“ACCEPTANCE OF GOD’S VERDICT
OR ONE’S DENIAL?”
NOVEMBER 17-20, 2017, by J.Farrell Fisher
I found an interesting statement in Dallas Willard’s book entitled “The Great Omission”, and the first sentence of his first chapter said the following, “The word ‘Disciple’ occurs 269 times in the New Testament. ‘Christian’ is found three times…”! He went on to say, “The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ.”
In our modern-day 21st Century time period, I’m afraid I have to say that I’m not sure that across the “church community” that “church folk” really comprehend “separation from God” because of their ‘sin-natures’ or, if they do, do they accept God’s VERDICT of ‘sinner’ that needs to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God, and yielded to Him as a vessel in which the Resurrected Christ is able to be Himself as truly Lord and Savior – “born again, born the second time of the Spirit” is strange terms for too many – “I’m a ‘church member, and have been most of my life”, but finished with the ‘old man’, crushed by God’s verdict of sin and death? Strange terms!
“One’s denial of God’s verdict” concerning their ‘First Adam’ sin nature is rampant, and especially when a society majors on ‘mental superiority’ without any concern for ‘godless’ hearts or ‘blinded’ minds related to spiritual awareness of one’s need of Holy God through Christ in fulfilling His eternal intent through the “Blood Redemption” of innocent Jesus’ sacrifice “At The Cross”!!
“One’s Denial?” or “Acceptance of God’s Verdict?” In 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 the Apostle Paul wrote: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, WHOSE MINDS THE GOD OF THIS AGE HAS BLINDED, (Do you think ‘the god of your age is Satan and his deceiving ways?), who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
One’s denial of God’s verdict is the intentional verdict of fleshly pride to live, be, and do as one pleases without any concern for the divine intent of God in birthing human life, not as an existing, fleshly, independent creation, but a “willful vessel of divine presence”, fully surrendered and yielded to the Master’s management! But there are those with no interest in “Christ in you the hope of glory”! Grit is their calling card with no concern for the love, grace, or mercy of God “in Christ”!