Saints, Faith, Love, Hope, Grace

Colossians 1:1-6 ESV

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.”

Saints, Faith and Faithful

Paul wrote this letter to the saints and to the faithful brethren (the Christians) at Colossae. And who are the saints in Christ Jesus? We are those who are set apart by and for God who are different (unlike) the world (the ungodly) because, by genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ.

And who are the faithful in Christ Jesus? We are those who are believing (active ongoing faith) in Christ Jesus, who are the faithful (loyal, devoted, trustworthy, committed) in Christ Jesus to our Lord, in practice. We are committed to dying to sin daily and to walking in obedience to our Lord in walks of holiness and righteousness, in the power of God, by God’s grace.

And what is faith? The Greek word is “pistis,” and it means “to be persuaded,” and in this case to be persuaded by God who is the author and the perfecter of our faith, who gifts faith to all who will receive it and who’ll apply it to our lives, a faith which is not of our own doing, which is not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of the will of God for our lives.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44]

So, since God/Christ is the author of this faith, from whom our faith comes, and since this faith is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, and since this faith is persuaded of God, then this faith is going to align with the character and will of God and with holiness and righteousness and obedience to our Lord.

And what is God going to persuade us about? He is going to persuade us as to his holiness and righteousness and of our sinfulness and of our need to repent (turn from) our sins to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands and to walk (in conduct, in practice) in holiness and in righteousness, and in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin (Romans 1:18-32; Acts 26:18).

Love, Hope, and Grace

And what is this love that we, as followers of Christ, are to have for one another? The Greek word is “agape,” and it centers in moral preference, and it means to prefer what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to God and to his Word. So, for the believer, it means to prefer to walk in obedience to our Lord.

So, if we love one another with this kind of love, then we will do good to one another, as God defines good, which is all that is moral, upright, honest, and faithful, etc. And it means that we will not deliberately and habitually sin against those we are supposed to be loving with this love which comes from God. And it means, too, that we will speak truth and not lies to each other.

And what is this hope which is being laid up for us in heaven? Well, it is based off the gospel of our salvation. And the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught is not like the one permeating the church in America today, and perhaps in much of the rest of the world. For it does not teach we can profess faith, have all sins forgiven, have heaven secured, end of story.

Jesus taught we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we die with him to sin and we now live to him and to his righteousness, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God (see Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23).

And the NT apostles taught that we must walk no longer according to the flesh, but now according to the Spirit, and that we must no longer walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, but in righteousness and holiness and in obedience to our Lord. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, and not righteous living, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[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] 

And what is the grace of God, in truth? The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, trains (instructs) us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. For Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

[Titus 2:11-14; cf. Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:17-24]

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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Those Who Keep Faith

Isaiah 26:1-4 ESV

“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“’We have a strong city;

    he sets up salvation

    as walls and bulwarks.

Open the gates,

    that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on you,

    because he trusts in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.’”

The city being spoken of here is not a physical city, but a spiritual city, the city of God, which today is the church, the body of Christ, true spiritual Israel which is comprised of both Jew and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ. So this is also not a physical building, but it is a spiritual building with the people of God as its stones, and with Jesus Christ as our cornerstone.

So, the walls to this building and to this city are not physical walls, but they are our salvation from sin. And as the physical walls of these physical cities of old were their bulwarks, their protections from enemy forces, our salvation from sin is our safeguard, our protection from the enemy of our souls, who is the devil. And our enemy is also sin. 

For, what are we saved from? And what are we saved to? We are not saved just from the punishment of sin, but we are saved from our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin. Our sins are forgiven (pardoned), but this is not unconditional forgiveness. It is provided that we walk (in conduct, in practice) no longer according to the flesh, but now according to the Spirit.

[see Romans 8:1-14; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23]

Now, this has nothing to do with works salvation. This is not about trying to earn our own salvation through our own “good works” of the flesh. This is about walking in the salvation already provided for us, by the grace of God, in the power of God, in obedience to God, and in submission to the will of God for our lives in walks of righteousness, and not in sin.

For we are to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, and we are to walk properly, as in the daytime, not in sin, and we are to walk by the Spirit, and we are to walk in the good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. And we are to walk in a manner worthy of God, and of our calling in Christ Jesus.

