#Galatians 5:16-18

[drshermaines-wisdomnuggets]

"PASS THE PLATE PLEASE!"

2 Kings 7:9, “Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news AND WE ARE KEEPING IT TO OURSELVES…” (NIV) So, Thanksgiving is almost here and it immediately makes me think about sitting at the family table. You see, somewhere in the ‘Fathers Handbook’, I’m convinced it says that the father automatically gets to carve the turkey, or the ham, or the roast.…

[trueconservativepundit]

Are You Walking in God’s Spirit?

By Adrian Rogers “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”  Galatians 5:16-18 To “walk in the Spirit” means the Spirit is to be the…

[aressida]

Feminists, I want to express how I feel when I see all of you (as someone who once held feminist views and disliked men a decade ago, but now that I have gained understanding): Enough with the sabotage!

Be the duty of a woman. -> Genesis 2:18

-> Galatians 3:28 -> 1 Timothy 2:9-15 -> 1 Corinthians 11:3 -> Titus 2:3-5 -> 1 Timothy 2:11-12 -> Ephesians 5:22-24 -> Proverbs 31:11–12 -> Genesis 3:16

[holyspiritgirl]

What is Spiritual Warfare and how to overcome it with the help of God?

• Spiritual warfare is the idea that there's a battle going on between good and evil forces. In Christianity, this means a fight between God and His angels against the devil and his demons. It mainly happens in our minds, hearts, and spirits. It’s about resisting bad thoughts, temptations, and influences that go against what God wants for us. Though we believe that Jesus has indeed already defeated Satan by dying on the cross and coming back to life, the enemy still tries to lead us to sin in order to push us away from God, thus spiritual warfare.

• “Symptoms” vary since the devil attacks you where it hurts the most, to make you as vulnerable as possible; but here are some of the most common ones:

- believing that your not worthy of having a relationship with God or talking to God therefore feeling the need to distance yourself from him

-self destructive / sabotage / harm temptations

-paranoia / overthinking

-strong headaches / body aches

-temptations towards sin such as lust, gluttony, laziness, anger.. etc, depends on your weaknesses

-self hatred & self doubt / doubt in faithfulness

-hopelessness, fear, anxiety

-random depressive moods & replaying bad memories … the list goes on!

• Living a life more aligned with God’s will is seen as a threat to Satan and his purposes, leading to increased attempts to discourage or derail one’s faith journey. With a deeper relationship with God often comes a greater sense of purpose and mission, attracting more challenges and obstacles from evil forces trying to prevent one from fulfilling God’s plans. Our Father allows these intensified battles to refine and strengthen our faith, helping us rely more on Him and grow spiritually.

• Here are some bible verses that may help you during those tough times battling spiritual warfare :

-Corinthians 10:13

- Psalm 91

-Ephesians 6:11-18

-Isaiah 54:17

-Galatians 5:17-26

- Peter 5:8-9

-Romans 8:37-39

-Luke 10:19

-James 4:7

-John 16:33

-Deuteronomy 3:22

-Matthew 4:10-11

• Let me know if you’d be interested in me posting those verses and talking about some of them with you guys, sort of like a bible study kind of thing. It’d be a pleasure ;)

Have a blessed day 💞💓👼🏻

[dmckinney79]

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18

[girlbloggercher]

how to read the Bible

this is in order!

1. John

2. Mark

3. Matthew

4. Luke

5. Genesis

6. Exodus

7. Leviticus

8. Numbers

9. Dueteronomy

10. Romans

11. Galatians

12. Colossians

13. Proverbs

14. Ecclesiastes

15. Job

16. 1 Peter

17. 1 Corinthians

18. 2 Corinthians

19. Ephesians

20. Philippians

21. 1 Thessalonians

22. 2 Thessalonians

23. 1 Timothy

24. 2 Timothy

25. James

26. 2 Peter

27. 1 John

28. 2 John

29. 3 John

30. Jude

31. Psalms

32. Joshua

33. Judges

34. 1 Samuel

35. 2 Samuel

36. 1 Kings

37. 2 Kings

38. 1 Chronicles

39. 2 Chronicles

40. Ezra

41. Nehemiah

42. Jeremiah

43. Lamentations

44. Ezekiel

45. Joel

46. Amos

47. Obadiah

48. Nahum

49. Habakkuk

50. Zephaniah

51. Haggai

52. Zechariah

53. Malachi

54. Micah

55. Hosea

56. Luke

57. Esther

58. Jonah

59. Song of Solomon

60. Acts

61. Titus

62. Philemon

63. Hebrew

64. Isaiah

65. Daniel

66. Revelation

[bibleversegarden]

