<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Romans 2;1-4<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;Therefore, you have no excuse, O&nbsp;man, whoever you are, when you judge one another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn&nbsp;yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp;We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who do such things.</b></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;Do you suppose, O&nbsp;man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God?</b></div><div><b>4. &nbsp;Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? &nbsp;Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?</b></div><div><br></div><div>Our terrible fallen&nbsp;nature produces in us a blindness to our own sinfulness, while at the same time temping us to be judgmental&nbsp;toward others.</div><div>&nbsp;This is just the reverse of what God has called us to in Christ. &nbsp;In Jesus we are to, <i>“first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck from your brother’s eye.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 7;5)</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Hypocrisy in us reveals like nothing else that we are not,&nbsp;in our fallen state,&nbsp;fit to be in the place of God.</div><div><br></div><div>God indeed is, <i>“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious,&nbsp;slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.” &nbsp;</i>(Exodus 34;6&amp;7)<u></u></div><div><br></div><div>Paul here in today’s reading,&nbsp;is giving us a warning to not presume upon God’s mercy. &nbsp;To do so is to treasure a wicked and evil heart within us. &nbsp;God is not just&nbsp;looking for right confession. &nbsp;He desires&nbsp;true brokenness and the changed behavior which belongs to it. &nbsp;Such change is the true fruit of faith.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>God’s kind&nbsp;patience is allowing us to be changed from being selfish self-centered people, ruled by our carnal lusts and passions, into&nbsp;people who, in the obedience of faith, deny themselves, carry their crosses, and follow Jesus, (who Himself&nbsp;lives for the praise of the glory of the Father).</div><div><br></div><div>Christian faith is dead if it fails to bear the fruits of repentance. &nbsp;This means changed heart’s&nbsp;<span>desires, minds, &nbsp;</span></div><div><span>AND behaviors.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Right doctrine leads to right living. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Licentiousness, is false doctrine, it&nbsp;twists our thinking, it is self-deception. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Licentiousness&nbsp;lies to our soul and says, “You are baptized into Christ in the ‘heavenly places’…your ‘will’ is to please God, God is satisfied with your ‘right doctrine.’&nbsp;He&nbsp;knows your passions and desires are too much for you to control…you can’t be truly holy in your thoughts and deeds. &nbsp;Just&nbsp;be thankful you are forgiven, that is all and everything God wants from you.&nbsp;You in this life cannot change, you must wait until you get to heaven.”</div><div><br></div><div>This is indeed false doctrine. &nbsp;God through Paul teaches us, <i>“I can do all things <u>in Christ</u>&nbsp;who strengthens me.” </i>(Philippians 4;13) Holiness of living <u>is possible in Christ.</u>&nbsp;&nbsp;<i></i></div><div><br></div><div>Please note,&nbsp;I did not say, ”perfect, flawless, holy living is possible.” &nbsp;Because of our weakened condition, nothing we ever do is without sin. &nbsp;Yet, <u>in Christ</u>&nbsp;we are continually forgiven <u>AND</u>&nbsp;given power to rebuke our old nature when it attempts to exercise dominion over us. &nbsp;We have been born anew <u>into Christ</u>&nbsp;so that <i>“sin shall no longer have <u>dominion</u>&nbsp;over us”. </i>(Romans 6;14) &nbsp; We have been saved so that we&nbsp;may&nbsp;walk by faith believing&nbsp;Christ is&nbsp;indwelling us <u>and</u>&nbsp;inspiring us to&nbsp;Newness of Life, denying our old nature, daily drowning the old Adam.</div><div><br></div><div>Sin may rear its ugly head, demanding we surrender&nbsp;to our passions and evil desires, and telling us we have no power to do otherwise, but this is poisonous false doctrine. &nbsp;Do not believe it. &nbsp;We have power now in Christ to deny the old Adam.</div><div><br></div><div>If we stumble, (and we will), we have the gifts of&nbsp;Confession and the power of true Repentance (change) to walk in freedom from the dominion of sin.</div><div><br></div><div>‘False repentance’ acknowledges evil but never believes it necessary or possible to turn from evil. &nbsp;This is not the true faith. &nbsp;True faith believes change and fruitful living led by the Holy Spirit is possible now in Christ.</div><div>We <u>can</u>&nbsp;deny ourselves and do what human flesh in its’ own strength and good intentions&nbsp;cannot do.