There's Work To Be Done

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." - Romans 8:13

Let's not confuse salvation with service; these are two completely different things. When it's said that there's "work" to be done, and it's said in the future tense? We're not talking about your salvation. Christ has already done everything necessary for you to be saved, and it's up to us to trust what he's already done. "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:" - Ephesians 2:15-16

Once we are saved, and have an excellent understanding of salvation, it's time to get to work. It's also time to do what we find here in Romans 8:13, which is "mortifying the deeds of the body." We do that by building on that which we read all through Romans 5,6, and 7, (which is why Paul starts the chapter in Romans 8:1 with "There is Therefore now", learning that we mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit.

This is not some Pentecostal Charismatic Spirit magic, or zap, or mysterious unknown operation of God that aren't found in the pages of scripture, but through actual study and instruction we are told how to operate regarding the Spirit, thus mortifying the deeds of the body, and that's through the study of sound doctrine rightly divided. (1 Timothy 3:16) (2 Timothy 2:15)

It not only has to be instruction from the Bible, and not ramblings of the insane world around us talking about self-esteem and how sin is okay, but the instruction of the Bible must be rightly divided and understood in it's proper context. Once that's done, and we are seeking instruction to actively, practically "mortify the deeds of the flesh", we can do so as instructed.

There's work to be done, and if your advice to me is "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." - Matthew 5:30, all I can say is....Maybe we should shake hands and call it quits, but according to the verse you should've cut that hand off by now. Did you?

The right verse in the right context rightly divided makes all the difference when obeying God by following Paul. There's work to be done. Let's do it.

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