We are the midst of a series on mind control, and particularly the aspect of the control of false doctrine over thoughts and actions. As we progress, if some of the things I refer to are not in your "memory bank", please refer to past lessons. It is not practical or even possible to review all pertinent material is each lesson.
Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Diligent [ Jude 1:3 ] = (Greek) Earnestness and eagerness accompanied with haste
Common = (Greek) Shared by all through association
Necessary = (Greek) Made up of two words (1) Constraint with distress (2) A curved arm (choke hold)
In our last lesson, we summarized the plight in which Jude found himself. He wanted to give these Saints more information about the common salvation. As a matter of fact, he was "diligent" to do so. He was chomping at the "bit" to give more information about this Salvation shared by all who were associated in the life of Christ.
As we see, this common Salvation, even though simply received, is very complex. Jude wanted to share some of the deeper things of the common Salvation, BUT something happened in the church to make that impossible, as we see in…
Jude 1:4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed…
Unnoticed = (Greek) To stealthily settle in alongside
These, referred to by Jude, brought in some REAL bad doctrine. The point being, that any who bring in false doctrine do not come proclaiming that they are bringing a false doctrine, other wise no one would listen. As a matter of fact, many who spread false doctrine do not even recognize that what they are spreading is false.
Those who spread false doctrine very seldom go to the unchurched or the unsaved. They want to spread the false doctrine within a church, contrariwise to the doctrine of that church.
Therefore, they come looking and acting as much like the people of the church, as they can. They want to be "unnoticed", according Jude. They want to settle in alongside a Believer in a "stealth" form and by using flattering words they pollute the truth with their false doctrine.
The Lord, in Matthew, said that they come in as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Therefore, we must beware of them, in a very special way.
Even though Jude had great
earnestness and was very eager
to give an orderly presentation
of the truths of our common Salvation,
It became "necessary" to bring an urgent exhortation, rather than a presentation of information for Spiritual growth, because some came in with a false doctrine. Therefore, Jude had to change plans because "he was constrained by a curved arm around his neck". Indicating the absolute imperative of such a change.
The reason it was absolutely imperative to make such a change was that false doctrine in the church, acts in a similar manner as cancer to the body. Many times, a person does not even know they have cancer until it’s too late to do anything about it. In like manner, many accept a false doctrine and do not even know it is false, until it’s too late, because they are already bound in slavery to the false doctrine.
2 Timothy 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer.
Cancer = (Greek) An eating sore, as gangrene, that spreads corruption through the Body
We could spend weeks taking this present false doctrine line by line showing where it is Biblically wrong, It would take weeks to do that, because this false doctrine has many tentacles, some of which start with a "truism" and have many "true" facts sprinkled along with false teachings.
However, it is far better to show what is Biblically true, than to advertise the false, by calling attention to the details of the false doctrine. In that way, you will be strengthened in the truth and will also recognize the false. Obviously, as we present Biblical truth in these areas, the truth itself will point out the false.
I tried to establish a base for doing so, in the first two lessons. I also established that..:
* The mind will be under the control of someone and/or something
* I takes very little to come under the control of others and other information
* It is NOT just the bad or uninformed people that succumb to mind control by others and false information
* Many people (even Christians) are not willing to have a disciplined life. Therefore, they are wide open to mind control by others and false information
* Under such mind control pseudo-Biblical action can easily be produced
Throughout this series, we will be referring to these five areas, sometimes in passing and other times we will give a more detailed examination.
The present "set" of false doctrines we referred to, with its many subsets certainly would not be considered pagan. As a matter of fact, the results of such false teaching are declared, by those teaching them, as being more Spiritual than those "once for all delivered to the saints". The end results of such false teachings are outwardly similar to the Spiritual results of Biblical truth.
However, those results
are caused by
"mind control"
rather than
"Spirit control".
Biblical and therefore eternal results do not come
ONLY
by changing the mind,
BUT
by changing the heart.
I know that is a little play on words, but I hope it will work as a hanger on which to orderly fasten some deeper Biblical truth. To help us understand these facts a little better, please allow me to illustrate.
The outline of this "critter" represents our physical body. That shape may not be a good representative of some bodies, but then some bodies are hard to represent, so we will stick with our little "friend".
