If Truly Past, then Not in Present

Video Talk

Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

I hear a lot of people quoting the second half of this while they ignore the first half of this passage of Scripture. So they end up claiming this second half for themselves although the first half is still true of how they are living today, in practice. Now I am not saying that no genuine follower of Jesus Christ can never stray from his true faith and need to be brought back to Christ. I believe we have biblical examples of that and we have Scriptures which encourage us to bring wandering Christians back to the true faith. 

But if our idea of faith in Christ is that we can continue to live like what is described in the first half of this passage, and yet claim the second half for ourselves, and then presume upon the grace of God that he is going to let us into his heaven, then we are sadly being misled and we are mistaken. For what is described at the beginning here should now be in our past, not in our present. We should no longer be walking (in conduct, in practice) in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.

For if we are, then we are still by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. For we are still following the course of this world, and we are still following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, whose children we are if we are refusing to obey God and to walk in his holiness and in his righteousness, and if we are, instead, choosing to still live in the passions of our flesh. For if we are still living according to the flesh, we are still dead in our trespasses and sins.

And when this says here that God, being rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses, this is not saying that we can remain dead in our trespasses and continue to live in sin. For when he makes us alive with him in Christ, we are first of all crucified with him in death to sin and then we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now living as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For Jesus died to transform us and to conform us to his likeness. For this is what is meant by being saved by his grace.

[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] 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e28zeUz7uD0

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My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

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