I wrote this on Facebook this morning, and I’ve been asked to allow people to share it, so here it is, as a shareable post.
We don’t get saved so that we won’t smoke, or drink, or sleep with people not our spouse, or practice homosexuality – but once we are saved, we won’t WANT to partake of these practices.
Each of these deface our bodies, which after we are saved, are God’s Temple – the Holy Spirit LIVES in there! Do you want Him choking on your smoke? Do you want Him dealing with the effects of the alcohol you drink? Do you want Him grieved at the sin that you’re committing? I think not!
Tozer writes in “Whatever Happened To Worship” the following:
Sometimes evangelical Christians seem to be fuzzy and uncertain about the nature of God and His purposes in creation and redemption. In such instances, the preachers often are to blame. There are still preachers and teachers who say that Christ died so we would not drink and not smoke and not go to the theater.
No wonder people are confused! No wonder they fall into the habit of backsliding when such things are held up as the reason for salvation.
Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died on the cross and rose from the grave to make worshipers out of rebels!
Yes, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, chapter 6,
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (vv. 9-11)
That’s the point – you once did these things, but now that you’ve been washed, sanctified and justified by the blood of Christ, you don’t want to do that anymore!
You were once a rebel – now you’re a worshiper!
So, if you’ve returned to this life, you’re a backslider, and you need to knock it off, with the help of Christ. Because if you don’t, you’re a lousy testimony for Christ, and a crummy example for others
The #Heb10 Church 