So true! (Let's see if we can breath a little breath into this dead thread) He called us, not on the basis of good things we had done - for many of us, quite the opposite. But one of the deceptions of the modern Christian religion is a refusal to acknowledge what the Word of God declares that grace must do in us.
Take, for example, our Lord's statement, "The meek will inherit the earth." The definition of meek is "enduring insult and injury with patience and without resentment." Do you react like Jesus when you are cut off by another motorist in traffic? Well, are you righteous or sinful? Have you been changed or not? Generally speaking, the world looks at Christian hypocrisy and says, "Your religion is false."
I like the way the Holy Spirit through Titus put it, "The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously and godly lives in the present age looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who gave Himself up for us to deliver us from every lawless deed and purify for himself His own special people zealous for good works."
As the Scripture says, "Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness." And as it says elsewhere, "He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
Multiplied millions of Christians are Hell bound, deluded hypocrites serving their own pleasures and walking in the way that is not the Way of the Kingdom of God. As it is written, "Live in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh." They don't even know what that means and their shepherds will pay the higher price.
Amen, thank you God for having mercy on us all.
We praise you for the mercy and grace that you have bestowed on us all. You have said,
If we continue in YOUR word, then are we are your disciples indeed; And we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. (
BUT) They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? And YOU answered them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant (
SINNER) abideth not in the house (YOUR House GOD) for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me (US) free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin
, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. For we are dead nevertheless we live yet not us but Christ liveth in us and the life we now live in the flesh we live by the Faith of YOUR son whom you gave for us, For we have put on Christ, and have become one flesh. A new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of You God, YOU reconciled us to YOURSELF by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; And such trust have we through Christ to YOU God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of YOU Father forever and ever amen.
(Joh 8:31-36; Rom 8:2-4 6:6-7; 2Co 5:17-18; 2Co 3:4-5 )