Finished and yet to be Realized

“So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.”

The residual affect of sin within our members is something that is stimulated through the impetus of the father of lies within our flesh, trying to keep our soul fear-bound. In harkening to his subversive taunting, our soul is temporarily cut of from the “implanted” (engrafted) Word of God that has the power to further release, actualizing within us, the saving, restoring work of God’s grace. Without the secure, true knowledge of Whose we are (totally accepted and unconditionally beloved sons of God), this diabolical, unnatural, inclination will divert His life being fully formed within us, within our soul!
I love the following quote and somehow believe it flows congruently with my thoughts: “In other words, the work of Christ is finished and yet to be realized. It is reflective of the “already, but not yet” tension of the Kingdom of God.”

It is of utmost urgency to have revealed to us our true point of reference, and it is this: “he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” In the miracle of being received by God the Father, birthing us, our previous state, being “by nature … children of wrath, sons of disobedience,” we were instantly translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.

This implanted (engrafted) Word of God to which we have been joined is our only hope of outwardly becoming all that is contained from within our only source of life, Christ in us. Our salvation is for the purpose of saving all that we are, spirit, soul and body, being presented to the Lord, perfectly.
Our common adversary, Satan, fully knows his impotency in stopping us from responding to God’s initial offer of saving grace, but knows full well he can still wreak confusion within our life, within our soul, by using the residual lingering stain of fear to continue his purposed manipulation of keeping our souls alienated from God our Father.

I love how our brother James puts it: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” It is important to understand that this wisdom that James speaks of is inseparable from the Father’s love!

He (our Father) relentlessly appeals to the inherent soul-alienation within the child of God: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Rich