Ch. 4
The Lord Empowers Us to Overcome the Flesh
"For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP (resist the devil) IN TIME OF NEED" (Heb. 4:15, 16).
Understand that mercy and grace empower us to resist the temptations of the flesh, which come from Satan. Mercy and grace have been perverted by carnal doctrines, which tell us we can practice the desires of the flesh (lawlessness) without judgment.
They say, "No one can keep the law" (the ten commandments).
That is true if you are following a form of godliness, but if you follow Jesus, you receive mercy and grace to become DOERS of the law. How can you have the mind of Christ if you continue walking with the mind of the devil? God is commanding us to be conformed to the image of Jesus.
The sons of God are those who are justified by faith and this faith leads us to fulfill the law. His Spirit leads us to put to death all the deeds of the lawless flesh nature. This must happen so your heart can be purified and you can love your neighbor as yourself. You have then laid down your life. This is the only way we can walk in the love that God demands: "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Pet. 1:4). We take these promises to heart and walk them out in order to have the nature of Jesus Christ and then we can love others as Jesus has loved us.
"Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently; being born again.., by the word of God" (1 Pet. 1:22, 23) The Word conforms us to the image of Jesus-holy and blameless. We then have the divine nature of God and bear the fruit of love. The opposite of this is to love the flesh and have our minds set on things of the world and build our treasures here on earth. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:2 1).
"For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor un- clean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU WITH VAIN WORDS; FOR BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS COMETH THE WRATH OF GOD (the judgment of the law) UPON THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE (who walk after fleshly lusts). Be ye not therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes (formerly) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light. Wherefore He saith, AWAKE SLEEPER, and arise from the (judgment of the) dead... See that you walk circumspectly... understanding what the will of the Lord is... That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be HOLY and WITHOUT BLEMISH.., that He might SANCTIFY and CLEANSE it with the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:5-8, 14, 15, 17, 27, 26). These Scriptures clearly explain that sanctification is being cleansed by the Word of God in order to be holy and blameless. God is now warning us to wake up in order to escape the judgment and wrath of God.
".... The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH" (Gal. 3:24). Remember that we are led to Christ by faith and then we are justified by faith. We have already seen that .... not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be JUSTIFIED" (Rom. 2:13).