IMITATING IS IMITATION -mjs

"For to me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:2l).
Once we learn the truth of our union with the Lord Jesus, and of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, any attempt to imitate Christ will be seen for what it is: unscriptural, and futile.

"Our Father is going to teach us, mainly through personal failure, that the life we live is the life of our Lord Jesus alone. The Christian life is not our living a life like Christ, or our trying to be Christ-like, nor is it Christ giving us the power to live a life like His; but it is Christ Himself living His own life through us; 'no longer I, but Christ.'"

"The end of Christ's incarnation, death and resurrection was to prepare and form an holy nature and frame for us in Himself, to be communicated to us by union and fellowship with Him; and not to be able to produce in ourselves the first originals of such an holy nature by our own endeavors."

"The believer's true education is in the growth of Christ within. The Church's real ministry is not multitudinous public services, so-called, but the forming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the lives of His people; the reproduction of Christ; epistles made alive by the Holy Spirit, to be seen and read of all men." -C.A.F.

"There is no answer to infidelity like the life of the Lord Jesus displayed through the Christian. Nothing puts the madness of the infidel, and the folly of the superstitious more to shame and silence than the humble, quiet, devoted walk of a thorough-going, heavenly-minded, and divinely-taught believer."

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you" (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
 
Welcome to CFS, Netchaplain. I agree totally that if the Church could only come to a real understanding of Who Christ is in us, we would be totally transformed, both individually and corporately.

On a practical note, may I make a small request? For the sake of us oldies whose eyes ain't quite what they used to be, could you please make your posts in normal size rather than tiny print?

Thanks and blessings,

Lynn
 
Thank you Lynn (my middle name) for your reply. I am still trying to learn to increase my type size but as yet don't know how on this site.

Concerning our transformation, we couldn't be more transformed because the Christian is complete in everything that Christ is (1Jo 4:17). Transformation is a single occurrence during regeneration but you might mean conformation, which continues until the redemption of our body.
 
Thank you Lynn (my middle name) for your reply. I am still trying to learn to increase my type size but as yet don't know how on this site.

Concerning our transformation, we couldn't be more transformed because the Christian is complete in everything that Christ is (1Jo 4:17). Transformation is a single occurrence during regeneration but you might mean conformation, which continues until the redemption of our body.

Look at the top of the message area you are typing in.......directly to the right of the "avatar". There you see the words FONT FAMILY and then FONT SIZE.
Click on the arrow, highlite your choice.

May the Lord bless you.
 
Thank you Lynn (my middle name) for your reply. I am still trying to learn to increase my type size but as yet don't know how on this site.

Concerning our transformation, we couldn't be more transformed because the Christian is complete in everything that Christ is (1Jo 4:17). Transformation is a single occurrence during regeneration but you might mean conformation, which continues until the redemption of our body.
Not wanting to nit-pick, but Paul wrote to Christians Rom 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Certainly we are legally and positionally complete in Christ, but at the practical and experiential level I think most of us have a lot of transformation to go through before we are fully conformed to the image of Christ - I know I sure do! In any case, I was speaking in a general rather than a theological sense, meaning that if we could grasp the reality of Christ in us our attitudes and actions would be totally changed.

On the font size,you seem to have got it right, but for future reference just highlight the passage you want to change and then click the little arrow beside "Font Size" at the top of the reply window and select the size you want.

On the name ... I'm still getting my head around the idea that blokes can be called Lynn, too. :D

blessings,

Lynn
 
Not wanting to nit-pick, but Paul wrote to Christians Rom 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Certainly we are legally and positionally complete in Christ, but at the practical and experiential level I think most of us have a lot of transformation to go through before we are fully conformed to the image of Christ - I know I sure do! In any case, I was speaking in a general rather than a theological sense, meaning that if we could grasp the reality of Christ in us our attitudes and actions would be totally changed.

On the font size,you seem to have got it right, but for future reference just highlight the passage you want to change and then click the little arrow beside "Font Size" at the top of the reply window and select the size you want.

