Love One Another from a Pure Heart

[Christsfreeservant]

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for​

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“’All flesh is like grass​

and all its glory like the flower of grass.​

The grass withers,​

and the flower falls,​

but the word of the Lord remains forever.’​

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“And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25 ESV)​

When we are believing in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, we have died and we are dying daily to sin and to self, and we have been raised with him from the dead in order that we might now walk (in conduct, in practice) in righteousness and in holiness, and no longer in sin. Sin should no longer be our practice, for if it is, and if obedience to our Lord is not our practice, we will not inherit eternal life.

So, when this says, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth,” this is speaking of us, by the Spirit – because of what Jesus did for us on that cross – denying self, dying daily to sin, and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. It means that, by the Spirit, we have put away from our lives what is fleshly and sinful, and we have put on Christ and his righteousness. And we are now walking in obedience to our Lord.

Now, this does not mean that we will never sin again (1 John 2:1-2), but that sin is no longer to reign in our lives to where we obey its desires instead of obeying the Lord and his commands (Romans 6:1-23). All sinful practices, such as sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, and committing adultery, and the like, are to be put away from our lives, and our lives are now to be surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will (Ephesians 4:17-32).

For we are not “born again” of the Spirit of God if we have not humbled ourselves in submission to God in genuine repentance (forsaking of sins) and in surrender of our lives to him to now live for him and no longer in sin. And we are not born of God, nor are we in fellowship with God, nor do we even know God if we do not forsake our lives of sin to follow him in obedience to his commands, but if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, instead.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Galatians 6:16-21; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 5:3-6; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 3:1-17; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, the only way that we are going to be able to (agape) love other people is if we are in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Christ which results in us dying to our old lives of living in sin and for self and us now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands – not necessarily in sinless perfection, but in faithful surrender of our lives to Christ to do his will in his power and strength, day by day.

For to (agape) love one another from a pure heart means that we are preferring to live through Christ, that we are embracing his will for our lives, we are choosing his choices, and we are obeying them in his power, in practice. It means that we prefer what he prefers which is what is godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. And so we will treat others with love, and we will not willfully sin against them.

I Sing of His Mercy

An Original Work / April 10, 2014
Based off Psalm 32

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven
By the blood of Jesus Christ.
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does
Not count against them; freedom found.
When, in silence, I did not confess
My sin to You; had no strength.
Then I owned up to my sin and
You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;
Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.
They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,
But in Christ peace abounds.
Lord, You are my hiding place.
I find my refuge in You secure.
You protect me from all evil.
You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;
Counsel me in love, I know.
Help me to not be stubborn and
Unwilling to follow in Your truth.
Thank You for Your love and mercy.
I put my trust in You always.
I rejoice in my Lord and
I sing of Him throughout all my days.