In This Issue

DEAD TO SIN – MINE, YOURS AND OTHERS’ – Don Atkin

Reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is God’s virtue for the
wounded. This is His balm of Gilead. He has set us free from the effects of our own sin. He has also set us
free from the effects of the sins of others. The new creation is free indeed!

NO MORE SIN CONSCIOUSNESS – Steve Crosby

The only sin believers should be “focused” on, is the sin the Spirit brings to light as we are in intimate
dialog with the Father! Only as we sit on His metaphorical lap, hear His heart beat, and listen to the
mercifully severe Voice of transforming love and power, are we to address matters of behavior.

STRIVING TO WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY? – Ron McGatlin

Some of the most unfulfilled people in the world are devout Christians who strive daily to live righteously
and to get every detail right in their lives and behavior. Often they feel guilty or hopeless because they are
continuously striving and still fail in one way or another. It is possible to make ourselves and the people
around us to live in a measure of misery by our striving to walk circumspectly.
 DEAD TO SIN – MINE, YOURS AND OTHERS’
Don Atkin
(Chapter 4 of Don’s forthcoming book, “Acts of a New Creation”)
www.donatkin.com

It takes little discernment to realize that many Christians are walking wounded. Some are so severely
hurt that they are rendered dysfunctional insofar as normal body life is concerned. Some are spiritually
paralyzed, carrying their woundedness with them from place to place, from fellowship to fellowship, and
even from city to city.

Being restored to physical/mental/spiritual health is a prerequisite for enjoying Jesus’ abundant life and
fruitfulness. Meaningful Christian activities wait in the wings for the practical applications of the balm of
Gilead1 to the open wounds of those who are called to be warriors in the kingdom.

For my dear broken people, I’m heartbroken.

I weep, seized by grief.
Are there no healing ointments in Gilead?
Isn’t there a doctor in the house?
So why can’t something be done
to heal and save my dear, dear people?
I wish my head were a well of water
and my eyes fountains of tears
So I could weep day and night
for casualties among my dear, dear people.2

In our day, Jesus—the Great Physician—clothes Himself in shepherd-hearts so that His virtue3 might
simultaneously flow into every place that His body resides. Marks of authenticity, caring lovers of
mankind, are intended by heaven to be the front lines of God’s assault on cruel and fallen societies. The
earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.4

Those who sit in the city gates in counsel with Jesus5 are to be “on call,” day and night.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed
sins, he will be forgiven.

1
Balm of Gilead is a balm (healing compound) made from the resinous gum of the balsam poplar (Populus
candicans), a North American tree species. It takes its name from the allusive Biblical phrase "balm in Gilead",
referring to the balm or balsam carried from Gilead by the caravan of merchants to whom Joseph was sold by
his brothers (Genesis chapter 37). In all likelihood, this ancient trade item was what is now known as balsam of
Mecca, produced from the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn. Commiphora opobalsamum), native to southern
Arabia. Balm of Gilead is used in skin care products for the treatment of eczema and dry skin. - Wikipedia

2
Jeremiah 8:22-9:1 TM
3
Mark 5:30
4
Roman 8:19
5
Proverbs 31:23

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 Confess your trespasses to one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a
righteous man avails much.6

James gives us the example of Elijah’s praying for the rain to stop, and—later—praying for it to begin
again. This very example ought to reinforce our faith and encourage us to embrace one another,
beginning with prayer. We who are charged with shepherding the flock of God among us7 have the
capability through Christ to set the captives free from their past hurts and wounds. This capacity is the
anointing oil of Christ in us, the hope of glory.8

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He
has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”9

The issue is faith—not faith in ourselves, not faith in a doctrine or a system—but faith in Christ who is in
us! This is bottom line for all of life in Christ, in the Anointed One! There is no other option. Without faith
it is impossible to please God.10 The just shall live by faith.11

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in (or, the faith of) the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself for me.12

Until we come to grips with the efficacy of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection as it concerns us, we will
be forever burdened with our sin and the sins of others, as they directly or indirectly affect us. When we
finally and fully accept the sacrifice of our Savior, believe in His resurrection without doubting, and
embrace His coming to live within us, personally, we are free indeed! He whom the Son sets free, is free
indeed.13

Acts of a new creation confirm the coming of the Lord14 who is the Spirit.15 Acts of obedient faith
demonstrate, put on display:

• Forgiveness,
• Reconciliation,
• A new life,
• Another kingdom,
• A day of reckoning.