On the name ... I'm still getting my head around the idea that blokes can be called Lynn, too. :D

blessings,

Lynn
 
Lynn, I mistakenly posted your quote so please disregard.

You're correct brother, I believe I was being too term-technical. Continuing to conform is a type of ongoing transformation, like being sanctified, which I believe none of us will peak in this life concerning Christ's life. To me, transforming by conforming means more in the doing of yielding than in us actually doing the work of God because it's all vicarious.

I think Christ's virtues such as holiness, righteousness, esp. justification, etc., are imputed but not imparted. By us not desiring this to originate of our self, God continually causes us to partake through yielding. He uses us not we use Him!

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [His] good pleasure." Phi 2:13.

Love You In Christ
 
Lynn, I mistakenly posted your quote so please disregard.

You're correct brother, I believe I was being too term-technical. Continuing to conform is a type of ongoing transformation, like being sanctified, which I believe none of us will peak in this life concerning Christ's life. To me, transforming by conforming means more in the doing of yielding than in us actually doing the work of God because it's all vicarious.

I think Christ's virtues such as holiness, righteousness, esp. justification, etc., are imputed but not imparted. By us not desiring this to originate of our self, God continually causes us to partake through yielding. He uses us not we use Him!

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [His] good pleasure." Phi 2:13.

Love You In Christ
<grin> Hi Bob. Guess you missed the implication of my last statement. I'm your Sis, not your Bro. :D

I believe there is both imputation and impartation. I like to use an illustration based on something I saw a long time ago on TV. It was an interview with a sculptor, who produced the most wonderful lifelike statues of horses. The interviewer asked him how he managed to turn a lump of wood into something so lifelike that it looked as if it were about to gallop away. The sculptor replied, "When I look at that block of wood, I see a horse. Then all I do is take my hammer and chisel and chip away everything that doesn't look like a horse." I believe that's how it works with us. When we come to Christ, God imparts His righteousness to us. He looks at us and sees Jesus. Then He takes His hammer and chisel (the Holy Spirit) and begins to chip away everything that doesn't look like Jesus.

blessings,

Lynn
 
<grin> Hi Bob. Guess you missed the implication of my last statement. I'm your Sis, not your Bro. :D

I believe there is both imputation and impartation. I like to use an illustration based on something I saw a long time ago on TV. It was an interview with a sculptor, who produced the most wonderful lifelike statues of horses. The interviewer asked him how he managed to turn a lump of wood into something so lifelike that it looked as if it were about to gallop away. The sculptor replied, "When I look at that block of wood, I see a horse. Then all I do is take my hammer and chisel and chip away everything that doesn't look like a horse." I believe that's how it works with us. When we come to Christ, God imparts His righteousness to us. He looks at us and sees Jesus. Then He takes His hammer and chisel (the Holy Spirit) and begins to chip away everything that doesn't look like Jesus.

blessings,

Lynn
Just came back to this and realized I've made a typo - the third-last line should read "When we come to Christ, God imputes His righteousness to us." The impartation comes through the next bit. Sorry about the confusion. (Sometimes my typing fingers take on a life of their own and run ahead without first consulting with the brain. :eek:;):D)

blessings,

Lynn
 
This also is what I mean:

"The end of Christ's incarnation, death and resurrection was to prepare and form an holy nature and frame for us in Himself, to be communicated to us by union and fellowship with Him; and not to be able to produce in ourselves the first originals of such an holy nature by our own endeavors."
"Thc believer's true education is in the growth of Christ within. The Church's real ministry is not multitudinous public services, so-called, but the forming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the lives of His people; the reproduction of Christ; epistles made alive by the Holy Spirit, to be seen and read of all men." -C.A.F.
"There is no answer to infidelity like the life of the Lord Jesus displayed through the Christian. Nothing puts the madness of the infidel, and the folly of the superstitious more to shame and silence than the humble, quiet, devoted walk of a thorough-going, heavenly-minded, and divinely-taught believer."
"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you" (2 Thessalonians 3:3). -mjs

We In Him
 
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