Must We Die to Sin?

“And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’” (Mark 8:31-33 ESV)

“And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’” (Matthew 16:22-23 ESV)

So many people today, at least here in America, are teaching a gospel message, not only absent of death to sin and of following our Lord in obedience, but absent of all suffering for the sake of our faith, and for the sake of the gospel. For they are teaching that we can believe in Jesus, have all our sins forgiven, and be on our way to heaven, guaranteed, but regardless of how we live. Many are teaching, too, that nothing is required of us other than some shallow confession of faith in Jesus Christ.

And so there are a whole lot of people professing to be in relationship with Jesus Christ who are living not much differently than they lived before they professed faith in the Lord. They have not been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and they have not been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to righteousness. Therefore, they have not denied self, they are not dying daily to sin, and they are not following the Lord in obedience to his commands.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; 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 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

And this is because this is what they want to believe so that they can continue living in their sins without interruption, and without feeling guilty, and without repentance, for they believe that Jesus did everything for them and that nothing is required of them in the way of surrender to his will, or obedience to his commands, or the forsaking of their sins, or holy living. For they have people telling them that they do not have to die to their sins and that they will not have to suffer, and that all will go well with them.

But that is a lie of Satan who wants us to believe that no death to sin (no repentance) and no obedience to our Lord and to his commands are required of us, and that we should not have to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ, and for the sake of his gospel. And those lies are a hindrance to the teaching of the truth of the gospel and to people having genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. For Satan is getting people to set their minds on the things of man (of the flesh) rather than on what is of God.

And so we have many professers of faith in Jesus Christ convinced that all their sins are forgiven, and that heaven is their eternal destiny, based on a confession of Jesus as Lord. But Jesus said that not everyone saying to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God the Father. For he also said that if we are to come after him, that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him if we want to have eternal life (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26).

And so we have many shallow “Christians” believing that they don’t have to obey the Lord or leave their sins behind them, and that they will not have to suffer for the sake of knowing Jesus. And so they live very shallow and surface-level “Christian” lives where they make little to no impact on other people’s lives for genuine salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But Jesus said that if we follow him that we will suffer and be treated as he suffered and was treated, even to the death, for our walks of faith.

So, we all need to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their full context and who believe what they teach us. We need to believe the promises of God, but that they all have conditions for those promises to be fulfilled. But we also need to believe the warnings of God that not all who profess his name will have eternal life with him. And we need to believe that the Christian life is to be a life of suffering for righteousness’ sake, for the sake of the gospel, and for our testimonies for Jesus Christ.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; John 16:33; John 17:14; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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