Faith is proven in acts of reckoning. (Reckon is a bookkeeping term meaning the process of considering
and reconciling the columns of numbers under consideration.) Let’s apply this principle of reckoning as it
pertains to our present condition in Christ.

6
James 5:12-16
7
1 Peter 5:2
8
Colossians 1:27
9
Luke 4:18-19
10
Hebrews 11:6
11
Romans 1:16-17
12
Galatians 2:20
13
John 8:36
14
John 14:18-19
15
2 Corinthians 3:17

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 If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness
of His resurrection, 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.

For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having
been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that
He died, He died to sin once and for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.16

• I reckon that I am alive in Christ

• I reckon that Christ is alive in me.
• I reckon that I am dead indeed to sin.
• I reckon that I am dead indeed to my sin.
• I reckon that I am dead indeed to your sins (as they may have affected me).
• I reckon that I am dead indeed to all the sins of others (that may have affected me).

This is God’s virtue for the wounded. This is His balm of Gilead. He has set us free from the effects of
our own sin. He has also set us free from the effects of the sins of others.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things
have become new.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the
ministry of reconciliation.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you
on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him.17

I implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin!
Period! All sin! Jesus understood: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”18 Stephen got
it. He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “ Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”19

16
Romans 6:5-11
17
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
18
Luke 23:34
19
Acts 7:60

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 NO MORE SIN CONSCIOUSNESS
Stephen R. Crosby
ww.drstevecrosby.wordpress.com

The scope of the change from the Old to the New Covenant era has been debated since the first days of the
church-even before Jew/Gentile and legalism issues. The apostles had the unenviable task of trying to
simultaneously claim continuity and discontinuity with the Old Covenant Scriptures. They had to wrestle
with: “How, and to what degree have things changed?” It wasn’t an easy job then. It’s not an easy job now,
and to this day, has never been fully resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. My personal conviction (which I
hope is agreeable to many) is that the Calvary-Act (i) is the great interpretive filter for all Scripture.
However, this hopefully amenable premise does not eliminate debate on various issues.

It has been my church experience (36 years) that most Christians live in varying degrees of mixture of old
and new creation beliefs and practices. The sweep of the change from the Old to the New era (pre to post-
Pentecost) is neither well understood nor practiced. Most Christians understand our sins are forgiven in
Christ. But that is Godward awareness. The mixture normally manifests in the daily mucking and grinding
of practical living, what some call sanctification. Some sincerely teach that we are justified by grace, but
after that, it is all up to our discipline to live the Christian life.

The Pauline grace of God in the New Covenant is so radical, that scrupulous moralists of his day accused
Paul of excusing sin (Rom 6:1-2). That accusation still echoes today in those who want to resist the New
Covenant message of undeserved, unmerited, unqualified, raw, grace, effective for both our justification
and sanctification. They think that preaching a “grace message” promotes sloppy living and that diligent
focusing on our sin, and mastery and overcoming of the same, is the way to please God and obtain his
personal favor above others who are not as disciplined as, well . . . our wonderful selves!

Sin awareness and management through the disciplined application of biblical principles is not the new
creation life we are promised in Jesus Christ. If we could manage our sin, we would not need a Redeemer.
The old creation nature is very disciplined. This is especially true if there is some benefit or gain
associated with the mastery of sin such as, esteem, respect, promotion, privilege, promise of leadership
position, etc. Like a dancing dog in a circus, the old nature will flawlessly perform to biblical standard for
the applause of a crowd. But when the applause stops . . . its still . . . a dog . . . the old nature.

Spiritual maturity is not defined by how well we apply biblical principles to suppress sin. The Scripture
plainly tells us that trying to a live a life of commitment to principles is contrary to God’s will and
designed to cause us to fail, go backward, be broken, snared, and taken in a trap. (ii) God had a rest and
refreshing for Israel, bound up in His Person, relationship, and love, which they refused. So he taught
them precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little, like a bunch of babies! It is not a
compliment from heaven! Most of Christianity thinks “line upon line” is the “standard” to be desired and
pursued!

