What Jesus Did

by Matthew Cramer

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
                                     — John 15:13 RSV

Writing about Salvation brings me a certain amount of nostalgia. Forty years ago, I attended Life In The Spirit sessions at a church in Sacramento, California. Salvation was the subject of the second meeting in the series.

I was somewhat apprehensive, not knowing what to expect. I remember calculating how many leaps it would take to get out the window if things got a little too wild at the prayer meeting. Well, they didn’t, so I didn’t, and now here I am 40 years later, writing about crucial understandings that helped guide my deeper journey with Our Lord.

Salvation and its effects are the central claims of Christianity, and much has been written about it over the centuries: In the Scriptures, official Church documents, and numerous epistles from theologians, clergy, and various wannabes. Along the way, there have been heresies, corrections and even Councils assembled to sort out the truth.

It’s not my intention to comment on, or add to that vast body of work. Rather, I want to articulate the key aspects of Salvation that have brought life to me, and served me well in my walk with Our Lord.

With that stake firmly driven into the ground, let’s begin.

Knowing we would be incredibly happy and fulfilled were we to live in His glorious presence, out of love, Almighty God created us — but, not as pets to adorn His accommodations and provide devoted company. He wanted us to share as much of His life as possible, so He created us “in His image”(Ge 1:27 NIV), i.e. with an intellect and a will.

Far beyond what pets can do, we’re able to know, appreciate, and participate in His glory. We’re able to choose — capable of reaching for God to apprehend as much of His life as we possibly can. But then, our first parents disobeyed our loving Father and made a mess of things. The effects of this offense are enormous and far-reaching. (See The Train Wreck of Humanity and How Satan Gets To Us.)

Nevertheless, God promised to repair the breach, saying to the serpent: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers, he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” (Ge 3:15 NIV)

So, to better understand what Jesus did, we must first look at some of the significant issues involved.

A Huge Dilemma

Adam and Eve were the first of humanity. Since all humanity descended from them, we were all present in their loins at the “sin of man”. The word “sin” means to miss the mark. Each of us would admit we disobey God from time to time. But the “sin of man” or the “sin of the world” means something very different than personal transgressions — it refers to an inheritance conferred on us as descendants of Adam and Eve. I call it an Adamic DNA we receive at our conception as members of the human family. A popular spiritual writer has written:

“[The] Sin [of man] is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God. (Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost For His Highest. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1935, reading for October 7th, emphasis mine).

So, if all of humanity was involved in the original offense and its effects, we must all be included when the breach is repaired, or someone will be left out. But we exist in a space/time box with a past, present and future. How can we all be collected at the same time and place to be part of the action?

It’s true that Adam and Eve committed the original offense, and broke our relationship with God by denying His will and insisting on their own. But, all of us together, if that were possible, couldn’t repair the relationship — because the relationship started with God, not with us.

There’s an overwhelming mismatch here. We were receivers and participants in our relationship with God, but not originators. He is Infinite Goodness, we are finite and created beings. To restore the relationship with God, it must begin again with the Godhead and His forgiveness.

“Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice, that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit. …This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence, the end of those who are pleased with their portion. Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.” (Ps 49:7-9, 13-14)

Next is the issue of justice, which requires conviction, punishment, and reparation. The damage to our nature incurred at the Fall of Man is clearly a sign of conviction and punishment, at least as far as mankind is concerned (see The Train Wreck Of Humanity). But punishment and reparations for an offense against an infinite being is another story. How could created beings possibly survive adequate punishment, and pile up enough reparations, for a major offense against an Infinite Being of Love?

 As to the damage to human nature itself, even if that damage could somehow be repaired, we would still bear the marks of “wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God”. The obvious solution would be to start over. Throw away the bad, begin anew, and establish a life of submission to God — following His will even in the midst of the most severe temptations.

