Not According to Christ

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:8-14 ESV)

[NT stands for New Testament and NC stands for New Covenant]

We have many people today within the gatherings of what are called “churches” who are teaching what is “not according to Christ,” and which is not according to the teachings of his New Testament apostles, but which is according to human tradition and according to the thinking of human beings. Some of them want us to be more like Jews and to follow some of their customs and ceremonies. And some are legalists who want to put on us requirements that are not of God but are of the traditions of humans.

Yet others, and this is the most critical of all, are diluting and altering the gospel that Jesus taught, and that his NT apostles taught, in order to make the gospel and Christ more appealing and acceptable to human flesh and to the people of the world they are trying to attract to their gatherings. So they aren’t so much adding on to the gospel additional requirements, like others do, but they are pretty much removing most all of God’s biblical requirements for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God.

But genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ results in us dying with Christ to sin and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to continue living in sin. We are no longer to let sin reign (be in control) in our mortal bodies to where we obey its passions and desires. For if sin is what we obey, it will lead to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, its end is eternal life (Romans 6:1-23).

For Jesus did not die that horrible death on that cross just to forgive us our sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven. For coming to faith in Jesus Christ means that we are circumcised spiritually of Christ in the putting to death of our sins so that we might now live for him and for his will and purpose for our lives, in the power of God. And we were raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, not like our old lives of sin, but now as followers of Christ in holy living and in obedience to his NC commands.

Therefore, see to it that no one takes you captive by human philosophy and empty deceit and trickery and the twisting of the Scriptures to make them say what they do not say if taught in their appropriate context. See to it that you don’t get trapped into thinking that you have to follow after others’ human traditions which have been passed down from generation to generation. Die with Christ to sin that you might live to him and to his righteousness in the power of God, in holy living, and in obedience to God.

And be students of the Scriptures who study them in their full context so that you don’t end up misinterpreting them, but so that you can see the truth that they are teaching. For if we are going to be those who are obeying the truth of the Scriptures which are taught to those who are of faith in Jesus Christ, then we need to know what they teach, in truth, and in their context, so that we are not being led astray to false doctrines being taught by people in their deceitful scheming. So know the truth! Obey the truth!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; 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 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Video Talk

https://youtu.be/OU7RM7qXcR4

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The Lord’s Anointed  

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving. 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to 

Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear, 

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior, 

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness, 

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations. 

https://vimeo.com/114836524

How Great a Struggle I Have

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:1-7 ESV)

I like to be encouraged, don’t you? I love to hear good news and not bad news. I like to feel happy and joyful and not sorrowful and not in pain. But this word “encouraged” here isn’t all just the feel good stuff. It means “comfort”, yes, but it also means to “invite, summon, strengthen, beseech, entreat, beg, urge (with a holy urging), exhort, and admonish,” too, in the things of God and in the ways of the Lord and of his commands. 

And if we read this in this context, I believe that the word “encourage” is meant more in the sense of a “holy urging” than just offering comforting words. For what is the concern being addressed here? Paul was concerned that some of them were actively being or were in danger of being deceived (conned, duped, tricked) and led astray from the truth of the gospel. For he wanted them to come to know God and his word in their fulness.

And this comes on the heels of what he said, as recorded in chapter one, where he encouraged them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work. And he encouraged them to live holy and godly lives, and that they should continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel. And so he warned and taught them the truth so that they would reach maturity in Christ.

So his struggle for them was that they would live the life that God saved them to live and that they would not be deceived into believing the lies, but that just as they received Christ Jesus the Lord, that they would walk (in conduct, in practice) in him. For Paul and the other NT apostles, plus Jesus Christ, made it quite clear to all who would listen that if we walk in sin, and not in righteousness and obedience to God, we will not have eternal life.

But we need to understand that this is encouragement, too. For we need to hear these things. We need to be warned against falling away and against falling back into our old sinful patterns of behaviors. We need to be urged to walk in holiness and in righteousness, and not in sin. We need to be exhorted to watch out for those who are telling us lies which may feel good but which may be leading us in the wrong direction.

Why? Because if we are out there in the world, and if we are on the internet, or if we watch television or listen to the radio or if we have smartphones and computers which are connected to the internet, we have thousands of voices speaking all sorts of messages to us, and most of those messages are not good, and they are not of God, and they are not what the Scriptures teach, but they are of human flesh. And some of those are in the church, too.