Gordon Dalbey (iii ) has a unique grasp on the depth of this significance:

Father God will not allow relationship to him to be reduced to a set of principles. Men who live by principles
therefore cannot know God, for he is approached and known not by striving after righteousness, but only by
confessing brokenness. A man cannot hide the fact that his rigid principles are not signs of integrity, but
weapons to shield his own fearful weaknesses. The man who is always right is the most dangerous threat to

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God’s purposes in the world. It is the man of principle who is always the most ready to reject the gift of God
and to hurt, even destroy others whom God has ordained for us to be in relationship, because of adherence to
his principles. A person who lives by principles can only receive what he or she has earned through his/her
careful adherence to those principles. (iv)

It’s a negotiated deal-Deuteronomy 28-We do our part, God does His. I have heard it taught that way. The
only problem is, the terms of the New Covenant have only one party involved . . . Himself (Heb. 6:13-20).

Part of the joy of being a participator in the new creation is to be free of a constant awareness of sin (Heb
10:2, 10:22)! Yes, I know this sounds too good to be true, and some are probably already shouting at me:
“Yeah, but what about obedience?” I will get to that. The strength of sin is the law. (v) That is, all law
living, not just Torah adherence, but striving to live by “laws” . . . Jew or Gentile law, even “good” biblical
“laws.” Being “hard on sin” is actually empowering the same. You can bet that if a preacher is harping on a
particular sin, that his/her own sin is lurking in the dark somewhere.

The essence of the old order was sin consciousness: God is holy, humanity is in debt to that holiness,
Torah demands adherence, and a hope that sins might be forgiven for at least another year after the Day
of Atonement. There was no assurance. Rather, through the repeated necessity of offerings, the worshiper
was continually reminded of his or her sins. The whole point of the New Covenant is to accomplish
something that the Old could never do: provide the believer no more conscience (awareness/self-
indictment) of sin.

Instead of Torah as a center of consciousness and as a means of conviction of sin, we have been given the
spirit of sonship in the Person of the Holy Spirit, who brings conviction of sin-in filial relationship with the
Father, through Christ. The only sin believers should be “focused” on, is the sin the Spirit brings to light as
we are in intimate dialog with the Father! Only as we sit on His metaphorical lap, hear His heart beat, and
listen to the mercifully severe Voice of transforming love and power, are we to address matters of
behavior. We are not called to self-energized, self-analyzed, self-managed, “sintrospection!”

The Psalmist said, that in His light, we would see light. (vi) Our ability to even recognize sin is the direct
result of His gift of light to us! Without His light, we will only see what we want to see! We do not possess
the faculty necessary for sin inspection! We’re not capable of accurately assessing our own iniquities.
Depending on our personality and temperament our self-analysis will result in either excusing ourselves
into licentiousness (Oh, its not that bad) or accusing our selves into guilt (Woe is me, I am undone).
Neither is appropriate for a new creation believer! There are only two verses in the entire NT that
specifically tell us to examine ourselves. One is in the context of the Lord’s Table in 1 Corinthians 11:28,
and the other is an exhortation to examining ourselves to see if we are in the faith, (2 Cor. 13:5), not
examining our selves for sin deficiency. That’s it.

For believers, we are supposed to have experienced the joy of a sprinkled (washed) conscience, as well as
a change in a center of consciousness. My awareness is no longer supposed to be sin-centric, or Torah-
centric, but Christ-centric. That is, He in His Person and His work for me, in me, and through me, is the
new center of my own self-awareness and understanding. Our faith is made practically effective, not by
focusing on sin, but by the acknowledgment (vii) of every good thing in us, in Christ Jesus! (Phm. 6).

Only in the light of His Fatherly embrace should the issue of sin, behavior, or sanctification be even
considered. Because there, at the throne of God, seated with Him, I find not only conviction and truth–but
transforming grace, the teaching and empowering kind, that enables me to overcome, not through my
own disciplines and determinations, but through receipt of the transforming power of a new life . . . the
very life of Jesus, living His life through me, as a new creation.

