2 Peter 1:3 (CEV)
3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God's own Power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.
Through Christ, we have been made pure in our Father's eyes. Since we are pure, we have an invitation to share in God's goodness and Power.
When we live in the purity of Christ, then we have everything we need to live a life that pleases God.
The Purity of Christ is a valuable and precious gift. Jesus paid for our impurity, our sin, with His blood. Only when we surrender to Christ entirely are we truly made free. We are free from our old ways of living, free from the bondage of sin, and free to live a new life of Power that pleases God.
In the prophet Ezekiel's time, the Jews believed that God could punish someone for the sins of their ancestors. Some accused God of being unjust. They complained that it wasn't fair that they had to pay for the wrong things that other people had done.
They failed to recognize that they were worse than their forefathers. Their sins were causing destruction and judgment. They weren't holding themselves accountable for their shortcomings with God.
Ezekiel 18:30–32 (CEV)
30 I will judge each of you for what you've done. So stop sinning, or else you will certainly be punished. 31 Give up your evil ways and start thinking pure thoughts. And be faithful to me! Do you really want to be put to death for your sins? 32 I, the Lord God, don't want to see that happen to anyone. So stop sinning and live!
Ezekiel 18 teaches us a fundamental truth: every person is accountable to God for their own life. Each person who rejects Christ's forgiveness and does not surrender their life to Christ's authority and leadership will die spiritually and even experience eternal judgment.
Sin leads to death. Purity, through Christ, not our strength, leads to life. Sin is not pure. Sin defiles. Sin corrupts. Sin separates us from the best that God has for us. Sin always leads to destruction.
Why? Because, at its core, sin is anything that is NOT the will of God.
Purity is the opposite of sin. Purity is life. Purity is freedom. Purity leads to greatness.
Why? Because purity is God's will and God is pure. He is holy, perfect, and just.
Surrendering to the authority of Christ allows an exchange of sin for purity.
To receive the purity of Christ, we make this confession:
"I trust that Jesus' death and burial was enough to pay for all my sin, and His resurrection is proof that God accepted the payment. So now, I walk in the full authority of Christ because I have been redeemed from the curse of sin.
I no longer want to live against the will of God. I want to walk the rest of my life surrendered to Christ. My new purpose is to walk in this free gift of purity."
When our heart makes this confession to God, we are changed forever. We are translated from darkness to light. We have been set free for good.
So, why keep living like we haven't been set free? Today, surrender to Christ and live in the goodness and power of God.
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