SPIRITUAL GROWTH ARTICLES
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Sanctification or Holiness |
sin.
~Romans 14:23
now that you are abiding—
you will simply surrender it to Him,
rather than struggle with it like you did before the cross.
You will take responsibility for your sin instead of blaming others.
WALKING IN THE LIGHT
The Book of 1 John paints a beautiful picture about walking in the Light and choosing not to sin habitually—not to practice any known sin that the Spirit in His grace has revealed to you.
| Comments for your consideration: | Scripture from 1 John | |
| You will no longer want to walk in darkness and will not, therefore, choose to sin knowingly. | If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1:6). | |
| When you choose to respond to His revelation of sin to you by simply surrendering it to Him, you are walking—moving forward—in the Light. When you are walking in the Light of not practicing known sin, the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin—even the sin you have not received revelation about yet. | But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin (1:7). | |
| If we say we have no sin, we ourselves are deceived. Note: Some advocate the doctrine of having no sin in their lives, but this Scripture reveals to us that the truth is not in them nor the doctrine they advocate. They are deceived. | If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1:8). | |
| As we simply surrender known sin to the Lord, He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Praise His Name! | If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1:8). |
Will I now be free from sin?
You will be free from the power of sin, but you will still sin.
You will still sin after you yield to the Lord—not purposefully or habitually but unknowingly or unintentionally—but sin will not rule you; His Spirit will. The Old Testament sin offering in Leviticus 4:2 foreshadows Christ’s completed work on your behalf related to unintentional sin.
God will begin addressing the root of sin in your life, rather than its manifestations, and that root is unbelief or lack of faith.
sin.
~Romans 14:23
Simply surrendering, after your flesh has been mortified—stripped of its power over you—and your whole heart given to God, indicates that you are now more able to discern and willing to confess sins of unbelief and yield them to God. In fact, when you receive such a revelation of unknown sin in your life, you see it in the light of His holiness (Isaiah 6:5)—because you are abiding in Christ’s holiness—and immediately repent from it, simply surrendering. This process is walking in the Light.
When you were working out your salvation, you did so with fear and trembling (Phillipians 2:12); but as you abide and begin to move forward in the Light of His holiness, you walk more freely with Him in relationship because you now experience His unconditional love for you. You no longer fear when He reveals sin to you. His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Your faith in Christ grows!
and He can use you for His kingdom purposes
throughout your process of walking in the Light with Him.
you are being perfected until the day of Christ Jesus.
will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 1:6
BLAMELESS IN LOVE
As you continue to practice habitually walking in the light, whether you sin or not will no longer be your focus. You will walk humbly with Him and trust that He will continue to reveal unknown sin to you, which you will simply surrender.
on Who He is—
rather than on your self—
who you are or are not.
As you walk with Him, His Life and love will pour through you to others. You will live in and walk in His love, established by Him blameless in His holiness.
and simply surrender.
Let the Lord of your life establish you,
blameless in holiness
—to His glory!
that your love may abound still more and more
in real knowledge and all discernment,
so that you may approve (discern) the things that are excellent,
in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ,
having been filled with the fruit of righteousness
which comes through Jesus Christ,
to the glory and praise of God.
~Philippians 1:9-11
so that He may establish your hearts
unblamable in holiness.
~I Thessalonians 3:13
Go to Part 6 of this series: Worship and Pray Without Ceasing.
SERIES
Links and Navigation Help
- Create Margin
Purposefully develop an environment that fosters spiritual growth. - Hearken!
Cultivate discerning the meaning of His message to you. - Invite the Lord’s Chastening through Obedience
Obey—through your personal conduct—the seemingly little things God has set before you.- Distinguish Between Works and Obedience
A practical example - Love is Born of God
A Failing Marriage Testimony
- Distinguish Between Works and Obedience
- Believe and Abide, Part 1 of 3
Believe and Abide, Part 2 of 3
Believe and Abide, Part 3 of 3
Believe Him as you abide and be released to love. - Simply Surrender
Now that the flesh has no power over you, walk in the Light and simply surrender. - Worship and Pray Without Ceasing
God seeks you to worship in spirit and in truth moment by moment. - Be Content and Hope in Christ
Serve the Living God, in Whom you find your contentment. - Wisely Steward Your Liberty
You are free indeed! Praise the Lord!
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