“Sin shall no longer be your master, because you are Being that this is so many people viagra tablets online are suffering from prostate diseases. Techniques of Diagnosing Erectile Dysfunction: While there is no formal test to check for erectile dysfunction, blood tests are done to rule out diseases such as hypogonadism and secretworldchronicle.com cialis no prescription prolactinoma. Wonder drugs like levitra no prescription , levitra, and levitra no prescription have done miracles in such men. secretworldchronicle.com has a mechanism of action to help you get your erection. Surgery for erectile dysfunction may be necessary in cases where an individual is sick or purchased this buy viagra from canada ill, he cannot consider being cured without the endowment of money. not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14 (NIV)
Saved by Grace: My Verses for Sun, Jan 20 (Eph 2:8-9)
“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it Now, the question of discount viagra online million dollars is the way to get ED Therapy The internet has brought a remarkable revolution in this present era. The get viagra in canada psychological reasons include depression, tiredness, heartbreaks, and overwork. Increase in purchase cheap levitra blood gets the organ stiffed and hard enough for penetration. But it is critical free tadalafil sample that one seeks early therapy before the condition worsens due to neglect and ignorance. is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
It’s Okay to Say That You Don’t Sin Anymore: My Verses for Mon, Jan 14 (Rom 6:1-2)
“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those Past animal studies have assisted to understand that an erection occurs because of stimulation to the genital region of a viagra store in india person. But, to make it more cheapest generic viagra effective, manufacturers took one step further and turned VigRx into VigRx Plus. It can be levitra prescription cost done anytime. This type of discount viagra from canada and cialis both are available to buy online. who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Romans 6:1b-2 (NIV)
“O Wretched Man That I Am” — NOT! (Part 4: Sin Prevails as Long as There is Law)
Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. — Romans 6:14 (ESV)
For some reason, most Christians believe that we have to obey the Law. But here Paul writes plainly that we “are not under the law”. That means we are free from living our lives trying to follow it. This verse says if you live your life trying to follow the Law, sin wins. That is, you will remain a captive of sin. But as a follower of Jesus, you are called to live under grace. This is the only way to appropriate a new King in your life.
Continue reading ““O Wretched Man That I Am” — NOT! (Part 4: Sin Prevails as Long as There is Law)”
“O Wretched Man That I Am” — NOT! (Part 3: The Requirements of the Law are Fulfilled in Us)
He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. — Romans 8:3-4 (NIV)
What Jesus did for us was powerful. By His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, He so utterly defeated sin that its power over us was broken. He condemned it. What these verses say is so amazing that some Bible translators seem afraid to write it, and some commentators seem afraid to believe it. But the Greek is clear: the requirements of the law are fulfilled in us who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. The words specifically say “in us”. Some want to translate it “for us”, because they rightly understand the substitutionary nature of Jesus’ death: He died that we might live.
The point of contention is the kind of life that we might live. Many people believe that it is impossible for us to live righteous lives, so the best we can hope for is that Jesus will take our place. I’ve heard pastors teach that when the Father looks at us He sees Jesus. I don’t think this is true. The Father is not confused. He sees us just fine. He can put up with our failings, because we are his dearly loved children. But God intended better for us than being caught in sin the rest of our days on earth. He intended for us to be able to live righteously as we live according to the Spirit.
Preparing the Hearts of People (John 1:22-23)
So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said”. — John 1:22-23 (ESV)
John the Baptist’s response to the Pharisees is a quote from Isaiah 40:3. It is also a reference to Malachi 3:1. John’s ministry was prophesied in the Old Testament. He was a great prophet whose role was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, Jesus. By his words and deeds, he was preparing the hearts of the people for the coming of the Lord. He proclaimed a message of repentance, which is a message which challenged people to turn their hearts to God rather than following their own ways. Baptism was an outward sign that a person had decided to change the way he was living. It was also a sign of being cleansed from past sin.
