Just Say No To Drugs – Part 7

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For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds [Titus 2:11-14].

Jesus “gave Himself for us”. Verse 14 goes on to teach us why Jesus gave Himself for us. Let’s read it again and see,

To redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Did you catch the two aspects depicted by those words. Each aspect begins with the word “to”. Jesus gave Himself for us “to”, i.e., in order to accomplish what follows.

First, Jesus’ death for our sins and resurrection for our justification was for the purpose of “redeem(ing) us from every lawless deed”. The word “redeem” means to buy back. We were slaves to sin, you see, slaves to “every lawless deed”. Christ Jesus gave Himself for us to buy us back from the slave market of sin.

Secondly, Jesus’ death for our sins and resurrection for our justification was for the purpose of “purify(ing) for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds”. We were slaves to sin. Jesus went to the slave market and bought us off the auction block. This makes us “His own possession”.

Jesus is God. He cannot even look upon sin. It is too flagitious for His pure eyes. As His property, we cannot be in fellowship with Him while we are in sin. Ergo, Jesus gave Himself for us so that He might purify us. This allows us to be and remain in fellowship with God the Son, as well as with God the Holy Spirit and God the Father too.

The life I now lead is a pure life, His life in me, the new nature of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus went around the land of Israel doing good deeds zealously, so now too am I to be “zealous of good deeds” in my own city and country.

But I don’t do this out of obligation or to earn salvation. I already am saved! I do it because of the new life indwelling me, the Spirit of God, and that is how He lives.

This sure gives me plenty of food for thought, dear friends. Let’s betake ourselves to the prayer closet and spend time alone with Jesus. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, as we enjoy the Lord’s fellowship and converse with Him and He with us.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:

http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B00507WC86