God's Word Sown on the Soil of Fertile Hearts, Brings Forth Much Fruit

Jesus explains the parable of the sower and his seed:

Luke 8:11-18 "The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they shall believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Related Bible Readings: Luke 8:4-10; John 15:1-16; Matthew 7:15-20; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 3:17-21; Philippians 1:9-11; Psalm 119:11

- A Walk In The Garden Devotions

[blushcoloreddreams]

Verse recs for combating lust?

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

1 Corinthians 6:18 in the Bible says, "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body

1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

Romans 13:14 "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."

James 1:14-15 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

Romans 8:6 "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace

Matthew 5:28 "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart

1 Peter 5:7-8 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour"

Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral

Proverbs 6: 25-26 “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a piece of bread, and the adulteress will prey upon his precious life”

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me

[lilgreeneyes71]

Vain Worship

Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Lukewarm Christians

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Characteristics

1 : They have no desire to depart from sin the want to try to get by on grace alone.

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

2 : All of their conversations are about worldly things and the cares of this world

1 John 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

3 : Their actions ( No Change in them ).

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

4 : They spend no time praying or alone with God they might show up for church once a week but God is always on the Blackburner .

Psalm 145:18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

5 : The conversations they have never involve God but rather business or financial or plans they have made. Or what new item they intend on purchasing.

Matthew 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

6 : No conviction of sin they feel no grief or guilt for sinning.The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin (see John 16:8-9)

Jude 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

7 : They could care a less about the unsaved or reaching out to them. They outright try to stop us from preaching to the unsaved

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Proverbs 29:10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.

Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

8 : They care more about pleasing people rather than pleasing God

Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

9 : They fear man but have no fear of God

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

[drshermaines-wisdomnuggets]

"CONFRONTING THE ENEMY'S TACTICS!"

Psalm 144:1, “Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my keen and firm Strength, Who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight” (AMPC) The main tactic of the enemy is deception. “Deception” is defined as, “the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid; to trick; to cheat; to defraud; to be dishonest.” And that’s exactly who the enemy is, a deceiver, liar and the…

[neogathering]

You're a forgiven, redeemed, and empowered child of God.

Satan's grip on your life is broken.  God, through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, has set you free to work from salvation (Ephesians 2:10), not for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

God has given you the ability to walk in Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and not in the flesh.  You will walk on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27) and not in the sand.  You will be planted by the stream of water (Psalm 1:1-3) and not in the dry desert.

God has come to you, God has saved you, and now God wants you to work (Matthew 25:14-30) and live a life that calls all people into the Kingdom of God (Matthew 28:18-20).

God empower you and bless you, always.

[christianotome]

When to be happy?

We often think ‘I will finally be happy when I get married/get a job/have children’, however solving a problem only brings a new set of problems. Jesus warned us about the problems we would face in the world, but He assured us there is no need to be afraid. (John 16:33).

In the midst of several prosecutions and tribulations Apostle Paul said “[…] I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11), while Habakkuk stated that everything might be going wrong in his life “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).

Peace and joy are part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and that comes from the knowledge of God’s goodness and sovereignty. For a Christian the time to be happy is always as Philippians 4:4 says “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”.

[orthodoxadventure]

The άνάλαβος (analavos) is the distinctive garment of a monk or a nun tonsured into the highest grade of Orthodox monasticism, the Great Schema, and is adorned with the instruments of the Passion of Christ. It takes its name from the Greek αναλαμβάνω (“to take up”), serving as a constant reminder to the one who wears it that he or she must “take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23). The ornately-plaited Crosses that cover the analavos, the polystavrion (πολυσταύριον, from πολύς, “many,” and σταυρός, “Cross”) — a name often, though less accurately, also applied to the analavos — reminds the monastic that he or she is “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).

