It is never OK to live in sin while saying you believe in Jesus. To say that you can live this way and repent later is wrong. If you have truly been redeemed through the blood of Jesus, you wouldn’t be saying this. You would be convicted to walk with Jesus, who saves. Don’t ever fool yourself into thinking that knowing Jesus and living your own life is right because it is absolutely not. You are only fooling yourself if you think that God will save a willing sinner in heaven. The bible teaches, 2“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” We cannot, if we truly love God. Love for the Lord brings about a change of heart and a change of mind. It is not us that does this work inside of us but the Holy Spirit. We are not able to free ourselves from the bonds of sin but only Jesus. His blood frees us from all sin. We are admonished by God to arm ourselves 3“likewise with the same mind” as Christ who 3“hath suffered for us in the flesh”. 3“For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin”. Our tendency to live apart from God is over. Our lustful desires are given to God that we might love one another instead of seeking the lusts of the flesh. We no longer live the rest of our time 3“in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” 1This is a life born again in the Spirit.
There was a time, in days past, that each of us lived apart from God. We did what the lusts of the flesh desired. Many of us 3“walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries”. We lived this way because it gave us pleasure and pleased the flesh. People knew us in this fashion. As you depart from your old ways and start to live for Christ your desires and passions will change. If they aren’t, then look at your faith. Examine yourself to know if you are for God or against Him in the way you are living your life. If God is with you, then you will be moved by the Holy Spirit to walk differently. As you do so and stop going to bars, stop looking at pornography, stop doing drugs, stop watching TV and movies with bad language and sex scenes, people will look at you differently. Even your new sense of good Christian music will spark conversations with old friends. They may even laugh or scoff at your new life. They may 3“think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” Your new love for God and His Word will bring about many conversations. But take all this in with joy. Know that the light of the Spirit is planting seeds in their hearts. We pray that the unbelievers will repent and believe in Jesus but most will not. These people 3“shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.”
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, lead us far from sin. As we give our lives to You, take all our idolatry, all our addictions, all our lustful desires, and all our unclean thoughts. Point us straight way to You. May your Holy Spirit rush inside of us that we may be strong to resist temptation. Build us up with faith that can resist the devil. Lord, give us courage to fight against what is wrong and live for what is right. Help us live apart from the world and for Your will. May your desires be on our minds consistently. May people be moved to read the Bible daily that they may understand Your will. I pray God, that may more people will understand Your message and desire to live it. To not just ponder the thought of following You but also do so. May we believe in You and show fruits of our salvation. You truly are the Savior and King. You have redeemed me from the fall. I was dead until You came and rescued me. Thank You Jesus. Thank You for saving me. Be with me till the end of days. I love You. Amen.
Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.
1John 3:1-7 (KJV)
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
2Romans 6:1-13 (KJV)
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
31 Peter 4:1-5 (KJV)
1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
