Without Duplicity

When Jesus saw Nathanael in John 1, he saw a true believer.  The Amplified version includes a word that I believe is very helpful in understanding the way God sees us.  Jesus said Nathanael was without duplicity.

When we believe Jesus to save us from our sin, something in us dies and we experience a new birth.  From a spiritual perspective, we are a new creation.  God wants us to see what He sees.  He is saying, “My child, look up.  The view is much clearer and healthier from where I stand.  You are a saint.  Take a fresh breath and receive this good news. I want you to see (and believe) how I see you.”

We believe Jesus had both human nature, with its capacity to sin, and divine nature, with its capacity to please God.  Not only did Jesus overcome sin in the flesh by fully walking in His divine nature, but when He died on the cross he put to death the sinful nature.  He didn’t say, “Someday you are new.”  He said, “It IS FINISHED!” (John 19:30 Emphasis mine)  When we walk in belief that God saves us, that sin thing that has been in operation since Adam is gone!

This is where the ‘already and not yet’ (Kingdom Come) quality of God’s promises comes into play.  As Paul explains in Romans Chapter 7, from our human perspective we feel like the two natures are at war.  From God’s perspective, however, our sinful nature is crucified and we are handed a new nature, God’s divine nature in Christ.  We are without duplicity.

Remember, the truly faithful live like God’s promises are (already) true. (Fulfillment)

When a believer allows pride to hold on to the notion he is a sinner, he is living in opposition to what is accomplished on the cross.  We must come into agreement with God: we are saints.  When God looks at us, He’s looking at our new nature.  When we believe Him for what He did on the cross,  we are not distracted by what we see and experience on the outside.  It doesn’t matter who is judging us, who is placing blame, or who is trying to shame us.  We must recognize these attacks as flaming arrows from the enemy.  Our battle isn’t against each other, but against the spiritual forces of evil.

It is critical we let go of our sin, receive God’s forgiveness, and move on to reflect God’s glory.  In our experience on earth, it feels like we are on a journey, realizing more and more of our divine nature as we walk closer to God.  We feel like we are dying a little bit each day as we put the flesh to death.  But in truth, from God’s perspective, there is only one nature in operation.  We are a new creation.  Period.

If we hold on to the lies of the past, it cripples us from living the life God intended for us.  We carry burdens, the weight of our sin, and it feels like shame, judgement, unworthiness, and the like.  We are not free to love others when we ourselves are holding on to judgement.  At some point our dark beliefs make themselves known.

Don’t be discouraged!  Don’t be distracted! We are without duplicity!

Live like salvation is true!