But to throw away humanity and begin again, with a sort of Humanity-2 and all new individuals, would mean discarding the remaining good in us from our creation “in His image” — certainly not the actions of an Infinite Being of Loving Perfection. Nevertheless, to live in the fiery goodness and perfection of His life, we need to replace our damaged lives with a new life whose history does not bear the marks of sin.

Almighty God had originally given Adam dominion in creation. But when our first parents submitted to the temptations of Satan, that dominion was broken, leaving an opening for Satan and his minions to create havoc in our lives and the rest of creation. Evil spirits are angelic beings, far superior to us (see Satan And His Minions). Thus, after Original Sin, we lack authority to evict them from our lives, the lives of our loved ones, and from our responsibilities and organizations. Only God Himself — through a mandate from Him, backed up by His authority — can provide us sufficient authority to successfully battle evil.

Finally, there is the issue of physical death itself. Second only to the rift in our relationship with God, the separation of our soul from the body, and the body’s consequential corruption, is the most horrendous, chilling and obvious evidence of Satan’s victory over us. It leaves us with an incomplete existence: a soul wandering apart from God, and a body that no longer exists, except in particles of dust. This death, introduced by sin, can only be nullified by a new bodily life that will not die; and has been united with the soul. So how could all of us die natural death and be changed into something better, something beyond our original creation?

Incarnation – A Creative Solution

I’ll just bet you’re thinking: “Now he’s going to tell us Jesus solved all these problems”. You’re absolutely right. I am; and He did. Let’s savor this truth in more detail.

We exist in a space/time box. Our reality exists at a certain place and time that is constantly changing. We have a past, present and future. In contrast, God’s existence is infinite and outside this box. All things are present to Him, everywhere and now. And, He can easily act in any one or combination of these realities at the same time.

Jesus as the second person of the Trinity, shares equally the Divine nature with The Father and The Holy Spirit. An important truth well worth understanding and meditating upon: Jesus, as the Author of Life, is referred to in Scripture as “the Word”.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (Jn 1:1-4 RSV)

In obedience to The Father, The Author of Life accepts the assignment to repair the breach.

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father.” (Jn 10:17,18 RSV)

Jesus takes the fullness of humanity to Himself, such that, He actually occupies two natures — Divine and human. He did not just become a man, He became man, the sum total of man in one. He took all of the nature of mankind; all that we share with our forefathers and descendents; all it ever was, all it is, and all it ever will be — to His person. He is the God/Man, one Person, with two natures.

“…who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Php 2:6,7 RSV)

The Holy Spirit overshadows the Virgin Mary, and Jesus begins His life as man in the womb, just as we all have.

“And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Lk 1:35 RSV)

However, the mission Jesus will pursue is quite different from that of previous humans — Jesus, The Author Of Life, must become The New Adam.

• He must act for all of us
• He must act in such a way that our humanity is freed from the effects of sin
• Our relationship and destiny with God must be restored
• The power of Satan and his minions in creation must be broken

“…by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man. He worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin.” (Gaudium Et Spes, §22)

The Incarnation is a mystery — difficult for the human mind to comprehend. Throughout the centuries, various aspects have been debated, defined and confirmed. Heresies have been advanced, and Councils assembled to correct them. All these concepts center on the mysterious, but nevertheless total, union of the Son of God in His Divine nature, with the nature of man. Jesus as God had a Divine intellect and will. Jesus as Man had a human intellect and will. Jesus Christ is true God and true man.

Difficult as it is to comprehend, the Incarnation makes fascinating reading and study. I have found the following helpful to keep things lined up correctly:

To the extent He was not God, we were not saved.

To the extent He was not man, we were not saved.

Salvation

Viewed from hindsight, the strategy of Salvation is simple and direct. Nonetheless it is astonishing and incredible.

