The Good Of The Father (The False Image) #1975

 

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me {Isaiah 45:5}

Norman Grubb ~ No Independent Self 

I've noticed over the past few years the impact of the false narrative preached by the mainstream church for thousands of years.  That being, that it is our own sin which has separated us from Gods presence.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, I would say that sin is simply the by product of our accepting the lie spoken by the church.  The truth is, we have never been separated from God.  For we are created in His very likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  He has breathed into His creation the breath of life, creating a living soul {Genesis 2:7}.  The origin of this false image is the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden.  The serpent enticed Eve with his words that if she were to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that which the Lord had commanded her never to take from, that she and Adam would then "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:1-6}.  Of course, having been created by the Father in His likeness, Adam and Eve were ALREADY like God.  Yet Eve was enticed by the words of Satan, and she took of the forbidden fruit and ate of it and offered it to Adam as well.  The damage was done.  The church refers to this as "The fall," where mankind sank into sin.  I suggest that it wasn't the taking of the forbidden fruit which constituted the fall of man into sin, but the belief in the false image spoken by the deceiver.  That man could somehow be separate from God Who created him.  This is the same lie which Satan himself believed when he proclaimed that he would "Exalt my throne above the stars of God" {Isaiah 14:12-13}.  Satan not only desired to be greater than God, but he convinced Gods creation that they could be as well.  Even today, the belief is that we are our own individual self, with God in heaven and His human creation living separate from Him here on earth.  Our understanding of God has been permeated by this lie.  Our prayers invite God to "Draw near to us."  Our worship music all too often proclaims "Come, Lord Jesus."  This is the result of our belief in the lie spoken by the accuser in the garden.  Sin is the result of that belief.  Make no mistake, it is the church which even today perpetuates the lie through its own false teachings.  

In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you 

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

This lie of the deceiver is often directly related to our own view of ourselves as well.  For we accept that which we others speak of who we are instead of knowing who we are in the Father.  I have a friend who has taken to accepting the false belief that he is indeed one of the worst, vile people you'd ever want to meet.  This lie has been spoken unto him so often that he now accepts it as the truth.  That's the thing about a lie, if you speak it often enough people eventually accept it as the truth.  To his credit, my friend has began to realize that he is not who other people claim that he is.  He is, in fact, a child of God {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  The words of Jesus we find in the book of John speak to the truth of our life in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We are not separated from Him, but live our life IN Him.  Unfortunately, the eyes of far too many believers have yet to be opened to this truth of our life in God.  The best example we're given of this transformation comes from the words of the apostle Paul.  Saul was raised in the synagogues of the Jewish faith, having been raised knowing the lie which spoke of God being far removed from man in heaven.  But all of that changed that day on the road to Damascus.  It's here where Saul had his infamous "Come to Jesus" moment.  From that point on, Paul began to gain in the knowledge of his life in the Father.  He realized that the his old man was dead and gone {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  What remained, is Christ.  Paul did not come to this realization right away.  In his own words, he speaks to "When it delights God" that He revealed His Son in him {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  My own realization of my life in the Father has taken over forty years.  The evangel spoken by Paul speaks to our union life in Christ.  That it is not sin which separates us from God {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  We do well to accept this truth of our life in the Father. 

~Scott~