Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,521
“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.” (Ephesians 4:17-19 NASB1995)
Now the reference to “Gentiles,” in this context, is to the ungodly, i.e. to those who have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. For, before the Gentiles (non-Jews) were included in biblical Israel, by faith in Jesus Christ, they were regarded as the ungodly. Here “Gentiles” is used in reference to the unbelieving who are still living in their sins, whose lives are not yet surrendered to the Lord Jesus to following him in walks of obedience to his commands, but who give themselves over to sensuality.
We who profess faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives are not to live like the ungodly. We are not to walk (in conduct, in practice, with purpose) according to our sinful flesh. We are not to be hardhearted people who become callous, who make sin our practice, deliberately and habitually, and who have no or little regard for God and for his commandments. Our lives are not to be given over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness, for Jesus died to free us from all of that.
But if we who profess faith in Jesus have bought into one of these diluted and altered gospel messages, which are so popularized today, we might ignore this passage of Scripture, and we might prefer ones that are being taught out of context which make no requirements of us that we die with Christ to sin and that we now walk with him in obedience to his commands. And so we might also ignore all the Bible’s warnings against making sin our habit, which has the result that we will be excluded from the life of God.
“But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:20-24 NASB1995)
Now, in Romans 6:5, when it states that “our old self was crucified with him,” this is not an automatic thing that happens to everyone who professes faith in the name of Jesus. In context it says, “IF we have become united with Him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:5-6 NASB1995).
Is this a work of God’s grace, and not of our own doing? Absolutely! But faith which saves comes from God, and it is persuaded of God, and it is gifted to us by God, so it is going to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives, and with the teachings of the Scriptures (taught in context), and with the words of Jesus and of his New Testament apostles, taught in context. And included in the teachings on salvation we are taught that this means that we must deny self, die to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, in God’s power.
So, it isn’t that God just does it for everyone who says that they believe in Jesus and so now all their sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed them when they die. We have a part in it. For the word “fellowship” means “partnership, cooperativeness.” Just saying that we believe in Jesus doesn’t mean that we have biblical faith which saves us from our sins and which promises us heaven when we die. We must walk no longer according to the flesh, but we must now walk according to the Spirit, doing God’s will.
So, not one of us can come to faith in Jesus Christ of our own accord. No amount of our own fleshly good works will ever get us salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But even the faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, and is persuaded of God, and requires that we die with Christ to sin and that we obey his commands, by the Spirit, in his power. So this is not us, in the flesh, trying to earn our way to heaven. This is us, in the power of God, doing what God requires of us as part of his plan of salvation for our lives.
So, we aren’t “dead to sin” just by profession of faith in Jesus. We are dead to sin when we cooperate with God’s work of grace which is instructing us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the power of God, in obedience to our Lord, by the Spirit, by faith in Jesus Christ. For if sin is still our practice, and not walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what we profess with our lips.
So, please, please, be students of the Scriptures who study them yourselves under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, and who read them in their context, comparing Scripture with Scripture. For so many people are teaching Romans 10:8-9 as “the gospel,” and many people are being convinced that all they have to do is confess with their mouth “Jesus as Lord,” and believe that God raised him from the dead, and now they are saved, forgiven all their sins, and on their way to heaven, done deal.
But what did Jesus say?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB1995)
“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’” (Luke 9:23-26 NASB1995)
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
How Did You Learn Christ?
An Original Work / April 19, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Now the reference to “Gentiles,” in this context, is to the ungodly, i.e. to those who have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. For, before the Gentiles (non-Jews) were included in biblical Israel, by faith in Jesus Christ, they were regarded as the ungodly. Here “Gentiles” is used in reference to the unbelieving who are still living in their sins, whose lives are not yet surrendered to the Lord Jesus to following him in walks of obedience to his commands, but who give themselves over to sensuality.
We who profess faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives are not to live like the ungodly. We are not to walk (in conduct, in practice, with purpose) according to our sinful flesh. We are not to be hardhearted people who become callous, who make sin our practice, deliberately and habitually, and who have no or little regard for God and for his commandments. Our lives are not to be given over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness, for Jesus died to free us from all of that.
But if we who profess faith in Jesus have bought into one of these diluted and altered gospel messages, which are so popularized today, we might ignore this passage of Scripture, and we might prefer ones that are being taught out of context which make no requirements of us that we die with Christ to sin and that we now walk with him in obedience to his commands. And so we might also ignore all the Bible’s warnings against making sin our habit, which has the result that we will be excluded from the life of God.
“But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:20-24 NASB1995)
Now, in Romans 6:5, when it states that “our old self was crucified with him,” this is not an automatic thing that happens to everyone who professes faith in the name of Jesus. In context it says, “IF we have become united with Him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:5-6 NASB1995).
Is this a work of God’s grace, and not of our own doing? Absolutely! But faith which saves comes from God, and it is persuaded of God, and it is gifted to us by God, so it is going to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives, and with the teachings of the Scriptures (taught in context), and with the words of Jesus and of his New Testament apostles, taught in context. And included in the teachings on salvation we are taught that this means that we must deny self, die to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, in God’s power.
So, it isn’t that God just does it for everyone who says that they believe in Jesus and so now all their sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed them when they die. We have a part in it. For the word “fellowship” means “partnership, cooperativeness.” Just saying that we believe in Jesus doesn’t mean that we have biblical faith which saves us from our sins and which promises us heaven when we die. We must walk no longer according to the flesh, but we must now walk according to the Spirit, doing God’s will.
So, not one of us can come to faith in Jesus Christ of our own accord. No amount of our own fleshly good works will ever get us salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But even the faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, and is persuaded of God, and requires that we die with Christ to sin and that we obey his commands, by the Spirit, in his power. So this is not us, in the flesh, trying to earn our way to heaven. This is us, in the power of God, doing what God requires of us as part of his plan of salvation for our lives.
So, we aren’t “dead to sin” just by profession of faith in Jesus. We are dead to sin when we cooperate with God’s work of grace which is instructing us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the power of God, in obedience to our Lord, by the Spirit, by faith in Jesus Christ. For if sin is still our practice, and not walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what we profess with our lips.
So, please, please, be students of the Scriptures who study them yourselves under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, and who read them in their context, comparing Scripture with Scripture. For so many people are teaching Romans 10:8-9 as “the gospel,” and many people are being convinced that all they have to do is confess with their mouth “Jesus as Lord,” and believe that God raised him from the dead, and now they are saved, forgiven all their sins, and on their way to heaven, done deal.
But what did Jesus say?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB1995)
“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’” (Luke 9:23-26 NASB1995)
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
How Did You Learn Christ?
An Original Work / April 19, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
