Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 4,121
“Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:1-6 NASB1995)
Paul and Timothy were bond-servants of Christ Jesus. And a bond-servant is one who willingly makes oneself a slave of another, i.e. a fully devoted servant of another. They saw themselves as those who belong to Christ, who willingly have surrendered their all to the Lord to do his will, his plan, and his purpose for their lives. They no longer had ownership rights over their own lives, but they were now God’s possession, under Christ’s authority.
And the saints in Christ Jesus are all who are different, unlike the world around them because they are being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, by God. They are God’s holy people because they have forsaken their sinful lifestyles to now follow the Lord in obedience to his commands, to do his will and his purpose for their lives. They have died with Christ to sin, and by God’s grace, they are now living in obedience to God.
And Paul thanked the Lord for these saints in Christ Jesus whose lives were being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. And he prayed for them, in view of their participation (fellowship, partnership, contribution) in the gospel of Christ. For all of us who believe in Jesus Christ with biblical faith in him understand that faith in Jesus Christ involves us dying with Christ to sin and now walking with him in obedience to his commands.
For our salvation from sin is deliverance out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we can now serve the Lord Jesus with our lives in doing his will and purpose for our lives. So, even though the faith to believe in Jesus is not of ourselves, but it is a gift of God, and we can do nothing in ourselves to earn or to deserve our own salvation, we are not saved from our sins just so all our sins will be forgiven and heaven will be our eternal destiny upon death.
We have a part in our salvation which has to do with the surrender of our lives to now do the will of God for our lives as his bond-servants. Faith in Jesus Christ is a partnership with Christ in his gift of salvation, and it involves our cooperation with Christ in his work of grace in our lives. He is now our husband and we are his bride, and we are now to be living our lives to do what pleases him as obedient servants of the Lord, by his grace.
So, our salvation from sin does not come about by us giving merely lip service to the Lord. Faith in Jesus Christ is persuaded of God, it comes from God, and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, so we don’t get to decide what that faith looks like. God does. And his word teaches that such faith as this requires that we deny self, die to sin daily, and walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power. For..
The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
Therefore, the “good work” that God began in the lives of those of us who are of genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, is that Jesus Christ put our sins to death with him on that cross, and he rose from the dead in victory over sin so that, by faith in him, we will now deny self, die with him to sin, and walk with him in obedience to his commands in holy living, by his grace, and in his power, from now to eternity. This is his purpose for us our lives. And faith in God = obedience, and disobedience = unbelief.
For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Our Participation in The Gospel
An Original Work / August 18, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:1-6 NASB1995)
Paul and Timothy were bond-servants of Christ Jesus. And a bond-servant is one who willingly makes oneself a slave of another, i.e. a fully devoted servant of another. They saw themselves as those who belong to Christ, who willingly have surrendered their all to the Lord to do his will, his plan, and his purpose for their lives. They no longer had ownership rights over their own lives, but they were now God’s possession, under Christ’s authority.
And the saints in Christ Jesus are all who are different, unlike the world around them because they are being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, by God. They are God’s holy people because they have forsaken their sinful lifestyles to now follow the Lord in obedience to his commands, to do his will and his purpose for their lives. They have died with Christ to sin, and by God’s grace, they are now living in obedience to God.
And Paul thanked the Lord for these saints in Christ Jesus whose lives were being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. And he prayed for them, in view of their participation (fellowship, partnership, contribution) in the gospel of Christ. For all of us who believe in Jesus Christ with biblical faith in him understand that faith in Jesus Christ involves us dying with Christ to sin and now walking with him in obedience to his commands.
For our salvation from sin is deliverance out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we can now serve the Lord Jesus with our lives in doing his will and purpose for our lives. So, even though the faith to believe in Jesus is not of ourselves, but it is a gift of God, and we can do nothing in ourselves to earn or to deserve our own salvation, we are not saved from our sins just so all our sins will be forgiven and heaven will be our eternal destiny upon death.
We have a part in our salvation which has to do with the surrender of our lives to now do the will of God for our lives as his bond-servants. Faith in Jesus Christ is a partnership with Christ in his gift of salvation, and it involves our cooperation with Christ in his work of grace in our lives. He is now our husband and we are his bride, and we are now to be living our lives to do what pleases him as obedient servants of the Lord, by his grace.
So, our salvation from sin does not come about by us giving merely lip service to the Lord. Faith in Jesus Christ is persuaded of God, it comes from God, and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, so we don’t get to decide what that faith looks like. God does. And his word teaches that such faith as this requires that we deny self, die to sin daily, and walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power. For..
The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
Therefore, the “good work” that God began in the lives of those of us who are of genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, is that Jesus Christ put our sins to death with him on that cross, and he rose from the dead in victory over sin so that, by faith in him, we will now deny self, die with him to sin, and walk with him in obedience to his commands in holy living, by his grace, and in his power, from now to eternity. This is his purpose for us our lives. And faith in God = obedience, and disobedience = unbelief.
For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Our Participation in The Gospel
An Original Work / August 18, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
