A Merciful and Faithful High Priest

“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:17-18 NASB1995)

This is speaking of Jesus Christ. He is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He always existed with God the Father, and he is our creator God. But even though he was and is God, he willingly left his throne in heaven, came to earth, and was born as a baby to a virgin woman, conceived of the Holy Spirit. And while he lived on the earth he was fully human and fully God (God incarnate). And he suffered in the same ways as we do, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted. But he was not born with a sin nature as we are, and he never once sinned.

[John 1:1-36; John 8:24,58; John 10:30-33; John 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:1-12; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1]

Because Jesus Christ was human, and he lived in a flesh body, as we do, and so he suffered like we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, he is able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, and he is able to come to the aid of those who are being tempted. But sympathizing is not being tolerant of sin, and it is not pacifying sin, and it does not make excuses for deliberate and habitual sin against God. Yes, he can feel what we feel, but he did not sin. Yet in his death he took upon himself the sins of the world so that in his death he might put our sins to death with him.

And he put our sins to death with him on that cross so that, by faith in him, which is gifted to us by God, we might die to sin and now live for God and for his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands, in the power of God. And because he was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet without sin, he is able to help us who are tempted to not sin but to obey God and his commands. We just have to be willing to accept his help and to follow his lead and to not make excuses for habitual and deliberate sin. We have to want to be free from sin’s control, and he will set us free.

Some of us who were abused as children, by one parent or the other, adopted a wrong concept about God, about Jesus Christ, because of the distorted view of Christianity we had fed to us. I know that I had this concept of God as my sympathizer, and as my comforter, but as someone who could not rescue me. I even said to him one time, “But God, you don’t understand!” And it was because he had not rescued me from the abuse of those who mistreated me, who did me wrong. So I ended up believing that man had control over me that God could do nothing about. I was wrong!

What I did not grasp was the sovereignty of God over my life, and that God allows us to suffer, to be mistreated, and to go through trials and tribulations to test our faith, to make us strong, to mature us in our walks of faith in obedience to him, and to make us into the people of God he wants us to be. He never promised us an easy life. He never said we would not have to suffer. He said we would be hated and mistreated for the sake of our faith and for the sake of the gospel, but that he would be our support, and he would be our strength, and he would help us to conquer Satan’s attacks.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

Why So Downcast? 

 

Based off Psalm 42

An Original Work / December 21, 2012  

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Why so downcast, O my soul,

And why so disturbed now within me?

Put your hope in Jesus Christ,

For I will praise His name.

He’s my Savior and my God,

So therefore I’ll remember Him through

Storms and tempests sweeping o’er me.

Still I’ll praise His name. 

Put your hope in God.

By day the Lord sends forth His love.

In the night His song is with me.

I pray to the God of my life.

I will praise His name. I say to God my Rock,

“Why must I be called to suffer this way?”

Foes attack me; Satan sneering.

Still I’ll praise my God.

Put your hope in Him.

As a deer pants for the waters,

So my soul pants for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for God who’s living.

When can I meet Him?

My tears have been my food at night,

When men say, “So, where is your God?”

I pour out my soul to my God.

I’ll still praise His name.

Shout with joy to Him.

https://vimeo.com/117318376

A Merciful and Faithful High Priest

An Original Work / April 9, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All Ungodliness and Unrighteousness

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

“For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (Romans 1:18-20,25-27 NASB1995)

Homosexuality is not sanctioned by God. God does not overlook sexual idolatry and adultery and homosexuality of any kind. If a female or a male prefers and thus sanctions and thus engages in same sex relationships, as opposed to heterosexual relationships, that is evil and sinful in the eyes of the Lord. But please understand that this doesn’t happen just in person, physical body to physical body, but it can happen just in the mind and in the heart, and it can take place with one person preferring sexual relations with oneself in place of the natural affections between a man and a woman, too.

But we should not single out homosexuals as though they are evil people to be hated and cursed and mistreated. We should treat homosexuals the same as we do heterosexuals, with the same love and grace of God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. For multitudes of heterosexuals are engaged in sexual idolatry and adultery via what is stored up in their own minds, and via what all they do with those memories, and via the viewing of movies, TV shows, and videos of a sensual and sexual nature, and via self-stimulation, and via adulterous and idolatrous relationships outside of marriage, etc.

