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1 Peter 4:1-2 ESV
When Jesus Christ died on that cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20).
Jesus didn’t go through that suffering for us on that cross merely to forgive us our sins so that we can go to heaven when we die, but in his death he put sin to death so that we might be crucified with him in death to sin and be resurrected with him to newness of life in him to be lived for his glory.
So, we don’t “get saved” and then continue living like we lived before we “got saved.” That is not salvation! And that is not God’s grace!! For, God’s grace delivers us from our slavery to sin so that we might now be slaves of God and of his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-17).
God’s grace, which brings salvation, trains (instructs, teaches) us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for his return. For, Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Tit 2:11-14).
Therefore, if we have suffered with Christ in the flesh, i.e., if we have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, and thus we belong to Christ (Gal 5:24), we have ceased from living to sin and for the flesh. We are no longer under the control of sin, but we are now under the control of righteousness.
This is not saying that we will never sin again (1 Jn 2:1-2), but that we no longer make sin our practice. We no longer walk in sin according to the flesh, but now we walk in the light (truth, righteousness), and we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God.
Therefore, we don’t see our salvation as mere forgiveness of sins, but as deliverance from our bondage to sin. And now it is our desire to live for the rest of the time on this earth, and in these flesh bodies, no longer for human passions but for the will of God. Amen! This is the Good News!
1 Peter 4:3 ESV
There is so much in the way of false teaching going around in relation to the gospel of our salvation which is giving professed “believers in Jesus” permission to keep living in their sins only now without guilt and without fear of punishment, but with the promise of heaven when they die.
They are giving them the impression that Jesus does it all and that nothing is required of us – no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to Christ as Lord of our lives, for they call that “works-based salvation.” But these verses here alone, just in the first part of this passage, “blow that out of the water,” i.e., these verses destroy that false gospel message.
People have to stop relying on social media memes, and preachers, and devotionals written by respected authors to give them the truth of the gospel, for there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing out there deceiving the masses. So, don’t be deceived. Read your bibles (in context).
All throughout the New Testament the message is abundantly clear that we must leave our sinful lifestyles behind us, and we must follow Jesus in surrender to his will and in obedience to his commands, as a matter of life course, as our walks of faith, if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.
Again, this is not saying we must live in sinless perfection, or the ax comes down on our necks. But what this is saying is that Jesus died to deliver us from our addiction to sin so we would now be his slaves, and slaves of his righteousness. And if we continue living in sin, and sin is what we practice, and righteousness is not what we practice, we don’t have eternal life.
Many professers of faith in Jesus Christ feel that since their sins are forgiven (they suppose that they are) that God can no longer see when they sin, so their sins no longer matter to God. So, they feel they can keep on living in sexual immorality, deceiving and being deceived, without punishment.
But the Scriptures don’t teach that! They teach that we must die to sin and live to righteousness and walk in obedience to our Lord and not make sin our practice or we don’t have eternal life with God. Heaven is not our eternal destiny, but we will die in our sins if we choose to hold on to our sins.
[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:7; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]
1 Peter 4:4-5 ESV
Now, if this is the stance that you take, that our salvation from sin is deliverance from addiction to sin, so that we no longer walk in sin, and that sin is to no longer be our practice, but that righteousness is to be what we practice, then you should be prepared to come under much opposition.
You should be prepared to be rejected, ostracized, excluded, falsely accused, gossiped about, forsaken, and attacked verbally for your stand on the truth, and on righteousness, and against sinful practices. Even others who profess faith in Jesus, and even some pastors will come against you.
You will be an offense to those who do not take the same stance as you do, and your presence will make them uncomfortable for they won’t feel that they have the freedom to do what they want to do with you present, or else they will feel your disapproval of their sinful practices, and they won’t want to be around you, because you no longer do the things you did before.
Honestly, even some professing Christians, and even some pastors, from what they say, and from how they react to those who are holding to the truth of the gospel, would be much happier with you if you were living in sin doing all kinds of evil and destroying your own life.
But don’t let them intimidate you. Don’t fear them. And don’t compromise with sin in order to be liked by other humans. Don’t fear what other humans might do to you or say to you or about you to others. But continue to trust the Lord fully and stay the course he has laid out for us.
Those who are opposing the gospel and its messengers will have to give an account to God for what they have done. We must all give an account to God for what we do, in fact. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal 6:7-8; cf. Gal 5:16-21; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10).
Seek the Lord
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Based off Isaiah 55
“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.