With regard to each image on the analavos, the rooster represents “the cock [that] crowed” (Matthew 26:74; Mark 14:68 Luke 22:60; John 18:27) after Saint Peter had “denied thrice” His Master and Lord (John 13:38).

The pillar represents the column to which Pilate bound Christ “when he scourged Him” (Mark 15:15) “by Whose stripes we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5; I Peter 2:24).

The wreath garlanding the Cross represents the “crown of thorns” (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2) that “the soldiers platted” (John 19:2) and “put upon the head” (Matthew 27:29) of “God our King of old” (Psalm 73:13), Who freed man from having to contend against “thorns and thistles in the sweat of his brow” (Genesis 3:18-19).

The upright post and the traverse beam represent the stipes and the patibulum that formed “the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14), upon which “all day long He stretched forth His hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people” (Isaiah 65:2; Romans 10:21).

The four spikes at the center of the Cross and the hammer beneath its base represent the “nails” (John 20:25) and hammer with which “they pierced” (Psalm 21:16; John 19:37) “His hands and His feet” (Luke 24:40). when they “lifted up from the earth” (John 12:32) Him Who “blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us by nailing it to His Cross” (Colossians 2:14).

The base upon which the Cross stands represents “the place, which is called 'Calvary' (Luke 23:33), or 'Golgotha', that is to say, the Place of the Skull” (Matthew 27:33), “where they crucified Him” (John 19:18) Who “wrought salvation in the midst of the earth” (Psalm 73:13).

The skull and crossbones represent “the first man Adam” (I Corinthians 15:45), who by tradition “returned unto the ground” (Genesis 3:19) at this very spot, the reason that this place of execution, “full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27) became the place where “the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (I Corinthians 15:45).

The plaque on top of the Cross represents the titulus, the “title” (John 19:19-20), with “the superscription of His accusation” (Mark 15:26), which “Pilate wrote” (John 19:19) “and set up over His head” (Matthew 27:37); however, instead of “Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews” (John 19:19), which “was written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew” (Luke 23:38), the three languages being an allusion to the Three Hypostases “of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), this titulus reads, “The King of Glory” (Psalm 23:7-10), “for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:8).

The reed represents the “hyssop” (John 19:29) upon which was put “a sponge full of vinegar” (Mark 15:36), which was then “put to His mouth” (John 19:29) when in His “thirst they gave Him vinegar to drink” (Psalm 68:21), Him of Whom it was said that “all wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22).

The lance represents the “spear [that] pierced His side”; “and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34) from Him Who “took one of Adam's ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof" (Genesis 2:21) and Who “washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

The plaque at the bottom of the Cross represents the suppedaneum of Christ, “His footstool” (Psalm 98:5), “the place where His feet have stood” (Psalm 131:7). It is slanted because, according to one tradition, at the moment when “Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit” (Mark 15:37), He allowed a violent death spasm to convulse His legs, dislodging His footrest in such a manner that one end pointed upwards, indicating that the soul of the penitent thief, Saint Dismas, “the one on His right hand” (Mark 15:27) would be “carried up into Heaven” (Luke 24:51), while the other end, pointed downwards, indicated that the soul of the impenitent thief, Gestas, “the other on His left” (Mark 15:27), would “be thrust down to Hell” (Luke 10:15), showing that all of us, “the evil and the good, the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), “are weighed in the balance” (Ecclesiasticus 21:25) of the Cross of Christ.

The ladder and the pincers beneath the base of the Cross represent the means of deposition by which Saint Joseph of Arimathea, “a rich man” (Matthew 27:57) who “begged for the body of Jesus” (Matthew 27:58; Luke 23:52), “took it down” (Luke 23:53), so that as in body He descended from the Cross, so in soul “He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth” (Ephesians 4:9), “by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison” (I Peter 3:19).

Through these instruments, “the Cross of Christ” (I Corinthians 1:17: Galatians 6:12; Philippians 3:18) became the “Tree of Life” (Genesis 2:9; 3:22, 24; Proverbs 3:18, 11:30; 13:12; 15:4; Revelation 2:7; 22:2,14), by which the Lord Jesus reified His words that, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

[source]

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Walking in His Likeness 

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ 1 Corinthians 16:14: Let all that you do be done in love.

