If We Belong to Christ Jesus

[Christsfreeservant]

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:19-26 ESV)​

In America today, the “gospel” message that is largely being taught is that all you have to do is to pray a prayer to invite Jesus into your heart, or all you have to do is to make a confession of Christ as your Savior and Lord, and now you are “good to go” for eternity. All your sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), heaven is guaranteed you when you die, and it can’t be taken away from you, no matter how you live. But that is a half-truth (lie).

Yet can any of us do anything to earn or to deserve our own salvation? No! Will our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds? No! We are only able to be saved of our sins and to have the hope of eternal life with God because of what Jesus Christ did in dying on that cross for our sins. For he who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross that he might put our sins to death with him so that we might die with him to sin and live to his righteousness.

And we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father draws us to Christ, i.e. unless he persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness and of our sinfulness and of our need to repent of (turn from) our sins and to now follow him in obedience to his New Covenant commands. So our salvation comes from God, and even the faith to believe in Jesus is God’s gift to us – a faith which dies with him to sin and now lives to obey his will.

And so that is why this passage of Scripture lets us know that if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, and not in walks of obedience to his commands, and not in holy living, according to his will and purpose for our lives, that we will not inherit the kingdom of God. For Jesus said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God, i.e. the one who obeys his commands.

And John said that if we claim to be in fellowship with God, but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, we are liars. And if we profess to know God, but we do not obey his commands, in practice, we are liars. For Jesus died to deliver us from our slavery to sin so that we will now walk in his righteousness and holiness. So if we make a practice of sin, and we do not practice righteousness, then we are not of God, but we are of the devil.

So, please understand that a true Christian is not one who just gives lip service to the Lord but then who continues to live however he wants in doing whatever his fleshly heart desires. A true Christian is one whose life is surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ to do his will and to follow in his ways and to live a holy life, pleasing to God, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and not in his/her own flesh. For flesh cannot produce righteousness.

So, if we are true followers of Jesus Christ, our lives should bear fruit in keeping with repentance and that is of the Spirit of God and not of the flesh. And this is not saying that we will be absolutely perfect, but that sin is no longer to be in control of our lives, but God is to be in control, and we are now to live our lives to please him and to reflect his character and to do his will, which includes us sharing the truth of the gospel with other people.

[Heb 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Jn 1:12-13; Jn 6:44; Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15; Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20]

My Heart’s Desire

An Original Work / June 29, 2013
Based off Romans 10:1-21; Luke 9:23-26; Ephesians 4:17-24

Loved Ones, Oh, my heart’s desire
Is that you might come to Jesus.
Many appear zealous for God,
But they do not trust in Him.
They have not submitted to the One
Who saved them from their sins;
Not forsaken their sins,
Nor have they obeyed their King.

The word of the Lord is near you:
The word of faith we’re proclaiming:
That you must confess your faith
In Jesus as your Lord and King:
Believe in Him as your Lord,
And follow Him where’er He leads.
Share the gospel; be a witness,
And meet others’ needs.

Beautiful are the feet of those
Who bring the good news of Jesus:
Anyone who would come to Him
Must deny himself today;
Die to sin and self, and
Let the Spirit transform you in heart;
Put on your new self in Jesus,
Yielding to the cross.