faith

The simplicity in Christ

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In the beginning God created man and put him in the garden of Eden…in paradise! Obviously that’s says a lot of God’s will for man. The place man was created to live in…was paradise! When we hear the word paradise, our minds goes to a perfect place of completeness. So, we can mention lots of characteristics that are true about this place, but I will like to focus in this article on just one… the simplicity that man was living in that place.

In the garden of Eden, man was perfect in a perfect place. He didn’t work out to become perfect but he was created by God that way. He didn’t create paradise, God did it.  He didn’t gain or achieve to be placed in paradise but God placed him there. He didn’t even chooses to be placed there but God did it

There was nothing wrong or lacking with man or with the garden of Eden. Man had nothing to fix, add or improve. Man was perfect in a perfect place and had nothing to worry about! This is paradise! He was in a place that he could chooses anything to do and it couldn’t alter his perfect state of being except if ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Only one thing could change his status! That’s simple isn’t it? This is an awesome place to be…a perfect place where just one thing, you need to have in mind to not do…this is the simplicity that man had in the garden of Eden. 

Man ate from the forbidden tree and became like God in knowing good and evil for himself. From that moment man became self-reliant and self-sufficient. Man cannot rely on himself. He is created to live in a place were God supplies everything for him. Man’s sin was not that he chose evil instead of good but that he chose to live independently from God. From the moment he ate from the forbidden tree, he stepped out from that simplicity. Man in sinful state worries to supply and to choose about every detail of his life with many options in front him. He is in a very bad state of being and his life is in perplexity and complication. When he sinned, though he was still in paradise, a perfect place to be, fear and shame entered his life. Man’s self-reliance produces always fear and every bad feeling regardless of the perfect surround situation he is in.

Now, man in his sinful fallen state, he can take any choice he wants but none can alter his status as a sinner. All his actions are based on his own knowledge of good and evil. He can always repent from every wrong action and try to do good but every action he takes, good or evil has the same root ,his self. Only one choice can change him, to repent from his prideful self-reliance and believe in Jesus Christ. Simplicity comes back in his life. Now only one thing needs to have in mind , to believe,trust and rely on Jesus and all his actions will have one root, Jesus. Now though he lives in a fallen world surrounded by all sorts of evil situations has peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

In Christ, man is perfect new creation. He didn’t work out to become a new creation, God created him through Christ’s work. Man didn’t gain or achieve to be a righteous,a holy new creation in Christ but God make him. God is the source of every supply for the new creation, he has nothing to worry about. A man in Christ lacks nothing, so he has nothing to fix, add or improve because Christ’s new creation is absolutely perfect.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3

Eve was deceived in thinking that she had something to add or improve her creation by eating from the forbidden tree. The man in Christ must have this in mind so he will not be deceived and try to do something to improve what God already created in absolute perfection. He must always abide in Christ where all that he is and all that he does is Christ in him and through him. In Christ is the perfect place of completeness. A place of simplicity. 

Our part in the New Covenant

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In order to know our part in the New Covenant, we need to have in mind the big contrast of the law and grace. This is the difference of the two main covenants in the Bible, the Old Covenant of the law and the New Covenant of grace. We are not under the Old Covenant but under the New one. We cannot fulfill our part of the New covenant by  keeping the terms of the Old. If we think, that unless we don’t keep the commandments we are breaking our covenant with God, or if we obey the law then we keep our part of the covenant, then we are trying to fulfill the New Covenant with the terms of the Old. Not knowing in clarity the contrast of law and grace we are trying to obey God in the terms of the Old Covenant though we are under the New one.

The Old Covenant is the Covenant of the law. A Covenant that was made between God and the people of Israel. Under the Old unless they didn’t obey all the commandments they were breaking it. One single commandment they  disobeyed was enough to break it with the result to be cursed. Paul in his letter to the Galatians says that anyone under the law was cursed simply because no one can be justified by the obedience of the law. Doing your part under the law/Old Covenant was a mission impossible.

The New Covenant is the gospel of grace. A Covenant made between God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It’s an eternal Covenant that cannot be ever been broken. Whosoever believes in Jesus comes under the blessings of the New Covenant. Your part in the Covenant is Jesus. Grace means God does something on your behalf. Grace is not a doctrine or another teaching but it’s Jesus Himself. He is , He did and does all on your behalf in the New Covenant. That’s why is called gospel(good news).

The big contrast of the Old from the New is this: Under the Old it was all up to you to obey the law but in the New is everything up to Jesus. Jesus fulfills always perfectly your part. There is nothing for you to do but to rest. No work from you is accepted in the New Covenant. There is nothing for you to achieve in the New but to receive all that Jesus achieved for you. Rest in the fact that Jesus is your part in the New Covenant. Rest in the fact that Jesus is for you all you need to be. Rest in the fact that Jesus did all that was needed to be done for you. When you rest He works for you and through you. This is the obedience of the New Covenant. It’s called obedience of the gospel  or obedience of faith.