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VERSE OF THE DAY 

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+ John 9:9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM WALKING IN HIM 

I AM FREE

I AM HUMBLE 

I AM WONDERFUL 

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READ TIME: 7 Minutes & 23 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

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  People will always see you as the same person you used to be, no matter how much you change. They will still pick out your flaws and tell you who you are not, but we must remain the same in him. The people didn’t believe he was different, but we must understand that God will cleanse us of all our injustice. He will change us into this new creation because he always sees us as this person, even though no one else does.

  Verse 8: His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 

  They said isn’t he the blind beggar who used to sit and beg? They brought up everything he used to do, but he said yes, I am. We must understand that we are this person. Still, we have a new identity, which is in Christ. We are made new, and a lot of times, we have to say it a lot, we must express it a lot, but when we do, it’s the enemy that wants us to be pinned to our old name; he wants us to be pinned to what we use to do. Still, we no longer must be described like that, friends. We are a new creation in Jesus!

  Galatian 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. No longer I live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved and gave himself for me.

  We no longer live, but we live in him! We no longer live in our flesh but by faith; he loves us and gives himself for us. We are made new in Christ. When the enemy tries to remind you of who you used to be, don’t get angry; rebuke what he's trying to say you are now because what the enemy will do is send people to you to say, oh, weren’t you the same person that used to drink, aren’t you that same person that use to smoke, yes I am that same person, but I am new in Christ!

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing something new; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert

  We don’t have to worry about the former thing, nor think about the things of the old because he's doing a new thing in us, and that new thing is filled with the spirit of God. Don’t allow people to take you back to what you used to be, and don’t allow people to say you aren’t healed from your addiction and your old downfalls; stand firm in God and let them know I am NEW in Christ; I am a new creation in him he died to set me free! Expect people to remember and expect people to try to bring you down, but stay prayed up! Please stay in your word, and don’t allow what they say to bring you down in your spirit. Bring it before God, and let God do the rest!

  2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

   It tells us here we are new in Christ; whatever we used to be is old. Whatever we used to be has passed away; all we must do now is walk in our light with Christ. We don’t have to show anyone who we are; all we must do is walk in the light, which will show them exactly who we are; we are new in him, free in him, and a conqueror! 

  Ephesians 4:22-24 To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

   This verse tells us to put off our old self, which belongs to our old selves, and our old self is corrupted through our selfish desires; we are renewed in the mind, and we must put on our new self, which is created in the likeness of God which is holiness and righteousness. Can you understand that we are in his likeness the way we are now? We must walk in his likeness, talk in his likeness, and love like him. 

   *** Today, we learned we are new in Christ and that the person we were; we don’t have to be anymore; we can change and be free from the person we were changing into or have changed into. God wants us to understand that we don’t have to return to the former things when we are new in him.

  Ezekiel 11:19-20 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh so that they may walk in my statutes, keep my rules, and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God

   God will give us a new spirit; he will remove the old one and give us a heart of flesh so that we can walk in his rules and commandments, and so we will enjoy obeying him, a lot of us wonder about who we are and what we are doing , but when this process is through we don’t have to worry we don’t have to second guess all we have to do is walk in our new heart of flesh, if you’re having troubles with your new flesh and understanding how it works ask Jesus to show you, go to him humbly and say, Jesus,  I need you to help me, I need you to show me, and He will, but we must be willing to sacrifice our ways just like he sacrificed his life for us so that we can change ! ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, thank you for everything we ask you today to continue to show us the way and take us through our challenging times; sometimes it’s so hard, Father God, to live in this walk and to let go of the former things because we are used to the old but father we ask you for peace on this journey we ask you to help us not to focus on the tough time but to be focused on you. Lord, we thank you for everything; in Jesus Name, Amen 

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REFERENCES 

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+ 2 Peter 1:4 By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

 

+ 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit

 

+ Isaiah 65:17: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.

