Put Off, Put On

Ephesians 4:17-19 NKJV

 

“17This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

 

We live in a day and age when so much of what is called “church” is watering down the gospel message to make it more attractive and less offensive to the ungodly and to the world. Many church gatherings have been turned into theatre productions for the purpose to entertain the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings. So many of their pastors are now entertainers who joke and laugh in their sermons, and who make light of things which God regards as serious, and who teach “gospel light” to appease the flesh.

 

Others may be teaching the importance of biblical repentance and of obedience to our Lord’s commands, but they will throw in things which will make it sound like this is optional, and not required, and that they will still have salvation from sin and eternal life with God even if they don’t repent, and even if they don’t obey God as a matter of life practice. For they don’t want to be too heavy handed and thus scare some people away. They want “church” to be fun and enjoyable so people will keep coming back.

 

And so we have many people in these “churches” who are professing faith in Jesus Christ, convinced that all their sins are forgiven, and that they are on their way to heaven, but while they continue making sin their practice, and not obedience to our Lord’s commands. They play with sin, thinking that nothing bad will happen to them, not realizing the danger of falling beyond recovery because they overestimated God’s grace and thought they had permission to keep sinning, only now without conscience or remorse.

 

And sexual sin does seem to be at the top of the list today, within the gatherings of the church, of sins which are prominent and largely ignored. And so many are excusing these sins away, and making excuses for them. So many pastors are not taking this seriously, which could be that they are also trapped in sin, and/or that they just don’t want to offend anyone, for they want to grow their numbers. And this situation should grieve us who profess faith in Jesus, because many are in danger of falling to their deaths.

 

Ephesians 4:20-24 NKJV

 

“20But you have not so learned Christ, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

 

This is critical that we get this. This translation I find a little difficult to understand. A better rendering of verse 20, I believe, is “But that is not the way you learned Christ” (ESV). If we were taught the truth that is in Christ Jesus, we should not have learned that it is okay for us to keep on in deliberate and habitual sin against God. It is not okay for us to keep ignoring the commands of our Lord and to live however we want. Salvation from sin and eternal life with God require that we die to sin and that we obey God.

 

So, by faith in Jesus Christ, we are to put off our old self, which belongs to our former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow him in obedience to his commands. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, and we do not obey our Lord’s commands, in practice, we do not know God, we do not have salvation from sin, and we will not have eternal life with God.

 

And now, by the grace of God, and because of what Jesus did for us on that cross, we can be renewed in the spirit of our minds. For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross to deliver us out of our bondage (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands, and in surrender to his will, in living holy lives, pleasing to God. Our minds should no longer be set on pleasing the flesh and disobeying God, but we should now long to do what pleases our Lord because we love Him.

 

By faith in Jesus, which is gifted to us by God, and which is persuaded of God, we die to our old lives of living in sin and for self, and now we put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. We can’t do this in our flesh, though. This can only be done in the power of God by genuine faith in Jesus Christ which dies with Christ to sin and is reborn of the Spirit to walk in newness of life in him. And daily we must deny self, die to sin, and obey God, in practice. Take this to heart!

 

[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]

 

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.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

Put Off, Put On

An Original Work / June 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Grace, Salvation, Faith, Works

Ephesians 2:8-10 NKV

 

“8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

 

Grace

 

What is God’s grace to us? God’s grace sent Jesus Christ, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – to the cross to put our sins to death with him, and then to rise from the dead victorious over sin, death, hell, and Satan, on our behalf, in order that by faith in Jesus Christ we will now die to sin and obey God and his commands. For 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 in Christ Jesus.

