"Sin is Lawlessness"

The apostle John writes: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). From this verse we can learn that all unrighteousness is sin as far as God is concerned. It doesn’t matter how we might want to classify sin such as sins of ignorance, weakness, or even rebellion. If we are doing something contrary to Bible teaching, then it is sin. When we sin, we do so out of our own desire. The Bible says: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:13-15).

God Cannot Be Tempted with Sin

God cannot be tempted with sin because God has no evil desires. If man could rid his heart of all evil desires, he would not be tempted to sin. God is pure and we also are encouraged to be pure. John writes: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). When we strive to be pure and righteous in our daily life then we are perfecting ourselves (Matthew 5:48). When we hope for heaven, then we will be obedient to Christ. Christ was pure and we must strive to ensure that we are pure.

Abhor Evil

The apostle Paul wrote: “...Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). Webster’s New World Dictionary defines Abhor as: “to shrink from in fear, disgust, or hatred”. There is no excuse for doing that which one abhors (hates), so if we learn to abhor everything that is evil, we will have no reason or excuse for doing evil. We do the things that we do because we like to do those things. If we like to do only the things which are good and hate only the things which are evil, we will have the problem of right living solved in no time!

Solomon wrote: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is the home and source of all desires. It does not matter whether these desires are good or evil, holy or unholy, they proceed from the heart. An evil heart cannot send forth a holy disposition or life. Continual evil and wicked deeds in life are proof of impurity in the heart. Jesus said: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:21-23). 

Are We Excused on the Grounds of Ignorance?

When the Word of God demands certain things of us and we do not do them because we have no knowledge of the teaching, we have committed a sin of ignorance. When God’s Word forbids certain things and we do these things not knowing that the Word of God forbids them, we have committed a sin of ignorance. The question is raised “are we excused on the grounds of this ignorance?” Think about this. If ignorance will excuse us, it naturally follows that the more ignorant we are the surer we are to go to heaven! Therefore, it can safely be said that ignorance will not excuse our actions. We are either living righteously before God or we are sinning before God. The Jews crucified Jesus in ignorance (Acts 3:17), and the apostle Paul persecuted the church in ignorance (1 Timothy 1:13). But were they not still responsible for their sins simply because they were ignorant? Even the law of Moses did not excuse people on the grounds of ignorance (Leviticus 5:17-19). Man has a responsibility to learn and understand what it is that is required of him to be saved. Only those that obey the Lord will enter heaven (Hebrews 5:9; Matthew 7:21), all others, whether they claim to be ignorant or not, will be sent to their eternal damnation (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Conclusion

Let’s all be determined to practice only those things that are righteous before God, realizing that when we don’t, we sin. God knows our heart and He knows if our heart is set on practicing what is right or what is evil. The fact is, if it is not right before God, it is sin!

The Life of a Christian

Every Christian should strive to live the life that they have been raised to live. The apostle Paul said in the latter part of Romans 6:4 that “even so we also should walk in newness of life.” The life of a Christian is a life of faith (Romans 1:17). Our old life was buried and now we serve the Lord in “newness of life.” Paul said in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The “true” Christian realizes that the “old man” was crucified with Christ and now lives a “new”, pure life before God. John wrote: “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).

The life of a Christian is also a life of self-denial. Jesus said that “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Some have trouble living the Christian life because they have NOT determined to really let Jesus rule their life, denying anything that would stand between them and their service to the Savior.

Peter writes: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:8). The Christian realizes that Satan is active and working to destroy all those that try to do good. The Christian life is not an easy life. The apostle Paul told Timothy: “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). If we feel that we are suffering some type of persecution as we live our Christian life, then we must be doing something right. “Count it all joy when you encounter various trials and tribulations” (James 1:2). 

The life of a Christian is also a life of prayer. Every Christian should be spending time talking to God every day (Matthew 26:41). God wants and expects us to pray to Him (1 Timothy 2:8). Are we spending time talking to God? When we talk to God, it shows Him that we are trying to do His will and we are seeking his help and guidance, along with praising Him for all that He has done for us. The Christian life is a life of obedience to God, knowing that Jesus is the “author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).

In addition to all these things, the life of a Christian is a life of growth (1 Peter 2:2), and a life of abiding in Christ (John 15:5-6). May we all strive to live the life of a Christian because after all, we are wearing Christ’s name, aren’t we? Are we really living the kind of life that our Savior Jesus Christ would be pleased with? 

Godly Living

In 1 Timothy 4:8 it says: “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” From this verse we can learn that it is godliness that is the most profitable for us because it is through godliness that we have the promise of eternal life. Therefore, knowing this, we should strive diligently to ensure that we are doing everything we can to live our lives in a godly manner which is formal (2 Timothy 3:5) and true (1 Timothy 6:3, 11). 

