Christians are being taught today that it is alright to participate in worldly activities if we simply dedicate them to God. This is dead wrong. Worldly activities always lead us away from God. This is the reason there is so much apathy in church people today.
The scriptures tell us that we have been crucified with Jesus. A Christian is not part of this world. Read what Paul said about a Christian life,
For we who are alive (born again) are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 2 Cor 4:11
This death in Jesus really upsets some believers who would like to serve God better but they cannot understand why death is important. However, the scripture does explain the two biggest reasons that we should die, our sin and the law.
We must first accept that our old self must die to make room for the new life brought into us by the Spirit. To explain the first part of our death we look at Romans chapter six.
We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were 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. Rom 6:2-4
To put our sins in the proper place we must become involved with the new life that is available to a Christian. When we are active with the things of God we have no time for sin or our old lifestyle. Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Rom 6:11 This works until we begin to run our new life in Jesus with a set of rules that we feel make us righteous. This will cause us to become self-righteous.
When a believer realizes they have become self-righteous it is time for the second part of our death. Romans chapter seven goes into great detail about how we must now die to the Law. Most people easily understand the need to die from sin but it is harder to recognize the need to die from the Law, because it is righteous.
So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead. Rom 7:4
Note that this verse says "also died" meaning that this is in addition to our death to sin. When we live by any Law we become self-righteous because we feel that we are strong. Our strength is not good enough so the answer is to live in Jesus who must be Lord of our life. The wonder of our total freedom is a problem for humans. Of course, many people abuse this freedom by thinking their freedom is to be used any way they see fit. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our freedom is what we offer to God to be used as HE SEES FIT.
Now we understand Romans chapter eight, which spells out the final answer for us.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:1-2
Here is our new Law that is brought into our life when we yield to the Spirit of God. In other words, a servant of Christ must come out from under the Law of Sin (by death) and from under the Law (by death) in order to live under the Law of the Spirit. It takes humility to live this new life directed by the Spirit of Love. Humility for a Christian is yielding to the ways of God. It is offensive to God when we live our new life with our own power. Learning to trust the Spirit to guide our lives is a full time job. However, this is the only way to reach God because He is great and we are so small.
Yield to the Spirit of Christ today and begin your life in His victory.
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