And we are to walk no longer as the ungodly do, but we are to walk as children of light, and as those who are wise, not as unwise. And we are to walk in a manner which is pleasing to our Lord, and in his wisdom. And we are to walk according to the commandments of God (New Covenant), and in the truth, and then we will walk with Jesus in white, for we are worthy.

[Rom. 6:4; Rom. 8:4; Rom. 13:13; 2 Co. 5:7; Gal. 5:16; Eph. 2:10; Eph. 4:1,17; Eph. 5:1-2,8,15; Col. 1:10; Col. 2:6; Col. 4:5; 1 Thess. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:1,12; 1 Jn. 1:5-7; 1 Jn. 2:6; 2 Jn. 1:6; 3 Jn. 1:4; Rev. 3:4]

But if we do not keep faith, and we give lip service only to the Lord, and we do not deny self, take up our cross daily, and follow our Lord in obedience, then we do not have eternal life in him, regardless of what our lips have professed. For not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father.

For, by genuine faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So, sin is to no longer be what we practice, but righteousness and obedience to our Lord are to be our practice or we don’t have eternal life with God.

For if sin is what we obey, and if obedience to our Lord is not what we obey, it will end in death, not in life eternal. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it will lead to righteousness, to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. For if we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit, it will end in death, not in life eternal.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

For when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness. For Jesus Christ shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of living in sin and for self so that we will now live for him and so we will now honor him with our lives.

[1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Romans 6:1-23]

For our Lord will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed (remained, continued) on him, and not on the flesh. For what our minds are set on is the path that we will follow after. So, if our minds are set on the flesh, we will be those who are living according to the flesh. And to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

[Romans 8:1-14; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:3; Ephesians 4:17-23; Philippians 1:27; Philippians 2:1-11; Philippians 3:19; Colossians 1:21-23; Colossians 3:2; Titus 1:15; James 1:5-8; James 4:8; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 Peter 3:8; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8]

Hear my Voice 

An Original Work / July 9, 2012

Based off Psalm 27

The Lord is my great salvation.

He’s the stronghold of my life.

When my enemies attack me,

My heart will not fear at all.

Though a war break out against me,

Confident in Christ I’ll be.

Of the Lord, I ask that I may

Live with Him eternally. 

Hear my voice, Lord, when I call you.

Merciful to me You’ll be.

Though my relatives forsake me,

My Lord God will receive me.

Teach me Your way, O my Jesus.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

I will sacrifice to my Lord.

I will sing with joyfulness.

I am confident that I will

See the goodness of the Lord.

All the richness of His blessings,

My Lord has for me in store.

He asks me to be of courage;

To be strong and to take heart,

Patiently as I wait for Him,

And from Him to ne’er depart.

https://vimeo.com/119813963

Don't Fake It!

Romans 12:9-13 ESV

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

This love, in the Greek, is Agape love, a love which comes from God and is divine love because God is love. It is a love centered in moral preference and it prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, and faithful. It prefers to leave our sins behind us to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience and in a walk of faith in Christ Jesus, in his power, by the grace of God. So, it is an unselfish and a giving love.

Some people, though, who do not love will try to fake that they do, usually as a means of deception and/or manipulation and trickery. Sometimes it is because the person faking it is sinning against the other person, perhaps in committing adultery against his/her marital partner. And to try to cover up the adulteries this person will try to put on a show (a performance) of loving his spouse, but it isn’t real. For that person is still sinning against him/her.

So we need to let our love for others be genuine. Now this is not saying that we have to have warm fuzzy feelings for the ones we are to love. For we are to love even our enemies. So it is not faking it to truly love others in action who may be people who are doing evil against us. But it is faking it if we are pretending to love them while we are doing evil to them, especially when that evil is being done behind their backs in sneaky and underhanded ways.

For we are to be people of God who absolutely detest all evil, and not who fake disliking evil, or who just admit that doing evil is wrong. But we are to be people who literally break down into tears at the evil that we are seeing going on in the names of liberty and compassion and Christianity and God and religion, etc. It should break our hearts and send us to our knees (literally or figuratively) in prayer, calling out to God to rescue us.

Holding fast to what is good is living the life we are to live in Christ, in walks of holiness and righteousness and obedience to our Lord. And it is holding on to the truth and rejecting the lies, and even confronting the lies for what they are. And it is sharing the truth of the gospel of our salvation, and letting people know that Jesus died to deliver us out of our slavery to sin so we can now walk in holiness and in obedience to him.