 

[Romans 3:23-25; Romans 5:1-2; Romans 6:1-23; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 6:24; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:26-31; Hebrews 12:12-17; 1 Peter 2:24; Jude 1:4]

 

Salvation

 

And what are we saved from? We are saved from ourselves, from our own selfish wills and desires. And we are saved out from our addiction to sin and from living for self and for ungodly pleasures. We are rescued from the control (power) of sin and Satan over our lives so we can now, by the grace of God, live for our Lord, in obedience to his commands, in holy living. And what are we saved to? To do the will of God, to follow our Lord wherever he leads us in doing whatever he has called us to do, all for the glory of God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24]

 

Faith

 

And what is faith? It is divine persuasion of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin so we might live for Christ in obedience to his commands. But this faith is not of our own doing, of the will of the flesh of humans. But we are saved as we are drawn by God to follow Jesus with our lives. For this faith is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ, and it comes from God, and so it is aligned biblically with the teachings of Christ on what it means to have faith.

 

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Hebrews 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24]

 

Works

 

Don’t leave out verse 10, which is what so many people do. So they teach that faith is absent of all works, including they exclude the need to obey God’s commands, to do his will, and to forsake our sins. But if we include verse 10 we learn that by faith in Jesus we are now his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus “for good works” which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So we are not saved by our own fleshly works, but we are saved by God to do the works God has prepared for us to do.

 

[Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:20-24; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:22-24; Philippians 2:12-13; James 2:14-26; Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21]

 

By Your Grace 

 

An Original Work / June 27, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Speak Your words to my heart,

Let Your grace and love impart.

Be to me all I need

To love and serve Christ my King;

To love and serve Christ my King.

Change my heart; be like You;

Let me love and serve in truth.

Guide my steps ev’ry day,

As I bow my knees and pray;

As I bow my knees and pray.

 

Love You, Lord. You love me.

You died so that I’d go free

From my sin; pure within;

By Your grace I’m saved from sin;

By Your grace I’m saved from sin.

Invite You in my heart;

Now I have a brand new start.

Repented of my sin,

So that I’d be cleansed within;

So that I’d be cleansed within.

 

Live for You ev’ry day,

List’ning to the words you say.

Make You Lord of my heart;

Be Your witness, grace impart;

Be Your witness, grace impart.

Obey Your ev’ry word;

Do the things I’ve seen and heard.

Your word, Lord, in me burns,

While I wait for Your return;

While I wait for Your return.

 

https://vimeo.com/125738774

 

Grace, Salvation, Faith, Works

An Original Work / June 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Saying, "Speak to Us Pleasant Words"

Galatians 6:7-10 NKJV

 

“7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

 

Now, the Lord is leading me today to take a slightly different approach with this passage of Scripture than usual, not at all changing the meaning in any way, but looking at just one of the many ways in which people in our day and time are sowing to the flesh and not to the Spirit, many of whom are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. And this has to do with diluting and altering the message of the gospel to make it less offensive to the ungodly and more acceptable to human flesh. This dilution is very popular today.

 

Isaiah 30:8-11 NKJV

 

“8Now go, write it before them on a tablet,

And note it on a scroll,

That it may be for time to come,

Forever and ever:

9 That this is a rebellious people,

Lying children,

Children who will not hear the law of the Lord;

10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,”

And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things;

Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.

11 Get out of the way,

Turn aside from the path,

Cause the Holy One of Israel

To cease from before us.”

 

“Speak to Us Smooth Things”

 

And this is the message being spread far and wide in many of the gatherings of “the church” today, at least here in the USA, and as led by many pastors of these congregations, as well as it is being passed along by their followers. And I get this message given to me sometimes by people who read what the Lord gives me to write and to post on the internet. And they try to get me to soften the message of the gospel, and to water it down, to make it less offensive and more inviting to the people, to speak smooth things, instead.

 

But Jesus Christ and his New Testament apostles did not water down the gospel message to make it less offensive and more appealing to the people. They told the people plainly that faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, and which is not of human flesh, commands (not merely suggests) that we must deny self, die to sin daily, and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands, as a matter of life practice, although not necessarily in absolute perfection (see 1 John 2:1-6). For if we do not obey, we will not be saved.

