Zealous for Good Works

 Titus 2:11-14 ESV

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 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.”

It is my observation that the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ today here in America are not adhering to the gospel as Jesus and as his New Testament apostles taught it. But they are following a man-made gospel, instead. For they are being taught God’s grace merely in the sense of God’s forgiveness of sins and of the promise of eternal life in heaven with God when we die.

And so we have many professers of faith in Jesus Christ who are not much different at all from those who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ. But does that matter? Absolutely it does! For Jesus Christ did not give up his life for us on that cross so we would go on living like we did before. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23).

But it appears that the most predominant gospel message permeating the church (or what is falsely called church) today is a half-truth gospel created in the minds of human beings, which is intended to tickle itching ears and to pacify the people in their sins, in order to appease human flesh and to not offend the people of the world.

So, what is mostly being taught is that we can make a one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present and future), and now heaven is guaranteed us when we die, and no one can take it away from us, regardless of how we live. But that is a lie from hell. For that is contrary to what Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught.

Jesus taught that 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) Jesus Christ. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, we have eternal life in him (see Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23).

And he also taught that not everyone saying to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For many will stand before Jesus on the day of judgment claiming who they believe they are in Christ, and all the things they did in his name, and he is going to tell them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23).

So this is where we need to understand that God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is not just a get-out-of-jail-free-card. God’s grace delivers us out of our lives of slavery to sin and his grace empowers us to live godly, holy, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful and self-controlled lives while we wait for our Lord’s return.

We also need to understand that both our faith and our salvation come from God and are gifted to us by God, and they are not of our own doing. And the faith to believe in Jesus is not man-created faith but it is God-persuaded faith, and so it will align with God’s will and purpose for our lives and will submit to Christ as Lord.

And then we need to understand that if we walk, in lifestyle and in practice, according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, we have eternal life with God. But if we walk in sin, and if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and holiness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God. So please take this to heart.

[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Luke 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23; Eph 4:17-24; 1 John 1,2,3]

My Heart’s Desire

Loved Ones, Oh, my heart’s desire

Is that you might come to Jesus.

Many appear zealous for God,

But they do not trust in Him.

They have not submitted to the One

Who saved them from their sins;

Not forsaken their sins,

Nor have they obeyed their King.

The word of the Lord is near you:

The word of faith we’re proclaiming:

That you must confess your faith

In Jesus as your Lord and King:

Believe in Him as your Lord,

And follow Him where’er He leads.

Share the gospel; be a witness,

And meet others’ needs.

Beautiful are the feet of those

Who bring the good news of Jesus:

Anyone who would come to Him

Must deny himself today;

Die to sin and self, and

Let the Spirit transform you in heart;

Put on your new self in Jesus,

Yielding to the cross.

An Original Work / June 29, 2013

Based off Rm. 10; Lu. 9:23-26;