Training Our Senses to Know Good and Evil
As Christians we are not under law; therefore, the law does not govern our actions (Romans 6:14). This can be confusing to some because if the Ten Commandments are not the standard, what is? As part of our salvation, we are placed as sons (Ephesians 1:5 having marked off our bounds to the placement of sons). This means we are no longer under law (Galatians 4:1-5). A son is one who is mature and expected to act appropriately, not like a child. Now being in a position before God where we can mature, we are expected to train our senses to know the difference between what is wrong and what is proper.
But the solid food is for the mature, the ones through practice having trained the senses towards discerning proper and wrong (lacking in character). Hebrews 5:14.
The purpose of the gift of Pastor even teacher (Ephesians 4:11) given to the church is to bring us all to a oneness of faith (Ephesians 4:13) so that we are no longer inarticulate babblers. And inarticulate babbler is one who needs milk (Hebrews 5:13) for they cannot handle the meat of the Word of God and are tossed around by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men who seek to deceive the saints (Ephesians 4:14).
Today, let’s grow a little in our understanding. Let’s put off any law we may be trying to apply to ourselves and start to use the freedom we have in Christ to live righteously. That is, stop with the “Do Not” and start being who we are in Christ. God has given us a new mind by which we can discern His Will for our lives (Romans 12:2).
Christ told the disciples in the upper room that He was giving us a new commandment (John 13:34). This new commandment shows we are not under the law, but a new covenant, built upon better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Our standard then is to love other Christians and abide in Christ (John 15:1-4). So today, let us experience a bit more of the Christian life by feeling at ease with who we are in Christ so that our actions properly represent what God has done in our lives in salvation.
2 Corinthians How We Conduct Ourselves
How We Conduct Ourselves, 2 Corinthians 1:12
Our Conduct, 2 Corinthians 1:12
The Conscience
It Accuses or Excuses, Romans 2:15
Subjection to Authority for Conscience Sake, Romans 13:5
Those with a Weak Conscience, 1 Corinthians 8:7
Keeping the Faith with a Good Conscience, 1 Timothy 1:19
Those who have a seared Conscience, 1 Timothy 4:1-3
Keeping a Good Conscience in Our Actions, 1 Peter 3:16
Singleness – Have A Pure Motive
Giving with Singleness of Motive, Romans 12:8
Satan seeks to Lead us Away from the Singleness in Heart, 2 Corinthians 11:3
Serving with Singleness of Heart, Ephesians 6:5
Sincerity – Unmixed
The Unleavened Bread of Sincerity and Truth, 1 Corinthians 5:8
A Godly Sincerity, 2 Corinthians 1:12
Not Peddling the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 2:17
Not in Fleshly Wisdom
Because of Bitter Jealousy and selfish ambition it lies against the truth, James 3:14
It is a demonic wisdom, James 3:15
Where Jealous and Selfish Ambition are there is disorder and all fallow accomplished deeds, James 3:16
It is a wisdom that relates to the soul
Soul is our emotional part
Our soul is not yet saved, 1 Peter 1:9
Through the Soul is How the Sin Nature Attacks us, 1 Peter 2:11
A Soulish Man Cannot Receive the Things from God, 1 Corinthians 2:14
Those of the last times that are mockers as soulish and devoid of spirit, Jude 18-19
By the Grace of God
God’s Attitude by Which We are Given a Benefit Without Consideration of Merit
It instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, Titus 2:11-12
Paul is Not Adding to What They Were Already Taught, 2 Corinthians 1:13
He wants them to Experientially know
Experiential Knowledge Requires Using Salvation
Produces Fruit, Colossians 1:6
One Who Has Full Experiential Knowledge Can Turn From the Truth, 2 Peter 2:21
Impacted by False Teachers, 2 Peter 2:1
They forsake the right way, 2 Peter 2:15
Promising Freedom while being slaves to corruption, 2 Peter 2:19
Being again defiled by the world, 2 Peter 2:20
Cleansing From Sin
After confessing our sin, God’s response is to forgive us of that sin and begin to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This cleansing begins when we start to walk in the light and are practicing the truth (the doctrine by which we have victory over sin – Know, Romans 6:6; Reckon, Romans 6:11, Yield Romans 6:13).
