"The Promise"

"And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He adideth in us, by the Spirit He hath given us." (1 John 3:24) Although; even though I do not hold to that belief, I do believe that it has a place in our hearts. What belief are you wondering? the one from yesterday's post: that once God makes a man's heart pure, and then places His Spirit within that heart, that there is no way that heart can become impure. How can you not hold to a belief, yet believe that it is so? Well, first off, I did not say that it was so, only that it has a place in our hearts; which means that it can be so, if we make it so. Wow! Make it so? as if we now have some control over our eternity? Okay; let's think about this for a moment. In Philippians 3:12-15, Paul writes, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you". There are some simple answers to that which you seek; and the first has to do with a promise that Jesus made to the Samaritan woman at the well, in John 4:14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life". My mom would always say, You can lead a horse to water, but you can not make him drink. And for this I am grateful, and dreary, all at the same time; because I understand that the promise of 'a well of water springing up inside me' does not guarantee that it shall spring forth out of me. Looking at Paul words from the verses above, there are a couple areas that need attention; the first of which is the word 'perfect'; because in verse 12, Paul says, "either were already perfect (teleioo)"; yet in verse 15, he writes, "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (teleios)". Two very similar words, but with two very different meanings. The second word, which means to be complete, has to be viewed by the person who is perfect as having already been established; while the first word, which means to complete, is viewed by that same person as the road to getting there...