How the imperfect become Holy

Romans 8:1

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

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Peter was a denier, Paul a braggart, Thomas a doubter, Matthew a tax collector.

We can assume that like us, there was no condemnation for these disciples. Each; likely carried a certain amount of guilt. Guilt, and possibly even resentment, specific to who they were, and what they would enevitably represent. Which is the point of this understanding.

Paul mentioned that he felt like he and the others were being paraded in front of all. That sense of his, in the context of their individual weaknesses being displayed in the passages of the gospels, gives us no value. That is, until you consider that if there was no condemnation for their short comings, the guilt they carried was either to burden their conscience or to instead inspire them to overcome. What that means is, our weaknesses become our greatest strengths when we no longer fuel them with fear, but instead isolate them by the love we have recieved in grace.

Grace came to us by the Holy Spirit. Which means that up till Pentecost, grace did not exist among us.

So if we take Peter as our example: the guilt he felt for denying Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, that guilt would have not known grace until the Holy Spirit showed him that his lack of faith was what stood between him and the truth.

In the book of Acts, Peter's maturity and ability to minister in the Spirit, echoed his faith, a faith he did not have during his discipling. Peter became what he was destined to be in the Father's will. So where did his doubt go? His love for Jesus overcame it, and it was in his acts that he brought honor to Jesus, by witnessing to the children of God. *The Holy Spirit worked through Peter by the Kingdom of God which was upon Him because he carried Jesus(the Truth), within him.*


So what is the lesson? We each of us have a characteristic that will.either eternally shame us, or, will be the obstacle we overcome to achieve righteousness in the eyes of the Father. And we know that it is faith, that the Father recognizes as His righteousness working through us. So, the lesson is to have a clear conscience, and if you carry the truth in you, there is no condemnation for you, only that which your carry forward yourself.

The enemy wants us to fail our beliefs, by considering ourselves unworthy, or weak. The enemy wants his persecution to strip us of the power faith works through us. *You see, holiness is not being perfect, it is allowing perfection to work through us, despite our imperfections.*

Yes, grace shows us the sin we are in. But grace also gives us hope, if we *there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.* So we need to embrace that hope, and even in our weakness, put ourselves aside to allow the Spirit of Truth to work through us by the kingdom.

Everyday I am reminded that I am not worthy of the love I am shown. I am tempted in ways that remj d me of my weaknesses. I am tested in ways I am likely to fail. But everytime I repent, and remember I am redeemed, I recover. And then what was the weapon of the enemy becomes the substance of what I overcome with the love I have for Jesus, and by extension, the love I show others to glorify the Father's righteousness through His Spirit by His kingdom.

Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.


*holiness is not being perfect, it is allowing perfection to work through us, despite our imperfections.*