(Graphic located at www.oori.org/Lessons/contending/contending03.htm)
God formed mankind from the dust of the earth, and breathed into that body a soul. At that point, Adam had "physical" life and "spirit" life or a soul. Mankind did not have, at that stage, a "Spiritual" life. Spiritual life can only come when a person receives the life of God through the New Birth, which is the ONLY Spiritual life.
It is not my purpose to study the interrelationship of the brain and the soul. However, that relationship is often referred by many terms, such as the "mind". The study of this interrelationship of brain, soul and body is the very essence of psychology. Please bear with me, if I don’t give a clear and distinct delineation in these matters.
We don’t have the time to take four years of college and five years of postgraduate work and three years of practical experience in order to carefully delineate all these areas. Even those who have spent that kind of time, STILL cannot perfectly delineate all these areas. The Psalmist in 139 states that we are "fearfully and wonderfully" made and our make-up is beyond the human ability to understand.
Our purpose of this study, is to see some of the effects of false doctrine and Biblical doctrine on the mind, soul and body. As the study progresses, we will see the benefit of Biblical knowledge applied to the life. The mind has a great influence on the action of the body and even on the function of the body.
Illustration: We just came though the college football national championship. Most of you saw the game on a piece of glass in your living room, called a television.
You couldn’t feel the wind, you had no idea of the temperature, nor could you smell the foul odor of spilled beer. You didn’t block another player on the line or scrimmage. You didn’t catch a pass. You didn’t throw a pass. You didn’t even call the plays.
I’m quite sure that most of you thought you could have called better plays, but you couldn’t, because you weren’t the coach or one of the players. Therefore, the outcome of the game would not make you a millionaire or send you looking for a real job.
Yet, many of you felt anger, exasperation, near depression, acceleration, your heart rate increased, your palms became moist with perspiration, etc., etc. The sights, sounds and commentary of the game, seen on a piece of glass and heard from a couple of four inch speakers+/-, caused dramatic changes in you physical being and your emotional attitude.
I would guess that you had greater emotional feelings during that game, than you have while listening to a sermon or participating in a church service. I could hope I’m wrong in such a statement, BUT sad to say, that statement is true in most cases.
The point?? What we see, hear, taste, feel, smell, etc. can have a dramatic effect on our body and our mind. So much so that often a simple happening can dramatically change a life, for all of time. That is SO true that in extreme cases people have had an experience such as an accident, death in the family, etc., and because of that experience, never spoke another word, or were bedfast and in some cases gave up life itself and died physically, yet never had any injury.
It is important to realize that what goes into our minds can have an affect that will dramatically change our physical or mental beings. Those changes can happen almost immediately. However, those changes, in some cases, happen over a longer span of time. In the first lesson in this series, I pointed that out by the illustration of magicians who controlled the minds of others.
More lasting results can be brought about by personal determination along with psychological practices. By the way, true psychology is proper. In that statement, the emphasis is on "true". Often, people get carried away and substitute philosophy for psychology or blend the two as one.
However, no amount of psychological activity can produce Spiritual actions!! When we are following the Biblically prescribed manner, we will not only have God’s Spirituality, our minds (psyche) will also be transformed.
Please allow me to illustrate this fact, by another form of our little "friend", that was introduced earlier. Later in this series, we will look at these matter in more detail, but for now, please allow me to simply introduce you to some aspects that are common to all humans.
(Graphic located at www.oori.org/Lessons/contending/contending03.htm)
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, they died Spiritually. They were "separated" from the source of life. Therefore, they became "profane" or anything but Spiritual. We often refer to this as the human nature or the Old Sin Nature (OSN).
From the time of Adam’s sin, everything that has been perceived by mankind has been "filtered" or "distorted" by this Old Sin Nature (OSN). This does not mean that everything that a human thinks is "wrong", it means that a human cannot think or do anything Spiritual, without the power of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does notreceive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
In the state of simply a body, soul and human nature, mankind is Biblically known by several term, one of those is a "son of Adam". As a "son of Adam" the human has no Spiritual qualities at all.
However, as a "son of Adam", through the energy of the flesh, a human can produce actions that are similar to Spiritual actions. Those actions, as good as they may seem, are only an imitation and have nothing to do with the power of God within the life.
