Video Talk
Psalms 15:1-5 ESV
I am going to translate this into New Testament terms. So, according to the New Testament, it is those of us who, by faith in Jesus Christ, have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, who are being indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and who are now our Lord’s temple, his body.
And what is described here should represent our character. Yet, these are not things that we do outside of faith in Jesus Christ to try to earn or to deserve our own salvation, for that is impossible. Only by the grace of God, through genuine God-given faith in Christ can any of us walk blamelessly before God and do what is right and speak truth from our hearts. And blamelessly doesn’t mean absolute sinless perfection (see 1 John 2:1-2).
But we should be people of integrity, if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine faith. And we should be those who are doing what is right, in the power of God, according to the will of God. We should not be those who are practicing doing what is wrong, and what is evil, and what is deceptive, willfully telling others what is untrue. We should not be people who slander others and who do evil to our neighbors or who falsely accuse others of wrongdoing.
And, under the New Covenant, we are not to hate those who do evil, but we should hate the evil that they do, and we should be those who discern good from evil and who call evil what it is, and who do not turn evil for good and good for evil. And we should not be giving honor to those who practice evil, but we should be honoring those who walk in the fear of the Lord, and who make righteousness their practice, and who are doing the will of God.
But these days it seems the opposite is true, where the ungodly are being honored while the godly are being condemned, even within the gatherings of what is called “church.” But we should be those who are willing to be condemned and rejected by others in order to do what is right and to obey our Lord, and in order to share the truth of the gospel of Christ so that many can have genuine salvation from sin and the hope of heaven when they die.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Caution: This link may contain ads
Psalms 15:1-5 ESV
“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.”
I am going to translate this into New Testament terms. So, according to the New Testament, it is those of us who, by faith in Jesus Christ, have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, who are being indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and who are now our Lord’s temple, his body.
And what is described here should represent our character. Yet, these are not things that we do outside of faith in Jesus Christ to try to earn or to deserve our own salvation, for that is impossible. Only by the grace of God, through genuine God-given faith in Christ can any of us walk blamelessly before God and do what is right and speak truth from our hearts. And blamelessly doesn’t mean absolute sinless perfection (see 1 John 2:1-2).
But we should be people of integrity, if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine faith. And we should be those who are doing what is right, in the power of God, according to the will of God. We should not be those who are practicing doing what is wrong, and what is evil, and what is deceptive, willfully telling others what is untrue. We should not be people who slander others and who do evil to our neighbors or who falsely accuse others of wrongdoing.
And, under the New Covenant, we are not to hate those who do evil, but we should hate the evil that they do, and we should be those who discern good from evil and who call evil what it is, and who do not turn evil for good and good for evil. And we should not be giving honor to those who practice evil, but we should be honoring those who walk in the fear of the Lord, and who make righteousness their practice, and who are doing the will of God.
But these days it seems the opposite is true, where the ungodly are being honored while the godly are being condemned, even within the gatherings of what is called “church.” But we should be those who are willing to be condemned and rejected by others in order to do what is right and to obey our Lord, and in order to share the truth of the gospel of Christ so that many can have genuine salvation from sin and the hope of heaven when they die.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
