Philippians 3:8-9 English Standard Version

⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Imagine a chalk board used in teaching.

Write the lie.

Then write the truth.

Both appear on the chalk board have to be dealt with.

Paul had the best Old Testament teaching available. He took it all and threw it in the trash, removing it from sight.

We are human and the idea of removing every memory is impossible to those who have lived long lives faced with many lies, many experiences, and many abuses.

How can we just ignore our memories?

That is accomplished by living a life of faith in Christ who dwells in our hearts. It is not head knowledge we seek but heart knowledge. One ancient teaching indicates that the heart is the true seat of choice.

When truth dwells in our hearts we can choose truth over memory and act out of faith and not experience.

This concept is not of the world, it is Kingdom living. No one with maturity expects the old babes in Christ to practice living by faith immediately. We all need to learn to listen to spiritual reasoning.

Examples of spiritual reasoning are found throughout the bible but we need to search it out to see it.

Seeing with these spiritual eyes is new to all the babes in Christ, young and old.

Let us look at Psalm 2 and see what happened in the world and the spiritual response that God shows us.

Isaiah 47:6 English Standard Version (ESV) I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

When older people come to Christ they have been subjected to a number of abuses. Not all abuses are physical. Some of those abuses have gone on for so long that they are not even recognized as abuse. If no one was there to speak the truth, the lie is all they have to listen to in life.

Kingdom learning is all about hearing the truth and allowing the truth to defeat the lies.

Psalm 119:100 English Standard Version (ESV) I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

Those of us that came to Christ as older babes never learned His precepts correctly. We trusted the wrong sources when it came to discovering who God is in character and personality. Not everyone that spreads lies is a demon. Some of them present themselves to be spiritual without the abiding presence.

Matthew 7:21-23 English Standard Version

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

One of the translations of verse 23 indicates that lawlessness means unauthorized works.

It is the indwelling presence that gives voice to truth and reveals the will of God. Without that we walk in darkness.

Correction for misrepresentation of scriptures is only the first step in correction.

Older babes need a clean slate to begin learning truth.