For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The fate of unrighteous mankind is to suffer forever in the fire of hell. But, we who submit our lives to Jesus Christ are saved from the coming wrath of God to eternal life in the joy of heaven. Our only hope is faith in Jesus.
“There is therefore there no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”
We who are in Christ will not be condemned for our sins and will enjoy everlasting life and peace. This is thanks to the righteousness of Jesus being imputed to us by his work on the cross. Those without Christ are at enmity with God. Carnally minded souls cannot please him; for them is condemnation and death.
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God – Because of the mercy that God has shown us; the apostle Paul is begging fellow Christians to live as he says here.
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. – We are to give all we are to him (a living sacrifice.) The body is where our humanness resides, so be disciplined to resist sin and control the desires of the flesh (present your body). Strive to be holy and behave to please God because this is a reasonable thing to do in light of the mercy and grace that we enjoy.
And be not conformed to this world: – Do not seek the temporal pleasures or profane objectives of the secular world, that is Satan’s domain. Choose righteousness and do not be conformed to the spirit of the world.
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, – The mind is where we struggle with sin. Live in God’s word that refreshes, renews, and keeps us following his will.
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. – We are to submit to God’s will, not our own. This is the foundation of being a witness to others of God’s wisdom, goodness, and sovereign perfection.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation (gentle spirit) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.6 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
A grand verse of comfort:
Rejoice in the Lord! – be grateful and joyfully acknowledge the blessings that you have in Christ.
Let your gentle spirit be known – you should demonstrate gentleness, yielding, patience, self-control, tolerance, leniency, and generosity. This is the opposite of being contentious and self-seeking. Not spineless, but selfless.
The Lord is at hand – the return of Christ is imminent! I also believe this speaks to our closeness with God and that he is with us always.
Be anxious for nothing – anxiety is a natural, fruitless feeling. We worry about what might happen, and Satan uses it to take the joy out of our lives. God gives us the power to deal with anything, and the knowledge that all things are in his hands gives us comfort, and anxiety evaporates if we trust in him.
Let your requests be made known to God – Gratefully ask God for what you need. Take everything to the Lord. Pray about everything, worry about nothing.
The peace of God – This is peace from God, the removal of anxiety, and the tranquility that comes from being a beloved child of God. This is one of the most impactful benefits we experience as Christians! Salvation and a relationship with God are not only beneficial after this life but provide for a joyful and abundant life now.
Shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus – Guarding our affections and thoughts to stay in step with Christ. To avoid the snares of Satan and the entanglements of sin. We are to focus on the good things that are:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is the way to God; he is the truth of God’s revelation of salvation and the promise of eternal life. There is no other way to God, arriving deemed righteous and uncondemned, than by faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the only hope for mankind.
These 18 words have an astounding depth of meaning, weight, and consequences. It would be beneficial for you to consider carefully what this verse means.
13Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The narrow gate is faith in Jesus Christ, and the way is narrow because the word of God constricts it. To believe in Jesus, to establish him as the Lord of your life, and live in submissive obedience to the word of God is the narrow gate and the narrow path to heaven. To enter the wide gate and take the wide path is to come to God however you like or not at all. Wide and easy is the path that caters to desires in this life, tempting with temporal pleasure or conjuring up a savior or religion of imagination that pleases. There is only one way to the Father and eternal life: the narrow way of Jesus Christ. All other paths lead to an eternity in hell. Tragically, most will travel the wide path, and few will find the narrow way.
Here is one of the greatest verses in the bible!
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God – to humble yourself is to be submissive to God. The scriptures are clear that God abhors arrogance and pride. His “mighty hand” is the righteous power and authority he wields.
that he may exalt you in due time – God will lift you up at the proper time, after you have been tested, according to his will.
casting all your care (anxiety) on him, because he careth for you – Give all your trouble in this world to God because he loves you and because all things work for the ultimate good for those who love him.
be sober, be vigilant – be calm, clear-minded, practice self-control, be focused on God, be alert to your surroundings and situation, seek and follow the will of God.
your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour – know that Satan is at work to destroy you and all that you love – to devour you. He also wants to destroy your testimony. Satan cannot take away your salvation, which has been sealed by God, but he can wipe out your testimony and the good you can do for the Kingdom of God.