 

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 4:31-38; John 10:27-30; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 10:14-15; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-14; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9,21,24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

 

The Diluted “Gospel” Message

 

But that message, although it is what was taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles, is largely being rejected as the gospel today, and it is being taught that it is “works salvation.” And so they claim that it is false. And it is being replaced by “another gospel,” which is “the gospel” taught by human flesh, and is of the flesh. Although it is partially correct, it is mixed with the lies of Satan. Thus, it is a half-truth which makes it a lie, a lie which is leading many people to hell on the promise of heaven when they die.

 

I have been rejected and cast aside in multiple institutional “churches” which are following the marketing plans of other humans on how to grow their numbers. And I have had individual professing Christians reject and cast me aside as unwanted, as well, because I speak the truth of the gospel, and I do not dilute it to make it more comfortable to the ungodly. But God did not call me to be a people pleaser. He called me to be a voice in the wilderness preparing the way of the Lord for the people to receive the truth, not lies.

 

The Essential Gospel Message!

 

For what Paul preached here in Galatians 6 is essential to the gospel of our salvation and to the salvation of human lives. For whatever we sow, that we shall also reap. So if we think God is okay with us continuing in deliberate and habitual sin, and that he will not judge us for not obeying his commands, we need to read this passage again. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, according to the Scriptures, we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

Now, that may sound harsh and unloving to some people. But it is the most loving thing I could ever say to anyone, if truth be told. For if I feed you lies to make you feel good, and you end up in hell, but on the promise of heaven, then I am guilty of hate in the worst way. So I would rather that you end up in heaven even if it means that I am hated and rejected on this earth for telling people the truth that many people do not want to hear. So I must not lose heart because some people think I am too strong on this subject. God will use what he has given me to share for the salvation of human lives.

 

The Battle for Truth

 

Based off Malachi 1-4

An Original Work / May 18, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

I love you. Honor me.

Tell the truth. You’ll be free.

Sing My praise all your days.

I will give all you need.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

Turn from sin; cleansed within.

Stand in awe of My Name.

Teach what’s true. Walk in peace.

Follow Christ, in His ways.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

Show to God faithfulness.

Do not be adult’rous.

Do not shed shallow tears.

Do not be insincere.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

I have sent messengers,

Who have giv’n my address.

They call for repentance,

And they warn of judgment.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

I, the Lord, do not change,

So return – blessings gain:

Healing comes; joyfulness;

Freedom from your distress.

 

https://vimeo.com/117023801

 

Saying, “Speak to Us Pleasant Words”

An Original Work / June 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Carry Each Other's Burdens

Galatians 6:1-2 NIV 1978

 

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

 

The Family of God

 

Another word for “brothers” is brethren, which, in context, is intended to mean fellow-believers in Jesus Christ, i.e. the family of God as a whole unit, which would include males and females. We, as the family of God, are to watch out for one another, care for one another, and encourage one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. And we are instructed in the Scriptures that we should be doing this daily so that not one of us is led astray by the deceitfulness of sin and might fall away from the Lord.

 

But let me add a word of caution here. If this is of a private matter, then it should be dealt with privately, male with male, and female with female. But biblically speaking, if the one committing the sin is not willing to repent of one’s sin, to turn from the sin, and to obey God, then it becomes a matter for the church to intervene (example: 1 Corinthians 5). Sadly, from my experience, I don’t see much of that happening these days. Instead I see a great tolerance of deliberate and habitual sin in what is to be the church.

 

Caught in Sin

 

Now, what does it mean to be “caught in a sin”? It can mean that one is literally caught in the act of sinning, i.e. someone else witnessed the act of them sinning. Or it can mean that someone is overtaken by sin, such as in being engaged in a sinful habit, an addiction to any particular sin. They are trapped, snared, and hooked in/on any particular sin or all sin. And they either have not sought a way out of it, or they do not desire to be relieved of it, or they have been too afraid to admit that they are trapped in sin.

