The Daily Word of Righteousness

Sowing What You Want To Reap, #8

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. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18,19)

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:8-10)

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; That each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, Not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; And that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (I Thessalonians 4:3-7)

And so on and on and on in the New Testament. We have not mentioned Jesus' warning that if we do not bear the fruit of godliness we will be cut from the Vine, from Christ.

We understand, therefore, that the current belief that as long as we make a profession of faith in Christ our behavior is not critically involved in our salvation does not conform to the New Testament writings. It is "another gospel."

Millions of American Christian Christians are proceeding in the notion that even though they are not denying themselves, taking up their cross, and following the Lord each day, they will go to Heaven when they die because they are saved by grace. If this notion is true we might as well discard the New Testament, for the New Testament does not in any manner correspond to the idea that we are saved to go to Heaven whether or not there is any moral transformation.

Indeed we will reap what we have sown. If we as a Christian live so as to please our sinful nature, from that very polluted nature we will reap destruction—perhaps now, but definitely in the Day of the Lord.

If, however, we patiently follow the counsel of the Spirit of God, enduring the dealings of the Lord, striving to rejoice and live righteously, not blaming others when God chastises us, we will reap eternal life. Each day we will live less in the sinful nature and more in the Spirit of God.

This is love. This is joy. This is peace. Such we are sowing, and such we will reap now and throughout the ages to come. (from Sowing What You Want To Reap)