Changing Your World

It’s impossible to separate the Holy Spirit from the Gospel of Grace. Unlike the long lists of rules and regulations that administered the law, the Spirit now administers this new covenant and governs the believer in love. The focus has shifted from Old-Testament rules to New-Testament faith; God’s commandments are no longer carved in stone but now written in our hearts. Letting Him guide and direct us is a sign of spiritual maturity.

The Holy Spirit is the key to us receiving under the new covenant of grace. He’s the one who administers it, and a relationship with Him is therefore necessary. The law unsuccessfully tried to change man from the outside in; by contrast, grace transforms us from the inside out. Under grace, our hearts—not our actions motivated by a sense of obligation—are what’s most important to God. We receive what He wants to give us by seeking His guidance and prompting, and by listening for His clear, distinct voice.

The Holy Spirit is the key to us receiving under the new covenant of grace. He’s the one who administers it, and a relationship with Him is therefore necessary. The law unsuccessfully tried to change man from the outside in; by contrast, grace transforms us from the inside out. Under grace, our hearts—not our actions motivated by a sense of obligation—are what’s most important to God. We receive what He wants to give us by seeking His guidance and prompting, and by listening for His clear, distinct voice.

The Holy Spirit is the key to us receiving under the new covenant of grace. He’s the one who administers it, and a relationship with Him is therefore necessary. The law unsuccessfully tried to change man from the outside in; by contrast, grace transforms us from the inside out. Under grace, our hearts—not our actions motivated by a sense of obligation—are what’s most important to God. We receive what He wants to give us by seeking His guidance and prompting, and by listening for His clear, distinct voice.

For the new covenant of grace to manifest itself in our lives, we need the Holy Spirit’s presence. It’s good to have knowledge of scriptural principles, but He takes that knowledge one step further by making it real and bringing it to life. The law didn’t stop at just the Ten Commandments; it included hundreds of additional rules designed to externally regulate man’s moral behavior.

For the new covenant of grace to manifest itself in our lives, we need the Holy Spirit’s presence. It’s good to have knowledge of scriptural principles, but He takes that knowledge one step further by making it real and bringing it to life. The law didn’t stop at just the Ten Commandments; it included hundreds of additional rules designed to externally regulate man’s moral behavior.

For the new covenant of grace to manifest itself in our lives, we need the Holy Spirit’s presence. It’s good to have knowledge of scriptural principles, but He takes that knowledge one step further by making it real and bringing it to life. The law didn’t stop at just the Ten Commandments; it included hundreds of additional rules designed to externally regulate man’s moral behavior.

Our mindset makes a huge difference in how we live our lives. Being conscious of our sins causes us shame and condemnation; by contrast, being aware of our innocence in Jesus Christ frees us from negative emotions and changes our behavior. Most churches constantly focus on sin; however, Jesus delivered us from this, and God has now forgiven all believers. Faith in this this makes us righteous, so that we therefore no longer have to define ourselves by our performance.

Our mindset makes a huge difference in how we live our lives. Being conscious of our sins causes us shame and condemnation; by contrast, being aware of our innocence in Jesus Christ frees us from negative emotions and changes our behavior. Most churches constantly focus on sin; however, Jesus delivered us from this, and God has now forgiven all believers. Faith in this this makes us righteous, so that we therefore no longer have to define ourselves by our performance.

Our mindset makes a huge difference in how we live our lives. Being conscious of our sins causes us shame and condemnation; by contrast, being aware of our innocence in Jesus Christ frees us from negative emotions and changes our behavior. Most churches constantly focus on sin; however, Jesus delivered us from this, and God has now forgiven all believers. Faith in this this makes us righteous, so that we therefore no longer have to define ourselves by our performance.

Sin-conscious people are consistently aware of their guilt and are therefore focused on sin in their lives. They don’t accept the fact that Jesus has already dealt with the issue. This is spiritually dangerous because being more conscious of our sins than of our righteousness makes sin the focus of our lives. A better way of thinking is to instead pay more attention to our innocence that Jesus died to restore to us; because God has forgiven us, we no longer have to live feeling guilty or ashamed.

Sin-conscious people are consistently aware of their guilt and are therefore focused on sin in their lives. They don’t accept the fact that Jesus has already dealt with the issue. This is spiritually dangerous because being more conscious of our sins than of our righteousness makes sin the focus of our lives. A better way of thinking is to instead pay more attention to our innocence that Jesus died to restore to us; because God has forgiven us, we no longer have to live feeling guilty or ashamed.

Sin-conscious people are consistently aware of their guilt and are therefore focused on sin in their lives. They don’t accept the fact that Jesus has already dealt with the issue. This is spiritually dangerous because being more conscious of our sins than of our righteousness makes sin the focus of our lives. A better way of thinking is to instead pay more attention to our innocence that Jesus died to restore to us; because God has forgiven us, we no longer have to live feeling guilty or ashamed.

Being conscious of our sins isn’t the way God wants us to live. By contrast, being aware of how God sees us in Christ—innocent and free—lets us focus on our righteousness. We are forgiven because Jesus has dealt with our sin. We aren’t what we do; bad behavior doesn’t separate a person from God, but rather the sinful nature of a person before they get born again.

Being conscious of our sins isn’t the way God wants us to live. By contrast, being aware of how God sees us in Christ—innocent and free—lets us focus on our righteousness. We are forgiven because Jesus has dealt with our sin. We aren’t what we do; bad behavior doesn’t separate a person from God, but rather the sinful nature of a person before they get born again.