But if, perhaps, we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son keeps on cleansing us from every sin – 1 John 1:7.
In God there is no darkness (1 John 1:5), so when we are walking in the light, as He is in the light, we will not manifest any aspect of our sin nature, for it is darkness; rather, we will express the new nature we have in Christ. Therefore, because we will be doing the things related to the light, we will naturally separate and cleanse ourselves from the things of darkness (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Unrighteousness not only includes sin, but also the determination within the mind that works out to sin (All sin has a quality of unrighteousness – 1 John 5:17). That unrighteous determination happens because we are not doing the truth; rather, we are seeking to fulfill the desires of the flesh and walking in darkness. However, as we walk in the light, we are going to be able to train our senses to identify what is proper and what is wrong (Hebrews 5:14), identify the desires from the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), recognize the methodologies Satan uses to trip us up (Ephesians 6:10-18), stop directing love towards the world system (1 John 2:15), and walk by the Spirit so that we are seeking to do His desires rather than the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
When we sin, we need to start with confession (agreement with God) and then take the next steps to overcome the desire that worked out to that sin by applying the truth to our lives and walking in the light. For it was this failure to walk in the light and do the truth that allowed the sin to be worked out in our lives.
Confession of Sins
If, perhaps, we should confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous in order that He should send away our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness – 1 John 1:9
Confession of sins means we are agreeing with God that our action is sin. It is not telling God you sinned, but a verbal agreement with Him that your action was contrary to His expectations of you. In order to agree with God concerning sin, we have to understand what sin is for a Christian. Under the Mosaic Law, sin is defined through the law; however, Christians are not under law (Romans 6:14). In 1 John 3:4 Scripture defines what sin is, which is anything done contrary to God’s standard – “All the ones doing the sin also do the lawlessness, and the sin is the lawlessness.” Sin is lawlessness. What is lawlessness for one who is not under any law? It is not living out from faith (Romans 14:23). For our standard is to live out from faith (Romans 1:17), not by law.
How do we do something that is not out from faith? It comes down to our knowledge and our conscience. Our conscience accuses or excuses our actions (Romans 2:15) based upon our knowledge. When we do something against our conscience as Christians, we are doing something that we know is against God’s expectation of us in that situation and therefore are not taking Him at His Word, which results in sin. The one who eats believing that the food will defile him sins by eating, Romans 14:23. Sin is also manifested when we know to do good, that is to do what God desires, but we choose to go our own way (James 4:17).
Sin does not belong in the life of a Christian, for we are born from God and habitual sin is no longer a part of our lives (1 John 5:18). Unfortunately, there are times where we do not take God at His Word and the resulting action is sin. When we agree with God that our action is sin, He begins the process of cleansing us. But don’t forget, the reason we got to this point is because we were not walking in the light and doing the truth (1 John 1:6). The truth is the doctrine by which we have victory over the sin nature – Know (Romans 6:6); Reckon (Romans 6:11); Yield (Romans 6:13).
When we confess our sin, we are agreeing with God that we sinned. If God does not call something sin and we do, we are not agreeing with God. Such as our thoughts. Scripture never defines thoughts as sin, sin is always what we do. This agreement will then logically result in us taking the next steps to again start walking in the light and having victory over our sin nature. We need to use what God has given to us and live out the life that we now have in Christ, truly living a victorious Christian life.
Immersion (βάπτισμα)
Baptism – (βάπτισμα; βαπτίζω) Immersion. Baptism means “to immerse”. This immersion permanently impacts the object immersed, such as a garment immersed into dye.
The failure to translate this word was done early in the Church’s history through the Latin use of “Babtismus”, which is defined in English as “washing” or “sprinkling”. Having its root in the false religion of Catholicism, the meaning of the word was masked to justify theological religious practices that are not Scripturally based, such as baptizing a child by sprinkling. The issue with this definition is that the Greek Language has specific words for “washing” and “sprinkling”, showing that baptism has a different meaning.
