- Aug 10, 2006
- 14,965
- 3,828
- 74
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:12-16 ESV)
When you read the Scriptures, it is good if you can read them in context. It is also good if you could read them with a willing heart and mind to hear the Lord speak truth to your heart, even if that truth conflicts with something you have always been taught previously. For we have all had teachers, and we have listened to preachers’ sermons, but not all of them teach the truth of the Scriptures. Some of them naively teach what is wrong, because that is what they were always taught. But others deliberately alter (corrupt) the truth of the Scriptures for the full purpose to deceive and to lead astray.
Now the most popular version of the gospel of our salvation being taught and largely accepted today teaches that all we have to do is to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ one time in our lives and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), heaven is now secured for us for eternity, and nothing and no one can take that away from us, but regardless of how we live. Even if they do teach holy living, it is usually optional, i.e. recommended but not required. But many are teaching that we do not have to repent of (forsake) our sins and follow Jesus in obedience for salvation.
Therefore, today’s generational and market-driven “churches” (businesses) here in America are a blend of good and evil and truth and lies, the same as what many of them are teaching. Good is being spoken of as evil, and evil is being spoken of as good. Teaching repentance, obedience, and holy living is regarded as “negative” and “judgmental,” while the broad road that leads to destruction, which is the “easy” way, is being raised up as the true way to God and to salvation from sin and eternal life with God. And that way does not demand death to sin nor walks of obedience to our Lord, nor holy living.
So, the result of that is that we have many professers of faith in Jesus Christ here in America who are living no different from those who make no professions of faith in Christ, or much worse, if truth be told. For we have many (more than not) who are still living in slavery (addiction) to sin but are being coddled in their sins instead of confronted, and instead of facing church discipline. And so we have many professing Christians who are living in sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, lying, cheating, deceiving, stealing, slandering, and treating others with hate and abuse.
Are we all perfect people? No! We won’t be absolutely perfect until Jesus Christ returns and he takes his faithful bride to be with him for eternity, which is when our salvation will be complete. But we are to be the holy people of God who are denying self and dying to sin, as our practice, and who are following our Lord in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), in practice. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, it will lead to death, not to life eternal, and we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess.
So, are we still under the law? Now, in context, this is a reference to the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions, including circumcision. We are not under that law. But God never did away with his moral laws. They are taught us all throughout the New Covenant teachings. And obedience to our Lord’s commands under the New Covenant is required for our salvation from sin and eternal life with God. And this passage in Romans 6 makes that abundantly clear. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience is what we obey, it leads to righteousness, and its end is eternal life (see verses 22-23).
Therefore, we are no longer to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions (lusts). For we are slaves of the one whom we obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience (to God), which leads to righteousness, and sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. And other passages of Scripture make it very clear that if sin is what we obey, if it is what we practice (in addiction), and if holy living and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his New Covenant commands are not what we obey, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what we say.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
