Listen! Then Do It!

[Christsfreeservant]

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:22-25 ESV)​

When Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross it was to put our sin to death with him so that we, by faith him, will now die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. For we were raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, but if obedience to God is what we obey, its end is eternal life.

[1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Ephesians 4:17-32]

So, as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are to be followers of Jesus Christ who do what his word teaches us that we must do, and to do it as a matter of life course, not just when it is convenient for us or when it is agreeable to what we want to do. So we need to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate context who then, by the Spirit, do what the Scriptures teach us Christians we must do as true followers of Jesus Christ. For this is why Jesus died for us.

And with regard to Christians deceiving themselves, many are doing exactly that! I did for a while, too, so I know it is possible. And sometimes it is that we are deceived by others who we believe because we have not thought that we should not believe them. So we are being cautioned here against being deceived and even deceiving ourselves that we don’t have to do anything to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. For God created us for good works which he planned for us to walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

So, if you are believing the lies which are telling you that you can believe in Jesus but that you don’t have to do anything and you can still go to heaven when you die, you need to read the Scriptures in context. For the Scriptures tell us that we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience in doing the works he called us to do. For if we do not, and we are just relying on a profession of faith to get us into heaven, we need to know that we will not inherit eternal life with God. God’s word says so!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, don’t buy into the lies which tell you that God requires of you no works and that you don’t have to obey him or submit to him or forsake your sinful practices but that he will still receive you into his heaven. And when the word of God pierces your heart and teaches you that you must forsake your sins and walk in obedience to the Lord, and then you walk away and ignore what the word said to you, then don’t be surprised when you stand before God one day and he renounces you and tells you to depart from him.

For we are to be those who walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commandments (New Covenant), and who follow our Lord wherever he leads us in doing whatever he requires of us, and willingly. For Jesus died to free us from our slavery to sin and to empower us to live holy and godly lives in walks of obedience to his commands. So we are to be those who are listening to the Lord and who are doing what his word teaches us and who are putting the word into practice in our daily lives, by the grace of God.

Teach Them

An Original Work / May 24, 2012
Based off various scriptures

Open up the blinded eyes of
Those who walk in sin’s darkness.
Turn them to the light of Christ
And to His righteousness.
Turn them from the pow’r of Satan.
Turn them to the peace of Christ,
So they may receive forgiveness
And eternal life.

Teach them to put off their old selves
And their former way of life,
And to put on their new self,
Reborn to be like Christ;
To not copy worldly customs;
Be transformed in life and mind;
Obey freely His word in them,
Pleasing unto God.

Teach them how to love their neighbors
Truly as they love themselves;
Be a witness; share the gospel;
Satan’s lies dispel;
Comfort all who mourn in sadness;
Share Christ’s love and joy today.
Do this through your life and witness
For your Lord always.