Living as one lost
Why can’t we live like we have been SET FREE???
It’s sad brothers and sisters that so often I live like I am still bound by sin. I SIN and I LIKE it. I walk by the flesh not the Spirit. I choose darkness over light and I turn to sin when I suffer. Why? What in me makes me think that I am still wearing my chains? Do we not know that Jesus died to BREAK those chains? Why do I try to re-shackle myself? Why? Because if we make ourselves believe that we still are bound to sin, then we feel “not as bad” when we do sin. “Oh well, I’m sinful, so yes it’s a big deal but God understands.” Yes, we are right that God knows and we can take heart in knowing that we are a lot worse than we think we are but Christ still died for us, BUT GRACE IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO SIN! We ARE NOT BOUND ANYMORE, SIN NO LONGER REIGNS IN OUR MORTAL BODIES. Let’s take a look at what Scripture says
Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:6-7 “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free from sin.“
Romans 6:10-11; 14a “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” “14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
So you see, we AREN’T bound in chains anymore! Amen! Hallelujah! This is GREAT NEWS! So my brothers, my sisters, yes we all have a sin nature, BUT those chains, that sinful body you thought you still had is not there. So I URGE all of us, look at the Devil in the face and say, “I don’t have to listen to you anymore, you no longer have any part in my life. My shackles of sin have been broken by a perfect lamb, so Devil get ready because I’m about to start swinging my sword at you.” Jesus lived, died, hung on a cross, and rose again SO THAT YOU WOULD NO LONGER BE BOUND TO SIN. Let this thought FREE you, let this thought turn you towards Christ and ask Him to teach your heart that you don’t have to give in to sin because it is no longer your master. We sin because we think it still has hold of us, well my brothers and sisters, Christ has hold of you now and where Christ is, sin is not. Praise be to Him. Live in this freedom, Live as Christ lived, and seek righteousness, and FIGHT the Devil telling you, you aren’t freed. The greatest thing is, no matter what, Jesus has come up to us wearing the most amazing Armani suit, with tailored everything, perfectly shined shoes, and a sweet tie, and He walks up to you wearing a raggedy old shirt, ripped pants and no shoes and He says “Look in the mirror.” And you look and you see yourself in your worn down outfit, then He steps in front of you and says “This is how I see you, this is who you really are in me my child. You are perfect in my sight.” Brothers and sisters you aren’t bound to this, you are bound to FREEDOM. Live it!
Here is a song I wrote I want to share with you guys
Why can I hear the Devil’s voice louder than the voice of my Father
Why can I say that I am found but live like I’m lost
Why do I pray to be forgiven but don’t forgive my brother
Why do I search for a lover when my lover’s already there
Can you really call me a prodigal when I’ve yet to turn around
Can I be called a child or what about a disciple
Or even a servant or a leader for the kingdom
If I’m not on my knees, begging for my Father to come and eat with me
Living as one lost, is not the life You had for me
Living as one lost, is not why You hung on that cross
Living as one lost, is spitting in Your face
And forgetting to taste the taste…of Your redemption
It’s so nice to know that there are still people who stand for the truth even knowing exactly what the world thinks of them. I’m standing right there with you. Way to speak truth. This is very convicting. Don’t stop. “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Right on Garrett! In this discussion it’s very hard to stay balanced on the saddle. Go too far in one direction and you have the heresy that one can in fact in this life live a sinless life, perfectionism; go to far in the other and you have the opposite heresy that one can be a Christian without being Christlike, antinomianism. But the Scriptures keep it balanced and so do you. You would appreciate an excellent book by John Eldredge, “Waking the Dead.” So here’s one for you. Why do you think it is so easy to fall off of one side of the horse or the other?
That’s a great question. I believe that the heresy of perfectionism is caused by our desire to wish we could be “good enough” to earn our salvation. We hate to think that there is no way we can achieve what we seek. As humans, especially as Americans, we are taught that we can “achieve anything we put our minds to” well in the case of salvation, that is not true, and as stubborn as we are we do not want to accept it so we continue to try and be “perfect.”
As far as antinomianism, we love sin because we don’t know how to truly let God love us, so we turn to “lovers less wild” things that can not truly satisfy us and we take advantage of grace. We forget that Paul says, “What then shall we say? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may abound? By no means!” Sin is such a tempting, immediate reward thing that it is easy to turn to. We also like to “live our own lives” thinking that paving our own path is better than walking the path of the Creator. So we live like non-believers, loving the world, yet holding on to our salvation