Grow Up Into Christ

I shared in a previous post the danger of wrong thinking. It creates a mindset that keeps us from being effective for the Kingdom. Another thing that keeps us ineffective is not understanding our position in Christ.

In many cases the church has promoted the idea of a progressive sanctification. That is accepting Christ and then try to sin less and less over time. In this we are preoccupied with the struggles of the world, and it’s not biblical.

Sanctification is killing the sin by repentance – turn away and not going back – no compromising. You conform to Christ.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom. 8:29

Christianity is not a democracy. It’s a theocracy. The last free will choice was to choose Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My will is to line up with His will. I die to myself.

So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit]. But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ. Eph. 4:14-15 AMP

I am to grow up into Him. In other words, when it comes to the way I live my life, people should not be able to tell the difference between me and Jesus Christ.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matt. 28:18-20

I should not be waiting so much on a leading of the Holy Spirit – the command is the leading, the authority is the pre-permission. I just need to follow the command.