‘Dead in Sin’ or ‘Dead to Sin’?

(Offerings in Righteousness part 2):

‘Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years’ Malachi 3:3-4.

I was about to send out the message I had prepared for this week, when I felt the need to share something different as we pursue this theme of bringing God offerings in righteousness. I will post the other message next week. But I believe some people on this list need to hear what follows.

There is no way a man who is not born of God can bring an offering in righteousness to God. It is just not possible. You might well expect a dead man to rise up and run in the Olympics than for an unregenerated man to walk in God’s righteousness.

The bible describes a man outside of Christ as ‘dead in sin’. He is dead spiritually because he is cut off from the life of God – this life of God that brings righteousness. And because of this deadness he lives on in sin, powerless against it and many times unconscious of his depravity.

I believe that one of the reasons why so many of those in our churches are unable to walk right is that they are like the king Agrippa. Agrippa said to Paul that he was “almost persuaded” to be a Christian (Acts 26:28) yet he never became one. In the same way, we have many who are persuaded and almost Christians but who are not yet born again. They might have responded to an altar call but they have never given their heart completely to the Lord. So they remain ‘dead in sin’.

Just because you are an active members of a vibrant bible-believing church, read your bible and pray, love attending Christian programs or even hold position in your church does not mean you are born again.

Being ‘born-again’ cannot happen until a man comes to the end of himself. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The invitation is only for those who have come to the end of themselves. It requires you coming to the place where you are tired of going in sin and you want to be changed.

Jesus has done everything we need to be born again. He died to pay for our sins. And through his death and resurrection, we can be reconnected to the life of God so that we are no longer dead, but alive to God. But we must respond to what Christ has done by repenting and accepting what he has done. We cannot change ourselves but God wants us to want to be changed. And to accept what Christ has done by simply asking him to come and become the Lord of our lives.

Like I said earlier the bible describes a man that is not born again as ‘dead in sin’. But it describes those who are born again as ‘dead to sin’. So beloved, which are you ‘dead in sin’ or ‘dead to sin’? If the former describes your state, I invite you to pray with me now with all your heart:

‘Lord, I am tired of my sins. I don’t want to continue living in sin. I want you to give me a new life. I am tired of playing Church. I am sorry for my sins. Lord, I thank you that you died for me. Please forgive me.  Come into my life and change me. I ask this in Jesus’ Name.’

If you have prayed this prayer with all your heart then God has answered you. And your new life has begun. I would like to send you some free materials to help you in this new life. Please send me an email immediately if you prayed this prayer.

Next week we will continue on this theme as we explore what it means to be dead to sin.

Offerings in Righteousness

Offerings in Righteousness:

‘Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years’ Malachi 3:3-4.

God wants men and women who can bring to him, and be for him, offerings in righteousness so that his will may be done on earth. So many offerings are being brought to the sanctuary of the Lord in our day, but not all of these offerings are acceptable to the Lord. He looks for offerings in righteousness. God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us the way we are. God wants to see men and women that look like Christ.

Let us not confuse legalistic righteousness with the righteousness that God seeks. Paul pointed out the difference between the two as he expressed his own desire to “…be found in him (Christ), not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith”. (Phil 3:9)

Note the two types of righteousness here. First, ‘…a righteousness of my own that comes from the law’ and then ‘the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith’. The first type comes from our striving to measure up to God’s requirements. The Law can bring us to Christ but it cannot make us like Christ. God does not seek a man-made religious righteousness.

The ‘righteousness of my own’ seeks to work from the outside, seeking to tame or hide the outward manifestations of sin. I recall my life before I came to the Lord: I worked hard at many resolutions to live right. I remember once after getting drunk and making a mess of myself, how I vowed to God never to touch alcoholic drinks again. And I truly went for months without alcohol, but within myself I was pulled to it. It was such a struggle. Outwardly I had a form of righteousness but within I lacked the power to be free.

God works from the inside. He changed my heart and desires. Not only does God give us the desire not to sin, but also the power to say no to it. The righteousness that God wants in us is our walking in the righteousness he has given us in Christ.

The Lord’s parable in Matthew 22 illustrates this. The king invites men to his feast and announces ‘Everything is ready’. God invites all of us to come as we are, for it is not about our changing ourselves but about coming to him to receive everything he has already provided. But in the parable (Matthew 22:11-12), there were some who came but remained in their old filthy garments. The king was shocked and found this unacceptable, because everyone who was admitted into the feast had been provided with a beautiful garment worthy of the king. In the same way, all of us who have given our hearts to Christ have received glorious new garments – a new life. ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new garment is Christ. He is our righteousness. But many of us do not put on Christ. We do not clothe ourselves with Christ.

The only way to put on Christ is the same way we received him – by faith. That is why Paul says it is ‘the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith’. To put on this righteousness by faith means to believe that we have received it and to begin to act as if we have it. I will dwell more on this next week.

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Comments? Questions? etc. If these messages have been helpful or unclear it would encourage us to hear from you, please write to chim_ibidun@hotmail.com
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PLEASE are you born again? It is not enough to believe in the existence of God, to go to church, or be interested in spiritual things. Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus died to deliver you from sin so that you can come to God. (John 3:16) If you ask him to forgive you and give you a new heart he will. (Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9-11).Try it. I’d love to hear from you @ chim_ibidun@hotmail.com

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Chim’sWRITE are regular articles on Christian living and cross-cultural missions from Chimezie Onyebilanma a cross-cultural missionary with Calvary Ministries (CAPRO). CAPRO is an indigenous African non-denominational cross-cultural  mission agency involved in reaching the remaining unreached peoples in 22 countries of Africa and the Middle East as of present. CAPRO is involved in missions mobilization, training, and research as well as church-planting and mercy ministries (literacy, rural development, primary health-care, relief and rehabilitation). CAPRO is a faith mission, both the ministry and its missionaries depend on God’s provision through the giving of his people. None of its missionaries are salaried. All gifts are used as designated.

Surface Address: CAPRO MISSIONS SA, Durban, 47 Sutherland Rd, Waterfall, 3610, Durban, P.O.Box 207, Hillcrest, 3650, South Africa.Tel: +2731 766 2336; +27 794737208 (cell)

To learn more about the ministry of Chimezie Onyebilanma and how you can partner with us please emailchim_ibidun@hotmail.com

To learn more about the cross-cultural missionary work of CAPRO visit www.capromissions.org.za

Do you know that your monthly gifts to support a missionary can make a big difference? To learn more about supporting missionaries please visit www.adopt-a-missionary.org    or enquire at chim_ibidun@hotmail.com

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