College. They're the best years of my life. This is where we have the most fun; find the friends that will be with me for the rest of my life. Everything should be going great. So why isn't it? What is it that constantly dampens what should be one of the best things in my life? It's not something foreign; it's not something new. In fact it's been around longer than I've been alive; longer than anyone has been alive. Sin.
It's everywhere. I'm at a secular college, so of course it's everywhere. If you aren't on guard, you will be pulled down. Sin and temptation don't take a vacation. They won't give you a chance to recover. No. They will attack with every intent to kill. What's worse is that it is us! Our flesh is constantly trying to kill us. We want to do what we want. God created us. He made us and He made us with a purpose; to glorify Him. But we don't want to do that. We spit in his face as we yell, "Forget you! I'll glorify myself!"
We have all sinned. "as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
- Romans 3:10-12, 23
As it says, we are worthless. We have forsaken our purpose to glorify ourselves and this is our punishment; eternal death (Romans 6:23). Because we disobeyed, we have broken God's law and because of that we deserve the wrath of God (Romans 4:15) and therefore were made enemies and separated from God (Romans 5:10).
But the story wasn't over. God had a plan to save us. He wanted to save us because He loved us (1 John 4:19). We had spit in God's face and yet God still loved us. It is a wonderful mystery. But even though He loved us, we were still enemies and therefore a sacrifice had to be made. We are sinful and therefore can not do anything to get into heaven. Our good deeds are like dirty rags to God (Isaiah 64:6).
So God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to live a perfect, sinless life and then die in our place so that we might not have to die (John 3:16). Not only that, but Jesus rose again, conquering sin and death all at once. Now he mediates for us to the Father, so that we are not longer enemies but have a relationship with God.
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time."
-1 Timothy 2:5-6
Now all we have to do is except this gift, and Christ's perfection, his righteousness, is counted as ours. God looks at us and sees the righteousness of his Son (Romans 5:19).
Now here is the real question and what I have seen a lot at college: If Christ has saved us and all we have to do is believe, then can we continue to live the same way we were? Can we continue in sin? Absolutely not! Paul says in Romans 6:1-2, 4, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?...We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."
We are no longer the same people but we have been made new. "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!"
- 2 Corinthians 5:15-17
Are you a Christian or a Christian? Have you truly been affected by the gospel and desire to change your old ways and glorify God? Or do you called yourself a Christian and live however you want, hiding behind some false security?
Here is my challenge to those who defend themselves behind a title called "Christian" that doesn't have any meaning.
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness."
- Romans 6:12-13
Forsake your sin and turn to God. Give everything to Christ and dedicate your life to proclaim God's glory and the gospel of salvation that has been freely given to those who except it.
I have another challenge, which is mainly directed to myself, but also to fellow Christians that want to serve God. Persevere.
"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."
- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Do not fall into a selfish and prideful mind set. First and foremost, constantly battle the sin of your own heart, then correct and lead others in this way. I myself fail at this more than anyone. I fall into passivity and then start to slip into the sins of this world. I become prideful that I am not like those "Christians", but look at verse 14 of 1 Corinthians 16. "Let all that you do be done in love." Do not be prideful, because you are a sinner too. But rather, correct in love.
Lord, I thank you so much for your love for us. Your love that saved me, even thoughI rejected you. It is overwhelming to think that you could love a sinner so filthy. It is even more overwhelming to think that your love drove you to kill your Son, so that I might be saved. Your grace is so undeserved and I could never thank you enough. I pray that you would help me stand strong, Lord. Help me to be completely sold out for you. I can't do any of this apart from you, so I pray that you would help me to constantly wage war against my fleshly impulses and shine through to this world, so that others may see you through me. Lord I pray these things to you only because Christ has and is mediating for us to you. Jesus repairs the relationship that we destroyed. May your name be praised! Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Amen.
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