Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
(Ephesians 4:15 NIV)
We know of many children of God
who have been the Lords children for years and they have
been working for the Lord many of them, and yet they have come to
a standstill; they have come under an arrest. Why? Well in some
way, at some point, somehow, something of themselves, their old
self has come up, has come into evidence, and has come into the way.
It may be some of their old mind, some of their old will, some of
their old affections, desires and feelings. They are in their own
way somehow. They are in the Lords way. What is needed is
not that they should die again, but that they should come to
accept their once-for-all death in Christ in relation to whatever
that may be that has come up, and let it go and be set free from
that law of sin and death. Repentance from dead
works. That is exactly what the apostle is saying to these
Hebrews: "You have come to a standstill. You simply ceased to go
on. You went so far, now you have got to a certain point and for
years you have not budged a bit from that position. You have
never got past foundations, you are not going on to full growth.
You have not settled it once and for all that you died when
Christ died. You ended the whole system and order of the old
creation religiously and otherwise when you came to Christ.
Christ is the end of the law and Christ is the end of the old
creation, and He is the beginning of everything new. Do not be
wearied at repetition of old truths, they are very important as
foundations, and this is foundational."
We are destined, whether we now
accept it or not, whether we like it or not, we are destined to
discover that Gods foundation stands. This is true, and no
one will ever get through in relation to God and His things while
still bound by the old creation, on the old creation level. This
new way of Life is so narrow that we cannot take ourselves into
it, we have to leave ourselves behind.