If You Continue in the Faith

Colossians 1:21-23 ESV

"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."

If we are of genuine God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, then prior to us coming to faith in Christ we were once separate from him and unable in our own sinful flesh to be approved by him or to share in his righteousness and holiness. For we who were outside of genuine faith in Jesus Christ were considered to be his enemies because we were still living in sin doing evil deeds, not living in obedience to our Lord in righteous living.

So, what else is this saying? It is saying that before we came to faith in Jesus Christ we were living in sin doing (practicing) evil deeds. So we were (past) doing (in conduct, in practice) what is wicked, sinful, corrupt, dishonest, and immoral in the eyes of God. So this is saying that once we come to faith in Christ we should no longer be doing evil deeds, in practice. It doesn’t mean we will never sin, but sin should not be our practice.

For by God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions. For we are slaves of the one whom we obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness, to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23; cf. Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 2:11-14).

By this faith we are reconciled to God, we are brought into fellowship with him, and the hostility we had against him, as his enemies, is thus removed from us. And now he is able to present us as holy, separate (unlike, different) from the world because by God’s grace we are now becoming like Jesus in character and in word and deed. And now we are living righteous, moral, upright and godly lives, by the grace of God, and no longer in sin. Now we are people of integrity no longer living in sin but now for the Lord.

And all of this is contingent on us continuing in the faith taught by Paul and by Jesus Christ and by the other NT apostles. And that is not the faith that is permeating the American church today. For neither Paul nor Jesus nor the other NT apostles taught that we can make a once-in-our-lifetime profession of faith in Jesus Christ, have all our sins forgiven, be on our way to heaven and that nothing can take that away, even if we continue living in sin.

Jesus taught if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity, but if for the sake of Christ we die to sin and live to righteousness, we will have eternal life by the grace of and in the power of God (see Luke 9:23-26). For if sin is what we practice and if godliness, righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

And the faith that Paul and Jesus Christ and the other NT apostles taught is divine persuasion of God, it is of God, it is gifted to us by God, it is not of our own doing, not of the will of man nor of the flesh of man. For we can’t even come to faith in Christ unless God the Father first persuades us as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to turn from our sin and to obey God. For biblical faith = obedience, and disobedience = unbelief.

[John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; Romans 1:18-32; Acts 26:18]

Our salvation from sin is not a one-time thing which takes place in our lives and now we are good to go to heaven when we die regardless of how we live. The gospel Paul taught dispels that notion completely. For Jesus Christ died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and so we will no longer continue in deliberate and habitual sin. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God. So this is why this tells us that we must continue steadfast in the faith that Paul taught (in biblical context).

[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] 

Video Talk

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Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387