Part I

The full council of God, (a good example of this is the Book of Ephesians) and the doctrine of Christ, (a good example of this is Matthew 5-7) for the salvation of sinners is founded on what God the Father has done through Jesus Christ’s “Passion,” by the spilling of His Blood and through the shedding of His Holy Spirit abroad into the Christian believers hearts. They also involve instruction in the way we faithful believers can, should, and must presently conduct ourselves because of His accomplished work on the cross on our behalf and in our stead. Jesus Christ has redeemed us from our sins and their terrible present day and eternal consequences. If sin had been allowed to continue unchecked, it would have resulted in unnecessary temporal suffering for sin far beyond what the redeemed have experienced to date, and far worse than that, the eternal torments of Hell and The Lake of Fire would be the destiny of every human being as it is now for every unrepentant and unredeemed sinner.


So, I guess my opening paragraph can be summed up in what Watchman Nee said, “Christianity is not a big “do,” but a big “done,” and, I might add, the importance of our proper response to what has been done through Jesus Christ. The essence of these revelation truths might also have inspired the title of Oswald Chambers’ best selling devotional book entitled, “My Utmost for His Highest.”


Now, salvation incorporates a past event (the justification of the Christian believer), a present experience (the sanctification of the Christian believer), and a future hope (the glorification of the Christian believer). All three are essential to the concept of what the Bible calls “salvation,” and therefore one without the other is an incomplete puzzle or a picture not quiet in focus.


Our initiation into this saving grace (to be found only in Jesus Christ) involves the following: Repentance from works that lead to death and faith towards God, water baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and baptism with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.


First and foremost, we must learn to always focus our gaze on what Jesus Christ has done for us through His passion on the cross in dealing with our past sins. This is an expression of His unmerited favor that has been extended to us by His sinless life, atoning death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and eternal intercession and is to be received by us through faith, resulting in the justification” or “translation,” of our “spirit man,” what the Apostle Paul called, “the hidden man of the heart.” “For He (God) delivered us from the from [the powers of darkness and translated us (powerfully removed us) into the kingdom of His Son.” (Colossians 1:13) Secondly, we must recognize what He is presently doing for us in dealing with our sins through the divine influence of His Holy Spirit upon our hearts and its reflection in our lives resulting in the “sanctification” or “transformation,” of our human souls which incorporate our intellect, will, and emotions. “And be not conformed to the world but be transformed through the renewing of your mind that you might prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) And thirdly, we must learn to rest in the eternal hope and blessed assurance that we will be glorified together with Him at His second coming and the rapture of the church, resulting in the “glorification” or “transfiguration” of our bodies. “For we know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2) And “Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)



All aspects of our triune human constitution (we ourselves being created in the image and likeness of the triune Holy God) are expressed in a prayer of benediction offered by the Apostle Paul on behalf of the church at Thessalonica. “Now may the God of peace sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Next, Paul offers a statement of encouragement, and exhortation regarding the faithfulness of our God to answer this prayer. “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24) It must be understood that He will sanctify us completely, spirit, soul, and body unto the coming of the Lord, but He will do it in us, to us, and through us, but not without us. Our cooperation is expected. In other words we are required to work with Him in this sanctification process and not against Him. This will require our “consecration” unto Him and our separation from the sins that so easily entangle us. There are present and eternal rewards to be obtained through our chosen consecration unto Him, as well as present and eternal losses to be avoided in failing to consecrate ourselves unto Him. Therefore, we are exhorted, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you, both to will and to do of His own good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12,13)


Our cooperating with Him is what the Bible calls “walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), and what might also be referred to as “appropriating the grace of God.” "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all people, teaching us to renounce ungodly and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).


