The only way our sinful, fleshly nature that loves to gravitate toward satisfying 'self' can be changed -
the only way - is to have Christ's purifying nature coursing through us, therefore transforming us. As we abide IN Christ and Christ abides IN us, we are being transformed BY Him. Let us be very clear here: Christ was sinless when He walked the earth 2,000 years ago. Christ did not glory in evil actions. Christ sought to turn man FROM his sinful ways. What was required? Repentance & Following HIM. To follow Jesus is to be taught of Him and
reconstructed BY Him.
Teaching a lopsided "gospel" has and will continue to lead followers off one of two deep ends.
1) East Deep End Lie --> "I am saved by grace even as I continue in sin."
2) West Deep End Lie --> "My self-driven and self-motivated actions earn salvation."
1 and 2 above are flat out lies! Both of them make my skin cringe. Yet, these lies are bought hook, line, and sinker by so many people today. I have observed, and I know you have too, people who live lifestyles fitting either 1 or 2, both professing to be Christians. T.E.R.R.I.F.Y.I.N.G. Make no mistake; I am not making light of either belief. Those two belief systems have destroyed many a soul. I have heard both lies preached- miscalculated, discombobulated, misaligned, and twisted- over the years. Usually, those who believe Lie #1 above will preach hard against #2 above and use the other lie to justify the lie they believe. And those who believe Lie #2 will preach hard against #1 above in order to justify the lie they believe.
Can we just seek the Lord and stop this nonsense? The Bible is a well-balanced Holy Word penned by God. His identity pours forth on every page. It is a GOOD book. And It is the ONLY Book needed in this life. All else pales in comparison, but if it is read with an ulterior motive, absent of the Holy Spirit instructing the reader, it will, sadly, be twisted.
WE MUST BE LED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! (Romans 8:1) Many a person applauds, hoots, and hollers when 1/2 of this verse is spoken in church or quoted on social media.
1/2 of verse: "There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus," (hooting and hollering usually follow this portion) . . .
But what does it really mean to be IN Christ Jesus? The last portion of the very same verse reveals it:
Last portion of the verse: "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Those who walk
after the flesh will bear fruit. How do we know this? The Bible tells us so:
Fruit of the Flesh:
Galatians 5: 19-21 Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5: 3-6 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Those who
walk after the flesh will bear the fruit of that walk. The fleshly fruit will result in condemnation and being eternally separated from God Almighty in the lake of fire. Eyes can be rolled. Exasperated sighs can be released, but the Truth is exactly that, the Truth.
Can one continue to practice sin, bearing the fruit of the flesh and expect to spend eternity with Christ? Not according to the Holy Bible. People can make every attempt to side step this truth. They can twist scripture; they can throw in a lot of 'buts' and 'what ifs'. However, 'Let God be true and every man a liar.' This Word will stand when all else burns. We better make sure we are abiding in that Word, and that Word is abiding in us. The engrafted (implanted) Word has the power to transform us and therefore, save us. Let us not forget the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We can't separate a man named Jesus from the Word of God. They are one in the same. Jesus is the Word of God. Yelling, "I believe in Jesus", yet not believing the Word of God is a pointed contradiction (John 1:1, John 1:14, James 1:21).
Let's get this straight. I, nor you, can continue to
practice sin and be born again. In addition, I, nor you, can do enough
self-driven works to earn salvation.
A person may try to be good, and try to look saved, by doing works that appear right, but all of those self-driven works and self-motivated actions are nothing and mean nothing. I'm afraid many who have not been born again spend a great deal of time appearing saved in order to be accepted by their church peers. Trying to be saved, no doubt, wears a person out to the point of exhaustion because the Holy Spirit isn't leading this type of person. Planning. Scrutinizing. Calculating. Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of Grace and His instructions to us, our actions are just plain ludicrous. As pressed and ironed as they may appear now, those self-driven works will appear as filthy rags when in the presence of a Holy God on judgment day. We can't transform ourselves; our pea-sized brains and limited capacity to understand the things of this world and of God cannot operate on that transforming level.
BUT the True Grace of God working within a born again believer transforms that believer --> by GRACE through FAITH.
Titus 2: 11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
A person can be zealous of good works, but if the person is not being taught and instructed by God, those works are man-led. Only when a person is being obedient to the Holy Spirit of God will these acts have true
Grace-Merit, rather than man-made merit.
