12 Therefore brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live after the flesh:
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. Romans 8:12-13 (1599 Geneva Bible)
God is Holy. God is Righteous. God is Just. God is Sovereign. Yehōwāh (יהוה) our Adhōnāy (אדן אדון), God our sovereign one, our Lord, our Kurios (κύριος), is also Love, Mercy, and Grace. We must not have a view of God that emphasizes His love, mercy, or grace over His Holiness. We are commanded to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12)….
We are commanded to delight in God and come boldly to His throne of Grace, yet we must never take His Holiness for granted. This is why we have so much exhortation in the Bible to put to death the deeds of the flesh and then become Spirit-filled thereby walking in repentance.
A huge part of our sanctification is putting to death the deeds of the flesh and, instead, live according to the Spirit. All who are in Christ are new creations because God regenerated them at their death and resurrection (their salvation). The act of putting to death the deeds of the flesh is called the mortification of sin. This is what we do when are exposed to the Holiness of God (Isaiah 6). His Holiness shines His light into the darkness of our hearts revealing to us the sins we are holding onto that is actually causing our relationship with Him to suffer. This also diminishes our obedience to Him. While we may have thought we were doing pretty well in this walk, when we draw near unto our κύριος, spend time with Him in prayer, our sins become apparent to us in a way that breaks our hearts for we have hurt our κύριος who went to the cross, bearing our sins upon Himself to incur the wrath of God so we will never have to. While this walk is powered by the Joy of the Lord (John 15), it is also one of constant self-examination. <Continue reading post>