Don't Let Yourselves Be Deceived

[Christsfreeservant]

Ephesians 5:1-6 ESV

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.​

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“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”​

1. How are we to be imitators of God? In what ways?
2. What does it mean to walk in love? What kind of love?
3. Do you have a choice to sin, or not to sin?
4. Do you realize the consequences of your sins?

I read this meme on Facebook today. It said:

“Sin will take you where you didn’t want to go. It will keep you there longer than you planned to stay. And it will cost you more than you intended to pay.” ​

Is that true? Is that what the Bible teaches to Christians about sin?

So, what is sin? “Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18)” (source: gotquestions.org). Sin is wickedness, immorality, evil, wrongdoing, disobedience, misbehavior, and violating the law (thesaurus). It means to “miss the mark.” Here is one definition: “What makes something sinful is when we know what we are supposed to do and we choose not to do it, then we are engaging in sin. For something to be sinful, we must be aware that it violates what God desires us to do” (biblestudytools.com).

So, sin is willful and deliberate disobedience against the Lord and against his moral laws, i.e. against his commandments (New Covenant). We choose to sin or not to sin. Why? We read this in John 3:19-20 ESV:

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (who is doing wicked things)​

And we read this in Luke 6:45 ESV:

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” And “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (see Matthew 15:17-20).​

Therefore, if we engage in what we know is sinful behavior, we do this by choice. We did want to go there or we would not go there. Far too many people these days are giving people who are living in sinful addiction an “out” for their sinful choices, as though they didn’t get there by choice, as though they didn’t know they were sinning against God, as though they didn’t know that what they were doing is evil and wicked and hateful and hurtful and harmful to those they are sinning against habitually. And so many are using the lies to excuse away deliberate and habitual sin.

So when this meme (quoted above) describes sin as something we didn’t want to do, and as something we remained in longer than we planned to stay, and as something that cost us more than we intended to pay, that is a big fat lie from Satan. For we choose to sin or not to sin. We sin because we want to sin, for we know right from wrong. Yes, we can choose to rationalize it and to justify it, but it is still wrong. And if it is habitual sin, we know full well the consequences. If you cheat on your spouse with lusting after others, that is going to hurt him/her, so you choose to injure your spouse.

Therefore, “let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” But do you understand what this is saying? If sin is what we go to by choice, and if we remain in that sin, making sin our practice, and if righteousness, godliness, and obedience to God are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will face the wrath of God, instead. This is taught to us all throughout the New Testament, and we need to take this seriously.

Judged by God according to our works: [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; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 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; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Instead, we are to be imitators of God/Christ. We are to be those who are following Jesus Christ with our lives, who are modeling our lives after the example of Christ and how he lived his life on this earth. I am not saying we will be absolutely perfect as he was, but that we need to be those who are not deliberately choosing to sin against our Lord, especially not habitually. We are to be those who are walking in the ways of the Lord in truth and holiness and righteousness, and for the glory of God, and in His power.

We are to be those who have died with Christ to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And if we are followers of Jesus Christ, we need to deny self and die daily to sin and follow him in obedience. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Christ we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), then we have the hope of eternal life with God.

[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 4:17-32]

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.

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