2025-09-26
Good morning, Dear Ones,
As mentioned last week, I am commanded by the Holy Spirit to write about a really complicated and emotionally charged subject, self-examination. Emotions, in and of themselves are not evil. We know that Christ Himself exhibited them when He wept upon hearing of Lazarus’ “death” [JN 11: 35] and again when He turned over the tables of the moneychangers in front of the temple [MT 21: 12-13; MK 11: 15-18]. However, the emotions that we have can be used in ways our Lord never intended. That is because of our unfortunate inheritance of a sinful nature. Things like prejudice, malevolence, greed, callousness, excessive ambition, violence, addiction, refusal to establish a relationship with God, and many more arise out of the misuse of our emotions.
In RO 7: 21-25, Paul writes eloquently about the predicament in which we humans find ourselves. [Please read that passage before reading on]. The law of the OT was given for the people to know what is sinful and what is not. Paul speaks of his inner being wanting to be obedient to God but his flesh wanting to make him a slave to the law of sin. Then, he asks, “Who will rescue him from his sinful body that is subject to death?” In the end, it is only God, through Jesus Christ that can give him (and us) escape from spiritual death. Let me explain the difference between the two. We will all experience physical death. History shows us physical death happens to all living on earth. However, we don’t have experience spiritual death. Spiritual death is profound separation from God due to sin. One who experiences refusing to stop sinning will eventually cease to exist. [Read EPH 2: 1-5, 8-10; RO 6: 23]. When Paul was expounding about the conflict between the flesh and the spirit, he recognized the only saving grace is Jesus Christ, the Source of restoration, eternal forgiveness, and the hope of the resurrection. Due to God’s sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, we can be saved from spiritual death, justified, and our sins eternally forgiven. He really is the way out of sin’s consequences. People who habitually sin and refuse to repent lose their purpose and joy in life.
Those of us who believe in Jesus Christ and all God’s teaching in the Scriptures have the hope of the resurrection. JN 3: 16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
This familiar passage reveals God’s solution for the predicament mankind was in due to the original sin [GN 3: 1-6]. Faith in the Lord Jesus leads to our salvation. RO 6: 3-4, 9-11 help us to understand. “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life…We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has power over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once and for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” That, Dear Ones, is the hope believers have in the resurrection. Our spirit will live on forever, and we can anticipate an eternity of sweet fellowship in heaven with our Lord. RO 6: 23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your throne as sinners desiring to take part in that gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Self-examination is necessary for this. We must be open and honest in our assessment and look to You for Your help. PS 139: 23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” That is our plea, as we find it difficult to see any sin we are committing and endure the pain of revelation of it. We share the same conflict in us that Paul spoke of and all humans wrestle with between the flesh and the Spirit. Only You love us enough to give us the power to overcome and recognize the great gift of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. You are a God Who loves us more than any human can, and we love You for it. You are to be praised and thanked for all You are and all the blessings You give us. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We have a God of grace, Who loves us beyond measure. RO 8: 38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creations, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” The grace our Lord extends to us comes directly through the Holy Spirit from the Father’s own heart. All we need to do is to confess our sins to Him, whether corporately or privately, with openness and honesty. He loves us enough to listen to our prayers, advise us when we need it, and take great pleasure when we are obediently faithful to Him. Next week, the Holy Spirit has directed me to write about getting a fresh start. This is possible because He is here for us and eager for us to succeed in gaining eternal life. Praise and thanksgiving be to Him!
Grace Be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2025. All Rights Reserved.
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