"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" Acts 2:38
"Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin" (Charles Stanley) James talks about authentic faith, "faith without deeds is dead." It isn't that you aren't saved until you lead a perfect lifestyle, but you are saved once you believe in the forgiveness Christ offers you and have that desire to live a life that pleases Him. Your sin nature was put to death at the cross, so how can you intentionally live in sin? We are freed from that now, free to choose to live righteously and in a way pleasing to God.
Genuine faith is dependant on a repentant heart, and a repentant heart is dependant upon faith. By God's grace he gives us the power and strength we need to live the life he desires for us. Ephesians spells out so clearly all God has graciously done for us and how we should live our lives in honor of all that!
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
If God has prepared good things for us to do, how can we go on desiring the evil this world offers? The message is clear to stand firm against the devil's schemes and all he represents in Ephesians chapter 6. We are not to live the way the world lives. We are aliens proclaiming the message of God's saving grace and living honorable lives out of love for our Savior.
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