The Daily Word of Righteousness

Destroying Sin Out of Us

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)

The new covenant provides for deliverance from the guilt and power of sin. Also the presence of sin is to be removed from the camp just as the scapegoat was removed from the camp of the Israelites during the Day of Atonement.

The procedure is simple. After we have put our faith in the blood atonement, have been baptized in water, have been forgiven our sins, have passed from death unto life, and are living as a disciple of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit will begin the program of removing the graveclothes of sin and death from us.

The worldliness in our personality is destroyed as we turn away from involvement in the world system and behave as a soldier of Christ.

The sins of the flesh are destroyed as the Holy Spirit points them out to us and we confess them clearly and renounce them firmly, resisting them through the grace Christ gives. We do this in anticipation of the Day when the Lord appears and finally removes the very presence of sin from us.

Our self-will is destroyed as we patiently bear our cross behind Christ. We remain in the prison of the Lord. We accept situations that are painful to us. We wait for the fulfillment of our intense desires, we do not break out of prison and grasp what we think we want.

We always give thanks to God and ask for what we want. But we do not budge until the Lord tells us what to do about our wishes. We put our treasures, our hopes, our intense desires, in Heaven. We love not our life to the death.

Our will and character must be transformed if we expect the Lord at His coming to remove the sin that is resident in us. Our sinful nature comprises both the sin that dwells in us, that is alien to us, and also our own disobedience, worldliness, and self-love. These are transformed into stern obedience and love for God as we fight against the sin resident in us.

The above three deliverances, from the world, from sin, and from self-will, constitute an eternal judgment on our personality. The evil is removed and will not be brought up later. This is the Judgment Seat of Christ and it prepares us for our part in the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of the royal priesthood.

Once having been saved, filled with God's Spirit of Life, and having experienced the program of removing sin from our personality, we never are to turn back to our old life. If we do we are in danger of not finding an opportunity to repent. We may not be able to turn to the Lord and begin the program of salvation again.

The days of babyhood are over for some of us. The real thing, the taking of the Kingdom of God, has begun. It is for you if this is what you desire. But once you put your hand to the plow you never are to look back, not in this world or the next. (from Eternal Judgment)