TEACHINGS

by Henry Miranda 

“The living sinner is spiritually dead.” “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

When we were in the world, we were alive physically but spiritually dead. Spiritually dead means separation from God; that is when we are disobedient, depraved, and doomed. When we were in the world, we were alive in body, yet we were spiritually dead. —– “Alive but dead.”

 When we were in the world, we stumbled along in the dark because we did not have our spiritual eyes open, and we could see the path God had laid for us. It is easy for the spiritually dead to believe that there is no God. They cannot see Him, touch Him, or hear Him. He does not pay them periodic visits, nor does He provide any direct physical proof of His existence.

When we were in the world:
1. We were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
2. We loved the darkness and hated the light (John 3:19-20).
3. We had hearts that were hard like stone. (Ephesians 4:18-19).
4. We were hostile towards God, unable to submit or please him (Romans 8:7).
5. We were unable to accept the gospel (1 Corinthians 2:14).
6. We were unable to come to Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3) and (John 6:65).
7. We were slaves to sin (Romans 6:17).
8. We were slaves of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2).
9. No good thing dwelled in us (Romans 7:18).

But, that doesn’t mean that we have to stay spiritually dead. We were once dead to Christ and spiritually blind to the possibility of salvation. But now, we have been awakened and subsequently transformed into a life of holiness by the Holy Spirit. We come to a purely spiritual resurrection, where we who were dead to Christ have come to life by means of spiritual rebirth. We were spiritually dead when we were in the world, and only through Jesus can we become spiritually alive.

 ”Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live’” (John 11:25 NKJV).

There are Christians who are spiritually dead; they are blinded by this world as to their lusts for the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life. The spiritually dead don’t care for the things of the Spirit. They spend their entire time discussing earthly things like food, entertainment, sex, and comfort. If they do speak of the spiritual, it is out of ignorance and the comfort of a god who is only a figment of their imagination.

Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve.

Salvation is entirely a gift from God. We can do nothing to merit it. It is not a reward for our goodness. There is no one good enough to be saved. There is no one beyond the reach of God’s mercy and grace.

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5 NKJV). 

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would reprove, or convict, the world of sin.

“And when He  (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” (John 16:8 NKJV).

An amazing transformation: The “new man” is comparable to a grain of popcorn: it is the same grain, but it has undergone an amazing transformation. What the heat does for the corn, the grace of God does for us.

We were transformed from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God.

We must live a transformed life. Transformation takes place through the power and grace of God, our death with Christ, and being a participant in the life of Christ. We are not to indulge in formal evil practices. We must direct our lives with proper goals.

We must think with a new attitude. Faith and repentance involve the mind, and repentance begins in the mind. Our minds should be self-controlled. We must die to self.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV).

“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:3-6 NKJV).

“Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful’” (Revelation 21:5 NKJV). 

Live your life in obedience. Obedience changes our relationship–Obedience brings a greater degree of personal purity. Obedience acts to show our sincere love for each other.

What does it matter to you when you receive Christ? In the end, we are all equal. God’s calling comes to man at different ages in life. Those who have lived a life of holiness and those who have given to God only the dregs of their ill-spent days receive the same salvation.

God’s grace is sometimes defined as unmerited favor. God’s grace goes beyond our understanding. It is the very nature of God, who is defined as love, to pour out His love upon His people in a way and in a measure that is both undeserved and unexpected.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NKJV).

If we are believers in Jesus Christ then we must—– BELIEVE—and LIVE by FAITH!