LIVING YOUR FAITH IS NOT RETURNING TO THE BONDAGE OF THE LAW
Philippians 1:11
May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Many a modern day teacher of grace would feel that when another talks about precepts for living, they refer to walking under the law.
Sometimes they accuse you of mixing the message of grace with the law, like an unsteady tide.
However this is not the truth!
First it is established that everyone who comes to the Heavenly Father, comes by faith in the finished work of the Messiah, Christ Jesus. It is not of works, thus no one can boost, but by grace through our faith.
I love the way, the New Living Translation explained it:
Ephesians 2:8-9(NLT)
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Now let us look at the very next verse:
Ephesians 2:10(NLT)
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We are made anew to do good things. Selah
Ephesians 4:1,17-20
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.
Wait, I am now renewed, born again, I have no condemnation. Hmmm. Stop! Listen!
You by your faith, tapped into God's grace to submit your will to accept the salvation in Christ Jesus, remember it is this same will that makes you choose each day to either do right or wrong. Was this will was taken away from you at salvation?
No. Thus you can still be tempted. Selah!
You are to submit this will to the Holy Spirit.
This is why instructions follow:
Ephesians 4:22-25
throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
This is what Romans 12:1-2 (add verse 3) is talking about:
Romans 12:1-3
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
So we must differentiate instructions for living from going back to the bondage of the law.
There is a lifestyle of the believer and it is not in the unfruitful works of the flesh but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
*the once saved forever saved syndrome must not get any believer carried away, you are a grafted branch" Selah.
Romans 11:18-21(NLT)
But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.
“Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.”
Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.
For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.
We will not err, we will not cause others to err, we will finish well. We are blessed.
Yes,
He calls us blessed.
Love
@the watcher
Philippians 1:11
May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Many a modern day teacher of grace would feel that when another talks about precepts for living, they refer to walking under the law.
Sometimes they accuse you of mixing the message of grace with the law, like an unsteady tide.
However this is not the truth!
First it is established that everyone who comes to the Heavenly Father, comes by faith in the finished work of the Messiah, Christ Jesus. It is not of works, thus no one can boost, but by grace through our faith.
I love the way, the New Living Translation explained it:
Ephesians 2:8-9(NLT)
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Now let us look at the very next verse:
Ephesians 2:10(NLT)
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We are made anew to do good things. Selah
Ephesians 4:1,17-20
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.
Wait, I am now renewed, born again, I have no condemnation. Hmmm. Stop! Listen!
You by your faith, tapped into God's grace to submit your will to accept the salvation in Christ Jesus, remember it is this same will that makes you choose each day to either do right or wrong. Was this will was taken away from you at salvation?
No. Thus you can still be tempted. Selah!
You are to submit this will to the Holy Spirit.
This is why instructions follow:
Ephesians 4:22-25
throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
This is what Romans 12:1-2 (add verse 3) is talking about:
Romans 12:1-3
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
So we must differentiate instructions for living from going back to the bondage of the law.
There is a lifestyle of the believer and it is not in the unfruitful works of the flesh but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
*the once saved forever saved syndrome must not get any believer carried away, you are a grafted branch" Selah.
Romans 11:18-21(NLT)
But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.
“Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.”
Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.
For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.
We will not err, we will not cause others to err, we will finish well. We are blessed.
Yes,
He calls us blessed.
Love
@the watcher
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