So, when you see someone who is clearly homosexual, do not treat them differently than you treat the heterosexual. Love them as Jesus loved all of us and gave himself up for us on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin so we can now serve him with our lives. But Jesus didn’t ignore the sins of the people. He did not pamper them in their sins to make them feel good so that they would like him and not hate him. He spoke the truth to the people, spoken in love, and he called sin what it was, and he warned of God’s judgements on all who refused God and his commandments.

And if we love the people of this world, as Jesus loved us and gave his life up for us so we could walk in freedom from sin, in obedience to God, then we will not pamper them in their sin. We will not give approval to their sin. We will love them as Jesus loved us and gave himself up for us, but we will pray for them, and we will speak the truth of the gospel of Christ to them, and we will let them know that any kind of sexual deviancy is sin against God, and that those who make sin their practice, and not obedience to God, will not inherit eternal life with God, even if they give lip service to the Lord.

For in Jesus’ death on that cross he put our sins to death with him so that, by God-persuaded faith in him, we will now die to sin and live for God in walks of surrender to his will in obedience to his commands in holy living. And that is the ultimate in love! And in his life he taught that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, die to sin daily (by the Spirit), and walk (in conduct) in obedience to his commands. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will spend eternity in eternal separation from God in eternal torment.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

Listen! Listen!  

An Original Work / December 20, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Weep and wail o’er your sins, children.

God is calling out to you:

Be ye honest; tell the truth,

And it will set you free.

Harken to Him calling you to

Bow on bended knee today.

Don’t delay to let Him in,

And He’ll cleanse your hearts;

Pure within. 

Sinners, won’t you listen to Him

Calling out to you today?

He died so that you would be free

Of your sins always.

Turn from your sin. Turn to Jesus.

Obey Him in ev’ry way.

He wants to set you free of

All your guilt, 

For which He did pay. 

Listen! Listen!

Don’t close your hearts

To His voice speaking to you.

He will give you all of His peace,

If your hearts be true.

He longs for you to come to Him

Humbly now and repentant.

Obey all of His commandments.

Live with Him eternally. 

https://vimeo.com/125862580

All Ungodliness and Unrighteousness

An Original Work / April 8, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Peace with God

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 NIV)

Justified

What does it mean to be justified? It means to be made righteous, to be conformed to a proper standard, which is God’s standard for how we ought to live as followers of Jesus Christ. And to be righteous is to be morally pure, upright, honorable, faithful, honest, decent, and obedient to God, in practice, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, which is not of our own flesh. For it refers to what is deemed right by the Lord, what is approved in his eyes. Justification is to show what is right, and to be cleared of all charges.

Faith

And what is faith? It is belief, fidelity, moral conviction, and faithfulness. And it is divine persuasion, the persuasion of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For this faith comes from God, it is authored by God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God, and it is not of our own doing, but it is something we must put into practice, by God’s grace.

[Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

Peace

And what is this peace with God being spoken of here? It is wholeness, fullness, and completeness. It has to do with us being joined together with Christ, united with him by faith in him, no longer separate (apart) from God, but now joined with him in unity of heart, mind, purpose, and action. We are now in Christ by faith in him, and he is in us by his Spirit. And we are at peace because our trust is now in our Lord and not in ourselves, and because we know God has all things under his control. So we trust him.

Grace

And what is this grace of God in which we are to be standing? Well, the grace of God, which is gifted to us by God, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. God’s grace is what sent Jesus Christ to the cross to put our sins to death with him, and to be raised from the dead, so we can now die to sin and obey God, in practice. For it is God’s purpose that we no longer walk in sin but in obedience to him.

[Titus 2:11-14; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23]

God’s Glory

And so we exult (rejoice) in the hope (faith, anticipation, expectation) of the glory (honor, praise, worship, and intrinsic worth) of Almighty God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our God always was, and always will be. And he is absolutely holy and righteous in all that he does. And he is the one who formed us in the wombs of our mothers. And he is the one who made salvation from sin possible for all of us who put our faith and hope in him to deliver us out of sin.

And Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

The Peace of Christ  

Based off of Colossians 3:1-17; Ephesians 5:19-20

An Original Work / October 31, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Let the word of Christ dwell in you,

As you teach with all wisdom,

Teaching one another to not

Think on earthly things;

Think instead on things above,

Where Christ sits with God, in love,

Saving us from all of our sins,

Cleansing us; made new within.

Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts,

As you sing songs unto Him;

Speak to one another with psalms,

Hymns, and spir’tual songs;

Always giving thanks to God,

In the name of Christ, His Son,

Who gave His life up for us all,

And gave us eternal life.