A good metaphor for “working out,” or if you will, “walking out,” our own salvation could be the following. This life is a lot like a trek through a swamp. The swamp represents the seven deadly sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. God’s grace and the directives of His Holy Spirit represent a clear bright path of seven wide, dry, and flat stones that are sticking out, and standing well above the dark, murky, diseased, and dangerous swamp waters. These stones are the seven virtues: Chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to use the path that has been so graciously provided for us by God the Father, in God the Son, through God the Holy Spirit, and make our way across the swamp to the solid dry higher ground on the other side of this life, the heavenly shore! Jesus, as the Son of Man, has already walked this path before us, therefore our journey is to be achieved by keeping our eyes on Him, “the author and finisher of our faith,” through “yielding our members to God as servants of righteousness and not slaves to sin,” through “following the leading and directives of the Holy Spirit,” and through “watching for, and avoiding the pitfalls of sin.” Jesus warned, “Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).


To fail to find the path through the swamp or to stray from the path will not only prove to be extremely dangerous, but absolutely disastrous. Regrettably, according to the words of Jesus Christ, many will do this horribly ignorant and rebellious thing, and only a few won’t! Jesus warned, “Many are called but few are chosen,” (Matthew 22:14). And, “Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate, and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13,14). Nevertheless, backsliders can rejoice that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, and that He will leave the ninety-nine other sheep of His flock in order to seek and to save just one straying lost sheep that belongs to Him.


But we must "be careful if we think we stand lest we fall" Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Remember, God’s will for us is our sanctification unto Him through the working of the Holy Spirit, and our chosen consecration unto Him through submitting our wills to His commandments.) On that day (The Day of Judgment) many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord. Did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-22).


I submit to you, dear reader, that one way to avoid this from happening to us is through an awareness of the seven deadly sins in order to avoid them. We can escape their consequences through continuing to confess our sins (day by day) and through godly sorrow (a continuing attitude of contrition for our sins) until repentance (the utter forsaking of our sins) is realized. This could be an aspect of what "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" means. (Please see Psalms 51, 103, and 107) Also the Apostle John tells us, “This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness (un-confessed and un-forsaken sins), we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light (of confessed and forsaken sins), as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we come to know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says ‘I know Him,’ but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same manner that He walked.” (1 John 1:5-10 and 1 John 2: 1-6)

The Seven Deadly Sins

Lust (Latin, luxuria)

Lust (or lechery) is usually thought of as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. Giving in to lusts can lead to sexual or sociological compulsions and/or transgressions including (but not limited to) sexual addiction, fornication, adultery, bestiality, rape, perversion, and incest. Dante's criterion was "excessive love of others," which therefore rendered love and devotion to God as secondary.

Gluttony (Latin, gula)
Gluttony

Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. In the Christian religions, it is considered a sin because of the excessive desire for food, or its withholding from the needy. Depending on the culture, it can be seen as either a vice or a sign of status. Where food is relatively scarce, being able to eat well might be something to take pride in (although this can also result in a moral backlash when confronted with the reality of those less fortunate). Where food is routinely plentiful, it may be considered a sign of self-control to resist the temptation to over-indulge.


Medieval church leaders (e.g., Thomas Aquinas) took a more expansive view of gluttony,[3] arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods.[4] Aquinas went so far as to prepare a list of six ways to commit gluttony, including:

Praepropere - eating too soon.
Laute - eating too expensively.
Nimis - eating too much.
Ardenter - eating too eagerly (burningly).
Studiose - eating too daintily (keenly).
Forente - eating wildly (boringly).

Greed (Latin, avaritia)

Greed (or avarice, covetousness) is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed (as seen by the church) is applied to the acquisition of wealth in particular. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that greed was "a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things."
"Avarice" is more of a blanket term that can describe many other examples of greedy behavior. These include disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason,[citations needed] especially for personal gain, for example through bribery. Scavenging[citation needed] and hoarding of materials or objects, theft and robbery, especially by means of violence, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed. Such misdeeds can include simony, where one profits from soliciting goods within the actual confines of a church.

