All Things Are Open and Laid Bare

Titus 2:11-15,

11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly IN THE PRESENT AGE, 13looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

How can anyone claim that Christians can continue in sin and still go to heaven? Christians are supposed to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and live sensibly, righteously, and godly IN THE PRESENT AGE. That’s what Jesus came for, to destroy the works of the devil and form a new body to be God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them IN THE PRESENT AGE.

Some say God sees Christians as righteous because they are covered with the blood of Jesus. But the the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Consider what Jesus said to the Laodiceans:

Revelation 3:14-22,

14“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. 16‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. 19‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent. 20‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The Laodiceans were lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, and they claimed they were wealthy and had need of nothing. They didn’t even know they were wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, yet Jesus said He would spit them out of His mouth if they didn’t repent.

Bear in mind, in this Revelation, Jesus was speaking to born-again Christians. They most likely thought their sins were covered with the blood of Jesus. Something most people don’t know is when the word of God speaks of being covered by the blood of Jesus, it is referring to past sins.

2 Peter 1:2-9,

2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, HAVING ESCAPED THE CORRUPTION that is in the world by lust. 5Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

We must acknowledge and repent of our present sins for no creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Jesus came to save us from sin today, not tomorrow.

Hebrews 3:4-15,

4For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. 7Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

8DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME,
AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,

9WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me,
AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

     10“THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION,
            AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART;
            AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’;

11AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,
‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’”

   12Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. 13But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; 15while it is said,
            “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
            DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.”

Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant

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Published by Jon David Banks