While We Were Still Weak

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11 ESV)

We who are sinners by birth can do nothing in ourselves to be made righteous with God (Romans 3:1-18). We can do nothing to earn nor to deserve our own salvation. We cannot even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father draws us to Christ (John 6:44), i.e. unless he first persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness (Romans 1:18-32) and of our need to repent of our sins (Acts 26:18), and of God’s requirement that we follow him in obedience (1 John 2:3-6). For even the faith to believe in Jesus is not of ourselves but it is a gift of God to us (Ephesians 2:8-10).

And since this faith and our salvation come from God, are persuaded and gifted of God, and they are not of ourselves, but they were bought for us with the price of Jesus’ blood shed for us on that cross, although we are so undeserving of his love and forgiveness, then it is God who gets to define for us what this faith and this salvation look like. And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him, or we don’t have life in him. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience, we will not inherit eternal life (Luke 9:23-26).

For to be justified by his blood is to be conformed to a proper standard (upright) which meets with God’s divine approval. And we are not approved of God if we are still walking in (living in) deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord, especially if we are then calling him “Lord,” but we are not doing what he says. For if that is what we do, Jesus said that we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he will say to us, “I never knew you! Depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). So please understand that salvation from sin and God’s grace have requirements of us.

And to be reconciled to God means that we decisively change from living in sin and for self to now following our Lord in obedience to his commands. We change from being enemies of God, from being in opposition to God, to now being in fellowship (partnership, agreement, participation) with God and with his will and purpose for our lives. And being redeemed means being rescued from what enslaved us so that we can now honor God in all that we do. For we are saved out of living in sin to now walking in obedience to God (see Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24, et al). 

So, we are not saved from the wrath of God by a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved from the wrath of God when we decisively change from living in sin and for self to now following our Lord in obedience to his commands – all in his power, and strength, and wisdom. And we do not have eternal salvation if we continue to live in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord, and if we do not walk in faithful obedience to our Lord in holy living, in moral purity, uprightness, honesty, faithfulness, and surrender of our lives to Jesus Christ to do his will and to die to our own wills.

For our salvation from sin is not merely a change of status from unsaved to being saved. It is, instead, self-denial, dying daily to sin, and following our Lord in obedience to his commands in daily living, by the grace of God, and in the power and wisdom of God. For Jesus died to deliver us out of our slavery to sin so that we can now honor him with our lives and serve him with our lives and no longer live for our own selfish desires. For by faith in him we now are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him to be lived for his glory and honor.

So, don’t believe the lies which tell you that all you have to do is pray a prayer to receive Christ, or that all you have to do is to just make some kind of profession or confession of Christ as Savior and Lord, and now you are good to go for eternity, regardless of how you live. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant), we will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what our lips have professed. So, please know what the Scriptures teach in their fulness and believe the truth and not the lies.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24] 

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

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