Yes, we need positive messages, too, but they need to be the truth, not the lies. For it is positive to tell people the truth that they need to hear, but it is negative to tell them lies which are going to lead them astray but which may make them feel good. Yes, we need to uplift one another, but not in fakery, and not just so others will like us, but in truth and in righteousness, and this involves encouraging others to live for the Lord and not for self, too.

And why would Paul be struggling if everyone was doing well spiritually? He struggled because he was concerned that some of them were being deceived and that they were not living for the Lord as they ought to, and so he reinforced for them the importance of submission to God and obedience to him and walking in holiness and of bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. And he let them know that they must continue in this faith steadfast to the end.

So, just because you “prayed the prayer” to “receive Christ” does not insure that you are genuinely saved from your sins and that heaven is your eternal destiny. For our faith is not something that we feel, but it is shown by what we do in heart and love response to Jesus Christ for what he did for us on that cross, so that we can now die to sin and live to righteousness, and walk in obedience to his commands, in the power of God, by his grace.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. 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 deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living, then we have the assurance and hope of eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; 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 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263 

Jerusalem

"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men... See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks." ~ Hebrews 12:22-25

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” ~ Matthew 23:37

"Jerusalem" is a song for the church, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, God's people, his bride, his saints. So much of today’s church is living in spiritual adultery against her Lord. She is filled with idolatry and is consumed with the ways of this world. The church has become so worldly, for the most part, that she does not stand out as the light of the world and as the salt of the earth. So, this is a call for revival of the church and for renewed faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Jerusalem  

An Original Work / May 2, 2011

…you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God… Hebrews 12:22

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear now your King of kings.

He speaks to you, Jerusalem, in all His majesty.

Oh, listen now, Jerusalem, He’s calling out to you.

Hear Him call you, Jerusalem; He’s waiting now for you.

Won’t you bow down, Jerusalem? Let Christ make you anew!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear God’s call to obey

Your Lord and Savior, Christ the King; trust Him without delay.

Turn from your sin, Jerusalem; let Christ rule in your hearts.

Invite Him now, Jerusalem, to save you; grace impart,

And purify, Jerusalem, your hearts of all your sin!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear your God’s final plea

To come to Him, Jerusalem, right now on bended knee.

Make Him your Lord, Jerusalem; He’s your Messiah, King.

Honor Him as the Holy One, your off’rings to Him bring.

And serve Him now, Jerusalem, for He is Christ your King!

https://vimeo.com/125966150 

Warning and Teaching Everyone

I am reading in Colossians, chapter one. And the subject matter is Jesus Christ, faith in Jesus Christ, the gospel of our salvation, the grace of God, and truth. Included in these instructions are teachings on walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened by his power. And there is a reminder that God delivered us who are his from the domain of darkness (sin, Satan) and he has transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

And then we are reminded that Jesus Christ is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and that he is our creator God who made us, and that he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church, which is comprised of all true followers of Jesus Christ who have died with him to sin, and who have been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (Romans 6:1-23).

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:21-23 ESV)

And here I want to look at two specific words, the first of which is “redemption,” which has to do with God buying us back from our lives of slavery to sin and winning us back to him and to his righteousness and holiness. It involves us being rescued from what enslaved us so that we can now live for our Lord and honor him with our lives (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is about deliverance from our old lives of living in sin so that we can now live holy lives, pleasing to God.

The second word is “reconcile,” which means to change, exchange; properly, decisively change, as when two parties reconcile when changing to the same position; usually used in a redemptive sense of a sinner reconciling to the Lord; to change from enmity with God to friendship, fellowship, partnership with God. It is about exchanging the old life for the new life in Christ Jesus. Once we lived in sin and for self and not for God, but now we have changed, by faith, and we have died to our old lives of sin so that we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness, in obedience to our Lord.

Therefore, if we are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus, we should no longer be hostile in mind against the Lord, and we should no longer be practicing evil deeds, especially deliberately and premeditatedly. But now we should be living holy lives, separate (unlike, different) from the world and we should be being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. And we should be walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, and we should be those who are continuing in these walks of faith and obedience to God, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the truth of the gospel.

But there are many people who are not following that teaching, and there are many who are teaching the opposite of that, who are the self-indulgent, the sinful, and the wicked who are drifting and wandering and interfering with the presentations of the gospel message. They are scheming against the truth of the gospel, and against the Lord’s messengers who are bringing the truth of the gospel to the people, and who are warning the people against the lies and the liars who are telling them that all they have to do is profess faith in Jesus and heaven is now secured them for eternity.

