<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Romans 4;22-25<div><br></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;That </b>(Abram’s irrational hope in God for whom nothing is impossible)&nbsp;<b>is why his faith was “reckoned to him as righteousness.”</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;But the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone,</b></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;but for ours also. &nbsp;It will be reckoned to us who believe in Him that raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,</b></div><div><b>25. &nbsp;who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Is there a difference in believing Christ Jesus died and rose for our forgiveness and new eternal life,&nbsp;</div><div>Or,</div><div>Believing in God <i>“who <u>raised</u>&nbsp;from the dead Jesus our Lord”?</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>From God’s perspective, the answer is ‘probably not much.’<br>Faith, is faith. &nbsp;It is God’s divine gift into our souls for our salvation, which God creates and gives through the working of the living Word, the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit.</div><div><br></div><div>However, from a human perspective, I believe understanding or appreciating&nbsp;the difference is most edifying.</div><div><br></div><div>To simply believe that Jesus died and rose again for us does not enlighten us as to the question, ‘Just how dead was Jesus?’ &nbsp;Like Miracle Max in the movie “Princess Bride” some may think Jesus, (both true God and true man) wasn’t fully, completely dead. &nbsp;Instead, they may think Jesus was ‘only mostly dead.’ &nbsp; That the&nbsp;divine nature (being true God) in Christ could not die. &nbsp;God being eternal with&nbsp;no beginning and no end, would logically mean it was impossible for Jesus to be ‘completely dead.’&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>But, the truth according to the holy Word says, Jesus died, fully and completely, both true man and true God!</div><div>When Jesus says to the Father, <i>“Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit’&nbsp; </i>the Christ&nbsp;Jesus was experiencing everything all who die experience; full complete utter&nbsp;helplessness and dependence upon God the Father. &nbsp;This entrance into death,&nbsp;the darkness of Sheol (see, Job 10;20-22)&nbsp;remains a mystery for us, and efforts to understand this eternal truth and reality&nbsp;exceed&nbsp;human understanding. &nbsp;The finite brain cannot fully embrace eternity and&nbsp;the eternal nature of God, or how God can and did truly, fully&nbsp;die.</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, such a condition is to be desired! &nbsp;&nbsp;Having no confidence in the flesh, being&nbsp;completely&nbsp;helplessness,&nbsp;allows Believers&nbsp;(by God’s grace alone)&nbsp;to walk by the Spirit in complete&nbsp;newness of life in Christ and His supernatural resurrection from death. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>This resurrection&nbsp;was not Jesus’ doing, but was&nbsp;accomplished by God the Father, who Himself raised Jesus from the&nbsp;utter and total helplessness of&nbsp;death. &nbsp;In our Baptism <u>into Christ,</u>&nbsp;we also have already been gifted with Jesus’ death to sin, (see, Romans 6;2,5-11) and in Christ we&nbsp;have&nbsp;been raised. &nbsp;Therefore, Jesus says to Martha and to us, <i>“I am the resurrection and the life;&nbsp;he who believes in Me, &nbsp;though he die, yet&nbsp;shall he&nbsp;live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall <u>never die</u>.” &nbsp;</i>(see,&nbsp;John 11;21-27)<i></i></div><div><br></div><div>When Paul says, <i>“For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ, and to be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his suffering, becoming like him in his death, that if possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” &nbsp;</i>(Philippians 3;8-11) (Remember, <i>“With God all things are possible.” &nbsp;Matthew 19;26&nbsp;</i>)</div><div><br></div><div>The “<i>loss of <u>all things”</u>&nbsp;&nbsp;</i>includes all human powers. &nbsp;Paul&nbsp;says, <i>“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” &nbsp;</i>(Philippians 1;21).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>This understanding of the Father raising Jesus from death, unlocks and adds insight&nbsp;for us into&nbsp;Paul’s words to the Philippians&nbsp;about his newness of life, and our own. &nbsp;It deepens our understanding of what faith really&nbsp;is and how great is the power&nbsp;our merciful Father for us in Christ.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric/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 we, as dead, utterly&nbsp;broken, and contrite hearted, dependent children&nbsp;are raised with Jesus to be&nbsp;His.” &nbsp;(see, Psalm 51;17)</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><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 4;22-25
22.  That (Abram’s irrational hope in God for whom nothing is impossible) is why his faith was “reckoned to him as righteousness.”23.  But the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone,24.  but for ours also.  It will be reckoned to us who believe in Him that raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,25.  who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Is there a difference in believing Christ Jesus died and rose for our forgiveness and new eternal life, Or,Believing in God “who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord”?
From God’s perspective, the answer is ‘probably not much.’
Faith, is faith.  It is God’s divine gift into our souls for our salvation, which God creates and gives through the working of the living Word, the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit.
However, from a human perspective, I believe understanding or appreciating the difference is most edifying.
To simply believe that Jesus died and rose again for us does not enlighten us as to the question, ‘Just how dead was Jesus?’  Like Miracle Max in the movie “Princess Bride” some may think Jesus, (both true God and true man) wasn’t fully, completely dead.  Instead, they may think Jesus was ‘only mostly dead.’   That the divine nature (being true God) in Christ could not die.  God being eternal with no beginning and no end, would logically mean it was impossible for Jesus to be ‘completely dead.’ 
But, the truth according to the holy Word says, Jesus died, fully and completely, both true man and true God!When Jesus says to the Father, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit’  the Christ Jesus was experiencing everything all who die experience; full complete utter helplessness and dependence upon God the Father.  This entrance into death, the darkness of Sheol (see, Job 10;20-22) remains a mystery for us, and efforts to understand this eternal truth and reality exceed human understanding.  The finite brain cannot fully embrace eternity and the eternal nature of God, or how God can and did truly, fully die.
Yet, such a condition is to be desired!   Having no confidence in the flesh, being completely helplessness, allows Believers (by God’s grace alone) to walk by the Spirit in complete newness of life in Christ and His supernatural resurrection from death.  
This resurrection was not Jesus’ doing, but was accomplished by God the Father, who Himself raised Jesus from the utter and total helplessness of death.  In our Baptism into Christ, we also have already been gifted with Jesus’ death to sin, (see, Romans 6;2,5-11) and in Christ we have been raised.  Therefore, Jesus says to Martha and to us, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me,  though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”  (see, John 11;21-27)
When Paul says, “For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ, and to be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his suffering, becoming like him in his death, that if possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”  (Philippians 3;8-11) (Remember, “With God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19;26 )
The “loss of all things”  includes all human powers.  Paul says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  (Philippians 1;21). 
This understanding of the Father raising Jesus from death, unlocks and adds insight for us into Paul’s words to the Philippians about his newness of life, and our own.  It deepens our understanding of what faith really is and how great is the power our merciful Father for us in Christ.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we, as dead, utterly broken, and contrite hearted, dependent children are raised with Jesus to be His.”  (see, Psalm 51;17)







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