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The Apocryphon of James
But I answered him, "Lord we can obey you if you wish, for we have left our mothers and our fathers and our villages. Grant us therefore, not to be tempted by the devil, the evil one.
The Lord replied, "What is your merit, if you do the will of the Father and is us not as a gift while you are tempted by Satan? But, when you are oppressed by Satan, and persecuted; if you do the Father's will, I say He loves you, and will make you equal with me, and recognize you; having become beloved through his providence by your own choice.
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Choice
Choice, is what led us away from faith. Choice was the basis of what became the sin of Eve and the sin of Adam. In eternal realms, choice is not present, as obedience is joy. But outside the garden, mankind is reminded of their imperfection with every choice we make. Our choices here, are based on our knowledge. So for us to return to God, as imperfect beings, we must now make a choice to have faith.
Denying ourselves is far more than just giving up what we desire to act on. It is placing the Father first, in all relationships. Whether is be our relationship with drink, or with food, imagery, or with our possessions, or with our family, spouse, church, or with our wealth, power and influence. Because in all human relations, there is a separation between what is self involved and what is Holy.
The Salt.
Salt, is the desire we have to act on behalf of ourselves. For those of the body of truth, it is a suffering. It reminds us that there is flavor that we are denying ourselves, in order for us to choose God first. If we instead return to what gives meaning to this temporary state of being, we are choosing to put ourselves first. The salt is a reminder that we are choosing to suffer, for our love of God comes first.
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Luke 14:33-35
33
In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
35
It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
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If we lose our desire to suffer, as Christ suffered, we have placed our self first by choice. And so then; when we seek by the Kingdom, we are no longer guided by the Holy Spirit. Instead, we claim holiness from the kingdom, yet as a bad tree, we supply only bad fruit. Meaning, we create a perception from the bias of what we desire. It does not come from seeking holiness through the kingdom to do the will of the Father. Instead we claim holiness as of us, which separates into a division of incomplete knowledge. What holiness comes through us by the kingdom upon us, is to be guided by the Holy Spirit; as our council.
Having made that clear now; we all sin. But, grace supplies the faithful in the moment they place themselves aside. We are forgiven in the moment, as our repent of self, leaves is open to seek what is holy to come through our imperfection. Again, it is a question of choice, as we are not obedient creatures. And for us to choose to act in faith in the unseen qualities of God, we are showing our confidence in Christ Jesus as our mediator, which is how we know then, we are doing the Father's will. What brings glory to the Father is considerable, it is, that within our repentant self, we acknowledge that righteousness is if the Father alone. So that in our weakness, the strength of His Authority is what we rely upon..
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2 Corinthians 12:9
9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
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It is a sincerity, realizing that we must deny ourselves in this manner, so that perfection can work through us. A humbling experience, to separate what we feel, for what we choose to put our confidence in. In time, we begin to rely upon what is placed upon us by the Holy Spirit, and the salt becomes a regular reminder. Temptation never lessens, as we are bound in a flesh that has developed because of what ourselves and our forefathers relied upon to survive. So the humble sincerity of faith, is a sharp reminder of how far we have fallen, as well as, a terrifying look at what those who deny the truth are still bound by.
When a believer is tempted, it is normal to assume it has meaning. And to the flesh and the heart and the mind of the individual, the temptation is very much so individualized. The meaning is desired, because the temptation offers only what is expected by the world of that body. The further from that expectation a believer gets, the stronger the flavor the salt carries. Faith is not a burden, again, it is a choice. And with all choices come consequence. Temptation is the wide road. It is easy to say you love God when you don't deny yourself anything your desire. It is altogether different to deny yourself and face down your temptations for the choice to put God first.
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Romans 8:1-4
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Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
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because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
3
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
4
in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
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The Laws set down through Moses, gave understanding to what is the temptation. Everything not done in faithfulness is sinful, but temptations that blind a conscience, replace hope with fear, and create cost that exposes others to temptation as well. So the Father sent His Holy One to be housed in this imperfection, to not only overcome temptation, but so that he could become a mediator for those who walk in trespass. What that means is, the Holy Authority is our judge, yes, but sees that our souls are blinded by what is placed in front of us to tempt us. So all the choices we make, are based on what knowledge we develop over time. This leads us to bondage, and death. Life is found, by using choice to honor not what is placed in front of us, but having faith in what is unseen, which is the power of God, and His Authority.
So the gospel of the Kingdom was given. This gospel is that God is Love, and all the fruits of Love are holy, and complete, and of the Father alone. So we then recognize, that our claim on these things only honors the flesh, and therefore, that which masters it. Salt is the reminder that we have no meaning, and our only recognition comes from acknowledging the Father is what is righteous alone. The kingdom is for all mankind, for now.
But when the Son of God returns, he will claim the kingdom, and mankind will know that what is righteous was claimed in error, and we did not acknowledge the Father by His Authority. There doors will be closed to the kingdom, and those who then seek to love, or bear its fruit, will not be able to. There will be weeping, and gnashing of teeth.
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Luke 13:28
28
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
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and
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Matthew 8:12
12
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
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So to summarize. The salt is remaining in temptation, while denying ourselves in choice to seek by the kingdom, recognizing the power and glory are the Father's as righteousness is of Him alone. So in faith we seek, because the grace afforded; us who believe Christ Jesus died for our sins, so we could have our repent heard, in order to by choice, have holiness come through our acts. A salty choice, to suffer like Christ suffered, to do the Father's will. Amen.
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