Apostle Paul says he wants to present us, the church, as a chaste virgin to Christ for he has promised us in marriage to one husband, Jesus Christ. But Paul fears that their mind may be corrupted from a complete and pure devotion to Christ just as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning nature in the garden of Eden.
2 cor 11
2For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
What can stain us subtly like serpent did to Eve from the mind of Christ?
Stain of Guilt
Jer 2
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
Stain of Flesh
Jude
23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Stain of the world
James 1
27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
1 john2
16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Stain of the tongue
James 3
6And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
But now as we have been saved by His blood these stains have no dominion over us. But many a times we fall short of the Glory of God. The flesh is weak. Its a spiritual warfare. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of the air. The devil is a roaring lion waiting to devour us. But God says fear not. For He is the Lion of Judah who fights our battles for us. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. HS guides us into all truth. We need to put on the whole armor of God not partial armor( Eph 6: 10-18). Helmet of salvation, shield of faith, breast plate of righteousness, belt of truth, footwear of gospel of peace. All these are defensive weapons except one. That is Sword of Spirit which is the only offensive weapon given and is so powerful. Sword of Spirit is the Word of God. We need to wear it in our hearts day and night. As David says "Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet". We need to write His word in our hearts day and night that we may not sin against Him.
Eph 2
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
If we remain in Christ and He in us we will bear fruits and wont be thrown away into the fire.
John 15
5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
After coming into the Light of Christ, we have no place for darkness. Darkness doesn't rule us but Christ. We are called to shine our Light to the world just as Jesus is the Light of the world.
col 3
5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience
1cor 6
13.... Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
18Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
We are not of the world. But are called out of the world to live for Christ in this world.
James 4
4Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Our standard is Christ Himself!!! He is the author and finisher of our FAITH!!
1 peter
13Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
17And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Gal 5
24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Eph 1
4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Phil 2
12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Rom 3
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 6
1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Therefore 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.
6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13And do not present your members as 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. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
18And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ......so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
22But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke 12
35“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;36and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.
40Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Rev 19
7Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
Lord we thank you for choosing us by Your Grace, for we are nothing before You. For we wont carry anything when we leave this earth. From dust we came and to dust we return. Thank You Lord for sanctifying us every day and helping us to walk a life worthy of You by your Spirit.
2 cor 11
2For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
What can stain us subtly like serpent did to Eve from the mind of Christ?
Stain of Guilt
Jer 2
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
Stain of Flesh
Jude
23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Stain of the world
James 1
27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
1 john2
16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Stain of the tongue
James 3
6And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
But now as we have been saved by His blood these stains have no dominion over us. But many a times we fall short of the Glory of God. The flesh is weak. Its a spiritual warfare. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of the air. The devil is a roaring lion waiting to devour us. But God says fear not. For He is the Lion of Judah who fights our battles for us. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. HS guides us into all truth. We need to put on the whole armor of God not partial armor( Eph 6: 10-18). Helmet of salvation, shield of faith, breast plate of righteousness, belt of truth, footwear of gospel of peace. All these are defensive weapons except one. That is Sword of Spirit which is the only offensive weapon given and is so powerful. Sword of Spirit is the Word of God. We need to wear it in our hearts day and night. As David says "Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet". We need to write His word in our hearts day and night that we may not sin against Him.
Eph 2
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
If we remain in Christ and He in us we will bear fruits and wont be thrown away into the fire.
John 15
5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
After coming into the Light of Christ, we have no place for darkness. Darkness doesn't rule us but Christ. We are called to shine our Light to the world just as Jesus is the Light of the world.
col 3
5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience
1cor 6
13.... Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
18Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
We are not of the world. But are called out of the world to live for Christ in this world.
James 4
4Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Our standard is Christ Himself!!! He is the author and finisher of our FAITH!!
1 peter
13Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
17And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Gal 5
24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Eph 1
4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Phil 2
12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Rom 3
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 6
1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Therefore 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.
6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13And do not present your members as 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. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
18And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ......so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
22But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke 12
35“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;36and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.
40Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Rev 19
7Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
Lord we thank you for choosing us by Your Grace, for we are nothing before You. For we wont carry anything when we leave this earth. From dust we came and to dust we return. Thank You Lord for sanctifying us every day and helping us to walk a life worthy of You by your Spirit.
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