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Resist Satan by being vigilant in your faith (abiding in the word of God) and in obedience to God. Arm yourself with the full armor of God, and Satan will flee from you. Take heart that all Christians experience the same suffering while here on earth.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Our suffering here on earth is temporary, and the result of enduring suffering in reliance on God is to:
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This 38-word verse from Paul’s masterpiece on the Christian faith exemplifies the Bible’s amazing ability to convey broad and deep meaning with an impressive economy of words. Here is what this scripture means:
being justified – to be declared righteous in the sight of God and reconciled to Him. Righteousness is to be morally perfect, a condition required to enter heaven. Reconciled means that our relationship with God has been made right, and we are no longer adversarial with Him.
by faith – Justification occurred by the whole-hearted confidence and trust in the word of God. This is to believe the word of God and the resulting submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Abraham had the same type of faith as he hiked Mt Moriah with his son Isaac. It is belief and conviction that Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sins and whose resurrection proved his diety and validated his substitutional atonement for us.
we have peace with God – the state of hostility with God is over; we are now at peace with him. We are reconciled to him and will not be subject to his wrath. There is no way we are capable of achieving this without Christ.
into this grace wherein we stand – grace is the free, unmerited, and undeserving favor of God, the underserved gift of forgiveness of our sins. We are in a favorable position with God to develop a personal relationship with him. He is our spiritual father, and we are welcome to bring him our needs, problems, and praise.
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God – hope is the conviction of certainty (not a wishful hope), and glory is the full manifestation of God. We will radiate the glory of God, his perfect, holy character; our sanctification will be complete, sin removed from our existence, and we will finally be like Christ. This is looking to the future when we will be with him in heaven.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Prior to this verse, Paul had presented the vile behavior of those lost in the world (adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.) Paul then gave us this incredible view of the dramatic contrast between that evil against the goodness of the Holy Spirit!
This is quite a list of goodness! Who wouldn’t want to be around people like this? Think what this world would be if we all strived to have these qualities. It might be like heaven.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
Paul presents this beautiful prayer asking that his brothers in Christ to come to maturity in the faith:
The Petition . . .
do not cease to pray – we are to pray continually for each other. It is through persistence (a great virtue) in prayer that our petitions are effective with God. We are to pray fervently! Notice that Paul is praying for those who are succeeding and growing in Christ. We should pray for those doing well that they continue strong and successful in the faith.
ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding – The knowledge comes from the word of God and wisdom is the skill to live life according to God’s plan. If we ask God, he will give us wisdom (James 1:5), and obedience to this wisdom produces a life that is beautiful, abundant and glorifies Him. This is enlightenment from the Holy Spirit that directs us in how to live.
walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing – to follow His will that we now know because we are wise! It is daily loving obedience that pleases God. This is to strive to live as Jesus did, which can only be approached with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God – walking in a manner worthy of the Lord is to manifest the character and conduct of the fruit of Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22 presents that fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This should be evident in our good works, and humble service to our neighbors. Increasing in the knowledge of God, and the continual growth in the understanding of what he wants, allows us to grow in our maturity and effectiveness as Christians.
strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness – God’s power, his might, is unimaginable. Our Lord, the creator of all things, will make us steadfast (resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering, on solid footing) and give us the patience to endure and be effective in the Christian life. Knowledge of the promises of God gives us the strength, patience, and resolution to succeed in the trials of life.
The Praise . . .
giving thanks to the Father – We praise and thank God for all that he has done and the promise of what is to come! All good things come from him, including our justification and salvation (the work of Christ) and he deserves our continual loving gratitude.
which hath made us meet (qualified) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light – we are adopted sons, now qualified to be heirs to the Kingdom of God and the unfathomable joy and riches that this means, which we share with our Christian brothers in Christ. Our qualification is by the work of Christ, by the grace of God, and for this, we are eternally grateful!
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear son – God took us from Satan to himself. The moment we put our faith in Christ we are rescued from the jurisdiction and authority of Satan. We now dwell in the kingdom of Christ as beloved children of God.
in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins – salvation available by the blood of Christ on the cross! We who believe and make Christ our Lord are redeemed from the darkness and now live in the light as our sins are forgiven.
John 3:36 