The religious bludgeoning of the body does not please God. Look at the prophets in the day of Elijah. The repetitious prayers are proof of unbelief or they would not repeat themselves. “Do not pray like the heathen for they think they will be heard by their many words” But “we speak and believe” and then we receive.
It was said of Christ ‘I have come for you to have life abundantly “? And He did come. And we do have life. “He who has the Son has life”. Eternal life already.
In the beginning it was not the body that was responsible for displeasing God but the mind that disbelieved and broke faith. This is why we are called to “be ye transformed (transfigured) by the renewing of your mind” and not the body. The body returns to the dust as stated in the beginning.
It is in the reasoning of the mind behind the choices that compels the body.That was the place where Adam fell. There is nothing recorded about him bruising his knees when he fell. He fell in understanding. The mind was in error, not the body. The body can do nothing apart from the spirit, for “the body without the spirit is dead” being instructed by the mind.
So as we are to be renewed in thinking, being that our mind is re scripted and reformatted by Gods word. That we are restored to “that which is from the beginning”. To what Adam had before he fell. The flesh does not have to be removed but the filth of carnal thinking does. This is how we learn to think like God for “we have the mind of Christ”.
Collossians 2. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, (but not the flesh itself, just the sins) by the circumcision of Christ,12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him”. And this is all done outside of the human perceptions of sight and hearing in the realm of faith. “To those who have ears to hear and eyes to see” of a different nature.
God made man from the dust of the earth. He set him “over the works of His hands” and told him to “go forth and have dominion”. And this was while he was in the body formed of dust of which God had said “it is good, very good”. This is the objective of salvation and the redemption and restoration in the mind and not the body. But the body can be the lucky recipient of a renewed mind for “as He is, so are we in this world” and “we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the glory and the excellency may be of God and not ourselves”.
Mankind was made of clay like Adam to reflect the glory of God while in a body in this way but “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. And the purpose of the Gospel is to be restored to the glory while we are in our humanity saying “we are transformed into His (Christ’s) same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of God ” in this age of time and matter, to have dominion. (2 Cor 3.18) To rule and reign. And we do this “in Christ”. Does not scripture say that we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ”? And “of His fullness we have received”? This is what the spirit of satan blinds people to and delays them from. And they call it a second coming. To be transformed by a future event of a physicality and not the spirit. (Read 2 Corinthians 3 and 4) The second coming mindset is the veil that blinds you and keeps you from your transformation. They just redefine Gods Kingdom to the view the Jews had. The one they were condemned for. A gospel of a future coming king and kingdom saying. “When does the kingdom of God appear?” Christ answered them “It cometh not with observation”. This is what the 2nd coming seekers reject and say it does. What did Christ then tell His followers? “They will say look here and look there. DO NOT GO AFTER THEM!
It is an end times saving that Paul misunderstood in his first letters that competes with the message of “that which is from the beginning” spoken by John the beloved who also said ” what is it that overcomes the world? Our faith!” Paul later learned by revelation and displayed more clearly in the books of Ephesians and Collossians. John said “we are in the end times, but some still say it’s later. And they call it “a 7 year tribulation. John said “They came out from among us? And they did. The 2nd coming gospel use the same scriptures in a different way. A way that denies the savior of the cross and ascribes a saving to happen later. Woe
The truth is the saving and redemption is to what Adam lost. A co-conscientiousness with God the Father. As Christ prayed “Father that they may be one with us”. This is the reconciliation of the cross Paul saying “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us this word of reconciliation. (not a future reconciling)20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. (this is what Adam lost and passed onto all humanity) 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Adams loss restored, Adams fallen lifted back up, raised and resurrected). This is not a gift delegated to a 2nd coming savior but the cross as having happened. The reconciliation of the world described in these verses are a new world view that the created world responds differently to.
Adam departed from his God given role and took on the contrast. The creation that he was to “have dominion over” now had dominion over him saying “of the sweat of your face you shall work the earth and thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you”. God did not curse the earth or Adams flesh. Adam started thinking backwards relying on his lower nature and its senses. So implemented the opposite of faith being shame, fear and self preservation as the carnal senses informed him. Proof of this is he did work with his hands in the Garden as evident by the fig leaf where he covered himself in a shameful way. Until then God was his covering and to that we are restored by means of the gospel. Like when God visited Abraham God said to Him “I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward”. That about covers it. What more could you want? You see all Gods works are word.
But Adam left his God given role and received the opposite. Instead of having dominion? He now was dominated by the very thing he was to rule. The “work of His hands” was because a spiritual polarity shift took place. His lower level took center stage and became responsible to cover and provide for himself. He stood alone. He lost the Holy spirit and the ability to do the work of the Father. WORD. He was thinking backwards. His mind was now darkened and opened up a void in himself of darkness. This is the place where the spirit of God was. Which is now the place of a darkened heart to those who are disobedient. Adam was providing for himself as evident by the fig leaf and rejected Gods provisions. From this he needs to be redeemed, restored and renewed. He needs to be saved from this .
And this is what the gospel does to those who hear Gods word and believe it. We are re clothed. We are covered and refitted to glorify God by doing what God does, which is to speak a thing to be. “For greater works shall you do because I go to the Father” were the words of Christ”. In this way “we are a kind of first fruits of His creation. We are His kind and not fish, fowl or animal. This is what it means to “put on Christ. And this is mandated now and not at a 2nd coming. We become saints, holy and glorious like “the Father of Glories”. We become “the perfect man is able to bridle his mouth”.
The second coming mindset is nothing but a series of formulas and carnal computations applying Gods word in a way to appease the carnal senses that in effect makes God weak and unavailable as they wait for another carnal event. We are instruction to “cast down arguments and every thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God”. And that is what they do. They obscure the truth to unsuspecting souls. But we destroy their lies. And it is in this way that we over come Satan, sin, death and the 2nd coming gospel.
Also when we are instructed to enter His rest? His rest is from working. We are invited to stop working the curse. To retire from that. When Gods word became flesh He said “come unto me all ye that are laden with burdens and I will give you rest. This has full meaning being associated with working the earth in sweat yielding thorns to be reversed and enter Gods rest and reliance on Him. This can only be done when you do what Adam ceased to do. The works that you cover yourself with is then replaced by Christ. As it says “He is the propitiation for the whole world” not just your personal short comings. You must believe again. He distrusted and followed another. He was left alone to provide for himself. He did not trust and believe in God. To trust in God and His perfect provisions saying “from every tree you may freely eat” It is as if God said everything is freely yours to use at your discretion, and now through the gospel “of His fullness we have received”.
Allow Him to cloth you and discard the fig leave. Lay aside all the guilt, shame and fear and believe. Does not scripture say that “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could think or ask according to the power that works in us “? Is He in you?
When Adam fell he awakened lust and he left the provisions of God. It was put in play for man to be subdued in that way. Lust being a carnal appetite that is never satisfied. But in Christ we are “filled to the full”. As He said “whoever believes in me shall never thirst”
“We have been delivered from the corruption that is in the world through lusts” and because of this “we are partakers of the divine nature”. And the exchange and polarity reversal takes place by receiving the holy spirit. Did you receive that?
So if we can learn to appropriately apply the gospel to our thinking and be re-scripted in our mind to receive the saving of the cross, we need not look for another saving. A 2nd coming saving. A savior. A 2nd coming savior. Respond to the “Lo I am with you always” and “Behold, I stand at the door and knock”. Be restored to this world view. Be renewed to this.
1 John 2,24 If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
You see it is from the beginning. It is not an end time thing at all.
The Kingdom of God is at hand!
