Devotion Equals Relationship

...giving thanks unto the Father, 

which hath made us competent to share 

of the inheritance of the saints in the light: 

who hath delivered us from the authority of darkness, 

and hath translated us into the kingdom

 of the Son of His love: in whom we 

have redemption through His blood, 

the remission of sins: who is the image 

of the invisible God, 

the firstborn of every creation'

Colossians 1:12-15

     In the last blog I spoke of salvation, what it means, and here is the answer: If you have repented of your sins they are remitted, and you have been delivered from the authority of darkness and have been made competent to receive this, not by anything you have done, no, but simply by the grace of God, His mercy, His love for the One whom He sent to be the propitiation for sin. Oh! You say! God love me! Really? Why would He love a sinner, the one who does not really want God, but to be godly? Here is a great distinction between Authentic Christians and cultural Christians: Cultural religions  believe all things can be obtained by their own efforts. Cultural Christians believe that good behavior gives them some special recognition by God and by this their sins have balance before God. Authentic Christians seek to become in the image of Jesus Christ and for God to restore this image God placed in man are the creation of man. Here is a distinction: Authentic Christians know that they cannot accomplish this and place all their hopes to obtain this by their reliance on the Holy Spirit. We must not forget this fact: Our change of behavior does not precede our reconciliation to God and somehow becomes the cause for God to give us favor. Our change in behavior, changing from the inside/out, is the effect by our coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ and it be faith in Jesus Christ that causes this effect of behavior change in a person. If a person is not made right with God they will not be delivered from God's judgment and the hold that Satan has on them and this being made right with God is that an Authentic Christians is one who has been adopted by God into His family. Authentic Christians become heir with Christ and then by this adoption, this being an heir with Jesus Christ, all the privileges that belong to a person by means of the relationship is being renewed into the image of Jesus Christ and in the life to come when at that Authentic Christians will experience God's eternal glory and love, forever.

     A problem arises from those seeking to please God, to be an Authentic Christian and that problem exists with both cultural and Authentic Christians: they want to make converts to their way of thinking. This problem has plagued the Christian Church from the beginning and has overtime caused such as the Inquisition, the burning at the stake those who were not of the same belief. I am not speaking of those who teach and practice that which the Bible does not approve of and in fact warns about so that we can be on guard. Christians were never told to go and make converts to their way of thinking, but to look after His sheep (John 21:16). A problem is that we come to believe as service what we do in the way of Christian work. Jesus calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Authentic Christians are to make disciples, to nourish the disciple in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is not some adherence, or based on a creed, or a belief, it is becoming into the image of Jesus Christ, to be devoted to Him, not to some man-made, as good as it may be, belief. Our devotion is not to some creed, to some Confession, rather it is to Jesus who is our devotion. 

     Today, a problem exists within even Authentic Christian Churches; they have substituted credal belief for personal belief, and this has many to loose their devotion to Jesus Christ. It is as though, and it is true for many, that they do not want to be devoted to Jesus, they just want Jesus to be their friend. The obedience of Jesus was first to God, then to man, not the other way around. 

     Here is a secret (It really is not a secret), a disciple's life is devotion to Jesus Christ and to have the characteristics of Him to spring up and lead us in this life. 

     Have you entered into such a relationship?

Why boasted, thou thyself in mischief,

    O mighty man? The goodness of God

endureth continually. Thou lovest evil

    more than good: and lying rather than

to speak righteousness.

                Psalm 52:1-3

Devote yourself to Jesus

Richard L. Crumb