When we love other believers in Christ with brotherly affection, we are treating our brothers and sisters in Christ as though they are literally our own family. And we should show honor to those who are walking in love and in faithfulness and in obedience to the Lord, and not in sin, and who are suffering persecution for the sake of righteousness. But we should not honor evil nor those who do evil nor those who speak lies and who tell people that they can keep walking in sin and still go to heaven when they die.

We are not to be lazy people who are unconcerned about our walks of faith or how we live, and for whom it is not essential nor important that we submit to Christ as Lord and that we obey him and that we give our lives to him as living sacrifices to do his will. But we are to be those who love the Lord and who are grateful for all he has done for us and who, thus, long to serve our Lord and to do what he has called us to do and to be.

And all of us are going to have tribulations, even the ungodly have tribulations, but those who are serving the Lord with their lives and who are walking in his ways and who are speaking the truth and not the lies are facing persecution for their commitments to the Lord and to his service. But we are to endure unjust suffering patiently, and just keep praying and just keep obeying our Lord.

And then we are to do good to those who belong to the family of God. And we are to meet one another’s legitimate needs, so this will not always involve handouts. Sometimes it will involve helping them to learn to help themselves. Teaching may be involved here. Practical lessons could be applied. Speaking the truth in love may be part of this, as well. Encouragement to the hurting can be part of this, too. But we are to love one another and not sin against one another.

Video Talk

https://youtu.be/cbbN43k6JvE 

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Love Must Be Genuine 

An Original Work / October 22, 2013

Based off Romans 12:9-21

Love must be genuine.

Hate what’s evil; cling to good.

Love each other with affection.

Show respect for ev’ryone.

Never lack in your zeal.

Serve the Lord with diligence.

Rejoice in steadfast hope.

In affliction, patient be.

Keep on praying; share with others.

Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute.

Feel with others sympathy.

Be not filled with conceit.

Daily sit at Jesus’ feet.

Live in harmony with others.

Live at peace with ev’ryone.

Repay not to someone

With the evil he begot.

Do not take your revenge;

Leave it to the wrath of God.

If your enemy is thirsty,

Give to him something to drink.

Do what’s right for mankind.

Evil: overcome with good.

https://vimeo.com/114695549 

Think of Yourself with Sober Judgment

Romans 12:3 ESV

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

Pride and Humility

How would you describe “more highly than we ought to think”? I think that can be somewhat subjective depending on our own belief system, i.e. if we are interpreting this according to what we might personally believe this means, or if we are interpreting this according to the Scriptures. For I hear many different takes on this from multiple sources, and they aren’t all the same, and they aren’t all biblical in nature. 

For example, some people might consider it humble to admit to living a sinful lifestyle only to continue living that sinful lifestyle. And the same people might consider it prideful if someone confesses to walking with the Lord in obedience to his commands and in righteous living, although not making claims to living in absolute perfection. But is that what is being taught here about pride and humility? I don’t believe so.

For it isn’t truly humility to admit to living a sinful lifestyle but then to continue living that sinful lifestyle, at least it is not biblical humility. And it can be based in total pride, for the person’s pride is what is keeping him from humbling himself before God in genuine repentance. So, it can be absolute arrogance to admit to living in sin but then to keep on living in sin, which is a slap in the face to Christ who died to save us from our sin.

In the same respect, depending on the circumstances, it may not be prideful at all for someone to confess to walking in faithful obedience to our Lord, in practice, not perfectly, in living a holy life unto God and in true service to him. The apostle Paul did this regularly, but not in pride, but in setting an example for us all in how we all are to walk, and in explaining to all why he was being persecuted, and in defense of himself and of the gospel when he was being opposed.

Biblically, I believe what this is teaching us here is that we are not to think of ourselves in terms which are beyond where we are living. So we are not to present ourselves to others as better than what we actually are, or less. And who and what we are largely has to do with our character, with what is in our hearts, and with what is coming out of our hearts in our speaking and in our actions, i.e. the fruit that we bear either for good or for evil.

