Set Apart for The Gospel

Romans 1:1,8-12 ESV

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” 

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.”

Now, we as followers of Jesus Christ don’t all have the same exact calling as Paul did, but we are all called to proclaim the gospel of our salvation and to serve the Lord Jesus with our lives, as his own possession. We are to tell people of how he died to free us from our slavery to sin so that we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness, as part of saving faith. And we are to submit to him as Lord (Owner-Master) and do the works which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them, in his power and strength.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV).

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

“..waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:13-14).

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]

And we should be thankful to God for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are our family by God-given faith in the Lord Jesus, who are following the Lord Jesus with their lives. And we should be praying for the family of God according to the will of God and according to their needs in any particular situation. And we should be encouraging, exhorting, instructing, urging, and reassuring one another, speaking the truth in love one to the other.

For we need that mutual encouragement and exhortation so that we are not led astray by false teachings, and so that we don’t become hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, and so that we love God and one another with the kind of love which prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful; and so that we do the works (deeds) of God which he prepared in advance that we should do.

[Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25] 

For, as followers of Christ we are his disciples, and if we are not his disciples, then we don’t know him, in truth. For to believe in Jesus is to follow him. It is to obey him and his commands (New Covenant). It is to walk in holiness and in righteousness, in the power of God, and not in habitual and deliberate sin against God and against our fellow humans. For if sin is what we obey, and not God, we don’t have eternal life with God.

So, when you share the gospel of our salvation, make certain that you are sharing the truth of the gospel and not a half-truth gospel. For many are buying into the lies of the enemy, convinced that if they make a one-time in their lives profession of faith in Jesus Christ that all their sins are forgiven (past, present, and future) and now heaven is guaranteed them. And so many of them have the idea that their sins no longer matter to God.

But the Scriptures make it very clear that to know God is to obey his commandments (New Covenant), and that to be in fellowship with him requires that we no longer walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin. We must now walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, in obedience to our Lord, in holy living. And we must continue in those walks of faith until the very end if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. For this is what the Scriptures teach:

[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] 

No Less  

An Original Work / March 19, 2012

I can do no less than praise You,

Lord, for all You’ve done for me.

You died for my sins to save me,

So I would be set free.

I adore You! Lord, I praise You!

Jesus, Savior, King of kings!

You provided my redemption.

Your grace has pardoned me.

I can do no less than serve You. 

Lord, Your witness I would be,

Telling others of Your love,

And why You died on that tree.

Tell of how You gave of Your life,

So from sin we’d be set free,

So we could worship You forever,

And live eternally.

I can do no less than love You,

Lord, for You have first loved me.

You gave of Your life so willing,

Because You cared for me.

Turn from my sin! Obey freely!

Live for You each passing day.

Read Your word, and follow Your lead,

Lord, as I humbly pray. 

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