Turning from Evil

1 Peter 3:8-12 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

8Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For,

“Whoever would love life

and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from deceitful speech.

11He must turn from evil and do good;

he must seek peace and pursue it.

12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and His ears are inclined to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against

those who do evil.”

 

So many people today are teaching a gospel of salvation free from all repentance and obedience to our Lord. And they have convinced multitudes of people to accept that as the gospel message, that Jesus Christ died on that cross merely to forgive us our sins and to guarantee us eternal life in heaven with God, end of story, no obedience and no repentance required. But Jesus shed His blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out from our addiction to sin so we will obey His commands.

 

And faith in Jesus Christ is not something we can create in our own minds to make it fit sinful lifestyles. For faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, and which is not of our own doing, is persuaded of God as to His holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirement that we deny self, die to sin daily, and that we walk (in conduct) in obedience to His commands. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:11-14; Luke 9:23-26).

 

All throughout the New Testament writings we are taught that, by faith in Jesus Christ, we are to put sin to death and we are now to obey God and His New Covenant commands in life practice. We must keep our tongues from evil and our lips from deceitful speech. Speaking lies should never be our practice! We must turn away from doing what is evil and now we must be committed to doing what is good in the eyes of the Lord. And we are not to repay others with the evil and the insults which they give out to us.

 

All of us who profess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior are required of God that we must repent of our sins. We must turn away from doing evil, from making sin our practice, and now we are to be obeying God and His commands, in life practice. And we are to be loving others, even our enemies, which should also be our practice. And love is not just feelings, but love is action, and love prefers what God prefers which is what is holy, righteous, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful to our Lord and Savior.

 

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. So this means that the face of the Lord is against ALL who make evil (sin) their practice, their habit, which includes multitudes of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips. For we live in a day and time when so many are embracing the lies and they are rejecting the truth, and they have convinced themselves that their habitual and deliberate sins against God will not hinder their relationship with God, nor will it send them to hell if they don’t repent.

 

But Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

So, we need to take this to heart, to believe it, and to not play with fate assuming that God will not judge us just because we made a profession of faith in Him. For faith is not in words only, but it is in action and in truth. For faith comes from God and is not of our own doing. And it requires that we deny self, die to sin, and obey our Lord and His commands in daily practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and as led by the Spirit of God.

 

Turning From Evil

An Original Work / October 3, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

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

 

[A Prayer of Devotion to God Alone]