1 John 3:4-10 ESV
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”
Why Jesus Died
The whole purpose of Jesus coming to the earth to die on
that cross for our sins was so that we can be delivered from our slavery to sin
so that we can now walk in obedience to our Lord in walks of holiness and
righteousness, to the glory and praise of God, by God’s grace, so that we can
have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. For Jesus died that we
might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness and so that
we will live for Jesus and no longer for ourselves (1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians
5:15).
So, when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith, we
are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are raised with him to walk in
newness of life in him, not like our old lives, no longer as slaves to sin, but
now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So sin is to no longer be our
practice, but now righteousness and obedience to our Lord are to be what we
practice. For if sin is what we obey, it will lead to death, not to life eternal
with God (Romans 6:1-23).
Therefore, if after we profess faith in Jesus Christ we
continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and sin is still our practice, then we
don’t know the Lord. We have not been born again of the Spirit of God, for we
never died with Christ to sin, or if we did, it was very shallow and therefore
it did not last (see the Parable of the Sower). For if we are truly abiding in
(obeying, following after) Jesus Christ, then we will not keep on sinning, in
practice, deliberately and habitually. But it doesn’t mean we will never sin.
So, don’t be deceived by those who are telling you that you
can make a once in your life profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all
your sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and heaven is guaranteed
you when you die, regardless of how you live. For it is whoever practices
righteousness who is righteous. And whoever makes a practice of sinning is of
the devil. So, no one born of God makes a practice of sinning. So we must walk
according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh.
Not Being Taught
Yet, this is not what is commonly being taught in the
American church overall. Much of today’s church (or what is falsely being
called “church”) here in America has become worldly, and they have adopted the
ways of the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings. And so
they have also altered (adulterated) the gospel of Jesus Christ, and his
character, in order to make the Lord and his gospel more acceptable and appealing
to human flesh and to the ungodly.
And so many of them are teaching that we can have faith in
Jesus Christ and be saved from our sins permanently without it requiring that
we die with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and without the requirement
that we now walk in obedience to our Lord in walks of holiness, moral purity,
and righteousness. And so we have many professers of faith in Jesus Christ who
are convinced that all their sins are forgiven and that heaven is guaranteed
them but while they continue in deliberate and habitual sin against God.
And this is continuing to get much worse to where we are now
being inundated with messages about Jesus which deny his true character and
purpose, and which alter his character to make him more ordinary and appealing
to human flesh. And we are being inundated with diluted and altered gospel
messages that do not require death to sin and living to righteousness in walks
of obedience to our Lord. And so many people are being promised heaven while
they are still headed to hell.
For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord,
Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God
the Father who is in heaven. For many will stand before our Lord on that Day,
and they will profess him as Lord, and they will claim the things they did in
his name, but he is going to say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you
workers of lawlessness,” for they refused to obey our Lord, and they thought heaven
would still be secured them (see Matthew 7:21-23).
Full
Release
An
Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
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