“Washing” (λούω), involves the cleaning of the entire body. Jesus told the disciples in the upper room once a person is washed, they only need to clean their feet (John 13:10), referring to how a Christian deals with sin. We have been washed and regenerated (born again) by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). This washing is through the Word to those of the Church (Ephesians 5:26) and is referring to a complete washing away of sins.
“Sprinkle” (ῥαντισμός; ῥαντίζω) is used six times in Scripture. It is what was done with the blood of animals for cleansing the earthly tabernacle (Hebrews 9:13), which was a shadow of the real temple in Heaven that was cleansed by the sprinkling of Christ’s blood (Hebrews 12:24). It is also used for Christians who have been sprinkled by the blood of Christ in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, 1 Peter 1:2, and cleanses our heart from a malignantly evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22).
“Baptism” (βάπτισμα) is not actually a Christian word by origin, it was used in Koine Greek for a garment dyed, a sword dipped in blood, and to describe the first time a soldier went into battle – being immersed by fire. Once the immersion happens there is a permanent impact. John the Baptist came immersing Israel so that the Messiah would be revealed to him (John 1:31-33). In Peter’s first address to Jerusalem after the resurrection of Christ, when the devout (saved under law) Jews asked what they must do, Peter instructs them to change their mind (repent) concerning Christ and to be immersed (Acts 2:38). This immersion was because of the forgiveness of sins (εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν). On a bit of a side note, εἰς (eis) is never used to indicate obtaining something, it is a preposition that expressed direction or cause. They were not immersed to get forgiveness of sins, but because through Christ sin was sent away.
One of the most significant aspects of “Immersion” is that those who believe the Gospel for salvation today (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) are placed (immersed) into the body of the Christ (A new creation that God made in which Christ is the head and the Church is the body [2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:15]) by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). This immersion impacts every aspect of the believer’s life. They are no longer condemned before God (Romans 8:1) and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them (1 Corinthians 1:30). This imputes the death and resurrection of Christ to those who are in The Christ (Romans 6:4) thereby freeing them from slavery to the sin nature (Romans 6:6) and making them slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18).
The Christ, The New Creation
So that since someone is in Christ, a new creation (κτίσις), archaic things have passed away, behold, all things have become new – 2 Corinthians 5:17
This is a very important verse when it comes to understanding what God did in the resurrection of Christ and the creation of the Church, yet, due to very poor translations is often completely misunderstood. Frequently “he is” is inserted into the translation, even though there is no support for its addition. Other translations change the word from creation to creature. κτίσις is creation (Mark 10:6), κτίσμα is the result of creation – a creature (1 Timothy 4:4). By misrepresenting the words used in the original language and adding in additional words, many translations imply that we become either a new creation or a new creature. However, Scripture states that the Christ is the new creation.
It was Christ who died for all so that we who live should live not for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:15).
The Christ is God’s new creation in which Christ is the head and the Church is the body.
For just as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, being many are one body, thus also is the Christ – 1 Corinthians 12:12
For He Himself is our peace, the one making both one and tearing down the partition of the wall, the enmity in His flesh, having rendered ineffective the law of commandments in ordinances, in order that He should create of the two in Himself unto one new man, making peace – Ephesians 2:14-15
And put in subjection all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all the Church, which is His body, the fullness of the one filling all things in all – Ephesians 1:22-23
There are two important aspects of this new creation we are in. Since we are in Christ, we are no longer under the condemnation that Adam brought upon all humans (Romans 5:12; 8:1). Therefore, we are free from slavery to the sin nature and are now slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18). The other facet is the fact that we of the Church are part of a new creation, we do not become a new creature or creation. This new creation unites us as one body and through this we are to have the type of relationship with each other that expresses love – seeking the best for other Christians – along with caring for each other. For when one part of the body mourns, so does the other parts, and when one part is joyous so is the rest of the body.
For I myself am not ashamed of the Gospel of the Christ, for it is the natural ability of God unto salvation to all the one’s believing, both Jew first and Gentile. For God’s righteousness in it is revealed out from faith into faith, just as it is written, “The righteous out from faith will live”. – Romans 1:16-17