Weekly Devotional 4-18-16 Approval of What
Recently the following was posted on Face book; “Having God’s unconditional love does not mean you have God’s unconditional approval.” Certainly that is true, but it prompted a friend to post this question in the comment section, “Approval of what?” I am not sure what he meant by that question. Perhaps he was asking what it is that God does not approve. The answer of course is that God cannot be in approval of our sin. It was sin after all that caused Him to become man and sacrifice Himself to indescribable torture and death to make us acceptable to Him. In that His sacrifice satisfied His required punishment for our sin past, present, and future, it would be inconceivable to think that He would approve of our sin at any time.
It should also be understood that the death of God the Son, Jesus on the cross, was not only for our justification, but also for our sanctification. Those of us who have been regenerated have been reborn spiritually. We are called and empowered by the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) to be different than we were before rebirth. God’s desire for us is that we walk in His Spirit, and in so doing we can and will be approved of Him. Consider the Apostle Paul’s letter to Galatians concerning this;
“16I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,lewd-ness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-25 NKJV).
Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes, that those who practice unrighteousness will not inherit the kingdom of God. Further adding that if we live in the Spirit, that is if the Spirit abides in us, we are to walk in or be guided by Him. To help us in this walk, the risen glorified Lord has gifted certain ones to aid us in our sanctification, our spiritual maturation. Consider again the inspired words of the apostle Paul; this time from his letter to the Ephesians. “11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. 17This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20But you have not so learned Christ, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:11-24 NKJV).
Considering then that God sacrificed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, has given His Spirit to convince and convict us of our sin, to aid us in turning from it, and that He has given us certain persons to guide us in our maturation it must be concluded that He approves of lives that glorify Him, but disapproves of lifestyles that do not.
Thank you Lord for your work of sanctification. Thank You for Your Word that gives us direction. Thank You for indwelling us. Thank You for the persons You have given and empowered to encourage us in our walk. Thank you for the knowledge that we are approved by You when we walk in The Holy Spirit.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man
Evangelical Free Church www.efreebible