My heart is hurting today. God’s grace isn’t an excuse to sin. It’s the power to walk away from it.
I have seen this happen over and over, to where now, I must share what is on my heart.
Dear friends who profess Christ, I include myself, when I say I want to gently encourage you to reflect on how your actions and words might be impacting those around you. As followers of Jesus, we're called to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Our words and actions have the power to bring people closer to God or push them further away.
Jesus sets us free from sin. Not to sin. Everyone wants to talk about how God gives grace, how he forgives, and how he loves...but we are not to take advantage of God's grace and trample it underfoot, by repeating our old lifestyle of sins. "Repent" means to confess our sins and turn away from them. Turning to Christ, who saves us from the condemnation sin placed on us. John 3:17
Let's strive to be authentic and loving in our interactions with others. Let's make sure our actions align with our words and our faith is genuine. When we do this, we can be a powerful witness to the love of Christ and bring people closer to Him.
Claiming faith in Christ while living a life of sin ("walking in darkness") is contradictory and false; true fellowship with God, means living in His "light," which involves righteousness, truth, and according to His Word, demonstrating that faith is active and evidenced by actions, not just words, and that believers should align their lives with God's holy nature.
Faith & Works: 1 John 1:7 and James 2:17 emphasize that saving faith isn't just intellectual agreement, but results in transformed actions. Upon accepting Jesus as Savior, he sends the Holy Spirit to live in us, transforming our lives, which demonstrates one's new relationship with Christ. The Bible says you shall know them by their "fruits," meaning if someone has truly accepted Christ as their Savior and love him, their life will automatically show it. Not in a phony way, but in a genuine way, because they love God and want to live for him.
What it Means to "Walk in Darkness"
Persistently engaging in sinful behaviors like pride, lust, lying, or hatred. Loving worldly things, over God. A lifestyle characterized by unrighteousness... not just occasional stumbling.
Commitment to follow Christ, calls for authenticity. Proclaimed love for Christ, manifests in a life that reflects His character, not one that coexists with darkness.
Let's pray for each other and support one another in our walk with God.
Prayer:
"Lord, help us to remember the importance of living out our faith authentically and to be mindful of the impact we have on others. Our commitment to follow you should be reflected in our character and actions, so help us strive to be a positive influence in the world around us, as we seek to live out our faith with authenticity and love towards others. In the name of Jesus, Amen."
