“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”

Pure as He is pure? Is that possible? It is not only possible, it is expected!

We are to be like Him. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3: 2-3)

So how do we purify ourselves when we are already pure? Are we?

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, ¹⁷  comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NASB).

Did God and Jesus intend far more by introducing us to grace, grace as a concept versus just a gift, a priceless gift yes, never the less far more than a gift? This concept has a future intent, a “good hope” not yet achieved, according to 1 John3:2-3 above.

As God’s children, do we know of grace in terms of His experience, His use of grace, the example He set, the teachings, to adopt that grace which has drawn us to Him, that others might be drawn? “Well sure Michael, Jesus wants everybody to receive Him, to receive grace.”

What about this? Did grace enable His own departure and resurrection, proving how critical it is to us also? Remember, all of His examples of grace were of grace granted not received. That is, except for one instance, where I believe it is now clear that He received grace.

Paul said, “We are saved by grace through faith…” (Eph 2:8 NASB) Do we see the duality of grace, the grace that saves us?

We are first initially “saved” by receiving grace through believing in Jesus as our personal Savior, there after we maintain that purified, cleansed, and righteous, relationship to God as if we implement what we have learned about grace from our Lord Jesus, and He showed us primarily how to grant it!

What we now call “getting saved,” undoubtedly because Paul referred to it in that term, Paul more specifically calls it getting “reconciled” back to God in his letter to the Roman church. This verse reflects the duel use of grace.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:10 (NASB)

Paul declares a two stage relationship to God, the initial (gift) of reconciliation and then the lifetime responsibility, under the Lordship of Jesus, to purify ourselves via the help of the Holy Spirit who brings to remembrance the Words of Jesus, and by them helps us become pure as we obediently keep our eyes, hearts and actions focused on Jesus and what He taught us; resulting in salvation, according to Paul. We remain pure which we must pursue all of our renewed lives.

“Pure as He is pure?” Yes! Why put a requirement out of our reach? Stop looking at your weaknesses and grasp His strength! He has given us everything pertaining to life and Godliness! (2 Peter 1:3 NASB)

Paul also wrote in his letter to Titus, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, [first] by the washing of regeneration, and [second] renewing of the Holy Ghost….” Titus 3:5 (KJV) [ ] added for clarity.

Phase 1, Strongs 3824 NT “Regeneration”: palingenesia, from <G3825> (palin) and <G1078> (genesis); (spiritual) rebirth (the state or the act), i.e. (figurative) spiritual renovation; specially Messianic restoration : regeneration. Webster’s renovate: to make as good as new. This is a rebirth, as new babes, sinless, cleansed, washed by the blood, purified if you will, given a new chance live our remaining lives righteously by grace.

How do we? We are still in these bodies, we have the same memories, we have carnal attitudes? We are new yet we must become new? Yes. Made pure we must remain pure by purifying ourselves daily from the muck and mire of this life. We are the restored 1967 GTO that must be maintained diligently. How do we do that, to be pure as He is pure?

Phase 2, “…renewing of the Holy Ghost ” This next stage in Titus 3:5 is different and takes place after being reborn. It is a process of making new that is an equipping of the new born, fitting him with different understanding. Why the two stages? Because we still have our flesh and our world yet to resist. We are new but our flesh does not know that!

What was once our impaired judgment becomes repaired, via new understanding provided by Jesus. The revelation of the enduring love of the kingdom is in the light of Christ’s Ways, His Truth and Light; by Jesus’ life as Paul was quoted earlier.

This phase is the saving, the purifying process, the renewing that follows and is expected after reconciliation, it is critical dare I say mandatory preparation for actual salvation. If my love can gracefully endure this world and its predicted onslaught then I win against lawlessness, I shall be saved according to Jesus. This gate is narrow. It takes preparation to pass thru.