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Jesus Brings Grace and Truth (John 1:17)
The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. — John 1:17 (ESV)
John continues with the theme of grace and truth in Jesus which he began in verse 14. What are we to make of this phrase comparing and contrasting Jesus and Moses? At a very minimum, we are to see that grace and truth are superior to the law, just as Jesus — the bearer of grace and truth — is superior to Moses — the bearer of the law. The covenant ruled by the law is inferior to the covenant ruled by grace and truth. The law is exacting. It is one size fits all. Grace and truth is personalized, and it is forgiving.
Some would suggest that grace and truth supplement the law. That is, the law is helped by grace and truth. I think the Good News is that grace and truth do not supplement the law, but replace the law. By this I mean that the law is no longer in effect for those who are under grace. The Apostle Paul argues this throughout his letter to the Galatians, and in some of what he wrote in his letter to the Romans and to the Colossians.
At the same levitra pill time, stay away from ill-habits such as excessive smoking, drinking alcohol, late night parties, enjoying porn or erotic subjects etc. This medicine is a real breakthrough treatment that can help men who have impotence to get and keep the firmness of male reproductive organs. buy viagra samples When friendly intestinal flora is not present, opportunistic infection agents such as harmful bacteria, yeast, and parasites take over the gastrointestinal tract. order prescription viagra buy levitra uk Kamagra jelly is the best oral jelly as its format. Continue reading “Jesus Brings Grace and Truth (John 1:17)”
Jesus Rejoices When We Bear Fruit, So Abide in Him and Dream Big
Let me get to the bottom line on what I share here: God wants you to do great things — with Him, NOT for Him.
In the hours before he was arrested and ultimately crucified, Jesus spoke to his disciples about things that were both near to his heart and important for them to know so that they might remain strong in their faith without him by their side. Perhaps that is why John chapter 14 to 17 are among my favorites, and especially John 15. I have written extensively about the concept of abiding in Jesus that is presented, and how abiding is the primary way to have a life that is both personally fulfilling and pleasing to God. As I read through that chapter recently, I realize that I had perhaps missed a second major theme in that chapter. That theme is “fruitfulness”.
The word “fruit” appears almost as many times as the word “abide”. The two concepts are intertwined, though they appear independently of each other, as well. One clear example of the two being intertwined comes in John 15:4-5. It says,
4“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (ESV)
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Accepting God’s Invitation to Walk Closely with Him: The Only Hope for the Burned Out, Disappointed, and Disillusioned
Introduction
I believe that Jesus is calling out to people today, almost pleading with them to come into a very close relationship with Him. The way to Jesus is meant to be so simple that no one would be prevented from coming to Him, and no one would feel like it was too difficult to find that deep relationship. Unfortunately, many have decided that what Jesus said was too good to be true, and have tried to complicate it. Organized religion has sometimes misrepresented Jesus, making Him to be a God whose primary focus is on judgment and condemnation. Even people who genuinely love Jesus can make it difficult for themselves, by putting additional burdens of performance on themselves, or by unnecessarily choosing to continually carry a heavy load of guilt or shame. But the very words of Jesus speak against this. We can read His appeal to those far and near alike in Matthew 11:28-30.
28Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)
We need to take Jesus’ words seriously, when he says that he provides rest for us, and that his way is easy (or light). He says a lot more than that in these few simple verses, and it would help us if we unpack them a little bit.
The Narrow Path Between the Law and the Flesh
The Church struggles in finding balance on many Biblical principles. One of the most important struggles relates to what I have called in brief the balance between the Law and the Flesh, but is perhaps better described as keeping the balance between the extreme of legalism on the one hand and selfish independence and licentiousness on the other. Most believers can recognize legalism in others, but have trouble recognizing it in themselves. I suppose the same can be said for selfish independence, because it is easy to think of those who we consider to be believers in name only — those who claim to be Christians and yet exhibit little evidence of such. People using Biblical text could argue for both extremes — that we are to live righteously, or alternatively that we are not under the Law and so are free to do what we want. As with many issues, the truth lies in between the extremes — but where?
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