But we are to think of ourselves and to present ourselves with sober judgment, with a sound mind, being serious-minded, and with an honest and humble assessment of ourselves and of who we are and of how we are living, based upon the Word of God. So this is like looking in the mirror and seeing ourselves for who we really are, and not who we think we are or who we would like to be and who we want others to think that we are. So this is making an honest and just assessment of oneself in character and in deed.

But this is not about claiming “Who I am in Christ” based off some list when that may not be who you are at all. For we are not who we are based on some words we say, but we are who we are as revealed by what we do, by the fruit that we bear, either in keeping with true repentance or not. And we have to remember that, according to the Scriptures, who we are in Christ has to do with how we live, not with what we profess with our lips. For example, you can claim you are a dog but that doesn’t make you a dog.

For the Scriptures teach that to be “in Christ” means that we have died with Christ to sin and that we are now living to his righteousness, and no longer in sin, and that daily we are by the Spirit putting sin to death and we are living for the Lord. It means we are walking in obedience to our Lord, and we are walking in holiness and in righteousness. But this is not a claim to absolute perfection nor to say that we have never sinned. It just means we are no longer walking in sin but now in walks of obedience to Christ.

And the Scriptures also teach that if we claim to be in fellowship with God, with Christ, but if sin is our habit, then we are liars. They also teach us that if we claim to know God/Christ, but we do not obey his commands (New Covenant), in practice, we are liars. And if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we don’t know God, we are not born of God, we are of the devil, and we will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what our lips profess.

[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] 

Broken Cord

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior

And your testimony is separate from Him.

Your words not matching your actions today.

Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.

Live what you testify in truth always.

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,

For you profess one thing, but other you do.

Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.

Not living in truth to what you confess.

Lying about it puts you in a mess.

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.

Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.

Your heart is not given to your Lord God.

Because of how you live, you are a fraud.

Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

https://vimeo.com/287303934 

By the Renewal of Your Mind

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So, Paul was writing this appeal to the church in Rome. Thus, he was urging, admonishing, calling, and exhorting them by the mercies of God to do something. And what are the mercies of God? This is speaking of our Lord’s compassion to us, his pity on us, and of his favor and grace to us which was shown to us by our Lord dying on that cross in order to save us and to forgive us, which is to deliver us out of our lives of sin and to give us new life in him to be lived for his praise and glory in obedience to him.

Because of what Jesus Christ did for us on that cross, on that basis, this appeal (exhortation, admonishment, urging) is being directed to the Christians in Rome, but not just to them, but to us who profess faith in Jesus Christ today, too. And the exhortation is that we present our bodies to God as living sacrifices (offerings) to our Lord, offered on his terms, not ours, as prescribed by God and not of our own doing. So, this is an offering which God will accept because it is being offered to him on his terms.

And we are to present our bodies to Christ, holy and acceptable to God. And what does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart by and for God, to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because, in Christ Jesus, we are being conformed of God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. So, this means we are no longer to be like and to live like the world. We are no longer to have worldly mindsets and behaviors, but our minds are now to be set on our Lord to obey him in all things.

And how are we made acceptable to God, and well-pleasing to him? First and foremost it is only by his grace to us in dying on that cross so that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, now in his power and strength. For we cannot be acceptable and pleasing to God of our own selves in our own flesh. But it is also via our faith response to what he did for us on that cross in us surrendering our lives to him, dying with him to sin, and now walking in obedience to his commands (New Covenant).

For Jesus Christ did not die on that cross just to forgive us our sins so we can go to heaven when we die. And his forgiveness of our sins involves him delivering us out of our bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin so that we can now walk in freedom from the power of sin over our lives, and so we can live holy lives, acceptable to God, by his grace and in his power. For when we believe in Jesus with God-given faith, our old self is crucified with Christ in order that we will no longer be enslaved to sin but to righteousness.

Now, when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, and we give our lives to the Lord as living sacrifices to him, not of our own doing, but as prescribed by God, and that which is holy and acceptable to God, by God’s standards, according to his will, and in his power, this is our spiritual worship of God. So, although singing is certainly part of worship, we can sing praises to God and not be worshiping him at all. For if our lives are not surrendered to him, living holy lives acceptable to him, we aren’t truly worshiping our Lord.