Jesus, taking the nature of mankind to Himself, must live the perfect life of a New Man, fully and unwaveringly obedient to the Father, even in the face of significant temptations, and in full possession of mankind’s dominion as originally intended. Along the way, Jesus demonstrates His divinity to reveal Himself as the long awaited Messiah or Deliverer. He instructs His disciples in the overarching concepts for living the New Life, and prepares the groundwork for them to administer the Church that He and the Holy Spirit will raise up when His assignment is complete.

“…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10 RSV)

His final act allows Himself as the New Man, perfect and sinless, to be unjustly and ignominiously crucified — alone, and without Divine assistance. This is the crowning act of humility that annihilates the original, prideful sin of man. And, as both God and Man, this act of sacrifice is the full price required to satisfy both punishment and reparations for the original offence of our first parents; thus restoring mankind’s relationship and destiny with God.

Taking the fullness of death to the grave, Jesus, as both God and man, exhausts the full penalty of sin, thereby breaking the hold of Evil on mankind and in creation. On the third day, He is resurrected; giving a new bodily form to the New Life He has already lived.

The resurrection confirms His divinity to the world, and reveals the principle of death/life we follow in our own spiritual life. As through our own personal choices we die to the Adamic influence in our own lives, resurrection, or setting loose the New Life, concomitantly follows (see Embracing Conflict With Hope).

“He Who is ‘the image of the invisible God’ (Col 1:15 RSV) is Himself the perfect man. To the sons of Adam He restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled, by that very fact it has been raised up to a divine dignity in our respect too.” (Gaudium Et Spes, §22)

Gratefully, authoritative Church pronouncements and scriptural references that confirm what Jesus did are legion. In the interest of space, here are just a few. Read them slowly; let the Holy Spirit reveal their meanings to you.

He is The God/Man

“So the Jews gathered round him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe… “I and the Father are one. …If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (Jn 10:24,25,30,37,38 RSV)

“Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” (Jn 18:36,37 RSV)

“And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? …What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes, and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. Why do we still need witnesses?…” (Mt 26:62-65 RSV)

At one with the Father’s will

“Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel. …[T]he testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me.” (Jn 5:19,20,36 RSV)

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.” (Jn 6:38,39 RSV)

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10,11 RSV)

Resisting temptation

“And Jesus …was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone.'”

“And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'”

“And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,’ and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” (Lk 4:1-13 RSV)

Divine authority

“As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother… And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.” (Lk 7:12,14,15 RSV)

“Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. …Jesus, deeply moved…, came to the tomb; it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. “Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”…So they took away the stone. “And Jesus …cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (Jn 11:17,38,39,41,43,44 RSV)

Authority over evil

“…[W]hen he came …to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? …And the demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters.” (Mt 8:28,29,31-32 RSV)

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Lk 10:17,18 RSV)

“In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight.” (Lk 7:21 RSV)

Dominion in nature

“One day he got into a boat with his disciples, …and as they sailed he fell asleep. [A] storm of wind came down on the lake, and they …were in danger. [T]hey went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; and they ceased, and there was a calm”. (Lk 8:22-24 RSV)

“And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him”. (Mt 8:14,15 RSV)

“And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”…[H]e took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.” (Mt 15:34,36-38 RSV)

Preparing the disciples

“But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mt 20:25-28 RSV)

“I am the bread of life. …I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. …Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6:48,51,53,54 RSV)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (Jn 16:13,14 RSV)

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt 26:26-28 RSV)

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (Jn 15:15 RSV)

Sharing His authority with the disciples

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20 RSV)

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. …And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” …And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.” (Mk 16:15,17,18,20 RSV)

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Lk 10:19,20 RSV)

Crucified alone

“And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zeb’edee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” (Mt 26:37-40 RSV)

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “E’lo-i, E’lo-i, la’ma sabach-tha’ni?” which means, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34 RSV)

 “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? …Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help. …You who fear the LORD, praise him! all you sons of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel! …For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.” (Ps 22:1,11,23,28 RSV)

Resurrection

“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow… [T]he angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you.” (Mt 28:2,3,5 -7 RSV)

“As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them. But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (Lk 24:36-39 RSV)

“In the first book, O The-oph’ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.” (Ac 1:1-3 RSV)

“Have You Been Saved?”

