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RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD

by linzy bruno
2/13/2023 / Bible Studies

How do we know if we are in right standing with God, and likewise; how do we know when we are not in right standing with Him?

Christianity is all about relationship, not reaching a pinnacle of perfection. Therefore, struggling with sin does not take us out of right standing. The fact that we can and should go to God during times of struggle demonstrates this Truth; evident through Psalm 34:17 & 50:15 & James 4:7, just to name a few. He’s there to help us, as long as we remain in Christ and go to Him to inquire that which He Wills. We go to Him because we have been chastised and want desperately to make things right again between ourselves and our Lord. Because the emptiness of living without Him is crippling. When we are aware of sin, we can sense His Displeasure and it is a feeling of devastation and utter aloneness that lasts until we wake up and go to the Throne.

And what exactly does it mean to be ‘in Christ,’ if we are to remain in Christ?

Very simply said, to be in Christ is to abide in the relationship we have with God through Christ and that relationship is one of total dependence on Him, where He is acknowledged as King and we hunger for His approval; to know His Smile is truly upon us. The relationship we have with Him is founded on our recognizing that we can do nothing without Him that’s worth doing. It’s knowing that we need Him, not only unto salvation, but every day of our lives. If we merely go to Him when we need something, we are not in Him, we are merely trusting in our position as a believer and from that standpoint; the only thing that could come is attempted manipulation. (Because God cannot be manipulated! See Galatians 6:7-8)

Because of God’s Amazing Grace, struggling with sin does not take us out of right standing with Him, unless we are emersed in the sinful life and our own plans and agendas. However, sometimes believers become filled with a sense of condemnation, which can result from struggling with sin, but in this case, a disconnect from our Father is only an illusion, sparked by self-inflicted guilt….See Romans 8:1. Because, not only is it not about our perfect, the fact that it bothers us so much IS evidence that we want desperately to please Him, but are struggling to overcome our flesh and God can and will help us, if we let Him.

Praying about overcoming the flesh and reading Scripture that encourages us through these struggles are wonderful ways to work with God’s Spirit to this end…. See Romans 7:15-20.

We need to make sure we are letting God do the work in us that He wants to do and strive to cooperate with His Holy Spirit’s indwelling.

God will use our conscience to chastise us, but the instance of self condemnation is not God. We also know that this type of guilt is a waste of energy because God’s Word warns against legalism as a means of relating to Him….See Galatians 2:16. We are His servants, children, sons and daughters and these terms describe our Biblical relationship with Him.

If God were legalistic; only concerned about rules and regulations, He wouldn’t have sent His Son to die for our sins. He has afforded us the free will to decide for ourselves whether or not we want to follow Him. Otherwise He would have to program us all to follow all He has for us to do. The fact of the matter is, if it were about our perfection, we wouldn’t need a savior and we should certainly know we cannot save ourselves…..See Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 3:25-28, Titus 3:5 & Galatians 2:20-21.

The thing that causes us to lose our right standing with God is refusing to repent, which is equivalent to telling God “I don’t want Your interference! I want to live my own life and make my own decisions and choices! I’m not going to check with You what You about every single thing I do!”

All we have to do is read the Old Testament to quickly learn this lesson from the Israelites. They repeated a cycle of sin and refused to repent for long periods, finally did, and then were soon back to living in sin. Their sins were: worshipping idols, complaining about the manna God fed them from the sky, and disobeying His Commands (Isaiah 1:4-6, 57:3-6, 58:1 & 59:1-2, 2Kings 17:7-17, much of the Book of Judges, Exodus 16 & Jeremiah 3:6-10)

The Israels were clearly not in right standing with God, as we can clearly detect from these passages that outline portions of Israel’s history.

Lastly, and perhaps most poignantly in this discussion is God’s Presence.

He lets us know we are in right standing with Him by simply showing up or by keeping His Presence from us.

If we cannot feel His Presence that’s our first clue that something is wrong. We need to humbly approach His Throne in those moments, and plead with Him to reveal the matter we are sensing; expressing to Him that we cannot stand to go on until we are right with Him again. (Psalms 32 & 51)

Furthermore, the sense of God’s Presence is pretty much unmistakable. His Presence is not tangible in the physical sense, but is felt heavily in the spirit. We are rarely left scratching our heads; without Him, the sense of danger, doom like a cloud of disaster are about the only things most of us will be able to sense! During times of trauma or extreme emotional upset, we may be left wondering, but ordinarily there is no question when God enters our personal space. And it IS wonderful, magnificent and glorious to bask in that Heavenly realm that God so graciously shares with His children!

WITH GOD, we have the deepest, most meaningful relationship; all others pale in comparison!

Notwithstanding, we need the Bible to more fully comprehend God, and the things of God. If it were not for His Presence, we would all be wondering if our relationship with Him is real or just in our imaginations. Thank GOD that we don’t have to worry or wonder; God shows up for His children! Hallelujah!

See Psalm 16:11, Exodus 33:14, Genesis 3:8 & Jeremiah 29:13

Linzy has been writing for many years; seriously since her 3 kids were still young and inspirational. She has taken 2 courses in Bible studies and completed "Four Soils" Bible study course in a 26-month period; earning her certification in Bible Counselling.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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