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29 ESV)

So we who are following Jesus Christ with our lives, in truth, and in righteousness, need to be those who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel that Jesus taught and that his New Testament apostles taught, in context. And we need to be exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are. For there are so many liars and deceivers among us who are leading the people to follow after a false and fleshly gospel that is not of Christ, and which gives their adherents permission to keep living in sin while claiming Jesus as their Savior and heaven as their eternal destiny.

For far too many people are believing the lies and they are still headed to hell on the promise of heaven because they have not died with Christ to sin, but they are still living in sin, and they are not walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, for they don’t want to, and they are being taught that they don’t have to, but that salvation and heaven are still secured them. So we need to be the Lord’s messengers in getting out the truth to the people so that they can have genuine salvation and forgiveness of sins and so they will grow to maturity in Christ and have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; 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 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

I Sing of His Mercy  

An Original Work / April 10, 2014

Based off Psalm 32 

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess 

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and 

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

https://vimeo.com/91747192

Long for the Pure Spiritual Milk

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:1-5 ESV)

Faith in Jesus Christ, because it is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2), and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13) – and because it is persuaded of God (John 6:44), which is the meaning of “faith,” it is going to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives. And it requires of us that we die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).

Therefore, when we come to genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded 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 him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign in our bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ our Lord (Romans 6:1-23).

So, if we have indeed tasted that the Lord is good, via this God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, and so we have died with Christ to sin that we might now live to his righteousness and no longer in slavery to sin, then we are to put out of our lives all sinful practices, such as malice, deceit (lying), hypocrisy, envy, and slander, etc. These and other sinful practices are no longer to be active in our daily lives, deliberately and habitually.

And now we are to long for the pure truth of God’s word like a newborn baby longs for her mother’s milk. We should desire it in the same way to where if we do not have it that we end up hungering after it. We can’t wait until we have time alone with God to where we can drink in the truths of His word so that, by faith, and in the power of God, we may apply its truths to our daily lives, so that we now walk in obedience to our Lord and to his Word.

And this is so that we may grow up into salvation, that we might grow to maturity in our walks of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, so that we can bear much fruit for the kingdom of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit. And this involves us denying self, dying daily to sin, and walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living. And this engages us serving our Lord in ministry in doing whatever it is he has called us to do for the glory and praise of God.

Now we who believe in Jesus Christ with this genuine God-gifted faith in our Lord are all part of his body, his universal church. He has gifted us all in various ways, by the Spirit, and he has assigned us all specific roles within the universal body of Christ which he wants us to fulfill. And we aren’t all going to be the same body parts, but all of us are necessary to the proper working of the body as she builds herself up in love and faith in Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

And we are all to offer to God acceptable spiritual sacrifices to him, the main one of which is to offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our reasonable and acceptable worship of God. And we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God so that by our lives we prove what is God’s perfect will for our lives (Romans 12:1-2).

For, Jesus didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us of our sins so that when we die we can go to heaven, and not hell. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for self. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of holiness and in obedience to his commands.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Luke 9:23-26]

But if we continue living in deliberate and habitual sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord in righteous and holy living, by the Spirit, then, according to the Scriptures, we are not born of God, we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with God/Christ, we are not saved from our sins, and we are not on our way to heaven, but to hell. For true faith that comes from God leads us to die with Christ to sin and to live to his righteousness.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; 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 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

The Lord’s Anointed  

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving. 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to 

Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear, 

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior, 

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness, 

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations. 

https://vimeo.com/114836524 

Love One Another from a Pure Heart

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

“’All flesh is like grass

    and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

    and the flower falls,

but the word of the Lord remains forever.’

“And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25 ESV)

When we are believing in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, we have died and we are dying daily to sin and to self, and we have been raised with him from the dead in order that we might now walk (in conduct, in practice) in righteousness and in holiness, and no longer in sin. Sin should no longer be our practice, for if it is, and if obedience to our Lord is not our practice, we will not inherit eternal life.

So, when this says, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth,” this is speaking of us, by the Spirit – because of what Jesus did for us on that cross – denying self, dying daily to sin, and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. It means that, by the Spirit, we have put away from our lives what is fleshly and sinful, and we have put on Christ and his righteousness. And we are now walking in obedience to our Lord.

