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Written by Bill Bradford
There is no friendly sin, nor is there a sin that allows us quarter or has good intentions. Sin has to be defeated otherwise it will come back again and again. It exists for one reason – to see us dead.
Sin, whose author is the devil, wants us in its grips.
Jesus met with the devil and gave him no quarter. "He has nothing in me," said Jesus (John 14:30). There was nothing they could agree on. The devil did not have Jesus' interest in mind. The devil wanted Jesus to turn against God and reap the wages of sin which is death. Jesus knew from the outset it was Him or Satan. This would never be a win-win situation. Jesus would not agree with Satan and gave his life to defeat sin.
Paul said, "For sin shall not have dominion over you...." (Rom 6:14) and in verse 12: "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body."
Does sin come back around? Yes, but each time it must be defeated. It must have a diminished hold on us. It relentlessly wages war and tends to have nine lives. It lives to fight another day. Sin is just one of those things that we will again meet unexpectedly when we turn the corner. Don't show sin any quarter by entertaining it. Jesus overcame any possibility of succumbing to temptation by commanding the devil to get behind him. Don't negotiate a cease fire with sin!
We have to face the enemy the same way Jesus did. We live in this world and hear the words of the devil regularly. We have to stand and face him and say, "NO!" -- and see him as an enemy. We are given the strength to do just that! But we tend to give in just before the battle is completely won. There has to be a clear decision in our minds that sin will not reign in our bodies. Victory is the only option.
The final victory is when we are crucified with Christ "...that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin" (Romans 6: 6). Are we dead to sin? Jesus was -- to the point that He would die before He gave into temptation and sin. So must we.
Many religious people embrace the idea of loving others as themselves but remain blissfully unaware of how the Bible defines love. As a result, they do not understand the necessity of putting into practice the biblical principles that determine the success or failure of their relationships.
We hope this booklet will inspire you to so appreciate the wisdom of God that you will look to His commandments as your standard for behaviour. This is the example set for us by Jesus Christ (John 15:10; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6).
In this booklet we will examine the Bible's teaching on conversion—it is not just a one-time event. Instead the Scriptures reveal that it is a process. The process begins with God's calling, followed by the key steps of repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, finally climaxing with the return of Jesus Christ — when the dead in Christ are resurrected to immortality and given eternal life — the ultimate transformation!
Are you desiring a closer relationship with God? If so, where do you start? What tools can you use to grow spiritually and build that all-important relationship with your Creator? This important study aid will set you on the right path. Read and begin implementing these important elements today!
Have you ever considered how much the Easter holiday just doesn’t add up? Start with the timing: Jesus said He would be in the tomb three days and three nights. But do the math—a Good Friday crucifixion to a resurrection on Sunday morning is at most only one day and small parts of two others, plus two nights. Also, John’s Gospel tells us Jesus was already resurrected before sunrise, so we can’t count that part of a day. Does the Bible offer a solution? Yes, and when we understand it, everything adds up perfectly! But that’s not all that doesn’t add up about the Easter holiday. What do rabbits, colored eggs and sunrise religious services have to do with Jesus Christ’s resurrection? Discover the fascinating historical truth about all this and much more in this issue of Beyond Today!