The Dynamics of “Peace” among the Righteous and the Wicked

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On This Episode -

The Dynamics of “Peace” among the Righteous and the Wicked
Holistic Salvation Part 7
This episode begins with the question, "why do believers often struggle to have peace, while unbelievers, when circumstances are favorable, seem to be at peace? The answer rests on the nature of both. Believers delight with the law of God in the inner man, while they struggle against residual evil. They are conflicted until they substantially set their minds on the things of the Spirit, leading to life and peace. Unbelievers, by contrast, are dead spiritually, so there is little opposition to their minds set on the flesh, temporarily allowing for a superficial peace when sinful desires are satisfied. If believers resign themselves to being Romans 7 Christians without allowing the promise of Romans 8:2 to manifest, their lives will largely be defined by the conflict of the flesh verses the Spirit. Mature believers however apply the Romans 8:2 promise to their lives and intentionally set their minds on the things of the Spirit, leading to life and peace. The latter part of the episode addresses the superficial peace of the wicked who are largely successful at suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Critically they rationalize that their apparent peace will endure beyond the grave, for they actually think that God is just like them. (Psalm 50:21) The program concludes with the shattering of the peace of the wicked in an eternal hell. Lastly, the episode posits that the same distorted picture of God as infinitely tolerant among unbelievers also colors the perception of Christians who bank all on the imputed righteousness of Christ, without cooperating much with the Spirit of truth that sanctifies them. The loss of peace is usually the result.

Today's Topics -

  • 00:01:16 – The Pursuit of Peace
  • 00:06:24 – Understanding Salvation Holistically
  • 00:11:43 – The Mindset on the Spirit
  • 00:15:06 – The Importance of Walking in the Spirit
  • 00:19:57 – The Battle of Thoughts
  • 00:25:08 – Renewing the Mind
  • 00:30:14 – The Gift of Peace
  • 00:34:54 – Living Life on a Higher Plane
  • 00:39:23 – The Dynamics of Conflict
  • 00:54:17 – Experiencing Life and Peace

On This Episode -

The Dynamics of “Peace” among the Righteous and the Wicked
Holistic Salvation Part 7
  • 00:01:16 – The Pursuit of Peace
  • 00:06:24 – Understanding Salvation Holistically
  • 00:11:43 – The Mindset on the Spirit
  • 00:15:06 – The Importance of Walking in the Spirit
  • 00:19:57 – The Battle of Thoughts
  • 00:25:08 – Renewing the Mind
  • 00:30:14 – The Gift of Peace
  • 00:34:54 – Living Life on a Higher Plane
  • 00:39:23 – The Dynamics of Conflict
  • 00:54:17 – Experiencing Life and Peace

Today's Topics -

This episode begins with the question, "why do believers often struggle to have peace, while unbelievers, when circumstances are favorable, seem to be at peace? The answer rests on the nature of both. Believers delight with the law of God in the inner man, while they struggle against residual evil. They are conflicted until they substantially set their minds on the things of the Spirit, leading to life and peace. Unbelievers, by contrast, are dead spiritually, so there is little opposition to their minds set on the flesh, temporarily allowing for a superficial peace when sinful desires are satisfied. If believers resign themselves to being Romans 7 Christians without allowing the promise of Romans 8:2 to manifest, their lives will largely be defined by the conflict of the flesh verses the Spirit. Mature believers however apply the Romans 8:2 promise to their lives and intentionally set their minds on the things of the Spirit, leading to life and peace. The latter part of the episode addresses the superficial peace of the wicked who are largely successful at suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Critically they rationalize that their apparent peace will endure beyond the grave, for they actually think that God is just like them. (Psalm 50:21) The program concludes with the shattering of the peace of the wicked in an eternal hell. Lastly, the episode posits that the same distorted picture of God as infinitely tolerant among unbelievers also colors the perception of Christians who bank all on the imputed righteousness of Christ, without cooperating much with the Spirit of truth that sanctifies them. The loss of peace is usually the result.

Today's Scriptures-

Romans 7: 21-22, Romans 8:2, Romans 8:6, 2 Corinthians 3:18, John 3:5, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Psalm 29:1, Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 32:3-4, Ephesians 4:30, Ezekiel 36:27, Galatians 6:8, John 14:17, Psalm 28:4-5, Psalm 50:16-22, Romans 1:18

Break up Your Fallow Ground, and Let the King of Glory Come In!

This final episode of the series encourages and challenges believers to break up fallow ground and seek the Lord until God rains His righteousness on them. (Hosea 10:12) The series has lately highlighted how genuine and consistent seeking after God doesn’t just lead to righteousness but encounters with God Himself. The psalmist in Psalm 84 consequently longs for God’s dwelling place, and in psalm 26:8, David calls it the place where “His glory dwells.” Taken together, the Scriptures call for believers to balance the call to deny themselves in breaking up the fallow with the ultimate reward of being so transformed that God Himself, the river that never runs dry, satisfies the longings of the Christian. The latter part of the episode addresses the challenges of breaking up fallow ground. While it definitely includes hardened sinful habits, the program deals with the thought life of many believers that, while not overtly sinful, nevertheless amount to vast fields of wasted mental engagement on things that go nowhere. God wants to dwell in our minds, so the initial daunting task of reorienting thought life around what is pure, noble and excellent (Philippians 4:8) is nevertheless a mandate. The episode closes with a practical challenge to seek God consistently through prayer and reading of the Scriptures, to the exclusion of social media and even news.

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Seek His Face, Not Just His Hand

This episode addresses the motivation behind searching for God. While God honors “crisis” seeking, where He aids us in crisis moments, He intends that all believers become life-long “love”-seekers who hunger and thirst for God Himself. The program addresses the dynamics of how God transforms crisis-seeking to love-seeking, often by making lasting victory over sin and circumstances elusive, requiring persistent seeking after God Himself. This resting in God is discussed based on Ephesians 3:16-19, where progressive abiding in Christ leads to greater capacity for His rule, potentially leading to being “filled up with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:19) This quasi beatific vision is based on an intimate knowledge of the love of God where the diligent search for God is rewarded. The episode repeatedly emphasizes that mere crisis searching is unacceptable. Love seeking is the Biblical ideal that culminates in the knowledge of God.

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