Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,859
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.” (Colossians 3:1-7 NASB1995)
The word “IF” is critical to the correct interpretation of what this is teaching us. For “if” is a conditional clause. For “if” you have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as a slave to sin, but now as a slave to God and to his righteousness, then that means you have first of all died with Christ to sin. Thus, sin no longer has mastery over your life, but now Jesus Christ is your Lord and Master, and now your life, in truth, is hidden (planted, in union, in communion, in fellowship) with Christ in God.
But it doesn’t end there. Faith in Jesus Christ is not something that we do once and now we are “good to go.” Faith in Jesus, which comes from God, which is perfected by Christ, which is persuaded of God, and which is gifted to us by God, and which is not of our own doing, will deny self, die daily (in practice) to sin, and walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For we are being saved, and our salvation will not be complete until Jesus returns.
[Matthew 10:22; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:31-32; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 15:1-12; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Colossians 1:21-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:6,14-15; Hebrews 9:28; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:5,9; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 1 John 2:24-25]
So, if by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, you have put your sins to death, by the Spirit, and you are now walking (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, by the grace of God, then you are to set your minds on the things of God and not on the things of this sinful world. As followers of Jesus Christ, our minds are to be set on the Lord and on his teachings, and on what he has for us to do, as his followers. And then we should be doing what our Lord requires of us, in his power.
And what this also means for us is that we are to consider our earthly bodies as dead to immorality, impurity, improper passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry (the worship of what is not God). But sadly it is epidemic today for many professing faith in Jesus Christ to be addicted to or to habitually yield control of their bodies over to what is immoral, and to what is unnatural. For so many people today regularly engage in the viewing of sexually explicit material which stimulates them to then self-gratify.
And if they are married, that translates to them having an extra-marital affair with themselves, to cheating on their spouses, and to being in the practice of committing adultery against their spouses, while many of them regard what they are doing as just entertaining themselves and giving themselves some self-gratification and recreation. For so many of them are being convinced that doing that is not wrong, and that it is not adultery, and that their sinful practices will not impact their hope of eternity with God.
But they are believing lies and not the truth. For God’s word repeats for us over and over again the wrongness of sex outside of marriage, that even looking at another with intentional lust is committing adultery in one’s own heart, and the wrongness of all immorality and impurity and doing what is unnatural in the area of sexual desire and practices. And God warns us over and over again that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, that we will face the wrath of God, not inherit eternal life with God.
And going back to the “if” clause, when it says here that “in them you once walked, when you were living in them (in these sinful and immoral practices), this is conditional upon you being someone who has, in truth, died with Christ to sin, who by the Spirit is putting sin to death in your life, in practice, and who is now walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and no longer as slaves (addicted) to sin of any kind. But if you are still making sin your practice, you are not in Christ by faith in Him.
[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; 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; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
Death to Immorality and Evil Desire
An Original Work / June 10, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.” (Colossians 3:1-7 NASB1995)
The word “IF” is critical to the correct interpretation of what this is teaching us. For “if” is a conditional clause. For “if” you have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as a slave to sin, but now as a slave to God and to his righteousness, then that means you have first of all died with Christ to sin. Thus, sin no longer has mastery over your life, but now Jesus Christ is your Lord and Master, and now your life, in truth, is hidden (planted, in union, in communion, in fellowship) with Christ in God.
But it doesn’t end there. Faith in Jesus Christ is not something that we do once and now we are “good to go.” Faith in Jesus, which comes from God, which is perfected by Christ, which is persuaded of God, and which is gifted to us by God, and which is not of our own doing, will deny self, die daily (in practice) to sin, and walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For we are being saved, and our salvation will not be complete until Jesus returns.
[Matthew 10:22; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:31-32; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 15:1-12; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Colossians 1:21-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:6,14-15; Hebrews 9:28; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:5,9; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 1 John 2:24-25]
So, if by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, you have put your sins to death, by the Spirit, and you are now walking (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, by the grace of God, then you are to set your minds on the things of God and not on the things of this sinful world. As followers of Jesus Christ, our minds are to be set on the Lord and on his teachings, and on what he has for us to do, as his followers. And then we should be doing what our Lord requires of us, in his power.
And what this also means for us is that we are to consider our earthly bodies as dead to immorality, impurity, improper passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry (the worship of what is not God). But sadly it is epidemic today for many professing faith in Jesus Christ to be addicted to or to habitually yield control of their bodies over to what is immoral, and to what is unnatural. For so many people today regularly engage in the viewing of sexually explicit material which stimulates them to then self-gratify.
And if they are married, that translates to them having an extra-marital affair with themselves, to cheating on their spouses, and to being in the practice of committing adultery against their spouses, while many of them regard what they are doing as just entertaining themselves and giving themselves some self-gratification and recreation. For so many of them are being convinced that doing that is not wrong, and that it is not adultery, and that their sinful practices will not impact their hope of eternity with God.
But they are believing lies and not the truth. For God’s word repeats for us over and over again the wrongness of sex outside of marriage, that even looking at another with intentional lust is committing adultery in one’s own heart, and the wrongness of all immorality and impurity and doing what is unnatural in the area of sexual desire and practices. And God warns us over and over again that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, that we will face the wrath of God, not inherit eternal life with God.
And going back to the “if” clause, when it says here that “in them you once walked, when you were living in them (in these sinful and immoral practices), this is conditional upon you being someone who has, in truth, died with Christ to sin, who by the Spirit is putting sin to death in your life, in practice, and who is now walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and no longer as slaves (addicted) to sin of any kind. But if you are still making sin your practice, you are not in Christ by faith in Him.
[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; 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; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
Death to Immorality and Evil Desire
An Original Work / June 10, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
