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A Consecrated Life

since you have purified your souls in compliant to the truth as far as genuine brotherly love, agape loving one another earnestly from a pure heart, being brought forth not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God.*

It is the truth that the word of God exists Jesus, as John writes he is the Word of Life, Eternal Life.* Peter confesses His words exist Eternal Life and he is the Holy One from God.* Jesus said "the one feeding on my flesh and drinking my blood possesses eternal life, accordingly I will raise him up..."* The word of God became flesh, the living bread from heaven, and this bread, his words, give eternal life. The one who eats his words is the one brought forth, born of imperishable seed, and the one who continues to feed on his words is the one growing up into salvation.

but you are a chosen offspring, a royal priesthood, a holy people, a body of his own possession, so that you may declare the gracious act of the one calling you out of darkness into his marvelous light.*

The Church is a body, a people of all races and nations called to be holy. We are not of the circumcision of the flesh but of the Spirit and are called to "abstain from the desires of the flesh which wage war against our soul."* We are called to be consecrated, "obtaining the goal of your faith the salvation of our souls."* We are called by Jesus, "but according to the one calling you is holy, also become you, become holy in all your conduct."* Becoming holy speaks of maturity, of character like Jesus, transformed, a renewed mind, into the full measure of the stature of Christ, from glory to glory. The seed is planted, through metamorphosis, transformation, it becomes a plant, growing roots deep, then sprouting forth growing among the weeds to bring forth fruit unto eternal Life. How does one grow up, overcome? The one who is strong John writes is the one in whom the word of God abides in. The fruit he got led him into sanctification. The the word of God sanctifies, its outcome is eternal life, therefore, those who abide in the words of Jesus are being sanctified, transformed, renewed of mind. You who have grown up bearing fruit, "you have purified your souls in compliant to the truth" you practice truth, you are a Saint, becoming holy as Jesus is holy, you have grown up like Jesus because you abide in the word of life.

just like newborn children desire the milk genuine, reasonable so that in it you grow up.*

What milk are we to desire? the living and abiding word of God. Those who are born of God, they can not continue in sin, as God's seed abides, is planted in them. This seed will bring forth fruit, so the question becomes what do we do to bring forth fruit of the righteousness that is within us? or how do I practice truth and not do the things that are against my new nature being a partaker of God's divine nature? "desire the milk genuine, reasonable, so that in it you grow up." We abide in the words of Jesus as his words exist truth and the truth sanctifies. Jesus said, the true disciple abides in his words, he knows the truth, and the truth sets him free. Even the anointing which dwells in us, the Holy Spirit, of truth and life the one raising us up into newness of life the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, teaches us to abide in the words of Jesus. The words of Jesus exist genuine, reasonable milk that grows us up. Truth and love coexist as the bond of love leads to perfection, thus those perfection maturity is in love. The Holy Spirit pours out into our hearts the love of God, testfying we belong and leads us to abide in the words of Jesus thus into our reasonable service.

therefore I implore you brothers, through the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, the one your reasonable service.*

What is our reasonable service and worship to God? is it to become a living sacrifice? if so for what purpose? to literally go to some foreign land to be a martyr? is it to go to seminary school, to become a  missionary, an evangelist, or to help the poor, widows, and orphans...? James writes pure religion is helping orphans and widows but also to "keep oneself pure from the world."* If I help orphans but am not pure, then do I have pure religion? Our reasonable service, in which we present the body that sin dwells, a living sacrifice, is unto holiness, or unto purity. The good works being a by-product of being prepared beforehand. We are his workmanship, created and prepared beforehand, for good works. In other words, good works are fruit, overflowing from the one prepared, a vessel prepared for his use. A body prepared to do his will, this is what God desired of Jesus, not sacrifice and offering. So first we enter into our reasonable service and present the body a living sacrifice prepared unto holiness, this is reasonable, an acceptable sacrifice to God. Why? because in this, we are transformed, our minds renewed to be spiritual like Christ. And what is the outcome of such? a mind spiritual can accept the laws of God which are spiritual, thus obedience is the outcome and so is Life.

