Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
As we closed out our last message last time we saw what was said in I Pet.1:15-16 read...
In all manner of life we are to practice holiness. This is quite a challenge to our old sinful nature but because we have the imputed righteousness of God in us we have a new nature and we can live holy lives. The call to holy living is not only possible; it is also expected of us. We can live as holy a life as we choose to live, and to choose to live a holy life unto God in all manner of life leads to the imputation of many blessings in life.
The imputation of the righteousness of God to our souls at salvation is permanent. There never will be a time when God will not see us in Christ, even when we are disobedient to the plan of God, II Tim.2:13 “If we [believers] believe not [are unfaithful] yet he abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself.”
“But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Heb.10:39.
Rom.5:1, 16, 18 tells us that we have a legal peace with God because we have been legally justified by our faith alone in free gift of salvation found only in Jesus Christ. You have been fully vindicated by God unto God. To be vindicated means you have been cleared of all accusations which God brings against you as a sinner. No wonder conversions are often so uplifting and liberating to the new believer. All of your guilt and its subsequent sense of penalty is taken away. The burden of sin the soul bears until salvation is finally over. You and I entered the courtroom of God’s judgment as guilty parties. The conscience was been awakened by the convicting movement of the Holy Spirit, the evidence was indisputable, we of our free will admitted we were guilty, As Jn.16:8 says, “And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment;”
With this reproof [to expose blame] of the Holy Spirit we are reminded that we are in the wrong; that we are condemned to die for our offenses, but Jesus Christ offers us a complete pardon which spares us the penalty of our sins.
The penalty according to Rom.6:23 is death. The death spoken of here is not referring to physical death, though that is a consequence of sin; no the death spoken of here is eternal separation from God. To not want the Savior is to not want God. Jn.10:30 “I and my Father are one.” Jn.10:38 ...”believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” Folks, no one can have an eternal relationship with the Father in heaven if the Son is rejected. To reject the Son is to reject the Father.
To reject the Savior is to reject God’s pardon. To reject the Savior is to reject the love of God. My friend there is no love in Hell. There are no parties, no hugs, no smiles, no kind words, no friends, no mercy and no sympathy. It is a place of absolute isolation, darkness and loneliness because it is void of love because God is not there. God was not wanted because his Son was not wanted. Grace does not go where it is not wanted. God honors the free will of all mankind, and God will honor the free will of man and allow him or her to spend an eternity without him. You see there is no creation without a Creator, there is no provision without a Provider. There is no sustaining of anything without a Sustainer. Col.1:15-19.
However, if we follow his righteous truth...
1. we will have a mentality that takes in his word and reflects on his word consistently; we will use our minds to think on his ways, not the ways of the world, II Cor.10:10; Col.3:1-2.
2. we will have a conscience that stores his word and adjust to his word, thus eliminating our fruitless conscience from dead works, Ps.119:11; Heb.9:14.
3. we will have a self-consciousness, a self awareness that is not inflated and egotistical, thus we put his will above ours; where we will not be self-centered and only seek to please ourselves, I Pet.5:6.
4. we will have emotions that reflect our feelings toward godly thoughts, and our joy will be full, I Jn.1:4. “These things I have written unto you that your joy might be full.”
5. we will have a free will that accepts and applies the word of God which will win the arguments over the old sin nature, Joshua 24:15; “...choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Serving the Lord brethren is a choice we make moment by moment as Christians to submit to God’s will.
I Kings 18:21 “And Elijah came along unto all the people, and said, how long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.” Elijah drew a line in the sand as he commenced to prove who the only true God was. He told the people to choose their God and be ready to bear the results. For the believer I say if Jesus Christ was good enough for us to choose to inherit eternal life, then he is good enough for us to choose to follow in truth every day of our lives. He is good enough to get us out of the bed and into church on Sunday morning. He is good enough for us to adore and obey seven days a week. He is good enough for us to follow his commandments to love one another as he has loved us. Dear saints we must not squander the privilege of having God’s imputed righteousness. It cost Jesus Christ his life.