Finding True Godliness

We can find true godliness only in the gospel. In 2 Peter 1:4, Peter writes: “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” When we open the pages of the New Testament, we find what God expects of each of us as we journey through this life. He fully expects that we live our life in accordance with His will (Matthew 7:21). When we are determined to live godly then it will show in our daily walk, which everyone in the world will be able to see (Titus 2:12). 

Why Live Godly?

There are several reasons why we must strive to live a godly life. The Bible teaches that ungodliness is condemned (Jude 4:15). When we live an ungodly life, we will NOT get the opportunity to live forever with God. We need to live a righteous life because it is profitable (1 Timothy 4:8), and commanded (2 Peter 1:6). We can live godly by denying sin (Titus 2:12), professing our faith before others (1 Timothy 2:10), and by practicing living a Christian life daily (1 Timothy 4:7).

The Results of Living Godly

First of all, when we live a godly life, doing all of God’s will, be ready to suffer some persecution. Paul told Timothy: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12). Understanding that this will happen, we should gain strength through His Word because godliness will result in great gain (1 Timothy 6:6), and the promise of eternal life (1 Timothy 4:8). Are we living our life in such a way that it “professes godliness?”

Where's the Bible?

Have you ever found yourself asking at the conclusion of a church service “where’s the Bible?” Have you gone to church services, taken your Bible with you, and then realized after leaving that you never were asked to open it? In many churches today, sermons are given with little to no scripture included. Many times, lessons are developed and presented around the events of the day. This can help us to learn to deal with life, but it does not teach us, from the Bible, how to live our life. 

In our society, many churches have tried all kinds of things in an effort to bring people to church services. The one thing that is usually missing in most of these efforts is an appeal for people to come and learn more about the Bible. You may have even felt that churches seem to emphasize how the Bible should be made to fit our lives, rather than how our lives should be made to fit the Bible. Many churches today practice various doctrines and traditions that are not found anywhere in the Bible (Matthew 15:8-9). It would seem that if one is trying to please God in all aspects of their life, then one would want to make sure that everything that they are doing religiously is in accordance with the Bible — the Word of God (Matthew 7:21).

If you are interested in knowing this wonderful book of God, the Bible, we encourage you to visit the Poudre (Pooh-der) Valley church of Christ where only the Bible is preached, taught, and practiced. Many people today are interested in church sponsored entertainment to fulfill their needs. We, however, emphasize the necessity of learning and knowing the Bible; we emphasize the need for Christ in our life based upon His Word. We teach only the Bible because we understand the importance of what Jesus said in John 12:48: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

The Poudre Valley church of Christ is a place where you can attend and learn the Bible. In our Bible classes, we study the words of Jesus and the inspired apostles. In this way, we can learn what individuals had to do back in the first century in order to be saved and then make those same applications to our lives. Today, most denominations trace the establishment of their church to a specific person on a specific date: anywhere from 600 A.D. to present time. However, Christ promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18), and we learn from the Bible that His church was established on the first Pentecost after His resurrection (Acts 2). The church of Christ is the church in which we belong; therefore, we strive diligently to practice only that which is authorized by God in His Holy inspired Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

We want to encourage you to come and visit the Poudre Valley church of Christ where you will quickly realize that the Bible is emphasized above all else. You will leave feeling loved and appreciated, not having to ask yourself “where’s the Bible?”

Satan - The Great Deceiver

In the past I have written several articles on the blessings of being a Christian and the wonderful love of God. But there is another force that we need to be seriously aware of and that is Satan himself. Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” It is Satan that temps us and every day that goes by we can see the hand of Satan somewhere in it. That is why the Apostle Paul wrote “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7:15). Paul was giving this advice to those that are married because he knew that Satan is always standing ready to tempt all with fleshly desires. One must understand that Satan is a very strong force, and we cannot let our guard down for an instant because if we do, we will be tempted by him in an instant. Peter stressed this in his writing of 1 Peter 5:8 when he said “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Brethren, we must see Satan as an active force just waiting for us. Satan has been called a “murderer from the beginning” and “does not stand for truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Not only is he a murderer and full of lies - the father of lies, but he is a sinner, John says “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

Don’t Give Satan the Advantage

We can see from all the above passages that Satan is “no good” and we need to be very cautious of him. At this point you may be asking “what should I do with him?” First of all, don’t give him the advantage. Paul said “...that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” Once he gets the advantage it becomes harder and harder for us to overcome him. We must continually watch out for him (1 Peter 5:8) and resist him as James says in James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” As Christians, we should be confident that when we do resist Satan that he will flee from us. 

Put on the Armor of God

So how do we keep from giving him the advantage, to watch for him, and to resist him? By living a life that is sober as mentioned in 1 Peter 5:8. Another way to do this is to put the armor of God on us. Paul told the Ephesians “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). We need to study the Word of God and dwell on Godly things while practicing a life of Godliness all the time. When we do so, there will be much less opportunity for Satan to tempt us.