“It is finished.” (Jn 19:30 RSV) The war has been won. Evil has been defeated and the consequences of original sin, cancelled. The fruits of Jesus’ salvific acts are now free and available to all mankind. Nevertheless, in keeping with His perfect love, and because we have free will, we must exercise our will to choose a relationship with God, be obedient to His will, and lay hold of Salvation’s rewards. This choosing happens in two parts.

First, we must be born again into the New Life He has lived.

“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (Jn 3:3-7 RSV)

The Sacrament of Baptism is the means wherein we choose to enter the New Life Jesus won for us. Since most of us are baptized at a very early age, someone else makes that choice for us. They are our baptismal or God-parents.

“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” (Catechism of The Catholic Church, §1213)

Baptism is a complete and thorough elimination of the damage in our Adamic inheritance; and gives us an altogether new life, descended from the life Jesus lived.

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.” (Ro 6: 3-9 RSV)

Having begun our new life as sons of God, members of the Body of Christ and His Church, we still have work to do — a second choosing, or more properly, a series of choices. Our existence does not occur all at one time and in one place, as it did for the angels. We live in a space/time box wherein our existence is accumulated over time and space. We are not the same today as we were yesterday. We have experienced more, learned more, encountered more temptations, and made more decisions.

I can choose to follow Jesus at this moment, and I can correct mistakes of the past through the Sacraments and graces of New Life. But I cannot choose to obey Jesus, even in the next hour, because I don’t yet exist in that time. I may want to, I may promise to, I may fully intend to — but it is not an authentic choice until I actually exist in that moment and execute my choosing in thought, word or deed. The reality is we encounter a stream of myriad opportunities in our lives to give up our right to ourselves and submit to our Lord, choosing to let Him rule us.

This process has been labeled “dying to self”. Pain is involved because it inevitably means saying NO! to our appetites, emotions, desires or pride. (See Embracing Conflict With Hope.)

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you … put off the old nature with its practices and … put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Col 3:5, 9-10 RSV)

“Therefore, my beloved, …work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Php 2:12,13 RSV)

The good news is that the New Life — nourished and guided by graces that flow from the Church and our relationship with God — restores in us the power to change (often called the grace of repentance); the power to exercise authority over evil in my life and the lives of those for whom I am responsible; the ability to discern what is of God and what is not; to know what Our Lord wants of us here; and the wisdom to see things as God sees them.

Resurrection followed the Crucifixion. Just as joyful new life follows the pangs of childbirth, spiritual death/resurrection is a single process, not separate events that may or may not happen. So too, the more we cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit in us, the more will we experience the joys of the New Life as it is released in us.

Make no mistake! I have a right to drive a stake in the ground, and say, I choose me. And I have the right  to be ruled by the values and standards of the Lord; asking Him to be the Master of my life.

I’ve never regretted my life with the Lord. I know the joy, wisdom, happiness, discernment, protection, fulfillment and peace that can only come from life in Our Lord. I’ve seen legs grow and hip sockets repaired; people healed of fatal diseases, addiction, and near-insurmountable mental, emotional and spiritual disease; the power of evil broken in lives; and much, much more.

Still, Life in the Spirit can be difficult, sometimes painful, but always incredibly rewarding. I have seen  places, things, and watched Our Lord work in ways I would never have dreamed possible.

I hope and pray this posting will encourage you to deepen your relationship with Our Lord and God. I encourage you to hang on tight to Our Loving Lord and His Father; and let the Holy Spirit take you on a journey you cannot now imagine.

Let us move confidently into the vicissitudes of life, knowing: There can be no resurrection if there is no death, and there can be no life, if there is no birth.

“And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:8-11 RSV)