Get God's Reasoning About A Matter

Today I want to dig a little further into what I touched on yesterday about God's reasoning and how that impacts faith. I believe that one of the reasons why faith can seem so hard for us is because we, unknowingly rely on our reasoning when it comes to trusting God.

As I continue this series on the "rest" of this story, my goal is to help us discover how we can rest, not wrestle with faith. Yesterday I closed on the topic of getting God's reasoning on a matter in order to have the God-kind of faith. If you recall, Hebrews 11:1 said that "faith" is the substance of things hoped for. We discovered that the word "faith" literally means to have a persuasion or reasoning about an argument to the extent that it changes our belief system. And then we discovered that Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The word "word" is the Greek word logos meaning a reasoning or computation.

We also know that in the gospel of John the bible says the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is the Word of God. He came in the flesh to reveal the "reasonings and computations" of God's will. He states, "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father" and "I have come to do the will of the Father". Additionally, He came to redeem us from sin and death - Romans 5:18 states; "Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people".

In other words, just as Adam's sin resulted in condemnation for all of us, so also one righteous act, Jesus' shedding of His blood resulted in justification and life for all of us.

So lets look at the difference of the written word and God's reasonings and computations.  When the Pharisees brought the woman who was caught in adultery before the Lord, they told Jesus, "Moses says that a women caught in the act of adultery should be stoned to death, but what do you say"?
 
The written word or the Law of Moses said one thing, but Jesus came to reveal the heart of the Father.  He knew the heart of the Pharisees and so He said to them, "You who are without sin, cast the first stone at her". They were all pricked in their conscience and left one by one.  Then Jesus said to the woman, "Where are all your acccusers?" 

Now watch this.  Here is the Father's reasoning about this matter.  Jesus said, "Hath no man condemned thee"  She answered and said, "No Master".  Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more".  Jesus, Who came to reveal the reasonings and meditations of the Father. The Pharisees were judging this woman of sin and they were guilty of sin themselves.  God's computation and reasoning on the matter was the whole world is full of sin because of Adam. And God's meditation was that the whole world would be delivered from the one man's sin because of the righteous act of one man, Jesus. His heart toward the sinner was Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness.

What is the reasoning of most Christians today?  It would be more like this; "Go and sin no more and then I will not condemn thee".  The reasonings of man are still hung up in the Law, the do's and don't's of the Law but in this New Covenant which is described in the bible as a covenant with new and better promises (Hebrews 8:6), we have been made righteous through our faith in Christ. 

Does this mean it doesn't matter what we do?  By no means. What I am saying is that once we find our identity in Christ, all that our Savior has provided for us, we will not want to do the don't's.  You see, the bible says it's the love of God that brings men to repentance. As I begin to discover the depths of God's love for me, I am filled with His joy and peace, knowing that no matter what I may do or how I may fail from time to time, He will not judge me on my victories or my failures. All of my deeds have already been judged in the person of Jesus.  That debt is paid...in full.  That is Good News. That brings me a sense of overwhelming peace and joy.  It is in the strength of this reasoning and computation of God that empowers me to be all that He has called me to be. To be an overcomer when life challenges me.

So when I have a need or care, my faith is made active in knowing that God's promises are yes and amen because of the Blood that Jesus shed for me and not because I have qualified myself by the strength of my beliefs or the deeds I perform. All I need to do is to believe on the one Who saved me and know that the Father looks at me through the Blood of Christ.

May the Good News of Christ be revealed in your heart in a deeper way today.