We were created to rule over the earth, and rule we will! However, we have a problem. We were irreparably addicted to wanting to be like God, determining good and evil for ourselves, when we ate of the forbidden fruit IN ADAM in the Garden of Eden 
But God’s mysterious, inscrutable plan provided just the solution! He placed us all IN CHRIST when He died on the cross. All of us old, performance addicts who fell at the Tree in the Garden, died on the cross in Christ! Three days later, a new mankind rose in Him at the Resurrection: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Furthermore, since Pentecost, 50 days later, the Holy Spirit is alive and ready to empower us, right now, here on the earth, within these redeemed bodies, for our eternal purpose of ruling over it! “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (by His Holy Spirit); and the life which I now live in the flesh (right now) I LIVE BY FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
It is now only a matter of FACING, and then SHAKING, our performance addiction and BECOMING LIKE A LITTLE CHILD. This is, as we saw last week, the indicator that we are “living by faith,” or “living in the Spirit,” and not by obedience (works)! As Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
I believe that we become like little children in three ways:
1. We will learn to live by hearing and then doing what Daddy is telling us to do in our hearts—ginoskp knowing (experiential) and not eido knowing (intellectual).This is an extremely counterintuitive way to live for us performance addicts. It involves, believe it or not, “doing what is in your heart to do,“ or “doing what you want to do!”
“For it is God who is producing in you both the DESIRE AND THE ABILITY to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 ISV)
“So that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled IN US (not BY US!), who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).
These verses tell me that when I am “walking by faith,” or ”in the Spirit,” I find myself WANTING to do what God wants me to do, naturally spontaneously and unconsciously (NSU), and it will just happen to be KEEPING THE LAW OF GOD! So, I won’t go to church until I can’t stay away, not read my Bible until I can’t put it down, and never witness for Jesus to a soul until I can’t keep quiet! THAT is a little child, living by faith in Daddy, Who lives in him by His Holy Spirit!
2. We will learn to walk in the light together with other little children. As I learn to walk by faith in this way, I find I want to do so with other Christians! Christianity is not an individual sport, like golf. It cannot be played alone. It is a team game, and your team is a like-minded group of little children who are learning to walk by faith, transparently and eagerly confessing their forgiven sins to one another. As James says: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).
John communicates this same idea of walking in the light together as little children, confessing our sins together in 1 John 1:6-10. Here, John is like a lawyer, pleading a case. For example, look at these verses: (vs. 7) “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin… (vs. 9) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
In these verses, John discusses that confessing openly one’s sin is a source of rich fellowship and a confidence that one can know that this person is truly born again.
Verse 9 is often used as a “Formula for God’s Forgiveness.” It is understood to mean, “IF I confess, THEN He forgives”—a prescription for “works salvation!” However, the verse should be understood to mean that confession is EVIDENCE: as in “IF he can read the bottom line of the eye-chart, THEN that is proof that his vision is 20/20” Confession does not get God to save you; any more than reading the bottom line of the eye-chart makes your vision 20/20. It is simply proof of a previous condition!
On the other hand, verses 6, 8, and 10 are EVIDENCE that a person who hides or denies his sin is not yet a true believer.
Next week we will wrap up the third and final evidence that we are becoming little children who are walking by faith:
3. We will be a functioning, contributing member of a participatory church. How do I find a church that allows, even teaches, what we have discussed?. I can’t wait for next week!
