Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
Today I am in Bulgaria. I’ve been blessed with God’s presence and God’s wonderful family in Rouse, Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Sandanski, and Plovdiv. God is surely good. He is moving by His Spirit in the nations. New things are happening in the earth. God Is filling us with His presence that we might partner with Him in His purpose in our world.
God wants us to know the power and testimony of both His mercy and His grace. God’s mercy frees us from the judgments of death. God’s mercy triumphs over every other judgment and unlike other judgments, His mercy gives us hope of new life. God’s mercy justifies us to find our life in Christ and then God’s grace transforms us to rein in life. God’s grace is the unmerited favor of His presence in our lives that transforms us to become testimonies of God’s life to our world.
Romans 5:18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The mercy of God is given to each of us through the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His shed blood upon our cross justifies us all to find life in Christ. This is God’s mercy. God’s mercy frees us from judgment and condemnation. God’s grace makes us righteous in Christ. Our righteousness in Christ gives us eternal life. This is life that cannot die! It is life that cannot be destroyed! It is life that brings change to our character, nature, way, power, and authority.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Jesus died once for us all so we can find the death of our old life as Adam in Him, but then we find our new life in Christ. Having been submerged into His death we are raised into His resurrection life. This gives us an empowerment to walk in newness of life as sons and daughters of God in Christ. This is Christ working in us in this world but also into eternity beyond this world.
Romans 6:5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In Christ we are dead to sin, but alive to God. God’s mercy submerges us into the death of Jesus. God’s grace joins us to His resurrection. God’s mercy makes us dead to sin. God’s grace makes us alive to God in Christ.
Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Mercy freed us from the law, but grace joins us to God. Being joined to God gives us the power of His life. His life influences us to not only live but to be givers of life to our world. Grace is the influence of God’s presence in our lives. Law only restrained us, but grace liberates us. Law controlled us but grace empowers us to know the freedom that comes by God’s love. It empowers us to bring the freedom of God’s love to our world.
Blessings,
Ted J. Hanson
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Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728
