about why did Jesus often taught works-based teachings that seem to contradict the essence of the New Covenant.  Under the Old Covenant, it was up to the people to keep the covenant, but all they ever did was fail.  Everything in the New Covenant is based on the finished work of Jesus and God's oath that He made to Himself, and not the works of the people.  It always confused me why Paul seemed to teach righteousness as a free gift that we receive apart from works, and yet Jesus seemed to teach that it was all works-based.

What I eventually came to understand is that Jesus was teaching the Old Covenant to those who were under it (Israel), for the purpose of showing them that they were not keeping it (and could not keep it), and they instead needed to turn, by faith, to this other covenant that was based upon God's oath to Himself and not their ability to keep a covenant with God."

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Next, from Mike, The Golden Rule: A Spiritual Death Sentence (Podcast 658).



"Here is one of my top 5 favorite Growing in Grace podcasts of 2018. It takes a traditional mindset 'head-on' with the subject of The Golden Rule as stated by Jesus:

'So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets' (Matthew 7:12).

Traditional Christianity has mistakenly mixed this law from the Old Covenant into church tenets and creeds. With one sentence He summarized the entire law which nobody could keep and it brought a sentence of guilt, bondage and death … not life. There is a better way."

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Another of Joel's favorites from 2018: The Gospel Is the Gift of God's Righteousness. (Podcast 665).



"Back to the basics with this one. We talk about questions such as What is the gospel? and How does it differ from the 'bad news?'  The 'bad news' is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but yet the 'good news' - the gospel - is that God justifies ungodly people by gifting them with His very own righteousness.  The gospel reveals the righteousness of God that is given as a gift to those who do nothing but believe. Those trying to attain righteousness by their own works don't find it, and yet it's given freely to those who aren't even trying.  This episode is one of my favorites because it's a great reminder to me that I have nothing to boast about before God, and I can stop trying to perform for God in order to attain or maintain right standing with Him.  I've already received it, solely as His gift to me."

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We hope you enjoy our year end picks!  Do you have any favorites?  If you'd like to hear more, check out the "Most Popular Posts" in the column to the right, which lists the most viewed posts on this website in the last year.

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683. Merry Christmas from the Growing in Grace Podcast

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After another year of talking about God’s goodness and grace, Christmas gives us a week to reflect upon the birth of Jesus and the miracle of His birth. But on this week’s program, we also discuss his human boyhood and how He grew in wisdom and stature. Other topics this week include The Three Stooges, Adam’s age when he was first created… also the wise men and how tradition has “photoshopped” them into the manger scene.

We're looking forward to returning in the new year with a whole bunch of brand new Growing in Grace podcast episodes, talking about the Good News of Jesus! We're taking a short break from recording next week, but do come back here to GrowingInGrace.org, as Mike and Joel will reflect on 2018 by sharing a few of their favorite episodes from the past year.



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“The Real You” series – Week 7: You Are Peaceful!

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You may not feel like it, look like it or sound like it, but the truth about you is that you are a peaceful person…in Christ. Being someone who is filled with peace is part of your identity. I know, I know, you’re thinking, “No way, Sandra. You don’t know me. I feel like I’m […]

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