Sin – Part 7 of 7

By Tom Buckle
Shutting Sin Out of the Temple

 

The Apostle Paul teaches that your body is to be given to God as a living sacrifice. (1) “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 good and acceptable and the perfect will of God” Romans 12:1-2Romans 12:1-2
English: World English Bible - WEB
12 ¹ Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. ² Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). Again he reminds the Corinthian that the Christian’s body is the house the Holy Spirit: (19) “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? (20) You were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV). Declaring the same emphasis on the body-temple teaching, the Apostle Paul adds a judgment for ignoring this teaching that the body of the Christian believer is the temple of God. (16) “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (17) If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (I Corinthians 3:16-17 NKJV).

 

Writing to the church in Galatia, Paul warns each professing member to examine the seriousness of their faith and service to God. Do not be a hypocrite. How you live and the example you set is eternally important. The Apostle writes, (7) “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8Galatians 6:7-8
English: World English Bible - WEB
7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

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Scripture promises that God will not let you be tempted more than you can stand. God will always provide you with strength to overcome the temptations that come your way. (13) “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (14) Therefore, my beloved, flee idolatry” (I Corinthians 9:13-14 NKJV).

 

Throughout the Bible you cannot escape the massive warnings against sin. Equally, there are even more teachings concerning God’s provisions to overcome sin, such as putting on the whole armor of God to fight the righteous battle against the devil (Ephesians 6:10-20Ephesians 6:10-20
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10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: ¹⁹ on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

WP-Bible plugin; also chapter 5). Romans 6 speaks of the Christian’s status in battling the flesh and sin. In Galatians’ the epistle speaks about living in the Spirit to overcome the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:13-26Galatians 5:13-26
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13 For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another. ¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one other, that you may not do the things that you desire. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, ²¹ envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. ²⁶ Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.

WP-Bible plugin). In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi he reminds the bishops and deacons in the church of the way they should live and think in Christ. He tells them of the obstacles they will come against and how to overcome them.

 

A sure way to live a victorious life in Christ is to control your mind. Keep it focused on the work that Christ did for your salvation and where He now resides. (1) “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God, (4) when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4Colossians 3:1-4
English: World English Bible - WEB
3 ¹ If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.

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“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23Romans 6:23
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23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). Clearly stated, the final results for a life of sin are death and separation from God for eternity. The final result of serving Christ is gloriously different. It is eternal life (forever) with the Savior.

 

Keep the doors of your temple closed to sin and grow in His grace. Choose life with eternity in view with God.

 

As God said to His people, Israel, He says to you: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and length of days;” (Deuteronomy 31:19-20Deuteronomy 31:19-20
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19 Now therefore write you this song for you, and teach you it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. ²⁰ For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat; then will they turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

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Sin – Part 6 of 7

By Tom Buckle
Sin—The War Inside

 

In the New Testament we find a more advanced view of sin as Jesus is viewed as the standard for righteousness. He is the perfect example of a life of righteousness from which you can judge what is sinful.

 

Jesus taught that sin starts in the heart when he taught, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matthew 15: 19-20Matthew 15: 19-20
English: World English Bible - WEB
19 For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). Jesus taught in a straightforward manner that sin comes from the condition of the heart. It is the wrong desires of the heart that lead to sin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus states that anger in the heart is the same as murder (Matthew 5:21-22Matthew 5:21-22
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21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.’ ²²Â But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca “Raca” is an Aramaic insult, related to the word for “empty” and conveying the idea of empty-headedness.!’ shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna Gehenna is another name for Hell that brings to mind an image of a burning garbage dump with dead bodies in it..

WP-Bible plugin NKJV) and the impure look is adultery (Matthew 5:27-28Matthew 5:27-28
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27 “You have heard that it was said, TR adds “to the ancients,” ‘You shall not commit adultery;’ ²⁸ but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). He was teaching that the condition of the heart of man is filled with sin. His teachings are also seen as expounding the deeper meanings of the Ten Commandments.

 

The New Testament warns throughout against the sin of unbelief. One must believe that Christ is the Savior of mankind and this belief accounts for one’s righteousness in the sight of God. Speaking to the Jews He said, “Therefore I said that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24John 8:24
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24 I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). The writer of the book of Hebrews writes about unbelief (a lack of belief and trust) in these terms: “Without faith (belief) it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrew 11:6w 11:6
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Izbrana zbirka WEB ne vsebuje vpisane knjigeMesto:

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). Jesus challenged his audience, “Repent (of your sins) and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15Mark 1:15
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15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

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Hebrews 3:16-18Hebrews 3:16-18
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16 For who, when they heard, rebelled? No, didn’t all those who came out of Egypt by Moses? ¹⁷ With whom was he displeased forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ To whom did he swear that they wouldn’t enter into his rest, but to those who were disobedient?

WP-Bible plugin reminds us of an earlier account of unbelief and its results. The children of Israel experience a miraculous deliverance from Egypt’s bondage. They had seen the hand of God in the parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, God leading Israel with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, feeding them en mass and providing for their needs. Forgetting their miraculous deliverance and concentrating on the negative, it didn’t take long for them to murmur against Moses and God. Murmuring leads to unbelief and the writer of Hebrews points out that because of their unbelief those over forty years of age were denied entrance into the Promised Land.

 

In the Ephesians epistle (letter) the great missionary and Apostle calls the church’s attention to some of the sins of the flesh in relationships by naming the sins. He wants them to live as vessels that testify to a life of holiness. The Apostle Paul needs them to understand that sins of the flesh will do them harm, so he lists some sins. (31) “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (1) Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. (2) And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (3) But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; (4) neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. (5) For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 4:31; 5:1-5Ephesians 4:31; 5:1-5
English: World English Bible - WEB
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. ^{5 1} Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. ²Â Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. ³Â But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; ⁴ nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). In other words, he wants Christians to walk in purity and holiness before God and each other.

 

Jesus taught that His followers had to make a choice between the world and him when he said, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13Luke 16:13
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13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and mammon “Mammon” refers to riches or a false god of wealth..”

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In the epistle of James he wants the Christian to know that there is a difference in the way the world lives and the way a Christian lives. The world lives to satisfy the flesh and its appetites. It is selfish and short-lived. He makes his point certain by asking, “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” (James 4:4James 4:4
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4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you 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.

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The Apostle John is also concerned that love of the world and the flesh will cause some to fall from the faith. He writes, (15) “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (17) The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:15-17John 2:15-17
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15 He made a whip of cords, and threw all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”

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Two verses from Romans contrast the Christian’s walk from the world’s walk. (1) “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (13) For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:1, 13Romans 8:1, 13
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8 ¹Â There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ¹³Â For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

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When the Apostle James wrote, “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17James 4:17
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17 To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV) he must have had the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself in mind. This scripture is rightly referred to as “the sin of omission,” not doing what you know you ought to do. (The parable of The Good Samaritan is a good illustration of this Scripture, Luke10:30-37.)

Ladies…Don’t forget!