Colossians 2:1-15 ESV
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
When we are born into this world we are born with sin
natures, in the image of Adam. So we have all sinned, and we have all come up short
of God’s divine acceptance and approval. There is not anything that we can do
in our sinful flesh to be made right with God and to receive salvation from
sin. For our salvation and even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ are gifts
from God to us and they are not of our own doing. They are not of the flesh and
the will of man. So only by God’s grace can any of us be made right with God.
[Rom 3:9-26; Rom
5:12-19; 1 Co 15:21-22,42-49; Eph 2:8-10]
Therefore, God the
Father sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for our sins.
In his death, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the
righteousness of God. And Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for ourselves. He
shed his blood for us to buy us back (to redeem us) out of our lives of sin so
we will now honor God with our bodies. And he died to deliver us from slavery
to sin so we would now be slaves to God.
[1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co
5:15,21; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23]
But what is God’s gift of grace to us? It is not just
forgiveness of sins so that one day when we die we get to go to heaven. God’s
grace, which is bringing us salvation, trains (instructs) us to renounce (say “No!”
to) ungodliness and fleshly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and
godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (see Titus 2:11-14). And God’s
grace delivers us out of our slavery to sin so we will now be slaves of God and
of his righteousness and so we will obey our Lord’s commands (Romans 6:1-23).
So, how do we receive his gift of grace and of salvation? By
faith in Jesus Christ. But what kind of faith? Well, the faith is authored and
perfected by Jesus Christ, so it comes from God, and it is gifted to us by God,
and it is not of our own doing, but it is persuaded of God. Therefore this
faith will be according to the will of God and it will be of the divine
character of God, so by this faith in Jesus Christ we die with Christ to sin
and we now live to him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands
(New Covenant).
[Jn
6:44; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Eph 2:8-10; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1; Tit
2:11-14; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13;
Heb 12:1-2]
Also, this faith must be continuous
until the day that we die in order for us to be saved from our sins and to have
eternal life with God. So to come after Christ we must deny self, die daily to
sin and to self, and follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands under the
New Covenant. For if we continue living in sin, and if sin is what we practice,
and if righteousness, godliness, holiness and obedience to our Lord are not
what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will die in
our sins.
Nonetheless, there are many people
today who are professing faith in Jesus Christ, some of whom are also teachers
and preachers of what they call “the gospel,” who have reduced the gospel
message to a human-based faith created in the minds of humans. And this “gospel”
teaches that we can “believe” in Jesus (not usually biblically defined belief)
once in our lives and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us
when we die, and nothing can take it away from us, regardless of how we live.
Not true!
But we also have those who are adding
on to our salvation the works of the flesh which have nothing to do with our
walks of faith but they are all externals, such as requiring circumcision of
males, some of the Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial and dietary laws and
restrictions, and some legalistic traditions and practices which the Scriptures
do not require. But this is not to say that our salvation does not involve
works. It does! They are just the works of God he prepared for us to walk in (Eph
2:10; Titus 2:14).
So we are to guard against legalism
and libertinism, but also the lies which are telling us that we do not have to
repent of our sins and that we do not have to obey God and that no works are
required of us and that we can just make a profession of faith in Christ one
time and now we are good to go to heaven regardless of how we live. We must
reject those lies if we want to have genuine salvation from sin and eternal
life with God. For yes, we are saved by God’s grace, but biblical grace, not
man-made grace.
For by God’s grace we are crucified
with him in death to sin and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life
in him, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.
For the truth that is in Christ Jesus is that we are “to put off your old self,
which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful
desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new
self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14;
Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 2:11-14]
Seek the Lord
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Based off Isaiah 55
“Come to Me all you
who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and
eat what’s good today,
And your soul will
delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and
you will live.
I have made an
eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of
the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while
He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked
forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the
Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons
him.
“For My thoughts are
not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My
ways,”
declares the Lord,
our God.
“My word that goes
out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return
to Me unfulfilled.
My word will
accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal
I intend.
You will go in joy
and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will
burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees
clap their hands.”
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