1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded THROUGH FAITH for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
This paragraph “packs a punch.” Yes, it is only by the grace
of God that any of us are able to be saved from our sins and to have eternal
life with God. We can only be born again to a living hope in the power of God,
and because of Jesus’ blood sacrifice on that cross for our sins, and because
of his resurrection from the dead.
So, what takes place in our lives when we are born again to
this living hope? By faith in Jesus Christ, and in the power of God, we die
with Christ to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life in
him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph
4:17-24).
Our old self (our old life of living to sin and to self) is
crucified with Christ in order that the body of sin might be brought to
nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, but so we would now
become slaves of God and of his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 12:1-2; Tit
2:11-14).
When this takes place, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live
within us, we are now children of God, and we now have an inheritance in God’s
eternal kingdom, kept in heaven for us, who by God’s power are being guarded THROUGH
FAITH for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
This, however, is not guaranteed to everyone who professes
the name of Jesus. This is the work of God from beginning to end, but it
involves our cooperation with God in his work. So, this is not a faith or a salvation
created in the minds of humans.
Since this is of God, and it is the work of God, it is going
to be according to the will of God and in agreement with his divine nature and
will for our lives. So, by faith, and in the power of God, we will submit to
Christ as Lord, and we will walk in obedience to his commands, and we will forsake
our sinful lifestyles (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Eph 4:17-24).
If we do not die with Christ to sin or walk in obedience to
his commands or forsake our sins to follow Jesus and his ways, then we don’t
have salvation from our sins or eternal life with God, because what we have is
of the flesh, not of God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6).
The other thing we must understand here is that our
salvation is a process, not a one-time event. We are saved (past), we are being
saved (present) and we will be saved (future) when our Lord returns and our
salvation is complete. And we must continue in Christ and in his word until the
end if we want to have eternal life with God.
[Rom
8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1
Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6, 14-15; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 1 Jn 2:24-25]
1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
When we believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded
faith, and we die with Christ to our old lives of sin, and we are resurrected
with Christ to newness of life in him, and we are now walking (in conduct)
according to the Spirit and no longer according to our flesh, we are not going
to have smooth sailing.
We are going to face trials of various kinds. We are going
to be hated and persecuted for our walks of faith in Jesus Christ, even by
those who claim to have faith in Jesus Christ. But these trials have come to
test our faith to see if it is genuine. For not everyone has genuine faith.
Many have man-made faith that is not of God.
If our faith is genuine, it will be found to result in
praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. But those who
have a faith which believes that they don’t have to submit to Christ as Lord or
walk in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), or that they don’t have to
repent of their sins, they will not pass the test. For that kind of faith
dishonors Jesus Christ.
But even if a pastor teaches repentance and walks of
obedience to the Lord but then he also says that we can keep on repeating the
same sins over and over again and that God will keep forgiving us, he is not
teaching the true gospel of grace, but one which still coddles people in their
sin. For he is granting permission to keep sinning habitually, under God’s
grace.
1 Peter 1:8-9 ESV
“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
To love God is to obey him. To not obey him is to not love
him. So, if we love him, we will do what he says. It is not saying we are
perfect, but that we are no longer living under slavery to sin, under the
control of sin and Satan, for Jesus set us from our bondage to sin.
So now we walk (in conduct) according to the Spirit and no
longer according to the flesh, and we live to do what pleases God, because we
love him.
But there are many liars and deceivers out there and in the
gatherings of the church who are teaching that we can still continue living in
sin, doing what we want, and that we will still have eternal life with God. But
please understand this. If we live in sin we will die in sin, not have eternal
life with God.
So, listen to the truth, obey the truth, and follow Jesus
Christ in obedience to his will for your life and don’t continue living in sin
or you will not have an inheritance in God’s eternal kingdom when Jesus
returns.
[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]
For
Our Nation
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
No comments:
Post a Comment