8. The flesh or the sinful nature seeks to take us away from God, Christ, the Spirit and the Word. The flesh is a powerful weapon of Satan to keep you from the local church. The flesh wants to keep us away from the written Word of God and the proclamation of His divine truth. The flesh seeks to draw us away from God and His holy Word. We are never tempted of God. Let none of us say we are tempted of God. None of us are tempted by God. If a sinner thinks he is tempted by God, he is committing iniquity. God cannot be tempted by evil. God never tempts a person to sin or to commit evil. As James says, we are tempted when we are carried away and enticed by our own evil lust! Sin is evilly attractive to us because of our corrupt nature. Sin is desirable to us because we are fallen creatures. Sin is alluring because it is pleasurable. There is a pleasure that is not of God but of sin. However, there are eternal pleasures at the right hand of God. That is, holy pleasure is obedience and worship and service to the Holy Trinity. Sin seeks its own design devoid of God and His Word to take us away from holiness. Sin has blinded the minds and hearts of religious and secular people throughout the centuries. Many have gone to hell because they were not saved from sin. We all have the personal responsibility to repent and believe the gospel. We must remember that there is a great transference from the Cross to us. The sin and punishment is placed at the Cross in repentance and the forgiveness, cleansing and grace is imparted to us from Jesus' Cross alone. The Cross deals with small and great sin alike and it seduces us into more corrupt thinking, words and behavior. Temptation makes sin more "appealing" than divine and holy righteousness. The sin grabs our attention in our thinking. Our minds are captured with the corruption and wickedness of sin. The sin also grabs our feelings and our wills to act in disobedience against God and His law. The sin becomes a reality when we commit ourselves to it. The people who live in the flesh fall for sin because all they do is sin. Lust gives birth to sin and sin brings forth death. Life for the wicked is contrary to the righteous. Life for the rebellious is a monster and a disaster! The reprobates blame others for their "misfortunes" and seek to be masters of their destinies! I have seen many say that they are in charge of their destiny. However, this is simply not the case, because God has preordained all things after the counsel of His own will. We should not seek a false sense of peace in thinking we are in charge of our lives, because God alone decides what we do in every detail.
9. The flesh does not want Jesus Christ. That is why without God no one would ever be saved. He saves and He alone gives us eternal life based on His foreordained choice and call. We are in hyper-need of Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and Deliverer. We need His Spirit in our hearts. God's Spirit is only in the hearts of His people. We have separated ourselves from God because of our personal sins. The only hope is not being saved through purgatory, but the very Cross of our God and Redeemer Jesus Christ. At the Cross He forgives, cleanses, removes our sins. We can receive the free gift of everlasting life only through grace by faith alone in empty hands of faith. Faith is an instrument and means by which we apprehend Christ our Master and Friend. Jesus proclaimed that apart of Him we can do nothing. We must be grounded and rooted in Christ alone. We ought also to walk by the Spirit. Some Christians do not walk by the Spirit. Are you walking by the Spirit of Christ? Do you seek to abide in Christ? That is, do you read the Bible, attend church, pray regularly and evangelize the lost in a dark world? We ought to abide in Christ and bear much fruit. Do you see evidence in your life that you are bearing fruit of the Holy Ghost? Or, do you bear the fruit of the works of the flesh? Your assurance of salvation is weakened in mind and testimony when you commit deeds of the flesh! However, if you walk in the Spirit of God and bear much fruit you will have a greater sense of assurance of salvation.
This blog web site is for the in-depth, sound and basic exegetical study of the Bible in Reformed apologetics; that is, I shall expound upon the inerrant and infallible Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. There shall be biblical studies in world religions and non-Christian cults. I also quote and research reformed writers and I am happy to study from them. May the Lord bless everyone who reads this blog with spiritual riches in Christ which is His imputed merit by faith alone.
