Jon David Banks

Titus 2:11-14,

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;

14 who 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.

1 Peter 2:9-12,

9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

10 or you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The above verses of Scripture tell us that in the present age, that is, the age we live in on earth, we are to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly; and we are to abstain from fleshly lusts, thereby keeping our behavior excellent.

Many say this is impossible because they believe we will always sin. But the Bible contradicts this belief. Peter said we are to arm ourselves with the same purpose as Christ and endure suffering, for he who has suffered has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of the flesh, but for the will of God, 1 Peter 4:1-2. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more,” John 8:11; and, in His sermon on the Mount, He said, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your Father is perfect,” Matthew 5:48. Paul said in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity?”

1 John 3:2-12,

2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

Believe or don’t believe, it’s your choice. I personally believe that when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:11-14.

The blood of animals atoned for past sins; the blood of Jesus not only atones for past sins, it also takes takes away future sins. He takes them away; He doesn’t cover them; He provides a way of escape for every temptation common to man that we might escape sin through faith in Jesus, who made this way of escape possible for us.

1 John 3:1-11,

1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine, Leviticus 20:26.

Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant

Author: Jon David Banks

Abstain From Fleshly Lusts