Awake to Righteousness and Don't Sin

[JohnW34]

1 Corinthians 15
34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

This verse should settle the whole matter of these endless debates in the Church.

There should be no doubt that this is addressed to the Church. Not unbelievers. But yet you say (we are righteous!). That you are, positionally in Christ through faith in Jesus. Yet you are called to AWAKE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. How can that be? Because you still have no comprehension that God has not changed one iota towards this topic of SIN. It is what caused the downfall in the garden, it is what caused separation and captivity of Israel, and is the primary cause of Apostacy in the Church. He has given US all the grace we need to live in victory, and live a life led by the Spirit.

When confronted (here on these forums) about obedience, holiness, doing the will of God - there is kick-back. Works salvationists we are falsely called. Yet these very things describe life in the Spirit. When confronting the dangers of sin, the topic of sin becomes one that has already been dealt with at the cross, we are forever righteous and cannot lose our salvation, etc, etc. When confronted with verses which WARN believers against unholy behaviour, we see twisting and squirming - changing words and meanings, and intellectualising. Yet Paul is, of whom you all quote, WARNING those in the church to AWAKE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, and DO NOT SIN. Paul is not in conflict with the words of Jesus. Paul is not in conflict with the words of John. They marry perfectly.

Those who don't understand, or don't "see" this above - don't understand the Gospel at all. They do not have the knowledge of God. Haven't understood the cross to which they claim to cling.

Like Paul says - it is to your shame. For you do not have the knowledge of God.

Sin kills, not because of Gods judgement, sin leads to death, pain, suffering.

All sinners are bound into sin and can never face themselves will always excuse their behaviour to the day they die.
Jesus is the only one who can set us free, by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Unless you experience the freedom He brings, it is all confusion.

Listening to unbelievers dressed as believers preaching sin is ok to compromise with are just empty vessels speaking from sinful hearts. Until they come to faith, there is no hope for them or even value in listening to them.

We are called to be shining lights, shinning as stars in this dark world.

Phil 2:15
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Matt 5:16-17
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

 

[Chris1975]

Sin kills, not because of Gods judgement, sin leads to death, pain, suffering.

All sinners are bound into sin and can never face themselves will always excuse their behaviour to the day they die.
Jesus is the only one who can set us free, by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Unless you experience the freedom He brings, it is all confusion.

Listening to unbelievers dressed as believers preaching sin is ok to compromise with are just empty vessels speaking from sinful hearts. Until they come to faith, there is no hope for them or even value in listening to them.

We are called to be shining lights, shinning as stars in this dark world.

Phil 2:15
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Matt 5:16-17
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

The Parable of the Tares Explained
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!


1 John 3
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

 

[Chris1975]

Titus 2
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

- Not just some. Every.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

How do the "righteous" live for God and not frustrate the Grace of God?

 

[Chris1975]

How do the "righteous" live for God and not frustrate the Grace of God?

By doing this:
Romans 12
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

- seek out the revealed will of God through the scriptures
-repent (from YOUR way of thinking to HIS way of thinking)
-As you believe, so your behaviour aligns.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

By doing this:
Romans 12
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

- seek out the revealed will of God through the scriptures
-repent (from YOUR way of thinking to HIS way of thinking)
-As you believe, so your behaviour aligns.

How does the Believer do what the scriptures say we should do?

 

[Chris1975]

How does the Believer do what the scriptures say we should do?

Love God first and foremost. This is the key that unlocks all other behavioural outcomes.

1) Love God....leads to
2) Obedience.....leads to
3) Abiding in His love (in the vine)....leads to
4) Fruit of the Spirit

God is looking for Fruit. We start with Worship.

 

[Chris1975]

The final verse of a very meaty book of the bible.

1 John 5
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Love God first and foremost. This is the key that unlocks all other behavioural outcomes.

1) Love God....leads to
2) Obedience.....leads to
3) Abiding in His love (in the vine)....leads to
4) Fruit of the Spirit

God is looking for Fruit. We start with Worship.

My Brother in Christ you mean well. However, without Faith in Christ and the Cross of Calvary where the victory was won, i.e., the Blood of Jesus, i.e., The Lamb of God, i.e., His Sacrifice, it is impossible to please God.

The Believer who attempts to live for God in their own strength, willpower, and ability becomes a transgressor of the "LAW" (Gal. 2:18). They have just made a Law how to live for God, versus Faith placed and maintained exclusively in Christ and the Cross of Calvary where the victory was won, i.e., the Blood of Jesus, i.e., The Lamb of God, i.e., His Sacrifice (Rom. 8:2). This is why Paul said, "I do not frustrate the Grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law (any type of Law), then Christ is dead in vain (Gal. 2:21). Under the Grace of God the Holy Spirit carries out the work and the will of God in our lives because we have been Crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5, Gal. 2:20).