Thus, we are no longer to be conformed to this world, to where we take on the character of this world and not that of our Lord. We are not to be those who are following the same pattern (model, mold) of the world and of the flesh of humans. We should not be those who look like, act like, speak like, and think like the world, and like the ungodly, in character. There should be a definite distinction between us and the ungodly who do not worship the one true God. For our minds should be set on God and not on the world.

For by genuine God-given faith in Jesus Christ we are to be those who are being transformed in heart and mind away from what is sinful and ungodly and toward what is holy and righteous and obedient to our Lord. We should no longer have the same mindset as we did before we believed in Christ, for our Lord is renewing our minds as we walk by faith in him, in his power. For this word “transformed” has to do with “metamorphosis” like a caterpillar being transformed (changed) into a butterfly. 

And this transformation of our hearts and minds will be evident in how we live and in our speech, actions, thinking, attitudes, and behaviors. There should be fruit in our lives which should be increasing which reveals that we have indeed had this transformation of heart and mind away from our lives of sin to now walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living. And this change brought about in our lives by God should give evidence of what is the will of God – that which is well-pleasing to him – his good and perfect will.

[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] 

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387

The Benefits of Forgiveness

Someone challenged me yesterday to look at what I have been sharing on the subject of God’s forgiveness of sins, and to look for positive remarks I have made concerning our Lord’s forgiveness of our sins. So, I am accepting that challenge and I am combing through my recent documents to see what I have shared previously. One of the first things the Lord showed me was this song he gave me to write 10 years ago, but which has been included in some of these recent writings.

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387

The person who challenged me quoted this verse in Ephesians 1:7:

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

I had just finished going through the book of Ephesians, so I went first to the writing where I talked about this passage from Ephesians 1:1-10. This is a quote from that writing (the following quotes are all from what I wrote):

“Then we have the word ‘redemption,’ which means ‘buying back from, re-purchasing (winning back) what was previously forfeited (lost).’ (source: biblehub.com interlinear) So, when Jesus Christ shed his blood for us on that cross it was to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so we would now be slaves of God and of his righteousness, and so we would now honor God with our lives. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to him and to his righteousness and no longer for self.”

This is from the next writing (Ref: Scripture passage Ephesians 1:11-14):

“And we are the saved of God by God’s grace, a grace from God which is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s soon return. For Jesus Christ gave himself up for us to redeem us (to buy us back from) all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works, which are the works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (see Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10).”

And this from the next (Ref: Scripture passage Ephesians 1:15-23):

“Now, Paul was writing this to the saints of God, to those called to be his holy people to live lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of the character and deeds of Jesus Christ, as we cooperate with God in his work of grace in our lives in doing what he says for us to do. We are those of genuine God-given faith in Jesus Christ who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and who have been 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.”

And from the next (ref: Scripture passage Ephesians 2:1-7):

“Therefore, when it says here that even when we were dead in our sins that God made us alive together with Christ, for by grace we have been saved, this is not saying that we are just changed from one status to another. We aren’t merely transferred from the status of unsaved to the status of saved. It means our hearts, our minds, and our souls have been changed by God, and so our attitudes, and our words, and our behaviors have also been changed so that we don’t live like we did before.”

And from the next (ref: Scripture passage Ephesians 2:8-10):

“And how did Jesus Christ extend himself to us to show us his favor? He who was God in the flesh (both man and God) willingly gave himself up for us by dying on a cross for our sins. For he who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross so that when he died, our sins died with him, so that by his grace, and by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we might die with him to sin and live to his righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for ourselves, and that we might now honor him with our bodies (our lives).”

[1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Romans 6:1-23]

And from the next (ref. Scripture passage Ephesians 2:11-22):

“So all of us who believe in Jesus Christ, regardless of nationality, race, and skin color, are fellow citizens with the saints of God and are members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus being our cornerstone. And it is in Christ that we all grow together into a holy temple in the Lord, for we are his temple, we are his building, his church.”

And from the next (ref. Scripture passage Ephesians 3:7-13):

“And Paul taught that by faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are 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. So, we are not to let sin reign any longer in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, it ends in death, but if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God.”

And from the next (ref. Scripture passage Ephesians 4:1-7):

“And we are all members of that one body, yet we may live in many different places, and so we may gather together in various places, but we are still one church, one body, with only one membership. And each of us is gifted by God with Spiritual gifts and we are given our assignments within the body of Christ by God, which is to be for the good of the body of Christ.”