</div><div>We can by faith&nbsp;have true communion and fellowship, oneness with our holy God.</div><div><br></div><div><i>“But now the Law of the Spirit of Life <u>in Christ Jesus</u>&nbsp;has </i>(past tense) <i>set me free from the law of sin and death.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;2)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, we rejoice that the true Gospel includes the giving of the Holy Spirit. &nbsp;We rejoice that You <u>are</u>&nbsp;at work in us, both to will <u>AND TO DO</u>&nbsp;according to your good pleasure. &nbsp;<u>IN</u>&nbsp;Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and <u>WE ARE </u><b>HIS</b>!”</div><div><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Romans 2;1-4
1.  Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge one another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.2.  We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who do such things.3.  Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God?4.  Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience?  Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Our terrible fallen nature produces in us a blindness to our own sinfulness, while at the same time temping us to be judgmental toward others. This is just the reverse of what God has called us to in Christ.  In Jesus we are to, “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck from your brother’s eye.”  (Matthew 7;5)
 Hypocrisy in us reveals like nothing else that we are not, in our fallen state, fit to be in the place of God.
God indeed is, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.”  (Exodus 34;6&7)
Paul here in today’s reading, is giving us a warning to not presume upon God’s mercy.  To do so is to treasure a wicked and evil heart within us.  God is not just looking for right confession.  He desires true brokenness and the changed behavior which belongs to it.  Such change is the true fruit of faith.  
God’s kind patience is allowing us to be changed from being selfish self-centered people, ruled by our carnal lusts and passions, into people who, in the obedience of faith, deny themselves, carry their crosses, and follow Jesus, (who Himself lives for the praise of the glory of the Father).
Christian faith is dead if it fails to bear the fruits of repentance.  This means changed heart’s desires, minds,  AND behaviors.
Right doctrine leads to right living.  
Licentiousness, is false doctrine, it twists our thinking, it is self-deception.  
Licentiousness lies to our soul and says, “You are baptized into Christ in the ‘heavenly places’…your ‘will’ is to please God, God is satisfied with your ‘right doctrine.’ He knows your passions and desires are too much for you to control…you can’t be truly holy in your thoughts and deeds.  Just be thankful you are forgiven, that is all and everything God wants from you. You in this life cannot change, you must wait until you get to heaven.”
This is indeed false doctrine.  God through Paul teaches us, “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4;13) Holiness of living is possible in Christ.  
Please note, I did not say, ”perfect, flawless, holy living is possible.”  Because of our weakened condition, nothing we ever do is without sin.  Yet, in Christ we are continually forgiven AND given power to rebuke our old nature when it attempts to exercise dominion over us.  We have been born anew into Christ so that “sin shall no longer have dominion over us”. (Romans 6;14)   We have been saved so that we may walk by faith believing Christ is indwelling us and inspiring us to Newness of Life, denying our old nature, daily drowning the old Adam.
Sin may rear its ugly head, demanding we surrender to our passions and evil desires, and telling us we have no power to do otherwise, but this is poisonous false doctrine.  Do not believe it.  We have power now in Christ to deny the old Adam.
If we stumble, (and we will), we have the gifts of Confession and the power of true Repentance (change) to walk in freedom from the dominion of sin.
‘False repentance’ acknowledges evil but never believes it necessary or possible to turn from evil.  This is not the true faith.  True faith believes change and fruitful living led by the Holy Spirit is possible now in Christ.We can deny ourselves and do what human flesh in its’ own strength and good intentions cannot do.We can by faith have true communion and fellowship, oneness with our holy God.
“But now the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has (past tense) set me free from the law of sin and death.”  (Romans 8;2)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, we rejoice that the true Gospel includes the giving of the Holy Spirit.  We rejoice that You are at work in us, both to will AND TO DO according to your good pleasure.  IN Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and WE ARE HIS!”


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