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Authors: Paul Ellis
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17:3).
Don’t
put life on hold by living captive to the flesh. God’s will is for you to
experience heaven-on-earth today. But choose the way of sin and you’ll
experience hell-on-earth instead.
Religion
would have us frame the questions of life in terms of good and evil. “Shouldn’t
we do good and avoid evil?” This is fruit off the forbidden tree. It is not the
way of grace. It’s not that the question is inherently bad, it just won’t lead
you to the life-giving Answer.
We don’t
earn grace by doing good, neither do we forfeit grace by doing bad. If
anything, his grace shines all the more when we sin (Romans 5:20). This happens
because his grace is the only antidote to the poison of sin. But if you have
been saved from sin and death, stop drinking the poison. Drink from the well of
his life.
4. If God loves me and my
salvation is secure, then why can’t I keep doing what I’m doing?
Because sin is stupid. It’s like
texting on the freeway. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should.
The world will tell you that “if it feels good, do it” and “as long as it’s
harming no one, what’s the problem?” But these are flawed mantras. Live from
your feelings and you’ll end up enslaved to your appetites. You will be a
shadow of your real self.
The true
message of the cross is this: When we seek to save ourselves by doing what
seems right in our own sight, we lose ourselves, but when we trust him then we
really live.
Following
Jesus is not about starving the flesh — that’s asceticism and it’s as much a
flesh-trip as any indulgence. Following Jesus is about reckoning yourself dead
to the world and allowing him to live his life through you. Trust me, his life
is way more fun than yours!
“But as
long as it’s harming no one…” How do you know it’s not harming no one? Do you
have perfect knowledge? Can you see all things? How do you know that the lady
you’re keeping house with is not going to the wife of some other man? What if
she becomes the mother of someone else’s children?
If you
are certain that she will be your wife, then man up and marry her. But if
you’re uncertain, then man up and stop playing games. Either way, be a man.
People are far too precious to fool around with.
5. I can’t help myself. I’m not
sure that I could stop even if I wanted to.
That’s not a question; that’s a
declaration of unbelief in the grace of God that empowers us to say no to sin.
In the
natural it may be true that you are enslaved to addiction. You may be so deep
in a rut that you can’t see the sun. But that doesn’t mean you are without help
and without options. Your helper is God and no one is beyond the reach of his
transforming love and grace.
I have
met countless people who have been completely changed from one kind of person
into another by God’s supernatural grace. In the kingdom this happens all the
time. But transformation rarely happens among those who don’t believe. Stop seeing
yourself as a victim and stop speaking lies over your life. Look instead to
your mighty redeemer and confess your true identity in Christ.
When you
get up in the morning and another day of sin beckons, look at yourself in the
mirror and say, “I am my Father’s Son and he loves me! I am the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus. As he is in heaven, so am I in this world!” I’m not
preaching faith plus self-effort. I’m preaching faith in his mighty grace!
Beliefs
need to be spoken and acted upon for them to become real in our experience. The
world would have you believe that you are the product of your choices and
behaviors, but God says you are his dearly beloved son. So choose who you would
listen to and be who you really are.
A word after
Whatever happened to the woman
caught in adultery? We all know that Jesus intervened and saved her from the
hard stones of condemnation, but what happened next? Did she “go and sin no
more” as Jesus said? Did she
Don’t
put life on hold by living captive to the flesh. God’s will is for you to
experience heaven-on-earth today. But choose the way of sin and you’ll
experience hell-on-earth instead.
Religion
would have us frame the questions of life in terms of good and evil. “Shouldn’t
we do good and avoid evil?” This is fruit off the forbidden tree. It is not the
way of grace. It’s not that the question is inherently bad, it just won’t lead
you to the life-giving Answer.
We don’t
earn grace by doing good, neither do we forfeit grace by doing bad. If
anything, his grace shines all the more when we sin (Romans 5:20). This happens
because his grace is the only antidote to the poison of sin. But if you have
been saved from sin and death, stop drinking the poison. Drink from the well of
his life.
4. If God loves me and my
salvation is secure, then why can’t I keep doing what I’m doing?
Because sin is stupid. It’s like
texting on the freeway. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should.
The world will tell you that “if it feels good, do it” and “as long as it’s
harming no one, what’s the problem?” But these are flawed mantras. Live from
your feelings and you’ll end up enslaved to your appetites. You will be a
shadow of your real self.
The true
message of the cross is this: When we seek to save ourselves by doing what
seems right in our own sight, we lose ourselves, but when we trust him then we
really live.
Following
Jesus is not about starving the flesh — that’s asceticism and it’s as much a
flesh-trip as any indulgence. Following Jesus is about reckoning yourself dead
to the world and allowing him to live his life through you. Trust me, his life
is way more fun than yours!
“But as
long as it’s harming no one…” How do you know it’s not harming no one? Do you
have perfect knowledge? Can you see all things? How do you know that the lady
you’re keeping house with is not going to the wife of some other man? What if
she becomes the mother of someone else’s children?
If you
are certain that she will be your wife, then man up and marry her. But if
you’re uncertain, then man up and stop playing games. Either way, be a man.
People are far too precious to fool around with.
5. I can’t help myself. I’m not
sure that I could stop even if I wanted to.
That’s not a question; that’s a
declaration of unbelief in the grace of God that empowers us to say no to sin.
In the
natural it may be true that you are enslaved to addiction. You may be so deep
in a rut that you can’t see the sun. But that doesn’t mean you are without help
and without options. Your helper is God and no one is beyond the reach of his
transforming love and grace.
I have
met countless people who have been completely changed from one kind of person
into another by God’s supernatural grace. In the kingdom this happens all the
time. But transformation rarely happens among those who don’t believe. Stop seeing
yourself as a victim and stop speaking lies over your life. Look instead to
your mighty redeemer and confess your true identity in Christ.
When you
get up in the morning and another day of sin beckons, look at yourself in the
mirror and say, “I am my Father’s Son and he loves me! I am the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus. As he is in heaven, so am I in this world!” I’m not
preaching faith plus self-effort. I’m preaching faith in his mighty grace!
Beliefs
need to be spoken and acted upon for them to become real in our experience. The
world would have you believe that you are the product of your choices and
behaviors, but God says you are his dearly beloved son. So choose who you would
listen to and be who you really are.
A word after
Whatever happened to the woman
caught in adultery? We all know that Jesus intervened and saved her from the
hard stones of condemnation, but what happened next? Did she “go and sin no
more” as Jesus said? Did she
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