The command in the grace of God::
Crucified With Christ and God’s Command to be Holy
QUESTION: Crucified With Christ – God’s Command to be HolyANSWER:
We have all heard messages preached that proclaimed the day would come when we would be set free from sin. At the resurrection, when we receive our glorified bodies, when we see Jesus face to face, when this mortal has put on immortality -- in other words, when this flesh has died and we are resurrected -- we shall be like Jesus. No more sin, no more temptation, no more failure; what a wonderful day that will be! Do not misunderstand; there is nothing wrong with this message. At that time, we shall receive the total redemption that Jesus purchased for us on the cross of Calvary, both physical redemption and spiritual redemption. The problem with that message is that it does not deal with my need to be set free from sin now, before I die! How do I deal with sin while I exist in this mortal flesh? For it is now, while in this flesh, that I am to serve God, not just in eternity. Read these New Testament verses regarding God’s expectation concerning sin and holiness in the life of a believer.
- Note the followings
- "For it is written, 'Be holy, because I am Holy'" (1 Peter 1:16).
- • "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires" (Romans 6:12).
- • "Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning. . ." (1 Corinthians 15:34).
- • "In your anger do not sin. . ." (Ephesians 4:26).
- • "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. . ." (1 John 2:1).
Crucified With Christ – By Grace Through Faith
I believe that it is possible to obey and apply every instruction and command that God gives to us in His Word. I cannot believe God instructs us to do something that is impossible for us to do. Therefore, if God expects us to be holy and to be victorious over sin, then there must be a way for that to be accomplished.
Now before I begin to lose some of you, let me reassure you that I understand that we are not capable of becoming righteous by keeping the law. We are not justified by works, but by the grace of God through faith. We are born in sin, we all have a sinful nature, we are all sinners through Adam, and we are all sinners through personal sin. Indeed we are all dead in trespasses and sin, and there is no one who is righteous!
How then do we reconcile these simple verses that are instructing us to be holy and to not sin with the verses that tell us that we are all sinners and there is no one who is righteous. Add to that 1 John 1:8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" and the problem increases. So here we are born with a sinful nature, sinners by race and sinners by practice, instructed by God to "sin not," but if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Rendered with permission from the booklet, Free to Serve God: 7 Principles Every Believer Should Know, by James O. Jones, Jr. (Light of Life Ministry, revised printing 2009). Compliments of James O. Jones, Jr., and Light of Life Ministry. All rights reserved in the original.
Crucified With Christ !
WHAT DO YOU THINK? - We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God,the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your, declaring, "," you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven.
“SETTING ASIDE THE GRACE OF GOD” (GALATIANS 1-3)
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:20-21).
Do you ever get confused about the proper balance between grace, faith and works? If so, you are not alone. Christians throughout the centuries have struggled with keeping this properly balanced.
Jesus expects us to follow His commands. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Again, Jesus says, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). Later, James writes, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). Then, James adds, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26). There are certainly commands of God which we are to follow.
However, there a difference in following the commands which God has given us, contained within God’s system of grace and faith, and rules which we make up ourselves to follow. This was happening among the churches of Galatia. They were adding to God’s commands and making up their own commands to follow. Paul writes to them, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7).
Some among these churches were seeking to bind circumcision (i.e. an Old Testament command; Leviticus 12:3), on Christians who were Gentiles. However, for Christians the Old Testament law had been taken away (cf. Romans 7:1-4; Ephesians 2:14-16). The Old Testament Law was to remain in force until Christ came, but then it was to go away. Paul writes, “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:23-27).
As the opening passage above states, trying to justify oneself by following rules which we make up ourselves, sets “aside the grace of God” (Galatians 2:21). Paul reminded these Christians that we are justified by following the faith of Jesus Christ: “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Galatians 2:16). In fact, Paul warns them that if they did try to justify themselves by getting circumcised, Christ would profit them nothing and they would fall from grace: “Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:2-4).
Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Today, I will not set aside God’s grace by trying to follow rules which I make up, but I will rejoice in God’s grace and walk by faith and submit myself to the commands which He has given me to follow!
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1
Think about your life as you read this
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