July 23, 2020 BE HOLY
1 Peter 1:15-16 “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.”
Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;”
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
We could never earn God’s love and forgiveness, or work our way to heaven by our good works. We were born into this world separated from God, lost in sin, and without hope. Only by the grace and mercy of God can we come to know Him and be saved and be joined to Him. As wonderful and as needed the grace of God is, it has often been misunderstood and misapplied. There is a tendency for us to come short of the full meaning of grace and salvation; many live with the belief that ‘we are sinners saved by grace’-and that we continue to sin and God continues to forgive us. There is certainly some truth in that view, but there is a huge underlying error that one falls into if that is their primary view of salvation. This view that we are sinners saved by grace is common due to the fact that for many years, we have heard a sub-standard gospel preached and proclaimed-by well-meaning individuals. I want to, and I believe that you want to, understand our salvation from God’s viewpoint-what He says it is. Perhaps we need to re-tool what we believe-look afresh at this awesome salvation. Salvation is so much more than a ticket to heaven. God has made us new; He has transformed us and given us new spirits, new minds, AND a NEW nature. There is an amazing statement in 1 John 4:17: “as He is, so are we in this world.” Being born again and being forgiven of our sins is a beginning point-not the end of the story. We HAVE BEEN made righteous and God has enabled us to live righteously-or holy lives; we now have His nature in us and that nature can be expressed. We are not to try to be righteous and holy in order to earn His love, BUT BECAUSE WE ARE righteous in Him, we are to live righteously. We have the blessing and the privilege of representing God in the place where we live.
Colossians 1:10 “so that you walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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