Now, this does not mean that we will never sin again (1 John 2:1-2), but that sin is no longer to reign in our lives to where we obey its desires instead of obeying the Lord and his commands (Romans 6:1-23). All sinful practices, such as sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, and committing adultery, and the like, are to be put away from our lives, and our lives are now to be surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will (Ephesians 4:17-32).

For we are not “born again” of the Spirit of God if we have not humbled ourselves in submission to God in genuine repentance (forsaking of sins) and in surrender of our lives to him to now live for him and no longer in sin. And we are not born of God, nor are we in fellowship with God, nor do we even know God if we do not forsake our lives of sin to follow him in obedience to his commands, but if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, instead.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Galatians 6:16-21; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 5:3-6; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 3:1-17; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, the only way that we are going to be able to (agape) love other people is if we are in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Christ which results in us dying to our old lives of living in sin and for self and us now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands – not necessarily in sinless perfection, but in faithful surrender of our lives to Christ to do his will in his power and strength, day by day.

For to (agape) love one another from a pure heart means that we are preferring to live through Christ, that we are embracing his will for our lives, we are choosing his choices, and we are obeying them in his power, in practice. It means that we prefer what he prefers which is what is godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. And so we will treat others with love, and we will not willfully sin against them.

I Sing of His Mercy  

An Original Work / April 10, 2014

Based off Psalm 32 

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess 

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and 

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

https://vimeo.com/91747192

Be Holy in All Your Conduct

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ 

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:13-19 ESV)

The subject matter here is that of our salvation, which Peter said was a salvation “ready to be revealed in the last time.” Then he spoke of the tested genuiness of our faith, that it may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (when he returns). And he said that through these trials which test the genuiness of our faith, if our faith is found to be genuine, then the outcome of our faith is the salvation of our souls. 

For we are saved (past), we are being saved (present active), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns, which is when our salvation will be complete, but provided we have been 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 as slaves to God and to his righteousness, and that we are denying self, dying daily to sin, by the Spirit, and actively obeying our Lord.

[John 8:31-32; John 10:27-30; John 14:15,21,23-24; John 15:10; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14,24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Peter 1:5-11; Hebrews 3:6-15; Hebrews 5:9; 1 Peter 1:3-9; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,15,24-25; 1 John 3:4-10,24; 1 John 4:19-20]

And this is why we must be those who are actively preparing our minds for action, who are serious-minded about God and the teachings of the Scriptures, which are for us who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) and Savior of our lives. And this is why we must be those who are actively setting our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And that is because God’s grace and his salvation and our faith are still in process and won’t be complete until Jesus returns.

For we don’t “get saved” once and then we are good to go to heaven regardless of how we live on this earth. The Scriptures teach progressive salvation and faith and grace. And God’s grace is training us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “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.” 

[see Titus 2:11-14; cf. Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:17-24; 1 John 3:4-10]

And this is why we have these kinds of instructions given to the church all throughout the New Testament, because it is possible for us to fall away from the faith, and because it is possible that our salvation was not genuine biblical salvation to begin with. So we need to know that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. For if we walk according to the flesh it leads to death, not life with God (Romans 8:1-14).

And Paul, Peter, and John wrote strongly to the churches to let them know that a profession of Christ alone is not enough to save them from their sins and to guarantee them life eternal with God. In fact, Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For he said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God the Father in heaven (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

So these instructions of Peter are not just mere suggestions nor are they just recommendations. They are commands of God. As obedient children (yes, obedience is required), we are not to be conformed to the passions of the flesh. For God called us to be holy in all our conduct, and to be holy is to live separate (unlike, different) from the world because we who believe in Jesus with genuine faith are being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. So we are to be Christlike in what we do now.

For Jesus Christ died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). And he died that we might now live for him and no longer for self (2 Corinthians 5:15). And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery to sin so that we might now honor (glorify) God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its desires, for if we obey sin, it leads to death, not to life (Romans 6:1-23).

Trust and Obey  

Words by John H. Sammis, 1887

Music by Daniel B. Towner, 1887

When we walk with the Lord 

in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, 

He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey. 

Not a shadow can rise, 

not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, 

not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, 

not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, 

not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove 

the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, 

for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet 

We will sit at His feet.

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.

What He says we will do, 

Where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB4KcleYiWM

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