The Holy Spirit is our guide, leading us into all truth.  So,…we first have a born again experience, then we have an educational relationship that equips us with everything pertaining to life and Godliness. This process will purify us if we adopt it in obedience to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Yes we too will learn obedience by the things we suffer, but so did Jesus. This is not optional. Heaven and the Peaceful kingdom is inhabited by the obedient. The danger to us is, we have a will and that is what is being tested. This test has nothing to do with whether God loves us or not. HE DOES. Do we love Him? Do we fear Him?

“No, no testing…Christ died for me!” So, no race to run, no working out your salvation with fear and trembling? Yes my friend He did die for you. He died so you could have a second life/chance here, a better life, a purified life obtained by the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness; a tested life, a life that will be admissible into heaven, your next life.

You are not in heaven yet are you? Neither am I. He died for us so we could live for Him. He has made us able to do that by the renewing that we must embrace and grip as though our life depended on it. Which it does. Even His did!

Why such a grip? His return is closer than ever before. Look at the news. Shadow governments? Isn’t this a threat to the constitution! That was called treason at one time. Is a former president behind this threat by pre-planned emplacements and rule changes within the bureaucracy in the last days of his presidency? Is that treasonous? Yes it is. Those within the bureaucracy who help in this betrayal are traitors to the constitution and have violated their oaths of allegiance and secrecy. Why would they do that? Our constitution is to be cast aside by these progressive globalists. We saw evidence of that in decisions and actions so profound that we voted the bums out. The oath to protect the constitution is never abated. We hear of people attempting to unseat a fairly elected President, and that even has gained a name, a “soft” coup d’ etat? Our religious freedom is next. “Darkness is coming when no man can work.” John 9:4 NASB

Are we seeing the times we are in? How do these things and the news make you feel, a little hatred going on there maybe? Wouldn’t blame you at all but you might as well have let the devil shoot you in the head. Anger, bitterness and hatred are his weapons. You are dead already until you repent and intercede for the souls of your enemies from your heart. You protect yourself by doing so, just as Jesus did.

Is it hopeless? Maybe, if this world’s restoration is our goal. On the other hand if heaven is our goal…? If we are in the beginning of a reprieve we had better make it count! Souls are filled with hatred and death. Some of them are us.

Remember the crucifixion of Christ helped Him accomplish His departure! Luke 9:31, ACCOMPLISH? Yes!

General Patton told the Airborne troops before D-Day, “Forget about home, consider yourselves dead already…”

As we see the darkness closing in, we again are on the verge of one of the greatest battles in history. A battle fought by grace and love to spare as many as possible from a death force God Himself will unleash upon the stumbling blocks within mankind’s number. (Matthew 13:41, 18:7)

We are responsible to wash ourselves so our identity is seen and our deliverance is sure whenever it takes place.

Do I have a blessed hope? Yes I do. Do I hope for that which I possess? No I hope for that which I expect in faith as I “pursue peace with all men and the sanctification, without which NO ONE will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14-15 NASB) By this I purify myself as He is pure.

“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:7 (KJV) We “should be made heirs” but will we be? Grace is God’s by-directional, two sided coin of the realm that justifies us.

Now reconciled to God, I am justified in life because of the grace I grant! As I grant grace, God is faithful to grant me more grace. As I forgive, He forgives me. That is the concept, the Good News. You simply have to obey the rule. You get what you give, from God. He has entrusted grace to His children, to purify His children and hopefully others.

We receive grace as a debtor, we grant it as a favored child of the King.

Speaking of purified, was Jesus ever not pure?  BLASPHEMY!!! Really? Don’t be so sure! It is actually GLORIOUS! He does show us the Way to be pure doesn’t He? How better to show us than from His greatest moment of weakness.  Experience is a hard teacher for Him as well as those who seek to follow Him.

I love the Lord and He loves me. By His mercy and grace I will praise Him forever.

See  “Pure as He is pure? Is that possible?” Part 2

“If we remain in His grip, how far from His heart can we be!”

In the guardianship of Christ,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

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