We started looking at what is revealed about our receiving of the Breath of GOD and so I will continue with that thought. And again drawing from e-sword and Pastor Hoekstra's dealing with our receiving of GOD's Grace and our making use of the ESV translation will also be continued.
"Under Grace, Not Law"
"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under Law but under Grace." (Romans 6:14)
"Sin dominates every one's life, unless they are learning GOD's remedy. Grace is our only hope that sin will no longer dominate our lives. Furthermore, Grace is a sufficient hope that sin need not exercise a dominating influence over us.
Before we came to faith in Jesus Christ, we were fully under the dominion of sin and slaves to it. We were condemned before GOD because of our sin, in its separating power. The same power hidden in mans many religious forms and institutions. Others may not have been aware of our truly sinful condition nor how effective mans religion is in keeping us captive. Still, we were so controlled by sin and religion that GOD called us "slaves of sin" (Romans 6:6).
The Law, now this is not the command of the ten but is the Law as Moses gave Israel which brought us no hope of escape. In fact, this Law condemned us (Romans 3:19). We could never have found freedom from sin and religion's condemnation by attempting to perform better under this Law of GOD, for "by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Galatians 2:16).
On the other hand, the Grace of GOD is our fully effective hope. There is forgiveness of sins by His Grace (Ephesians 1:7). There is justification through faith by the Grace of GOD (Galatians 2:16). There is growth in spiritual life by the Grace of GOD (2Peter 3:18). None of these heavenly blessings become ours from attempting by our ability to live up to the old Jewish Religion and Law standards of Almighty GOD. As they Law was perverted by the customs and habits of the very Priesthood that was given the ability to govern Israel by this Law.
Our relationship with the LORD is based upon Grace, not upon the Letter of the Law. For the only function of this Letter is to kill, but it is the Spirit that gives to us true Life. (2Corinthians 3:6) We began a walk with the LORD by His Grace at work for us. We continue to walk with Him by His Grace at work in our lives."
Breath of Life, GOD imparts:
Genesis 2:4-9 "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD GOD made the earth and the heavens. When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD GOD had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—then the LORD GOD formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of Life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD GOD planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there HE put the man whom HE had formed (created for his spirit to dwell in Genesis 1:26-28). And out of the ground the LORD GOD made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
Isaiah 2:12-22 "For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; against all the lofty mountains, and against all the uplifted hills; against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away. And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to terrify the earth. In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to terrify the earth. Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?"
Ezekiel 37:1-6 "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And He led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O LORD GOD, You know." Then He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD."
Daniel 5:16, 17-23 "But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the Most High GOD gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. And because of the greatness that HE gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High GOD rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom He will. And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the LORD of heaven. And the vessels of His house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the GOD in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored."
Acts 17:16-21, 22-31 "While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews (these were the Priest's, doctors and lawyers possibly of his own order) and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The GOD who made the world and everything in it, being LORD of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods (dispensations, economies) and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they in them should seek GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In Him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed His offspring.' Being then GOD's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance GOD overlooked, but now HE commands all people everywhere to Repent, because HE has fixed a day on which HE will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom HE has appointed; and of this HE has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."
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