Romans
6:13 “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.”
One
thing about writing Blogs is that in the research and reading you improve your
English vocabulary naturally. Having a dictionary and thesaurus handy is not an
option, but welcome. I read an article out of D. James Kennedy ministries that
highlighted a good, but mostly forgotten, word “mien” (pronounced ‘mean’). It
means ‘countenance” or appearance, as in this following old maxim: ‘Vice’ (the
opposite of godly virtue) is a monster of such horrible mien, that to be hated
it needs but to be seen. But seen too often, grown familiar with its face,
first we endure, and then we embrace. Christians (by definition as a follower
of Christ) do not seek familiarity with the face of the monster of vice. Oh,
they are just a thought away in this dark fallen world. Instead, we should turn
away from old vices, our old habits, our old sin nature and walk in the Spirit.
Galatians
5:16-21, 24-25 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do
the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under
the law. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the
works of the flesh are evident … which I tell you beforehand, just as I also
told you in time past, that
those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk
in the Spirit.
The
article explains that the diminishing of our old nature is called “mortification”
– put to death (aka – out with the old). The growing of our new nature in
Christ is called “vivification” – born again (aka - in with the new). Put the two together
and you get “sanctification” (walking and growing into the likeness of Christ)
– the great and glorious Christian faith. Sanctification is a process that goes
on throughout this life on our pilgrimage walk. It is never perfected this side
of eternity. It is not until we cross from this mortal existence that there, in
a final act of “glorification”, the final vestiges of sin are removed and we
are declare perfect in the kingdom of heaven.
Ephesians
4:22-24 “You were taught, with
regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being
corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your
minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness.”
In
Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment