Bible Passages
Ezek 18:23-24 Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. However if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten and they will die in their sins.
Ps 20:1 In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the NAME of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
Ps 20:7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the NAME of the Lord our God.
Rom 9:30-33 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Gal 2:16 We know that a person is made right with God by faith in Christ, not by doing the law. And we have believed in Christ, so that we might be right with God because of our faith, not because we obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.
Gal 2:20-21 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Devotional Thoughts
There is a stark contrast in these 2 passages! I am so glad we are no longer living under that old covenant.
- Ezekiel 18:24 says, “If a righteous man turns from his righteous behavior, he will die in his sin.”
- Gal 2:16 We know that a person is made right with God by faith, NOT BY DOING THE LAW.”
But, on the other hand, Rom 6:1-2 reminds us that, although we are living under the new covenant, and we are not under the law for sanctification, it doesn’t mean that we can just go on sinning because God’s grace will cover it.
Gal 2:20 makes it clear that my old self, that old Adam nature, the propensity to sin, has been crucified with Christ. We no longer HAVE to serve, or be enslaved by, sin (Rom 6:6)! We can choose to live for God. Like Paul says in Gal 2:20 “I live in this early body by trusting in the Son of God…”
Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the NAME of the Lord our God.” Choosing to trust in the resurrected life of Jesus living within us, is what will give us the victory over sin in our lives.
Romans 9:30-33 Trying to become righteous by keeping the law was a stumbling block for Israel. Because they had the law, they tried to obey it and become righteous by keeping it in the flesh, without faith in their redeemer. They did not succeed and they stumbled over the “stumbling stone,” and missed their true hope.
Prayer Outline:
- Rejoice in our redeemer, who was crucified on our behalf, in order that we no longer have to serve sin.
- Actively choose to say no to the flesh, and sin, and yes to what reflects the NAME of the Lord.
- Don’t trust in the arm of the flesh, don’t stumble over the law, learn to live “Not I but Christ who lives in you.”
- In your daily struggle, may the Lord answer your cry. May the NAME of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
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