Sin is a problem for everyone. Most people put themselves under some performance standard to try to defeat sin in their lives, but then can never live up to it.
How then can sin be dealt with without the law or some performance standard. This study looks at the way the Apostle Paul laid out for us to meet that challenge.
Comedian Jeff Allen’s testimony finds him having an epiphany when he hears a preacher preaching on Ecclesiastes 1: 1-3. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity sayeth the preacher. Living a Christian life without the law also begins with that epiphany. When one realizes that all earthly and fleshly things are at their best state vanity. one can begin to look at what…
Oftentimes folks wait until there is difficulty in their lives before they turn to God. This makes it almost impossible to have any real understanding of what God is doing and to be comforted by the scriptures. One must learn first to be established in the faith before life throws a curve ball. This study looks and how and where we turn…
In Paul’s epistles, two churches stand out when studying the subject of practical living. One church is a prime example of how not to live, the other a shining example of how we should live. These two churches are the Corinthians and the Thessalonians. Paul tells the Thessalonians that he always remembered their “work of faith, and labour of love, and patience…
Looking to the scripture to learn how to live a righteous life, we find the answer throughout: “The just shall live by faith.” In Philippians 2, Paul tells us: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Jesus Christ lived the perfect life by having complete faith in the Father. We learn to live the life of Christ…
Paul tells us that we are crucified with Christ, nevertheless we live. How is it that we can live in death. Fortunately, he equips us with the tools to do this outside of the law. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 we are told to look at things which are not seen. This is how we defeat the lust of the eyes. So being…
All sin comes down to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. These three things are what is of the world and is the cause of all sin. These three things again correspond to the doctrines found in Romans 6-8. Being dead to the flesh corresponds to the lust of the flesh. The lust…
When Paul makes lists of sins when referring to the Body of Christ, he makes a parallel with Romans six, seven and eight. In Romans six, we are shown how we are dead to sin; in Romans seven, how we are dead to the law; and in Romans 8, how we are dead to the flesh. When listing sins in I Corinthians…