MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
November 29, 2023
God’s SavingEnmity
Part 46
ONLY AUTHENTIC BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS RECEIVE DIVINE ENMITY AGAINST SIN
“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Rom. 8:8, KJV. “In the ungenerate heart there is a LOVE OF SIN, and a disposition to cherish and excuse it. [In stark contrast] “In the renewed heart there is HATRED FOR SIN, and a determined RESISTANCE against it.
“When Christians CHOOSE the society of the ungodly and unbelieving, they EXPOSE THEMSELVES to temptation. Satan CONCEALS himself from view [a key cog in his deadly original strategy of deception as ‘the father of lies’] and stealthily draws his deceptive covering over their eyes. They CANNOT SEE that such company is calculated [by the master strategist] to do them harm; and while all the time ASSIMILATING to the world in CHARACTER, WORDS, AND ACTIONS, they are becoming more and more BLINDED.
“CONFORMITY TO WORDLY CUSTOMS CONVERTS THE CHURCH TO THE WORLD; IT NEVER CONVERTS THE WORLD TO CHRIST.
“Familiarity with sin will INEVITABLY cause it to appear LESS REPULSIVE. He who chooses to associate with the servants of Satan, will soon cease to fear their master [Satan].
“When in the way of duty [see Eccl. 12:13,14] we are brought into trial [by temptation to disobey God’s law], as was DANIEL in the king’s court, we may be sure that God will PROTECT US; but if we PLACE OURSELVES [by our self-pleasing, self-justifying choice, not by God’s commandments and leading], we shall FALL sooner of later.” – E.G. White, Great Controversy, 1911 ed., Pacific Press Publishing Asso.(all emphasis and words in brackets supplied).
To be continued next MWM, God willing. Bless all, NMF.