Too often, the one producing such imitation actions is blinded to the fact that they are imitations, and FAR too often, these imitation actions have that person so Spiritually blinded that they CANNOT see the truth even when presented.
When a person accepts Christ as Personal Savior, they receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. This bring another dimension to the entire make-up of the human being, who is now also a Child of God through the New Birth.
Take another look at our "friend" after receiving Christ as Personal Savior and experiencing the New Birth.(Graphic located at www.oori.org/Lessons/contending/contending03.htm)
We learn from Scripture that the entire Divine Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within the Believer at the time of Salvation. However, it is the Holy Spirit Who is the "Agent in Charge" in this phase of God’s Redemptive program.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the different stages of the redemptive program is a study for another time.
For now, we want to see that instead of having just the human mind, often referred as our psyche, we now also have the "mind of Christ" and we can draw on and participate in the Divine Nature, through the Word of God as we walk in the Spirit.
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?"
1 Corinthians 2:15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For "Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
The Christian, by a simple choice, can either be controlled by the human psyche or by the Mind of Christ. Ok!?!?? Then how do we know when we are controlled by the human psyche or the Mind of Christ? There are a number of ways to tell. We can’t look at all of the ways mentioned in the Bible, at this time. One way we can tell if we are being controlled by the psyche or by the Mind of Christ is to use the same test we are to apply to the false teachers.
It is this "natural" function of the false teacher to which we want to direct our attention. We will do that by looking at the "fruit" or the results of their false teaching, compared to the "fruit" or results of Biblical teaching. Look again at the what our Lord said in…
Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good
fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire. 20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Please note, that the Lord is comparing two "types" of trees and their fruit, NOT the "quality" of the tree or its fruit. The "bad" fruit is not bad because it is decaying or rotten, BUT it is bad because it is not the same "type" of fruit as the "good" fruit.
It is important to see this distinction. We will see this same distinction in the last part of this Scripture portion from a different perspective. It is important to see that the Lord is talking about two "types" of prophets, false prophets and Biblical prophets. Only the false prophets are mentioned, but they are mentioned as a contrast to the unnamed and understood true Prophet.
We could compare the "good" tree to the Spiritual man of the 1 Corinthians 2 passage which we read earlier, AND the "bad" tree to the natural man of that same passage. The natural or bad tree can only produce natural or bad fruit. Likewise, the Spiritual or good tree can only produce Spiritual or good fruit. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
We need to "beware of false prophets", but we must first know "who" is a false prophet. That knowledge comes as we examine their fruit. We must remember that it is not the "quality" or condition of the fruit that makes it good or bad, it is the "kind". The "kind" of fruit will be determined by the "source" of the fruit. Look further in this passage, starting with…
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, ’Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 "And then I will declare to them, ’I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ 24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
The false teaching referred to earlier is made up of many sub-teachings. It would not be a proper use of time to attempt to look at the whole of that false teaching. However, it will be profitable to look at one of those sub-teaching that is one of the "drawing cards" bringing many under the influence of this system of teachings.
I will be summarizing that sub-teaching in my own words and I’m quite sure that the teachers of this false doctrine would feel that my summarization does not do the teaching justice. However, when all the trappings are stripped away from this teaching, it can be summed up quite easily.
Put very simply, this teaching says that a Christian should not experience stress when living the Christian life properly. The truth or untruth of this teaching is similar in essence to the one that says we are healed physically by the stripes of Christ at His crucifixion.
Remember, most false teaching have a "thread" of truth in them. Certainly, the Scriptures tell us that in Christ we have a peace that is beyond the human ability to explain. As with the erroneous teaching concerning the relationship of physical health, pain, etc. and the beating given to our Lord and Savior, this false teaching of peace or tranquility is based on a misunderstanding of when and how such will take place.
We will look at the when and how of the Believer’s peace in the next lesson. For now, we want to look at a slug of passages that indicate that IF we are living according to God’s instruction, there will be a GREAT deal of stress. Please remember that time is a factor making it impossible to look at this subject as a whole. Instead, we must look at segments of this truth, over several lesson. Then we will attempt to tie all those segments together in a future lesson.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Most of these passages, we will look at, are quite self-evident as to the "stress level" of proper Christian living. Even though we will look at a number of passages that deal with this subject, these passages are only a small fraction of such references to the Christian life in the Bible.