 

And who should restore them gently? Those of us who are spiritual. So, what does that mean? It means we are those who believe in Jesus Christ, who have by faith in him died to sin, and who are now living for God in walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living. Sin is not our practice. This doesn’t make us perfect in every respect, but obedience to our Lord and living in moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and the like, is what we practice, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, for we take God’s word seriously.

 

Restore Them Gently

 

This word “restore” means “to equip, to perfect, to prepare, to restore, to mend, to repair, to make in good working order, to make fully functional. It stems from a medical term having to do with putting a joint which is out of place back into place, which is a painful process. But this is about helping someone caught in sin to be delivered from that sin and to be brought back into a proper spiritual condition, to be made right with God in obedience to our Lord. But they have to be willing and cooperative or it won’t happen.

 

And to restore such a one gently is not to coddle them in their sins, nor to give them permission to keep sinning for an elongated period of time. For gentle is humble, and it is meek, and Jesus was meek, but he was not weak on sin. He did not placate sin in the life of the sinner, nor did he soften the gospel to make it less offensive to the sinner. Jesus spoke the truth plainly, with much love, knowing that it is the truth which sets people free, not the lies which make people feel good. So tell people the truth they need to hear.

 

But Watch Yourself!

 

If we are trying to help someone who is trapped in sin to come out from underneath that weight of sin, we need to be on guard against the wiles (tricks) of the devil. For Satan will try to guilt trip us or to tempt us or whatever he can do so that we will back down from helping this brother or sister in Christ to come out from underneath whatever is entrapping them. And so we need to be humble, and guarded, and not to think too highly of ourselves or we may fall into temptation and need to be restored ourselves.

 

And to carry each other’s burdens is not to tolerate or ignore or placate deliberate and habitual sin in those who claim faith in Jesus Christ. Too much of that is taking place today in the gatherings of the church, or of what are falsely being called “the church.” Too many are giving professing Christians a pass, and then calling that “grace.” But 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 (see Titus 2:11-14).

 

[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]

 

My Sheep 

 

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

An Original Work / June 24, 2012 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

 

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

 

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

 

https://vimeo.com/114938263

 

Carry Each Other’s Burdens

An Original Work / June 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Led By The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-21 NKJV

 

“16I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 

“19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

The Law vs The Law

 

Most of us who are Christians today were not brought up under the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws. So, for someone unfamiliar with the Old Covenant laws, seeing written in the New Testament that we Christians are “not under the law,” it might well be a confusing subject. And some people are using this to their advantage and they are teaching that God says that we don’t have to obey the law, i.e. his commandments. But we indeed do have to obey God.

 

So, when we are reading in the Scriptures that we are not under the law, please do not take it that you do not have to obey the commandments of God. It is just saying that we do not have to obey all the restrictions of the Old Covenant, but it does not give us the freedom to disobey our Lord’s commands under the New Covenant. And God’s moral laws never went away, which our Lord makes clear through his servant, the apostle Paul. For all the law is fulfilled in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

But this word love is not just the feel good kind based in our emotions. The word love in the Greek is agapē, which means to prefer. And for the believer in Christ it means to prefer what God prefers, to choose his choices, and to obey them in his power. And what God prefers is all that is holy, righteous, morally pure, upright, faithful, honest and obedient to his commands (under the New Covenant). And we are taught in the New Testament that if we do not obey God, that we do not know God, and we do not have life in him.

 

Walking in the Spirit

 

By faith in Jesus Christ, if our faith is of God, and if it is biblical faith, and not that of the flesh, that should result in us denying self, dying to sin, and obeying our Lord’s commands as a matter of life practice, not necessarily in absolute perfection (1 John 2:1-2). But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin against God. So, walking in the Spirit is living to please God, turning from sin, and obeying his commands, in practice. Then we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh in our lives.

 

And then we are given here a list of the works of the flesh, and in most of these lists in the Scriptures, the ones listed first have to do with sexual sin which appears to be the predominant sin holding people in bondage today. And if sin is what we practice, by habit, and not obedience to God, then we are not in relationship with Christ Jesus, and we don’t have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. So we must put away all sin, including lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, idolatry, murder, and the rest.