“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”
When Jesus Christ died on that cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20).
Jesus didn’t go through that suffering for us on that cross merely to forgive us our sins so that we can go to heaven when we die, but in his death he put sin to death so that we might be crucified with him in death to sin and be resurrected with him to newness of life in him to be lived for his glory.
So, we don’t “get saved” and then continue living like we lived before we “got saved.” That is not salvation! And that is not God’s grace!! For, God’s grace delivers us from our slavery to sin so that we might now be slaves of God and of his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-17).
God’s grace, which brings salvation, trains (instructs, teaches) us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for his return. For, Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Tit 2:11-14).
Therefore, if we have suffered with Christ in the flesh, i.e., if we have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, and thus we belong to Christ (Gal 5:24), we have ceased from living to sin and for the flesh. We are no longer under the control of sin, but we are now under the control of righteousness.
This is not saying that we will never sin again (1 Jn 2:1-2), but that we no longer make sin our practice. We no longer walk in sin according to the flesh, but now we walk in the light (truth, righteousness), and we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God.
Therefore, we don’t see our salvation as mere forgiveness of sins, but as deliverance from our bondage to sin. And now it is our desire to live for the rest of the time on this earth, and in these flesh bodies, no longer for human passions but for the will of God. Amen! This is the Good News!
1 Peter 4:3 ESV
“For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.”
There is so much in the way of false teaching going around in relation to the gospel of our salvation which is giving professed “believers in Jesus” permission to keep living in their sins only now without guilt and without fear of punishment, but with the promise of heaven when they die.
They are giving them the impression that Jesus does it all and that nothing is required of us – no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to Christ as Lord of our lives, for they call that “works-based salvation.” But these verses here alone, just in the first part of this passage, “blow that out of the water,” i.e., these verses destroy that false gospel message.
People have to stop relying on social media memes, and preachers, and devotionals written by respected authors to give them the truth of the gospel, for there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing out there deceiving the masses. So, don’t be deceived. Read your bibles (in context).
All throughout the New Testament the message is abundantly clear that we must leave our sinful lifestyles behind us, and we must follow Jesus in surrender to his will and in obedience to his commands, as a matter of life course, as our walks of faith, if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.
Again, this is not saying we must live in sinless perfection, or the ax comes down on our necks. But what this is saying is that Jesus died to deliver us from our addiction to sin so we would now be his slaves, and slaves of his righteousness. And if we continue living in sin, and sin is what we practice, and righteousness is not what we practice, we don’t have eternal life.
Many professers of faith in Jesus Christ feel that since their sins are forgiven (they suppose that they are) that God can no longer see when they sin, so their sins no longer matter to God. So, they feel they can keep on living in sexual immorality, deceiving and being deceived, without punishment.
But the Scriptures don’t teach that! They teach that we must die to sin and live to righteousness and walk in obedience to our Lord and not make sin our practice or we don’t have eternal life with God. Heaven is not our eternal destiny, but we will die in our sins if we choose to hold on to our sins.
[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:7; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]
1 Peter 4:4-5 ESV
“With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
Now, if this is the stance that you take, that our salvation from sin is deliverance from addiction to sin, so that we no longer walk in sin, and that sin is to no longer be our practice, but that righteousness is to be what we practice, then you should be prepared to come under much opposition.
You should be prepared to be rejected, ostracized, excluded, falsely accused, gossiped about, forsaken, and attacked verbally for your stand on the truth, and on righteousness, and against sinful practices. Even others who profess faith in Jesus, and even some pastors will come against you.
You will be an offense to those who do not take the same stance as you do, and your presence will make them uncomfortable for they won’t feel that they have the freedom to do what they want to do with you present, or else they will feel your disapproval of their sinful practices, and they won’t want to be around you, because you no longer do the things you did before.
Honestly, even some professing Christians, and even some pastors, from what they say, and from how they react to those who are holding to the truth of the gospel, would be much happier with you if you were living in sin doing all kinds of evil and destroying your own life.
But don’t let them intimidate you. Don’t fear them. And don’t compromise with sin in order to be liked by other humans. Don’t fear what other humans might do to you or say to you or about you to others. But continue to trust the Lord fully and stay the course he has laid out for us.
Those who are opposing the gospel and its messengers will have to give an account to God for what they have done. We must all give an account to God for what we do, in fact. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal 6:7-8; cf. Gal 5:16-21; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10).
Seek the Lord
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Based off Isaiah 55
“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.
“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”