{I'm not trying to invoke fear in anyone, but Jesus said it: We must be born again of the Spirit. If you don't know if the Lord has ever knocked at your door, or if He did and you rejected Him; now is the time to seek His face diligently. Go to the secret place where you are alone and crying out to Him. Don't stop until He manifests
Himself to you. It does not matter how long this takes. Let it be your life's drive to find Him because where He is, Salvation resides there and no where else.}
Those who are making every attempt to appear saved, often times, never wake up from that delusion, or they completely leave this delusion and trade it in for yet another delusion: 1) East Deep End Lie --> "I am saved by grace even as I continue in sin."
Salvation can't be lost, per se,
because it is found ONLY IN JESUS. Salvation doesn't disappear: Salvation does not move. It has always been IN Jesus Christ. Find Jesus; find Salvation. Can a person who found Jesus and believed in Jesus actually leave Jesus & therefore, forfeit the very Salvation that has always been with Jesus? Yes. Absolutely.
IN Christ Jesus, a person is secure! Praise the Lord! True holiness and righteousness is found IN Jesus. As a believer abides IN Jesus (the Vine), we begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit (John 15:4 & 15:5). The righteous nature of Christ courses through us as we abide IN the vine of Christ.
Examine closely here the
promise to those who abide IN Christ Jesus and the
consequence for those who do not abide IN Christ:
Promise to Those Who Are Abiding:
Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
What has made Paul confident? These believers are abiding: "your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now" (Philippians 1:5).
This promise is echoed in John 15. Those who abide in Christ can expect to bear fruit that can only come from Him, the True Vine: John 15:4, 15:5
Consequence to Believers Who Do Not Abide:
Those who abide in Christ will bear fruit. Can a branch (a believer) cease bearing godly fruit? And is there a consequence to that? Yes & yes. We know that only Goodness, Righteousness, and Holiness pours forth from Jesus, so what would have to change from the Vine to the branches in order for Christ's fruit to cease bearing in a believer? Not Jesus. He changes not (Hebrews 13:8). So what must change in this fruit bearing process? It's the believer. It is simple math and simple science. Jesus is the constant. In science and mathematical situations, a constant does not change. Jesus is constant; steadfast. If a believer (a branch) can be broken off from the Vine, and John 15:6 (words spoken by Jesus Himself) shows that a branch IN the Vine can be broken off FROM the Vine, then we see that believing IN Christ is not a one time event but a continual free-will decision all the way until the end (Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13).
John 15: 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Strong's Concordance: branch (Greek klema) "a limb or shoot (as if broken off)"
A branch does not grow alone or stand alone. Branches spring forth from the trunk of a tree/vine. This is Science 101. In this Vine Parable, Jesus plainly says He is the Vine (John 15:1), and the branches are believers who have been made clean by the Word (John 15:3). Branches (Believers) (John 15:5) are offshoots from this Vine (The Word). A believer who ceases to bear fruit, which indicates
disobedience to the Lord's transformation process of that believer, will not continue IN Christ. In fact, cannot continue IN Christ may be more precise. JESUS is a Holy God, and that which is defiled cannot remain. We can either be obedient to His reconstructive work within us, or we can reject His goodness. But - make no mistake, a disobedient believer will not be allowed to abide IN Him. Again, salvation is found IN Christ. One is either IN Him, or one is NOT in Him. He is faithful to complete His good work in those who remain/dwell/live IN Him.
Our
self-driven works are filthy rags,
but please do not confuse self-driven works with
obedience to the LORD. The two are not at all related. Obedience to the LORD is not a work. Obedience to the LORD is the most precise way of demonstrating true belief IN Jesus.
Everything any believer hopes to experience eternally IN Christ's Salvation hinges upon a believer's obedience to the Holy Spirit as He carries out reconstruction within us.
Remember Titus 2:12+; His grace teaches us how to live godly, but we always have the choice as to whether we want/allow His Grace to transform us.
Hebrews 10: 26-30 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Hebrews 6: 4-8 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Revelation 3: 15-16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Again, those who are abiding IN Christ can certainly and confidently know that He who had begun the good work IN them will complete that good work. However, notice what Paul, via the Holy Spirit, teaches in Romans 11. This is the same Paul, via the Holy Spirit, who said to the Philippian church in 1:6 -
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
Romans 11: 21-22 For if God spared not the natural branches [the Jews], take heed lest he also spare not thee [gentile
believers]. Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but
toward thee [believers],
goodness,
if thou [believers] continue in
his [Jesus'] goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be
cut off.
Listen dear friends, there is no doubt that the LORD is able to complete His good work in anyone who abides IN Him. Let us never doubt what God will do. However, we are called to
abide or as Romans 11:22 says
"CONTINUE" in
"HIS GOODNESS."
Salvation is and will always be found IN Jesus Christ. We can only have access to Salvation IF we continue IN Christ. He'll do the good work in us; we need only obey as His Grace teaches us how to be Holy and be Righteous.