 

And now we must walk (in conduct, in practice) by the Spirit, living to please God in all that we are and say and do. And we must live morally pure lives to the glory of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit. So, instead of adultery, we are faithful. Instead of hatred, we are loving. In place of lies we now tell the truth. Instead of wrath, we are kind. In place of resentful and bitter, we are forgiving and compassionate. Instead of being rebellious, we cooperate with God. And instead of doing wrong, we do what is right in God’s eyes.

 

Put Offs and Put Ons: [Matthew 5:27-30; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:5-11; 1 Timothy 4:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-17; 1 Peter 1:14; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10] 

 

Servant of the Lord

 

Based off Romans 1:1-17

An Original Work / July 26, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Servant of the Lord;

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

Through Him, and for His name alone,

We receive His grace

To call people, Him to obey;

Coming from their faith.

Servant of the Lord,

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

 

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ;

Always praying for others’ needs;

Helping hand to lend;

Giving courage to others’ faith,

For the praise of God.

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ.

 

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

In the gospel find righteousness:

Being right with God.

Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.

By faith, live in Him.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

 

https://vimeo.com/119511640

 

Led By The Spirit

An Original Work / June 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Don't Go Backwards!

Galatians 4:8-20 NKJV

 

“8But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

 

“12Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 16Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

 

“17They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. 18But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 19My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

 

Going Backwards

 

The context of this had to do with the Judaizers who were trying to convince the Christians that they had to be more like Jews, and that they had to hold to some of the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, circumcision, dietary, and/or Sabbath laws as part of faith which saves. So Paul was letting them know that they were not to yield to the teachings of the Judaizers. For those of us who are in Christ, by faith in Him, we are not under the Old Covenant. But we are under the New Covenant God has with his people Israel, with all who believe in Jesus Christ as our Messiah. We are not to go backwards.

 

And this kind of thing is still prevalent today within the gatherings of “the church.” But what is most concerning today is that so many preachers are preaching to the people what is them trying to get the people to reject the message of the gospel, taught by Jesus Christ, and to go backwards, and to accept something less, something not of God, not required of God which will allow them to remain in the flesh, still living in sin, not walking in obedience to the Lord, but while claiming that they are saved and on their way to heaven because they made a profession of faith in Jesus with their lips.

 

Different Topic, Same Subject

 

So, although one situation is dealing with Judaizers convincing Christians to be more like Jews and to hold to some of the Old Covenant liturgical laws, and the other is dealing with some pastors today who are convincing their audience that faith in Jesus Christ does not require that they must deny self, die to sin, and obey God’s commands, as necessary components of believing faith, yet in both situations we have people in positions of prominence and authority within the gatherings of the church who are lying to the people, and who are trying to get them to not obey God and his New Covenant.

 

For the weak and beggarly elements so many are turning back to today is this idea that they can control their own lives, that they can do whatever pleases them, that they can walk in sin, in sexual immorality, in lying, cheating, and stealing, and as long as they profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior, then they are saved and heaven is their eternal destiny. Yet some pastors insist that they must attend weekly gatherings of these “institutional churches” (not of God), which are partnered with the government and with the ungodly, or else they are regarded as not in genuine fellowship with God.

 

Have I Become Your Enemy?

 

So, if you are someone who believes God, who believes the Scriptures, who believes the gospel message taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles, in the correct biblical context, you may find yourself in a position as an outcast, and as someone to be ignored and rejected because you teach what they now call “works salvation.” And if you are attending one of these “institutional churches,” because you don’t know that so many of them are being guided by marketing schemes, and not by Christ, you might find yourself being persecuted because you believe God and you trust his Word.

 

For 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) God’s will. For those who didn’t obey will be told by God, “I never knew you, depart from me” (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]

 

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

 

Reading of this writing on Video:

 

https://youtu.be/sEyFPOu5vW0

 

Don’t Go Backwards!

An Original Work / June 21, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All God's Promises Have Conditions

Genesis 17:7-9 KJV

 

“And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.”

