05/19/23 THE TRUE WORK OF SALVATION

05/19/23 THE TRUE WORK OF SALVATION

Most church folks have no idea about the meaning of salvation.

They nod in agreement when they hear someone verbally attack the idea that salvation saves us from sin and sinning.
They act like turning from sin is sinful, as if the idea of deliverance from sin in this life is the word and work of the devil.
They get bent out of shape when someone refers to deliverance from sin and sinning.

Though I don't use the term, "Sinless Perfection," God does call us to turn from sin and He enables us to live righteously. The Bible clearly says that believers in Christ do not continue in sin. Though the term, "Sinless Perfection," is an unfortunate tag (which is laden with misunderstanding and emotional baggage), it seems to me that those who are opposed to living without sin (or Sinless Perfection, as they call it) are promoting, "Sinning Perfection?"

Actually, the people they blame for teaching, "sinless perfection," do not use the term, "Sinless perfection." The term, "sinless perfection" is a catch phrase designed by and used by proponents of sinning religion to turn people from Biblical righteousness, purity, uprightness, goodness, godliness. Those who attack the straw man of supposed "sinless perfection," are denying God's desire, His willingness, His ability and His provision to save His people from all sin and rebellion.

The Bible tells us to pursue holiness (the separation from sin and separation to God, to pursue "the sanctification,") without which no man shall see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:14-15
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Our behavior reveals our true loyalty
Psalms 24:3-4
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.

James 4:7-8
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

The Bible tells us that those who sin are of the devil.
1 John 3:4-10
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

The Bible tells us that we are slaves of the one we serve.
Romans 6:1-23
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
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.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing 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.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
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 leading to death, or of obedience leading 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.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
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 for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.