Please note, the type and intensity of the words used to describe the activities that are required for a proper Christian life. It is needful to also see that we are not actively engaged in all of these activities, to their greatest extent, at all times.
Paul, talking about the life of victory in Christ uses, in the 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 passage, such words as: "War" "Warfare" "Casting down" "Pulling down" "Bringing into captivity" "Punish"
None of these words indicate a life of tranquility absent of stress. As a matter of fact, just the opposite is true.
1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Christ suffered AND we are to arm ourselves with that same mind, BECAUSE there is something involved in this suffering "in the flesh" that aid in the cessation of personally sinning. This suffering IN NO WAY pays for sin, it is a tool used of God to bring us to the place of sinning less.
There is a quality of proper suffering that is beneficial to aid our living in obedience. Even Christ, Who had no sin, suffered for the same reason, that of obedience.
Hebrews 5:6 As He also says in another place: "You are (Christ) a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"; 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
Several times in the Scriptures, we are told that we are actually called to suffer.
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,
2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
The Holy Spirit, through Paul, often used the illustrations of warfare, athletics and farming as examples of what is required of the Christian, IF that Christian is to live the REAL life of Christ. All of these examples demonstrate suffering, stress and discipline.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
This passage is quite self-evident, but it is so easy to read over these familiar words and never let them sink in. Please allow me to emphasize a few words and phrases.
Notice the tremendous effort and stress we are to exert in our attempt to put sinning out of daily living. It is not non-Biblical to resist sin with such effort that the stress causes the shedding of blood. Nowhere are we commanded or is it suggested that we inflict self injury, so we bleed. This bleeding would be similar in nature to the bleeding of Christ in the Garden as He struggled with the sins of the world. It is a suggestion of the intensity that may be needed to overcome sin in the life.
Also, note that ALL children of God WILL suffer chastening. Chastening so intense as to be described as scourging. I believe that if ALL children of God receive chastening, then I also believe that chastening of the type classed as "scourging" would bring some amount of stress. ALSO, if you do not or have not received chastening THEN the chances are high that you are not a child of God.
I didn’t write it!
I just read it!
Wow!! That is something to think on VERY carefully! Please, read further in this passage.
Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Look at that! It is this chastening and our proper response to that chastening that brings the "PEACEABLE FRUIT OF RIGHTESOUSNESS" to those who are "trained" by that chastening. The VERY thing that this false teaching promises, is actually brought about through Biblical chastening and the stress that comes with it.
Before we leave this passage, look at verse 12. We are to make strong our hands that hang down and our feeble knees. Why?? Because this intense chastening, that brings the "peaceable fruit of righteousness", is so strong it often leaves hands hanging limp and knees without strength. That does not sound like a life without stress, to me.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors -- not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 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.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you also once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
We are to DO some things through obedience in order to bring about the living of the Biblical life SO we will not be ashamed at Christ’s coming. These are things WE ARE TO DO. Doing any or all of these things will not, by the doing, bring about righteousness. But if we do not do them, we are in disobedience and therefore are living in sin. If we are living in disobedience to God’s word, I doubt that any peace or tranquility we might have comes from God. If that is the case, then there are only three other sources for this peace and tranquility: "Self" "The World" "Demonic"
1 Corinthians 9:23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Ephesians 4:20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, each one speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of
one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.
These are all actions that we MUST do, in obedience. If we are not doing so, then we are disobedience to the Word of God and that is sin.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 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. 15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Remember that our English words rebuke and encourage come from the same Greek root word.
Romans 12:1 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 that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
All of these commands are things that we must DO. God does not do them for us. These actions are not included in the redemption package. God will give us the strength to DO them, BUT we must DO them.
Romans 6:11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 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 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. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well-known to God, and I also trust are well-known in your consciences.
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
2 Corinthians 3:12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech -- 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were hardened. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation -- as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Note in 2 Corinthians 3:18 , it is "being transformed" and 2 Peter 3:18 , it is "grow". Maturity in the Christian is a process, not a happening.
© Clyde White, Austin TX, 2006
(Scripture Text NKJ unless stated)
(Many illustrations from sermoncentral.com)