Satan - The Great Deceiver

Here are just a few things that Satan does that hasn’t been mentioned earlier. He entraps (1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26), blinds (2 Corinthians 4:4), takes the truth away (Luke 8:12), resists good (Zechariah 3:1; Revelation 2:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:18), promotes evil (Luke 22:3; Acts 5:3), transforms himself (2 Corinthians 11:14), and he deceives as stated in the book of Revelation 12:9 “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

There will come a time when Satan will no longer be a factor for the Christian. Do you know when that will occur? When this world comes to an end and all the righteous Christians are with God for all eternity. However, all mankind who have not believed and have not been baptized into Jesus Christ (Mark 16:16) and those who are in the church who have not remained faithful to the end (Revelation 2:10) will spend an eternity with the Devil! BEWARE OF SATAN and BELIEVE IN JESUS - Our eternity with God depends on it!

Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?

Jesus answers this question in John 10:10 by saying “...I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” This abundant life is something we can enjoy now and, in the age, to come (Luke 18:29-30). Can anyone else give us life but Jesus? In John 14:6 we read “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We see that only Jesus can give us life. But not everyone can have this life that Jesus came to give. Only those that do the will of the Father can receive it (Matthew 7:21). The will of the Father is to listen to His Son Jesus (Matthew 17:5). Jesus tells us in John 8:24 “I told you that you will die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will die in your sins.” Those that do receive Jesus have the right to become children of God (John 1:12). To do His will means everything that He commands of us. Besides believing in Him we must repent, or we will perish (Luke 13:3). What does this word repentance mean? It’s a turnaround; change of mind or heart; to be sorry for what we did. A biblical example of this is found in Matthew 21:28-30.

After one repents then Jesus must be acknowledged before men (Matthew 10:32-33), this is called confession. It’s important to note here that we are confessing Jesus as being the Son of God - not our sins. We confess Jesus the same say Peter did in Matthew 16:16 when he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. We can also compare Romans 10:10 with Acts 8:37. Paul tells the Romans that “...it is with your mouth that you confess…” and in Acts 8:37 Philip said to the Eunuch “If you believe with all your heart, you may. The Eunuch answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Confession is simply stating publicly that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Is there anything else Christ wants us to do? In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says to “...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” We can further learn that if we believe and are baptized, we shall be saved, but if we don't believe we will be condemned (Mark 16:16).

Jesus wants us to be baptized because it’s through baptism that we get into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27). Why is it important that we want to be in Christ? Romans 8:1 tells us that “Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We also learn from the apostle Peter that our sins are washed away in baptism (Acts 2:38). Baptism must be a burial as opposed to sprinkling because it represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-4). If one is not baptized, then he cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3-5). Jesus, even without sin, was baptized to show obedience to God’s commandments (Matthew 3:13-17). Peter explained what baptism symbolizes in 1 Peter 3:20-21. Belief, Repentance, Confession, and Baptism are commandments of God and must be obeyed to receive His gift of eternal salvation. If we know the right thing to do and don’t do it, we sin (James 4:17). Do we love Jesus? If so, then we’ll keep His commandments (John 14:15) and receive the abundant life that Jesus came to give.

When studying the Bible often times the obvious is overlooked. The Bible, God's Holy Word plainly teaches that baptism is essential to eternal life. We can’t keep part of His word and discard the other. We must keep the whole commandments of God to be acceptable in His sight. We need to open up the Word of God and see for ourselves all that is required of us to be saved in accordance with what God our Father has instructed? “Let the word of the Lord richly dwell within you…” (Colossians 3:16).

 

Defending Jesus to Others

In Acts 26:18, we find the Apostle Paul before Agrippa, defending his faith. He explains to Agrippa what happened to him on his journey to Damascus. He then explains the words of Jesus and that he is to tell others about Jesus so that others can be saved through Him. “To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18).

We too can have life if we live up to what Jesus told Paul. We must first turn from darkness (sin) to the light (walking with God). “For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). We must then set our sights on having our domain with God and not with Satan. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, {even} to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Through our obedience to the Word of God we will be moved to turn around so that our sins can be forgiven. Only those who determine to follow God, not Satan, can have forgiveness of sins. “And that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). The Apostle Peter wrote, “.... repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Once we have been forgiven of our sins and continue to follow God, then we will receive an inheritance! “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build {you} up and to give {you} the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). That inheritance is everlasting life with God our Father to those who are sanctified (which is set apart from sin and drawn near to Jesus)! Paul understood that for someone to do those things, they would have to have faith in Jesus. We will not put aside the world and draw near to Christ unless we have a true faith in Him. “But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). Thomas would not believe in Jesus until he felt the scars of His wounds and realized that he really was looking at Jesus! We must believe in Jesus with a true faith - even though we have not personally seen Him. “Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed {are} they who did not see, and {yet} believed. Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:29-31). Are we really defending Jesus to others as Paul did in his day? If so, we can praise God.