In summary, some of the benefits we have as believers in Jesus Christ because of our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace are:

We are redeemed by God out of our lives of slavery to sin so we can now be slaves of God and of his righteousness. Jesus Christ redeemed us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. And that means our hearts, our minds, and our souls have been changed by God, and so our attitudes, and our words, and our behaviors have also been changed so that we don’t live like we did before. And if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God.

By his grace, and by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we have been saved, so we can now die with him to sin and live to his righteousness, and we can live for him and no longer for ourselves, and we can now honor him with our bodies (with our lives). In Christ we can all grow together into a holy temple in the Lord, for we are his temple, we are his building, his church. And each of us has been gifted by God with Spiritual gifts and we are given our assignments within the body of Christ by God, which is to be for the good of the body of Christ.

They Persecute Me Without Cause

Psalms 119:161-168 ESV

"Princes persecute me without cause,

    but my heart stands in awe of your words.

I rejoice at your word

    like one who finds great spoil.

I hate and abhor falsehood,

    but I love your law.

Seven times a day I praise you

    for your righteous rules.

Great peace have those who love your law;

    nothing can make them stumble.

I hope for your salvation, O Lord,

    and I do your commandments.

My soul keeps your testimonies;

    I love them exceedingly.

I keep your precepts and testimonies,

    for all my ways are before you."

In Ephesians 5:11 ESV we read: 

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Now, in context, this is in reference to those who are living in sexual immorality and in impurity but who are calling themselves Christians. This is about immorality going on within the church, and it is instructing us that this should not be. And then it is warning us that those who are living in sexual immorality and in impurity and in idolatry have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. For the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience, even those professing the name of Jesus.

And then we are instructed here that we are not to become partners with them, which isn’t just partners with individuals who are sinning against God deliberately and habitually, while claiming faith in Jesus Christ, but it is partners with those church fellowships where they are teaching that we can believe in Jesus and still live in sin and we will still go to heaven when we die, and those church congregations which are then coddling sinners in their sin and are giving them permission to keep on in their sins.

And this is where I am going to connect this passage in Ephesians 5 with the passage in Psalms 119. In the quote above we are instructed not only that we are not to take part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but that we are to expose them. We are not just to be the people of God who are spreading the Good News of the gospel of Christ, but we are to be those who are calling out the lies of the enemy which have infiltrated the church gatherings and which have deceived the people into believing they can keep sinning.

For when we obey the Lord in this, and so we are teaching the truth of the gospel, and we are calling the people to true repentance, to leaving their lives of sin behind them to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and to living holy and morally pure lives, to the glory of God, and we also are exposing the lies and the fruitless deeds of darkness, we are going to face opposition. And much of that opposition is going to come from those who also profess faith in Jesus Christ.

And we may be persecuted without cause because we are exposing the lies and the works of darkness going on within the gatherings of the church. And this persecution may come in different forms. I have found that one way in which it is happening is that those of us who love the commandments of God and who hate lies and deception are being targeted for removal – removal from “church” gatherings, “church” small groups, and “Christian” websites, etc. One pastor told me he was warned about people like me, i.e. people with (biblical) “strong convictions.”

Since so much of what is called “church” here in America today has gone the way of the world and of big business, and so they are marketing “the church” to the people of the world, they are weeding out those of us who are still holding on to the tenets of the Christian faith and practice, and who are teaching repentance (turning from sin) and walking in obedience to our Lord, as required by God for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God. And this is because so many of them are teaching a diluted gospel message.

For they are teaching that we can make a once-in-our-lifetime decision to believe in Jesus (not usually biblically defined), and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and now heaven is guaranteed us when we die, and it can’t be taken away from us, regardless of how we live. But “regardless of how we live” is not what is taught in the Scriptures. The Scriptures teach that how we live impacts our salvation and our eternal life with God, and that if sin is what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life.

[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] 

So, again, if we hold on to what the Scriptures teach, in context, with regard to our salvation and eternal life with God, and if that is what we share with others, and if we expose the lies of Satan, and we call out false doctrines, then we are going to be opposed and persecuted. But great peace have those of us who love and who obey the commandments of God under the New Covenant. Nothing can make us stumble, for the Lord and his Word are our support, regardless of how we are treated.

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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