Sloth (Latin, acedia)

More than other sins, the definition of sloth has changed considerably since its original inclusion among the seven deadly sins. In fact it was first called the sin of sadness or despair. It had been in the early years of Christianity characterized by what modern writers would now describe as melancholy: apathy, depression, and joylessness — the last being viewed as being a refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world God created. Originally, its place was fulfilled by two other aspects, acedia and sadness. The former described a spiritual apathy that affected the faithful by discouraging them from their religious work. Sadness (tristitia in Latin) described a feeling of dissatisfaction or discontent, which caused unhappiness with one's current situation. When Thomas Aquinas selected acedia for his list, he described it as an "uneasiness of the mind", being a progenitor for lesser sins such as restlessness and instability. Dante refined this definition further, describing sloth as being the "failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's soul." He also described it as the middle sin, and as such was the only sin characterized by an absence or insufficiency of love.

The modern view of the vice, as highlighted by its contrary virtue of zeal or diligence, is that it represents the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts. For example, a student who does not work beyond what is required (and thus fails to achieve his or her full potential) could be labeled slothful.

Current interpretations are therefore much less stringent and comprehensive than they were in medieval times, and portray sloth as being more simply a sin of laziness or indifference, of an unwillingness to act, an unwillingness to care (rather than a failure to love God and his works). For this reason sloth is now often seen as being considerably less serious than the other sins, more a sin of omission than of commission.

The sloth, a South American mammal, was named after this sin by Roman Catholic explorers.

Wrath (Latin, ira)

Wrath (or anger or "Rage") may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. These feelings can manifest as vehement denial of the truth, both to others and in the form of self-denial, impatience with the procedure of law, and the desire to seek revenge outside of the workings of the justice system (such as engaging in vigilantism) and generally wishing to do evil or harm to others. The transgressions borne of vengeance are among the most serious, including murder, assault, and in extreme cases, genocide. Wrath is the only sin not necessarily associated with selfishness or self-interest (although one can of course be wrathful for selfish reasons, such as jealousy, closely related to the sin of envy). Dante described vengeance as "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite". In its original form, the sin of wrath also encompassed anger pointed internally rather than externally. Thus suicide was deemed as the ultimate, albeit tragic, expression of wrath directed inwardly, a final rejection of God's gifts.

Envy (Latin, invidia)

Like greed, envy may be characterized by an insatiable desire; they differ, however, for two main reasons. First, greed is largely associated with material goods, whereas envy may apply more generally. Second, those who commit the sin of envy resent that another person has something they perceive themselves as lacking, and wish the other person to be deprived of it. Dante defined this as "love of one's own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs." Aquinas described envy as "sorrow for another's good.”

Pride (Latin, superbia)

In almost every list pride (or hubris or "vanity") is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to give compliments to others though they may be deserving of them, and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). Dante's definition was "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor." In perhaps the best-known example, the story of Lucifer, pride (his desire to compete with God) was what caused his fall from Heaven, and his resultant transformation into Satan. Vanity and narcissism are prime examples of this sin

Part II

Trust And Obey, For There’s No Other Way,
To Be Happy In Jesus, You Must Trust And Obey

I wonder when John H. Sammis pinned the above refrain to this great hymn of the church, entitled, “Trust And Obey,” in 1887, if he knew he was expressing the full counsel of God? My guess is that he did! The truth is, the more closely we Christian believers can come to doing these two simple things, namely trusting the promises of Christ and obeying the commandments of Christ, the happier we will be, and remember, the kingdom of Heaven is the realm of eternal happiness, and it is also “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

So, it is important to realize the following simple Bible truth: Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross, and was resurrected from the dead, in order to provide both forgiveness for our sins, and deliverance from our sins.