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I am crucified with Christ: never the less, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20

But by the grace of God I am what I am; and his grace was bestowed upon me not in vain; but I labored more
abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 1 Cor 15:10

_________________

End Notes

i Birth, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification of our Lord, Spirit out-pouring, and Spirit
indwelling.
ii Please read Isaiah 28 in its entirety and in context some time.
iii www.abbafather.com
iv The preceding paragraph was paraphrased and adapted from Sons of the Father, Gordon Dalbey, 1992.
v 1 Corinthians 15:56.
vi Psalm 36:9
vii Epignosis – experiential knowledge . . . knowledge gained by participation in and with the object of one’s
knowledge. This is fundamentally . . . relational.

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 STRIVING TO WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY?
Ron McGatlin
www.openheaven.com

Recently the Lord spoke to me to tell a person to stop trying to walk circumspectly. My first thought was
but Lord that does not sound biblical. However, I quickly obeyed because I have learned to not hold back
when the Lord speaks. I can seek to understand it later. He is always faithful to bring clarity.

Some of the most unfulfilled people in the world are devout Christians who strive daily to live righteously
and to get every detail right in their lives and behavior. Often they feel guilty or hopeless because they are
continuously striving and still fail in one way or another. It is possible to make ourselves and the people
around us to live in a measure of misery by our striving to walk circumspectly. Many people and probably
some reading this believe this is the only way to live the Christian life. They may strive with a lot of taste-
not and touch-not rules. They may count it their place in life to carry this heavy burden of striving against
sin and concern of failing to measure up in some area of the walk of righteousness that God requires of
them.

They may devoutly and religiously pray and read the Bible seeking Jesus continuously and yet never find
the love, righteousness, peace and joy that come only from the Spirit. Always seeking but never finding
the promised rest in God.

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come
short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they
heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed
do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although
the works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb 4:1-3).

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also
ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone
fall according to the same example of disobedient unbelief (Heb 4:9-11).

Yes we are to walk circumspectly. However, we are not told to strive to do it. If we do we are
working toward the right goal in the wrong way. Jesus said that His burden was light. There is a much
larger factor involved. When that factor is in place it completely fulfills our walk in righteousness without
striving to make it happen. The walk of righteousness or walking circumspectly is effortless, if we
live in the Spirit and WALK IN THE SPIRIT. (Gal 5:16-25)

We don’t have to strive, sweat and toil over the many smaller things if we get the one big thing right. We
get the treasure hidden in the field when we buy the field. When we buy the field of living in the Spirit and
walking in the Spirit we get the hidden treasure of righteous living. Our diligence should be to believe and
yield in order to enter into His rest walking in the Spirit. We should not be striving to do right things or
not do wrong things. Likewise we should not be striving to keep those around us doing right and not
doing wrong. We don’t have to keep beating on our flesh to keep it in line and, just as importantly, we
don’t have to keep beating on other’s flesh to get them to do right and stop them from doing wrong. The
Spirit of God wars against our flesh and overcomes it with the love and joy flowing in the rivers of living
water from within us by His Spirit (John 7; 37-39).

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Gal 5:5-6).

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 For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13).

Who is it that does the work?

Christ in us by the Spirit is the desire and the power. His righteousness will manifest from the love of God
experienced in our relationship with Jesus. Rest comes from intimately knowing and relating to Christ
Jesus by the Spirit.

There are widespread and strongly held perversions of the truth propagated by the enemy through
religion. It is widely believed that righteousness by faith means that while we live in sin, we believe God
sees us as pure and holy as Jesus because we believe. This leaves us to struggle and repent over and over
again for our continued disobedience and lack or to just live with sin. Righteous living comes by
believing the truth.

The truth is that we are being transformed by the ultimate power of God in Christ Jesus abiding in us by
the Holy Spirit. God is working in us by His Spirit empowering us to live in this world now as Christ Jesus
lives in and through us. We are delivered in this life from darkness to light into a kingdom of living by and
walking in the spirit, overcoming all sin and tendency to disobedience BY HIS POWER FLOWING
THROUGH HIS PRESENCE OF LOVE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.

God is not requiring us to come up with righteousness – He is empowering us to live pure and holy lives of
righteousness. Our part is to believe this and yield or agree and obedience is an effortless joy. THANK YOU
JESUS!

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