God is a good, good Father. He is very gracious, is slow to anger, and is quick to forgive when we repent. At the same time, He is holy, righteous, and just, and wants us to be holy like Him.
Many of us, failing to see just how holy God is, make a small thing of sin. We think that since God loves us, "understands" us, and is patient with us, it's OK for us to commit a little sin every now and then. We think He can just forgive us for it; after all, Christ died for us, right?
Well, that's where we get it wrong. Titus 2:11-14 tells us that
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."
God has given us His grace to empower us to live a holy, righteous life through Christ. This grace, which saves us, enables us to live a life that pleases God: a life that pursues Christ-likeness by faith (see Romans 1:16-17).
Christ Jesus gave Himself up for our sakes so that He might redeem us from sin. Christ's salvation freed us from sin. In Him, we died to sin. "How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (see Romans 6:2)
A Christian and sinful living
Still there are many of us who continue to think that we can keep on sinning. We believe that because Christ has saved us once, we're always saved - no matter how we lived. We think that because there's nothing that can separate us from the love of God, we commit sin and still think that we're in God's love.
Well, God's love cannot be taken away from us alright, but He Himself said that just because we're called "Christian" and we have Him as our "Lord," that doesn't mean we follow Him. Jesus said in Luke 6:46,
"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?"
In Matthew 7:21-23, the Lord Jesus also said,
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
Galatians 5:19-21 enumerates for us what that lawlessness is:
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Christ the Lord Himself said that calling Him "Lord" isn't enough. We've got to live right before Him if we truly follow Him. He lived a sinless life, and it's but right that we strive to live a life without sinning, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
