“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:25-32 ESV)
When we are born into this world we are born with sin natures, in the image of Adam, the first man created by God, and the first man to sin against God. And ever since Adam sinned, all humans are born with sin natures, separate from God, and unable in our own flesh to be approved by God. So, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God (God the Son), left his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human form, and ultimately was put to death so that we might now die with him to sin and obey his commands.
[Rom 3:9-26; Rom 5:12-19; 1 Co 15:21-22,42-49; Eph 2:8-10]
But he did not remain dead. He rose from the dead on the third day, appeared to many people over about 40 days, and then he ascended back to heaven to be with God the Father. After some time he then sent his Holy Spirit to indwell the hearts and lives of all of his followers. And ever since that time, all who trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives receive the Holy Spirit to live within them, to guide and to direct them to all truth and to counsel and empower them in the ways of righteousness.
[John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:17-18; Rom 8:9,14; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 12:7,11,18]
When we believe in Jesus Christ, thus, with God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in the Lord, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and 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. Thus, we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies any longer, to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness, and its end is eternal life with Christ (see Romans 6:1-23).
Therefore, we who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ are to be those who are in the process of dying daily to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. Sin is no longer to be what we practice, but obedience to God and righteous living are to be our practice. And so we must put away from our lives all that is sinful so that we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness in living lives which are pleasing to God, and so we can minister God’s love and grace to the people of this world.
But then we must put on Christ and his righteousness, and we must live the opposite of how we used to live. If we used to tell lies, we stop, and now we practice telling the truth. If we use to take advantage of others and to take from them what is not ours to have, we stop, and now we give to others and to their needs, even if it means sacrificing some of our own wants. If we used to have “potty mouths,” we cease, and now we speak the love and kindness and grace of God to other people, in the power of God.
So, the Christian life involves us dying to our old ways of living so that we can now, in the power of God, live holy and godly lives, which are pleasing to the Lord. For we cannot put on Christ and his righteousness if we are still holding on to and making a practice of particular sinful habits. The old has to be discarded so that the new (the opposite) can take its place. For example, we cannot be truth tellers as long as lying is still a habit. The old has to be removed so that the new can be put in its place.
So, if bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, hate, pride, and selfishness are what are stored up in our hearts, that is what is going to come out in our actions and in our words and attitudes towards others. So these things must be put out of our lives so that we can have hearts filled to overflowing with God’s love and grace, for God and for other people. Basically, if we want to live for the Lord we must die to sin, and we must, by the grace of God, put out of our lives all that is hindering our walks of faith and obedience to God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 15:17-20; Lu 6:45; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; 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; 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 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 12:1-2]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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