IF You Have Been

Colossians 3:1-4 ESV

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Our faith in Jesus Christ is not a one-time experience in our lives which secures heaven for us for eternity, regardless of how we live. Our faith is a walk of faith, and it is progressive, which is why the Scriptures teach that we must walk by faith and not by sight, and according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and that we must no longer walk in sin but now in righteousness and in holiness and in walks of obedience to our Lord or else we will not inherit eternal life with God.

But it begins with dying with Christ to sin and being raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, in his power, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And now we must die daily to sin and to self and follow him in obedience, not necessarily in absolute perfection, but in walks of surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, making him truly our only Lord (Owner-Master). For we are now to be his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God the Father prepared in advance that we should walk in them.

And if this is true of our lives, that we have died with Christ to sin, and we have been raised with Christ 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, then we should also be those who are seeking after what is of God – what is righteous, holy, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his New Covenant commands.

We should no longer be those who are seeking after, longing for, and passionate for what is earthly and of the devil and what is ungodly and wicked and immoral, etc. Sin should no longer be our practice, our habit. But righteousness and godliness should be what we practice. Our minds should be set on Christ and on following him in obedience wherever he leads us in doing whatever he commands us to do, and then when Christ who is our life appears, then we will also appear with him in glory.

[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:16-21; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; I John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-24; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14]

Colossians 3:5-10 ESV

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

Therefore, if we have indeed been crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin, and so we have also been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, then we should no longer be those who are living under the control of sin, obeying its sinful passions. For if sin is what we obey, and if obedience to our Lord is not what we obey, that leads to death, not to life eternal. But if obedience is what we obey, that ends in eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-21).

So, we are now to put to death what is earthly in us, by the Spirit, as we cooperate with God’s work of grace in our lives. Therefore such things as sexual immorality, impurity, passion (lust), evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry, should no longer have any part or any sway in our lives. We are not to be those who are “struggling” with these sins, in practice, i.e. who are regularly giving in to them deliberately and habitually.

For dying daily to sin, by the Spirit, does not entail us habitually and deliberately walking in any of these sins. It means that, by the Spirit, we are daily saying “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly and worldly passions and lusts, and by the Spirit we are living self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the power of God, for the glory of God (Titus 2:11-14). This is not saying we will never sin, but that sin should not be our practice. We should no longer deliberately and habitually and premeditatedly be sinning against our Lord.

Why? On account of these the wrath of God is coming. For we are all going to reap what we sow and we are all going to be judged by God according to the things we have done in this life. And 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, regardless of what faith in Jesus Christ we have professed with our lips. So, we need to take this to heart.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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