Isaiah 26:1-4 ESV
“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
he sets up salvation
as walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
The strong city today is the church, the body of Christ. Salvation is her walls and bulwarks, not physical walls of brick and mortar and wood. And the church is comprised of the people of God who by faith in Jesus Christ have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. They have forsaken their lives of living in sin and for self to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands.
THEY, the people of God, are the church, the strong city of God. The church is not physical buildings, and not businesses of men being marketed to the world, and she is not church denominations or civic centers or social clubs or places of fun and adventure and entertainment and of secular and worldly activities to bring fun and enjoyment to the people of the world. But this is what many people professing faith in Jesus Christ have turned the gatherings of the church into, which is not of God, not of Christ Jesus.
For the true church, the body of Christ, is universal. She is not bound by physical space and location. And with the use of the internet and texting and telephones, etc., we can gather as the church, the body of Christ, regardless of where we live on the planet earth. We can fellowship together with other Christians across the globe. And we can minister God’s love and grace to one another regardless of where we live on the earth. And we can function in our body parts even on the internet in using the gifts God has given to us.
And the true church is spiritual, not physical, and she is about honoring and glorifying God and obeying her Lord and doing what he says and walking in his ways and truth and in righteousness and holiness. And she is about getting the truth of the gospel of our salvation out to the people of the world so that they can come to genuine walks of faith in Jesus Christ, too. She is not on this earth to entertain the people of the world but to lead them to repentance and to obedient walks of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord.
And our salvation is not a “get out of jail free card” so we can go to heaven when we die and so we can escape hell. And the gospel is not this “quick fix” so that we can keep on in our sins now guilt free. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that we must deny self, die daily with Christ to sin and to self, and that we must now follow our Lord in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). For if we do not turn from our lifestyles of sin to follow Jesus in obedience, we do not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God.
So, it is only the truly repentant who have turned away from living in sin and who are now following Jesus in obedience to his commands who can enter into this church, this strong city, the body of Christ, which is our spiritual union with Christ. It is only those who keep the faith who will remain in Christ which is required of us for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God. For we must now walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.
Now, this is not to say that we will never sin again (see 1 John 2:1-2), but that sin should no longer have mastery over our lives. For the Scriptures are quite clear on this subject. If sin is our habit, our practice, what we obey on a consistent and habitual basis in deliberate rebellion against our Lord, we do not have the hope of salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. But if righteousness, holiness, and obedience to our Lord are what we practice, in the power of God, then we do have salvation and eternal life with God.
And when we are walking in the ways of the Lord as our daily practice, and when we are not being taken captive to obey sin, we have peace with God because our minds are stayed on Him and not on the sinful pleasures of the flesh. Our consciences are clear and we have pure fellowship with our Lord, and there is no better place to be ever! For we are at perfect peace because we have nothing to feel guilty for. It doesn’t mean we are perfect people, but our consciences are clear because we are walking in obedience to Christ.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
A Believer’s Prayer
An Original Work / July 31, 2012
With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.
Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.
Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.
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