“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
(I Corinthians 15:17-20)
Many folk would do well in a line-up and judged on their record of service would compare favorably…living good, even exemplary lives.
But, Jesus made it clear that living a good life is not the way to get to heaven. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly. I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 5:21-23)
Sin is spiritually deadly! Doing Good things does not take our sins away. The purpose of God is that we would repent of our sins and trust in the sacrifice of Jesus to remove our sins…leaving us spotless in the presence of our perfect God. “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (I John 1:5)
Repentance is the conscious act of recognizing our sins and reversing our direction…to once again move toward God. Living a good life does not save us, it is our complete trust in our Lord who knows what is best for us that saves. Living a good life demonstrates gratitude for our salvation.
“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:3,4) Unfortunately all men will foolishly not take advantage of the grace of God.
“But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” (Acts 3:18-20)
There is no compromise in our search for truth and reconciliation with God because of sin. It is God’s way…or no way! “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Act 4:12)
LIving a good life…does not save!
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
(Ephesians 1:22,23
“But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
The context of this statement is very interesting. A man was very angry, and his face was downcast. He was angry because God had accepted his brother’s sacrifice and did not look with favor on his sacrifice!
God asked him why he was angry and said “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.” (Genesis 4:7) The crouching turned into attack and festering anger turned into murder and a curse of restless, wandering shame.
This is the story of Cain and Able, the first brothers in the Bible. Jealousy, uncontrolled anger, guilt and shame have been a staple in the human condition from the beginning. But, there is an antidote: “You must master it!”
Sin is to miss a reachable target…set by God. Once a sin is done, there is not way we can erase the stain on our souls. But, God has provided a way to master sin through our absolute trust in the sacrifice of Jesus that erases sins…and the help of the Spirit of God when we sin crouches again.
Temptation is not the same as sin. Jesus was tempted in every way we are tempted. When we do not resist temptation crouching sin springs into action and overcomes us. Fortunately, when we are in Christ, and genuinely repent, our sins are continually forgiven through the grace of God.
”What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:1-4)
The antidote for sin is being In Christ. This is what the folk who realized they had killed Jesus and asked what they could do to have their sin forgiven. “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
I realize this is a very condensed account of the good news found in the Bible. For more information about mastering the crouching go to friendsfortruth.com.
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”
(Galatians 1:8, 9)
The question has never been if…but how? There are many leadership models.
The challenge of real leadership is to find a way for folk to develop their physical and spiritual balance. Jesus knew that folk needed to be helped on the level of their need (hunger, thirst, pain, etc.). But. He was a master at providing the message that the hunger, thirst and pain of the soul was more significant eternally.
We have been given the mandate to lead like The Master, giving generously without expecting anything in return…but, providing both messages. When God gives the increase, it is exactly right.
Servant leadership is based on surrender to love!
In our society, love seems to be a smushy kind of sissy word. But, the Biblical word for love means to be genuinely concerned about the welfare of another. The truth is: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (I John 4:8) Real leadership is showing folk truth, based on the compassion of God…instead of temporary gratification.
This love goes beyond what the world considers love.
Love lasts through the storms of rage and the fire of passion. Love weathers the blazing heat of weakness and the bitter cold of sickness. Love is being patient when the road has been long and there is no end in sight. Love is being kind then there is not one once of kindness anywhere to be found. Love is being available when stupidity has won another round…and there is nothing left but broken pieces.
“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” (I John 3:10)
When I am surrendered to the author of love and leadership, I can be fearless…because God does not make mistakes.
When I see a person who is surrendered to what reason and knowledge proves should be done…I will follow. I will not follow a person who only talks about what is right and should be done.
Another word that described leadership is surrender.
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”
(Ephesians 5:3)
It is impossible for us to know exactly why God created man in his own image. We do know he gave us something he does not have…free will. Because God is perfect love, he cannot go against Himself. We sin…but thank God for his grace.
Modern folk are no different from any culture that has ever existed on earth. We want to call what God calls sin…something other than Sin!
The good news is, since God created us…he knows what is best for us!
If God says do and I don’t, I am a sinner!
If I do not get my sin forgiven, I will die in my sins!
If I die in my sin, I have no hope and will end up in hell!
But, God is love? (I John 4:8) How could a loving God put anyone in hell?
Actually the truth is very simple: God created us in His image…to be with him for eternity. But, He wants us to love him back. This means we are to love him because we want to, not because we have to.
Because God is perfectly just, he must be fair. He wants us to walk with him. “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (I John 1:6,7)
Because God is fair and just, anyone who does not walk with him must be punished. This is not a matter of love (God loves us). It is a matter of justice!
So, here is a simple beginning test found in Galatians 5:19-21: Am I walking in sin?
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:
Sexual immorality (Adultery, homosexuality, pornography, etc.)
Impurity and debauchery (Sexual partying with the purpose of promoting impure, illicit activity.
Idolatry and witchcraft (Idols can be anything that we worship…money, power, health, etc. Witchcraft (Sorcery) has to do with magical spells, curses and enchantments brought on by drugs, potions. This includes astrology.)
Drunkenness, Orgies and the like. (These do not need defining.)
Hatred, Discord, Jealousy, Fits of rage, Selfish ambition, Dissensions, Factions and envy. (These are the personal attitude sins. They are just as important as all the others.)
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
It is important to understand the difference between sinning, and walking in sin! Study Ephesians 4:17-5:21)
Walking in the light
“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
(I Corinthians 1:10)
In the organization of the Catholic church, a priest is the mediator between God and man in a parish. He also administers the sacraments. A bishopis over a Diocesse, which is several parishes. Archbishopsare over a group of Diocesses. There is no mention of a parish or Diocesse in the New Testament.
In a study of a priesthood, there are a few things to consider. “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:5b,6)
This is interesting! The church has been made a kingdom of priests. It sounds like all Christians are priests.
And…what about I Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” How can a priest be a mediator between God and man if Jesus is the only mediator.
And…what about confession? If I must confess my sins through a priest in order to receive forgiveness, what about Acts 19:18? “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds…” These folk were believers and their evil deeds were forgiven. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
We have all kinds of tools to investigate the Bible text. One is biblegateway.com which is a Bible search engine. We beg you to check out everything said in this post for accuracy.
There is only one reason for writing on this theme: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’“ (Matthew 7:21-23)
This is a serious matter that demands serious consideration.