Let the love of Christ within you

Rule in your hearts; grace within,

Purifying you from your sin,

Make you whole within.

Forgive as the Lord forgave.

Show His kindness ev’ry day.

In word or deed, whate’er you do,

Glory give to Jesus Christ. 

https://vimeo.com/125863950

Peace with God

An Original Work / April 8, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Restore the Person Gently

 

Walking by The Spirit

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” (Galatians 5:16-18 NASB1995)

If we are walking by the Spirit, what should that look like in our lives? Well, our walks have to do with our lifestyles, what we believe and what we do and how we live in daily practice. So if our walks are by the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, then how we live should be in agreement with the teachings of the Scriptures, as taught primarily by Jesus Christ and by his New Testament apostles, and as taught to those who are of faith in Jesus Christ. We should be living holy lives, pleasing to God, in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands, and sin should no longer be what we practice. 

Now this passage of Scripture in the book of Galatians is primarily dealing with the topic of the Old Covenant Law and how a group of people called the Judaizers were trying to convince the Christians that they still had to hold to some of the Old Covenant Law requirements, such as liturgical, ceremonial, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws. And Paul was making a case that, as followers of Christ, we are not under the Old Covenant Law. But he also made a case for the fact that, under grace, we are not free to live as we please, for if sin is what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NASB1995)

So, just because we make verbal professions of faith in Jesus Christ, and we claim Jesus as our Lord, it does not guarantee us salvation from all sin and heaven as our eternal destiny, if we do not deny self, die to sin, and obey God in practice, by his grace and in his power. For just because we claim Jesus as our Lord, it does not mean we are guaranteed entry into his heavenly kingdom. For it is the ones obeying God in practice, and who are not making sin their practice, who have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, as long as they continue in their walks of faith until the end.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24 NASB1995)

So, if we are of biblical faith in Christ, and thus we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, the outgrowth of that faith should be shown in our lives in what is described for us above. We should be walking in the love of Christ which prefers what God prefers. And God prefers what is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to God. And we should be living self-controlled lives in the power of God, by faith in Christ.

And peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and gentleness are not qualities which are soft on sin and tolerant of sinful habits in the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ. For it is not kind or loving to be soft on sin and to lie to people to make them feel good and to tell them that their sins no longer matter to God now that they have “believed” in Jesus. There is nothing kind about ignoring sinful addictions in the lives of those professing the name of Jesus, for if sin is what they practice, and not obedience to God, they will not inherit eternal life with God. So kindness speaks truth in love.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

Myopic  

Based off 2 Peter 1:3-11

An Original Work / August 19, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus has given ev’rything

Needed for life and godliness.

His great and precious promises

Free us from our sin and distress.

Add to your faith His goodness;

Knowledge; patience; godliness;

Brotherly love and mutual affection;

Kindness and unselfishness.

If you possess these qualities,

Growing in your maturity,

They will keep you from vanity.

You will bear fruit effectually. 

Nonetheless, if you lack them;

Forget you’ve been cleansed from sin,

Nearsighted are you; you can’t see Jesus.

You have closed your heart to Him.

Therefore, beloved, confirm, then,

Your calling and your election.

Do this by showing diligence:

Obey your Lord; be repentant.

Practice all these qualities

God provided on a tree.

He died for our sins so we’d be given

Life with Him eternally. 

https://vimeo.com/115839336

Walking by The Spirit

An Original Work / April 7, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

We are All One in Christ

“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ.”

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:16,26-29 NASB1995)

In the eyes of God, we humans who live on the earth are no longer divided as Jew (God’s people) and Gentile (not God’s people). For when Jesus Christ gave his life up for us all on that cross, he put to death the hostility that stood between Jew and Gentile and he made us both one people, one nation under God, via biblical faith in Jesus Christ. All who do not believe in Jesus Christ are not God’s people, but they can become God’s people. For by faith in Jesus Christ they can be grafted into the vine (into Israel, God’s people). And all who believe in Jesus Christ are now biblical Israel, the Israel of God.

Therefore, if someone calls themselves a “Messianic Jew,” that is not biblical, for that is still separating themselves from Christians who are not born Jewish. And Jesus took away that division between Jew and Gentile on the cross and he made us one people, one nation, one holy people of God via genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of national or biological heritage. For when Jesus lived on the earth he said, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16).