Now, at present, freed from sin, now indebted to God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification, now, its outcome is Life.*

We see three signs that Jesus speaks of in the old testament. Israel was freed from bondage, delivered from slavery through the power of God. The cross is a sign unto salvation like the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, all who look to the Son are saved. We are to remember what Jesus did until he comes, this is communion, remembering the body broken and the blood shed for our salvation. But we continue in our salvation, the salvation of our souls, the purification of the body of sin. They did not enter the promised land, to begin with, because God prepared them beforehand. They were saved, then prepared, living on manna and water from heaven. It is a picture of our growth, and in this, we see what prepares us in the new; bread from heaven and living water. "I exist the living bread, the one coming down from heaven if any eats of this bread he will live for all time and the bread I give is my flesh, over the life of the world."* "The one believing in me, as the scriptures say, out of his heart flows rivers of living water."* Now, set free, be prepared in the wilderness. sanctified, the outcome is Life, the promised land, of milk and honey.

you like living stones, built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offered as a spiritual sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ.*

This verse is usually translated as we are being built up to offer sacrifices to God, but in context, it speaks of our reasonable service. What is the sacrifice that is acceptable to God? the sacrifice that Paul writes is to be consecrated, to become holy, we present our bodies a living sacrifice to become holy. Becoming holy is the acceptable sacrifice to God. Paul writes as in the old testament temple, sacrificing and serving did not perfect men, and perfection relates to our maturity, so today it is true God doesn't desire sacrifice and serving but a body prepared to do his will. The acceptable sacrifice is to become holy like Jesus. The good works are a fruit of our being his workmanship. consecrated, holy, not the other way around. The good works are not an indication we are holy, in fact, if we are not holy when we go into the world, the world is not fooled. We can help the community but if we have not, "purified your souls in compliant to the truth" or do not have "genuine brotherly love, agape loving one another earnestly from a pure heart," we do not look like Jesus.

all flesh is as grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass; the grass fades away and the flower dries up, now, the word of the Lord endures for all time. Yea, this is the word preached to you.*

The true Jew Paul writes is the one circumcised of the heart, by the Spirit, not in the flesh. Jesus said that Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like the lily of the field, but the flower, fades and dies, so does the one of the glory of the flesh. But the one born of God is born not of a perishable "but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God" and as "the word of the Lord endures for all time" his glory will endure for all time. What glory do we speak of? transformation is the process of becoming like Jesus, holy, transformed from glory to glory, thus it is also called glorification. We in Christ are the praise of His glory, and Jesus is the hope of our glory. What does this mean? The glory is that we are becoming like Jesus, therefore we enter our reasonable service for this purpose.

And all the ones having this hope in Him, purifies themselves, just as he is pure.*

We are the praise of his glory because we are being transformed into his glory. "These God chose to make known, the mystery in the nations, which exists Christ in you, the hope of glory."* Glory is related to the concept of consecration, meaning we are a people being set apart, holy, acceptable unto God. Peter writes they were ransomed from the empty way of life handed down by their ancestors, not by perishable things like silver and gold, but of the precious blood of the Lamb, and pure Christ. This mystery is being revealed through the Church, "the one through him believing in God, the one raising him from the dead, also giving him glory, so that your faith and hope exist in God."* God desired not a sacrifice and an offering but a body prepared to do his will.* In Christianity today we talk much about the sacrifice of serving related to Jesus laying down his life, but do we understand the power of Jesus's indestructible life?* Without such an indestructible life Jesus would not have redeemed mankind, nor been a sacrifice acceptable to God, thus not a body prepared to do his will. Jesus was 100% man and God but the life he lived as some say he did not use his God card, he lived as a man. How did he live such an indestructible life as a man? He received the Holy Spirit as our example but also he consecrated himself in the words of God.

For their sake I consecrated myself so that they also exist consecrated in truth.*

How did Jesus live an indestructible life without sin? He consecrated himself in truth, and this is what God desired of him, to present this body a living sacrifice, a body prepared to do his will. Yes, this literally included his death to establish a new covenant and his blood to be a propitiation, and to redeem and forgiver sin, but it was his consecrated life that made such possible. And this is our reasonable service. "I am not asking you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. existing not belonging to the world just as I do not belong to the world, consecrate them in truth, your word is the truth."* How did Jesus live a consecrated life, without sin, protected from the evil one, who is the ruler of this world? he consecrated himself, and he prays that we are consecrated in truth. We who have this hope in him, purify ourselves, just as he is pure. Yes, as Paul writes he had not obtained such a prize of glory, but it was his end goal and he had promised Jesus to present a Church, a people consecrated, set apart, a people of God's own, from all nations and all peoples, holy, and pure. We are led by the Spirit into this reasonable service, to abide in the words of Jesus, to become holy as he is holy. Jesus is our hope of such glory, as one day we will be like him in glory.

No One Like Our God

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