God’s provision of forgiveness for our sins and deliverance from our sins is revealed in the following scripture. “There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1) We enter into the realm of forgiveness for our sins through faith in the blood of Christ, and through the “washing of the water of the word,” and we enter into the realm of deliverance from our sins through the power of the Holy Spirit and through “the washing of the water of the word.” The Apostle Paul declared, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the ‘washing of the water of the word,’ so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) Jesus testified, “My words are Spirit and they are life.” The Apostle John proclaimed, “This is He who came by water and by blood - Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.” (1 John 5: 6-8)

With these truths in mind, there is no reason whatsoever for a Christian believer to ever carry the burden of condemnation, guilt, fear, and/or shame for sins committed against God or man if he has repented of them and confessed them to God and is trusting in His promise to forgive him and cleanse him from all unrighteousness. As a matter of fact, the only reason that one would be inclined to carry such burdens unnecessarily is because of a lack of knowledge, and therefore a lack of faith, in Christ’s promises and provisions regarding Christian believers sins. It should also be noted that where sin against ones fellowman is concerned, there are times, when possible, that it is necessary to make restitution for the sin committed through replacing the wrong deed that was performed with a right deed performed on behalf of the offended party, all the while remembering that reconciliation between the two parties, namely, the offender and offended is the goal.

There are far too many Christian believers living under condemnation, guilt, fear, and/or shame because they do not know about Christ’s promise and provision of forgiveness regarding their sins. Or if they have known, they’ve forgotten. Whatever the case, let me take this opportunity to remind you by quoting the following scripture.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

If you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have been carrying the unnecessary burden of condemnation, guilt, fear, and/or shame for your past sins, let me encourage you to confess them daily to God, and He will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness as soon as you do so. Praise His Holy Name! “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:33-34) It is also important to forgive others there sins against us because if we won't God won't forgive ours. A good rule for Christian victory is to be quick to forgive, quick to receive forgiveness, and quick to repent.

So having dealt with the subject of forgiveness for our sins, let us now turn our attention to deliverance from our sins.

Do you not know that as Christian believers, we do not have to sin unless we just want to? (And the flesh always wants to.)

“Let not sin therefore reign in you mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace.” (Romans 6: 12-14) and, “They that belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.” (Galatians 5:24) “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13)

So, we see that the problem is not that we have to sin, but that we want to sin. Why?
Because “sin is pleasurable for a season.” It is so pleasurable that we forget that “the wages of sin is death.” So let us remember this truth and stop sinning. It is possible to do so by appropriating the grace of God, “for the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Now, “sin is the transgression of the Law,” and “anything that is not of faith is sin.”
Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God said, “I did not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them.” And the Apostle Paul tells us, “The righteous requirement of the Law is to love the Lord our God with our entire being spirit, soul, and body and to love our neighbor as ourselves.” And, “The righteousness requirement of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.” Jesus also said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” And, “Love does no harm to its neighbor therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.” Paul said, “If you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law” and “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes.” Once again Paul testified, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” Philippians 3:8-10

Christianity is a religion founded on a relationship and a fellowship with God the Father, through God the Son, and by God the Holy Spirit. It is a relationship and a fellowship in the Spirit that results in righteous living. Whenever we sin, we break fellowship with God and in order to restore and resume fellowship with Him we must confess our sins, and also forsake them in order for his mercy to be fully appropriated. (Proverbs 28:13) This unbroken fellowship with God is available to us through faith in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and through yielding ourselves in obedience to the Holy Spirit directives for deliverance from our sin. Both are available to us through the “washing of the water of the word.”

Part III
Spiritual Warfare

Now the origins of sin is spiritual, but it manifest itself in human beings through thoughts, words, actions, and reactions. “There are six things that God hates, seven that are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)

The Apostle Paul instructed, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Let us also consider these words of the apostle: “For though we walk in the flesh, (physical) we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

If we will seize the opportunity and subdue the flesh through walking in the Spirit we will defeat the devil through using the weapons of our warfare and will overcome everything the flesh and devil can throw at us. We will always be caused to triumph in Christ Jesus over every temptation, test, trial, situation, and circumstance in this life. We can choose to sow to the flesh and from the flesh reap corruption, or we can choose to sow to the Spirit and from the Spirit reap life everlasting. We can choose to love and serve God or love and serve sin. The former will lead to eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven, and the latter will lead to eternal death in Hell and the Lake of Fire. Again the choice is ours, and it is choice we must make daily. Jesus Christ proclaimed, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and loses or forfeits himself ? For whoever is ashamed of Me and my words, of Him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23-26)