Fortunately, God does not depend upon our feelings, nor feeble attempts at helping to "work out our salvation," but only asks us to believe Him. Faith, hope, believe, trust, depend, patience, are not actions, nor works, but they are the means by which we not only first become a child of God, and but also how we can walk in His ways bearing fruit as New Creatures in Christ.
Here are some things God wants us to know and believe ~
"Who His own self bare our sins in His body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" {I Peter 2:24}
What were we healed from? Sin!
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?" {Romans 6:2}
Cheap grace is flushed down the toilet in this verse.
Cheap grace is flushed down the toilet in this verse.
"For he that is dead is freed from sin" {Romans 6:7}.
Freed from some sins? No all sin.
Freed from some sins? No all sin.
"For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" {Romans 6:11}.
"Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" {Romans 6:18}
"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life" {Romans 6:22}
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" {Romans 8:2}
"Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" {Colossians 2:12,13}
So what about these verses is unclear? Our old self died with Christ on a cross in 30 A.D., we were buried with Him and we rose to a New Life that is now alive unto God and dead to sin. If we can believe that Jesus saves us for eternity, why not believe God at His Word for our lifetime walk with Him, and start living out the new identity He has given us?
Apart from faith, belief, and trust, the Christian life turns into an impossible chore of do's and don'ts trying to please God under our own willpower. All this is wood, hay and stubble to God, for what He longs for is a relationship with us. All relationships begin with trust and believing in the other person. So believe God that your eternal salvation began the day you accepted Jesus as Savior. We can be saved from sin's grasp and power each and every moment of the day that we believe that we are indeed dead to sin and alive to Christ.
"Even when we were dead in sins {past tense} hath he quickened us together with Christ, {by grace ye are saved;} And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" {Ephesians 2:5,6}
Will you sit with me today in heavenly places in Christ Jesus?
Can we stop trying so hard and start trusting and believing that God has indeed already answered our prayers that we are freed from sin?
Sinless, no... perfect, no... but sin has no hold or power unless we give it a place in our lives. Sin no longer defines who we are for "we are the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). Should we not much more prefer God's Word instead of our own thoughts and feelings?
Ken
Apart from faith, belief, and trust, the Christian life turns into an impossible chore of do's and don'ts trying to please God under our own willpower. All this is wood, hay and stubble to God, for what He longs for is a relationship with us. All relationships begin with trust and believing in the other person. So believe God that your eternal salvation began the day you accepted Jesus as Savior. We can be saved from sin's grasp and power each and every moment of the day that we believe that we are indeed dead to sin and alive to Christ.
"Even when we were dead in sins {past tense} hath he quickened us together with Christ, {by grace ye are saved;} And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" {Ephesians 2:5,6}
Will you sit with me today in heavenly places in Christ Jesus?
Can we stop trying so hard and start trusting and believing that God has indeed already answered our prayers that we are freed from sin?
Sinless, no... perfect, no... but sin has no hold or power unless we give it a place in our lives. Sin no longer defines who we are for "we are the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). Should we not much more prefer God's Word instead of our own thoughts and feelings?
Ken
