Rather than living like children who are tossed to and fro and carried by winds of other doctrines we should rather, “speak the truth in love and grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ,”
If we are speaking the “truth in love” we are manifesting the fruit of the Spirit and walking in the power and love of the Spirit. The same message that God uses to save, sanctify, and send us into the world to proclaim, is the same message of love that builds up and stabilizes the church. As we are speaking the truth in love to one another we grow up together into the love of Christ.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” Galatians 5:22 (ESV)
Jesus spoke the truth in love to us by laying down His life, forgiving our sins, tasting death, paying the penalty of our sin, and sealing the fate of all who believe with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not come with a rod of correction or pointing His finger in judgment at us, rather He gave His whole body on the cross where He spoke the truth in love to us with His arms opened wide and His hands nailed to the cross, shedding His blood in love for us.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). He was crucified, but we live. He was punished, but we are set free. He was crushed, but we are made whole. “You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24 NLT).
“from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:16
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-20
“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:17-20
Without the work Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection we would have no hope. No message to proclaim. No change of heart. No disciples made. No new creation experience. No peace by the blood of the cross.
Question 7: Please share your final thoughts of Jesus, whose blood was shed for the church to equip us, build us up in love, unite us in love, stabilize, and mature us.
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Alex writes, "He is our all in all! You put it so well, Erick, above where you wrote “ Without the work Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection we would have no hope. No change of heart. No disciples made. No message to deliver. No new creation experience. No peace by the blood of the cross.” That’s so true!
This is why Peter refers to the blood of Christ so many times, referring to His sacrifice as His precious blood. I am also always humbled when I read Heb 10:20, written above, how we enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the “new and living way”—that term new in the Greek means freshly slain! By the freshly slain and living way! Wow! That’s the gospel. Christ Jesus, very God of very God, humbled Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and even went to the cross to die for us, to be slain in our place and through His death we have life! There is no truth more profound or more powerful! Thank You, precious Lord Jesus, for Your life, Your death, Your resurrection, and Your continued ministry to us each day!" Mike Cleveland and Erick Hurt talk about Lesson 11 in the following podcast.