For it is not all who are descended from Israel who belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his physical offspring. It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise. And if we belong to Christ, through biblical faith in Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. For those formerly called Gentiles are now fellow heirs with those formerly called Jews via faith in Jesus Christ. We are members of the same body, and partakers together of the promise in Jesus Christ through the gospel. We are now Christians.

So, the physical nation called “Israel,” seemingly comprised primarily of people of Jewish heritage (although not all), is not God’s holy nation. They are not the chosen of God to inherit the promise God made to Abraham and to his seed (namely Christ). They are a political nation chosen of men for the purposes of men. And, as a whole, they do not believe in Jesus Christ. And whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah), such a person is the antichrist, denying the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ) (see 1 John 2:22). Therefore, they do not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So, please understand that biblical Israel, the Israel of God, is comprised of all who are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, and no other. All Jews and all Gentiles (by national or biological heritage) who are of faith in Jesus Christ are one people, one nation, the only true biblical Israel of God. There is no longer a separation between Jew and Gentile (non-Jew), for we are one people in Christ by faith in Christ Jesus, or else we are antichrist. And only a remnant of Jews will be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. For “all Israel” is all Jews and all Gentiles who are now one people by faith in our Lord Jesus.

See: [Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Matthew 21:43; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 9:4-8; Romans 11:17-25; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9] 

When in The Stillness  

An Original Work / September 26, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When in the stillness of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.

Be my desire, set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in fellowship with You,

Listening to You; sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me, 

Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth. 

While we are waiting for Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts be King today.

Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from your word within us,

Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,

Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;

Be an example of Your love,

Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You, follow You always,

Bearing their cross and turning from sin;

Walking in daily fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

https://vimeo.com/126984144

We are All One in Christ

An Original Work / April 7, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

No Longer I Who Live

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NASB1995)

If I have been crucified with Christ so that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, this means that I (me in my flesh) have been put to death with him. Not physically, but spiritually speaking, my flesh, my sin nature, by faith in Jesus Christ, has been put to death so that I might now live for God in obedience to his commands in holy living and no longer for the sinful desires of the flesh. The old me has been done away with so that I may now serve the Lord with my life and no longer live for the sinful desires of the flesh.

Jesus Christ is not just an add on to my present life, but he becomes my life. My life now belongs to him and is no longer under sin’s control. And this is not to say that I will never sin again (1 John 2:1-2) but that sin should no longer have dominion over my life. And now Jesus Christ should be Lord and Master of my life. For if Christ lives in me and I no longer live, that means that I should be letting him live out his life through me and my flesh should no longer be in control over my life, all by faith in Jesus Christ.

But this does not make me perfect, for I still live in a flesh body. But lack of perfection should never be used as an excuse ever for deliberate and habitual sin. For if truly we have died with Christ to sin, and we have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as servants of God and of his righteousness, then sin should no longer be our practice. Our lives must now be surrendered to God to doing his will in his power at work in our lives (see Romans 6:1-23).

But this is not something that we do in our own flesh to try to win “brownie points” (favor) with God via our own fleshly “good deeds.” The works of the flesh, and going through religious rituals and customs, will not earn us favor with God. What God is looking for is for us to deny self, die to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in the power of God. He wants our all on the altar, surrendered to doing his will his way, all in his power (see Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 9:23-26).

For the grace of God is not a “get out of jail free card” which gives us permission to keep living in deliberate and habitual sin without conscience. God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus died to deliver us out of our slavery to sin so we will now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands (see Titus 2:11-14 and 1 John 1,2,&3).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

To Be Like Him  

Based off Scripture

An Original Work / March 16, 2014  

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Crucified you are with Jesus.

To be like Him, oh, you’ll be,

Because He died at Calv’ry,

So from sin you’d be free.

Oh, what joy He brings into your life,

Giving life with Him endlessly. 

Oh, what plans He has for your life.

Share the gospel faithfully.

Show the people He loves them.

Now His witness you’ll be.

Tell the world of sin about Jesus,

How He died for them on a tree.

Purifying hearts, He saves them,

Who believe on Christ, God’s Son.

Turning now from their idols,

New lives they have begun.

Jesus saves from sin; we’re forgiven.

Over sin, the vict’ry He won!

When He comes again to take us

To be with Him evermore,

There will be no more crying.

Gladness will be in store.

Heavens joys will now overtake us:

We’ll be with our Lord evermore.

https://vimeo.com/89237609

No Longer I Who Live

An Original Work / April 7, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love