 

[Chris1975]

My Brother in Christ you mean well. However, without Faith in Christ and the Cross of Calvary where the victory was won, i.e., the Blood of Jesus, i.e., The Lamb of God, i.e., His Sacrifice, it is impossible to please God.

The Believer who attempts to live for God in their own strength, willpower, and ability becomes a transgressor of the "LAW" (Gal. 2:18). They have just made a Law how to live for God, versus Faith placed and maintained exclusively in Christ and the Cross of Calvary where the victory was won, i.e., the Blood of Jesus, i.e., The Lamb of God, i.e., His Sacrifice (Rom. 8:2). This is why Paul said, "I do not frustrate the Grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law (any type of Law), then Christ is dead in vain (Gal. 2:21). Under the Grace of God the Holy Spirit carries out the work and the will of God in our lives because we have been Crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5, Gal. 2:20).

Read my post again. Who is speaking against faith? How can you love God WITHOUT faith?

 

[Chris1975]

Matthew 22
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.

 

[Chris1975]

My Brother in Christ you mean well. However, without Faith in Christ and the Cross of Calvary where the victory was won, i.e., the Blood of Jesus, i.e., The Lamb of God, i.e., His Sacrifice, it is impossible to please God.

The Believer who attempts to live for God in their own strength, willpower, and ability becomes a transgressor of the "LAW" (Gal. 2:18). They have just made a Law how to live for God, versus Faith placed and maintained exclusively in Christ and the Cross of Calvary where the victory was won, i.e., the Blood of Jesus, i.e., The Lamb of God, i.e., His Sacrifice (Rom. 8:2). This is why Paul said, "I do not frustrate the Grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law (any type of Law), then Christ is dead in vain (Gal. 2:21). Under the Grace of God the Holy Spirit carries out the work and the will of God in our lives because we have been Crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5, Gal. 2:20).

My Brother MOTC, I know you are a solid believer, for I follow your posts. I enjoy them immensely. But Love of God is the greatest commandment, from which all else flows. It is greater than faith.

1 Corinthians 13
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Love God first and foremost. This is the key that unlocks all other behavioural outcomes.

1) Love God....leads to
2) Obedience.....leads to
3) Abiding in His love (in the vine)....leads to
4) Fruit of the Spirit

God is looking for Fruit. We start with Worship.

How do we Love God with agape Love?

 

[Chris1975]

How do we Love God with agape Love?

Of course it comes back to your point....Jesus hanging on a cross as the greatest expression of God's love for us. We love because He first loved us.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Of course it comes back to your point....Jesus hanging on a cross as the greatest expression of God's love for us. We love because He first loved us.

It is impossible for the Believer to Love God or do what the scriptures ask of us to do in our own strength, willpower, and ability. All commandments and laws are kept by the Holy Spirit when the Believer Faith is placed and maintained exclusively in Christ and Him Crucified. The TRUTH we must understand is that we are Crucified with Christ. Therefore, if Christ is a LAW KEEPER, than the Believer is a LAW KEEPER, because we are in Christ. No other way can we ABIDE IN CHRIST.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Awake to Righteousness means to return to the Cross. Most Believers are proclaiming Christ while forsaking the Cross. This is apostasy...lukewarm...a form of godliness. God awards Righteousness only to a Believer by Faith in Christ and the Cross. Rom. 4:5

 

[Chris1975]

The Holy Spirit doesn't obey for us. The commandments are not for God. They are for us. The Holy Spirit gives us Grace and Power to walk in the light. Sin is no longer our master because of the Grace of God. When we live by Faith, we are led by the Spirit. However it is still our choice. We still do the walking. We still run the race.

Don't get this mixed up.

 

[Chris1975]

Awake to Righteousness means to return to the Cross. Most Believers are proclaiming Christ while forsaking the Cross. This is apostasy...lukewarm...a form of godliness. God awards Righteousness only to a Believer by Faith in Christ and the Cross. Rom. 4:5

No problems with what you have typed here. It goes further. We are to believe in the resurrection for the overcoming power.

Romans 6
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

The Holy Spirit doesn't obey for us. The commandments are not for God. They are for us. The Holy Spirit gives us Grace and Power to walk in the light. Sin is no longer our master because of the Grace of God. When we live by Faith, we are led by the Spirit. However it is still our choice. We still do the walking. We still run the race.

Don't get this mixed up.

The body is dead because of sin, which means that the physical body has been rendered helpless because of the Fall; consequently, the Believer trying to overcome by willpower presents a fruitless task (Rom. 8:10). The Holy Spirit mortifies the deeds of the body so we can live (walk in victory). Rom. 8:13

 

[Chris1975]

The body is dead because of sin, which means that the physical body has been rendered helpless because of the Fall; consequently, the Believer trying to overcome by willpower presents a fruitless task (Rom. 8:10). The Holy Spirit mortifies the deeds of the body so we can live (walk in victory). Rom. 8:13

ROMANS 6
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as [d]instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

We still take the actions above, no?

Romans 6
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness [f]for holiness.