“I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:14-17 ESV)
Paul was called of God, of Christ Jesus to be one of his apostles in taking the message of the gospel of Christ to the Jews and to the Gentiles. Jesus appeared to him on a road to Damascus in a vision for this purpose,
“to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (see Acts 26:12-18).
Paul, having then taken that call of God upon his life seriously, considered himself as obligated to preach the gospel to those for whom God called him to do so. And he was eager to preach the gospel to whomever the Lord sent him. And he was not ashamed of his Lord nor was he ashamed of the message of the gospel of our salvation. For he knew that the true message of the gospel was the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ with God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him.
So, what was the truth of the gospel that Paul taught to the people? He taught that Jesus died on that cross in order that we who believe in him might die with him to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness. He taught that by faith in him we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So sin is no longer to have mastery over our lives. For if sin is what we obey, we will die.
He did not teach as the gospel of our salvation what so many are teaching today. The “gospel” message which is permeating the American church today is a diluted and altered gospel which is telling the people that all they have to do is to “pray a prayer to receive Christ Jesus into their hearts,” or to make some sort of confession or profession of him as Lord and as Savior, or to give some sort of acknowledgement to who Jesus was and to what he did for us on that cross, or to just verbalize an acceptance of God’s “grace.”
But Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, in practice, then we have eternal life in him. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
So, we can’t just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven, heaven is guaranteed us, and it can’t be taken away from us, but regardless of how we live. Jesus and Paul and the other apostles taught a gospel of grace that teaches 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 “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).
Therefore, belief in Jesus Christ is more than just words that we say, but it has to do with what we do in love response to our Lord in dying with him to sin and us now walking with him in obedience to his commands in holy living. For the righteous will live by faith. Faith has to do with how we live. And faith requires that we die with Christ to sin, not just once, but in practice, and that we now follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, also in practice. For if sin is what we practice, we will die in our sins.
[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 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Php 2:5-11: Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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