A Total Life Change

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV)

Under the Old Covenant that God had with the Jewish people, Gentiles (non-Jews) were not part of God’s chosen people. I am not saying that no Gentiles believed in the Lord. I do believe we have biblical and historical evidence of non-Jews putting their faith in the God of the Jews, though I can’t bring them to immediate recall. But fundamentally it was the Jews and not the Gentiles who were God’s chosen people at that time.

But when Jesus Christ died on that cross for our sins, he destroyed that barrier that stood between Jew and Gentile and he made us both one people via God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. Now, whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth, we can all now believe in Jesus Christ, turn from our lives of living in sin and for self, and now follow our Lord in obedience to his ways and according to his commands (New Covenant).

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; John 8:18-19,38-47; Jude 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

Now, under the Old Covenant, human priests were intermediaries between God and the people, and they made animal sacrifices to God for the people for the sins of themselves and for the people. But when Jesus Christ died on that cross, that veil that stood between us and the Holy of Holies was torn in two, thus representing that the way was now open for us to come directly into God’s presence and to make our own spiritual sacrifices to God.

But these spiritual sacrifices are also according to the will of God and not according to our own flesh. Mainly what this involves is us putting our lives on that altar of sacrifice, and us dying with Christ to sin and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Now we walk no longer according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, empowered by God.

And now we are to be God’s holy people. And to be holy means to be set apart by God and for God for his service, and now as his possession, and it means we are also to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, by God. Now our lives are no longer our own to be lived however we want, but now, by the grace of God, our lives are to be surrendered to God’s will.

And part of living holy lives and having our lives surrendered to the Lord and to his purposes is that we must be sharing the truth of the gospel of our salvation with other people, and not just with those who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but with all who profess faith in the Lord, too. For many are those who give lip service to the Lord Jesus but by their attitudes and words and actions they deny him as Lord of their lives.

And the truth of the gospel is that Jesus Christ called us out of darkness (sin, selfishness, wickedness) into his marvelous light (himself, purity, righteousness, godliness, holiness, honesty, and faithfulness, etc.). For Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to his righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). And he died that we might now live for him and no longer for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15,21).

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

A Total Life Change

Video Talk

July 4, 2023

https://youtu.be/mVpBSzZ-V0g

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No Less  

An Original Work / March 19, 2012

I can do no less than praise You,

Lord, for all You’ve done for me.

You died for my sins to save me,

So I would be set free.

I adore You! Lord, I praise You!

Jesus, Savior, King of kings!

You provided my redemption.

Your grace has pardoned me.

I can do no less than serve You. 

Lord, Your witness I would be,

Telling others of Your love,

And why You died on that tree.

Tell of how You gave of Your life,

So from sin we’d be set free,

So we could worship You forever,

And live eternally.

I can do no less than love You,

Lord, for You have first loved me.

You gave of Your life so willing,

Because You cared for me.

Turn from my sin! Obey freely!

Live for You each passing day.

Read Your word, and follow Your lead,

Lord, as I humbly pray. 

https://vimeo.com/125493623