SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS ESSENTIAL TO EVERY CHRISTIAN.OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY BEGINS THE MOMENT WE ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.THE GRADUAL,LIFE-LONG PROCESS OF WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION INVOLVES CHANGING OUR LIVES TO REFLECT GOD'S HOLINESS (1PETER 1;13-16)OUR WORK WITH GOD WILL BE JOYFUL AND SATISFYING WHEN WE STAY FOCUSED ON ETERNAL LIFE INSTEAD OF TEMPORAL THINGS THAT WE OFTEN OCCUPY OURSELVES WITH (1PETER 1;3-9)
A.NEW CREATION.
''THEREFORE,IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST,HE IS A NEW CREATION,THE OLD HAS GONE,THE NEW HAS COME''(2CORINTHIANS 5;17)WHEN WE COME TO FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST WE ARE BORN AGAIN (JOHN 3;3),WHICH MEANS WE ARE RE-BORN SPIRITUALLY. DOES THAT MEANS THAT WE IMMEDIATELY BECOME PERFECT CHRISTIAN?NO!!BECAUSE WE WERE BORN SINNERS(ROMANS 3;23),WE STILL HAVE OUR SINFUL NATURE TO DEAL WITH JESUS''DEATH DELIVERANCE US FROM THE OVERALL REIGN OF SIN IN OUR LIVES,BUT WE STILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH INDWELLING SIN IN OUR FLESH (THE APOSTLE PAUL CALLS IT OUR'' MORTAL BODY")
(ROMANS 6;1-14)SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS THE CONTINUED TRANSFORMATION OF OUR MORAL AND SPIRITUAL CHARACTER DAILY UNTIL OUR PHYSICAL DEATH.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS NOT OPTIONAL,SPIRITUAL RE BIRTH MUST BE FOLLOWED BY GROWTH.GOD COMMANDS US TO'' GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.''(2PETER 3;18).THE EXPECTED GROWTH OF A CHRISTIAN IS EVIDENT WHEN COMPARING HOW WE USED TO LIVE (OLD SELF)TO HOW WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE (NEW SELF),THE APOSTLE PAUL WRITES ABOUT THE OLD SELF VERSUS NEW SELF''YOU WERE TAUGHT,WITH REGARD TO YOUR FORMER WAY OF LIFE,TO PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF,WHICH IS BEING CORRUPTED BY ITS DECEITFUL DESIRES,TO BE MADE NEW IN THE ATTITUDE OF YOUR MINDS,AND TO PUT ON THE NEW SELF,CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS''(EPHESIANS 4:22-24),(OLD SELF VS.NEW SELF SEE EPHESIANS 4;17-;5;21) COLOSSIANS 3;1-17)
NOTE!TO BE CONTINUED TO NEXT BLOG! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!
Amen
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