What I want for testing - and for life

I test for Sandan (3rd degree black belt, in 2 1/2 weeks...)

Stand firm, put on my armor
Gentle Strength
Controlled Strength
Gentle Fierceness
Supple
Quiet Confidence
Confidence in God
in myself
in my training partners
Open, expansive
Focused
Completely here, totally here,
in this place, in this moment
Precise, deliberate, clean
Controlled breathing
Steady
Open, honest, humble, real
Humble confidence
Calm
Intense
Relaxed
Passion
Lose myself
Find myself
Alive
Powerful
Fierce Joy

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Romans 8:5-8

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

This continues the previous passage, which stated that those who live according to the Spirit, rather than the flesh, have the righteous requirements of the law fully met in them (through the sin offering of Christ). So, we have two kinds of people:

*Set – to settle, concentrate, focus, block out anything else

No inferences were drawn in this chart, only the words actually stated in these passages are given. (The cool chart did not translate into blog format, and I don't have time to figure that out... you will have to make do with a list!)

Live – sinful nature
1.*Set mind on sin desires
2. Death
3. Hostile to God
4. Not submissive to God’s law
5. Unable to please God
6. Controlled by sin nature

Live – Spirit
1. *Set mind on Spirit desires
2. Life and peace
3.
4.
5. Righteousness fully met
6. Controlled by Spirit

To me this illustrates God’s sovereignty in an obvious way. Unable to please God, controlled by sin nature, dead – how can a person like that choose God but by God’s own intervention?

Romans 8:1-4

(Yes, I did skip a bunch of Romans! I decided to attempt to memorize it, and am starting with Ch 8 because it is what I know the most of. So to help memorize it I am spending time meditating in it, and of course that starts me thinking and praying and writing... and here we are.)

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit.

• Therefore – you have to look at Ch 1-7 to get to Ch 8. 1-7 are the explanation, 8 is the conclusion.


• There is no condemnation for Believers, rather, sin itself is condemned in a Believer.


• You must be in Christ Jesus (note that Christ comes before Jesus here, emphasizing Jesus as Messiah), because only through Him do we get the Spirit.


• The law of the Spirit of life is set in opposition to the law of sin and death. Spirit leads to life, sin leads to death.


• The law was powerless because of sin, but God isn’t. His own Son became like man to be a sin offering for man. In doing that He condemned sin in sinful man, leaving us with the righteous requirements of the law.


• So, the law is not nullified or done away with! It is completely fulfilled in us after Christ kills the sin. But to kill the sin, we must have the Spirit, which comes through Christ. So then we can live according to the Spirit rather than according to the sinful nature.


• I am free from sin and death, not free from the law. I am not a slave to my sin nature anymore; I have the Spirit inside me to meet the righteous requirements of the law. But following the law is not what saves me, because I haven’t followed it and cannot follow it on my own. The Spirit within me does it. And it is Christ who gives me the Spirit.

Romans 1:18-23

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

So, does God have the right to judge men? What about those who have never heard of Him? How can He judge them? This passage says that God put pointers to Himself in His creation. There are two things that man can know about God without ever having opened a Bible or hearing a sermon – God’s eternal power and divine nature. You look at the world around you, and if you are honest, you know that there is a Creator. No, that knowledge is not enough to save you from His wrath, but it is enough to send you looking for that Creator. It is enough to make you ask questions.

But man in general does not honor God or thank God or seek God. Without God man’s heart and mind choose to be blind, and they descend down a slippery slope, gaining speed as they run from God. They deceive themselves about their own condition. The mind becomes more and more foolish, the heart becomes darker and darker, and they see and understand less and less of Him. What they think becomes futile and pointless, and in the end they pick something else to worship and serve.