A popular gospel song is the title of this Bible lesson. Those who hear the gospel and who haven’t responded to the message are unsaved sinners pure and simple. When the response is made to Christ at the hearing of his message, a transformation of life must take place when the new believer begins his journey with the Lord for his guide for life. In other words, the old has passed away and the new has come as Paul recorded in 2 Corinthians 5:17. He also wrote of the conversion attitude and change from the old to the new in Romans 6:11-13. Verse 11: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Paul is calling upon the believer to view him or herself as different. Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God in Christ, and it goes without saying that the mind set is essential for continued conversion and salvation.

Then in verse 12: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  Do not allow sin to take its former place in your life since it will cause you to engage in sinful behavior again. Then more instruction follows in verse 13: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Don’t use your body for sin and instead look to God for his guidance since you are alive to him though Christ, and thus the body will be used for good deeds to God’s glory. Take note of the word righteousness. It is the defining condition that God demands of all who want to be saved.

The loudest outburst we hear today are from homosexuals who resist change. (Their supporters are just as loud.) They are wallowing in the debauchery of sin and yet many of them claim that God accepts them the way they are (they mean after becoming believers with no corresponding change from sinful behavior) and thus loves them. Granted God loves them as much as he loved (and still loves) all sinners Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. In other words, Christ died for us while mankind was in its sinful condition alienated from God. And when those in sin approach the throne of grace it is just as they are, but God requires repentance and a changed life to show that salvation is now in the life of the one claiming Christ.

Yet, homosexuals deny that change is necessary and that such a practice is sin. In order to show that those who are practicing homosexuals know little about the Bible, a quote from a lesbian is necessary. "We don't believe homosexuality is a sin," countered Meghan Bean-Smith, 24, a lesbian studying to be a minister in the United Church of Christ. "One of the markings of a sin is that it harms other people. Two people loving each other aren't hurting people."  (See URL below for article) This lady doesn’t accept that God demands righteousness and that without it there can be no salvation. The hurt is eternal damnation for the sinners. Peter addresses the truth of sin in 2 Peter 2:1-21. The message of the verses is that it is impossible to be saved while engaging in practices God says are unrighteous.

Even those who claim to be “clerics” utter inanities that contain truth, apparently not fully understanding what they have uttered. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has said that homosexuality is not a "disease" … That is true. It is sin and always shall be. Then he said, "Gay and lesbian people have a place in the Church as do all the baptised." Yes they do if they have repented, obeyed the gospel and are walking in newness of life, forsaking the sinful practice of homosexuality. Paul spoke of it plainly in I Corinthians 6:9-11: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  In verse 11, Paul points out they once were practicing those behaviors but they have been baptized and set apart (sanctified) for the service of God. Their unrighteousness was now history and Paul said to keep it that way because they were now justified (not guilty) by the God’s redeeming act in Christ. (It is doubtful that Mr. Williams was speaking to a changed life away from sin as was Paul.)

When one is separated from God because of not being in Christ, the act of obedience to the gospel changes the way God views the individual. The one who requests baptism into Christ enters the water as an individual in sin but that changes and as Paul wrote: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4) Go to the waters of baptism as you are and under go a transformation of life through the blessing from Christ, to being raised to walk in newness of life.

09-23-2007

                                    Next Lesson No Other God

                  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/23/ngay123.xml                                        http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/18/BAGASO6VIQ1.DTL