 

Genesis 18:19 KJV

 

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

 

Galatians 3:16,26-29 NKJV

 

16Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

 

“26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

 

All God’s Promises

 

All God’s promises have stipulations which must be abided by in order for those promises to be fulfilled. They are not open-ended promises, i.e. they are not commitments without specific clearly defined limits or conditions. In the covenant that God made to Abraham and to his seed (although we learn in the New Testament that the seed was/is Jesus Christ), Abraham and his descendants were required that they must keep (obey) God’s covenant. They were required of God that they had to keep (obey) the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. All God’s promises have conditions!!

 

So, what happened to the Israelites when they were in the wilderness for 40 years? The majority of them did not obey God. They were idolaters, drunks, revelers, the sexually immoral, and those who craved sin, and who tested Christ, and who grumbled against God and against his servant Moses. So most of them died in the wilderness. And not only did they not get to go into the Promised Land, but they also did not get to enter into God’s eternal rest. And all Jews who rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah were cast out of biblical Israel, and the believing Gentiles were grafted into biblical Israel, who is Jesus Christ. And all who deny Jesus as the Christ are antichrist.

 

Bible verses on biblical Israel:[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Matthew 21:43; John 8:18-19,38-47; John 10:16; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 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 3:1-6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]  

 

Heirs of the Promise

 

So the true heirs of the promise God made with Abraham are all who by faith in Jesus Christ have become children of God. They are not the Jews who have rejected Christ as their Messiah and who have been removed from biblical Israel. Therefore, the unbelieving Jews do not believe in nor do they worship the same God as us who believe in Christ – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And all who do not obey God and his commands, but who walk in sin, also do not worship the only true God, and therefore they also are not heirs of the promise God made with Abraham and with his seed (Christ).

 

So the political nation called “Israel” is NOT the Israel of God. They are not God’s chosen people because the majority of them do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Lord. Many of them are atheists or those who call themselves Jews but who do not adhere to the Jewish faith practices. According to the Scriptures, they are the antichrist, in fact. So we are not to give our loyalties and devotion to the physical and political nation calling itself “Israel,” for they are not biblical Israel. Biblical Israel are all who are of biblical faith in Jesus Christ who have died with Christ to sin and who are walking in obedience to God’s commands, in the power of God, by his grace.

 

Baptized into Christ

 

Please understand, that even though water baptism traditionally followed a profession of faith in Jesus Christ in the New Testament Scriptures, being baptized with water is no assurance of anyone having faith in Christ and of being obedient servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Water baptism saves no one. Many people go through the waters of baptism who never put their trust in Jesus Christ. But water baptism represents what takes place in the life of the believer in Christ, for by faith in Jesus we are buried with Christ in baptism into death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him in walks of obedience to his commands. Then we are Christ’s.

 

And if we are Christ’s, then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise God made to Abraham and to his seed, meaning Christ.

 

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 NKJV

 

“13When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

 

[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]

 

Return to Me

 

Based off Jeremiah 31; Cf. Revelation 2-3

An Original Work / September 5, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

I have loved you with an eternal love,

Which I give to you, in my faithfulness.

 

Keep your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tearing.

You will be rewarded

With much fruitfulness.

 

There is hope for you that My family

Will return to Me; live in victory!

 

Though I discipline in My love for you,

My heart longs for you that you walk in truth.

 

Turn your thoughts to your Lord.

Choose to walk in His ways.

Turn from your sins daily.

Follow Jesus Christ.

 

Oh, how long will you wander in your sin?

Give your hearts to Me; be restored within.

 

I will satisfy ev’ry weary soul

Who repents of sin; is renewed within.

 

Behold, days are coming;

It will surely happen;

Though I discipline them,

They will thrive again.

 

I will be their One and their Only God.

They shall walk in white; be in Me, made right.

 

https://vimeo.com/115536688

 

All God’s Promises Have Conditions

An Original Work / June 21, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love