Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,204
“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13:11-14 NIV)
All the time now I am hearing people proclaim profoundly and emphatically that we who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are “saved by grace, through faith alone.” Many of them, it seems, interpret faith only as a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ, and grace only as forgiveness of all sins (past, present, and future), and as a guarantee of heaven when they die, nothing else required, done deal, no matter how they live in practice.
But is that biblical faith? No, not if that is all that is taught, and if they leave the impression that how we live has no part in it at all. For 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 living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, we have salvation from sin and eternal life in him, provided that we continue on that path (Luke 9:23-26).
So we have to really define faith to understand what faith is. First of all, this faith comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God (the meaning of biblical faith), and it is not of our own doing, not as a result of our own fleshly “good works.” So we don’t get to define faith. God does. His word does. And since this faith comes from God, and it is persuaded of God, it is going to align with God and his holiness and righteousness, with the teachings of the Scriptures, and with God’s will and purpose for our lives.
[Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 6:44; John 1:12-13; Acts 26:18]
And why did Jesus die on that cross? It wasn’t just to forgive us our sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven. It was to take upon himself our sins, putting them to death with him, so that we, by faith in him, may no longer live as slaves to sin, but so we will now die to sin and live to God in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. So we are not to let sin continue to reign in our bodies, to make us obey its evil desires. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, but obedience to God ends in eternal life.
For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For “Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” For it was God’s grace which sent Jesus to that cross to put our sins to death with him so that we will die with him to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands.
[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24]
Now please notice a common theme with these Scriptures. Faith, which is biblical faith, always results in us dying with Christ to sin and us walking (in practice) in obedience to his commands, or it is not biblical faith. This is not a claim to sinless perfection, but God requires, as part of faith which saves, that we die with him to sin and that we now obey his commandments, in practice. So, faith, for it to be biblical faith, must result in death to sin and walks of obedience or we do not have eternal life with God.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 2:6-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 John 3:4-10]
Therefore, salvation from sin is not a one-time decision we make in our lives to “believe in Jesus,” which now guarantees us heaven when we die. Salvation, that is biblical, is progressive, and it requires that we keep from sinning and that we obey our Lord, in practice. All throughout these Scriptures we are instructed that we are to be putting to death the deeds of the flesh daily, by the Spirit, and that we are to be living holy lives, pleasing to God, and that sin must no longer be what we practice until the end.
[Matthew 24:9-14; Romans 8:24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5]
More Precious Than Silver
Lynn DeShazo
Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares to You.
Lord, Your Love is higher than mountains.
Lord, Your Love is deeper than seas.
Lord, Your Love encompasses the nations,
And yet, You live right here inside of me!
Who can weigh the value of knowing You?
Who can judge the worth of who You are?
Who can count the blessings of loving You?
Who can say just how great You are?
Caution: This link may contain ads
And Do This
An Original Work / February 21, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
All the time now I am hearing people proclaim profoundly and emphatically that we who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are “saved by grace, through faith alone.” Many of them, it seems, interpret faith only as a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ, and grace only as forgiveness of all sins (past, present, and future), and as a guarantee of heaven when they die, nothing else required, done deal, no matter how they live in practice.
But is that biblical faith? No, not if that is all that is taught, and if they leave the impression that how we live has no part in it at all. For 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 living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, we have salvation from sin and eternal life in him, provided that we continue on that path (Luke 9:23-26).
So we have to really define faith to understand what faith is. First of all, this faith comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God (the meaning of biblical faith), and it is not of our own doing, not as a result of our own fleshly “good works.” So we don’t get to define faith. God does. His word does. And since this faith comes from God, and it is persuaded of God, it is going to align with God and his holiness and righteousness, with the teachings of the Scriptures, and with God’s will and purpose for our lives.
[Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 6:44; John 1:12-13; Acts 26:18]
And why did Jesus die on that cross? It wasn’t just to forgive us our sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven. It was to take upon himself our sins, putting them to death with him, so that we, by faith in him, may no longer live as slaves to sin, but so we will now die to sin and live to God in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. So we are not to let sin continue to reign in our bodies, to make us obey its evil desires. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, but obedience to God ends in eternal life.
For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For “Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” For it was God’s grace which sent Jesus to that cross to put our sins to death with him so that we will die with him to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands.
[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24]
Now please notice a common theme with these Scriptures. Faith, which is biblical faith, always results in us dying with Christ to sin and us walking (in practice) in obedience to his commands, or it is not biblical faith. This is not a claim to sinless perfection, but God requires, as part of faith which saves, that we die with him to sin and that we now obey his commandments, in practice. So, faith, for it to be biblical faith, must result in death to sin and walks of obedience or we do not have eternal life with God.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 2:6-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 John 3:4-10]
Therefore, salvation from sin is not a one-time decision we make in our lives to “believe in Jesus,” which now guarantees us heaven when we die. Salvation, that is biblical, is progressive, and it requires that we keep from sinning and that we obey our Lord, in practice. All throughout these Scriptures we are instructed that we are to be putting to death the deeds of the flesh daily, by the Spirit, and that we are to be living holy lives, pleasing to God, and that sin must no longer be what we practice until the end.
[Matthew 24:9-14; Romans 8:24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5]
More Precious Than Silver
Lynn DeShazo
Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares to You.
Lord, Your Love is higher than mountains.
Lord, Your Love is deeper than seas.
Lord, Your Love encompasses the nations,
And yet, You live right here inside of me!
Who can weigh the value of knowing You?
Who can judge the worth of who You are?
Who can count the blessings of loving You?
Who can say just how great You are?
Caution: This link may contain ads
And Do This
An Original Work / February 21, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
