If we naturally, as of the sin nature, take control over our own lives and take control away from God, either out of pride or impulse or instinct, what does that say about our faith in Christ? There are two New Testament passages that use the word “instinct” to describe people who naturally take control of their own lives and away from God, and both passages speak of false teachers, and these passages parallel each other. And they teach:
These false teachers “secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.” “They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls.” “What the true proverb says has happened to them: ‘The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.’” These are those who “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 2 and Jude 1).
And Paul said: “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God… So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:6-8,12-14).
Therefore, if naturally and instinctively and in pride we
take control over our own lives and take control away from God, and if this is
something we do repetitively, as a matter of habit (instinct), then we do not
have the peace of God ruling our minds and our hearts. And it doesn’t matter
what we profess with our lips. His peace will not guard our hearts and minds,
especially not in the repetitive (addictive, habitual) sinful routines of our
lives.
For, we can’t walk by the Spirit and walk instinctively by
the flesh, too. The two do not coincide with each other. For the flesh is
against the Spirit and the Spirit is against the flesh. So, if naturally and
instinctively and out of pride we habitually yield control of our lives over to
the flesh and not to the Spirit, then according to the Scriptures we are not of
God, and we don’t know God, but we are serving the devil, instead (Gal 5:16-21;
1 Jn 3:4-10).
“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” (Galatians 5:19-21).
Teachers of the Scriptures
Therefore, if we are going to be teachers of the Word of God
and of the gospel of our salvation, we need to be those who are not living
double lives with one foot in hell and one foot in heaven, which is not
possible anyway. We can’t be of this sinful world and be of God, too. We can’t
have it both ways. So, our natural inclinations and instincts should now be
changed to where we are those who are being led by the Spirit and not by the
flesh.
Yes, we will still be tempted to sin from time to time, but
we shouldn’t be like a ping-pong ball being tossed back and forth by various
winds of doctrine and beliefs and practices, going from side to side. Sin
should no longer be our “go to.” It should no longer have a hold (grip) on our
lives to where we go to it by instinct naturally and in pride. Our natural
instinct should now be to immediately resist Satan and to flee temptation to
sin.
And this brings me to something else related to this. And
that is deception. Many people who are prone instinctively towards rejecting
God in favor of their sins usually habitually lie to cover up their sinful
acts, too. And some of them put on a false persona of righteousness to cover up
the sin and to deceive others into thinking that they are not sinning when they
are. And even if they admit past sins, they will often lie about present sins.
But the lies and the deception are not just to cover up the
sins but to cover up the severity of the sins and to make themselves look
better than what they are and/or to excuse away the sins, especially if these
sins have been going on for many years, as they have for some (or many) people
professing faith in Jesus Christ. So, they minimize the sin and the severity of
it and they make excuses for why they have not changed prior to this time.
So, even though they may now be professing to have changed
hearts, still their conversations reveal that their hearts have not changed
because they are still making the same excuses and telling the same lies, and
they are still bouncing back and forth between the true gospel of grace and the
false gospel of cheap grace. Their messages are still filled with holes and discrepancies
and deceptions. And they are not willing to be fully honest.
And like I said, some people have been in this boat a very
long time and they are still in it even though they may profess to be out of
it. And it is because they are still living a lie and performing for an
audience. And that is why much of what is described in 2 Peter 2 and in Jude 1
describes them, as well. For they want the approval of humans (not all) more
than they want the approval of God. And so they blend the truth and the lies
together so that they have the approval of humans. And they feed off of that.
Servants of the Lord Jesus
But we are to be those who deny self and who daily are dying
to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord. Our “go to” should now be to holy living,
not to addictive sin. Our instinct should be to obey our Lord not to obey sin,
especially not habitually. Our natural inclination should be to want to please
God and not to live for self-pleasure. And it should be to love others not to
sin against them deliberately and habitually and then to make excuses for it.
[Lu
9:23-26;
Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas
1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col
3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-11; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn
2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27;
Rev 22:14-15; Eph 2:8-10]
Servant
of the Lord
An
Original Work / July 26, 2012
Based
off Romans 1:1-17
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment