In a few more simple words it is holiness, righteousness, godliness, love and obedience.
Christ was all of those things so it is simpler to say "Christ-likeness." Our walk and relationship with Christ is so simple to summarize. When we do the things Christ did we are as we should be. We are to be obedient to the Word and to God. We are to be holy as He is Holy. We are to be the light and salt and strive for His righteousness. When we are doing all of these things we fulfill our duties as Christians.
That is it. That is all there is to it. Really it is so simple.
Aye, but difficult, albeit impossible without help.
Aye, but difficult, albeit impossible without help.
And not just any help, but we have to have help from God. For we are fallen. We are man of depravity. We cannot accomplish true righteousness, true love, true godliness... not without God. We are not as we should be. We are fallen.
So first surrender.
Yes if we want the simple faith and the true Christ-likeness. We must first give up.
We must die to our own self, all our motives, dreams, desires and fall at His feat! We must give it all to Him who sits on the High Throne. We must give it all to Him who came to die so that we could learn to die to ourselves and so we could learn what true love really is and we could have it.
We surrender our will. We surrender our hearts. We surrender first in salvation. And even after we are surrendered to Christ as Lord of our lives....when we are no longer under the power and slavery of sin....we must still surrender daily. WE surrender constantly in prayer and in actions. we worship God in all things we do.
We learn to love. We learn to live in the Holy Spirit. We learn to be holy, but only when we are willing to let go of all we are and let God in. Let God be first. Let God have His will and His way.
So simple but profound. Nothing new but so difficult and true! Amen! Amen
