God highly values reconciliation
God values conciliation very much. And the responsibility is mine, not yours. I can’t serve God while I know that you hold something against me.
Ideas about the Kingdom of the Heavens around us and the unity of believers in Christ within it
God values conciliation very much. And the responsibility is mine, not yours. I can’t serve God while I know that you hold something against me.
God created the first human, male and female, as a being like himself with whom he could share his life and his creation. But the disobedience of the first humans introduced shame, which drove them away from God and hindered them from agreeing with God about their sin and returning to him. This is always the effect of shame, which comes from us, not from God.
Complex unity, Confession and Repentance, Conversation with God, Desire to have our own way, Forgetting God, Free will, God is Love, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, Guilt versus Shame, Knowing good and evil, Language and Speech, Male and female, Marriage, Marriage, Marriage and Reproduction, Meaning of Unity, Repentance, Replacing Relationship with Morality, Sin, To be in his image, To bear fruit, To fill and govern the Earth, Trinity, Unity, What is sin?
Defines the common sets of terms pertaining to sin, offense, guilt, shame and honor, with a discussion of God’s work and initial comments on the importance of their confusion in maintaining the social order.
God’s intention is that, as we take delight in him, he will put his desires within us. This will make us progressively more able to trust God, do good, and avoid sin. It will also make us increasingly able to discern when our guilt doesn’t come from God.
A God who Speaks, Confession and Repentance, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, God's Voice, His Children, missing the mark, On speaking terms again, Reconciliation, Refusing to hear, Repentance, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Show us the Way of Truth, Sin, Sins versus sin, Through Jesus, To be in his image, What is sin?
“Repentance” is a decision to change one’s outlook and way of life and leads to changed behavior. It is NOT the same as remorse, regret, contrition, guilt, shame, or feeling sorry for the consequences of an act.
Our peace, joy and effectiveness are dependent on our unity as shown by forgiveness and the resolution of offenses between us, God takes division and unforgiveness so seriously because it damages all parties to the offense and limits the Body of Christ. When we neglect this, we are given over to the tormentors–guilt, fear, anxiety and mental illness.
He has shown us the way into a new life, a life beyond death, a life that is at peace with God. We must receive his life and follow him, living in the Spirit as he did. That is all. No “merit” is involved. God doesn’t look at our “merit.” Jesus doesn’t save us by giving us his “merit;” he saves us by giving us himself. This is the key to freedom.