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FURTHER READINGS 

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 Proverbs 6

1 Corinthians 15

Ezekiel 19

2 Samuel 24

Judges 4

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[coolksaposts]

we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— (6:1b–2) 2Corinthians

2 Corinthians 6

Code: QA0297

The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on 2 Corinthians 6.

we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— (6:1b–2)

Paul’s use of the verb parakaloumen (urge; “plead”; “beg”) in the present tense reflects his constant, passionate concern for the Corinthians (cf. 2:8; 10:1; 1 Cor. 16:15–16). God’s ambassadors are privileged pleaders, begging their hearers to respond to the truth.

Specifically, Paul was urging the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain; not to turn away from the gracious opportunity to hear the gospel of forgiveness he had so faithfully preached to them. He had poured his life into the Corinthians during his long stay in their city (Acts 18:11), pleading with them for the gospel and teaching the new converts how to grow in grace. But events in Corinth caused the apostle to fear that his intense labor had been for nothing. The church was riddled with sin, as Paul’s first inspired epistle to them reveals. False teachers, those wolves in sheep’s clothing both Jesus (Matt. 7:15) and Paul warned of (Acts 20:29), were luring many in the assembly away from the truth. This passionate concern for the Corinthians was behind what he wrote later:

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. (2 Cor. 11:3–4)

Paul could not stand idly by and allow his diligent efforts to be undone. He could not permit his spiritual children (1 Cor. 4:15) to be deceived by a false gospel or led astray from the true path of sanctification. His duty before God, like that of all faithful ministers, was to exhort people not to receive the grace of God in vain. The apostle had given them the grace of God, as embodied in the truth of the gospel of grace, for their eternal benefit.

Paul was concerned first that the Corinthians not receive God’s grace in regard to salvation in vain. As in any church, not everyone in the Corinthian assembly was redeemed. Some had intellectual knowledge of the gospel but did not have saving faith. That is why Paul challenged them, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). Those in the congregation who were not regenerate were in grave danger of being deceived by the false teachers. To follow those preaching another Jesus, another Spirit, and another gospel would lead to a waste of their privilege and to spiritual ruin. Paul was similarly concerned about the Galatians.

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (Gal. 1:6–9)

The Corinthians were also in danger of receiving God’s grace in vain with regard to sanctification. The legalists sought to turn them away from living in the power of the Spirit to living in the strength of the flesh. Paul chided the Galatians, also under assault by legalism, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3). Sanctification, like justification, is a work of God. It does not come from legalistically conforming to an external set of rules but from a Spirit-generated, heartfelt love for and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of the unsaved Corinthians were being led astray by a false gospel of salvation by works. Others were saved, but legalistic false teaching was stunting their spiritual growth. In either case, the grace of God to them that sent Paul with the gospel was in danger of being nullified.

The corrupting influence of the false teachers hindered evangelism. That made the Corinthians’ defection all the more galling to Paul, for it was (and still is) the time for the ministry of reconciliation. To stress the urgency of this time, Paul quoted from Isaiah 49:8, where God declared, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.”

There is a time in God’s grace when He may be sought by sinners. The Lord warned the pre-Flood world, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years” (Gen. 6:3). Isaiah 55:6 commands, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” Hosea warned that apostate Israel “will go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them” (Hos. 5:6).

Repeating behold and now to emphasize his point, Paul declared that now is “the acceptable time,” “the day of salvation”   when God will listen to repentant sinners. Now, when the fields are ripe for the harvest (John 4:35), is not the time to waste gospel opportunity, or to be feeble, vacillating, or deceived by false teachers. It is the time to hold fast to the truth and faithfully proclaim it. “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day,” Jesus admonished. “Night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).

Knowing the urgency of the times Paul, true to the urgency of his calling, passionately pleaded with the Corinthians not to let God’s grace in their lives be in vain.

[daugherty777]

👼Proverbs 20:1 👼

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.🙏

👼Ephesians 5:18👼

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.🙏

👼Galatians 5:21👼

Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.🙏

👼Isaiah 5:11👼

Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them.🙏

👼Isaiah 28:7👼

These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment.🙏

👼Galatians 5:19-21👼

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.🙏

👼Proverbs 23:29-35👼

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.🙏

👼1 Peter 5:8👼

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.🙏

👼1 Corinthians 3:16-17👼

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.🙏