The practical consequences of our ¹distrust of God, however, are fully in play and have a real, ongoing, and significant impact on our disposition or sense of closeness to God, our day-to-day relationship with Him, and experience of His love. ¹Distrust may no longer be a legal issue for
Though these are entirely separate issues, both are equally significant in how we relate to God. To the degree distrust is no longer a legal
Accurately assessing and acknowledging these two very different
To fully
To recognize and focus on the practical issue of our ongoing distrust is not to revisit - place ourselves under - God's rejection and condemnation we were once under. It is to clearly assess where we need to trust Him more. In Christ, rejection, and condemnation by God no longer exists. We are now fully accepted, cherished and embraced by God.
The practical issue of our distrust is an entirely separate matter from the legal consequences of our rebellion. It has to do with our moving toward or away from God, not God moving toward or away from us. In Christ God is now fully and perfectly for us, never against us. He is now Immanuel - God with us.
The practical issue of our distrust must be addressed daily if we are to honor God, experience all He has for us, and be all He created us to be.
To illustrate, once a couple marries, they are fully husband and wife no matter how strained their relationship becomes. Unless they legally divorce, they will remain husband and wife with all the vows, responsibilities, and potential benefits of that relationship intact. However, while held together by binding covenant, they can become completely alienated from each other emotionallydue to distrust within the relationship. To build trust does not make them any more a husband and wife legally than they already are but it does make them better partners as husband and wife i .e. The practical outworking of their legal status as husband and wife is more fully and appropriately expressed, experienced, and demonstrated when trust is a vital part of the relationship. The more they trust each other the more they experience the other's love.
To illustrate, once a couple marries, they are fully husband and wife no matter how strained their relationship becomes. Unless they legally divorce, they will remain husband and wife with all the vows, responsibilities, and potential benefits of that relationship intact. However, while held together by binding covenant, they can become completely alienated from each other emotionally
Trust is vital to our developing a stronger relationship with
Is God's love conditional or unconditional? For a further
For a further discussion on the now but not yet aspect of the gospel, click here.
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¹Even though weare redeemed and the legal consequences of our distrust are gone and no longer held against us , distrust itself remains. It is still embedded in our character, nature or disposition.
¹Even though we
Though trust is greatly restored once we are initially reconciled to God it is still deeply ingrained in our makeup and its negative effects still linger , even as His children.
God continues to work on and increase our trust - remove our distrust - in order to strengthen our relationship with Him i.e. He seeks to increase our faith and our experience of His perfect love.
³Though I am perfectly
The more we learn to trust him now, the greater our experience of him in eternity - and today. He is our greatest reward.
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Grace to you
Jim Deal