“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

God is love. God loves me just the way I am.

That’s absolutely true. God is love, and God does love us just the way we are.

The reason for this is that we cannot do anything to earn or deserve God’s love. God’s love is all grace. It’s all mercy. It’s all God. God loves us just the way we are because God is a God of love.

Because of this, many people understand this to mean that God approves and validates us just the way we are. Since God loves us just the way we are, that must mean that God approves us just the way we are.

That is absolutely false. Because God loves us, God cannot leave us in sin. In fact, the reason why Jesus is called Savior is precisely because he saves us from sin. Jesus did not come to die on the cross to approve or validate sin. He came to rescue us from sin.

Because God is love, God cannot leave us in sin. God cannot leave us in darkness, depression, addictions, oppression, and in bondage to sin. That Jesus is Savior means that Jesus frees us from all that once bound and enslaved us.

That’s why Jesus commands us, “Leave your life of sin.”

So, here is what we can declare with certainty:

• God is love. God loves us just the way we are.
• And, because God loves us, God cannot leave us just the way we are.

God’s grace does not mean we have permission to do as we please. God’s grace gives us the power to do what pleases God. No, we cannot do this perfectly, but we can do it better today than we did yesterday.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Individual’s rights.

Individual’s responsibilities to others.

Which is greater? Which is more Christian? What happens when one’s individual rights are in conflict with one’s responsibility to the welfare of others? Which wins? Which value is greater?

It is impossible to read the New Testament and advocate for a position where individual’s rights usurps one’s responsibility for the welfare of others. It is IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Jesus made it clear:

• “Many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:31).
• “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for man” (Mark 10:43-45).

The Apostle Paul made it clear:

• “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Christians, the church ought to lead the way in placing the well-being of others. The church ought to lead the way in protecting the most vulnerable amongst us.

I too wish we could fellowship the way we used to. I too wish we could worship without our masks. I too wish we could open up the church fully to activities.

But the reality is that we have people in our church who are immuno-compromised, people who are medically unable to receive the vaccine, children who have not been vaccinated. Therefore, we will mask up even when most of us have been vaccinated. Why? Because that’s what Christ would have us to do.

It is impossible to read the New Testament and advocate for a position where individual’s rights usurps one’s responsibility for the welfare of others.

Let us all do our part to love and honor the most vulnerable in our midst. Thank you all for doing your part to share Christ’s love and grace with others.

God bless you!

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”

Wow. I love it when God’s will is crystal clear. We don’t have to second guess it or wonder about it. You don’t have to pray about it. This is about as clear as you can get.

This is God’s will…that you should be sanctified!

But this is not God’s will for everyone. This is God’s will for Christians. This assumes that we have received and accepted God’s gift of eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ.

What does sanctification mean? Sanctification literally means to become holy. It is referring to the work of the Holy Spirit to make Christians more like Christ. Unlike justification, sanctification is partnership between the Holy Spirit and the believer.

Let me explain:

• Justification – the process by which God makes sinners into sons and daughters
  • This is all God’s work
  • We can’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. It’s all grace, all mercy, all God
• Sanctification – the process by which disciples become more like Jesus
  • This is partnership between the Holy Spirit and the disciple
  • When the Holy Spirit guides, it’s up to the disciples to obey
  • This takes huge effort on the part of the disciple because the flesh will wage war against the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus

It is God’s will that disciples be sanctified. It is God’s will that disciples become more like Jesus.

Before we end, I want you to notice that the first thing that Paul mentions after talking about sanctification is how disciples practice sex and control their bodies. The starting place for sanctification is how disciples manage and steward their bodies as followers of Jesus Christ.

Use your bodies, not for your own pleasure, but for the glory and honor of Christ and his kingdom.

Christians, it is God’s will that you become more like Jesus today. And, tomorrow…you should be more like Jesus tomorrow than you were today. And the day after that, and the day after that, until Christ returns or until you die. It is God’s will that you work on your sanctification.

Let’s get to work!